Seaside Kisses: A Sweet Romance (The Seaside Hunters Book 4) Read Online Free Page B

mint on his breath. Her eyes widened, her skin on fire. He paused, still staring into her eyes.
    Amara's hand slid on his face, scratching against the start of his five o'clock shadow. He moved his hands down and cupped her chin, brushing his lips against hers. His lips were soft, his kiss gentle. She smelled hints of ginger and sandalwood on his skin.
    Amara breathed deeply, finally overcoming the shock. She prepared herself to return the kiss.
    Rafael pulled away, his eyes wide. "I'm so sorry, Amara. I shouldn't have done that."
    She opened her mouth to protest.
    "I wasn't thinking. That was really rude. I don't want you to think I'm the kind of guy who forces myself on people like that."
    "I… I don't think—"
    "I need to put these supplies away. I'm supposed to meet someone."
    Realization washed over her that he regretted kissing her. Amara took a deep breath and stood tall, trying to cover her embarrassment. "Accidents happen. I'll see you around."
    "Uh, thanks for helping me clean the window. It was… fun."
    Fun. Right. Amara nodded. "Glad to help." She ran inside, grabbed her ugly purse, and hurried past him before she could further humiliate herself.

Four
     
    "Why are you so distracted, Raf?" asked Jake, the youngest but only married Hunter brother, folding a shirt in Rafael's shop.
    Rafael stared at him. There was no way he was going to tell him that he couldn't stop thinking about Amara Fowler—or that unbelievable kiss. He hadn't meant to, but it kept replaying in his mind. His heart raced every time he recalled her soft, sweet lips on his. She'd smelled sweet, like candy.
    But they had only ran into each other a few times since he'd returned. He needed time to get over being cheated on, and Amara was too nice to use as a rebound. It wasn't fair to her. That was the only reason he'd stopped the kiss.
    Rafael realized Jake was talking again. He paused, appearing to expect a response from Rafael.
    "I'm just thinking," Rafael said. "I need to open the store, but things keep coming up. I know that's part of business, but not things like the egging."
    "Do you think they were going after you in particular?" asked Zachary, looking up from Rafael's laptop.
    "They didn't hit any other shops." Rafael scowled.
    "But why you?" asked Jake. He pulled another shirt from the box.
    Rafael shrugged. "That lady next door doesn't seem to like me."
    "Mrs. Johnson?" asked Zachary.
    "No, on the other side," Rafael said. "The bridal shop."
    "Oh," Jake said. "Does she see you as competition?"
    "I don't see how," Rafael said. "I'm not selling anything for weddings."
    "But you sell nice clothes that could be worn on the honeymoon," Jake said.
    "And rehearsal dinners," Rafael added. "Our two businesses could be complimentary, but she doesn't see it that way. Did I tell you guys she called the cops on me when I unloaded some boxes the other day?"
    "For real?" Zachary asked, looking up from his laptop.
    "Do you think she egged you?" Jake asked, not looking like he believed it.
    "Something like that seems beneath her," Rafael said. "I can't see her doing that. Though I wouldn't put hiring someone past her."
    "She's got a couple kids in high school," Jake said. "They have a reputation for being punks. One of the kids I hired to help out in the shop warned me not to hire them."
    Zachary raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like they'd have been more than happy to throw some eggs at Mommy's competition."
    Jake laughed. "Wouldn't surprise me. They were suspended for vandalism last year from what I heard."
    Rafael pulled out his phone and opened the app where he kept all his notes. "I'm going to add security cameras to my list."
    "Not a bad idea," Zachary said.
    Rafael made a note. "I didn't think I'd need them here in Kittle Falls, but apparently I do."
    "Brayden didn't think he needed a security system in his condo, either." Jake opened a new box of clothes and pulled out some shirts.
    "This may be Kittle Falls," Zachary said, "but people are people.