Horizons

by Catherine Hart

  Now he was talking marriage, not just living together, which was even more scary. “Don’t dig yourself in any deeper than you want to be, Zach,” she advised him quietly, biding for time to adjust her thoughts. “After all, you don’t know me very well yet, and certainly not under normal conditions.”

  Zach shrugged. “They say extraordinary circumstances reveal a person’s true nature. If that’s so, I already know the best and worst about you, and I like what I’ve found, Kelly.”

  “I do, too,” she admitted, “but that still doesn’t assure that you’d like me in the real world, or vice-versa. Aside from any major differences, there could be a thousand small things I might do that would drive you thoroughly nuts.”

  “Such as?” He sprawled comfortably on the sand beside her, prepared to hear her out.

  With a frown, she did likewise. “Okay, sometimes I forget my manners, even at important functions—like propping my elbows on the table, and whenever possible, I kick off my shoes.”

  He tugged playfully on a strand of her hair. “Yeah, I can see where that would really send me over the edge. Go on.”

  “I sometimes grind my teeth at night. I wear a special guard my dentist made for me.”

  “News flash, babe. I already know that. I’ve heard you. I can live with it, if you can stand to hear me crack the occasional knuckle.”

  Kelly grimaced. “Not too often, I hope.”

  “What else?” he prompted.

  “I like being in charge, and I hate being ordered around.”

  “So, we’ll take turns being the boss, on alternate days.”

  “I like running my stores, and being independent, and I sell sexy undies.”

  “Lucky me. Is there more?”

  “Whenever I chew a piece of gum, I can’t help cracking it. It’s an unconscious habit.”

  “I tend to blow bubbles and pop them. So does Becky.”

  Kelly jumped on that possible stumbling block. “Speaking of Becky, she might not like the idea of having me for a stepmother.”

  “We’ll deal with it. What’s not to like?”

  “Just because you like me, doesn’t mean she will, Zach. Lots of girls resent another woman marrying their fathers, especially teenage daughters.”

  “Then we’d better not waste any time about this. Becky turns thirteen in another ten months.”

  “Good grief, Zach! My divorce won’t be final for several months, especially if Brad decides to fight it, which I suspect he might.”

  “Too bad bigamy’s a crime, isn’t it?” he mused. “Oh, well, we’ll do the best we can. Are you deadset on staying in Arizona, or would you be willing to live in Seattle? Or, I suppose we could commute, but that’s a hell of a way to conduct a marriage.”

  Kelly got to her feet and glared down at him. “You are not taking this seriously, Zach.”

  His expression turned solemn, his smile and good humor evaporating. He, too, rose, to stand facing her, his stance one of challenge. “Yes, I am. You’re just looking for trouble, and maybe a way out. If you don’t want to marry me, just say so,” he told her stiffly.

  “Don’t I even get any time to think about it? To get to know you better?”

  She was hedging, skirting around binding herself to him in any serious way, and Zach was getting angry now.

  “Hell, woman! We’ve been living out of each other’s pockets for weeks here. If you don’t know me by now, you never will.”

  “Don’t yell at me, Zach. I’m simply suggesting that maybe we should just live together for awhile, when we get back to civilization. Try it out and see how it feels there, before committing ourselves to something more permanent.”

  “Get real!” he sneered. “I’ve got a daughter to consider. What kind of moral example would I be setting for her if we’re shacking up?”

  “I just don’t want to make another mistake, not with something this important. Surely you can understand that.”

  “Actually, I’m having trouble with it,” he snapped back. “From my side of the fence, it seems you’re determined to paint me with the same brush as your dip-shit husband, and I don’t mind telling you I resent it mightily. Open your eyes, Kelly. Take off the blinders. I am not Brad. If you’re going to judge me, judge me on my own merits and faults, not his.”

  “I’m trying, but you’re not making it easy. Especially when you get all belligerent and bossy. I hate that, Zach. I put up with it for five long years, and I won’t tie myself up in that particular ball of wax again, or one even remotely similar.”

  “So what are you saying? You need someone perfect or not at all? Well, good luck finding him. And you’d better brush up your own character while you’re searching, because you’re not all that ideal yourself.”

