by SJ McCoy
She laughed. “You're not even dressed. I'll be done here by the time you're ready to go.”
He reluctantly let her go, then swatted her backside. “Okay, you win, boss lady.”
She had the kitchen cleaned up by the time he returned. He was wearing black cargo shorts and a blue T shirt that matched his eyes perfectly. It also showed off his muscular chest and shoulders. Holly caught her breath at the sight, he was so damned hot!
Pete smiled knowingly. “Like what you see, hey?”
She nodded appreciatively.
“That makes two of us.” He ran his eyes over her. “We could take this back to the bedroom instead?” He raised an eyebrow. “You wanna?”
She did, but part of her wanted to enjoy his company away from the bedroom too.
As if he understood, he held out a hand to her. “We'll get to that, but first I believe we had planned a walk on the beach.”
As she took his hand and they headed out the door, Holly reminded herself that he was, above all else, a man with a plan. And that he stuck to it. She couldn't get carried away with all this. He'd been honest with her and she accepted it. The plan was that their little affair would end after Emma and Jack's wedding. She would make the most of it, but she couldn't let herself hope that it would be anything more. It didn't fit Pete's plan. End of story.
The morning was already warm as they walked down the path that led to the beach and on past the fire pit where Emma had a circle of chairs set out. Holly felt sad as she thought of Emma and Jack and all their friends spending evenings out here around the fire. Soon Pete would have his house built, too, and they'd have a lifetime of friendship ahead of them in this beautiful place. There was no room for her in that picture. Well, maybe occasionally, as Emma's friend, but it was Pete she wanted to be here with. She bumped into him. She'd been so lost in her thoughts, she hadn't noticed that he'd stopped and turned to wait for her.
Laughing, he put his hands on her shoulders and kissed the tip of her nose. “Earth calling Holly! Is there anybody home?” He knocked on her forehead.
“Sorry, I was just thinking.”
“Penny for them?”
She let out a short laugh, “They're not worth that much.”
“In that case,” he stepped closer, “Allow me to chase them away?”
She raised an eyebrow, not understanding.
He brushed his lips over hers. “I believe I can distract you and help you clear your mind of worthless thoughts.” He ran his tongue over her bottom lip then nipped it gently.
Holly closed her eyes and slid her arms up around his neck. As she settled against his hard chest, she felt the heat he seemed to radiate seep inside her body. His mouth came down on hers and soon she was lost in his kiss. All thoughts were chased from her mind. She was oblivious to everything but the feel of his lips on hers, his tongue mating with her own.
Eventually he lifted his head. “Did it work?”
It took her a moment to understand, then she smiled. “Almost.”
He ran his fingers down her cheek. She cupped his hand and pressed his palm to her face. His eyes were violet again. “I may need a little more.” She saw the corner of his lips curve up in the moment before they returned to hers.
The way he kissed her made her wish it would never end. His kisses were just like him, confident, commanding, yet so tender. His mouth held her captive as easily as his eyes. She let herself float away, only anchored by the warm circle of his arms.
She crashed back down to earth with a jolt and sprang away from him when she heard,
“Oy! Hemming! Put her down!”
She looked up to see Jack and Emma standing at the top of the path, laughing. What the hell were they doing back so soon? She looked at Pete, wondering how he would react to being caught like this. He surprised her by standing behind her and wrapping his arms around her. She looked over her shoulder at him and he planted a kiss on her lips.
“Won't! And you can't make me!” he shouted back.
She laughed herself at that. For a Bigshot he was more like a big kid sometimes.
“Well then at least bring her up here and come say hi,” laughed Jack.
Pete kept his arms wrapped around her waist and her back pressed to his chest as he started walking them back up the path.
“Really?” she asked in a low voice. “This is how you want to play it?”
He grinned as he kept walking and tightened his grip. “Sure is, Sweetheart. You're mine until the wedding and I want everyone to know it.”
