Once and Again (18 page)

Jane smiled. “I’m glad you like it, but the best is yet to come.”

She was right. In another mile and a half, they reached a wooden boardwalk about three feet in width that crossed a swollen stream.

“Wow,” Carolyn breathed.

Jane turned back. “Thought you’d like it.”

“This is awesome,” Grace said. “Better than mimosas. Seriously, it’s—
aigh!!!
”

“What the—?” Carolyn whipped around to find Grace on the ground, her sneaker caught between two wooden slats, her knee twisted at an unnatural angle. “Oh, my God, Grace,” she said, rushing over. “Are you okay?”

“Stepped wrong into the crack and wrenched my leg,” she gasped. “I think I’m okay. Just need to get out of here.” She tried to pull her leg free, but after a few tugs, it was obviously not happening.

“Your laces are holding you in,” Carolyn said, pointing to where they were caught around a knot in the wood. “Can you get free?”

Grace struggled some more. “No. Damn new shoes.”

Jane hurried over. “Here,” she said, moving to get Grace under the arms. “We have to lift her up to get her unstuck.”

Carolyn dropped her water bottle. “What should I do?”

“I lift, you untangle.”

“Okay,” Carolyn agreed, kneeling near Grace’s foot.

“Guys, really, I’m okay,” Grace said, trying to maneuver her body into a better position. “Just—
ow!
Oh, wow, that
really
hurts!”

“You can’t do this alone,” Jane said. “Let us help you.” She lifted her head. “Ready? One, two, three, and go!”

Jane lifted with surprising strength, straightening Grace’s body and giving Carolyn enough wiggle room to flick the laces out from where they were wedged.

“Owow!” Grace said again.

“Is it your knee or your ankle?” Jane asked, gently sliding Grace’s sneaker off.

“Both, I think,” Grace said as Jane probed her ankle, pressing slender fingers up and down the joint. “Oh, holy mother of God!”

“It hurts, I know. I want to get a look at it to see if it might be broken. Hmm…I don’t think so. Can I feel your knee now?”

“Wait,” Grace gritted out. She reached for her thermos, unscrewed the top, and took a long pull of mimosa. “I needed that. Okay, go for it.”

Gently, Jane pushed up her skirt and felt her knee. “I don’t think you broke it, because if you had, you wouldn’t even be able to let me touch it right now, but whether you pulled or tore something, I have no idea. We need to get you to a doctor. Can you walk?”

“I’ll try.” Grace put some weight on her ankle, but even sitting down, the look on her face was one of agony. “
Ow,
no. I’m pretty sure I can’t walk on it. I’m an idiot,” she sighed.

“No. No, you’re not,” Carolyn said. “You just got a little too excited.”

“It’s starting to swell,” Jane said, standing. She pulled out her cellphone and clicked it on. “No service. Damn. Well, it’s not a big deal. We’re all here and Carolyn and I are all right, so we can probably do this without extra help. Let’s get you back to the car. I can drive you right to the emergency room.”

“We just started our hike,” Grace groaned.

“And we will end it,” Carolyn said.

“Don’t you want to see the big pond ahead?” Grace asked.

“We’ll do it some other time,” Jane insisted.

“What’s another few minutes?” Grace said. “Look, if I don’t put any weight on it, it doesn’t hurt that much. Why don’t you two go ahead, and then just circle back for me. I’ll be fine here! I have mimosas, and my pad and my pencils. I wanted to sketch, anyway.”

“The sooner we get you to the ER, the sooner we can get you treated. And it’s almost lunchtime, anyway.”

“So leave me some snacks. Besides, it’s broad daylight and you won’t be gone long.”

Jane gave Carolyn a look. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“I do,” Grace said. “I’ll just—
oof
—settle myself here and—
ouch
—get comfortable so I can sketch.” She pulled out her pad, took another drink from her thermos, and gave them a huge grin.

“Oh, boy,” Jane said.

