He grabbed her hips until the two were practically dry humping in front of him. “Of course, baby.”
“Good, well I’ve got to get to work before I lose my job. See you later, baby!” She blew a kiss to Tobin as she bounced away from them, heading to the kitchen and disappearing behind some swinging doors.
“I can’t even process everything I just witnessed,” Miles said when they were alone. “She’s definitely sexy, and…”
“Scary as shit,” Tobin finished for him, rubbing a red mark on his lip which looked like it was starting to swell. “Didn’t I call it?”
Miles laughed. “Hell, yes.”
Tobin signaled to the bartender for another drink. “I’m going to either marry her, or die trying, Kydd.”
“Wow,” Miles exhaled loudly. “Who would have guessed you’d be the first one of us to settle down?”
Tobin flashed him a knowing smile before downing his next drink. “You saying you’re next?”
Miles shrugged. “For the right girl, who knows.”
“Hell yes, Kydd.” Tobin pounded a fist on the bar. “But let’s start with the right girl for tonight. I’m going to pick out a chick for you.” Tobin spun his stool around to survey the bar.
“I don’t think so,” Miles said, not liking his chances. “There’s no chicks in here.”
“True,” Tobin paused. “All right, next person to walk in the door, you gotta take home.”
Miles rolled his eyes. “No.”
“Next woman to walk in the door?”
“Nope.”
“You’re never going to find your Bianca if you don’t put yourself out there, man,” Tobin teased, punching him lightly in the shoulder.
The tavern door opened and in walked a brick wall of a person, taller than anyone else in the bar and made completely of muscle.
Tobin pointed to the newcomer. “There’s your date, Miles!”
“Scott?” Miles called out, ignoring Tobin, his face lighting up as he recognized his old high school teammate. “Scott Diven?”
“Holy shit!” Scott exclaimed. “If it isn’t the greatest quarterback Slipwick has ever fucking seen!”
Miles walked over to Scott who pulled him in for a hug, smacking him on the back so hard he almost knocked the wind out of Miles.
“How you doing, Scott?” Miles choked out.
“I’m a lot better now that you’re here,” Scott kidded. “When the hell did you get back to town?”
“A little over two weeks now, Tobin and I are officially civilians now.” Miles motioned to his friend who took his time walking over from the bar, not looking as excited as Miles to see these new arrivals.
“Man, I couldn’t be more proud of you guys. What you do over there, defending our country and everything?” Scott clapped both of them on the back. “Shit, you boys deserve a drink—let me buy you both a drink to celebrate your homecoming.”
Tobin’s sour look perked up at the mention of a free drink. Everyone crowded the bar and started ordering shots and beers, catching up and chatting about high school.
Miles found himself relaxing more and more, partially due to the alcohol, but mostly due to the lively banter and nostalgic conversations with friends as more and more of Miles’s old high school buddies began joining them.
Tobin came up behind him, smacking him on the back. “Dude, I might take off with Bianca soon.”
“Oh, sure,” Miles replied. “I’ll find a ride home.”
“Don’t go home—find a girl!”
Miles laughed, but Tobin wasn’t giving up. “Come on, next girl in the door. Go home with her, okay? I’m headed out—bye, Kydd.”
The men shook hands and Miles watched with amusement as Tobin yanked open the front door, Bianca hanging onto him and practically devouring his ear. The two were definitely inseparable, and definitely disturbing.
A woman entering the bar at the same time as Tobin leaving ducked to the side to avoid becoming part of a threesome. Unmistakable blonde curls and bright green eyes looked right past him, and Miles stood quickly from his stool. He’d never seen Zoe dressed up before, and she looked unbelievable in a deep purple dress that covered barely enough while still leaving plenty on display.
“Miles!” Tobin called out, halfway out the door, pointing to Zoe. “Tonight!”
Miles scowled at his friend and motioned for him to go. Tobin gave him a wicked grin and a thumbs up before being dragged out by Bianca’s hands on his ass.
