September
Hilton Head Island
I
t was a perfect fall day. The SUV was humming along the road, the sky was cloudless and blue and the music was blasting from the speakers. Todd Wainwright was feeling more relaxed than he had in months. When he saw the bright blue mailbox that was his landmark, he turned into the driveway. It was a long driveway that went up a slight incline, and there was a big barnlike garage at the end. He chose not to explore the garage, stopping instead next to the house, where he turned off the
ignition and tried to stretch. The drive from Chicago had taken hours, and his long limbs were feeling the strain. He got out of the Expedition so he could get the kinks out of his body and take a look around at the same time.
The house was everything he was told it would be. It was beautiful, spacious, secluded and near the water. The house sat far back from the road and was surrounded by trees, mostly pine. He removed his sunglasses and took in a deep breath of the enticing scent of the sea and the fragrant scent of evergreen. For once he had listened to his friends and family back in Illinois, and he was glad he had. It was his brother’s idea that he take some time off. It was his sister-in-law’s notion that he needed to go out of town and his friend Ayanna had given him the keys to her family’s vacation home on Hilton Head Island.
“You’ll love it down there,” she’d assured him. “Daddy was an architect and he not only designed the house, he built it himself. It’s right on the beach, and it’s kinda secluded so you’ll get some rest and relaxation. My mother is in Africa right now and my sister Emily is off with her youth camp, so you can run around naked all day if you want to,” she had teased him.
Todd had laughed and said he might just do that. Now, as he looked at the greenery surrounding the modern but rustic-looking home that awaited
him, he grinned. Maybe running around without clothes was a possibility. The stitches were out and there was no reason to stay covered up anymore. Besides, Ayanna had said something about an outdoor hot tub that had sounded pretty good. He didn’t bother to get his bags. He decided to take a look around and get his bearings first.
The exterior had a porch that extended around three sides. In the back there was a deck with a broad overhang that protected the hot tub Ayanna had mentioned. Todd had mounted the stairs and was standing on the deck when he realized the back door was open. The screen door was closed and locked, but the wood-and-glass door that opened into the kitchen was wide open. He sorted through the keys on the ring he was holding and found one that was labeled for the kitchen screen door. He opened the door and stepped into the kitchen, announcing himself so that he didn’t scare whoever was in the house.
“This is Todd Wainwright, a friend of the family. I’m invited to use the house so I have keys,” he said in his low, mellow voice.
He didn’t get an answer, so he kept moving through the downstairs, looking into the great room that adjoined the kitchen, the living room and the media room. The house was even better on the inside. Everything was paneled in gleaming oak. The living room had a cathedral ceiling, and
all the rooms had black ceiling fans that looked elegant instead of kitschy. The furnishings were simple and casual, yet the rooms exuded a touch of elegance. It looked like a layout from a
House Beautiful
magazine, but lived-in.
Todd kept walking around, repeating his original statement a couple of times but still getting no answer. He was at the foot of the stairs when he thought he heard something. Climbing the stairs to the second story, he continued to try to alert anyone who might be in the house. “I’m not a burglar, I’m not a pervert, and I was invited here by Ayanna. I got in with the keys she gave me,” he said in a soothing voice, or what he hoped was soothing. He heard water splashing and followed the noise to what appeared to be a bathroom. The door was open, and the warm moisture in the room was heavy with the scent of flowers. And standing in the bathtub covered with creamy foam was Ayanna’s sister Emily—naked as the day she was born, singing at the top of her lungs as she swayed under the spray of a handheld shower.
Todd’s heart leaped to his throat and stayed there, lodged right next to his Adam’s apple. He wanted to say something to let her know he was there, but he couldn’t get a word out. He’d met Emily on a few occasions, but he couldn’t currently make sense of what he was currently staring at. Her golden-brown skin gleamed with the
droplets of water cascading over it. She had an amazing body, now that he could see it without clothes. Her back was to him, and he could see the perfect globes of her behind, her firm thighs and her long, curvy legs. Her long hair was full of shampoo, and she was using the shower attachment as a microphone. He’d never heard a version of “Single Ladies” as off-key and tuneless as the one Emily was wailing, but her beauty more than made up for it. Todd knew he had to get out of there fast or things would get real ugly.
He backed out of the doorway and silently made his way back downstairs.
Damn, that was close.
