Better Than the Best

by Amabel Daniels

  Twitching her mouth, she looked at the perfect summer day on the beach. Blue sky. Puffy white clouds. Not too hot. She bet she wasn’t busy because of whatever was going down at the other end of the public beach, where the tractor had been earlier. There had been a band playing, too. What was all that about? Community festival?

  Woo hoo. Party hard, Churchston.

  Lost in her solitude, her thoughts ranged from what to do later since Alan had given her the night off, or if Grant and Tara were going to have a girl or a boy.

  “Kelly.”

  She frowned at Clay as he rushed up to the hut. What was it now? He could hardly catch his breath.

  “Clay, calm down,” she said.

  Randy hobbled on crutches after Clay. He gasped for air as he bent over, hands on knees.

  “Hey, look who’s back.” She tipped her lips into the first smile of the day. “Clay, stand up straight if you’re trying to get air in your lungs. For all the exercise you do in every woman’s bed I’m surprised you’re out of shape to run across the damn—”

  He shook his head. “Kelly, you’ve got to go to him.”

  Randy seemed to have an equally worried expression on his face.

  “Spill it, Randy. He’s freaking me out. What’s going on?”

  “Will. He left,” Clay said as he caught his breath.

  “What do you mean?” She came around to stand outside the hut and glanced at the garage, the three wide doors open to show it was empty.

  “It’s a fucking memorial. A memorial for Matt,” Clay said.

  “Delores had a granite memorial made for Matt,” Randy explained. “This morning she had it delivered to the town square fountain on the beach down there by the marina. It’s the anniversary of his death.”

  “Will went down there. Wanted to see,” Clay went on. “She saw him and told him to leave. He was banned from ever stepping foot there.”

  “She can’t do that.” Kelly pinched at the bridge of her nose.

  “She said he had no right to be there. He didn’t deserve a memory of Matt. It was his fault Matt went to the war. His fault Matt died. He had betrayed him and didn’t even try to save him from the bomb.”

  “She seriously needs some fucking medication,” Kelly said.

  “She kept screaming at him. Going on and on,” Randy said.

  “I’ve never seen him like that before. He shut down. Nothing. He walked away, came back for his truck and left,” Clay said and stood up. “I’ve never believed the crap about him being suicidal, but I’ve never seen him react so freakishly.”

  She opened her mouth and shut it.

  “I’ll watch the hut,” Randy offered. Clay thrust his keys forward and she took off.

  Kelly found Will sitting on the couch with his face in his hands and his elbows on his knees. With no idea where to go, she had started at the stone house. If he heard her enter, he didn’t move.

  “Will?” Her heart ached at seeing him in pain and she closed the sliding door. Dropping the keys to the floor, she ran and squeezed herself onto his lap, cupped his jaw and gazed at him. “Will.” He blinked and met her gaze, still hunched over and deadly silent and blank.

  She clung to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and burrowing her face next to his. Strapped to him like a koala, she held him. After what felt like eternity, his arms went around her to pull her to him, and his silent tears dampened her shoulder.

  Chapter 30

  Will woke up in the dark and he glanced at the clock on the cable TV box. Seven in the morning or night? Kelly made a noise as she slept on his lap, in his arms, and it came back to him.

  The memorial. Delores. The pain.

  Then there was Kelly.

  He smoothed her hair from her face to see her closer and he took a deep breath of contentment.

  Isn’t it easier when you’re mad at me instead of missing Matt?

  He smiled at the memory of Kelly’s words in his office. He gave up the madness because it wasn’t easy. She was such a stubborn damn woman. It was taking him a while, but he was learning he didn’t like being mad at her if it meant she wasn’t there. Mad, sad, angry, happy, teasing, bored. He’d gladly get lost in her eyes no matter what the mood was. As long as she was there with him.

  Easing to his side, he pulled her to lie on the couch with him, facing the sweet pout she had when she slept. After watching her for a moment, he found her hand and laced her fingers with his before he closed his eyes again.

