by Tara Mills
“What about his kids?”
“They’ll be with their grandmother.”
“Not their mom?”
“I hope not, she’s been dead for years.”
“Hold it, he’s a widower?”
“Yeah, so what?” Piper answered lightly.
Joy stepped in Piper’s way and forced her to look at her. “This is a pretty loaded situation you’ve landed in.”
“No way.” Piper brushed past her. “Anyway, you told me yourself I should be out there making new friends and now you’re warning me off?”
“Okay, tell me something. This is a family we’re talking about, right? So what happens when the kids start bonding with you, counting on you, seeing you as a mother figure? Are you going to bail again? Pick up and leave town the minute your independent status is threatened?”
Now Piper was angry. “That’s not how it happened last time and you know it. This is nothing like the situation with Mick. Chad’s cool with the ground rules so I’m willing to make a little room on my schedule for him — them,” she corrected herself, “as long as they respect the boundaries.”
It was apparent that Joy didn’t believe her, but who the hell cared? Let her make her ridiculous assumptions. Obviously there wasn’t anything Piper could say at this point that would convince her but having the last laugh was going to be sweet.
• • •
Piper didn’t feel a single qualm about meeting Chad alone at his house. She was still skating along on her righteous indignation and it carried her confidently up his driveway, two boards secured to the roof of her car.
When she knocked a disembodied voice yelled, “Come on in. Door’s open.”
It took a minute for her eyes to adjust from the bright sunshine outside and the dim interior of the foyer.
“Where are you?” she called.
“Upstairs, be right down.”
Piper sat on the steps and leaned back against the wall, pulling her knees up and stretching her long t-shirt over them. How long did it take a guy to dress, anyway?
She looked up when Chad’s bedroom door opened and he came around the corner tying his swim trunks. The sight of him tilted her world on end. He looked so unbelievably appealing that she jumped up and backed away, anxious to get out of the house before she did or said something stupid and irreversible.
He gave her an easy smile as he started down the stairs. “I see you’re all set.”
She needed to chill, fast, and to do that she couldn’t look at his face. Her eyes raced desperately down his body but it only got worse.
How the hell could he come off so cool and relaxed when she was nearly swooning at the sight of his furry muscular legs? It wasn’t fair. His chest, his arms, even his abs, sure, she expected those to shake a woman up, but his legs? What was wrong with her? She tried to calculate where she was in her cycle but her brain was misfiring. Piper dropped her eyes one more time to his feet, the one thing guaranteed not to drive her out of her senses. Ah crap. She let out a big mental groan because even his bare feet were turning her on. He’s a friend, she insisted. Just a friend.
“You’ll want a shirt,” she said weakly. Please, I’m begging you here. Put on a shirt. She didn’t like how her eyes moved up to that wonderful chest of his and lingered.
“I left it in the kitchen. I was hoping you’d put a little sunscreen on my back first. I can do yours too if you like. I have plenty.”
Piper followed him back, her brain weighing the risks of allowing him to rub lotion on her versus declining the offer and letting her fair and freckled shoulders bear the consequences. In the end she agreed to the lotion.
Chad snatched the bottle off the counter and slapped it into her hand.
Piper read the label and laughed. “SPF forty-five?”
“Hey, it’s what I have around for the kids.”
Then Chad did something so unexpectedly playful that it completely disarmed her. He turned and put both hands on the top of the counter and spread his legs like a man about to be frisked.
“Where did I leave my handcuffs?” Piper asked with a smirk.
He turned and shot her a wicked grin but the lighthearted banter died an uneasy death as soon as she stepped between his feet and began smoothing the lotion over his warm skin. The toughest moment by far was when she had to run her hands along the edge of his waistband. She kept her head but just barely. It was a relief to step away and give his back one final slap.
“There, you’re all set.”
Chad straightened up and grabbed the bottle off the counter. He walked over to one of the stools and took a seat.
“Come here.” He patted his thigh.
“Shouldn’t I hear a please?”
He made a face at her and Piper was reminded of Kenny.
“With sugar on top,” he added daringly.
“No funny business,” she warned him, walking over.
Chad held up his hands innocently. “Promise.”
Piper presented her back and Chad spread his knees and tugged her between them. She was suddenly alive to the tickle of his coarse legs brushing all along her bare thighs and calves. It was so unsettling that she nearly jumped when he started rolling her shirt up to expose her back. One smooth tug and Chad released the bottom knot of her bikini and her breasts along with it. Startled, Piper clapped her hands over both, stubbornly pressing the spandex back where it belonged.
“Hey!” She shot Chad a sharp look over her shoulder. “You didn’t have to untie that.”
“Shh,” he gentled her. “This makes it easier but I’ll leave the top knot tied if you prefer.”
“I prefer.”
Chad chuckled and the next thing she knew, his warm hands were flowing over her shoulders and flaring up her neck on both sides, just coming to a stop before her hair. He wrapped his legs around her thighs to keep her close as he kneaded her muscles and worked the lotion over her at the same time.
