by Kathryn Shay
He left her lying there, eyes closed, content. Thank God.
He’d been pissed as hell when he’d finally discovered she’d been so ill the night before that she’d gone to Catasaga Hospital. Alone, for Christ’s sake, he thought, yanking open the screen door. In his kitchen, as he dug out ice and filled a glass for her, and put on coffee for himself, he remembered how she’d told him, and hoped he’d handled it right...
After they’d made love, he cuddled her close and held her tight. Though physically satisfied—what a World Cup understatement—he needed something more. When he realized it was the emotional intimacy Nancy had accused him of withholding, he paused. “Where were you all day?” he asked finally.
She’d stiffened so he’d known he wasn’t going to like it.
Damn, he’d felt the unfamiliar urge to reassure her. “Look, the only thing that would really tick me off is if you were with another guy. I can’t believe you were.”
“No, of course not.” She nuzzled into his chest, in that way she had that turned his heart inside out. “I haven’t been with another man in a long time, Spence.”
He kissed her head. He’d expected as much, from her sensitivity to his touch and her occasional hesitancy. He said only, “I’m sorry if you’ve been lonely.”
“Lonely and alone. It’s what brought me to you.”
Slowly rubbing her arm from shoulder to elbow, he waited.
“I got sick in the middle of the night. Really sick.”
And she hadn’t called him, he remembered thinking. Well, he’d been an ass, so what had he expected? “And?”
“I went to the hospital. I was there overnight.”
“God, Lexy. I would’ve taken you. Stayed with you.”
“No, it was something I needed to do myself. And I’m glad it happened that way because it gave me time to think about my priorities. I’m not happy with how I’ve lived my adult life.” She’d drawn away, then, braced her forearms on his chest and looked him square in the eye. Warm and mussed from his lovemaking, she was absolutely lovely in the dim morning light. “I intend to change, Spence. I’m ready to take risks. I’m ready to put the past behind me. Maybe I couldn’t help speculating at first what your motives were—because of Greg. But I don’t really believe your motives are questionable.” She bumped her lower body to his and gave him a wink that was both innocent and seductive. “I wanted to make love to you and I didn’t want to wait until September.”
He’d threaded back her hair and had felt himself falling deeper and deeper under her spell. But right at that moment he didn’t care. “I did some thinking of my own,” he told her. “I still want us to be together, but I was an ass to push you like I did. Maybe there’s a compromise.”
An auburn brow arched, mischievously. “I thought you never compromised.”
He rolled his eyes. “Like I said, I was an ass. I need to keep seeing you,” he confessed. Smoothing a hand down her back, he massaged her bottom. “I need this.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “But we don’t have to tell anyone. We can spend time together with the kids, Portia and Clare, but not date until after your decision.” Tenderly he kissed her nose. “We’ll meet privately when can.” A thought struck him “I just can’t lie about us. Can you live with that?”
“Yes, I can.”
With the utmost care, he eased her onto her back and kissed her deeply. “I just hope I can keep my hands off you in public.”
She grinned and snuggled into him. They lay quietly for a moment. “Ready for a nap?” she teased. “Jamie won’t be back till four.”
Diving under the covers, he quoted his favorite poet, Robert Frost. “Nah, I’ve got miles to go before I sleep, sweetheart...”
As he left the kitchen with her ice water and his coffee, he whistled all the way back outside. And stopped short at the sight that greeted him. On the deck with Alexis was his son, looking young and healthy in white shorts and a red T-shirt. Next to Jeff was Spence’s father, outfitted in designer golf-club clothes. Behind them, the yacht Spence had noticed earlier moored up to the dock. So it had been a KeagCraft.
“Hi, Dad,” Jeff said congenially.
“Hi.” He gave a short nod to his father. “Judd.”
The old man nodded back. “Spence.”
Hot currents arced through the air. As far as Spence knew, Judd had never set foot on this deck before. Jeff, as usual, broke the tension. “We’re trying out KeagCraft’s new Motor Yacht on the lake today.” He shrugged and cocked his head like he used to when he was a kid and wanted something. “I thought you might like to see it, and when Alexis waved us in...” He grinned. “We came.”
