Unsure of what to do next, she reached for the door handle. “Thanks for the lift.”
He covered her hand with his, stilling her momentum toward the door.
“Do you have to run off so soon?” he asked.
Her skin tingled beneath his touch. She pulled her hand away from the door as her stomach made the flutter that was becoming too common around him.
“I guess not.”
He glanced around, and she followed his gaze. The street was empty except for a cat meandering along the edge of the light from a street lamp.
“You want to get out of the car?” he asked. “It’s a beautiful night.”
“Sure.”
He climbed out and circled around to Lily’s side just as she closed her door. She leaned against the side, and he stopped in front of her. He was so close she couldn’t think of anything but the heat coming off him, so she pushed herself up onto the hood hoping a little more space would settle her nerves.
“Is this your first trip to Saint Simons?” he asked.
“Yeah.” She looked up at the live oaks stretching their fingers out toward each other forming a canopy over the small street. “It’s so beautiful and peaceful here. I’d love to stay longer.”
“Well, it’s getting over-crowded, but it’s still a great place. I used to live in a house down the coast a bit when I was a kid.”
“Really? I would’ve loved growing up on an island.”
“Nah, it’s not that great. You think you’d spend all your free time on the beach, but you’d just go about your business and forget it was even there.”
“I guess,” she sighed. “We all do that in our own way. We take the most beautiful things we have for granted when they’re always around.”
“It’d be hard to take you for granted.”
He winked, and her face warmed. How could she let such an obvious line make her feel good? She must be getting desperate.
“Do you have any big plans with your family for tomorrow?” he asked.
She tried to think for a moment, but her mind was a blank. What was tomorrow? Then suddenly it came to her.
“Oh my goodness! Tomorrow is the Fourth!”
“Yeah, it’s a pretty big deal around here. The fireworks off the pier are usually huge.”
“That’s right. I heard about that.”
Alex grinned and shifted his weight like he was nervous. She knew he was waiting for an answer, but maybe she could make him squirm for a change.
“So?” he asked, leaning forward.
“What?”
He threw his head back and laughed. ”You’re not going to make this easy on me, are you?”
“I really don’t know what you’re talking about.” She enjoyed watching him fumble. It was a stark contrast to the arrogant teasing she’d endured the previous nights.
He stepped closer, his scent filling her head—a combination of sweet and salt.
“Alright then,” he said, leaning even closer and lowering his voice. “I’ll spell it out for you. I have to be over here tomorrow by two, and I know things will be a bit crazy, but…”
He trailed off, and she nearly laughed at the sight of the great Alex Walker flustered. It was actually a relief to know he was as normal as she was. She sighed and glanced away.
“But what?”
“But…it would be nice to see you again, maybe talk with you some more.”
“Really? I kind of got the feeling you didn’t like me too much.”
“Well, you were a pain in the neck at first, but things seem to have taken a turn for the better.”
“I was a pain in the neck?” She gave him a playful shove. “You’ve got to be kidding. You definitely took the first place ribbon on that one.”
“Oh really? Then what are you doing with me now?”
She studied his face, searching for answers to her own questions. Maybe she was just setting herself up to feel stupid.
“I don’t know.” It wasn’t much of an answer, but at least it was honest.
He reached toward her face and pushed a blowing strand of hair behind her ear. It tickled her skin and sent a shiver of goose bumps down her arm. His hand grazed her cheek.
“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”
Heat raced up her neck and face. As she fought to keep her body steady, an uncontrollable grin spread across her face. She looked from his lips to his eyes and back to his lips again. She wondered what they would taste like.
As he inched closer, his eyes never leaving hers, panic surged through her and pricked her conscience once more, but she pushed it back. What harm was in a little kiss?
Just as his lips were about to touch hers, his breath tickled her skin and his finger traced the outline of her jaw, sending a wonderful chill down her neck and arms. She closed her eyes and, when his lips finally met hers, she soaked up every sensation surging through her.
Her heart thundered against her chest as he pressed his lips deep into hers, his fingers finding the nape of her neck. Everything else in the world faded, and she sank completely into the kiss, letting the waves of heat rush through her.
When he finally pulled away, he grinned down at her.
“So will I see you tomorrow?”
“Definitely.”
Chapter Six
July 4
St. Simons Island, Georgia
“So once we finally get her wrestled to the ground and basically hog-tied, we realize that during all this, her miniskirt has worked its way up around her waist, and she isn’t wearing anything underneath.”
“No!” Lily gasped. “Oh my word. How embarrassing!”
“Yeah it was.” Alex laughed and shook his head. “I just wonder how many people drove by and saw two police officers wrestling around with a half-naked woman.”
They laughed together for a minute before a loud blast in the sky startled her. She stepped out from under the pavilion where she and Alex had finally found a few minutes alone and saw the fading blue and red sparks falling from the sky. She’d been looking forward to the fireworks all day, but now she was disappointed. It seemed like everyone and everything had conspired to keep her from spending any length of time with Alex all day. Every time they’d seen each other they’d barely gotten out introductions before he was called away.
