by R. T. Wolfe
"I can't stay, thanks. Can I get that for you?"
She smiled and handed him the basket. Together they harvested a half-bushel.
"Summer is here. I won't get much more out of this garden." For the first time Dane could remember, she sounded like an elderly woman.
"I bet you have a pantry full of canned stuff."
She didn't look elderly. The lines that drew from her eyes when she smiled made her look smart and distinguished. Who says that only happens to dudes?
"I think I'll take some of this mint for tea. Surely you have time for some tea?"
"I can do that." He followed her back around the side of the house. A very large mermaid surrounded by goldfish stared down at him as they passed on the stone walkway. "I came by to see if I could talk you into a ride on our newest pontoon boat Monday. Willow and Chloe are coming. So is Liam, and I plan to ask Raine."
"You might want to have Willow ask Raine. My girl can hold a nasty grudge."
"But from as far back as high school?"
"When Seth left for college, she felt it was her job to take over as eldest brother. But no, I don't think that's all of it."
Did he want to ask? He was the one who started the conversation. That's what happens when a guy starts a conversation. "Do you mind me asking what that might be, then? She does have a direct influence on Zoe, and something tells me that you're well aware I'd like to see more of her."
"And she'd like to see more of you, dear. Honey in your tea?"
He sighed. Women were an endless puzzle. Why did he bother? Why couldn't he be more like Henry and worry about keeping quiet and taking care of his goats?
"No honey." He put the basket on the counter and gazed around as she started rinsing the beans under running water. The kitchen hadn't changed much from the few and far between times he'd been in it. Cabinets with glass doors, each framed in white-painted wood. Exposed spice racks and cookie jars in the shapes of pigs and grandmas. He decided to let her take the lead from here.
She filled an old-fashioned teapot with water and started snapping beans. He washed his hands and helped.
"Raine thinks you can't keep it in your pants."
He froze mid-snap. How had he forgotten Harmony's aversion to filtered conversation? It was always funny when the topic was someone other than himself. He was speechless. It was rare but true.
They snapped and rinsed for a few more minutes before Dane built the nerve to ask, "And how would Raine know about my... pants?"
Harmony shrugged. It was a youthful gesture as many of her mannerisms were. "She thinks she knows."
"What do you think?" It was one of those questions that came out before he realized who exactly he was asking.
"I think I know a man in need of a good roll in the hay when I see one."
Great. Man slut to can't-get-a-piece in one quick conversation.
"You should tell Zoe why you haven't been with women lately." She didn't even question her theory.
"I shouldn't have to." It was like talking to Willow. Women. Time for a subject change. "Do you think you'll come out on the boat Monday?"
"We'd love to." Didn't she have to ask Henry or something? "With or without Zoe and Raine."
* * *
Dane sat with Liam at the end of the bar at Luciana's, drinking glasses of water between shots of tequila. It was Dane's definition of moderation. Lick wrist. Sprinkle salt. Lick salt. Toss back shot. Do not cringe at the burn in front of another dude. Then, suck a lime wedge and pretend the look on your face is from the lime, not the tequila. Pick up glass of water and all is good in the world.
He confessed his conversation with Harmony. It was the tequila's fault. "Even old ladies know I'm not getting any."
Liam laughed. Some friend. "You could always choose the open approach with Zoe and tell her why you're not getting any."
Dane dumped his elbow on the bar and plopped his chin in his hand as he sipped around the salt. "Funny, coming from you."
Not laughing now, was he?
"That's different, asshole."
"It's been five fucking years," Dane slurred.
Liam looked pissed, but he always did when Dane brought up Willow.
"Five years. Isn't that supposed to mean something?" Dane said. "I think it's the friends-don't-date-friends'-ex's expiration date."
"Best friends. Dead friend. Dead, best friend who died in battle."
"Land of the free, baby." Dane lifted his glass and cheered with the air. It wasn't fair, he knew. Somewhere deep inside he knew he was pissed at himself, but it was easier to take it out on Liam.
