If Only for Tonight. Sherelle Green

      Prologue

      Cydney Rayne enclosed her arms around her body as she inhaled the unique scent of the ocean. On the southeastern coastline of Anguilla, sounds from the sea creatures mingled with those constrained to land as midnight approached.

      “So peaceful,” Cydney whispered as she closed her eyes and listened to the sound of magnificent waves crashing against the rocky shore. Earlier that day, she’d soaked in the beauty of the bright sunset as it painted the sky a rusty reddish-orange. Now, as she opened her eyes, she admired the splashes of blue and gray that dusted the moon and the brilliant stars shining in the darkness.

      Cydney walked over to one of the few light posts on the boardwalk and took off her leather sandals, letting the pinkish sand slide between her toes. Her vacation with her girlfriends from college was finally coming to an end, but she hadn’t managed to track down the sexy guy she’d been running into all week. The ladies thought she’d made him up since they hadn’t been around to spot him. But she knew she couldn’t imagine the naughty conversations she’d had with the stranger or the sensations she felt in her body whenever he was around. She felt more intrigued by this man than any other man from her past. And she didn’t even know his name.

      She glanced around the deserted beach, wishing she’d brought her iPhone with her to keep track of the time. “Come on, mystery man...where are you?”

      Her friends would kill her if they knew she’d sneaked out of the resort at night to track down a man she didn’t know. But Cydney was known for being the daredevil of the group. The thrill of danger excited her, and even though her family disliked her adventurous ways sometimes, she couldn’t help but be anyone but herself.

      Deciding it probably wasn’t the best idea to continue to walk around aimlessly in Anguilla, Cydney started to head back to the resort until she noticed she was near the beach house that she’d admired since her arrival. She knew she should keep walking since there weren’t any lights surrounding the house, but she slowed down her pace, anyway. All the lights inside the house were off, and according to a local she had queried, the house wasn’t occupied. But somehow she sensed someone was in the house, watching her from the front window.

      She stood there for a few seconds before a porch light turned on and the front door opened. Out stepped a tall man who appeared to be shirtless. She could barely make out his face in the dim lighting. Her breath caught in her throat. The porch’s lighting was just enough for her to tell that he was looking straight at her. She told herself to leave and hurry back to the resort, away from possible danger. But something kept her bare, toenail-polished feet planted in the sand as her blue summer dress danced in the night wind.

      He stepped off the porch and began taking slow, purposeful steps toward her. A closer look at the man made her heart beat even faster. As he drew nearer, she told herself to be prepared for anything that the night had in store. After all, that was what she’d ventured to the beach for. She’d wanted to find her sexy mystery man, and there he was...in the flesh.

      “So we meet again,” he said in an alluring voice as he approached her.

      “I guess so. You told me you’d be on the beach, but I didn’t expect to find you in a deserted beach house.”

      The amused look on his face was undeniable.

      “You didn’t think I’d come, did you?”

      “Not really,” he said with a smile. “Beautiful women don’t often go out into the night to meet a stranger they haven’t even been formally introduced to.”

      What he said was definitely true considering she’d questioned her own motives several times while walking along the beach.

      “Well, I guess I’m not most beautiful women then, am I?”

      He walked closer to her and she confirmed her observation. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, allowing her a nice view of his delectable six-pack.

      “I guess not,” he answered, studying her, as well. “My name is Brandon. It’s nice to meet you,” he continued. He offered a handshake as he removed one hand from the pockets of his khaki shorts.

      Cydney wondered if she should give him her real name but decided against it. “Nice to meet you, Brandon. My name is Jessica.”

      She returned his handshake and felt an electric spark the minute their hands touched. She was totally caught off guard by the feeling and immediately dropped his hand. His eyes glinted with amusement.

      “Very nice to meet you, too, Jessica. And might I add, I’ve enjoyed the conversations we’ve had this past week. Honestly, I can’t say I’ve ever been this captivated by a woman before.”

      Cydney felt the same way but couldn’t explain why she’d felt compelled to exchange naughty dialogues with the stranger. In fact, she’d been the one to start the conversations. She’d first seen him at a food market where he’d been buying coconut cake, a local dessert extremely well-known on the island. She’d waited until he was leaving, and being the daring person she was, she’d told him she’d love to lick the dessert off his body and then walked away, leaving him with a stunned look on his face.

      He’d returned the favor the next day by walking into a local clothing store while she was shopping and saying he’d love for her to purchase the swimsuit she had in her hands just so that he could strip it off her later. He’d taken it one step further and explained everything he would do to her naked body.

      Their back-and-forth naughty banter had continued every time they’d seen each other until finally he’d told her to meet him on the beach her last night in Anguilla. That night had finally come, and she didn’t know if she was spontaneous or foolish for meeting with a man who had just learned her name, but probably remembered all the sexual positions she whispered in his ear for the past week.

      “Brandon, I want you to know that I’ve never done anything like this before,” Cydney blurted out, although she wasn’t sure why she cared since she didn’t plan to ever see him again.

      He grazed her cheek with the back of his hand. “I know. Believe it or not, I know what type of woman you are.”

      The gesture was sweet, but Cydney didn’t believe him. What woman would believe a man in her position? She knew what he wanted, and it was fine with her because she wanted the same thing. She’d never had a one-night stand, but she didn’t think she could stop herself now, even if she tried. The man was definitely in shape and had the build of a basketball player. His skin was the color of cinnamon and she’d never seen eyes like his. They weren’t hazel or blue but more so a combination of the two. Sea-blue, she thought as she peered a little closer. He was hot....

      “So what do you say, Jessica?” he said, breaking into her thoughts. “Will you come inside the beach house and spend the night with me?”

      Cydney looked him up and down, her eyes lingering on his six-pack. How can I say no to a man this fine? She didn’t live with regrets and after one more glance over his body, she knew she’d regret not taking him up on his offer.

      “I accept,” Cydney said, relishing in the desire reflected in his eyes. “But only on one condition.”