To her surprise and silent gratitude he was actually giving her a massage — and she wasn’t about to complain. It was much too long since she enjoyed something so heavenly.
Chad took a second squirt, then started at the small of her back and ran his thumbs along her spine as his fingers fanned out, long enough to curl over her sides.
Piper moaned and Chad’s smile deepened. He was glad the massage was working for both of them.
“There,” she directed him to a painful knot under her shoulder blade. His hand flowed back to it and while he worked it out with unrelenting pressure Piper’s eyes fell closed and her head lolled forward.
He rubbed patiently at the knot until it was only a faint memory. Piper drooped, completely relaxed as the last of her accumulated tension eased. That is until she felt Chad’s hands run along her sides one last time and his fingertips lightly graze along the sides of her breasts.
Piper leaped away and her voice wasn’t remotely steady when she said, “Good, I guess we should get going then.”
Chad found her blush unbelievably attractive but he nodded, perfectly aware he just unintentionally ruined the moment. “I’ll be right with you.”
It was a dismissal that Piper took swift advantage of, hurrying out to secure her top in private.
Only when Piper was gone did Chad willingly stand. He looked down his body with a sharp snort and wondered how he was supposed to lower the main sail. Never had he fully appreciated the tenting quality of swim trunks like he did now. Piper was skittish enough without adding the enjoyable rub down session to the mix. Imagine how freaked she’d be if she saw the condition she’d left him in.
Chad slipped into his t-shirt then picked up the crossword puzzle and pen still sitting on the counter from that morning, hoping a few clues would be enough to distract him until he toned it down a bit.
Only when he felt it was safe to rejoin Piper did Chad toss the paper aside and grab his keys and sunglasses off the microwave.
Chapter 13
Piper pulled her key out of the ignition and turned on Chad. “I’m not a bad driver.”
“I never said you were.” He opened the passenger door and climbed out.
She hopped out on her side and scowled over the hood at him. “You implied it,” she said, moving to release her board from the roof.
“I said nothing of the kind. What I said was that I feel more comfortable in the driver’s seat. That’s all. Stop acting all defensive. It had nothing to do with you or your skill as a driver.”
“So it’s a guy thing.”
Chad craned his head to see her over the roof. “Probably. Now, will you show me how to get my board free?”
• • •
He thought it was funny that she parked in the exact same spot he took that afternoon just over two weeks ago when he spotted her car. Considering the incident had the stink of voyeurism clinging to it Chad opted to keep that little detail to himself.
They slipped into their lifejackets then picked up their boards, carrying them into the choppy waves. The wind was with them today.
Chad took a second to wet himself down and adjust to the cool water.
Since he already had experience on snowboards and water skis, things she’d never tried herself, Piper expected today’s lesson to go smoother for Chad than her first time out.
“You have to climb onto the board and it isn’t dignified. No one can do this gracefully so don’t even bother. If you don’t adjust to the feel of the board right away, just keep trying. It took me more attempts than I care to remember just to master standing.”
“Why don’t you show me?”
“No comments and no sniggering. I mean it,” she warned.
Piper kneeled on the rocking board then worked carefully to her feet, keeping her knees slightly bent for stability while she hauled the sail up with the cord until she could grab the boom.
“Looks simple enough,” Chad said.
Piper eased her mast back down then leaped back, away from the board to spot him if necessary.
His first attempt to get up from his knees kicked the board right at her when he fell backwards.
“You needed to cool off anyway,” she said, teasing him when he came up dripping.
He gave her a long silent look. Honey, you don’t know the half of it.
But he was determined to do this so he paid attention to her directions and was on his feet on his second attempt.
Piper was astonished. Sure, she knew he’d get up eventually, but this fast? Rather than give in to envy she chose to take his success as a compliment to herself. After all, who showed him how to do it in the first place? Piper cheered as he started hauling up the mast.
“Wait,” she began, “You’re …” “Losing it” was what she didn’t get a chance to say.
Chad did a couple of Elvis Presley hip jerks and dropped the cord as he tumbled backwards again.
Piper was laughing when he broke out of the water. “Nice pelvic thrusts there, rock star!”
He wiped the water from his face. “Hey, I thought we weren’t going to ridicule each other.”
“Oh, that only goes for us professionals. You’re fresh meat. It’s essential that you get a healthy sense of your limitations.”
“Nice,” he said sarcastically, slapping a handful of water at her. She ducked out of the way and came up expecting a second spray of water but he reached across the board and caught her wrist instead.
“Listen, I won’t splash you if you can manage to keep your criticisms to yourself.”
“Or what?” she taunted. “You’ll gather up your Matchbox Cars and go home? I brought you here.”
“I remember the crazy driving.”
“Ha ha,” she said with a sneer. “Try again, Elvis.”
“Elvis?” He shook his head. “No, don’t explain, I can guess.”
