A Glimpse of the Dream (28 page)

Leaving the beach, we returned to his house for a shower. In the bathroom, he turned on the water before he held his hand out for me. Grasping it, he drew me into the shower with him. His mouth was on me before I even felt the spray. His hands moved over my body, which was sleek from the water. Cradling my face, he kissed me deeply, like he needed to kiss me or he’d die. My hands found his stomach, the chiseled muscles of his abs. His body wasn’t the body of the boy I’d known, he was a man, a beautifully defined man. He broke the kiss and reached for the dispenser, filling his palm with shampoo, and his fingers on my scalp nearly made me moan in pleasure. No one had every washed my hair before, and no one could ever make it feel as wonderful as he did. My bones turned to goo.

Rinsing my hair, he moved on to my body, washing me so tenderly. When he was done, I washed him as thoroughly and sweetly as he had done for me. He tensed when I moved over his scars, and I felt his discomfort in every muscle. But he needed to get past that, because he was mine, all of him. He lifted me into his arms, pressed me against the shower wall, and when he entered me this time it was as tender as his washing had been. Kissing me as if I were the most precious thing in his life, he slowly and deliberating brought me to orgasm. My name passed his lips in a whisper when he followed shortly after.

I woke up in Kane’s bed and reached for him, but he wasn’t there. Stretching, my thoughts turned to the night before. After our shower, he’d brought me to his room and made love to me again. In the middle of the night, he’d reached for me twice. And just before dawn, we’d made love again. And it was love, not sex, it was a sharing of not just our bodies but our souls. That was what every sexual relationship I’d had since Kane had been lacking. No one but Kane had ever touched my heart or my soul.

Sitting up, I reached for the robe he’d left for me, but I got distracted when I saw his nightstand, or rather, what was on it: a glass of chocolate milk with whipped cream. My heart sighed at the sight, and then I saw what else shared the nightstand, his pictures. Ones he could no longer see, but still they were there, pictures of me, of us, through the years.

“Tea?”

Kane was leaning against the doorframe, his voice questioning, wondering if I was up yet. “I’m awake,” I said.

He walked into the room, his steps sure, before he sat down next to me. I took a sip of the milk, then reached for his hand to pass him the glass. “Do you still drink a glass of chocolate milk with whipped cream every morning?”

He didn’t seem to want to answer, but reluctantly he did. “Yeah.”

“So do I.”

This earned me a smile. “You looking at my pictures?” he asked.

“Yes. Where did you get all of them?”

“Mrs. Marks. I asked her if she had any. I wanted you close.”

“At home, I have a picture of you too.”

“Did you throw darts at it?”

“That was the intention, but no. When it got to the point that I missed you so much I ached, I’d pull it out and wish that it was me here with you instead of the woman who was.”

“There has never been anyone but you.”

“For me either. I know you don’t believe that, I can see that clearly on your face. Yes, I dated, I had sex, but that is all it ever was. I never had what we shared last night, never, only with you.”

“I’m jealous of those other men. Really fucking jealous.”

“Nothing to be jealous about. They got my body but never my heart or my soul. Those have always been yours.”

“I still don’t like knowing other men have touched you, tasted you, seen and heard you as you came.”

“You’ll drive yourself crazy thinking about it, so please don’t. There will never be another, I can promise you that.”

“Damn straight.” But he said that with a little smile. He wasn’t over it, but he was trying, and that was all that mattered.

The following morning found me at the boatyard. Kane had gone to the public library in town, but for what, he didn’t say. I’d asked if he wanted company, and he said he thought I’d get bored. This gave me the perfect opportunity for my mission. Silas Miller stood in a boat hangar where a sailboat was being refinished.

Hearing me approach, he turned and smiled.

“Teagan, hi.” He looked past me. “Is Kane with you?”

“No. I came alone. I wanted to ask you for a favor.”

Placing down the mechanical part he had been working on, he wiped his hands with a towel he had stuffed in the front pocket of his work pants.

“What can I do for you?”

“I was hoping you could teach me how to drive a boat.”

Interest moved to understanding and settled on approval. “For Kane.”

“He always wanted to build a boat and drive it up and down the coast. He’s building the boat, but I imagine, as self-sufficient as he is, he won’t be able to drive it.” Looking down for a minute, my throat tight thinking of Kane losing so much more than his sight, I added, “I want to be able to give him that.”

“He would love that.” Mr. Miller’s words were so soft, my gaze met his. “He often mentioned it, you and him, his boat.”

Knowing he had still been thinking of me, still wished for the dream, even with all that had happened, settled very comfortably in my chest.

