Delicious Do-Over

by Debbi Rawlins

  He’d opened a can for himself, did a visual sweep of the area, then balanced the soda on top of the cooler. “We have to hurry.”

  Quickly, she gathered the mat and towels, while he hefted the cooler. Glad as she was that he understood her need to return to the hotel, she was a bit annoyed with his sudden rush to be rid of her.

  She followed him, finding the sand more difficult to walk in than she had last night, but seriously glad her lagging allowed her to shove a couple of old mints from her purse into her mouth. They didn’t speak until they got to the Jeep, and he’d thrown everything in a messy heap in the back.

  After they’d both climbed in, he quickly buckled himself up, waited for her to get settled and said, “Ready?” at the same time he started to reverse.

  “I guess I’d better be.”

  His gaze flicked to her, and he smiled. “We’re probably too late but it’s worth a try.”

  “Too late for what?” she asked, and grabbed the dashboard when he rolled through a stop sign and accelerated onto the highway, heading away from Waikiki. “Uh, the hotel is in the other direction.”

  “We’ll get there eventually.”

  “No, Rick, my friends, you don’t understand—”

  “You go back this early you’ll only wake them up. Text them. If they’re worried because you aren’t back yet, they’ll check their phones.”

  She considered his argument, then dug out her phone. Mia and Shelby were going to think she’d lost her mind. No messages. They obviously weren’t too worried. “So where are we going?”

  “To catch the sunrise.”

  “Wouldn’t that be on the other side of the island?”

  “It is.”

  The sky had begun to lighten before they’d left the beach. “We’re too late,” she said.

  “It’s still dawn. The sun won’t come up off the water for another half hour.”

  She thought for a minute. “I guess they are separate events.”

  Rick smiled. “Ever see a sunrise, a real sunrise?”

  “I’m not usually up that early,” she said dryly. “No, I take that back.” Lindsey had a flash of memory that hadn’t surfaced in years. “I was young, maybe eight or nine. My family had just moved to Florida, and we were staying in a motel until my mom found a house to rent.” She sighed. “Boy, did I get a whipping that day.”

  “Why?” He briefly took his gaze from the road and shot her a troubled look.

  “So did my brothers,” she said defensively, wishing she’d kept her mouth shut. It was embarrassing to think about how quick her father was to get out his belt. “None of us had seen the ocean before and—” She shrugged. “The point is, I did get to see the sun rising over the water. It was amazing. I can’t believe I forgot that until now.”

  Rick was quiet for a long uncomfortable stretch, then he said, “I can’t see you as a problem child.”

  “Me? Are you kidding? I was Saint Lindsey. My older brother still calls me that sometimes.”

  “Did you get hit often?”

  “No.” She hated that he would have a misguided impression of her childhood. “Only one other time, and no surprise, I was being disciplined for an incident that involved my brothers.” Normally she wouldn’t elaborate on something so personal, but when she saw disbelief in the grim set of his jaw, she added, “My parents were both very strict. I abided by their rules, did what they expected of me so I was fine. My brothers not so much.”

  “Define strict.”

  She took a deep breath. “Well, they didn’t send me to boarding school, or anything like that. Although that wouldn’t have been too tragic,” she added absently. “At least I would’ve gotten to stay in one place.”

  “I remember you saying that you’d moved around a lot. That’s gotta be tough on a kid,” he said, reaching over to rub her thigh.

  She laid her hand on top of his, amazed at how much longer his fingers were. “It’s hard to make friends. I ended up staying home and studying a lot.”

  “What about dating? The boys must have been pounding down your front door.”

  Lindsey snorted. “Sure. I had them taking numbers.”

  They came up on a sharp curve, and he moved his hand to down shift. “Come on, admit it. You left a trail of broken hearts after every move.”

  “Ah, you’re sweet,” she said with a laugh, and lightly stroked his cheek. The rough feel of his unshaven jaw made the tips of her fingers tingle.

  “Sweet? Hell, I’m serious.” He looked at her, but was forced to return his attention to the tricky twists in the road.

