Second Chances (20 page)

Karina stopped to stare suspiciously at her friend. "Sexy weekend?"

"Brian said he was taking you away to his cabin for some R & R," Susan said, her grin growing.

Heat warmed her cheeks. She turned, quickly pinning Brian in place with her accusing glare.

He widened his eyes, a glint of amusement shining deep inside as he said, "What's wrong with telling Susan where we're going?"

She knew when she couldn't win. Reaching out, she gave Susan a quick hug, and then brushed past Brian.

She could hear his deep laughter as he followed her out of the store.

"Second thoughts?" His voice was gentle and considerate.

She was quiet for a few minutes. "No, I don't have second thoughts." She hesitated for a moment. "I just wanted it to be private, ours alone."

They'd reached his parked car. Gently, Brian pulled her into his arms for a tender moment. "And it is," he whispered in her ear while stroking her back. The comforting motion reassured her of his strength and understanding.

Curled tight against him, Karina realized that she really was hiding. She leaned back to study this man who held her as if she were precious and irreplaceable. His face was so beautiful. Strength and confidence flowed from the crags and dips. The late afternoon had brought a shadow of bristles to his lower jaw. Slowly, she stroked the planes of his face. With every caress, the light in his eyes deepened and darkened. He tilted his head into her hand, a regal greyhound asking to be stroked. Content in whom he was, capable of surrendering to his own needs, willing to bend for hers. She could learn much from this man.

Lost in the moment, she felt a wave of love overwhelm her. She reached up to cup his face with her hands. Slowly, oh, so slowly she lifted her face to his and placed an angel's kiss on his devilish lips.

With a Madonna smile, she pulled back to look at the flabbergasted man in front of her. "We'd better go or we might miss our ferry."

With a pat on the cheek, she turned and slid onto the front seat of his car. This time she was the one to walk away. This time he was the one left standing still in one spot, stunned.

Perfect.

***

Ian followed the Porsche as it wove through the traffic from the store back to Brian's house. He pulled over a couple of hundred feet away from the building and sat, considering his options. It was a Friday. He really wanted to get Karina alone, but for whatever reason, Brian had picked her from the store early today. Why?

Even as he watched, Brian and Karina came back out carrying overnight bags. They stored the bags in the back before getting back in the car. Interesting. They appeared to be going away for the weekend. The question was—where?

He let them get a fair distance down the road before he pulled out behind them. He wasn't too worried about losing sight of them—Porsches weren't exactly common on the streets. He watched as they headed into the ferry lanes leading to the terminals. He pulled off to the side, keeping his car on the shoulder. Thankfully this terminal was smaller. At the big ones, once you went down the access road you'd end up right on the ferry without any way out.

From where he sat he could still see the sports car, and he watched as Brian pulled into the Saltspring Island ferry line up.

He grinned when he realized that meant they'd be gone overnight for sure and possibly for the whole weekend.

Perfect.

Now he had time to case Brian's house. And find the perfect hiding spot.

T
he clean, fresh breeze from the ocean washed away the heaviness of the hot afternoon.

The view from the ferry was glorious. Greedily, Karina wallowed in the experience. This island trip was aggravatingly short—just under an hour—and not nearly long enough to absorb the spectacular ocean scenery. Watercraft danced over the waves—everything from different-sized motorized craft to catamarans to unbelievable luxury yachts. She shook her head in disbelief at some of them. Regardless, it took her only minutes to fall in love with the islands.

"Brian, this is fantastic." She turned to beam up at him.

"It is, isn't it?" He inhaled the sea air. "I've been coming here since I was a child but I never get blasé about this view. Too bad the trip is so short."

She turned to him in surprise. "That's what I was just thinking."

With the islands rapidly approaching, she could see small cabins dotting the landscape. Karina was entranced.

"This would be a wonderful place to live," she told him, overwhelmed by the coastal scenery.

"My family used to come here several times a month to just get away. Some summers, we'd just move here."

The late-afternoon sun magnified the beauty of their surroundings. They stood lost in their private enjoyment until it was time to disembark.

On the road to the cabin, Karina absorbed what she could but there was too much. Why hadn't she realized sooner how much the water meant to her? They drove through miles of woods where the sun twinkled between the branches. They passed one house, then several more.

Brian laughed at inability to sit still, twisting and turning in her seat. "We'll go sightseeing tomorrow." He pulled the car to a stop in front of a beautiful rustic building. She gasped, her jaw dropping. "This is a cabin?"

"We've done some renovations over the past twenty years, but compared to the new modern homes in the area, yes, this is a cabin."

"I had visions of no running water and no electricity," she admitted, feeling sheepish.

Brian laughed. "I assure you, hot showers and electric stove
are
part of the deal." There was a lightheartedness to his step as he unloaded their bags. "I always feel ten years younger when I get here," he added. "I have such happy memories from this place."

"With your line of work, you could live here, at least for summers." Karina suggested. Suddenly, that suggestion sounded really appealing. "I've thought about it. Maybe down the road I will. I don't know." He shrugged. "Marly only wanted to visit the odd time and never would have entertained the idea of living here full time."

"Yet, it's an ideal place to raise Chelsea." Looking around, Karina couldn't imagine
not
wanting to spend summers.

"Chelsea loves it here but she loves it at home too. Both places right on the water but with very different settings. This one is wilder, that one is groomed beach. Here there's almost no one, in Victoria, the beach is open to the public. There are plusses to both. After Marly and I split, I ran here for comfort. The isolation called to me, helped me heal."

