Fighting the Undertow Page 2

  * * * * *

  Ian propped his elbows on his desk. Firm in his resolve to hunker down and lick his wounds, he’d thwarted his friends’ attempts to fix him up since the divorce became final seven months ago. So what did he think he was doing, seeing Val again? Christ, he was pretty sure she’d seen Kevin earlier, and the last thing he wanted to do was explain that to her.

  Kev had delighted in hiding Lisa’s keys, checkbook, and cell phone, but Lisa hadn’t known he existed. He’d shown himself to Abby often enough, and the others could tell when he was around. But Kev had never liked Lisa. Maybe he’d known all along how things would end with her.

  Distressed, Ian sifted through the clutter of documents. The early twentieth century lay in disorganized piles across his desk. But it was already June, and all he had were some notes, a sketchy first chapter, and piles of sources waiting to be read.

  And now all he could think about was how Val’s body would feel under his. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have sexual partners when he wanted them. So why was he sitting here, wondering if Val was as untamed in bed as her wild mess of curls suggested she might be?

  Startled, he knocked a stack of papers off his desk when the phone rang. “Hello?”

  “Hey, how’s the life of the rich and unemployed?”

  “Not unemployed, just telecommuting. I’m still writing for Historic Moments, just not editing anymore. So, what’s up, Jon?” No chance his brother was taking time out from his chaotic schedule at Winter-Corp for a social call.

  “Kev was lurking around my office earlier. Everything okay?”

  “I’m fine. If you ignore the fact that my book’s fallen prey to writer’s block. But I suspect Kev wanted you to call me. I met someone today, and I’m pretty sure she saw Kevin.”

  “No shit?” Jon might be able to orchestrate a hostile takeover without breaking a sweat, but his feelings regarding Kev ran as deep as Ian’s.

  “She definitely had that ‘I’ve seen a ghost’ look.”

  “So who is she? Does she know about your unconventional lifestyle?”

  “Val’s a swimmer. I don’t know much about her yet.” Though, God help him, he wanted to know more. “Yes, I’m seeing her again. And although she met the whole gang this morning, it seemed crass to mention over omelets that the five of us like to get cozy and roll around on the rug together.”

  His brother had never accepted the depth of the connection he shared with his friends. Or maybe it was the group sex Jon found objectionable.

  “Don’t get defensive. It’s about time you realized there are other women out there. Other than Abby, I mean.”

  And hadn’t that gotten complicated? Without Lisa, the five of them didn’t balance the way they used to. “Look, I’ve got to go. I’ll let you know more about Val when I figure things out myself.”

  “Sure. I’ll tell Dad you say hello.”

  As Jon disconnected without saying good-bye, Ian realized he’d done it again. As much as he liked his brother, they had a gift for getting under each other’s skin.

  As he shuffled papers, his thoughts drifted back to Val. Damn, she’d looked good in the water. At the thought of what they could do in the waves after dark, he abandoned all attempts to write. Maybe seeing her tomorrow would be enough to get her out of his system, and he could resume life as usual.

  * * * * *

  As Brenda walked to the front of the gift shop to help a customer, Val squinted at the order forms spread in front of her on the counter. It beat listening to people’s problems. And it sure as hell beat working for Dean, ex-boss and ex-fiancé extraordinaire. But she couldn’t for the life of her remember if Bren had told her to order fifty votive candles and twenty boxes of Belgian chocolates, or if the order should be the other way around.

  In the few hours she’d been at work, she’d cooked up fantasies that involved Ian in a hot tub, tied spread-eagle on his bed, naked on the sand, and her particular favorite, one that included a jar of honey and a pair of handcuffs.

  Handcuffs! Jesus, what’s wrong with me? After two years of mediocre sex in the missionary position, she was thinking about handcuffs? Okay, put it that way, and damned if it didn’t make some kind of sense.

  She couldn’t deny the pull the images had on her, and she let herself lapse back into the fantasy. Tired after a long swim, she and Ian held hands as they strolled along the beach. When they reached his cottage, they rinsed off in the hot tub. Hey, it was her fantasy ‑‑ of course, he had a hot tub.

