Undertow (28 page)
Í·m incapable of rational thought. I can·t move a muscle. Show me your manly prowess and carry me to bed,µ she instructed.
Zane complied and they dropped onto his friend·s clean blue cotton sheets, stil wet because Zane refused to let her go long enough for either of them to dry off.
* * *
She played with the hair on his chest. Úgh. Do we have to? Why do you want to know about Denny?µ
´Because, no matter what he was, he helped shape who you are. And the woman you are today fascinates me.µ
She brushed her lips to his throat, but her arm tightened across his chest as if holding him in place. Zane rubbed his hand down her slender back in silent encour agement. ´When I first met him, he reminded me a little bit of you,µ she admitted. Ńot so much in looks, but he had charm and personality to spare.
Everyone adored him. He was easy to love.µ
Ánd you loved him.µ Not a question. He knew her now. Knew that she·d never commit herself unless she was one hundred percent sure.
Í loved « the
idea
of him. We met at the marina in Seattle where I·d been working for a couple of years. Big fancy yachts. Lots of work and good money. He was very sweet.
Charming. A nice guy. He didn·t push me to sleep with him. In fact, he was so smooth that it was me who took the initiative.µ
Yeah, Zane thought grimly, he·d played that card a time or two with a woman in t he past himself.
´My mother had died the year before. I was lonely, rudderless, and like a ripe peach just waiting to fal for the first guy who swept me off my feet. He was the first man who·d ever told me he loved me. And I fel hook, line, and sinker. Th e ink had barely dried on our marriage license when we moved to San Francisco, and he wanted to change everything about me he·d said he loved so much.
´First, it was my hair. He real y dug blondes. I went blond. He liked it long and curly. Ditto.
He subtly isolated me from the few friends I·d made at the marina. He didn·t like his wife working as a mechanic on his high-society friends· fancy boats. I held out on quitting as long as I could. But a few words with the harbor master and I found myself unemploy ed.
´He wanted a baby. But I couldn·t get pregnant. That pissed him off. I suggested adoption, he went bal istic.µ She gave a smal pained laugh. Áccused me of not trying hard enough. I got an A for effort when he dressed me like a Barbie dol , though. He bought al my clothes, al my makeup, and told the hairdresser exactly what to do with me. I was too fat, so he put me on a strict diet.
Then I was unattractively thin, so he watched me eat.µ
Zane wished it
had
been Denny Ross responsible for al the shit that had gone down. He·d like to have had the opportunity to confront the asswipe face -to-face.
Nowhere to put it, Zane kept his revulsion and anger tightly control ed. ´That·s when you stopped coming to the island.µ
´We·d been married three years by then. He stripped me of my self-worth and dignity. I was an emotional mess. I didn·t want Sam to see me like that. Besides, Denny would never have let me travel without him. I kept Sam a secret from Denny and vice versa.µ
His throat closed. She·d had fucking
no
support system. How·d she done it?
He played with her hair, wanting to comfort her, but infuriatingly helpless to do so.
Not that it would ever occur to Teal to
ask
anyone for help. She·d learned early and wel that she had only herself to depend on.
More than anything right then, he wished he had the ability to fix what had happened to her. He wished he·d known so that he could·ve pul ed her under his magic cloak and protected her. ´What was the straw that broke the camel·s back?µ
he asked softly.
Í started divorce proceedings the day I found myself at a plastic surgeon·s office. Denny was tel ing the doctor how big to blow up my breasts, and how he wanted my nose to look. I suddenly realized that he·d changed almost everything about me, al the whi le tel ing me how much he loved me. A lightbulb went on. That wasn·t love, that was control. I realized a little freaking late in the day that while Denny never hit me, I was being abused al the same.
I got up and walked out of the doctor·s office without a word. I stopped at the public phone right there on Clay Street, looked up a lawyer in the yel ow pages, and went to the first one who·d see me that day. End of story.µ
Ńot end of story.µ He stroked the back of her hand, which lay over his heart.
