Crazy in Love (Contemporary Romance) (Blue Lake Series)

by Kristin Miller

  “Tomorrow morning I’ll make a statement regarding what happened with Tori. I’ll have to apologize for ending things the way I did.”

  “And what will you say about us?”

  The second Rachael spoke the words, she yearned to take them back.

  He closed the distance between them and stopped a breath away. “I’ll say whatever you want. If you want me to say that I kissed you, but you didn’t return my feelings, I will. If you want me to apologize for crossing a line, I’ll do it.”

  Chills scampered up her arms as she gazed into his honey-brown eyes. “What’s the truth?”

  “About us?”

  She nodded quickly.

  “I did cross a line by kissing you when I knew I shouldn’t have. But I don’t regret it.”

  “But you said—”

  “I wish none of this would’ve happened so the coming weeks and months would be easier for you. They’re already calling you a bimbo and that’s only the start of the mud-slinging. It kills me to think of someone hurting you because of something I did.” He reached out and brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “If I were telling the truth about us, I’d say I kissed you and felt something I hadn’t felt in years.” His deep voice was barely above a whisper. “I’d say that the last few days here with you have been some of the best of my life. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I got to be normal…I’d forgotten how freeing that felt.”

  Her eyes fluttered closed and her stomach dropped.

  “I’d say that it was hard to say goodbye,” he went on, “but that’s what had to happen. That’s what was best.”

  As he cupped her chin in his hand and grazed his thumb over her cheek, Rachael bit back a whimper. They couldn’t be together. She’d known it all along. Too bad the knowledge couldn’t stop the pain.

  “So this is goodbye?” she whispered, heart leaping into her throat.

  “Not quite.”

  He brought his lips down to hers and kissed her softly. Pinching her eyes closed, Rachael stood up on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around his neck. And then she kissed him back. Really kissed him. Thanking him for showing her what she was missing in her life. Tenderly stroking his worries away with gentle sweeps of her tongue against the inside of his mouth.

  She would be all right after this. After him.

  She’d just have to make a solid break in her life. Pre and Post Cole Turner.

  He pulled back, resting his forehead on hers. “That’s goodbye.”

  She struggled to catch her breath and wrap her head around the fact that she might not ever see him again after tonight. He ghosted his hands over her hair, kissed the tip of her nose, and then released her from his grip.

  He left. Turned away and walked out of the room.

  Seconds ticked by in slow, thudding heartbeats.

  “Wait!” she said.

  He spun and they collided, their arms tangling as their mouths met. He wrapped his arms around her waist and bent her against him. She whimpered, melting into him and the bone-scorching heat of his kiss. As the blanket covering her shoulders fell to the hardwood, he cupped her chin and stroked her neck with feathersoft caresses. She still wore the dress from the concert, and as his hands dipped to her breasts, the spaghetti straps fell off her shoulders. He guided them down her arms, until the dress dropped to her waist, revealing her bare chest.

  “Remember when I said before that I liked the color of your bra?” he mumbled, one hand palming her lower back and the other massaging her breast. “I did, but I prefer the color nude much better.”

  The next few moments were a blur of senses. She feasted on his mouth, and shivered when he nipped at her bottom lip. She lost herself in his touch, the way his hands roamed over her body, awakening every nerve. She closed her eyes and breathed deep, awash in the rich, spicy smell of him. Fumbling close to ecstasy, she gripped fistfuls of his hair and crushed his mouth to hers.

  His own passion must’ve been rising, because as their mouths parted, he yanked the shirt over his head, kicked off his shoes, and stepped out of his pants. To her surprise, he was naked beneath the denim.

  “Do you always go Commando for concerts?” She found him hard and long and stroked the soft skin over his shaft.

  He groaned into another kiss. “Not always.”

  “Why this time?” She sucked his bottom lip into her mouth. “Not that I’m complaining.”

