Saved by Love

by Christine Kingsley

  Abby stopped in her tracks and stared at Ethan with wide eyes. She totally didn't think this through. What had seemed like a fun idea suddenly seemed full of dangerous potential.

  But he didn't appear fazed at all. He flashed her another easy smile, pulled her out to the middle of the floor and placed his hands gently on her waist.

  If he noticed the way she jumped at his touch, he didn't give any indication. But he did laugh as she tried awkwardly to find a place for her hands.

  "You know, typically when people dance, they do have to touch each other." Another flash of that perfect smile and he reached for her hands and placed them on his shoulders just below his neck before returning his hands to her waist.

  She had the uncontrollable urge to tangle her fingers in the soft hair that was just a little long at the ends. As it was, she was already finding it hard to form words again as she felt the heat of his skin beneath the tight t-shirt he was wearing.

  "Ethan, we don't have to do this," she managed to get out. But she was giving him an out she wasn't sure she wanted him to take.

  And when he pressed her ever so slightly closer to him and leaned to whisper in her ear, "There's nothing I'd rather be doing right now," she didn't know whether to melt into him or jump ship and save herself while she still could.

  CHAPTER THREE

  It was all Ethan could do not to pull Abby tight up against him and kiss her right there on the dance floor. He was pretty good at playing it cool, but something about being around her made him a little unhinged. It was crazy, really. He was treading on dangerous ground and he knew it. Never getting serious about anyone was one of his foremost rules. That way nobody got hurt.

  But something told him Abby was someone he would gladly break his rules for. If he was smart, he'd stop this right here once the song came to an end and make sure he kept their relationship firmly in the friend zone. Because Abby wasn't one of those women he could just have a casual fling with. It was obvious in the way she looked at him—wary, unsure if she could trust him—that caution ruled her world.

  But when she tilted her head up, the tips of her long hair brushing against his fingers, and gave him a heated look that reflected everything he was feeling, he knew being friends with Abby was the last thing he wanted.

  "Everyone is staring at us," she murmured.

  Ethan glanced back to the table, and sure enough, three pairs of eyes were glued to them. "Should we give them something to talk about?"

  "If you know Lissa at all, there's already plenty to talk about, and no doubt she'll be doing just that. By tomorrow morning the whole town will be speculating." She smiled when she said it, but he could see her guard was up. Yep, just like he thought. She wasn't like the women he knew who just wanted a good time. She was a commitment kind of girl.

  While this should have been enough to get a rein on the visceral reaction he was having to her nearness, it only made him want to get to know her more. Find out who she was behind this wall she so carefully tended to. Wanting to shake the feeling and lighten the mood again, he whirled her around until she was laughing, then dipped her back so low that she clung to his shoulders in an effort to keep her balance.

  When her pulled her back up, he made sure to bring her in a little closer to him than before. She didn't resist.

  By the end of the third song they had both sufficiently relaxed and he was able to just enjoy being with her without worrying about what came next. He laced his fingers through hers and guided her over to the bar.

  "What would you like?" He leaned one arm against the bar and kept his body turned toward Abby.

  "Just a water. Thanks."

  He ordered two waters, and when the bartender pushed them across the bar to them, Ethan made no move to head back to the table. "So what do you think of small town life so far? You've been in Willow Valley a few months now, right?"

  "Yeah. I like it more than I thought I would." She smiled apologetically. "I don't mean that in a bad way. It's definitely an adjustment to have everyone knowing what you ate for breakfast and where you work and everything. But there's a sense of community here that I've never experienced before. And even though I haven't really gotten to know a lot of people, there's a feeling of belonging too. I don't know if that makes sense." She dropped her eyes as if she were embarrassed.

  Ethan squeezed her hand and she looked back up at him. "I know exactly what you mean. I've lived here my whole life, but I've traveled around enough to know that in spite of the busybodies," he cocked his head in Lissa's direction and Abby giggled, "it's a pretty special place. Where are you from?"

