Dream of Me: A Sweet Contemporary Romance Read Online Free PDF Page A

happened while I was there.”
    “You got arrested for trespassing?”
    “I didn’t have to trespass. I met the owners and got a personal tour. That place is something else.” She glanced around the kitchen. “Did Corbin do this house, too?”
    “Of course; architects don’t live in houses designed by someone else.”
    “That makes sense; is he from here?”
    “He grew up in Savannah, but his parents moved to Macon a few years ago. That’s when he came over to Tybee.”
    “Does he have any brothers or sisters?”
    “Several of each. You should ask him about them sometime.”
    “He’s not one for sharing personal information. I’ll just stick to questions about work.”
    Paul laughed. “It takes him a while to warm up.”
    “So there’s hope? That’s nice to know. I better get back to work. I’ve wasted enough time as it is.”
     

Chapter Two
    Several days passed without Aubrey exchanging more than a few words with Corbin. That didn’t mean she didn’t hear from him. On most mornings, there were at least two or three notes stuck in prominent positions on her desk. She didn’t mind these impersonal exchanges nor did she resent his long absences from the house. She worked better on her own.
    One drawback to her job was the hours spent in front of a computer screen. Aubrey’s eyes were still trying to adjust. Her tired glance strayed to the sparkling blue water and white sand visible through the window. It was torture to be so close to the ocean and be stuck inside. What would it hurt to take a short break? Corbin wouldn’t be home for hours.
    Before she could change her mind, she shut off her computer and went upstairs to her room. Changing into a swimsuit, she stuffed lotion, beach towels and a book into a tote bag and made her way to the kitchen. After leaving a note on the counter for Paul, Aubrey left the house.
    The warm sunshine and gentle ocean breeze felt wonderful. Aubrey felt a release of the pressure that had been building inside her all week. Keeping track of Corbin’s two careers was time-consuming and confusing. She was still learning the terminology of the construction world. Adding to her feeling of stress were the nightmares that continued to appear with relentless regularity every few nights.
    It was undoubtedly the lack of rest that contributed to her falling asleep, something she wouldn’t have thought possible. As the afternoon marched on and the sun sank further on the horizon, the sudden cooling of the air wakened her. Noting not only the passing of time, but her reddened limbs, Aubrey sat up abruptly and began gathering her things to leave.
    It was then she noticed the man sprawled on a blanket a few feet away. How had she slept so long and so unaware of what was going on around her? A few glances in his direction told her that he’d followed her example and fallen asleep, too. He made no movement as she walked quickly away and still lay in the same position when she glanced back from Corbin’s deck.
    As luck would have it, Aubrey met Corbin in the hallway just as she was congratulating herself on having made it to her room unobserved. She knew she must look a sight with sand liberally sprinkled over her sunburned skin and her hair blown into wild disorder.
    “I must not be giving you enough to do. To get that shade, you had to be out there for hours.” His attractive voice was laced with sarcasm.
    “I didn’t intend to be gone so long, but I fell asleep,” she admitted sheepishly.
    “Or maybe you couldn’t tear yourself away from your friend.”
    “What friend?” Aubrey had forgotten all about the man on the beach.
    Corbin ignored this; instead he reached forward and slid the strap of her bathing suit to the side, exposing the pale skin underneath. “You’re going to need aloe; lots of it. There’s a bottle under the sink in the hall bathroom.”
    He didn’t wait for any reply Aubrey might have been tempted to make, but continued on his way downstairs, leaving