Passionate Tides (2 page)

Keeping an eye on the mailboxes, she was glad when she saw the house number to her temporary digs and pulled into the drive. The house was beautiful, three stories tall, covered in yellow cedar shingles with tall windows and facing the ocean to let in the morning sunrise. The first floor had been turned into an apartment that Tiffany rented out to cover the high cost of hurricane insurance and maintenance. It was easier on the property to have a long time tenant than rent it week to week to strangers, and it gave Tiffany the security that someone was watching their place. Tiffany hadn’t told her much about her tenant, just that he was a nice, quiet man and the chances of running in to him were slim to none, which was fine with Paisley. She wasn’t really in the head space to entertain strangers anyway.

Pulling her car into the sand covered drive, she looked up at the big house. It seemed quiet without the noises of family she associated with it. The windows reflected the afternoon rays and the yellow siding was worn from years of being exposed to sun and salt. Sea gull’s perched on the roofs peak like feathered gargoyles, guarding her arrival. She would have full run of the top two floors, but figured she would hide out in the upstairs studio that had the most amazing view of not only the rushing ocean, but also of the very peaceful sound.

Unpacking her things was easy. All she had brought was her laptop, two small bags of clothes, and her toiletries. It wasn’t like she planned to go out much and she didn’t have anyone to impress or to keep her company. All she really needed was her cat, comfy sweats and the occasional chocolate bar.

Just as she reached to put the key in the lock, the knob turning form the inside and the door opened with a jerk, throwing her off balance. Standing in the shadows of the doorway was a very tall man. With the glare of the sun in her eyes and his face hidden in shadow, her first thought was that someone had broken into the house. The work wasn’t supposed to start until after she was settled in, and as far as she knew, the renter didn’t have access to the upper floors of the house.

She turned to run back down the steps, she stumbled on her bags, causing her to go headfirst down the stairs. She felt herself falling. Bracing for the impact, she closed her eyes. Just when she thought she was going to hit, she found herself in the arms of the stranger.

“Careful there, Tiffany would kill me if I let anything happen to you.” The southern drawl was like warm honey, sweet and smooth. She was pressed up against a hard chest, but it was the strong arms wrapped around her that left her head swimming. It was like being held by a brick wall that smelled of sea salt and sun.

“I didn’t mean to scare you, honestly. I just heard your car door slam and was headed out to help you with your bags. Tiffany and James said that you would be arriving today so I came up to open up the windows and air the place out. The air conditioner has been shut off since the storm and I’m sorry, I’m babbling. Hi I’m Jake, and you must be Paisley.”

Jake still held her close to his body even as he introduced himself and she reluctantly pulled away, putting space between her and the handsome stranger. He held out his hand to help her with her bags. She didn’t know what to think, but she allowed him to help her inside.

Paisley entered the house and took a seat on the nearest bar stool, hoping to slow her rapid heartbeats. When he stepped around the bar, the blinding light let her get her first real glimpse of him, and her heart nearly stopped beating all together.

He wore nothing but a pair of navy blue board shorts that rode low on his hips. His skin was the color of dark honey and speckled with fine dark hairs that lead their way like a treasure map down his washboard abs to disappear into the waist band of his shorts. His arms were well defined muscles that gleamed with the slightest hint of sweat, but it was his face that made her check her pulse.

Jake was the perfect mix of male, with a roman nose and a strong jaw covered with at least a day’s worth of dark stubble and his eyes were the color of the Aegean Sea, the deepest blue she had ever seen. His tousled dark curls just brushed the tops of his eyes and when he smiled with those plump lips, she nearly melted on the spot. Maybe Tiffany was right, maybe this was just what she needed.

Time felt like it stood still as she stared into Jakes’ eyes, he stifled a cough and made to leave and she realized that moments had gone by without her saying a word. Heat rushed to her cheeks, she hurried to introduce herself and not look like a horny teenager or babbling idiot. “I’m sorry, yes I’m Paisley.” She stumbled out the words. “I was just surprised that’s all, I wasn’t expecting anyone to be at the house.”

He stopped his retreat and took the bar stool farthest from her. “I was upstairs working on the deck. The boys that James had me hire to fix it are backed up repairing the pier. I knew that you were coming and I didn’t want to see you get hurt if a board was loose and you were to go out there.”

That made sense to her. She knew there had been some minor damage to the house and the repairs were scheduled to start at the beginning of next week.

“I must look like a fool to you, getting all excited and nearly breaking my neck on the stairs. I was just shocked to see you in this part of the house. I was expecting you to be in the apartment. And thank you for opening the place up and taking care of the deck.”

She knew that she was rambling, but the way he sat on that bar stool made his abs bunch in a delicious way that brought thoughts of tracing them with her tongue to mind. Dear Lord, it has been way to long since I’ve seen a man half naked and look this good. “Thank you, that was very considerate.”

As the silence began to grow, the awkward feeling returned. “Anyway, I put some groceries in the fridge for you just in case you didn’t make it in before the town goes to bed. If you need anything, you know where to find me.” He stood and headed for the door, and this time she didn’t stop him. She knew that she looked terrible after seven hours in a car, and a shower was the first thing on her to do list. She let him leave, thanking him once again for his help.

Paisley opened the locked cage door, allowing her cat Major out of his car carrier, and watched him bounce around the room looking for an appropriate hiding place before heading to the shower. She only hoped that the water would be cold enough to retract the heat she was feeling toward her new sexy downstairs neighbor.