“Zoe,” Miles greeted, walking over to her as nonchalantly as he could manage. “What are you doing here?”
She blinked at him, as if adjusting to the idea of seeing him outside the house too. “Oh, hey, Miles.”
He smiled, his eyes grazing the length of her body. “Hey.”
“I just needed to grab some keys from my friend’s husband.” She pointed over to a tall man in a firefighter shirt who was waving to her. “I’m plant-sitting for them next week.”
“You always dress like that to go plant-sitting?” Miles asked, teasing.
Zoe laughed. “Yes, exactly. The uniform is very strict.”
“Sounds like I need to change careers,” he mused, reaching forward to feel the fabric hugging her waist, his fingers trailed down her side.
She shook her head, her eyes dancing with the smile on her lips. “Sorry, but it’s a tough job. It involves a lot of training, and I don’t think you’d be able to handle it.”
His lips twitched at her sarcasm, but he didn’t give in. “Where are you really going, Zo? Wherever it is, blow it off and hang out here with me.”
“I’m going to a concert with some friends,” she replied, giving his arm a light squeeze before heading in the direction of the firefighter and calling back to him over her shoulder. “Maybe next time!”
With that, he watched her quick exchange with the firefighter, a twisting in his gut every time she tipped her head back and laughed at something he said, or the moment he hugged her before she left. It was purely innocent, even he could see that, but something about another man’s hands on her, or making her laugh…it bugged the crap out of him.
And he had no idea why—which also bugged the crap out of him.
10
Miles locked his car, checking it one more time to make sure the mechanic really had gotten all the dents and scratches out of it. It looked as good as new, even though he didn’t—the cut on his face, though healing, was still visible.
Leaving the garage, he headed in the direction of the lake, needing to stretch his legs and not at all tired yet. He walked to the end of the dock and stared, relaxed by the quiet vibrations of nighttime nature and the beautiful view of the water sparkling under the stars. It was like glass, shiny and smooth, and he got the sudden urge to mess up its perfection.
Heading back to the shore, he stepped off the side of the dock into the dirt and small pebbles that jutted against the water and searched around for the perfect stone. Finding a few just-okay ones, he began tossing them out across the lake.
It’d been years since he’d skipped stones, and he was pretty rusty.
“You know, you’re not very good at that.” Zoe’s voice cut through the sound of his rocks plinking against the water’s surface.
He tossed out one more, skipping it four times before he looked at her with a confident smile. “You were saying?”
“Well, that one was lucky.” Zoe walked over to him, her long skirt swishing around her legs. She grabbed a rock directly from his hand and faced the lake. His eyes fell to her flat belly peeking out under her short tank top above her skirt, a faint outline of an impressive set of abs showing. He knew better than to touch, but man, he had to look.
“See?” Zoe pointed out at the water. “That’s how it’s done.”
If she’d already thrown her rock, he’d been so in his head, he hadn’t seen it. He held out another pebble to her. “Here, try and do it again. Beginner’s luck.”
“I’m going to chalk that comment up to you
r recent head injury.” She laughed as she took it from him and tossed the rock onto the lake’s surface. It skipped perfectly across, hitting the water five times before it slipped underneath and disappeared. She tipped her chin up, pride in her smile as she looked back at him. “You were saying?”
“Beginner’s luck,” Miles repeated, looking around his feet and finding a flat rock he deemed to be perfect for his mission.
He walked to the water’s edge, carefully aimed his arm, and threw the rock out across its surface. It bobbed once, twice, then dipped beneath the water in a slow, sad dive.
Zoe nodded as she watched it drown. “Oh, I didn’t realize what manly prowess I was up against. Please, teach me your ways, good sir.”
“Hey, I have a head injury,” he reminded her, grinning and mentally kicking himself for sucking so hard at something he’d been a pro at eight years ago. “That’s clearly why I’m off my game. Not really fair to mock an injured person, Zo.”