  “I was always quiet and shy, definitely not the cheerleader type. Much more studious.” She wanted to touch him again, wanted him to touch her, but she understood that he needed to concentrate on his driving. “It didn’t matter. I doubt my father would have allowed me to date.”

  “When?”

  “Ever.” She laughed. “I’m exaggerating. I had two dates during my senior year.”

  Rick frowned. “That’s it?”

  “It was no big deal. Really, I was—” She cut herself short, wisely nipping the admission that she’d been half-afraid of boys. Partly the fault of her parents, but her brothers’ relentless teasing had something to do with her having believed the worst of the opposite sex. “I had a perfectly fine childhood.”

  He slid her a speculative look, and then shook his head. “I’m not judging.”

  “Um, yes, you are. But it’s okay. I suppose we all judge to some degree when faced with an experience different from our own.”

  A conciliatory smile curved his mouth. “I thought you were an accountant.”

  “And an armchair psychiatrist when I see an opening.”

  He chuckled. “Good to know. I’ll watch myself.”

  She smiled wryly. “Guess I should’ve reserved that comment until after I got the scoop on your family.”

  “Hey, I’m an open book.”

  She waited expectantly, her patience soon slipping. “Well?”

  He lifted a shoulder. “We’re a typical, boring family. I have two older brothers, a sister who is younger than me. My dad is a pharmacist, my mom works part-time at my nieces and nephews’ elementary school.”

  “Do you all get along?”

  “Pretty much, except when it comes to football. My idiot brothers like the Cowboys.”

  Lindsey laughed.

  Rick cocked a brow at her. “Don’t tell me you’re a Cowboys fan.”

  “I’ve never thought about it.”

  He gave her an exaggerated look of surprise. “Not a football fan?”

  “Is that a deal breaker?”

  He pretended to give the matter serious thought. “We’re coming up on baseball season. I can forgive and forget.”

  Her inflated sigh of relief earned her a smile that could’ve melted butter, and when she sighed again, it was a whisper-soft sound muffled by the engine, meant with all her heart.

  She’d be gone before the season even started.

  The irritating thought came out of nowhere and was quickly squashed. This was only her second day in Hawaii. That kind of musing wasn’t allowed. Her gaze drifted to his hands, to the long tan fingers wrapped around the steering wheel. He was busy navigating the turns in the road, and she treated herself to an uninterrupted sizing-up of his windblown hair, his strong profile, the way his thigh muscles flexed when he put in the clutch. Even in the dim light of dawn he took her breath away.

  Her mind drew back to that long-ago night, and she wondered why he’d singled her out. This wasn’t the first time she’d reflected on the puzzle. There had been well over a hundred women at the pool, most of them wearing teeny tiny bikinis. Either braver or drunker than the rest, a few of the women had jumped into the pool and tossed their tops onto the deck.

  Even Mia and Shelby had gotten into the spirit of the week and splurged on thong bikinis. Next to them, practically swimming in her oversized white cover-up, Lindsey had looked like their den mother. Yet
when hotel security had forced everyone to scatter, she’d been the one who Rick had whisked away, dragging her along the beach, laughing and running until she couldn’t breathe.

  “Damn, this stop is going to cost us,” he said, applying the brakes.

  She whipped her gaze to the road and saw that the light had turned red at the intersection.

  He shifted gears, and twisted around to face her. He leaned in, resting his arm on the back of her seat, and kissed her shoulder. The light rasp of his stubbly chin against her skin made her quiver.

  When he gazed at her, she caught a whiff of his minty breath and smiled.

  “What’s that for?”

  “What?”

  “This,” he said, and traced the outline of her lips with the tip of his forefinger. “So soft and innocent,” he murmured, and briefly pressed a tender kiss to her mouth.

  Her eyes fluttered closed, and then abruptly opened when his words sunk in. “Innocent?”

  He stole another quick kiss and winked. “How can you look this good first thing in the morning?”