  She trailed her fingers through the water, brushing them across his chest, then down his belly, until she gathered the courage to wrap them around his erection. With a groan, he pinned her against his side. As she squirmed against him in the steamy water, he tormented her with light caresses. When his lips dragged across her nipples, she let out a gasp of surprise and wriggled out of his grasp.

  Dripping puddles of water across the floor, she let him chase her through the kitchen. She thought he was giving her a head start, but he paused to pick up a bottle of honey from the counter, then closed the gap between them. With his arm wrapped around her waist, he led her upstairs to his bedroom.

  When he pulled a pair of handcuffs out of a drawer, alarm overpowered lust. Hey, she hardly knew this guy! Nope, if anyone was going to be wearing those, it would be him. And so he did. As he knelt on the pillow she placed on the floor, wrists cuffed behind his back, she drizzled honey down his chest and licked lines of sticky sweetness from his skin.

  Though he shifted against his restraints, he couldn’t push her away as she teased her tongue across his nipples, explored the ticklish spots on his stomach, and became familiar with every taste and nuance of his mouth. With him trembling on his knees in front of her, she worked her way down to the soft curls surrounding the base of his cock, the crease of his inner thigh, and his straining shaft, already glistening with a few drops of moisture on the head.

  He shivered when she coated the length in honey, moaned when she took him into her mouth. As she pulled, suckled, and caressed him with her tongue, he remained her prisoner. Only after he tensed and cried out in release, and the salty taste of his cum mingled with the honey in her mouth, did she reach for the key to the handcuffs. As soon as she released him, he pushed her onto her back, the carpeting rough against her skin, picked up the half-empty jar of honey, and…

  “Val?” Brenda scrunched her nose and twirled a strand of hair around her finger, a sure sign of concern.

  “What?” Suspecting she had telltale stains of pink splashed across her cheeks, Val tried to busy herself with the order form. She’d had some wild fantasies about guys, but never anything like this. Ian had worked his way into her blood like an intoxicant, dangerous and impossible to resist.

  “I asked if you heard from Dean. You look upset.”

  “Nope, haven’t heard from him in weeks.” After six months, she could say that without her voice wavering. She may have been the one to end the engagement, but she’d loved him, and it had hurt.

  “Hey, do you know anything about Ian Winters?” Brenda grew up in Gulls’ Harbor, and chances were, if Ian had owned the cottage for a while, she’d know something about him.

  Brenda leaned against the counter and put her face in her hands. “I know I’ve been encouraging you to start dating, but you might want to look elsewhere.”

  “Why, what’s wrong with him?”

  “Nothing. He’s a great guy. It’s just that you’re in over your head.”

  “Did he recently get out of a relationship?”

  Careful to avoid Val’s eyes, Brenda nodded. “His wife left him, and they got divorced around six months ago. Lisa and I used to go out drinking. She messed with his head, and I’m not sure he’s over her yet.”

  Great. No one could compare with Dean when it came to head games. As a psychiatrist, he’d had an unnatural advantage; doubly so, since he’d been her boss. The last thing she needed was to get involved with someone who’d had a similar experience.

>   “Okay, I’ll stay away from him.” After our morning swim tomorrow.

  From the relief on Brenda’s face, Val guessed she knew more than she was telling. If it was just a matter of attraction, she wouldn’t feel so disappointed. But damn it, she really liked Ian.

  He made her feel as if she belonged. No one had done that for a long time. She even liked his friends, although the signals she’d picked up confused the hell out of her. Erotic and tantalizing, gestures and phrases took on hidden meaning, hinting at experiences beyond anything she could imagine.

  Maybe she should skip the swim tomorrow and play it safe. Almost choking on the word, Val realized that’s what she’d spent the past couple years of her life searching for, safety and predictability. Hell, look where that had gotten her.

  Chapter Two

  Shivering in the breeze, Val decided to wait five more minutes before she gave up and swam without Ian. Not that she was looking forward to an icy dip in the Atlantic on a foggy June morning. But it was better than huddling beside the snack stand, watching the lifeguards jog by on their morning workout.

