I Saw Her Standing There

by Marie Force

  “I like seeing how much she loves him. He deserves that as much as she does.”

  “Awww, underneath all that bluster, you’re a romantic!”

  “Ew, I am not. Don’t say such awful things about me.”

  Lucy tossed a small handful of sand at him.

  “Oh really? We’re throwing sand now?”

  “We’re not throwing sand. I am.” She sent another pinch of sand in his direction and hit him square in the face.

  He stared at her, disbelieving, as he spit a mouthful of sand to the side before lunging at her, making her scream with laughter as he came down on top of her. When he had her pinned to the beach blanket, he looked down at her with a sinister expression on his face. “It’s a good thing I’m not a vengeful kind of guy. You forget I was raised with six brothers and three sisters. I know everything there is to know about exacting revenge.”

  She batted her eyelashes at him. “Please don’t hurt me, big strong man of the mountains.”

  With a low growl, he brought his lips down on hers, drawing her into an incendiary kiss filled with the frustration she’d felt coming from him all afternoon. He’d gone along with what everyone else wanted to do, even if it wasn’t what he wanted. Apparently, she thought as his tongue tangled with hers, this is what he’d rather be doing.

  “Oh jeez,” Will said when he returned to find them making out on the beach.

  * * *

  Colton groaned against her lips but didn’t stop kissing her and didn’t make any move to end their embrace.

  “Don’t look, Cam,” Will said. “You’ll hurt your eyes.”

  Colton’s scowl made Lucy giggle. Since they were no longer alone, like they should’ve been, he reluctantly moved off her and willed his raging boner into submission. There were some things a guy shouldn’t have to share with an audience. “I’m going for a swim,” he announced.

  “The lake is freezing,” Will said.

  “Good. It’s just what I need.”

  Before his brother could make any of the predictable jokes—the same jokes he would’ve made if the roles had been reversed—Colton jogged to the shoreline and dove into water that was, in fact, frigid. It was so cold he worried about freezing his balls right off. But the cold water had the desired effect on his libido. It shriveled right up with the rest of his important parts.

  No matter how warm the summer got, Lake Champlain was always freezing. It was one of the things that could be taken for granted when it came to life in Vermont. As he watched Lucy laugh and tease with Cameron, Colton waited until he was sure he had things under control before he emerged from the ice bath to join them on the blanket.

  The fire Will had lit went a long way toward restoring feeling in Colton’s important parts. Living on the mountain, he was used to being cold and usually wasn’t bothered by it. Today though, he was annoyed that the deep freeze had been necessary to ward off an embarrassing situation. If this weekend had played out as planned, he wouldn’t have to worry about such things. He could’ve walked around sporting all the wood he wanted and no one would’ve known except the subject of his desire.

  His thoughts left him in a foul mood as the others talked cheerfully around the fire while they roasted hot dogs over the open flame.

  Lucy nudged his shoulder. “What’s the matter?”

  Did she want the whole list or would it be enough to say he was extremely out of sorts from being forced to share her with anyone—even her best friend and his brother—when they had so little time to spend together? “Nothing.”

  “Then why are you so quiet?”

  “Who can get a word in with you and Cameron sucking up all the air?” He could tell by the way her brows narrowed and her lips puckered that she hadn’t appreciated the comment. And she wondered why he was keeping his mouth shut? It was because he was in a foul mood that he had no desire to inflict on others.

  “So sorry we are talking too much. We haven’t seen each other in a while.”

  “I don’t care if you’re talking to her. I didn’t mean that.”

  “Have a hot dog,” Will said, handing over fully roasted dogs to Colton and Lucy.

  “Thanks.” Colton ate his in three big bites while Lucy took far more delicate bites of hers. By the time he finished the first one, Will had a second one ready for him. His big brother knew him well.

  “Has he always eaten like that?” Lucy asked Will.

  “For as long as I can remember. He’ll probably have a big old potbelly by the time he’s thirty.”

  “Screw you. I will not.” Colton flexed the muscles he’d acquired through endless hard work.

  Cameron and Lucy admired his shameless display while Will groaned with disgust.

  “It’s okay, Will,” Colton said. “I don’t blame you for being jealous.”

  Cameron rested her hand on Will’s bare chest. “He has no need to be jealous of anyone. I think he’s perfect.”

  Will’s smile lit up his face as he leaned in to kiss his girlfriend.

  “Barf,” Colton said.

  “Stop it,” Lucy said.

  That she sounded sincerely irritated with him caught him by surprise. Although how could he be surprised when he’d been in a grumpy mood all afternoon? “Sorry.” He stood and shook the sand off the towel he’d been using. “I’m going up to grab a shower. Anyone need anything?”

  “I’ll go with you,” Lucy said as she rose. “I’m starting to get cold, so I’m ready to get out of this bathing suit.”

  “Take your time.” Will nuzzled Cameron’s neck. “We’ll be fine without you.”

  “Just like we were fine without you?” Colton asked.

  Lucy gave him a push to direct him to the stairs that led to the house. “You’re in one hell of a mood.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. I’m all . . .” He waved his hand when he couldn’t come up with the words he needed.

