Treading Water: Coming Home Part 13

He tipped her backward to get her hair wet and planted kisses on her throat and chest and in the valley between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "You look like a G.o.ddess with the moonlight on your pale skin." His voice was gruff and his erection throbbed against her. "You've never been more beautiful to me than you are right now."

Kate had never felt more beautiful-or more aroused. She moved suggestively on his lap, drawing a deep groan from him.

"No condom," he said, sounding tortured.

"I don't care." And she didn't. All she cared about was experiencing this moment with him to the fullest, and to do that, she wanted him inside her-now.

"Kate..."

"Please." She reached between them and wrapped her hand around his straining member, stroking him and laughing as he got even harder.

"Witch," he mumbled.

Thrilled with herself-and with him-she guided him home to her. Kate had never made love in the water before and was unprepared for the overwhelming sensuality of him sliding into her as the water surrounded them. She released her hold on his neck and floated, stretching her arms above her head.

Reid took her invitation and bent his head to feast on her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

Looking up at a sky littered with stars as he filled her and teased her, Kate realized this was, without a doubt, the happiest-and most erotic-moment of her life. The thought brought tears to her eyes as he coaxed her to a slow, rolling climax that went on for what felt like forever.

He grasped her hips and pumped into her. "Kate, G.o.d, I love you. I missed you so much. I missed you every day."

The tears spilled from her eyes as he made her come again before he withdrew, his p.e.n.i.s pulsing against her stomach as he gathered her into his arms.

"I love you, too." Kate clung to him, thrilled and happy and content-and a tiny bit apprehensive about whether they could hang on to the magic once they left their island paradise and ventured back into the real world.

The next morning, Reid reluctantly left Kate sleeping in bed and drove into Ba.s.seterre, where he hoped to find Mari at her sister Angelique's house. He was relieved to see Mari's car in the driveway when he parked in front of the small white house where he'd been a frequent visitor in recent months.

They'd had a lot of good times together. He'd never deny that, but he also couldn't deny that his heart had belonged to Kate from the day he met her. He'd spent far too long running from that fact of his life. The twenty-eight years between them weighed as heavily on his conscience as they ever had, but, after yearning for her for so long, he wasn't about to let guilt keep them apart.

She was now a fully grown woman in the prime of her life, and she'd said she wanted him, that she'd always wanted him. Since he felt exactly the same way, he wasn't about to try to talk her out of it. No, now he was all about finding a way to make a life with her.

Keeping that goal in mind, he knocked on the door to Mari's sister's house.

Angelique came to the door, frowning when she saw him. She shared exotic dark-haired looks with her sister. "What do you want?"

"I'd like to speak to her. Please."

"She doesn't want to see you."

"I know, but we have a few things we need to work out. Please, Angi, let me in."

"You've broken her heart, you know."

"I'm sorry. I never intended to hurt her, but I also never made her any promises."

"No, you didn't. You just let her think that what you had was going to last forever when you knew it wouldn't."

Reid shook his head. "I didn't know that, Angi-"

"Let me see if she wants to talk to you."

She walked away, leaving Reid on the front porch to wait.

A few minutes later, Mari came to the door, looking tired and sad, which made him sad, too, knowing he'd done that to her. "What are you doing here?"

"We need to talk."

"What's there to talk about? We've said everything we need to say."

"No, we haven't."

She seemed to think about that for a minute before she came outside, closing the inside door behind her. "Let's walk."

Thankful she hadn't slammed the door in his face, Reid went down the stairs ahead of her. In the street, she folded her arms and kept her head down, apparently waiting on him.

"We need to talk about the house."

"It's your place. I'll get my stuff out of there."

"Or you can keep it, if you'd like. I'm making some other plans, so if you don't want the place, I'll let it go."

"What other plans are you making?"

"You really want to know?"

"Sure, why not," she said with a bitter laugh.

"I'm going back to Nashville."

She let out a snort of disbelief. "I thought you said you'd never go back there. You hated it there."

Reid couldn't deny he'd said that, so he didn't. "Things changed."

Mari shook her head in amazement. "All she had to do was crook her finger in your face, and you went running back to her after she broke your heart."

Reid bit back the nasty retort that hovered on the tip of his tongue. "That's not how it happened."

"She didn't break your heart?"

"We both made mistakes that we regret, but we're past that now."

"I know who she is."

