by Terri Osburn
Will relaxed into him, laying her head on his shoulder. “Maybe so.”
Will leaned on Randy for several minutes, watching the water pull at the sand, listening to him breathe beside her, his solid shoulder beneath her ear. So much for maintaining any kind of fearful facade. Or keeping her distance.
He’d always seemed so happy, like he didn’t have a care in the world. Turned out, he had scars like she did. Maybe not as deep, but they were there.
“Explain something to me,” Will said, sitting up and turning her body his way. “Why would a person who’s seen so many people you care for die way too young spend his adult life looking death in the eye and daring it to take you?”
He tapped the arm of the glider, completely relaxed. “I don’t look death in the eye.”
She raised one brow, sending him a no, really look.
“Okay, it’s not knitting, but I never take unnecessary risks. I never climb without safety ropes and at least one other person along. I don’t scuba dive alone, or in caves.” Randy shimmied his shoulders. “Too easy to get stuck. I don’t ride any machine I’m not positive I can handle, and I never jump out of a plane without packing my own chute and having a backup ready to launch.”
Will nearly laughed. Did he hear himself?
“What’s the highest mountain you’ve climbed?”
“About twenty-two thousand feet, but I still want to do Shishapangma, which is twenty-six thousand.”
The reason he never made it to Shishapangma was something Will didn’t feel like discussing at the moment.
“That doesn’t sound high to you? Or dangerous?”
“I see where you’re going with this.” Randy took a sip of his wine, clearly buying time to think of a good defense. “It’s really not that dangerous if you know what you’re doing. Hell, snowboarding down the side of a mountain is more dangerous than climbing one.”
Will crossed her arms. “So you’ve snowboarded down the side of a mountain? And this isn’t a death wish?”
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” Randy swiped a hand through his hair and gave a long, heavy sigh. “Fine. Yes, some of the stuff I do is dangerous, but the rush is worth it. And like I said, I don’t do anything half-assed. No ‘Hey, watch this’ and take a flying leap. There’s a difference.”
“Well,” she said, sliding some humor into her tone, since she didn’t want this encounter to end with an argument. They’d come too far for that. “When you put it that way.”
He granted her a smile in return, bobbing the side of his knee against hers. “My dad always talked about the places he’d go. The things he was going to do…someday. When he had enough money. When his kids were grown.” Shifting focus back to the horizon, he added, “He never even got back to Puerto Rico to visit his family. I don’t want to live my life someday. Then you never end up living at all.”
Now he had a point. Will had always been too focused on preparing for tomorrow to make sure she was living in the present. That didn’t sound like a very satisfying way to be.
“Do you ever do anything just to do it?” he asked, pulling Will from her life analysis.
“You mean for no reason?”
“No, I mean because you want to. Not because of what it’ll get you, or because someone else expects you to do it.” He turned, leaning an elbow on the back of the glider. “Do you ever do anything for you?”
Everything she’d done in the last three years had been for her own survival, but did that count? Look at how she’d handled a day off. She couldn’t even sit still and enjoy some time alone.
Alone. Even when she was working, surrounded by people, Will still felt alone in the world. Though she didn’t feel all that alone right now.
“I’ll take the hesitation and that confused look on your face as a no,” Randy said. “There’s a concept in the Eastern religions that suggests one live in the now. Not the past or the future, but strictly in the moment.”
Will pulled her legs up until her chin rested on her knees. “How could you not think about the future?” Or in her case, keep one eye over your shoulder watching for the past to creep out of the shadows.
“What good does worrying about a year from now do you today?” Randy absently toyed with her sleeve, making it hard to concentrate on the conversation. Not that she understood what they were talking about.
“The decisions you make today affect where you’ll be in a year,” she said. “You can’t ignore that.”
Randy shook his head. “There are a million factors that affect where you’ll be in a year, and ninety-nine percent of them are out of your control.”
Oh, now he wanted to break out the math. “That’s a gross exaggeration.”
“That is reality, my friend.” A long, narrow finger pointed at her nose. “You need to learn to live in the moment.”
What would it be like to pretend the past couldn’t affect her? To stop worrying about the wrong tourist stepping up to her bar? Or that an annoying reporter will figure out why Will’s face looked familiar?
Which reminded her. “That reporter left today, didn’t she?”
“You see,” he said, throwing up his hands. “You can’t even stay in the now for this conversation.”
“That’s not true,” Will defended herself. “I asked about something that happened today. So that’s the now.”
Randy finished his wine and rose from the glider, sending Will sliding back and forth. “You asked because you were worried she was going to figure out where she saw you before.” Growing serious, he asked, “Has she seen you somewhere before?”
Will swished the remnants of her glass, keeping her eyes on the dark liquid. “I don’t know.”
That was true. She had no way of knowing if Rebecca had seen her face before or not. Will did know she’d never seen Rebecca before, but that didn’t mean much when Will’s face had been plastered across the New England media once upon a time.
“Well you can stop worrying. She’s gone. So what do you say?” he asked, extending a hand. “Want to do some living in the moment?”
