Chapter Five
THE LAWN BEHIND Wellfleet Town Hall was crowded with couples and families sitting on blankets and in beach chairs, gazing up at the Brave Foundation’s documentary, playing on the back of the tall, white building. An old-fashioned popcorn machine sat atop the concession stand that was set up on the path leading from Main Street to the back of the building. Pete was trying like crazy to concentrate on the documentary, as shark migration had become a major problem in New England, but he couldn’t help watching Jenna and Doophus instead. Charlie. He was actually a nice guy, and Pete felt a little guilty for thinking of him as Doophus. A little, but not enough to stop the thought, especially after having Jenna’s naked body pressed against him. It had taken all of his focus and determination not to kiss her until thoughts of anything other than them disappeared.
He watched her now, sitting beside Doophus, fidgeting with the edge of her cutoffs. Her wide-necked long-sleeved shirt was falling off her shoulder, and her lean, tanned skin begged to be kissed. If he were sitting with her, he’d lean her back against his chest and wrap his arms around that tiny little waist of hers; then he’d lower his lips to her shoulder and kiss every inch of skin between her shoulder and her beautiful neck. After the way she trembled beneath his touch when he couldn’t keep from placing a hand on her as he retrieved her towel, he knew that those kisses would raise goose bumps all over her incredible body. Damn. He was aroused just thinking about touching her.
He shifted in his chair and forced himself to turn away. Pete wrung his hands together, catching bits and pieces of the documentary. Following food…More dangerous to drive a car…Seals…He was still trying to figure out what had actually happened at Jenna’s. Her hot water had been turned off, which meant she had probably turned it off. That had been the first thing he’d checked when he’d arrived at her cottage, and it excited him. He’d thought she’d feigned the need for a repair just to see him, but then she’d acted like she always had—nervous and unable to talk around him. Granted, she had lost her towel. He grinned at the thought. If anything, it would have been the perfect time for her to give him an indication that she wanted him, and when she didn’t, it had totally thrown him off. He was still off-kilter.
“I’m going to get popcorn. Anyone want to go?” Jenna rose to her feet and tugged at the frayed edges of her shorts.
Heck yes.
He tried to act cool, lowering his chin and sliding his eyes to the others as they passed on the invitation. He watched Jenna walk away, her hips swaying seductively as she disappeared into the darkness beside the building. Pete couldn’t believe Doophus was stupid enough to let a woman like Jenna go for popcorn alone. He was the man. He should have gotten it for her or escorted her. If Jenna were Pete’s, he’d make darn sure she was taken care of properly. He waited a minute before getting up and heading in the same direction.
The concession area was lit only by candles on either end of the table. Jenna stood before the popcorn stand with her fingertips on the table and a smile on her lips as she watched the popcorn pop. Her hair ran down her shoulders, and as Pete approached, he thought about the curve of her naked hip beneath his hand. The air shifted and heated as he moved behind her and glanced back at the others, sitting far enough away that they couldn’t see them. He couldn’t resist placing his hand on her hip again. Jenna went rigid beneath his touch and sucked in a breath. Pete leaned down, his cheek beside hers, her intoxicating scent wrapping its tentacles around Pete and drawing him a step closer. His thighs grazed her butt as he whispered, “Hungry?”
Hungry? It had been a long time since Pete had had to court a woman. They usually came to him, and he was out of practice.
Jenna nodded. Another mousy response. Not at all what he’d hoped for. He took out his wallet and paid for her popcorn, and when the elderly gentleman handed her the bucket of popcorn, he had no business keeping his hand on her waist and guiding her from the table onto the dark path, but he didn’t care. Every silent step brought them closer to the others. Pete’s pulse quickened at the thought of sitting away from her again, watching that guy put a hand on her thigh. He hooked his finger into the belt loop of her shorts and tugged Jenna around so she was facing him—and clutching the popcorn. He stared into her troubled eyes. The sounds of the movie faded into the night. Jenna’s lips parted; she barely came up to Pete’s solar plexus. One tug brought her against him.
He leaned down so they were eye to eye, her lips a whisper away.
“Why won’t you talk to me?” It wasn’t what he’d intended to say. In fact, he hadn’t intended to say a single word, but he had to know. Why could she talk to a guy like Doophus when she fell apart around Pete?
“I…” She swallowed hard and tightened her grip around the popcorn.
“I don’t bite, Jenna.” He reached up and brushed her hair from her shoulder. His fingers lingered in her soft waves and skimmed over her neck. Her skin was warm, and he was tempted to slide his hand beneath her hair, wrap his fingers around the back of her neck, and pull her in to a kiss—but he knew he wouldn’t want to stop there. Not with the memory of her bare body still so fresh. He lowered his hand to his side and waited.
