Love Captures the Heart (Sully Point, Book 3) (12 page)

He spent some time that evening talking to Cody about
fishing and the boat trip tomorrow. Cody was holding a fussy baby on his
shoulder and pacing the front porch. It seemed that as long as Cody was moving,
the baby was quiet. Jason liked the easygoing fisherman and businessman. He had
an air of contentment about him that Jason envied. Of course, you only had to
see Cody look at his wife Julia to become aware of their love for each other.
He came away that night wondering for the first time in a long time about
whether he was missing out on life by not looking for that kind of love and
commitment. He poured all of himself into his work--and now that edifice was
crumbling.

Holly had spent the evening talking to her sister and Julia.
No matter where he was or who he was talking to, he felt connected to her, as
if tied to her with a string. She would glance at him occasionally and he'd
feel that tension of the connection between them, a vibration of that string.
He didn't think Holly had spoken two words to him that whole time, yet by the
time they left, he felt as if they'd had an entire conversation just in those
glances.

The ride back to the loft took place in silence, Holly
holding a container of leftovers to put in the fridge. They'd also brought
coffee and rolls with them for the morning, before going on the boat. At one
point during the drive, she reached out to run her hand down his arm. It was
such a possessive, comfortable, affectionate gesture that Jason felt his breath
catch in his chest.

They got to the loft and Holly put on music that flowed
throughout the large space. Jason appreciated the speaker system. She stood in
the center of the large room, swaying to the music. "Dance with me?"
she asked. He crossed the room to her and put his arms around her. Even as they
moved to the music, he kissed her and felt that he was home.

That night they made love in a calm, quiet, gentle manner
that somehow made everything more intense. They fell asleep in each other's
arms and Jason didn't dream of buildings falling down. Instead he dreamed of a
house, a house he designed, a house that was a home.

Chapter 6

They got up early to get out on the boat to fish. Cody met
them at the docks, claiming that it had been too long since he'd been out.
Holly knew her brother was determined that Jason should have a good time. At
some point during the previous evening, everyone had come up to her to have a
quiet word about how he was doing. They could all see the change in him, and
they'd all decided to keep his spirits up. Holly felt sure the family support
could only help, but she also knew with certainty, the healing of Jason
wouldn't be complete until he was designing a building in the city again.

But that was out of her control at this point in time. What
she could do was make sure he relaxed today and that tomorrow he started work
on the project. She'd do whatever she could to help make it happen.

"Holly, what the hell are you wearing?" Jason
asked her as the boat pulled away from the dock.

She'd just taken off the t-shirt she'd been wearing and had
on a bikini top under it. "I want to get some sun today."

"I thought nobody got any sun these days due to cancer
scares. And more importantly, that top barely covers you."

She laughed. "You aren't going to tell me you're a
prude, are you? Because I won't believe it. This is a perfectly legitimate
bathing suit top. And I do have a low level sun screen on, but I'm not afraid
of getting a little tan. Any other complaints?"

"Only one. How am I supposed to focus on fishing when
you look like that?"

She laughed again, and he smiled too, some of the tension
lines in his face easing away.

Cody had them fishing for big ones that day, and by the
afternoon, Holly's arms and shoulders were worn out. Even Jason admitted to
being tired, and they put away the fishing gear to sit on the boat and enjoy
being out on the water.

"Do you come out here often, Cody?" Jason asked.
Cody handed the two of them beers, and opened one for himself.

"Not as often as before I met Julia. And now that we
have our daughter, well, I have to confess to being a besotted father. I find
every single thing she does utterly fascinating. Never expected to be so into
kids, but man, it's a blast."

Holly smiled at the look on her brother's face. When the
'womanizer' of the town had settled down, many had predicted it wouldn't last.
But Julia really was his one true love. She'd never seen him so happy. How, she
wondered, did you know? Know that you could stay with someone forever?

