Hope Smolders

by Jaci Burton

  He picked up her hand, and there was that zing again. "You have a right to have anything you want tonight."

  "That's a dangerous thought."

  "No, it's not."

  "Yes, it is. I am, after all, with an officer of the law."

  His gaze went dark. "Do you have illegal intentions?"

  "I don't know. Maybe. Like I said, I don't get out much. I might want to let my inner bad girl out tonight. What if I want to go skinny-dipping in the lake?"

  "I can make that happen."

  She laughed. "And you'd protect me when our local law enforcement shows up to arrest me."

  "I just happen to be best friends with local law enforcement. So, yes, you're in the clear."

  "Good to know." Not that she'd ever do that, but it was fun to think about.

  Will watched the myriad of emotions cross Jane's face.

  God, she looked pretty tonight, her hair down like a dark cascade around her shoulders. And those bare shoulders were driving him crazy. He wanted to kiss them. Or at least start there, and work his way up to her neck, maybe nibble on an earlobe, then her lips.

  Her mouth was distracting. She had lip gloss on tonight, calling attention to her lips, which were full and kissable. He was getting hard, probably a bad thing to do at the restaurant.

  He adjusted his napkin in his lap.

  She'd been so tense and nervous earlier, which was cute, because it was so obvious she wasn't used to going out on dates.

  Hell, he was a little rusty, too. He wanted this night to be good for her. He wanted everything to be good for her. He wanted to make her laugh, and then later, he wanted to make her scream--in the fun way.

  "So, are you ready to get naked and do your skinny-dipping now, or wait until after dinner?"

  Her lips quirked. "Don't be ridiculous. It's not even dark yet. And the park is still open. Way too many people wandering around to see my naked butt."

  "Okay. We'll do it after dinner. When the park closes."

  Jane loved Will's sense of humor. And speaking of dinner...her continued buzz reminded her they needed to order. She picked up the menu and perused it. The next time their waitress wandered by, they ordered food.

  She wanted this to last all night.

  CHAPTER SIX

  For the next hour, Jane lost herself in conversation and one of the best meals she'd had in too long to remember. By the time Will paid the check, she was stuffed, and her buzz had lessened somewhat.

  "Thank you for that," she said as he held the door to the car open for her.

  "It was my pleasure."

  No, it was definitely hers. She'd remember this for a long time.

  Figuring he'd take her home, she was surprised when they headed downtown, and even more surprised when they ended up parked across from Cain's Ballroom.

  "I thought maybe you'd like some music."

  "I love music."

  He held her hand as they crossed the street and continued to hold it when they went inside. "There's an indie rock band playing tonight. I've heard they're pretty good, so I thought we'd give it a shot."

  They were more than pretty good. She and Will were on their feet the whole time, dancing and getting down to the band's music, which was a little alternative, a lot loud, and raucous. She had worked up a good sweat by the time the band took a break and they headed toward the bar.

  "A beer?" he asked.

  She shook her head and opted for a soda instead. Will did the same.

  "You don't have to turn down a beer just because I'm not having one," she said.

  "I'm not. I'm driving, and the drinks I had at dinner were more than enough."

  And he was responsible, so unlike her ex--who she reminded herself she wasn't going to think about tonight.

  They leaned against the bar. Jane took a long swallow of her drink to cool down.

  "I love this band," she said. "It was so thoughtful of you to bring me."

  "I'm glad you're enjoying them. A friend of mine heard them the last time they were in town and had good things to say about them, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to pop in and check them out. They're better than I thought they'd be."

  "Obviously you like music," she said.

  He nodded. "All kinds. And I try to get out to listen to a lot of different music whenever I can. It'll be much better now that I have my nights free. Live music is always better. I remember when Vic and I would hit these shows with the up-and-coming bands all the..."

  He stopped. "Sorry."

  "It's okay. We can't pretend he doesn't exist."

  "I know you'd like to."