  “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, you muleheaded ape! Marriage is supposed to be forever, and until I’m sure we can make it work, I don’t want to take that big a step.”

  He scoffed at that. “Life doesn’t come with a guarantee, like a toaster, Kelly. Neither does love. There are some things you have to take on faith.”

  “There you go, getting all snotty with me! God, I could just bash you when you do that!”

  He thrust his chin out at her, gesturing toward his jaw. “Go ahead. Give it your best shot, if it will make you feel any better.”

  To his surprise, her small fist landed solidly—in his gut. The air whooshed out of him in a gush. “Hey!” he wheezed. “If you’re going to fight, fight fair. No hitting below the belt, you under-handed little witch!”

  “You’re not wearing a belt,” she pointed out in a superior tone, though inside she was appalled that she’d actually hit him, even if he had goaded her into it, and half afraid of how he might choose to retaliate.

  “I can play dirty, too,” he informed her, even as his foot snaked behind hers, landing her in a heap at his feet. He didn’t have time to enjoy his sneaky maneuver before her hand caught his ankle, jerking him down beside her. “Take that, Goldstein!” she boasted.

  He grabbed her arms, hauling her atop him. They glared at one another, eye to eye.

  “Let go of me, you muscle-bound worm!”

  “Make me,” he taunted. “You’re so all-fired independent and intent on demonstrating that you’re so superior to the male species in every way. So prove it. You want loose, get loose.”

  “I’m warning you, Zach,” she hissed.

  “Words,” he jeered. “All blow and no show.”

  She attempted to knee him, but he anticipated her move this time, and trapped her leg between his. Then he had the gall to laugh, which made Kelly all the more furious.

  She stretched far enough to tangle her fingers into a hank of his hair and yanked. Hard. In turn, he wound her braid around his wrist, anchoring her face mere inches above his.

  “Check and checkmate,” he mocked. “So, now what are you going to do?”

  He’d released her arm to bind her braid, and she used her free hand to latch onto his earlobe, pulling and pinching it between her fingernails.

  “Ouch!”

  “I’ll let go, if you do,” she offered.

  “Hah! Like I’m supposed to believe that, you bloodthirsty viper?” He tugged her face closer to his, until his features blurred before her. “You want to play rough, sweetheart? How rough?”

  His teeth clamped over her lower lip, trapping it between them just securely enough to sting. Without letting loose, he asked, “You ready to cry ‘uncle?’ Or are you going to go all weak and weepy, and cry big alligator tears so the big bad bully will take pity on you?”

  “I’ll cry ‘uncle’ when they’re serving frozen daiquiris in hell!” she muttered.

  “In that case, I guess we’ll be here awhile, won’t we?” He chuckled then. “I know it sounds trite, but you’re beautiful when you’re angry. Your eyes are shimmering, your face is all aglow, and you’re literally trembling with fury.” One hand crept up her thigh as he pressed his arousal against her. “Are you getting
as turned on by this as I am?”

  She hadn’t been, at least she hadn’t been aware of it, until he’d introduced the notion. Then, suddenly, all the fire in her veins seemed to pool in her loins. Her tongue crept out, to lick at her upper lip—and tasted his. Her fingers stopped pinching, only to skim the shell of his ear in a tingling caress. “Kiss, me, Zach,” she said huskily.

  His teeth released her lip, his own tongue taking a moment to soothe the ache before delving deeply into her mouth. To his surprise, instead of biting him as he so justly deserved, she met his fervor with equal intensity.

  He pulled back to suck in a shaky breath. “God, I want you!”

  “So, shut up and take me,” she murmured. Her breasts brushed tauntingly over his bare chest as she ground her pelvis against his thigh.

  His hand, still twined in her hair, held her head still as his mouth again sought hers. His tongue traced her lips, teasing them for long moments before his lips settled fully onto hers. Passion, hot and sweet, arced between them. Kelly was melting faster than a chocolate bar in the hot sun. “It isn’t fair!” she protested softly. “What you do to me.”

  His chuckle was slightly wicked, and oh, so seductive. “All’s fair in love and war, my pet.”