  She hesitated, then shrugged. "California."

  "They have some pretty awesome surf spots."

  "You surf?" The incredulous look on her face was almost comical.

  "What, do you think this guy is just a backwoods Barney?" At that, she broke out in a full-on laugh that had him grinning too. "What?"

  When she finally regained her composure, she took a sip of her water and shook her head at him, still smiling. "It's just that not only do you apparently know that a ‘Barney’ is surfer speak for a terrible surfer, but I swear today when you were messing with that furniture delivery guy, you totally reminded me of Barney Fife."

  Now it was Ethan's turn to laugh. "You've got to be kidding me. Barney Fife? I'm mortally wounded. And here I thought myself to be witty and charming."

  Abby placed a hand on his thigh and leaned closer with a mischievous look. "Oh, you are, make no mistake about that. And the fact that you surf only makes it worse."

  He lifted his brows. "Worse? How so?"

  "Just that when I was growing up, my friends and I would go to the beach for the sole purpose of watching the surfers. Well, that, and working on our tans. A surfer was like a dream guy."

  He smirked. "Dream guy, huh? I think I can handle that better than Barney Fife." He rested a hand on her hip to keep her close, watching her closely for a reaction. When she didn't pull away he counted it as a win.

  "Well, I wouldn't go that far just yet. You've yet to prove you're not full of it about surfing."

  "Mmm, well, I may not be able to do that here in Willow Valley. But I am headed on a beach trip to Florida with some friends in a couple weeks. There will be water sports involved. Maybe you should come along and see my physical prowess for yourself." He puffed up his chest and made a face like he was full of himself, causing her to laugh again. He could totally get used to being the one to make her smile.

  "So what about you?" he asked. "Do you surf too?"

  "I always wanted to." There was a wistful tone to her voice.

  "You lived in the perfect place. Why didn't you?"

  Her smile disappeared in an instant and she shrugged. "Reasons." She pulled away from him and reached for her glass, keeping it between them like a barrier.

  Ethan didn't like how she was shutting down all of a sudden, so he tried to engage her again. "Do you still want to?" When she didn't say anything, he continued. "Then you should definitely come along. I'll teach you how."

  The look in her eyes could only be described as conflicted. "I don't think that's a good idea," she muttered before averting her gaze, though her voice wasn't very convincing.

  "I promise I'm a good teacher," he cajoled. "We take this trip every year and always have a great time."

  The nervousness was back, and this time she spoke more firmly. "Thanks, Ethan. Really. But I don't think so."

  He couldn't keep the disappointment from his voice. "I understand. I mean, you did just meet me."

  She bit her lip and didn't reply. He could tell that wasn't the whole story, but he wasn't going to push her. He wondered again what made her so wary of him. He could have sworn she wanted to go—at least a part of her.

  Glancing toward their table, she took a slow, deep breath. "I think we should get back to the table before they think we've abandoned them completely."

  Ethan wouldn't mind if that's exactly what they thought, but he got up and fo
llowed her back through the crowded room. He tried to rein in his frustration. For a minute it felt like she was opening up to him. Now, well, now he didn't know what she was thinking.

  Braden nodded and tilted his beer in Ethan's direction as they arrived back at the table. No doubt to show Ethan he conceded in the contest for Abby. But Ethan only frowned. He didn't like thinking of Abby like that. Besides, he certainly didn't feel like a victor where she was concerned.

  His attention was diverted back to the women as he heard Abby say, "Oh no. Is everything okay?"

  "What's going on?"

  Lissa smiled regretfully. "Cassie has to get back home to the kids. We're going to have to cut our girls' night short."

  Cassie shot her a dirty look, and Ethan wondered just how far Lissa was willing to go with her matchmaking efforts. He found out with her next words.

  "Ethan, since you live in the same building as Abby, would you mind dropping her off?" If he hadn't known better, the smile on her face would have looked innocent.