Jason appeared to be relaxing before her very eyes. He was
looking out at the sea while Cody went to the captain's chair to check on
something. She reached out and took his hand in hers. He turned his head and
smiled at her. "This was a good idea," he said.

"Good for what ails you?" she asked with a grin.

"Yeah. I--"

"Guys, we've got to head in," Cody said as he came
back to join them, a worried frown on his face. "Weather is coming in,
fast. It wasn't expected to do this. Holly, you know the drill. Take care of
things, will you?" He hurried off.

"What did he mean? What drill?" Jason asked.

"We'll get everything loose into bins, and we put our
life vests back on, even though we are both good swimmers. I'm not saying we
should panic or anything, but Cody doesn't usually look so worried. He must see
something on his equipment."

Even as they put away what little had been on deck, the sky
began darkening. There was an electric feel to the air and the sea became
choppy. "Have you been in many storms out on the water like this?"
Jason asked her.

Holly said, "No, but Cody knows what he's doing out
here. He'll get us back in before it hits I bet." She put on her shirt
over her bikini top and then the life vest.

"Aw, too bad. That was a really nice view all
day," Jason said with a leer.

She grinned. "You shouldn't try to pull off that look
you know."

He waggled his eyebrows. "Whatever do you mean?"

She burst out laughing. Jason being silly was a new one for
her. "Come on. Let's go see what Cody says."

They found him at the wheel and on the radio. "Yeah,
headed in now. Hey, give a call to Julia so she doesn't worry."

He set the handset down and Holly asked, "Well? Will we
beat it back to town?"

"Doubtful, but I'm trying."

They watched as the sky turned an ugly gray with a greenish
cast to it. The boat began to be tossed about by the waves. Rain started
pouring out of the skies. As the wind picked up the noise of the storm
ratcheted up.

Holly was grateful when Jason's arms came around her from
behind. They stood together, staring out at all nature's intensity, and she
gasped as a large wave crashed over the bow.

"Whew, it's getting interesting out here," Cody
hollered.

She nodded at her crazy brother. Interesting was not the
word she would have picked.

"You guys need to get below," Cody continued,
shouting and pointing to the steps down. "I'll feel better knowing you're
down there."

"Okay," Jason said and they made their way down.
There was a snug cabin and they sat on the built-in bench with the table in
front of them. It was quiet, but the movement of the boat was more pronounced.

"Oh, oh no," Holly said and jumped up to run to
the head. Being below decks during the squall turned her stomach inside out.
She was violently ill and only as she finished did she realize Jason was there
with cool cloth on the back of her neck.

She finally felt okay enough to go sit back down. Jason sat
next to her and put his arm around her. "You gonna make it?" he said,
louder than normal to be heard.

Holly nodded, embarrassed, but also glad he was there. She
felt safe sitting next to him. He seemed so solid, such a very real presence.
Admit
it, Holly,
she told herself.
It is nice to have a man around during a
crisis.
She snorted, and laughed at her own thoughts. Jason turned a
puzzled face to her, but she waved a hand as if it were unimportant.

For all of her adult life she'd done very well by standing
up for herself, leaning on no one, especially not a man. Not that she had
anything against men, but she knew how easy it was for a man to take over, and
for a woman to let them do so. Holly had always been determined to make it on
her own. And she had done it. She ran one of the most well-respected personnel
agencies in the city. She made a good living. Did it really matter if she
leaned on this man at this time? She sensed that she was asking herself about
more than just the time in the storm. Jason was becoming more important in her
life than she'd ever intended.

The boat gave a lurch and they clung to each other. Jason
shouted over the storm, "Yep, a boat ride--definitely relaxing. I can feel
it getting rid of my stress."

She started laughing and couldn't stop. When Cody came down
the steps a while later, he found them holding each other up as they chortled
and guffawed.

"What the--? Uh guys, we're back at the dock, and the
storm is over. Passed on by. What on earth is so funny?"

"L-l-life, brother dear," Holly managed to finally
say. "Just life."

