Miracle Road: Eternity Springs Book 7 (10 page)

“It’s from K-Cups. I’m almost as helpless with a regular coffeepot as Gabi is with a frying pan.”

They made the trip up to Sinner’s Prayer Pass in companionable silence. He pulled off the road at a scenic overlook, then grabbed a quilt and a duffel from the backseat of the extended cab. “It’s a five-minute hike to our spot. We want to be away from the road so that our night vision won’t be compromised by any oncoming headlights.”

“I don’t imagine there will be many cars on this road at this time of the morning,” she observed, trailing after him. “Can I help you carry anything?”

“Grab our coffee cups. I have a thermos in my bag.” He pulled out a flashlight equipped with a red filter. “Stay close to me and watch your step.”

After a short hike, they reached the observation spot he had chosen. Lucca spread the quilt on the ground, then said, “After you, Ms. Montgomery.”

“Which direction do I look?”

“Doesn’t matter. The Perseids radiate from a point in the constellation Perseus, the Hero, but you don’t need to watch it because the meteors appear in all parts of the sky. Just fill your field of vision with the stars and sky and you’ll see them.”

“I’m excited,” she said, as she lay on her back and pillowed her head in her hands. “What time are they supposed to … oh! I see one.”

The bright ball with a vivid train streaked across the sky, and Hope felt a rush of delight. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a shooting star.”

“Keep watching. The Perseids strengthen in number as the night goes on. It’s possible we could see as many as fifty an hour.”

“That would be so cool!”

And it was. It was a magical night, like the Fourth of July, only directed by the hand of God. She oohed and aahed and felt silly because of it. She didn’t want to blink for fear of missing something spectacular.

Time ticked by while a truly heavenly show burst across the sky. The night air chilled her, and she hugged herself, running her hands up and down her arms. Lucca must have noticed because he sat up and pulled a wool blanket from the duffel. He spread it over them both, and as the growing warmth chased away the chill, Hope gradually became aware of a different sort of warmth rising within her.

She’d never been on a date with a man as hot as Lucca Romano. Not that this was a date. But it was a … well … she didn’t know what to call it, but whatever it was, lying on a quilt beneath a shooting-star sky with him created an air of intimacy and anticipation. On her side, anyway. Lucca showed no signs of reciprocation. He might as well have been lying next to Roxy as to her. And he never touched her dog if he could avoid it.

For a man who played professional basketball, he’d certainly not demonstrated any ability to throw a pass.

He’s not interested. So what? Let it go.

The man was a head case, and she had enough of that in her life just dealing with herself. He’d been nice to include her tonight; she needed to leave it at that.

“Still cold?” he asked her.

“A little. I’m glad to have the blanket.”

Matter-of-factly, he put his arm around her and tugged her against him. Startled, Hope stiffened for just a moment, then allowed herself to relax against him, absorb his body heat, and wallow in the masculine scent of him.

“Do you know the story of Perseus?” he asked her.

“Actually, I do. Greek mythology intrigued me as a teen. I kinda had a thing for him.”

“Like the Greek god type, hmm?”

She almost asked if he was fishing because heaven knows, he qualified. But that would cross the line to flirtatious, and despite the fact that she was lying beside him, she didn’t think she should go there. “He saved the princess. Gotta love a man who saves the woman in jeopardy.”

“You’re not one of those modern women who expects the princess to save herself?”

“I’m all for gender-neutral heroism. But if I’m a princess about to be eaten by a monster and a hot hero offers his sword, I’m not going to turn down his assistance.”

“That’s reasonable.”

Was he aware that his thumb had begun to stroke up and down her arm?

“When we talked about heroes once before, you mentioned your brother Zach. Who else are your heroes? Your father, maybe?”

“My dad was my superhero. Gabi probably occupies that spot for me and the rest of my family now. You know she saved Zach’s life last year.”

“Yes. She’s amazing.”

“She is. So is … whoa … did you see that?”

“I did! I counted six.”

“Eight. There were two more at ten o’clock.”

“Incredible!”

“Yeah.” After a moment of quiet, he picked up the thread of conversation. “I have a friend who is a firefighter. He lost his sight in an explosion. Still managed to save a little kid’s life. He’s definitely one of my heroes. What about you? Who are your heroes?”