  “What?”

  “Out of sorts.”

  She followed him up the stairs. “Why?”

  He waited until they both reached the landing at the top before he turned to face her. “Because! We have so little time to spend together, and I’ve been looking forward to having you all to myself. I can’t help it that I feel greedy where you’re concerned.”

  The smile that stretched across her face surprised him. “I suppose I can put up with your surliness if you’re going to say things like that.”

  “So you like that I’m greedy where you’re concerned?”

  “What girl wouldn’t like to hear that from the guy she’s interested in?”

  “I feel like I’m totally out of control with you, being flung all over the place and never sure of where I stand or what’s going to happen next. It’s making me crazy.”

  Lucy wrapped her hand around his and gave a gentle tug. “Come on.”

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “You’ll see when we get there.”

  Captivated by the warm glow in her eyes, Colton dutifully followed her to the backyard, where they used the hose to rinse the sand off their feet before going inside.

  Lucy led him to the bathroom and turned on the water in the shower. With her hands behind her back, she untied the bikini top that had been distracting him all afternoon. She let it drop to the floor and then tugged at the ties on the bottom half. “Are you just going to stand there or are you going to join me in the shower?”

  The question and the challenging tone in which it was issued spurred him to action. He shed his swim trunks in record time and stepped into the steam with her.

  Lucy turned to him, linked her arms around his neck and kissed him. “I’m sorry our time alone together got interrupted. I’m sorry you feel out of control—”

  “Lucy—”

  She put her finger over his lips. “Let me finish.” Resting her hands on his chest, she looked up at him. “I feel better now that Cameron knows. I wish I hadn’t been so rigid about keeping this a secret for so long. The secret made it all far more dramatic
than it needed to be.”

  Colton couldn’t argue with that. He felt the same way.

  “I want to go with you tomorrow to your mountain. I want to spend more time with you and get to know your family and the people you love. I want you to do the same with me in New York.”

  “What’re you saying, Luce?” he asked in a voice that barely registered as a whisper.

  “I’m saying I want this to be real. I want us to be real and not just a weekend fling. I’m saying—”

  He’d heard enough. He put his arms around her and lifted her so he could kiss her the way he’d been dying to for hours.

  Her arms and legs encircled him and her mouth opened to his tongue. If he thought uncertain Lucy had made him crazy, committed Lucy made him positively insane. She kissed him with the kind of abandon he’d only dreamed of, holding nothing back as she gave as good as she got.

  Colton turned them so she was pressed against the shower wall and, grasping her hips, he surged into her, stopping only when she broke the kiss with a gasp. “Hurt?”

  “No.” She tightened her arms around him and tilted her hips to encourage him to proceed. “Not at all.”

  He stared into her eyes while he took her fast and hard against the shower wall as the steam rose around them.

  She held his gaze without looking away until he reached between them to coax her. Her eyes closed as they reached the peak together.

  Only then did Colton realize how tightly he was grasping her bottom. He eased his grip as he left a trail of kisses from her throat to her jaw and then her lips.

  She fisted a handful of his hair and held him there as she kissed him back.

  “I’ve never had sex in the shower before,” she whispered.

  “What do you think of it?”

  “I think I quite like it, especially when I know there’s no chance you’d ever drop me.” As she spoke, she ran her hands over his shoulders and biceps.

  “Never.” He couldn’t stop kissing her.

  “I’m sorry I’ve been so . . . reluctant about all of this.”

  “You’ve had good reason.” He drew back slightly so he could see her eyes. “So we’re really going to do this?”

  Her laughter made her tighten around him. “It appears we’re already ‘doing this.’”

  He pushed against her, letting her know he was ready for more. “So it does. Seriously though . . .”

  Lucy smoothed wet hair off his forehead. “We’ll take it one day at a time and see what happens.”

  “While I’m more than thrilled to go along with this new plan of yours, I can’t help but wonder what changed.”

  “I don’t know exactly. I guess seeing Cameron and Will together made me realize what might be possible if I stop running scared and give you a chance.”

  “It’s a really good decision.”

  “He said with complete objectivity.”

  “So you’re saying I need to be thankful to them for showing up?”

  “It would be better than being surly.”

  Colton smiled and kissed her again before reluctantly withdrawing from her.

  She glanced down at his erection. “Does he ever take a break?”

  “You’re naked with me in the shower. It’s not his fault.”

  Lucy reached up to adjust the water, sending an icy blast in his direction. “That ought to take care of it.”

  Colton grimaced as the cold water immediately cured his problem. “I’ll get you for that.”

  She laughed as she stepped out of the shower. “I’ll look forward to it.”

  CHAPTER 11

  First boil jitters . . . no matter how many times I do this:

  Where is the nozzle I need for filling this drum?

  Isn’t that plug in the back pan in the wrong pipe?

  Is this the right rag for scrubbing syrup off the floor?

  Don’t we have another squeegee?

  Isn’t it time to flood the pans before they burn?

