Begin Again (13 page)

“Wow, you didn’t miss any.” He tried to keep the amusement from his voice. “Are you sure I have to do this?”

“Yep. A deal’s a deal.”

When she exited the cage, he gave her a friendly little pat on the ass and stepped up to the plate
.

“Put it on medium,” she told him.

Shaking his
head, he started the machine at the same intensity she’d used. And hit the very fast, first pitch into the nets. And the second. And the third…By the time it shut off, they were even.

She bit her lip, to keep from laughing, he guessed. “You sandbaggin’ me?”

“What do you mean?”

“You hit every one. And they came fast.”

He chuckled. “I played first base on the Harvard-club baseball
team.”

She cursed him, but he could see her eyes light. Of approval. And competition.

It wasn’t time yet for the basketball court, so they stopped at a room which read Surf’s Up. “Have you done this one before?” he asked.

“No. So I don’t have an advantage over you.” She hesitated. “Unless you surfed in Hawaii for a summer.”

“Never, though I wouldn’t mind. Maybe we could go sometime.”

She ignored the reference to the future. The object of the game was to stand on the board, which would mimic the action of surfing, displayed on a huge screen in front them. Two could play at once, and each person’s avatar was in the simulation. She called herself The Bomb and he was Ace
.

“Thankfully, the floor’s padded for when you fall off,” she said sassily.

“Or you.”

The machines
started to move.

Jerk, jerk…

To the right and the left…

They were thrown forward and had to balance themselves in a split second. To the side, to the back, but neither toppled to the ground.

Both were sweaty and breathing hard when the session ended.

Paulina propped her hands on her hips. “Okay, so you’re an athlete.”

“Guilty as charged. You never asked. Just assumed there
were no muscles under my suit.”

“I know what’s under that suit, babe.”

They were alone in the surf room and he tugged her close. “I like you like this. You’re a jock, but very, very feminine.”

She wiped the sweat off her face. “Gimme a break. I don’t think that word and my name have ever been mentioned in the same sentence.”

Laughing, he kissed her nose. “I doubt that.”

They
got water, stopped at a few carnival games like Skee Ball and Ring Toss until the basketball court was free
.

When they stepped onto it, she asked, “What do you want to play?”

“Foul shots. Then some one-on-one.”

His first ball swished through the net. Hers did, too. But on the tenth, lo and behold, Paulina missed and he made his shot. “Fuck,” she said under her breath.

“What was
that? Crude language on the court? I’m calling a technical foul.”

“I never lose.” She shrugged. “Except maybe to Luke every blue moon.” She grabbed the ball. “I’ll take it out.”

He acquiesced. Now the competitive spirit was alive in him.

“Don’t go easy on me,” she warned, then dribbled around him for a quick layup. She was fast and graceful in her movements. From outside the lines,
he took the ball straight in and made one from the other side.

Taking a long shot from mid-court, Paulina punched her fist in the air when it circled the rim and dropped in. Next, he stole the ball from her and scored.

When they crashed together and went flying to the floor, Adam sat up and shook his head. “No more.”

She lay on her back, a red bruise on her elbow. “I win, then.”

From his position on his sore ass, he quipped, “You’re something else, woman.”

She sat up. “You are, too. I can’t remember when I had so much fun competing with a man.”

He watched as the meaning of her words dawned on her, and she slapped her hand over her mouth. The expression of horror in her eyes had him inching over to her. He slid his arm around her and held her close. “It’s okay,
honey. I know you didn’t include Donnie in that.”

Adam was surprised at how easily the words came out of his mouth. Because, down deep, he knew he was jealous of a dead man.

Later that week, Paulina and Nia were finishing up in the trailer after the crew had left.

Paulina looked over at her sister, who was dressed in a pretty pink skirt and T-shirt to match.

Nia’s outfit was in stark contrast to Paulina’s dirty jeans and stained T-shirt. “Let’s go sit outside. I want to talk to you.”

Alarm suffused Nia’s face and she
gripped the pen she held. “Has something bad happened?”

“No, sweetie.” God, she hated that they always expected the worst now. The common reaction also made her more patient with Nia. “Nothing bad at all.”