**********
Holly smiled at Emma and shook her head.
“You HAVE to tell me! What happened in the last twenty-four hours? Yesterday you were insisting that you and Pete were just sleeping together, and I come back to find a pair of love birds on my beach! Tell me!”
Holly hadn't even thought about what she and Pete might tell their friends. She, herself, had had no problem if they all knew the two of them were sleeping together, though Pete had been uncomfortable with that. He'd surprised her with his reaction when Emma and Jack had caught them kissing on the beach. Though it had been a very pleasant surprise. She still wasn't sure she should tell Emma about the time limit on their relationship. She wanted to ask Pete about that first, but he'd gone off with Jack to work on some detail that had the two of them switch back to work mode as soon as Jack had stopped teasing about the Best Man and the Maid of Honor making out on the beach.
“There's nothing to tell, Em. Calm down.” They were sitting on Emma's front deck with the bridal magazines Holly had brought. “We're just having a little fun. Nothing to get excited over. Now can we get to work on finding you a dress?”
Emma glared at her. “I know what Pete looks like having fun. I know what you look like having fun. And what I just saw between you was a whole lot more than fun! So tell me!”
Holly shrugged. “Okay, so I'm not going to be able to fool you. How about I tell you when I can figure it out myself?”
Emma grinned. “That's more like it, and of course I won't push.” She gave her very best innocent smile. “Though you don't need to spend too much time figuring it out. I can tell you right now, you are falling for each other. No doubt about it.”
Holly rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say, little Miss Romantic. Now let's find you a dress.” She couldn't consider that possibility, so she opened the first catalog and tapped on a dress. “Something like this?”
“That'd suit you much better than me.”
Holly had to laugh. “Drop it, Sweetie. We have to get serious about this dress. Have you two even set a date? It is a rather critical detail.”
Emma shrugged. “We're working on it. It's not so critical as it would be for most people though. It's not like we have to book a venue, since it will be at Gramps' place. Ben is happy to cater it and lend us the band. All the other details are easy to take care of up here. We don't want hundreds of people. I've only got Gramps and you guys. Jack has a few more business associates. All our friends are the kind of people who will be here if they can, no matter when it is. We're really waiting on Jack's mom, to see when we can get her up here.”
“That's all great, Sweetie. But the detail of your dress isn't going to get taken care of up here. You need to decide, we need to get it made, have fittings. Do you even have a tentative date in mind?” Everything she had said was true, but what Holly really wanted to know was how long she and Pete would have together. Although she was happy for Emma and couldn't wait to see her marry the man she was so deeply in love with, she was hoping for at least a couple of months before the big day. The happiest day of Emma's life was one Holly was starting to dread.
“We're thinking maybe a few of months.”
Holly smiled, a few months would be good.
*********
Pete paced the den. She'd be here soon. He hadn't seen her since Sunday. Three whole days, but she'd hardly been out of his mind the whole time. Whenever he closed his eyes he saw her. Eyes shining down at him a
s she'd straddled him on the plane, when they'd almost... Laughing as she ran from him on the beach... Walking arm in arm with Emma, ahead of him and Jack, as they'd returned to the airport on Sunday... Smiling up at him as she'd pressed her cheek into his hand on the beach. His mind was a jumble of pictures. The one he kept returning to was of her eyes wide open, locked with his own, crying his name as he'd made love to her at Emma's house. Made love? His fist clenched at his side. Yep. That had been a whole lot more than just sex. He cared about her. He had to be careful that he didn't start to care too much. He'd surprised himself with his suggestion they date for real until the wedding. It had been a lapse on his part, but he was glad she'd agreed. Since he'd allowed himself this weakness, he intended to make the most of it. He wasn't going to hide it from anyone. For this limited period, however long it lasted, she was his. But he already knew it would be hard to detach when it ended.
Fortunately, he knew how to compartmentalize. He always kept his eye on the big picture didn't deviate from the plan, and the plan did not allow for a special someone in his life just yet. So, after the wedding, tough as it would be, he'd let her go and move on.
