by Opal Carew
Sandra realized she’d stabbed her fork into the salad multiple times, gathering several chunks of lettuce on the tines. She glanced at Aimee.
“What do you mean?”
“Did you and Devlin have a fight or something?”
“No.”
“First, you insist we go shoe shopping today instead of joining Devlin at the art museum for the new Escher exhibit, which I know you wanted to see. Now you want to blow him off when you know he’s been looking forward to that new thriller movie for weeks.”
Sandra shrugged. “I just need some alone time.”
“Aw, honey. Is it about the divorce?” Aimee rested her hand on Sandra’s. Her deep blue eyes gazed into Sandra’s with sympathy. “Did the anniversary bring up bad memories?”
Sandra appreciated her friend’s comforting gesture.
“No, it’s not that, I…” She bit her lip. “It’s just that … I sort of made a fool of myself last night with Devlin.”
Aimee’s well-shaped eyebrow arched upward. “Really? How?”
Sandra’s cheeks burned in embarrassment.
Aimee grinned. “Hmm. With cheeks that red, I’ve gotta know. Give.”
“When he dropped me off last night … I … sort of kissed him.”
“Boy, if you’re not sure, you are definitely out of practice.”
Sandra picked up her diet cola and swirled it around, sending the ice cubes tinkling against the glass.
“Aimee, you’re not helping.”
“Okay, so what happened then? Did you guys…?” Aimee’s eyes glittered in amusement.
“No. He…” She stared down at her plate. “He couldn’t get away from me fast enough.”
“Really? Hmm. I find that hard to believe.” Aimee took a bite of her sandwich.
“Well, believe it.”
Aimee chewed for a few seconds, then swallowed. “Okay, so now what? You going to avoid him forever?”
Sandra gazed at Aimee sheepishly. “Can I?”
Aimee laughed melodically. “No, I won’t let you get away with that. He’s a great guy. And you guys are friends.” She patted Sandra’s hand. “But I will allow you a reprieve. We’ll skip the movie tonight and, to help you out even more, how about you and I go up to my cottage next weekend. It’s a long weekend, and the weather’s supposed to be fabulous. We’ll enjoy three days of sunshine, water, and relaxation. That should give you lots of time to forget all about any nonsense between you and Devlin, and the following week we can all pick up where we left off. What do you say?”
A weekend at Aimee’s cottage. Sandra had never been, but had heard many stories from Aimee about the good times she’d had there. And where better to spend a glorious sunny long weekend than at a lakeside cottage?
* * *
Sandra’s hair whipped wildly in the wind as the small boat, with Aimee behind the wheel, raced across the sunlit water. Sandra glanced at the cottages along the treed shoreline. Off to the right, several teenagers enjoyed a large swim raft, some sunning themselves on top while others swam around the edges. Shrieks rang out as the ones in the water splashed the others, then several dove into the lake, probably with revenge in mind.
“Over there.” Aimee pointed to a small island beyond the end of the channel where the shores widened. “We’re coming up on Silver Lake, and that’s the island where the cottage is.”
Aimee shared the cottage with her sister. It had belonged to their parents, but they hardly used it anymore and found it not worth the maintenance headache, so they’d given it to their two daughters.
“An island all to yourself. That’s pretty cool,” Sandra said.
“Well, it’s a tiny island, and it’s not exactly all to myself. There is one other cottage, but it’s on the opposite shore, so it’s pretty private.”
Sandra liked that. Aimee had told her there was a lot of waterskiing, canoeing, and other water sports in the main lake, but most people didn’t come in too close to the island because of the danger of rocks. There were better places to go in the large lake, so the traffic around them would be practically nonexistent. Sandra enjoyed the idea of a quiet weekend on the water without swarms of people around.
“Do you know the people who own the other cottage?”
“It used to be owned by the Reeds, friends of my parents, but they didn’t get up all that often anymore, so they sold it last year. To a friend of their son’s. His name’s Craig. In fact, I used to date him.”