  “I thought I’d surprise you.” Grabbing her dress in both hands, he pulled and stretched the fabric until it shimmied down her hips and fell to the floor. When he saw that she hadn’t worn underwear either, he smirked. “What’s this?”

  “Looks like we had the same idea about the concert’s after-party.”

  He plunged his tongue into her mouth and kissed her with wild abandon. And as he tilted her head back, sliding his mouth over her neck in a heated rush, she took a mental snapshot of the moment. The two of them, naked, their bodies pressed together in the middle of the living room. Moonlight streaming through the windows. An empty hearth beside them and a fuzzy red blanket strewn over the chilled hardwood floor.

  She didn’t need anything but him. This man.

  The one who would leave her.

  As if he read her mind, he threaded his fingers through the hair at the back of her neck and brought her mouth to his.

  Kissing her tenderly, Cole guided her to the floor and settled between her hips. He kissed her without entering her. Braced himself on bent arms, their bodies flush against one another. The pressure of his body felt good and right, but the ache in her middle increased every second he wasn’t inside her.

  The anticipation was too much…

  “Cole,” she whispered against his lips. “Make love to me.”

  He groaned into another kiss and then rose off her quivering body. Reaching into the crumpled pile of clothes, he removed a condom from his jeans pocket, tore through the wrapper and put it on. As he settled over the top of her once more, she gripped his shoulders tightly. Brought him down over her. And as he sheathed himself inside her, she cried out.

  He embraced her. Possessed her body, heart, and soul. Hip to hip, mouth to mouth, they moved together in a passionate rhythm that wrenched a tear from her eye.

  “When you look at me,” he said, breathless, “you see me.”

  “Of course I do.” She rolled her hips in time with his languid thrusts.

  “No, you see me, baby.” He stroked her hair, kissed her open-mouthed, and moved inside her to the beat of her heart. “No one has ever looked at me the way you do.”

  A sense of pride soared through her. And when his hands dipped from her thigh to her backside, her core began to clench around him. The pride that existed before shifted to ecstasy. He held her as she shattered, stroking his hands down her cheeks.

  “You’re beautiful.” His voice was filled with reverence. Total adoration. “I’m going to miss…this.”

  A tear rolled down her cheek, but she hid it with a kiss. Cole might not have been able to say what he really meant, but she read between the lines.

  She was going to miss him, too.

  As his muscles strained on the verge his own release, he thrust into her deeper. Harder. Rachael arched back as another orgasm crested. With a throaty moan, Cole gazed deep into her eyes, cried out her name, and filled her with everything he had to give.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “When do you leave?” Rachael asked, lying in the crook between his arm and his shoulder. They’d been lying on the floor for hours, and although she wished for many more, it wasn’t going to happen.

  “The crew was breaking down StoneMill when I left. That usually takes a few hours.” He brushed his hand over her hair in a loving caress. “They should be here to collect my things any minute,” he went on.

  “And you’re sure you don’t want to stay until morning?”

  He kissed the crown of her head. “It’s not that I don’t want to stay. It’s better for everyone if I don’t. I
shouldn’t be here when the paparazzi shows up. The situation already looks bad, but if they get a shot of me walking out of the inn in the early morning, it’ll only get worse for you.”

  Worse than finally finding the guy of your dreams only to have him leave?

  “Then we better get moving,” she said. “Wouldn’t want your crew to catch you back here with the innkeeper.”

  Not knowing what else to say, Rachael clutched the blanket to her chest and stood, yanking it from beneath his body. As she wrapped it around her shoulders, Cole shoved his legs into his pants and scooped up the rest of the clothes off the floor. He followed her down the hall into the inn and as they reached the top of the stairs, he weaved his fingers between hers.

  “How many people do you have checking in today?” he asked quietly.

  She shrugged. “A few.”

  “What are you going to make for breakfast?”

  Back to small talk? “Cole, I can’t do this.”

  She pulled toward her room until their arms were outstretched. He pulled back, hauling her against him. “It’s going to be hard for me to leave too, Rach. Tell me your plans, so when I’m driving to Lake Tahoe I can picture you here. And every morning and every night after that.”

