Crashing Tides Duet: Anchored and Adrift

by Ruby Rowe

  Brad drags a hand over his face, one that’s beginning to match the color of his hair.

  “I’m sorry, Jake. Between work, caring for Maddie, and dealing with all the shit with your sister, I’m stretched too thin. I feel like I’m losing it, but I haven’t forgotten what a help you’ve been. I need some rest is all, so I plan on staying in with my little girl all weekend.”

  “That works, except you do need to take her to the post office in the morning. She made Marcy more cards.”

  “Daddy!” Maddie yells as she comes running toward us. Looking behind her, I see Sailor, too, carrying the cards they made.

  “Ms. Lockwood,” Brad says, “Jake told me about the fire. I’m terribly sorry.”

  “Thank you. I think I’m still in shock.” As if she remembered she’s in my clothes, she crosses her arms.

  “Any idea what you’re going to do about housing?”

  I roll my eyes. “Brad’s in real estate, but he’d never take advantage of your vulnerable state.”

  He smacks my back. “No more than the next guy.”

  “Cheap shot,” I mutter.

  “Do you handle leases?”

  “I can find you a place, even furnished and short-term if you need.” He pulls out his wallet and hands Sailor a business card. “When you’re ready, give me a call.”

  “Thank you.”

  Maddie swipes the cards she made from Sailor’s hands.

  “Daddy, Ms. Lockwood helped me make these for Mommy. Aaaand, she said I’m special and can call her Sailor when we’re not at school.”

  “That’s great. Did you thank Ms. Lockwood?”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, sweetie. It was fun spending time with you.”

  “Grab your backpack, Maddie,” I say before looking at Brad. “Whatever you do, make sure she has everything in her backpack Monday morning. I learned the hard way today. Oh, and you need to buy her some washable markers.”

  Once Maddie returns with the energy of a marathon runner, she gives me a hug.

  “Bye, Uncle Jake. Bye, Sailor.”

  She waves back at her. “Bye, Madeline. I’ll see you Monday morning.”

  The door shuts, but not before silence enters. I turn and face Sailor, and with her arms crossed, she bites on her lip, her gaze bouncing around the room.

  “Heavy shit today,” I say. “You know what I think we need?”

  Her eyes zero in on mine with curiosity.

  “What’s that?”

  “We need a libation staycation. Drinks are on me.”

  Quirking her mouth into a smile, she blushes.

  “Like stay in and drink?”

  “What do you say?”

  “As stressful as the day’s been, I can’t imagine trying to shop for clothes on a busy Friday night, so sure. I could use some alcohol.”

  “Perfect. What’s your drink of choice?”

  “I seldom drink, so whatever you have is fine. Is your fridge stocked? I could cook.”

  “Do people cook while on vacation?”

  “It would keep my mind busy. Do you care?”

  “Knock yourself out.”

  She heads for the kitchen and opens the refrigerator.

  “Do you have an aversion to salad?”

  “Not if there’s meat on it.”

  Giggling, she closes the door and opens the freezer.

  “Would grilled chicken on top of salad work?”

  “Sure.”

  Once she’s away from the fridge, I pull two beers out and open one for her.

  “Here … to new beginnings.”

  Taking the bottle from me, she dings it against mine.

  “I’ll drink to that. Cheers.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Sailor

  “I’m not getting in that hot tub without a bathing suit. Maybe tomorrow I can buy one,” I say to Jake while we sit on his pewter-grey leather couch.

  Holding his hands up, he grins. “You can get in before I come out on the terrace. I promise not to peek, and I swear I’ll stay on the other side of the tub.”

  “I thought people weren’t supposed to soak in hot tubs if they’ve been drinking alcohol.”

  He rolls his eyes. “I’m not going to let you pass out in there, and we won’t stay in long. Do you ever break the rules?”

  I glance around like the walls have all the answers.

  “No, not ever.”

