Basic Training (16 page)

“…Two to McCormick base. Travis?…there?”

Hallelujah! “I’ve got you now, Dad. But you’re breaking up.”

“…fine, son…. Coast Guard apprised…ride it out with Eileen and…see you tomorrow.”

His elation at hearing his father’s voice was tempered by all the ways he could interpret that garbled message. “Dad? Verify situation okay.”

“Verified.” His father was shouting now, too. But his voice was strong. When it came through. “…call…storm over. See…tomorrow. Helena…out.”

Travis pulled the headset from his ear and breathed a sigh of measured relief. “McCormick base out.”

He shut down the power and tried to believe that his father did have everything under control. The man was an old sea salt, who could probably navigate the waters of Chesapeake Bay and the near Atlantic coast and islands with his eyes closed. He and Craddock were veteran Marines with survival training from back in the day. And he couldn’t discount the feisty powerhouse Millie Craddock, either. The forced proximity might even give his dad and Eileen the opportunity to find some common ground so they could get along. They would be just fine.

It wasn’t until he left the static and panic of the study and entered the quiet of the rest of the empty house that Travis realized the rain had started here, too. He went to the sliding glass doors and looked out over the deck and beach to the bay beyond. The gray water looked black tonight, with no moon or stars to reflect off the surface. Flashes of cloud-to-cloud lightning sparked overhead, giving brief glimpses of the wind and rain churning the bay into deep, choppy waves. Rain slapped the door. Travis spread his hand against the smooth glass and felt how the front blowing ahead of the storm had cooled the air outside.

Nope. His dad didn’t want to be out in this. Not on the water where the effects of the storm would be more intensified. Probably not even in a tent on the rocky beach of Longbow Island. But Hal and his crew would be safer if they stayed put there.

Some hero. Sitting on the sidelines while a group of older folks faced real danger.

Travis didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to be alone tonight to worry about stuff he couldn’t take care of himself.

He still owed Tess that apology. They still needed that talk.

Time to take action.

Grabbing his jacket and keys, and leaving the knee-brace behind, he dashed out to the driveway and climbed into his dad’s truck. Inside, he smoothed the water from his scalp, checked the time, and threw the truck into gear. He could use a soda and some popcorn right about now.

His mission tonight was to reconnect with Tess.

Whether as friend or lover, the choice would be hers.

W
HAT IF SHE
hauled off and did something completely irresponsible? Like close the awning of the concession stand and walk away? Heck. Why bother closing the awning? Tess hadn’t had a single customer the past hour. The evening drizzle had evolved into a steady rain, and the wind and lightning overhead meant the storm was going to get worse before it blew on through Ashton.

The band at the courthouse had packed up. The street dancers had moved into the local bars and restaurants or gone home. The carnival rides were shut down and the tourists clamoring for hotdogs and popcorn were nonexistent.

She should have brought a book to read. Or a radio so she could listen to the Washington Nationals baseball game.

Tess was going nuts, hanging around the concession booth with nothing to do but remember that that was the spot where Travis had pinned her against the door. That was the brand of candy she’d gnawed through when he’d gone down on her. That was the stack of cups they’d knocked over in their hasty efforts to get dressed again after the fact.

Tess propped her elbows on the counter, rested her
chin in her palms and leaned forward to let the wet air mist through the screen and cool her face. She tried scanning the corners and alleys, looking for Travis’s suspected spy, but rain and the limits of the streetlights revealed nothing but bricks and concrete and shadows. She wished Travis were here; they needed to talk. A conversation with him was guaranteed stimulation, whether they laughed, debated, or explored the merits of more serious topics.

Of course, in years to come, she might always associate the concession stand with Travis McCormick and their naughty rendezvous. If he was here,
talking
might not be the first activity to cross their minds.

“Damn.” Tess batted the screen in frustration, flicking the collected drips onto the sidewalk. She straightened and circled the stand, searching for something else to clean, prep or put away before her shift was over at eleven.

She and Travis really did need to talk. She’d decided to confess that she was the college encounter he’d compared her to last night. He had more sexual experience—perhaps he could help her understand how she could be forgettable one time and irresistible the next. How she could pour her heart and body into caring for him, and he could…forget her.

She didn’t want him to feel guilty. She didn’t blame him for being drunk. But so much of her own sexual confidence—or lack thereof—had hinged on that embarrassing encounter that she just needed some answers. How much of last night was just seizing the moment and helping a friend get what she wanted?

“Sounds like a
Dr. Phil
show.” She fisted up a wad
of paper towels and wiped down the minifridge, which was already spotless. “Insecure woman competes against herself for the affections of a sexy man. And loses.” Man, could she use a sympathetic sounding board right about now. “That’s messed up, girl.”

“If I’d known you were out here by yourself in the middle of the night, I’d have come by sooner.” Travis’s rich, mischievous baritone through the screen startled her.

