Authors: Mary Jane Morgan
“Don’t need it,” she said as she
shoved off the side of the pool, not even caring that she wore only a t-shirt and
shorts instead of a swim suit. The cool water felt fabulous and swimming was
one thing she was pretty good at.
As she was about to reach the end
of the pool, Ethan almost caught her. She kicked like crazy and stroked as hard
as she could, but he inched up until they were neck and neck.
She grabbed for him and managed to
snare the waistband of his suit, slowing him down for a second. Then she let go
and swam like crazy. They both touched the side of the pool at the same time.
He nudged her with his shoulder.
“You could have told me you didn’t need a three-stroke lead.”
She grinned, dipped her head back
into the pool, then wiped the water off her face. “You didn’t give me a
chance.”
He turned around, leaned against
the pool’s edge, letting his legs float in front of him. She did the same. “I
was on my high school’s swim team,” she admitted, still out of breath.
“Now you tell me.”
“It was about the only non-nerdy
thing I did, and I worked hard at it. Guess I’ve lost my edge if I can’t beat
you.”
“We tied, so you’ve still got your
edge.”
She smiled. “Actually, if I’d had
my bathing suit on, I might have won.”
He quirked a dark brow. “Sure.
Sure. And if you’d had a swim cap on, you probably would have won by even more.”
“Absolutely.”
“Go get your suit and we’ll have
do-overs.”
“I don’t think it would be smart of
me to embarrass my boss,” she replied with a saucy grin.
He laughed. “You almost embarrassed
me a minute ago.”
Her grin vanished. “Sorry about
that. I let go as soon as I realized your suit was slipping. I didn’t want to
have to hide my face the rest of the trip.”
Laughing, Ethan tucked his feet
under him and shoved off, gliding across the pool on his back and barely making
ripples in the water. Haley watched, mesmerized by his smooth, easy strokes.
“You sure you weren’t on the swim
team?” she said when he reached the other end of the pool and stood.
“Never.” He dove under the water,
and she watched him approach like a sleek dolphin. When he grabbed her calf and
pulled her under with him, she didn’t struggle, just glided down beside him,
felt his solid muscles as he pulled her closer, grinned and then pointed up.
They hit the surface and burst out
laughing. Haley couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this carefree.
Ethan’s warm hand rested on her lower back under her wet shirt. He pulled her
closer and her breath hitched. She should get out of this pool immediately, but
she couldn’t move. She hadn’t felt this alive, this feminine, in years.
She rested her hands on his wet
shoulders, felt his muscles bunch, and barely held in a groan. God help her
because all she could think about was what it would feel like to kiss this man.
His smile faded as their gazes
locked. He ran his hand up her back, pressing her against his rock-hard body.
He nuzzled her neck and she whimpered as she tilted her head to give him more
access. “Told you this would be a relaxing trip,” Ethan whispered, his warm
breath fanning her face.
“Hmmmm,” was all she could manage
as she floated in a sensual haze, barely aware of her surroundings, but excruciatingly
aware of Ethan’s body.
He gave her a soft kiss on the
cheek. She turned her head toward him but he’d moved.
Her eyes drifted open. He stood
only inches from her, his hands at his sides. “We’d better call it a day,” he
said. “Tomorrow morning will come way too soon.”
“You’re . . .” She cleared her
throat and tried again. “You’re right. We need to get to bed. Separately,” she
tacked on as she hoisted herself out of the pool.
“Absolutely,” he added, then walked
up the pool steps and grabbed a towel, tossing it to her before taking the
other one and drying off.
Haley’s hands shook as she wiped
water off her arms and legs and then wrapped the towel around her wet clothes.
Ethan slid the patio door open and motioned her in.
She stepped inside and hurried to
get past him before she did something really stupid like wrap her arms around
the man and snuggled in. A sigh escaped her.
“Haley?”
She turned. “Yes?”
“I’m glad you came. Sleep well.”
Nodding, she hurried into her room
and shut the door before she made a total fool of herself. She pulled off the
wet towel and went into the bathroom to rinse the chlorine out of her hair. She
was mortified at her behavior. She was in mourning for her husband, a husband who
had often been out of the country but whom she had loved dearly and missed when
he was gone. How could she have forgotten about Dale even for a minute?