“Let’s go check my calendar and we’ll schedule some days. You’ll need to get your boater’s license, but I can help you with that.”

“Thank you.”

“Damn sad turn of events, tragic, but seeing the two of you together is just proof that some things are meant to be.”

Kane and I were finding our way, and I was happier than I’d been in a long time. I wasn’t sure what he was doing when he went to the library, had asked him a few times, since he went daily, but he said it was a surprise. Whatever it was, he was happier after doing it, more confident and aware, so whatever he was doing, I hoped he kept at it.

Mrs. Marks was feeling almost back to normal. She had been in the hospital for nearly four weeks, but the last few times that I’d visited her, she wasn’t disoriented and was able to speak with no apparent struggle. The doctors were talking about discharging her. Hopefully in the next few days she would be coming home. It had been far too long since the five of us were all together in the house. The visit with Kane’s mom was coming up, and I knew he was nervous, but I sensed a vein of excitement in him too. I hoped that their first meeting, after all these years, wouldn’t be a disappointment for him.

The only blemish in my nearly perfect world was Mr. Sleazy. I couldn’t stop thinking about him—he was up to something. Simon had hired a PI a few years ago after someone had come into our shop and sold us a fake. When Simon left for Boston, he’d planned on contacting the PI to have him look into Mr. Sleazy. I had the sense Mr. Lawson was doing so already, but I was still uneasy and, with Mrs. Marks in the hospital, I wanted to make sure the man who was in her home wasn’t planning something nefarious. Wondering if Simon had heard from the PI, I reached for my cell phone and called him. He answered on the first ring.

“Hey, how’s it going? How’s Kane?”

“Better, good, really good. He’s more open with me, and his instinct to push me away seems to be occurring less and less. He’s working on something new—he won’t tell me what, but I love seeing him look less haunted.”

“That’s good, that’s what he needs.”

“Simon, we made love.”

“And?”

“It was perfect.”

His voice sounded deeper, softer. “You love him, that makes all the difference.”

“So how are you? How’s the shop?”

“We’ve been busy as hell. I uncovered a couple of treasures that the previous owners were clueless about. I think I should be able to tie everything up in a few days. I’m thinking about shutting it down for a month. What do you think?”

“A month?”

“Double, Teagan, we’ve made double what we normally do in a month. I’d like to close up and join you in Maine.”

“I’d like that.”

“Now’s not the time, but we need to talk about the shop, especially if you’re thinking about staying in Maine.”

Thinking about the future caused my stomach to twist into a knot. I wanted Kane, so if that meant staying in Maine, I was fine with that. But for Kane to not even consider living in Boston, to just want to settle at Raven’s Peak—I didn’t think that was the healthiest option for him.

“We’ll talk, just not now.”

“You know, we can always open a branch in Maine. There are options.”

I had thought of that, but I didn’t want to make any decisions now. When it came time to think about what was best for our business, I wanted the only factors to be the ones that were directly related to the business. My personal life shouldn’t have an impact on my professional decisions. It wasn’t fair to Simon or our business. “You’re right, and when I’m more comfortable with where Kane and I are heading, then we can sit down and figure it all out. Whatever happens, Simon, I don’t want to lose you.”

“Not going to happen, so don’t worry about it.”

“I needed to hear that. So I called . . .”

“Not just to hear my sexy voice?”

“That, and have you gotten anything back about Sleazy yet?”

“Not yet, but I’ll be with you soon, so when our PI calls, we can hear it together. Tell that lovely Mrs. T I’ll be returning in a few short days so she can prepare a feast in my honor.”

“You’re an idiot, but I’ll tell her.”

“Teagan, Kane.” A worried Mr. Clancy pulled me from sleep. Kane stirred at my side, his head turning in the direction of the voice.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s Mrs. Marks. The hospital just called. She’s had a stroke. I don’t know the details, or how severe.”

Kane and I jumped from the bed. I was wearing my nightie, and Kane wasn’t wearing a thing. Mr. Clancy started for the door. “Car will be in the drive in five.”

As soon as the door closed, Kane’s head turned in my direction. He sounded serious, but I saw his slight grin. “He got an eyeful.”

He looked embarrassed, so I said, “A fucking nice eyeful.”

We dressed quickly and hurried down the stairs, my hand in Kane’s for support as well as to guide him, since being in a hurry could make him miss a step. I didn’t want to be visiting him in the hospital too.

The car was in the drive, Mr. Clancy and Mrs. T already inside it. Once Kane and I climbed in, Sam, the driver, didn’t hesitate to peel out.