“You first.” He hesitated for a long moment, wondering what he should say, trying to decide how to respond.
“After you kissed me, I thought we might.” He confessed.
“After I kissed you, I thought we should.” Penny replied breathlessly.
He didn’t know who initiated the kiss, but all he cared about was that it didn’t end. He carried them back toward the coast, his hands holding her as close to him as he could possibly manage. His body longed for the shore, aching to lie beside her.
She was just as eager, he realized, as she pulled him in, her lips claiming his hungrily. His hands roamed over the soaked material of her clothes, wanting to remove even the thinnest barrier between them.
It wasn’t until a loud clap of thunder sounded in the distance that she stopped him, pulling away breathlessly. “Wait,” she pressed her hand to his chest. “We can’t—”
Tommy groaned in frustration, rolling over and laying next to her. “You’re killing me, here, Pen.”
“You told me you wouldn’t do that again.”
“I told you I’d try. Besides, I think it was you who started that one.” He stared up at the sky, his body tense.
“Well it doesn’t matter.” Tommy couldn’t help it—he laughed, shaking his head. “You know it’s a bad idea just as well as I do.”
“Do I?” Of course he did, logically. But his body, on the other hand…that seemed to have a mind of it’s own. A mind that wanted nothing more than to roll over and continue what had started just minutes ago.
“Business, Tommy Davidson. Just keep reminding yourself that.”
“I’m really beginning to hate business.” He turned his head to look at her, trying not to notice that he could see right through her thin white tank top.
“It’ll come to an end eventually.” Her voice sounded far away, tinged with sadness. “And once it does, we’ll both go back to our own lives, won’t we?” He wished he could tell her it wasn’t true, but he couldn’t bring himself to say the words. Because he didn’t really believe them, and the last thing he wanted to do was lie to her.
So instead, he said nothing at all.
“Hey Tommy, whatever happened to your dad?” Suddenly Tommy wished very badly that he had said something. This was definitely not a topic he was willing to discuss.
“I don’t know. Last I heard, he was somewhere in Florida. He retired, I think.”
“You think?” Tommy shrugged.
“We haven’t spoken much. He wasn’t too thrilled that I took off. You know how he was—I was supposed to be a Military man, just like he was.”
“You haven’t even called him?” Tommy shook his head.
“I send him a Christmas card every year. That’s about it.”
“You should try talking to him. It’s been a long time. Maybe he’s changed.” Tommy laughed—not genuine laughter, but empty. He doubted it. The Colonel was always going to be a hard-ass, up until the day he died. And he was always going to be disappointed in Tommy, no matter what he did.
“You never know. People change.”
“You haven’t.”
“In some ways, I have. You have.”
“I haven’t.”
“Oh, I beg to differ. The Tommy Davidson I remember would have already broken Kevin’s nose by now—probably twice.” This time, Tommy laughed for real. She had a point there—but that was a change that had only occurred within the last few weeks.
Penny laughed too, their echoes fading into the night sky. “You cold?”
“I’m okay,” she whispered. He wondered what was going through her head—not even sure what was going through his own. “You don’t have to stay out here with me. I mean, if you’re—”
“I can handle it.” He turned to look at her once more. “Besides, we have an item to cross off that to-do list of yours.” Penny lifted herself onto her elbow, smiling at him.
“You remembered,”
“Of course I did.” He patted the empty space between them. “Whenever you start to get sleepy, you go ahead and rest your head right here. It can get chilly at night.”
“Are you going to stay up all night?”
“Somebody’s got to be awake when that sunrise starts.”
“I’m going to stay up with you then.” He knew the moment she said the words that she would soon be asleep, though. He could hear it in her voice. “Someday you’re going to make some girl very happy,” she whispered, suddenly rolling over and tucking herself as closely as she could to him.
“You think so?” Penny nodded and Tommy felt a familiar ache spread through his chest. Deep down, he knew why—it wasn’t just some girl he wanted to make happy. He’d known who she was for a long time now. “I hope so.”
“I know so.” He wrapped his arm around her, running his hand up and down her arm. “Let’s pretend this is real, okay?” She whispered sleepily. “Let’s pretend we’re not pretending. Pretend that you’re just a boy, and I’m just a girl, and we don’t have a care in world.”
“I can do that.” It was probably the one thing he wanted most in that moment.
She was sound asleep several minutes later, her breath warm on his chest. Lightening flashed far in the distance and he watched, his heart heavy.
As he lay there, he tried to convince himself that it was just hormones. There was nothing more there than simple desire. She was a beautiful girl, there was no denying that. It was only natural male instinct.
But he knew it was all just a lie. Deep down, he had fallen for her.
Whether he admitted it or not…that was a different story.
For hours, he lay there, watching her sleep, content just to be there.
When the sky began to lighten, he whispered her name, waking her as gently as he could. “Penny, it’s starting.”
“Hm?” She stirred slowly at first and then, suddenly, she became much more aware. “You should have woken me up!” She scolded. “I didn’t want you to have to stay up alone.”
