Just This Once (15 page)

“You know I already took all my vacation. But . . . you
know, I hardly ever miss a day. And Heaven knows I put in enough hours. I’ll
tell Felix I need a day. I want to spend time with you.”

“Good, because I’d like to take you someplace special. Do
you want to decide where, or do you want me to surprise you?”

“Surprise me,” she said without hesitation. “That sounds
great.”

Felix was just as unhappy as Hannah had expected when she
told him she needed another day off. “I gave you three weeks,” he complained.
“That’s a lot, you know. Why do you need this day again?”

“I appreciate the three weeks. And now I have some personal
business, so I need to take a day. I realize I haven’t quite accrued it yet,
but I do need to take this day in advance of the accrual. You know I haven’t
taken a sick day all year, Felix.”

“You’re not going on an interview, are you?” he asked,
alarmed.

“No. I’m not going on an interview. I have some personal
business,” she repeated. “I’ll make sure we’re covered, and I’ll be back on
Monday, I promise.”

“All right, then. But you know I count on you to be there.
Don’t make this a habit.”

One day wasn’t a habit, she thought irritably. But she
wasn’t going to worry about it. She could barely admit how much she was looking
forward to Drew’s visit.

On Wednesday, he called again from Los Angeles. “How’s it
going down there?” she asked.

“Bit dull,” he admitted. “Shooting an advert. Standing
around, having my hair fixed. Taking a drink from a bottle, then being told how
to take a drink differently. They want me back tomorrow because I shaved today,
and now they want stubble. Mad.”

“It’s rough, having to be so manly,” she commiserated. “I
guess they don’t want to see your tender side.”

“Saving that for you,” he promised. “That’s why I rang,
actually. Can you be at the Oakland airport tomorrow evening at six?”

“Sure I can,” she answered, mentally rearranging her day so
she could leave earlier. “Will I be picking you up there?”

“Nah, you said to surprise you, so I’m working on that. Just
go to the Southwest counter, and they’ll get you sorted.”

“Drew,” she protested. “I didn’t mean for you to surprise me
this much. At least tell me what to pack.”

“Swimming togs. You know the ones I like. Casual. Nothing
too warm. And that’s all I’m telling you,” he cut her off. “It’s a surprise,
remember?”

“All right,” she said dubiously. “I guess I’ll see you
tomorrow night, then?”

“You’ll see me,” he promised.

“You’re distracted, Hannah,” Emery scolded the next day.
“What did I just say?”

“I’m sorry.” Hannah came back to herself with a start. “I
was thinking about something else, that’s all. I’m paying attention now, I
promise.”

“Are you feeling OK?” the more sensitive Beth asked. “I
don’t want to pry, but is everything all right? I was just wondering,” she said
hastily, “because you’re taking a day off, and you never do that. You’d tell us
if something were wrong, wouldn’t you?”

Hannah threw up her hands. “I can see I need to take more
time off, if one day causes such a stir. Everything’s fine, I promise. I’ll be
back on Monday just like always, ready to go. Let’s get back to talking about
running shorts, OK?”

Parking her car at the Oakland airport that evening, she
felt happier than she had since she had returned from her vacation. She wished
she hadn’t asked Drew to surprise her, though. Now that the time was here, she wanted
to see him now.

At the Southwest terminal, the agent handed her a ticket to
Los Angeles. Well, that made sense, and at least the flight was short. She hated
to admit that she was a bit disappointed. She wasn’t a fan of the huge,
sprawling city, and was surprised that Drew had chosen to stay there. It didn’t
seem like his kind of place either. She reminded herself to be appreciative
anyway. He didn’t know that she didn’t care much for nightlife, after all. They’d
never spent any time in the city together. She just hoped he wasn’t planning to
take her to Disneyland.

By the time the plane touched down in LA, though, Hannah
didn’t care if they were going to Knott’s Berry Farm for the weekend. She saw
Drew as soon as she stepped through the security area, and her heart, which had
been beating hard already, seemed actually to leap in her chest. She didn’t
realize she had been running until she hit his chest hard. He swept her up
against him, laughing.

It felt so good, being held by him again, kissing him,
stubble and all. She lifted her hand to his cheek to feel its roughness.

“Sorry,” he grinned. “Didn’t wait to shave.”