  She shrugged. "He was a part of your life as much as he was a part of mine." It never occurred to her that Vic bailing probably hurt Will as much as it hurt her, though for different reasons. Will and Vic had grown up together, had gone through grade school and high school together.

  Will had known Vic almost his entire life. And Will was on one side of the law, while Vic was most definitely on the other.

  It probably killed him to see Vic go down such a self-destructive path, and then completely disappear.

  They made their way back to their seats and waited for the band to return. "Vic never talked to you about any of it?" Jane asked.

  Will looked at her. "Any of what?"

  "His issues. Leaving?"

  Will shook his head. "I knew he battled with the drugs and alcohol. He always liked to drink, probably more than any of us. You know when you're younger, you don't pay much attention to that. The drugs didn't come 'til later, and I didn't know about it until he was heavily into it. He was good at hiding it."

  She leaned back in her chair. "Tell me about it. He was so good at masking it, at appearing normal--at least for a while."

  He put his arm around the back of her chair. "We don't have to talk about Vic. I know it brings you down."

  She turned to him. "Actually, it doesn't. Not any more. I'm sad for my kids, of course, because they're too young to understand. But I'm over him being gone."

  "Seeing me reminds you of him."

  His fingers caressed her shoulders. Distracting. But good. "It does, but not in the way you think. I was wondering how you felt about it--about him. We never talked after he left. I was so self-involved, worried about the kids. I never asked how you dealt with it."

  Will shrugged. "I was pissed at him for what he did--not only to you and the kids, but to himself. He had so much going for him. Great job, incredible wife and family. He pissed it all away for drugs and alcohol. I tried to talk to him, but--well, you know how it was."

  She nodded. "Yes, I know. His demons were powerful and irresistible. I can't begin to understand it. I never could. But they dominated his life and he couldn't beat them."

  "Seems to me he didn't even try. That's what makes me so angry. He didn't fight his addiction."

  This was usually the part where she bailed, because it was so painful to talk about. No woman wanted to feel like she wasn't worth fighting for, which was why whenever anyone wanted to talk about Vic, she closed up and refused to allow the conversation. She'd lived through that hell for all those years, had begged Vic to go to rehab, had threatened to leave him. She'd done everything she could to make it clear what he stood to lose. And he'd still chosen his addiction over her and his children.

  What did that say about her? She'd asked herself that question countless times over the past two years, and hadn't liked the answer. Finally, she stopped asking the question, and had refused to take the blame for Vic's failings.

  "It wasn't my fault. He's the one who failed."

  Will frowned. "What? Of course it wasn't your fault, Jane. Vic's the bad guy in all this. You know that, right?"

  She nodded. "It took me a while to get there. For a long time I blamed myself. I tried to figure out where I failed him, until I realized he was the one who was weak. He was the one who failed. Not me. I was there for him. I'd have done anything for him. He just got so deep into that thing he loved more than me and his kid
s he couldn't see straight."

  "I know. Believe me, I know. I can't tell you how many times I tried to talk to him. Hell, I offered to pay for rehab if he'd just go."

  She shot him a look. "You did?"

  "Hell yes, I did. He was my best friend. I'd have done anything to save him. He didn't want it. He laughed at me and told me he'd rather have the money for another hit."

  She shook her head, not at all surprised Vic had said that to Will. But it did surprise her that someone else had to go through what she had. "I'm so sorry."

  "Don't be sorry. That was a big wake-up call for me."

  "Yeah, I had a lot of those wake-up calls. I stopped trying to help him, too. You can't help someone who doesn't want the help."

  The band started up again. Will held out his hand. "Come on. Let's shake it off and dance."

  "Oh, I don't think so."

  "I do." He tugged her hand and she went with him onto the dance floor. It only took her a few seconds of watching Will do a very unrhythmic groove for the doldrums to disappear. She laughed and started dancing with him. Soon the dance floor was crowded and she and Will were being shoved into each other. She had to move closer to him for self-preservation.