  “Hey, Val!” Abby’s green shorts and navy sweatshirt created a splash of color in the gray fog as she sprinted across the sand. “I’m sorry I didn’t find you sooner. Ian forgot to tell me where he was supposed to meet you.” Bending down to rest her hands on her knees, she paused to catch her breath.

  “Is anything wrong?” Anxiety gripped her at the thought of something happening to him.

  “Ian’s fine. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Abby gestured for Val to walk with her. “He got called into Boston for the day. His editing duties are a thing of the past, but the new editor called in with the stomach flu, and they’ve got deadlines looming.”

  Relieved, she absorbed the information that he was okay. Still, Abby’s casual chatter reminded her that she didn’t know the first thing about Ian Winters, not even where he worked.

  “He asked me to bring you back for breakfast. Tyler’s cooking, so it’ll be good.”

  Val suspected if she stepped foot in the cottage, she wouldn’t want to leave. In the brief time she’d spent with them, she could tell the friends were as tight as family, and as an only child, families were her weakness.

  “Well?” Abby smiled and brushed wisps of dark hair away from her face.

  “Sure.” Abby’s enthusiasm was contagious, and having breakfast with Ian’s friends meant she might see him again. She didn’t know if she could get this guy out of her system without getting naked with him first. The kind of naked that involved very personal noises, sweat, and maybe even a little screaming.

  In the meantime, maybe she could find out more about him from his friends. And she’d kill for a cup of coffee. The morning chill had long since penetrated the jogging shorts and T-shirt she’d pulled on over her swimsuit.

  “Ian thought you might have seen something in the dunes yesterday.” Turning her back to the wind, Abby tugged her sweatshirt hood over her tousled black hair. The corners of her mouth tilted into a frown. “Please, stop me if you have no idea what I’m talking about.”

  Caught off guard, Val tried to come up with a response that made sense. “I know what you’re talking about. But I didn’t see anything. That’s the disturbing part. As I was hurrying down the path, I felt a hand on my shoulder. When I whirled around, there was no one there. Ian was still back by the cottage.”

  When Abby didn’t respond, Val grew uncomfortable with the silence. “You think I’m nuts. Hell, I’m a trained therapist. I think I’m nuts.”

  “No shit? Ian’s fallen for a therapist?” Delight spread across Abby’s pixielike features. “Oh, that’s rich.”

  Edgy at Abby’s claim that Ian had fallen for her ‑‑ hell, they’d only met yesterday ‑‑ she kicked up sand as they walked. “You’re telling me he’s a basket case?”

  “No. Considering what he’s been through, I think he’s done a great job getting his act together. He doesn’t like to talk about himself, so the irony of him getting involved with a therapist amuses me.”

  Val responded with a noncommittal grunt. No one was getting involved here.

  “About what happened on the path by the cottage? You’re not nuts. I’m just surprised Kev touched you.” Abby shaded her eyes to look up at a flock of gulls.

  “Kev?” This was too damn weird. And strange had been part of her job description. She’d counseled people with problems so scary, they’d kept her awake at night. But something about what happened in the dunes had her spooked.

  “Look, I wish I could tell you more. Ian will tell you himself, if you stick around long enough. But it should come from him. I just didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable about what happened yesterday.”

  Okay, either both she and Abby were nuts, or Ian was not only complicated, he came with his very own ghost. If Abby’s face hadn’t been so sad, Val would have been tempted to laugh.

  * * * * *

  With a twinge of guilt, Val wondered if her red silk shirt would raise Brenda’s suspicions. She didn’t intend to mention her dinner date with Ian. Rejecting the red silk, she tossed it on the bed and pulled a low-necked teal blouse out of the closet.

  During breakfast, Ian had called from Boston, and before she knew it, she’d agreed to dinner. With the potential for a little after-dinner nudity, she reminded herself. Unlikely she’d be able to purge him from her thoughts until they got naked together. Damn, no matter how hard she tried to fool herself, she liked him. She didn’t want to get him out of her system. She wanted to get to know him better. Lots better.

