And this time, it wouldn’t be her fear of nightmares keeping her up. She knew that in the morning, all of this, the hot tub sex and cuddling on the couch, would end. By the time the sun came up, she needed to accept the fact that holding on to her heart was not the same as taking the coward’s way out. She had what she wanted—one wild night with Eric. That had to be enough.
Chapter Nine
ERIC WOKE UP to sunlight pouring into the condo’s open living area. He’d slept on the couch. At some point, he’d shifted from sitting to lying down. And someone—Georgia—had thrown a blanket over him.
Sitting up, he glanced around. No sign of her.
He moved to the kitchen and found a hot pot of coffee. He poured a cup and headed for the door. From the deck, he spotted her at the ocean’s edge wearing the same bathing suit she’d lost in his pond last weekend. The waves crashed around her thighs. The water had to be freezing, but she didn’t seem to care. She walked in, waited for a wave, and dove under.
“Crazy,” he murmured. But it wasn’t just the early morning dip in the Pacific that bothered him. The way she approached life, as if it was one big thrill ride, made him wonder about last night. Between the wild game of truth or dare and the way she’d insisted they remain outside, in full view, made him wonder, did she want him or just another rush?
He couldn’t push that question away, not anymore. This thing between them was turning into more than stolen kisses. They needed to take the next step and tell her brother. Liam deserved to hear the facts from them, not rumors or hearsay.
Eric followed her movements in the surf. In a few minutes, she’d be freezing. Scanning the sand for a towel, he came up empty. He set his coffee on the hot tub lid, grabbed one, and headed for the stairs.
Georgia emerged, dripping wet, when he reached the water’s edge. “Playing lifeguard?”
“Someone has to keep you safe.” He draped the towel over her shoulders, but stopped short of wrapping it around her front. Instead, he used it like a net, drawing her toward him.
“I’m a strong swimmer,” she said, stepping close.
She took the edge of the towel from him and reached her arms up, cocooning them from prying eyes. Eric looked up and down the shore. A couple walked in the distance, and in the other direction, a woman with her dog ran down the shore.
“What if you got caught in the undertow?” He ran his hand up her arm, to the back of her neck.
“If you came in to get me, it would pull you under too.”
“It might. Or I might save you.” He toyed with the string at the back of her neck. One quick tug and it came undone. The fabric fell away from her breasts. His hands covered her, pressing against her tight nipples. Leaning forward, he whispered in her ear, “Admit it. One day, you might need me.”
“To rescue me? Never.”
Her expression was a mix of defiance and desire. He lowered his forehead to hers. “Rescue and need aren’t the same.”
He ran his hands over the curve of her waist. Holding her hip with one hand, he slipped the other beneath her bikini bottom, caressing her soft, wet folds.
“Careful,” she gasped. “We’re still on the beach.”
“Let’s go inside.”
Tension rippled through her. She stepped away, drawing the towel tight around her body, forcing him to release his intimate hold on her.
“Georgia?” He felt the moment breaking apart. And he had a sinking feeling that there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.
His phone vibrated against his leg. Eric pulled it out, checked the screen, and glanced at her. He wanted to find out what she was thinking right now. But—
“I need to take this.”
Eric stepped away, holding the phone to his ear. “Craig,” he greeted the crew chief filling in for Liam, who was taking a much-needed break after last week’s fire. “Is there a problem?”
“The guys from B&B Trucking never showed. I have the crew here at White Rock, ready to load the timber from the fire line we cut, but no trucks.”
“I’ll make some calls.” He lowered the phone and turned to Georgia. “I have to do some work before we head out to pick up Nate. See if I can find a new trucking company on a Sunday.”
She walked beside him as they headed for the stairs, close but not touching. “You could call Summers Family Trucking.”
“Katie’s brothers.” Eric nodded. “Not a bad idea. They’re smaller than B&B, but could probably handle this job.”
They reached the gate to his deck, and Eric punched in the code. He glanced over at Georgia. Wrapped in the large towel and shaking from her cold morning swim, she looked small and fragile. He fought the urge to scoop her up, carry her inside, and warm her in the shower.
He held the gate, allowing her to walk past him. Work needed him, but that wasn’t the only thing holding him back. She’d pulled away from him. He wanted to know why, but he didn’t want to push.
Stepping inside the condo, Eric placed his hand on her shoulder and gave a light squeeze. “Are you OK?”
She nodded, moving out of his grasp. “Just cold.”
It was more than that, but he let it go for now.
AN HOUR LATER, Georgia watched the condo slip out of sight as they pulled onto the main street, leaving the coast behind. Eric sat in the driver’s seat, calmly focused on the road. The space felt cramped, as if his presence shrunk the otherwise spacious interior, barely leaving room for her to think. And every time she glanced over and saw his hands deftly manning the wheel or adjusting the A/C, she thought of how his fingers had felt on her skin last night.
“Did you resolve the trucking problem?” she asked, trying to focus on the scenery.
“Yeah. The Summers brothers stepped up,” he said. “It looks like we’ll be using them more and more. Liam won’t be too happy about it though. They don’t exactly get along.” He glanced over at her. “Speaking of your brother, I think we should sit down with Liam. Tell him about us.”
“Eric,” she said slowly. She’d been thinking about how to tell him she couldn’t repeat last night. And he’d given her the perfect out. “I don’t want one night of sex to come between you and my brother.”
“This doesn’t end here, Georgia.”
She kept her eyes fixed on the pavement in front of them. “Yes, it does.”
“Georgia, you asked me last night what I was most afraid of.”
“It was just a game, Eric.”
“No,” he said, slowing as the road curved. His grip tightened on the steering wheel. “This is more. Can’t you see that? I’ve wanted you for so long it feels criminal.”
Not much blindsided her. Not anymore. She made sure of it. But hearing those words? From Eric?
“How long?” She tried to keep her voice light and firm, but it wavered.
“Remember your junior year of high school when you went to prom with that football player and stayed out all night?”
She nodded. “I was grounded for the rest of the year. I remember.”
“Liam told me about that and I lost it. I drove all night, planning to come home and beat the kid up so he never laid a hand on you again.”
Georgia bit her lip. He’d wanted her since junior year? No, it wasn’t possible. She’d tried to catch his attention, insisting Liam let her tag along whenever he was going places with Eric. But Eric had always treated her like a friend.
“What stopped you?” she asked.
“I saw you first. You were so happy despite the grounding that I couldn’t do it. So I drove back to school and buried my jealousy.”