by SJ McCoy
She was under no illusion that him doing everything himself was some kind of chivalry. It was just that he was totally self-sufficient. The thing was, so was she. If they were going to hang out together, he'd do well to remember it.
The dirt road wound its way up into the foothills, following the twists and turns of a dry creek bed until it reached a plateau.
Smoke brought the truck to a stop and cut the engine. “Welcome to the country club. This is where your plaza is going to be.”
“Oh, cool! Do you mind if we take a look around?”
“That's what I stopped for.”
Laura climbed down from the truck and took in the view. Below them the lake stretched away into the distance. She could see the resort, away to the left on the opposite shore. A few boats lined the blue water with white wakes. It was breathtaking. She looked at Smoke. “Wow! It's beautiful.”
“Isn't it? I'm just glad I get to enjoy it before they build all over it.”
“You don't like the idea?”
“I don't dislike it. I just like to be able to get away from the crowds. Get back to nature, back to my roots.”
“Where are you from?” Laura realized she didn't know the first thing about his background.
It seemed he wasn't too keen to tell her, either. He shrugged. “My family is in the valley. I grew up there. Come on.” He pointed up to where the land rose again at the edge of the plateau. “We can pick the creek up back there and follow it up a ways.” He grinned. “There's a clearing up there where you can see for miles.” He set out without waiting for her to reply.
She lengthened her stride to catch up and fell in beside him. The valley? He must mean the Central Valley. There was a lot of farm country there. She wanted to ask, but needed to concentrate on just keeping up with him.
They walked on in silence. Laura was pleased that after a while Smoke slowed his pace a little. She prided herself on being in shape, able to keep up on any hike, but she was glad not to have to push so hard. She didn't know why, but it was important to her that Smoke shouldn't think she was anything less than his equal.
They followed a path alongside the creek bed that led them into the trees. It was cooler in here, and the pines smelled wonderful. Smoke was a good hiking partner. He picked out a path, and once he'd dropped the breakneck speed, he matched her pace intuitively. He pointed out squirrels and birds that she would never have noticed. He turned to look back at her.
“You doing okay?”
“Great thanks.” As she spoke her foot caught a rock and she stumbled forward.
Smoke turned and caught her arm to steady her. “Careful,” he said.
She looked up at him, about to pull her arm away, but bit back the I'm fine! she'd been about to spit at him. She'd been expecting mocking, or at least his condescending smirk, but his face was full of concern.
“Are you all right?”
Wow! This was a new one. He actually looked like he cared. She smiled. “I am, thanks to you.”
His face was even more handsome when the cockiness was gone. When his smile was soft like it was right now. Instead of letting go of her arm, he pulled her toward him. She went willingly. He wrapped his arms around her waist, she reached hers around his neck. God, this new-to-her smile was so sexy. He lowered his head to her. She closed her eyes. His lips came down on hers in a sweet, tender kiss. She relaxed against him as she kissed him back, letting a strange feeling sweep through her. She felt safe, like she could finally let her guard down and relax, sheltered in the circle of his arms. When the kiss finally ended he hugged her close and rested his forehead against hers, smiling that new, sweet smile. She didn't want to speak, afraid to break the spell. She just smiled back, getting lost in his eyes, loving the feel of his arms around her, holding her to his hard chest.
He shook his head slowly.
“What?”
“Trouble, lady. I told you you were trouble.”
“I didn't do anything!” she protested.
He chuckled. “You didn't need to.”
He tightened his arms around her, hugging her to him for a moment before letting her go and heading on up the trail. “The clearing isn't far now,” he called back. “Wait until you see the view.”
Laura followed, trying to figure out what was going on with him. She hoped he wasn't just taking a different tack in whatever competition they were in, getting her to lower her defenses. If he was, it was working! But whatever was going on with him, she was more concerned about what was going on with her. The way she'd felt back there, all wrapped up in his arms? That had felt way too good! She'd have to be careful. She didn't need to be enjoying his kisses that much either.
The trees thinned as they walked on and soon they emerged into a clearing. It was a small meadow that sloped up to where the tree line began again.
“Race you to the top,” said Smoke, breaking into a run.
Laura ran as fast as she could and was soon neck and neck with him. He grinned and put on a spurt of speed, his long legs easily carrying him ahead. Knowing she wouldn't be able to overtake him, Laura caught up as much as she could and flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist and tackling him to the ground. They rolled over and over, laughing as they went. When they finally lay still, he pulled her closer and stroked her hair away from her face.
“You just can't stand to lose, can you?”
She shook her head. “Nope. I don't deal well with losing.”
“Me neither. But, you know we can't both be winners Laura. Someone always has to lose.” His face was serious, eyes wistful. This was a different Smoke again.
She didn't know what to do with this. “We could say we both won?”
“We could, but would it be true? Neither of us got where we were going, let alone got there first.”
She shrugged and pecked his lips before standing up and pulling him to his feet. “We will. We just took a little detour. Had some fun. Now we'll go up there together.”
He held her eyes for a long moment, then took her hand and started walking up the meadow.
Once they reached the top he turned and swept his arm out over the view before them. The lake looked smaller from up here. “Didn't I tell you, you can see for miles?”
