Delicious Do-Over (7 page)

Her mind drew back to that long-ago night, and she wondered why he’d singled her out. This wasn’t the first time she’d reflected on the puzzle. There had been well over a hundred women at the pool, most of them wearing teeny tiny bikinis. Either braver or drunker than the rest, a few of the women had jumped into the pool and tossed their tops onto the deck.

Even Mia and Shelby had gotten into the spirit of the week and splurged on thong bikinis. Next to them, practically swimming in her oversized white cover-up, Lindsey had looked like their den mother. Yet when hotel security had forced everyone to scatter, she’d been the one who Rick had whisked away, dragging her along the beach, laughing and running until she couldn’t breathe.

“Damn, this stop is going to cost us,” he said, applying the brakes.

She whipped her gaze to the road and saw that the light had turned red at the intersection.

He shifted gears, and twisted around to face her. He leaned in, resting his arm on the back of her seat, and kissed her shoulder. The light rasp of his stubbly chin against her skin made her quiver.

When he gazed at her, she caught a whiff of his minty breath and smiled.

“What’s that for?”

“What?”

“This,” he said, and traced the outline of her lips with the tip of his forefinger. “So soft and innocent,” he murmured, and briefly pressed a tender kiss to her mouth.

Her eyes fluttered closed, and then abruptly opened when his words sunk in. “Innocent?”

He stole another quick kiss and winked. “How can you look this good first thing in the morning?”

Ha, she couldn’t imagine what a wreck she was. Why hadn’t she pulled herself together before the sky had started getting light? She finger-combed her hair, and flipped down the visor, praying for a mirror so she could dab away the inevitable black smudges under her eyes.

He caught her chin, and brought her face back to his. He stared into her eyes for an endless moment, then lowered his gaze to her mouth. “You’re perfect,” he said. “Don’t change a thing.”

She gave a nervous laugh, and swatted away his hand. “Innocent,” she said, in case he thought she’d forgotten the absurd remark. “Right.”

Rick returned his hands to the wheel. “Would that be a crime?”

“No, but you of all people know better,” she said quietly, the heat rushing to her face.

She wasn’t sorry for what had happened the night they met, but she had wondered what he thought of a woman who’d have sex with him only four hours after meeting him. It didn’t matter that so many people her age seemed to place little importance on casual hookups. What she’d done had been completely out of character. Now that she’d given him a hint of her upbringing, she couldn’t imagine what he was thinking. That she’d rebelled and slept with every guy she met? Oh, God, she’d basically sent out a booty call on Facebook.

She stared straight ahead, saw the light turn green, felt the Jeep jerk into gear. She wanted to look at him…no, she couldn’t. Not now.

But when he steered the Jeep to the shoulder of the road and cut the engine, she turned her head to meet his warm concerned eyes.

He said nothing, only cupped a hand behind her neck and drew her close. His mouth touched hers. With firm, closed lips, he grazed the corners of her mouth, slanted his head and pressed harder. Then he let her go, just when she wanted more.

She stared at him as he got them back on the highway. He seemed pleased with himself, pleased with the whole situation, and she had to wonder about that. She’d put herself in this man’s hands. Sensible, responsible Lindsey was in a car, headed who knew where, with a veritable stranger and she felt completely safe. What was it about him that made her bend all her rules? She’d have said it was out of character again, but that excuse only worked once. She’d planned this. Hoped for it, dreamt of it. Perhaps her assumptions about her character needed a fresh look.

She leaned back in her seat, her smile as pleased as Rick’s.

He pulled the Jeep into the last lookout before Sea Life Park, and killed the engine. “We missed it,” he said, shrugging.

“I somehow got that impression.” Lindsey grinned, and focused on a couple of bodysurfers who were taking advantage of the moderate swells. “It’s still beautiful. What was that last beach we passed? There were a whole bunch of kids in the water. Is today a local holiday?”

“No, but kids here always seem to find time to sneak off to the beach before or after school, especially if the waves are hitting over five feet. Sandy breaks near shore which is good for bodysurfers and boogie boarders. On weekends the place is packed.”

“Do you bodysurf, too?”

Rick looked at her and laughed. “No.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Why is that funny?”