Paulina took water bottles from the fridge and headed out behind the music hall frame. The mid-May evening was lovely, as the sun still shone and the trees rustled with a slight breeze.
They reached the picnic table where she and Adam had eaten.

Nia said, “It’s beautiful back here.”

“Adam and I are thinking about doing some fundraising for a sculpture garden.”

“Adam and you.” Nia sighed. “That sounds serious.”

Sipping her water, Paulina struggled for the right words. They were hard to find because her feelings toward Adam changed constantly inside her. “It is
serious but not in the way you mean. I like him, but I’m not thinking June weddings. Nia, we slept together.”

“I figured as much. You’ve been really mellow. When?”

“On our second date.” She motioned to the trees. “Back there. And then again at his apartment.”

“Remember how we made love outside with the guys? I liked that then.”

“You were more adventurous with Pete.”

She could
tell Nia was struggling. “I want to handle this right, about Adam.” She rolled her eyes. “And I want to know how it was. You’ve never been with anybody but Donnie.”

“I think the phrase is the sex
knocked my socks off
.”

At least Nia laughed. “I’m happy for you, Paulie. Some healthy sex is or would be good for both of us.”

“Then why do you turn down dates?”

“Only two. And I’m beginning
to think turning them down was a mistake.” She gave Paulina a sideways glance. “I miss making love with a man, too. Those…devices Magdalena took us to buy in the city aren’t like having a warm body.”

Laughing out loud, Paulina slid her arm around Nia’s shoulder. “Those devices are called vibrators. It’s okay to say the word.”

“I know.” She tugged on her braid, which fell past her breasts.
“I wish I wasn’t such a prude. But everything was so easy with Peter.”

“You’re just shy. And as you said, neither of us had any sexual experience except with our husbands.”

“I guess. Thanks for telling me. And I’m glad you enjoyed yourself with Adam.”

“I have an ulterior motive.”

“I’ll cover the kids for you anytime you want. Maybe
someday
, you can return the favor.”

“I’m sure
I will. I’d like to go with Adam to a casino. And stay overnight in a hotel.”

Nia’s light brows pulled together. “Do you gamble?”

“No, but it sounds like fun. I have a few bucks saved.”

In fact, they had plenty of money from the guys’ life insurance policies, which were big because of the work they did. And the business had always done well. The fact that the homestead was paid for
allowed Nia and Paulina to only have to take care of the taxes. They were financially secure. “I can afford to lose a hundred dollars.”

Raising her chin, Nia said, “Of course you can. Go. Have fun. Just be careful.”

Paulina nodded. She wished Nia would stop saying that, but she’d gotten what she wanted: she’d been honest with her sister, was able to gently nudge Nia toward dating, and
she would get to spend the night with Adam. Who knew, maybe she’d like gambling.

Joe Corleone was laughing at him
.

Adam could see his grin in the rearview mirror. “What?” he asked, sounding ornery even to his own ears.

“It’s just nice to see you this way.”

“What way?”

“Happy. Lookin’ forward to seeing a woman.”

“I’ve seen a lot of women. I always look forward
to it.”

“Oh, I thought she was different to you.” Joe’s face turned serious. “She’s a nice person, Adam. I hope you’re not
—
”

“Hold it right there, buddy. She
is
different. I like her, but I’m holding back some because she doesn’t want a soul mate. She said that she had that once and doesn’t want it again.”

“Huh.”

“I’m respecting her wishes. And her.”

Joe’s expression said
all kidding aside
. “That makes me worry about you, then. Because the way you are with her tells me this isn’t a fling.”

What a hateful word. And certainly didn’t describe his feelings for Paulina. But he said lightly, “Nah. I’m fine. Taking one day at a time.”

They arrived at the Ludzecky house, and Adam went to the front door. Dark clouds had been hanging around all day, as if they were
about to empty anytime. He rang the bell.

Paulina answered right away. “Hi, I’m ready.”

“Oh.” She didn’t want him to come inside, and he wondered if the boys were home. Then he banished the notion. It didn’t matter. As he’d told Joe, one day at a time. She stepped outside with a practical small black roller bag
.

