Embrace the Night (2 page)

He dried off his legs and his now limp cock.  Nothing worked better to kill desire than a look at his ruined body.

He leaned over and grabbed a t-shirt from his clothing pile.  Jerked it on.  Grabbed a pair of track pants and pulled them on.  He finished it all off by slipping on a pair of comfortable Sanuks that looked almost normal on his artificial foot.

Eagerness and hesitation twisted together in his gut as he thought about returning to the beach, but he’d never been a coward.  By the end of the night he intended to muster the courage to ask her out and discover whether he’d misread the interest in her gaze.

* * *

Samantha was standing by Mark when from the corner of her eye she caught sight of Zack as he marched back toward the beach.

Her old friend was too astute to miss where her attention had gone.

“He’s a good guy.  You couldn’t do any better,” Mark said as he tossed the volleyball back and forth in his hands.

“He’s too young.”

Mark laughed and shook his head.  “I thought you were a modern hear-me roar-type of woman.”

She had to chuckle at his challenge.  “Yeah, I guess I thought I was, too, but . . . I’m not sure I’m ready yet.”

He leaned close and whispered in her ear, “Who was it that said that making a wrong decision is better than indecision?”

“I’m not sure that’s quite the quote, but I get it, Mark.  I like to think that indecision is like running in place.  You’re not moving forward, but you’re not losing ground either.”

With a sad smile, Mark said, “Never figured you for a coward, Sam.”

Anger seethed up at her friend’s comment, but she refused to show it.  Especially as Zack neared, a puzzled look on his face as he glanced between her and Mark.

She stalked away and intercepted him.  Gesturing to her blanket that was a few feet away, she said, “Why don’t you sit by me?”

The joyful dimpled grin that did all kinds of things to her insides chased away his earlier puzzlement.

“Thanks,” he said and laid a hand on the small of her back. That simple touch sizzled her nerve endings. His palm was calloused and slightly rough against her bare skin, awakening all kinds of wicked needs.

As he walked with her to the blanket, she thought, “
Take that, Mark.  I’m no coward.
”

But it wasn’t as easy as she thought it would be to sit beside Zack on the blanket, his big body so close that every time they moved, their arms or shoulders brushed against each other.  Heat built inside of her as she imagined touching even more of his body and she took a deep bracing breath to chill her need.

Zack heard her long indrawn breath and shot a quick glance at her.

A mistake.

There was no way he could miss the pebbled tips pushing against the thin black fabric of her bikini bra.  Or the way that breath tightened the muscles of her flat belly that led him down to the smallish bottom and the sculpted length of her legs that were negligently crossed before her.

His cock went to full blown hard faster than a race car going zero to sixty and there was no way he wanted her to notice that.

He jerked off his shirt, tossed it in his lap to hide his erection, and grabbed a bottle of suntan lotion he’d wrapped into the towel he’d brought down with him.

He uncapped it and squeezed way too hard which had lotion spurting out across his midsection and against her ribs.

“S-s-s-orry,” he said, wishing that he didn’t feel as uncertain as a nerdy teen with the prom queen.

“It’s okay.”  She reached down and rubbed the lotion into her skin and his mind met his body parts somewhere nasty as he imagined her rubbing that lotion all over his erection.

He yanked his gaze away from hers, but not before catching a glimpse of the look on her face.

Am I only imagining the heat in those emerald eyes
? he thought as he vigorously scrubbed the lotion all across his abs and up to his chest.

“Can I help you get your back?” she asked and because he had somehow lost the ability to form words, he could only nod and hand her the bottle of lotion.

She snagged it from his hand, sat behind him, and squirted the lotion all across his shoulders.  The cold of it made him jump, but as she placed her hands on him, smoothing and kneading the lotion into the muscles of his shoulders and back, he shivered with need and his cock swelled and jerked beneath the protective shield of his discarded t-shirt.

She massaged her way down his spine and then to his sides, rubbing the lotion there.