Karina could understand that. It hurt her to think of him needing to heal from another relationship. He'd been married to Marly—of course, the breakup would be difficult. It wouldn't matter if it were a friendly mutual decision. There was an emotional letting go required. If she'd had such a place to go to during her tough times, who knows what changes she'd have made years ago.

"Let's head into town for dinner. Saltspring Island offers several wonderful restaurants." He hoisted the bags up the stairs to the main bedroom overlooking the bay.

Karina wandered through the beautiful house. There were huge windows covering the back wall, allowing for an uninterrupted view of the rocky coast. A fireplace took up an entire wall, with wood already laid. The upstairs, sparsely furnished yet more profound for all that, included a huge, king-sized, four-poster bed.

"Magnificent," she said, trying not to stare at the bed. Images burned her through her consciousness. She flushed, realizing he was looking at her as she stared at the bed.

"Do you like it?" he asked, watching her intently.

The heat in her cheeks burned more hotly. "It's gorgeous. The whole house is wonderful."

"Good." He nodded in satisfaction.

"Are you hungry?"

She looked at him carefully. They were standing in a bedroom with an oversized bed between them. The glint in his eye suggested so much more.

Her eyes narrowed, she stared back at him before answering smoothly. "Seafood sounds good."

A knowing grin broke over his face. But all he said was, "Dinner it is. Let's go."

Karina pivoted sharply and headed quickly back down to the car, anything to get rid of the sharp edginess deep inside. Easier to say than do as Brian climbed into the Porsche. She fought her instincts to head right back into the bedroom. She closed her eyes to block out the beautiful sight of lean, muscled thighs and strong, wide shoulders so close to hers. With nothing visual for her eyes to feast on, the rest of her senses took over. His cologne seeped through the interior of the car, the faint musk gently teasing her senses.

They drove the short distance into town. Brian parked the Porsche close to the boardwalk and he turned to look at her.

"Shall we?" he asked.

"Oh yes!" She couldn't wait. She wanted to experience everything this place had to offer.

Slowly, they walked through the more tourist-oriented spots then on down to one of the many wharves. A local artist stood on one end painting the setting sun. The summer evening found kids and families involved in everything from swimming to baseball. Peaceful, serene, beautiful, it was a perfect place to visit. Friendliness bubbled over from everyone they met.

It wasn't too long before Karina's stomach complained loudly at the delay of getting food. Brian just laughed before tucking her arm in his and heading in a different direction. The restaurant was set back a little from the hustle and bustle of the town's main street.

"Dinnertime."

The restaurant was small and simple. It was an upscale dining experience for such a small town, obviously catering to a more select clientele. Karina wasn't too concerned about the décor or the customers. Too discomforted to eat throughout the day, she'd existed on coffee. Not the smartest thing to do.

Now her system was screaming for food, especially when the menu consisted of crab, scallops, bouillabaisse and many other mouthwatering delicacies.

"Is there anything here you don't like?" he asked.

"Raw oysters," came her prompt reply. She grinned at the flash of disappointment that crossed his face.

"Too bad."

"No, it's not—we don't need them."

His eyes gleamed at her knowingly, and his lethal grin snaked out, catching her unawares. Mesmerized, her body froze with instant awareness. Lightning coursed through her. The world around them faded away and she could hear nothing, except for the drum beat of her blood pulsing through her veins. Her temperature spiked ever higher and her breasts felt full and swollen.

"I'm very glad to hear it." His voice was gentle, yet, oh, so hot at the same time. The waitress arrived to take their order, reminding them of their surroundings and bringing them back to the present.

She tried to shield herself against that dangerous voice, but it just poured over her, bathing her in molten lava. She knew she shouldn't play with fire, but all she could think of was wanting to burn up in his flames. Her restraints had slipped loose, releasing the waves of her own sexual heat. She was sitting in a restaurant full of strangers and all she could think about was climbing onto his lap and taking those firm lips for her own.

His control appeared firmly in place, but she knew she could crack that steel wall. But not here—no, not in public. Mentally grabbing hold with both hands, Karina pulled the unwilling remains of her restraint together.

With tenuous control, she lifted her eyelids slowly and gave him a slow, sexy smile. The corners of her mouth hitched a little higher at the glazed look in his eyes, the ruddy flush that stained his high cheekbones.

"We could ask for takeout?" he suggested, his voice raw, hoarse. He closed his eyes briefly. "Christ," he whispered roughly. "You do pick your times, don't you?"

"Do I?" she teased him mercilessly. "Or should I say—I do?" She batted her eyelashes at him, bringing a reluctant grin back onto his face.

The waiter delivering their food interrupted his response. Food that Karina couldn't remember him ordering. With the devil still riding her hard, she picked up a large prawn and licked off the butter in tiny kitten-like laps.

"Jesus, you'll pay for this," he promised, his voice still gritty.

"I can hardly wait!" she whispered huskily in response.

"Shit!"

Brian dropped his head into his hands, his attention firmly on the ice cubes in their water glasses.

Her knowing laugh rippled through the air.

He raised his head to look at her. "Witch. You are so in trouble."

"What's the matter?" She leaned closer, bathing him with a heated look. "Aren't you hungry?"

He held his hands up in surrender. "Mercy!"