  —Colton Abbott’s sugaring journal, March 11

  After breakfast the next morning with Will and Cameron, Colton and Lucy drove away from the lake house in Colton’s truck. He’d made arrangements to have her car picked up by the rental company and had booked a flight for her from Burlington into LaGuardia on Tuesday afternoon. All of this had been done on Cameron’s cell phone while Lucy was still asleep.

  She appreciated that he took care of details that normally fell to her. That was her role with her family and coworkers—she was the one who took care of things. It was nice to be taken care of for a change.

  “Thank you for the time with Cameron,” she said as they drove through Burlington on the way to the highway that would take them east. “It was great to see her.”

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

  “I miss her so much. It’s very different without her at work and everywhere else for that matter.”

  “You guys spent a lot of time together.”

  “All our time—work and play. I’d never tell her this because I wouldn’t want her to feel bad about going off to live her own life, but I’ve felt a little lost without her.”

  Colton reached across the center console for her hand. “I can only imagine how hard it’s been.” He glanced over at her. “She said something to me . . . Something I want to ask you about, but I’m not sure how.”

  Lucy was immediately on guard. “What did she say?”

  “That you haven’t had an easy time of it, and I need to be careful with you. What did she mean by that?”

  While Lucy wanted to kill Cameron for telling him that, she knew her friend had only been looking out for her.

  “Luce? Are you going to tell me?”

  She looked out the passenger window at the scenic views of tall pines and mountains whizzing by. “My mom died when I was nineteen and Emma was eighteen. My dad sort of went off the deep end after my mother died. He did the best he could, but a lot fell to me.”

  “What happened to your mom?”

  “She had cancer. She fought it for years but ended up dying somewhat suddenly. Emma went a little crazy partying and sleeping around and doing everything she could to run away from the pain. Between her and my dad and balancing college, too, I barely had a minute to breathe.”

  “I’m so sorry about your mom. I can’t even imagine what life would be like without my mom.”

  “It was a rough couple of years, and we were all doing a little better when Emma got pregnant with my niece, Simone. My dad totally flipped out, which was rather unfair when you consider that he’d been largely absent for about two years by then. No one looks at Simone now and thinks about how or why she came to be, but at the time . . .”

  “It was rough.”

  “Yeah. My dad didn’t speak to Emma for a couple of months. He was so damned mad, but I don’t think he was mad at her. He was mad at life, but you couldn’t tell Emma that. Took a long time for them to get back on track.”

  “And you were square in the middle of it.”

  “Right. I met Cameron around that time, and she really helped me through a lot of it. We had an immediate bond because of the ADD, too.”

  “ADD? You have ADD?”

  “I told you that.”

  “No, you didn’t. That’s not something I’d forget, because I have it, too.”

  “You do? Really?”

  “Uh-huh. Fully medicated since seventh grade, thank you very much. How have we not talked about this when we’ve talked about everything else under the sun, the moon and the stars?”

  “It’s not something I like to talk about,” she said with a sigh. “I wasn’t diagnosed until I was in college, and neither was Cam. We both slogged through high school thinking we were stupid, and because I felt stupid, I did stupid things.”

  “Like what?”

  “Drinking, for one thing.”

  “Did that help?”

  Laughing, she said, “Not really. It just caused other problems. And then there’s my ADD romantic tr
ack record, which consists of more first dates than any girl in the history of the universe.”

  “Well, clearly you’ve overcome that because this is easily our thirty-sixth date.”

  She looked over to find him smiling smugly, which made her belly flutter with something that wasn’t nerves, exactly. The feeling was far too pleasant to classify as nerves. “How do you figure that?”

  “If each day counts as three dates—morning, afternoon and evening—then we are easily at thirty-six by now. Twelve weekend days times three dates per day . . .”

  “All that sexy ruggedness and you can multiply, too.”

  “Ha ha.”

  “That certainly sets a record.”

  “Happy to be of assistance.” He glanced at her before returning his attention to the road. “So you’ve never really done the relationship thing. Is that what you’re saying?”

  “Yes, I guess it is, so it’s no wonder I suck at it, right?”

  “You don’t suck at it, Luce. It’s a tough situation. We’ve both found something here that interests us. We want to spend more time together, but geography and work and life are conspiring against us. The best thing you can do is what you decided to do yesterday—relax and take it as it happens. That’s all either of us can do.”

  “You make that sound so simple when we both know it isn’t.”

  “It can be. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying each other’s company and seeing each other as much as we can without worrying about where it might be going. That’s not something we have to figure out right now—or any time soon for that matter.”

  “At the risk of overanalyzing things, I’m not really wired to chill and take it as it comes. I’ve had to be one step ahead of disaster for most of my adult life, so relaxing and rolling with it doesn’t exactly gel with my DNA—or my ADD.”

  “Stick with me, kid. I’ll teach you how to relax and roll with it.”

  His playful smile sparked the flutters in her belly again. She looked down at her hands in her lap as she thought about what he’d said. Could she become someone who relaxed and rolled with it? Probably . . . Under the right conditions. However, the more time she spent with him, the more mixed up and muddled her emotions became where he was concerned. That was especially true after what’d transpired between them this weekend.