Shoe Strings

by Christy Hayes

  What would it be like to live life without a care as to what people thought, where impulse ruled? She imagined it would be dangerous and darkly thrilling. Thinking of it, and him, made the nerves in her belly twist. She’d given in to attraction once before and ended up pregnant and alone…and heartbroken. Not for the man who’d abandoned her, but for the baby Lita still loved.

  When she heard Cal’s screen door slam shut, she moved away from the window and picked up one of the paperback novels she’d found on the cabin’s stocked bookshelf. Maybe a murder mystery would keep her mind from wandering to more dangerous places than an abandoned warehouse, like the character in the book. Lita knew where real danger lurked, in the dark and lonely places of her heart, the same places she’d locked away years ago. But if the door was safely locked, why did she feel as if Jesse trod perilously close to where she’d hidden the key?

  Chapter 16

  The potatoes gurgled on the stovetop. The freshly baked bread cooled on the counter and the smell of cooked prunes and apples lent the kitchen the familiar smell of home. Kerri Ann knew her grandmother’s Danish pork tenderloin recipe was one of Bryce’s favorites. She’d cleaned the asparagus spears she’d picked up at the market and carefully arranged them with olive oil and kosher salt. The tray sat waiting to broil and now she needed to change her clothes and do something with her hair.

  She dashed up the stairs and stripped to nothing, rinsed off in the shower, and dug through her underwear drawer for the one nice bra and panty set she’d bought with Lita’s help. Her nervous energy propelled her into the closet, where she came to a dead stop. What the hell was she going to wear? Jeans were too casual, slacks too formal, a dress or skirt too obvious. Urrrrrh.

  Kerri Ann could handle throwing together a home-cooked meal in no time and picking up the house so it didn’t look like a tornado (her son) had gone through in the last hour, but picking out what to wear to the most important dinner of her life seemed insurmountable. She’d planned to seduce him into bed, but she didn’t want him to recognize her plan the moment he laid eyes on her. It would have to be jeans. Anything else wouldn’t seem normal.

  She paired the low-rise jeans she never wore to work with a form-fitting button-down in soft pink. The material clung to her skin and the nipped waist helped camouflage her lack of cleavage. She dusted her face with powder and added gloss to her lips. At the last minute, she pulled her hair up in a simple twist and put on the one pair of dangly earrings she owned.

  She could hear the timer buzzing in the kitchen and felt glad she didn’t have any more time to primp or concern herself with how she looked. After all this time, it wasn’t like Bryce hadn’t seen her at her worst. Tonight, she hoped he’d see her at her best. With a quick spritz of perfume, she dashed downstairs to start on the mashed potatoes.

  With the potatoes whirling in the mixer, Kerri Ann turned to get a spatula from the drawer. That’s when she saw Bryce, standing in the doorway of her kitchen, a bottle of wine in his hand, a sly smile on his face. She gasped, but wasn’t sure if it was from his unexpected appearance or the fact that he looked so handsome in his jeans and black sweater.

  “Bryce.” She turned off the mixer off. “You startled me.”

  “I knocked, but you didn’t hear.” He stepped closer, held out the wine. “For you.”

  “Thanks.” She set it on the counter and fished the opener out of a drawer. Hopefully he wouldn’t notice the tremble in her hands. “Would you mind opening it while I finish up these potatoes?”

  “Of course not.”

  Kerri Ann turned on the mixer and dove into the potatoes. They stood side by side and she could smell the spice from his cologne. Her stomach flip-flopped and her fingers tingled. It was all she could do not to burrow into the soft cashmere of his sweater and sniff him like a dog. She turned off the mixer, took a deep breath, and turned to face him, willing herself to relax.

  Bryce held up a half-filled wine glass. She accepted it with a nod and, although she’d wanted to down the glass in one gulp, took a delicate sip and set it to rest on the counter. “Ummm, that’s nice.”

  His blue eyes were dark and piercing, his expression serious. “You look beautiful, Kerri Ann.”

  Her pulse jumped, her knees nearly buckled, and just as she opened her mouth to tell him how handsome he looked, the buzzer to the oven went off. It was just as well, for she felt herself being pulled toward Bryce like a magnet. “I’d better get that.”

  “Pork tenderloin?” he asked. “I love your Grandma’s recipe.”

  “I know.” She reached into the oven with the looped potholders Ty had made as a Boy Scout. When she tried to look seductively over her shoulder at Bryce, her hand slipped off the dish’s handle and her pinkie brushed against the oven wall. “Damn it.”

  She dropped the dish onto the oven rack with a clatter and brought her finger to her mouth. Bryce was beside her in an instant. “Let me see.”

  She pulled it out of her mouth and shook her hand in the air a few times before letting him lead her to the sink. He turned on the cold water and held her hand underneath the spray until most of the sting had passed. He patted her hand dry with a kitchen towel and brought her hand up to the light to look at the burn. She could feel his breath on her skin.

