by Julie Kenner
Adam chuckled, then crossed his arms over his chest and shot her a speculative look. “You volunteering to take it out of the barn for me, Winnie?”
Her sex actually tingled at the thought. “Nah,” she lied shakily. “My goal is to get you out of bed, remember?”
He sent another curiously thrilling glance in her direction. “Sex and beds aren’t mutually exclusive, are they?”
Winnie felt the back of her neck grow warm. He was flirting with her.
Adam. Flirting. With her.
And this was not wishful thinking. Not this time.
“Er…”
A bit of wicked clung to his smile. “Are you blushing?”
From one end to the other, including parts he couldn’t see. “No,” she lied again. She fanned herself. “It’s just hot in here.”
“I’m comfortable,” he said easily.
The wretch, Winnie thought. What the hell was he playing at? He’d made it a point to avoid her for the first few months he was home. And now…he was flirting with her?
Seriously?
The hope she’d been clinging to for years suddenly seemed not altogether impossible. Her gaze slid to Adam.
If she was reading this correctly—and she didn’t see how she could be wrong—then this new…development cast an entirely different meaning on his recent behavior. Had he been avoiding her because he didn’t want to be attracted to her? Winnie wondered. Or was it something else? Something related to the accident? Or was it the same reason he’d always avoided any sort of romantic entanglement with someone local? Because he wasn’t staying.
Probably a combination of all of the above, Winnie decided.
But ultimately…it didn’t matter.
Because if he was flirting, then he was interested. Finally. Her competitive spirit rejoiced right along with her heart.
And he could stop being her one and only failure. Because, after all these years, Winnie was finally playing a game she had a shot at winning.
5
EDDIE MULROONEY WASN’T the only guy in Bethel Bay who needed his balls kicked up between his shoulder blades, Adam thought as he watched Winnie towel dry her hair.
He won that prize, as well.
What the hell was he doing here? Why couldn’t he stay away from her? If he’d wanted to swim, he could have come after he’d known she was gone, right? But no…because he was apparently a masochist—and because he knew Mark Holbrook would be here—Adam had to come the minute the doors opened, just like Winnie did.
His plan to avoid her clearly wasn’t working. Not anymore. Not since she’d brazenly walked into his bedroom yesterday morning. He’d been doing well up until that point, but now he knew enough to realize that the game had shifted and he was no longer completely in control. If he ever truly was, Adam thought, and that was questionable at this point.
Winnie wore a no-nonsense one-piece bathing suit that showcased her perfect figure and a satisfied smile that came with an excellent workout. Desire sizzled along his nerve endings as his gaze lingered over the gentle flare of her hip, the soft swell of her belly. Her breasts were full and lush and the way the wet material clung to her made Adam itch to peel it away and reveal the soft skin underneath. His dick stirred in his trunks and he turned his back, willing the damned erection away.
Unsuccessfully, of course.
Yesterday, he’d been determined to stay away from Winnie because he needed to focus on getting back into shape. When he went for his final physical the end of next week, he needed to be in top form.
He did not have time to mess around with Winnie.
Literally.
Even as late as last night, just before he’d walked into her shop, he’d renewed his determination to stay away from her. Eyes on the prize and all of that. He’d told himself that it wasn’t fair to act on this unholy attraction when he knew how she felt about him, when he knew that, ultimately, nothing had changed. He would still leave at the earliest opportunity and there was no room in his life for a woman on a permanent basis.
Other reasons hovered like foggy shadows around his mind, but he refused to acknowledge them, to let them into the light where he’d be forced to examine them.
Then he’d walked by her shop last night and the unreasonable irritation he’d had at seeing her at work so late had drawn him up short. The next thing he’d known, he was in her bakery, looking at a shit cake and enjoying one of her delectable cupcakes.
All of that had been harmless enough.
But then the talk had turned to her possible interest in Mark Holbrook—Adam shot the man in question a withering look—and from there, things had spiraled completely out of control.
Last night when she’d casually intimated her possible sexual interest in Mark Holbrook, the jealousy—the sheer magnitude of revulsion—he’d felt had just about leveled his soul. The idea of her with any man other than himself made him want to rip apart everything in sight, made him want to break things and scream. Bile rose in his throat and desperation razed his mind.
He was not accustomed to any of these feelings. Because he’d never felt them before. Adam had never been the jealous type. Frankly, he’d never had any reason. In the past if he’d wanted a girl, he’d simply taken her. Though Mark Holbrook admittedly got on his nerves, Adam had never truly considered the guy to be any competition. Adam inwardly smiled. How could it be a competition if he always won?
But in this case…he couldn’t win. Not ultimately. Because he was leaving. And Winnie needed a guy who would give her forever.
Could he have her? In a heartbeat, he knew. For reasons he’d never understood, Winnie had always had a thing for him. Being around her had always made him feel…special. Made him aspire to be the man she thought he was.
And that man wouldn’t toy with her, knowing that he had no intention of staying. He might have lost part of his leg, but he would not lose his career. He had to get back on active duty, if for no other reason than to prove to himself that he still could.
