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Everything inside her detonated. Starting in her core and exploding out, shattering the shell of the woman she’d been, crushing the lonely widow within. Fire raced up her spine, burning away the longing and sadness she’d felt over the last few years. She collapsed to the bed dismantled and rebuilt.
CHAPTERELEVEN
Courtney leanedback in the lounge chair and tilted her face to the sun. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this relaxed. Of course, sitting on a beach in Cozumel was a far cry from her small, lonely house and virtual classes. It was much easier to relax surrounded by white sand and blue water than her gray walls and electronic interactions. Still, she knew the reason for her loose-limbed relaxation had more to do with Seth than her location. With the way he'd thoroughly used her body the night before, she couldn’t imagine being tense. A little sore maybe, but not tense. Seth had drowned her body in pleasure. And she could hardly wait to do it again.
Part of her worried about how mind-blowing sex with Seth had been. In just a few days they’d never see each other again. She didn’t want to go the rest of her life missing the way Seth had made her feel. But then she reminded herself that there were a lot of factors that had made the sex so memorable. The main one being she hadn’t had sex in years. Surely the only reason she thought Seth was hands down the best lover she’d ever had was simply because he was the only lover she’d had in so long. Sex with anyone would be amazing after the drought she’d suffered.
Still, even as she repeated the words in her mind, a part of her didn’t quite believe them. Especially when her gaze scanned the ocean and landed on Seth emerging from the water like freaking Aquaman with his board shorts hanging low to expose those sexy abdominal muscles that seemed to be begging her to follow them to where they disappeared behind his trunks.
Grinning, he stopped in front of her and bent to kiss her. Tingles arrowed straight from her lips to her core, still humming from pleasure and ready for more.
She smiled. “I was just admiring the scenery.”
Taking the towel off the back of his chair, he wiped the water from his face. “Is that right?” He made a show of turning and scanning the beach. “You have a point. It is beautiful here.”
When he turned back to her, she rolled her eyes.
He laughed and settled onto the lounge chair beside her. “Whenever you’re ready, we can head back to the boat.”
“It doesn’t matter to me,” she replied. None of the excursions had caught either of their eyes today, so they’d decided to take a bus ride to the beach and just hang out. So far, they’d drank, kissed, and swam. Overall, a pretty good day. She wasn’t ready for this vacation to end. And she had to admit most of that was because she wasn’t ready to leave Seth.
“What do you have planned after we get back to the real world?” she asked him.
Seth groaned. “Do we have to go back? I was thinking we could just stay here forever.”
Although she knew he joked, a tiny thrill went through her at his words. If she’d met Seth five years ago, when she was still traveling the country in her van without a dead husband and a life she didn’t know how to get back to, they might’ve been able to make something of this spark between them. Unfortunately, she hadn’t.
“If only,” she whispered.
Turning to her, he narrowed his eyes. “I mean wecould, but we both know we won’t.”
She nodded. “So, when we get back . . .?”
“I have a competition in Colorado in a few weeks. My van is at the port in New Orleans. I’m thinking I might stay there for a few days, then start the drive up . . . You should go with me.”
* * *
Although Seth had mentioned Courtney traveling with him sometime, he hadn’t planned to specifically ask her to go with him to his next competition. As soon as the words left his mouth though, he wanted nothing more than for her to say yes. But from the way her head snapped his way, he knew what her answer would be.
“Yeah, okay.” She laughed it off, but Seth had heard her genuine laughter and this wasn’t it.
He swung his legs over the side of the lounger and scooted closer to her. “Seriously. I usually stay somewhere with Wi-Fi. You teach classes online, right? You could teach. I’d leave you alone during your classes, let you do your thing. And then, when you’re finished, we could explore or drive or . . .” He wiggled his eyebrows.
Courtney laughed, for real this time, but her eyes told a different story. Her eyes didn’t find his words funny. In her gaze he saw longing. Whether Courtney wanted to be with him or just missed traveling, his offer tempted at least a part of her.
“I . . . I don’t think I could do that.” She turned away, taking her laughter and her longing with her.
Seth considered pushing. Any fear she had, he could squash. And it wasn’t like she had to stay with him in his van forever. He had a house. She had a house. They could travel, and when they tired of traveling, they could go to whichever home they chose and live completely normal lives. Though even as he thought it, he knew a life with Courtney would never benormal.
Was he really considering a whole life with Courtney? Yes, he was. And the thought sent an adrenaline rush through him that, before, he’d only felt when battling fires—or having sex with Courtney.
“Or you could meet me there,” he offered. If she wasn’t ready to commit to traveling in close quarters with him, she could at least come to see him on the slopes. The three weeks between now and then would suck, but at least he’d have being with her again to look forward to.
“Yeah,” she replied. “Maybe. Just let me know, and I’ll see what I can do.”
Except she sounded like she already knew she couldn’t. It didn’t matter. They still had two nights together. She might not be ready to commit to extending this thing between them to their real lives, but he had two days to convince her.
Challenge accepted.
