Matt knelt down, reaching for her leg, cradling the calf. “Where?”
“My ankle. I hurt it playing tennis a few years ago and the tendons haven’t been the same since.”
Pocketing his phone, he sat back on his heels and gently prodded his way down her leg. The temptation to stroke her smooth skin was strong, but he stayed focused. As he reached the ankle, he lowered her short sock and searched for swelling.
Already some puffiness showed above the top of her shoe. “Looks like you sprained it.”
“Terrific. Leave it to me to ruin my vacation.” She flopped back on the ground, leaving her leg in his hands.
“I’ll get some ice from the canteen. And I have an elastic bandage.”
She lifted her sunglasses. “Why am I not surprised? You were always so…together, and I am still so scattered.”
He rose to one knee and tugged at her arm. “Sit up.”
She moved to stand.
“No, I said sit.” With one arm behind her back and the other under her knees, Matt lifted her and carried her along the path, back toward the turnout.
Jen squealed, throwing her arms around his neck. “What are you doing?”
“That should be obvious.”
Her arms locked behind his head, helping distribute her weight, but she wasn’t heavy enough to be a problem. He dragged wet, coughing, limp people from the waves on an almost daily basis at his job. The only problem he had with Jen being in his arms was his awareness of her body. The straggling swimmers on the beach never had that effect on him.
The breeze carried her scent to him, feminine and sweet, citrusy. He pressed his lips against the side of her head, savoring the warmth of her against his skin. How could he convince her this was where she belonged? In his arms. In his life.
He shouldn’t think that way so soon, but he couldn’t help it. He was half afraid to let her board an airplane out of his life again, and risk losing her.
As he stifled a groan of frustration, he focused on the trail back to the turnout. Losing his footing and dropping his woman wouldn’t gain him any points. And he had that huge screw-up to amend for.
He set her down on a low rock at the edge of the creek, where she could rest her foot in the cool water. Kneeling beside her, he removed her shoe and sock. “Stick your feet in the water.”
After quickly baring her other foot, she scooted forward on the rock and lowered her feet. She squealed. “It’s cold!”
“It’s still spring. What did you expect?” He opened the backpack and lifted out the containers of food, setting them in the dirt between them.
Jen leaned over to watch. “Wow, what all did you bring?”
Lifting each container, he answered. “Gouda, some fruit. Crackers.” He took the last item out of the pack. “And sparkling water with lime.”
“How did you carry all that? It must weigh a ton.”
He shrugged. Taking the plastic cups out of the side pockets, he opened the bottle and poured. As he set out the meal, he reminisced. “A bit different from what we packed back in the day, isn’t it?”
She laughed, bright and loud. “Cold pizza, beef jerky. I brought carrot sticks once but I was the only one who ate them.”
“I ate a few. I was on that bodybuilding kick for the most part.”
“That’s right. You ate fish, grilled chicken and veggies.” Putting her sunglasses down on the rock, she grinned at him. “And on your nights off you washed it down with cheap beer.”
He joined her laughter. “Yeah, but I was working the calories off. Lifting the Jet Skis in and out of the water, carrying surfboards. Riding along on a board while teaching someone to balance. That was hard work.”
“I thought you were having so much fun. Sometimes I regretted working the Kid’s Club. Weaving banana leaves and wading in the kiddy pool wasn’t the wild adventure I expected when I signed on.”
Popping another grape in his mouth, he nodded. “But I thought you loved it. That’s what you said.”
“I did, really. I enjoy watching children explore their world.”
“Is that what line of work you went into?”
She carefully placed a piece of cheese on a cracker and chewed so long he thought she wasn’t going to answer. “I taught elementary school for a few years. Then my husband decided I needed to be a proper wife.”
Matt grunted. What the hell was a proper wife? He waited for her to elaborate. When she didn’t, he reached for the canteen and pulled out some ice. He wrapped it in a paper towel and handed the bundle to her. “Hold this on your ankle to keep the swelling down. I’ll check it in a while and wrap your foot with the bandage.”