Laura nodded, it was breathtaking.
Smoke sat down on a fallen tree and stared off into the distance. She went and plonked herself down beside him.
“You're good to hike with,” he said after a while.
“You sound surprised.”
He chuckled. “I am. You're a woman.”
She pushed at him. “And what's that supposed to mean?”
“It means women usually ruin hikes by not being able to keep up and by wanting to talk the whole time.”
She let out a short laugh. “So why did you ask me along?”
He met her gaze. “I have no fucking idea!” He looked confused. Lost for a moment. Then the cocky grin was back and he laid his hand on her thigh. “I'm sure we could come up with a good reason though.”
Laura's breath caught in her chest as his hand moved higher. He slipped his fingers inside the hem of her shorts. But no. She stood up. “I think just finally getting to spend some time together is reason enough, don't you?”
Smoke got up and came to stand behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders and rubbed her neck with his thumbs. Oh, that felt so good!
“I'd say it is, lady.” He planted a little kiss behind her ear, sending shivers racing down her spine. His arm snaked around her waist and pulled her back against him. She could feel how hard he was as he nibbled her neck. She relaxed against him, willing now for whatever he wanted to do. She let out a little sigh as his warm breath fanned her ear. Maybe it was time to just give in. Let him take charge. Do whatever he wanted. Her body was coming alive at the thought of giving in to him.
“Smoke,” she breathed.
He let her go and stepped away with that god-damned smirk on his face. “Sorry. Yeah. Just spend some time toget
her. That's all you want, right?” His eyes gleamed with mischief, knowing the effect he'd had on her.
She wanted him badly right now. But she'd be damned if she was going to ask! She stared at him for a moment. No! No way was she going to ask. That would be admitting he'd won. She pulled herself together. “Yeah. That's all. Let's follow the trail shall we?”
His smile told her he knew he'd won this round...if not the whole game. Yet.
***
Smoke paced the cabin. It had been a good afternoon. The first time he'd enjoyed a woman's company on a hike. She was fun. He smiled to himself, remembering the way she'd tackled him to the ground, just so she wouldn't lose the race. His smile faded. What he'd told her was true though: they couldn't both win this game they were playing. It didn't work that way between a man and a woman. If someone got what they wanted it was always at the expense of the other. He knew that only too well. Maybe he should stop this now—call it a draw and walk away. He would never put himself in the position to be the loser again. And much as he liked the idea of 'conquering' Laura, it would mean making her the loser. That thought didn't appeal much either.
He'd walked her to her door when they got back earlier, but had refused her offer of a drink. This was weird though. He'd wanted to get away from her, straighten his head out. But she was just on the other side of that wall. And his head sure as hell wasn't getting any straighter. He needed to eat and he wanted a beer. Maybe he should walk up to the Boathouse? He didn't feel like cooking. He could ask her to come. He shook his head. He'd already spent more time with her in the last twenty-four hours than he'd spent with any woman in...years. Any woman since.... No. He wasn't going there. Except to remind himself that that was how it worked. The more time he spent with a woman, the more they wanted—and the sooner it got old. The novelty wore off and the need to escape, to fly away, kicked back in. So that's what he could tell himself, right? That was why he was heading out of his door to go knock on hers. It was simply to reach the inevitable end of this sooner. It had nothing to do with the fact that he couldn't focus on anything but laughing blue eyes, long dark hair and sweet plump lips. Nothing to do with the fact that she was on the other side of that wall and he needed her closer. Nah, nothing to do with any of that at all.
Her eyes were laughing as she opened the door. “Yes?” She raised an eyebrow. Evidently seeing some small victory in the fact that he'd come knocking not two hours after his gruff, “See you tomorrow, maybe.”
He pursed his lips, conceding this one with his smile. “I'm heading to the Boathouse to get some dinner. Do you want to tag along?”
She grinned. “Thanks, but I'm not really a tag along kind of girl.” She was laughing at him. Reveling in her victory and they both knew it.
He reached an arm around her waist and crushed her to him. “Okay. So how about, I'm begging you to please come have dinner with me?”
He felt her breath catch in her chest as she looked up at him. Felt her soften in his arms. “I'd love to,” she breathed, and they both knew the advantage had shifted back. She visibly gathered her thoughts, then the sassy smile was back. “Since you asked so nicely, it'd be rude of me to say no.”
They sat out on the deck; the restaurant was quieter tonight. Sunday saw the weekend visitors leave. Smoke liked the place better this way.
“How long are you staying in the cabin,” asked Laura after the server had taken their order.
“I don't know. I've got it ’til the end of the month. Ben says I can have it for the winter season if I want. But since it looks like I'll be living here, I'm thinking of looking for a place of my own.” He smiled at her. “Besides, I have this new neighbor, and I'm afraid she may lower the tone of the neighborhood.”
“I wouldn't worry. She'll be gone soon. I’d just make the most of it if I were you.”
“I intend to,” he said. What he didn't say, because it surprised the hell out of him, was that he wished she wouldn't be gone so soon. Where had that thought come from? He'd be glad to see her leave by the end of the week, wouldn't he?
