by Donna Alward
He followed her, diving under. The cold covered his body and the salt buoyed him so that he surfaced, catching his breath. She was treading water several feet away, watching him with mischief in her eyes. Mischief and something more, something darker and seductive. Awareness. They’d always maintained this barrier between them—the cop and the barman. They’d been on opposite sides and it had been easy to arm themselves with banter and differing opinions.
That barrier had slipped this afternoon, just as he’d wanted it to. Still, the curiosity that gleamed in her eyes came as a surprise, and he very deliberately put his feet on the ground and stood, letting the water run off his shoulders and down his chest to where the waves rose and fell around his waist.
He waded over to where she was, going deeper until the water reached his chest. Kendra’s eyes widened and he wondered what her skin felt like all slippery and wet.
He was only a few feet away—close enough he could reach out and touch her—when she grinned, splashed him and dove under again.
So that was how she wanted to play it. He waited, watched for when she was just about to surface, and then slipped beneath the water, using powerful strokes to push himself in her direction.
When he surfaced she was right there, only inches away, her hair slick with sea water and droplets running down her face. Her lashes sparkled with moisture and she opened her lips in surprise. They were out over their heads, but Jake didn’t care. For a few seconds, he let the waves rock them toward each other. And then he did what he’d thought about doing since she’d stripped off her clothes on the beach. He slid his hand around her waist, pulled her against him and kissed her.
Her lips tasted of some sort of fruity gloss mixed with salt, a delicious blend of the best things of summer. But what surprised him most was that her mouth opened beneath his. Her body might have been cold from the water, but the interior of her mouth was soft and warm, and he felt the vibration of a soft moan as he deepened the kiss.
But the twining together of their legs and Jake’s arm around her waist made it difficult to keep treading water, and they started to slip beneath the rolling waves. Jake broke the contact and pedalled with his legs to stay afloat.
“Oops,” Kendra said, surprising him with the easy response rather than the dressing down he’d expected. He grinned and was gratified when she smiled too. Oops indeed. They’d never gotten along before, but she wasn’t exactly acting like a woman who disapproved of what he did or who he was.
She started swimming toward shore and he followed her, refreshed from the quick dip and ready to enjoy the sun. They came out of the gentle surf together, shaking the water from their hair. The sand was soft and wet beneath his toes. So different from the sand in the Middle East, he thought. Maybe in time he’d forget that too. He doubted it, but he could hope.
But he wasn’t going to think about that and let it ruin today. He wondered if Kendra knew she was his first date since opening the pub nearly a year ago. He figured if he revealed that little tidbit of info, she’d head for the hills at breakneck speed.
Kendra reached for her towel and hid behind it, briskly drying off her arms and rubbing her hair. She had to calm down. Had to stop freaking out about the fact that Jake had kissed her. And she’d kissed him back. What had she been thinking?
She swallowed and forced herself to be casual about laying the towel back on the sand as Jake came up behind her. She could at least be honest with herself and admit she’d been curious. And Jake couldn’t be all bad, right? Maybe she didn’t approve of his business, but to his credit he’d never caused any direct trouble since his return, and he seemed to have some civic pride, giving back to the community.
That or she could just be putting a fine shine on him to make herself feel better about this…attraction.
“You hungry?”
His voice was close to her shoulder and she shivered. “Sure. But I’d better put on some sunscreen first. I’ve already been in the water, and the last thing I need is a sunburn.”
She reached inside her bag and took out a tube of cream while Jake got the cooler from beneath the shade of a rock. Doing her legs was no trouble, nor her arms. She smoothed some on the V of her collarbone and over her nose and then paused. She really should put some on her shoulders and top of her back. And the only way to do that was…
“Need some help?”
She looked up. He was watching her blandly, no innuendoes in his eyes, no suggestive looks or remarks. It was almost as if the kiss in the water hadn’t happened—even though she could still taste the salty-sweetness of his mouth. She ran her tongue over her lips without thinking and swallowed. “Um, sure, I guess.”
He took the tube from her hand and knelt on the towel behind her. He was close enough that she could feel the warmth of his body as he buffered her from the wind. Her breath started to come in shallow gasps as he gently swept her hair over her shoulder, leaving her back bare.
He squirted the cream on her back, the cold of it making her catch her breath, and he laughed softly.
But neither of them laughed as his wide hand smoothed the cream over her skin. He took his sweet time about it and she closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of his fingers trailing over her shoulders and spine. She dropped her head, felt her pelvic muscles contract and her nipples tighten as he pressed deep into her flesh. The sunscreen had been worked in long ago. Now it was just…
Foreplay.
She wasn’t quite ready for that.
She shrugged off his hands and forced a smile. “Thanks, Jake.”
“Do you mind sharing? I didn’t bring any.”
She handed over the tube and ran her fingers through her hair. He was going to ask, wasn’t he? For her to return the favor. Could she? Her hands itched to touch him. It would be a huge mistake. But to decline…well, that would speak volumes, wouldn’t it? He’d know then. Know that he affected her far more than she’d like. Know that his kiss had been the tastiest thing to cross her lips in ages.
