had every intention of marrying this woman. “How’s your thigh?”
“Stiff and sore, but I’ll get by.”
“So my—er—my massage didn’t help?” Joe smiled at the sudden blush that rose to her cheeks. “Come for a swim.”
Merlene nodded. “That would help relieve tension—er—in your thigh. You two know what I mean.” The smile she exchanged with Joe was conspiratorial.
“There is no water anywhere in town.” Maz pointed out the obvious.
“I have a pool at my place,” Joe told her. It was the perfect solution and he did so enjoy getting Maz all alone to himself.
“That’s right, you bought Rabbit Warren’s place. He put a pool and spa in when he had a fling with the ditzy blonde from the city.” Like most of the locals Merlene was a fount of useless Amberwarra knowledge. “He thought it would make her stay.” She rolled her eyes at that thought.
Maz winced and adjusted her stance. “I’ll be fine.”
Joe felt momentarily guilty. Having sex with Maz so soon after an injury had not been a smart thing to do but it had been excellent. “I’m not asking you to skinny-dip nor am I going to ravish you.”
Merlene sighed and winked at Joe. “Ravishing sounds good.” She moved away to serve a customer.
Maz looked at Joe. “Where would you be if I was in the pool?”
I would be inside you enjoying the buoyancy of the water holding us up. That’s what he wanted to say but Joe knew if he did Maz would be militant enough to back away and be in pain to prove some crazy point. “Do you want me to be one hundred paces away?”
“Well I just think if I am just going there to relax my muscles then you don’t have to be there at all.”
Joe loved it when Maz put her hands on her hips. It was a sign to him that she was trying to keep control in a situation rapidly becoming uncontrollable. “What are you scared of?”
“You know I was doing just fine until you turned up with your gym and made me think about—”
“About us?” It was all Joe could think about. He longed to have Maz in his life for good. She was the only piece that had been missing.
Maz lifted one hand and waved it dismissively. “It was a long time ago.”
They were more an “us” now than they had ever been but Joe refrained from pointing that out to her. “And I broke your heart.” He could never change that.
“Yes.”
“I regret it, but I was a stupid kid.” Joe sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Aren’t we allowed mistakes?”
“Yes, but—”
“That you did not give up on me gives me hope.”
“Just because I never had sexual relationship with anyone else doesn’t mean I was never tempted. I just want more than a quick tumble and a fast goodbye. I deserve more than that.” Others may settle for less but Maz wasn’t about to. Maz stopped dead and clapped hand over her mouth.
Joe smiled. It was as he thought, as he knew in his heart. “You only confirmed what I suspected.” He reached out a hand to her. “I swear I will not touch you unless you ask me to.”
Maz looked worried at that. “O-kay.”
That she didn’t sound at all certain made Joe happy. He knew he wasn’t the only one caught up in the madness of their being together. True love and undeniable lust was too heady a combination to ignore. “You’ll ask me though.”
“I will not, cocky son of a bitch,” Maz murmured as she moved away to serve a patron.
“What a woman.”
—
“What are you doing?” Maz watched wide-eyed as Joe broke through the surface of the water after diving naked into the pool.
“I’m hot.”
He certainly was. As was she now. “I just want to swim.” That’s why they had stopped at her place to pick up her swimsuit.
“I’ll swim with you.”
Maz trod water and looked at him. “What is this?”
“What do you want it to be?”
She sighed. This was like the chicken and the egg talk. It was a never-ending circle. While there was an answer, it was not one Maz wanted to leap at and
“Stiff and sore, but I’ll get by.”
“So my—er—my massage didn’t help?” Joe smiled at the sudden blush that rose to her cheeks. “Come for a swim.”
Merlene nodded. “That would help relieve tension—er—in your thigh. You two know what I mean.” The smile she exchanged with Joe was conspiratorial.
“There is no water anywhere in town.” Maz pointed out the obvious.
“I have a pool at my place,” Joe told her. It was the perfect solution and he did so enjoy getting Maz all alone to himself.
“That’s right, you bought Rabbit Warren’s place. He put a pool and spa in when he had a fling with the ditzy blonde from the city.” Like most of the locals Merlene was a fount of useless Amberwarra knowledge. “He thought it would make her stay.” She rolled her eyes at that thought.
Maz winced and adjusted her stance. “I’ll be fine.”
Joe felt momentarily guilty. Having sex with Maz so soon after an injury had not been a smart thing to do but it had been excellent. “I’m not asking you to skinny-dip nor am I going to ravish you.”
Merlene sighed and winked at Joe. “Ravishing sounds good.” She moved away to serve a customer.
Maz looked at Joe. “Where would you be if I was in the pool?”
I would be inside you enjoying the buoyancy of the water holding us up. That’s what he wanted to say but Joe knew if he did Maz would be militant enough to back away and be in pain to prove some crazy point. “Do you want me to be one hundred paces away?”
“Well I just think if I am just going there to relax my muscles then you don’t have to be there at all.”
Joe loved it when Maz put her hands on her hips. It was a sign to him that she was trying to keep control in a situation rapidly becoming uncontrollable. “What are you scared of?”
“You know I was doing just fine until you turned up with your gym and made me think about—”
“About us?” It was all Joe could think about. He longed to have Maz in his life for good. She was the only piece that had been missing.
Maz lifted one hand and waved it dismissively. “It was a long time ago.”
They were more an “us” now than they had ever been but Joe refrained from pointing that out to her. “And I broke your heart.” He could never change that.
“Yes.”
“I regret it, but I was a stupid kid.” Joe sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Aren’t we allowed mistakes?”
“Yes, but—”
“That you did not give up on me gives me hope.”
“Just because I never had sexual relationship with anyone else doesn’t mean I was never tempted. I just want more than a quick tumble and a fast goodbye. I deserve more than that.” Others may settle for less but Maz wasn’t about to. Maz stopped dead and clapped hand over her mouth.
Joe smiled. It was as he thought, as he knew in his heart. “You only confirmed what I suspected.” He reached out a hand to her. “I swear I will not touch you unless you ask me to.”
Maz looked worried at that. “O-kay.”
That she didn’t sound at all certain made Joe happy. He knew he wasn’t the only one caught up in the madness of their being together. True love and undeniable lust was too heady a combination to ignore. “You’ll ask me though.”
“I will not, cocky son of a bitch,” Maz murmured as she moved away to serve a patron.
“What a woman.”
—
“What are you doing?” Maz watched wide-eyed as Joe broke through the surface of the water after diving naked into the pool.
“I’m hot.”
He certainly was. As was she now. “I just want to swim.” That’s why they had stopped at her place to pick up her swimsuit.
“I’ll swim with you.”
Maz trod water and looked at him. “What is this?”
“What do you want it to be?”
She sighed. This was like the chicken and the egg talk. It was a never-ending circle. While there was an answer, it was not one Maz wanted to leap at and
Similar Books