“I wasn’t alone.” He nodded toward the ocean. “Look, it’s still lightning, too.”
She remained quiet for several long moments, her eyes trained on the sky before them. “In case I forget to tell you this somewhere down the line, I just want to make sure I tell you now.”
“What’s that?”
Her eyes found his easily, her expression more heartfelt than he’d ever seen. “Thank you.”
Chapter Nine
“Just close your eyes, Penny.” Tommy repeated for what seemed like the millionth time. Penny was having a hard time following his orders, her curiosity getting the best of her. They hadn’t been back in Ravenside for more than a couple days and already he had a surprise for her.
It was more frustrating than anything.
“You better not have done anything crazy.” She warned him, trying to peek. He reached over to hold his hand over her eyes.
“You’ll find out in just a couple more minutes.” For an impatient girl like herself, a couple more minutes was just about impossible.
Finally, the car came to a stop. She heard the door open and felt Tommy take her hand, guiding her toward him. “Okay, you can open them.”
It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but when they did, she looked around, slightly confused. They were standing in front of a very large house, surrounded by trees with a yard full of leaves. “What is this?”
He dangled something out in front of her. “You didn’t.”
“Oh, I did,” Tommy’s grin stretched from ear to ear.
“You did not buy this house.”
“I did.” Penny’s eyes grew wide as she looked around once more. A wrought-iron gate separated the yard from the street—and from the looks of it, it enclosed nearly the entire yard. “Want to take a look around?”
“I don’t know, do I?” She was in shock. She couldn’t imagine being able to just up and buy a house—much less a house like this one.
“I thought you might like having a place of your own
,” Penny looked at him, hoping that he hadn’t done this just for her. He’d done far more than enough as it was—she couldn’t stand it if he’d bought a house just so that she’d have a place to stay. “And I wanted to have a place to stay, too. I’m sick of living in a box. I need a little more space than that.”
“Well, I think this place will give you two or three times the space as the entire motel.”
“Hey, I like to have lots of space. You never know who could be showing up.”
“Are you planning on opening up a bed and breakfast?” Tommy nudged her with his elbow.
“You just wait until you see the inside. You’re going to love it, and you’re going to regret all these little comments.”
Well, he had a point, she thought the moment she stepped inside. It was beautiful, much as she had expected it to be. The kitchen was enormous, vaulted ceilings everywhere she looked. She assumed it had come furnished as everything looked like it belonged there—it all had a very old, cottage appeal to it.
Tommy led her up the stairs, showing her two bedrooms before taking her to the Master suite.
That was where she just about lost it. The bathroom alone was bigger than the bedroom she had at Amy’s, the bedroom just as grand. “Well, I don’t see a theater room anywhere.” She said finally, having kept quiet throughout the entire tour. Tommy’s laughter was music to her ears and she smiled, turning to face him. “You’re insane, you know that, right?”
“Real estate is a good investment.”
“This is too much, Tommy.”
“Nah—it’s just right.” He rested his arm across her shoulders. “I thought you could have the Master.” She couldn’t hide her giddiness as she looked over her shoulder, taking it all in once more.
“You’re insane.” She repeated, smiling excitedly.
“No—I mean, look at it this way. Amy and the girls don’t need a bunch of photographers taking their picture when they go to school in the morning. I’m tired of sleeping in a motel. And if people are going to believe that things are getting serious between us, I think we’re going to have to start spending the night in the same residence.”
He was right, of course. Amy had already had a run in with some photographers going through her trash—looking for evidence of the pregnancy, they had told her. It would be nice to give them their privacy back.
And she could handle living in the same house as Tommy, couldn’t she?
Well, one as spacious as this, anyway.
Space was a good idea, she’d come to think lately. Despite the angry protest that coursed through her veins every time she was near Tommy, Penny had done well so far.
That didn’t mean it had been easy.
It was hard to think of anything other than how badly her body seemed to crave his touch sometimes.
“And you can even have the girls over—did you see the bunk beds in the bedroom down the hall?” Penny brought her attention back to the present, nodding her head in agreement.
“No, you’re definitely right. This is great, Tommy. I should never have doubted you.” She added the last bit on with a touch of sarcasm and he looked at her skeptically.
“Was that sarcasm I detected?”
“Nope,” but she nodded instead, a smile on her face.
“You’d better watch yourself—I know my way around this place a lot better than you do. And the nearest neighbors are quite a ways away.”
“Well, in that case…” Penny grinned. “You’re so wise and all-knowing, Mr. Davis, I just didn’t know it was possible. Maybe, if I look good enough in my tiniest bikini, you’ll give me a part in your next movie.”
“I don’t know, I think I see a bit of a baby bump starting to show—” Before Tommy could stop her, Penny grabbed a pillow from the bed and hit him with it. He stared at her for a moment, stunned—and she took the opportunity to run passed him, toward the door.
Of course, he was much too quick for her though and he easily caught her around the waist. “Big mistake, little lady. Big mistake.”
She squealed as he tossed her onto the bed, his fingers dancing along the curves of her waist on either side as she squirmed—quickly finding herself breathless from laughter.
