Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Holly felt like she was in a movie. Or maybe a book. Or possibly even a TV show. Whatever reality she was experiencing, she’d never been so happy.
She’d not gone to the wedding rehearsal. Instead, she’d helped Clara and Lily take all the boxed dinners down to the river bank and set up the rehearsal dinner. They were serving sixty people because a lot of the town was invited along with the entire Mosby family.
Now she sat on a blanket on the grass, soaking up the heat from the five o’clock sun, and watched the river bend into the town’s favorite swimming spot.
This part of the river was near the old King’s Mill, with long stretches of smooth rocks, shaded banks, and calm, sun-warmed water.
Late afternoon light glittered off the surface, dappling the trees and catching on a dozen floating inner tubes and wet ponytails.
Laughter echoed through the trees on the other side of the bank, and she smiled.
Shouts of “Marco!” and “Polo!” rang from the water where Jacob and Ben were taking turns dunking Trent, who was half-laughing, half-drowning in an inflatable unicorn.
Kane was tossing a frisbee to a group of teenagers, including Clara and Jacob’s teenage daughter Georgie, while keeping one eye on Eve, who sat cross-legged under a sun umbrella, fanning herself with a paper plate and scowling at her swollen feet.
“Hey there, beautiful.” Luke appeared in a blue bathing suit that emphasized his hard, muscular body.
She’d met lawyers before, and none of them had the hard, cut muscles that formed Luke’s powerfully masculine body.
It was the body of a man who probably spent most of his time riding the hardest, most violent waves.
He was, by far, the sexiest man she’d ever seen or spent time with. And she lowered her face so he wouldn’t see the sudden flush that was working its way up from her neck to her cheeks.
“I hope you’re not getting too much sun.” He handed her two boxed dinners before throwing himself down next to her on the blanket.
She shaded her eyes with one hand. “I’m fine.” She wasn’t, but she didn’t want him to know how much she desired him. She wasn’t ready to admit that to anyone, including herself.
“Hmm.” He lowered himself until he lay on his back, his hands beneath his head. “Eve looks like she’s plotting to take down City Hall.”
“She is.” Holly peeked over her shoulder. “And Clara is in the blast radius.”
Clara, standing nearby in a fashionable sundress and expensive sunglasses, was currently arguing with Eve about why she couldn’t just show up in a caftan and call it bridal solidarity.
Luke sent Holly a sideways glance. “Speaking of borrowed clothing… is that Clara’s bikini?”
Holly tugged at the crimson halter top with mock modesty. “Yes. Clara said it was too ‘basic’ for her now.”
“It’s definitely not basic on you.” His eyes dropped, lingered on her stomach, then rose again with heat.
She gave him a smile that promised secrets would be kept. “You’re not very subtle.”
“I’m not trying to be.” He let his fingers brush her bare hip. “Wanna take a walk?”
“I thought you'd never ask.”
They slipped away from the cluster of towels and lawn chairs, stepping barefoot over wet rocks until they reached the other side of the river. They headed for the shade of the woods lining the river. They’d left their dinner boxes behind because neither of them were hungry. At least not for food.
When they found a flat boulder near a mossy outcrop, Luke sat and pulled her into his lap.
“Ten minutes,” he murmured against her throat. “That’s all I need.”
She laughed, breathless as he kissed her collarbone, her shoulder, the skin just beneath the tie of her borrowed bikini. “We’ll get caught.”
“That’s half the fun.”
Their lips met and their laughter faded into sighs and soft gasps.
The sun coming through the tree canopy heated their skin even more, and the moss covering the boulder felt cool beneath.
She couldn’t remember that last time she’d experienced this kind of freedom.
It was as if their time together was stolen and fleeting, wrapped in gold light and the smell of pine. She didn’t want it to ever end.
His fingers brushed over her nipples, and they responded by tightening into hard nubs.
She squirmed on his lap, loving the feel of his erection growing beneath her hip.
Then, before she could take another breath, she found herself on her back, pressed against a cool patch of grass, with his body over hers.
He pressed her deeper into the ground, and she reveled in his weight. Their legs intertwined, her arms around his neck tightened, and his hands roamed freely. He traced her long legs, her waist, her breasts.
Their kisses deepened, their breaths shortened, and when a cloud moved across the sun, she barely noticed the darker shadows and cooler breeze. All she could focus on was Luke’s hot body moving over hers, demanding things she craved but wasn’t quite ready for.
“Holly?” He nibbled her neck while his hands stripped off her bikini top and fondled her breasts. “Can you feel how much I want you?”
She nodded, unable to form words while her fingernails scraped up and down his back. His hips now lay between hers, and his erection pressed against her center. The only thing between them was the fabric of their bathing suits.
Suddenly, he raised his head to meet her gaze. His brown eyes were cloudy with desire, and his hooded eyelids made him look dangerous and powerful. “I want you, Holly. But not here.”
Now that caught her by surprise. She touched his cheeks, his lips, and asked the silent question with her eyes. Why?
“Because,” he said as he went back to dropping kisses along the upper swells of her breasts, “I want to take my time. When we do make love… and we will… I want everything to be perfect.”
Her body shivered at his declaration, and she ran her fingers through his hair. “If we’re going to wait, then we need to stop. Because we’re quickly hitting the point of no return.”
