Harlequin Superromance January 2014 - Bundle 1 of 2: Everywhere She GoesA Promise for the BabyThat Summer at the Shore

by Janice Kay Johnson

  They were getting close to the fruit stand, so Jamie walked more quietly, sliding around to open the door and get inside, Zack close behind her. She didn’t turn on the trailer’s battery-powered lights at first, but used a flashlight. Zack seemed as tense as she was, helping her double-check the spots where light could escape and making sure they were securely covered.

  Inevitably they kept bumping each other in the small space until she finally said, “Sit.”

  “I’m not a dog.”

  “No, you’re a pain in the ass.”

  “Gee, and I thought we were starting to get along.” Zack gently tugged a lock of her hair, and she was abruptly aware of the heat from his long, hard length.

  She swallowed.

  Brad had mentioned his brother ran for exercise, and it was obvious Zack didn’t have a flabby inch from the top of his head to the bottoms of his feet. Many businessmen ignored fitness, yet however much he was obsessed with his resort, Zack stayed in shape.

  Great shape.

  Jamie fumbled until she found a light switch. The glow from the LED lamp was softened from being in a recessed cove over the table and she tried to inch around Zack without touching him.

  “Uh...how about another chess match?” she suggested.

  He smiled lazily. “That’s one possibility, though I had more vigorous pursuits in mind.”

  Don’t do it, her protective instincts warned.

  Do it, screamed her body.

  Protective instincts began losing the argument as Zack pulled her close and kissed the corner of her mouth. The light fabric of her skirt did nothing to conceal his response and the bulge pressed to Jamie’s abdomen sent heat deep into her core.

  “Zack, I don’t think...”

  “Good—don’t think.” His kiss deepened and he eased the hem of her T-shirt up and over her head.

  It was annoying, but not enough to make her stop him. Zack shifted around the tiny space and bumped his head on the upper bunk, then cracked his knuckles on the curved wall of the trailer as he tossed her shirt.

  “Ow. Stop laughing.”

  “I wasn’t.”

  “You were thinking about it.”

  Fair enough, she had thought about laughing, or a small chortle, at the very least. They tumbled together to the mattress on the lower bunk and she was grateful it was made of space-age foam, thick and cushioning.

  Jamie unbuttoned Zack’s shirt and spread her fingers across his chest. It wasn’t the most romantic setting in the world, yet her pulse seemed to pound in rhythm with the ocean waves tumbling and crashing in the distance. He wasn’t moving fast enough for her, so she unhooked her bra and felt his breathing become harsh as he stared in the faint light.

  “Jeez, Jamie. You’ve been hiding some great...scenery.”

  She was glad he approved, but she couldn’t admit it aloud. Not to Zack, a man from a world she’d rejected.

  He’s temporary, a voice whispered in her mind.

  It was almost enough to make her stop, but his thumbs flicked her nipples, sending rationality reeling.

  Her last sane thought was that she really hoped he had protection....

  * * *

  JAMIE WOKE SLOWLY, disoriented at first. The LED light over the table was still on, dimly illuminating the sleeping area. She was utterly relaxed...until she realized Zack held her snugly in the narrow bunk, one leg tucked between hers, his chest rising and falling in the steady rhythm of sleep.

  One thing was certain: Zack was a generous lover, taking the time to discover the things that pleasured her most. What was that old line—it was nice to know what the shouting was all about?

  Shouting? Hmm. They’d been making enough noise that their presence wouldn’t have remained a secret to anyone outside the trailer.

  Yet it was difficult to care at the moment.

  Her body was going limp again, too replete to do anything else, and Jamie thought idly that this was the bunk in which her grandparents had spent their honeymoon, visiting Yellowstone and the Tetons, as well as points along the old Route 66. It wasn’t the same mattress, of course. Granddad had updated everything, creating a strange mixture of sentiment and practicality.