She flung her wet towel down on the
bathroom floor, disgusted at herself for even now feeling the lingering warmth
of Ethan’s touch, a touch that had not only affected her body, but her
emotions.
She turned the shower on, made sure
it was cold enough to cool her physical reaction to Ethan, and stepped in,
sucking in a quick breath and shivering while she quickly shampooed her hair.
By the time she turned off the cold
water and grabbed a clean towel, she felt almost normal again. She dried her
hair, slipped into a summer nightgown, and crawled into bed. With a sigh, she
turned off the light and closed her eyes, trying desperately to quit thinking
about Ethan and the way his touch had pulled her to him like ocean waves
lulling her out to sea.
****
Ethan flopped over to his back and
stared at the ceiling, counting the hours he had left to get any sleep. This
was his own damn fault. He shouldn’t have teased Haley like he had. All he’d
accomplished was to keep himself awake. Awake and horny.
It had been all he could do to stop
himself from carrying Haley into the bedroom and making love to her. That woman
had no idea how sexy she was. Too bad he wasn’t in the position to show her and
she wasn’t anywhere near ready for any kind of a relationship. Damn, he should
have kept his hands to himself.
With a groan, he grabbed the remote
and turned on the television. Maybe he would luck out and there would be a good
movie on. After fifteen frustrating minutes he clicked the television off and
tossed the remote onto the end table.
He sure would like to spend an
evening alone with Haley. Maybe he could get Ashley to watch the kids one night,
so he could take Haley out on the town, show her a good time. She’d been
sitting at home waiting on her husband to return and taking care of Ryan for
well over a year. It was past time she had some fun. Just fun, he reminded
himself.
Grinning, he picked up his phone and
sent his sister a text, making a vow to behave when he took Haley out. His
primary objective, besides helping her have a good time, was for them to get to
know each other better. They might live in the same house, but they rarely had
more than a few minutes alone to visit.
He wondered how angry she still was
with him for going behind her back about Dale. He’d almost asked her tonight,
but decided he didn’t want to run the risk of ruining the evening. Today felt
like a second chance for a real friendship with her, and he didn’t want to
spoil that. Which meant he wouldn’t bring up Dale and he wouldn’t kiss Haley
senseless, even if it about killed him. It wasn’t fair to either one of them,
but especially to Haley. He was pretty sure he could have made love to her this
evening. Thank God he’d had the will power to back away before he did something
he would regret. Something that would push Haley farther than she wanted to go
and send her into retreat mode for no telling how long.
With that thought, he closed his
eyes and willed himself to quit thinking and get some much-needed shut eye.
****
“Are you ready to see Mickey
Mouse?” Haley asked the kids when they entered Disneyland, her own excitement
buzzing through her. She’d bet money that she was as excited as the kids. She
was also jazzed that Ethan had asked his sister to babysit so he could take
Haley out for a nice dinner tonight. Haley felt a little guilty for saying yes
to his offer, but it had been forever since she’d gone out for some fun.
Besides, it was just dinner. She’d made a vow last night to keep some distance
with Ethan.
“Hurry up you guys,” Kayla shouted.
“Mickey,” Ryan yelled.
“Look at me a second,” Ethan said,
getting their attention. “Remember the rules. You have to be with one of us at
all times.” He arched his brows at Ryan who nodded solemnly, and then turned to
Kayla, who merely scowled at him. “Don’t even start,” Ethan warned.
“I promise,” Kayla said with a huff.
“Now can we go?” Ethan nodded and they headed out.
“Where first?” Haley asked as they
melded into the crowd.
“
Frozen
,” Kayla shouted. “I
have to meet Anna and Elsa. And Olaf,” she tacked on.
“Good choice because I want to hear
their songs.” Haley leaned over to Ethan, who held the map, and studied it.
“I see it.” Ethan pointed to where
they were going. “Let’s go.”
“My favorite song is, “Reindeers
Are Better Than People,” Kayla shouted, skipping along beside them. “What’s
yours, Haley?
“Let It Be.” And don’t look at us
like we’re nuts, Ethan.
Frozen
was a fabulous show.”
“Good to know. So, Ryan, what
should the guys see?”
