Clear as Day (4 page)

Nate’s here. He’s done with Australia and he’s here.
Delighted astonishment gripped her once more.

Australia sounded amazing. Listening to Nate’s animated rush of stories during their lazy lunch had been pure pleasure and, as always, he’d made sharing her news and comments easy. He had a knack for bringing his wanderings to vivid life and made zipping off and living somewhere far away and new look stress-free. Someday she would go to all the places she wanted to visit.

A shiver prickled over her skin.

No, how likely was that, honestly? The Boston disaster and other, less dramatic attempts at a more geographically varied life proved hopping off on a whim into the unknown never worked for her.

Come on, stop. Don’t spoil this. No obsessing about work, fears, or failures. None of that matters at this moment
.

Nate breathed deep and stretched lazily. The man made happy relaxation an art form of its own. His hand brushed over her hip, paused, and returned for a possessive caress. A smile ruffled his lips, and he opened his eyes.

The hungry heat in them launched Kay’s pulse into a giddy skip and flutter.

Chapter Three

If anything could beat waking to the sight of Kay’s beautiful face and breasts, at that moment Nate didn’t care.

She blushed and brushed a curl back from his forehead. “Hi there, sleepyhead.”

“Sorry I crashed on you.” He swept his gaze over her, enjoying how she flushed even deeper and her nipples tightened. Kay was a delicious mix of bashful and bold. “I’ve been seriously jet-lagged and road-lagged for days. Any phone calls or messages while I was out?” Guessing by the shifted shadows, he’d been out cold for a couple of hours. Not the most romantic move, but he felt rested.

His lame joke nudged a smile out of her. “Not a one.”

“One of the sincere advantages of no phone service.”

“You’re a nut, you know?” She leaned over and hesitantly kissed him. “I know I said it before, but I’m glad you’re here.” Kay was always soft-spoken, but the vulnerable note in her voice this time seized his heart hard.

With the
I love you
he wanted to say straining at his throat, Nate tugged Kay down into his arms and drifted his fingers over her spine. He had to do something about the tension gripping her. She’d stayed with him while he slept. That was a change, a very good one, but he still needed to soothe and distract her before she slipped away and disappeared into her thinking, planning, and painting. He let his hand circle in an easy, undemanding caress.

Why not say it? Doubts? No, no doubts at all. He felt it, he meant it, he’d even typed it into e-mails, but why keep swallowing his
I love you
now?

“So, you missed me?”

Her elusive grin flashed. “Well, it’s nice having someone else clean the fish for a change.” Soft giggles escaped her, and her tension released under his hand.

“Ah hah! An ulterior motive all along. Here I just thought you wanted my body.” He chuckled and tickled her side, and dove in for the sneak assault of kisses on her sensitive ears.

Want me for more.

Stifling her giggles, she caught his hand to her side. “Hmm…it is such a lovely body. I’m very fond of it.” She made a playful show of ogling him head to toe, her glowing smile making his formerly sated body wake right up and his heart crack with joy.

He stroked his thumb over the lush handful of her breast, teasing the pert nipple, smiling at her catch of breath. “I may have mentioned I had some fantasies…” He tugged her over to straddle him and stroked his hands over the soft curves of her bottom.

“Anything in particular?” She leaned forward with her hair spilling over her shoulders, her breasts playing hide and seek behind the silky locks, and she teased her body over his rapidly hardening shaft. Her eyes filled with laughter, and the sweet curve to her mouth was pure feminine mystery.

He sucked in his breath and arched under her. “Anything you want, babe.”

“Well, then.” She rolled away and fetched another condom.

She took her sweet time playing with him as she covered him, driving him crazy with soft lips, hot mouth, and dangerous fingers, until she about had his eyes crossed and he was dying to flip her over and finish in way too much of a hurry. He gritted his teeth against the overwhelming pleasure. He’d take it. They could save fast and frantic for later. A groan broke through his resolve. “Damn, Kay, you’re killing me here.”

