Stay With Me

by Kathryn Shay

  “You sure you won’t join us?”

  “No, it’ll be good for you to have him to yourself.”

  I’d like to share him with my son, Judd thought, as he closed the door and waved goodbye to a woman who was too good for him. As she drove away, he considered the irony of his situation. Judd knew Spence hated him for having stolen Jeff. And in some ways his son was right. But what he didn’t know was that it had been an act of desperation to maintain some connection with Spence himself.

  Judd plodded inside the restaurant and dropped down on a stool at the bar. He thought back to all those years ago. He’d give everything he owned to undo what he’d done. First he’d driven his own son away; then he’d been too proud to win him back after Spence returned from Iraq. Years later, Judd had knowingly lured a vulnerable young Jeff into the business by giving him the sense of family his father had not provided. And as Judd had spent more time with Jeff, Spence had grown even angrier, and more remote. It was only in the last five or six years that Spence and he had started to see each other a little, due mostly to Jeff’s influence. Though given begrudgingly by Spence, those times with him had warmed Judd’s heart, and made it hurt like hell for what he’d lost.

  He startled at a hand on his shoulder. “Grandpa?”

  Swallowing the lump in his throat, Judd pasted on a ready smile for his grandson. It disappeared from his face when he pivoted on the bar stool.

  Next to his grandson, looking like an older version of Jeff, and a younger version of himself, was his son Spence.

  o0o

  THEY ORDERED drinks and discussed the lake’s unusual mild temperature this summer, mentioned the upcoming fund-raising activities at Guardian, and predicted which teams were contenders for the pennant race this year. When the server arrived to take their orders, Spence watched his father, over the rim of his menu, with a combination of wariness and, damn it, yearning. He didn’t like these feelings, but Jeff’s sentiment stayed with him. If you have regrets about me, what I don’t understand is why you don’t realize Grandpa has regrets about you.

  “Dad, the waitress asked what you want to eat?”

  Startled out of his reverie, Spence glanced up at the young woman standing beside him, her pen perched above a pad. “Oh, sorry. I’ll have the prime rib, rare and runny if you’ve got it, baked potato, and blue cheese on the salad.”

  “That’s easy,” the waitress said.

  “Huh?”

  “We all ordered the same thing.” Jeff made the pronouncement as if that meant something.

  Spence shrugged, knowing Jeff was right. It did mean something, only what that was Spence wasn’t willing to verbalize just yet. Accompanying his son here was tough, but it was time to repair some of the damage both he and Judd had inflicted on each other.

  Raising his wineglass, Jeff smiled pleasantly. “I think we need a toast.”

  Spence shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Judd mirrored the action. The kid was pushing too hard. But maybe they needed the nudges.

  “Go ahead, son.”

  “To the Keagan men,” Jeff said proudly. “Happy Father’s Day.”

  “To the Keagan men,” Judd repeated, with even more feeling.

  Slowly Spence lifted his glass. “To us.” He sipped heartily. Then his eyes connected with Judd’s. “Happy Father’s Day.”

  The words came out rough and were not easily said.

  “Thank you, Spence,” was his father’s gruff retort. Judd’s eyes, suspiciously moist, darted away to look out at the lake.

  Well, Spence thought philosophically, this is a start.

  And it didn’t feel too damn bad, either.

  CHAPTER NINE

  EVERY JULY FOURTH, God seemed to smile on the Guardian Balloon Festival. As in years past—perhaps it was especially for the first celebration of the turn of the century—the sun beat down brightly on Guardian’s major community event, held on the grounds of the base. Its purpose, in addition to raising funds, was to increase awareness about their operation. Everyone in Catasaga County attended at some point over the two days; it also drew tourists from Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse. The atmosphere resembled a traveling carnival, with food booths, craft sales and amusement rides like a carousel and a Ferris wheel. This year there was even a small roller coaster.

  Almost all off-duty Guardian personnel volunteered to work in some capacity during the event. They manned information booths, sold T-shirts and mugs and handed out flyers. Pilots and medics ran helicopter flights at thirty dollars a shot. The balloon rides were provided by an independent company and went up at six in the morning and six at night.