Spence realized he had a choice. As a cool early afternoon breeze ruffled Jeff’s hair, and the seagulls squawked noisily from the dock, Spence was aware of his power to cut both his son and father off at the knees with a curt refusal—they knew Spence never took an interest in KeagCrafts—or he could compromise.
I thought you never compromised...I was alone...I’m not happy with how I’ve lived my adult life. Spence shot a quick glance at the woman who had trusted him only hours earlier. She was staring at him with confidence in her eyes.
“Yeah, sure. I’d like to see it. Let’s go down.”
o0o
“MAN, THIS IS some clunker.” Jamie stood on the yacht’s deck, mouth open, eyes bulging, running her hand across the cool teak of the grab rail.
Max hovered behind her, equally agape.
With good reason. The sixty-foot motor yacht was a gem. With two levels, a crow’s nest on top of the upper deck, a mostly teak exterior and posh leather appointments inside, it was boating luxury at its best.
Across the stern, Spence lounged on the leather bench seat with Jeff; each of them sipped a beer as they discussed the yacht. Alexis had never noticed before how similar their hair was with various shades of gold that sparkled in the sunlight. Spence’s aviator glasses kept her from knowing where he was looking, but safe behind her own glasses, she greedily ogled him while Jamie chatted on beside her.
Dressed in his usual lake outfit of swimming trunks— forest green today—and a green and white polo shirt, he held on to the rail for balance with his left hand. His legs stretched out in front of him, long and lean and tanned. She shivered, thinking of how those same legs had tangled with hers just a few hours ago, their rough texture sliding sensuously against her smooth skin. Still reeling from the depth of the lovemaking they’d shared, she let the feelings wash over her...intimacy, fulfilled desire and an intense longing just to be with Spence.
He turned his head, as if he sensed her perusal. His smile was warm and intimate. She returned it.
From the crow’s nest, Judd yelled down, “We’re picking up Anna at the marina.”
“Who’s Anna?” Jamie asked, beating a quick tattoo on the hull.
“A friend of Judd’s father,” Alexis told her.
“A girlfriend? Isn’t he a little old for dating?”
In a surprising contribution to the conversation, Max answered. “James Bond has girlfriends, Jame.”
“Yeah, I guess.” She whispered something in Max’s ear. Both girls giggled. Alexis guessed it was a typical teenage disgust at the idea of adults in their lives having sex.
Her gaze strayed to Spence again. Jamie would have been shocked at Alexis’s behavior today. She’d been abandoned; she’d felt no inhibitions with this man. Though her skin still tingled from the memory of his caresses, it was the clutch in her heart that she got from just looking at him that warmed her.
“Come up and man her, Jeff, will you, while I go in,” Judd called out as they turned toward the marina.
“Can we come?” Jamie asked.
Jeff smiled indulgently at Jamie. “Sure, even Ahab needed an Ishmael and Queegueeg.” Lately, Alexis noticed everybody was following Jamie’s habit of picking up nicknames.
“Who’s Ahab?” her daughter asked, following Jeff.
“He’s from Moby Dick. Doesn’t that fancy priv
ate school you go to teach you good literature?”
“Nah. They just...” Alexis missed Jamie’s response as they headed up the steps.
While Jeff steered the yacht to the marina and Judd ducked below deck, Alexis glanced over at Spence. He removed his sunglasses, and the hungry look he gave her made her shiver. He smiled at her reaction and replaced his shades. Crossing her arms over her chest, she studied him for a minute, then scanned the deck area. They were relatively alone so she pushed off from the starboard and made her way to the port. Nonchalantly, she sank down on the bench seat about two feet away from Spence. Staring ahead, he said nothing, neither did she. After a moment, he casually raised his arm and settled it along the rail of the boat, so that his hand was behind her head. He threaded his fingers through her hair at the nape of her neck. She had all she could do to keep from arching back into his hand, like a cat who wanted petting.
“God that feels good,” she said, in a whisper.
