1. That's What Friends Are For (13 page)

❧

Penny rode the elevator down to the main floor of the hotel, unaware of the smile on her face. Brad noticed her expression as soon as she stepped into the lobby.

"I've seen that particular smile before," he said in a low voice, taking her arm and guiding her into the restaurant. "It bodes ill to someone."

She shook her head. "Not necessarily."

After they were seated and their coffee was poured, he leaned forward slightly and said, "For someone whose life was ruined yesterday, you seem to have made an amazing recovery."

She chuckled, amused by the wariness on his face, "What a difference a day makes, wouldn't you say?"

"That isn't something I find myself muttering very often, as a matter of fact. Actually, you're beginning to make me nervous."

"In what way?"

"I can recall several instances where that particular look in your eye meant trouble for me."

She shook her head with a grin.

"I've got it. You're leaving right after breakfast, flying back home."

"Nope."

"You've made arrangements to rendezvous with a local skin diver?"

She laughed outright. "Don't be silly."

He leaned back and studied her intently. "Oh. Now I understand. You've heard from Gregory."

She sobered. "Why would you say that?"

He shrugged. "Because you look so radiant. Somehow he must have let you know he's sorry and intends to make amends."

"Brad, I haven't heard from Gregory. It wouldn't matter if I had."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She glanced up as the waiter delivered their breakfast. "Hmm. Doesn't that look wonderful? I can't remember when I've been so hungry, can you?"

❧

For the rest of the meal Penny adroitly avoided anything resembling a serious conversation. She wanted to enjoy these new sensations she'd discovered and to come to terms with the insight she'd gained about herself.

She wondered if this was how a butterfly felt when it first opened its wings—astounded at the myriad of bright colors unfolding. Suddenly she felt free of the restrictions that she'd unknowingly placed on herself.

Today was a brand-new day for her to face the world and adjust to her new life and the person she'd just discovered.

Thank God Brad was a part of her new existence. He was a major part.

They had walked along the beach for some time in silence, watching the swimmers playing in the surf. Finally Brad said, "You're taking this much better than I expected."

"I've had time to think it over."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Have you come to any conclusions as to what you want to do?"

"About what?"

"Us. Our marriage."

He'd been quiet during most of their walk on the beach and she'd known he was thinking. "Some. What about you?" she asked.

"Well," he said after a moment, "I know that I really managed to mess up your life by trying to help out."

"Oh?"

"You might have gone through a few bad days, trying to face everyone when the wedding had to be called off, but then it would have been over, and you could have gone on with your life."

"Yes, I've thought of that."

"Instead, you're now going to have to..." He paused, as though unsure of what to say.

"I'm going to have to... what?"

"You're still going to have to explain why you ended your marriage so quickly."

"You do have a point there. How do we return home and tell everyone that we flunked our honeymoon?"

His head snapped around and he stared at her in surprise. She had an amused expression that added lightness to her teasing comment.

''I think we have our roles reversed here, don't you?" he finally muttered. "Fm the one you're always accusing of never taking anything seriously."

"Yes, that's true. I decided to see if I could become more like you. You've set such an example all these years."

"This isn't exactly the subject I'd use to practice my sense of humor, Penny."

"I don't see why not to use it. The fact is, we are married. To each other. I am very much aware that your vacation plans did not include acquiring a wife. But try to overlook that particular inconvenience and see if you can enjoy your time here," she said, waving her arms at the water, the palm trees and the carefully groomed sand.

Brad had never seen Penny in quite this mood before. Maybe the strain had been too much for her and her nerves had finally snapped. He'd find it difficult to convince anyone of that, however. She looked radiantly healthy and happy. And in love.

Whoa! Wait a minute. That line of thinking was going to get him in trouble. "Are you suggesting we postpone for a few days deciding what we're going to do when we return to the States?"

"Is there anything wrong with that?" she asked.

Brad thought of the long cold shower he'd endured that morning and almost shuddered. What she suggested wasn't unfair, just humanly impossible for him. Wasn't she affected by sharing a room with him, a bed with him? Hadn't their early morning kiss and caresses warned her of what could happen if they continued to ignore what was between them?

"I don't suppose there is," he finally answered.

"Good," she said, stopping and looking out at the water. "We've waited long enough after breakfast for a swim, don't you think?" she asked.

He glanced at his watch. "Yes."

"Then let's go change into our suits. I can hardly wait to find out what it's like to swim in sea water."

❧

For the next several hours they kept busy, first swimming, then exploring the area, and finally spending a romantic evening watching the divers go off the cliff into the sea below.