Leaning back, he propped himself on his elbows. “I made a career change, also. I went off to New York as planned and poured my soul into making money. I did well.
“Then I realized I hated my life.” The understanding had come as a shock, learning the life he’d so carefully planned left him empty. For a while he considered those years wasted time, until he accepted the experience for all the knowledge he’d gained. “I sold off my furniture, subletted my apartment, and came back here.”
They sat in companionable silence, picking at their food. The creek trickled past with its quiet murmurings. Birds called out in the trees. Voices grew louder on the trail then passed by. How’d they gotten to such a depressing place again? What’d he said that made her go quiet like this? He needed warning signs so he could keep them on safe ground.
The way she sat with her head tipped to one side, her bare neck taunted him, begging to be kissed. Nibbled. Unable to keep the distance between them, he shifted to sit next to her. That brought her fragrance to him again. He was hopeless around this woman. No way could he last through the day without making love to her.
He kissed her shoulder, finding her skin warm from the sun. Moving closer to her neck, he kissed again, and continued planting little pecks until he reached her ear, where he nipped the fleshy part.
She tipped her head away, offering more access.
Taking advantage, he licked her jaw line as far as he could reach. Her breathing increased, now escaping through parted lips. “You are a seductress,” he whispered before the tip of his tongue teased her ear.
She gasped, the sound trailing into a whimper. He cupped her chin and turned her mouth to his, capturing her sigh. His tongue plunged in, thrusting deep as her moan vibrated against his lips.
Tasting, exploring, he brought back the memory of her kisses, the few they’d shared. The years dropped away and they were young again and in lust. Running a hand down her arm, he shifted to cup her breast, then realized where they were.
“I’m sorry,” he said, glancing back toward the trail. “I shouldn’t have started something here.”
She appeared disappointed, which encouraged him on dangerous levels. They were too old for a quick lay in the bushes. And when he took her again, it would be anything but quick.
He reached for his backpack and dug out the elastic bandage. “Swing ‘round here and let me wrap that ankle.”
With her heel cupped in his hand, he brushed the other hand over her foot to be sure it was clean and dry. She wriggled and tugged as he stroked her sole. He lifted an eyebrow. “Ticklish?”
Jen squirmed but he kept a grip on her foot. “I was as a kid. No one has tried in years.”
He chuckled, having seen the proof already. As tempted as he was, he didn’t try again. When he finished wrapping the bandage, he pulled her sock over her ankle and helped put on her shoe.
She slipped on the other shoe and sock, then stood, favoring the bad ankle.
“Does it hurt?”
“Not too much. I think I can walk.”
Lifting the backpack onto his right shoulder, he slipped his left arm around her. “Lean on me. If the pain gets too bad I can carry you.”
Her chin snapped up. “We’re at least a mile back from the car. I’ll kill you.”
He squeezed her closer. “Not a chance. I probably bench press twice yo
ur weight.”
~*~
Once they reached his home, Matt helped Jen to a chair in the dining nook in his kitchen and pulled out another chair to prop her foot on. “How’s the ankle?”
“I’m fine if I stay off it. I think it’s just a minor strain. It’ll probably be better in the morning.”
“Do you want an aspirin or something?” He hovered, the need to inspect her injury battling with an instinct that told him she needed space. “To keep down inflammation.”
“No. I’m good, really.”
“Okay. I’m going to trust you to ask if you need anything.” He walked around the prep island and pulled two wineglasses from the rack beneath a cupboard. “Do you like wine? Red or white?”
“White wine, please.”
He opened the bottle he’d put in the fridge that morning and poured two glasses. Once he’d seen to her, he pulled out the ingredients for stir-fry. Working at the kitchen island, he could keep Jen in his line of sight.
“Can I help?” she asked.