“Oh.” Sandra pursed her lips. She didn’t think she’d want to date someone she shared an island with. When the relationship ended, things could get dicey.
As the boat approached the island, Aimee slowed down. Sandra spotted a neon orange buoy off to the left, and another couple way to the right. Aimee headed straight ahead toward a wooden dock. A sleek maroon boat was tied on one side of the dock.
“I guess that means someone is at the other cottage this weekend,” Sandra said. “So you dated the owner. Is this going to be awkward?”
“No way. Craig and I are still good friends. We dated for a while last summer, but it didn’t last long after that. It may not be love, but we get along really well.”
Aimee’s face lit up with a smile and she waved. Sandra glanced toward the shore and saw two men walking along the dock, each carrying a tall-necked brown beer bottle in his hand.
“That’s Craig,” Aimee said. “And that’s his friend James.”
The way Aimee looked at Craig, Sandra wondered just how well Aimee and Craig got along. Of course, she might just be imagining the hunger in Aimee’s eyes, reflecting her own hunger for a strong, sexy man.
“We still run into each other the odd time during the summer and we always have a good time together. You’ll like him. James, too.”
James, too. Suspicion reared up and Sandra’s eyes widened.
“You sneak. This is a setup, isn’t it.”
Aimee grinned. “Well, maybe a little bit. But I just figured it would be a way for you to meet a couple of nice guys in a casual setting. No pressure. And if you decide you don’t want to spend time with them, we’ll just keep to ourselves.”
Yeah, right. No pressure. They were on an island together. No other people for miles.
Sandra’s gaze locked on the two men standing on the steadily approaching dock. They were both tall, just over six feet, the one with the short, sandy hair slightly taller by about an inch. The dark-haired one wore a shirt draped open, revealing his masculine chest, while the other wore no shirt at all. Sandra couldn’t peel her gaze from his tight, sculpted abdominals. She didn’t know which one was Craig and which one was James and, quite frankly, it didn’t matter. From what she could see, both were drop-dead gorgeous.
Just Sandra, Aimee, and two exceptionally hunky guys for the entire weekend. Her pulse began to race and tingles danced along her nerve endings. This weekend was going to prove more of a distraction than she had anticipated.
* * *
As Aimee brought the boat alongside the dock, the shirtless man with sandy brown hair handed his beer to the other man and grabbed the side of the boat and pulled it closer to the dock. Then he tossed a loop of rope over the cleat on the front of the boat, and hooked it back, neatly tying the boat to the dock. Sandra’s gaze fell on the large tattoo of a tiger, which prowled up his right arm and along his muscular shoulder.
“Got a load of stuff, I see.” He stepped into the boat and picked up the huge cooler, then hefted it onto the dock.
“Thanks, Craig. This is my friend Sandra. Sandra, this is Craig.” Aimee nudged her head toward the other man. “And that’s James.”
Craig’s sandy brown hair was short and straight all over, the spiky tips almost glittering with golden highlights, probably from a lot of time spent in the sun, judging from his dark tan. James had his back to them as he placed the beer bottles on the other side of the dock, but Sandra could see that his dark brown hair was short on the sides and full and wavy on top.
Sandra smiled. “
Hi.” She grabbed her small wheeled suitcase and lifted it.
James turned around and stepped toward the boat. “Here, let me.” He took the bag and placed it on the dock, then offered his hand to help her from the bobbing boat.
Her gaze locked with his as her fingers nestled in the confines of his strong grip. Awareness flashed through her. Of his strong masculine body, his arms and chest bulging with muscles. Of his glittering blue-gray eyes that nonchalantly perused her body. Of the attractive dimple in the center of his chin as he smiled at her.
Her eyes widened as recognition struck.
“James Connor?”
Four
Incredibly sexy, wickedly tempting James from college.
Sandra had spent her entire freshman year trying to ignore her wild infatuation with this man. He had been her lab partner in chemistry, and the chemistry between them had been sizzling. He’d been a constant source of hot sweaty dreams for which she’d felt no end of guilt because she was dating Eric at the time. Had been for five years.