Ás long as you remember, the fucker stil has control. Time to jettison the crap memories and walk into your own version of your life. How about if we make some brand-new, awesome memories to replace them?µ
Zane slid over her body, bracing himself on his arms as he looked down at her.
´First we have to wipe every single bad memory from your mind.µ
´Perfect,µ she smiled, as he eased between her thighs. Á mind-wipe « How do we do that?µ
He was rock hard and she was wet and ready for him as he thrust into the wet heat of her, burying himself to the hilt. Her legs wrapped tightly around his hips, and she tilted her hips to give him even deeper access. His heart tripped and gal oped as her heels dug into his as s.
Ít requires dedication,µ he murmured, then kissed her, a long juicy kiss mimicking the thrust and parry as their hips slapped together. ´Persistence,µ he panted. Śweat ³µ He pushed deep and felt her inner contractions as her body welcomed him. He slid out, then slammed back in. ´There·s a statistical, mathematical equation³
Ńot.µ He speared her on the spar of his dick until she let out a little scream of pleasure.
´Just.µ Pul ed out until she clawed his back and cursed. Á good come. I want to give yo u a mind-blowing, scream until you fly to pieces, high -decibel, careful y calibrated series of «
orgasms³µ The tendons in his neck pulsed as he hung on to his own orgasm with his last thread of control. ´³that « wil wipe every lousy « event « from your min d³
Permanently.µ
Holding nothing back, Teal was panting, her hair clinging to the sweat on her cheeks, her eyes black with lust as she dug her short nails into his back, speeding up the pace. ´Wel ³
if³it·s «
permanent
³by³al ³means « let·s get calib³µ
She came apart in his arms.
* * *
calibrating
very late the night before. He grinned like a satisfied cat.
The weather had cleared during the night, and he was eager to get back on board and return to the dive site, although he was tempted to blow off for the day.
But her pale, slender bare back and long legs were hard to resist. Zane ran his fingers over her bare ass, loving the softness of her pale skin and the way the muscles contracted on contact. He tried his best to ignore a painful y hard erection.
Al the inclination in the world, but no tim e.
Éveryone·s fine³Have I mentioned you have a beautiful ass?µ He dropped a lingering kiss on one smooth cheek. Ánd their house didn·t have any damage.µ He ran the sentences together as he kissed his way up the smal of her back and felt her shudder.
He nibbled each shoulder blade, then lifted her hair and nibbled her nape, before straightening. He could·ve pole-vaulted directly to the dive site. Úp and at
·em, Wil iams. Get dressed, we·re hooking up with the Berland brood at Sandy·s for breakfast in ten minutes.µ
She opened one eye. Ánother girlfriend?µ
Á restaurant on the beach near the marina, and it·s doing a brisk business this morning.
Ben·s already got a table, and they·ve ordered coffee, so don·t dil ydal y, woman.µ He gave her bottom a light smack when she buried her face in the pil ow again and groaned.
Í·l stay right here and keep your place warm,µ Teal mumbled, eyes closed.
Óh no you don·t.µ Zane flipped her over like a rag dol . She curled into his arms, her warm cheek against his chest. He dropped a kiss on her nose. Ŕise and shine, gorgeous. Don·t you want to eat before you check your precious engines?µ
She opened one eye, and he smiled. Other women wanted jewelry; Teal wanted new engines. Hel , she could be motivated by the welfar e of the old engines.
´We won·t stay long,µ he told her, standing up with her in his arms. Her head flopped to his chest, and she sleepily wound her arms around his neck as he carried her to the bathroom.
Í·ve already been down to see how
Decrepit
weathered that storm. She·s fine. I·d like to get out to the site sooner than later.µ
Zane angled her so she could pul the shower door open in the confined space.
´Hopeful y, this mess didn·t churn up the sand too badly. We·l certainly have to use the blower again. But hopeful y we won·t lose more than a day or two.µ
He slid her down his body so her toes touched the floor. She stroked her hand down the front of his tented shorts to close her fingers firmly around his erection.