But he couldn’t have Winnie.
It wasn’t fair. To him or to her.
And maybe if he said it often enough, he’d begin to believe it.
Winnie strolled over and nodded toward his fin. “That’s cool.”
It had actually worked a lot better than he’d anticipated. The technology was seriously ingenious. “Yeah,” Adam said, nodding. “It felt good in the water.”
“I was watching. You looked good,” Winnie said. “Every bit as strong as you always were.”
Adam grimaced. “I don’t know that I’d say that, but I kept up with you, so I’m happy.” He’d actually been a bit worried about that. Though he’d been in good shape before the accident and had the best resources for therapy over the past several months, his body had taken a beating. He thought he’d bounced back quite well. But thinking it and having it confirmed were two different things.
And Winnie wasn’t your average opponent—she was extremely fit.
She was also…different this morning. More confident. He’d tipped his hand last night and she was reacting accordingly.
In other words, he was doomed.
Winnie snorted. “That’s all that matters to you, isn’t it? Beating me?”
Adam smiled at her. “It’s a perk.”
“I’ve beaten you before, you know,” she said, finger combing her wet curls.
Adam smiled and sighed. “That game of pool? I can’t believe you’re still clinging to that.”
She shrugged, then casually dusted a bead of water off his shoulder. Her touch sizzled through him and he had the pleasure of watching her breath stutter at the innocent contact.
“Hey, I’ll take my victories where I can get them.” Her eyes twinkled. “Isn’t it funny how you’ve never had the courage to play me again?” She sighed dramatically. “Losing to me was such an unpleasant experience that you refuse to risk it happening again.”
“It’s not that I don’t have the courage, Winnie,” Adam said, fee
ling a dare coming on. Resist, resist, resist. “I just haven’t had the opportunity. There’s a difference.”
She bit her lip to keep from smiling. “Really? That’s the only reason?”
“Yes.”
“But if the opportunity presented itself, you would play me? You’d chance losing…again?”
She was enjoying this entirely too much, Adam thought. And as much as he needed to stay away from her—as much as he needed to focus on training—he knew he’d have no choice but to pick up the gauntlet, if she decided to throw it down. He couldn’t help himself.
Need was beginning to edge out reason.
Again.
He stood, purposely towering over her, as if it would do any good. She wasn’t the least bit afraid of him. And she’d never been intimidated by a challenge. It was part of the reason he’d always liked her. But under the influence of this damned attraction, he was finding the quality annoyingly sexy as hell.
As if he needed another reason to burn for her.
“Yes,” he said. “I would play you.” He grinned. “And this time I would win.”
She lifted her chin. “Are you willing to put your money where your mouth is?”
He’d rather put his mouth where hers was, but he nodded all the same. “Sure.”
Winnie’s lips curved with triumph. “Fine. Meet me at Clementine’s after the ball game this afternoon. Winner picks up the dinner tab.”
Adam grinned. She’d just turned this into a date. Definitely a worthy opponent. “If you’re buying then I’m getting the most expensive thing on the menu.”
She laughed and poked a finger against his chest, sending an unexpected bolt of heat directly to his groin. “Better be sure you don’t forget your wallet. I’m planning on running up a bar tab.”
He frowned. “You don’t drink.”
She dimpled. “No…but everyone else in there usually does.”
Adam shook his head. “You are evil.”
She batted her lashes at him. “It’s part of my charm.” She turned and started to walk away. “And remember to bring cash, not credit cards,” she called without looking back. “You’re going to need it.”
What he needed was a brain transplant, Adam thought, unable to drag his gaze away from her delectable ass, the hypnotizing swing of her hips. What the hell was he doing? When had he enlisted for self-torture?
He snorted. Probably around the same time he realized he wanted her, Adam thought.
And being around her only made him want her more.
Easy to fix, but hard to follow through.
And, God help him, he was slowly losing the will to try.
“EIGHT BALL, RIGHT CORNER pocket,” Winnie said as she carefully lined up her cue. She felt Adam’s gaze on her ass and a little thrill whipped through her.
“Are you sure you can make that?” he taunted.
Winnie turned and smiled at him over her shoulder, then deliberately took the shot without looking. She heard the gratifying thump of the ball dropping into the pocket and her smile widened. “I’m certain.”
Adam chewed the corner of his lip, but it didn’t hide his impressed smile. “You’ve been practicing.”
Winnie straightened. “A little.”
Adam stowed his pool stick—the one he never got to use—and shot her a beleaguered glare. “You cleared the table, Winnie. You beat me last time as well, but at least then, I got to play.”
Winnie took a chair at the nearest table and began to confidently peruse the menu. “I figured if I was going to hang on to my one and only victory, I’d better brush up on my skills.”
Adam joined her, scraping the chair against the worn linoleum as he dragged it against the floor. “And how long have you been brushing up?”
She jerked her head toward the wall where various photos of her local championships were displayed. “A while.”
Adam’s eyes widened and he swore, then shot her an outraged look and laughed. “I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. You are evil.”
Winnie chuckled. “Not evil, Adam. Good. There’s a difference.”