Daniel Garrett came to mind immediately. She never talked about him or shared how important he was to her. Yet, here on this crisp, dark morning as she lay watching the heavens where with no warning, her hopeful anticipation was spectacularly rewarded again and again, it felt proper to mention him. “I have a friend who has quietly devoted his life to helping families who are in the midst of a crisis. Doing so takes him into some dangerous places, and more often than not leads to heartbreak. But he puts himself out there, puts himself through that, because he’s … well … a hero.”

“Sounds like a good guy. What sort of crises?”

Hope had skated as close to her own problems as she intended.

“He looks for missing people,” she replied, knowing he would interpret that as searching for runaways. Ready to lighten things up, she added, “Then, of course, there is Amanda Reed. She’s a real hero of mine.”

“Why is she a hero?”

“Bags. She designs the most spectacular handbags.”

“Through talking about serious stuff, are you?”

“Pretty much, yes. Lucca, why does that one star seem to twinkle more than the others? It’s almost like it’s winking at me.”

“Scintillation.”

“Excuse me?”

He rolled over onto his side and went up on his elbow. Though his form was cloaked in darkness, his gaze upon her was tangible. Hope went still and watchful. Anticipation welled within her.

“Stars appear to twinkle because we see them through the thick layers of moving air that make up the Earth’s atmosphere. Their light beams are refracted many times in random directions as they hit different densities of air. That random refraction results in the star appearing to wink out or twinkle. The scientific name is ‘stellar scintillation.’”

“I see,” Hope breathed.

“Or astronomical scintillation.” He lifted his hand and trailed a finger down her cheek.

Hope shivered, but this time, she wasn’t cold. “Ah.”

He leaned forward, his warm breath whispering across her face. “Irresistible scintillation.”

Then, just as the first rays of dawn stretched into the eastern sky, Lucca Romano touched his lips to hers.

The kiss was just a whisper. Now that he’d finally surrendered to the urge, he wanted to draw the pleasure out. He explored her lips, learning the shape of them, their softness. They were delightfully full and blissfully moist. The taste of her was as fascinating as the stars that had burned across the sky. Fascinating and strangely familiar.

He felt like he had kissed her before, which was crazy. Hope Montgomery wasn’t anything like the women he usually pursued. Not a model or beauty queen or, as he’d liked in his younger days, a sorority girl. She was a homespun schoolteacher, and not just a schoolteacher, but a
kindergarten
teacher. The flavor of her mouth—not sophisticated French champagne, but hot chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven on a cold winter’s day—stirred his blood.

And she felt like heaven in his arms.

He stopped thinking then and deepened the kiss, losing himself to sensation. His tongue slid into her soft, wet mouth. His hand trailed over the satin of her cheek, and his fingers threaded through the silk of her hair. At the sound of her throaty moan, Lucca’s passion blazed.

He wanted her. He wanted to strip away the barrier of their clothes and feel those full breasts of hers flattened against his bare chest. He wanted to explore her with his hands, to trace the taut stretch of her muscles, the feminine curve of her hip. He wanted to taste her. He wanted to see her. Badly.

Badly enough that he knew he’d better apply the brakes.

But, in a minute.

He needed just one more minute. One more endless minute to lose himself in the erotic pleasure of her kiss.

Because now her arms had lifted and twined around his neck, and her fingers played along the sensitive skin just above his collar. She was hot and trembling and when she purred, the sound vibrated through him.
Now, Romano. End it now, before it’s too late.

He lifted his head and eased away, opening his eyes. The hazy light of dawn cast a golden glow across flushed cheeks and lips red and swollen. Her chest lifted and fell in quick pants. When her lids fluttered open and she stared up at him with soft, arousal-drugged eyes, it took all his willpower not to lower his head again.

He fought for something to say and came up with a stupid “Good morning.”

“Oh. Wow.”

It pleased Lucca to know that he wasn’t the only one suffering from stupid. “That’s a nice way to begin a day.”

“Yes. Yes, it is. Was. Nice. I enjoyed it.” Her chest rose, then fell with one big breath. “Not just the kiss. The entire night was special.”

With another woman, Lucca would have fired a comeback filled with sexual innuendo, but something about Hope caused him to simply say, “Yes, it was. I’m glad you shared it with me.”

