by Dani Jace
A car horned beeped outside of the cottage.
She cut the water, jumped from the shower and threw on her suit and shorts. After grabbing her backpack and beach hat, she bounded downstairs.
Bobby sat behind the wheel of a Mustang convertible with a waving brunette riding shotgun.
“Jo this is Sarah,” Bobby introduced them as Sarah opened the car door.
Jo climbed into the backseat. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too.” Sarah grinned. “So glad you could get off in time for the party.”
Independence Day traffic crawled on the winding two-lane through the small town of Duck while her brother’s girlfriend chatted her up as if they were best friends. Sadly, she happened to be her only female friend at the moment. A self-made woman from New York, Sarah had fallen in love with the Outer Banks while on vacation. She returned and opened a jewelry business and now lived in a prestigious section of Kitty Hawk.
Their handholding and lovey-dovey gazes mocked Jo’s current jaded sense of romance, but her heart swelled at her brother’s happiness. The police department had been his life after their father’s death.
Bobby parked a block away from a three-story mansion secluded in a cluster of dunes dotted with knurly live oak trees. Several pop-up canopies littered the sandy lot, offering small rectangles of shade and hydration in many forms. Two enormous wheeled cookers smoked in the late afternoon heat tempting guests with a variety of protein sustenance from swine and bovine to fowl.
Mike and his wife greeted them on the patio beneath the elevated beach house. While the guys caught up and the women complimented one another’s outfits, Jo ghosted for the beach. While passing one of the coolers, she stopped and snatched a couple brewskis before trekking to the top of a dune.
A line of bathing beauties gathered along the sidelines of a volleyball court boasting way too much testosterone. She picked an obscure spot with a view of the ongoing game.
After unrolling her beach towel, she shed her cutoffs. Her modest black bikini accented her legs, which had been voted best on the west coast surfing circuit. She’d have rather had more in the boobs department.
Ray stood on the court, shirtless and smoking hot. Tanned and glistening with sweat, she itched to run her fingers along his sculpted abs and lower. His team consisted of firefighters she recalled from the Broncosaurus versus bike incident.
Had he noticed her? He probably didn’t remember demanding her presence, or had another woman pining for his attention.
The game reminded her of when she played with Bobby, Ray and their gang. The girls at the net withered against the guys’ hard-core play. After match point, they hit the water. One of the female players swam out with Ray.
Jo waded beyond the breakers and floated in the building swells. If only she’d brought her surfboard. It’d be easier to talk to him while bobbing in the ocean, if he decided to look for her. Once again, she waited for him. This would be the last time, she swore in California she’d never play the waiting game again. Swimming for shore, she intended on downing the second beer in her bag.
Ray shaded her as she reached the water’s edge. Muscular shoulders tanned to perfection met sock solid pecs. His torso V’d into a six-pack outfitted in a pair of black trunks. If OBX had a best body calendar, he’d be the perfect cover model.
The wicked tribal tattoo encircling his brawny bicep begged to be touched.
“You hiding out?” Pale eyes probed over top his dark glasses as he nodded toward her spot and smiled.
“And laying low.”
“Sexy bikini. Sexier body in it.” He winked, slid his hand to the small of her back, and escorted her to her towel.
Heat coiled in her lower belly. The man always knew exactly what to say.
“We need players. You game?” he asked.
While an expert surfer, she was no slouch at volleyball after years of playing while waiting for waves. “Let me get a shirt from my bag.”
“No way, you’re our secret weapon with your hot body.” A grin spread across his handsome face.
She’d be his secret weapon any time.
* * * *
Ray loved catching her off guard and swore her nipples peaked at his compliment. His second brain went on alert at her reaction. Down boy.
The first serve rocketed toward her. She double-handed a setup to the player beside her, who spiked it over the net. The attack had a thin blonde diving into the hot sand to no avail.
With an overhand serve, Ray drove the ball deep into the left side court. An opposing player ricocheted it into the net, but his teammates failed recovery. He served another point before the ball stayed in play.
Jo proved her skills at net, not missing a single setup. The opposing team quickly modified their strategy moving their better players to the net. Teaming with her on volleyball reminded him of old times. Playing with the boys with not a care. Acting like the girl he’d known before California. Fearless.
How silly of him to believe he might sneak a peek of those fine cheeks or lovely breasts. Surfers, especially the pros, were masters at keeping their swimsuits in place. Her laughter made his heart soar.
They bowed out of the next game and took a quick dip to rinse away sweat and grit. At her perch on the dune, he sat beside her. “You still got it.”
“So do you.” Her knee bumped his thigh.
He held the contact. “I wish I could have seen you compete at Baja. It must’ve been intense.” He flipped up his shades and held her gaze.
“Make you wet your pants.” She blushed.
“Better than sex?” He smirked.
Her eyes narrowed. “You’d be the better one to judge.”
His face heated like a sunburn. She hadn’t forgotten his player days.
“If there’s better sex than shooting through the tube of a six foot wave, I’d love to experience it.”
Her subtle wink lit a fire in his groin as a verbal bet lodged on his tongue. “Well―”
“Why’d you became a firefighter? For the rush?”