“Is that all you’re bringing?”

“Do I need more?”

Most women did.
“No, I guess not.”

“I have something nice for dinner, Adam, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“I’m not worried about anything.” He leaned in close. “I can’t wait to see you in it.”

“And out of it, I’ll bet.”

He placed his hand on her neck and said, “Witch.”

Paulina was having the time of her life. The Empire Casino, about an hour’s drive from Queens, included
a hotel associated with it, and they’d checked in right away. The room was huge, with a sitting area, a separate bedroom and a Jacuzzi tub, which, Adam said, they should try out. Since she knew he was anxious to teach her to gamble, she said she wanted to go to the casino and save the tub for later.

She wasn’t crazy about blackjack, couldn’t make sense of craps, so she told him she’d wander
around the slots. When she saw the Dolly Parton machine, she laughed. She remembered how she and her sisters used to pretend they were a girl band and went into many iterations— pop, rock-and-roll and country. So she sat down. An hour later, she’d tripled her money.

“You should leave, you know,” the man next to her said as his machine cha-chinged. “They get cold.”

“Nah. It’s too much fun.
Good luck, though.”

He gave her an appreciative once-over. Never one to want the attention of other men, Paulina found pleasure in the male approval. She
did
look nice; she knew that. She’d pinned her hair up after she’d washed it, so when she let it down, it was all curls. She’d thought Adam would swallow his tongue. And she’d splurged on a new dress, a blue-sequined thing that fit her in
all the right places.

Turning back to the machine, she touched its surface. “So, Dolly, are you gonna go cold on me?”

She pressed the button for 200 Pennies again, and
Jolene,
the song she’d picked for the star to sing to her, came on. She hummed along softly and moved in her seat. All right, she needed three butterflies to get the bonus. “Come on, baby—one, two…three. Yes!”

New music
came on, and once again, she danced in her seat. “Yeah, baby.” The machine paid $20 on the first turn of the bonus round
.
The next turn gave ten wild icons, and it was the Classic Record. Holy cow, $500? On one turn. Honestly? When the bonus round ended, she’d won nearly $1000.

“Time to quit,” she said, pressing Cash Out. She turned to find Adam behind her. “Hi. How long have you been there?”

“A while. I didn’t know you were a Dolly Parton fan.”

“Oops. I was singing out loud, wasn’t I?”

“Oh, yeah!”

She glanced around. “Did I embarrass you?”

“Never.” He stepped forward. “I was mesmerized at yet another facet of you.”

She leaned into him. “One even I didn’t know I had.”

“Are you hungry? They have a great seafood buffet here.”

“I am hungry. Let’s go.” They
held hands as they walked through the buzz, bells and rattle of the machines. When they reached the restaurant, she said, “Adam?”

“Hmm.”

“Let’s go back to the hotel for dessert.”

“You’re on, doll!”

Adam’s laughing mood turned serious the minute they returned to the hotel room. Closing and locking the door, he pivoted to find her still behind him in the dim light
they’d left on. He read in her eyes
me, too.

Instinctively he knew this wasn’t time for talk, for tenderness. He grasped her by the waist and turned her around to unzip the lovely outfit she’d worn tonight. His ardor increased when he saw the black strapless bra and why-bother panties she wore. Somewhere in his mind, he recalled plain white underwear the last time they’d done this. He mumbled
against her mouth, “You bought this for me.”

“Y-yes.

Pushing her hair out of the way, he kissed her neck, her back, her shoulder blades, then drew her around again and pressed her against the wood of the door. Those eyes widened now and glimmered even more.

He took her mouth, devoured it, explored the inner recesses, then felt her reach for his jacket. He whipped it and his shirt off,
still kissing her. She’d unbuckled his belt, and he stepped away to shuck the rest of his clothing, stopping only to take out a condom and roll it on. Then he rid her of her panties but left on the enticing bra
.

“Now, Adam.” Her voice was raw, urgent as she took his cock in her hands. She was all heat and heart and he couldn’t wait to have her.

He gave a long, low animal-like groan. Lifting
her up, he braced her against the door and plunged into her. And thrust. And thrust. Then he couldn’t think at all.