  “I don’t think it’ll blister.” He moved his eyes to hers. There was something there in his look and she could feel herself being pulled toward him again. With her hand in his, he gently brushed his lips against the red mark on her finger. All the breath left her chest with a whimper.

  “Bryce.” She leaned up on tiptoe and brought her mouth to his. The feel of his lips on her hand sparked a need she was helpless to answer. With only one kiss, her need became an inferno. She was engulfed in the flame, the hot, molten fire that brewed to boiling the instant they touched. He pushed her back to the counter in what could only be described as a dance move and savaged her mouth as she savaged his. They were voracious, lapping at each other as if all of life’s secrets could be found in the other.

  More, she thought. Take more, take it all. And he did. His hands splayed in her hair as his lips cruised over her face, along her jaw to nip at her neck and ear. The sheer force of his body against hers was the only thing that kept her from sliding boneless to the floor. She let her hands creep under his sweater to grip the smooth skin of his back. He felt so warm, so right under her hands. She wanted to feel his skin and his weight on her, along every inch of her body.

  “Kerri Ann.” His lips cruised down the path of his hands as they unbuttoned her blouse.

  What was once a whimper became a moan as he flicked open her bra and feasted. Oh yes. There wasn’t a thought in her head that didn’t center on Bryce, the rough feel of his hands, the incredible sensations he caused with his tongue. She arched and allowed her fingers the pleasure of memorizing the texture of his hair. It felt like silk in her hands.

  It was so hot in the kitchen her head swirled. But it was more than the heat he’d created. Even the silky strands of his hair felt warm. She opened her eyes to slits and saw she’d left the oven door open. She straightened and was more than a little surprised to find herself unsteady and dizzy. “Bryce…the oven.” She tried to move away and he held her still; his clever mouth made standing an almost insurmountable feat. “Bryce…”

  “I’ll get it.” He stood back, let his eyes drift over her open shirt. “Don’t you move, Kerri Ann. Not one single muscle.” The tone of his voice, the edge of anger that sprang into his command, had the blood pooling low in her belly.

  She nodded. “Hurry.”

  He set the dish on the stovetop and had the oven off and closed in seconds. She braced for his assault when he turned back, but to her amazement he stood where he was and just looked at her. She could see so much in his eyes, the desire, the longing, the hint of fear she too felt at what this would do to their relationship. Her need for him felt like a hammer blow to the head. He held his hand out to her. She stepped into his arms, wrapped herself
around him, and clung. She could feel the wild beating of his heart against her naked chest and could have slapped herself for denying them this for so long. “Make love to me, Bryce,” she said against the warm skin of his neck. “I’ve wanted you to, for so long.”

  When she stepped back to look at his face, she couldn’t read his expression. “Kerri Ann.” The way he said her name, like she were a precious treasure, had her throat nearly closing. She reached for his hand and led him out of the kitchen, down the narrow hall, and up the stairs to her bedroom. They didn’t rush or explode against each other as they’d done in the kitchen, but gently swayed together in a kiss so slow, so tender, she sank into the bed and surrendered herself to him.

  ***

  Bryce had dreamt of her this way hundreds, thousands of times. Nothing, absolutely nothing, in his imagination came close to the feeling of holding Kerri Ann in his arms while she gave herself to him completely. It was the giving, the total surrender of self, that left him staggered and trying desperately not to rush and fill her as he’d longed to do for years.

  He’d worried, in some secret place in the back of his mind, that if he finally had her, it wouldn’t be as exciting, as consuming, as he’d pictured it being all the years he’d pined for her. He couldn’t have been more wrong. She gave him everything, the desire, the need, the strength he’d always associated with her. But it was the vulnerability, the sweet way she said his name, the blush that crept up her neck when he pulled the final piece of clothing from her body that had him struggling for control.

  Deliberately, he slowed his hands. Where he longed to grab and take, he feathered his fingers, swept his lips around and in. He was rewarded by her wild abandon. He never imagined she’d ever let herself go with him so wholly. She was driving him mad, killing him by inches. When he felt her body quake and pulse, he fixed his eyes on her face and gloried in her utter abandonment of self. This is how he’d longed to see her, free from everything that bound her to reality, released by his touch. Did she have any idea how spectacular she was; her athlete’s body arousing, teasing, and holding him captive?

  By the time his lips returned to hers, she was begging for him to join them. Drunk on the power, on her, he plunged inside and gloried in her response. He could see the look in her eyes change from surprised pleasure to sheer need as they came together. She drove him, at times maddeningly slow, then gloriously fast, to where he didn’t know up from down, in from out. All he knew was Kerri Ann. It was all he’d ever wanted to know. Sliding with the surety of her desire for him, he drove her where she’d led them both and let himself follow.

