Still the One

by Michelle Major

  Ethan shifted to completely fill the doorframe. The dim evening light threw his father’s face into shadow. Pita poked her head around his knee and growled low in her throat. Good instincts, that dog. “What are you doing here?”

  Ray glanced at Pita. “Pick up another stray, didya? When are you going to stop with the animals?”

  “What do you want, Dad?”

  A path of deep and sunburned lines wove a pattern around Ray’s eyes. It had been two years since his last unannounced visit. He’d aged badly since then. Late nights, forty years of smokes and a taste for Wild Turkey would do that to a man.

  “Are you going to invite your old man in, or is your trailer too good for me?”

  Ethan stepped back. “I move into the lake house in a couple of weeks,” he said through clenched teeth.

  “Got a beer?” Ray asked, opening the refrigerator door. “The photos Lainey Morgan took of the shelter mutts were on the front page down in Charleston.” Ray used the corner of the counter to pop the top on a bottle of beer. “I can’t believe that little tramp has the nerve to show up here after what she did.”

  “You should stop talking.” Ethan clenched his fists to keep from wrapping them around his father’s scrawny throat. “She has every right to be here. Vera had a stroke, Dad. Lainey’s been helping her.”

  Ray hitched one hip onto the counter. “Didn’t you learn anything from your mama running out on us? The difficult ones aren’t worth the trouble. Are you gonna let Lainey mess with your life all over again? You could’ve been a real M.D., not some backwoods pet vet.”

  “I like my job.”

  “Is she that good between the sheets that you’d go running back? Her sister I can understand. I might have tapped that blonde goddess in my day but Lainey—”

  Ethan crossed the space in two steps. He grabbed the bottle as Ray lifted it and threw it into the sink with a clatter. “Get out. Now.”

  Ray lifted his hands, palms out. “I’m between jobs. Thought I might stick around for the big shindig.”

  “I don’t want you anywhere near here.”

  “I only want what’s best for you, son. And Lainey ain’t it. Trust me, I know women, and that one’s gonna mess you up bad,” he said with a smirk. “I’m staying with your uncle Tony. He’s got room since wife number three took off.” Ray walked to the door. “Think about what I said and I’ll see you around.”

  Ethan didn’t turn as the door slammed shut. His father in town was a complication he didn’t need. He’d almost steadied his breathing when his cell phone buzzed from the coffee table. He picked it up, listened for a few moments and muttered a curse.

  “I’ll be right there.”

  Grabbing his keys, he hollered over his shoulder, “Let’s go, Pita.”

  It was the longest ten-minute drive of his life. Lainey had been crying so hard he couldn’t understand much of what she’d said, only that she needed help. His imagination went wild imagining what might have happened. He saw her car on the side of the two-lane highway, a shadow in the haze of early evening with the hazards blinking like a lighthouse beacon. He barely pulled to a stop before jumping out of the truck.

  The driver’s side door swung open, the interior light making her hair glow like a patch of sunlight. “I’m here.”

  As her head lifted, a shadow of frustration crossed her face. “That was quick.” She flashed a smile. “How fast were you driving?”

  “Are you okay? Were you hurt?” He scanned her body expecting injuries, took her face between his palms. “Can you focus on me?”

  “Unfortunately, yes,” she whispered as she shrugged out of his grasp. A minivan rumbled past, its engine drowning out her next words. “I blew a tire,” she said when the quiet settled again. “Not exactly an emergency.”

  “It sure as hell sounded like an emergency.”

  “I had a bad day. A flat tire was the last thing I needed. I overreacted. Sorry.” She narrowed her eyes. “Stop looking at me like that.”

  “Are you going to tell me what happened?”

  “I went over a nail or something. I don’t know.”

  “I mean tonight. With Julia.”

  Her teeth tugged on her bottom lip. “Nothing. We went to class.” She turned to the glove compartment. “I have the owner’s manual in here. It tells you how to change a tire.”

  “I know how to put on a spare,” he snapped. He didn’t need another dose of attitude after his father’s visit.

  His life may not have been the one he’d planned, but it worked. Ethan didn’t need to think too deeply to get through things. He could leave his feelings and his pain buried, just where he liked them. Being near Lainey made him think about too much that he didn’t want to deal with—his past, his shortcomings, his empty life.

  He’d thought he could make this summer easier for her and it would right all his wrongs. Assuming he could keep his heart out of the mix was stupid.

  His gaze settled on her trembling fingers as she fumbled with the latch for the glove compartment then shifted to her face where color crept into her cheeks, her jaw tight with obvious frustration. He couldn’t stand to see her like this.

  “Come on,” he said and reached in front of her to take the keys out of the ignition. “It’s almost dark. I’ll take you home and change the tire in the morning.”

  “Pita—”

  He straightened, keys in hand. “Is in the truck. It’s not safe to let her out here.” As if on cue, a round of muted barking split the night air.

  Her eyes squeezed shut for a moment. “I need to get my camera out of the back.” Gravel crunched as she climbed out next to him. He reached forward and traced his finger along her jawline, hoping to relieve some of her tension. A shiver ran down her body, and the air surrounding them grew heavy with emotions he thought he’d left safely behind in his youth.