The door opened and let in a temporary glare from the streetlights. "Oh hell." It was all three of them. His five shots hadn't done enough to drown out his conversation with Willow. I wish you would let me say something to her. Or Harmony, for that matter. I know a man in need of a good roll in the hay when I see one. It was definitely easier to be pissed off at Zoe. This was all her fault anyway.
Dane stood when they approached. "The turtle sisters."
"Is that supposed to be an insult, Corbin?" Raine barked as she eyed his empty shot glasses. "It's eight o'clock."
"Hey Raine," Liam said as he stood with Dane. "Willow. Zoe. What gives?"
Willow finished Raine's statement. "You're loaded at eight o'clock in the afternoon."
"Eight o'clock isn't the afternoon," Zoe said to Willow.
Dane didn't want her help. "Don't stand up for me, Zoe."
"Someone might need to stand for you since it doesn't look like you can do it on your own."
She wore a sundress, striped with light blue and yellow. The sandals on her feet had those straps that wound up her ankles. His chest expanded. He forgot to exhale for a few seconds. When he did, it was the kind a guy does when he was defeated.
He didn't care if it was obvious he was looking her over. Or that his chin dropped several inches as his eyes bore into hers. "You and I, babe." He put an emphasis on the word, 'babe.'
"There is no you and I, Dane Corbin. You need some water."
"Oh, there's a you and I, all right." He moved his tired feet purposefully and stepped nose to nose with her.
She didn't back up, not one inch. Damned sexy woman. Damned strong, sexy woman.
Chapter 13
"You're not kissing me again," Zoe said flatly without flinching.
"I have every intention of kissing you again."
"You kissed Zoe?" It was Liam.
Some friend. Wasn't it in the friend manual that Liam was supposed to wait until later to ask him that? Or maybe the friend manual said Dane was supposed to tell Liam he kissed Zoe before this. Damned, fucking manual.
"Yeah," Raine interrupted. "Kissing might be an understatement for what they were doing. They did it in this very parking lot. A few minutes after she kissed Detective Osborne in Willow's parking lot. Floozy slut."
Zoe rubbed her hands over her beautiful blushing face, then over her hair. "We came by to see about Monday. Don't we—I mean you have a tour scheduled? Or shouldn't you?"
The bartender brought the next shot Dane had ordered.
"I'm the boss." He meant it in more ways than one.
Squinting at him, she picked up his shot, placed it to her lips, and threw it back. She may have shuddered like she'd been in the cold for hours, but she didn't touch the salt or the lime.
The heat between them flowed like waves that came before a tropical storm. Good thing they were in a public place because he could have taken her then and there.
"Henry and Harmony are coming," he said to prove her throwing back that shot hadn't just robbed him of his head and his heart. "And Liam is coming, Willow." Overtly, Dane nudged Liam in the ribs and winked.
Uh, oh.
"Drink anymore tequila, dick head," Liam put an emphasis on the name, "and you'll add another night alone to the months you've already stacked up."
He ratted him out. Liam ratted out Dane's secret. Right in front of Zoe. How could he?
&nb
sp; Oh, right. Dane had just ratted him out in front of Willow. What a cluster fuck. Liam didn't deserve it. Before Dane put his foot deeper where it didn't need to be, he pushed his way through the group and staggered outside, pressing the speed dial number he used for the local cab company.
"What the hell is the matter with you?"
Zoe. Just what he didn't need.
He couldn't keep it together with her. Not tonight. Not after his female lecture from Willow followed by the humiliating one from Harmony. Not to mention Liam calling him out in front of all three Clearwater sisters.
He leaned against the weathered wooden siding. Luckily the window next to them was covered in beer posters. He couldn't take another shared moment that included her sisters. She paced in front of him. Her pink painted toes pressed into her sandals each time she rotated. He wasn't sure what she was contemplating, but his thoughts happily stayed on her pink painted toes.
"Months?" she asked.
"Hmm?" Oh.
"Why didn't you tell me you haven't been... ya know? Because of me? Is that true?"
Here it goes again. Willow, Harmony, now—
He didn't have a chance to answer her one way or another, because she threw herself at him. She tasted like tequila and woman. Her honeysuckle scent emptied his last ounce of common sense.
