Delicious Do-Over (5 page)

Being with Rick again had affected her on so many levels. Like meeting up with an old friend you hadn’t seen in years, yet immediately picking up where you’d left off. She wasn’t surprised that she’d remembered him so vividly. Not with all the daydreams she’d had about him, especially the ones that came at night. What shocked her was his ease. As if he’d thought about her just as often. Somehow, knowing they were going to have sex rested between them easily. It shouldn’t have. She was too shy, too awkward, but not with Rick.

He was so quiet she hadn’t heard him approach. She caught a glimpse of his shadow in the sand a second before he dropped down beside her. Startled, her hand went to her throat.

“What’s wrong?” He touched her hair, her shoulder, then rubbed the back of her neck. He liked touching.

She wasn’t used to it. “I didn’t hear you coming.”

“You thought some other guy was on his way to kiss you until you begged for mercy?”

Lindsey smiled. “It happens.”

He chuckled. “I remember the begging part, but it wasn’t for mercy.”

She bumped him with her shoulder. “You’re awful.”

He slid an arm around her and brought her to lean against him. “It’s a cool breeze but the water is warm.”

“Be my guest.”

“I’m not going to talk you into going in, huh?”

“Nope.” She shook her head for emphasis. They’d had this discussion at dinner. Oddly, she wasn’t half as concerned about someone catching them in the buff as she was about swimming in the dark.

“We haven’t seen anyone since we got here.”

“It’s not just that.” She paused. The ocean was still a mystery to her. And in the dark? Forget it. He wouldn’t understand. “Go on,” she said. “I’ll be waiting to wrap you in a nice warm towel.” The thought of him stripping made her hot. Made her mouth dry. Oh, yeah, she liked where this was going. “Really, take a quick dip. I don’t mind.”

“Not without you.”

“Then who would be waiting with the towel?”

His teeth gleamed in the moonlight. “You’re trying to get me naked.”

“Yes, I am,” she said boldly, then ruined it by giggling.

“Hell, sweetheart, you only had to say the word.”

Lindsey pressed her lips together to keep from blurting out something stupid. In the quiet, she heard a dog bark. “Oh, shoot.”

“What?”

“I think someone’s coming.”

“Uh, a dog?”

“Someone might be walking the dog,” she said in a hushed defensive voice, while straining to see in the murky light. The beach seemed clear on both sides, and she relaxed again. “Satisfied?”

“I’m not the one getting naked.”

“Oh, c’mon.”

She smiled at the laughter in his voice, and briefly closed her eyes at the warm kiss he pressed to the side of her neck. He didn’t stop there, but dragged his lips to her earlobe, then to her temple.

“You’re tense,” he murmured, and used his tongue along the shell of her ear. His hand cupped the front of her shoulder, applying pressure.

“Oh—” Surprised by the unexpected maneuver, she started when he urged her to lie back.

But he was gentle, guiding her down, making sure she landed easily. The towel she’d wrapped around her shoulders fell open, but warm now, she didn’t need it. She stared up into his shadowed face, then past him to the dark glittering sky. “I’m amazed we can see so many stars being this close to Waikiki.”

“It’s even better on the north shore.” He drew back, and balanced himself on his elbows, his face turned toward the sky. “No light pollution from high-rises where I live.”

She smiled. “You’ve already sold me. I really do want to go see your place.”

“People who come here and stay in Waikiki their whole vacation have not seen Hawaii.”

“A woman I worked with told me I needed to go to the other islands. Maui and Kauai, I think?”

He corrected her pronunciation, putting more emphasis on the vowels, then added, “Yep, Kauai especially. Maui’s gotten too commercial for my taste, though there are still some awesome places like Haleakala and Hana. Even here on Oahu a lot of spots would blow you away they’re so green and beautiful and untouched.”

“I’ve seen pictures.”

“Not the same.”

The passion in his voice fueled her excitement. “I’ve always wanted to see a waterfall.”

“I know the perfect place. Do you like to hike?” He changed positions to lie on his side, facing her. “The mountains here seem to go on forever,” he said, and casually splayed a hand on her belly. “If you’re adventurous enough, you can still find places no one’s ever been.”

It always caught her off guard when he touched her. Her family weren’t huggers. Even as a kid she was rarely patted on the head or kissed on the cheek.

“I’m not very athletic,” she warned, in case he had some foolish idea they’d go backpacking into the clouds. It looked fun, even romantic on the big screen. And it so wasn’t going to happen. Not for her. “I haven’t made time to exercise in ages. I’m sure you’ve already figured that out,” she muttered as an aside.