“Come on.” He took her hand and guided her to a low-hanging limb of a large tree near the park. “Think you can manage?”
She smiled at the two kids already sitting on the limb.
“I think so.”
Another blast lit up the sky over the pier, and they both turned to watch the cascading lights.
“I have to get behind the police line now, but I’ll find you when it’s over, okay?” He tugged a strand of her hair and winked.
She nodded then watched him disappear among the crowd of people and lawn chairs lining the walkway leading to the pier. Beside the kids, she sat mesmerized for the next thirty minutes, occasionally searching for Alex’s face among the police officers around the edge of the crowd. Toward the end, she finally spotted him several yards from the pier, talking and laughing with Steve, and even from the distance his smile made her grin.
But it faded when she saw him turn to a slender blonde woman approaching him from the crowd who had apparently called his name. He hugged her with a familiarity that sent a lead ball into her stomach. Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe it was just his sister. But the batting eyelashes and flirting smile suggested otherwise. Then the woman reached out and touched his arm as she laughed, sending a fire of embarrassment through Lily’s cheeks.
What was wrong with her? Why would it matter who he flirted with? So he kissed her last night. Big deal. What right did she have to be jealous? But the sight of him smiling that way at another woman, no matter how insignificant it should be, made her want to crawl back to the beach house. How could she be so naïve as to think someone like Alex would think she was special? He could have any girl he wanted.
He smiled
and talked with the woman a little longer before she hugged him again and walked away. His eyes scanned the crowd around Lily, but she slid off the limb and made her way toward the nearest bathroom.
Inside, she locked herself in a stall and leaned against the door. What was she thinking? Hadn’t she been hurt enough lately? This was exactly why she’d wanted to avoid Alex to begin with. What was obviously meaningless to him meant more to her than it should, and that was a perfect recipe for heartache. She should have listened to her conscience and walked away last night when she had the chance. But she wouldn’t make that mistake again.
Lily stepped out of the bathroom once she was sure the fireworks were over and there had been plenty of time for the crowd to disperse. Her throat was raw from fighting back tears, so she headed across the parking lot to the ice cream parlor for a drink.
As she rounded the last row of cars, she spotted police bikes leaned against a bench a few yards away. She turned to go, but just as she did, Alex and Steve came out of the shop with drinks in hand. Alex’s face lit up when he saw her.
“Hey, where’d you go? I looked all over for you.”
“Sorry.” She took a step back and tried to avoid making eye contact. “I uh, had to go to the bathroom, and then I started looking for Kara and Rachel.”
He put his arm over her shoulder, and her pulse quickened. He guided her toward the nearby bench.
“I have a few minutes. You want to sit down?”
She slid out from under his arm and put some distance between them.
“I can’t right now. I have to meet Rachel and Kara in front of the stage for the concert.”
“I thought you were just looking for them.”
“I was…I am.”
He wrinkled his brow. “Is something wrong?”
She looked at him then, and the genuine concern in his eyes almost made her forget. Almost.
“No, I just told them I’d meet them soon, and they weren’t there. I guess I just got worried.”
“Let me help you find them.”
The warmth in his expression seemed so real, her resolve weakened. Maybe she’d misread the whole thing, and besides, it was silly to get so worked up over a girl that had simply smiled at him and given him a hug. The more she thought about it, the more stupid she felt for letting it bother her.
He reached for her hand, and the touch of his skin warmed her whole body. She pulled herself back together and fell into step beside him as they crossed the parking lot toward the stage, stealing glances at him as they walked.
When they reached the park where a makeshift stage had been set up overlooking the beach, Kara and Rachel waved from the opposite side.
He smiled at her. “See, there they are. Safe and sound.”
“Thanks.”
“Sure nothing’s bothering you?”
She returned the smile, finally feeling normal again. Well, at least as normal as she’d ever felt around Alex.
“Dispatch to one ninety-six.” His radio crackled, and he tilted his head toward his shoulder.
“One ninety-six, go ahead.”
The dispatcher spouted off numbers and directions she couldn’t comprehend, something she’d grown used to as the day had worn on.
Alex let out a long sigh. “Ten four.” He looked down at her and took her hand. “I’m so sorry to do this to you again.”
“You know, I’m beginning to think you might be trying to avoid me.”
“Absolutely not.” He stepped closer and leaned toward her ear, his breath sending goose bumps down her arm. “Do you have any idea how incredible you look right now? Or how badly I’ve wanted to kiss you all day?”
She dropped her eyes from his, and a blush crept up her neck and face. She hated the thrill that spread through her. How could she let herself enjoy this so much knowing it would end? She had to get a grip.
“Enjoy your concert, okay?” He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll find you when it’s over.”
As soon as the concert ended, Lily swept her gaze over the park. Alex hadn’t made it back yet. He must have gotten another call. Figured.
“I guess we should start walking back now,” she said.
