SIX YEARS EARLIER
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS
Lori Reese awoke to the sensation of teeth nibbling that sweet spot on her neck that invariably made her shiver. “Mmm…” She groaned as she opened her eyes. Her gaze sought her bedside clock and dismay washed through her. “I have class in fifteen minutes.”
“Skip it.” Chase Timberlake’s husky voice rumbled against her ear.
Lori instinctively arched against the big hand that traced a slow caress across the naked curve of her hip. They’d fallen into her bed within twenty minutes of his arrival for a long weekend visit, his second in as many weeks, and she was in no hurry to leave it. Unfortunately, staying in bed wasn’t an option. “It’s my anatomy and physiology class. I can’t skip it.”
“Sure you can. I’ll teach you everything you need to know about anatomy.” He nipped at her earlobe and added, “I’m an expert.”
“Chase,” she protested, even as she suppressed a smile. “That’s a terrible line.”
Swiping the rough pad of his thumb across the sensitive flesh of her nipple, he asked, “Are you calling me a liar?”
“No.” She groaned.
He rolled her beneath him and his brown eyes gleamed wickedly as he challenged, “Be daring, be bold.” He stroked her lower lip with the tip of his tongue. “Be bad.”
“You are bad enough for both of us.”
“It’s a talent of mine,” he quipped. “I practice.”
Yet, “bad” wasn’t the proper term for Chase, Lori knew. He was actually very good at what he did, though what he did wasn’t ordinary. Despite having earned his business degree from the University of Colorado, Chase continued to work at what had been his summer job—guiding white-water rafting trips from April through October on the Gunnison and Colorado Rivers. Rafting had become his obsession. He had a bucket list of rivers he wanted to raft in his lifetime, and Lori had no doubt that he’d ride each one. Off-season, he led backcountry skiing tours for an outfitter out of Durango. He claimed that he was still trying to decide what to do when he grew up.
In contrast, Lori had known what she wanted to be since a school field trip to the veterinary clinic in Creede, Colorado, in the third grade. Due to the brutally competitive nature of vet school admissions, she didn’t dare spend the entire afternoon rolling between the sheets with Chase. She braced her hands against his chest. “I’m not the ‘bad’ type. I’m responsible and boring.”
“Not true. Responsible, yes. Boring? Never. You, Lori my love, are as exciting as Class VI rapids. As exhilarating as backcountry skiing.” He dipped his head and licked the valley between her breasts. “As thrilling as skydiving.”
His lips trailed lower and weakened Lori’s resistance. She tried once more. “The professor gives pop quizzes.”
“I can do that. For twenty points, name this part.” He slid inside her, stretching her, filling her.
“Mr. Happy.”
“Half credit. Mr. Happy is too … perky.”
“No fair. It fits.” She rolled her hips and sighed. “He’s perennially perky.”
“Okay, three-quarter credit, then. Full credit goes to Hammer of Thor. Now, quit arguing and let’s get to the pop part of this quiz.”
Lori was late to class. Very late. And sure enough, she walked in on a quiz. Her stomach sank and she swallowed a groan as she took her seat, hoping that today’s lecture had been about something she’d already studied.
She scored a seventeen and left the classroom fighting back tears. She wanted to blame Chase, but she knew that wouldn’t be fair. He hadn’t tied her to the bed.
Though he’d offered to try it if she thought that was something she’d like.
The hot, muggy south-central Texas weather didn’t improve her mood as she trudged across the campus toward the student center where she had arranged to meet Chase. She was so angry at herself. Chase Timberlake could tempt an angel to sin when his eyes took on that adventurous gleam and he flashed that wicked grin. And she was certainly no angel.
But she was a serious student. Hadn’t she learned the importance of education firsthand while watching her single mother struggle? Wasn’t she determined not to repeat her mom’s mistake of letting hormones and a hot guy change the course she’d plotted for her life? So why the heck had she thrown all her good intentions out the window this afternoon at the first touch of his oh-so-talented lips?
“Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.” Muttering softly, she rehearsed what she needed to say to him. “You’ve graduated. I still have years of college and professional school ahead of me. I can’t skip classes. I can’t neglect my study time. I have goals. I must always be on top of my game. Otherwise, I won’t get into vet school and if I don’t get into vet school…” Sudden tears flooded her eyes at the thought. She hurriedly wiped them away when she heard her roommate call her name.
“OMG, Lori,” Molly Stapleton said. “I finally met your hunk. He’s so hot!”
Lori’s lips fluttered with a smile. “You’ve been to the apartment?”
“I forgot my history textbook. Chase was coming out of the shower wearing nothing but your fluffy pink towel. I told him pink was a good color for him. Makes a lovely contrast to his brown eyes. Though I admit I had a hard time tearing my stare away from his shoulders. Holy cow, Lori. He’s built like a god.”
“Rafting is a physical occupation. All that paddling.”
“Well, all I can say is…” Molly gave her auburn hair a toss and winked. “Row, row, row your boat.”
Lori couldn’t help but laugh. “Better not let your Andrew hear you talk like that.”
