by Kim Law
“I was over here yesterday,” she told him, glancing behind him to the house. “The walls were going up.”
He could see the anticipation in her eyes, and he gave her a teasing wiggle of his brows. “They’re up.” He nodded toward the closed door. “So the question is . . . see the walls now”—he angled his head toward the water—“or see the sunrise?”
He knew what he wanted.
Ginger bit her lip as she worked through her decision, and as she stood in front of him, all he could picture was her naked body. Again. He’d done that a lot in the last twelve hours.
Normally, the sight of a beautiful bare woman—while arousing—wouldn’t send his hormones into a complete rage. But seeing Ginger had done exactly that. Because he’d seen more than her naked body. He’d seen himself waking up.
He’d not only wanted sex, he’d wanted to live again. Even if for only the few minutes it would take to slide his body inside of hers. He wanted to feel something other than misery and anger.
“The sunrise.” She’d made her decision. “On the pier.”
She reached for his hand and pulled him down the stairs. At the bottom, he wrapped his fingers around hers and took the lead, and two minutes later they were on the pier. Without speaking, they dropped their hands and walked side by side to the end. They sat, feet hanging over the edge, and waited.
Of course, Ginger could only stay quiet for so long. “The way I see it, it’s time for you to tell me more about your marriage.”
He leveled her with a look. “And why do you think that?”
“Because you saw me naked.”
Her green eyes stared, unblinking, back at him. She didn’t seem embarrassed so much as exposed. Which she had been. And he wanted her to be again.
For the life of him, he couldn’t get that thought out of his head.
“And what does your nakedness have to do with my marriage?”
“Mortification, Carter.” She rolled her eyes at him as a teenager might do, and he had to bite down on a smile. “You saw me naked,” she explained. “No man has seen me naked in a long time. A fact I thought about a lot last night.”
“You thought about me while you were on your date?”
She narrowed her eyes. “My date ended early enough that I had time to think after.”
“Ten o’clock.”
“What?”
He turned away and casually explained, “Your date ended at ten o’clock.”
“And how would you know that?”
Because he’d been jealous. He forced a sigh. He preferred her to believe his actions of the previous evening had been born of frustration. “You told a stranger where you lived, Ginger Root. Therefore, I watched to make sure you made it home okay.”
“You spied on me?”
He wouldn’t tell her that it wasn’t the first time. He continued watching the sky.
She poked him in the arm. “You do know that I’m a grown woman? I can take care of myself.”
“It doesn’t hurt to have backup.” He slid her a glance. “So . . . did you think about me while you were on your date?”
“I thought about me!” She raised her voice in exasperation. “Me being naked.”
He smiled. “I thought about that, too.”
“Stop it. You’re trying to derail me. The point I’m making is, you saw me naked. Vulnerable. So I deserve a bit of the same. If you don’t plan on getting naked, then tell me about your wife.”
He looked down at his clothes, and she immediately pointed a finger at him.
“Don’t you dare get naked.”
“Why not?” He pulled out another smile. “You think you might like it as much as I did?”
She blew out a harsh breath, and he couldn’t stop the chuckle. Damn, but she was cute. And if he weren’t mistaken, she was turned on, as well. At least a little.
Where was this thing between them going? And why was he trying to drive it there?
“Yes.” All irritation disappeared from her demeanor with the single word. “I would like it, too.” Her honesty moved him. She stuck out her chin. “Now spill.”
“Lisa left me for someone else.”
Ginger sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh, Carter.” Her fingers landed on his arm. “I’m so sorry.”
Pressure eased inside of him with the release of the words. He gave her a tight smile and let her touch remain. “No biggie. I wasn’t the kind of man she wanted.”
Ginger didn’t blink. He watched her throat rise with a swallow, then she gave a small nod and her thumb caressed a tiny section of his skin. “I understand how that feels. Not being what someone wants.” Her eyes stayed focused on his. “But clearly, it was a biggie. It changed you.”
It had changed him. And he hadn’t even told her the worst of it. Nor did he plan to.
“This is why you feel so bad about yourself that you aren’t having sex?” Ginger asked.
He shook his head. “No more, Red. That’s all you get. No more talking about the ex.”
“But you need to.”
“What good would it possibly do?”
“What harm would it do? And it could totally help you.”
“Help?” He brought one knee up on the dock, shrugging off her touch. But he faced her dead on. “I don’t think so. But yes. She’s the reason I’m not having sex. Hell, I wasn’t having sex with her. And now you want me to talk about her? No.” He shook his head. “It’ll only make it worse. Make me want sex less. And seeing you naked last night . . .” He eyed her carefully as he thought about the surge of heat that had spiraled through him the night before. “Seeing you made me actually want it. A hell of a lot. And I liked that feeling.” He gave her a hard look. “I’d like to keep it.”
She didn’t answer. Nor did she seem to breathe.
“So no more sharing about Lisa,” he finished and turned back to the horizon. Ginger had been right, this was a beautiful spot for a sunrise. The way they were practically sitting out in the ocean made it feel as if the day were waking up purely for them.