Before now, he’d never considered his reasons, other than a paycheck. “Construction work was hard to find when I returned from Iraq. I ran into your dad’s lieutenant. He suggested I volunteer until I found a job. Being on a crew, is kinda like when I was on the football team. They’re family now. With Cappy gone and you away at college, Bobby was busy with the police department.” He clenched his jaw. “I never stopped missing you, Jo.”
Her eyes widened. “I didn’t want to leave but―”
“You needed to or you would have regretted it later.” Sentiment lodged thick in his throat. Now wasn’t the time. He stood and offered his hand. “Man, I’m starving. You?”
“Thirsty.” She rose and stepped into her shorts.
“Love the cutoffs, Dahlin’.” Her velvety skin sent his pulse skittering as his fingers slid around her trim waist.
“So in an ass man’s opinion, they’re better than stretch denim?” She cupped his butt in play making his dick stir.
He would have to thank Craig’s girlfriend for stirring Jo’s jealousy. Confirming feelings he’d hoped she’d had for him all along. “Baby, you’d look good in anything and I bet better in nothing at all.”
* * * *
His compliment had her giddy as teen. His hand rode possessively on her lower back as they headed for the food tents. After piling barbeque, fried chicken and sides onto their plates, he opened the back hatch of the Hummer to sit.
She sipped her beer. “How’s your mom?” No doubt, Mona was still searching for the man to fix her broken heart. In contrast, her dad never trusted another woman. Jo barely remembered her mother.
“Living in Pennsylvania with some guy, for now.” He chewed and rolled his eyes.
“Have you met Sarah?” She doubted Bobby had time for his brother from another mother now.
“While grocery shopping with the crew. She seems his type. He says she’s a gr
eat cook.” He bit into a chicken wing.
She laughed and bumped her shoulder against his. “That’s so Bobby. No man will ever compliment me on cooking.”
“Mom offered to teach you.” He arched a brow.
“And mess up the cooking for car and house maintenance barter system she and dad had going?”
“I believe your talents lay elsewhere,” he said with a mischievous squint.
His innuendo made her nipples tighten. Sex with Ray would be like surfing the Hawaiian Pipeline, something she’d always dreamed of, but considered a near death experience.
Twilight descended and the party moved inside. Desperate to avoid the house and questions about her return, she asked, “Can we go for a ride?”
“Is this a date?” His blue eyes gleamed.
Years ago, when they took off for Hatteras to surf it was never a date. They were just hanging out. She upped the ante. “If it’s four-wheeling on the beach.”
“Lucky me, I got a special permit.”
“Peachy.” She slipped off the back and climbed into the passenger’s seat. The black beast roared to life, and his MP3 player filled the cab with rock music. Once they reached the beach access ramp, he lowered the tire pressure. Seconds later, the truck hummed down the beach.
He cut a sensual glance toward her, making her heart flip-flop.
With a fingertip, she traced the pattern encircling his bicep. “When did you get the tat?”
He claimed her fingers and held her hand.
So they both had secrets.
A few miles later, he parked near the surf and cut the engine, but left the music playing. A pale, crescent moon climbed above the watery horizon.
The day’s heat and humidity had vanished with a refreshing north breeze. She rubbed her arms.
“Cold?” He opened the back of the truck and snatched his firefighter hoodie from the cargo area.
Her heart thumped furiously. She wanted to trust him. She dug her arms inside the soft cotton. The lingering scent of his woodsy aftershave mixed with the ocean air invading her senses and took her back to a time when she felt safe. “Mmm. Thanks.”
He caught a windblown curl and tucked it behind her ear. His fingers lingered. After a deep breath, he asked, “So…exactly how long are you planning to stay? Did you graduate?”
She forced her gaze to meet his. His rejection now would kill her. “Yeah, but I couldn’t leave California while on probation.”
In the dim light, his jaw fell slack.
Cold dread seized her lungs.
“So that’s what you had to fix,” he said softly squeezing her shoulder.
His empathetic tone eased and warmed her as much as his hoodie. “I trusted somebody who put me in a bad way.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Vic?”
Afraid she might see ridicule on his face, she studied her flip-flops before sitting on the truck’s bumper. Losing his respect would almost be as bad as sitting in jail.
Lion-like paws wrapped around her shivering fingers as he stepped between her legs. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She met his gaze. “No point in worrying you, too. Bobby found me a good lawyer and the DA offered a deal for turning in Vic’s phone contacts.”
His voice could have cut steel. “He set you up?”
“I was naïve and stupid.”
He drew her into a tender hug. “No, Jo. You’re neither. He was a dick.”
Weak in his arms, she rested her head against his broad shoulder and felt his heartbeat against her chest. The rhythm of the surf reminded her of all they’d shared. “Thanks, you’ve always believed in me.”
Ray’s strength went beyond the physical. Growing up without a father, he had been man of the house. He’d believed in her talent as much as her dad. After her father’s death, he’d insisted she go on to college when all she wanted to do was crawl into a hole and hide. Because of that, she’d been compelled to live up to her family and Ray’s expectations.