Molly waved off the concern. “A little jealousy won’t hurt him. I’m shallow that way. Besides, I haven’t been feeling it for Andrew lately.”
“I knew it,” Lori declared. “You’re interested in that guy who chatted you up at the post office the other day, aren’t you? Your old boyfriend. What’s his name? Jimmy?”
“Charlie. Charlie Malone.”
Recognizing the note of interest in her friend’s voice, Lori deduced that she’d seen the last of ol’ Andrew.
The roommates parted ways as Molly headed for a bus stop and Lori continued on to the student center. Entering the building, she made her way to the flag room where she and Chase had arranged to meet. She glanced around, didn’t see him, and decided to check the coffee shop. No Chase.
The return route to the flag room took her past the art gallery where, to her surprise, she spied him speaking animatedly with a man and woman. She glanced at the exhibit poster propped on a display easel beside the door and read: “Adventures in Photography by George Overstreet, Class of 1979. Artist reception five P.M.”
The university regularly hosted special exhibits on football weekends, so she wasn’t surprised to see a special event in the gallery. Nor was she surprised that the word “adventure” had pulled Chase in. It was the one thing Lori feared she couldn’t compete with where her lover was concerned.
Chase’s back was to her when she stepped into the room, so he didn’t notice her arrival. Lori studied the couple who were the focus of her boyfriend’s attention. The man was in his fifties, she guessed, with snowy, disheveled hair and a beard that needed trimming. He wore a sport coat with elbow patches, a checked bow tie, and dress boots that shone. A character, Lori decided.
The woman was the type whom Lori always found intimidating. Petite with sable-colored hair piled artfully atop her head, she was beautiful and quite a bit younger than her companion—near to her mom’s age, Lori guessed—but with that rich, classy look that reminded her of Chase’s mother, Ali. She wore a little black dress, pearls, and an air of sophistication that Lori couldn’t pull off on a bet with a thousand-dollar budget. Moving closer, she heard Chase say, “… somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit. After seeing your photographs, I definitely want to go there.”
“My husband’s photography is spectacular,” the woman said, looping her arm through her companion’s. “You must see the rainbow he captured above Kalambo Falls on the border of Tanzania and Zambia. It’s on this wall.”
Lori hung back and eavesdropped as Chase admired the photo in question and quizzed the photographer about cameras and lenses and lighting and filters. Photography was a new hobby of his, and this exhibit had certainly captured his interest. She’d seldom heard this much animation in his tone.
Curiously, a wave of unease washed over her at the realization.
The trio moved from photo to photo, and Chase’s attention remained focused on the art. Lori tugged her phone from the pocket of her jeans and checked the time. Almost half an hour now past the time they’d arranged to meet. He was totally and completely distracted, and Lori found herself growing annoyed. Her boyfriend needed to have more respect for her time.
Abruptly, she turned and left the gallery without making her presence known and took a seat near the entrance to the flag room. She’d give him five more minutes—ten at the most—then she was outta here.
He showed up in eight, a sheepish grin on his face, his dark eyes gleaming with excitement. “Sorry, sweetheart. I got talking to the guy in the art gallery. Have you seen his photographs? They’re fascinating. He has the coolest job ever. He travels around the world taking action photographs of people participating in extreme sports. He just returned from Bali and guess what? He has a home and studio in Vail. He’s invited me to go see it.”
Chase babbled on enthusiastically for a few moments until he finally noticed that Lori wasn’t saying much at all. His voice trailed off, and he gazed at her a long minute. “What’s wrong, Glitterbug?”
“I don’t know. What could possibly be wrong?” she snapped. “I love to stand around twiddling my thumbs waiting for my boyfriend to remember I exist after I skipped class to have sex with him. And it was only one little quiz. So what if I made a seventeen? It’s better than a seven.”
His eyes widened, realization dawned, and then he grimaced and gave her a hug. “Yikes. I’m sorry, Lori. My fault. Coming in a day early was a bad idea. I was just so anxious to see you. I miss you so much when we’re apart. October first can’t get here fast enough.”
Lori shut her eyes, torn in two completely opposite directions as so often happened where Chase was concerned. When she’d first gone off to college, they’d agreed to date other people. They both anticipated a friendly end to their romance. Instead, dating others only proved the adage that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and last summer, they declared themselves exclusive once again—though they’d yet to share the news with their respective families.
She’d been thrilled when he announced his intention to find a job in College Station at the end of the rafting season. Maintaining a long-distance relationship was difficult. She missed him terribly, too, when they were apart.
But at the same time, having him around complicated her life in ways she hadn’t anticipated. Having him around produced seventeens on A&P quizzes. Her temper faded, replaced with despair. As wetness flooded her eyes, she abruptly shoved to her feet. “I need to walk.”
He followed her, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. Lori charted a course across the older section of campus toward her very favorite spot, a bench beneath the spreading branches of a huge live oak known as the Century Tree. Seated, she gripped the bench with both hands and stared at the green, sun-dappled grass in front of her.
