Savin' Me (16 page)

After a long period of strained silence,
benign conversation picked up again, and before long, they were
back to being two guys having a few beers, laughing, and catching
up.

After what seemed an eternity, Erik caught
sight of Kat and Kevin plodding toward the house. There was a group
of children riding boogie boards, and Kat stopped to talk to their
parents, who were sitting watch on the beach. Kat said something to
Kevin, who nodded and continued on toward the house. Then she sat
on the sand and took off her shoes and socks before wading into the
water with the children.

In sync, Erik and Steve leaned forward in
their chairs. They propped their elbows on their knees and watched
with mild curiosity as Kat and the children continued to wade out
further until Kat was waist deep. The kids, laughing and giggling,
demonstrated the proper technique for riding a wave. One of the
children handed Kat his board and made a paddling motion with his
hands. When the next wave came along, Kat jumped onto the board and
took off, riding the wave all the way to the shore. When she
reached the shore, she rolled off into the water, then stood and
bowed to the cheering crowd.

Pleasure rippled through Erik at seeing her
carefree spirit once again reveal itself, and he threw his head
back with a burst of laughter.

Steve leaned back in his chair, grinning.
“She’s a keeper, dude. Give her a shot.”

Refusing to allow Steve’s comment to put a
damper on his happiness, Erik stood to better see as Kat rode
another wave to the shore. He didn’t have any boogie boards—they
weren’t exactly his speed—but tomorrow he’d buy one just for Kat to
have when she was here.

Chapter
Ten

Kat released a longsuffering sigh and glanced
around at the six grinning faces waiting for her to drink the
generous portion of Crown Royal Kevin had poured for her. Crown
wasn’t her favorite drink, and she shuddered as the shot slid down
her throat. Setting the glass on the table with more force than
she’d intended, she said, “I’m done.”

Erik’s friends had been teaching her to play
a complicated card game, one she still hadn’t gotten the hang of,
and the penalty shots were taking a toll. Always a fierce
competitor, she’d stubbornly hung in, refusing to accept defeat.
However, as the table tilted one way and the floor tilted another,
she was forced to concede defeat. “Okay, gentleman, I quit. Maybe
next time I’ll figure this out.”

“Maybe next time we’ll do a better job of
explaining the rules,” Kevin said as he laughed and stood to give
her a hug.

Realizing she’d been set up, she slugged him
in the shoulder. “Punk. Now I know why Erik didn’t trust me with
you.”

She excused herself from the table, the men
thoroughly enjoying themselves at her expense, and went in search
of Erik. She found him leaning against the doorjamb, arms crossed
over his chest, one ankle over the other, watching the lightning
from an approaching storm.

Sliding in behind him, she wrapped her arms
around his waist and stood on tiptoes so she could whisper in his
ear. “I need a shower.”

He swiveled his head around and looked at her
through hooded eyes. “Need someone to wash your back?”

His deep, suggestive tone mixed with the
Crown Royal simmering in her lower belly and sent out warm, fuzzy
alert signals to all her feminine hot spots. “I need someone to do
a whole lot more than that.”

The deep frown line that had been creasing
his forehead softened, and the clenched muscles in his jaw relaxed.
Without saying a word, he laced his fingers through hers and
hustled them toward the stairs.

Acutely aware that all conversation had
ceased, Kat turned and looked over her shoulder. Everyone but Kevin
and Steve sat wide-eyed, open-mouthed, bold-faced gawking.

She tugged on Erik’s hand and, in a quiet
voice so as to not be overhead, asked, “Why are they staring at
us?”

“Because they’re a bunch of jackasses,” Erik
yelled, in a voice guaranteed to be heard by the group.

Laughter erupted at the bottom of the stairs,
and the sounds of the party resumed.

“I don’t understand why they’re surprised,”
Kat continued. “As much as I’ve had to drink, they had to know you
were going to get lucky.”

He smiled over his shoulder as he crested the
stairs, but didn’t respond. Once inside the room, he kicked the
door shut behind them, then tucked his hands into his front
pockets. “They’re shocked because I’ve never invited a woman up
here.” When she stared at him in disbelief, he shrugged and said,
“This is my private space. I’ve never wanted to share it with
anyone.”

