A Second Chance at First Love - Chapter 13
The stop Louis had referred to back on the boat was a tiny uninhabited island. The only structure it housed was a historic lighthouse. The rental agency had included a key to allow them entry. She'd never climbed to the top of a lighthouse before. Or at least, she didn't recall ever having done so.
Gemma was glad for the distraction. How could she have thrown herself at Louis the way she had back on the boat? Not only was it a mistake for obvious reasons, but now she couldn't get the kiss out of her mind. Louis had tasted like mint and lemon and savory spice. Replaying the way his mouth had felt against hers sent heat rushing from her toes to her cheeks.
She forced her focus on climbing the circular stairs up to the top of the tower. When they reached the watch railing, she took in the spectacular view. Sparkling blue waves below a crystal clear sky.
Gemma’s attention fell to their anchored boat below as it bobbed gently in the waves. "You know how to handle a boat," she said, her voice battling with the wind. Louis seemed to have many talents.
He brought his gaze from the horizon back to her face. "Learned to sail pretty young," he answered. "My dad took both me and my brother out on the water as soon as we could stand upright."
"You have a brother," she said, marveling that she hadn't thought to ask him before about any siblings.
"Just the one," he answered. He huffed a small laugh. "Learning to sail was one of our first of many competitions over the years. Though compete is probably the wrong term. Leo typically bests me at most things."
The pain in his voice wasn't lost on her. "That must have been work for your parents over the years," she offered, "having two sons trying to outdo each other."
His chuckle was loaded with irony. "They encouraged it. In fact, they still do. Neither Mom nor Dad has even realized that I dropped out of the contests long ago. Nor has Leo for that matter."
She touched her hand to his arm—his expression seemed to call for a comforting gesture. The lines of his face had gone hard, his lips thinned into a small line.
He turned his gaze back toward the horizon. "That's something you and I had in common, by the way."
Gemma couldn't quite place what he was referring to. Memory problems or not, she knew for a fact she was an only child. A sibling seemed highly unlikely and would have come up before now. "What's that?" she asked.
"Our families always had rather high expectations. You pretty much met them with flying colors. I, on the other hand, fell short time and again. Especially compared to my golden-boy brother."