  They stayed out there for the next song. Jane needed the stress release, and she liked that Will could care less that he couldn't dance. He seemed to be having a great time.

  And when the band slowed things down on the following song, he pulled her into his arms and held her close. She sighed and enjoyed being held against him, the tough conversation about her ex long forgotten.

  "Now this part I can do," he said, his lips close to her ear as they swayed side to side.

  Yeah, he had the holding her close part down really well, her hip brushing against his thigh, her breasts against his chest and his hand clasped tight to hers. When his fingers traced that bare spot on her back, she broke out in goose bumps. And when he pulled back so he could look at her, those whiskey-colored eyes were filled with a hunger that matched her own.

  "Ready to get out of here?"

  She nodded. He took her hand and led her back to his car. Once inside, he took off on the highway, and she was once again struck by the care he took when he drove.

  Vic had always been so reckless. Whenever they'd gone out, he usually drank too much. Which meant a battle over her trying to wrestle the keys from him so she could drive, or white-knuckling it the entire way home, hoping he wouldn't kill them on the highway. It was such a relief to be out with a guy who didn't drink too much and didn't drive too fast.

  It took her a while to notice he wasn't taking her home. Instead, once they got into town he took the back road to the park. The park was closed, but he pulled into one of the parking spots in front of the lake.

  "You do realize I'm not going to strip naked and go skinny-dipping," she said.

  He released his seat belt and looked at her. "I can't tell you how profoundly disappointed I am to hear that."

  "However, if you intended to take a dip sans clothing, by all means, go ahead. I'll watch."

  "You would, huh?"

  Even in the dark, she caught the gleam in his eyes. The car suddenly seemed very warm and her nipples peaked hard, her sex awakening with throbbing need.

  Yeah, she had a very vivid imagination, and when Will got out of the car, her first thought was that he really was going to take off his clothes to take a dip. She wondered if he'd mind if she got a few photos to remember the occasion.

  But then he came around to her side and opened her door. "Come on. Let's take a walk."

  "The park's closed, you know."

  "My friend Luke is a cop and he's on duty tonight. I promise you he won't arrest us."

  "Are you sure?"

  He pulled out his phone and punched a button, waiting while it rang. "Hey...Yeah, I know you're working, that's why I'm calling...No, nothing's wrong. My friend Jane and I are over at Hope Park, taking a walk around the lake. So if you do a drive-by and see my car, don't come and arrest us, okay?"

  Jane watched as his lips curved. He looked at her.

  "No, we're not going to be skinny-dipping, moron."

  Jane stifled a laugh.

  "Yeah, see you at the gym."

  He clicked off. "Feel better now?"

  "Yes. I guess it pays to have friends in high places."

  "Sometimes it does."

  The lake was beautiful tonight. The moon cast its silvery glow over the lake, the water so still Jane was sure she could walk on it. The night was peaceful, just the two of them wandering around there. And because she trusted Will to keep her safe, she was content to walk along the path at the edge of the lake with him. He led her to a picnic bench near the water, then set her on top of it, climbing over the seat so he could nestle his body against hers.

  The only sounds were the crickets and the occasional locust. Otherwise, it was so quiet she could hear the wild slam of her heart beating double-time against her chest. Having Will close to her like this sent her breathing off-kilter. And when he threaded his fingers through her hair and brushed his lips against hers, she remembered just how long it had been since she'd felt this sense of anticipation, this wild abandon and sharp desire that threatened to steal her breath away.

  Too damn long. She lightly raked her nails up and down his forearms, rewarded with his responding groan. He moved in between her legs and deepened the kiss, pulling her against him, wrapping an arm around her to drag her closer so their bodies fit together. Not exactly the most modest of positions since she had a skirt on, but frankly she didn't much care. She craved the contact of his body against hers, his tongue sliding inside to lick against hers. She heard a soft moan--hers, as his hand roamed down her back and settled against her butt. She wished they weren't in such a public place, because the closer he got, the more she realized that he was hard and she was damp, and if they had been at her place, she could get him naked and they could be having sex.