“Sure.” He took out another cutting board and knife, picked up the bok choy, and set it all in front of her at the table. He lifted her chin and kissed her, letting some of his building need show. When he pulled away, she smiled shyly. His insides melted at her sweetness. She’d always done that to him. One innocent look and he was figuratively throwing his coat over a puddle and bowing gallantly for her to cross. Stifling a groan, he moved back to the work area.
Jen hobbled to the island sink and washed her hands. As she chopped, she repeatedly glanced at him.
Finally, he couldn’t stand the curiosity. “What?” He was dying to know what she was thinking.
She shrugged. “I’m just having trouble adjusting the Matt in my head with the man in front of me. Not only are you all grown up, but you’re domesticated.”
His laughter came from deep inside and bounced off the walls. “You don’t have to sound so surprised. I wasn’t a wild kid.”
“No, you weren’t. I think my mind is trying to fill in the gaps.”
Turning to the fridge, he took out the scallops and shrimp, setting them near the wok. “I thought I’d done that already. I graduated with a degree in finance, went off to New York, made some money and realized my soul was MIA.”
“Yeah, that’s what you said. But that’s only the headlines, not even the condensed version of the story. What did you do for a living?”
“I was a day trader. A pretty good one. There was a time or two I had to adjust how I did business, but I survived all the downturns.”
After she chopped the last of the vegetables, she set the knife down and held out the board to him. He circled the island to take it, grabbing her glass at the same time for a refill.
“Did you marry? Have a family?”
Carrying her full glass back to her, he said, “No. Had a long-term relationship but we kind of drifted apart. When we realized we had nothing left to offer each other, we split up.”
Another brief kiss, tasting of Jen’s wine, held off the urge to take her to his bed. If he weren’t careful, they’d spend the evening making love and not eat until midnight.
When the oil in the wok began to spatter, Matt tossed in the scallops. “You said you’re divorced.”
“Mmm-hmm,” she said, turning to look out the window. She was shutting down again.
He wanted to let the matter slide, but part of him said it wasn’t healthy to keep avoiding the subject. If the wound was still so tender, talking about it might begin the healing process. “How long were you married?”
“Eight years.” She made a noise between a sniff and a snort.
“You must have married right after college.”
Jen swallowed more of her wine, continuing to stare at her glass after setting it down. She took a deep breath. “That’s right. We married the summer after I graduated. That fall I went to work as a teacher. He went on to law school.”
Holding her glass by the stem, she spun it back and forth, the wine sloshing up a bit but not spilling. “Once he made partner at the firm he joined, I quit work. I thought we were ready to have a family, but he kept putting it off. I volunteered some, and kept house, although he worked such long hours there wasn’t much cleaning to be done. Mostly I played hostess or looked proper on his arm at social affairs.”
“Why didn’t you go back to teaching?”
She glanced up, barely smiling. “He didn’t want his wife to work. He was old-fashioned enough-or egotistical enough-to think a working wife meant he wasn’t a good provider. The real question is why I went along with it.”
Matt wasn’t sure how to continue the subject. She’d been married to a caveman, apparently. That didn’t fit the image he had of her. “Well, volunteering can be fulfilling.”
Rising, she hobbled to lean on the counter beside him as he cooked. “Really, Matt, you don’t need to try to sugarcoat my life after the fact. It wasn’t awful or abusive. Maybe very bland and politically correct, but it’s done now.”
Watching the emotions play across her face, he decided her adjustment to the divorce was mostly over, but something still caused her pain, or at least discomfort. He stepped behind her, planting his feet on either side of hers, wrapping his arms around her to reach the stove. “As sorry as I am for you that the dream didn’t end the way you planned, I’m happy for my sake that its end brought you here.”
He felt her tense momentarily, then grow relaxed against the length of him. She quickly lowered her gaze. “Me too.”
Matt added the vegetables and cooked shrimp, stirring carefully to keep everything in the pan. He had difficulty concentrating when he’d rather be stirring the pot with Jen. All in good time. The week was young.
