Izzy turned back to the game, not knowing how to respond. They weren’t a package deal. That smacked of something permanent, when they had barely gotten this fling off the ground. And it would have to be a fling. A hot, sweaty, pleasurable fling, but temporary nonetheless. Maybe if she didn’t have Ana, she could afford to take a chance on another man. But she was a mother, and making sure Ana was provided for and that she never felt the pain of abandonment were her top priorities.
She tried to focus on the game. Ana’s team was only down by one. But everything Brad did distracted her. When he leaned back on one hand, the vee in his polo shirt pulled lower, exposing skin bronzed by the sun. The muscles in his arms flexed as he shifted his weight, and Izzy wondered if he lifted or got that definition naturally, from carrying dogs around. He tilted his head back, soaking up the sun’s rays and exposing the thick column of his neck that just begged to be nibbled on.
A whistle blew, and Izzy turned to see a referee show a player a yellow card, her attention back where it should be. Until Brad inched his way up Vi’s side, finding Izzy’s hand and linking his middle and index fingers through hers. They sat there, their hands just barely twined, until the end of the game. The amount of their skin that touched was probably less than one square inch. But Izzy felt more in that one square inch than she had from all the caresses of her past lovers.
Maybe she should ask him to forget the picnic, head straight to her empty house. See what he could accomplish when he had access to all her skin.
Ana trotted up, her face flushed a deep red and mud caked on her socks.
“Good game, baby. But you’re going to need a shower.” A heaviness settled in Izzy’s body. She’d brought a change of clothes for Ana to go the party in, not expecting a full-scale cleanup to be necessary. Her picnic would have to wait a little longer.
Excited yipping preceded Jasmine bounding across the grass to Ana. Jerome Davis strolled up behind the puppy, his hand resting on his daughter Katie’s shoulder. “Morning, everyone. I just wanted to make sure Jazz got back to where he belonged.”
Katie planted a small elbow in Jerome’s lean stomach. “His name is Jasmine. I’ve told you this.” The girl’s eye roll was a familiar sight. It must be something all the nine-year-olds practiced, and perfected, at school.
Jerome looked at Brad as he stood. “Can’t call a male dog by a flower name. Just can’t do it.”
Brad stuck out a hand. “Thank God. Some sanity.” The men shared a look over their handshake and smiled. “I’m Brad Cohen. Owner of Forever Friends, where Vi and Jazz were adopted.”
“Jerome Davis. Pineville PD. And father of the best goalie in all of Crook County.” He ruffled his girl’s hair, and she ducked away.
“Happy birthday, Katie,” Izzy said. Pushing to the edge of her chair, Izzy struggled to stand. Damn stupid low chair. Brad grabbed her under her arms and pulled her up. “Thanks,” she murmured to him, and tugged at the hems of her shorts. She turned to Jerome and Katie. “I know we’d planned for Ana to go home with you, but she’s a bit of a mess, as you can see.”
“Mo-om…”
“I’ll take her home for a quick shower and drop her off in a bit.” Izzy twisted her lips and gave Brad a tiny shrug.
“What, you don’t have a portable shower in that purse of yours?” Brad teased. “Or at least some cleaning wipes?”
Izzy tipped her head and tried to look down her nose at him. A bit difficult as he towered over her, but she managed. “As a matter of fact, I do keep baby wipes in my purse, but those are for more low-grade messes. This”—she swept her hand up and down Ana’s length—“requires a trip home.”
“I can take Ana home and to the party.” Lydia jumped up, making it seem altogether too easy to get out of the butt-scraping beach chair. Izzy scowled, but Lydia ignored her. She yanked on Ana’s ponytail. “Having a group of kids over until tomorrow morning is an ambitious endeavor,” she said to Jerome. “How many girls do you and your wife have to wrangle tonight?”
“Katie has four friends coming over, and it’s just me. Her mom and I are divorced.” Jerome had a smile that almost matched Brad’s when it came to the yummy factor. He was an inch taller than Lydia in her heels, fit, and his mocha skin was so soft and smooth looking, it made a girl want to get up close and personal with it. Izzy expected her friend to be all over that single-dad action.