  He was going to think of her after this moment? After today? Okay, so that made her feel a little better.

  She sighed against his chest. “I’m going to make biscuits and gravy with toast and homemade jelly on the side.”

  He moaned. “Okay, okay, enough talk about food. Are you going to do anything with the remodel later today?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “And tonight? Any plans?”

  “Cooking dinner for the guests, cleaning up after they hit the sack.” Her heart faltered. “Oh damn it! I forgot I have a date with Joey.”

  His chest deflated against her cheek. “You’re still going to go out with him?”

  “Yeah, I guess, I mean…”

  His hands dropped from her waist.

  “I completely forgot to cancel,” she said, watching Cole’s jaw tick. “I got so caught up in this, in us.”

  “You should go out with him.” The words seemed pulled from Cole’s lips. As if he wanted to say something completely different. “If he’s a good guy, if he’ll be here for you when you need him…you should go.”

  She nodded, but she didn’t want to be with Joey. Didn’t want to be dating him if she could be with Cole instead.

  But she couldn’t.

  She didn’t belong in Hollywood with him, and he didn’t belong in Blue Lake with her.

  “Come here,” he said, tugging her hand toward his room. “I want to show you something.”

  She giggled, but the sound was strained. “Again?”

  “No, not that, you sexy little temptress.” He stroked his hand over hers as he led her to the boxes in the corner of his room…the boxes he’d been so protective over when she’d cleaned up in here the first day. He unfolded the tops and pulled out a stack of photo albums.

  “These are from my childhood,” he said, setting them on the bed and turning back to the box. “They’re all I have left.”

  Sadness leached through her as she watched him dig through his memorabilia. Sweatshirts came out, along with old Rolling Stone magazines—was that a 1967 date she spotted on the cover?—followed by leather-bound notebooks with the pages falling out. And then, when Rachael thought he wouldn’t reach the thing he’d searched for, he pulled out a small wooden box and flipped open the lid.

  “I found music at a desperate time in my life, when I could have gone one of two ways. I could have drowned in depression…or I could’ve channeled my cry for help into my guitar. I chose to write, to play, and that saved my life.” He took out a black guitar pick set on a silver chain and dropped it in the heart of her palm. “This was my first pick. I want you to have it.”

  “What?” She flinched. “No, I can’t take that.”

  “I didn’t know I was standing at a crossroads when I met you, but I was,” he said, staring deep into her eyes. “If I want to have a career in this business, I need to start writing my own songs again. I know that now.”

  Her chest warmed. “I think that’s a great idea.”

  “Rita won’t think so, but that’s all right. By the time it takes me to write an original song, she’ll warm up to it.”

  “It’s the right way to go,” she said, playing with the necklace in her hand. “Your fans will love the personal touch.”

  “Will you wear it?”

  “Of course.”

  He draped it around her neck and adjusted it over her chest. It was long, like a dog tag chain, with a tiny hole cut into the top of the pick.

  “Run to him,” Cole said softly, spinning the pick around. “But if you can, if it’s not too much to ask…think of me when you wear this and know I’ll be thinking of you. I want you to be happy, Rachael.” He leaned down and planted the softest of kisses on her lips. “No matter what.”

  Her insides tumbled. “I want you to be happy, too.”

  He kissed her again and it tasted like goodbye.

  * * *

  “And then he just left?” Lucy cried, leaning against the doorjamb in the downstairs bathroom. “What’d he say?”

  “Nothing.” Rachael scrubbed the tile behind the toilet. “Well, that’s not entirely true. He asked about breakfast again.”

  Lucy hmph’d. “Typical male. You know what they say…the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

  “Clearly I don’t know anything about how to get to a man’s heart,” Rachael said, putting up her glove-covered hand. “Can we talk about something else? Please?”

  “Sure.” Lucy tapped her boot heel against the wall. “Did you watch him as he drove away?”