Eric hadn’t wanted her to go to college so far from home—so far from him—but she’d assured him she would be true to him. Even though she had kept that promise, she’d always felt guilty about her intense attraction to James. An attraction she’d never forgotten.
James’ smile broadened. “Sandra Blair. It’s been a long time.”
From the heat in his eyes, Sandra could tell he hadn’t forgotten, either.
“You two know each other?” Aimee asked.
James still hadn’t released Sandra’s hand, and the heat simmering through her at his touch was becoming overwhelmingly distracting.
“We knew each other in college.”
Aimee smiled. “Did you guys date?”
He squeezed her hand. “We would have if I’d had my way, but she was dating a boy back home.”
“I see.” Aimee tossed her duffel bag to Craig, then took his hand as she stepped onto the dock, too. “So you two will have a lot of catching up to do.”
“Definitely,” said James.
He finally released Sandra’s hand, then placed her bag on top of the wheeled cooler. Craig piled Aimee’s bag on top of Sandra’s, then grabbed the long handle and pulled it along the dock. James retrieved the beers and followed his friend.
Aimee and Sandra fell into step behind him, which gave Sandra an excellent opportunity to notice James’ tight, well shaped butt as he walked in front of her. Every bit as gorgeous as she remembered it.
Aimee caught her staring and winked at her, a big grin claiming her face.
The cooler wheels bumped along the uneven ground as Craig dragged it up a well-worn dirt path heading through the trees to the right. After a couple of moments, a cottage came into view: rich stained wood with a deck around two sides, and huge windows overlooking the water. Stairs from the deck led down to a stone patio with a picnic table, and beyond that there was a beach. A hammock hung between two trees off to the left.
Aimee trotted ahead of the men and unlocked the back door, then they all headed inside. The living area was light and airy, with comfortable chairs and a couch, a full kitchen overlooking the living and dining area, and all of it with a great view of the lake.
James pulled the bags off the cooler and set them near a hallway that probably led to the bedrooms, and Craig dragged the cooler into the kitchen.
“Do you want us to help unpack?” Craig asked.
“That would be great. I’ll get Sandra settled in,” Aimee said. “Come on. I’ll show you to your room.”
Sandra grabbed the handle of her suitcase and drew it behind her as she followed Aimee down the hall to a bright bedroom with a double bed, a pine dresser and side tables, and sky blue bedding. A rattan chair and footstool sat by the window where she could relax and read.
“This is really cozy.”
“I aim to please.” Aimee sat down on the bed. “So what’s the deal with you and James? How could you not go out with such a hunk?”
“Like he said, I was already dating Eric.”
“You were engaged back then?”
“No, but we promised each other we wouldn’t date anyone else.”
“So you were celibate all through college?”
“No. I still saw Eric several times each term. And summers, et cetera.”
Aimee’s eyes widened. “Oh, my God. Is Eric the only guy you’ve ever been with?”
Sandra nodded. “Pretty much.”
“Wow. Well, I think we ought to do something about that.” Aimee patted the bed beside her and Sandra sat down.
“You were attracted to James in college, right?” Aimee asked.
“Um. Yeah.”
“I mean, from the look on your face when you recognized him, I’m guessing really attracted. Right?”
Sandra simply nodded her head.
“Okay, so do you think you and he might … I mean, do you think there’s the possibility of starting a serious relationship?”
“Oh, no. I mean, he is a really special guy but … it’s too soon. I haven’t even started dating again after my divorce. Jumping right into anything serious wouldn’t be a good idea.”
Aimee nodded. “Yeah. Okay. That makes sense. Just in case, though, I want to tell you. James and I dated, too.”
“You and James?”
“Yeah. Just in case you and he start dating, I want you to know right up front.”
Sandra nodded. Aimee had dated James. She had probably gone to bed with him. Her stomach clenched. Of course she’d gone to bed with him. What sane woman wouldn’t, given the chance?
Aimee stood up. “Well, I’ll leave you to settle in right now. I was going to invite the guys to dinner. That okay with you?”
