Love's Providence: A Contemporary Christian Romance

by Jennifer H. Westall

  “Come on.” Alex slid to the end of the booth. “I have an idea.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see.”

  She followed him out of the door, never dropping his hand. He opened the passenger door to his black SUV and gestured for her to climb inside. She waited for him to come around the car and join her then reached for his hand again, her skin aching to touch his.

  “I can’t believe you got rid of your motorcycle,” she said. “You’re seriously putting your bad boy image in jeopardy.”

  He laughed and kissed her knuckles as he turned around to back the car out.

  “Maybe that’s the point.”

  As he turned out of the parking lot and drove back under the interstate, she wondered where they were heading. Jackson’s voice suddenly popped into her head. You don’t even know this guy. She had no idea where they were, or even how to get back to the island, much less her hotel. He could drive her off into a secluded area and do anything he wanted. Her pulse quickened at the thought, but she pushed it aside. Leave it to Jackson to try to ruin her evening from over four hundred miles away.

  “Are you having a good time?” Alex asked.

  She looked over at him and felt her nerves relax a bit. This was Alex. Her Alex. He’d never hurt her.

  “I’m having a great time.” She squeezed his hand. “But where are we going?”

  “Over there.” He pointed ahead of them to the docks that lined the highway. “It’s where most of the shrimp boats come and go on the intracoastal waterway. It’s not as nice as the beach, but it has its own charm.”

  He pulled into a parking lot along the water and they climbed out. The smell of rotten eggs assaulted her, and she scrunched her nose as she joined Alex on the sidewalk.

  “What is that smell?”

  “Oh yeah. The paper mill is nearby. Sorry about that. After living here for a while you barely notice it. Does it bother you?”

  “Nah, the breeze seems to be dissipating it.” She let out a giggle. “You really know how to pick a romantic spot for a date, Walker.”

  “Hey, don’t knock it yet. You might change your mind. There’s more to living on the coast than just the beach.”

  “Yeah, apparently there are wonderful aromas to enjoy as well.”

  He tugged her down another sidewalk leading away from the water and toward a white-washed pavilion and bell tower. They rounded the front of the building and climbed the three steps leading up to a gazebo attached to the pavilion. Alex sat down on a bench and pulled her down beside him, wrapping his arm over her shoulder.

  The sun hung low in the sky, casting a long shadow over the gazebo and the park behind them. A huge ship, old and important looking, sat in the water nearby like it was waiting for someone to admire it. She tried to take in her surroundings and to listen as Alex described the scenes before them. With his arm around her and the warmth of his body so close, she could barely focus on what he was saying as he pointed toward the water.

  “And every spring they have a parade with a statue of some lady whose real name I can’t remember, but I called her the Fat Lady when I was a kid for some reason. Then they bless the fleet of shrimp boats.”

  She looked up at him and grinned, not sure what in the world he’d been talking about, but mesmerized none the less. He leaned down and kissed her, his lips tugging at her sensibility.

  “Am I boring you?”

  She pushed her fingers through his hair and pulled his lips back in sync with hers, not wanting to be separated from them for even a minute more. He pulled her hips closer, folding her into his arms, stirring up desire and heat. Then his hand skimmed up her arm and tickled her throat, bringing chills in its wake.

  “Changed your mind yet?” he whispered in her ear.

  “Hmm? About what?”

  She could barely form words, much less concentrate on his. All she registered was the tingle in her skin as his fingers drifted down the nape of her neck.

  “This,” he mumbled, covering her mouth with his.

  His hand floated further down, and her brain began to register what was happening, but her body refused to cooperate. Just another moment, she thought. Just a little more. His hand slipped under her shirt and around her waist, testing gently.

  Just a little more.

  As his hand wandered to her bra strap and pushed it off her shoulder, her resolve faltered. He glided his hand over her skin, and she savored the sweet shiver that passed through them both. Then just as quickly her senses returned and she pulled away.

  “Wait. We need to slow down.”

  “Lily.”

  Just her name on his breath made her wish she’d never stopped him, and if he kept looking at her like that—like his eyes were swallowing her whole—she wouldn’t be able to stop him again. Willing herself to move, she slid further away and pulled her bra strap back in place.

  “You are definitely going to be trouble.” She couldn’t help a small grin. “And no, I haven’t changed my mind.”

  He let out a long, slow breath and sat up straight again. “Too bad. That was just getting interesting.”

  “I guess you’ll just have to be patient.”

  He chuckled softly. “I guess so.”

  She looked away and tried to collect her scattered thoughts. She was going to have to get control of herself around him. He was so good at pushing her limits. Then another thought occurred to her.

  “So is this where you bring all the women you date?”

  “Uh, no. I usually take them home.”

  “Theirs or yours?”

  He laughed and leaned back, spreading his arms along the railing behind him.

  “Theirs mostly.”

  Maybe she shouldn’t ask these questions. She had a feeling she wouldn't like the answers, but how else was she going to get to know him? Maybe he made every girl feel this way. Maybe he was much more experienced with women than she’d wanted to think about.