  “Lucy!”

  “Hey!” She threw up her hands. “I didn’t talk about his heart!”

  Knees aching, Rachael peeled the gloves off her hands and tossed them in the trash. “I watched until he turned off Main.”

  Lucy smacked her. “I knew it!”

  “Why does that even matter?”

  “Didn’t you read The Love Game by Grey Thompson?”

  “No, but I hear he’s great.” Rachael sprayed Windex on the bathroom mirror and started swiping. “Isn’t he coming to the Book Bandit for some kind of tour in October?”

  Lucy grabbed Rachael by the shoulders and spun her around. “I’m not talking about the Book Bandit or Grey Thompson. I’m talking about you and Cole Hottie Turner. You love him, and that’s why you watched him leave. At least that’s what the book says.”

  Rachael’s stomach turned as she remembered the way she’d wanted to run into the street and holler for Cole to turn around and come back. To stay.

  But she didn’t.

  Couldn’t.

  “I don’t love him,” Rachael said, doubting the words as she spoke them. “I don’t.”

  Lucy pursed her lips. “Does saying it twice make it true?”

  “What kind of a fool would I be if I let myself fall in love with him?” Rachael scoured the sink and faucet until the entire vanity was squeaky clean. “It was a weekend fling. I always knew it.”

  “Is that what he said?”

  “No.” The necklace hidden beneath Rachael’s sweater burned against her skin. “I think it was more for him, too.”

  At least that’s what she hoped.

  “Then why are you here?” Lucy whispered. “Why don’t you go after him?”

  “How could I?” She tossed the towels in the laundry basket on her way down the hall. “The inn is full for the next week and I’ve got to finish the rooms in the other building.”

  Lucy followed a few steps behind, her heels clacking over the hardwood. “I could run the inn for you for awhile. I’d stay here and play goodie-goodie Rachael McCoy while you ran off with the rock star. If duty calls, I can always send my assistant Skylie to fill in. She’s really sweet and always eager to help with whatever I need
.”

  “For how long?” Rachael spat, turning into her room. She snatched her robe off the back of her door and draped it over her arm. “Two days? Three? And then what? Don’t you think I’ve gone over every scenario in my head? There’s no possible way we’d work. Even if I went to Lake Tahoe to be with him and let you or Skylie stay here taking care of the inn, it would end the same way. He’d go back to Hollywood when his tour ended and I’d stay here. Whatever happened this weekend is over.”

  “Fine,” Lucy said as Rachael pushed by and charged back into the bathroom. “So in the meantime you’re going to settle for Joey?”

  Tossing the robe on the vanity, Rachael started the water for the shower. “No, I’m going to move on with my life. I’m going to go out to dinner with a sweetheart, a guy who’s going to be here for the next twenty years.”

  “Is that all you’re looking for? Someone who’s going to stick around Blue Lake? Gee,” Lucy squawked. “If that’s the case, Dom is available. Hell, if you head down to the saloon there’s bound to be a handful of losers who’ll—”

  “Okay!” Rachael said, folding her arms over her chest. “I get your point. But Joey isn’t a loser, and I’m not canceling tonight.”

  “And you shouldn’t.” Lucy leaned against the door. “You deserve the best, Rachael, and nothing less. If you end up with Joey, great. But don’t settle for anything less than electric.”

  Rachael leveled her with a stare. “Electric?”

  “Yup.” Lucy nodded. “If Joey doesn’t singe the clothes off your body, he’s not the one for you.”

  Rachael’s thoughts shot to Cole. He barely had to look at her and her insides trembled with anticipation.

  “Thanks for the advice,” Rachael said, checking the water temperature. “But if you stand here much longer, you’re going to get a peep show.”

  With a laugh, Lucy stepped out of the bathroom and locked the door before closing it behind her. She was a great friend. One of the best. Rachael was blessed to have someone like that in her life, someone who would hold down the inn for a night so she could go on a date with a hot fireman.

  If only she could find the great love of her life.