  “Looking for someone?” Teddy asked Spence, as they took a break by the operations tent. Spence, of course, piloted the ten-minute flights, while Teddy organized the boarding and deplaning of passengers. As Spence sipped his tart, ice-cold lemonade, he scanned the grounds.

  “No, I’m not lookin’ for anybody.” Spence shrugged. “Though Jeff said he’d come down for a while. What time is it?”

  “Almost four.” Teddy studied him. “You seem anxious.”

  I am. To see her. Only to himself would Spence admit he had this downright stupid urge to be with Alexis Castle; it was starting to irritate him. He felt what Carl Sandburg had called a “rich soft wanting.” When he’d first read the revered American author’s phrase, he hadn’t understood its meaning. Unfortunately, he did now.

  He’d tried keeping away from her. Even though they’d spent all of Father’s Day together, he’d longed to talk to her that night about his dinner with Judd. Thankfully he’d stopped himself from seeking her out. Since then, he’d spent a few hours teaching Jamie how to lure fish—the kid was a natural at everything—and taking her and Max waterskiing. But he hadn’t bumped into Alexis. Intentionally.

  “Time to get back.” Teddy tossed his cup into the trash and headed toward the ship.

  Spence followed. They’d signed up for two more hours of flying. When they reached the launching pad, Spence noted the long line for rides. And right smack dab in the middle was the lady he couldn’t get out of his mind

  Oh, hell. She was dressed in what he’d come to call her “Jamie clothes.” Even from a distance his mouth went dry. In deference to the eight-five degree weather, she had on a tight denim skirt that ended five inches above the knee, molded her cute bottom, and sported a little slit in the front that played peekaboo with her shapely thigh. He guessed the weight she’d gained in the five weeks since her arrival had stretched the material in strategic places. The matching “top” was criminal: it was a strapless tube that fit her like a second skin. As he came closer, he got a first-rate view of the tanned shoulders exposed above her very full breasts. Her hair was pulled back loosely in a colorful tie thing, with strands escaping to frame her face. She caught his eye and he waved like a teenager spotting his girl in a crowd. Jamie turned at that minute, and yelled, “Hey, Sky King. How ya doin?”

  Spence smiled like a damn fool idiot. “Hi, kid.” He nodded to Alexis. “How are you today, Miss Alexis?”

  “I’m fine, Mr. Keagan.”

  Three ten-minute flights later it was the Castles’ turn. Spence waited for Teddy to give the group last minute instructions: approach the ship from the nose, forty-five degrees in either direction and enter and exit only with him as their guide. In the cockpit, Spence watched Alexis advance and gritted his teeth. Each step she took strained the denim of the skirt, pulling and pushing mercilessly across her thighs. He forced himself to look away, to check the instruments, to do anything else! When they reached the ship, Teddy handed Alexis into the cockpit. As she climbed in, the skirt rode up to kingdom come, for God’s sake.

  “I really think Jamie should get in the front,” she told the paramedic. “For a better view.”

  The view was terrific already, Spence thought to himself, but locked his jaw shut. It would be easier with the kid next to him

  “No, ma’am.” Teddy sounded sincere though Spence wondered what he was up t
o. “Jamie says you get motion sickness and the jostling’s less up here.”

  “I took a pill.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Better to be safe than sorry.”

  Alexis agreed with reluctance and settled into the seat. A light flowery scent filled the cockpit, as if someone had spritzed perfume in the air.

  “Hi,” she said, her lips curving sensuously.

  “Hi.” He gave her a dramatic once-over. “Nice rags.”

  She tugged self-consciously at the hem of the skirt, then the top. “Please! Jamie insisted I wear the outfit, even though it’s a little small.”

  “The weight looks good on you.”

  Again she smiled, this time a little shyly. Then she began searching for the seat belts. Teddy usually secured the passengers, but he was busy tucking Jamie, Max and two others in the four backseats, inserted for special flights like these.

  Finding the straps, Alexis fumbled with which one went where.

  After ordering himself not to, Spence reached over. “Here, let me help.” He swallowed hard. This close, he could see tiny freckles on her upper chest and a small mole right at the base of her throat. His eyes drifted lower. The top didn’t reveal anything a bathing suit hadn’t already, but he was mesmerized just the same by the swell of those full, womanly breasts. His hands ached to touch her.