  "Sure, no problem—"

  "No, I don't mind if you take Cassie home first—" Abby said at the exact same time, then narrowed her eyes at him.

  "The thing is," Lissa said. "It just makes sense. I need to get her on home, and it would just be easier if I didn't have to drive back into town. Since you're headed to the same place..."

  Ethan was sure Abby saw right through it too, but she just pursed her lips and nodded.

  Cassie and Lissa got up and gathered their things. Cassie came to give Abby a hug and say, "I'm sorry. I hate that our night was shorter than planned, but I'd love it if you came out to the house some time. I haven't gotten to see you as much as I'd like."

  Abby smiled. "That sounds good."

  Then they were gone. Ethan turned back to Abby. "Would you like another drink? Something to eat?" Hopefully he could regain some of the comfortable vibe they'd had earlier.

  "I'd really just like you take me home now."

  ***

  Part of her wanted to kill Lissa for sticking her matchmaking nose where it didn't belong. The other part of her was doing flips that she was riding home with Ethan. That was the part she was trying desperately to suppress when she asked Ethan to take her home. Because if she was honest with herself, she really wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.

  It was ridiculous to try to deny the attraction between them. After spending time with him tonight, she could clearly see there was more there between them than just a basic chemical attraction, though that was undeniably strong. But they connected on another level too.

  He totally fit her idea of a dream guy. And that scared the hell out of her. She wasn't ready for that. She hated the idea of being dependent on someone else. She'd been there, done that, and it had about killed her when it had ended.

  Ethan walked over to Braden and said something to him, but Abby was barely listening. She was too caught up in thinking about what he asked her. If she wanted to go on a trip with him. He wanted to teach her to ski. The idea of it made her stomach jump with excitement, but on the edge of that excitement was terror. These kinds of gut reactions almost made her angry. Would she ever truly get over what happened to Derek enough to get back to who she was before?

  Her younger self would never recognize what she had become. Paranoid, fearful, so cautious that it bordered on obsessive. And that didn't even begin to touch on the panic attacks.

  Teenage Abby had wanted nothing more than to live a life full of adventure, go everywhere, see and do everything. Then she'd gotten married. And while she loved Derek, she could see in hindsight that she'd sacrificed who she was for him. They'd married so young that she'd never actually lived the life she wanted.

  And now here was Ethan, seemingly everything she'd ever wanted in a guy, and she couldn't act on it. Or shouldn't. Not after making a promise to herself that she would focus on her. She didn't want to be that codependent girl anymore. She had a plan. She wanted to be strong. To find out who she could be now. And adding a guy into the mix wasn't part of that plan.

  "Okay, all set." Ethan interrupted her thoughts with a hand placed softly on her shoulder. Almost tentatively. She knew she was running hot and cold with him, but he got to her so much that she kept forgetting herself.

  She forced herself to smile and tried to adopt an easy tone. "What about Braden? Are you just leaving him here by himself?"

  "You seem to forget—we all pretty much know everyone else in town. He'll find someone else to flirt with and be fine." He gestured toward the door. "After you."

  Abby led the way out of the Old Gin, then stopped when they reached the parking lot. She didn't know which car was his.

  Pulling out his keys, he pressed a button and a sleek red Porsche parked under a light beeped back at him.

  "Seriously?" She should have known. If she had to bet on it, he probably drove well over the speed limit in that thing too.

  Ethan flashed a lopsided grin at her, his eyes twinkling in the moonlight. "Would you expect anything else from your dream guy?"

  She laughed in spite of herself. "Just keep it under the limit, Speed Racer."

  "Why am I not surprised by that response?" he teased, but it made her think. Was she that easy to read? She didn't want to be as uptight as she was, but she couldn't seem to help it. And apparently it was obvious even to someone she'd only just met. She sighed as they walked toward the car.