  “That’s changing. You just need more liquid courage first.” He jumps up and heads for the kitchen. Now that he’s had a couple of drinks, he’s loosened up and is flirtier. I like it. Actually, I love it, but it’s nerve-racking.

  “Here. Drink up,” he orders when he returns with my beer.

  “Damn, you were that teen committing peer pressure, weren’t you?”

  “Committing? You say that like it’s a crime.” He cocks an eyebrow after sitting on the couch again. “You don’t have to drink that beer. I’m not going to hold you down and make you; however, I think you need another drink after the shocking day you had. I also think you want it.”

  He stares at me with intensity, the heat between us smoldering right beneath the surface, possibly mere seconds away from bubbling up and spreading like lava. I don’t know if I’d have the strength to outrun it.

  I have to look away, but he turns my chin back to face him.

  “Sometimes you look at me like I’m scary. I’m not used to that from women. Do I scare you?”

  “No, but how I feel around you scares me.”

  “I don’t know what that means, but I’ll back off.” He scoots to the other end of the couch, leaving me alone. “See, I can behave.”

  As I gaze over at him, my heart pounds in my chest. I don’t like that he moved. Needing more courage to allow my body to override my rational brain, I take a long drink from the cold beer bottle.

  “I don’t want you to back off. At least, not entirely.”

  “Are you saying I may return to my previous sitting position?” Every sentence that leaves his mouth is somehow charming.

  “Yes, you may return.” Scooting back over, he drapes his arm around me, resting it on the back of the couch. “I’m not used to liking guys who flirt with me. You’re the first in a long damn time.”

  “Flirting? Why would I flirt with an intelligent, thoughtful, beautiful woman like you? No, I prefer the strays. They lack obedience, but damn, they’re wild.”

  I swat my hand back at his chest. “I think you have a gift.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Everything you say is charming and exciting, even the parts that shouldn’t be.”

  Turning my head to look up at him, I watch his grin fall away as he stares at the TV in front of us. It’s on, but the volume’s muted.

  “I think you have a gift, too. I’ve only known you a little over twenty-four hours, and I’m already worrying about how I’ll feel when you leave.” Smiling at me again, he points his beer toward me. “That, Teach, is a gift.”

  I bat my lashes at him and cover my chest.

  “Aww, do all your strays get to hear sweet words like that?”

  “I’m not throwing you a bone. I like you.”

  “Oh, well, then I guess that wasn’t something you’re used to saying, either.”

  “Nope. A first for sure.” Sighing, like this situation is uncomfortable for him, he takes another drink.

  I nudge his shoulder with mine. “OK, I like you better when you’re not spilling your darkest secrets. Let’s get in the hot tub, but you have to let me get inside it first, like you said, and no peeking.”

  “I promise I won’t look.” He grins again, and it’s a relief. “I’ll be a perfect gentleman until the minute you tell me not to be.”

  I roll my eyes. “See, that shouldn’t be charming when I only just met you, but it is. You’re trouble with a capital T.”

  “Hey, that’s better than being called an asshole with a capital A. Let me get the hot tub ready.”


  ***

  I can’t believe I’m really doing this. Is erratic behavior normal after suffering a traumatic event? Yes, it is, and I should remember.

  A decade ago, I did more than one stupid thing while suffering through a traumatic situation, and that only created more trauma.

  Once I’m naked and the bubbling water is up to my neck, I yell, “You can come out now!” Fuck, this seems wrong, but I’m sick of only ever doing what’s right. I’m tired of following the rules and never having fun.

  Jake walks out on the terrace, and I swallow. I’m gazing up at the most fit, handsome man. Shit, I’m in trouble. He’s in a pair of light blue swim trunks, my favorite color, and Lord, his body.

  The shape of his toned thighs is teasing me at the bottom of his trunks, and his chest and rippled abs are putting on a show as he walks around, retrieving towels from a cabinet and laying them on a chair.

  He lifts his muscular arms to turn music on at an intercom box by the door, and I gasp to get my breath. I feel like my head’s already beneath the water, and I’m drowning.