Her brows drew together, then eased, then drew together again. She closed her mouth, then opened it again. She was struggling, and he wanted to take her in his arms and hold her until she felt safe enough to say whatever was so difficult for her. This was new and unfamiliar territory for Pete, both his patience and the eagerness for a woman who was so different from the way he was with the women he usually dated. He didn’t even need a woman right now at all. Then again, need had nothing to do with the desires coursing through him.
Want was sailing this boat.
Seeing her with Doophus had amped up his desire. Seeing her naked turned his curiosity to an intense craving. His body demanded Jenna. Only Jenna. He searched her eyes again, hoping for some indication that he was on the right track. Beneath her worry was pure, unadulterated lust. Holy Moses. It was right there in her eyes. Had it been there the whole time? Had he just overlooked it? Lust he understood. Lust was familiar territory, but on Jenna it was laced with something deeper. A connection that snaked into his core and rooted there, momentarily severing his ability to think past what they both felt. He heard clapping in the background and knew their time was coming to an end.
“It’s okay, Jenna. I can see this is hard for you. Take your time.” He lowered his lips until they brushed her ear and whispered, “One day it’ll be my name coming off your lips as you fall apart, and I promise you, after that, when you forget how to talk, it’ll be worth every erotic, sensual second.”
JENNA SUCKED IN another breath. Erotic. Sensual. His voice, his words, his confidence, spiraled around her, taunting, teasing, practically stroking her. She shuddered with his promise.
“And when you remember to breathe again, you’ll beg for more,” he whispered.
The bucket of popcorn slid down against her belly as her arms went limp. Pete put one strong hand beneath the bucket. He rose to his full height, the popcorn bucket tucked against his side, and he turned Jenna toward the grass where the others were sitting. She sucked in a jagged breath as he took her elbow in his hand and guided her back to her seat. Beg for more? Oh my, yes. She wanted to beg for so much more. She’d waited years to hear something like this from Pete, and now she was struck mute? Say something! Oh no, I can’t even talk. She couldn’t even wish she could drop dead, because she didn’t want to, no matter how upset she was over her inability to respond. Finally. Finally, Pete wanted her.
When they were just a few feet from their friends, he leaned down again and whispered, “Breathe, Jenna. Your date is waiting.” He handed her the bucket of popcorn and walked back to the group and sat down, as if he hadn’t just made a promise that she’d hear in her mind until the day she died.
Jenna moved as if she were on autopilot, lowering herself to the blanket beside Charlie and settling the popcorn in his hands. Charlie said something, but his words were lost in the fog of Pete’s promise. Jenna tried to smile and felt it fall short. The movie had ended, and Dane Braden, the founder of the Brave Foundation, stood before the crowd, but his words were also caught in the web of Peter Lacroux. Jenna squinted, trying to at least pretend she was listening, but her eyes kept shifting to Pete. He looked so stinkin’ handsome sitting beside Caden, knees up, feet flat on the ground, his muscular arms leaning casually on his knees. He cocked his head and caught her staring. Jenna dropped her eyes, sure everyone near them could hear her heart thundering in her chest and certain the desire bubbling inside her would come bursting out if she tried to speak.
Dane talked for half an hour, during which Jenna’s eyes darted to Pete a hundred times—and each time he managed to catch her. His face was somber at first, but now, as she chanced one more glance, the right side of his mouth kicked up and he arched a brow; then he lowered his chin even more and sent her a seductive stare that pinned her in place. The world silenced around her, and then slowly she became aware of a flurry of movement.
“Jenna, are you going to sit there all night?” Amy yanked her up by the hand. “Geez, woman.”
Charlie reached for her. “That was fascinating, wasn’t it?”
“Fascinating.” Thrilling. Terrifying also came to mind.
“Are you guys up for a drink?” Lacy Snow, Dane’s girlfriend, was a tall blonde with thick spiral curls that hung past her shoulders and a smile that eased even Jenna’s crazy nerves. “I know Dane would love to hang out with everyone.” She glanced at Dane, talking with a group of people by the building. Jenna recognized the dreamy look in her eyes—it was exactly how she used to look at Pete.
Used to. When she looked at Pete now she no longer saw the quiet man who moved like a shadow, doing exactly what he was supposed to do at all times—the man she was initially attracted to. Now he appeared to be so much more. Now she saw a man with an edge, in control, mysterious. A man who was ten times as alpha as any man she’d ever met but confident enough to keep it to himself. The type of man she’d always dreamed of being with—and it scared the heck out of her and intrigued her in equal measure.