“What are friends for?” With a glowing, mischievous smile lighting her face, she knelt over him, her blue gaze locked on his eyes as she sank down, filling herself with him, until her sleek, wet heat completely enveloped him. She cupped her breasts, riding up and slowly rocking down, her body gripping him in sensual heaven. “How’s that, Nate?”

“Oh, that’ll do.” He groaned in pleasure, his hips rising, balls tightening, loving how she watched him with intent focus in her soft blue eyes. “That’ll do.” He gripped her thighs and held on tight for the ride.

She rode him, unhurried and teasing, her lithe sun-kissed body tormenting him with pleasurable payback, her angle and pace riding him perfectly, deep and succulent. He feasted his eyes on her: her face flushed with passion, eyes dark and mysterious, her plump pink bottom lip caught between her teeth, the glossy mixed browns of her hair sliding and swaying over her shoulders. Her firm breasts and tight rosy nipples beckoned his mouth.

Resistance was futile. He caught her, sitting up and tugging her close to latch his mouth onto her breast, greedily sucking and nipping and licking. She shifted her weight, her head thrown back, eyes closed, her body slowing and her breathy gasps deeper.

Kay was close, trembling and panting, driving him on, the clasp of her body on him tightening higher and higher, riding him faster and faster.

Her
friends
quip burned in his mind. Frustration with the limbo he’d existed in, the need to come fast, the need to hold off and make them burn hard mixed in crazy heat.

He tumbled them over, pinning her beneath him, and he seized the lead, driving hard. Her eyes flashed and she cried his name. Almost there. He needed to say it now, stop editing himself, but his
I love you
caught on his groan and straining breath, and all he could do was lock his eyes with hers and will her to understand:

We’re a hell of a lot more than friends. I’ve waited so damned long for you.

You’re mine.

****

Kay had meant to ride him good and slow, doing her best to tease and please him just as long and as thoroughly as he’d done her, but slow wasn’t what either of their bodies wanted any longer, and she surrendered, swept up in his sensual possession.

Nate gripped her tight. “Love you, Kay,” he gasped against her ear, so guttural the words were more of a growl on the rough surge of his body against hers, and the beautiful hot wave she sought rose and crashed over her, sweeping all thought away.

“Nate!”

His climax came hard on the heels of hers, and he arched over her. “Oh, yeah!”

She collapsed under him, boneless and sighing. Nate had chased away her restlessness, and she was relaxed and at peace as she hadn’t been in far too long. She drifted her hands over his back.

He stirred, a smug smile on his face. He kissed her, nipping lightly and tasting as he rolled them to their sides. When he slipped away a few minutes later, she was content to drift in the glow of happy exhaustion.

He flopped onto the blanket, stretched lazily and pillowed his head on one hand. “Feel good, huh?” He caressed her hip.

“Ahh, Nate, you’ve made today a wonderful day. The champagne and pie were a wonderful surprise. Thank you.”

He smiled, his eyes pondering, then filling with a decision. A hesitation, then he resumed his soothing stroking. “Those were only the first of several surprises for you. Second surprise—drum roll please—the gang’s all here over at Spider Camp.”

Hurt swept over Kay, followed by the need to escape. She sat up. “Lloyd, JoAnn—they lied to me! Said they couldn’t make it this year.” And why had JoAnn lied? And why hadn’t they at least let her know their changing plans?

Nate caught her arm, staying her. “They really couldn’t, but I made them reschedule. Collusion, browbeating, and blackmail are always effective.” He gave a boyish smile and pressed a soothing kiss to her cheek. “Truthfully? Everything came together at the very last second.”

Somewhat mollified by Nate’s explanation, she settled beside him, curling one arm under her head. “Who all came?”

