Sex and Key Lime Pie (5 page)

She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue. “Thank you, Luc.”

His mouth brushed slowly over hers, savoring the sweetness he had craved all day. She tasted better than any confectionary treat she could create. He couldn’t fight the attraction, so he might as well enjoy it for the short time she would be here. As long as he kept his emotions out of the equation, it could be a pleasurable experience for both of them. “See what happens when you’re nice?”

Before he could kiss her again, she turned her head to the side. She pressed her palms against his chest and wedged a small distance between them. “I appreciate your concern over my inebriated state, but I am not that drunk, nor am I that grateful to you.”

He chuckled. “But you are that hot for me.”

“When did your ego take on a life of its own?”

His thumb grazed her breast. She jerked in response. “About the same time your body took on a mind of its own. Because you are saying one thing, but your body is saying something else.”

Cheyanne caught his wrist in a vice-grip. “It’s late. I’m tired. And the only thing my body is saying to me is, go to sleep. Alone!” She edged past him and made her way into the salon.

A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. She could try to fight, but, in the end, she never could say no to him. Why not enjoy the next two weeks? It crossed his mind to postpone the closing until the end of the month. Isabelle and Elisabeth would do the work of begging her to stay on. She had no commitment to anyone. He gathered from bits of hushed gossip on the beach, she had no job until the end of the summer either. Not that money was an issue.

He joined her in the salon, another dreary, oak-paneled tomb. The lights from the kitchen cast tall shadows in the darkened room. A crescent moon hung like painted scenery out the large bay window. Two open suitcases on the floor and bedding on the couch, said she didn’t plan to settle in for any length of time. She was just passing through. Why did it bother him?

****

Cheyanne curled up on the sofa, pulled a light blanket across her and closed her eyes. Maybe if she ignored him, he would go away. Her body ached with fatigue...and desire. She didn’t need to know that she still wanted him. He didn’t need to know either. She would have been better off if he had hosed her down with cold water instead of turning on the heat.

“Aren’t you going to say good bye?” he asked.

“Good bye.”

He sat in a recliner and kicked back. What was he playing at now? She wasn’t up for any more games tonight. In front of his friends, he made her feel as welcome as a mosquito at a nudist colony. Now he made himself at home.

“I thought you were leaving,” she said.

“I need to rest before that long walk home. I’m out of shape.”

Right! Like every muscle in his body wasn’t in perfect condition. He’d always been active; she doubted he had changed over the years. She’d never known him to rest, even away from work. Whether fixing the family house because his drunken stepfather never bothered, or chasing around after his sister to make sure she stayed out of trouble, Luc had never learned how to enjoy himself.

Except during sex. Then he really enjoyed himself, and made sure he wasn’t the only one.

Those kinds of memories would not do. She would be smart to remember how much he’d hurt her. But the recollections would always be tempered by those rare but treasured moments when she saw the loving and passionate side of the only man who’d ever held her heart. “Take the car. I’ll pick it up in town in the morning.”

He laughed. “Anxious to get rid of me?”

“Would it matter if I was?”

“Let me enjoy this Kodak moment in the ole family homestead, then I’ll be off.”

She couldn’t help but wonder what he felt. Sitting in his father’s house, a place that had always been denied to him. Looking at her and knowing all that rightfully belonged to him, had gone to her. She even understood why he had used her to get back at his father, but she wasn’t about to repeat the past. After a long, painful process, she had come to terms with Harlan’s cruelty. She had even balanced the scorecard, but she would take that secret to the grave, no matter how much Luc provoked her. She found an inner comfort in the knowledge that Harlan’s money had funded Luc’s success. It appealed to her sense of justice.

After a few minutes of silence, she noticed the slow rhythmic breathing of his slumber. She should be angry, but she wasn’t. She should tell him to leave, but she didn’t. Laughter bubbled in her. Talk about ironic! In all the times they had made love in the past, they had never once spent a night together.

****

A deep rumbling woke Cheyanne from a sound sleep. Her head felt as if someone had used it for soccer practice. She peered out from her half-open eyes and groaned. Luc was still here, and he was snoring. She made a firm promise to give up drinking wine. Look where it landed her. Smack in the middle of an awkward morning after scene, without the benefit of sex. She slipped from the sofa and banged her shin on the glass coffee table. A pain shot through her and she stifled a yelp. Luc stirred but didn’t wake.

She dragged her hung-over body into the bathroom for a shower. Pulsating jets of warm water careened over her, relieving the pounding in her head. The steady beat had a hypnotic effect that allowed her mind to drift without concentrating. Fifteen minutes later she felt refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to face the world.

When she stepped from the glass-encased shower, she heard the front doorbell. Her stomach muscles clenched. She might be ready to face the world, but not with Luc sleeping in the house.

Pulling on her underwear and oversized T-shirt while wet was no easy feat. On her way to the door, she checked to see if he had left in the interim. No such luck. She wasn’t going to remove him in a hurry.

She darted to the door, before the bell rang again. Isabelle stood on the landing with a smile as bright as the morning. “I brought your plates back. Is this a bad time?”

Cheyanne shrugged and ran a hand through her damp hair. “No. Come on in. The place is a mess. My mother left boxes scattered around for the estate sale and half the furniture is gone...” Stop rambling, she chided herself. She led Isabelle toward the kitchen. “I’ll make us some coffee.”

After starting the coffee maker, she closed the French doors between the kitchen and salon. Hopefully, he would remain in his unconscious state a while longer.

“So, you’re up and out early,” Cheyanne said.

“Yeah, I needed to get away for a while. Luc is supposed to take Alicia out on his boat today, and I figured if I was out, he would be more likely to show up.”

“Why?”

“He’s mad at me.”