  Nevertheless, it was in this trailer where he and Leah had made love and conceived her mother. It ought to feel weird to be here with Zack, but it didn’t. Granddad had understood biology and the sex drive and he wouldn’t have objected...as long as she wasn’t doing something stupid. He would have taken issue with her marriage, but not with outrageous pleasure.

  Sorrow shot through Jamie. She should have realized Tim was a mistake the first time he’d refused to visit Warrington with her. In the beginning, he hadn’t tried to stop her from going, but Granddad had looked askance each time she showed up without her husband. He must have guessed something was wrong. Then later...Tim hadn’t wanted her to go, either.

  Jamie determinedly pushed the thought away. What was done was done. She had rich memories of her grandfather and he had still entrusted her with his house and the place where he’d met Leah, despite any conclusions he’d come to about her marriage.

  She yawned, debating whether or not she should try to stay awake and listen for possible vandals. But the camera was sitting ready and she could get to it in a minute if she heard anyone outside.

  Besides, she felt sleepy and satisfied and...

  * * *

  A BIRD CHIRPING caught Zack’s waking attention. With the interior of the trailer shielded from letting out light, it also wouldn’t let morning sunshine enter. There was only a low glow from the light Jamie had switched on the previous evening. But the bird was announcing the dawn and his body was rested in a way it hadn’t been since this whole mess had begun.

  Hell, he hadn’t felt this good in longer than he could remember.

  Jamie’s head lay on his shoulder, her hair in streaks and waves on his chest. From her steady breathing he guessed she was still asleep. Making love with her had been incredible. He might have expected the tight space to hamper them, but they’d managed very well...very well indeed.

  Abruptly Brad’s face rose in his mind.

  His brother came down to the trailer and visited Jamie every day as part of the walk he’d chosen for his physical therapy. And it was obvious from things both he and Jamie had mentioned that he spent time with her once he got here. Not to mention the fact that Brad had been determined to help when the vandalism started.

  What if Brad was interested in Jamie Conroe? Yet even as his guilt rose, so did his desire. Somehow he’d have to keep it in check.

  In her sleep, Jamie sighed and her arm slid across his chest and down his abdomen before it stopped. His body hardened and he tried to focus on Mar Vista, on his parents, on George Jenkins, on anything except the softness of her skin.

  It seemed forever before her eyes opened.

  “Good morning,” he said.

  “The same to you.” She sat up and started putting on her bra. While obviously not entirely comfortable, she wasn’t haranguing him for what had happened.

  “I’m sorry,” he finally said.

  Her eyebrow rose. “For what?”

  “For...this. I haven’t been thinking straight the past few days. I realized a while ago, a few minutes ago I mean...well, that you and Brad might be— God, he’s been through hell and I’d cut off my arm before I’d mess things up for him.”

  Her eyes widened as she stared at him, her breathing growing quicker, and even in the low light he could see an angry red rising in her cheeks.

  “Who the hell do you think I am?” she demanded. “The good-time girl for the Denning family? You wouldn’t have gotten to first base if I’d cared for Brad in that way.”

  “Uh...” Lord, he’d messed up big-time. She would have slapped him down hard last night if s
he hadn’t wanted the same thing—anything else belonged in a Victorian novel. But it didn’t solve the problem of whether Brad was interested in her.

  “Okay,” he said. “I’m not thinking clearly this morning, either, but—”

  “Boy, is that the understatement of the year.”

  “Look, Brad likes you and he’s here a lot. He might have developed feelings you’re not aware of.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “Are you nuts? Anyone with half a brain could see that Brad is crazy for Kim Wheeler.”

  Brad...and Kim?

  No, it wasn’t possible.

  “If—if Brad has feelings for Kim,” he stuttered, “then why hasn’t he done anything about it?”

  “Because Brad is a man of honor,” Jamie retorted. “Which is a condition you should try to get acquainted with. He’d never make a move because of the history you and Kim have, and don’t bother denying that you’ve been lovers. I figured it out the day the two of you showed up on my front porch.”