And with that, their evening with the Perseids came to an end.

They hiked back to the truck in silence, Lucca lighting their way with the flashlight. On the way down the mountain to Eternity Springs, the mood between them felt awkward. He asked if she had a busy day ahead, which she did and had already told him about. She asked him what paint colors Maggie had chosen for Aspenglow’s interior walls. As if he’d paid a bit of attention because he did all his work around the place outdoors.

Lucca sensed that the kiss had changed something. She was pulling back from him. Just as he was pulling back from her.

He pulled his truck into the driveway between their two houses. They both climbed down from the truck and Lucca hesitated. Ordinarily, he’d walk a woman he’d just spent half the night with to her front door. But if he did that since he’d kissed her earlier, he’d have to kiss her again, wouldn’t he?

Have to, Romano? What a hardship you’re considering there.

Hope glanced at him. “Thanks again for including me, Lucca. The meteor shower was a spectacular show.”

What about the kiss? Maybe the fact she hadn’t mentioned it meant she wouldn’t go inside and call his sister and spill the beans. He’d dated one of Gabi’s friends in the past. He knew how all that worked. Once Hope told Gabi that he’d kissed her, he’d be dealing not just with Hope, but with Gabi and Mom, too. Madness.
You need to take a big step back.

He cleared his throat. “It’s a good way to put a period on the summer. I’m headed to Boulder to visit my brother and by the time I get back, school will have started. You’ll be busy. I guess stargazing late at night won’t work for your schedule. I probably won’t see you much.”

She offered up a fake smile that made Lucca feel like a heel. “You’re right. I have no leisure time once school starts. If I were to try to fit something else into my schedule now, well, I would need to want it badly. I’m afraid stargazing will have to wait until the situation suits my desires. Have a nice trip to Boulder.”

Well, then. She’d put him in his place, hadn’t she? He shot back a smile just as false as hers. “Thanks. I intend to.”

She started toward her house, giving him a backward wave. “Bye. Today is trash pickup. Don’t forget to carry your can to the curb.”

Lucca stood watching her until she disappeared inside her house. “Carry my can to the curb?” he muttered. “Was that some sort of crack?”

He wasn’t certain, and it made him a little grumpy. Everything since the kiss had made him a little grumpy. As he grabbed his duffel and the quilt from the back of the truck and carried them into his house, he muttered, “Sleep deprivation. That’s what this is. It’s all it is.”

He’d take a little nap before heading out to see Tony.

But when he sprawled across his bed and buried his head in his pillow, thoughts of Hope Montgomery drifted across his mind like wispy clouds. Better for them both that they stopped before they ever really got started. He wasn’t looking for a relationship. Hell, he wasn’t even looking for sex. Go figure. Since that self-destructive stretch during his Latin American sabbatical when he went around nailing anyone who was interested, he’d lost interest in meaningless sex. But he wasn’t ready for sex to mean something, either.

Kissing Hope Montgomery had stirred him. Tempted him.

The memory of it plagued him when he tried to fall asleep.

After tossing and turning for twenty minutes, he gave up. He showered, dressed, threw a few things into a bag, and headed for Boulder.

He phoned his brother when he was twenty minutes out. Tony wasn’t through with work for the day. “I have another hour to an hour and a half here, and I didn’t have time for lunch. I’m going to want food the minute I’m free. Want to play tourist for a while, then pick me up and we can go to dinner?”

Lucca considered a moment, then said, “Weather is nice. How about I stop at the grocery store for steaks and fire up the grill at your house? I can have it ready when you get home.”

“Sounds great. Key is in the usual spot.”

When Tony had been an assistant coach in Boulder, he’d lived in an apartment near campus. After he’d won the head-coaching job, he’d bought a house up in the Flagstaff area that had a great backyard and an awesome view.

Lucca stopped at a grocery and purchased everything he would need for supper, knowing the chances that his twin had a stocked refrigerator hovered between slim and none. He arrived at Tony’s house, found the house key hidden on a rafter on the back porch, and let himself inside. By the time Tony drove up, Lucca had a salad made, baked potatoes ready, and two huge rib eyes ready for the outdoor kitchen grill.