The colors of the sky lightened above the water, indicating that the sun wasn’t far behind.
“So you weren’t having sex during your marriage?”
Carter’s teeth clenched together.
“For how long?”
He scowled at her.
“We’re friends, Carter,” Ginger said softly. The honesty still burned in her eyes, so Carter closed his. They might be friends, but that didn’t mean he had to share his past screwups. “I just want to help,” she continued. “Because I want you to be happy again.”
Fuck. She had a way of getting to him. He reopened his eyes to find hers right there. Still on his. And he couldn’t staunch the words. “I found out about them in May,” he said. “But if you count the months before that . . .”
“Months?”
He gave her a quiet stare. It was embarrassing.
“How many months?”
He turned back to the ocean. The sun was there. They’d missed the sunrise. “Before Christmas,” he admitted. Shame filled him. Lisa had been home for only one day over the holidays, yet they hadn’t bothered. He hadn’t seen her for months at that point, and he hadn’t cared to take her to bed.
“That’s a long time,” Ginger said beside him.
“You’re telling me.” He leaned back, resting his palms on the wood behind him and stared at the sky. “And my god . . .” He blew out a breath. “Could I use some sex.”
Then he smiled. Because he realized that telling her about Lisa had made him feel better. Lighter, as she’d said Saturday night.
He turned to her. “Especially if you’re going to keep running around naked.”
She grinned back at him, the look so radiant, it was if his own personal sunrise had just risen. “I promise to check the kitchen for rogue casseroles being cooked from now on,” she said. “Before I take off my clothes.”
“Hey, don’t do that on my behalf.”
She laughed lightly,
but quickly fell into silence, and he watched as she realized they’d missed the sunrise. Her smile dropped, but she didn’t seem upset. However, it was as if her entire being was suddenly shrouded with sadness. “It’s been over two years for me.”
“Damn.”
“I know.” She twisted her lips. “I told you no man has seen me naked for a long time.”
“No wonder you want those dates to work out.”
She snorted softly, and he pushed off his hands to sit up straight. An idea began knocking around inside his head. It was probably a bad one. But it wouldn’t go away.
“We . . . could . . .” He let the words trail off. He didn’t look at her.
“We could what?”
He lifted a brow, and without saying another word, he knew he got his point across.
“Carter,” she gasped. “We’re friends.”
He swung his gaze back to hers. “What better person to have sex with? We’d know we’d still be friends afterward.” He stared at her mouth. “And I’d be willing to bet we’d have chemistry.”
She also looked at his mouth. And she seemed to consider it. A tiny line formed between her brows. She licked her lips. Then, as if coming out of a trance, she blinked and gave him that rolled-eye thing again.
“I am not having sex with you,” she stated. “You’re out of your mind. Anyway, I’ve got another date Thursday night.”
That caught him off guard. “So last night did go well?”
“No. Last night was a bomb. He was too immature. But I lined up this one a couple of weeks ago. He doesn’t live on the island, only comes over for work every few weeks. We had a really nice talk the day he asked me out.”
“Your ability to draw new men so often amazes me.” And made him jealous.
“Tell it to my mother,” she drawled out. “That’s the only thing I inherited from her. Anyway, I have that date”—she shot him a look—“so I’ll hold out for that. Maybe I’ll get lucky.”
He stood and reached a hand down to her. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
“I’m not going to change my mind.” But her words grew soft as they stood face-to-face.
“Should we kiss just to see?” he asked. Now that he’d had the idea, he wasn’t ready to let it go. “Test the chemistry?”
“Carter.” The word came out more breathy than she probably realized. “We’re friends. Friends can’t run around kissing.”
“We are friends, and that won’t change, kissing or not. And anyway, I’ll be leaving soon. It’s not like you’d even have to be around me if things got uncomfortable.”
Her clear gaze studied him. “You won’t come back to visit Julie and the baby?”
The moment changed, and he nodded. Things were different now. Different than just two weeks ago. “I will come back,” he said. It was a promise to himself as well as an admission to her. “I won’t stay away like I did in the past. But you won’t be living beside her anymore; you’ll be out here.” He squeezed her hand, aware for the first time that he hadn’t turned her loose after he’d pulled her to her feet. “So we could avoid each other if we wanted to.”
“You make it sound so simple.” She sounded as if she was seriously contemplating the idea.
“It could be simple. And I don’t think it would ruin our friendship. I really believe that. We’re both too smart. Too aware of reality and what we want out of life. You want forever.”
“And what do you want?”
“Not forever.” It was the saddest thing he’d ever said.
“I’m really sorry she hurt you so badly.”
He nodded. “Me, too.”
They walked a few feet before he cut a glance down at her. “So are you happy now? Feeling better about the vulnerability thing? You got me to talk about Lisa. To tell you all my secrets.”
Not all his secrets. And she watched him as if aware of that fact.
“I am happy.” She tugged on his hand, pulling him closer, and slipped her arm through his. “Thank you for telling me.”
