Second Chances (22 page)

Brian held off as long as he could, helping her to feel her completion before succumbing to his own release. One last thrust sent him convulsing over the edge. With lungs heaving and arms trembling from the effort, he collapsed on top of her.

Karina smiled through the silent tears running down her face, holding him close.

This was as it should be, where heaven met earth, where man met woman, where Brian became hers. Not borrowed, not temporarily—but hers.

For the first time in a long while her world was perfect.

The night was endless.

Brian found a blanket to wrap around Karina, tucking her up on the couch. He pulled on his shorts then went in search of the wine bottle to fill their communal glass.

Karina cuddled under the blanket, watching the flames in the fireplace dance. She was exhausted yet exhilarated. Her mind was still beyond thinking, all she could do was experience. Closing her eyes, she leaned into the cushions and rested.

An appetizing aroma wafted her way, tantalizing her nose. With a start, she realized it was after nine and the world outside was fading into darkness. And outside of those few, teasing bites of dinner at the restaurant she'd had nothing since breakfast. With one appetite temporarily appeased, the second appetite stepped up its cry. She laughed as her stomach grumbled on cue.

"I heard that."

She twisted around as he came from the kitchen, carrying a platter that was emitting wonderful aromas.

"Just what magic did you perform while I was dozing?"

"I reheated our dinner," he answered smugly.

"Boy, this waiter is the best yet."

Karina eyed Brian's muscular bare chest before her gaze dropped to his bulging thighs lovingly encased by snug jockey shorts. She giggled as a pink flush swept over his cheekbones.

"No comments on the house uniform, please."

"Oh, no! I approve! I insist that this uniform be worn at all times during the weekend." She said with a leer.

However, as her eyes swept over his frame and lingered on the most interesting spots, the material began to move.

"Stay down!" he yelled at his shorts.

Karina erupted in laughter. "At least stay on a leash while I satisfy a different appetite," she managed to say between fits of giggles.

Brian grinned at her. He pulled the coffee table closer and placed the food down in front of her.

Hungrily she eyed the two plates of seafood.

She reached for the largest prawn on her plate before leaning back in her seat. "Better eat quickly, if you want your share!"

With a shout of laughter, he bent down and plucked her up, blanket, prawn and all. He turned, stretching out over most of couch with her now safely ensconced on his lap. Smiling down from her now-superior position, she offered him the second bite of her delicacy.

Brian pulled her in for a tight, close hug, tucking her head against his chest and resting his head on hers. He squeezed her hard before letting her go. "I'm starved!"

They grinned at each other and set out to fill their stomachs.

***

To say it was a fantasy weekend come true would be correct. And Karina loved it. The days and nights were filled with hot loving and long talks, and long walks with hot conversation. The weekend was for the two of them, and the two of them alone, and Karina took full advantage of it.

They shared coffee from the same cup and shared water from the same shower. They argued, empathized and sympathized, sharing story after story. They laughed, they cried, but most of all, they made love.

Over and over again, they learned each other's bodies—sometimes hard and fast and sometimes slow and languid. And eventually they even did make it to the king-sized bed upstairs. Just like the rest of that weekend, they were in no hurry.

Sunday afternoon, they walked the beach in front of the house, Karina's hand tenderly held captive in Brian's larger one.

"What's bothering you?" he asked during a break in the conversation.

She glanced at him curiously. She thought she'd hidden the inner tension well. "Is it that obvious that something's upsetting me?"

"Now that I know you—how you think, how you feel, how you come apart beneath me—yes!"

She blushed at the warmth of his voice, but no longer at his words. With a tug she lifted their clasped hands and placed a kiss on his knuckles.

"It's not a big thing."

"All the more reason to tell me." Slowing to a stop, he pulled her into his arms and looked down at her.

"It's just…"

"What?" he prompted gently.

"I don't want this weekend to end." The words came out in a rush, half muffled against his chest.

He hugged her more tightly, whispering against her curls, "Neither do I, neither do I."

***

There they were.

Parked several houses down under the shade of a large tree, Ian watched as Brian's Porsche turned into the driveway.

He smiled, proud of himself for having made the right decision. He'd been certain they'd only be gone for the weekend. And now that they were back and lost in their idyllic world, he could set the stage for his big plans. It'd been a snap to get inside the house, and he'd taken his time, exploring. He'd checked out the layout, found a few places to hide. A big place like that, he could hide out for days and the two of them would never know.

Malice churned inside Ian as he watched the two people he despised more than anyone else get out of the car and stroll inside. So lost in each other they had no clue about anything going on around them. It was dark enough he could follow their progression through the house by following the lights that turned on and off. He laughed grimly as the path ran straight to the bedroom.

Good. Lovers would be much easier to surprise. And the weekend would be the perfect time. A special weekend for them all—in more ways than one.

As he drove away, the rain started to fall and he giggled. His tire tracks would be washed away and no one would ever know that he'd even been there.

Perfect.

T
he next morning, Karina lay in bed listening to the birds chattering outside the window. She should be getting up; it was her turn to open the store. Yet, her mind couldn't get her body to respond. Of course, part of it might have had something to do with the muscular, male thigh thrown across hers.