“McCormick!” Tess pressed a hand to her thumping heart and then to the heat blossoming on her cheeks, buying herself a few moments to gather her composure and pray he hadn’t heard those last few thoughts she’d spoken out loud. Not exactly the way she wanted
that
conversation to start.

“Who’re you talkin’ to? The voices inside your head?”

“At least I’m in good company.” When she finally turned around, she saw the dark spots on his tan jacket where the rain had soaked his broad shoulders. His hair looked like liquid bronze slicked against his scalp. And in the light from inside the stand she saw the rivulets of moisture streaking his clean-shaven cheeks as he pressed his nose into the screen. She laughed at the teasing expression on his face and crossed to the counter. “Didn’t your mother ever talk to you about hats and umbrellas and staying out of the rain so you wouldn’t catch cold?”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t paying attention that day.”

“Did you ever?”

His devilish smile disappeared as he straightened to a military posture, and suddenly she could see the careworn lines her mother had spoken about that
morning. “Seriously, T-bone, this street is deserted. And this screen wouldn’t stop anyone from breaking in if he wanted to get to you or that cash box.” He looked up and down the street. “All these shops are closed. With the street blocked off, there’s no traffic. With the rain, there are no vendors, no pedestrians. And I can barely make out the din from The Bounty from here, so I doubt anybody around the corner would hear you if you screamed.”

“Even the way I do it?” He was so damn serious she couldn’t resist the tease.

He opened his mouth to add another argument, but slowly closed it and shook his head. “Yeah, even the way you scream.” He swiped the moisture from his face, taking some of the tension with it. “Where’s your car parked?”

“Far enough away that a smart woman would ask a certain strapping Marine to walk her to the parking lot when she’s done.”

“So are you done?”

She glanced up at the sheets of rain pouring off the edge of the awning. Judging by the steady staccato drumming on the metal roof, it wasn’t letting up anytime soon. And a walk to her car would give her the opportunity to talk to Travis. “I don’t think it would hurt to close up early.” She pointed to the awning anchors through the screen. “Do you mind?”

In under five minutes, she had the building locked down, her purse zipped inside her windbreaker, and a ball cap wedged on top of her head. She and Travis got soaked to the skin as they hurried to her car. They were actually too busy jumping puddles and ducking downspouts to get much talking done. So when Travis tried to close the car
door behind her, with an offer to follow her home, she snatched at his soggy sleeve and asked him to join her.

Beads of rain clung to his golden lashes when he winked. “If you don’t mind a puddle in your passenger seat.” He closed the door behind her, dashed around to the passenger side and climbed in.

Tess already had the engine running and the heat turned on to help dry them out and keep the windows from fogging. “So, since it’s not really your job to patrol the streets of Ashton, what brings you out on a night like this?”

“Oh, damn, I forgot.” He reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out a bedraggled daisy. “Peace offering?”

Tess giggled at the sad little flower with its broken stem and smushed bloom. She rescued it from his big fingers and good intentions. “How sweet.” She touched the swath of delicate white petals to her nose and inhaled the fresh, light scent. It would require a fair amount of TLC to revive it to its original glory, but it was the thought that touched her. “I like this better than the roses that came this morning.”

“What roses?”

“A dozen long-stemmed red ones.”

Travis shifted, trying to get comfortable in the small space of the car. “Who were they from?”

“Not you, apparently.”

“No. Is there a secret admirer I’m competing with? Maybe a not-so-secret one?”

“Are you kidding?” She couldn’t get used to the idea of one man showering attention on her, much less two. “They’re probably not even for me. The card didn’t say,
so more likely, they’re Amy’s. Or even Mom’s. Whoever sent them didn’t sign the card, either. It was just a weird, typed message.”

“How weird?”

“Something like ‘I enjoyed our time together, and I’ll find you again when the time is right.’ That is weird, right?”

Travis’s expression gave her her answer. The steely concern that had shadowed his gaze when he’d lectured her on nighttime safety risks darkened his blue eyes again, reminding Tess of the creepy feeling the roses had given her that morning. She leaned forward to stretch her back and roll the kinks from her neck, imagining that she could roll that unsettled feeling off her back as well.

Time to change the subject. She nodded toward the precious daisy. “So—what’s this for?”

“An apology.” Travis shrugged, then reached down to shove his seat back and give his long legs room to stretch out. The suspicions that had filled the car slowly dissipated, and a different kind of tension took their place. “Last night was…unexpected. But I was completely turned on. It was good for me, and I don’t mean just physically. I should have thanked you for that. Thanked you better than I did.”

“Trav—”

“But those noncoms came on to you and I got my nose all out of joint and…You don’t think one of them sent you the flowers, do you?”

