Steady (33 page)

“I knew you would be here early,” he said, watching the surprise and pleasure at seeing him reflected on her face. It did wonders for his confidence.

“Yep, wanted to make sure we were organized and ready for the volunteers this morning.”

“Are we?”

“Yes, we are.”

“Again, you’re very good at this,” he said, looking down into her eyes.

“Thank you again,” she said, smiling back. Before she could finish getting the words out, he bent his head and captured her lips with his. He moved his hands to her waist to hold her still, giving her a quick but thorough kiss.

Judging by her sudden gasp, he had surprised her; since she didn’t try to leave, he went back for more. Taking her lips again, her lips parted, her tongue seeking his this time. He pulled her closer, wanting more, but determined to be careful with her still, in spite of his need.

She pulled back, breathing hard, a startled expression on her face.

“Good morning, Will,” John said as he entered their area, coming from behind him. “Oh, good morning, Katrina. I didn’t see you standing there. I’m headed for the coffee. Katrina, do you have a moment to give me an update on our progress?”

“Sure,” she said, stepping back and walking away from Will, glad for the escape.

***

The next morning Katrina left home and headed to the garden again. She looked around her street, taking in the leaves that had fallen off their branches and wondering where the fall had gone. Between work at her full-time job, working at the gardens, and exploring preliminary ideas for her own business, she’d barely had time to make her weekly trip to the godfathers. No longer able to see them on the weekends, she started stopping at lunch or after work during the week.

This was the last weekend of major physical labor. They were ahead of schedule, so she pushed on ahead to start giving the trees their new, bonsai-shaped haircuts. She was surprised by how much she liked the new look. With most of the major work completed on their section, many of their volunteers had to been reassigned to the vegetable section. Today she would be planting bamboo plants in an area next to the waterfall.

She passed by Lola’s home, then the Sheppards’, noting the sports equipment that littered their front porch. Seven children—no way, Jose, she thought. She came upon Will’s home and glanced over. He was standing in his garage, next to his jeep, loading something into it. It looked liked tools to her. He glanced up, saw her approach, and gave her a big smile.

She loved that smile; it was friendly, open, and promised fun, all of which she’d come to associate with him. He seemed to have moved up his game, letting her know that he wanted more; why the hell not change her game, too?

She walked over and stood just outside his garage. “What do you have there?” she asked, looking into his back seat.

“A statue of Buddha that was given to me by a friend of my sister’s,” he said, pointing at it sitting alone on the backseat, locked in, somewhat comically, with a seat belt. He looked thoughtful sitting there in the backseat. “The friend was looking to get rid of it, so I picked it up from him last week for the garden. Is that where you’re headed?”

“Yep,” she said.

“Want to ride over with me?” he asked.

“Yep,” she said, smiling back at him. This was what she wanted. Him.

“Hop in,” he said, walking around to open the door for her. “I’ve got one more load and then we’ll be good to go,” he said, walking away from her and back into the garage.

She sat there watching him. He was looking good, as usual, in jeans and a T-shirt, his baseball cap turned backward on his head, his smile accentuating his sharp cheekbones and those beautiful eyes. She still put herself to sleep nightly watching her favorite nude video of him, feeling her mouth on his, his hands moving between her legs.

“Whoo,” she whispered to herself, fanning her face.
Slow down, Katrina
. She watched as he walked back out, put the last load into his jeep, and got in. He looked over at her and smiled again. She did the same. He started his jeep and pulled out of his drive.

She didn’t see him again until later that afternoon. She spent the morning moving native plants from one area to another. She went to the planting shed to retrieve the twenty or so one-gallon bamboo plants that had been delivered earlier in the week. She found a two-tiered cart and began placing them on it. She’d have to make two trips. She had put the last of the first batch on the bottom tier when Will walked in.

“You need some help?” he asked, looking at her cart and over to the table where the remaining plants stood.

“You could grab the other cart, and we can make one trip. Do you have something else you’re working on?” she asked, trying to remember what he’d been assigned.

“I’ve completed my task for the day. Did anyone tell you that you were a tough boss?”

“Yes, and no,” she said, smiling.

“Where’s the other cart?” he asked, looking around for it. She pointed to the corner closet and followed him, admiring him as he walked over to retrieve it. She helped him load the remaining plants and they set off, making their way to the waterfall area. It was working beautifully.

“I really like your designs,” she said.

“Thank you,” he said. He followed her lead as she set the plants on the ground in the spots where they would be planted. Will picked up her shovel that she’d placed there earlier and pushed it into the ground.

“Let me dig and you plant,” he said.

“Because I’ve already dug about ten holes today, I’ll let you,” she said.

Will dug a hole and she following behind, removing the plants from their container and setting them into the ground, filling in the hole with dirt. Three down, eighteen to go.

“So how’s work?” she asked. “How are you taking not traveling?”

“It’s not as bad as I thought it would be, this staying put business,” he said, smiling at her. “There is this assistant, this task-master from hell,” he said, moving over to the next hole, “that makes sticking around not so bad.”

“Task-master from hell?” she said, sticking plant number five into the ground. “I’m not that bad.”

“No, you’re not that bad. I’ve actually come to enjoy working here with the competition and with you,” he said, moving on, finding his hole digging rhythm.

“Same here,” she said.

“Speaking of out-of-town trips, I’ve got to fly out tomorrow morning, unexpectedly. Couldn’t be helped.”