  Over breakfast, she hadn’t learned much more than the basics from his friends. He’d worked in his father’s company after college. “Wow, those Winters?” She never would have connected him with Winter-Corp. Hell, that corporation owned enough sporting goods stores, ski resorts, and hotels to fill a Monopoly board.

  When his brother stepped in as his father’s right-hand man, Ian started writing for Historic Moments. By the time Lisa left, he’d worked his way up to managing editor, and after the divorce, he gave up his editing position to write a book.

  As for his friends, she was more mystified than ever. Watching Nathan and Jeremy wash dishes together was like observing foreplay. Abby and Tyler had flirted with her over coffee, as had Jeremy, the incorrigible veterinarian. Nathan adopted the role of big brother. The more she got to know the quiet accountant, the more she liked him. But despite Nathan’s efforts, Jeremy sneaked a kiss before she escaped out the door.

  At the moment, she should be more concerned about whether she’d manage to sneak past Brenda. No such luck. As she darted toward the door, her friend blocked her path.

  “You’re seeing Ian again, aren’t you?” Brenda’s china-doll face assumed a pout of disapproval.

  “Come on, Bren. I’m going into this with my eyes open, and I’m not going to get hurt.” She hoped. Hell, she was already in up to her neck, and she wasn’t even inclined to struggle against the current. “I just need to get him out of my system.”

  “Oh, God, don’t sleep with him. Please?”

  “Gee, Mom, I promise, I’ll be careful.”

  “I mean it, Val. You’re going to fall for this guy, and that’s not a good thing.” Brenda worried a strand of golden hair between her fingers, and if it weren’t for her fresh manicure, Val knew her friend would be biting her nails.

  Realizing she’d never make it out of the apartment if she didn’t move this along, Val opted for complete candor. “I know this might not be the brightest thing I’ve ever done, but I spent half the afternoon fantasizing about Ian, a jar of honey, and a pair of handcuffs. I’m starting to obsess about him.”

  “Handcuffs?” Brenda raised an eyebrow. “Fine, go. Just please, don’t get dragged in over your head.”

  * * * * *

  For Christ’s sake, he hadn’t been this nervous since his junior prom. As he lit the candles, Ian ran through a list of things that could go wrong. Maybe she’d ask what the he
ll was up with him and his friends, and since he was an honest guy, she’d run screaming from the house when he answered. There was always the chance for ordinary disasters, like dumping eggplant parmigiana in her lap while he served dinner. Or Abby and Tyler could get back early from their evening out and scare her off.

  At least Jeremy and Nathan lived close enough to visit without sleeping over. Better yet, Abby and Tyler would be heading back to Boston when their vacation ended in a few days. After that, they’d just be around on weekends. Hell, he’d known Val one day, and already his loyalty to his friends was evaporating. These were the people who’d kept him sane when Lisa walked out, who’d been there for him when Kevin… He stopped that line of thought before it ended up somewhere dark and painful.

  Before he could subject his attraction to Val to further scrutiny, he heard a confident rap on the door. “Come in.” He slipped a bottle of wine into the ice bucket, wiped his hands on a dish towel, and went to meet her.

  “Hey. Something smells good.” Val gave him a quick hug.

  “I hope you don’t mind eating here.” At her inquisitive glance toward the kitchen, he rushed to reassure her. “Tyler helped me with dinner, so it will be edible.”

  He continued talking as he busied himself in the kitchen. “Tyler and Abby are out for the evening, and Nathan and Jeremy drove home a while ago.” Her shoulders relaxed. A good sign, she wanted to be alone with him. Or maybe a bad sign, she was wary of his friends.

  Somehow, he managed to get dinner on the table without any disasters. Though entertaining a sexy woman felt sort of strange. He hadn’t cooked for anyone other than his friends since Lisa left. As they talked, he reminded himself of his priorities. Write the damn book. No new attachments until I can think about Lisa without my gut twisting into a knot.

  As for his attraction to Val, that could be a pleasant distraction. Just because he wanted to reach out and touch her face when her cheek dimpled with laughter didn’t mean he had to get involved. She didn’t want that any more than he did.