She didn’t need a drink to make it through this night. She needed an entire bottle.
THE BAND AT the Beachcomber played a mix of top forty and country music. The deck was dimly lit, the music was loud, and the dance floor was packed. They claimed the only empty table, a table for four on the corner of the deck, and thanks to a helpful waiter, they were able to secure extra chairs from around the room. The ten of them squeezed in around the small table. Jenna sat beside Charlie, directly across from Pete, who was sitting beside Amy. Dane and Lacy were at one end of the table, and Bella and Caden sat at the other, with Kurt and Leanna squeezed in at the corner.
“That was a fascinating documentary, Dane,” Caden said. “So you’re a shark tagger and a marine biologist, and you combined the two when you founded the Brave Foundation?”
“Brave’s mission is to use education and innovative advocacy programs in an effort to enlighten those that are fearful of sharks, and work toward their protection, and in a broader sense, protecting the oceans as well. Tagging is part of the process.” Dane pulled Lacy closer to him and kissed her temple. “But enough about work. Kurt said Evan wanted to come out on the boat. Why don’t we make a day of it and all go out for an afternoon? Lacy could use some girl time. We’ve been on a research mission in Bermuda for the past three weeks, and she’s probably pretty sick of me.”
Lacy wrapped her arm around Dane’s middle and pressed her body to his. She narrowed her baby blues and looked into his dark eyes. “Never, but I would love to hang out with Leanna and the girls on the boat.” Lacy smiled at Leanna. “We can sun ourselves while the boys play fishermen.”
“Sounds great to me. Kurt’s ahead of his deadline, so he can take an afternoon, right?” Leanna reached for Kurt’s hand.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Kurt brought her hand to his lips.
Jenna felt something against her foot and glanced beneath the table. Pete’s giant boot was pressed against her sandal. She bit her lower lip, unsure if he’d meant to do it, or if she should move her foot away. She glanced up at him and he pressed it harder.
She swallowed.
“Let me know when you’re thinking of going and I’ll try to get the time off,” Caden said.
Charlie placed a hand on Jenna’s thigh, and Jenna felt her cheeks heat up. She knew he was probably waiting for her to invite him on the boat trip. She chanced another glance in Pete’s direction and he arched a brow. He was amused by Charlie’s hand on her thigh? What on earth did that mean? Pete shifted his eyes to a blonde on the dance floor. Despite her decision not to be wrapped up in Pete this summer—a battle she was slowly losing grip on—jealousy wrapped its claws around her chest and squeezed tight.
“Charlie, can you get away for an afternoon to go with us?” Jenna kept her eyes focused on Charlie. She felt guilty for using him to get back at Pete, but Pete had left her high and dry for too many years for her to simply fall into his lap, even if there was nothing else on earth she’d rather do. Of course, if she fell, she’d probably turn into a blundering idiot and he’d boot her away faster than she could blink an eye. Stop it. Stop thinking about him!
She couldn’t help it. She thought of her body pressed against his in the cottage and his hot breath caressing her skin. Every erotic, sensual second. She dropped her eyes with the thought. She shouldn’t have invited Charlie. It wasn’t fair to him since her stupid mind was still hung up on Pete.
Charlie accepted her offer and draped an arm around her. His smile pounded the guilty stake into her heart a little deeper.
“Great. Amy? Can you make it?” Lacy asked.
“I can always make it. I never have any plans.” Amy ran her finger around the rim of her glass.
Pete draped an arm over Amy’s shoulder. “I could hook you up with a nice guy.”
Jenna’s stomach clenched.
Amy tucked her hair behind her ear. “That’s okay. I could have a date if I wanted one. I just…” She shrugged.
“She’s waiting for a particular pro surfer to come knocking at her cottage door.” Bella raised her eyebrows.
Amy rolled her eyes.
“If he’s not careful, he’ll have missed the boat.” It took all of Jenna’s willpower to keep her eyes trained on her glass and not lift them to look at Pete’s face. She wanted to read his eyes and see if her words hit home. Instead, she downed her drink in one gulp and hoped they did.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Pete said. “Amy’s gorgeous and sweet. She’s funny, and she’s loyal to each of you. I think she’s probably worth waiting for.”
“Aw, thanks, Pete.” Amy patted his leg.
Worth waiting for?
“Maybe you need to be more forward with Tony and let him know what you want,” Pete suggested.
Jenna didn’t have to look to know he’d shifted his gaze to her. Heat blazed across the table.