“I like it,” she assured him. “They were right. It’s very
manly. Very sexy.” She smiled into his eyes.

“Hold that thought,” he commanded as he pulled her with him
outside the airport, and into a car that pulled up within seconds.

“So where are we going in LA?” she asked.

“You’ll see. You wanted to be surprised, remember?” was the
only answer she could get from him.

Instead of exiting onto the freeway, however, the car
continued around to another terminal. Drew pulled her out, together with her
bag and his own, and hustled her into a much quieter building, with several
small gates leading out to the tarmac.

“Private plane,” he explained with a grin. “Wait and see.”

“I’ve never been on a private plane before,” she said as
they boarded. “How exciting.”

“Somehow, it doesn’t surprise me that you told me that. It’s
a short hop, though. I won’t get to impress you much, I’m afraid.”

He was right. In less than half an hour, they were landing.
It was hard to tell in the dark, but the area seemed small.

“Where are we?” she asked, bewildered, as the plane taxied
to a stop.

“Catalina Island. I asked around, and this seemed to be the
place to go. Didn’t have enough time to take you to Hawaii. This was the
closest I could get. Not warm enough to swim much, but we can go out on the
water, get you out of the rain, anyway.”

The next three days were some of the most relaxed Hannah
could remember. If anything, they was better than her final few days in New
Zealand, because she didn’t have the dread of leaving hanging over her. Drew
had hired a kayaking guide, and they spent a happy Friday touring the
inaccessible parts of the island, watching the cormorants diving, once even
spotting a bald eagle fishing.

They pulled up on an isolated beach where Drew, with a grin
and a flourish, opened his kayak’s compartments to reveal a wetsuit and
snorkeling gear. “Open yours,” he insisted, and there was her own gear, to her
delight.

“Just like our first date, eh. I didn’t get lucky that day.
Hoping to pull today, though,” he said seriously, pulling the suit on.

She looked around, grateful to see that the guide had moved
off to the side of the beach. “I don’t know what that means, but I can guess.
So stop embarrassing me. I think you do that on purpose,” she scolded him,
half-laughing.

“It’s true,” he admitted. “I like to watch you blush. And it
means just what you think. So rattle your dags. The quicker we do this, the
quicker we can get back.”

For all his teasing, she knew he enjoyed exploring the
undersea world as much as she did, pointing out fish and swimming over when she
found something exciting. The water was cold, though, and a half hour was
enough. They paddled back with the wind, enjoying a quick ride back to the
harbor. Thirty minutes later, she was finding out why their hotel suite had a
hot tub on the balcony.

“Being with you is quite an education. All kinds of new
experiences,” she said, breathless, against his chest as he pulled her on top
of him at last in the warm, bubbling water. “Bubbles instead of minerals this
time.”

“That’s me,” he agreed huskily, easing her slowly onto him
and watching her eyes glaze over as he filled her. “Always coaching, eh.”

He liked this angle, he decided, pulling a pink nipple into
his mouth, biting gently, feeling her jerk at the sensation. One hand stayed at
her breast, while the other went down to stroke her as she rocked against him.
She moaned, clutching his shoulders, moving faster now.

“Drew,” she gasped at last. “I need you. More.”

He stood up, still holding her onto him, and stepped out of
the tub. “What do you need? Tell me.”

“I need you on top of me,” she admitted. “Please.”

He lowered her onto the chaise and obliged her. “Like this?”
he asked, as he pushed home.

“Yes. Like that. Please,” she whimpered again as he drove
harder now, faster, again and again. Her arms reached out, fluttering, seeking
something to hold onto, needing to hang on.

He saw it, felt her distress. Grabbed her wrists in one
strong hand, pulled them above her head. And pushed her over the edge,
following her into a mindless, overwhelming orgasm that pulled the breath from
his body.

 “I’ve missed that,” he said against her hair, after pulling
her to lie on his chest, stroking his hand down her back just for the pleasure
of feeling her skin again. “You do something to me.”

“You do something to me too,” she admitted. “I think you
like doing something to me, in fact.”

“I do,” he agreed. “Every day. You push me someplace new,
every time.”

“I do?” She was pleased, but surprised. “I don’t know any
tricks or anything, though.”