  For now he stepped away. He shut the door and near darkness swallowed them. “Get your stuff. I’ll be in the truck.”

  Lainey stood on the side of the road for several seconds before making her way to the back of the SUV. She felt open, exposed and once again attached to Brevia. She’d stayed away from connections that could lead to heartache since she’d left a decade ago. It wasn’t the best life, but she knew it and could manage the consequences of her decisions. What she couldn’t handle were her mother’s expectations, her sister depending on her and the man waiting to drive her home. Even a dog seemed like too much of a burden right now.

  She stalked toward the truck and flung her equipment into the backseat. Pita waited with enthusiastic tail wagging. The urge to wrap her arms around the dog’s fluffy neck flashed.

  No.

  She didn’t need anyone or anything in Brevia. “Pita, down.” Her voice reflected her temper, and guilt immediately coursed through her as the dog flattened itself against the backseat.

  Lainey heaved a sigh as she climbed in next to Ethan.

  “What’s the matter?”

  She made a show of digging through her purse. “I’m tired and ready to be home.”

  His mouth thinned as he watched her. Maybe he wondered if she meant her home in New Mexico or her mother’s house. Right now, she didn’t know.

  He eased the truck on to the highway. Grateful for the silence, she studied the occasional lights of farmhouses out the window and the pale white line at the side of the road. Soon her attention refocused on the man next to her and the dog’s soft snoring from the backseat. The companionable stillness only heightened her nerves.

  They were at the house in a few minutes. A light glowed in one of the upstairs windows. For a split second, she wished her mother was waiting then cursed her own weakness.

  As soon as the truck stopped, Lainey scrambled out, the dog at her heels. “Thanks for the ride,” she called over her shoulder, not daring
to look back. She needed space. Ethan’s door slammed shut as she fumbled with her keys and Pita danced around her legs.

  Without switching on the light, she walked into the kitchen. She rested her hands on the table and counted backward from ten, pictured her mother, sang the ABC’s in her head, anything to forget the way her body ached.

  She didn’t move, didn’t speak. Only a minute more and she’d be back to normal.

  Until he touched her.

  Only the brush of fingers against the top of her arm. She waited for him to pull her to him. He continued to trace a light pattern across her skin. Nothing more.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Trying not to pressure you. To give you space.” He paused. “Trying to be the man you want me to be.”

  “Ethan, I don’t know...”

  He pulled his hand away. “What do you want, Lainey?” he whispered. “Do you want me to go? I will. You need time? I’ll give it to you. But tell me—”

  She whirled and pressed her mouth hard against his. She couldn’t say what she wanted, but at this moment she knew to the depths of her soul she needed his kiss.

  Maybe it was wrong.

  Of course it was wrong.

  She wasn’t nineteen anymore with youth as an excuse to be swept away in the moment. She knew better. Life wasn’t a fairy tale, and even loving someone with your whole self didn’t guarantee a happy ending.

  She didn’t care about how this ended. Didn’t care if being with him ripped open her heart yet again.

  She needed him so much it made her body shudder.

  Before she knew it, he’d lifted her shirt over her head. She tried to turn to him, but he pulled her back against his chest. Somehow, he’d pulled off his shirt, too, and his chest hair tickled her bare back.

  He lifted one bra strap slowly, kissing her shoulder, then let it fall down around her elbow. She clutched at his arm as his hand cupped her breast. He tilted her face to his and kissed her deeply, catching her moan in his mouth.

  “My legs,” she breathed. “I don’t think...”

  He laughed low as he scooped her into his arms.

  He carried her up the stairs, his mouth never leaving hers. A shaft of moonlight sifted through the bedroom curtains as he laid her down against the pillows. She watched him undress, as always overwhelmed by his pure physical perfection.

  She glanced down at her faded beige bra. “I’m sorry. I would have worn something...you know, fancy, if I’d thought...”

  Ethan bent his head and dropped a line of kisses from her rib cage to where the top of her jeans skimmed her hips.

  “Do you remember the first time we made love?” he asked.

  “Uh-huh.” She licked her lips, finding it hard to concentrate as he ran his tongue across her belly button.

  “You were wearing a white bra.” As he spoke, he pulled the jeans down around her hips. “It had one small bow right in the middle.” His eyes darkened to the color of melted chocolate. “Kind of like the one you’re wearing now.”

  If her mind hadn’t been so clouded by desire, Lainey might have laughed. She’d been buying the same style of bras for as long as she could remember. At least ten years, apparently.

  He tossed her jeans off the bed and skimmed his hands up her legs from her ankles, finally coming to rest on her hips. His fingers grazed under the waistband of her panties then pulled her down until she was flat on the mattress, gazing into his dark eyes.

  “I have never been so turned on by a woman as I was that night.”

  She closed her eyes and gave into the pleasure of feeling his body above hers. His lips didn’t quite touch her, his breath cool as it blew against her hot skin.

  “Until now,” he whispered.

  Her eyes flew open. “Really?”

  He smoothed back the hair from her face, cradling her head in his hands with such tenderness tears pricked the back of her eyes.