At least that’s what she told herself.
Of course it had nothing at all to do with the way her body responded to Tommy’s touch.
Or the way he hesitated, his face only inches from hers.
“Do you concede?” he asked.
“You win,” she wasn’t even sure what he won, and a big part of her was afraid to find out.
Tommy stepped back unexpectedly, averting his eyes.
Well, at least one of them was being responsible today, she scolded herself.
“So—should I…I don’t know, should I move in?”
“I don’t see why not.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I mean, it’s plenty big for the both of us.”
“That’s what I was thinking too.” She smiled awkwardly, looking around the room. A few moments passed before she thought of something to say. “So—were you going to be able to come to the benefit dinner?”
“Oh right—that was this weekend, wasn’t it?” Penny nodded. For as long as they’d had the restaurant, they had always hosted a dinner to benefit saving the arts in schools.
“If you can’t make it, it’s not a problem—Amy and Paul will be there.”
“No, I wouldn’t miss it for anything.” He almost sounded eager. “I mean, look how much I benefited from the arts.”
“Good, I was hoping you’d say that.” The thought of spending the evening with Kevin and Gina was not a pleasant one.
“Have you spoken with Kevin about buying him out yet?” Penny shook her head.
“I’m planning on telling him within the next few days.” She dreaded the conversation, knowing he was going to make a big deal out of Tommy’s money. But she knew it was necessary. Gina hadn’t even come to work since Penny had returned.
“Good. The lawyers are already drawing up the paperwork, aren’t they?” She nodded. That part, she had already taken care of—mostly because Tommy had insisted.
“Don’t forget, it’s a black-tie event.” Penny added belatedly, only trying to fill the air so that they didn’t stand there awkwardly.
“Oh, don’t you worry—I’ll be dressed to impress.”
Penny didn’t doubt that for a second.
She wore a simple black dress that just barely grazed the floor—something Diego had picked out for her, no doubt. Her hair was pinned up in some crazy up-do she had created out of boredom, her makeup subtle, exactly how the girls at the salon had showed her.
She felt pretty, which was how she was supposed to feel, according to Amy.
That didn’t mean she felt confident, however.
For some reason, she wasn’t looking forward to the evening at all, though she wasn’t sure why. Well, that wasn’t entirely accurate. It might’ve had a little something to do with the fact that she was going to share her news with Kevin tonight. She knew the timing was inappropriate, but she didn’t want to wait any longer.
With a heavy sigh, Penny turned away from the mirror and left the bathroom. A knock sounded on the door and a moment later, Tommy pushed it open. “Everything decent?”
“Nope, I haven’t even gotten dressed yet.” She didn’t miss the way he turned his head ever-so-slightly, as if to sneak a peek. “I saw that!”
“I think you forget that I am a guy, Penny. Some things are natural for me.” Penny rolled her eyes. She’d heard that speech before.
“Right, it’s natural for a man to want to spread his seed. We women just don’t understand evolution, isn’t that right?”
“Well, I wouldn’t put it like that.” Tommy grinned and Penny rolled her eyes. “I’m kidding, of course.”
“Sure you are.” She meant to for her tone to be playful, but instead it came out sounding much more abrasive.
“Hey, we don’t have to go to this thing if you don’t want to.
”
“No, we can go.” As much as she didn’t want to, she knew she was obligated. She would make it through the night—it couldn’t be that bad, could it?
“Well, the car is waiting, if you’re ready.”
“We’d better go then. I don’t want to be late.”
They had plenty of time, she knew. But she was hoping to talk to Kevin before everything began—quick and painless, just like a band-aid.
Couples were just beginning to arrive as they pulled up and she felt several pairs of eyes turn toward Tommy and herself as they stepped out of the vehicle. She was beginning to tire of always being the center of attention.
Every one of these people read the tabloids. She and Tommy were an item now—was it really that hard to believe?
It could have something to do with the way Tommy looked in his simple tuxedo. She had to admit, it was definitely enough to distract her.
Or they might have been looking toward the flashes of light from all of the cameras that started going the moment they came into view.
It wasn’t fair to blame them, really.
She smiled cheerfully as she greeted people she’d known forever, introducing Tommy just to be polite. He did his best to make conversation with everyone and Penny smiled to herself as she spotted him talking with their old Principal. He and Tommy had once had quite the rapport.
As everyone began milling through the doors, Penny glanced through the crowd, trying to find Kevin—confused when she couldn’t find him. “After you,” Tommy approached her, holding his arm out in front of him. She smiled distractedly as they entered the restaurant.
The band was playing something very slow and quiet; music to pass the time. Soon, people would be asked to take their seats so that dinner could be served. After that, Penny would get up and give a speech about the importance of the arts in schools. Then dessert would be served and the floor would open up for dancing.
It was the same thing every year, and every year, it was an event Penny usually looked forward to.
Amy and Paul were seated at the same table as Tommy and herself and the two men immediately disappeared to the bar. “Have you seen Kevin?” Penny asked her best friend, still unable to find her nearly-ex-husband.
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