  Ha, she couldn’t imagine what a wreck she was. Why hadn’t she pulled herself together before the sky had started getting light? She finger-combed her hair, and flipped down the visor, praying for a mirror so she could dab away the inevitable black smudges under her eyes.

  He caught her chin, and brought her face back to his. He stared into her eyes for an endless moment, then lowered his gaze to her mouth. “You’re perfect,” he said. “Don’t change a thing.”

  She gave a nervous laugh, and swatted away his hand. “Innocent,” she said, in case he thought she’d forgotten the absurd remark. “Right.”

  Rick returned his hands to the wheel. “Would that be a crime?”

  “No, but you of all people know better,” she said quietly, the heat rushing to her face.

  She wasn’t sorry for what had happened the night they met, but she had wondered what he thought of a woman who’d have sex with him only four hours after meeting him. It didn’t matter that so many people her age seemed to place little importance on casual hookups. What she’d done had been completely out of character. Now that she’d given him a hint of her upbringing, she couldn’t imagine what he was thinking. That she’d rebelled and slept with every guy she met? Oh, God, she’d basically sent out a booty call on Facebook.

  She stared straight ahead, saw the light turn green, felt the Jeep jerk into gear. She wanted to look at him…no, she couldn’t. Not now.

  But when he steered the Jeep to the shoulder of the road and cut the engine, she turned her head to meet his warm concerned eyes.

  He said nothing, only cupped a hand behind her neck and drew her close. His mouth touched hers. With firm, closed lips, he grazed the corners of her mouth, slanted his head and pressed harder. Then he let her go, just when she wanted more.

  She stared at him as he got them back on the highway. He seemed pleased with himself, pleased with the whole situation, and she had to wonder about that. She’d put herself in this man’s hands. Sensible, responsible Lindsey was in a car, headed who knew where, with a veritable stranger and she felt completely safe. What was it about him that made her bend all her rules? She’d have said it was out of character again, but that excuse only worked once. She’d planned this. Hoped for it, dreamt of it. Perhaps her assumptions about her character needed a fresh look.

  She leaned back in her seat, her smile as pleased as Rick’s.

  6

  BY THE TIME THEY made it past Sandy Beach, the sun had risen above the water. There were residual beams of red and gold streaking the sky, but Rick’s favorite time had passed. No sweat. There was always tomorrow.

  Anyway, he was distracted. Lindsey had given him a lot to think about. He was beginning to understand the reason for her lack of experience. The bit about her father whipping her left a sour taste in his mouth. Bad enough striking a kid, but a little girl? Hard to get past that one. Had anyone, including his father, laid a hand on his sister, Rick would’ve had him by the throat.

  He pulled the Jeep into the last lookout before Sea Life Park, and killed the engine. “We missed it,” he said, shrugging.

  “I somehow got that impression.” Lindsey grinned, and focused on a couple of bodysurfers who were taking advantage of the moderate swells. “It’s still beautiful. What was that last beach we passed? There were a whole bunch of kids in the water. Is today a local holiday?”

  “No, but kids here always seem to find time to sneak off to the beach before or after school, especially if the waves are hitting over five feet. Sandy breaks near shore which is good for bodysurfers and boogie boarders. On weekends the place is packed.”

  “Do you bodysurf, too?”

  Rick looked at her and laughed. “No.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Why is that funny?”

  He wasn’t insulted because she didn’t understand the sport or culture. “Let’s see, how can I explain it?” He considered it for a few seconds, and then, controlling a smile, he took her small soft hand and pressed it between his palms. “Okay, pretend we’ve just met. I like you, you like me, we’re walking along the beach and I take your hand. It’s kind of like testing the water, maybe wading up to your waist, splashing around, whatever.”

  “Okay,” she drawled, her brows arched in amusement.

  He linked their fingers, their palms meeting. He regretted his was scratchy from working on his new board design, but she didn’t seem to mind. “Say we walk for half an hour, talking, and we’re starting to like each other more. We stop and I put my arms around you.” The gearshift was in the way. “Wanna get out of the car for a better look at the bay?”