He kept the conversation on safe ground while they ate, then he helped her into the living room. He punched the buttons on his remote to turn down the volume on the wireless sound bar.
Sitting close to her on the couch, he set his glass on the coffee table. He stretched an arm across the back of the cushion and toyed with her braid. “I am so glad you came back to Maui.”
Lifting her chin, she looked his way. Her lips pressed together, although he thought they quivered first. “I had to go back to the last time I was truly happy. It’s part of my healing process.”
His hand lowered to rest on her shoulder, absorbing her warmth. Part of him celebrated that she still thought happily about their time together, but he ached that she’d been hurt enough by something to need healing. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really,” she admitted. “Let’s not spoil the night. Tell me what you are up to these days.”
Stretching out his legs, he leaned back into the cushions. “I do pretty much the same thing I did that summer we were both here. Help people be safe in the ocean. Teach them to properly use the equipment.”
She frowned. “I don’t understand how you could go from such a successful job to working for nothing. Don’t you ever wish you’d moved up, gotten promoted to management or something along the way?”
Matt held back a laugh as realization hit. “I seem to have skipped that part of my story. I own the rental business now. The whole resort. I guess that makes me the big kahuna. I’ve got a slew of kids helping out in the peak season, and you’ve met a lot of the staff in the hotel. I kept on the management staff when I bought it. I don’t enjoy standing around being the boss. I’m doing the part I love, out in the water and sun.”
Her eyes rounded. “Oh! I thought…”
“I know. I never said anything to make you think otherwise. But we never really got into it. Just like we haven’t discussed what you’re doing these days.”
Now she brightened, twisting her upper body to face him. “I went back to school online in the last years of my marriage and got a degree in gerontology. When I get home, I start a new job as assistant manager of a retirement community.”
With her face lit up like that, Matt felt like he’d been kicked in the gut. Her beauty sucker-p
unched him. The ten years had added something-character, maybe just experience-but whatever the change, it fine-tuned what had already been striking beauty.
Jen’s hand came up from her lap and grasped the back of his neck, tugging him toward her. He didn’t fight the pull. Leaning down, he tentatively pressed his lips to hers. The warmth that met him spread through him.
With a groan, he nibbled at her mouth. His tongue traced the full bow of her lower lip. The scent of her body wash, a faint, delectable vanilla, wafted from her skin, increasing his hunger.
His hand found the waves that’d freed themselves from her braid, and stroked at them as he captured her mouth. She arched, rose to meet him, her tongue pressing between his lips.
He let her explore, then tangled the tip of his tongue with hers. He wanted so much more. This time he wanted to see her. Really see her. What they shared in the past had been in the dark of night, sheltered by trees and the large fern.
Stroking her back, he pressed her against his chest, flattening her soft breasts between them. “I have wanted this for so long.”
“Me too.”
With a growl, he kissed her again, letting the sound of her breaths lead him. A surge of need coursed through him. In the back of his mind he heard slow down but he paid no heed. Suckling her earlobe made her squirm, and his shaft swelled.
For a moment he thought about all the years they missed, all the loving they should have shared. Would he have grown tired of this amazing feeling he had when she enjoyed his touch like this?
She leaned back and he followed, lying over her, adjusting her hips to make room for him beside her so she wouldn’t have to bear his weight. Her breasts rose and fell, her nipples already hard. He couldn’t keep from cupping the nearest one, rubbing his thumb over the fullness.
Soft. So incredibly soft. Her top scooped low enough to offer a tempting hint of the curves beneath. Drawn to the pale skin there, he traced a finger along her neckline. On the return trip he dipped just below the fabric. Her back arched, bringing her closer to his touch.
“Your skin is like porcelain. You’re like a fragile china doll.”
“If you don’t hurry and touch me, you’ll find out how unfragile I am.”
Book Boyfriends Cafe Summer Lovin' Anthology 2015 Page 100