He shrugged lazily, cocked his head and then took a swallow from his beer. “Like beds and sex, the two aren’t mutually exclusive.”
A little breath stuttered out of her lungs and her imagination instantly created a vision of the two of them having evil, wonderful sex in the car at McKinney Point. Ridiculous to still be holding on to that fantasy, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. McKinney Point was the local make-out spot. Adam had hauled so many girls up there in high school that Winnie had actually painted him a parking sign and erected it herself. She’d agonized over those girls—the ones she’d desperately wanted to replace—and the envy still had an unpleasant grip on her heart.
Still, the thought of that old sign and the hours she’d put into it made her smile.
Adam shot her a look. “Oh, no. What are you grinning about?” he asked suspiciously.
She laughed. “Just thinking about your comment.”
“About having sex somewhere besides a bed?”
Yes, she was thinking about having sex with him at McKinney Point, but she damned well wasn’t about to share that. “No, just thinking about all the sex you’ve had in places other than a bed.” With other people, while she grieved.
He blinked. “What?”
“McKinney Point?” she reminded him, arching a significant brow.
His gaze grew reflective and a slow smile slid over his lips. “Damn, I haven’t been up there in years.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’ve never been up there at all.”
Surprise flashed in his expression. “You never went at all? But you dated,” he said. “That band guy. Whatshisname—Chuck.”
Winnie chewed the inside of her cheek. “I went to the prom with Chuck because he didn’t mind that I was a jock and I didn’t care that he had enough metal in his mouth to fuel a nuclear plant,” she said. Her lips twisted. “We didn’t actually date and we never made out at McKinney Point.” She lifted her chin and sniffed. “You, however, were a regular up there, usually with a different girl every time.”
His eyes twinkled with masculine pride. “I wasn’t as bad as all that,” he told her, though the self-satisfied smile he was wearing indicated he knew otherwise.
“Yes you were,” she protested. “You were a regular man whore. For crying out loud, you had your own parking space reserved up there!”
“That was a joke. Damned Natalie.”
Winnie chuckled and ducked her chin. “That wasn’t Natalie, Sherlock. That was me.”
His eyes widened. “You?”
“Yes, me,” she said primly.
His gaze sparkled with admiration. “That was devious.”
“Hey,” she said, innocently. “I had plenty of time. I wasn’t hanging out at McKinney Point.”
“So you’ve never been?”
She shook her head, took a sip of her water. “Nope.”
“That’s a crying shame,” he said, staring at her. His eyes darkened and bit of a challenge hung on to his smile.
It would be easy enough to rectify, if he was so inclined, Winnie thought. And from the way his gaze was lingering on her lips, he was thinking the exact same thing.
A thrill whipped through her. She might have been stumbling around in a one-sided attraction for more than a decade, but she’d made up ground pretty damned quickly.
He wanted her.
She could tell.
For all the effort Adam had put into avoiding her for the past several months, he suddenly didn’t seem to be able to stay away. She didn’t know what—if anything—had changed, but she was damned thankful for the new status quo.
Frankly, though he’d promised to help her with her team, she’d imagined that anything outside of the ball diamond was going to be a struggle. But then he’d barged into her shop last night, adorably outraged on her behalf, and then shown up again at the pool this morning, glaring ominously at Mark Holbrook.
If he hadn’t wanted to see her, he could have chosen a different time.
He hadn’t.
He’d come when he knew she’d be there…with Mark.
Though she could hardly wrap her mind around it, Adam—as mind-boggling as it seemed—was jealous of Mark Holbrook.
Because of her.
Adam drew back and determinedly snagged a menu, a bit of a forced smile on his lips. Ah, she thought, noting the abrupt switch in his body language. He was still fighting it. Still determined to stay the course.
But she was just as determined to make sure he careened right off of it. She was too close, closer than she’d ever been, to let this chance pass her by.
Winnie knew Adam would leave. His career was first. She got that. But, pathetic as this might be, she didn’t mind playing second if it meant she could just kiss him, hold him to her for a little while.
It would be enough. It had to be.
“So I owe you a meal,” he said, overly cheerful, as though he could change what he’d shown her. “What are you going to have?”
You, at some point, Winnie thought. What she wanted wasn’t on the menu. She was staring at it. Every perfectly sculpted, magnificent inch of it. Her gaze traced the lean slope of his cheek, the smooth curve of his jaw and rested on his wickedly carnal mouth.
She’d dreamed of that mouth and all the things he could do with it. To her.
And she was going to see that dream to fruition before he left if it was the last damned thing she did.
6
SHE’D NEVER BEEN TO McKinney Point, Adam thought for what felt like the hundredth time since the night before. Honestly, he didn’t know why Winnie’s admission had stuck in his mind, but the fantasies her words had sparked in his own imagination—foggy windows, heavy breathing, naked skin—were nothing short of X-rated.
Even as early as this morning, when once again he’d forsaken common sense and met her at the pool—why the hell couldn’t he stay away?—he’d been thinking about sitting in the car with the seats back, her thighs bracketing his, a little rock and roll playing from the radio.