Determined Kisses (Love in Sandy Beach Book 4) Read Online Free

invitation to eat. But this wasn’t the reason she agreed to stay. One single look into Ethan’s chocolate-brown eyes and she forgot everything else. This man had a stronger attraction to her than she could resist.
    “Come on and have a seat.” He motioned her to the dining table.
    “Thanks,” she said with a shaky voice, sitting down and watching him move around the kitchen.
    He produced a wine bottle and two glasses. “Some wine?”
    Hazel started to shake her head. She really shouldn’t. It could only lead to making a mistake. The lust in his eyes promised so much more than food and wine.
    Alcohol would lower her inhibitions, weaken her self-control, would threaten her to give in if he attempted to seduce her. But then, didn’t she want to be seduced? To feel like a woman again? Cherished? Loved?
    The thought of love stiffened her body. This wasn’t about love. It was about desire and lust. Intense pleasure and a release of pent-up emotions at most. You didn’t love a man after knowing him for a few minutes. This just didn’t happen. Not in real life.
    And her life was in the bottom of a deep, deep hole that she was trying to dig herself out of. Mentally she ticked off the things on her to-do list. Get a job. Pay back her debt. Start living again. And then, just maybe, she could think about finding someone to love. Maybe.
    She saw him waiting for her reply and decided to throw caution to the wind. Could she take this moment for herself and not regret it later?
    Her mind made up, she lifted her eyes and nodded. “Yes. I’d love some wine, thank you.”
    Ethan poured her a glass, and the way he devoured her with his eyes, letting them travel down her body like a soft caress, made her shudder again. Her hands trembled when she reached for the glass. She took a shuddery breath to try and calm her racing nerves.
    He saw her shiver and asked, “Are you still cold, Hazel?” His voice, low and soft, enveloped her, swallowed her whole into a bubble of comfort.
    “No, I’m fine,” she said. When he arched a brow, she explained. “You make me nervous.”
    Again he misunderstood her. His eyes darkened with concern. “I’m not gonna hurt you, Hazel. If it makes you feel better, I can…”
    “No.” She hurried to say, “I’m not nervous about that. I’m not afraid of you.”
    She didn’t continue, and she didn’t have to because the light in his eyes showed he’d understood.
    “That’s good to know. A toast.” He lifted his glass, his eyes never leaving her, “To the happy incident of finding a true siren on the shore of Lake Michigan.”
    Hazel giggled and suddenly she wasn’t nervous anymore. “A siren?”
    “Seemed appropriate,” he murmured in reply.
    Instantly, the tension in the room was broken and his dining room filled with the sound of laughter. She cherished these carefree moments.
    How long had it been since she’d enjoyed such a lighthearted instant?  Two and a half years. That was how long.
    There had been moments of laughter and brief happiness while her mother was yet alive, but none of them had been carefree. Sometimes, they had been forced. A vain attempt to pretend that everything was going to be like it was before Mom got sick. Sometimes, they had been genuine. But they were always overshadowed by the knowledge they didn’t have much time left together. Her mother had been so strong and courageous, Hazel had tried everything not to let her feel her own desperation.
    Suddenly, she wanted the evening never to end. To feel like the happy girl she’d been years ago. It may have been selfish, but she wanted this one night with Ethan before she was forced to return to the sorry existence that was her life.
    Reality would return in a few hours. What harm was there in trying to enjoy this moment?
    The timer rang and Ethan walked into the kitchen, returning with a pan of lasagna in his hands. The delicious smell intensified and she licked her bottom lip again. After just one bite, she