by Jill Sanders
She nodded, not really sure what he was saying. Her mouth had gone completely dry watching his slow movements.
“So…” He stood up and took the heaviest bag from her hands then peeked inside. “What’s for dinner?”
She chuckled and moved around him. “You just show up here, expecting dinner?”
“No.” He followed her into her condo and set the bag he’d been carrying down next to hers. “How about a shower and dinner?” He looked down at himself.
She laughed. She couldn’t help it. He’d shaken his hair and a plume of dust had fallen all over her counter.
“Go.” She pointed to her bathroom. “Don’t make a mess.” She started pulling items out of the bags so she could put together a dinner, but before she got far, she was being turned around and Cole’s lips were on hers. This kiss was fast and potent, and then he was walking into her bathroom, whistling what sounded like a Beach Boys’ song.
How the hell was she supposed to fight against attraction that strong? Especially when her body was so easily betraying her. It took almost an entire minute, leaning against the counter and breathing slowly, for her heart rate to get back to normal. Then she turned her mind to the simple and enjoyable task of cooking for two.
***
Cole stood under the hot water and let it roll down his back. Every muscle in his body hurt, but it was his hip that was causing most of the throbbing. Glancing down at it, he sighed when he noticed the large red splotches crossing his skin.
After standing under the spray for a while, he pulled himself from Wendy’s small shower and dried off. He hunted through her medicine cabinet and swallowed a few aspirin before donning his clothes again. He’d shaken them out, but he wished he’d swung by his place before coming over here.
It had been a knee-jerk reaction to drive to her place after he’d left Marcus’s house. He’d wanted to see her, plain and simple. He hadn’t expected to fall asleep waiting for her to get home, or that his hip would have stiffened to the point it had. But when he’d caught her looking at him on her front porch, it had all been worth it.
She couldn’t deny the heat and desire he’d seen in her blue eyes. He was sure it had matched his own desire for her, especially when he’d seen her lick her lips. It had taken all his willpower not to let the old Cole out and haul her into her place and take her hard and fast.
He sighed and glanced at himself in the foggy mirror. He needed another damn haircut. Shaking his head, he watched his blond hair curl up and smiled. Well, maybe it could hold off for another week.
When he opened the bathroom door, the wonderful smells of home cooking hit him, and he forgot all about his hip and focused on his stomach instead.
“Something smells good,” he said, walking up behind Wendy as she stood at the stove. His hands went to her hips and he moved close enough to feel her body next to his.
“I hope you like manicotti.” She sighed as he ran his mouth over the column of her neck. He felt her lean back a little towards him.
“Hmmm,” he moaned against her skin, “love it.”
“Cole, dinner is going to burn if you keep doing that.” She giggled.
He nodded. “Okay.” Her skin tasted so good, he just had to have one more nibble.
“Why don’t you grab us both a beer.” She sighed.
He nodded again, his lips hovering over the softness behind her ear. “Kay.”
She giggled and then turned and pushed him away. “Beer. Now.” She smiled at him until his eyes focused again.
“All right.” He chuckled and walked over to her fridge. After popping the top on two beers, he leaned against the counter and watched her move.
He’d always been impressed by how she bartended. It was like watching a dancer behind the bar. He especially enjoyed it when there was a live band playing; he loved watching her hips move to the music. Glancing around now, he spotted her radio and walked over to find some music she could sway to as she cooked. It took some doing, but finally he found a good station and was rewarded almost instantly as she moved around the kitchen, hips pumping as she went.
“How did you get into bartending?”
She reached over and took a deep sip of her own beer.
She glanced back at him and smiled. “It was either that or stripping.” She chuckled when his chin dropped.
“Seriously?” He felt his mouth go dry as a million images rushed through his mind.
“Sure, I needed a lot of money and had no skills.”
“What stopped you?” He took a long drink of his beer to cool his libido down.
She shrugged her shoulders and turned back towards the stove. “I was fifteen at the time and looked it, so I started waiting tables instead.”
He blinked. “You started working at fifteen?”
She nodded again. “With a kid sister to take care of… Remember?”
He nodded. “I just thought…” He shook his head and mentally cursed her father.
“What?” She turned back towards him as she leaned on the counter.
He sighed. “You said something about your dad sending money.”
She laughed. “Sure, I’d get an envelope with a few hundred bucks every month. It helped pay for the rent and nothing else. There was the electric and water bills, not to mention keeping food on the table.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned when he realized he had never had to worry about anything like that. Not once in his life. Even after his folks had died, he’d been rushed to the Grayton’s and his nonchalant lifestyle had continued.
“What about school?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I went, until it got in the way of work, then I went in and got my GED.” She shrugged and then bent down and pulled a steaming hot pan from the oven.
“Your sister?” he asked.
She glanced up at him and shook her head. “I made her finish school.”
“What about college?”
She smiled. “Willow is going to FSU.”
He smiled along with her. “That’s great.”