“I don’t know that I’m okay with this,” Carolyn said.

“You should be. I’m fine!” Grace said, taking another swig.

“Okay,” Jane sighed, even though she didn’t look happy about it, either. “But cool it with the alcohol until we get back. And if you have any issues, just holler. We should be able to hear you.”

Jane and Carolyn went on, but the farther away they got from Grace, the worse the bad feeling in Carolyn’s stomach got.

“Jane?” she said, after only a few minutes had passed.

“Let’s go back,” Jane said, obviously feeling the same way. “I don’t care about seeing the pond, anyway.”

Carolyn shook her head. “Me, neither.
Ugh,
I can’t believe she talked us into leaving her alone. Now
I
feel like an idiot.”

The two of them looped around and hustled back to the spot on the boardwalk where they’d left Grace. As soon as they got to the stream, it was obvious that Grace was not where they’d left her. In fact, she was nowhere to be seen.

“Oh, no. Grace!” Jane yelled. “Grace!”

“Grace!” Carolyn joined in.

Nothing. Just the rush of the stream.

“Do you think she fell in?” Carolyn asked, peering downstream. She
had
been swigging mimosas like there was no tomorrow.

“Wait, look!” Jane said, pointing. She ran to the end of the boardwalk and circled back, running along the riverbank for a few dozen yards. She picked something up and held it aloft. “Her thermos.”

This was
so
not good.

Carolyn pulled her phone out of the pocket of her jacket and checked it. “Nothing. Not even emergency service.”

“Come on,” Jane said, running back to the boardwalk. “We have to get to a place with coverage.”

“Parking lot,” Carolyn said.

Together, the two women raced as fast as they could the way they had come, back down the dirt path to the parking lot, checking every few minutes to see if they had any cellphone service, and seeing neither hide nor hair of Grace. Twenty minutes later, Carolyn was back at the lot, hot, sticky, and winded.

“Grace’s truck is here,” Carolyn said to Jane. “But she’s not. Do you think she took a different path back? There were other ways she could have gone.”

“Maybe,” Jane said, breathing hard. She’d been the one carrying all the gear—an extra ten pounds for sure—yet she’d made just as good time as Carolyn. “Check your phone.”

Carolyn whipped her cell out of her pocket, and Jane did the same.

“Do you have service?” Jane asked. “Wait—wait—I have a text. It’s from Grace!”

“What does it say?” Carolyn gasped.

Jane thrust the phone toward Carolyn so she could see the message, and read aloud: “Hot hiker found me. Going to Norwalk Hospital. Will call later.”

Carolyn almost collapsed in relief.

“I’m not going to rest easy until I hear her voice.” Jane immediately dialed Grace’s number, her expression still worried. “Grace?…Thank God you’re all right. Where are you?”…“Uh-huh. Uh-huh…No. We didn’t find your note. You left it under the thermos?” Jane looked meaningfully at Carolyn. “No, the note wasn’t there. We totally freaked out.” She closed her eyes. “So can we come get you?…Okay. All right. We’ll check in later. ’Bye.” She clicked the phone off. “Apparently, Grace wrote a note on a piece of paper from her sketch pad and stuck it under the thermos. It must have blown away in the breeze because it wasn’t heavy enough.”

“Well, she did drink all the mimosas,” Carolyn pointed out.

“I guess so, yeah. Anyway, she was whispering, but from what I could make out, some guy found her and carried her to another parking lot and is taking her to the ER in his car. He’s offered to drive her home, too.”

“Wow,” was the only thing Carolyn could say. Leave it to Grace to get swept up by some good Samaritan in the woods in the middle of nowhere.

“Yeah. Wow, is right,” Jane said. “Wait—hang on—it’s a text, from Grace. No, it’s a picture. I think this is her dude.” She held it out to Carolyn. The picture was a partial close-up of a man with auburn hair, a strong nose, and full lips. From what she could see, he looked handsome, clean-cut, and serious.