He wasn’t insulted because she didn’t understand the sport or culture. “Let’s see, how can I explain it?” He considered it for a few seconds, and then, controlling a smile, he took her small soft hand and pressed it between his palms. “Okay, pretend we’ve just met. I like you, you like me, we’re walking along the beach and I take your hand. It’s kind of like testing the water, maybe wading up to your waist, splashing around, whatever.”

“Okay,” she drawled, her brows arched in amusement.

He linked their fingers, their palms meeting. He regretted his was scratchy from working on his new board design, but she didn’t seem to mind. “Say we walk for half an hour, talking, and we’re starting to like each other more. We stop and I put my arms around you.” The gearshift was in the way. “Wanna get out of the car for a better look at the bay?”

“Sure.” She frowned a little. “But what does this have to do—?”

“Ah.” He held up a finger. “Don’t be impatient,” he said and climbed out of the Jeep.

Her lips pursed, she slipped out of the passenger side, and warily met him where he waited, leaning against the hood, his legs spread.

He pulled her close and looped his hands around her waist. She tilted her head back to look up at him, and he felt the quickening of her heart against his chest, echoing his own. “This feels nice. Agreed?”

She slowly nodded, a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. “I thought we were going to get a better look.”

“We will, but I’m trying to give you an analogy here,” he said with a straight face. “Okay, at this point we’ve decided to get our hair wet, swim a few laps.” He lowered his head, allowed his mouth to lightly brush hers, lifted and then settled again more firmly. He moved his head, just enough to assert more pressure and coax an opening. She trembled a little, which only made him impatient to sample more than her lips, but he stuck to the lesson plan.

With the tip of his tongue he teased and tasted until he knew she was ready, and then slid his tongue inside, slowly, making a thorough sweep, showing her how much he wanted her, yet letting her know that they were just getting started.

Before he got ahead of himself, he stopped and set her at arm’s length.

She gazed up at him with wide startled eyes, her lips damp from his mouth. “What’s next?” she asked in a breathy voice.

“We like swimming. It’s fun, but the waves have kicked up and we see some other people bodysurfing,” he said, his own voice huskier. “And we think, hey, that looks like fun.” He shot a look down Kalanianaole Highway. So far no cars had sped by them but they were still too much out in the open. “Come here,” he said, taking her hand and leading her to an outcropping of black lava rock.

He found a portion of the cliff that wouldn’t scratch the hell out of his back yet still offered a modicum of privacy. Below them about fifty feet, the waves crashed against the rocks. She glanced down, but didn’t seem bothered by the height or the turbulent water. He positioned them a safe distance from the edge, his back to the rock wall.

“The swimming was nice, and in fact, we’ll do more of that,” he said, trying to keep a straight face when she looked at him as if he’d been underwater too long, his brain deprived of oxygen. “But it’s time to try bodysurfing. You with me?”

“You’re crazy. You do know that, right?”

Grinning, he found the hem of her tank top and slid both hands beneath the fabric.

She jerked back, glanced over her shoulder, tried halfheartedly to push him away.

“We’re fine.” He cupped both breasts, easily zeroing in on her already hard nipples through the bra. “Hmm, we like bodysurfing,” he said, sliding his fingers inside the silky cups.

Lindsey let out a shaky laugh. “You’re seconds away from a straitjacket.”

He rubbed his thumb across the hot beaded flesh, his body tightening with need. “Bummer, that would seriously put a kink on bodysurfing.”

“Rick, we shouldn’t—” Her lashes briefly lowered, and she made a soft whimpering sound as she moved against his fingers.

He pushed up her top, slid the cup aside and took her nipple into his mouth. He suckled deeply, nibbled lightly and then rolled his tongue over the rosy nub. She tensed, then murmured something about a car coming. He’d checked. They were in the clear, especially with the Jeep shielding them from passing traffic.

But he cooled it anyway, forced himself to tear his mouth away. He’d gotten uncomfortably hard and it was going to be one hell of a long ride back to her hotel. Digging deep for willpower, he pulled her tank top back down. And stared into her dazed eyes. Down at her soft innocent mouth.

Guilt flared inside him. Dammit. No reason to feel guilty just because he’d been given a part of the puzzle. So she’d had a strict upbringing. Lindsey had certainly learned all she needed to know about sex along the way. She was a grown woman. She’d put the call out to him on Facebook. Lindsey was no virgin and she hadn’t contacted him to take her sightseeing.