  ***

  Kelly woke with a start and blinked the sleep away until she could see him clearly. Her hand jerked, and she treasured the feel of his fingers secured between hers. Did I do that, or did he? A small shy smile of wonder spread her lips, and she wanted to touch him, too nervous to disturb his peace. But looking at him and feeling what she did for him, she couldn’t resist. Leaning closer, she brought her lips close to his.

  “I love you,” she whispered and then kissed him.

  He responded instantly.

  She leaned back and found him gazing at her with the intense heat which was theirs and theirs alone. Kelly doubted he had heard her in his sleep, and she kissed him again. It was still gentle, but urgent, too.

  She pulled his face closer and kissed him, hoping with her lips she could ease some of his pain, to show him he wasn’t alone.

  He closed the gap between their bodies and pulled her to him at the waist and they kissed until breathing became irrelevant.

  Will sat up abruptly and stood, stupefying her until he bent down to pick her up and carry her. Everything was familiar, the kisses, the touches, her sitting in his lap, him carrying her. But this time it was slow. She had faced him willingly on his lap, and he carried her in front of him, not over his shoulder.

  Afraid to break the spell, she said nothing as he lowered her onto the bed, kissing her deeply. Clothes came off and heat soared. This time, there was no hurry and he didn’t seem in the mood to let her be in charge. Will leaned up and took an eyeful of her naked skin, a steaming sear over every inch he saw. She reached up to pull his face to hers for a kiss and they made love.

  ***

  Will woke up in a foggy limbo between sleep and consciousness, and he hesitated to open his eyes. He couldn’t handle it if Kelly ran away again. He squinted them open, then jumped, widening his eyes in startled surprise. Kelly wore one of his shirts as she sat crossed-legged next to him. Her chin in her hands, she stared at him.

  Her close study intimidated him. It was too direct of exposure for a man who tucked everything personal under lock and key and let very few close.

  How long has she been staring and what the hell does she see?

  She smiled the little lift of her lips which he found so sexy. He raised his brows.

  “I like looking at you.”

  Will snorted a single laugh of amusement and crossed his arms behind his head. Lying there looking up at her, he realized he liked the heat in her gaze. Then she crinkled her nose.

  “You don’t like me watching you, do you? I know you value your privacy.”

  They were butt naked. Any privacy was long gone between them.

  He reached for the shirt and yanked her down to him. “Yeah. Actually, I do like it. Now watch this.”

  They recovered an hour later. Will had never felt so satisfied, so tired and calm. With his thumb, he stroked her back as she curled to his side. Gazing at the ceiling and listening to her soft breaths, he relaxed. She slid her fingers down to touch him and he gently removed her hand.

  “You’re killing me. I’m exhausted.”

  She leaned up on an elbow to smile at him. “How old are you?”

  He pinched her butt. “Not that old.”

  She gave him a pained expression.

  “Thirty-three.” He hooked his arms behind his head. “With the exception of you”—he paused and counted back in time—“I haven’t had sex in four years.”

  Her lips parted in surprise. “I have a hard time believing you.”

&nbs
p; “We were in Afghanistan for two years. We were on the move, paranoid, and alert. There wasn’t any time for sex. Besides, there wasn’t anything over there that would’ve appealed to me. After the bomb…” He cleared his throat. “I wasn’t the same.”

  “Um, was it, were you…damaged?” She reached to stroke gently.

  His dick? Should have known she’d interpret his words anatomically. He felt his cheeks burn but figured he didn’t need to be so guarded with her.

  “No. I kind of shut down altogether. No spirit. I guess my dick lost his personality too.”

  “It seems pretty outgoing now.”

  “No. With you it’s ingoing.” He grinned as she faked a laugh at his cheesy joke.

  Later, at dawn, Will woke again and caressed her jaw.

  She kissed his palm. Leaning to squint at the clock on the wall, she sighed. “Time to run?”

  He frowned at her.

  “Don’t you always run before you go to work?”

  He opened his mouth to answer.

  “It’s your time. Keep it.” She kissed his forehead and climbed out of the bed over him. He appreciated her understanding.

  “How’d you get here?” he asked.

