Half-Hitched

by Isabel Sharpe

  “You’re welcome.” He was grumpy as a bear. She ignored him and pressed her cheek to his—as far up as she could reach. His scent was so clean and masculine, his skin so just-shaven smooth, the song so romantic and beautiful. She couldn’t let his mood undermine her resolve.

  “Joe?”

  “Yes.” His tone was slightly less exasperated. Maybe she was getting to him? She hoped so. Because it was time.

  She tightened her arms around his neck, pressed her forehead under his chin, unable to meet his eyes. “How about I move with you to Phoenix?”

  His body stiffened. “Right.”

  “I’m serious, Joe.”

  “Why the hell would you move to Phoenix?”

  “Because you’ll be there.” She summoned all her courage and looked up, letting her feelings show in her face. I love you, Joe.

  His brows drew down. “What are you playing at, Sarah?”

  Ouch. She kept her features from sliding into dismay, told herself to be patient. He was going to have to accept a radical change after a decade of everything being the same. It would take more than a few minutes for him to trust her. “I’m not playing. I want to be with you.”

  Silence for a few minutes while he searched her face. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

  “I’m saying...” She stopped dancing, stayed still in his arms and looked him full in the eyes while hers filled with tears. “I’m saying I love you, Joe. I want to be with you, wherever you are.”

  The band swelled into the final chorus. Joe didn’t move.

  Sarah started to feel a bit panicky. She told herself to calm down, but it wasn’t working very well. “I love you.”

  “So you said.”

  “I thought...that’s what you wanted from me.” Panic for real this time. What if he’d only loved her for all this time because she was unreachable? What if he’d been doing the same thing Sarah had been doing for so long with guys like Kevin and Ethan and Derek?

  What if he didn’t really want her?

  “Where is this coming from, Sarah?”

  “My heart.” More tears. She couldn’t help it. Joy and fear together.

  Still no movement, still the stoniest of stone faces.

  “Joe, for God’s sake.” Okay, she was never going to be patient. She could only change so much.

  He glanced around. The band had stopped. The guests that hadn’t already left were doing so now. “We need to talk about this somewhere else.”

  “Yes. Okay.” She took a deep breath. This could still work. “My room at the hotel.”

  It took Joe a few seconds to agree. The instant he did, she practically dragged him off the dance floor, over to thank the Brisbanes, and down their yard to her car, which she drove like a demon to the hotel where they were spending the night, wishing they could be back on Storness, on the beach under the stars, wishing she’d had the brains and timing to seduce him there.

  But her room at the Machias Motor Inn would have to do.

  She let them into her second-floor room with the view of the Machias River, and tossed her bag on the bed, kicked off her shoes and faced Joe, who was standing uneasily next to the bed. She put her hands to his chest. “Let’s try this again?”

  He shook his head, bemused, adorable, dark hair tumbling over his forehead. “Sarah, you are confusing the hell out of me.”

  “It’s very simple. I’m telling you I’m in love with you.”

  He dropped his forehead into his palm and groaned. “Since when?”

  “Since I figured it out.”

  “Just now?” His looked up suspiciously. “Right after watching your brother get married? After several glasses of champagne?”

  “No.” Tears rose. She pushed away from him. “No. Yesterday, when we were talking, when you told me you were leaving. I realized I can’t live without you.”

  “That is nothing like—”

  “No.” She held up her hand to stop him. “That’s not what I meant. I can live without you. But I don’t want to live without you. You’ve been such a vital part of my life for so long, my very best friend. I’m so sorry I put you through so much, and I’m so sorry it took me this long to realize what you mean to me.”

  “A best friend?” His voice cracked hopefully and she realized what this was costing him. The rest of her life wouldn’t be long enough to make it up to him, but she was damned if she wasn’t going to try.

  “So far your best friend. But from now on...” She stood very still, understanding what must happen to make what she was saying clear. Words wouldn’t be enough to convince him.