Still, he’d come on pretty strong. He’d gone straight for the sweet spot. She wasn’t that type of woman. He shook his head at the notion, but it was true. Lindsey was different. He really liked that about her. Not the kind of like that lasted only a couple of nights. She deserved more than being felt up on the side of the highway.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, touching his waist.

“I’m hungry.” He adjusted her tank top, and refused to look at her hard nipples poking at the stretchy material. “Let’s go get breakfast. Then I’ll take you back to the hotel.”

She nervously moistened her lips. “What about…our lesson?”

He shook his head. “It was a dumb idea.”

And still, she found something to fret about. Such a pathetic Lindsey thing to do. Maybe that was the problem. He was tired of her. Maybe he’d figured out that the woman he knew as Jill didn’t exist.

“Have your friends texted you back yet?” he asked, and signaled the waitress for the check.

Lindsey got her phone out of her purse at the same time she took out her wallet. “No, but it doesn’t matter. Just drop me off at the hotel.”

He paused in the middle of pushing his plate aside. Frowning, he met her eyes. “Drop you off?”

She looked away. “I’m sure you have other things to do today,” she said, sounding deceptively unconcerned.

“I thought you were coming to the North Shore with me.”

The waitress interrupted them by bringing the check. Lindsey reached for it, but Rick was too fast.

“It’s my turn,” she stubbornly reminded him.

He ignored her, and after a quick glance at the total, returned the check to the waitress along with some folded bills. “Keep the change,” he told the woman, and then said to Lindsey, “You ready?”

Once out of the booth, she was surprised when he took her hand. He silently led her out of the restaurant, to the passenger side of the Jeep, and opened the door for her.

When he got in, he didn’t start the engine. Instead, he put on his sunglasses and turned to her. “I understand that you’re only here for a week,” he said. “You probably have other plans with your friends.”

“Not really,” she said slowly, not sure where he was going with this. “It’s just that we haven’t talked much yet.”

“Look, I’ll admit it. I’m a selfish bastard. I was hoping we’d have the whole week together. If I’ve been too pushy, I apologize.”

“No,” she said, pleased by his honesty and that she’d worried for nothing. “You haven’t.”

“It’s not about sex, either. Naturally, I wouldn’t turn it down.” He shrugged and smiled, when she gave him an arched look. “I’m just saying…”

She silently congratulated herself for not blushing or flinching. “Saying what exactly?” she asked calmly, reminding herself that she was the warrior, Jill. “That if I open the door, you’ll walk in and help yourself?”

His brows went up in surprise, and he chuckled. “Yeah, pretty much.”

“Okay, then.”

“Okay, what?” He leaned back, looking totally relaxed, peering at her through the dark lenses.

“What I’m hearing is that you’re letting me call the shots.”

He hesitated. “Go on.”

She couldn’t see his eyes, of course, but she heard the amusement in his voice, saw a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “First, I have to stop someplace where I can buy a pair of sunglasses. Then I want to go back to the hotel and shower.” She paused, enjoying the slight tensing of his jaw, the hopeful way his brows arched. “Alone,” she said, and when his lips puckered with disappointment, she stupidly added, “Sorry.”

Darn it. She didn’t have to apologize. She was in charge. No, she was
taking
charge. Just like Jill would do. Or Mia, or Shelby. But she wouldn’t beat herself up. She had to accept that the new Lindsey was a work in progress. Shedding her old skin couldn’t happen overnight. She’d already taken the important step of quitting her job and leaving her old boring life behind. This wasn’t simply a new chapter, but a new beginning.

She squared her shoulders. “I do have to find out what’s going on with my friends, but I also want to go to the North Shore with you.”

“I should’ve said something sooner, but they’re welcome to come along.”

She had to smile at his obvious lack of enthusiasm. Though she understood. She loved them both to pieces, but she didn’t particularly want to share Rick with them. Besides, she figured they were having reunions of their own.

As if he’d read her mind, he said, “I’m guessing they’ve found better things to do than hang with us.”

“One would hope. This week is going to go by fast enough.”

“Yep.” He started the engine. “Store first, then the hotel.”

“No.” Lindsey shook her head and leaned toward him. “First this.” She braced her hand on his hard thigh, and kissed him on the mouth.

He didn’t move. Didn’t try to intensify the kiss when she kept it light. In fact, she got the impression that he wanted her to have complete control. And to her amazement, she had the feeling she could really get used to that.