"I'm not surprised. She's very well known."

"Is that what attracts you? Her fame and fortune? Her glamorous life?"

"I loved her when she was no one in the business, and I hardly need her money."

"No, I don't suppose you do."

"I'll take care of you, Mari. You won't want for anything."

At that she turned on him, her normally genial brown eyes narrowing in anger. "I won't want for anything? How can you say that? I'll want for you!"

He immediately regretted his choice of words. "I meant financially."

"Keep your money," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I never cared a fig about that, and you know it."

The only fights they'd had were over his desire to pay for everything.

"I have to say, I had no idea you liked them so young. I must've seemed like an old hag after you'd been with her."

"That's not true! You're a beautiful woman, and I always considered myself lucky to spend time with you."

"But you never loved me."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry. I hate that I've caused you so much pain. I never wanted that."

"If you didn't want to hurt me, maybe you should've thought about how I'd feel about her showing up at our house to stake her claim on you."

"That's not how it happened, and you know it. I had no idea she was coming, and you're the one who left."

"Was I supposed to stick around and watch you pine for her?"

Reid didn't know what to say to that, so he stayed quiet.

"All I know is that two days ago I was living a life I loved with a man I loved, who I thought maybe loved me, though he'd never said so. Now, my whole world has been turned upside down, and I'm supposed to just accept that and go on like it never happened."

"I did love you, Mari. I do love you."

"But not the same way you love her."

He rested his hands on his hips and shook his head. "No. I'm sorry."

"Save your apologies. I'm glad we had this conversation. At least I know now what I need to do."

"And what's that?" he asked, slightly undone by the malice in her tone. He'd never seen anything remotely like that from her, but he'd also never crushed her before.

"That's none of your business. You lost the right to know that when you chose her over me. Go have your life with your little girl lover. I hope you're very happy together."

Realizing the conversation was over, he said, "Do you want the house?"

"No."

"When would you like to get your things?"

"I'll do it this week."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Mari-"

"If you say you're sorry again, I'll punch you."

Reid nodded, saddened to end on such an unfriendly note, but he supposed he couldn't blame her. He'd hate him, too, if he were her. "I was just going to say take care of yourself."

"Don't worry, I will."

A sense of unease settled over him as he walked to his car, wondering what she'd meant by that.

Jill emerged from the shower and toweled her hair dry, reliving the day she'd spent with Ashton. He'd produced a gleaming Harley Davidson motorcycle from the garage that Jill had eyed with trepidation.

"I've never been on a motorcycle," she'd said.

"Never?"

She shook her head.

"You don't know what you've been missing."

The bike was huge and s.h.i.+ny and daunting. "I'm okay with what I've been missing."

That made him laugh. "Trust me. I've been riding bikes since I was a little kid, and I promise you'll love it."

"Your father let you do all kinds of crazy things when you were a kid."

"I didn't have a mother to tell him not to."

The statement was made in jest, but Jill sensed the pain behind it. He would've liked to have a mother to fret over his safety. What little boy wouldn't?

He held out a helmet to her. "What do you say? Want to take a walk on the wild side?"

"If you're sure we'll be safe."

He tucked her hair behind her ear and caressed her face. "I'd never endanger you. Not when I have so many plans for you."

The softly spoken words did something to her insides, making her all fluttery. In all of her life, Jill Harrington had never been fluttery. Maybe it was about time she was. "Okay."

She couldn't remember ever having more fun than they'd had cruising through Malibu and along the Pacific Coast Highway, stopping for lunch at an out-of-the-way place that he'd been to before and loved. He'd handled the bike like a true expert, and never once had she felt unsafe. Rather, she'd felt exhilarated and free in a way she hadn't often experienced.

Anxious to get back to him after hours snuggled against his back on the bike, she brushed her hair and put it up in a ponytail before dressing in the jeans and tank top she'd bought while they were out. She went downstairs to find him tending to the grill on a deck that overlooked the Pacific. After growing up on the coast, Jill was used to exceptional views, but this was better than most.

Ashton's back was turned, and since he was s.h.i.+rtless, she had an even better view of his broad shoulders and muscular back.

The feelings of exhilaration and freedom from earlier ran through her mind as she stepped outside and clearly surprised him when she rested her hands on his shoulders. Who was this brazen woman who walked up to a man and touched him without being invited to? This was a whole new woman, and Jill rather liked her.