* * *

Jake couldn’t believe his luck. First off, he had found the perfect place to live in a beautiful home right on the beach and he couldn’t ask for better landlords than James and Tiffany. He had fallen in love with their family when they vacationed here this summer. Their kids had kept him entertained by playing on the beach, teaching them how to find sharks teeth and how to jump the tides. He had spent hours fishing with James and helping Tiffany pick out new materials for the apartment and upper floors. They had become more than his landlords, they had become friends and now they had sent him an angel as his upstairs neighbor.

He had never seen anyone that took his breath away like Paisley had. Her fiery red hair and emerald green eyes had held him captive, and her curves drew him like bees to honey. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice his increased heart rate and the way his body hardened to her touch. She seemed to space out, her eyes closing slightly, probably tired from her long trip. He could hold her all day, her body a comfortable weight in his arms. Her smell penetrated his every sense, like warm flowers in the sun, sweet and inviting him. He wanted to lean in and draw her smell deeper into him but he held onto to what little control he had left. He just about lost it when he caught her glancing at his body. If only his luck would hold out a little longer, he may just get to know his upstairs neighbor a little better.

The sound of water pouring through the house’s old pipes, alerting him that the upstairs shower had been turned on, had the vision of Paisley naked and drenched invading his every thought. Was it crazy to feel this way about a woman that he had spent only minutes with? He wasn’t sure, but standing in his kitchen, listening to the water rush, wasn’t helping his bodies ache to join her. Deciding it best to get out of the house, he headed for the sliding glass doors facing the ocean, and took off for a very long walk.

* * *

Having been at the beach now for a few days, she had had plenty of time to unpack and get used to her surroundings. She had tried to keep herself busy with writing but her mind kept going back to her sex-on-a-stick neighbor. She couldn’t deny her attraction to Jake, every time he was near, her palms began to sweat and her mind raced with naughty thoughts of them naked on the sand.

They had shared a few short conversations and he had been helping her around the house, fixing small things that were broken by the storm. The conversations came easy, but were geared toward deck material and light fixtures. His kind eyes and sense of humor were inviting, they showed a hint of pain when he spoke about his past. She knew he was a construction worker before he came to Topsail, but not much else. Jake shielded himself, not revealing anything too personal and she wanted to change that. She wanted to learn more about his past and what made him tick. Her obsession with him was leaking into her dreams. The night before, she had closed her eyes and the image of Jake lying on her bed, beckoning for her to join him, invaded her night. She had come close to rapture as the dream progressed to him pleasuring her with his mouth and hands. She had woken tangled in the sheets, drenched in sweat and decided that today she would chip away at his protective shell.

Paisley stared at herself in the mirror. She had fixed herself up as best she could with what little she had brought, changing at least three times. Her nerves were making her jumpy. She nearly screamed when Major dove into the sink. Shaking off the jitters, she pulled her long hair into a ponytail, dressed in cutoff shorts and a coral colored tank, and headed down the stairs.

The door to Jake’s apartment loomed in front of her, and she sent up a silent prayer for the courage to knock and not make a fool of herself. Her hand shook when she raised it and tapped lightly. When she didn’t receive an answer, she turned to walk away, only to spot Jake sitting on the beach. He was lying on a towel near the wet sand. High tide had already began to make its way back out to the far reaches of the Atlantic, and she could see the shells that it had left peppering the pristine beach. She looked up and down the beach, spotting only a few families playing in the afternoon heat. She mustered up what courage she had left and headed toward the little piece of property that he had claimed for himself.

Forcing a relaxed smile on her face she, tried to hide the tension that was threatening to overcome her body as the distance closed between them. “Is this seat taken?” When she saw the book in his hands, she no longer had to fake the smile on her face. “Are you reading a romance novel?” She swore she saw his cheeks flush from embarrassment.

 “Yes, I am and I’m man enough to admit it.” He quickly turned the book over, hiding the erotic title from her peering eyes. When he patted a spot beside him on the blanket, she quickly took the seat offered. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she feigned as if she was going for a shell, snatching the book from its hiding spot. One look at the cover art had heat racing to her cheeks. “The Ladies’ Concubine,” was written in red over a picture of a half-naked woman with what looked to be a flogger in her hands.

“I was coming to see if you wanted to go to Island Sweet Treats and get an ice cream to cool off, but it looks like you have some interesting reading material to keep you busy.”

She held the book up out of his reach, and when he tackled her, her eyes went wide at the contact. They rolled in the sand as he tried desperately to retrieve the book from her iron clad grasp. When he rolled her onto her back and pinned her hands above her head, she felt another type of heat rise and as their eyes met, their surroundings melted away.

She wasn’t innocent, recognizing the look in his eyes for what it was pure desire. He swept his lips across hers, tentative at first.  He took control of the kiss, deepening the pressure. His tongue wet the seam of her lips asking her to open to him. In the back of her mind she knew that they were in public but she didn’t care. She opened to him, letting him inside. He pulled her closer, turning the kiss into a full on passionate press of bodies. The weight of his body created friction, pressing her deeper into the sand, brought her body to life.

Too soon the kiss ended, but the hard feel of his body and his labored breathing had their chests pressed tight. The planes of his pecs pressed against the rise and fall of her breast, hardening her nipples under her thin tank. He still held her hands captive above her head, but shifted so he held them with just one of his while the other dusted a bit of sand from her cheek. She melted into his touch, his hands skimming her jaw to travel down her neck to her collar bone. The beach faded away and the only thing she saw was the blue in his eyes and the heat of passion written there. She knew that she could get lost in his arms forever.