Steady (21 page)

Tired of her thoughts, she went to her kitchen table, where she’d placed the copy of Will’s design. Thinking back, she smiled at his reaction to her then. She decided to spend some time on his designs this evening as a way of distancing herself from Amber’s comments; a fresh reminder of the futility of her desire for Will.

John had called to inform her that the committee had accepted Will’s design as is, and that no changes from him were needed. This of course, rubbed her the wrong way. That had never happened to her, but she was going to move on, the whole water-under-the-bridge thing. She needed to get started on creating a budget and planting schedule and now seemed like a perfect time. And as painful as it was to admit, Will’s design was good, very similar to his backyard, but with a few additional features.

Using his plans, she compiled a list of plants they could use to transform the current garden. She knew cost, and what she didn’t know she could ask the godfathers, particularly Colburn. It was his area of expertise, plus he loved haggling with sellers; it worked so well with his personality. She’d put all that into a planting schedule and put together a tentative work schedule that the volunteers would need to help them with the changes. She needed to get with Thomas soon.

She was proud of her ability to grow things, to see what could be and put in the work and time to make it happen. She stood up, needing to go outside to breathe. It always helped to center her, to remind her of the good and beauty in the world.

She didn’t bother with shoes. She liked the feel of grass on the soles of her feet. She headed out her back door, walking slowly. It was starting to get dark, that time of the evening when it was not so bright and shining, like the lights in a restaurant being dimmed for a quiet dinner. The outside had an ambience, too. The air was cool, and it was quiet. She walked down the deck steps, taking in the colors surrounding her. She thought of Will’s garden and the mister in his enclosed courtyard; it beckoned her, gentle and soothing to her soul, along with the chimes and lanterns. She was dressed in a long-sleeve T-shirt and sweats. There was still a little nip in the air, especially at night.

Soon, she had walked out the back fence and into the greenbelt. Why not, she thought. If he wasn’t home, he’d never know she had been there. She’d check to see if it was dark in his home first. She walked past Lola and Oscar’s house and the Sheppards’ place until she reached Will’s fence. She stopped, looking for a wide enough space between two fence slats to peep in, trying to determine if anyone was home.

It took her several tries to find a hole in the fence big enough for her to see in. Perfect. It was dark in his home. She opened the gate and walked in slowly, allowing time for any lights to come on inside, alerting her of his presence. All good, all quiet. She tiptoed over to the enclosed courtyard and went in, closing the doors behind her. The misters were working and they went off as if they knew she needed the burst of spray. She sat, stretching her legs out in front of her, and lowered her back until she was lying flat, full length, her hands and arms at her side. She closed her eyes, taking in deep breaths of air, letting go of her worries and doubts for a few minutes. The deep sounds of chimes eased her worries like her mother’s hand on her shoulder, telling her that things would be okay.

She probably lay there for about thirty minutes, even dozed off for a while. She was tired. When she opened her eyes, it was dark out. Her watch told her that not only had she slept, but she’d been there close to an hour. She was pushing her luck and needed to get home before he did. She stood up, slowly opening the door and peeking out. Crap, she thought, taking in the inside of his home. All the lights were on.
Shoot, Katrina, what were you thinking? How had this been a good idea?

Peeking through the door she could see into all of the parts of his home through his bank of windows. The room directly in her line of vision must have been the living room; thankfully, the sofa was free of him. She stepped out, hoping it was safe but remaining cautious. Looking over to the left, she could see into the kitchen and dining area. He wasn’t there, either. She stepped away, backing up quietly toward the back gate, keeping an eye on his home; still no sign of him.

She looked to the far right, at what must have been his bedroom. Great, still no sign, but just as that thought flittered through her mind, he stepped out of his bathroom wearing nothing but his birthday suit. And what a suit it was. He had a towel in his hand, and was rubbing it over his hair, facing away from the window. He moved over to his bed, providing her with a view of a beautiful backside. Her breath caught, hands starting in with that damn twitching again. Damn, he was some kind of fine. She’d always known that from seeing him in his cycling suits, but those visions of him in his riding gear were something different and had in no way prepared her for this.

He had an athlete’s lean muscle, but she knew that already. Her eyes roamed quickly over him from top to bottom. Why the hell not, she thought. When would she have this opportunity again? She might as well take her time and commit this to memory. Her eyes moved back up, started at the top. His head, wet and shiny from his shower, peeked out from underneath the towel he was using to dry his hair. Her eyes journeyed downward, taking in the muscles of his back, watching them move beneath his skin as he dried his hair. His back narrowed down into a firm and fine ass, which she watched for a second or two, pondering the possibilities and uses for it as she watched the muscles play under its skin. She took a deep breath bracing herself before her eyes trailed lower to beautifully well-developed, well defined legs. Bicycling had really paid off for him. Maybe she should consider it for herself.

Katrina, this is wrong on so many levels
, she thought to herself. She needed to leave, because now she was a trespasser
and
a voyeur, or, as the police would call it when they slapped the handcuffs on her wrists before hauling her ass off to jail,
a peeping Tom
. But did she move? Shit, no. She was staying put; if she was going to jail, it would be so worth her while.

She watched him walk from the bed over to a mirror hanging on his wall, still giving her the back view. He was looking at himself in it, had his face tilted up as he leaned into the mirror to look at something on his chin, an up-close perusal. Looked like he’d just shaved, too. His eyes looked up and into hers, slanted eyes over beautiful high sharp cheekbones. Shock registered in them, and he slowly turned to face her, his eyes unreadable now.