The dress was paper thin. Holy shit, there was no way he could keep it together. Her breasts... absolutely C cups... pressed into him as her hands grabbed and took.
Their lips and tongues were like their dance... forceful and sensual.
In this state of mind, the concrete sidewalk looked like it could serve as a bed. He didn't want to be without this, without her. He had to have her, to keep her.
"Zoe," he said between kisses.
She ignored him and ran the palm of her hand around his side and down the front of his pants.
"Zoe," he said louder and grabbed her hand. "We're in a parking lot."
Her smile was pure evil and sent any leftover bit of common sense away from his months-long neglected pants.
"I want you," she crooned.
Those three little words sucked out every ounce of willpower he had left. They were saved only by the sound of tires crunching through the entrance and turning into one of the parking spots.
Reflexively, Zoe pushed away. The look on her face didn't puzzle him like it usually did. It was a look of trust... of belief. Neither of which she'd ever offered him before. "I can't quit thinking about you," she hummed.
He placed the palm of his hand on the side of her face. Her cheek was warm and smooth, the feel of her hair over his fingertips silky and natural. No crunchy hairspray. No balancing on spiky heels. The dress covered her thighs and cleavage and was sexier than any dress on any woman he had in his memory. "This is too important. I want to do this right. It's too soon for... that." His insides were smacking the hell out of him as he spoke the words.
Her eyelids dropped closed and she turned her beautiful cheek into his hand. He let his thumb travel across her smooth jawline, memorizing the texture.
As the couple from the car approached the front door of Luciana's, he and Zoe pulled away naturally. She smiled at him. No teeth, no sauce. Just a slight smile of acceptance that needed no words.
* * *
Everyone was there except Willow. Harmony wore her signature large brimmed hat and wouldn't let Henry carry the wicker basket she brought. It was bigger than a suitcase and made Dane's stomach growl. Always thinking like a Sun Trips captain, Liam checked the fire extinguisher and stacked the extra chairs. Raine had already found a spot in the front and was stripped down to her bikini.
Zoe sat on the picnic table, waiting for Willow who had some Yoga thing she taught on Monday mornings. The two who would run the gift shop that morning were on cleaning duty, one sweeping and the other emptying trash.
Zoe sat uncharacteristically ramrod straight on the table, legs crossed and hands on her knees. One exaggerated sigh later, she slid down, pulling the sack of garbage from the nearest can and tying the ends. Greg stopped to thank her, looked to Dane, looked back to Zoe, then to Lilly who had the broom. The two employees exchanged a look that told him Zoe was right. They do talk. Well, shit. He would have to do something about that.
He appreciated that he could drive the boat wearing nothing but his trunks. Too many more days as a working stiff and he could end up with a golfer's tan.
"All aboard the Sun Trips Touring finest party pontoon. Leave your... uh... pipes in the car, ladies and gentlemen. This is a law-abiding business." Harmony's laugh was contagious. And since it was only ten a.m., they didn't even have beer in the coolers, let alone any fictitious weed.
Willow came running from the parking lot wearing her workout gear. Zoe hugged her, then followed behind. He couldn't see Zoe's eyes under the brim of her cowboy hat. She gave him a wide berth as she stepped onto the boat.
She lifted her head to brush glances with him, then smiled just enough to confuse him. She wouldn't like it if he winked at her with Greg watching, so he refrained and used the textbook speech all Sun Trips captains gave to each tour. "Watch your step, and please take notice of the life jacket, ring, and fire extinguisher. You don't need to know how to use them, just where they're located. Thank you." There was no one on the boat who didn't know the rules. Zoe's proximity was as short lived as her glance. Quickly, she started rummaging through Willow's bag as he taxied away from the pier.
It bothered him that working for him bothered her.
"Please help yourself to the refreshments located in the coolers in both the bow and the back of the boat." He worked on his artificial captain sarcasm. As if any Clearwater would drink out of disposable plastic. "We'll stop at the sandbar closest to The Kitchen so Miss Chloe can get her hands on some starfish." She was the cutest kid he'd ever laid eyes on.