Jane looked at Carolyn. Carolyn looked at Jane. Then a smile split Jane’s face, and she started to laugh. Then Carolyn started to laugh. And then her abdominal muscles started cramping up from the running and the laughing, and that made her laugh even harder.

By the time the two of them calmed down, tears were on her cheeks.

“After that fiasco,
I
need a drink,” Jane said. “What do you say?”

“Oh, my God, yes,” Carolyn said. “And lunch. But we can’t go anywhere nice. I look like crap.” The sweat dripping down her face had started to cool, her ponytail was ragged, and she was sure she had leaves stuck to her ass from where she’d slipped and fallen on the path during their frantic race back to the parking lot.

“There’s a deli on Route 7 where we can get sandwiches and beer,” Jane said, throwing her gear into the back of her car. “Sound good?”

“Sounds awesome,” Carolyn said, though she’d never in her life had a beer for lunch. Honestly, a beer sounded amazing right about now and she realized she couldn’t care less about how she looked. The adventure was worth everything she’d been through. “And afterward we can head to Norwalk Hospital to check in on Grace.”

“I’ll call,” Jane said, her voice wry, “but I bet she’ll be busy with Hot Hiker.”

At that, the two women started to laugh again, and they didn’t stop for a good long time.

There was only a week and a half until the welcome party for Jake, and Carolyn was working crazy hours to ensure the party went off without a hitch. Another event had been added to the already full roster. Maybe people really were in a celebratory mood, or maybe they wanted to get in their parties before any potential renovations began, but her workload was insane, which was why here she was working at ten o’clock on a Wednesday night.

Luncheons, showers, teas—it all started to blur together. Everything except the event for Jake. For that, she had crystal clarity, thanks in no small part to the team she’d assembled to make it work, including Grace and Jane.

That ridiculous hike had been the most fun she’d had in, well—she couldn’t remember the last time she’d done something like that. Grace had sprained her ankle and wrenched her knee, but fortunately, nothing was broken. She would be wearing knee and ankle braces for the next few weeks and wouldn’t be doing any long hikes for a while, but they all wanted to get together so they’d scheduled their next meeting in a couple of weeks. Carolyn couldn’t wait to hear Grace’s tale of Hot Hiker in person.

Having real friends made her wonder whether she’d ever had them at all. She loved Dani, but they weren’t that close. Blair was her best friend—the one person she could always turn to—but Blair was gone indefinitely. Being with Grace and Jane made her realize how insulated she’d been. Living life in a bubble wasn’t healthy, and now that she saw what it was truly like to have a life—a real life—she wanted to seize it and never let go.

That included Jake Gaffney.

She’d been in denial for far too long. She wanted him. Needed to see what they could be like together without the baggage that had been weighing them down. She was ready to move forward now. They both were.

A motion by the door caught her attention.

Carolyn raised her eyes from her paper, then stood up fast. Jake was there, one broad shoulder leaning against the door frame. Her heartbeat quickened as she took in his worn leather jacket, a pair of equally worn jeans, a black T-shirt, and the day’s worth of growth on his handsome face.

“Working late again?” he asked.

Carolyn moistened her lips. “How long have you been there?”

“Long enough to know you don’t come up for air. Did you get my present?”

Last night, a large box of oranges had been waiting for her at home, twenty perfect orbs nestled in a crate shipped directly from Florida. The accompanying card had one letter on it:
J.
She’d eaten two immediately, savoring the sweet juice on her tongue, before deciding to ration the rest. Funny how now even oranges were an indulgence, a far cry from the pastries at Payard that she used to love. But somehow, those elegant, complicated French delicacies seemed to pale in comparison with the pure simplicity of the fruit.

“Yes, thank you,” she said. “It was very kind of you to send them.”

Slowly, very slowly, he moved into the room, his look smoldering. “Kindness wasn’t exactly what I was going for, but I’ll take it.”