  His arm brushed them accidentally as he reached to cinch the waist clasp. He ignored her sharp intake of breath and the slight quickening of her breathing. Fastening the upper clasps, which nestled right in the middle of her breasts, was even more intimate and he had to will his hands not to shake.

  You could let her do it herself, he thought. Yet he grabbed the last two buckles and fit them together. He chanced a glance into her eyes. They sparkled with awareness. Her pupils dilated. She licked her lips.

  Clearing his throat, he drew back. When he spoke into the headset to the passengers behind him, his voice was husky. Teddy had hustled away and in seconds they lifted up.

  “That’s nice to see,” he told Alexis when they were airborne.

  “What?”

  “The smile. I don’t usually transport passengers who are smiling.”

  Reaching over, she squeezed his arm. His grin broadened.

  “I’ve flown in airplanes a thousand times,” she said, as they headed for the clouds. “But this is better.” He veered to the left. “It’s like floating.”

  “She’s a gem.” Spence patted the console. “Flies like a top.” He shot Alexis a sideways glance. “’Course, she gets lonely, being an only child and everything. She sure could use a sister.”

  Alexis laughed, and Spence had to force his gaze away from the beauty of her face, lit by the simple joy of being in the air. He wondered briefly what another kind of pleasure would look like on her. With a force that surprised him, he wanted to be the one—the only one—to pleasure her.

  “A sister, huh? I have a feeling she’ll get her sibling even if it isn’t from Castle Enterprises.” She nodded to the ground. “Evan Redman does a fine job in fundraising.”

  “Yeah, good old Evan. Our own personal sweet-talkin’ guy.” Damn, he shouldn’t have said it. But he could imagine what Alexis in that outfit would do to good old Evan’s blood pressure.

  He didn’t have to wait long. The PR guy was at the landing pad and jogged to the ship when they touched down. “Alexis, I didn’t see you arrive,” he told her as he slid open the door; his syrupy tone grated on Spence’s nerves. “Here, let me help you out of there.” Beefy hands went around her small waist like an octopus grasping its prey, and Spence’s fingers curled into a fist.

  What the hell was wrong with him? He needed a date, that must be it. Nancy would be here later. Maybe he’d set something up with her.

  After Redman whisked Alexis away, Spence banished her from his mind while he gave flights for another hour. Or at least he tried to forget her. Her damn perfume lingered in her absence, wafting around the cabin like a sinfully scented ghost. Finally, his shift ended. With some vague notion of pitching in with Betty and the staff, he headed for the operations tent where the Guardian crew had set up.

  Teddy and Sally had wandered toward the refreshment tent and Betty was signing up passengers for tonight’s and tomorrow’s balloon flights. Redman and Alexis sat huddled together in front of a binder filled with charts. Geez, he thought irritably, didn’t the woman ever leave the office behind? Approaching them, he asked grumpily, “Where’s Jamie?”

  Alexis glanced up at him. She wore wire-rimmed glasses that made her look younger. “She went to the arcade games. Jeff’s here, too. I think he went with her.”

  “Oh, then I’ll head over there, too.”

  “Wait. I’ll go with you.” Springing up from her seat, she removed her glasses and stuffed them in her big straw purse. “I don’t want to leave Jamie too long.”

  Evan said, “Come back this way at dinnertime and I’ll treat you to some of that barbecue chicken. It’s really spicy.”

  Spence caught her eye. Hers twinkled at the shared secret. “Hmm, we’ll see.”

  They exited the tent side by side. He slowed his stride in deference to her stature and the tightness of the damn skirt. As they walked in the still-bright sunshine, he said, “Don’t eat the chicken.”

  She rubbed her stomach. “I wasn’t going to.”

  “And don’t eat supper with him.”

  “Why not?”

  Shrugging, and embarrassed, he stuck his hands in his flight suit pockets. “Forget I said that.”

  She let it drop, thankfully.