His tone was soft, his expression serious,
leaving her no doubt he spoke the truth. And like that first night
in the gazebo, wariness swam in his eyes instead of the normal
sparkling dance.

A lump squeezed her throat and her heart
faltered. “Why me?”

He studied the floor, then walked to the open
doorway. “I don’t know. Everything about you, from the moment I
laid eyes on you in that bar in Charlotte, has been different. You
made me laugh when I thought nothing could. You made a horrible day
better. And you’ve been stuck in my gut since.”

Warmth spread through her while she fought
the urge to laugh. His words alone would be a compliment. The tone
he used suggested he’d rather have rabies than have her stuck in
his gut.

She understood the conundrum. It was
confusing, and frustrating, to have someone constantly sitting on
the edge of your thoughts. Especially when you thought you’d never
see them again.

“I’ve gone out a few times since that night
in Charlotte, but…” He shook his head. “Every time, I’ve found
myself unfairly comparing the woman to you. Everything is different
since I met you.”

The weight of his words seemed magnified by
the roar of the ocean and the rumble of echoing thunder. She moved
to stand next to him in the open doorway and quietly admitted,
“You’re better off than me. I haven’t gone out with anyone since
you.”

He whipped his head around and, rather than
appearing pleased by the admission, he pressed his lips into a thin
line and the tic in his jaw returned. “Shit, Kat.” He drew in a
long, ragged breath. “We’re in trouble.”

He might be right, but instead of agreeing
with him, she tried to justify the situation and make it less scary
and threatening. “It’s unfinished business; that’s all. You wanted
more than one night. I wanted more too, but I didn’t stick around
to see if that was an option. Once we’ve had a chance to finish
what we started, we’ll be all right.”

“Do you really believe that bullshit?”

Pfft, no.
“Sure,” she said, trying to
make her voice light and airy and thoroughly convincing.

She stepped onto the small, private deck that
held one Adirondack chair and a small table. Taking a deep breath,
she pulled moist, electrified air into her lungs and watched the
aggressive waves encroach upon the beach, then break against the
dunes in a thundering roar. Partial moonlight peeked from behind a
storm cloud and reflected off the water’s surface. Lightning
flashed nearby, and the sea oats swayed in the wind, all combining
to create an eerie but dramatically beautiful landscape. As
raindrops began to fall, she took another deep breath, then turned
to head back inside.

Erik was standing in the middle of the room
next to the bed. He’d stripped off his shirt, his hands were
dangling at his sides, and he wore a dark and dangerous expression.
“Come here.”

A shiver raced down her spine as nervous
anticipation sliced through her. She’d seen desire in a man’s eyes
before, but the fire in his transcended simple lust. And heaven
help her, she was damn near desperate for everything he offered.
She pulled the door shut behind her, then moved across the room
toward him. The closer she got, the more she trembled and the
harder her heart pounded.

His pupils were dilated, and in the dim
lighting, his eyes looked like luminous sapphires. A streak of
lightning flashed and reflected off the dark orbs, so full of their
own burning heat. The house shook from the force of the thunderous
boom, causing her to jump and cease her forward motion.

She dropped her gaze to his bare shoulders
and chest, where the muscles bunched and flexed with his apparent
impatience. Her eyes raked across his well-defined abs and down the
thin trail of dark hair disappearing into the waistband of his
pants. At the thought of tasting him, she licked her lips.

His resolve must have snapped because he
closed the distance between them in one stride. He slid one hand
through her hair, then wrapped it tightly around his fist, while
the other slipped around her waist. His mouth crushed hers as his
tongue pushed past her lips, demanding complete and unlimited
access. His tongue swept the inside of her mouth with an insatiable
hunger as his hand slid from her waist to her ass, then hauled her
body up tightly against his.

Despite the intensity of the kiss, she wanted
more. Needed more. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled
him to her in desperation. He rewarded her by deepening the kiss
and increasing the thrusting tempo of his tongue. But then,
something shifted within him, and he suddenly broke away.

