by Donna Alward
“Open? Wow, give me a lot of credit, why don’t you. I made the salad at six thirty this morning. Bought the stuff last night so it was as fresh as possible.”
She looked over at him. “You made this?”
He grinned, and she imagined his eyes twinkling behind his glasses. “Of course I made it. I can cook, you know. What did you think, I lived on mac and cheese and hot dogs?”
Lizzie made a face at the thought of that as a regular diet. “Sorry. I just thought with the take-out containers…” The salad was packed in a dish with a black bottom and clear top.
“Chinese food. That I don’t make from scratch, but the dishes come in handy.”
She put the lid beneath the bottom of the dish and picked up the roll, using a spoon to stuff it full of the tender lobster meat and sauce. At the first bite she knew he wasn’t lying. The man could cook. Perfectly seasoned, the lobster salad was scrumptious. The bread she could only assume came from the Main Street Bakery. No baked goods she’d ever had anywhere could compare to theirs, and top of the list was their bread.
“So, is it okay?” Josh opened his roll and filled it with the salad.
“It’s perfect. I’m feeling a lot better, too. I think you were right. Having something to eat will help.”
“You won’t find the trip back bad, I promise. It really is the rocking motion when you’re stopped that does it.”
She didn’t want to think about that right now, so she focused on the roll, wiping her fingers on a napkin Josh handed over along with another bottle of water. She’d figured that was it for their lunch, but then he took out another dish and two forks. “So I didn’t make this,” he said, grinning. “I totally bought this at the diner last night. Gus’s blueberry cream cheesecake is too good to resist.”
The cake had a cinnamon crumb topping, and the first bite was pure heaven. “Oh my God,” she murmured, dipping her fork into the dish once more. “That’s fantastic.”
“You know, that’s something I’ve noticed about you, Lizzie.” He rested on his hands and squinted over at her. “You really let yourself enjoy things.”
She chewed, swallowed, and pondered that for a moment. “I’m not sure if that’s a criticism or a compliment.”
He chuckled. “Compliment. I’m not real good at that myself. I kind of had the fun beaten out of me for a while. I like to think I’m slowly getting it back.”
Lizzie looked down at the cake, torn between finishing the slice and focusing on Josh. With more than a little regret she put the lid on the dish and leaned forward to put it in the basket. “You can’t say something like that without me wanting to ask the follow-up,” she said quietly. She spun on the blanket so she was facing him and sat Indian-style with her elbows on her knees.
“I told you that I found peace by taking out my boat, that sort of thing. Truth is, bit by bit I hid myself away, and I haven’t really opened myself up again.”
Except to her. Lizzie let out a breath. “But I’m safe, right?”
He nodded. “Yes, I suppose you are. You’re not family. You don’t have history in Jewell Cove, and you’re not staying. You’re just passing through.”
It was all truth, so it was perplexing why hearing him say the words bothered her so much.
“Some would say I haven’t been as much fun the last few years.”
“Life has a way of kicking us in the teeth, doesn’t it?”
She inhaled deeply, tasting the sea air. “Not right now, it doesn’t. Thank you for bringing me here, Josh. A picnic on the beach was just what I needed.”
“Me, too.”
His voice was low, with something beneath it that made her sit up a little straighter. The barest hint of suggestion, but it was there just the same. She was acutely aware that they were isolated here on the island. “Hidden” … wasn’t that the translation for the native word? And then there was the name given it by the locals … Lovers’ Island.
Lovers.
Once more she felt a pang of regret as she said the words she knew she must. “Josh, we can’t mix business and pleasure,” she warned.
“How much is really business?” There was a coaxing note in his voice and she was just vulnerable enough to be flattered that he was suggesting what he seemed to be suggesting.
“You’re my boss,” she said.
“Barely. We work together. And you’re only here for a few months. It’s not like you’re going to be part of the practice forever.” He leaned forward. “Lizzie,” he said in a soft voice. “I would never use something like this against you. You have to believe that.”