  “It was back in college,” he protested. “We lived together for a couple months, and she was the one who broke it off. Brad knows that.”

  “So what? You’re awfully good friends and Brad would never chance getting between you, especially if she was the one who ended it. He probably wonders if you still have a shot at happiness together.”

  “I’m only interested in friendship with Kim. But Kim and Brad? I can’t wrap my brain around it.”

  Jamie shrugged. “They’re mismatched, but Kim’s got it bad for him, too.”

  “You’re crazy.”

  “Really? Why else is she suddenly feeling an urge to fly to Mar Vista...now that Brad is here? She knew it was nice before he arrived and didn’t come except for that one business trip to meet me. Not that she’s admitted it to herself. They’re both nuts for each other and doing everything in their power to believe they’re just friends.”

  Jamie glanced around on the floor, then tugged her lacy black briefs from under his knee, ignoring his nude state and the obvious signs of his renewed arousal. As she bent over to pull them on, the smooth curve of her bare hip made his blood pressure rise.

  Zack had never thought of himself as a hip man—breasts, yes, and there was something about a woman’s waist, but with Jamie, everything was a turn-on. He closed his eyes and concentrated on controlling his response. After opening his big mouth, she certainly wouldn’t tolerate an attempt to coax her back into the bed.

  Jamie picked up her cell phone and checked the screen. “It’s after seven. You’d better get dressed and back to Mar Vista. My deliveries will be starting in less than an hour. You were here yesterday, too, and while I don’t mind people thinking we’re friends, I’d just as soon they didn’t start speculating about what else might be happening.”

  And neither did he; his business was his business and it was hard enough to keep it that way in a resort atmosphere with employees forming an oddly isolated community.

  So, he began the search for his own clothing. Jamie slipped out the door while he was dressing. Obviously she didn’t have the same fascination with watching him cover up his nudity that he’d had for her. Or if she did, she wasn’t going to indulge it.

  He finished rapidly and followed her out the door. She was straightening a few display shelves, the wet early-morning fog drifting around her.

  “Anything happen out here that we didn’t hear in the night?” he tried to ask casually.

  She turned, her face still annoyed. “Everything is in place.”

  “That’s good.” He groped for his keys and pulled them out. If he hurried, he could get back to shower and change before his daily rounds.

  Jamie unexpectedly grinned and cocked her head. “Excuse me, have you forgotten that you insisted on walking here from my house, dogging my every footstep?”

  Zack groaned. His SUV was more than a mile away, up Jamie’s long driveway. He had forgotten that he would have to hike back. Something about Jamie Conroe short-circuited his brain.

  There weren’t going to be any morning rounds that day. Again.

  * * *

  LATER THAT MORNING Brad glanced at Zack’s bedroom door. It stood open and the room was empty. His brother had spent four nights with Jamie, helping to guard the fruit stand, and his mood was definitely suffering.

  Brad had told Kim about the damage and the attempt to catch the culprit, but he’d skated over the fact that his brother was spending nights with an attractive woman in a very small trailer, however innocent the reason. If Kim wanted to rekindle anything with Zack, having questions about his interest in another woman wouldn’t make a good start.

  The front door opened and in came Zack. “Hey, big brother,” he said. “Have a good night?”

  Brad blinked at Zack’s unexpected good humor. “Probably better than yours since I slept in a full-size bed.”

  “Yeah, that trailer is awfully small.”

  “You seem chipper. Did you catch the vandal?”

  “No, not a sign, though I doubt we would have noticed. We both dropped off and didn’t stir until after daybreak. You can only go so many days without sleep before it nails you.”

  Brad nodded. A solid night’s rest could explain Zack’s improved mood. “Maybe they’ve given up.”

  “Yeah. I’m hoping that after seeing us at dinner, the word will get out. Even if it’s some local yahoos, which I’m sure it is, knowing we’re solid has got to make them think twice about coming back.”