  Kelly couldn’t hold him close enough, hard enough, to satisfy the longing that erupted in her with volcanic force. Her tongue duelled with his, her fingers clutched at his hair, her nails dug into his shoulders—urging him nearer, though her breasts were practically crushed against his broad, muscled chest. She didn’t know he’d loosened the band at the end of her braid until he spread her unbound hair over her shoulders, wavy strands of it sifting slowly through his fingers.

  “Burnished gold,” he murmured. “So soft and silky and shining. I want to wrap myself in it—in you. I want to feel you in every cell and pore of my body.”

  Her hair tumbling down to enclose them in a sheer amber veil. Amid urgent, heated kisses, he slid the straps of her camisole off her shoulders. Kelly slipped her arms free, and the garment slithered to her waist. His hands cupped her breasts, molding them, kneading them, his work-coarsened fingertips rasping across the rosy crests. She moaned and wriggled in response.

  Zach broke off their kiss. “Too rough?”

  She shook her head, setting her tresses shimmering. “No. I love it.” She pressed forward, wordlessly inviting more of the same. “Oh, yes! You have such… marvelous hands!”

  Her own were flexing against the muscles of his bare chest—rubbing, stroking, inciting him. He pulled her up, her breasts now within reach of his greedy mouth. As he suckled avidly, his hands grasped her bottom, rocking her pelvis against his iron-hard arousal. Her breathing became more erratic, reduced to sexy little pants and gasps.

  “I can’t take much more of this,” he growled, his hands fumbling at the clasp of her shorts. “I want you. Now.” Of the same mind, Kelly tugged his snap loose and yanked his zipper down. Kicking and thrashing, they fought free of their clothes. Gloriously naked at last, they came together like a pair of lusty animals, heedless of all else but satisfying their most urgent, basic needs.

  Only afterward, when they were thoroughly sated, did a myriad of nagging discomforts come to their attention. “Move, love,” Zach said, shoving gently at her. “There’s a rock poking me between the shoulder blades.”

  Kelly groaned as she crawled off of him. “Darn! These tiny black crystals have permanently dimpled my kneecaps!” She brushed the offending granules from her legs and feet, frowning at the remaining red marks. “That was like kneeling on kernels of uncooked rice!”

  “You think that hurts? You should feel my rear end!” he informed her. “I swear I’m lying on a bed of sharp cinders and they’ve scraped half the skin off my backside! You’re lucky you were on top.”

  Kelly grimaced as she shook out her panties prior to pulling them back on. “Making love on a beach certainly isn’t as romantic as it sounds, is it? At least, not in retrospect. For one thing, I’ve never heard anyone in a book or movie complain about having sand in their pants or in other assorted and intimate crevices, which could soon become extremely irritating. I wish the pool were closer. I can’t wait to wash off.”

  “I’ll second that.” He presented his back to her. “Brush me off, will you please?”

  “Shake your head, first. You’ve got sand in your hair.” When he complied, she swatted him. “Not right here! Geez! You just sprayed sand all over me again!”

  “Sorry.”

  “What did you do with the rubber band for my braid?” He peeled it from his wrist and handed it to her. Their eyes met. Their dual frowns melted into rueful grins.

  “I’ve never been this grumpy after such great sex!”

  “Me, either!”

  Zach held his arms wide, and Kelly walked into his embrace. “Marry me, you harridan,” he entreated. “I love you to the point of total distraction and desperation. I never thought it was possible to fall for someone this fast, or this hard. I need you, Kelly Kennedy, for better or worse. I don’t care if you turn out to be Lizzie Borden reincarnate. I just want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  She laughed. “Such a brave man! However, you’ll be glad to know there’s no history of major mental deficiency in my family. Aunt Harriet’s a bit eccentric, but nowhere near dangerous.”

  “No split personality?”

  “Nope.”

  “Nuts! I was hoping to get a little variety without having to stray from home,” he joked.

  She jabbed a finger into his ribs. “No straying, Zach. Ever,” she instructed firmly. “That is rule number one.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Is there a rule number two I should know about?”

  “More than that, but none you need to worry over until after the wedding.”

  He jerked back, putting enough space between them to study her face. “Is that a ‘yes?’ You’re accepting my proposal?”