To her shock, Lydia kept her smile friendly, not flirty. “You’re a brave man.” She turned to Izzy. “Does that work for you? I’m assuming you have other plans,” she said, and oh so subtly jerked her head at Brad.
“Uh, yeah.” She knelt in front of Ana. “That work for you, baby?”
Her daughter scowled. “I’m not a baby. Let’s go, Aunt Lydia.” She stomped off to the parking lot.
“A change of clothes and Katie’s present are in the back of my car. It’s unlocked,” she told Lydia. She turned to Jerome. “I’ll pick her up around ten tomorrow?”
He nodded. “Whenever you want. I’ll be cooking pancakes for breakfast, and you’re welcome to join us.” Turning, he raised a hand in farewell and led his daughter to their car.
Izzy cocked her head and examined her friend. “I’m surprised you didn’t offer to help him watch the kids tonight.”
Bending over to fold the chairs, Lydia muttered something.
“What was that?” Izzy stepped closer.
“I might have other plans,” her friend repeated.
“Really,” she said, drawing out the vowels in the word. Interesting. Plans that Lydia seemed embarrassed by. “And who might these plans be with?”
Lydia concentrated on stacking the chairs neatly on top of each other so all the edges aligned. “Kevin. And before you say anything, it’s just dinner.”
Izzy held up her hands. “Wasn’t going to say a word.” She bounced on her toes. It was really hard not commenting on this. She pressed her lips tightly together. Really. Hard.
Lydia squinted up at her, and huffed. “See that you don’t. I’m sure there’ll be no chemistry and that this dinner is a one-and-done deal.”
“Of course.” A smile tugged at the edges of her lips.
Scowling, Lydia plucked up the chairs and her dog’s leash. “Come on, Stephanie. Let’s go find the nonjudgy Lopez female.” She marched off, chin in the air. Her impressive exit was marred when Stephanie darted between her legs, making her stumble.
“What was that about?” Brad snapped leashes on Vi and Jasmine. The puppy took that moment to curl up in a ball and fall asleep. Bending over, Brad scooped him up and unclipped the leash.
“Just a little case of a silent ‘I told you so’ going on between friends.” She took Vi’s leash, and they headed for Brad’s truck. “Is there going to be enough room for all of us? I can drive.” Brad’s truck only had the one bench seat, and no way was she putting her dogs in the open bed.
“All the food’s in the back of my truck. We’ll make it work.” Opening the passenger door, he helped Vi make the high leap into the footwell, then up to the center seat. “I see she’s recovered from her cupcake binge.”
“Well enough to go after my plate of spaghetti last night.” She shook her head and placed the puppy on the seat next to Vi. “Who needs to diet when you can have a dog eat all your food?” she muttered.
Brad helped her into her seat, taking a special care that Izzy didn’t really need. His hand lingered on her hip, a warm weight. “I’ve brought plenty of grub for both us and the dogs today. I’ll make sure you leave satisfied.”
The hairs on the back of her neck lifted. He hadn’t meant that the way it sounded, had he? The smirk on his face as he shut her door and circled the hood said he did. She tugged her shirt away from her heated skin and flapped the collar. Nope. Still hot.
“So, where’s this spot by the river?” she asked when he started the engine. And should she tell him to sk
ip it and drive to her house? Blue Haven River branched off Grand River and wound an S through Crook County’s tri-cities until it emptied into Lake Michigan a hundred miles away. His favorite spot could be a long drive from here, and that was time that could be better spent.
“Just a couple of miles outside of Marysville. It’s one of my favorite spots.” Stretching his arm along the back of the seats, he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and let his fingers skate down her neck before resting near her shoulder. “I can’t wait to show it to you.”
Okay then. River first. Then her house.
Brad found a radio station playing classic rock from the seventies and eighties, and they drove out of Pineville. Izzy cranked her window down, and Vi climbed on her lap to stick her head out into the breeze.
Laughing, Izzy maneuvered until she could see around the furball. “I’m starting to miss the dog who avoided contact with me.”
“No, you’re not.”
No, she wasn’t. She patted Vi’s haunch and kept a hand on Jasmine’s back, making sure he didn’t tumble off the seat when Brad braked.
Izzy stilled. Holy shit, she’d become a dog person. When did that happen?
