“Jesus!” Whether he’d said it as a prayer or an oath, he was uncertain. But nevertheless, Cole rolled off Debbie and sat up, burying his face in his hands as he desperately tried to regain control of what he’d nearly lost. His sanity.

“My God!” he muttered, remembering that he’d left her behind, and scooped her from the sand. He sandwiched her between his knees, fitting her backside to his lap as he tried to get himself in order. “Debbie…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“For Pete’s sake,” she mumbled, as his chin nestled in the curls atop her head, “if you ever expect me to speak to you again, at least don’t apologize.”

He shuddered, wrapped her tightly in his arms, and wondered if he could ever let her go. He rocked them in the darkness.

The moon’s silver path on the water beckoned, enticing by its mere presence, promising something intangible if one were courageous enough to chance it.

Both stared, lost in the lure of the night, and knew that if they were only brave enough to walk on water, magic awaited. But neither moved.

*  *  *

The drive home was long; Debbie, strangely silent. It was so unlike her, Cole was uneasy. He couldn’t tell whether he’d angered her by initiating the kiss or by stopping just beyond. Either way, she was quiet and he was nervous.

But tonight, he’d realized something. For the first time in his entire life, he was considering the possibility of ending his life as a bachelor. For the first time, he let himself contemplate what it would be like to share his life with another. It would mean that his peace of mind, his sanity, his well-being would not depend entirely upon himself. It would revolve around another person and her happiness and her well-being and peace of mind. It would mean that Cole was not in control. It scared the hell out of him.

“We’re home,” Debbie said quietly.

It startled him.

She spoke again. “I’ll get the bag. You get the rest of the stuff. Just dump the entire mess in the back room, okay? I’ll go through it all tomorrow. I’m too tired to deal with it now.”

He parked, opened the door, and started around to help her out. But she beat him to it and let herself out of the car. He sighed with frustration, turned, and headed for the back door, key in hand.

She walked past him, into the shadowy depths of the house, homing in on the hall light shining through the kitchen, guiding the way toward their rooms.

“Debbie?”

His voice caught and held her in place. Finally she turned and answered. He was impossible to ignore. “What?”

“Are you all right?”

She shrugged in the darkness, but he still saw…or sensed the motion. “Of course.”