  “And what do you do once you get them there?” Her stomach cringed as soon as the words left her.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. Whatever happens just happens. I don’t usually have an agenda.”

  “Do you sleep with women on the first date?”

  He studied her for a moment, the smile fading from his face. Then he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

  “Is this a test? Because if it is, I’m probably going to fail.”

  “It’s not a test. I just want to know you better, to know how you treat women. I think that’s fair.”

  He worked his jaw before he sat up straight again and looked her in the eye.

  “Alright then. I have slept with a woman on the first date, sometimes the only date, sometimes without there even being a date. How’s that?”

  She blinked. He had said he wasn’t a virgin, and she was half expecting that he had slept with multiple women, but he’d also said he was a Christian. She was stunned, not just by his sleeping habits, but also by the anger that colored his confession.

  Doubts and questions began swirling through her. How could he be a Christian and have been so cavalier about sex? How had she let herself get involved with someone with such opposite values from her own? And how was she going to keep her values in tact with temptation caressing and coaxing her every time they touched?

  Will power. And lots and lots of prayer.

  “Look,” she said. “I’m not judging you. Whatever you did in the past with other girls is your business. But when you’re with me—here, now—this is my business. And honestly, you scare me.”

  “What? Now you’re scared of me?”

  “I didn’t mean it that way. I just meant that this is all very unnerving for me. I don’t do this.”

  “Do what exactly?”

  Warmth crept up her neck and cheeks. “Move this fast. I mean, you know. Things were getting pretty heated there for a minute.”

  His mouth tipped. “I know. And unless I’m completely clueless, you seemed
to be enjoying it.” He slid closer and reached for her hand. “Come on. You have nothing to worry about.” Tugging on her hand, he tucked her under his arm again and kissed the top of her head. “We won’t do anything you don’t want to do.”

  But that wasn’t the problem. It was what she did want to do that scared her.

  “Are you uncomfortable with anything we’ve done so far?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “Then relax, Lily. You can trust me.”

  She looked up at him and studied his face. She wanted to trust him. She would trust him. And when he pulled her into another kiss, she let go of her doubts and let her body savor every moment.

  August 5

  St. Simons Island

  Lily stopped her bike just behind Alex and jumped off. She pulled her water bottle out of the cup holder and gulped down half of it. The sun was intense, beating down on her skin. She glanced over at Emily and Alison as they popped the kickstands out on their bikes and guzzled their water as well. Alison’s cheeks were like two ripe tomatoes anchoring her mouth, but Emily barely showed any signs of exertion, just a halo of dark, damp curls framing her face and glistening brown skin.

  “Well, this is it.” Alex gestured toward the open marsh land in front of them. He pulled the bottom of his t-shirt up and wiped the sweat off his face. Lily noted the muscles flex in his abs and grinned at him.

  “Not too bad,” she mumbled.

  He winked at her and returned the grin, sending butterflies around her rib cage again. Emily walked over next to Lily and let out a huff.

  “So what’s the big deal? I thought this place was famous. There’s nothing here.”

  “Well, not now,” Alex said. “But there was a pretty major battle here for control of Georgia. Who knows, maybe you’d be speaking Spanish if it had turned out differently.”

  “I do speak Spanish.”

  Alex laughed and shrugged. “Well, then maybe the rest of us would be as enlightened as yourself.”

  “So what happened here?” Lily stepped over next to Alex and took his hand.

  He pointed out toward the sea of grass, and as he described the battle between the British and Spanish soldiers, she pictured all the young men in their tattered uniforms slumped over in the muddy water. How did anyone face down an enemy with a gun pointed at them?

  She squeezed Alex’s hand. “Have you ever had to shoot anyone?”

  Emily jumped in front of him, her eyes bright with excitement.

  “Wow, that would be so cool. Have you?”

  He laughed and folded his arms over his chest. “You’d probably love riding around in the squad car.”

  “Could I?” Emily’s eyebrows shot up.

  Lily tried to hide her irritation at Emily’s constant interference all day. She had begged for stories, bombarded Alex with questions, and had not stopped talking about all the real-life crime books she had read.

  “I don’t think we’ll be here long enough for all that,” Lily said.

  “Maybe next time,” Alex said.

  Lily had to practically shade her eyes from Emily’s smile. They had obviously lost the connection they’d shared the day before because all of Lily’s signals were going unnoticed. She looked over at Alison, who just shrugged and smiled. She seemed to be saying exactly what Lily was thinking. What can you do? You have to love her.

  “So, have you ever shot at anyone?” Lily asked, trying to regain his attention.

  “Yeah, once.”

  “When?” Emily asked. “You have to tell us everything.”

  Lily flipped her a glare, but Emily was hanging on every word out of Alex’s mouth, and she suspected he was enjoying it as much as Emily.

  “A couple of guys robbed a restaurant and shot the owner over here on the island one night, so we blocked off the causeway. Pretty dumb when there’s only one way on and off the island.”

  “Anyway, we started searching all the cars, and I saw one approaching that looked suspicious. It fit the description we had, and the guys inside were wearing camo, just like the suspects.”