She was so shocked by the realization, it took her a moment to notice when Brad turned off the highway and onto a pitted dirt road. Vi stumbled when they hit a rut, and Izzy wrapped an arm around her chest to keep her steady.
Brad drove around a tree stump and edged the rim of a large ditch. The frame of his truck rattled.
“Not many people come out this way, I’m guessing.” Izzy’s body bounced with the rough drive.
“Nope.” He glanced over at her. “We’ll be completely alone.”
Oh boy.
He pulled into a wooded glade, where a few aspen trees were mixed in between the towering pines. The river widened out before them, the water drifting sluggishly between the banks. Large, moss-covered boulders rose out of the river in a rough circle, like a stone fairy ring.
“It’s beautiful.” Izzy opened her door, and Vi jumped out. She followed more slowly, placing Jasmine on the dirt to chase after his mother.
Brad strode to the back of his truck and lowered the tailgate. He unhooked some bungee cords lashing an ice chest in place and hefted it out. “I stumbled on this spot while I was mountain biking last year. The grass grows all the way to the water for a stretch here, and I’ve spent many an hour sitting on it and casting out my line, with only the birds to keep me company. And now you.”
Izzy swallowed, her throat going thick. That sounded significant. Did he mean it that way?
“Can you grab the blanket that’s behind the seat?” he asked, and Izzy nodded. They strolled to a shady patch of short prairie grass strewn with clover, and she snapped open the butter-soft microfiber blanket and laid it on the ground. Toeing off her shoes, she walked barefoot down to the river and stuck her toe in. “Cold.”
“Are you saying you don’t want to go skinny-dipping?” Brad hefted the chest to his hip and clutched his heart as though wounded. “And I had such high hopes.”
She rolled her eyes and then jumped back when Vi and Jasmine splashed into the shallows. The cold didn’t seem to bother them, but then, they were covered in fur. Brad settled the chest on the blanket and picked up a stick. He threw it into the river, and Vi swam after it. The puppy yipped, not venturing out farther than the water at his ankles. Climbing out of the river, dripping with water, Vi trotted to a spot in the sun. She shook her body, water spraying, and lay down, chewing on the stick.
“I’m thinking she was never taught how to play fetch,” Brad said. He pulled a small chew toy from the pocket of his cargo pants and gave it to Jasmine, who joined his mother. “I hope you’re hungry.” Opening the ice chest, Brad pulled out several containers. One he brought over to the dogs, along with a bowl of water. “That should keep them out of our food for a while. For us, I have curry chicken and pasta salad.”
He hadn’t been kidding when he’d said there’d be plenty of food. The casserole dish he pulled out was big enough to feed a party of eight.
“Vi’s going to get lucky with leftovers, isn’t she?”
Brad shrugged and passed her a plate and plastic utensils. They ate while the river burbled and the birds chattered overhead. After Brad had brought the dogs some human food, with the skin of the spicy chicken removed, they’d crashed in the sun.
Izzy scooted back on the blanket until just her legs were in the light, the rest of her body enjoying the shade from a wide pine. Brad stretched out next to her, his bare feet nudging hers. He placed his hands behind his head and made a pillow of his shoulder for Izzy.
Good food, a soft breeze, and a lazy afternoon. Under most circumstances, this would be the time Izzy’s eyes would start to sink and she’d settle in for a rare nap. But her body felt more awake than ever. Brad’s cargo pants tickled her bare thigh. His chest rose and fell with his even breath, the cotton of his polo brushing against the curve of her breast with every movement. The scents of fabric softener and warm man filled her nose, and she longed to bury her face in the hollow where his shoulder met neck.
Lacing their fingers together, he pulled her hand up to rest on his hard chest. Idly, he stroked the skin on the back of her hand.
It had been so long since anyone had touched her so gently. Had Ana’s father ever? Brad’s body was relaxed, completely at ease, and all the while her muscles twisted tighter, like a screw burrowing into its hole. Did he not want her as badly as she did him? She chewed on her bottom lip, needing to know.
Slowly, she slid her hand down, over the ridge of his pecs, down across his flat stomach. Her fingers touched warm flesh a half an inch above his waistband.