  Oh, my word. I’m naked in a hot tub, and the most gorgeous man is about to get inside it with me. A man I’ve not even known for two days! I need Carrie. I should’ve called her first for a pep talk.

  As Jake sticks a leg over the side, I close my eyes and imagine what my best friend would say to me.

  Don’t be a chicken shit, Sailor. Your libido is in its prime, and you’re doing it a disservice by not using it. Put some hours on that body of yours. He has an elephant trunk for a reason–for you to ride it.

  Jesus. Her words aren’t helping a bit.

  Once he’s in the water, he drags a wet hand over his face. The moon and terrace lights give a shimmer to the droplets of water hanging on to his long, dark lashes.

  “I was wrong before… Now you look scared of me,” he says.

  “I’m not scared of you. I’m only scared of what I might want to do with you.”

  “Might, huh. I’m not a fan of that word when it comes to decision-making. I’m not an indecisive man, so I don’t like indecisive responses.”

  “You’re honest.”

  “Always.”

  “OK, I’m scared of what I want to do with you.”

  “Why? Because it would require breaking the rules you’ve set for yourself?”

  “Exactly.”

  “The good news is that you can break them if you want. There’s no one stopping you.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. My conscience does a real good job of telling me what to do and not to do.”

  “Damn, Sailor. You think too much. I thought those two beers would help, but I don’t know.”

  “They did. I’m naked in a hot tub with a hot guy. That’s progress, and since I’m being bolder, I have a question. What exactly is your relationship status?”

  “I’m single.”

  “Same. I wondered, because the products in the upstairs bathroom were intriguing.”

  “How so?”

  “Well, for starters, the baggies of travel size toiletries were most interesting.”

  The three shades of crimson he’s turning can’t only be from the hot water.

  “We take pride in being superb hosts to our guests, providing the comforts of home.”

  “You’re so bad.”

  “And from what I hear, it’s so good when I am.”

  I giggle like some stupid teenager, falling for his shit. Or is it shit? He seems honest to me.

  “How are you this upbeat when you’re also a homicide detective?”

  Shrugging, he moves his hands through the water, making waves amidst the bubbles.

  “Having fun away from work makes my time on the job more tolerable. I guess I try to live my life to the fullest for the dead, as well. They can’t enjoy their lives any longer, so the rest of us shouldn’t take ours for granted. As for the pieces of shit who die … I don’t feel bad for them.”

  “Insightful words.”

  “Words that explain why I think you should live a little. Why are you holding back? I bet it’s been forever since you slept with someone.”

  I splash water at him, and he shakes his head to get it off his face.

  “That’s really none of your business, but I’ll admit it’s been a long time. I had a couple of boyfriends in college, and I’ve briefly dated a few guys since, but never have I been in a serious relationship. At least, not the kind you hope could last forever.”

  “Instead of talking about forever, let’s talk about now.”

  “I’m down for that.”

  “If rules and consequences were nonexistent, what would you do right at this moment?”

  In a breath, I feel overheated. Maybe it’s from the hot tub, or the beers, or maybe it’s because the man across from me is staring into my eyes like I’m going to be his dessert.

  “If I were willing to break my rules, I’d tell you to come over here and kiss me.”

  “Break your rules, Sailor. Even if only for a few minutes, I’ll make you forget all that you lost today.”

  My stomach twists as my pulse quickens to the point I feel it in my neck. I choose to live in the moment, even if it’s only for a few minutes like he said.

  “OK. I want you to come over here and kiss me.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Sailor

  I expect a devilish grin, but instead Jake holds my gaze, his expression one of lust and determination, as he stalks toward me. His tongue slips over his bottom lip and back in while he invades my personal space.

  “I promised I’d be a perfect gentleman until you told me not to be, so that’s why my hands are going right here,” he says as he cradles my cheeks.

  The attraction between us is all-consuming, a driving force that’s creating a stampede of desire we can’t outrun. His charm has weakened me.