He didn't need to think about that tonight, though. Tonight was about enjoying what they had while they had it. She was coming for dinner, supposedly to talk about her ideas for the shopping plaza. He didn't care what they talked about, though, he just wanted to spend some more time with her.
The security system buzzed, alerting him that a car had entered the driveway. He checked the CCTV and saw her old station wagon. He frowned. He'd done a little more checking on her store yesterday. From what he'd found out, she'd built a solid business there and turned a very decent profit. Her old beater of a car and her tiny town house told him that she was probably turning most of it over to the loan sharks, to pay off her grandmother's debts and the huge interest those people took. He had to find a way to get her out of that mess. He watched on the screen as she got out of the car. Another long dress that clung in all the right places. It looked great on her. He smiled, it would look even better on his bedroom floor.
He opened the front door just as she was about to press the bell. “Welcome to my humble abode.” He smiled, kissing the back of her hand.
“Hey Bigshot,” her eyes shone. She looked around at the huge house and laughed. “Don't give me that crap, there's nothing humble about this place! It took me ten minutes just to drive the length of the driveway!”
Pete laughed and shook his head. He loved how she was so up front and put him in his place. He hated when women tried to flatter or impress him, and that's what most of them did. Not Holly though.
“Well, if you're going to be like that, we'd better skip the grand tour. I was going to show you around in hopes of impressing you.”
“You can show off to me, I don't mind that at all. I'm dying to see the place. Just don't give me the false modesty crap. It doesn't suit you.”
He pulled her to him for a kiss. He caught his hands in her hair as she parted her lips, kissing him back. She tasted so sweet, what he'd intended to be a quick hello became a tangling of tongues and melding of bodies as they stood in the hallway.
She was the first to pull away, eyes shining as she smiled up at him. “Wow! Hello yourself!”
“Hi, Sweetheart. I missed you.”
She lowered her eyelids. “You too.”
He caught her hand. If he didn't show her around now, the only place she'd see would be his bedroom. He led her through to the den. She looked around, eyes wide.
“It's gorgeous, Pete!”
The wall of the den was all glass to showcase the pool area with the beach and the ocean beyond.
“Can we go outside?”
He nodded and followed as she went out onto the pool deck and straight to the edge, where a lower glass wall acted as a balcony without blocking the view. She leaned on it and looked out at the ocean. He leaned beside her, saying nothing. She straightened up and turned back to take in the pool. It was free form with a bar over in the corner. An outdoor dining area sat beyond that and there were loungers under a gazebo.
She looked up at him. “Holy shit, Bigshot, this is awesome!”
Pete burst out laughing. “I'm glad it meets your approval!”
“Approval? I'm dumbstruck! I knew you had a big place at the beach, but this? This place is something else!”
“Well, I like it.”
“I'll bet you do, you lucky beggar.”
“Luck has nothing to do with it.” He laughed and shook out his left arm so that the heavy silver chain slid down against his hand.
She looked at it. “Of course. Point taken. Work, right?”
“Dead right, Sweetheart. Now, do you want a drink?”
“I'd love one, please. Do you have any of your friend's Cab? That was wonderful.”
“I do,” he smiled. “I thought you liked it so I brought a couple of bottles up, just in case.”
He left her leaning on the balcony again as he went to fetch a bottle and two glasses. On his way back, he stopped to admire her for a moment. What was is about her? Yes, she was hot, no question there, but he'd known a lot of hot women, beautiful women. None of them had ever had this effect on him. He'd been looking forward to talking to her as much as he had to getting her into his bed. He wanted to learn more about her, her life, her work, her family. He wanted to persuade her to let him take care of her grandmother's debts. He stood there watching her, her long brown hair lifting in the breeze, her face inscrutable. It held traces of a smile, but a faraway look too, that made him feel sad somehow.