He lifted his head. “How would I know that?” He ran his palm up her belly over her rib cage, stopping just below her breasts. “I’m not getting that impression. Maybe I should explore further.” He’d slid his hand beneath the hem of her top before her addled brain could register his intention.

“What are you doing?”

“Really?” he said with a laugh.

“Shut up.”

She acknowledged the sudden throb of longing in her chest, resentful of the barriers between them.

She shuddered when his fingers slipped inside a silk cup and grazed the sensitive puckered flesh of her right breast.

He dipped his head, briefly kissed her lips. “Do you want me to make love to you here?” he asked in a low sexy murmur that seemed to dance along her nerve endings. He caressed her nipple, plucking lightly at it until she’d arched her back.

She couldn’t answer, couldn’t think straight. Not when he pushed her tank top up high enough to expose her bra. He fingered the front clasp but left it fastened, then managed to shove the material aside, baring her left breast. The cool damp air mingled with his warm breath, laving her tingling skin.

The anticipation was too much.

“Yes.”

He looked up at her, and while he could surely see her face under the moonlight, she had trouble reading his. She thought he might be smiling, and then he kissed her again, doing all the right things with his teeth and tongue and hot, talented mouth.

Then he stopped and covered her breast with the silk cup. “I am going to make love to you, Lindsey, but you should be relaxed and totally into it. It’s not right otherwise. I want you to enjoy every second.”

She’d never heard those kinds of words from a man. His tone was warm and reassuring and she was touched that he understood that it wasn’t easy for her to loosen up. But the truth was she felt safe with Rick. She could hear it in his voice, had seen it in his eyes that he wanted her.

Before she could even mourn the loss of his hand at her breast, he gently tucked his hand inside her shorts. Shocked, she jerked, but instinctively welcomed his intimate touch as he stroked between her thighs.

“Mmm, you’re wet.” He pressed slow kisses on her neck and collarbone, distracting her while he slid his fingers under the elastic of her panties.

She tensed again, but focused on the pleasure he was giving her, hastily she kissed him back. It turned into nothing more than a hasty mating of lips, a whimper stolen by the stiff ocean breeze. The second his finger found her clit, the world stopped. Lindsey squeezed her eyes shut, and clutched his arm. It felt like tempered sculpted steel beneath her palm.

“Lie back, Lindsey,” he whispered in a husky, yet soothing voice. “Let me take care of you.”

With a little smile on her lips, she slumped back in a limp heap. This is what she’d wanted from the moment she thought she might see him again. Only Rick could take care of her better than she could herself. No other man had ever made her come like Rick.

He knew just where to touch her, just how much pressure to use, how to circle his thumb just so. How to bite softly at her lips while his long lean finger penetrated her.

Barely able to breathe, it took her a second to adjust to the sensual invasion. Her muscles clenched his finger, her entire body tensing tighter than a violin string as she surged upward against his hand. And then his thumb moved again, and her shoulders relaxed against the towel and the hard-packed sand as more pleasure shimmered through her body.

She fisted the towel at her sides, opened her eyes to the blur of twinkling stars. She moistened her dry lips, then stilled when he took over the job, sweeping his tongue across her mouth, then pushing inside.

He plunged his finger in deeper, and his thumb swirled the slick wetness around the sensitive nub, the friction growing almost unbearable. Unable to breathe, she tore her mouth away from his. She didn’t know how much more she could take…

The first wave hit with alarming force. She whimpered, struggled against succumbing too quickly. But it was too late. She was hot, then cold, then feverish. She was already drowning when the next wave overwhelmed her, pulled her under as her entire body convulsed.

“Lindsey.” His voice was a hoarse whisper, and his arms were suddenly around her, holding her tightly against his chest as the tremors continued to shake her.

She buried her face in his shoulder, pressing her lips together, shocked at the tears that had sprung to her eyes. A breath shuddered deep in her chest as the last convulsion claimed her. Drained, she sagged against him, only then feeling the frantic pounding of his heartbeat.

He drew back, touched her face. “What’s this?”

Her fingers flew to her damp cheeks. “I don’t know,” she said, the quiver in her voice making her sound like a liar. “I really don’t because that was—” she sighed “—wonderful.”

“Good.” He hugged her more tightly, shifting so that she was snug against him.

She slid a hand down his flat belly, over the ridges of muscle to the waistband of his shorts. He was fully aroused beneath the fly. She’d barely touched him when she heard his sharp intake of breath.

Gently, he moved her hand away. “Later,” he said, and kissed her hair.

She didn’t understand. Clearly he was turned on. Although she was still a bit dazed, and so tired she felt as if she’d just run a marathon. Moving to rest her head more comfortably on his shoulder took far more effort than it should have.