She wanted to believe him. Wanted to so badly that specific parts of her body ached in anticipation. The breath seemed to shake in her chest. “I believed that once before,” she reminded him. “And you know how that ended.”
“We’ve both believed a lot of things. I’m not looking for forever, and neither are you. But damn, I’d like to start living again. I want to feel alive. I want to take risks and chances and the hell with the rest.”
Lizzie was so tempted. A gull gave a sharp cry overhead, plaintive and demanding. And still she and Josh leaned closer, closer, and butterflies winged their way through her stomach, fluttering with anticipation.
What he was asking for was a fling. With no consequences. Once upon a time that was how she’d lived her life. Fearlessly. How had she changed so much?
Maybe this was just what she needed to move past the mess that was her relationship with Ian. She liked Josh a lot. And she was insanely attracted to him. Come January she’d be back in Springfield. If they kept their eyes open … agreed to no strings—
She jumped up off the blanket. “You want to feel alive, Josh?”
His eyes looked confused and she couldn’t help but smile, feeling suddenly strong, and with a feminine power she’d somehow lost over the past months. Yes, this was what she needed. “Come with me.”
“Where are we going?”
She let her grin grow. “Swimming.” She reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head, revealing her bathing-suit top, then laughed at the startled … and hungry … look in Josh’s eyes. “Come on.”
Josh got up and pulled his shirt over his head while Lizzie unfastened her shorts and dropped them onto the blanket. Her bathing suit was modest, a halter-back top and bikini-cut panties, but they were light blue and she knew in about twenty seconds they would be translucent. If he wanted to take a risk, she was up to the challenge, and damned if it didn’t feel good to cut loose again.
She let her laughter fly on the wind as she ran to the breakers. This was what she’d been missing. The part of her she’d buried beneath her grief and sadness.
“Shit!” She let out a squeal as she plunged thigh deep into the cold waves. To her delight, Josh came dashing past, barreling into the surf in a careless dive, giving her only a fleeting glimpse of his bare chest and shoulders and the swim trunks he’d worn all day.
Taking a deep breath, she took three more steps and then dove under.
She surfaced and scrubbed her hair away from her eyes and saw Josh treading water about ten feet away, droplets sparkling on his lashes and dark-blond hair. His eyes seemed bluer than ever, and the goofy smile on his face made her feel like laughing. “Graceful!” she called out, bobbing on the waves, pushing toward him in a breaststroke. She licked her lips and tasted the salt of the ocean.
“I prefer strength over grace,” he commented, and she blinked. Yes, she realized, he would go for quiet power over finesse, and the idea was incredibly exciting.
“Me, too,” she replied. And then, with an impishness she’d forgotten she possessed, she flashed him a quick smile and dove under, pushing away and kicking her feet on the top of the water, giving a saucy splash.
When she surfaced, he was calmly floating on his back several feet away, utterly unconcerned.
She burst out laughing. God, it felt good. Even better when she saw a smile curve his lips, even though he stayed floating and hi
s eyes remained closed.
As quietly as she could, she made her way over to him, studying the still beauty of his face. And he was beautiful. The barest hint of pale stubble roughed his jaws, and his eyelashes just kissed the crests of his tanned cheeks. Whatever he did to keep himself in shape clearly worked, as strong shoulders curved into muscled arms and a broad chest. She hesitated a long moment, wondering if she dare ease her way closer, wondering whether she was being spontaneous and fun or foolish. But then … the last impulsive decision she’d made—coming to Jewell Cove—had worked out quite well. Maybe she was on a roll.
She slipped through the water, her progress silenced by the rhythmic slap of the waves on sand.
When he was close enough to touch, she held her breath, then reached out and ran a single finger down the center of his chest.