Brad had forced himself not to dwell on the night ahead, but as the evening progressed, he had a hard time disciplining himself. He'd never seen Penny more beautiful, enticing, alluring, and yet so unobtainable.

This was his punishment for his sin of coveting her. She was his wife, but he was honor bound not to presume anything regarding their relationship.

By the time they returned to their room, he'd almost decided to fake another headache as an excuse to take more pain medication. At least he could seek oblivion for a few hours.

Penny gathered up her nightclothes and went into the bathroom. She smiled and said, "I won't be long."

"That's what I'm afraid of," he muttered to himself, wondering at his unusual ability to inflict pain upon himself. Wandering out on the balcony he studied the stars and tried to imagine where he would be if the wedding had gone as originally planned.

He felt a gut-wrenching pain at the thought of Penny here with anyone else but him. How could he possibly have borne it, knowing he'd never share this delightful intimacy with her? If that's the case, he thought, then you'd better convince her that the two of you belong together.

To his amazement Brad discovered a few minutes later that he needed to make very little effort.

He turned when he heard the door open and saw her standing there in a thin gown that left very little to the imagination, particularly as she was silhouetted against the bathroom light.

"Penny..." he said, trying to get his tongue unwrapped from around his teeth.

She walked over to him and casually put her hand on his chest. "Thank you for your patience."

There was something in her tone of voice that made him believe she was referring to something other than her use of the bathroom.

Brad could no more stand there and not touch her than he could leap from the balcony and fly. '"That's okay. I, uh, think maybe that I'll..."

Penny went up on tiptoe and kissed him softly on the lips, her body relaxing fully against him. If his mind was attempting to resist what was happening, his body obviously did not suffer from similar scruples. It immediately responded to her closeness.

Instead of being repelled. Penny cuddled even closer, if that were possible.

The battle within Brad was intense but short-lived. He might hate himself in the morning, but there was no resisting what he felt tonight.

Penny knew exactly when Brad stopped fighting and gave free rein to what they both wanted to happen. His arms came around her in a grip so fierce she had a fleeting thought as to the safety of her ribs. But it was only a fleeting thought, after all. Having Brad hold her so fiercely was well worth any damage she might accidentally suffer.

The kiss he gave her held all the longing that she could possibly want from him and when he paused a moment for them to get their breath she whispered, "Love me, Brad. Please love me."

"Oh, God, Penny. Don't you understand how much I love you?"

"Then show me."

He needed no further encouragement. Brad lifted her in his arms and strode over to the bed. Brushing the covers back, he lowered her onto the pillow.

Brad impatiently stripped out of his clothes, then came down onto the bed beside her. "Oh, love," he muttered as he gathered her in his arms. "Do you have any idea what you've put me through?"

"Not intentionally, Brad. I didn't know," she whispered. "How could I have known?"

Eventually he removed the gown she wore for the express purpose of getting his attention. Penny was more than satisfied with the results.

Brad took his time now that he had accepted the amazing fact that Penny wanted him and was willing to explore the physical side of their multi-faceted relationship.

She willingly followed his silent guidance, imitating each caress. Penny was delighted to see his immediate response to her touch.

By the time he was ready to claim her, she was almost pleading with him to show her the next step in their lovemaking. Yet nothing could have possibly described how wonderful she felt when Brad finally made her his own.

How could they have waited so long to experience something so beautiful, so fulfilling? If only she had known what she had been missing.

And later, just before she drifted off to sleep, Penny reminded herself to ask Brad where he'd learned to be such a gentle, sensitive, and obviously experienced lover!

❧

They slept late the next morning, content to use the morning hours to catch up on sleep that had been abandoned willingly more than once during the night.

Penny quickly became adept at learning Brad's most vulnerable places. She discovered a great many advantages to knowing a person so well. Sharing a marriage bed became something of an adventure.

Until now, Penny had assumed she was not a particularly sensual individual. In a few short hours, she learned differently.

When she eventually awoke the next morning she saw that Brad was still sleeping. However, since he had an arm and a leg wrapped around her, she realized she wasn't going anywhere until he moved.

"Brad?" she whispered.

"Good grief, Penny," he mumbled. "You're insatiable." His mouth quirked into a mischievous grin.

"Would you kindly let go of me?"

His eyes flew open at her tone. "What's wrong?" he asked with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

She waited until he edged away from her, then she sat up with a grin. "Nothing. I just have to answer nature's call." Penny fled to the bathroom, laughing, the pillow that followed her barely missing its target.

