Breaking Free

Hawk leaned back against the car and folded his arms. He glanced toward the public restroom where Zoe had gone to change into her swimsuit. A man hauling a cooler trudged past, his beach bag laden wife following close behind, holding the hands of two little girls.

  The woman paused to lift one of the children onto her hip, then grabbed the other child’s hand and moved on.

  The little girl reminded him of Katie Beth and he smiled. How had Zoe, with her leg injury, gotten along hauling Katie Beth like that? With the rapport she had with her niece, he’d lay odds she’d done it often. Even imagining her lifting the added weight of a toddler made him anxious. Why was he even thinking about this stuff?

  He jerked his thoughts away from the question and glanced at his watch. The run-by at the hospital had made them a little late, but they were okay, he’d built in some crunch time. How would Zoe react to other people seeing her leg? She’d been quiet on the way here and he’d read tension in her face, though she’d tried to shake it off. He had watched her mentally bracing herself in the car even before he’d pulled into the parking lot. Closing his eyes, he rolled his neck to loosen the taut muscles there and tilted his face to the sun. She could do this. She was stronger than she thought. Besides it would do her good to check out Mission Beach and soak up some sun. They both needed a break from the hospital.

  The injury, much worse than he had expected, had left the lower half of her leg looking fragile and thin, smaller than the other. But it wasn’t nearly as unsightly as she imagined. Rectangular shaped skin grafts covered the injury like a patchwork quilt. The similarly shaped scars on her buttocks and thighs, where they had harvested tissue, were only a little lighter than the rest of her skin.

  Every time he looked at her leg his stomach went hollow with pain. He wanted to punch something. Preferably the man responsible for every minute of suffering she’d had to experience. But the bastard was out of reach. Frustration brought a knot to his stomach.

  He pushed it away as he heard the distinct cadence of Zoe’s walk. He kept his eyes closed preparing himself for his first glimpse of her in a bathing suit. She’d be beautiful, scars and all.

  “Hello, sailor, want to go for a boat ride?” Her voice held a husky note that had him smiling, though he could detect a slight nervous shake in her tone.

  He opened his eyes and focused on her flushed face first before sliding his gaze downward. The bathing suit top, covered with hot pink flowers, cupped the generous swell of her breasts and dipped between. Her skin looked smooth as cream and a physical response to the sight raced downward instantly. “Hooyah--”

  She laughed at his murmured response. “I’m so glad you’re a breast man.”

  As his gaze dipped lower over the slender indention of her belly and the graceful swell of her hips, his arousal intensified. The sheer wrap-around skirt that matched the suit hung low on her hips covering her bad leg, but showing the other. “I think I must be an anything, anytime, anywhere man where you’re concerned, sweetheart.” He caught her around the waist and brought her close so she could feel it for herself. His lips skimmed her brow.

  Zoe’s cheeks colored and her eyes darkened. “That could get us arrested,” she teased.

  His hand ran down her back to the edge of her suit bottom. “It might be worth it.” A smile tugged at his lips. ”But then you’d miss the parasailing adventure I’ve booked for us, and I want you to experience it, Zoe.” He hit the mechanism on his car keys to open the Saturn’s trunk and put in her clothes.