Eyes dancing, she leaned in and whispered against his mouth, Ís
this
the blower, or are you just happy to see me?µ
The day was exquisite, already warm, with not a cloud in the bril iant blue of the sky. Teal put on her sunglasses as they walked along a beachfront path to the restaurant where they were meeting the others. People were joking as they cleaned up the storm damage³
business as usual in paradise. A long stretch of debris-strewn, sugary white sand was situated between two outcroppings of rocks.
The sun threw diamonds on the surface of clear, tropical, turquoise water, which was already dotted with little white sailboats. The beach was peppered with vacationers swimming, playing vol eybal , or stretched out improving their tans; plenty of people were gathering seashel s, a bonanza after the storm. Others cleaned up the storm damage from the day before.
Teal·s pulse picked up as she heard the foot -tapping sounds of steel drums playing a calypso beat mixed with laughter, plates clinking, and the susurrus of the waves. The outdoor restaurant was packed and Zane seemed to know everyone.
As usual. He stopped every half dozen feet or so for a few moments to hug/kiss/shake hands, or chat with people on the way to their table.
Ĺast stop. I promise,µ Zane assured her as a man rose from a nearby table, hand outstretched. Zane grinned and shook his hand. ´Phil ³Thanks, man.µ He turned to Teal.
´Phil owns the marina we tied up in yesterday,µ he said, then introduced her as simply,
´Teal.µ The two men chatted for a few minutes before shaking hands again. Ánother guy I went to school with,µ Zane told her as they resumed windi ng their way through tables. He smiled and waved at a few people, but didn·t stop. ´That table·s Phil·s office,µ he told her, then pointed out their group as they got closer.
The Berlands, with Ryan, Colson, and Saul, sat at an umbrel a -shaded table right on the beach. ´There they are. And perfect timing.µ A waitress was laying loaded plates out on the table, including at the two empty places.
With them were Cat and her very pregnant partner Liz, another beautiful blonde. Zane kissed al the women, backslapped the guys, and sat down ready to eat. This time, Teal had a much better mental attitude. She found that without her preconceived ideas, she
liked
Zane·s friends. Jessie, their little girl, seated between Cat and Liz, was adorable. Teal·s chest hurt, looking at the female version of Zane as she jumped up on her chair to give him a sloppy wet kiss and begged to be picked up.
Don·t go there, she cautioned herself as Zane picked the child up and swung around with her in his arms.
Źane, she·s just about to eat!µ Maggie scolded, but Jessie kept yel ing. ´Doot gen, Unc! Doot gen!µ
Teal smiled with the others as Zane resumed his seat after whispering in the child·s ear, making her giggle. He was good with kids. Jessie, like every other female of Zane·s acquaintance, was clearly under his magnetic spel . He·d be a great father.
Too permissive, of course, but he·d be so much fun for a child. She sus pected he might be a bit of a prude and maybe he
would
be strict with a pretty daughter, but he·d make sure that child knew how much he or she was loved. He·d show that every day. His children would always know how much their father loved them.
Lucky, lucky future kids.
The night before had been magical. But Teal knew sex with Zane didn·t mean happily ever after. That way of thinking would only bring her more heartache. Live for today was her new motto.
After a great breakfast, the team walked back to the marina, which was about a mile away.
Al around them was evidence of the storm; broken tree limbs, palm fronds, and other flotsam. The road was covered with a layer of beach sand and the heavy rains had washed down part of a hil nearby. But other than the mess, it didn·t appear as if any of the buildings had structural damage.
Teal hoped the same could be said for the
Decrepit
.
Śhe looks good,µ Ben observed as they reached Phil·s marina. The shop was open for business, offering rentals of smal sailboats and Jet Skis, as wel as smal speed boats and scuba gear. Zane went inside to pay for the night while the others started untying
Decrepit
.
Teal left them to it and hurried aboard to turn the generator back on and do a safety check of her equipment. Within an hour,
Decrepit
was on her way back to their dive site. It never crossed her mind to tel Zane she didn·t want to go.
* * *