  “Clay’s truck.” She went to the living room for her clothes and dressed in front of him.

  Indulging himself, he sat and watched her.

  “How does a girl get an alternator fixed in this town?”

  And with that question, his comfortable la-la land vanished, and he was back to reality. Will got up and looked for clean shorts. “It was tampered with.”

  Kelly straightened sharply with one leg in her shorts. “What?”

  “Wires were cut.”

  “Could they have been old?”

  He shook his head and pulled a sweatshirt over his body. “If there were any old wires, Clay would have replaced them when he put your battery in. They were fresh cuts. No rust yet. Got any enemies in town?”

  “None I know of.”

  “Where was the car all day?” He headed out of the room.

  Kelly followed him to the living room. “Where we found it. Anyone could have gone up to it. I was making a lot of runs in the truck because of the guided nature rides all day and night.”

  Will didn’t want to scare her with the explanation it couldn’t have been anyone. This was deliberate. Precise. She beat him to it.

  “Are you thinking it could be the same person who cut Clay’s brakes?”

  “It’s not hard to do. Anyone could look it up online.”

  “Maybe it was the same person who pulled the prank and let the boats go free. A bored teenager,” she said and tied back her hair into a messy ponytail. Will reached out suddenly and pulled her into a tight hug.

  Maybe someone who was trying to strand her out there. And maybe he’d never stop jumping to conclusions. “I’ll push it to the garage and fix it. I’m sure Clay can get around if you borrow his truck. I don’t want you to risk another snake in Burns’ truck.” He nuzzled her neck and felt her smile. A few too many kisses later, she giggled and walked away. Snatching her Braves hat on her way out, she blew him a kiss.

  Chapter 31

  Kelly’s morning was too busy to allow time to remonstrate about what she had done…with Will…for hours. Frigid? I don’t think so. Instead of cringing and doubting and letting her low confidence and self-esteem get the better of her, she stopped at her apartment, showered and then drove to the kayak hut.

  She didn’t have time to think about him much. Everyone wanted a kayak. The vet called and made her day with good news. Eddie was recovering well and she could get him the next day. With the diagnosis of an overdose of Benadryl, she assumed her silly mutt must have gotten into the garbage. Three of her brothers called to check on her. Heather texted but had to leave for her shift.

  Clay stopped by and assured her she could use his truck until her car was ready. It had to be handy how there was always a collection of vehicles to use at the garage.

  In the absence of mischievous smiles from Clay, she figured Will wasn’t the kiss-and-tell type. Later, Randy came by, and to her relief, he didn’t ask about Will either. She would have grinned like a damn fool at the first question. She smiled at the thought of him. Tender and rough all in one.

  That was the thing about being one of the guys. With the lines clearly crossed, it posed a potential for some awkwardness. With her brothers’ friends—who simply had been more brothers once removed—she had never had the problem of sleeping with one of the guys. She had always filed friends of her brothers into an off-limits category. But what she was doing with Will… What am I doing with Will?

  Uneasy regrets squirmed into her thoughts as she headed for the bowling alley after her shift at the kayak hut. She noted Alan’s was as busy as Burns’ had been because there were not one, not two, but three children’s birthday parties scheduled. Bumper bowling was such a pain in the ass to set up. Kelly wasn’t one to preach but she thought the mothers should really monitor their imps’ caffeine intake. Or Alan should disassemble the pop machine.

  Only when she was tired at the end of her shift did the doubts and worries monopolize her thoughts. I love him. He’ll never love me. That spells DOOM. But like an ostrich with her head under the sand, she opted for the stupid path to pretend it wasn’t so and enjoy the bliss in the present.

  Armed with food because she hadn’t eaten all day, she drove Clay’s truck to the garage and wished for more confidence.

  What if the sex was because he was sad and vulnerable? What if he’s lost all interest since I’ve comforted him?

  Do I seriously have no self-confidence?

  “Thanks a lot, Johnny boy,” she muttered to herself. The burn of infidelity had scarred her deeply and she doubted if she would ever forget it.

