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snuck away for some solitary time.
    The party went on for a couple of hours. Music continued to pump loudly from the sound system. Several tables laden with an amazing array of party food and partially finished beverages with tiny umbrellas sat forgotten. Under normal circumstances, this would have been a great party. But Luke felt claustrophobic surrounded by all the eager young beauties and he needed a break.
    "Excuse me, darlin'. I'll be back in a minute." Luke peeled Jenny, the attractive cling-on, off his arm and excused himself to go inside to use the bathroom. Once inside and away from the noise and activity, he felt relieved. The girls' competitiveness astounded him. It was nice to be wanted, but this was ridiculous. It was worse than fan day at Lambeau Field. Well, almost. At least Security kept the people in line there. Here, he'd been thrown to the wolves.
    Luke wandered through the house toward the back doors and looked out over the pristine beach. He watched the waves roll into shore, and a sense of peace washed over him. He glanced back to the pool where all the contestants and the camera crews waited for his return. If he was lucky he might get five uninterrupted minutes before they noticed he was gone. There were just too many girls to keep straight. They were all beautiful and physically a ten. What more could a guy want? Except maybe a little breathing room instead of constantly being rubbed against, and given coy looks and a lot of fake laughter. This bachelor stint had sounded a lot easier than it was turning out to be.
    He took one quick look to make sure the coast was clear and then snuck out the doors onto the back deck, and quickly took off down the beach. The sun glistened on the water and a gentle breeze brought the refreshing scent of sea air. He saw a lone beach umbrella farther down the beach. It was the perfect place to hide. He needed a few minutes of solitude to watch the ocean and gear up for the next few hours of social time.
    As he walked up to the umbrella that looked empty from a distance, he noticed a lounge chair occupied by a pretty blond engrossed in a paperback novel. She looked quite content in her little paradise with a towel and a soda and the sun shining down on her. A light ocean breeze gently blew her hair around her face.
    Not to be deterred from his goal to hide behind the umbrella, Luke approached and noticed that she looked familiar. "Hey, aren't you the girl who threw herself at my feet the other night?"
    Startled, Ashley knocked the soda into her lap. She tried to look calm as cold liquid ran between her legs and soaked her bottom.
    She'd been discovered.
    "It was more of a launch," she replied, trying to look casual and not like the deserter she was. "By the way, you wore really nice shoes that night. I meant to mention it before." She smiled up at him.
    Luke crossed his muscular arms over his chest. "Shouldn't you be over at the pool with the rest of the masses, trying to delve into all my inner secrets and position yourself for the next round?"
    Ashley noted the hint of sarcasm in his voice, but was distracted by the incredible man before her. Luke stood to the side, forcing her to look up at him, but also blocking the bright sun from her eyes. He was over six feet of bare bronzed skin and toned in all the right places. His swim trunks hung low on his hips.
    "Uh, oops, you caught me! I cannot tell a lie." She swallowed, distracted by the hunk of man before her. "I figured there was so much estrogen by the pool that no one would mind one less man-eating woman." She repositioned herself on the chair and tried to look relaxed as she attempted to mop up the cold soda in which she sat. "Plus, I figured none of the girls would turn me in," she added with a bit of sarcasm. "They'd be happy to have more time with the man of the hour."
    Luke raised his eyebrows at her cynical comment. Ashley couldn't seem to shut herself up. "So, look at this as a gift, allowing you more time to