He couldn’t have explained his actions in any way that would have made sense. He knew that Emily would’ve been angry and embarrassed about being spied on. And she’d have been completely justified, too. He knew better than to sneak up on a woman like that, even if it was an accident. Once she dried off and dressed, he could explain everything to her. In the meantime, he decided to sit on the porch and enjoy the breeze for a few minutes. He took a seat in one of oversize chairs with comfortable, thickly padded seat covers and propped his legs on a matching ottoman. He fell asleep almost at once, lulled by the soft wind and the chirping of the birds in the trees. He would have stayed that way for a long time, but a strange voice made his eyes pop open.
“Sir, do you care to explain why you’re here?”
The first thing Todd focused on was a tall South Carolina state trooper who was watching him intently while he repeated his question. “Sir, I asked you why you were here.”
Now that he was aware that the man’s partner was also present, Todd answered him. “I was invited to stay here by the owner of this house.”
“Well now, that’s a funny thing. The owner of the house is the person who called us and reported a B&E. She doesn’t seem to know you.”
“There’s been a big misunderstanding. I’m a friend of Ayanna Walker, uh, her married name is Phillips now. Anyway, she gave me the keys to the house and said no one would be here. But her sister Emily is home, and I was just waiting for her to come downstairs so I could let her know I was here.” His words sounded bungled and inane even to him, but he figured it was better to tell the truth.
“Okay, sir, that sounds plausible, except for the part about your being a friend of the family, because Ms. Emily is the one who called us and she claims to not know you.”
Just then a female head popped out of the door. Emily was fully clothed with her still-soapy hair draped over her shoulders in long tight ringlets. Her long-lashed eyes peered at him with suspicion. “Todd, is that you? When did you cut your hair?”
In a short time all the misunderstandings were ironed out and the troopers left, although the younger man was still giving Todd the side eye. Emily had felt totally foolish when she realized that it was indeed Todd and not some random stranger who had invaded her home. She had thrown on clothes hastily as she was calling 911 and was now attired in faded denim shorts with frayed edges and an equally faded T-shirt, complete with holes from years of wear. Her feet were bare and she should have looked like a typical tomboy, but she didn’t. She looked quite sexy, as a matter of fact, but she wouldn’t have believed it for a minute. Emily was much too down-to-earth to categorize herself as any kind of femme fatale.
“Well, come on in,” she said. “You want some lemonade or sweet tea?”
“Sure.”
They went into the kitchen and she poured him a glass of lemonade, offering him some fat sugar cookies to go with it.
“I’m really sorry,” Todd said again. “I had no idea you were here, or I wouldn’t have come. In fact, if you tell me where there’s a hotel, I’ll get out of your hair.”
Emily ignored his comment and looked at him intently. “Speaking of hair, you never said why you cut yours,” she pointed out.
Todd ran his hand over his head, which was shorn down to his scalp. The last time she’d seen him, he’d had long braids that came way past his shoulders. Now he was almost bald with a shadow beard and moustache.
“I cut it because I met a patient who was starting chemo. She came into the emergency room during a crisis, and I treated her before she was admitted. Cutest little girl you ever saw,” he added. “Anyway, she knew she was going to lose all her hair, so I told her I’d shave my head so we’d match.”
Emily smiled. “That was really sweet of you. What did she think?”
Todd laughed. “I went to see her after I did it, and she said I looked better with braids and I wasn’t handsome anymore.”
Emily laughed, too. “You can’t beat kids for being honest.”
She might be honest, but she’s wrong. You still look good to me,
she thought.
Todd was looking around the kitchen as she was looking at him, examining every inch of his tall, muscular frame. She blushed as he had to repeat his question, since she was in her own little world when he spoke.
“I asked if there was a hotel nearby. I don’t want to get in your way,” Todd said.
“Todd, don’t be silly. There’s plenty of room here. Ayanna said you were welcome and you are. She thought the place would be empty because
she’d been so busy with her family that she forgot that my camp was last week. We have four bedrooms and two and a half baths, so it doesn’t make sense for you to go to a hotel. Just go out to your car and get your things,” she said briskly.
“If I’d seen your car I wouldn’t have used the key to get in,” Todd said ruefully. “I probably just should have waited until I heard you come downstairs or something, instead of just coming in.”