Her eyes fixed on him, dancing under the light from the stars. “Pulling the patient card, huh?”
“Only because I have a nurse to tend to me,” he said, his voice lower as he stepped closer to her, almost leaning down to whisper it in her ear.
Her entire body shuddered, and he felt a thrill course through him as he realized the effect he was having on her. His brain screamed at him to go back home, go in the house, and keep his nose clean. But, the way her curls bobbed around her face, the stunning green of her eyes with the water’s reflection in them, or the sliver of skin he couldn’t stop looking at…he couldn’t walk away.
She stepped away and bent down to grab another rock. “I don’t see your name on my paycheck, buddy. And there are no family discounts.”
He was silent for a minute, watching her skip rocks excellently. “I should go inside.”
Her head jerked up, a confused look on her face. Their eyes locked, and he tried to pull away, to disengage, but he couldn’t.
She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth then released it. “Stay.”
Her command so soft, he almost missed it. He stared at her another moment, then nodded slowly. “Okay.”
She smiled before turning back to the lake. “Good.”
She tossed a handful of rocks out onto the water and he watched them slip below the surface, feeling as if he was sinking too. Sinking into something he’d never felt before, sinking into something he had no business being near…sinking into her.
“You’re not going to make things easy on me, are you?” he said softly, a few steps behind her.
She didn’t look at him, instead bending down and pulling her sandals off. “What do you mean?”
His body heated as he watched her. “You know exactly what I mean.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him as she pushed her sandals onto the dock and tested the water with her toes. “You know what I think?”
“What’s that?” he asked, curious to where she was going with this.
“I think you like the chase,” she replied, still facing away from him, her fingers on the hem of her tank top as she lifted it up and over her head, dropping it on top of her sandals. “I’ve never met a Marine who didn’t like a challenge…or a chase.”
Miles’s mouth fell open at the sight of her naked back, only a string across it and around her neck to indicate she was wearing a bathing suit top. Clearing his throat, he tried to keep his head on straight. “I definitely like the chase.”
And so much more. He wanted to tell her that, but the words dried up in his throat as her fingers reached the top of her skirt and pushed it down.
The fabric pooled at her feet and she stepped out, bending to pick it up and toss it with the rest of her clothes. Wearing a simple, black bikini, she walked into the water, slowly at first, and then with a bit more excitement.
He wanted her to put her clothes back on and leave. He wanted to join her and run his hands over every inch of her. He wanted to do the right thing. But what he really wanted was her.
When the water got to her shoulders, she spun around to look back at him, a teasing smile on her lips. “Well, what are you waiting for? Come catch me.”
Reason gone, Miles stripped down to his boxers so quickly, he almost fell over. When his feet touched the water, he shivered at how cold it was, but kept going anyway, wading out to within a few feet of her. “You’re full of surprises, Zoe.”
She dipped her hair back into the water, then came up smiling. “Is that a good thing?”
Miles reached for her, catching her arm under the water’s surface and pulling her closer to him. “It’s a great thing.”
She floated closer to him, but only their hands touched as their fingers intertwined together. It took every bit of his self-control not to reach for her, to cup her breasts in his hands the way he’d been dreaming of doing since the moment he met her. The water was too dark at night for him to see beneath it, despite how pale her shoulders and neck were above the water’s surface in the moonlight, but he could imagine her cleavage pushing against the thin bathing suit top fabric.
She let go of his hand, and he missed her immediately.
“Do you hear that?” she asked after a few quiet moments of wading and swimming.
Miles listened, but all he heard was the sounds of the woods around them and all the creatures who lived there and woke up at night. “What am I listening for?”
“The tree frog,” she answered, wading slowly as she treaded water. “It’s the squeaking sound.”
He swam a few feet to the side of her, then made his way back. He knew full well what tree frogs were. “I hear them.”
“You’re a tree frog.” She flicked her hand against the water’s surface, sending a small spray of water over him.