“It’s okay. We’re at a good place,” she said. They continued talking, moving on to the godfathers and her work, old familiar territory, until all the plants had been placed into the ground.

“I just need to water them, and then I’m done for the day,” she said, walking to a spot in the garden where the hoses were kept.

“We can take it easy for a while, coast a little, since the bulk of the major changes have been implemented. So, as timing goes, this is a good time for a trip,” she said, pulling the water hose from its hiding place in the ground and turning it on, moving it to soak the bamboo plants.

“I’ll spend the next weeks reviewing our original planting schedule to make sure we haven’t missed anything,” she said. He watched her until she was done with the watering and then took the hose from her hand, putting it away. They began picking up tools, placing them on the carts and hauling them back to the equipment building. Will entered first and Katrina followed, bringing in the last of the load.

“That’s it,” she said, handing the last tool to him. He grabbed it from her hand and put it alongside the others. She turned to leave, but he pushed the door closed, locking them inside. She turned to look at him.

“What—” His lips found hers, cutting her off. She may have been surprised, but it quickly gave way to need.
Hell yes
, she thought. She opened her mouth and he wrapped his tongue around hers.

She stood on her tiptoes for better access. He helped, lifting her, wrapping her legs around his waist. He pushed her back into the door with his body, holding her in place while his hands went in search of her breasts, working themselves under her shirt. He applied pressure, dragging a moan from her, before releasing one and moving his free hand downward, seeking out the zipper to her shorts.

His hips began to circle hers, pushing himself into her firmly, and she moaned loud enough to wake the dead. Will pulled back enough to try and remove her shorts, pulling them down. One leg got caught on her boot.

“Skip it,” she said, her breathing choppy as he placed her legs around his back, pushing into the junction of her thighs. They moaned again and Will stopped, looking around for a place other than the back of the door. He spotted a chair and set Katrina aside, pulling up short, staring at her standing before him partly naked, shorts bunched at the bottom of her right foot, hair escaping her ponytail, her mouth swollen from his kisses.

He moved back to her and kissed her hard on the mouth, and then retrieved the chair and pushed it against the door. They didn’t need any uninvited guests. He sat down, but not before he’d unzipped his pants.

Katrina walked over to stand in front of him, dragging her shorts along with her, laughing at how ridiculous she looked. He looked up at the sound of her laugh, his eyes roaming over her again, and she watched as a sexy, slow grin formed on his face.

“Tell me you have a condom,” she whispered, bending over to touch his lips with hers. He nodded, his lips going back to hers as she straddled his lap, his hand moving to pull out his wallet. He pulled back from her, trying to open it. Katrina pulled it from his hand. “I’ll find it,” she said.

And she did. He watched her, so ready; he had been since he’d stood nude before her. She handed him the condom, which he quickly put on. She lifted herself and slowly slid down him. Their heads fell forward to rest against each other, both appreciating the feel of him in her. He scooted forward in the chair, pulling her legs up and wrapping them around his waist.

He moved her up and down slowly, watching the pleasure on her face. He controlled the pace, entering her, moving her up and down. She was impatient, pushing against his hands, wanting her legs free. He obliged her and she took over. Up and down she moved, his back leaning against his chair as he enjoyed the ride. Her head rolled forward to fall on his shoulder.

“Fuck me,” she thought, and he must have read her mind because he proceeded to do just that, holding her hips still, sliding his further off the chair and thrusting hard in and out of her body.

Oh God, she was coming, and coming hard; they came together, his hands on her hips, holding her tightly to him.

Shoot, that was some kind of good, just as she knew it would be, and why the possibility of being with him had scared her so.

His eyes locked on hers, staring intently at her, scaring her a little with their intensity. He lifted her off him, setting her down on her feet, and stood up.

“You okay?” he said a few seconds later, his pants zipped, clothes back in place, while she stood trying to regroup. He bent to help her dress, zipping her shorts.

“Is someone in there?” someone called from outside.

“John,” she whispered to Will and he smiled a little.

“Timing is everything,” he said, and they laughed, looking around the room and at each other, making sure they were zipped, clothes in place, and that there was nothing to give them away.

“Katrina?” John said as she opened the door. John stepped back, startled, a strange look passing over his face at finding Will with her.

“Well, hello, Will,” he said.

“Hi, John,” Will said.

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” he said, glancing between them. “I was surprised to find the door locked.”

“No, Katrina and I were just leaving,” Will said, his expression normal, as if he’d hadn’t just made love to her a few minutes ago.

“Katrina, do you have a moment?” John asked.

“Sure,” she said. “I’ll see you later, Will.”

“Yes, you will,” he said, smiling and heading back into the garden.

***

It was beautiful this time of the morning. The sun was just starting to break over the city. It was cool and Will felt alone, or as close as he could get to it, living in the city. He’d gotten up early this morning, had left Katrina in her bed and gone home and showered. He needed this ride before the roads became too crowded with vehicles and other cyclists. Cars didn’t much care for bikes, and Lance Armstrong couldn’t change that fact, although they were a little more tolerant nowadays. Until you got in the way, that is. He was careful. He needed a break from work, the gardens, and, after yesterday, last night, and this morning, from Katrina. He needed some alone time with his thoughts.

He loved this part of Texas; it had enough hills to challenge even the most experienced rider. He had ridden his bike in some of the most beautiful places around the world, but they couldn’t compare to the Texas hill country, at least for him.

Amazing was the only word he’d found to describe the night he spent with her. He still couldn’t believe the person he knew now was the same woman he rarely noticed ten months earlier.