  She reached behind her neck, found the zipper on her dress and pulled it down.

  Joe’s eyes widened, then his face turned stony again, hands fisted at his side.

  Her dress slid to the floor. Underneath she wore a lacy white bra with matching panties and thigh-high stockings.

  “Sarah...”

  “Yes, Joe?” she whispered.

  “I don’t...” He took a step forward, then stopped, his expression finally showing emotion. Want, fear, love, fear, desire...fear. Sarah’s heart melted. Oh, Joe.

  “I’ve been so slow. So selfish.” She unhooked her bra, let it slide off her arms, conscious of her breasts in the cool room air. “So blind.”

  He blinked. Swallowed, staring into her eyes, glancing down at her body as if he couldn’t help himself. Then the ghost of a smile. “Thank God I’m not.”

  Sarah grinned, hope shooting up inside her like a geyser. That was her Joe. He had come back to life, snapped out of whatever zombie state she’d put him in. Maybe this would be okay. Maybe not too little too late.

  Down came her panties. She kept the stockings on, sauntered toward him, helped him take off his jacket. “I have a favor to ask you.”

  He made a sound she’d take as an appropriate response.

  She put her lips near his ear, loosening his tie. “I want you to kiss me, Joe. Then I want you to make love to me until I beg for mercy.”

  He shook his head as if to clear his brain of fog. “I still can’t take this in. I don’t—”

  “Shh. Don’t worry. We’ll take it slowly.” She threw the tie across the room, put her arms around his neck and pulled his face down, kissed his mouth.

  Deep desire spread through her. She understood desire. She was used to desire. What she wasn’t used to was the sweet depth of emotion she felt along with it.

  Joe.

  She kissed him again, more deeply this time. His eyes stayed closed, his hands at his side, but his mouth moved, responded.

  Then a low groan began in his chest and he enveloped her in a crushing embrace, kissing her as if he’d never wanted to do anything else. The sweetness grew and spread, and with it, hot desire she felt him return from a certain place that for men was a dead giveaway.

  “Sarah.” He repeated her name over and over between kisses, sliding his hands up and down her arms, over her back.

  She backed up, smiling into his eyes with everything she felt for him, with all her hopes for their future together. In Phoenix or wherever else Joe was. That was where she belonged.

  “Where are we going?” He was smiling now, and she knew it was sinking in, that he was starting to trust what she felt, and that the next hour spent in this motel room would be the final proof he needed.

  She climbed onto the bed, lay back, inviting him to join her. “We’re going to make my wish on the shooting star come true.”

  Joe climbed reverently onto the bed with her, wearing way too many clothes, but they would soon take care of that. He moved over her, pressed his forehead to her forehead, his heart to her heart.

  “Trust me, Sarah. Both our wishes will come true tonight.”

  15

  ADDIE
GAVE A LONG, joyous whoop and ran down the riverbank behind the Machias Motor Inn, not caring that her panty hose probably wouldn’t survive the trip. Her heels, she’d left in Derek’s car and who cared about them, either? If she fell, her sleeveless blue silk sheath would be toast, as well. Too bad! She was happy! Incredibly happy! The wedding had been amazing, Paul and Ellen were going to be blissful the rest of their lives and she’d all but decided to chuck her entire existence and spend the next year on the yacht of a particularly hot guy named Derek Bates.

  Arms came around her waist and lifted her, shrieking with laughter, spun her around, then deposited her back on terra firma. Terra mostly firma—she hadn’t been shy with the champagne and the world seemed to be tilting ju-u-ust the tiniest bit.

  “Mmm.” She kissed Derek’s most ama-zingly awesome lips and threw her arms around his neck, breathing hard from her run. “That was the best wedding I’d ever been to.”

  “It was pretty special.” He was looking at her funny. Was she being funny? She didn’t think so.

  “They’re going to be together forever, I really feel it. Really. I’m serious.”