“Check out the moon,” he said softly. “You can see the contours of the craters.”

She looked up, but a passing cloud was in the way. She waited, closing her eyes, listening to the mild lapping of the water, soaking in the stillness of the balmy night, feeling safe and content with Rick’s arm curled around her.

The cloud…it had to have passed by now. Yet opening her eyes seemed like too great a chore.

Feeling like crap two days earlier, he’d already cooled it on the alcohol consumption by then, and being clear-headed and older than the guys he sometimes hung with, he knew hotel management would cut the party short. He went anyway, arriving early to grab a choice getaway spot in case the cops showed up.

Hundreds of students had converged on the pool area that evening, lots of women, a parade of hot bodies. He had a vague recollection of Lindsey’s two friends, both pretty, wearing skimpy bikinis like countless others. Lindsey had worn one, too, but she’d been the only hot woman who’d hidden under a knee-length cover-up.

That alone had caught his attention, and then he’d watched her quietly trail her gregarious friends. He knew right off that she was shy and not into the party scene. She smiled and did all the polite things when guys tried hitting on her, but she never initiated conversation, shook her head a lot, blushed even more and never drifted far from her friends.

He’d been working on a strategy to approach her himself when he noticed a herd of hotel security in their distinctive blue shirts headed toward the pool. In minutes everyone would scatter, and he knew he’d lose her if he didn’t act fast. Her tall, dark-headed friend had just walked off with some dude toward the beach and the other one looked to be on the verge of a hook-up.

Rick had swooped in and warned Lindsey they were all about to be busted. He’d taken her hand, ready to run with her, when he’d made the mistake of looking into her big blue startled eyes. Like a dumbstruck stupid kid, he’d frozen. Just stood there like a damn chump. He couldn’t think, couldn’t move, couldn’t stop staring. Lindsey was the one who’d squeezed his hand, smiled shyly and suggested they get out of there.

That image of her face had stayed with him for months, years. It was crazy. He’d never been the sentimental type. But when he’d awoken the next morning, alone in the small cove, left with only the impression of her feet in the sand as she’d left him while he slept, he’d gone nuts. He hadn’t known her last name, or where she was staying or what school she’d gone to.

Her sweet innocent scent had stayed with him for days, the taste of her lingered for weeks. The soft whimpering sounds she’d made when she came…

The memories made him consider a brisk swim to settle himself down. But he wouldn’t risk waking her.

It seemed impossible that she could have stayed so sweet and innocent after all this time. Not untouched, he clearly knew, but surprisingly shy and naive. No, not naive. Inexperienced. A more worldly woman wouldn’t blush the way she did, particularly a woman who looked like Lindsey. With that long blond hair, angelic face and wide blue eyes, she could do some serious damage to a man. No way he’d even see it coming.

He gazed down and studied the thick lashes fanning her cheeks, the slight part of her lips. She looked younger than twenty-seven now that he thought about it. Could she have lied about her age? The idea made him uneasy.

Nah. The lie about her name was probably her limit.

He’d been fooled before, though. Nowadays it seemed that half the girls who hung out at Waimea and Sunset were thirteen going on thirty.

Rick was no saint, but he stayed away from women under twenty-one. In fact, he’d found himself pulling away from casual sex more and more. Maybe because hooking up had gotten too easy. There was no fun or challenge anymore, no slow buildup that lit a fire in your belly and got your heart pounding. Hell, that was true of life lately.

The surfboard shop he owned was a reasonable distraction when he spent time there. The place was finally breaking even, and he liked employing some kids who otherwise might have found less principled means to line their pockets. But the store didn’t need his supervision. Wally took care of business. The veteran surfer had stepped in and tightened the reins. Which worked out fine since it allowed Rick more time to work on his new board design.

The wind picked up, and with it a slight chill swept off the ocean. Lindsey stirred, and snuggled closer to him. For him it wasn’t cold. He didn’t mind the drop in temperature. Most of his winters had been spent in Michigan shoveling snow. He moved his arm so that her cheek rested on his chest, and tried to remember where she’d grown up, or if she’d even told him. Someplace in the Midwest, he was pretty sure. Or maybe he was getting confused because she’d recently lived in Chicago. He’d been there a couple of times in the middle of winter. Not to his liking.

Rick yanked the towel out from under his head, gave it a one-handed shake and spread it over her. He remembered now what Lindsey had told him. She’d moved around a lot as a kid, mostly sticking to the Great Lakes area and Florida, but never staying anywhere more than three years. Something to do with her father’s job. Hard to make friends that way.

More clouds had drifted over the beach, blotting out the moon and stars. It was harder for him to see her. But her body was warm and snug against his, and for now that was enough.