Serendipity (18 page)

“Phoebe, I don’t know how I feel about you getting one of those,” she gives a disapproving look, which looks scarily like one my mom might give me.

“Let’s just go and take a look. You never know, I may change my mind once I take it for a test drive.” This is my money and I will spend it how I want. I value Emily’s opinion, but ultimately the decision is
mine
.

My smile widens when Emily pulls into the Nissan dealership. I hop out of the truck the second she puts it into park. I spot the vehicle I saw online and peer in through the windows.

A tall man in a black slacks and a white button down shirt greets us.

“Hi there, I’m Richard,” he extends his hand and shakes mine first and then Emily’s. “Are you sisters?” he asks.

Emily blushes and I giggle. “No, this is my friend. I was looking at that car out there.” I point to the little sports car that is right in front of where we’re standing.

“Ahh, nice choice.” He says and begins to rattle off all of the features. I have to admit, it’s sounding more and more appealing. Emily pays attention while I look over all the extras that the car comes with.

I sit in the small coupe and place my hands on the steering wheel, imagining myself driving through town.

“Would you like to take it for a test drive?” Richard asks and pulls me out from my daydream.

“Absolutely,” I say without hesitation.

He turns to leave and Emily looks in the car. I know what she’s thinking, it’s small, very small.

“Are you coming with me?” I ask.

“Of course, as long as you’re careful.” She winks and walks over to the passenger side.

When Richard returns, he hands me the keys. Excitement brews when I turn the key and listen to the engine hum.

Emily buckles up and directs me where to go. We drive for about twenty minutes before we head back to the dealership. I love this car but after driving it. I’m not so sure I want something so compact.

“Phoebe, I know you’re in love with this car but can you think about something for a minute,” she pauses and waits for me to nod. “If you were in this car when the accident occurred, you may not be sitting here right now. Sure, the car is pretty, but it’s also small. The kind of impact you had would have pinned you inside.”

I take her words into consideration. I know she’s not saying this just to make me get something else, and she’s right. The Honda was small, but it was definitely larger than this car.

When we get back to the dealership, Richard meets us outside with a huge smile on his face.

“So, what did you think?” He asks.

I close the car door and dangle the keys. “I love this car but it’s not for me.” I look around at all of the other cars in the lot and spot Emily by an SUV. She has her hand cupped against the glass and is looking in the window.

Without hesitation I turn to Richard. “Can I drive that one?” I ask, pointing to the sleek, black SUV with shiny chrome wheels.

“Sure, let me get the keys and I’ll be right back.”

When he turns to leave, I walk up to Emily and look at the sticker on the window. The gas mileage isn’t that bad and it has a lot of the same features that attracted me to the small coupe.

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” Emily asks.

I shrug. “Yeah, it kind of is.”

Richard walks up behind us and hands me the keys. “Here you go, Ms. Andrews, enjoy the drive.” He smiles.

“Come on, Emily, let’s go for a drive.” It only takes me a few minutes to decide that this one was the one for me. The price is lower than the sports car and I feel more comfortable sitting higher up.

When we return, I find Richard and tell him my decision. A couple of hours and a mountain of paperwork later, I get the keys to my brand new vehicle. I walk with Emily to the truck, telling her that I’ll follow her home.

I slide into the seat and start the car. I roll down the windows and open the sunroof. Pulling out behind Emily, I follow her home. The breeze whips through my hair, and I mess with the radio to find some music that isn’t country or sing along.

When I pull into the Montgomery’s driveway I don’t want to get out. Emily gets out of the truck and gives me a funny look. I reluctantly turn off the engine, smiling to myself as I take a deep breath and inhale the ‘new car’ smell. I hop out and shut the door behind me—reveling in the solid thump it makes when it closes.

Walking into the house, I see Keith and Dean staring out of the kitchen window at my latest purchase.

“Like it, boys?” I ask.

“It’s Japanese, not American,” Keith huffs and narrows his eyes at me.

Aw, shit—I forgot that he’s all about American made.

“It’s not American but it’s nice,” Dean adds. “Wanna go for a quick spin?”

That’s a stupid question. “Of course!”

I run back outside and Dean follows. As I drive he gives me directions and soon we find ourselves at a small, secluded lake.

“Where are we?” I step out and look around. It’s deathly silent and there’s not a soul for miles. It seems quite peaceful.

“It’s a lake.” He shuts the door and runs down to the ‘L’ shaped dock, stripping of his clothes along the way.

I laugh and shake my head when—dressed in only his boxer—he jumps of the ledge, straight into the murky, green water.

When he resurfaces, he shakes the water from his hair and rubs his eyes. “Come on in,” he calls out.

I walk down to the water and sit on the edge of the dock. “I can’t come in, Dean. I can’t take the chance that my forehead might get infected and I’m not taking off my wrist-brace.

“Come on, I promise I’ll hold you so you won’t go under, and you can keep your wrist above the water,” he turns his back to me and waits for me to climb on.