  With such enlightening thoughts, she came in the garage and looked for the mechanics. Will was the only worker present. She found him leaning over a hood, wrench in hand, and she tapped his shoulder with the sub box.

  “Hungry?”

  He turned and sighed at her

  “Long day?” She sat on the edge of the car.

  Will cracked his neck and nodded. He set the sub down on the workbench. “Thanks.”

  It was like when they had first met. Curt, monotone answers. With a heavy heart, she got the message and stared at an oil stain on the floor.

  I am an idiot.

  “Yup,” she said.

  He came back over and elbowed her to get off the car. At the finality in the slam of the hood, she felt like ten thousand morons. He had gotten what he wanted and it was over. Again.

  “My knee’s been killing me all day. I’m not used to much extracurricular activity,” he said as he moved around to clean up.

  So not only am I discarded, I’m the cause for your damn knee, too. She nodded and tried to smile at him. Walking off, she felt like crying. Used? Yep. She had known what she was getting into. The blame could only be on her.

  “What did you ask me?” His voice stopped her and she turned to him.

  “What?”

  “When you came in.”

  She grit her teeth. Yeah, of course he hadn’t even been paying attention. “If you were hungry. I brought you food.”

  He nodded to himself then hooked a finger for her to come over. She put her hands on her hips, never one to take orders well. He walked up to her. In his dirty jeans and the greasy shirt which couldn’t contain his muscles, he looked every bit the rough bad-boy, the powerful man she couldn’t resist.

  “Do you have any idea how long it took you to get here?”

  “Oh! So sorry I couldn’t expedite food any faster. We were busy. And you didn’t even order it! I—”

  “Ten hours and thirty-two minutes.”

  Kelly blushed. He had counted down the time since he saw her?

  “And you come in here and ask me if I’m hungry? That’s my greeting?”

  She didn’t want to meet his eyes. “I didn’t know if you’d wan
t me around.”

  He shook his head in disbelief. “I’ll go insane if you’re not around me in two minutes.”

  Well that’s descriptive.

  “Why wouldn’t I want you?” he asked.

  Because I love you and you don’t love me.

  “I thought maybe you got me out of your system. And, and, yesterday, you were vulnerable and so sad about Matt and I was there. Maybe I was a convenient distraction. And—”

  He held his hand up. “Look around. There’s you. And here’s me. We’re it. And you want to know if I’m hungry?”

  Kelly smiled a little and nodded.

  He kissed her fast and carried her to the hood of the car. They didn’t really manage to remove many clothes and they were too needy to bother with foreplay.

  A short time later, Kelly sat on the hood in her bra and shoes and ate her sub, while Will lounged back in his shirt and socks and ate his. “Whose car is this?” she asked around the food in her mouth.

  His grin charmed her. “Father Ronaldson’s.”

  “Oh.” She swallowed the un-chewed lump of food. Narrowing her eyes at him, she took a drink from his water bottle. “You are a bad-boy.”

  He put his pants on and Kelly was relieved they had privacy. Except for the row of rectangular windows cut into the three doors, the garage was virtually closed-off from the world. It put an adventurous edge to being naked with him. Not that it wasn’t exciting enough to begin with.

  With an arm on each side of her, he leaned his fists onto the hood while she sat on the edge. She hesitated to face him.

  “When it’s you and me, that’s it. I’d want you anywhere and anytime. Forget Matt, the psycho bitch who was my mom, your ex, the dog, everything. Do it for me. Because when we come together, we’re all that matters.”

  It wasn’t ‘I love you’ but it chased away her vulnerability. She leaned in for a long kiss.

  He pulled back. “Hell no. On the hood again? I can’t do it to my knee. Let’s get out of here.”

  Chapter 32

  Kelly returned Clay’s truck four days later. It had taken Will so long to fix her SUV, and she gathered he had deliberately stalled on fixing it until she had persistently asked about it. He had given vague evasive answers about why it was taking so long. With a little leverage and equal stubbornness, she had gotten him to confess he had procrastinated because he wanted her to have a reason for stopping by the garage every night on the way home.