He didn’t need her help this time and before she could even clamor onto her own board he was setting off across the water without her.
Piper drew her sail up, turned her head, and saw him wobbling. She yelled out, “Think of the number seven!”
What? Chad turned and looked back, an anxious look on his face.
“Make your body a number seven!” she repeated.
He caught it this time and adjusted. Damn, he was good. Better than she ever was, even after months of practice.
They made a run along the shoreline, a safe distance from the docks and buoys but close enough to land in case he ran into trouble. He didn’t.
It was impossible not to make comparisons between Chad and Mick as she pursued him. The difference in style was obvious. Mick was a daredevil, a wild child, unafraid to hit the wakes of boats and go airborne. He flirted with disaster and with every wipeout he came up cheering.
Chad, on the other hand, had competence seeping out of his pores. Watching his easy mastery of the sail, no one would guess it was his first time out. He was a natural athlete, the board an extension of his body and he handled it that way.
At first Piper watched over Chad out of concern but as it became apparent that she had nothing to worry about her manner of watching him shifted entirely. She became all too aware of how his wet trunks clung, showing off solid muscle and bulges she had no business noticing. His hair was already partially dry and it fluttered in the wind, catching the sun.
“It’s just hair,” she muttered.
Then he turned and flashed a gorgeous smile and Piper’s heart did a somersault.
All told, Chad wiped out three times, twice while he was trying to execute a turn to head back. There was a point where he started running out into deeper water but Piper was able to coach him back. When they cut into shore where they started she was insanely proud of him. He was awesome.
• • •
Piper turned away while Chad slipped out of his life vest and stepped onto the grass to squeeze the excess water out of his shorts. Friends didn’t look at each other like that, she reminded herself. She’d already stolen more peeks than she could count and that sort of nonsense had to stop.
Refocused, she was all business again, maybe even a little brusque while they secured their boards to the top of her car but he didn’t seem to notice. While he spread extra towels over their seats Piper ran around behind the car to slip into her big t-shirt again. Although it was merely cotton, it still managed to serve very nicely as body armor because it restored a sense of security to Piper that she hadn’t felt in hours.
Chad turned his dark glasses on Piper when she got behind the wheel. “Dinner’s on me.”
“No. I owe you a meal this time.”
“Consider it your fee — payment for the lesson. I really enjoyed this.”
Piper smiled. “All right, that sounds reasonable.”
Since they weren’t exactly dressed for a restaurant, dining options were limited to drive-thru. Chad suggested a seafood place on the way to his house and Piper agreed.
• • •
When they got to the house, Chad offered Piper the use of the kid’s shower. They split up and went their separate ways, putting dinner off for the moment. Afterwards, clean and refreshed, Piper went looking for Chad and found him in the kitchen taking plates from the cabinet.
“Can I get a plastic bag for my wet things?” she asked.
“Here.” He held out his hand. “I’ll hang them outside with mine.
She waited just inside the screen door while he decorated his railing with more wet clothing.
“You need a clothesline,” she said as he came back inside.
Chad laughed. “There’s a thought.”
• • •
; They ate Japanese style at the coffee table. The mood was surprisingly relaxed as they laughed and chatted while picking at the food between them. Piper chalked it up to being fully dressed. She never even noticed she wasn’t uncomfortable eating in front of him now.
She really liked Chad but she knew she had to keep her head straight. Keeping things light was critical if they were going to have any chance at being friends. He was good company, fun to be around. She couldn’t allow herself to be seduced by his beautiful packaging.
Piper shifted on her knees and grabbed a fresh napkin.
“Hey,” she said, looking around. “You know, I just realized something. You don’t have a dining room.”
Chad took a hush puppy. “Technically we do but I converted it into my office.”
“You work at home?”
“As much as I can.”
She grimaced. “I can’t believe I haven’t asked this yet but what do you do exactly?”
He laughed. “Exactly? I’m a contractor.”
Piper nodded. “I can picture that.” She rose up on her knees and playfully waved a popcorn shrimp in front of him. “Last chance, only one left.”
What was she doing? Talk about blundering into a charged situation. Piper froze, her hand suspended in mid-air as she stared at Chad with wide eyes. Before she could pull back he caught her wrist and brought the shrimp to his mouth. Neither of them blinked as he ate it right out from between her fingers. The faint brush of his lips set off a seismic tremor inside Piper.
Then Chad swallowed and with a deft turn of his hand, drew her fingertips into his mouth. The heat, the sensation of his tongue swirling around her fingers, licking them clean was exquisite torture. It was a wonder her chest managed to contain a heart so bent on blowing her ribcage wide open.
Piper’s anxiety was genuine when she pulled her hand back.
“What are you doing?” she asked, visibly shaken and flushed.
“Too subtle?” His husky reply was both seductive and deeply stirring.
She was in serious trouble.
“Don’t.” She rose up and started picking up their trash, frantically stuffing everything into the take-out bags.