He was looking at her dangerously, a gleam in his eye she couldn’t quite get a handle on. Yes, it was late, but the door to her office was wide open. “Did you have a good day?”

He nodded. “We’re moving forward on the course renovations. It’s going smoothly. And I think I fast-tracked the permit issues with my Portofino property. The hearing’s next week instead of next month. How about you?”

“Very productive,” she said, inclining her head. This was so
normal
—this back-and-forth everyday conversation—and she liked it. “Things are moving along for your welcome party. I think you’ll be pleased with what I’ve put together.”

“I already am,” he said.

She blinked. “You never said as much.”

“I’ve got a lot on my mind. But I know how much work you’re putting into this place, and I just want to say thank you.”

“I—” she started. “You’re welcome.”

“Don’t act so surprised. I give thanks when they’re due. I’m not the total bastard you think I am.”

“I never thought that,” she said. “Truly.” Looking back on it now, he’d had every right to be a bastard given what he’d been through. Sure, he’d been a bit curt with her at first—well, maybe a lot curt—but who wouldn’t be, given the circumstances? But since then, he’d been nothing but kind.

“You look exhausted,” he said, eyeing her up and down. “When was the last time you ate? Or slept?”

“I’m okay, really. Please don’t worry about me,” she said, almost automatically. Truth was, despite their fresh start, generosity from the new Jake was unsettling.

“I think I should,” he said.

“Because if I collapse, you’ll have no one to deal with this party,” she said, half in jest.

He shook his head and stepped closer, the gleam back in his eye. “That’s not why, and you know it.”

He was right next to her now, forcing her to look up at him. “I know it.”

The heat from his body was palpable, electric. No matter what they’d been through, this was how she responded, then, now, and always. He reached out and ran his fingers through the hair at her temple. She shuddered and closed her eyes. When she opened them, Jake was watching her, his face inscrutable.

“Together this time, yeah?”

“Yes,” she said, reaching for his hand. “Together.” A promise.

He moved, or maybe she did, but then all she knew was that his mouth was on hers and then he felt almost exactly like he used to, except better, because this time she was walking in with her eyes open.

Jake wasn’t gentle—not by a long shot—but it was exactly what she needed. Him, focused and demanding. Forget the fact that the door was open. She demanded right back, grabbing his hips and pulling him closer, welcoming the hard heat of his body pressed against hers. Heat emanated from him—heat and power—and she wanted to swallow it up, make it hers.

Maybe this would end in nothing. More than likely she’d get hurt, but at the moment, she didn’t care. This was what she needed. Desired more than anything. She opened her mouth and swept her tongue against his, showing him exactly how much she wanted him. He took charge then, hands buried in her hair as he angled her mouth, kissing her so deeply and thoroughly she went out of her own head for a few long moments, startled out of her bliss only when Jake backed her up against the desk, trapping her between the wood and his body. One hand was still in her hair and the other busy tugging out the hem of her oxford shirt to slip underneath. The heat from his fingers seared her flesh. And when he slid his hand all the way up to cup a breast, her growing need exploded into the worst kind of craving, an awful itch begging to be scratched.

“Always so responsive,” he murmured into her neck.

“To you,” she whispered, then gasped as he suckled a particularly sensitive spot.
Only to you.

Both hands were under her shirt now, sliding over her breasts, thumbs circling her nipples. They hardened up instantly, and at that moment, all sensation was focused on those two points of pleasure. She pressed into his hands, demanding more intense attention.

As if he could read her mind, he pushed her shirt up and mouthed a nipple right through her bra, running his tongue around the tip and biting softly. She speared a hand through his dark hair and stroked to show him how much she liked what he was doing. His other hand was between her thighs now, pushing her skirt higher, higher, until he grasped the edge of her panties and pulled down.

He swept a finger through her folds, and she gasped again, not caring how dirty this must look—skirt shoved up to her waist, panties around her knees, his fingers buried in her most intimate parts while he worked his mouth on first one breast, then the other.