He laughed. “Trust me. You don’t need any tricks. Reckon
you’ve got what I need.”

That evening, eating fish together again, she smiled,
remembering their first dinner. “You know what’s nice about this?” she asked
him.

“What?” he went along.

“No cell phone cameras. Nobody watching you or interrupting.
No girls flicking their hair at you. It must be nicer for you too, even though
you never say anything about it.”

“It is,” he admitted. “I’m proud to be an All Black. It’s an
honor. Special, every time you put on the black jersey. But you’re right, it’s
good to get away sometimes.”

“Is that the reason for all that attention, then? It’s not
just being a rugby player?”

“Yeh. You’re always recognized a bit anyway. But when you’re
an All Black, you’re more visible. And I’ve been on the squad a fair few years
now.”

“Plus that little detail of being the captain. I suspect
that has something to do with it too.”

He shrugged. “Yeh. There were other blokes before me. And
there’ll be more after me. It’s not really about me. It’s about being on the
team. And it’s a short enough time in the spotlight. Rugby matters to Kiwis,
that’s all. It’s different from other places.”

“I gathered that. And the All Blacks matter more than
anything else, I take it.”

“I reckon. Let’s talk about something else now, eh.”

She laughed. “All right. I’ll take pity on you. I guess the
only thing worse than having people take your picture, is talking about people
taking your picture, is that it?”

“Too right,” he grinned. 

She entertained him instead for the remainder of their
dinner with a description of Matt’s disappointment at her lack of adventure on
her vacation.

“Apparently I was supposed to bungy jump,” she told him, to
his amusement.

“Maybe if I pushed you off the tower,” he teased. “That’s
the only way we’d get you doing that fall.”

“It’s terrible to be such a chicken. I admit it. Have you
done it?”

“Course I have. What kind of a Kiwi do you take me for?
Can’t say I’m addicted to it, though.”

“I’m glad. It seems dangerous.”

“Nah. Not compared to some things. Sweet as.”

“Sweet as what?” she prompted, when he didn’t go on.

He looked surprised. “Didn’t you ever hear that, when you
were in En Zed?”

“What?” She was still confused.

“Another new experience for you,” he smiled. “Sweet as.
Kiwispeak. We don’t like using too many words. Or wasting time and effort
thinking of metaphors. There was a billboard a while back for a new chocolate
cornet. An ice cream,” he amended. “It just said, ‘Choc As’.”

“I get it. Instead of saying, “This ice cream is really,
really chocolaty, you just say, Choc As.”

“That’s it. Dead easy, see? Two words. Gets the point
across.”

“It would make copywriting easier, anyway,” she mused.
“We’re always trying to find the fewest number of words to convey the message.
Too bad I can’t use that.”

“I wish we didn’t have to leave,” she sighed as they packed
up on Sunday afternoon. “I don’t feel ready to say goodbye to you yet.”

“Are you saying goodbye to me? Have a messy apartment, do
you, that you don’t want me to see? Don’t I get to walk you to your door, at
least give you a kiss goodnight, after I paid for this expensive weekend, and
all? Come to think of it, didn’t you tell me that was the rule? If I take you
out, I get sex? After three dates, wasn’t it?”

She laughed. “Really? You’re coming back with me?”

“One more night, unless your husband objects. My ticket’s
for Monday afternoon, out of San Francisco. Thought I could take you for lunch
tomorrow, anyway. You do get to eat lunch, don’t you? You’re not actually
chained to the desk all day?”

“It only feels like it,” she admitted. “You’re right, I
hardly ever go out to lunch. But I’d love that. And I’d especially love to have
you come home with me tonight.” Just saying the words gave her a thrill. “My
little apartment won’t know what hit it. It’s never seen that kind of
excitement before.”

“I remember. Something else you shared. I’ll try to make it
memorable.”

“I hope so. Unless I wore you out too much already, this
weekend.”

“I think I’m fit for one more night. I’ve been training,
remember?”

“I didn’t realize that was what you were training for,” she
teased. “But I’m glad.”

It felt a little strange, showing Drew her tiny apartment. Hannah
had always loved the compact, orderly space. It was good to know she had chosen
everything in it, even if some of the choosing had happened at garage sales.
She liked sitting at her desk and being able to look out at the sky and the
trees. Knowing that this was her own place.