Funny how any mention of either Willow or Chloe brought Dane's mind right to Liam. He sat in the front, ignoring Dane's obnoxious act. Liam may have been talking to Raine, but his focus was on Chloe's reaction to mention of The Kitchen.
Dane would take them by the spot the dolphins liked to play at this time of day. No Ibis Island native got tired of seeing them. Then, he would take them around the northern corner where the manatees hung out.
Liam stiffened. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. Dane turned to follow his gaze and saw Zoe and Harmony each holding beach towels to create a makeshift dressing room for Willow. Throwing his head back, Dane laughed and gave the engine some gas. He loved everything about Ibis Island, the Florida coast, and the water.
"Sun on your right, ladies and gentlemen. Pod on your left." This was a group of people who would understand his reference. The pod included about a half dozen adults plus two infants. They seemed to be having a day off, too, as they jumped high in the air in some kind of celebration.
They'd barely made it around the first bend when Dane smelled honeysuckle. It probably wasn't the safest way for him to drive a boat with seven passengers. Zoe handed him a mug. Iced tea.
"Peace offering," she said, wearing his favorite smile.
"I'll take it, but no peace offering necessary."
"I was curt."
"I get it." Then, he reconsidered. "No, actually, I don't. Maybe the staff doesn't care one way or another. Or maybe they'd be happy for us. They liked you when you were their boss."
"You can't understand."
She trailed her soft hand around his bicep, making him forget what they were talking about. He wanted to do this right, this he and Zoe thing. She'd gone along with his need to take their relationship slow. A few dinners like normal people. Walks on the beach. Only marginal taunting him with her lips or by pressing those damned perky C cups against him... like she was doing just then.
She turned his chin and kissed him with a quick peck as her last effort at an apology. If this is what he got, she should brush him off in front of his employees more often.
"Oh, my gosh!" Raine called from the front of th
e boat. "I can hear you smacking." She didn't bother lifting her head from her sun pose. "Gross," she added.
Harmony leaned on the rail, lifting her head to the sun. "You do need to get a room, kids. We could hold the beach towels for you."
He adored this family, Raine and all. "No manatees this morning. Sorry, Chloe." He was completely sincere. "We're coming up to the bird sanctuary. Which means we'll anchor with The Kitchen on port and the sandbar starboard." He turned up the tunes and slowed down.
When they anchored, Chloe pulled Liam in first. He helped her sift through the seaweed. Willow joined Raine who didn't move from her reclined spot in the front. Henry and Harmony took their time removing their t-shirts and wraps before gathering facemasks and snorkels.
"I'm hot," Zoe said and seemed to realize what she'd said just as it came out.
Dane smiled wide and placed his hands on her hips. She'd wrapped some sheer thing around her not-stick-figure hips and over her miniscule suit. He recognized it as the one she wore the day she found the skull.
"Let me rephrase." She tilted her head. "Let's get in the water."
"Please do," Raine called from the front.
He laughed over the music, picked up Zoe from behind her legs, toed off his shoes, and jumped in with her. Silky sand sifted between their toes. They circled and dove, slick limbs twining together. Her legs were smooth, her waist firm. He forgot his reason for taking it slow other than her entire family surrounded them. They stayed there longer then they should have, letting the tepid water cool the heat that built between them.
When stomachs began to grumble, Harmony made the men help with lunch as much as the girls. It was okay. He still adored her. They ate cucumber sandwiches on whole grain bread and something called Jicama Fries that Dane asked Harmony to refrain from explaining because they weren't half bad. The Kale Salad made his lips pucker and want a big, juicy steak, but all in all, it was a lunch he could get used to.
Dane leaned toward Liam. "You and Chloe brought in a haul."
"Twenty-six starfish and four seahorses. She made me put them all back. Here," he took out his phone. "Look at these." Liam showed him pictures of Chloe as if he were a proud dad. In the digital screen photos, Chloe's arms were each lined with careful rows of starfish.