  Relaxed, they meandered through the crowds. He noticed that Alexis took everything in like a kid in a toy store. She stopped to watch a he-man impressing his girl with the test-of-strength hammer and bell game. She peered longingly at the fortune-teller. And she giggled as some little ones scooted around her, jumped onto the carousel and screamed with delight as the music began. “This is great! It reminds me of the old days when Roseland was still here. I loved that amusement park.”

  “I was sorry to see them tear it down.” His hip bumped hers. He felt the heat, deep in his groin. “What was your favorite when you were a kid?”

  Wistfully, she looked at the ride straight ahead. “The Ferris wheel. It was just like that one. Portia used to scare the wits out of me by rocking the seat when we got on top. But I loved it.”

  He chuckled. “You’ll have to ride it with someone else this time.” Like me.

  “Maybe.” Was her tone flirtatious?

  They spotted Jamie, Max, Jeff, Clare and Portia by the softball toss. Clare sat to the side in a wheelchair but seemed happy to watch. As they neared the kids, Alexis and Spence burst into laughter at the sight.

  Standing behind Jeff, Jamie was instructing him on the art of pitching a softball. “No. Geez, Jeff, you throw like an old woman.”

  Max snickered and Jeff frowned at them both.

  Portia said, “Watch it, young lady. I won’t have you disparage my age or sex.”

  Jamie rolled her eyes. “You can’t throw either.” She caught sight of Alexis. “And here comes the world- class klutz.”

  “That does it.” Portia waved Alexis and Spence over. “Lexy and I will take on you and Max to see who knocks over the most cans.”

  The young concession guy, who’d been flirting shamelessly with Portia, said, “I’ll give you some warm-ups.”

  Backing up, right into Spence, Alexis shook her head. “I don’t want to do this.”

  Instinctively, Spence’s hand came up to her waist and squeezed it gently. She leaned into his touch as easily as he gave it. “Go on, Lex. I’ll help you.”

  “No fair,” Jamie whined.

  “All’s fair in the battle of the generations.” Portia was already studying the alignment of the cans with the ball.

  Jamie and Max warmed up on the set at the far end, with Jeff cheering for the peanut gallery. Alexis and Portia were at the other end, with Spence urging them on from behind. Clare had wheeled he
rself to the middle for a panoramic view.

  Alexis was pitiful. She could water-ski, but apparently, any other sport eluded her. Well, he’d just have to be the Good Samaritan. “Here, let me show you.” He stood so close her hair brushed his chin. Right beneath his eyes were tanned shoulders begging to be touched. Instead, he drew back a little. “All right, bring your arm up so your hand’s parallel to your shoulder.” She followed his instructions. “Now, when you throw the ball, lock your wrist. Jamie’s right. Girls use just their wrists. You’ve got to put your whole arm into it, when you toss a ball.”

  Her second attempt was better. But she kept her body facing the cans. So he did it—against his better judgment, and cursing himself like a sinner—he raised his hands and placed them gently on her shoulders and turned her to the side. Once he touched that creamy skin, he couldn’t let go. Of their own accord, his fingers rubbed her gently. “There, that’s it. That’s good.” Actually it felt stupendous. Her skin was as soft and supple as it looked. Warm flesh pulsed under his fingertips. She stilled. Though it wasn’t a particularly intimate touch, it was his bare flesh on her bare flesh and both felt the sexual charge.

  Spence wondered what the hell they were going to do about it.

  o0o

  AT SIX O’CLOCK, Alexis hovered under the shade of a huge oak tree and nibbled on a plain hamburger. Her eyes kept straying across the field to Spence and his “girlfriend.” She hadn’t known that he had one. Not that it mattered.

  The two of them lazed on an army blanket. Spence had stretched out on his side, the long lean lines of his body accented by the position and his one-piece flight suit. Nancy Anderson sat cross-legged, about three feet away. Dressed in white shorts and a black tank top, the statuesque blonde with hair rippling down her back made Alexis feel like a scrawny teenage boy. A soft laugh drifted over to her. The pretty woman was amused by something Spence had said.

  Alexis’s hand traveled to her bare shoulder. Running her fingers over the skin, she closed her eyes briefly, reliving the sensations that Spence’s calloused fingertips had created earlier. She shivered, just as she had then.