He stroked a thumb across her mouth before brushing his lips against hers in a chaste kiss and leaned toward her ear, brushing her damp hair over her shoulder, whispering, “You’re pretty damn near perfect, too.”
Her blue eyes rose up to look into his green ones, and they stared at each other in silence for a moment before he steps away reluctantly, stating huskily, “The stir-fry is going to burn.”
“Yes!” She scurried around him and stood on the other side of the island. “What can I do to help?”
“I just need a couple of plates. I’ll serve it right from here if that’s okay with you?” He shut the burners off and grabbed a fork to fluff the rice. “Everything’s ready.”
She glided gracefully through the kitchen she’d grown up in to a cabinet and reached up to pull down a plate for each of them. As she turned to hand him the plates, she noticed him watching, her cheeks flushing a light pink.
“Here ya go.” She handed him the plates. “Do you want something to drink?”
“I put a bottle of white in the fridge to chill a while ago. Do you feel like wine?”
She laughed. “I always feel like wine.” She moved to a different cabinet and grabbed two glasses and got the wine out of the fridge.
He turned, grabbing the wine from her, and set it on the counter, popping the cork out in three twists. She held the glasses out as he poured. It was as if they had rehearsed the scene a hundred times, yet it was only the second meal they had cooked together. Hope marveled at how easy and natural things were between them.
They spent the next half hour eating casually and sharing conversation about nothing and everything. When they were full, they both worked to wash and dry the dishes, putting them all away in their place, until the kitchen was once again back in order.
“Now what?” He raised his eyebrows and grinned mischievously. “I think I remember you saying something about dessert?”
Laughing, she reached up on her tip-toes and gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Later. I really should go take a look around the property and make sure the storm didn’t do any other damage last night.” Her gaze strayed to the window and focused on the woods beyond.
“Okay, sure. I wasn’t sure if Walter had already done that.”
She shook her head. “He said, other than the downed tree along the driveway, he didn’t notice anything, but I should probably look.”
“I’ll come with you. You never know when you’re going to need a big, strong man around again.” He gave her a cocky grin, puffed up his chest, and pointed at his stomach. “Especially one with abs like this!”
She slapped her hand to her forehead, groaning. “I’m never going to live that down, am I?”
He chuckled. “Not if I can help it.” He ran a hand down his stomach and gave her a sexy smile. “I should probably wear a shirt out in the wild, however. Wouldn’t want to tempt anyone else we might run into.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” She turned and started walking toward the stairs. “Let me grab you something long-sleeved from Tommy’s room. I’m sure it’s getting cooler now.”
“Perfect, thanks.” He followed behind her but turned before the stairs. “Can you grab my shoes up there, too, please? I’m going to get one of my cameras to bring out with us.”
“You got it,” she called back as she climbed the stairs.
Fifteen minutes later, they were outside walking around the perimeter of the house, checking for any loose wires or downed limbs. After completing a full circle and finding everything in order, she suggested they head down to the lake and check on the dock and boats.
“You have boats? As in more than one?” he asked in surprise.
“No. I mean, yes, but not really.” As they approached the lake, she pointed to a larger boat that was suspended in a lift next to the dock. “That’s the only real motor boat we have, but Tommy’s the only one who ever uses it.” Then she pointed to a sailboat that was moored to the long dock and smiled wide. “That’s mine. It’s a twenty-six-foot Fantail. It has a small electrical motor, but I only use that to get it in and out of the dock. We also have a canoe and some kayaks.”
He looked at her, his brows raised. “Seriously? You have your own sailboat?”
She shrugged. “It’s a big lake. My dad gave it to me a few years ago as a birthday present.”
“Ah, yes, that’s right.” A bit of an edge seemed to creep into his voice. “I forgot you’re a daddy’s girl.”
She stopped short and turned to him. “What is that supposed to mean?”
His hand swept out to the sailboat. “You know, a hundred-thousand-dollar truck sitting in your driveway, and what, a fifty-thousand-dollar sailboat on your dock, both courtesy of daddy. Just says something.”
“Says what?” Hope’s hands hit her hips, and her chin jutted out in defiance. She wasn’t going to tell him it was actually an eighty-thousand-dollar sailboat.
Gage shook his head, obviously realizing he was being an asshole, and took a step closer to her. Cupping her cheek, he blew out a long breath. “It says that you have a father who must love you very much. Sorry if I over-stepped.”
She glared at him, her lips scrunched up tight, her mind in overdrive. He slid his thumb down her cheek and over her lips, then leaned in slowly, tentatively feathering his lips over hers. She relaxed a fraction, but a frown still marred her usual smile. He brushed another soft kiss against her lips, this time leaning his forehead against hers. “Seriously, Hope, I’m sorry. It’s my own stupid shit and has nothing to do with you.”
She pulled back from his hold and stomped her foot, crossing her arms at the same time. “I’ll have you know I work really hard. Everything isn’t handed to me on a silver platter.”
He chuckled even though she was trying to be stern, finally nodding his head in compliance. “I’m sure you work very hard.”
“Then why are you laughing at me!” She stomped her little foot again.