“Do my back?” he requested, looking at her with a wide-eyed innocence that didn’t fool her in the least.
“Turn around,” she ordered, and took a breath.
She put a dollop of lotion in her palm and rubbed her hands together, and then went to work smoothing the cream over his back. Heaven help her, he had muscles. Lots of them, hard curves and ripples over his shoulders and back while the skin there was soft and supple. She skimmed her fingers over his ribs—after all, how many chances would she have to legitimately touch him this way? She smoothed her way up over his lats and around to the front of his shoulders. On the right side she felt a pucker in the skin and her fingers paused for a moment, examining it briefly by touch.
“What’s this?” she asked, even though she already suspected the answer.
He pulled away and shrugged. “Aw, shucks, ma’am. That’s nothing but an old army flesh wound.”
She frowned. “You’re making a stupid joke about it.”
He shrugged again. “What else am I supposed to do? It’s healed up, and I’m fine except for the scar.”
“How did it happen?”
He gave her a hard stare. “The stupid joke means you’re not supposed to ask that.”
“I’m asking anyway. How’d you get shot, Jake?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Who said I got shot?”
She tried not to get frustrated. “I know what a gunshot wound looks like. I’m a cop, remember?”
“Yeah, I think I forgot that for a while out there.”
Ouch. But then again, this could all be part of his divert-Kendra-from-the-truth plan.
“If it’s too hard, all you have to say is that you don’t want to talk about it.”
He met her gaze earnestly. “I don’t want to talk about it,” he replied so quietly that she could barely hear him over the roar of the ocean.
“Then show me what’s in the cooler,” she suggested, leaning back on her towel and resting her weight on her hands. She didn’t wa
nt to press him. She knew well enough that some things were too hard to talk about. Especially on a first date…
She sat back. First date? What about only date? A first date assumed there would be more, and she didn’t intend to make Jake a habit.
He unzipped the insulated case and began taking out food. “Nothing fancy. Toasted baguette and bruschetta, cold chicken, pasta salad. And dessert that does not come in a coffee cup.” He laid out the offerings one by one, followed it with two plates and cutlery. “I wasn’t sure what you’d want to drink. I’ve got a bottle of white wine here, but I brought some iced tea too.”
She was glad there was an alternative. “I’ll have the tea, I think. It’s…” She faltered then caught her breath. “It’s a little early for wine.”
He shrugged and took out a sealed pitcher of iced tea. “Suit yourself.”
For a few minutes, they busied themselves filling plates. The tomato basil topping was fresh and the baguette slices perfectly toasted. He’d carved thick slices of chicken breast and the pasta salad was tossed with vegetables, feta and a pesto vinaigrette. “You’ll make someone a good wife someday, Jake,” she commented, taking the first delicious bite.
“I doubt it. Marriage isn’t really for me, I don’t think.”
She scooped some tomato onto the bread. “What makes you say that?” She looked up, curious. “You surprised me the other day, talking about closing on Sundays and learning to cook. Clearly you care about family, Jake.”
“And that’s a shock?” He was cutting into his chicken, but he put down his knife and fork as he waited for her answer.
“Frankly, it is a bit. What prompts a guy who wants to open a business to choose a pub of all things?”
“You have a real thing about alcohol, don’t you?” He narrowed his eyes and looked at the picnic basket. “The wine…you don’t drink.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Why?”
“Well, shucks, mister…” She let the words hang, knowing he’d get her message.
“Touché,” he replied, picking up his utensils again. “You don’t want to talk about it. That’s fine.”
She picked up her plastic glass and took a big gulp of iced tea, hoping to wash away the bitter taste in her mouth.
“About the pub,” he said. “I spent a lot of time at the bars.”
“Really,” she said dryly.
He smiled. “Too much time, as I think we can both agree. But all that energy had to go somewhere. And sometimes sitting in a bar with my buddies was the only way to get through what I had to go through, you know? It wasn’t about getting hammered and acting like a jerk. It’s bigger than that.”
He paused. “But I saw what could happen in rougher places, and I wanted to open a place at home where people could come and enjoy an evening and be…safe.”
“That’s why I get calls about fights and drunks, right?” Surely he could see that what he was doing went against his purposes.
He put down his plate. “Kendra, you know as well as I do that if people want to drink, they’ll find a way. They’ll go to the bootlegger after hours. They’ll do it in their homes. They’ll find it where they can. At least at Jake’s we have a cut-off policy. We call cabs for people every night, or call for someone to pick people up. We take care to ID for underage drinkers and anyone out of line gets kicked out. There’s zero tolerance for drugs. I run a good place, Kendra, and a clean one. If you get calls it’s because we’re doing our job.”
“I can’t condone it, Jake. I’m sorry.”
“That’s up to you, of course. I just want you to think for a moment. Sometimes a person comes into the bar and they’ve had a rotten day. Rather than go home and take it out on their families, they stop in, have a beer, maybe a chat with a bartender. Maybe they get a smile from a waitress. And half an hour later they’re ready to go home without all the fireworks.”
“Are you trying to convince me you’re some sort of therapy service?”
“Of course not. But my clientele aren’t all alcoholics and wife beaters either. Though I’m guessing that might be your experience.”