He squeezed her neck in response. They sat silently for a few minutes, listening to the drone of the motor, smelling the cool lake air. As the boat headed for the marina, Judd came up from below on the other side of the deck. Alexis watched him wait till Jeff moored at the dock and then he debarked.
“Want to talk about it?” she asked Spence.
His forehead furrowed. “No. If I do, I’ll have to deal with agreein’ to this family outing.”
“You seemed pretty amenable to Jeff s suggestion that we stop to get hot dogs and drinks and have a picnic in that secluded cove you love.”
He snorted. “Yeah, only because I might be able to drag you into the bushes for a few minutes of hot hanky-panky.”
“Really?”
Sober, he shook his head. “It just seemed like a good family thing to do.” His gaze was fixed on the horizon. “I’ve, um, not exactly lived my whole adult life as I’d like to, either, Lex.”
“Well, it’s not too late to change. I’m flesh-and-blood proof of that fact.”
Chuckling, Spence’s hand tightened in her hair; he whipped off his sunglasses and treated her to another searing once-over. “You are that, babe.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
AS SHE STARED up at him, fat tears pooled in her eyes. Her lips trembled, and her hand shook when she lifted it to caress his dark, scratchy jaw. “I need to see you. I don’t care what happens, what anyone else says.”
He closed his eyes, nestled his cheek into her palm and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. “Thank God. I couldn’t have gone on any longer, love.” Grasping her hand, he kissed her fingers. “I’ve missed you so much.”
Suzy, the receptionist at ShyLocks, gave a heartfelt sigh, and Alexis struggled to suppress the one rising from her own throat.
“Isn’t it wonderful that they’re together again?” Suzy said. “Jenna and Ray are the only reason I watch the show.”
Alexis smiled, bemused at herself, and the whole world, which seemed to be glued to the same soap opera as if it were headline news. “Me, too,” she admitted.
That the story line paralleled her relationship with Spence was uncanny, and something the two of them had laughed over together. One day last week, when Jamie had been invited to Max’s for the whole afternoon, Alexis and Spence had watched The Heart’s Choice on Spence’s bed, curled around each other after making breathless love. Alexis shivered with the memory of his naked body pressed against hers, one hand resting lightly on her hip, the other cradling her breast.
After today’s show ended, Suzy rose from her chair and flitted to the back salon. On her return, she called out to Alexis. “Portia said five more minutes for Jamie.”
Jamie was having her hair cut and styled today because it was her birthday and there was a party tonight and a day out on the lake tomorrow. Alexis had taken care of a few last-minute errands, then decided to wait for Jamie in the sitting room. She smiled to herself, anticipating the evening ahead.
“No problem, I’ll just read.” She fished a Glamour magazine out of the pile. But instead of flipping to the ten best kept secrets for beautiful nails, her mind wandered to the events of last week.
Alexis and Jamie had planned a series of day trips and overnight jaunts to the surrounding upstate New York tourist sights that they’d never had a chance to visit. Niagara Falls was next on the list and this past weekend they’d gone to Niagara-on-the-Lake in Canada. Jamie had basked in the artistic energy of the old town, and gleefully wandered in and out of the funky shops. That night they’d seen a production of The Taming of the Shrew, at the famous local theater and the male lead had resembled Spence; Alexis couldn’t keep from calling him while Jamie showered before bedtime.
When she’d reached him at work, he’d taken the cordless phone into the bunkroom for privacy. “Hi, Lex. I’m glad you called.”
Alexis had warmed at the deep resonance of pleasure in his voice. “I...um, miss you.”
A slow male chuckle rumbled across the phone lines. “Well, that’s good news.” Pitching his voice lower, he whispered, “I wish I could touch you, right now.”
She’d swallowed hard. “Me, too. I want to touch you, too.”
“How would you touch me?” he’d asked, mischief—and arousal—in his tone.
Alexis had sputtered the soft drink she’d been sipping all over her pajamas. “How?”
“Yeah. Tell me, baby.”
What had followed was an erotic and playful dialogue unlike anything Alexis had ever enjoyed. When Jamie’s shower had stopped running, her face was still flaming but her heart was full.
“Hey, Momma Bear, where are you?”
