form a whole woman out of the one she should have been and the shattered one Billy Reese had left behind.
She’d driven him to jogging.
With one hand, Mark cradled the stitch in his side and slowed to a walk along the bay front. Low cloud cover shrouded the horizon, but the sun peeked through in pink and golden rays. A soft breeze ruffled the palms lining the bay. He dragged in deep breaths of damp, salty air and rubbed at his gritty eyes with his free hand. For most of the night, he’d stared at the ceiling, imagining he could hear the rustle of her sheets next door. Finally, before dawn, his crawling nerves had forced him out of bed, seeking an outlet.
In his head, her voice echoed, pushing and enticing him all at once. She’d let him kiss her because she wanted it. Once she’d said that, all his willpower had ended up focused on not pulling her into his arms and doing it again. He’d wanted her close, mouth under his, hands on him.
Oh man, she was dangerous to a guy’s sanity. She made him think about the stuff that scared him to death—trying to please her, getting close, making promises that involved forever. Maybe even doing the whole marriage and fatherhood route.
Hell, no. Never. No way would he go through that loss once more.
Look at Tick. Willing to risk his life because he couldn’t stand the thought of endangering Falconetti, because he knew without her life was nothing. Mark had ended up with nothing and he couldn’t chance that again. No matter how much Tori’s smile and the feel of her mouth under his made him want to.
Mark tried to straighten the knot in his tie. The lack of sleep lingered, making him feel like he slogged through mud. Biting back a frustrated growl, he tugged the tie loose and started over. He hated wearing a suit. Even moving to the next hole in his belt didn’t make up for this.
The buzz of a hair dryer next door filtered through the wall and he closed his eyes, gripping the ends of the tie. Wonder if she had one of those silky little robes? Or maybe did the hair and makeup thing in her undies. Oh God. He didn’t need this.
Opening his eyes, he attacked the tie again and finally subdued it into a neat knot. After securing his tie tack, he rapped on the connecting door.
The dryer stopped. “Yes?”
He cleared his throat. “I’m going to walk over to the office and get some coffee. When do you want me to meet you back here?”
“Um…I’m almost ready. I’ll just pick you up there. Okay?” A sleepy note husked her voice.
“You’re sure?”
“I can cross a parking lot by myself. I do it at Winn Dixie at least once a week, you know. Sheesh.” Irritation cleared the throaty tone.
He swallowed a laugh. “Sure. See you in a few.”
Outside, the morning remained still. San Marco Avenue held little traffic this early, foot or vehicle. A housekeeper pushed a cleaning cart along the second-story balcony. Mark eyed the sailboats bobbing in the bay. Now, that was the way to go. Tick could keep his bass boat.
If he lived long enough.
Mark shrugged off the thought. When he got home, he fully intended to knock some sense into Tick’s stubborn ass. He wasn’t waiting two weeks.
A different clerk manned the front desk this morning, a young blonde who smiled at him while she checked out an elderly couple. What the motel called a continental breakfast was laid out on a small table in the corner, next to a television playing the local morning news. He surveyed the selection of doughnuts, cinnamon rolls and mini-bagels. Shaking his head, he filled a foam cup with coffee and added artificial sweetener. He missed his creamer too.
Taking a cautious sip of the steaming liquid, he reached for a tiny whole-wheat bagel. A dry, probably stale bagel, with no cream cheese. Maybe he could pretend it was a breakfast sandwich from the Tank and Tummy, full of eggs, cheese, bacon and an artery-clogging amount of cholesterol.
“Is there any juice?” Tori asked behind him.
He
She’d driven him to jogging.
With one hand, Mark cradled the stitch in his side and slowed to a walk along the bay front. Low cloud cover shrouded the horizon, but the sun peeked through in pink and golden rays. A soft breeze ruffled the palms lining the bay. He dragged in deep breaths of damp, salty air and rubbed at his gritty eyes with his free hand. For most of the night, he’d stared at the ceiling, imagining he could hear the rustle of her sheets next door. Finally, before dawn, his crawling nerves had forced him out of bed, seeking an outlet.
In his head, her voice echoed, pushing and enticing him all at once. She’d let him kiss her because she wanted it. Once she’d said that, all his willpower had ended up focused on not pulling her into his arms and doing it again. He’d wanted her close, mouth under his, hands on him.
Oh man, she was dangerous to a guy’s sanity. She made him think about the stuff that scared him to death—trying to please her, getting close, making promises that involved forever. Maybe even doing the whole marriage and fatherhood route.
Hell, no. Never. No way would he go through that loss once more.
Look at Tick. Willing to risk his life because he couldn’t stand the thought of endangering Falconetti, because he knew without her life was nothing. Mark had ended up with nothing and he couldn’t chance that again. No matter how much Tori’s smile and the feel of her mouth under his made him want to.
Mark tried to straighten the knot in his tie. The lack of sleep lingered, making him feel like he slogged through mud. Biting back a frustrated growl, he tugged the tie loose and started over. He hated wearing a suit. Even moving to the next hole in his belt didn’t make up for this.
The buzz of a hair dryer next door filtered through the wall and he closed his eyes, gripping the ends of the tie. Wonder if she had one of those silky little robes? Or maybe did the hair and makeup thing in her undies. Oh God. He didn’t need this.
Opening his eyes, he attacked the tie again and finally subdued it into a neat knot. After securing his tie tack, he rapped on the connecting door.
The dryer stopped. “Yes?”
He cleared his throat. “I’m going to walk over to the office and get some coffee. When do you want me to meet you back here?”
“Um…I’m almost ready. I’ll just pick you up there. Okay?” A sleepy note husked her voice.
“You’re sure?”
“I can cross a parking lot by myself. I do it at Winn Dixie at least once a week, you know. Sheesh.” Irritation cleared the throaty tone.
He swallowed a laugh. “Sure. See you in a few.”
Outside, the morning remained still. San Marco Avenue held little traffic this early, foot or vehicle. A housekeeper pushed a cleaning cart along the second-story balcony. Mark eyed the sailboats bobbing in the bay. Now, that was the way to go. Tick could keep his bass boat.
If he lived long enough.
Mark shrugged off the thought. When he got home, he fully intended to knock some sense into Tick’s stubborn ass. He wasn’t waiting two weeks.
A different clerk manned the front desk this morning, a young blonde who smiled at him while she checked out an elderly couple. What the motel called a continental breakfast was laid out on a small table in the corner, next to a television playing the local morning news. He surveyed the selection of doughnuts, cinnamon rolls and mini-bagels. Shaking his head, he filled a foam cup with coffee and added artificial sweetener. He missed his creamer too.
Taking a cautious sip of the steaming liquid, he reached for a tiny whole-wheat bagel. A dry, probably stale bagel, with no cream cheese. Maybe he could pretend it was a breakfast sandwich from the Tank and Tummy, full of eggs, cheese, bacon and an artery-clogging amount of cholesterol.
“Is there any juice?” Tori asked behind him.
He
Similar Books