He flinched as her fingers encountered the ridges of scar there and she leaned into him so that her breasts brushed against his back, dragging a rough moan from him.

“Are you okay?  I didn’t hurt you, did I?” she asked, rising up on her knees so that her face was just inches from his.

Her warm breath spilled across the side of his face a second before the silky strands of her dark hair swept across his shoulders.

He looked back at her and said, “No, just . . . a little tight from the surfing.”

He didn’t want to confess that it had been way too long since he’d felt a woman’s gentle touch.

For a moment, just a moment, he reconsidered going back to his van to take care of business so he could have more control around her, but he didn’t want to waste even a second of being with her.

She nodded and licked her lips, and as their gazes collided for a brief instant, there was no denying that she was feeling something as well.  Her emerald irises were wide and a flush that had nothing do with the sun spread across her cheeks and down to the swell of her breasts.

She squirted more lotion onto his upper shoulders and worked it into the muscles, and then moved down to the front of his chest, her action putting her front full against his back.  As she skimmed her hands across his nipples, another groan erupted from him and this time, he wasn’t going to lie about the reason for it.

Splaying his hand over hers as it rested on the swell of his chest, he said, “Since I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of all our friends, I think we should take this somewhere private.  If you want to, that is.”

Chapter 4

After so many years around men, Samantha was one thing.  Direct.  “My house is only a few blocks from here.”

But because she was direct, she couldn’t hold back from adding, “But it’s just sex, Zack.  Nothing more.”

Because she wasn’t capable of more as emotionally damaged as she was.

As he settled his gaze on her, it was impossible to miss the determination there and that as much as he might agree to just the sex, that wouldn’t be enough to satisfy him in the long run.

“That’s a start,” he said.

And a finish
, she wanted to reply, but she wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to be with him.  He was smart, sexy, intelligent, and to hell with his being younger.

She shot to her feet, grabbed her beach wrap, and slipped it on while he pulled on his shirt, tossed the lotion into her beach bag and then handed her the bag.  She slung it over her shoulder and he shook out the blanket, and then wadded it into a giant ball against his midsection, hiding his arousal.

She held her hand out to him, inviting him yet again to take this step, and he twined his fingers with hers.  Together they walked toward Zack’s van and waved goodbye to the friends who were just arriving at the beach.  She ignored the self-satisfied smirk on Mark’s face, as if he’d had something to do with what was about to happen.

She pushed on, picking up her pace, but when Zack stumbled beside her and muttered a curse, she glanced over at him.

“Something wrong?”

Zack forced a smile, hiding the pain shooting up lefty from his awkward slip in the sand. “Still a little shaky from the surfing,” he said and the lie tasted bitter on his tongue.

She slowed her pace to match his and he was grateful for that in more than one way.  It gave him time to cool the passion that had threatened to overtake him on the beach and it made it easier for him to keep his gait to almost normal.

As they walked, she swung their hands lightheartedly, and shot him a smile that was part shy and part playful.  Joy glittered in her emerald gaze, driving away the shadows for a moment.

His chest tightened with the realization that he might be the reason why.  His gut twisted because that joy might be short-lived when the truth of his condition became apparent.

But if she could let go of her secrets to explore this attraction, so could he.

Her home was a quaint cape about four blocks from the beach and only three blocks from Mark and Bridget’s home.  Mark and Samantha had served together in the Navy years earlier and that camaraderie had obviously continued.  For a wild second, jealousy sank its ugly claws into his gut, but only for a heartbeat.

Anyone could see that Mark was head over heels in love with his newlywed and pregnant wife, and that their home was one filled with love.

Unlike this home.

The lawn and exterior were certainly shipshape, but far different from their friend’s yard with the colorful flowerbeds that screamed it was a home and not just a house.

Her hand tightened on his, but it was impossible to tell if it was unease or anticipation as she reached the door, flung it open, and dragged him inside.