“It’s not your fault, Chase. I’m a big girl. I’m responsible for the decisions I make, the actions I take—good and bad.” She drew in a deep breath, then exhaled in a rush. “I have no willpower when you are around. I can’t say no to you. I don’t want to say no, but I need to say no. You know?”
“I know.” He picked up her hand and kissed her knuckles.
She drew a deep breath, then exhaled in a rush. “I don’t think you should move to College Station.”
* * *
Chase dropped her hand and shoved his hands in his pockets. His fingers brushed the ring he’d been carrying for almost a week. “You’re dumping me?”
“No, I’m not dumping you. I love you.”
“You love me, so you don’t want me around.” He gave a stone at his feet a vicious kick. “Right. Makes perfect sense.”
A pleading note entered her voice. “You distract me, Chase, and I can’t afford to be distracted. Not this semester. Or next semester. Maybe by next year I’ll be better able to handle my studies and have a life, too, but right now … I made a seventeen today, Chase. A seventeen!”
He could hear the fear in her voice, and even as he wanted to dismiss it, part of him wished that he’d found something to be as passionate about as she had. Another part of him resented the fact that she wasn’t as passionate about him as she was about her professional goals.
Chase was in love with Lori. Flat-out, head over heels, crazy in love. She was everything he wanted, all that he needed. She was smart. Generous. Witty.
Sexy.
She made him laugh. Made him horny. She was a loyal friend with a fierce, courageous heart. His family all loved her almost as much as he did.
Yet, he wasn’t blind to her faults. Lori was a whole helluva lot of work. She had trust issues. She had daddy issues. She had a head as hard as granite. Chase reminded himself that he truly believed she’d be worth the work in the end, but in the meantime, he needed to be patient. He needed to respect her anxieties, and in truth, he could see her point. He was a distraction. It didn’t help that they were now in two different stages of life.
He’d love nothing more than to travel the world with her, but he tried not to worry that she didn’t have the same sense of wanderlust as he. She was strong and steady, the kind of woman a man always wanted to come home to—wherever home happened to be.
He wanted to be with her more often than they managed now. He loved her. He missed her. Long-distance relationships sucked. Always ready to make plans on the fly, he rolled out an alternate idea he’d previously considered and discarded. “I wanted to talk to you about that, Lori. I planned to do it after dinner. I’m afraid I haven’t had any luck finding anything that suits my training or degree. Lots of jobs in this town. So far, though, nothing for me.”
She blinked rapidly. “You’re not moving to Texas?”
He read both disappointment and relief in her evergreen eyes, and he told himself that his feelings weren’t hurt, his pride wasn’t pricked. “Not College Station. I was thinking of looking for something in Dallas or Houston. We could spend Saturdays together.”
“I’d love that,” Lori said with a heartfelt sigh, her whole body easing.
He tucked the diamond solitaire a little deeper into his pocket. Patience, man. Patience.
The word became his mantra throughout the following months, the engagement ring a constant in his pocket whenever he was due to see Lori. He didn’t move to Texas. George Overstreet, the photographer he’d met in College Station, hired him to be his personal outdoors guide when his river job came to a close, and by Thanksgiving, Chase had found his new vocation—outdoors photography.
George proved to be an extraordinary mentor who recognized and channeled Chase’s natural talent. Despite the fact that opportunities assisting George arose and caused Chase to miss a couple of weekends with Lori, she supported and encouraged his newfound interest. “I think it’s wonderful you’ve found your passion,” she told him at Christmas when he sat working up the nerve to pull the ring from his pocket. “I think it makes such a difference in life.”
You are my passion, he wanted to say. But he swallowed the words, even as he stilled his hand from reaching into his pocket for the ring. She didn’t seem to notice that the gifts he gave her for Christmas lacked a one big “wow” present like he’d given her in previous years.
In February, he had the opportunity to travel with George to South America for a photo shoot to support a pitch that George’s friend and former Olympic athlete Lana Wilkerson was making to the cable TV networks, so Chase missed spending Valentine’s Day with Lori. Lori’s trip to Australia with her mother claimed her spring break in March. Their happenstance discovery of her father, Cam Murphy, aboard a boat named Bliss in a marina near Cairns not only shook Lori to her soul, but also changed her summer plans. She took an internship on a horse farm in Virginia rather than return to Eternity Springs and risk further contact with the man who’d left her mother to raise their daughter alone. She was angry with her dad. Hurt at the world and not in the mood to talk to Chase about it. It drove a wedge between the two of them that summer.
Chase never did offer Lori that ring.
Inevitably, distance and different life directions created a gulf between them that neither one could bridge. They didn’t fight. They didn’t have an official breakup event. They simply … stopped.
Lori did change her name—she took her father’s when he married her mother shortly before her junior year in college. She achieved her goal and returned to Colorado to attend vet school and to assume her new family role—that of big sister to a new little brother.
Chase’s pursuit of his vocation took him all over the world. He had just turned twenty-eight when he finally did pull an engagement ring out of his pocket.
He gave it to another woman.