Crystal felt her heart softening. “Still-”
“It was a long time ago,” he said.
“It wasn’t fair.”
He stopped, turned to face her, and cocked his head to one side. “Hey.”
“It wasn’t fair,” she repeated.
A grin grew on his face. “If life was fair, sweetheart, we’d be living in a whole different world.”
The endearment spurred the butterflies in her stomach.
Then a wet Rufus bounded up, shaking his fur and dropping a piece of driftwood at Larry’s feet.
Larry gamely reached down and tossed the stick into the waves. “See that? Rufus’s got his priorities straight.”
“Did you even feel pressured?” she asked as Rufus plunged into the surf.
“About what?”
“To go into racing.”
“You bet. Milo is practically a force of nature, and Juliana only wanted Milo to be happy. Together, they wanted me to race. It was hard to stick to my guns.” His expression turned thoughtful. “So, I was always careful to put as many choices as I could in front of Steve. And he decided he liked racing. Go figure.”
“I was a disappointment to my parents,” Crystal admitted.
“They wanted a boy to carry on the family business?”
She shook her head. “There are plenty of female machinists in the world. And they’d have settled for an accountant or a marketing manager.”
“But they got a creative writer.”
Crystal flicked her windblown hair away from her face, while Rufus made a neat turn in the waves, the stick clasped in his mouth. “Who moonlights delivering car parts.”
“What about Amber?”
“Amber got married and gave them grandchildren.”
“Another acceptable life pursuit?”
“Jennifer and David give them a whole new chance at an heir apparent. Though they wouldn’t complain if I produced a few more.”
Something changed in the timbre of Larry’s voice. “You going to?”
“Maybe,” said Crystal. She liked kids. And she could handle being both a mom and a writer. If she happened to find a man with a house and a good job, she could even move out of the apartment. “Know any guys who own real estate?”
“There are other options,” he pointed out, watching Rufus drop the stick at his feet.
“Such as?”
“You could set aside a little each month, find a nice starter, a good mortgage broker.”
“Is this going to be a math lecture, Professor Grosso?”
“More of a life lecture.”
She pushed away from him, wading into the cool water until she was ankle deep. “Oh, no you don’t. You’re not ruining my weekend with practicality. Let’s talk some more about sailing.”
“You want to take a spin around the bay?”
“I’m talking about a fantasy. I see a thatched hut, palm trees, a bright cotton dress and two very large blender drinks.”
“So, that’s your fantasy?”
“That’s my fantasy.” She sidled back up to him, grinning playfully. “What’s yours?”
His eyebrows went up. “You’re joking, right?”
His gaze burned hers. Gold flecks appeared deep in his hazel eyes, burning bright and molten in the afternoon sun. He tilted his chin and cocked his head, leaning slightly in to engulf her in a wave of desire so strong her knees almost buckled.
Oh?
“Yeah,” he answered her silent question.
She waggled her index finger back and forth between them just to be sure.
He nodded.
She swallowed.
He hesitated for a split second. “You okay with that?”
In answer, she came up on her toes and planted a heartfelt kiss on his mouth. She was completely okay with that, and overwhelmed that he’d been formal enough to ask.
He responded in under a second, his mouth opening, his arms going around her, while he dragged her flush against his body.
It was Rufus’s bark that drove them apart. The dog deposited the wet stick at Larry’s feet.
Larry quickly bent down and threw the driftwood stick in the direction of the beach house. Then he gazed at Crystal, eyes smoldering. “Race you back?”
She grinned and took off across the soft sand.
They made it to the staircase, breathing hard. Without stopping, Larry scooped her up in his arms as if she weighed nothing at all.
Before she could protest, they were on the deck. He opened the glass door, let Rufus into the cool, quiet haven, then continued up the interior staircase, into the first bedroom in the hallway.
There, he slowed to a stop next to a massive, four-poster. He leaned in to kiss her, sliding her slowly along his body until her feet sank into the thick, cream-colored carpet. The bed had an emerald comforter and eight plump pillows, and the bay window was covered in lacy sheers. Burgundy and gold wallpaper panels were separated by strips of polished wood molding that matched the spires of the bed.
Larry slid the pad of his thumb along her jawline. “You are so incredibly beautiful,” he breathed.
“Mathematically speaking?” she couldn’t help but ask.
“Mathematically, artistically, scientifically. Come up with any benchmark in the world, you’ll blow it out of the water.”
Something inside her melted.
He cupped her cheek, slowly leaning forward, kissing her forehead, the tip of her nose. He touched his index finger to her chin, raising it, bending to her mouth. She strained toward him, and his lips engulfed her own once more.
She groaned at the exquisite sensation, and he pushed his outspread fingers into her hair, wrapping his other arm tightly around her body, anchoring her to him. She wound her arms around his neck, pressing her body tight against his strength.
His fingertips found a space between her shorts and her cropped T-shirt. They trailed along the exposed skin of her back, raising goose bumps and sending tingles of desire skittering up her spine.
She teased her tongue along his bottom lip.
He pressed her body more tightly into his, treating her to a kiss that made the fine hairs spring up on her forearms and her toes curl tight around the carpet fibers.
A shudder rushed through her, heat pooling in her stomach, her skin flushing hot in the streaming sunbeams. It was going to be so good. They were going to be so good together.
She waited.
“You absolutely sure about this?” he rasped.
In answer, she took a step back. She ripped her T-shirt over her head, tossing it on a nearby armchair, then walked back into his arms.
“One hundred percent,” she whispered as her lips met his all over again.
She tangled her fingers in his hair, reveled in the taste of his mouth. He drew her into his arms, murmuring compliments all the while, and lowering her onto the deep mattress.
LARRY GAZED AT CRYSTAL across the table on the deck. The setting sun turned a few high clouds wispy pink, and the ocean was changing from bright-blue to gunmetal-gray. White foam still bubbled brightly on the sand, and a few people strolled by on the beach as the evening wind picked up speed.
But Crystal held his attention, legs curled beneath her in one of the deck chairs. They’d spent several hours in bed, making love, then napping, then making love all over again. He felt like a teenager. When hunger had finally roused them, she’d co-opted his navy-blue T-shirt, dragging it over her tousled hair while he called the local grocery store for delivery.
Now, she was munching on a lemon tart, licking the meringue from her fingers. He’d intended the tarts for dessert, but he wasn’t about to complain about her idiosyncrasies. He couldn’t believe this gorgeous creature had been in his bed. She was everything any man could possibly want: sweet, sexy, funny and smart.
“You’re not hungry?” she asked, pushing the plastic container of lemon tarts toward him.
“I’m saving mine for dessert,” he answered.
“You’re much too traditional.”