“The usual crew and some newbies.” He paused for a moment and counted on his fingers as he ran off names, “Lloyd and JoAnn, Dave, of course—damn, but he has a sweet new Mastercraft. I have serious boat lust going on. It’s got—” Warm chuckles rolled from him. “I’ll spare you the specs, but I can’t wait to get behind it on a ski. He got the full two weeks with us for a change. Scott and Patti. Christopher and Margie—wait until you meet her, how that old fart Christopher landed such a sweetie, I don’t know. Mark, Rich, Chuck and Pippa, but Pippa doesn’t come in until tomorrow. She’s bringing a friend, April. Then there’s R.J. and Olivia Harper from Florida. Most everybody fit into Spider Camp, but a few took High Water. It’s a fish fry or hamburgers for supper, depending on the success of Lloyd and Chuck’s talents. Wait until you see the surprise Ann has for you.”

Just like old times again. “So what’s her surprise?”

“You’ll never guess and I’ll never tell.” He had that impossible, pleased-with-himself grin on his face. “I am sworn to secrecy.”

“You’re going to leave me hanging?”

“Yep.” He smirked and then rolled over, giving her a distracting view of his backside.

Oh, yes, he had a very fine rear end. She sighed and savored the firm flex of muscle and bone as he tugged his backpack over and fished out a film canister from the side pocket.

Nate rolled back to face her, his expression hungry and tender. “You haven’t changed. So beautiful.” He ran his hand over her belly and up to caress her breast. “Same charming state of undress. Eyes bluer than the lake. Those gold and red strands in your lovely brown hair. Same scent of sunscreen. You’re even wearing the silver earrings I always picture you in.” He fingered one turquoise and silver drop. “Your freckles on your cute nose and everywhere else.” He proceeded to kiss most of them until she curled up in a fit of giggles.

Giving in to her laughing pleas for mercy, he leaned over her, brushing lazy kisses over her mouth.

She trailed her fingers over the strong contours of his tanned arms and shoulders. Oh, yes, she’d missed him. Capturing his face between her hands, she drew him down to a long, slow kiss. Peace stole into her muscles. They separated from the kiss on a relaxed sigh.

He stayed leaning over her, his beautiful eyes gazing deep into her.

“What would you say to going to Oregon?”

Vacation with him beyond their usual two weeks? She felt so good; the idea was tempting. “Oregon? It would be a nice place to take a vacation.” She’d always enjoyed his stories of growing up there.

An odd tension gripped him, and his next words tumbled in an enthused rush. “I don’t mean just a vacation. I’ve bought a house on the coast. I’m moving there at the end of August. I’m done with the traveling. I want to be with you more than a couple of weeks here and there. Come live there with me. The place is old, but big. Enough room for a studio for you and darkroom for me. The moment I saw it, I knew it was the place for us.”

“What?” Her mind tripped, struggling to string together his meaning. Oregon. House. Us?

“Live with me. Us together. In Oregon. I love you. Marry me.”

“What?” He must be kidding. Please be joking.

His gray eyes twinkled with joy and hope like a boy at Christmas as he drew her into sitting up. “Stop saying ‘what’ and say ‘yes.’ See, it’s easy: ‘yes.’ Just repeat after me: ‘yes.’” He tucked the film canister into her hand. “Open it.”

He was dead serious.

“I—” Kay fumbled the lid off. How could he want to marry her?

A ring slid onto her palm. A black opal, all blue and green fire, set in a silvery swirl with stars of diamond. No joke. “Why—” She jerked away, and dizziness washed through her. “Marry?”

He flushed, pain flickering across his face, and he sat back. “Wow, I thought—Well, I know we’ve been pretty casual. The fact is I love you, Kay. Always have. From the moment I first saw you.” He stared at her, his steady eyes brimming with passion and hurt.

Oh, me and my wish-making.
Horribly, tears welled and overflowed.

She was crying. She never cried.

“Hey, why the tears? I love you.” He opened his arms to her.

Stunned, unable to breathe, she could only shake her head, unable to answer him at all, with either the answer he expected, yes, or the one her panicked gut yelped, no. She slid into his embrace, as if holding on to him would somehow halt everything.

Numbly, she watched him take her speechless movement as happiness, as yes.