With the departure of the reporter, Will’s current source of anxiety was gone. There was no reason to believe Rebecca would give her a second thought once she reached the ferry. Maybe it was time to put the past where it belonged—behind her.
But she had to be sure of Randy’s intentions. Regardless of attempting to live in the moment, planning any sort of future that included a relationship was still impossible. If that’s what Randy expected, she’d have to walk away.
“The moment?” she asked, ignoring his hand until she knew what he was offering.
“No yesterday. No tomorrow.” He stepped closer. “Only today.”
That sounded good, but her brain wasn’t going to cave that easily. “If I take that hand, where am I going?”
His eyes turned dark, but the grin retained its mischievous charm. “If I’m finally convincing you to spend real time with me, inviting you to my bedroom first thing wouldn’t be a very smart idea, now would it?”
A tremor of disappointment trailed down Will’s spine. Not that she’d have had sex with him tonight. As tempting as the thought may be.
Sliding her hand into the large warm one he offered, Will rose to her feet. Randy held his ground, which put their bodies less than an inch apart. Sex may not be on the table this evening, but it would be soon. If they were going to do this, they would take it all the way.
Eventually.
“One condition,” she said, enjoying the feel of his arm as it wrapped around her waist. “It’s our little secret.”
Deep brown eyes narrowed. “Not sure I like that part.”
Will went for logic. “Sid suggested you woo me not long ago, didn’t she?”
Randy took a half step back. “Maybe.”
“Relax,” she said, tapping his chest. His wide, solid chest. “Sid told me. She also told me she wants to see you find a happy ever after like she has. If they think we’re an official coupl
e, that’s what they’ll expect for us. And not only Sid, but Lucas and Beth and Joe. It’s as if they’ve all caught the love disease.”
“You make them sound terminal.”
“Think of it as contagious.”
The rumble of laughter that rolled through Randy’s body sent heat to all the right places on Will’s. “I see. I don’t like the idea of sneaking around, but I suppose what we do is no one else’s business.”
“Good man.” Will drained the rest of her wine. “Now I’d better be getting home.” It was dark now. Too dark to see Randy’s eyes clearly. But she could almost feel his thoughts dance along her skin.
“I think we should do something to seal the deal,” he said, voice dropping an octave and the Latin accent stronger than usual. “Something symbolic. You know what they say. Begin as you mean to go on.”
Oh, he was good. Too good. Extending her arms around his neck, Will gripped her wrist with her free hand and pressed her body against the wall of a man holding her tight. “That sounds fair,” she whispered, rising up on tiptoe to reach his lips.
Instead of leaning forward, Randy stayed still, letting Will make all the moves. Good thing she was tall herself. When she brushed his full lips with her own, the taste of wine and heat threatened to scorch her brain. Why weren’t they going to have sex tonight?
“I’m liking this moment,” he said, his breaths shorter than before. “I’m interested to see what the next one will bring.”
“Uh-uh,” Will murmured, brushing her lips back and forth across his as she shook her head. “No thinking about the future.”
With a solid tug, she pulled him down far enough to get off her toes and take his mouth the way she wanted. Full on, wet, and hungry. His lips were soft and gentle, as she’d expected, but his arms pulled her tighter, revealing how affected he truly was.
Her breasts were pressed against his massive chest, making it possible for her to feel every breath he took. She wanted to breathe him in, hold tight until they’d lost track of where one ended and the other began. With a nip of his bottom lip, he came alive.
Randy lifted her feet off the ground, turning until she was pressed against the wall of the cottage, one leg over his hip as he ground against her. Will drove her nails into his shoulders.
“I like this moment better,” she said, when Randy slid those talented lips down the side of her throat. “A lot better.”
But then he was kneading her ass, and she was grinding as hard as he was, and it had been too long. Will hovered on the brink of losing control. When Randy returned to her mouth, sucking on her tongue while grazing a thumb over her nipple, fireworks exploded behind her eyes. Holding on for everything she was worth, Will rode the wave, belatedly realizing that Randy was holding her at least three feet off the ground.
At some point she’d wrapped both legs around his waist, but she had no memory of doing so. Her arms remained clasped around his broad shoulders as she returned to Earth and caught her breath. Randy still panted but didn’t make a move to find the pleasure for himself that he’d given to her.
“Are you okay?” she asked, which seemed like a stupid question, but blood flow hadn’t fully returned to her brain yet. Of course he wasn’t okay. The man was in full erection, which was proportional to the rest of him by all indications, and in dire need of relief. Relief she’d taken for herself.
“Give me a minute,” he said, shifting her enough to lower her legs back to the floor. He leaned his elbows against the wall behind her, pinning her in place.
Not that she had any desire to move.
“I owe you an apology,” she said, toying with the damp curls at the back of his neck. “That was only supposed to be a kiss.”
Randy pulled back, wiping the sweat from his brow on his shoulder. “Trust me, you don’t ever have to apologize for something like that.”
“But you—”
He lifted one hand. “It’s been a while for me, that’s all. I’m not a monk, but I’ve been living like one for about a year now.”
“Try three years,” Will said, biting her bottom lip. Had she really admitted that? Well, it did explain her…response.