“Because you look so goddamn cute when you’re angry.” He smiled wide, and she gasped when he tugged her rigid form up against his, wrapping his arms around her in a hug. “Come here, you feisty little thing.”
She looked up at him, trying unsuccessfully to suppress the smile that was trying to break free as she growled out, “You haven’t even seen feisty yet, Mister!”
“Oh, this is quite feisty enough, thank you very much!” He bent and kissed her. She quickly let her smile fall back in place and could feel the surge of relief as it washed through him. “So, you sail?”
“Yeah, I sail,” she replied sardonically. “Come on. I’ll show her to you.” She started walking toward the dock again and motioned for him to follow.
He slipped his camera off his shoulder, removing the lens cap, and turned it on as he walked. Hope was standing on the dock, the sun streaming around her as she looked out over the lake. He snapped a few shots without even thinking, capturing her serene beauty. She turned to him, and he caught each change in her expression as he continued clicking.
“Oh my God! Gage, stop!” She threw her hand up to block her face, cheeks flaming red at the attention. “I’m so not one of your models!”
He lowered the camera away from his face to stare at her in dismay. “First of all, you’re more stunning than any model I’ve ever shot. And you better get used to getting your picture taken if you’re hanging out with me. I tend to have a camera in my hand most of the time.”
“Yuck! I hate getting my photo taken. I always look awful!” She shook her head in disgust.
“I find that hard to believe, but here.” He walked up to stand beside her on the dock. “Look at these.” He held the camera up and clicked a button to bring the last picture he took of her up on the viewer. “See? Stunning.”
He watched as she absorbed the picture and turned to look at him wide-eyed. “How did you do that? I look… well, I actually look pretty damn cute in that picture!”
“Because I’m amazing.” He laughed as she rolled her eyes at his respon
se. “No, really. You can ask anyone. I am. I’m amazing. It wasn’t easy to capture your ugly mug and make it look this good.”
Her eyes grew wide, and she reached out and slapped him playfully on the arm. “Oh, you are just awful, aren’t you?”
“Oh, I think you know by now just how awful I am.” He winked playfully at her and walked to go stand next to the sailboat. “So, this is your baby, huh?”
She moved to stand next to him and nodded her head. “Yep. She’s got some great lines. It’s getting too late to take her out now, though, but maybe tomorrow.”
“I would love to do that.” He looked over at her, screwing his face up in mock-embarrassment. “Now, it’s your turn not to laugh, but I’ve actually never been sailing before.”
“Wait, what?” She stared at him in astonishment. “But you’re a Marine!”
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve been on boats, all kinds of them, but never a sailboat. Don’t forget, I grew up in land-locked Pennsylvania!”
“Oh, then we are most definitely going out while you’re here. You are going to love it. Once you feel the power of the wind, you’ll be hooked.”
“It’s a deal. I’d love to go out.” He looked over at the small sandy beach beyond the dock and nodded at the canoe resting on the grass where it met the sand. “Wanna take that out for a little while instead?”
She smiled and nodded her head. “Absolutely!” She turned and looked back toward the house. “I think the oars are under the deck. I’ll go up and grab them if you want to get the canoe in the water.”
“You got it.” He paused and looked down at his camera. “Are you going to flip me, or is it safe to bring this with us?”
“I’m not going to flip us! No way, no how am I going in that water!” She shook her head firmly. “You can definitely bring the camera.”
“Awesome.” He smiled and started toward the canoe as she made her way up to the deck. He set the camera down on a tree stump before moving to flip the canoe and drag it to the water’s edge. She was back in another minute carrying the oars and two life preservers.
“Do we need those?” He pointed at the orange vests. “I can swim.”
“Yeah, me too, but you need one for each person in the boat.” She walked up and set one on the seat of the canoe and smiled at him. “You have a nice cushion to sit on now.”
He shook his head, chuckling low before grabbing the camera and slinging it around his neck. “Hop in. I’ll push us out.”
She did as he requested, placing an oar at the back of the canoe for him as she stepped in and made her way up to the front bench and sat down. She gripped onto each side of the canoe to brace herself as he began pushing the canoe into the water and then stepped in.
“And we’re off!” he called cheerfully as he sat down, the canoe rocking slightly, as he used his oar to push them completely off the shore.
Chapter Eight
The lake was unusually calm, the water as smooth as glass until their paddles broke the surface, causing ripples to flow out around them. Every now and then, he would stop rowing and raise his camera to catch an image that caught his eye, but otherwise, they were both quiet.
She turned and looked at him. “Do you want to see something?”
He nodded his head. “Sure.”
“Head toward that little island over there.” She pointed to a small mound of land covered in small trees, jutting from the water.
He changed the angle of the oar to turn the canoe in the direction she pointed, both paddling in sync until they were about a hundred yards from the island.
Hope pulled her oar out of the water, twisted around in her seat until she was facing him, and spoke in a hushed voice. “Have you ever seen any loons?”
“I’ll assume you’re referring to the bird.” He laughed softly. “But, no, I don’t think I actually have. At least, not that I remember.”