Miles laughed, unsure how to respond to her statement. “Did you just call me a frog?”
“A big ol’ green tree frog,” she said, sticking to her guns. “Well, not big, I guess, since tree frogs are pretty small, but still, you’re a tree frog.”
“So, I’m a frog and I’m small?” he teased, splashing her back. “You certainly know how to flatter a man, don’t you?”
She jumped out of the way, laughing. He didn’t miss the top of her breasts almost breaking the surface, and he reached for her again, but she swam out of his reach. “Do you know how tree frogs pick their prey?”
He shook his head. “I have a feeling you’re going to tell me.”
She flashed him a smile, lightly splashing him again. This time he caught her, his fingers wrapping around his arm as he pulled her closer to him through the water. She bumped into his chest, and his hands moved to her back.
The water was cold, but her skin seared him with its heat as she anchored her knees to either side of his hips while he kept them afloat. He could have touched every part of her, but he didn’t. He waited, and kept his eyes on hers.
He shouldn’t be here, but there was no turning back now.
She nibbled on her bottom lip as her hands rested on his chest, and the hesitancy in her expression made him wonder if she was thinking the same thing.
“Tree frogs like the most active prey, the ones hardest to catch, like crickets,” she explained, her breathing short and quick. “They love the chase. And you? You definitely love the chase.”
One hand still on her back, keeping her above water, he let his other hand move to her face. Tracing her bottom lip with his thumb, he ran the rest of his fingers down the side of her neck.
A moan escaped her lips as her pulse quickened under his touch. The tip of his nose brushed against hers and she swayed against him, her breasts pushed into his chest as her fingers dug into his shoulders, a hitch in her breath as their bodies pressed together.
He lowered to a whisper as his lips hovered over hers. “Are you going to be my cricket, Zo?”
She gently pushed away from him and into the water, beginning to wade to the shore. “It doesn’t turn out so well for the cricket at the end of the story, Miles.”
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He watched her go. He didn’t follow her, and she didn’t seem to want him too.
She climbed out of the water and redressed, a black silhouette under the night’s sky. When she was out of sight, up the path to the house, he swam back to the shore.
He had no idea what had just happened, but for the first time since returning home, he found his mind was clear, and his heart had taken over. He felt exposed, and somehow, he wasn’t afraid.
For the first time in years, he felt at peace.
11
Zoe glanced out the kitchen window over the sink while she filled the coffee pot with water. She leaned against the counter in jean shorts and a plain green tee, no shoes or socks, and inhaled the scent of the freshly ground coffee as she spooned it into the filter. The view of the lake in the distance was stunning, and although she’d grown up in this town, this was her first time ever living so close to the lake.
Zoe’s thoughts drifted to last night, and swimming with Miles. Heat bloomed in her cheeks as she remembered her confidence, mostly a farce since she had actually been beyond nervous under his gaze. But, she went swimming most nights, and just because he’d been out there, didn’t mean she was going to change her plans.
There was something soothing about the lake at night, healing even. It was one of the few times she felt completely whole and happy, and with everything Miles had been going through since his return—most of which she still had no clue about—she figured maybe it could do the same for him.
And seeing him in his boxers certainly hadn’t been a chore.
But being so close to him had been a huge mistake—huge. She wasn’t even sure what had come over her, or why she flirted with him, because she definitely was flirting, and the only excuse she could come up with was a complete lapse in sanity when she’d seen his amazing six-pack or those perfectly chiseled lines on his lower abdomen that made her eyes go lower and lower.
Temporary insanity. That was the only explanation.
Dating Miles was not an option. First, he was her patient’s son—strike one. A big no-no, and she loved this job, so wasn’t about to jeopardize it for a summer fling. What she’d said about the chase, she’d meant. Miles definitely seemed like the kind of guy to get bored and dump the girl as soon as he caught her; she’d never seen or heard of him in a relationship at all.