She nodded and then frowned a little. “Course, if her grades keep dropping, I’m seriously thinking about having her finance her own way next semester.”
He was sure his chin dropped. “You… You’re paying for your sister’s college?”
She frowned at him. “Who else is going to do it?”
He shook his head. “What about grants? Scholarships?”
She nodded. “We applied for a lot, got some. They helped for a while.”
“But?”
She sighed. “Ever since Willow’s new boyfriend, her grades have dropped too low to maintain them.”
“Have you talked to her?” He set his beer down and walked over to take her shoulders in his hands. When her eyes went back to his, he could see the sadness in them.
“I was going to… this weekend.” She shook her head and he saw her eyes light up again. “What about you?”
“Me?”
“Sure, why didn’t you get some school under your belt?” She took a step back. “Too busy jet-setting around the world?” She chuckled as she set a pot aside.
“I guess I never really thought about it.”
She glanced back at him. “Why not? I mean, I know surfing was your dream, but surely you want something else… after.”
The word hung in the air. After. He’d never really thought about after his surfing career was over. Would it end? Why? Only one reason came into his mind and he shook the thoughts from his head.
“No, I guess I’ve never really thought about it.”
“What was your backup plan? I mean, growing up, didn’t you want to be something else too?”
He smiled. “Nothing as sexy as a stripper.”
She laughed. “I saw the last ad you were in. You might as well be a stripper with as few clothes as you were wearing.”
He chuckled. “Touché.” He walked over and pulled her close and then his lips were on hers as his hands held her st
ill.
“Now I’ve had dessert before dinner.” He smiled down at her as he pulled back.
They sat at her little table and ate some of the best manicotti he’d ever had, including the manicotti he’d had on the trip to Italy he’d taken last summer. They talked about her sister and his family for a while. She seemed very curious about Marissa, his sister who had run away at seventeen.
“So, Cassey doesn’t talk about her a lot, but I get the feeling every one of you is hurt by her sudden disappearance.” She leaned forward a little and moved her empty plate aside.
He nodded and scooped up another healthy helping for himself. “Yeah, all of us took it hard. Especially Pop.” He shook his head. “He’d helped turn around five of us, and he couldn’t help feel a little like he’d failed us.” He shook his head and shoved food into his mouth.
“Why? I mean, from what I’ve seen, the four of you are pretty great.”
He smiled. “Thanks.”
She sighed and tilted her head a little. “You know what I mean.”
He nodded, and then his smile fell away a little. “Marissa was just like us. I mean, we all thought so. She was our sister. At least she acted like it.”
“You don’t think…” She left the unspoken question hanging in the quiet room.
He knew what she was hinting at, and had thought it a million times himself, but quickly shook his head no.
“No, the police say she ran away. She left a note for Cass.”
Wendy nodded. “That’s good. I mean…” She shook her head.
“I know, it’s better that she ran away than the alternative. We’ve all thought that for years now.”
She sighed and leaned back in her chair as she sipped her second beer. “Any thoughts as to why she left?”
He finished off his third helping and pushed his plate aside. “I have a few.” He sipped his beer and leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest.
“And?” She leaned forward a little.
He sighed. “Her mother came to see her shortly before she ran away.”
Wendy’s eyebrows shot up. “I thought… you were all orphans.”
He shook his head no. “Marcus’s mother, Roman’s folks, and Marissa’s mother are all still alive.”
She nodded and he could see her mind working, full of questions.
“Their stories aren’t mine to tell. Marissa had mentioned something to Cass the night before about ending up like her mother.” He shook his head in disgust. “Let’s just say there was no possibility of that, ever.”
“Did the police check with her after your sister went missing?”
He nodded. “She just laughed and said she’d ended up like her after all.”
“What does that mean?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Apparently she’d run away from home when she was young.”
“Has anyone heard from her? I mean, how long has it been?”
“Almost eight years now. Each of us has taken turns looking for her. Roman thought he saw her at the hospital when I had my bike accident.”
“Really?” Her eyes lit up.
“Yeah, but he’s had a few other close calls like that. I swear, each and every one of us scans every crowd looking for her.”
“What does she look like?” she asked, leaning her chin on her hand.
“Here.” He pulled out his cell phone and flipped through the images, inwardly cringing at all the women he had pictures of on the damned thing. First thing in the morning, he was wiping his phone memory. “This is all of us the summer before she left.” He smiled down at the picture of everyone standing on the small sailboat, and then he handed the phone to Wendy.
She held it close and scanned the image.
“That’s her between Cass and Roman.” He leaned closer and pointed to the screen. His eyes roamed over the image again.
“Is this your mother? Mrs. Grayton?” She pointed to the larger woman off to the side.
He nodded. “She died that winter.” He felt the same sting behind his eyes as he always did when he thought of Elizabeth Grayton, his second mother. “Cancer,” he said, still hating the taste of the word in his mouth.