  They drew apart, and she was decidedly happy that he was dragging in ragged breaths. "This--was a really bad idea."

  Confused, she looked up at him. "Which part?"

  "The taking you to the lake part. I have a raging hard-on and I really want to lay you out on this picnic table, get you naked, and kiss you all over. And that would get me arrested."

  She couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah. I'm not real fond of being naked in public. Let's go to my place and get naked in private."

  He scooped her off the table in record time and set her on her feet, then grabbed her hand. The walk back to the car was not the leisurely stroll they'd taken before, though Will did grab her several times and plant seriously hot, deep kisses on her that left her dizzy and so turned on she was beginning to rethink the whole naked in the park thing.

  They finally made it back to his car, both of them out of breath. She buckled her seat belt, then looked over at Will, and at his very noticeable erection straining against his jeans.

  "Maybe we should just do it in the car," she said.

  He gripped the steering wheel, then looked over at her, pinning her with a look of pure animal hunger that seared her. "Don't tease me like that because I just might take you up on that suggestion."

  She swallowed, her throat so dry it felt like sand had settled permanently in it. "Drive fast. Okay, not so fast that you're breaking any speed limits and your friend Luke has to pull you over and delay things. But let's get to my place in kind of a hurry, okay?"

  "Yeah. Gotcha." He started the car and pulled out, screeching the tires just a bit as he roared out of the park. He kept it just above the legal limit, his hands tense on the steering wheel the entire time.

  She figured by the time they got back to her house, common sense would have prevailed and she'd have cooled down a bit.

  Not so much. She'd clutched the armrest the entire time, and it wasn't because of Will's driving. He pulled into her driveway and she tried to be calm and rational, but she threw open the car door, her fingers fumbling in her purse for the
keys. Will grabbed them from her as they hurried to the front door. With fingers more deft than hers, he unlocked the door and she stepped inside. Before she could find the light switch, he closed the door and had her in his arms, his mouth on hers.

  She dropped her purse to the floor, her hand coming up to twine around his neck. She had to stand on her toes to get there, but she needed to touch him. He made it easier on her by grasping her butt and lifting her, pressing her against the door and pinning her there with his body.

  Good Lord, the man was strong, holding on to her, kissing her, devouring her with his lips and tongue. His fingers dug into the flesh of her thighs and it felt gloriously, deliciously decadent. She wasn't sure she'd ever been wanted in this kind of desperate fashion, and she gave it back in kind, tangling her fingers in his hair as she kissed him with breathless abandon.

  "Bedroom," he said, dragging his mouth from hers and talking to her while his lips mapped a trail across her jaw and fixed onto her neck.

  She gasped out a moan. "I don't know. That way somewhere."

  "We'll figure it out."

  He flipped her around and started walking--in the dark, no less.

  "Straight," she guided him, her mouth on his neck, that spot she'd been fixated on. She licked him and he bumped into something, letting out a curse.

  "Sorry. There's an ottoman there. Take a quick turn around that and go straight past the dining room and down the hall. My bedroom's the last one."

  "Got it." He stopped midway down the hall to push her against the wall and suck on that sensitive spot between her neck and shoulder. Would she have a hickey tomorrow? She didn't care because chills coursed down her spine as shivery sensation rippled through her.

  He found the bedroom and held on to her with one hand while he opened the door. He made her feel light and delicate as he proceeded to the bed, making her so glad she'd changed the sheets and made the bed today--just in case.

  He deposited her on the bed and came down on top of her, that delicious weight of his rocking against her as he moved his lips over her neck and lower. And when he palmed her stomach, his fingers inching the material of her top over her belly, she fluttered with awareness and need.

  She toed her shoes off and he pushed her farther onto the bed, lifting her skirt.

  "You smell good," he said, burying his face in her neck.