Along with the overwhelming feeling of relief. The same relief she'd felt upon waking next to Brian after their first night together…and their second and…apparently the third. She wondered how long it would take before the fear that he'd leave while she slept disappeared from her subconscious. She knew deep down that Brian wouldn't do it again, but knowing and actually seeing were two different things. This morning, however, she lay in contented joy.

Waking up with him beside her would never get old.

Now it was Monday morning and time to face reality. That included the store, Susan and even Ian.

As gently as she could, she slipped out of bed and into a hot shower.

The coffee had almost finished dripping and the toast was almost done when Brian walked into the kitchen. Neither of those two things seemed to matter to him, though, as he strode straight towards her, plucked her up off her feet and kissed her soundly.

"Good morning." He dropped a kiss on top of her head and released her. "I saw you sneak out of bed. That wasn't nice."

"Maybe not, but it was definitely time to get moving." She smiled regretfully, turning back to the toast. "I'm supposed to open the store this morning. Are you planning on still chauffeuring me back and forth?"

He sighed. "I'll definitely be driving you."

Karina nodded, both slightly disappointed and relieved at the same time.

Karina was preoccupied with work when Susan arrived, but it didn't take long for Susan to steal her attention away from her inventory.

"Well? How was it?"

"How was what?" Karina replied, hiding her grin. She glanced out the window, her attention snagging on a lone gray car parked at the far end of the lot. She frowned as the car jogged something in her memory. It had been there before, hadn't it? She shrugged. So what? There were dozens of people who worked in the shops along this strip mall—the car could belong to any one of them.

"Your weekend. Duh!" Susan exclaimed, pulling her attention back to the conversation at hand.

Forcing herself to keep her expression calm, Karina looked over at her friend. She decided to take pity on her.

"We had…" she paused to find the right words. "…a wonderful time, full of spectacular lovemaking and very enlightening conversations."

Relief swept across Susan's face. "Well, thank God for that. With that out of your system, you'll both be easier to live with."

Sandra walked in later that morning. Her grin warned Karina that the conversation was about to become embarrassing again. She waited with dread for the other woman to say something.

"Don't you look well loved!" Sandra's voice was tinged with envy. "I'm jealous."

For the second time that day, Karina's face colored bright red. "Go ahead and tease. The fact of the matter is I
am
well loved." She couldn't resist adding, "You should try it yourself."

Sandra shrugged. "Not likely, the twins would be hell on a boyfriend. Was everything okay when you returned home?"

The question encompassed all manner of things. However, Karina knew exactly what they were asking. "There was no sign of anyone nor was anything disturbed." She shrugged. "Brian's going to call the police and see if there were any new developments while we were gone."

Susan veered the subject back to a safe topic.

"Well, in the meantime we have a busy week to get through. The new girl, Kathryn, worked out well on Saturday, by the way. I suggest we take her on for every Saturday and one or two afternoons a week. What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me. We could both do with a lightening of the load." She immediately thought of what she could do with a few extra hours and Brian.

After that, the day flew by. The bell rang for the millionth time, and Karina looked up to see Brian walking toward her. Astonished, she glanced at the clock. It was already closing time.

"Are you ready to go home, sweetheart?"

"I will be in a few minutes. I thought I still had over an hour yet. It's been so busy, time ran away on me." Karina raced through the closing of the store. She took a moment to look outside, realizing that most of the cars and shoppers were gone. It was definitely time to go home.

"Strange," she commented. "That gray car's still there."

"Which one?"

She pointed to the back of the lot. The same non-descript gray sedan was sitting off in an out of the way corner. "That one. It's been there all day. And I think I've seen it before."

"Maybe it's someone who works in the mall."

"Maybe. But I don't think it's normally parked all day like that."

"It might be broken down."

"I hope not, for their sake. Let's go home." Karina locked the door and they walked to the Porsche, dismissing the strange car.

Walking in the front door, Karina wondered what was bugging Brian. He'd been quiet all the way home. She tossed her purse and coat down on the table by the door.

Before she had a chance to turn away, Brian came up behind her, sliding his hands under her skirts to stroke all the way up her thighs.

"Sorry, love. I can't wait." His voice was husky with arousal.

He drove one hand inside her panties and palmed her tender flesh. She moaned at the instant flash of fire his touch sparked. His large fingers teased her, sliding across the outside of the plump folds. Karina shifted to give him more access, bumping against him. He was rigid, pressing and pulsing against her. His fingers dipped, spreading her moisture to ready her for his entry. With his tongue he stroked along her neck, taking tiny bites down her shoulders. The flames shot higher.

Impatiently she pushed back against him, rubbing her buttocks against his erection.

Brian ripped her panties down, giving her only time enough to step one leg out, before bending her forward over the table.

"Brian," she cried as he entered her in one thrust.

Then she couldn't talk at all as need stole her breath…and her voice. He pumped and pounded into her with a force that bounced the table against the wall. In one quick motion, he reached over, shoving the table back squarely. With the table firm now, he braced his arms above hers to hold it steady, then exploded in motion, hammering into her uncontrollably. Karina was on the edge, crying. She was already so close. Pulling back one hand, he slipped it down her belly and stroked her swollen nub. She reared back and climaxed—hard. With one last jackknife, he surged into her and shuddered, filling her totally, before collapsing against her.