She nodded. “No one should have to go through that.” She sighed. “Even my father didn’t deserve to.”
He sighed. “I don’t know about that. Leaving two young girls to fend for themselves.” He shook his head.
“It had its moments.” She smiled up at him. “I never had a bedtime, I was never nagged to brush my teeth.” She smiled. “Look, they’re still all there. Never a cavity.” She chuckled.
“It must have been lonely.” He reached across the table and took her hand.
She sighed. “There were times.” She reached for her beer with her free hand. “I guess that’s why I like bartending so much.” Her smile was weak, but he could tell she really believed it. “Some nights, when I felt that way, I’d come back from work and…” she shrugged her shoulders. “I wasn’t lonely. I guess I’m to blame for the rift between Willow and myself. I mean, I wasn’t around a lot.”
He squeezed her hand gently. “Still, she should have chosen hanging out with her sister over a boyfriend.”
She giggled. “Would you have?”
He frowned and thought about it. “Hanging with Cass or Marissa verses hanging out with you?” He shook his head. “I suppose not.”
She frowned. “I’m not…” She stopped herself and sighed as he smiled at her. “You are so frustrating.”
He laughed. “Good. Now, I’ll help you clean up so we can sit on your sofa and make out like a couple of teenagers.”
Chapter Six
She tried not to let her nerves show, but she couldn’t stop her hands from shaking as he moved closer to her. It had been nice standing beside him as he helped her clean up after dinner. She’d never had anyone help her in the kitchen before. Kevin hadn’t been big on cleaning, nor had any other guy she’d been with before. She supposed it was the way Cole had been raised that gave him an underlying gentlemanly quality about him.
He opened doors, carried heavy items, cleaned, and was always so damn polite. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at him. He was watching the television like he was completely glued to it, but she knew better since his hand was resting on her shoulder.
She’d been itching to have him kiss her again just so the tension between them would stop. He’d hinted that he considered her his girlfriend and her heart had jumped out of her chest.
She wasn’t sure about him yet. She’d known him longer than any other guy she’d been involved with, but that didn’t stop her from having her doubts about him. After all, she knew his history. She’d seen him wrapped up in bandages because he’d been a little too reckless.
She couldn’t imagine what life would be like with someone like him. He would be jet-setting off around the world, living on the edge of death all the time, while she stayed home and worried. Not to mention the fact that he didn’t have any ambitions outside of surfing and being a beach bum.
Sure, he had an awesome family. Okay, probably the best family she’d ever seen. But she wasn’t dating his family.
Her breath hitched when she played those words over in her mind. Dating. Was she really thinking about getting into a relationship with Cole Grayton?
She glanced at him again as he leaned closer to her, and his arm tightened around her shoulders. “What?” He leaned closer.
“Hmm?” She turned her eyes back to the screen as he chuckled.
“You keep stealing glances.” His finger went under her chin as he turned her head towards his. “What are you thinking about? Because obviously you’re not really into this show.” He nodded towards the television.
She sighed and glanced at his lips and decided she didn’t want to make up her mind about Cole just yet. Not until she’d had some fun. Who could blame her? It had been months since she’d had any fun. “You did mention something about making out like teenagers.”
He smiled
and tugged on her until she was almost in his lap. “So, does this mean you’ve made up your mind to go out with me?” he said, a breath away from her lips.
“I…” She wet her lips in anticipation. “I haven’t made up my mind yet.” Her eyes went to his lips, waiting. She watched the sides of his mouth go up in a slight smile.
“What can I do to persuade you?” he said, before gently running his lips over hers. She couldn’t stop the moan from escaping, not after she felt her entire body relax into his.
“You make it so hard for me to think.” She smiled against his skin.
“Good, you’ve been doing too much of it anyway.” His mouth traveled down her neck, sending bumps all over her body. Her fingers dug into his thick hair, holding him close to her body. Her eyes rolled to the back as his mouth found a spot she hadn’t known could cause her to rush to the edge of orgasm so quickly.
“You like that?” He chuckled and then used his mouth on her again.
She knew she was probably making all sorts of crazy sounds, but when he kissed her collarbone, it drove her crazy. His fingers pushed her shirt aside, exposing more of her skin for his mouth to explore as her nails dug into his shoulders.
She rested her head back on the soft cushions and enjoyed his slow exploration. When his mouth left her skin, she moaned a little and then watched as he gently pushed her until she lay down on the sofa. She couldn’t take her eyes off his fingers as they moved below her shirt, pushing it up until her entire belly was exposed.
“So soft.” His eyes were glued to her stomach, roaming over her shorts and legs. “So pretty.” She watched as his blond head dipped down and when his mouth touched her belly, she moaned and held on.
She felt his hands on her hips as he kissed his way across every inch of her exposed skin. When a finger dipped below her shorts, she almost jumped off the cushions with excitement.
“Easy.” He chuckled. “We have time.” His finger lazily dipped again, causing her skin to heat.