  No, something greater has to be at work here. An enigma neither of us saw coming is making the decisions.

  I suck in a breath as I eye the glistening droplets of water on his long eyelashes; they’re the lashes girls dream of having, and so are his green eyes.

  “Time to make you forget the past, Sailor.”

  I stiffen from his words. “Why would you say that?”

  “Because you wear your pain on the outside. I only know one other person who wears it that well.”

  “Then make it disappear … if only for a few minutes.”

  After eyeing my lips like they’re the first ones he’s ever seen, he skims his across them, right to left, and I feel my lower lip quiver. He presses his mouth against mine … slowly … twice … a third time…

  He’s building up the moment, and it’s working. I part my lips for him, and as soon as he slips his tongue inside, I take hold of his waist.

  He moves closer, but I still don’t feel his body against mine, and I can’t help but imagine how good it would feel if I did. Exploring my mouth with the faintest touches, he mostly uses the tip of his tongue.

  He relays how precise he can be, how even the tip of his tongue could push me over the edge if it was in another warm place.

  Needing more from him, I slither my hands around his waist. He groans in my mouth, and in a beat, his tongue strikes mine aggressively, his hands trailing down my neck. When they reach my shoulders, he grips them and pulls his lips away.

  “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we have to stop. You’re naked right in front of me, and knowing how fucking close your bare skin is to mine is making it hard for me to be gentlemanly. Maybe we can try this again once you’re dressed.”

  “I don’t want that.”

  Leaning back farther, he draws his eyebrows together.

  “OK. We won’t do that again.”

  I close my eyes and shake my head. “No, that’s not what I meant. I mean, I don’t want you to be gentlemanly. I want you to touch me. Right now.”

  His head falls against mine. “Fuck, you’ve got me excited.” Sliding a hand around my waist, he moves
between my legs, and the second I feel his erection against me, I gasp.

  “That’s what you’re doing to me,” Jake whispers before his mouth crashes against mine. As his tongue pushes in, I weave my fingers into his thick hair and fist it.

  I let my inhibitions go, kissing him fervently and matching the force of his tongue, the weight of his desire, and the sounds of his groans.

  Gliding a hand over my ass, he squeezes it while pushing his cock against me. I moan, the throbbing sensation between my thighs intensifying.

  He did it. Jake convinced me to let my guard down. To open a door I was determined to keep shut.

  Slipping a hand between us, he caresses my breast, and a growl fills my mouth as he brings me even closer. He pinches my nipple while kissing my ear and down my neck.

  With a grip still on my ass, he lifts me up out of the water until I’m tiptoeing so he can taste more of my skin: my shoulder, collarbone and throat.

  The way he’s touching my breasts, tugging and pinching my nipples, is enough to make me want to come. How embarrassing would that be?

  Easing my feet back down, he skirts his hand south, too, to play with me, and I flinch as he slides two fingers inside. My head falls back, and he kisses up my neck, and God, the intensity of his touch–the passion between us … I can’t stop any of it, nor do I want to.

  “Take me to bed,” I whisper while wondering how I found the courage to say it.

  “Christ, Sailor, I want to, so fucking bad, but I can’t tonight. You need to be sure.”

  “I am.”

  “Tomorrow… Let’s save it for tomorrow.” He skims his mouth to my ear. “It doesn’t mean I can’t make you feel sensational right now. Watching you come will be unforgettable.”

  Pumping his fingers in and out of me faster, he engulfs my mouth. He feeds me his desire with harsh strokes of his tongue, and when he presses his thumb against my clit, I moan shamelessly, not caring who hears us.

  The firm circular motion of his thumb is all it takes to ignite a surge of ecstasy. I break away from his mouth to suck in a breath. The pleasure stays right at my core, inundating it with sensations that make my toes curl.

  If he wasn’t holding me, I’d sink below the water. Only Jake has control of my body right now, and for the first time in a decade, I don’t mind that a man’s holding all the power.