  “Yes, Lainey. Really.”

  It seemed impossible, but she knew he was telling the truth. Never once could she have imagined he wanted her that much. His desire was liberating.

  Lainey gave herself over to her body. She didn’t think, didn’t analyze. No second-guessing or worrying about how she didn’t measure up. They rolled together, a tangle of arms and legs until they finally melded into one.

  Later—much later—he pulled her close, settling her back against his chest as he wrapped around her, cocooning her in his warmth. She fell asleep that way and when she woke, his arm was still snug across her chest.

  * * *

  The next several days kept Lainey busy. In addition to the animals at All Creatures Great and Small, adoptable pets would be brought in from shelters as far away as Atlanta. She needed to make sure a plan for housing the animals was worked out in advance. Without Vera, Ethan became the resident expert on animal behavior, so he decided on the best arrangement.

  He also made dozens of phone calls to local and regional businesses soliciting donations for raffle prizes and silent auction items. She’d tried not to be alone with him since the night they’d slept together, her only hope for self-preservation, but couldn’t stop her body from craving his touch.

  It felt like he could read her mind. He didn’t try to kiss or hold her again, but when no one was looking she caught him staring at her, a wolfish smile curving his lips. Every look he gave her was like nonphysical foreplay—as if there could be such a thing.

  Lainey took to walking around the shelter several times each hour just to catch her breath. Get a grip, she told herself. It was sex. You’ve had sex before. Maybe not for a while and never so good it left a glow three days later.

  But still just sex. Nothing more. Nothing at all.

  This was day number four, and she felt like an addict itching for a fix. Which may have explained why she was on her fifth lap around the building.

  “You’re wearing a path in the grass.”

  Ethan’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. He stood a few feet to her side on the lawn between the shelter and clinic buildings.

  She pressed her hand to her heart. “You shouldn’t sneak up on a person like that.”

  “I’ve been watching you circle the property for ten minutes. I’m starting to get dizzy.”

  “I needed a break. I think better when I’m moving.”

  He shifted his weight to one foot and adjusted the ball cap on his head. “What are you thinking about?” he asked, his voice laced with meaning.

  She stomped one foot. “You’re an egomaniac. For your information, you are not one bit on my mind.”

  His smile told her he knew exactly what she was thinking. “I have a couple of charts to finish. Do you want to grab dinner later?”

  “I’m not hungry.” Her stomach growled.

  “Thirty minutes?”

  “We shouldn’t be seen together.”

  His smile vanished. “Why?”

  “People will talk.”

  He moved in on her so quickly she didn’t have time to dart away. “Darlin’,” he said, his face inches from hers, “tongues have been wagging about us since you drove over the county line. Why do you care?”

  “No one wants me messing with you.”

  “Are you messing with me?”

  She stepped to the side, needing breathing space. “You know my deal. What I can and can’t give.”

  “It’s dinner.” He flashed a coaxing smile. “What’s the worst that could happen? What are you so afraid of?”

  “Fine,” she huffed, shaking her head. “But as friends.”

  “With amazing benefits?” he asked, winking.

  She picked up a ratty tennis ball from the yard and shook it at his head. “Don’t try anything funny. I mean it.”

  In exactly thirty
-one minutes he came to the makeshift studio she’d set up in one of the shelter’s empty offices.

  He’d showered and changed into dark jeans and a pale green button-down shirt. His smile flashed model white against a tanned face. She pulled her hair from its loose bun.

  “Sorry,” she said automatically, placing her camera on the worktable. She hooked a leash to the golden retriever she’d been photographing. “I should have changed.”

  “You look beautiful,” he said with complete sincerity.

  Her heart turned somersaults in her chest, a clear reaction to the way his eyes followed her. She smoothed her hands over her wrinkled pants. “You need to get out more.” She laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

  “Only with you.” He stepped toward her, so close she could smell the mix of the shower and his own spicy scent. He uncurled her fingers and took the leash from her, his thumb brushing against the sensitive flesh inside her palm.

  “I’ll put this one away and meet you out front.” He turned and the dog trotted behind him as he left the room.

  Lainey rested a hand on the table to steady herself. “He’s not playing fair,” she murmured to Pita. The dog pricked her ears and cocked her head to one side as she watched Lainey from her dog bed.

  Lainey turned off the equipment, quickly applied lip-gloss and gave the dog a quick scratch behind the ears. The puppy, Chip, snuggled in the crook of the older dog’s neck. “I’ll be back soon, you two. Wish me luck.”

  Pita’s tail thumped twice before she buried her nose under Chip’s chubby back end.

  Lainey grimaced. “I know. Right?”

  Chapter Twelve

  Ethan took her to the Pinebrook Inn, a popular upscale restaurant on the edge of town. The time flew by as they talked. Ethan seemed to love hearing about her travels, although he admitted he hadn’t even made it to the coast in over a year. This man dedicated to his work and the community was so different from the boy she’d known. It was still hard to wrap her mind around the changes in him.

  By the time they headed back to the clinic, her whole body itched with anticipation. She wanted more time with him, as much as she could get. A siren wailed behind them, and Ethan pulled to the side of the road as a fire engine raced past.