“That’s because my car is in the barn. And if you hadn’t come in you wouldn’t have been able to see me in the bathtub, would you?”
Her tone was both casual and naturally seductive, so much so that Todd choked on his lemonade.
“Damn, I’m sorry. I didn’t think you heard me upstairs. How did you know I saw you?”
His face got red as she gave him a knowing smile and answered, “Because you just told me. Go get your stuff and I’ll take you to your room.”
A
lexis couldn’t take any more. “Wait a minute, wait a minute! You’re telling us that the man saw you naked?
Butt
naked? A strange man saw you with no clothes on, and he’s still living? Why didn’t you beat the crap out of him?”
Emily shrugged. “He’s not a strange man. He’s a good friend of my sister. He was a groomsman in her wedding. Don’t you remember me telling you about him?”
Sherri and Alexis looked at each other before looking back at her. “No,” they answered, once again speaking in unison.
“I must have said something about him,” Emily countered. “He’s a real nice guy, very handsome,
a doctor. Very down-to-earth, too. Are you sure you don’t remember?”
“If he was all that, why didn’t you get with him when you were in Chicago?” Alexis asked pointedly.
“I don’t ‘get with’ guys, Alexis. That’s not my deal. Besides, he was with someone,” she answered just as pointedly.
Sherri was shaking her head. “I’m going to forget the naked part for a hot minute, but we’re going back to that. If you know the guy and you like him, why did you call the cops on him?”
“I told you, I didn’t recognize him! I knew him as having long braids, and they were gone, remember?”
Sherri got up and went to the drawer where Emily kept odds and ends and came back to the table with a notepad and a pen. “I’m going to have a lot of questions when you get through, so I’m taking notes. Alexis, try to hold it in, chick. We need to get the rest of this story before we react.”
Alexis moaned dramatically and made a horrible face. Sherri raised an eyebrow and stared her down. Alexis pouted, but the grimace melted away immediately. “That’s a good idea, Sherri. I’ll try, but I can’t promise anything. Okay, what happened next, Em?”
Emily looked totally composed as she watched Todd go out to his car to get his luggage, but
nothing could have been further from the truth. After the morning she’d had, her heart was still going like a jackhammer. Her whole world had been turned upside down in the past hour, and she was trying desperately to look as if it was no big deal. But that was going to be really difficult. From the moment she’d met him, Emily had a secret passion for Todd. She’d never shared this information with anyone, especially not him. And now here he was live and in person under her roof. She should have pointed him to the nearest Marriott when he said he’d stay at a hotel, but no, she had to tell him to stay with her. Clearly, she wasn’t in her right mind; she was just still rattled from the events of the day.
The moment she’d realized there was someone in the house, she’d gone into panic mode. She’d been singing loudly while she was standing in the bathtub, but she’d caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye that scared the hell out of her. It was a man, a big bald man. She tried to remember if the rifle her father had kept was upstairs where she was or downstairs in the closet.
Downstairs, it’s always downstairs,
she muttered. Without bothering to dry off, she got out of the deep tub and tiptoed to her bedroom, leaving the water running so she wouldn’t alert the intruder that she’d left the bathroom. Throwing on an old pair of shorts as she reached for her cell phone, she
hastily called an old friend of her dad’s who happened to be a state trooper in the area. Thankfully he’d been on duty and told her he’d be right there. By the time she’d tossed on a T-shirt, she could see him pull into the driveway behind the strange vehicle that was parked there.
After she tiptoed down the stairs and listened to the man and his partner interrogate the stranger, she realized it was Todd, the man she’d met in Chicago when her sister Ayanna had gotten married. He was tall, intelligent and very funny, as well as fine as hell. When she finally came out on the porch to face him, it took her a few seconds to recognize him because he’d cut off his long braids. He looked like Shemar Moore now, or at least as close to Shemar Moore as she was gonna get. His long lean body was still as sexy as she recalled, and his voice was still as captivating. And he was right here with her on Hilton Head. For once, Emily wished that she had less intellect and more sex appeal, but there was nothing she could do about it now. When Todd returned to the back porch, she held the kitchen door open for him as he carried in a large bag and small duffel.
“I hate to keep repeating myself, but I can easily stay at a hotel,” Todd reminded her.
“And I hate to keep telling you that you’re perfectly welcome to stay here. Unless you find my company repulsive or something,” she replied.