Caught, Katrina took a step back. She watched him walk slowly toward the window that separated him from her, while she stood trapped, her eyes locking on his.
Fuck it
, she said to herself. In for a penny, in for a pound; she was not missing this opportunity. Her eyes moved down to study his chest
; better hurry
, her mind said. Hell, no, she thought, taking in hair black and straight laying against skin; not a lot, but enough to make it interesting, enough to run her hands through. It trailed down over a nice slab of abs, trim and way developed, each muscle group outlined in painstaking detail.

Okay, her hands had gone beyond twitching, they were now holding on to each other, trying to contain their desire to reach for him. Her eyes moved lower. Oh, God, his feet had stopped moving, having reached the window, but another part of him had taken the baton and was now rising against his lower stomach. She watched that part of his anatomy grow, fascinated and entranced.

He was leaning forward now, his forearms resting against the window as he continued to watch her watch him. She, who now stood engrossed, following the growth of his body avidly, swallowing, but unable to look away. Finally, after she’d gotten her fill, it seemed like forever, but more like a couple of seconds, her eyes lifted to his, and he smiled back at her. Not a barely there smile, but a full one, a punch to her solar plexus. God, he was beautiful.

She slowly walked backwards to the gate, her eyes locked with his, communicating her approval, pleasure, desire, and embarrassment at being caught. Her back hit the fence and she reached behind her body to open the gate. She stepped through it, finally breaking the stare. She practically flew home, up the steps, and inside, where she flopped down on the couch. She stared into space, her internal eyes locked in on the picture of him naked and now on display for her private viewing pleasure. WOW!

***

Will was stunned and shaky after Katrina’s perusal of his body. He took a deep breath, allowing his body to return to its normal setting. He’d stepped out of the shower, getting ready to meet a friend for dinner—and maybe more—and looked up to find Katrina, of all people, standing in his backyard, watching him with more than casual interest in her eyes; more like he was her last meal before her meeting with the electric chair. But that was nothing new; she’d never hidden her interest in him.

This was something different tonight, and this he would not be leaving alone, not after seeing her standing outside his window with so much need in her eyes. It was the kind of desire that would be a challenge to harness and control, hell, to even hold on to; even so, he was sure he was up to the task.

So no more dithering, debating, or rebuffing, he wanted what she wanted, and the sooner the better. He’d watched her hungrily take her fill, and he’d replaced her standing there in a too-big T-shirt, sweats, and bare feet with the picture of her in her white work-out clothes. His body had responded to those images.

Katrina was turning out to be one complex creature, chock full of contradictions; shy, aggressive, sexy, and as far from sexy as one could get. At this moment, she was also someone he wanted in his bed. He should not have turned her down when she’d first offered; hell, if he’d seen that look in her eyes, he wouldn’t have. He was so over being cautious now; he just wanted her dark skin against his, filled with him, holding on and pleading for more.
Then what,
popped into his mind. Then
nothing
was the answer that followed. She was a woman, and, in her not-so-subtle way, she’d just communicated her want, her need. Lucky for her it happened to be what he wanted. Finally. Now.

April

A week later, Katrina sat at Lola’s kitchen table, watching her prepare lunch for Sydney. Katrina had brought Lola up to speed with her life, Darius and the date, her subsequent talk with Amber, covering the basics of the Darius-versus-Will debate. She’d just finished providing Lola with her trip over Will’s nude body.

“That good, huh?” Lola asked.

“You have no idea.
I
had no idea,” Katrina answered, her mood today somber, her mind taking her back to Will’s backyard. She stared out into space, remembering again.

“So, he called?” Lola asked.

“The next night.”

“What did he say?”

“Did I want to come over?”

“And?”

“I told him no, told him that it had been a long day for me, that I was tired.”

“Okay. And he said?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing, huh?”

“I didn’t really give him a chance. I changed the subject, started talking about the competition. You know, the expectations, dates, deadlines; covering the steps that would be required of him going forward, just sticking to the competition stuff.”

“Why?” Lola asked. Katrina simply shrugged. “Okay. And then what?” Lola asked.

“And then nothing. He was mostly quiet, listening to me.”

“I’m hungry, Mommy,” Sydney said, coming into the kitchen and plopping down in the seat next to Katrina. “Hi, Auntie Katrina.”

“Hey,” Katrina said, running her hand over Syd’s head.

“Okay, baby, sit. Mommy has your lunch ready,” Lola said, standing up, and placing a kiss on her daughter’s head. She went over to the microwave, hitting the button to reheat Syd’s lunch. Using the remote, she turned the TV on the counter to
Sesame Street
, one of Syd’s favorites.

While Lola played mommy, Katrina was thinking yes, Will had called, but there was the part that had gone unsaid. Will’s call had been all innuendo, all for moving on the desire that her watching him in the nude had implied. What had she expected from him, really? After all, she’d started this, beginning with her New Year’s Eve solicitation and ending with her standing in his backyard with major lust and need in her eyes. So he now wanted some of what he’d seen offered. She’d heard it in his voice. How could he have known that she’d talked herself down from that ledge?

Lola set the plate of food in front of Sydney, whose eyes were now glued to the TV, watching Elmo and India Arie singing the ABCs.

Katrina took a deep breath. “I’ve been rethinking this whole Will situation, Lola, and I’ve realized that we wouldn’t work,” she said.

“Katrina, are you kidding me? Why? You think he’s too much for you? Is that it?”

Katrina shook her head.

“Then what?

“Then nothing,” she said.

“You saw the man’s response to the idea of sex. It happens to men all the time, it’s a natural reaction, believe me. Don’t let it scare you and don’t run from it. It’s what you’ve wanted. You can’t call it off, not before you even start,” Lola said.