He broke the back float immediately, surprised by the contact, coming face-to-face with her in the water. The waves had pushed them closer to shore, and when Lizzie dropped her feet her tiptoes touched bottom. So did Josh’s, and they stood there briefly, swaying back and forth with the force of the swells.
She closed the few feet between them, gaining better stability, and together they moved slightly toward the shore until they were only waist deep in the water. Josh’s eyes drifted down, and the muscles in Lizzie’s pelvis tightened automatically as she realized that he could see the shadows of her nipples through her wet bikini top. And that the breeze blowing across the water was making that view somewhat … pronounced.
And she saw his throat bob as he swallowed.
Lizzie reached for his hand, lifted it, and placed it on her breast, letting his surprise last only a moment before she moved closer and lifted her chin, placing her lips on his.
His lips were cold from the water, but his mouth was hot on the inside as his tongue swept against hers. His hand molded her breast only for a moment before his arms came around her and pulled her flush against his body.
Hot and cold, soft and hard, all at the same time. Hungry for him, starved for the connection, Lizzie looped her arms around his broad shoulders and let the water buoy her up until she linked her legs around his waist. Her pelvis rocked against the hardness of his groin, and he moaned into her mouth.
Urgency claimed them both. Lizzie was profoundly glad for his strength, not grace, as he cupped her ass in his hands, holding her against him as he walked his way out of the water. The kiss broke off, his mouth sliding away from hers, presumably so he could see where he was going. Lizzie took the opportunity to lick the salty wetness of his neck, giving a little nip when he let out a delicious curse.
He staggered his way through the loose sand to their blanket and dropped to his knees, then let her down slowly on the warm cotton.
“Liz,” he said softly.
“Risks,” she breathed, capturing his gaze with her own. “Chances.”
“I never … I mean, I wasn’t prepared for … Dammit. I’m trying to say I didn’t think to bring protection.”
There was risk and then there was stupidity. And yet the need he’d fed pounded through her ruthlessly. “Ways and means,” she suggested. “Nothing says we have to go all the way.” So much for not messing around with the boss … and yet his reasoning only minutes ago was conveniently sound.
She sat up, reached behind her neck, and untied her top. She shimmied it down her arms, let it drop limply on the blanket beside her, reached for his shoulders.
“God, you’re beautiful.” Josh kissed her once more, then trailed his mouth down her neck, across her collarbone, and finally onto the soft flesh of her breast. She arched, pushing her nipple toward his mouth, gratified when he laved it with his tongue. Everything tightened within her and she gasped, her eyes closed, the light from the midday sun orangey red behind her lids.
“You taste good,” he said, cupping her breast in his hand, paying equal attention to each one until she felt like a spring ready to release. “So good, Lizzie. Sweet and salty.”
“Don’t stop,” she ground out, tossing her head against the fabric-covered sand. When he shoved his hand beneath the damp band of her bottoms, she cried out and wished she could find a way to push closer to both his hand and his mouth. She reached down with her hand and rubbed her fingers along the length of his erection, curling her fingers around him through the trunks. Groaning, Josh pushed against her, the same rhythm he employed with his fingers as he pleasured her. Want pounded through her body, and need, and desire stole her breath. Had she ever felt this urgency before? It was beautiful and terrifying in its power.
He sat up, knelt before her, and grabbed her bottoms in both hands, slid them down her legs, and dropped them on top of her top.
She must be losing her mind. She was stark naked on a blanket in the middle of a beach and she couldn’t care less.
His gaze burned into hers, and then he slid down the blanket, never looking away, silently telegraphing his intentions with his eyes.
Vulnerable. That was how she felt at this moment, as Josh indulged in the most intimate of acts. Vulnerable, and yet powerful, and incredibly feminine and sexual. All the tension and stresses of the past weeks melted away as she gave herself over to the sensations.
The orgasm hit fast and hard and she pushed against his mouth, her cries flying on the wind with the call of the birds.
The pulses were still ebbing when Josh kissed her navel, then the hollow between her breasts, ultrasensitive now, and then his swollen lips kissed hers.