“Well don't get too many ideas. I understand your new neighbor has a lot of work to do this week. She's in high demand, you know. There's international interest in her talents.”
That bothered him. He wanted her talents all for himself, even though they weren't the ones she was talking about. He brought himself back to the moment. “I believe so, and I understand why.”
She didn't quite blush, but those faint pink stains appeared on her cheeks. Good, he was getting to her, too. Point scored, he came back to her work. “So what kind of jewelry are you working on?”
Her eyes lit up as she began to talk about her work. He didn't have the first clue about diamonds or karats or cuts, but he smiled as he listened. What he did know was that here was a woman who truly loved what she did. With a passion. And that was something he could relate to.
“...and I can't wait to go to London,” she was saying.
“London?” Did he know that? Had she mentioned it? Surely he would have remembered. “What exactly will you be doing there?”
“Meeting their design team. Seeing the flagship store.” She grinned. “I'm sure it won't mean much to you, but it's a huge honor. And....” She looked around as if someone might be listening. “I haven't told anyone yet, but they mentioned possibly buying my store!”
Smoke wasn't sure why this might need to be kept a secret, but she did seem excited by the idea.
“And what would you do then?”
“I don't really know, but it would mean more freedom. I'm a designer, not a retailer. I need some kind of base, but the store feels more like a ball and chain, you know?”
Smoke nodded. He knew that feeling only too well.
“If I sell, I won't have to deal with the day to day responsibilities,” she continued. “I'll be free to travel and meet high-end clients.”
He raised an eyebrow, not understanding that and trying to repress a smirk at the thought that she made herself sound like a high class hooker.
She shook her head, apparently seeing where his thoughts were going. “Get. Your. Mind. Out of the gutter!” she said, with a smile that only pinned his mind firmly in the gutter...or to a chair...or a lounger.
He grinned. “Sorry.” He really wasn't. “What else would you need to meet high-end clients for?”
He listened as she explained how she was building a clientele, by word of mouth. People who wanted exquisite custom pieces designed just for them.
He thought about Jack and Dan who had both asked her to make engagement rings. Now that was scary stuff. He brought his attention back to what she was saying.
“I love San Francisco, but I don't think I want to be there anymore.” For the first time since she'd started talking about her jewelry, her eyes weren't shining. “It's been good, but I've finally figured out it's not for me.”
What was all that about? He gave her an inquiring look.
She shrugged. “I thought I could settle down, build a normal life, you know? But it turns out I'm not too good at it.”
All the light had gone from her eyes now. Smoke wanted to see her smile again—and to steer her away from what looked like heavy stuff if he asked her what she meant. He gave her a grin. “If you ask me, normal is over-rated. Especially for people like us. A career that you love wins hands down over normal.”
She smiled at that, seeming to agree. Good. Away from the heavy stuff. “So what do you design most of?” He had no clue about jewelry but he wanted to see her animated and happy again. Steering her back to her work should do it.
Unfortunately, his question brought the sadness back to her eyes. “Lately it's been engagement rings.”
Damn, he should have thought of that. “Yeah, I saw the ones you made for the guys. What else? Is it all kinds of rings, or necklaces and earrings too?”
She wasn't going for it; she was still caught up in her thoughts. She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. “Yeah. The ones for Dan and Jack we
re fun to do. Dan especially. All he knew was that he wanted something with three diamonds, so Missy would know it was about the three of them—about her and Scot becoming his family.
Smoke nodded. Even he knew how great Dan and Missy were together and how much Dan loved the kid.
Her smile was more genuine now. “Jack was different.” She laughed. “In fact he was a total pain in the ass.”
Smoke laughed with her, knowing the feeling. Jack was a good friend, but he had his ways. “He is pretty big on his 'crucial details'. I don't envy you that job.”
“Yeah, I can't really say it was a design job, more a case of making his design a reality. And detail? He even provided the stone and told me how I needed to cut it!” Something about that had her shaking her head, lost in thought again.
Dammit. Heavy stuff or not, he needed to know. His curiosity was piqued, if he didn't ask he knew he'd only keep wondering. “So, you design a lot of engagement rings, but you don't wear one?”
She shook her head and ate the last bite of her burger. He waited, sipping on his beer, wondering if he wanted to hear the story. There no doubt was one, he could tell.
Eventually she looked at him. “I used to.”
“But?”
“But like I told you, it turns out I'm no good at that kind of thing.”
Smoke nodded, knowing to leave well enough alone. He surprised himself by reaching across the table to take her hand. He gave it a squeeze and smiled, “Like I told you, normal is over-rated. You're too good for it, lady. You had a lucky escape.”
She nodded.
“And I'm glad you did,” he added.
She looked confused, no doubt wondering what he had meant by that.
He squeezed her hand again and called for the check, feeling a little confused himself—what had he meant?
***
“Jack!” Emma poked him in the ribs.
He turned to look at her. “Sorry, baby.”
Emma shook her head at Ben, who was grinning at them from behind the bar. “Honestly, Ben! He says he's bringing me out for a drink and then spends the whole time spying on Laura and Smoke. I'm glad you're in here tonight. At least you still pay attention to me.”