During her darkest days there, she’d dreamt of being in his arms. Now, the safety of his embrace melted her defenses like the familiar rock ballad drifting from the truck’s speakers.
“Welcome home, Jo.” He guided them over soft sand in a slow dance.
“This is where I’ve always wanted to be.” Home and in his arms.
The song ended too soon.
Chapter 6
The song faded. Reluctant to let go, Ray pressed a kiss against her temple. He’d never been closer to her emotionally or physically.
She sat in the back of his truck and dug her hands into the pouch of his hoodie. “So how’s life besides firefighting?”
He shrugged at her sudden distancing. “Okay, not much going on.”
“Weren’t you seeing a doctor from the hospital when I talked to you at Christmas?” She tilted her head to the side.
He’d only mentioned the woman in passing. Maybe he imagined her coolness. Had she been jealous of his dates all along? Hell, he’d never claimed any as a girlfriend. “You know doctors don’t stay long on OBX. Once they’re done with their residency, they’re off to the land of higher dollars.”
“I know you don’t give a woman a chance before you’re off to the land of greener pastures.” Her amber eyes narrowed on him, but her comment provided the opening he’d been hoping for.
Determined to find out if the sexual tension between them wasn’t wishful thinking on his part, he stepped between her legs. “Guess I’m hard to please.”
She arched a brow. “Noncommittal.”
Ouch. She didn’t have a clue how faithful he could be, to her.
“Maybe my heart has always belonged to someone.”
Her eyes widened. “What do you mean?”
She’d believed him a player. Cupping her chin, he let the long held secret spill from his lips. “You, Jo. It’s always belonged to you.”
Her mouth gaped. “Huh?”
He couldn’t help but smile at shocking her.
She started to move from the truck, but he kept her pinned. “You teased me all through middle school. Dated nearly every girl in high school and never asked me out.”
Her jealousy turned him on. “Wasn’t because I didn’t want to.”
“You never even kissed me until after Dad―”
“Have you ever heard me call anyone else Dahlin’?” He traced a finger along her cheek.
She inhaled sharply searching his face.
He hoped she saw truth. Bending his head, he pressed his lips to hers, and felt them yield. Sweeping his tongue beyond her teeth, he sparked a delicate spar. She tasted sweet like a dessert he wanted to linger over. Her fingers laced behind his neck and drew him closer.
In her arms, he was home.
Deeping the kiss, he reveled at the small tremors coursing through her as his hands explored. Her shapely body he knew well but not intimately.
He released her mouth. “You can’t begin to know how long and how much I’ve wanted you.”
“Since when?” Her breathless question revealed her surprise.
On a warm day in April after she had turned sixteen and emerged from her winter clothes on the beach in a slinky bikini. Other guys noticed, too. For the first time in his life, a little green demon hopped on his shoulder and growled.
“Let’s just say I’ll never forget a little, lime bikini or its tempting strings.” He ran a finger along the seam of her suit bottom at her hip and tugged.
Her eyes darkened as her breasts rose and fell with each rapid breath. Her pouty bottom lip caught beneath her teeth. A tell of her being unsure. He leaned in and nipped the offending flesh then quickly smothered her tiny cry of protest with a deep kiss.
He paid the price when she caught his tongue. This was the Jo he’d fantasized about.
“You get what you give.” She ran her hand down the center of his chest.
“Be careful what you promise.” An aching hunger consumed him.
He cupped her firm rear and brought her against his straining cock.
Her moan held promise.
He skimmed under the hoodie, caressing the sides of her breasts before untying her bikini top. His fingers circled her stiffening buds.
She feathered her lips along his ear. For years, he’d longed for her touch.
Ray fought his raging need to brand her as his, but he could be patient a bit longer. Still, he wanted her to know his raw desire.
He laid her on the carpet and felt her silky legs wrap around his hips.
Slowly, he worked up the sweatshirt. Bared her belly while pressing kisses against her soft skin. The glittery diamond stud in her navel had nearly driven him crazy all day. With a swirl of his tongue, he traced the jewel, imagining more wicked play. He was moving too fast, but he’d never wanted anyone or anything more than her. His heart squeezed in a vice of contradiction while his unethical dick protested as he retreated. “I’m sorry, I’m rushing this.”
She sat up and stroked his face. “It’s okay. I’m still trying to find my true North since coming home. You’re like a magnet sending my compass in all directions.”
She had him scattered most of the time, too. “Is that why you’ve been avoiding me? I was starting to get a complex.” He laughed.
Her return giggle lightened his heart. They always talked best on the beach. Years of surfing bonded them. Although he wanted to take their relationship to the next level, getting physical raised the stakes.
If he fucked this up, he’d lose her for good.
* * * *
She craved him like no other previous lover. His impressive erection still wedged between her thighs made cognitive thought difficult. For years, she’d dreamt of him. Taking his hands in hers, she asked, “So, what’s the real reason you never asked me on a date? Fear of Bobby? Or being teased about seeing your best friend’s sister?”
His muscles tensed, and his mouth thinned to a line. After a deep breath, he said, “You were hands-off, Jo.”