  He nodded, looking totally hot in his gray summer suit. She couldn’t wait to see him in his yacht captain outfit. She’d bet he looked incredibly hot in that. And naked? She already knew what he looked like naked: amazingly hot. Face it, the guy was hot.

  “Sometimes, like this one time I went to a wedding and I just knew the marriage wasn’t going to last.” Her voice was coming out too high. That was weird. She tried to pitch it lower. “And it didn’t. Well, it did for a year, and then pthhhhhpt.”

  “Yeah?” He was definitely amused now, but just as she was about to ask him what was so funny, he lunged forward and picked her up, swung her around and around again, and kissed her the way she’d always dreamed about being kissed, which come to think about it, was pretty much the way he always kissed her.

  Really, he was perfect.

  “I could happily suck face with you forever, Captain Bates.”

  “That’s a pretty long time.” His eyes were warm, his smile wide.

  “It is, isn’t it.” She kissed him again, then pressed her body against him and turned the kisses slow and suggestive. “You know what?”

  “Mmm, what?” He slid his big warm hands over her bottom and pulled her roughly closer, grinning down at her.

  “We’ve never had sex in a bed.”

  “You’re right.” He quirked an eyebrow. “Though I would have been happy to the first night when you shamelessly crawled into mine.”

  “Mistakenly. Only it didn’t turn out to be a mistake.” Addie smiled up at him. She hoped that night would never seem like one. Or any of the time she’d spent with him.

  “I think deep down you knew it was me.”

  “Very possible.” She batted her eyelashes and slid her hands under his jacket, savoring the firm curves of his pectorals. “So I’m thinking we really need to make love in a bed.”

  “That sounds—”

  “Now!” She broke away and ran back toward the hotel, giggling madly. She felt so free tonight! So wild! She couldn’t remember when she’d had this much energy, this much savage adrenaline. This much joy. Her life was about to change in a huge way, a significant way, and so was she! Gone was the drudge, gone the creature of habit, gone the slave to routines and predictable safety. She was...Neo-Addie!

  It felt so damn wonderful.

  Thudding steps sounded behind her. She picked up her pace, knowing he could catch her easily if he wanted to, but why not make him work harder?

  He let her reach the door of their room half a second before he did, though she didn’t have a key, so what good had the sprint done her except give her a chance to enjoy the joyful rush of air into her lungs, the pull of her muscles working hard, the fabulous feeling of being an alive and mobile and feeling woman who was madly in love with a wonderful man and about to declare she’d spend the next year carefree and pampered aboard a luxury yacht. A yacht! Captained by the sexiest man alive, ever.

  While Derek opened the door, she assisted by wrapping her leg around his and helping herself to the enticing muscular feel of his back under his jacket, hungry to get him alone and naked. Did she mention naked?

  Inside, she threw herself into his arms and kissed him, backed him up toward the bed, conveniently located as the centerpiece of the room. She couldn’t wait. The wedding had been so lovely, so very lovely, and while she’d loved every second of watching Paul and Ellen seal their happiness, the evil selfish part of Addie had just been craving this.

  He tumbled her back on the bed, held her wrists over her head and covered her body with his. Oh, yes. He wanted the same thing she did. Bodies joined and writhing in—

  “Addie.”

  “Mmm?” She moved her hips in a circle under him, smiling, glorying in the feeling of being pinned down by a strong man. “Can I help you, sir?”

  “We need a time-out here.”

  “A what? Why? What are you talking about?” Her voice crept back up too high, and became strangely brittle.

  “Shh. Just lie there for a minute. Take deep breaths.”

  “What? What!” She laughed at him. “I don’t need to calm down. I’m in a great mood, that’s all.”

  “Shh.” He brushed his lips across hers. “Breathe.”

  Addie rolled her eyes, and obediently tried to slow her breathing.

  It didn’t work. Her lungs stuttered and fought. She started to feel a bit light-headed, a bit panicky. What was the matter with her? How did he know?

  “Turn over.” He released her hands, turned her over and unzipped her dress, pulled it off her shoulders and unhooked her bra.