  “Sure.” She frowned a little. “But what does this have to do—?”

  “Ah.” He held up a finger. “Don’t be impatient,” he said and climbed out of the Jeep.

  Her lips pursed, she slipped out of the passenger side, and warily met him where he waited, leaning against the hood, his legs spread.

  He pulled her close and looped his hands around her waist. She tilted her head back to look up at him, and he felt the quickening of her heart against his chest, echoing his own. “This feels nice. Agreed?”

  She slowly nodded, a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. “I thought we were going to get a better look.”

  “We will, but I’m trying to give you an analogy here,” he said with a straight face. “Okay, at this point we’ve decided to get our hair wet, swim a few laps.” He lowered his head, allowed his mouth to lightly brush hers, lifted and then settled again more firmly. He moved his head, just enough to assert more pressure and coax an opening. She trembled a little, which only made him impatient to sample more than her lips, but he stuck to the lesson plan.

  With the tip of his tongue he teased and tasted until he knew she was ready, and then slid his tongue inside, slowly, making a thorough sweep, showing her how much he wanted her, yet letting her know that they were just getting started.

  Before he got ahead of himself, he stopped and set her at arm’s length.

  She gazed up at him with wide startled eyes, her lips damp from his mouth. “What’s next?” she asked in a breathy voice.

  “We like swimming. It’s fun, but the waves have kicked up and we see some other people bodysurfing,” he said, his own voice huskier. “And we think, hey, that looks like fun.” He shot a look down Kalanianaole Highway. So far no cars had sped by them but they were still too much out in the open. “Come here,” he said, taking her hand and leading her to an outcropping of black lava rock.

  He found a portion of the cliff that wouldn’t scratch the hell out of his back yet still offered a modicum of privacy. Below them about fifty feet, the waves crashed against the rocks. She glanced down, but didn’t seem bothered by the height or the turbulent water. He positioned them a safe distance from the edge, his back to the rock wall.

  “The swimming was nice, and in fact, we’ll do more of that,” he said, trying to keep a straight face when s
he looked at him as if he’d been underwater too long, his brain deprived of oxygen. “But it’s time to try bodysurfing. You with me?”

  “You’re crazy. You do know that, right?”

  Grinning, he found the hem of her tank top and slid both hands beneath the fabric.

  She jerked back, glanced over her shoulder, tried halfheartedly to push him away.

  “We’re fine.” He cupped both breasts, easily zeroing in on her already hard nipples through the bra. “Hmm, we like bodysurfing,” he said, sliding his fingers inside the silky cups.

  Lindsey let out a shaky laugh. “You’re seconds away from a straitjacket.”

  He rubbed his thumb across the hot beaded flesh, his body tightening with need. “Bummer, that would seriously put a kink on bodysurfing.”

  “Rick, we shouldn’t—” Her lashes briefly lowered, and she made a soft whimpering sound as she moved against his fingers.

  He pushed up her top, slid the cup aside and took her nipple into his mouth. He suckled deeply, nibbled lightly and then rolled his tongue over the rosy nub. She tensed, then murmured something about a car coming. He’d checked. They were in the clear, especially with the Jeep shielding them from passing traffic.

  But he cooled it anyway, forced himself to tear his mouth away. He’d gotten uncomfortably hard and it was going to be one hell of a long ride back to her hotel. Digging deep for willpower, he pulled her tank top back down. And stared into her dazed eyes. Down at her soft innocent mouth.

  Guilt flared inside him. Dammit. No reason to feel guilty just because he’d been given a part of the puzzle. So she’d had a strict upbringing. Lindsey had certainly learned all she needed to know about sex along the way. She was a grown woman. She’d put the call out to him on Facebook. Lindsey was no virgin and she hadn’t contacted him to take her sightseeing.

  Still, he’d come on pretty strong. He’d gone straight for the sweet spot. She wasn’t that type of woman. He shook his head at the notion, but it was true. Lindsey was different. He really liked that about her. Not the kind of like that lasted only a couple of nights. She deserved more than being felt up on the side of the highway.