“Ayanna obviously just forgot when I would be here. Even if she’d remembered that I was going to be here, you’d still be welcome. This place is way too big for one person. Come on upstairs and pick out a room so we can get your things put away,” she said nonchalantly, as though having a super-fine man drop in on her was an everyday occurrence. Which it wasn’t, not by a long shot.
She didn’t wait for him to answer; she just started walking to the back stairs that were next to the kitchen. Sucking in air so she wouldn’t appear out of breath, which she was due to the faint masculine scent that drifted from Todd, she walked down the hall to the bedroom next to hers.
“You can have your pick of rooms. Daddy wanted this place to hold all of us, plus guests.”
The room held a king-size bed, a dresser and armoire, a wide padded window seat and a big comfortable-looking chair. Her mother had decorated it in soothing shades of green, and it looked as posh as a fancy hotel but much homier due to the oak floors and walls. Todd looked around with a satisfied smile. “This is great, Emily. I can’t believe your father built this place himself.”
“Well, I helped a little. I thought about going into architecture at one time, but science was my real calling.” She felt her cheeks grow hot as the shyness that usually overtook her when she was talking to a good-looking man arose. “Okay, I’ll
let you get settled. I have to get the shampoo out of my hair,” she said as she felt the ends, which were getting crispy from the dried suds.
Todd grinned as he saw her fingering her long ringlets. “This time I promise not to spy.”
A hot flush raced over her, but this time it didn’t reach her face. Rather, it lingered in the most intimate part of her body, and for some reason the feeling wasn’t terribly uncomfortable. It was kind of exciting, which made her back out of the room with a quickness. “It wouldn’t do you any good, buddy, because I’m locking the door.”
Todd’s laughter followed her down the hall as she hurried to finish her shower properly.
The day ended much better than it had begun, especially the part with the police raid. After Todd got his things put away, he took a shower in the bathroom that was located safely down the hall from the one Emily was using. He tried valiantly not to think about what she was doing in the other bathroom, but it was impossible. Now that he knew what she looked like under the loose, often baggy clothes that she usually wore, his whole perspective of her had changed. He’d always thought of her as ubersmart, funny and cute as hell, but now he knew the real deal. Emily was a true banger with brains, and it was a dangerous combination. To punish himself for the lustful turn his thoughts
were taking, he turned the water to full-on cold, but it didn’t help a bit. The erection he’d gotten from thinking about Emily doubled in size in pure defiance.
“Thanks a lot, friend,” he mumbled as he turned the water off. “That’s just what I need. I’ve already spied on the woman, and now I’m entertaining thoughts of lust. You need to calm down before you make me do something I’ll regret later.” Although he couldn’t imagine regretting anything he did with Emily. She was so different from the airheaded sexpots he usually wound up with. Anything that transpired between him and Emily would be pure pleasure. He had just finished toweling himself dry when his cell phone rang. He groaned when he saw the number on his caller ID, because it belonged to a woman he had no desire to speak with ever again. He ignored the phone and finished his grooming so he could see what Emily was doing. Whatever it was, it was bound to be as interesting as she was.
Emily took a last look in the mirror before going down to the kitchen. She’d gotten all the shampoo out and put on the leave-in conditioner her sister had forced on her the last time they were together. Makeup and other girly things weren’t high on Emily’s list of priorities, but she finally agreed with Ayanna on conditioner and a few other basics
like clear lip gloss. Her wardrobe was still more functional than feminine, though. She had a vast array of T-shirts and knit tops that she wore with denim for leisure and khakis for work, but that was about it. Even now she was wearing shorts and a tank top with a pair of flip-flops. She looked clean and plain. If she had on some cute earrings or something it might help upgrade her image, but she didn’t bring any with her.
“What you see is what you get,” she said with a slight frown. She tossed her long, heavy hair over her shoulder and went down to the kitchen to see if there was anything she could make for dinner. The refrigerator door was wide open and she was inspecting the contents when Todd’s voice startled her. Two tomatoes hit the floor as he asked if there was anything he could to do to help.
“You can quit sneaking up on me! I’m going to put a bell on you,” she said with a frown. “Learn to make some noise when you come into a room.”
“I didn’t mean to scare you, again,” he said with the dazzling smile that made her weak in the knees. “How about I take you out to dinner to make up for it?”