Something froze inside her. He was too close. Way too close.
He held up a hand. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to pry. Maybe I just wanted to say my piece.”
“Why does my opinion matter?”
He took a sip of tea. “It shouldn’t. But then there’s this…”
“This what?” Her heart started clubbing so loudly she could hear it in her ears over the cry of the seagulls.
“This…what happened in the water.”
Her appetite was suddenly the last thing on her mind. She was so confused. She wanted to believe him. It would be so much easier if she could loosen up and accept what he said. But it was hard. She’d struggled for so long. She’d carried hate around for so long it was a habit that was hard to let go.
“There’s something going on here,” he said. “I’m not sure what it is, but I can’t get it off my mind. I’ve tried. God knows, you’re not the easiest person I could find myself attracted to.”
Just like that, her blood pressure went zinging upward. He’d come right out and said it—he was attracted. The crazy thing was, she was too.
“Is that why you brought me here rather than the public beach?”
“What if I said yes?”
Kendra’s body was so tense now she felt like a string ready to be plucked. What if he said yes? What if he wanted her, desired her? Was she prepared for that? It’s not like she had a world of sexual experience to draw upon.
But wasn’t it time? And Jake wasn’t a commitment kind of guy. He’d said so himself. He’d brought her somewhere private, somewhere that their every move wouldn’t be noticed or commented on. It would be discreet. And maybe it would satisfy this strange craving that seemed to overtake her whenever they were together.
Could she have a fling? Was that even possible for a girl like her?
Because certainly a fling was all Jake was offering.
Chapter Four
Could I possibly analyze things more? Kendra closed her eyes briefly. “I’m a cop,” she breathed. “I can’t be reckless, Jake. I can’t…”
She opened her eyes and saw Jake put the dishes—still half-full of food—carefully into the cooler. “W…what are you doing?”
“Getting these out of the way.”
His voice had gone all deep and rich and goose bumps erupted over her skin. She should tell him she wasn’t finished, that she wanted to go, that they couldn’t do this. Instead, all she could do was watch, utterly fascinated, as he moved the cooler aside, slid over on his towel next to her and rested on his elbow. With his free hand, he brushed her hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear, so incredibly tender she forgot how to breathe.
“Jake,” she whispered, and then bit down on her lip. Oh my God, this was so wrong. She knew it and chose to ignore it. The curiosity, the fascination won out. The way he rested on his side made his muscles shift as he twisted slightly at the waist. She was on a private beach, in a bathing suit, with a man who looked like someone out of one of those men’s fitness magazines. Maybe she should run like her hair was on fire. But wouldn’t she kick herself for it in the morning? It wasn’t often such an opportunity came her way.
“You are so beautiful, do you know that?”
It was almost painful to swallow around the lump in her throat. She’d never been beautiful. She’d been…plain. A wallflower. “You don’t have to say that,” she replied a little breathlessly. She wasn’t very good at this seduction thing at all.
He smiled. “It’s even better that you don’t realize it,” he said, running his fingers over a few strands of hair before tracing the shell-like curve of her ear. “You’ve got terrific hair, you know. I had no idea it was this curly.” A piece twined around his finger and he gently tugged, pulling her an inch closer. “You always wear it in that silly braid and hide it under your cap. It’s a sin.”
“J
ake…”
But he carried on as if he hadn’t heard her, his gaze following his finger as he slipped it out of her hair and grazed her shoulder, slid it down to her elbow. “Your skin is so soft. And your body…”
His gaze clashed with hers and the hazel-green irises glowed at her. “Your body is rockin’,” he decreed. “I have a soft spot for the athletic type. Or maybe it’s not so soft at all.”
He traced his finger tip down her collarbone, down the valley of her breasts until he was stopped by the slick fabric of her suit. “Loosen up, Kendra. You’re tense.”
I’m jacked up. The words raced through her mind but she kept them inside. His seductive voice and very talented hands had her so turned on she was losing all perspective. Right now they were loosening the knot at the nape of her neck and she had no inclination to stop him at all.
The fabric fell away and he tugged on it, sliding the top down over her ribs and revealing her breasts. There was something exciting and dangerous about having them exposed—to the sun, to his gaze. To his hands. Her eyes slammed closed as he touched her, dipped his head and pulled a taut nipple into his mouth.
She fell back on the towel, her arms unwilling to hold her up any longer. She felt Jake smile against the sensitive skin of her breast, his lips and cheek warm against the pale skin still cool from the sea water. It felt so good. It had been too long since she’d felt this way. She wasn’t sure she’d ever felt this desired. Or if she’d ever wanted anyone so much in return. He seemed to know exactly what to do to make her body sing, and she gave herself over to the sensation. Just this once. There was no one to see. No one to care. It was like they were in their own little bubble, hidden away from the world by the sheltering cove and warm sand.
His hand slipped down inside her bathing suit bottoms, cupping her firmly, his fingers finding her slick and ready. He slid his tongue up her neck, leaving a wet trail behind that sent shivers over her whole body. His mouth met hers—hot and demanding, just like his fingers as they played, making her arch against him.
