Kiss and Tell Read Online Free PDF Page B

easy.
    On the stove, the kettle began to whistle. Marsh turned off the heat.
    “Elliot. Of course. Right. I’d forgotten about him. Silly of me, really. Have you decided how you’re going to tell him—I mean, I’ll help you, you know. If you want…”
    Leila stared at Marshall. “Tell him?”
    “About what happened at the party.” His wet hair fell forward into his face, and he swiped at it with his towel. “I mean, it
does
seem rather significant and—”
    “Oh, this is
perfect!
” Leila exploded. “I should’ve known Simon couldn’t keep a secret. He told you everything, didn’t he? About the fireworks and…everything?”
    “Simon?” Marsh frowned. “What did he—”
    “This is just great.” Leila stood up so suddenly that the chair she’d been sitting in fell backward with a crash. How could Simon have done this to her? How could he have told Marsh Devlin—of all people—about that amazing, fabulous, devastating kiss? How
could
he? But of course, Simon told Marsh, Leila realized. Simon told Marsh everything. Private matters weren’t private for long on Sunrise Key. Leila was a fool for thinking otherwise.
    But now Marsh knew her deepest, darkest, most terrible secret. How wretchedly awful. How totally, mind-numbingly humiliating. “I’m never going to hear the end of this, am I?”
    “Leila, what are you—”
    “Damn you, and damn Simon and…and…damn
everything!
”
    Leila hiked up the skirt of her ball gown and ran from the room, leaving Marsh staring after her.
    What in bloody hell was going on?
    His tea long since forgotten, Marsh went in search of the man he suspected held the answers to all of his questions.
    Simon.

THREE
    “A ND L EILA HONESTLY doesn’t know who kissed her?” Marsh asked.
    Simon looked closely at his friend, and Marsh smiled wryly, knowing without a doubt that he’d just given himself away.
    “My God, it was
you,
” Simon said.
    Marsh sat down wearily in the deck chair next to Simon’s and stared out at the ocean. “It was me,” he admitted.
    “But, Dev, that’s great.”
    “
Was
great,” Marsh corrected him. “Past tense. Right now it’s not so great after all.” All of his elation, all of the euphoria that had come from having Leila—lovely, brilliant, sparkling, gorgeous Leila—in his arms had long since vanished. True, he’d kissed her at midnight, but she hadn’t kissed him. At least, not knowingly. “What the hell was she doing anyway, kissing a total bloody stranger like that?”
    Simon poured himself another cup of coffee from the thermos next to him on the table. “Don’t be so British. The important thing here is that Leila’s not going to marry that bozo, Elliot.”
    “Oh, and what?” Marsh didn’t hide his skepticism. “I suppose you think now she’s going to marry
me.
”
    Simon took a long sip of his coffee. “Is that what you want?”
    Marsh looked into his friend’s clear blue eyes and found not a trace of recrimination, prejudgment, or blame. There was only trust…and friendship. Years and years of true friendship.
    The truth was, Marsh wanted—desperately—to make love to Leila. He wanted to love her in the very physical sense of the word. But…marriage? The thought was extremely appealing. Leila—permanently his. But it was also terrifying.
    “I don’t know,” he said finally. “All I know is, I’m in love with your sister, Simon. I think I have been for years. It’s just…”
    Even with Simon, who knew him better than anyone on earth, it was so hard to open up. And what was he supposed to say? That he was scared to death? Scared that Leila wouldn’t love him…and scared to hell that she would? Scared she’d actually marry him…and then turn around and leave him someday, the way his father and mother had left each other?
    “I’m terrified,” Marsh admitted.
    Simon handed Marsh the coffee mug. “I know. I would be, too.”
    Marsh stared down into the steaming brown liquid. “Shouldn’t you be