Rip Current (3 page)

He felt her tense, but the closer they got to the water, the more she relaxed. Her hand felt good in his. So good… perfect, actually.

“
I guess I can see a lot of my father in you.”
 

“
Oh? Does he surf or model men’s underwear?” He smiled.
 

She chuckled and shook her head no. “He’s a biker.”

His eyebrows shot up. “Like Lance Armstrong stuff?”

She laughed and he enjoyed the sexy sound coming from her lips. “No, like in Hell’s Angels.”

“
Oh.” He smiled. “There’s nothing wrong with riding a hog. I’ve got one…” He frowned when he remembered his bike was sitting at a wreck yard somewhere because of his accident.
 

“
Yeah.” She frowned over at him, dropped his hand, and stepped back. “I remember.”
 

He shook his head. “It could have been worse. Besides, it wasn’t my fault.” He turned towards her and took her shoulders in his hands, pulling her closer to him. Again, he felt her tense.

“
So you’ve said.” She sighed. “I don’t want to start an argument.”
 

He smiled. “Good, then don’t.” He leaned a little closer to her.

“
Cole.” She shook her head. “I can’t… I don’t want…”
 

He didn’t let her get any further. He’d been holding back his feelings for her for too long, and he didn’t give a damn any longer if she had anything going with the muscle-bound bartender or not.

When their lips touched, he couldn’t stop the sigh from escaping. It was nothing like their first kiss.

Last time, the kiss had been fueled by anger. Now there wasn’t anything between them except the desire he felt running through his entire body.

He pulled her closer and felt her shiver next to him. Her hands went up to his shoulders, and he felt a quick tug of exhilaration rush through him. His hands traveled over her body, enjoying her soft hips as he settled on the place that had driven him nuts for years—her sweet little arse.

“
You feel so good,” he moaned next to her heated skin.
 

She sighed as he ran his mouth down her neck and reached the top of her silk shirt. He wanted to tug the soft material off her in one quick motion, but knew this wasn’t the time or place for it.

Instead, he pulled her down to the soft sand and lay beside her. He ran his hands over her body slowly as he kissed her until he felt her breath hitch.

“
Cole?” She sighed. “This really isn’t a good idea.”
 

“
Sure it is.” He smiled as he reached up to brush a strand of her long blonde hair away from her face. “Every now and then it’s okay to do something reckless.”
 

She shook her head and sighed, then pushed on his shoulders until he leaned back. She sat up a little. “I can’t afford to be reckless.”

He leaned back on his elbows in the warm sand and looked at her. The light from the boardwalk was shining behind her head, making her blonde hair look illuminated.

She tucked her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them tightly.

“
Why not?”
 

She closed her eyes. “I promised myself I wouldn’t turn out like my dad. I need stability. I need to know what tomorrow is going to hold.”

He chuckled. “Pretty boring if you ask me.”

Her eyes flew open and she looked down at him. “And that’s why this isn’t a good idea.”

She rested her chin on her knees and looked off to where the moon was resting over the water.

“
I’m a pretty stable guy—” he started to say, but her burst of laughter stopped him.
 

***

Wendy glanced over at Cole and stopped laughing when she saw the face he was making. “Really?” She dropped her arms from her knees and looked at him more closely. “You’re the most unstable person I know.”

He was silent for a while and she wondered if she’d crossed the line.

“
Your dad must have hurt you real bad.” He reached over and ran a finger up her thigh. She felt the heat from him zip up her leg.

She tried to act casual about it and shrugged. “He wasn’t really around a lot. Actually, no one was around a lot when I was younger.”

“
What about your sister?”

She looked at him, then down at his hand as it played over her knee. The fact that she was wearing shorts, giving him access to her skin, didn’t go unnoticed by either of them. She’d lost track of what he’d asked her. Her mind refused to think about anything other than the feeling of his hand on her leg.

“
What about her?” Her voice sounded strained a little.

“
Someone must have been around with the kid. What about your stepmom?”

She sighed. “Carrie wasn’t the mother type. When Willow was seven, she was picked up for shoplifting. It was the last offense in a very long line that sent her away for a few years. When she got out…” She shrugged. “We never heard from her.”

“
Where was your dad?”

“
Riding with his gang. He’d send a postcard or an envelope of money to help pay the rent, but for the most part, he was on the road.”

“
How old were you?” he asked, frowning.

“
Fifteen
when he left. Seventeen when he returned.”

“
Returned?”

“
After he… found out about the cancer.” She looked at him. She wished she could deny that it still stung. “Less than six months later, we spread his ashes in the ocean.”

“
I’m sorry.” He tugged on her until she lay back down next to him. His hand went into her hair. “I’m not like him, you know.”

“
From where I’m standing, you’re from the same mold,” she said under her breath.

“
I’ve got one of the best families in the world. They see me often and I’m always around.” He smiled. “Besides, if I was gone too long, who would you have to fight with?”

She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. “There are lots of people that come in. I can choose whomever I want to argue with.”

Cole frowned. “Are you trying to start a fight now?”

She giggled and shook her head. “Why would you care?”

She hadn’t even gotten out the last words before his mouth was covering hers again. This time, there was more heat behind his lips as they moved slowly over hers.

She’d dreamed about him, just like this. His first kiss, in the freezer, had left her branded and desperate for more. Now, as his hands rushed over her, she desperately wished that she could forget who he was and what he stood for. But even when he pulled back and looked down at her with those incredible blue eyes, she couldn’t forget.

“
Cole, I…”

He sighed and closed his eyes, then rested his forehead on hers. “I know…” He sighed. “Come on.” He stood up quickly and held out his hand for her. “I’ll walk you home like I promised my sister I would.”