“Open,” he demanded, and she spread her legs as wide as she could, given that she was trapped in her own clothing. One finger slipped inside her, drawing a moan she barely recognized as her own.

“Jake, I—” And her words were swallowed up by her gasp as he grazed his thumb over her clit.

“Tell me how much you want this,” he said, the pad of his thumb circling her most sensitive flesh as he sucked hard on a taut nipple.

She made a decidedly unintelligible noise and clenched around the finger impaling her.

He withdrew from her body and gently pinched her clit. An electric shock jolted through her very being and she shuddered against him. He licked her neck, then gently bit. “Tell me,” he said, his voice muffled against her skin as he slid two fingers inside.

“Yes, Jake, please.” Her voice was ragged to her own ears. “I want it.”

His mouth and fingers felt like heaven as a strong hand gripped her ass, holding her still. Not that she could move if she tried. This was hot. Illicit. She was so close, teetering on the edge.

“Show me,” he growled, and flicked her clit so hard she came, her knees buckling with the force.

He was right there with her, supporting her as she shuddered.

It took a moment to recover, and as soon as she did, she reached down to pull up her panties.

Jake stopped her with a single word. “Don’t,” he said, looking her up and down and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “You couldn’t be any fucking hotter.”

Despite the fact that she was utterly exposed, she stood still and let him stare. A trickle of wetness and the swell of her breasts reminded her that she wanted him all over again.

No guilt. No regret. Just this, here, with him. What she’d wanted all along but never dreamed she could have. Could take for herself.

She swallowed and moistened her lips, acutely aware of the motion of the air, of the lingering heat from his hands on her skin. “Come here,” she demanded. Then she pulled him close and kissed him, long and deep.

“You still with me?” he said, his lips still on hers.

“Yes,” she said. He made her bold, infused her with strength.

“Good.”

He pulled her panties off all the way. Then he undid his jeans and shoved them down his hips, enough to roll on a condom.

“Wrap your leg around my waist,” he said, his voice husky. “Been waiting a long time for this, Caro.”

Yes.
She trusted him with this. With her. She hooked her hands around his neck. He shoved both hands under her rear to allow him better access, and then thrust inside with one flick of his hips.

Everything faded into the background as she focused only on the intense wash of pleasure crashing over her. She inched closer, using his body as purchase, embedding him more deeply inside her. He groaned, low and desperate, and she loved that she could make him feel this way.

“Move, Jake. Please,” she begged.

“Jesus, Caro.”

He rocked forward and back, and
God,
it felt good. No hurt this time. No memories of what could have been. Only sensation. She gasped, and he swallowed up her cry with his mouth. Then he did it again and again, and the pressure inside her began to build again, slowly this time. She wanted more, but she couldn’t quite get enough leverage.

She must have moaned and bucked against him enough to show what she needed because Jake simply picked her up, him still inside her, slammed the door shut, then pressed her back up against it. Now he was impossibly deep inside her, rocking his lean hips against hers, forcing her to take everything he had to give. She welcomed it, the intense pressure on her mouth, her breasts, her clit. Complete and utter possession.

He sucked hard on her neck, she closed her eyes, and then something inside her snapped and she went over in a hard, hot rush, not wanting to ever see the ground again. He was there a second later, thrusting one final time and saying her name like a prayer.

They stood like that—her, pressed up against the door, clinging to Jake like a vine; him, leaning into her with most of his weight.

“So what now?” she whispered.

He raised his head from her neck. There was something in his eyes she hadn’t ever seen before—not back then, not until now. Pure, unadulterated satisfaction. He kissed her mouth, drawing over her lips slowly with his own, taking his sweet time, as if he weren’t still buried to the hilt inside of her.

“Now we go back to my house for round two,” he said, a smile playing over his lips. “That is if you’re up for it.”

“God, yes,” she breathed.