I’ve never been in a lake before and it doesn’t exactly look very inviting. “Whose lake is this anyway?” I ask, as I look around for any sign of civilization.

“Ours,” he says simply before diving under the water.

He pops up from under the water and grabs my ankle. I squeal and quickly jerk it away before contemplating kicking him. “You don’t have to come in for long, just long enough to cool down.”

“I’m not hot,” I lie.

“You’re such a shit liar.” He places his hands on the dock and pulls himself up. The muscles in his arms and chest flex, sending me into a frenzy.

He stands above me and droplets of water run down his body and pool at his feet. His wet boxers cling to him and reveal his impressive package. I lick my dry lips and force myself not to look.

“I can’t go in there. Hell, I’m not even sure I
want
to go in there.” I look back out onto the water, trying to take my mind off the fact that he is standing nearly naked next to me.

The sunlight reflects off the water, casting a rainbow over the ripples. Dean sits next to me and lets his feet dangle off the dock.

“Dean, I don’t have any towels in my car and you are not going back in there completely soaked.” I warn.

“Phoebe, we can dry out in the sun. Our underwear may not be dry but our bodies will be.” he suggests. I look at him as if he’s nuts.

“Your parents will have a fit if we walk in half soaked—especially if I’m not wearing a bra!”

At that last part his eyes draw to my ample chest. I can’t blame him, my breasts are one of my best assets.

“Aww, is the city girl too good to go swimming in something other than a pool?” he teases.

“I’ll have you know that I’ve been in Lake Michigan. I don’t need a pool if I want to go swimming.” I fire back.

“Ohh, Lake Michigan, pulling out the big guns. Well, then I guess you have no reason not to go in Lake Montgomery, huh?” He places his hands on his hips, waiting for my answer.

I roll my eyes and sigh. I reach for the hem of my shirt and, in one fluid motion, pull it up and over my head. Standing up, I kick off my boots and pull down my shorts, revealing a white lace thong which matches my bra.

Dean’s jaw goes slack when he sees what I’m wearing.

“Come on, lover boy, get back in and I’ll get on your back.” I usher him into the water.

He jumps in and I step back and cover my face when water splashes up.

When he emerges I climb onto his back. I wrap my legs tight around his waist, lock my ankles around his stomach and place my arms around his neck.

He wades through the water slowly and carefully, so that I’ll stay dry. He dips down lower into the water, teasing me and I tighten my grip around his neck.

“Dean, do that again and I
will
strangle you,” I threaten.

“Somehow I don’t doubt that,” he chuckles.

I relax my hold and laugh. My bottom half is getting use to the cool water but—even with the heat from his body—my top half is getting cold. My nipples harden and rub against his back. As he moves, my body rubs slowly up and down and I’m near climax just from the attention my all-too-sensitive nipples are receiving. I think Dean feels it too because he stops abruptly.

Without a word he slides me around so that we’re chest to chest. My breath quickens and my heart thumps as we breathe each other in. He slides his hand up my back, moving upwards until it rests on the nape of my neck. After taking a deep breath he pulls me in and gently places his lips over mine. His tongue caresses my lips and I open them, allowing him access. I melt into his body as he tightens the grip around my waist.

What am I thinking? This is wrong!

I break the kiss and pant heavily. “Dean, we shouldn’t do this. You’re with Devon.”

He shakes his head. “No, I’m not. She’s just someone I’ve always… gone to. We’ve been using each other for years. I’ll call her as soon as we get back, it’s done.”

“Don’t do that on my account.” I loosen my hold on him.

Tightening his grip, he brings his mouth closer to mine, staring at my lips as he speaks. “No, Phoebe, I swear, it’s over.”

“Okay,” I whisper and nod.

He pulls me against him. Our lips and tongues move together, finding their own steady rhythm. He moans when I run my fingers through his hair and tighten my grasp as I arch back. He kisses down my neck and his head lifts up when he reaches to the valley of my chest. Looking into my eyes, he silently asks for approval. One nod is all it takes before he unclasps my bra and tosses it towards the dock, but it misses and washes away with the current.

His hand reaches around to cup my breast as he takes my other one into his mouth. Swirling his tongue around the pebbled peak, he nips lightly before switching to the other side.

I throw my head back and moan. He has such a talented mouth—who knew?!

I grind my hips against him and I feel his erection, begging to be freed from his boxers.

“Dean,” I moan.

He kisses his way back up my chest and neck, until our lips meet again in a fiery kiss. I’ve never been so hot for a guy in all my life, and getting just a taste the other night simply wasn’t enough.

I arch my back. “Please…” I beg and grind against him with purpose.

“Please what, Angel?” he asks.

“I need to come, now!” I groan.

He tugs on the side of my panties and rips them clean off me.

“Holy hell, that was so fucking hot!” I exclaim. He laughs and kisses my lips tenderly.