  “I yelled at another officer closer to the car to pull them aside, but just as he started to, the driver gunned the car and tried to run him over.”

  “Wow!” Emily gasped. “What did you do?”

  Alex stepped away and re-enacted his movements, pulling an imaginary gun from his hip.

  “I pulled my gun and took three shots at the front windshield before I had to jump out of the way.”

  “He tried to run you over too?” Emily asked.

  “Yeah, but several other officers started shooting, and we blew out the tires. The driver jumped out of the car, and we chased him down on foot.”

  “Oh man. I can’t wait to be a cop.”

  Lily rolled her eyes. “I thought you wanted to be an FBI agent.”

  “I do,” Emily said. “But I want to be a local cop first so I can get some experience.”

  “That’s the way to do it, really.” Alex said. “I’d like to be a fed one day myself, but right now, being a cop is a blast.”

  Lily pushed down the urge to snatch Alex away and glanced down at her watch, hoping it was time to head back to the hotel.

  “We should probably get back to the room and get ready if we want to make the movie,” Lily said.

  Alison stepped forward with her phone flipped open. “How about a picture before we go?”

  “Sure!” Emily threw her arm over Lily’s shoulder.

  Alex stepped sideways and out of the shot, but Lily waved her hand at him.

  “Come on, get in.”

  He shook his head. “No thanks. I don’t do pictures.”

  “What?”

  “Nah, it’s just a bad idea. You post something on Facebook or the web, and suddenly everybody knows your business. Not my style.”

  “Okay.” Lily shrugged. “Well, then Ali get in the picture and let Alex take it.”

  Alison handed him her phone and slid under Lily’s arm. They smiled while Alex snapped the photo, and then they all headed for their bikes. Lily breathed a sigh of relief. No more competing with Emily.

  As she stepped out of the hotel shower, Lily heard a shriek from the other side of the door. She wrapped the towel around her hair and threw her clothes on as quickly as she could. When she opened the door, her mouth dropped open. Alex had Emily pinned face down to one of the hotel beds, her dark waves spilling out around them. Alex’s face was flushed, and he laughed as Emily struggled to free herself.

  “Do you give up?” he asked.

  “Never!” Emily shouted, though the comforter muffled her voice. “I’m going to figure a way out of this, and then I’m going to kick your butt!”

  Emily squirmed back and forth as Lily tried to figure out what was going on. Alex finally released her and deftly avoided the swing she took at him. He grinned in triumph then shot past Lily into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.

  “Hey, I wasn’t finished,” she said. After a moment she heard the shower running. She’d have to put on her make up when he got out.

  Emily pushed her hair back into place and stomped over to the door, yelling at it like the door had pinned her down.

  “I could have gotten out of it!”

  Lily looked over at Alison sitting in the corner by the table and raised an eyebrow. Alison glanced up from the magazine she was reading and shrugged her shoulders.

  “Hey, don’t look at me. I told her he would win.”

  “Win what?” Lily asked.

  Emily huffed and stretched out across the nearest bed.

  “I could have gotten out of it if he had given me more time.”

  Alison flipped the page of her magazine. “He was talking about how to get out of different positions if someone attacks you. Em said she could get out of anything.”

  “I can!” Emily looked at Lily as though she should realize this. “I’ve taken Karate for two semesters now. He cheated.”

  “Anyway,” Alison continued. “Al
ex started demonstrating some holds, and it just seemed to escalate into a brawl from there.”

  Lily tried to push down the jealousy bubbling up her chest.

  “Well, I’m glad to see you two are getting along so well. You certainly have a lot in common.”

  Emily pushed up onto her elbows and smiled. “Lil, he’s really great. I’m so excited for you. I don’t know how you control yourself around him. He’s so gorgeous.”

  Lily cleared her throat, trying to suppress the heat in her cheeks. But Emily knew her too well, and her eyes widened. Lily tried to head her off before she said anything more.

  “Em, no. It’s not like that.”

  “Not like what? You don’t have to be embarrassed for my sake. I say jump on him.”

  Alison jerked her gaze up from her magazine. “Emily Sanchez!”

  “Yes, Mother?”

  “Don’t call me that.”

  “Then lighten up. This is Lily we’re talking about. She’s almost as uptight as you are. I’m sure you have nothing to worry about.” Emily looked back over at Lily and flashed a broad smile. “Or does she?”

  Lily shook her head hoping Emily would drop it. Alison would never let her hear the end of it if she knew half of what she’d already done.

  “It’s none of your business.”

  Emily grinned, but Alison pursed her face into that look Lily knew too well. Here it comes, she thought. Alison put down her magazine and moved to the bed.

  “How much do you really know about Alex?” she asked.

  Lily crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight. What was with everyone? How else was she going to get to know him if she didn’t spend time with him? Besides, Alison had never even kissed a guy, so of course it was easy to sit back and tell everyone else what they should do.

  “I know him as well as I could know anyone in a few weeks.”

  “Is he pressuring you?”

  “No, Ali. He’s a nice guy.”

  “I know he’s a nice guy, but he’s still a guy. I just want you to be careful.”