As the door slammed shut behind them, she hauled him close for a kiss and he went with her, driving her up against the wall beside the front door.  Cushioning her back as he pressed himself against the wondrous softness of her.

She opened her mouth to him and accepted the slide of his tongue.

He nearly groaned at the taste of her, so sweet and fresh.  He drank from her lips over and over, dancing his tongue with hers and across the sharp line of her perfect teeth.

Her soft needy moan vibrated through him and straight to his cock, making it jerk and swell beside the lean flatness of her belly.

“I want you,” she said and reached down to cup his erection.

Want and need were so far away from love, but he knew neither of them was ready for that yet.

“I want you, too,” he said and shifted away slightly.  He cradled her cheek and ran his finger across her mouth, still wet and swollen from their kisses.

The hint of a smile curled up one corner of her mouth and she gazed past his shoulder.  He tracked her gaze to the hallway and presumably her bedroom.

He moved away to let her pass, but as he did so he noticed the almost Spartan living room and piles of boxes in the dining room across the way.

“Just move in?” he asked innocently.

She stiffened beside him and lowered her head.  “A few months ago.  I haven’t had time to unpack.”

Looking around again, it occurred to him that it was about more than that.  In the few short seconds that observation took, the moment of passion was shattered.

“I think this was a mistake,” she said and stepped back toward the door, arms wrapped around herself.

He held his hands out in pleading.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean anything.”

But she obviously didn’t want to hear any apologies or anything else. “I’m going back to the beach,” she said and raced out the door.

* * *

Samantha almost sprinted back to the beach, unable to control the flight response that kicked in at the most awkward of times.

Like when she was just about to fulfill her fantasy with one of the sexiest and nicest men she’d met in a long time.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she returned to the gathering they’d left just minutes earlier. Sucking in a deep breath, she reined in the fear that paralyzed her in so many ways and with sure strides, she stalked toward her friend Mark and the players that were ready to start the volleyball games.

He arched a brow in question as she approached, but she ignored it and said, “Do you have room for one more?”

“Always,” he said and she knew it was true.

Mark would always be there for her as a friend.  He’d been there when she’d been rescued by the Navy Seals and returned to the base where they’d both been serving. He’d seen the aftermath of a short, but brutal captivity in the hands of the enemy.

He quickly slipped her into the rotation for one of the games and as she took her position on the court, Mark walked away to sit by his wife.  As he did so, she noticed Zack hurrying toward them, his features unsettled.  Blue eyes darkened to the slate-grey of a stormy ocean.

Was it anger or worry on his face
? she wondered and settled on anger because that emotion let her build a wall against what she was feeling for him.

She channeled that feeling to drive away her earlier fear and to stoke the competitive spirit that was still buried somewhere inside her.  A spirit that made her dive for balls and reach beyond herself to spike winning points.

They played point after point and after her team had handily won the first game, they took a short break before switching sides of the court for a second game.  All the while Zack sat by Mark and his wife, chatting with them amiably.  Laughing at something Bridget said which had the other woman glancing down at her slight belly bump and rubbing it lovingly.

A fist tightened around her heart at the sight.

Zack must have seen her looking over since he met her gaze and slowly rose from the beach chair, but she turned around and walked back to the court.

She wasn’t ready to face him yet and explain her earlier getaway.

I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready
, she thought and turned her attention back to the game.

It was easier to ignore the present than to face the fears of the past.

* * *

“I don’t get her,” Zack said as he plopped back into the beach chair to watch Samantha play.

“She’s . . . complicated,” Bridget said uneasily, making him wonder just how much she knew about Samantha.

He was about to ask why when Mark leaned forward and gave him a “Come with” jerk of his head.

“Would you excuse us?” he said.

Bridget nodded and Mark and he left her behind and walked toward the water at a comfortable pace.

“You know Samantha is my friend,” Mark said, hands held behind him as he stood by the wash of the surf, staring straight out to sea.