“Did either of them strike you as the type who could afford long-stemmed roses in a crystal vase?”

He shook his head, answering her question or still
condemning his own actions, she couldn’t tell. Maybe both. “You know, what happens
after
a couple gets close can be just as important as the act itself.” He arched one brow. “Or so I’ve had women tell me.”

She laughed and swatted his arm. “I don’t want to hear how many women you’ve had this discussion with.”

He covered his heart with his hand. “Hey, I’m tryin’ here. Whatever I said or didn’t say, or however I screwed up, I’m sorry. You were amazing. Period. We don’t have that much time together to start with. I don’t want it to be over after just one night.” He reached across the console between them. His fingertips hovered close to her lips, but never touched her. “There’s more I want to show you.”

Tess shivered at the portent in his husky voice. At the instant frissons of anticipation he could set off with a word or a look, she cranked up the heater to pass them off as a chill from the rain. But she wasn’t any good at that sort of game, and Travis wasn’t buying it.

Still clutching the daisy in one hand, she reached up and laced her fingers with his. “I don’t want us to be over with yet, either. Last night was pretty cool. Very cool,” she amended. “Hell, it was fantastic. And I want to do it—or something like it—again. But—”

“Damn.” He squeezed her hand. “You ruined it with the
but
.”

“
But
,” she turned in her seat and insisted he listen, “I have something I need to tell you, and I’m afraid you’ll change your mind about me—about us—continuing our training sessions.”

“Not a chance.”

“You haven’t heard what I’m going to say yet.”

“Anything you don’t know I can teach you. Or we’ll learn it together.”

“It’s not that.”

“Are you worried about transmitting something?”

She blushed at that one. “No.”

“I’m not, either, but I promise we’ll be completely protected. I made a stop before I came here.”

He bought condoms? “That’s sweet.”

“Sweet again? That’s not what I’m goin’ for.”

“It’s presumptuous, then.”

“You just said you wanted to do it again.”

“But there was a
but
.”

“Son of a bitch, there was.” Travis pulled his hand away and retreated to a polite distance. “Is this the kind of conversation we need to do over a cup of coffee or glass of beer?”

“Just listen. Please.”

“Shoot, T-bone.”

She took a deep breath and prepared to bare her soul. “That kiss? That make-out session in college—

“Make-out session?”

“—the one you measure all other kisses by in your life?”

“What about it?” His breathing stilled and his hands came to rest on the faded denim covering his muscular thighs.

“Do you ever wish you could meet her again?”

“I thought you didn’t want to know about the other women in my life.”

“That was me, Trav.”

“What was?”

“I was the girl who tracked you down at the third
bar you’d been to that night. It was me who took you home and let you crash on my couch. After Stacy left you for what’s-his-face, I thought you needed a friendly face to talk to.”

He waved aside the idea. “I wasn’t interested in talking that night. I wanted to get laid. I was looking for someone who was into me, who made me feel like I still had the juice.”

“I know. I made a bed for you on that hideous, orange-striped couch that came with the furnished apartment.”

He paused. “I remember orange stripes.”

Would he remember anything else? “I loosened your clothes and tried to cover you with a blanket so you could sleep.”

“I thought she was seducing me.” He pointed an accusing finger. “I’ve told you this story, haven’t I.”

“Never. You took my shirt off. Said you needed me, wanted to be in me.”

Travis’s eyes widened. “I wanted to bury myself inside that woman and forget all about Stacy.”

She remembered the details vividly. His hands on her breasts. His kisses. The weight of his body on hers. Everything Tess had ever felt for Travis had altered and intensified that night. “The blanket kept getting twisted between us so—”

“—I balled it up and used it for a pillow.”

“You kissed me. You said all great sex started with a kiss.”

“Shit.” He dipped his forehead into his hand, then scrubbed his fingers through his short hair, flipping water droplets onto the window and leaving bronze spikes in his wake. His eyes were unreadable when he
looked at her again. “That was you? All these years and you never told me that we—”

“We didn’t.”

“We could have been…?”

“We weren’t.” They hadn’t been lovers then, and unless she could salvage her pride, they wouldn’t be lovers now. “I
was
trying to seduce you that night.”

“You were succeeding.”

“I didn’t know what I was doing then any more than I know now.”

“Dammit, Tess, I was drunk. I passed out. I wanted you like crazy.”

“You didn’t even know it was me that next morning. You wouldn’t even consider that it
might
have been me you wanted to take to bed. You sat there drinking your coffee and going on about this babe you’d nearly screwed the night before. You asked me to help you find her.”

“Ouch.”

“I tried to tell you it was me.” Temper flowed through her veins, along with shame and twelve years of thwarted desire. The daisy bit the dust as she shook her fists across the seat. “No way in hell could that sex goddess have been me. And now I’m supposed to believe that I’m
irresistible?
”