* * * *

Jason drove them to the loft and Holly claimed the bathroom
to take a hot shower. He considered joining her, but the phone rang and showed
him Gloria's number. "Hi Gloria, what's up?"

"Hi yourself. What are you doing this weekend that made
you leave a message cancelling our Sunday lunch?"

"Holly brought me to Sully Point to get away from the
city. We went out fishing earlier today."

"That's a smart girl you have there."

"I know."

"I called because I have news for you. I thought you
should know that the Trenton building where your parents died is scheduled for
demolition. They're bringing it down next week."

Jason was quiet, slightly stunned. The Trenton had become
for him a kind of memorial to his parents, a marker of where they were slain.
"Demolition? The whole thing?"

"Yes. From what I understand, somebody bought it and
plans to put up a new building there."

"I don't know what to say. I guess it's already done,
the decision is made?"

"Yes, dear. I'm sorry. It's going to happen. Is there
anything I can do for you?"

"No, I'll be fine. It was only a building after all. It
wasn't actually connected to them."

"Maybe so. In the meantime, you take advantage of your
time away from the city. You two have a good time, and I'll see you when you're
back in town."

"Love you, Gloria. Bye-bye."

"Love you too."

They hung up and Jason stared blankly at the wall. He didn't
know what to think.

Holly walked up to him, wrapped in a towel. "I was
thinking we could--Jason, what's happened? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, not really. Nothing much," he said and
walked away from her into the kitchen. "Can I get you a drink? I think
I'll have a beer."

She had followed and stood by the counter. He opened his
beer and drank some. She walked up to him and touched his arm. "Tell
me," she said softly.

"The Trenton. They're tearing it down. The building
where--my parents--"

"Oh, Jason."

He set down his beer and put his arms around her, pulling
her to him. He murmured, "It shouldn't be such a big deal. It wasn't
really a monument for them. It was just a place."

"No, it meant something to you. I'm so sorry."

"Can we not talk about it? Can we just be together? I
need you."

She nodded her head against his chest, then took his hand
and led him to the bed. "No words."

He pressed up against her and she kissed him gently. As he kissed
her back, the kiss became almost desperate. Her arms went around him and held
him. He was not alone.

* * * *

Holly lay next to him as he dozed. She was on her side
facing him while he was on his back, and she ran her hand lightly across his
chest. His body was just ridiculously built. Broad chest, flat stomach,
narrowed waist that led to--well, there was not one disappointing aspect to him.
And he certainly knew how to use his body to create untold levels of pleasure
within her.

She thought about how sad his eyes had looked at finding out
about the building coming down. If only there were something she could do to
help him. And right then it came to her. She sat up, eyes wide at her idea. It
would be perfect! But, could she pull it off? No telling until she tried.

She scrambled out of bed and began getting dressed. Jason
stirred, and she leaned over to kiss him on the lips.

"Mmm, do that again," he murmured as she stood up
to look for her shoes.

"Can't. I need to get back to the city. I have a
project I forgot about and I need to start working on it right away. You're
going to stay here, right? To work on the project?"

"Yes, I think that would be best. I plan to call Marla
and have her get in touch with everyone giving them a week of paid
vacation."

"Sounds good. You can always have Marla come down here
if you need her. She could stay at my father's place."

She felt his gaze upon her as she buttoned up her shirt.
Looking up, she saw dark green eyes peering at her as if to read her soul.
"I will be back," she said softly. "So no worries."

He gave her a smile. "Do you need a car to get back to
the city?"

"Are you offering the Jag?"

He laughed abruptly. "No. Definitely not. But I'd rent
you something."

"That's okay. There's an extra car in the family,
seeing as how Cody and Sam--and Julia--are all car nuts. I drove it over here
from my Dad's. It's a Mercedes."

"Good. Maybe I will have Marla come here. It's a good
idea."

She stood up. "Okay, I'm off. I'll have my phone with
me so call whenever you want. I'll be back down here on the weekend, early
Friday afternoon if my schedule permits."