  "Hey, I'm teasing you." Ethan placed a hand on the small of her back, presumably to reassure her, and she felt a zing race up her spine. She was at the mercy of his touch. The entire time they'd been on the dance floor, then in such close proximity at the bar, she had been super aware of every movement, every brush of his fingers. Now it was all she could do to keep from sidling closer to him and letting him wrap his arm around her.

  "I know," she managed to say, but the smile she gave him this time wasn't forced. For what must have been the hundredth time that day she marveled over how easy it was to lose herself in him. After she'd just reminded herself of all the reasons she shouldn't. "But you seem to have a pretty good read on me."

  He led her to the passenger side door and opened it for her, then leaned down to look her in the eye after she got in. "Quite the contrary. You, Abigail Stewart, are a complete mystery."

  She wrinkled her nose at his use of her full name, and he laughed as he shut her door. She watched him walk around the front of the car, her pulse kicking up as she took in his tall, muscular frame. When he sat down next to her and cranked the engine, the small car felt suddenly tiny.

  "What do you mean by that?" she asked to distract herself from the way the muscles in his arms flexed as he maneuvered the gear shift. "I'm not all that mysterious."

  "No?" He shot her a quick glance before turning out onto the road. "Then why do I have the feeling if I do this—" He slammed into the next gear and floored it, the force of the forward momentum pushing Abby back into her seat.

  Her eyes widened in terror and she gripped her seat as he took a corner at an alarming speed, but what shocked her the most was that she heard herself laughing over the roar of the engine.

  Ethan slowed down to a normal speed and looked over at her, a triumphant look on his face. "Yep, I knew it!"

  "Are you out of your mind? What are you trying to do, get us both killed?" But the smile was still on her face. What was wrong with her? "You knew what?"

  "You're a closet adrenaline junkie."

  "I am not!"

  "Hence my stance that you are a mystery. You come across all reserved and cautious, overly careful of anything that might have a hint of danger," he began, still smiling. He could tell that about her already? "But the way your eyes lit up when you talked about how you wanted to surf, then again just now when I took that corner—which, by the way, was perfectly safe in this baby—" he patted the steering wheel, "—you love a good adrenaline rush as much as the next person."

  "You may be right about being cautious but I—"

 
; "Do you like roller coasters?" he interrupted, looking at her way more than at the road.

  "Eyes straight ahead, Speed Racer. And yes, I do, but that doesn't mean anything. Everyone likes roller coasters. They're perfectly safe. People check them all the time."

  "Not true. I can assure you that plenty of people are terrified of them."

  Abby rolled her eyes. "Maybe, but that's beside the point."

  "The point is, you are full of contradictions, therefore a mystery." He laughed, and she let a smile steal across her face.

  "If you say so."

  He whipped the car around to a stop, and Abby was surprised to find that they were already back at the apartment.

  "That didn't take long," she said as she grabbed her purse from the floor.

  "That's because I may not have kept it under the limit." Ethan gave her a wink that should have been cheesy, but was just incredibly sexy coming from him. As he climbed from the car and made his way around to open her door, her stomach started acting as if she were actually on a roller coaster. Now what? Would he walk her to her door? Try to kiss her? And the most pressing question, did she want him to?

  He opened her door and held out a hand to help her up. She half-expected him to pull her to him once she was standing, but he simply let go of her hand and shut the door.

  "Thanks for the ride. I don't know about Lissa sometimes." She walked in the direction of the stairs, not surprised when he kept pace with her.

  Ethan laughed. "Oh, I know all about Lissa. But seriously, have you met her mother? She comes by it honestly."

  "Believe me, I know. The first time I met her, she got more of my life history out of me than anyone before or since." She stopped at the foot of the stairs. "I've got it from here."

  "You sure?" He knitted his brows together. "I did say that I'd see you home safely."

  "I think I'll be fine, but I do know where to find you." She smiled at him, but what she didn't say was that she felt much less safe with him accompanying her to her door than she did leaving him right where he was. The crazy way she'd been feeling all day, she was just as likely as not to invite him inside. And that was most definitely a bad idea.