  Chapter 17

  Cal had just poured his first cup of coffee when he heard the roar of Jesse’s Scout bound up the steep drive. He hadn’t expected to deal with him so soon after their fight and the hurtful way they’d parted. He wasn’t sure he was ready to cross the bridge with him again or even meet him halfway. He hadn’t slept a full night or eaten a decent meal since he’d gotten everything off his chest. Funny thing was, getting everything off his chest only made him feel worse.

  He added milk to his coffee, took a sip, and headed to the screen door to wait for the inevitable. It wasn’t Jesse who bounded up the porch steps, but Ty.

  “Hey, Granddad.”

  Cal opened the screen and moved aside so Ty could come in. He still had the look on his face that told Cal he wanted to head right back to bed. “This is a surprise.”

  “Mind if I crash for awhile until Mom gets here?” Without waiting for an answer, Ty began arranging the pillows at one end of the couch and curled into the fetal position.

  “Why don’t you go on back to your room? It’s much quieter back there.”

  But the boy was already half asleep. “I’m fine,” he mumbled and tipped the brim of his ball cap over his eyes.

  Cal shrugged and headed onto the porch to see where Jesse had gone. The sun streaked through the trees and the only sounds came from the birds and squirrels he considered neighbors. He’d just turned around to head back inside when he heard Lita’s screen door slam shut and her and Jesse talking. Cal shielded his eyes with his hand and watched as Jesse carried what looked like a beach bag to the Scout and strapped Lita into the passenger seat.

  “Hummm,” he said to no one and sat in one of the rockers. Just where were those two heading, looking all cozy and chipper first thing in the morning? He wasn’t going to get any answers from Ty, that was for sure. With the push of his foot, he started the rocker in motion and decided to watch the sun rise. He normally didn’t take the time to enjoy it. Sunrise was Ellie’s favorite time of day. She’d bring her coffee out and rock until the sun illuminated all the flowers and bushes she’d planted over the years. Then she’d head out to see to the plants, damn near all day long.

  He ached for her now and the calm common sense she could bring to any situation. She’d always been the buffer between his and Jesse’s bullheaded personalities. What a mess he’d made of things, he thought, as Jesse started the Scout and headed down the drive. Ellie would be mad at him for throwing old issues in Jesse’s face, especially after all the time that had passed. “I screwed up, El,” he mumbled to the early morning sky. “I screwed up big-time.” The problem was, without her here, he wasn’t sure how to fix it.

  ***

  Jesse had felt nervous earlier on the drive over to the cabins. He didn’t know if it was from the possibility of seeing Cal again or adolescent nerves over spending time with Angelita. The time they’d spend together had become important; he’d made it important. What he couldn’t figure out was why. Just another mystery.

  After Jesse hesitated on the driveway, Ty mercifully waved good-bye and headed straight to Cal’s. He could have kissed the kid for not insisting he join him. That was one crisis avoided. And truth be told, he’d wanted to gauge Angelita’s reaction to him, and only him, when she answered her door this morning.

  He didn’t know what he’d expected her to be wearing, something completely frilly and useless, he supposed. But when she answered the door in shorts and a tank top he smiled. Somewhere inside her lived a practical person. He could see the tie to her bathing suit and the flash of bare skin he got when she reached for a coffee mug told him her suit was a bikini. He thanked God for small favors.

  “You wear contacts?” he asked.

  She didn’t hesitate while straightening up the kitchen or even wonder why he was asking. “No, not even reading glasses—yet.”

  “Any medication you take daily?” He was pushing it, but figured it’d be best if she didn’t leave anything necessary behind.

  She turned to face him at that question. “Everything I need is in my purse. Why do you ask?”

  Jesse slugged down the rest of his coffee, placed the mug in the sink. “Just the standard questions I ask all rafters on a day trip,” he hedged. “Wouldn’t want any surprises while we’re on the water.”

  “I thought you said we were going on an easy ride.” The panic on her face was vivid. “Like a lazy river float.”

  “We are, but there are basic safety issues we need to cover.” She eyed him suspiciously and picked up her purse.

  “Ready or not.” She followed Jesse out the door.

  Once on the road, Jesse turned the stereo on low and stole a glance at Angelita. She looked nervous with her hands gripping the seat edges as her hair flew wildly around her head.

  After they’d gone a few miles out of town, Angelita asked, “Where’s your place?”

  “You mean my shop?” He knew perfectly well what she was asking. She nodded and swept her hair into a mock bun to keep it from lacerating her face.

  “About three miles east of here, back toward Sequoyah Falls.”

  She nodded again and then gripped his arm as it rested on the gearshift. “Wait a minute. If your shop is back toward Sequoyah Falls, why are we headed this way?”