His brows shot up as he stared into her eyes, their noses mere inches apart. “Three years?”
Will nodded.
Randy gave her hip an extra squeeze before stepping back. “Then you deserved that.” After a quick peck on the lips, he took her hand and pulled her toward the sliding glass doors.
“Where are we going?” Will asked, a sliver of anticipation racing down her spine.
“I’m going to take a cold shower,” he said, letting her step through the door first, then sliding it closed behind him. “And you’re going home before we take this too far and ruin the progress we’ve made.”
Will tsked. “Who’s not living in the moment now?” Not that she didn’t agree with him. Having sex today would be a mistake. They needed to ease into this. Though her body was ready to ease into Randy’s bed.
Reaching the entryway, he snagged her jacket from a hook on the wall and threw it around her shoulders. “When your hormone levels return to normal, you’ll thank me.”
He was right, of course. Though after what had happened on the porch, she owed him big time. When they did take the final step, she’d be sure to repay the debt.
CHAPTER 15
Randy spent his Sunday evening mentally reminding himself why he should not and would not drive over to Will’s place and finish what they’d started. Considering how he’d spent the last year, when they eventually made it to bed, he should be able to keep her there for days.
After a restless night, he’d spent a long day Monday pumping iron and dealing with a broken elliptical. The machine was in use when it broke, increasing its speed to the point that he’d had to rescue poor Mrs. Wollinski from the contraption. Thank God the woman didn’t break a hip.
He knew Will was working the evening shift at Dempsey’s. They hadn’t discussed when they’d see each other again, and Randy considered waiting until she sought him out, but in the end he realized he didn’t want to wait. Simply put, he wanted to see her.
Dempsey’s closed at nine on Mondays, at least until the season kicked into full swing, so he timed his entrance to eight forty-five. This way, he wouldn’t disturb her from the job, and they could talk while she closed the place down. Randy was more than willing to lift a few chairs if it meant watching Will’s blue eyes dance as they shared some lighthearted flirting.
As he’d hoped, the place was nearly deserted when he stepped inside.
“You’re in late,” Daisy said, sliding up beside Randy as he settled onto a bar stool. Will was nowhere in sight.
“I’m here on wedding business.” He didn’t like Will’s preference that anything between them remain a secret, but he’d agreed to the term and would honor her wishes. “Figured it would be better to catch her at the end of the night.”
Not the best story in the world, but then he had little experience with subterfuge.
“You’re helping with the wedding?” Daisy asked, brows up.
“It’s at my business so my input is kind of required.” Her shock hit him the wrong way. “But what’s so strange about me helping with a wedding?”
Daisy shrugged. “Most guys I know wouldn’t do it, that’s all.” She moved the empty bottles from her tray onto the bar. “Mitch would rather have a spike driven through his forehead than help me plan anything. I can’t even get him to pick paint colors for my living room.”
Mitch also worked at Dempsey’s, but bussers weren’t really needed until business picked up. The pretty young blonde looked so frustrated, Randy offered a suggestion.
“Threaten to paint it all pink.”
“What?” Daisy said, blinking in confusion. “I don’t want a pink living room.”
Randy turned to face her. “I didn’t say paint it pink. I said threaten to. He’ll get involved real quick after that.”
The waitress scrunched up her face,
pondering his suggestion. “You really think that would work?”
He nodded. “I’m sure of it.”
Daisy’s face lit up. “Thanks, I’ll try it,” she said, dropping a kiss on Randy’s cheek before heading back to her last remaining customers.
When he turned back to the bar, Randy spotted Will leaning in the doorway to the kitchen, one brow higher than the other.
“Are you trying to cut a path through the entire Dempsey staff, or is it only Daisy and me on your radar?”
Surely she was kidding. If he’d ever intended to cut a path through the women on Anchor Island, Randy wouldn’t have gone on a voluntary drought for the last year. Nor would he dabble with a waitress fifteen years his junior.
This jealous streak of hers had him worried.
“Are you this distrusting of every male you come across, or am I just lucky?”
The twinkle returned. “Touché,” she said, pushing off the door frame. “I do have trust issues, but I was actually kidding on this one.”
“That’s good and bad,” he said, leaning back on the stool.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, it’s good that you aren’t really jealous of Daisy, but bad that you’re so good at schooling your face, I can’t tell when you’re kidding.”
“Ah,” she said, taking a green tea from the fridge and removing the cap. “That means I have the upper hand. I like that.” The bottle slid across mahogany in his direction. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”
Will kept her eyes on the glasses she was dropping into a sink behind the bar. Her features had gone tight, her shoulders tense. Maybe they hadn’t made as much progress as he’d thought.
Randy glanced around to make sure Daisy couldn’t hear him. “I wanted to see you,” he said. No reason not to be honest.
Blue eyes darted toward the clock behind the bar. “At closing time.” She continued to avoid eye contact. “Not very smart.”
“Why not?” Randy said, not sure what the problem was. “Seemed rude to try to talk to you while you were working. This way, I can help you close up for the night and we can talk.”