“I … uh…” The circuits of her brain were clearly fried, as she couldn’t put a coherent thought together.
He laughed, a low, sexy sound. And then he stood up, stripped off his trunks until he was naked as the day he was born, and ran into the sea.
It was a view she wouldn’t soon forget.
He swam out a long way, then turned around and came back, riding the waves and the tide. Lizzie reached for her T-shirt and pulled it on, without the wet bikini top, and did the same with her shorts. Then she laughed at herself for feeling so naughty for going commando.
When Josh stepped out of the ocean, she could see that the cold water and physical activity had done their job in defusing the situation.
Wordlessly she got up, picked his trunks up from the blanket, and handed them over.
“Thanks,” he said, pulling them on awkwardly. They were still damp from the first swim.
“Josh, I—”
“Don’t say a word,” he cautioned. “I want to remember that exactly the way it was.”
At the time she’d been caught in the moment, wrapped up in her own desire. Now she felt rather … silly.
“We’re adults,” he stated. “With needs. And I find you really, really hot.”
She felt her cheeks flush, and it wasn’t just because she hadn’t reapplied sunscreen. “Right. And it’s not like either of us is looking for a marriage proposal.”
“God no.” Josh laughed, then reached for her hand and pulled her close. “Look, no one even has to know. I heard what you said, about us working together. I respect that. We’ll be one hundred percent professional at work, I promise.”
Great. The words were right, so why did they feel wrong? Maybe because he was suggesting sneaking around? They weren’t fourteen or anything.
And yet she knew she didn’t want her private life to be public knowledge, whether she was fooling around with Josh Collins or not.
“Hey,” he said quietly, and he lifted her chin with a finger. “If you’re not up to this, it can end here. We can go back to Jewell Cove and be like this never happened. I mean … it’s not that I want that, but I understand if you do.”
More confused than ever, she pulled away and moved to tidy up their things. “Can I take some time to think about it?” she asked.
“Of course you can.”
He sat down on the blanket once more and patted the spot in front of him. “Come here.”
Hesitantly, Lizzie dropped to the blanket. Josh adjusted his position so tha
t he was sitting behind her, and then put a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back against him. “Relax,” he whispered in her ear.
She let out a breath. “I’ll try.”
“You were pretty relaxed a few minutes ago.” He looped his arms around her, cuddling her close. The afternoon was waning and the heat had mellowed, along with the breeze. Lizzie wondered what it would be like to spend the whole day here, build a fire, have a clambake or something. When Josh held her like this, the world of suspensions and illness and messed-up relationships ceased to exist.
She rested her head against the hollow of his shoulder and eased the tension out of her muscles.
“Thank you, Josh. For bringing me out here today.”
“You’re welcome.” He chuckled softly. “You needed it.”
She turned her head a bit. “Um, you probably did, too. And I didn’t help you out much there.”
She could see his eyes and they shone at her with laughter. “You keep an open mind and you’ll get the opportunity to make things even.”
“Wow. Cocky.”
“One can hope.”
She giggled, settling in even more. Damn, he was so easy to be with. She’d have to be careful to not get too close.
But for right now, his arms were strong and warm, the sun was beating down on them benevolently, and all seemed right with the world.
CHAPTER 11
After a while Josh took Lizzie’s hand. He didn’t want to leave. The afternoon had been too perfect. “We should probably go before we miss the tide.” He was reluctant to say the words.
“Mmm,” she replied. Despite their earlier swim, he could still smell the floral scent of her shampoo as she shifted her head.
He hadn’t brought her here with any expectation. If he had, he would have made sure to have brought a condom. But Lizzie was full of surprises. She was all business in the office, all professionalism and efficiency. He was starting to see that away from work she had an adventurous side … a side he couldn’t help but respond to. Like he had this afternoon. All it took was one kiss, one touch of her wet, warm body next to his.…