  Oh, yes. Forget breathing, now they were getting somewhere.

  She waited impatiently for him to finish undressing her, for his hands to slide under her breasts, for his body weight on top of her, for the nudge of his erection searching for her opening from behind.

  Instead his hands landed on her back and began stroking, top to bottom, bottom to top, following her muscles, his touch light at first, then increasing in pressure. Slowly, sensually, he massaged her. She lay waiting, unsure of what was happening, wanting to know when he’d turn this sexual.

  “Relax, Addie.” He started on the long muscles next to her spine, smoothing them, spending time on the knots, one inch at a time, kneading and loosening. Then her deltoids, her upper back, around her shoulder blades—light strokes, then deeper, singling out muscles and insisting they let go. On and on he worked until her breathing became even and deep without her trying. Her eyes closed, her world dwindled to his touch and the wonderful sensations in her body. She hadn’t realized how much tension she’d been carrying until he decided it had to go.

  “Better?” His stroking became light again; he drew the tips of his fingers over the skin on her back, covering every inch, then laid his hand in the center and pressed gently.

  Addie was nowhere near where she’d been only half an hour before. She felt as if she’d gained ten pounds. Her body would leave an Addie-shaped crater in the mattress that would never rebound. But...very strangely, her heart and spirits had sunk down from their high, first to normal, and then into an odd free fall she didn’t want to examine just then.

  “Thank you,” she mumbled. “That was wonderful.”

  “You’re welcome.” He pressed a kiss to her shoulder.

  “Except I don’t think I’ll ever be able to move again.”

  “Darn.” He kissed the small of her back, the top of each buttock, then nudged her legs open, burrowed his face down and kissed between them.

  Addie’s eyes shot open, her dismay dissolving. “Um...”

  “Yes?” His tongue joined in what his lips had started.

  “Well...” She inched her legs farther apart.
“Maybe I can move a little.”

  “Mmm.” He took advantage of the new space she’d given him. His tongue was very warm and very wet and she was getting very, very hot in spite of the near stupor he’d put her in. She responded to him so strongly. It wasn’t just his tongue, it was the reverent way he tasted her, the brush of his hand on her thigh, the small murmurs here and there that let her know he was making love to her as a whole woman even while touching only one special part.

  A minute later he stopped and Addie felt him leave the bed. The sound of clothes being removed got one of her eyes open again. She rolled over to watch him, heart still strangely heavy.

  Tie first. Derek tugged it off with practiced ease and tossed it onto the room’s chair. Shoes and socks next—he took care of those standing on one foot without overbalancing. Trousers. Addie nodded appreciatively as his strong, muscular thighs came into view. Shirt unbuttoned, off. T-shirt. Off. His chest was broad and defined without being over-pumped. His abs ditto, a muscular washboard she wanted to drag herself over repeatedly.

  Boxers off, and her man was naked, putting on a condom, climbing back onto the bed. She reached for him. “Welcome back.”

  “Nice to be back.” He positioned himself over her, stroking her hair, gazing into her eyes. Addie’s heart rose to meet him. It had no choice.

  Then Derek kissed her, over and over again, softly, sweetly, firm lips exploring and tasting. Addie felt the last of her giddy wildness leaving, replaced by deep emotions that both filled and frightened her.

  He reached down to prepare her then slid inside, taking his time, pushing in slowly. When he’d buried his last inch, he paused. Looking into his eyes she felt the most powerful connection she’d ever known, and out of that bliss, out of that loving, wonderful certainty, came understanding of a deeper, painful truth that she’d soon have to face.

  He began to move, slow thrusts, slow retreats, pausing in between. Her arousal grew sharply, but he held his pace and she lay still, letting him take the lead, running her hands over the smooth firmness of his back, tracing the rounded muscle of his buttocks, cupping the hard swells of his shoulders, biceps and triceps, indulging every sensation, keeping her mind carefully blank.