Breathing hard, he dropped his forehead to
the crook of her neck and whispered, “God help me.”

Confusion swamped her as she continued to
tremble and her breathing came in short, jerky gasps. She still had
her arms wrapped around his neck in a death grip, so she released
him.

He slowly unraveled her hair from his fist,
took a few steps back, then flopped down on the edge of the bed.
His chest heaved with his labored breathing, his hands were
clenched into tight fists, and the muscles in his jaw worked
overtime. Letting his gaze travel from her bare feet to her eyes,
he said, “Why don’t you undress for me?”

It was more command than request, and her
knees weakened at the domineering tone and searing look. She’d been
confused by his reaction to their kiss, but seeing the intensity in
his eyes, she suspected his distance had been a defensive reaction.
For her part, she liked the responsive intensity. It made her feel
sexy and desirable and powerful as a woman. She wanted to make this
time with him memorable. She knew she’d never forget it, and she
wanted to make sure he didn’t either.

She relaxed her head back toward her
shoulders, closed her eyes so she wouldn’t be distracted by his
gaze, and drifted away in a world of sensations. As she moved in
slow, sinuous movements, she focused on the rain pounding against
the glass, the claps of thunder rocking the house, and the flashes
of lightning visible through her closed eyelids. She hadn’t noticed
a ceiling fan earlier, but lost in the hypersensitivity of the
moment, she became aware of the faint whir of a motor and the cool
breeze stroking her skin.

Continuing her languid, fluid movements, she
took care of a few inconvenient details, like stripping off her
frumpy, oversized T-shirt and freeing her hair from its ponytail. A
sports bra and running shorts weren’t the sexiest clothing, but
she’d have to make the best of it.

Pretending her hands were Erik’s, she touched
herself in all the places and all the ways she wanted him to. She
ran light, stroking caresses across her stomach and shivered as her
hair swung across her back, causing a tickling sensation that
mirrored that of her fingers on her stomach.

Craving a more intimate touch, she brushed
her hands over her heated flesh and cupped her breasts. Her nipples
were tight and achy, and the spandex of the bra was too confining.
She pushed the fabric up, revealing her breasts, then pinched and
rolled her nipples between her fingers and thumbs. A moan escaped
her throat and mingled in the air with a hiss and muttered curse
from Erik.

Emboldened by his reaction, she stroked the
side of her neck, then trailed her fingers back down to her nipple
while her other hand slid across her stomach, down her crotch, and
stroked the inside of her thigh.

“Shit, baby.” His voice was husky and
strangled and wrapped around her like a caress, encouraging her to
keep going.

She hooked her thumbs under the waistband of
her running shorts and slowly pushed them down her thighs, then let
them drop in a silky puddle at her feet. Every nerve ending had
risen to the surface, and she ached for Erik’s touch. Fantasizing
had gotten her this far, but she needed the real thing.

She opened her eyes and was greeted by a
scorching look that sent flames shooting from the tips of her toes
to her head. A flush swept over her as she took a step closer and
whispered, “I need you to touch me. Please.”

The inferno in his eyes settled to a
smoldering warmth as he reached his hand out to her. When she
slipped her palm into his, he surprised her by twirling her around
before pulling her onto his lap.

She closed her eyes and rested her head on
his shoulder. Her bare back pressed against his warm chest, and,
thanks to the nonexistent back of her thong, the rough fabric of
his shorts and prominent erection stroked her ass.

He slipped his knees under hers, hooked his
ankles inside of hers, and used his legs to spread her wide. She
gasped as the cool currents from the ceiling fan brushed over her
heated core.

Hands, rough like leather, cupped her
breasts. Warm velvet breath stroked her neck and shoulder. “Open
your eyes for me, sweetheart.” As she struggled to force her
eyelids open, he said, “Look straight ahead.”

She lifted her heavy head from the comfort of
his shoulder and found herself staring straight into the reflection
of a wanton woman with her bra pushed up over her breasts, sitting
on a man’s lap, her legs spread wide. What a nefarious picture they
made.