  Brad began the stretching exercises the physical therapist had recommended doing before attempting something more strenuous. It did seem to help. He planned to walk several miles before meeting Kim at the harbor. She wanted to take a sail on the little cove below the resort before flying back to San Francisco.

  “It’s too bad that you planned your dinner with Jamie while Kim was here,” he said. “Otherwise, you could have eaten together.”

  “Why didn’t you guys meet up for dinner?”

  He shrugged. “I got onto Skype with a few of the guys from my old unit.”

  “Oh, that’s great. I’d better shower and get to work.”

  Zack disappeared behind his door and Brad headed out for his walk. As usual, he would swing by the fruit stand. Lately he’d been making the circuit twice a day, morning and afternoon; it meant he was getting stronger. The guys he’d talked to from his unit hadn’t asked about him returning to active duty and he didn’t know the possibilities himself. Pushing his limits was the only way to find out.

  * * *

  AFTER THE MAR VISTA staff picked up their produce, Jamie posted a sign saying she’d be back soon and asked customers to put any money in the metal box. Fortunately, Sunday mornings were slow. She had to hike back to the house and get the truck to refill her water reserve. As she was fastening the sign to the canopy pole, Zack’s SUV rolled up.

  “Hi,” he called. “I figured you’d need your truck, so I came to give you a ride.”

  The crumb. How dare he do something so thoughtful?

  But it was convenient and refusing would be ridiculous, so she grabbed her tote bag and slid into the passenger seat.

  “I’m staying home tonight,” she said, forestalling anything else he might say. “Nothing’s happened and everyone will have the whole day to talk about us having dinner.”

  Yet she almost laughed at her own words.

  Nothing had happened?

  Nothing, except ending up in bed with the last man she’d ever expected to “know” in that way. The fact that it had been incredibly pleasurable didn’t change the fact it was a mistake, and it would be dumb to chance another night with Zack in the tight confines of the trailer. Sure as anything, they’d wind up between the sheets again. Zack’s arousal as he’d watched her get dressed that morning showed he wanted more, and her body was c
lamoring for another round, as well. But if she slept at home, there was no risk of making the same mistake again.

  Zack pulled up in front of her house. “Are you sure you won’t be heading over there at nightfall?”

  “Are you trying to convince me I should?”

  “No, I don’t want you doing anything reckless.”

  She slid out of the seat. “Too late,” she muttered.

  “What was that?” he called through the half-open window.

  “Nothing,” she snapped. “Thanks for the ride.”

  “You don’t sound grateful,” he taunted.

  “Go eat a golf ball.”

  “Just being neighborly. I’ll overlook your bad mood.”

  Boy, did he think he was clever. A caveman, covered in hair and crowing at the sun because he’d nailed the girl.

  With a wave, he drove away, and she hurried to the house. As long as she was home without having to walk, she might as well change her clothing. Filling the tank on the back of the truck wouldn’t take long, so she’d get back to the stand without much delay.

  As the morning wore on at the trailer, Jamie realized she could have ordered more stock for the day, but that was okay. Finishing early was terrific and she drove into town gratefully. There was time to run errands and still clean the house, maybe even work on her jewelry. No crowding into a dark trailer with the windows shut so she couldn’t even hear the ocean clearly. No spending it with a sexy guy who was the opposite of what she wanted, if she even wanted a guy in the first place. Which she didn’t.

  Around eleven, Jamie crawled into her freshly laundered sheets and turned out the lights. An hour later she was still staring through the bedroom window at the stars and listening to the distant murmur of the ocean.

  After her divorce, one of her girlfriends had rushed to give her advice, saying she needed an “interim lover” before looking for a permanent partner. Jamie had smiled, while privately rejecting the idea. Her plan had been to opt out of romance altogether, yet she’d ended up with an interim lover after all.