“Nemo.” Ryan pointed to his left
like he knew exactly where it was. Haley found it on the map. “Okay, we’ll go
there next.”
“I think we should make a plan,”
Ethan suggested. “Map the rest of the day out after Kayla and Ryan have both
seen their favorite thing.”
Haley nodded. “Sounds good. Ryan
really does want to go on the Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage. We talked about it
at breakfast while you two sleepyheads were sacked out.”
Ethan arched his brows at her, his
full mouth turning up. “Don’t be jealous just because I convinced Kayla to
sleep late.”
“I wish you’d convince her to do
that at home.”
“Then who would Ryan play with at
that ridiculously early hour?”
“He might sleep in,” Haley
responded dryly.
Kayla tugged at Haley’s hand and
they started moving. After a few minutes, Kayla spotted Mickey and shrieked
with delight. She pulled on Haley’s hand. “Hurry up. I want candy from him.”
Kayla all but dragged Haley over to
Mickey, while Ryan hung back with Ethan. Mickey waved as they approached. While
Kayla chatted with Mickey like a magpie on speed, Ryan stared mesmerized, his
blue eyes as round as saucers, his mouth open with awe. Haley took Ryan’s hand.
“It’s okay, honey. Do you want to get closer? He’s giving out candy.”
Ryan shook his head and stepped
back. Ethan winked at her. “Guess we guys will just watch, but you have to
share your candy.”
Kayla yanked on Mickey’s sleeve,
and he did a little jig, then took Kayla’s hand and filled it with candy. Kayla
giggled and gave him a big hug, then whirled around and handed Haley some candy
before taking a piece to Ryan.
“Ah. You forgot dear ole dad.”
Ethan held out his hand and Kayla plopped a Tootsie Roll in it.
Grinning, she grabbed Haley’s hand,
swinging it as they headed out. By the time they reached
Frozen
, Haley
was almost as excited as Kayla. She hoped Ryan would behave through at least
most of the show.
They made their way inside. “Look!”
Kayla all but jumped up and down. “There’s Olaf.”
“Let’s grab a seat while there’s
some left.” Ethan led the way and everyone followed, settling in for the
performance. As soon as they were seated, he leaned over to Haley, who had Ryan
on her lap. “How long do you think we’ll be in here? We guys want to know,
right buddy?” He gave Ryan a fist bump and the little boy grinned.
“I hope long enough for me to rest.
Tonight I’m getting to bed early enough to get a good night’s sleep.”
Ethan’s dark eyes flicked over her.
“I don’t think the time you went to bed had much to do with not getting enough
sleep.”
She felt her face heat and nudged
him with an elbow. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but tomorrow I
get to sleep in.”
He patted her bare knee and she was
reminded how much his touch had affected her last night. Clearing her throat,
she forced her mind off of Ethan and focused on the show.
By the time they left
Frozen
,
Ethan was obviously ready for a change of pace. “We’re about to go on a voyage,”
he declared the minute they stepped outside. “Nemo beware!”
“Nemo, we coming,” Ryan yelled.
Haley laughed at her son’s
enthusiasm and stepped up her pace. When they reached the Nemo exhibit she
swallowed hard, her mouth suddenly dry. They had to ride in a real submarine?
She held back. “I’m claustrophobic,” she confessed to Ethan.
“Seriously?”
She nodded, her heart hammering
against her chest. “I’ll wait out here.”
“And miss Ryan’s reaction to this?
Come on, Haley. Be brave and mighty forces will come to your aid.” She scowled
and he grinned at her. “You can do this. I’ll hold your hand all the way
through.”
Haley wasn’t sure anything could
get her on that submarine, especially holding hands with a man she shouldn’t
even be thinking about in those terms. “Mommy, come on.” Ryan tugged her hand,
a scowl on his face.
Oh God, she couldn’t let her son
down. She gulped in several deep breaths, grabbed Ethan’s outstretched hand,
and started down the narrow steps. It was all she could do not to turn and run
when they reached the submarine’s entrance. Ethan must have felt her trembling,
because he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Leaning into him, she entered
the dark, musty submarine and forced herself to breath evenly.
As soon as they were seated, she took
Ryan from Ethan and kept her eyes on the water and the beautiful sea coral.
“It’s really pretty, isn’t it?” she finally said.