“Well, I was going to make something, but if you want to eat out, we can.”
“Wait a minute, you’re offering home cooked food? Maybe I should think this over. How good of a cook are you?” He leaned against the counter
and continued to show her his dazzling white perfect teeth in his devilish smile.
It was her turn to smile as she answered him. “I cook by the decimal system,” she replied.
“I’m not familiar with that,” he admitted.
“I can make ten of most things. Ten kinds of cake, ten kinds of sandwiches, ten kinds of salad, you get my drift. I cook basics, like chicken. But I know ten ways to fix it.”
“That’s, um, different.”
Emily shrugged. “Everybody should know how to feed themselves. Ten seemed to be a good number to master. Anything less is boring and anything more is superfluous. So I can fix eggs ten ways. Same with potatoes, tomatoes and just about anything else.”
Todd laughed. “Practical and creative, a woman after my own heart. And as much as I’d like to sample some of your decimal kitchen stylings, I’d be less than a gentleman if I didn’t take you out. You do like seafood, don’t you?”
Emily made a little face. “I love it, but I’m not really dressed to go out. And I can’t go change, because I didn’t bring anything fancy with me. I don’t actually own anything fancy, except the dress I wore in Ayanna’s wedding,” she said with a hint of defiance.
“So? You look fine to me, and I wasn’t thinking about anything fancy. I kinda pictured a dive
bar with good food and ice-cold beer. Is there anything like that around here?”
Emily grinned. “If that’s what you want, I have just the place for you. Let’s go.”
“This is just what I had in mind,” Todd said approvingly. “Good music, cold beer and great food. And the atmosphere is perfect.”
They were seated next to the windows that ran the length of the long, narrow dining room of Fishy’s Roadhouse. The walls and floors were of the same weathered wood. The tables were a mixture of old wood and fifties Formica, with worn vinyl chairs. Old license plates and Burma-Shave ads were on the walls, along with stuffed fish and other oddities. A big jukebox was near the bandstand, and “Use Somebody” by the Kings of Leon was playing. The staff wore bowling shirts and jeans, and the total effect was laid-back and cheerful. The food was exceptional, and they had polished off a pile of crab legs and lobster with corn bread, coleslaw and fries. They had also shared a huge slab of pecan pie with Fishy’s homemade ice cream.
Todd was enjoying himself tremendously. Emily was totally unselfconscious while she ate, and she ate like a real person, not like the women he dated. They were the salad brigade, women who avoided carbs and red meat and desserts, all the things
that made life worth living. Emily had a beautiful body, and she seemed to treat it very well without starving herself. In his experience, a woman who enjoyed the pleasure of eating enjoyed other pleasures as well. From what he could see, Emily was a very sensual lady in all ways. She had a heart-shaped face with rich brown skin that looked as if it would be soft and smooth to touch. Her thick eyebrows were natural, like her eyelashes. That was one of the things he really liked, the fact that she wasn’t plastered with makeup. And her smile was just as sexy as she was, with big dimples that bracketed her full, moist lips.
“I’m glad you like this place. I come here all the time when I’m on Hilton Head,” she told him. “It’s really good in October when the stone crab claws are in season. You can only get them in Florida, but the owner has a relative there and he gets some a few times during the season. They’re wonderful, my favorite food.”
“How often are you able to get to Hilton Head?” he asked.
“Not as often as I’d like. When I’m not at the university, I’m still busy with community work, like my summer science camp. Or I’m going somewhere else to work. I was in Haiti after the earthquake. I was in New Orleans after Katrina. I never know where I’m going to be,” she said. “Recreation
gets pushed to the back of the line when it comes to my schedule.”
Todd was impressed but curious. “What do you do when you’re working in disaster areas? How does your background in biochemistry lend itself to, um…?”
Emily smiled at the way Todd was struggling to word his question. “Don’t worry. I’m not experimenting on people or anything. Not too many people know that I’m a medical doctor as well as being a Ph.D. I volunteer for Doctors Without Borders. I usually spend my vacation traveling for the organization.”
“Dang girl, you put me to shame,” Todd said with obvious sincerity. “Okay, I don’t understand how a woman like you is still single. Are you sure there isn’t some big jealous guy who’s gonna come looking for you and try to split my skull? You are probably the most accomplished person I’ve ever met,” he said with eyes full of admiration.