She snuggled close to him and it all came racing back-every damn time he’d ever had the pleasure to touch her, kiss her, be inside her. Lucy felt so good in his hands. So warm and soft and perfect, and she was nuzzling into the crook of his neck and making those little sounds of pleasure she made whenever she got nearly naked in his presence.

“Luce?”

“Mmm?”

She wiggled a little bit, and all her parts rubbed up against all of his and he had to bite down on the inside of his cheek. Oh yes. Oh no. She was lifting that lovely face up to his, and in those heels she was at just the right level…

“Lucy, just wait a-”

She kissed him. In front of everyone! Theo grabbed her by the upper arms and steadied her in front of him. She was toasted, more so than he’d realized at first, and he knew he’d better get her out of there. She could probably use some air. So could he, for that matter.

Theo took her by the hand and swooped down on the table where Buddy now sat with Lola and Stephan, and Theo made a quick note at how odd that little grouping seemed, then said, “We’ll be right back.” He grabbed Lucy’s purse and acknowledged Mary Fran’s look of concern as they passed her.

“We’re going for a walk-we’ll be back in fifteen minutes,” he assured Lucy’s sister.

They took the ornate elevator down, and Theo tried not to look at Lucy, who was leaning back against the glass wall, holding on to the brass handrail, her head lolled back.

She was a knockout. That dress was the most provocative thin strip of fabric he’d ever seen on a woman’s body. It did wonders for her, or she for it-he didn’t know which. All he knew was that the color seemed to melt into the peachy hue of her skin, so the general effect was that she looked sparkly but naked, and that was about as blistering hot as it could get.

She hiccupped, then giggled and opened her eyes.

“I’ve got something important to tell you, Theo.” Her voice was husky and low, and when she looked at him with those gray-blue pools of femaleness he felt sort of drunk himself, though he’d had exactly nothing to drink the whole evening.

Lucy moved close to him on unsteady feet. Theo could hardly believe it, but she slapped a hand directly on his ass and squeezed.

“For seven months now, I’ve wanted to just walk right up to you in the middle of the Palm Club and put my hand on your booty,” she slurred.

The elevator dinged as they arrived at the ground floor. He grabbed her elbow and escorted her across the marble foyer toward an exit that led to the pool and beach. The doorman assisted them with the revolving door and finally they were outside. It was powerfully hot-hot like July in Miami is hot-and Theo turned Lucy toward the beach. She leaned into him as he steered her through the hotel’s elaborate poolside, gardens, and walkways.

“Theo, listen…” she hiccupped. “I have to tell you something. It’s soooo important.”

Lucy snaked a hand up along the back of his dinner jacket, over the collar, and into his hair. She pressed one of those sparkly round breasts against his side. She smelled like sin, and his head was spinning.

She put her lips to the side of his face, then left a little string of kisses down his jaw and back up to his ear, all while she stumbled along next to him.

Theo had no idea where he was taking her or what he was going to do once he got there, but somewhere in the back of his caveman brain all he wanted was Lucy in some type of reclining position, where he could get at her.

He realized that made him scum. Because Lucy was drunk and Tyson was right-Theo couldn’t give her what she needed. All night the reality of Tyson’s comments had hammered in at Theo’s head. He’d tell her he loved her, only to disappoint her. Why even go there? Why hurt her any more than he had to? Why hurt himself?

How the fuck was he supposed to spoil a woman while he was in med school and residency? Why would he want to set himself up for another defining moment, when the woman he loved sat across a lunch table and told him he wasn’t enough for her, that she’d found someone who could do the job better?

He looked down to see Lucy lift each of her pretty feet and slip off her sandals, her hands resting on his shoulders. He placed the shoes on a hotel beach chair, along with his own shoes and socks, and held her hand as they walked in the sand.

The air was thick with humidity and there wasn’t another soul on the Mandarin’s private beach. He was already starting to sweat in his jacket. Lucy stumbled in the sand and he caught her, delighting in the sound of her giggle.

“Are you OK, Lucy?”

“God, no. I’m drunk and I love you, Theo.”

She’d whispered it, and with the sound of the waves he wasn’t sure he’d heard her correctly. But then, dammit, she said it again, turning her face up to his.

“I love you so much it hurts, Theo. I had to tell you. I just can’t keep it in anymore.” She hiccupped. “I’ve loved you since that day I choked on my Milk Duds. Do you remember that day?”

Theo smiled. “I’ll never forget it.”

“OK, so that day, when I woke up on the floor and you were kissing me…?” She frowned at him. “You remember that part?”

“Oh yes.”

“Well, I fell in love with you right then. And I love, love, love you now. And I’m going to kiss you, you big, gorgeous, studly-”

When Theo slammed his lips onto Lucy’s soft, sweet mouth, he couldn’t think of a good reason to ever stop kissing her. He couldn’t think at all. He couldn’t remember what it was that he wanted to tell her.

The kiss said everything, anyway. It told Theo that Lucy just broke through a dam in her heart and the love was pouring out of her and it was all for him and he was sucking it down because he wanted it. He was dying for it.

He was dying for Lucy.

He brought his arms around her and pulled her as close as he could. She tilted her head to the side for him, giving him leeway to kiss her like a crazy man, and he lifted her, tossed her up in the air for the second it took him to relocate his hands on her butt, where he held her aloft.

“I love you, Theo. Did you hear me? This is the part where you say, ‘I love you, too,’ and then tell me the night in Tampa was the most wonderful night of your life, and every night since has been perfect, and you want to sleep with me every night from now on!”

He put her down and set her aside long enough for him to remove his dinner jacket, because he was sweating and because he wanted to have something under them when he pulled her into that reclining position he’d envisioned a few minutes earlier. He took her hand and led her closer to the surf, where he spread out his coat.

He lay down on it and propped himself on his elbows.

“Come here, Lucy.”

“What are we doing?”

“Come here and I’ll show you.”

Lucy knelt at his side, then crawled over him, hiking her dress up enough that she could straddle him.

“You are incredible.” He stroked his hands over her knees, then her thighs.

“I just told you I love you, Theo. I’ve loved you for a long time.” She frowned at him, her hair slipping from its fancy little twist. “Did you hear what I just said?”

He was stalling for time and he knew it. He grabbed her head and kissed her hard and crushed her to the front of his body and waited until he felt her relax, simply surrender to the force they created together, what they’d always created together.

Their mouths fought and pushed and then soothed. Their tongues wrestled, then caressed. Theo’s hands were all over Lucy’s body, and she was a delight under his touch-female and hot and sexy-and he was losing his mind over this woman. Lucy Cunningham was a revelation to him, a woman he dared to picture as his companion and lover. Maybe even his wife someday. If only things were different.

“Answer me!” She pushed up and away.