Kara and Rachel nodded as they slumped in their chairs. They pulled themselves up and started across the park to take the back way around the lighthouse. As they neared the swimming pool, Lily heard a sharp whistle, and she turned just as Alex called her name from the other side of the stage. She waved to him and told Rachel and Kara to go ahead. Then she hurried through the dwindling crowd trying not to look too eager.
When she reached the other side of the park where she’d seen Alex, he was nowhere in sight, so she looked in every direction for him. She had seen him. She was sure of that. He had called her name. But after a few moments of turning in circles, she thought she must have imagined it. Or maybe he had been called away again. That would be the perfect ending to a perfect day.
She headed toward the park feeling foolish and disappointed. Wrapped up in her thoughts as she passed a store, she screamed when a hand reached out and pulled her into the dark alley separating the store from the bar next door. Panic surged through her as a thick hand covered her mouth.
“Sheesh!” Alex said. “Lily, it’s me.”
Her heart beat wildly against her chest, and when he removed his hand, an angry heat raced through her. She shoved him back, but the space between the walls wasn’t much bigger than the two of them, and he merely reached a hand back to steady his balance.
“Alex! You scared the crap out of me!”
“Sorry. I wasn’t trying to.” His grin said otherwise.
“Who does that to someone unless you’re trying to scare them?”
“I’m sorry-“
She slapped away his effort to take her hand. “I cannot believe you just did that!”
She took a deep breath to settle her nerves. He just kept grinning at her like he was amused.
“I just wanted to get you alone for a few minutes, that’s all. Calm down.”
“Well, I don’t see why it was necessary to scare me half to death.” She huffed and pushed her hair away from her face. “You could have just asked.”
“Now, what would be the fun in that?”
His eyes gleamed with mischief and she couldn’t help a small grin. “Well, now that you have me here, what are you going to do with me?”
“Mmm. A little of this.” He touched his lips to hers and then lifted them again. “Maybe a little of that.” Then he pressed them harder, pushing her mouth open.
Her stomach dropped as he pulled her waist into his. Her hands wandered over his chest, feeling his muscles tighten beneath them. He pushed back her hair and slid his lips to her neck, his breath tickling her skin.
“You are going to be trouble,” he mumbled into her ear.
He touched his forehead to hers and kissed her once more before pulling back to look at her.
“Well, not for long.” She fumbled with her necklace. “We’re leaving the day after tomorrow.”
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. I can’t find the girl of my dreams and then have her leave me a few days later. That’s just no good.”
Her face grew warm as she looked up at him, ashamed by the hope and desire welling up inside of her.
“I’m hardly the girl of your dreams. Besides, I’m sure there are plenty of girls ready and willing to fulfill your dreams who live right here.” She’d already seen evidence of that.
“Yeah, can’t argue there.” She hit his arm, and he pretended to be hurt. “Hey, I can’t help it if women find me irresistible!”
“Oh really?”
He grinned and leaned closer. “I got you, didn’t I?”
“Yeah. You’re going to get it if you keep talking like that.”
“Man, I love it when you’re feisty.”
She shoved him away, but he grabbed her arms and used their momentum to turn her around and press her against the opposite wall. He kissed her
again and again, and she felt like she was cracking open.
She was so lost in the moment, she was startled when she opened her eyes and noticed a woman at the end of the alley staring at them. The woman’s mouth drew up into a tight line, and she disappeared around the corner.
“Could you get in trouble?”
“What, for making out in the alley while I’m on duty? Yes, but it might be worth it.”
He sighed and ran a finger along her neck, and his mood suddenly sobered. He wrinkled his brow and lifted the gold charm.
“Do you wear this all the time?” With one hand beside her head for support, he leaned down and scrunched his face as he tried to read the inscription on the back.
“What does it say?” he asked.
She instinctively grabbed the charm, her mind racing around the explanation, but unable to quite hold onto it.
“Oh, this?” She tried to sound nonchalant. “It was just a gift.”
“Just a gift, huh?” He eyed her carefully. “You play with it when you get nervous.”
She stared at him, still unable to think of anything to say. She hadn’t even thought of Jackson today, and that realization was both strange and wonderful.
“It’s got to be special,” Alex continued. “You’ve worn it every day, and from the looks of it I’d guess you’ve been wearing it for a long time.”
“I guess,” she shrugged.
He furrowed his brow. “Is this another area of your life that’s none of my business?”
“It was just a gift.” Why was this so hard?
“From who?”
“My best friend.” It was the only true thing that came to her mind that seemed uncomplicated.
“Oh.”
He seemed satisfied for a moment, but then he raised an eyebrow, and she knew she’d have to do better than that.
“Your best friend, huh? What, for a birthday or something?”
She took a deep breath and resigned herself to answer.
“It was when we were kids. I’d moved into the neighborhood a few months earlier, and I was always so shy.” She rubbed the charm between her fingers. “I hadn’t made any friends, except for Jackson, who lived a couple houses down. He was a year older, but he was the only kid around who was really nice to me. Anyway, it was getting close to Christmas, and all the classes had parties the last day of school. My class had drawn names for presents, but somehow I didn’t have one.”
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