Shaking off the memory, Alexis focused on her daughter, who’d come out to the reception area. “Oh, my God.”
Behind Jamie, Portia quipped, “Told ya she’d flip.”
Before her stood Jamie Anne Castle, looking exactly like she had a year ago. Her hair had been cut and layered to softly frame her face—in its beautiful, natural, chestnut color.
And the eyebrow ring was gone.
For the first time in months, Jamie appeared young and very normal. Even her denim sundress and high- top, navy sneakers made her seem youthful instead of rebellious. Her mouth, however, was just as sassy as always. “Close your trap, Mom. You’re gonna catch flies.”
Alexis flicked a glance at Portia. Her cousin said, “I told you I was good.”
“Wh-what—” Alexis cleared her throat “—what brought this on? I thought you were just getting a trim.”
Jamie shrugged nonchalantly. “I dunno. I guess I got tired of looking like Raggedy Ann.”
Knowing better than to make too much of the change, but fully realizing its significance, Alexis smiled. “I like it, sweetie.”
“Me, too.” Unholy glee began to dance in Jamie’s eyes. “Porsche has a free hour.” She grinned in conspiracy with her aunt. “We think you need a new image.”
Alexis’s hand crept up to her loose ponytail. I love your hair down, he’d said, as his fingers sifted through it sensuously. It’s so thick and wavy. He’d nuzzled the curls and breathed them in. And sexy. To a woman who’d worn Jones New York as a uniform most of her life, she’d never pictured herself as sexy. “I, um, like my hair the way it is, Jame.”
Portia said, “So do I, when it’s out of that godawful knot. But it could use some trimming and styling.” Her eyes narrowed on the crown of Alexis’s head. “Maybe a few bangs. And some streaking.”
Streaking. Hmm. Do you always date Jenna clones?
Tugging the tie from her hair, Alexis shook out the thick mane. “Maybe just a little change.”
“Way to go Lexy,” Jamie cheered, punching her fist up in the air. “I’ll run over to Leahy’s restaurant to show Max my new do while you’re gettin’ yours.”
As Jamie flew out the door, Alexis walked over to Portia. Dressed in a black leotard with a hot-pink miniskirt, Portia looked nothing like the angel she was. “How’d you manage that minor miracle?” Alexis asked.
Portia crossed her arms
over her chest. “I think you accomplished it.”
Alexis stared after her daughter. “She doesn’t need to rebel anymore, does she?”
“I don’t think so. Now that she’s got Mommy’s attention.” Portia squeezed Alexis’s shoulder. “She’s in a good place, Lex.”
“I’m so glad.”
“Now—” Portia rubbed her hands together like Dr. Frankenstein “—let’s see what we can do with you.”
In less than ten minutes, Portia had swept Alexis into the styling area, washed her hair and begun clipping away. “The cut won’t be too different, but the streaks will be stunning with your eyes and coloring, girl.”
Catching her excitement, Alexis smiled at her friend in the mirror. Portia winked. “And you’ll look a little like Jenna. Keag will bust a gut when he sees you.”
Alexis’s smile died quickly, as her heartbeat escalated and her hands began to sweat. She thought they’d managed to hide their feelings. Biting her lip, she stared into the mirror.
Portia said, “You look like I’ve breached national security or something.”
In the back of her mind, Alexis heard Spence say, I just can’t lie about us. Can you live with that? And she’d said, Yes.
Embarrassed, she explained, “I didn’t want anybody to know about us right away.”
Portia arched a brow. “Which is the only reason I’m not pissed off at you for keeping it from your oldest and dearest friend.”
“But how did you figure it out?”
Portia continued to snip at her hair. “Oh, it had something to do with the way you two go all goofy when you’re around each other.” She hesitated. “Don’t worry, Lexy. I won’t broadcast it. Besides, I know you better than anybody—both of you—so I’m probably the only one who’s picked up the vibes.” A smile flirted with her lips. “The hot vibes.” She shook her head. “I always figured Keag would be a great lover.”
Like a teenager discussing her boyfriend, Alexis giggled and blushed. “He’s wonderful. In bed and out.”
“I like him a lot.”