She took his hand and allowed him to pull her up, then busied herself by dusting the soft sand from her shorts and legs as he watched. They walked in silence for a while as she replayed their conversation in her head.

“
You know, I didn’t mean to make you sound bad.” She glanced at him as they turned down her street.

“
I know.”

“
It’s just that I really want stability in my life.”

“
I know,” he said again and took her hand in his. “But sometimes what you want and what you need are two different things.”

She couldn’t stop the burst of laughter from slipping out of her lips. “What makes you believe that?” She stopped in front of her door, her keys in her hands.

He smiled and leaned against her front railing. “Invite me in and I’ll tell you.”

She chuckled. “That’s probably the worst idea I’ve heard yet.”

His smile grew. “Won’t know until you give it a try.”

She shook her head, but she couldn’t stop herself from smiling. “You’re different tonight.”

She watched his smile falter as he leaned his hip against her railing. “Maybe I’m trying to turn over a new leaf.”

She leaned against the door frame and sighed. “It’s about time.”

He chuckled. “Didn’t like the old Cole?”

She sighed again. “It isn’t that I didn’t like him, just that I couldn’t stand to be in the same room with him.” She smiled.

“
Ouch.” He put his fist up to his chest and beat it a few times. “Hurts right here.”

“
Thanks for walking me home.” She started to open her door. He took two steps and was beside her. His hands went to her arms as he turned her towards him.

“
How about going sailing with me tomorrow?”

She blinked a few times. “You don’t have a boat.” She frowned.

“
My family does. Up on the bay. I was going to go fishing all by myself, but since you have the weekend off, I thought we could make a day of it. Then we can cook up what we catch for dinner.”

“
I…” She shook her head and started to make some excuse, but he broke in.

“
Before you say no”—his fingers flexed gently on her arms—“what if I promise to be the new Cole. No sign of the old one all day.” The porch light caused his eyes to gleam. His face was really something to look at, especially in the soft light.

She thought about what she was going to do for the rest of the weekend, now that her sister had chosen her boyfriend over her. The only thing that came to mind, besides thoroughly cleaning her condo, was watching every episode of Breaking Bad on Netflix. Did she really want to spend an entire weekend moping around feeling lonely and sorry for herself?

“
Okay, why not. I haven’t been out on the water in almost a year.”

His smile was instantaneous. “Great, I’ll pick you up around six.”

She coughed. “In the morning?” She almost dropped her keys.

He chuckled. “Don’t worry; you’ll have plenty of sleep.” He glanced down at his watch. “It’s only a quarter to ten.”

She frowned. “Yeah, but who says I’m going to bed now? Or soon for that matter. I’m not even tired.” She sighed.

His smile grew. “Then let me in.” He leaned closer. His hands went to her hips as he pulled her against his body. “I bet I can tire you out.”

She felt his hard body next to hers and felt her own body respond to the promise his made. She knew how good his body would feel in her hands. She’d seen him plenty of times, shirtless, in surf shorts, dripping wet with water. How many times had she dreamed of his body next to hers. Of his hands roaming over her. His mouth… She sighed and shook her head.

“
Not tonight, big boy,” she purred as she took a step back towards her door. She ran her eyes up and down his body slowly and gave him a look. “Besides, old Cole is showing.”

“
Soon.” It came out as a whisper. “Soon, you’ll want to invite me in.” He leaned his hand on her door just behind her head.

She pressed her shoulders against the cool wood and for a moment allowed herself to imagine what it would be like if she invited him in. Then she felt behind her and slid her key into the lock and was thankful that she got it on the first try.

“
Thanks again for walking me home.” She started to turn.

“
Wendy?” He waited until she turned back, then he leaned in slowly, giving her time to step back, but she held her ground. The kiss was slow and sweet with promises that she doubted he could keep. “I’ll see you at six.”

She nodded, fearing she couldn’t find her voice. She stepped into her apartment and shut the door solidly behind her.

The fact that she had to lean against her closed door for almost two minutes to catch her breath and steady her heart did little to assure her that he was a bad idea.

Looking around her condo, she decided to spend the energy she felt bursting through her entire body by cleaning up the mess. She may want stability in her life, but her condo looked like a teenager lived there.

Why she found it so hard to keep the tiny place clean was beyond her. Maybe it was because she’d never had a good role model growing up or because she’d been running a house when she should have been going out with friends or playing sports in school.

She spent the next two hours cleaning, dusting, vacuuming, and even boxing up old items she no longer needed. She planned on delivering them to the local donation center later that week.

By the time she walked into her bathroom and started filling up her tub with hot water and bubbles, she felt sore and satisfied.

If Cole could try to turn over a new leaf, so could she. Starting now, her condo would not only be clean, but organized.

She couldn’t stop herself from dreaming about Cole as she sunk lower in the sudsy water. Or from dreaming of how wonderful it had felt to be held, touched again. She knew it was going to be very difficult tomorrow to fight the attraction she had for him.

Sinking lower in the water, she tried to stop her body from remembering how wonderful it had felt to have his hands on her.

C
ole smiled over at Wendy as he leaned against the wheel of the small sailboat. The twenty-six footer was nothing special, but it was still in great shape and, most important, didn’t leak.
 

He and his brothers had been taking
Pete
, the name Marcus had given the old thing years ago, out on the water for as long as Cole could remember. Roman had taken the old guy in several years back and had redone the entire cabin. Now, instead of old mattresses and waterlogged cushions below deck, there was a small kitchen, a sitting area, and a state-of-the-art cabin with a queen-sized bed. There was even a flat-screen television down there.

He didn’t know why his brother had fixed it up, but he and Marcus had no complaints about it. Now, even their aunt was taking it out on day trips.