“Well, there’s a mommy and daddy loon that live on this island. I saw them with two babies this summer. I haven’t been up since July, though, so hopefully they are still alive.”
“Why wouldn’t they be?” He brought the camera up and began scanning the island through his lens.
She shrugged. “Snapping turtles, speed boats, dumb people. Sometimes, the environment just isn’t safe for little ones.”
“Do you think we’ll see them?” He continued scanning the island with his camera.
As if his request was heard on the wind, a short and then longer whistling sound carried out over the water several times. They both turned their head toward the sound, and moments later, saw three loons appear from around the island.
“Look!” She pointed in excitement. “There they are! Do you see them Gage?”
He smiled at her excitement over the pretty birds. “I see them.” He brought his camera up and started taking pictures of the small feathered family as they floated closer to each other.
“Look how cute the baby is,” she cooed. “Well, I guess it’s not a baby anymore, and I guess one of the babies didn’t make it.”
Sadness crept into her voice, and he couldn’t help but turn the camera on her and capture the way every emotion reflected in her eyes and face.
“Do they mate for life?” he asked as he continued to snap pictures of everything around them.
“They used to think so, but new research says no. The birds will actually replace their mate if they don’t produce babies for them or fly back to their nest in the spring.”
The loons had swum past them in a wide berth and were circling back toward the island now, whistling calls to each other as they went.
“You’re kidding me? They actually get divorced?” He chuckled in disbelief that some traditions carried over no matter what the species.
She laughed back. “I guess so. Who would have thought?” She looked away from the birds then and over at him. She tilted her head in curiosity as she looked at him. “Have you ever been married?”
Instead of answering her question, he asked one of his own. “Have you?”
She shook her head. “God, no.”
He laughed. “You say that like it’s a bad thing! Marriage not your thing?”
She shook her head again. “No, it’s not that. I’d love to get married one day. I just haven’t had the best luck yet with men. Ya know?”
“You?” He scanned her from head to toe. “What guy would be dumb enough to let you slip through his fingers? You’re the whole package—beauty and brains.”
She scoffed. “Well, the last guy I was dating, for over two years mind you, thought so highly of me that he decided screwing someone else while I was on a business trip would be a good idea. Until I came home early and caught him, of course.”
“Shit. Seriously?” He frowned. “I’m sorry, Hope, but if that guy didn’t know what he had, you’re better off without him.”
She sighed. “I guess.” She looked over at him. “That’s why I’m up here, actually. It just happened a few weeks ago. I needed to get away and reboot.”
“Uh-oh.”
“What?” Alarm crossed her features.
“Guess that makes me the rebound guy.” He laughed lightly.
“Oh, no! Is that what you are? I thought I was just using you for sex for the weekend…” Her eyes danced with laughter, her cheeks turning pink at her own admission.
“It’s okay, Hope.” He looked down and then back up at her, all the laughter gone from his eyes, before speaking quietly. “I don’t mind being your rebound guy. I’ll be whatever you need me to be.”
She was speechless for several minutes, absorbing his words and what they meant before responding, her heart hammering in her chest at the realization that she was starting to feel something for him. “You are exactly what I needed, Gage. Exactly. The best visitor I’ve ever had and the only one in a long, long time I’ve wanted to stay.”
He smiled then, wide and open, the corners around his green eyes crinkling. “I’ll stay as long as you want.”
Their
eyes locked, and an unspoken understanding about what might be happening between them swept over the moment. He finally broke their connection by looking up at the sky.
“The sun’s going to be setting soon. We should start heading back.” He moved to put the camera back around his neck and reached for his oar.
“You never answered my question,” she remembered out loud.
“What question?”
“Have you ever been married?” She found that she really wanted, no, needed to know the answer.
He looked her in the eye again, a serious expression on his face. “Nope. When I mate, it’ll be for life.”
“Isn’t that what we all wish for?”
“Wishing has nothing to do with it.” He started rowing even though she was still turned toward him. “I believe, when you make a commitment to someone, one as big as marriage, it’s done knowing it will be forever. For better or worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer. Not just for however long you feel like it. Forever.”
Her eyebrows shot up as her mouth shifted in surprise. “Not very many people believe in forever anymore.”
“I do. I think, when you find the right person, forever won’t be long enough.” His gaze locked onto hers, his green eyes burning with intensity.
Hope shivered. Whether it be from the surge of blood racing to her heart, or from the chill starting to claim the air, she couldn’t be sure, but she broke their connection by spinning around in her seat and grabbing her oar.
Attempting to lighten the conversation, she tried joking as she started rowing. “Have I ended up with the last true romantic?”
Sensing things had turned a little too serious, he joked back. “Nah, don’t worry. I’m just visiting.”
Thirty minutes later, with the sun starting to set in the west, the canoe slid back onto the beach. Gage jumped out and pushed the boat further up in the sand and then put his hand out to help her out of the canoe.
When her skin met his, an electrical current charged through her as if lightning had struck, sparking a flame of desire within her. Her eyes flew up to his and were met with a dark, hungry look on his face.
Losing Hope Page 7