Brad’s body went rock hard, and Izzy smiled. Now she wasn’t the only one bursting with tension. Just as slowly, she retraced her path, this time dragging her fingers under his shirt. She hit a small bump and traced her index finger around the raised nub of his belly button. Brad sucked in a quick breath.
“You keep doing that, darling, and we’re not going to make it back to a bed.” His voice was velvet over steel, the warning clear.
Izzy decided not to heed it. A bed meant home. Home was cluttered with Ana’s toys and Izzy’s work, too many reminders of why she shouldn’t be doing this. Here, she could be whoever she wanted. She brushed up over his ribs, buried her fingers in the light dusting of hair that covered his chest. Pushing his shirt up to his collarbone, she rolled onto her side and pressed a soft kiss above the flat disk of his nipple.
In two seconds he’d shucked his shirt and rolled, pinning Izzy beneath his weight. “And here I thought I’d be the one doing the seducing.” He nudged her nose with his, and kissed the corner of her mouth.
She was going to tell him that he’d already accomplished his goal, that all his smiles, and laughs, and kindnesses had literally charmed the pants right off her. His seduction was complete. But Brad had other ideas for her mouth besides talking.
His kiss started soft, his lips a light sweep over hers. Izzy shifted, drew one leg around his hip, and the kiss changed in an instant. He took her mouth like a man starved for contact. As if he’d been waiting forever to get to kiss her like that.
Threading her hands in his hair, she held him close and slid her eyes closed. His weight was solid on her but not overwhelming, and she loved the way he pressed her into the soft earth. She skimmed her hands down his back, his skin hot beneath her palms, and she needed to feel more of him.
She pulled back and gripped the hem of her shirt. Brad helped her tug it over her head. Bracing one arm above her, Brad’s eyes glittered as he looked his fill. With the back of his fingers, he traced the ridge of her clavicle. Gooseflesh rose in his wake.
“Brad…” Restless, she wrapped both her legs around his narrow hips and arched into him. He scraped his fingers down her shoulder, dragging her bra strap down until
he exposed one breast.
“Jesus.” He brushed a thumb over her taut nipple. “You’re so damn beautiful, Iz.” Slowly, way too slowly for her liking, he lowered his head and sucked the hardening peak into his mouth.
A cry slipped past her lips, and a bird startled from a nearby tree. Each pull of his lips tugged at something deep inside her. Sliding her arms out from both straps, she freed herself for him to feast on. He nudged down the other bra cup with his nose and lavished equal treatment on that breast.
Izzy’s chest heaved. She arched again, and this time Brad took the hint. Keeping his mouth where it was, he eased his hand down her stomach and over her shorts. He cupped her, and her thoughts scattered.
“Oh God.” This was really happening. Bits of her that hadn’t been up for public examination in almost a decade were about to see the light of day. The literal light of day.
That gave her pause, and the pause gave her a moment to think. “Wait. I don’t have any protection.”
Brad lifted his head. A lock of tawny hair fell over his brow. “You might not think I’m much for planning, but trust me when I say I’ve got that covered.” Rearing up, he flipped open one of the side pockets on his cargo pants and pulled out a row of condom packets, the strip unfolding like an accordion. He tossed it on the blanket.
“You are an optimist.” Izzy tore a square off. She lifted her hips when Brad opened the button of her shorts and slid them down her legs. When she drew her knees up, her stomach fluttered at the knowledge of how exposed she was. One lace pair of panties was all that covered her. That, and a bra she was wearing like a belt.
Brad’s fingers stalled on his fly. “Don’t hide. You have to know how pretty you are.”
Clenching her hands by her side, she tried for a levity she didn’t feel. “Sure. Dimples on the ass and stretch marks are always a real turn-on.”
Bending low, he ran his tongue over the faint silver lines that crossed her lower stomach as he tugged her panties down. “These lines are sexy. They’re proof of your power. Of the life you created.” Crawling over her, he said, “But if you want to see some ugly lines, take a look at this scar.” He flipped open the button of his pants and pushed them down to the base of his hips. Taking her hand, he ran it along a long pucker of skin. His scar started on his side, about navel height, and curved down in a semicircle to right above his pelvis. “Your marks show how strong your body was. This shows how weak mine was.”
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