He lay there for a moment, thinking about the previous night. If Penny intended to dissolve their marriage, she certainly couldn't ask for an annulment. Somehow he doubted her interest in pursuing such a course of action, if her response to him the night before was any indication.

When Brad heard the shower running, he decided to join her.

"What are you doing?" Her startled cry greeted him when he stepped into the shower with her.

"What does it look like?"

"I thought we were going to take turns," she said, suddenly shy with him.

He took the soap from her hand and began to apply it lavishly over her body." But this is so much more economical, don't you think? We'll be able to get ready that much faster, and look at the water we're saving."

Penny could find nothing to say to refute his statement, so she smiled.

"We still need to talk, you know." he said quietly, after lovingly caressing her all over, then carefully rinsing her off.

"I know."

Penny felt much better prepared to discuss their future together after the night they had just spent. They belonged together, even if they had chosen a rather unorthodox way to achieve that goal. Or to be more precise, he had chosen.

They chose to order breakfast sent up so they could enjoy the view from their balcony and not have to dress any more than was necessary to greet the man who delivered their order.

"Are you coming back to New York with me?'' Brad finally asked her over coffee.

"I suppose. I guess I haven't really thought about it."

"That's understandable, under the circumstances."

"I really have no desire to stay in Payton. I'm not ready to face Gregory just yet."

Brad could feel his stomach clench at the mention of the other man's name. He took another sip of coffee, not meeting her eyes. "I have to go back on Sunday to be ready to work Monday."

"It seems so strange to be planning to live in New York. Like another world. I'll need to resign my job..." Her voice trailed off.

"You know you don't need to work if you'd rather not," he offered.

"I'd go crazy sitting around all day."

"That's not what I meant. Since we don't need your income, you could take the opportunity to attend auditions and things ... if you wanted to, of course."

"You mean, try to get a job acting?"

"You've certainly got the credentials for it."

"Oh, Brad, I don't know."

"About what?"

"I just never thought I'd try to act professionally."

He smiled. "Try it. You might decide you like it."

So many things were happening to her in a space of a few days. Penny felt as though a whirlwind had picked her up and swirled her away to another land. A land of endless possibilities.

She gazed at Brad across the table. He looked very relaxed and contented. She couldn't imagine Gregory sitting spinelessly in a chair, with nothing more on than a pair of swimming trunks. They were so different and yet she had been attracted to the one she had felt was more stable.

Her instincts had failed her. But Brad hadn't. She remembered the phrase he'd repeated to her—that's what friends are for.

"Thank you," Penny said with a tender look on her face.

Since Brad couldn't remember anything he'd done that deserved such a comment, he looked at her blankly.

She explained. "Thank you for loving me, for having faith in me, for pushing me until I had to face myself and learn who I really am. I realize now that I would have been miserably bored with Gregory. Thank you for understanding that and doing what you could to save me from my own faulty decisions."

Brad straightened in his chair and stared at her with a look that seemed to radiate happiness. "You mean you're forgiving me for ruining your wedding?"

"You didn't ruin it. You saved it and me."

"I know you still love Gregory, Penny. I can understand and live with that..."

She laughed. "I've never heard you sounding so humble, Brad. And it doesn't go with your personality at all. I'm not sure how I feel toward Gregory at the moment. What he did was brutal and inexcusable. Learning that he was capable of such behavior shocked me, because I realized how little I knew him. I'm immensely thankful I didn't marry him." She gazed out over the water. "It never would have worked for us."

"I was very much afraid you'd never see that," Brad said with relief.

Penny got up and trailed around to Brad's side of the table. She sat down on his lap and looked up at him. "There is one thing I have wanted to ask you, though."

Brad tensed. Things were going so well. They hadn't fought since their wedding day. Of course, that had only been two days ago, but he felt they'd made giant strides in learning to live together compatibly.

"What?" he asked warily.

"I've known you all your life," she began softly.

"That's right," he agreed.

"We were always very close, except for those three years you were in New York," she went on.

"Uh-huh."

"Then could you explain how you perfected your technique in bed? I seem to have missed something along the way."

Brad tilted his head back and laughed. Still laughing he picked her up and carried her back into the other room. Since she wore only a negligee that did little to cover her charms, he wasted no time in freeing her of her apparel.

As he lowered her to the bed and stretched out beside her, he said, "Honey, you haven't missed a thing. I intend to teach you all that I know. I told you that not all I learned in college was in the classroom."

There was that devastating grin again, the one that caused women all over America to turn on their television sets every afternoon.

The love in his eyes made it clear that there was only one woman who had his heart. She held him closely, thankful for the chance she'd had to discover just what friends are for.