It started raining then, just a little, and they stopped walking and tilted their heads to the sky. Silky wetness slid over their faces. It felt to Carter like waking up.
“I didn’t know it was supposed to rain this early,” he said. Though the forecast called for it later in the day, there were no clouds in the sky yet, just sun and rain. And Carter loved that Ginger didn’t seem to mind getting wet. She stood there, her cheeks turned up, with water dripping down over her.
She was beautiful.
“I saw a woman on the ferry the morning I arrived,” he told her. “It was drizzling, and she came out with a raincoat on, but the hood wasn’t up. She seemed completely unconcerned with the weather. It made me think of you.”
Her soft laughter stroked inside of him. “Was that the morning it was so foggy?”
“So bad you couldn’t even see the island until we were practically upon it.”
Her lips curved more. The pink in them captured his attention, and he knew there was more than one thing about him that had changed over the last two weeks.
“That was me,” she said. “At least, I was on that ferry. And I didn’t have my hood up.” She held out her free hand, palm open as if to capture the rain. “Some things never change.”
“And some things do.” He tugged her. “Kiss me, Red. I have to know.”
“Carter.”
“You have to wonder a little . . . right?” He gulped with unexpected nerves. “I mean . . . tell me I wasn’t the only one feeling something in the kitchen last night.”
“You took off your shirt and I combusted,” she confessed.
“See?” He could barely pull in a breath. “We could be good together. Blow off some steam.” He tried a smile, but it failed. He wanted her. Right now. Underneath him. “Kiss me, Red. Don’t make me beg.”
“You’re already begging.”
“And I plan to keep begging until I get what I want.”
“Fine.”
The word surprised him, and he latched his gaze on to hers. Did she mean . . .
“Lay one on me.” Her voice was solid. “Show me what you’ve got.”
Additional nerves hit. So fast he almost changed his mind. But he tugged at her hand once more, and she willingly came closer. Then he cupped her cheek in his palm and brought her mouth up to his.
The first touch made everything inside him clench tight.
Her lips were warm. And damp from the rain. And fuller than he’d realized.
He tilted his head and slid his thumb to the spot just below her bottom lip. She groaned. Then he pressed in harder.
His heart beat so hard it almost vibrated his rib cage, and he would swear that he could feel hers doing the same. And then he parted her lips and touched his tongue to hers, and suddenly nothing about him could be contained.
Ginger’s touch lit him on fire, and fear screamed at him to pull back. But he didn’t. He captured her face in both his palms, holding her to him, touching her, caressing her. Tasting her. He couldn’t get enough. And she was right there with him. Her tongue swiped at his. Her fingers tunneled through his hair. And her lips fought to keep up.
Finally, and with grave reservations, he separated them so they could breathe.
His fingers were still tangled in her hair, and he reveled in the silkiness against his skin.
He wanted more.
“Wow,” she whispered.
They stood, faces together, and their bodies trembling.
“You thought that was wow, too, right?” she asked. She sounded as scared as he felt.
Red lights and screaming sirens flashed in his head. A concrete wall slammed at his emotions. All implying the same single word.
Stop!
But another part of him said something else.
“I absolutely thought that was wow.” His voice came out hoarse. “Very wow.” He traced the pad of his thumb over her cheekbone. Her skin was soft. And the rain made her intoxicating to touch.
“This is bad, Red. I’m going to want more.”
“No.” She shook her head. “No more. It was a test. A single kiss. I have a date Thursday night. I want a happily ever after . . .” Her words trailed off before she finished with “It’s going to be a good date. He could be the one.”
He wouldn’t be the one.
Carter kissed her again.
They moaned at the same time, and again, she was a full participant. The earth moved under their feet.
When they separated, Carter pulled their hands off each other and put a foot of space between them. He gasped for air. “It’s yet to be seen if this date is ‘the one,’” he said. His voice came out gravelly. “But keep your clothes on for it, will you? He doesn’t need to see that.”
She stared at him. Then she blinked, nodded, and put another foot of space between them.
“I hope your mother is right, Carter.” She said the words softly, giving him the most tender smile he’d ever received. “I hope coming home heals you.”
She turned and walked away from him then, and he watched until she’d gotten into her car and driven out of sight. Then he touched his lips. What had he done?
Had that explosion been only because it had been so long for both of them?
The urge to write struck again. He should have an hour or two before anyone else showed up at the house to work, and though he bordered on feeling rude for taking up residence in Ginger’s upstairs room, he didn’t let that stop him. The words had flowed that morning, and that was what mattered.
He retrieved his laptop from his truck and took the stairs two at a time. Settling in the fold-out chair he’d brought over earlier, he stared through the glass panes of the deck doors and watched the rain now coming down in sheets. It was a glorious day.
And that kiss had rocked his fucking world.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The slow, steady hum of rain pelting down on the roof kept Ginger in a relaxed state, but not enough to allow sleep to continue. It was time to get up, whether there would be a decent sunrise to view or not.