“Yeah, of course.”
She was looking forward to getting to know James again.
Remembering the feel of his hand around hers and the resulting tremors through her body, she realized a part of her hoped that something would happen. After all, it had been a long time since a man had touched her and … she’d often dreamed of what it would be like to feel James’ arms around her. To feel his lips against hers.
“Aimee?”
Aimee stopped at the door and glanced back. “Yeah, honey?”
“I just wanted to know…” She sucked in a deep breath. “What was he like?”
“James?” She grinned wickedly. “He was sensational!”
* * *
Sandra finished unpacking her bag, then walked down the hall to the kitchen. The aroma of onions and steak cooking made her mouth water.
“Hey, honey, we’re out on the deck.” Aimee’s voice drifted in from the screen door beside the kitchen.
Sandra glanced outside to see Aimee peering in at her. James stood beside her.
“Grab a beer and join us,” Aimee said.
Sandra went to the fridge and pulled out a strawberry beer, then poured it into a glass. She stepped outside into the warm evening. The sun hung low on the horizon. Craig stood at the barbecue, flipping the steaks, still shirtless. Her gaze lingered on the tiger tattoo prowling up his thick bicep and over his broad shoulder. She dragged her gaze away and glanced at James, who picked up a wooden spoon and stirred the onions and mushrooms sautéing in a pan on a side burner of the fancy barbecue. His open shirt revealed his taut muscles beneath.
She licked her lips, more from the display of delicious male flesh than from the aroma of food. She sipped her beer, then set the glass on the table, which was fully set, including a salad and a basket of bread.
James grabbed the frying pan from the burner and scooped the onions and mushrooms into a bowl, then set them on the table. Craig placed the steaks onto individual plates. Aimee picked up two and brought them to the table, and Sandra grabbed the other two.
They all sat down to enjoy the meal.
“So you’re divorced.” Craig took a swig of his beer, then set the bottle down.
“That’s right.” Sandra stabbed a chunk of lettuce in her plastic sal
ad bowl and put it in her mouth.
“I imagine it must be pretty hard to get back into the dating scene after that.”
Sandra nodded, then gazed over the lake, as smooth as glass in the calm evening light. A loon let out a mournful cry in the distance.
“Sandra decided to wait a year before she jumped back into the dating game again.” Aimee put one arm around Sandra and squeezed her. “So fair warning to both of you. We celebrated the one-year anniversary last week, so this beautiful woman is now available!”
Aimee’s enthusiasm made Sandra smile, but her cheeks flushed with heat. She felt like she was about to be auctioned off.
“What do you do, James?” Sandra asked, desperate to change the topic. In college, they’d taken a few electives together, but she couldn’t remember his major.
“I’m an industrial engineer. I work for a consulting firm and we do a lot of work for big companies to streamline their operations.”
“That sounds interesting.”
He smiled. “What do you do?”
“Oh, well, Aimee and I both work in the marketing department of TeleNorth. We work on their Web site.”
“Yeah, I do the boring coding part,” Aimee said. “Sandra can do that, too, but she’s also the artistic one and does all the graphic design.”
“What about you, Craig?” Sandra asked, not wanting to leave him out.
He grinned, his brown eyes twinkling. “I’m a construction worker.”
Sandra’s gaze took in his broad chest and shoulders. She could imagine those muscles bulging and rippling while he swung a huge sledgehammer, his skin glistening with sweat. Her gaze drifted to his hands, wrapped around the brown bottle in front of him. They were big and masculine and she couldn’t help wondering what they would feel like touching her body.
Aimee batted his arm and laughed. “Don’t listen to him. He’s an architect and he owns his own construction company.”
“How long have you and Aimee known each other?” James asked, his gaze on Sandra.
“About a year,” Sandra said. “I met her just after my divorce. Eric and I lived in Toronto for most of our marriage, but when we split up, I decided to move back to Ottawa, where I grew up. I met Aimee at work.” She took a sip of her beer. “I guess you’ve both known Aimee for a while.”