  She returned his earnest perusal. “I guess it’s time to swallow my fears and trust that our love is strong enough to carry us through all the problems ahead. And I do love you, Zach. When I thought Earl might shoot you, I nearly died of heart failure! It might not be smart, and we might both live to regret it, but I’ve definitely fallen heart over head in love with you. If you still want me when my divorce from Brad is final, we can get married then.”

  His head lowered, his mouth seeking hers. “Sweetheart, I’ll still be wanting you, and loving you, when we’re old and gray and hobbling around on canes and walkers. That’s not to say we won’t quarrel. Every married couple has their spats. But you’ve got to admit that making up the way we just did has its merits.”

  “So let’s practice making up again,” she suggested in a sultry murmur.

  Within seconds, they were lying in the sand once more. “You do know what this means, don’t you?” he murmured, nipping at her thigh.

  “What?” she gasped.

  His tawny eyes held a devilish gleam as he met her gaze from between her legs. “You’re about to get sand in your pants again—and a few more interesting places.”

  Chapter 16

  The incoming tide was lapping at their feet by the time they roused themselves to dress again. As Kelly sloshed through the foamy surf to retrieve her shorts before they washed out to sea, a wad of seaweed twined about her leg. “Oh, yuck! I hate this slimy stuff.”

  Tugging on his own pants, Zach laughed at her. “Just another delight of life on the beach. Why don’t you save it? Maybe once its cooked, it’ll taste like spinach.”

  “So, who likes spinach?” she retorted smartly. She was standing on one foot, shaking the other and trying to dislodge the clinging mess when a knife-sharp pain shot through her calf. With a loud scream, Kelly fell to the sand.

  In three running strides, Zach was at her side. He didn’t even have to ask what was wrong. Kelly was clutching her left leg, just below her knee, shouting, “Oh, God! It hurts! It hurts! What is it? Get it off me!”

  Zach’s
confusion turned to horror when he reached for Kelly’s leg. The greenish glob attached to her calf wasn’t seaweed at all. Zach’s best guess was that it was some sort of jellyfish, though it more resembled that revolting snotlike goo appropriately called “slime” that his nephews used to play with. The thing’s tentacles were hooked to Kelly’s flesh, and from her continued screams, it was evidently biting or stinging her.

  Zach’s first instinct was to rip the creature off of her. His fingers were a scant inch from it when common sense asserted itself. He jerked back, seized Kelly’s foot instead, and turned her leg into the sand and began dragging it back and forth. Within seconds, the friction convinced the animal to release its hold. Before it could resume its attack, Zach quickly grabbed Kelly and hauled her farther up the beach, out of harm’s way.

  “Don’t touch the wound, Kelly!” he ordered sharply, seeing she was trying to clutch at her injured calf. “You’ve been stung by a jellyfish, but it’s off now. Lie still. Let me look.”

  “Oh, God, Zach!” she wailed. “Do something! It hurts so badly!”

  “I know, love. I know. There are still some tentacles attached. Just keep your hands away, or you’ll likely get them stung, too.”

  As would he, if he touched the tentacles which had come loose from the jellyfish and were still clinging to Kelly’s flesh. For a moment, he was stymied as to how to loosen them without causing her additional injury. Finally, for lack of anything more inventive, he daubed her entire calf with a thick paste of wet sand. Then, employing his pocket knife, he carefully scraped it away again, tentacles and all.

  By now, Kelly was sobbing and trying to brush his hands back to make way for her own. He seized her wrists tightly, aborting the move. “Stop it, Kelly! I got it off. It’s going to be all right now. Just don’t rub or scratch at it, love. You’ll only irritate it all the more. And don’t thrash. You’ll grind sand in the wound.”

  Her calf was dotted with nasty red puncture marks that were seeping blood and whatever poison the creature had injected. The wounds were red, and already swelling. Zach knew they should be washed, disinfected, and probably bound, but at present his resources were severely limited. For lack of anything else, he used his own cotton briefs as a bandage, wetting them first with saltwater. The emergency measure granted Kelly a modicum of relief, though Zach speculated it would be temporary at best.