“I doubt that.” He cared about Isabelle more than any other person in his life. She was the main reason he had stayed in town when Harlan had done his best to make Luc’s life a living hell.

“Then how come he isn’t answering the phone or his doorbell? I know he’s home. His truck is there.”

Cheyanne swallowed a groan. “Maybe he left the truck at home and went out.”

“He never does that.”

He does when he decides he’s the lord protector, she thought with a guilty frown. Despite the awkward position he had put her in, she couldn’t let Isabelle think her brother was deliberately avoiding her. “He’s here.”

“What?”

“He’s asleep in the other room.”

Isabelle leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. “What’s he doing here?”

“I was hoping you might know. Did you ask him to drive me home last night?”

“No.”

So he had taken it upon himself to come to her rescue. Even though she didn’t need saving. That would explain him driving her home. Why had he stayed all night? “I guess he wanted to see the house before it was sold.”

Isabelle’s eyes turned stormy. “I doubt that. I can’t believe I was worried about him. That I felt guilty about ignoring him yesterday.” Her voice piqued in anger.

“What are you talking about?”

“Listen Cheyanne,” she whispered. “You’re going to find this out sooner or later anyway.”

“What?”

“Luc is the one who bought the house. It’s going to be torn down at the end of the month and they’re putting up condos on the land.”

“Oh,” was all Cheyanne could think of to say. She had no great sentimental attachment to the house, so she wouldn’t be sorry to see it go. Granted, the property had potential, but there had to be better pieces of land with more magnificent views he could have chosen. After ten years of many incredible successes, he still hadn’t moved on. Then again, neither had she.

“I’m sorry, Cheyanne.”

“Why? He has every right to do what he wants with the place.” She had a sudden need to get out of the house. “Let’s go out to breakfast. My treat.”

“Why don’t we hit the mall?”

“Even better. I need a dress for the reunion Friday.”

Isabelle pointed toward the salon. “What about him?”

“He’s a big boy. He can walk home.”

Chapter Four

The parking lot of the Mystic Cove Yacht Club & Marina was filling with cars. Cheyanne parked her Corvette at the far end and stepped out. She adjusted the top of the strapless black dress, and smoothed the skirt in place. The sports car was not designed for a driver in a form-fitting dress and heels. With a deep breath for courage, she walked toward the lighted boardwalk. A large banner read Welcome Back Class of 2000. Right before the steps, she caught up with Elisabeth and Miguel.

“You look great,” Liz said.

Cheyanne smiled. “So do you. And Miguel, you clean up pretty well yourself.”

“Yeah, well, I’d give anything to get out of this rented monkey suit and back into my jeans.” He offered his arms to both women. “Shall we?”

“I have to wait for James,” Cheyanne said.

The couple exchanged meaningful glances.

“You have a date with James Waitley?” Liz asked. She tugged nervously at the beaded bolero jacket that topped her dress.

“No. Not a date. I felt bad for him. Sue Ann Henderson dumped him and she won’t return his calls. He asked if he could come with me so he would have a chance to talk with her.”

Liz let out an incredulous laugh. “He thinks that escorting you will make her warm up to him? She’s hated you ever since you beat her out for homecoming queen.”

She knew Sue Ann despised her, but short of blowing off the reunion herself, Cheyanne hadn’t been able to find a graceful way to let James down. “He’s not coming with me. He just needs me to get him inside the reunion. What was I supposed to say? I know he’s a pompous windbag, but I did grow up with him.”

“Yeah, well, I hope you didn’t pay too much for that dress, because if he’s trying to use you to make her jealous, you’ll be wearing a bowl of lobster bisque before the first course is over.”

Miguel shook his head. “For this I had to give up my tickets to W.W.F. wrestling?”

“Just save me a seat. I’ll be there in five minutes.”

“One seat or two?” Liz asked.

“One. James will be hanging with his own friends.”

The next time she needed some small item for the house, she would drive clear to Providence before going into his hardware store again. She hadn’t realized he actually worked there. When they were younger, he’d spent most of his time at the Country Club perfecting his backhand and sucking up to Harlan. Manual labor was for the middle class. How things changed!

Perhaps that explained why she accepted his desperate plea. She felt sorry for him even though he had brought it on himself. What goes around comes around.

She stood off to the side in the shadows. A few moments later, James arrived.

“Hey, babe. I made it.”

“I see.” He reached for her arm but she avoided his hand. “Don’t call me babe. You asked for a favor. Don’t make me sorry I agreed.”

His weathered face reflected his confusion. “Is something wrong?”

“No.”

“Oh. I thought you might be upset because Luc is here with Sue Ann. Or will be very shortly.”

It took all the strength Cheyanne possessed to show no emotion. So Luc had a date with Run-Around Sue. She owned the local lingerie shop and rumor had it she modeled her wares for so many men it took a calculator to keep score. Why was James pining for a woman like her? Why would Luc want her either?

Cheyanne had managed to avoid him the past few days by hanging around Isabelle’s diner, adding her two cents worth of advice gathered from the different restaurant kitchens she had worked in over the years. During one particularly busy lunch hour, she even pitched in with the cooking.

Cheyanne never expected Luc to show up at her reunion. Now, she wanted to skip the party altogether but she decided instead to deny Luc the satisfaction of making her run.

“I couldn’t care less who Luc brings. What about you? I thought you wanted to talk to her. Sounds like she’ll be busy. Maybe you want to bow out.”

“No way,” he said.

Cheyanne worried that Liz was right and James hoped to make his ladylove jealous. If James thought to play them against each other, he would be sorry. And if Luc hoped to make her uncomfortable by showing up with her high school rival, then he’d be disappointed as well. She was too old to play juvenile games.