He sighed as if she’d taken away the last dessert he’d ever have. “Right.” He kissed her again and then sat up and handed her the bikini top. “Let’s go eat something so we can leave early.”
She tied her top around her neck and laughed at the desperation in his voice. “I think that sounds like a nice plan.”
Once she was dressed, he took her hand and pulled her up into his arms for another long, searching kiss.
It wasn’t until a nearby raven started squawking that they pulled apart, laughed at their situation, and rested their foreheads against each other.
They still held hands, and they waited until their rapid breaths and heartbeats slowed but stayed in sync.
Finally, she whispered, “Let’s go back. Eat dinner…”
“Yes,” he said with a heavy sigh. “But first I want to show you something.
She raised an eyebrow, and he kissed her nose. “Not that. At least, not that yet.”
Laughter bubbled up, and she smiled until she wondered if her face would crack. She hadn’t been this happy in a very long time, and she didn’t want this moment to end. “Okay. Then show me your something.”
He winked. “Follow me.”
Holding his hand, she followed him as he led her along a narrow path that paralleled the river. From this side, through the trees, she could see all the people on the other side of the river having fun, eating dinner, and jumping off rocks into the cool, clear stream.
“You said there are rapids on this river?” If there were, they weren’t visible in this part.
“Yes, and they can be dangerous.” The path narrowed even more, and he released her hand to hold back branches so she could walk without getting hit in the face. “See that old building on the other side? It used to be a King’s mill before the Revolutionary War—it’s how that town got its name.”
The old building looked like a barn without a paddle wheel, the roof was missing in parts, and one stone wall had collapsed. “It’s kind of a mess.”
“I know. My brother Jacob is a contractor and he’s been fixing it up, but the town needs more money to do that.”
Because she was barefoot, she stepped carefully over the pine straw, avoiding pine cones.
She’d learned earlier in the day how the town had been struggling to regain its foothold as a historic tourist destination.
But despite reviving Christmas parades, sunflower festivals, and apple picking days, so far nothing had worked.
“Look.” Luke dragged her around a bend and stopped at the edge of the riverbank. “We’re above the mill now.”
She sucked in a deep breath and took in the beauty around her.
Rapids fell into a deep ravine that fed into the calmer part of the river.
The rushing water, like a waterfall, blocked out all other sounds.
While she could still see inflatable tubes beyond the mill, where the party was taking place, this part of the river was more isolated. And far more romantic.
“Come on.” He grabbed her wrist and ran toward the water. “Now jump!”
He didn’t give her a moment to hesitate. Together they jumped into the river, below the rapids, and the cold water made the air rush out of her lungs. When she popped up to the surface, Luke held her waist and spun her around and around and around.
They played together for a few minutes, dunking each other, touching each other intimately beneath the water, until they were both out of breath with laughter and exertion. Finally, they ended up floating on their backs and allowed the current to take them back to the party.
While she floated, she watched the blue sky darken with the slowly impending sunset, watched the leaves move with the breeze, and watched as birds slowly circled overhead. This moment was perfect in every way.
A few minutes later, as they floated past the old mill, Luke snagged two unused tubes.
Together, they hung onto their tubes and relaxed into the current.
When the river curved a bit, the party came into view.
Kids playing on the riverbank, people eating on picnic tables and blankets, and others swimming and splashing in the cold river.
“Who is that?” She pointed to a man who was talking to Clara. He wore a blue bathing suit similar to Luke’s… in fact, he looked just like Luke. “Is that your twin?”
“Yep,” Luke said from his reclined position on his tube. “He got here earlier today. Oh, and I have your phone.”
She splashed water on his stomach, and he yelped. She actually didn’t mind that he’d not given her her phone. The truth was that she’d barely thought about her phone or wallet or planners or anything from her previous life.
“Huh.” Luke sat up in his tube and squinted. “Who is that woman talking to Abe?”
Holly kicked her feet to move the tube closer to get a better look. “That might be Izzy’s Maid of Honor. I heard she landed earlier today.”
“Why does she look familiar?”
Now Holly squinted at the petite blond who, no doubt, would fit into the size two bridesmaid dress. “She does look familiar… wait. Isn’t she the ballet dancer who was in an accident a few months ago? Wasn’t her name Daphne… something?”
It’d been a story that had made national news. A famous prima ballerina from New York had been hit by a runaway car near Times Square.
“Daphne Thibodeaux,” Luke said softly. “But why is she touching Abe’s arm?”
Holly glanced at Luke’s concerned face and laughed. “Your twin is allowed to have a girlfriend.”
“Not one he hasn’t told me about.” He shook his head as if annoyed. “I mean, Abe knows all about you.”
“Well, maybe he just met her.”
“Maybe.” He frowned and his head moved as if searching the river bank. “I wonder if Nana Ruthie knows what’s going on.”
“Probably. According to everyone in town, she and Mr. Elmer know everything about everyone.” She took his hand and used her feet to paddle closer to shore. “I’m getting cold and hungry. Let’s eat.”
He sent her a wild leer that made her laugh until her stomach hurt. The peace and happiness in that moment filled her heart with gratitude… and maybe something else she hadn’t felt in a long time.
But the feeling didn’t last. Just as they were getting out of their tubes and running for their towels, breathless and disheveled, she heard the sound of engines.
Not just one engine, but several. All low, growling, and intentional.