“Oh, I think he has a pretty good picture,” Bella said.
“Lacy waited more than a year for our schedules to work out so we could finally be together.” Dane smiled at Lacy. “Some things can’t be rushed.”
Jenna snuck a peek at Pete and he shifted his eyes away.
He took a long pull of his drink. “Exactly.” He eyed the blonde on the dance floor again.
Jenna’s stomach clenched tight with jealousy.
Lacy kissed Dane’s cheek. “Well, you’re the most romantic man I know, so you were definitely worth waiting for.”
“Romance is so hard to come by,” Amy said. “To me, the most romantic thing a guy could do is to take care of you when you’re sick, or something simple, like carry your bags when he sees you’re struggling.”
“Or ride your pink bicycle just to see you?” Leanna touched Kurt’s cheek, and he leaned in for a kiss.
“Those are all romantic, and Kurt looked adorably sexy on that pink bike.” Jenna smiled at Kurt, who rolled his eyes. “To me, sexiness and romance aren’t about doing what people expect; they’re about caring enough to do the things that aren’t expected, or loving a person enough to see things in them that others didn’t. Like making her coffee just the way she likes it, or like Caden installing new locks on Bella’s doors and windows, or, I don’t know, singing just to see your girlfriend smile, even if your voice cracks.”
“Singing? Got that, Charlie?” Amy laughed.
“Don’t look at me. I can’t carry a tune across the street.” Charlie took a sip of his beer.
Pete shifted his eyes to Jenna, and for that brief second, she knew exactly what romance was. Romance was the look in Pete’s eyes, the connection that they were both fighting tooth and nail. He looked back at the blonde on the dance floor.
Or maybe not.
When the blonde headed for the ladies’ room, Pete followed. “Excuse me.”
Oh no you don’t. Jenna was not about to be teased with promises of erotic, sensual experiences and then thrown away for some blond bimbo. She pulled her shoulders back, inhaled deeply, and rose to her feet. “Excuse me a sec. I think I see someone from the library.” She stalked into the restaurant, then circled around to the back entrance to the hall that led to the restrooms. She didn’t even know what an erotic experience was, although bondage and other things came to mind.
She froze at the thought. No, she had to be wrong. Pete wasn’t like that. Sweet, docile Pete? Ha! The only thing docile about Pete was—oh geez. She couldn’t even pretend there was anything docile about him anymore. She forced her feet to carry her around the corner to the entrance of the restrooms. As if to prove her thoughts, Pete stood with his arms crossed over his chest, his biceps twitching, powerful legs planted like tree trunks, and his eyes locked on the blonde from the dance floor. He shifted his gaze and caught sight of Jenna. A coy grin slid north to his eyes. He touched the blonde’s arm, said something, nodded, then closed the gap between him and Jenna.
Jenna stumbled backward until her back hit the wall. Pete leaned a palm on the wall beside her head and bent down so they were eye to eye. Before he could say a word, Jenna’s thoughts burst from her lips.
“What are you doing?” She was breathing so hard her boobs rose like they were riding the swell of an ocean liner.
“You’re speaking to me?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Sheesh. You’re…” Making me hot and bothered, and confused. Wickedly confused.
He arched a brow, and she wanted to smack that amused look off his face, then plaster her lips to his.
“Jenna, if I have something you want, just tell me.”
Kiss him. Just press your lips to his and—“Ugh!” She pushed past him and stormed into the ladies’ room. “Something I want. Something I want?” She paced the floor, ignoring the looks from the blonde he’d been talking to and the two brunettes washing their hands at the sink. She grabbed a paper towel and wiped a bead of sweat from her brow.
“He has that effect on women.”
Jenna spun around and faced the blonde.
“Pete. I assume that’s who you’re talking about. The guy I was talking to who had a bead on you the minute he saw you?” She raked her eyes down Jenna’s body. “He’s a big tease, choosy as all get out.” She moved in closer, like she was Jenna’s best friend, and lowered her voice. “Only, I hear that when he’s not teasing, which apparently doesn’t happen as often as we might think, he’ll blow your mind.” She licked her lips. “And he’ll leave you begging for more.”
Holy cow. “Ha—have you…been with him?” I don’t want to know. Don’t tell me. Please don’t tell me.
“Pfft. Me?” Blondie laughed. “Don’t I wish. I’m not even close to being in his league.”
Jenna quickly assessed her: chesty, lean, pretty, but not overly made-up. Her hair fell to the middle of her back in lustrous waves, and she had legs that went on forever. If Blondie wasn’t in his league, Jenna wondered if she was even good enough to sit on the bleachers.