She turned and caught him staring. Putting her hands on her hips she raised her eyebrows. “Are you going to stand there all night, Bigshot? What's a girl got to do to get a drink in this place?”
“I was simply admiring the view,” he replied. “I like it more than ever tonight. And your wine is on its way. Patience, it's coming.”
He beckoned for her to join him at the bar. She slid up onto the stool next to him and took the glass he offered.
“Thanks for coming, Holly. I didn't want to wait until weekend to see you again.”
She chinked her glass against his. “I didn't either. Though had I known you lived in a place like this, I probably would have chickened out.”
That surprised him. “Why?”
“I don't belong in a place like this. It reminds me how different we are.”
“I thought we covered this?” He was frustrated. “We're no different, you and I. Why do you keep saying that?”
“Take a look at my old car sitting on your half-mile driveway, come by my house and take in the view of the bus depot, then tell me we're no different.”
She said it with that bitter laugh that was starting to annoy him. “Granted, I've made a lot of money, but other than that there's no difference. We both work hard doing something we love, using the best of our abilities so we can feel proud of our achievements, true or not true?”
“True, but my achievements are a lot smaller than yours. And though you dismiss it, the amount of money you make does make a big difference. It gives you a different lifestyle and a different outlook.”
Why wouldn't she see it? “Holly you've got that backwards, it's the having a different outlook that allows me to make the money. And,” screw it, he was going to say it, “I'll bet the amount of money you make right now would give you a different lifestyle if you weren't giving it all to loan sharks to pay extortionate interest on a debt that's not even yours.”
She clearly didn't want to go there. “I'm a simple girl, Pete. Even if I had more money, I wouldn't change the way I live. There's nothing I need that I don't have.” She smiled. “Well, except maybe a new car. A BMW, a blue one. That'd be nice.” She flashed him a grin, but he wasn't going to let her sidestep it that easily.
“That's not the point though, is it? You don't need to be forking over that kind of money to criminals.”
Her eyes narrowed. Damn! He shouldn't have kept after her
, but it was eating away at him.
“I thought you agreed to drop that subject?”
“I know. I did. I'm sorry. But, Sweetheart, it's driving me crazy, let me help? Please?”
She shook her head, but he wasn't ready to let it go.
“I'm not trying to be a Bigshot asshole. I just don't see why you can't borrow the money from me instead of from dangerous criminals. If you let me pay it off, you can still pay it back. I'll even charge you interest if you insist, but at bank rates instead of whatever ridiculous percentage they're gouging you for. Look at this from a purely business perspective, you know it makes sense.”
He looked at her, waiting for the worst, but hoping for the best, surely she could see the sense in what he was saying.
She shook her head again and let out a long sigh. “That's very sweet of you, Pete.”
“I'm not being sweet, dammit, I'm trying to make you see sense, keep you safe!”
She put a hand on his knee. “I am seeing sense. I appreciate your kindness, but we need to be realistic. In a couple of months we'll be done with our little interlude. You'll go back to your life, I'll go back to mine. Even if I weren't too proud and stubborn to accept help, it doesn't make any sense for me to accept help from you. So, once more, can we please drop the subject, or do I have to get mad and leave?” She smiled to soften the words.
He opened his mouth to argue some more, but she slid her hand further up his thigh. “We did plan to have dinner, and I really don't want to leave.”
Pete blew out his cheeks, exasperated. He didn't want her to leave either. He accepted that he'd lost the battle, but was still determined to win the war on this one. He couldn't do as she asked and butt out completely, it wasn't right.
“I don't want you to leave either, Sweetheart, but I still think you're being....” he jumped as her fingers dug in the ticklish spot just above his knee.
She raised her chin in challenge, “Being what?” she asked, her eyes sparkling with amusement now.
“A stubborn little....” Her fingers dug in again and he almost jumped out of his seat. They were both laughing now. “Are you looking for a tickle war, lady?”