SEVENTEEN

Zane gave a short knock and then walked through Olivia's screen door. A plate of brownies was on the counter, and he wondered who they were intended for. In their short acquaintance, he'd discovered that her efforts in the kitchen were usually on someone else's behalf.

Salt was her go-to, and she could crush a bag of chips faster than he thought possible. "Liv, it's me."

"Who goes there?"

"How many me's you got banging through your door?"

"So, so many," she replied with laughter as she walked into the kitchen. "Whatcha doing here, Zane?"

She sauntered over and slid her hands up his T-shirt, making his heart beat out of rhythm. "I came to take you for a walk around the lake. Maybe a swim if you're up for it."

"Really?"

"I'm more than a boy toy, woman, and will not give in to your libidinous demands."

"If I give you that pan of brownies, will you reconsider?"

"If you go for a walk, I might." She slipped her hands away from his chest, and he wondered why he was such a dumb ass and not giving them both what they were hungry for. Shaking off the weak moment, he arched an eyebrow.

"Fine, but only because it's impossible to ignore your use of a fifteen-point word." She ran her hand over his forearm. "Libidinous indeed."

"I'll wait outside." He spun around and pushed through the door, knowing he was a breath away from taking her against the wall.

Keeping half their time together clothed was no small feat, and there were many moments when he didn't know why he tried. They had more sparks than a Fourth of July firework display, and it was taking all his good intentions not to spend every waking moment rolling around naked with the too tempting woman.

He strode across the grass and then doubled back. Then he did it again, just in case.

The slap of the screen door and Bella running at him full speed got his mind refocused, and he stopped the dog right before she plowed into his leg. "Guess you like the idea of the walk."

"She'll be searching for her one true love," Olivia called out. "Our black cat has been missing for more than a week, and my girl is a tad distressed."

He held out his hand. "Well, let's go see if we can find him." Bella barked and then took off, heading toward the woods.

Olivia held up a water bottle. "I brought hydration."

"Thanks, babe."

"Not that we'll need it since you seem dead set on behaving."

He cut across the yard and followed Bella toward the lake. "Did you always want to be a medical illustrator?"

Olivia stopped abruptly. "You are serious. About this talking thing."

He tugged on her hand. "The day we met, you made a lot of noise about wanting to know me and digging into my long-held dreams. Was that just a show?"

"Absolutely not." She walked beside him. "I've just gotten a little distracted by your," she waved her hand over his body, "other fine attributes."

"Well, you can think of this as a way to get refocused."

"Fine, but I expect you to give up some juicy info. I already know the most pertinent facts and am ready to hear your more hidden truths."

"What about you, woman? You've revealed very little, and it makes me think you have a secret life."

Snorting, she squeezed his hand. "Hardly. I went to college and graduate school in Virginia and then came home. I've barely made it out of town and have a small quiet life."

"No desire to see the world?" he asked.

"It took me a bit longer than I expected to move on from the accident, and my need to stay close to the wall has lasted for quite some time." She looked up. "Your arrival is the most exciting thing to happen in ages."

"I don't know how that's possible."

"What about you, Zane? Has your taste for adventure been satisfied?"

"Present company excluded?"

"I can hardly be considered an adventure."

"Babe, you're nothing short of a diamond run."

"Huh, a skiing analogy. Not sure how I feel about that."

"Considering I'm a Green Beret, it should make you just about ecstatic since I've got a taste for near-death experiences." He took the trail to the lake and allowed himself to appreciate the sun bouncing off the water. "Does this place still take your breath away, or are you immune to it?"

"When I take the time to notice, it sure the heck does."

"Any place you want to see in this big old world?"

"Of course," Liv replied, taking his hand. "But I don't want you to laugh at my top choice."

"Why would I laugh?"

"Because it's mundane and a bit boring."

Zane stopped near the water"s edge and listened to it lap against the shore. "I'm not a man that needs impressing. Though you do, for the record. In the most unexpected ways."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Liv. Absolutely."

"Well, that's surprising."

He slung his arm over her shoulders and pulled her to his side. "So, where do you want to go?"

"Hawaii."

She rested her head against his chest, and déjà vu hit him squarely in the gut—along with an unmistakable feeling of fate.

Was Olivia his future happiness? A ball of wild and untamed emotions bounced in his chest like a pinball, and he knew the answer was on the other side of his painful memories.

"I told you it was boring."

He shook himself out of his thoughts and looked into her hesitant smile. "Warm water, soft sand, you in a bikini. Yeah, that sounds awful." He embraced her tightly and let a picture of the two of them on Kauai fill his mind. "It would be nothing less than torture to swim with the dolphins and drink ridiculous tropical cocktails together. We definitely should never go."

"Yeah, who'd want to skinny dip in the moonlight?" She looked around and then wiggled out of his embrace. "We should just do it here and get it over with."

Zane let out a short chuckle. And then he watched her T-shirt fly over her head. "Liv, there's still plenty of daylight."

"Well aware of that," she said with a giggle. "Underwear and bathing suits are not that much different."

His mouth went dry. "Except one is see-through, and the other isn't."

She slid her shorts off her legs and kicked off her sandals. "Then I guess you'll have to defend my honor if a raccoon starts to gawk." Taking a step back, she gave him a naughty grin. "Come on, adventure boy, join me."

Before he could respond, she took off and jumped in with a loud whoop. Her head disappeared for a moment and then surfaced. He pulled his shirt over his head and then got rid of his shorts. He wasn't worried about an animal eyeing his woman, but a damn stranger.

He didn't share, and, despite his reservations, concerns, and overall wariness of getting too deeply involved, Liv was his. He strode down to the lake and jumped into the water, praying no one showed up.

Diving under the warm lake water, he cut the space that separated him from his water nymph and grabbed her ass with both hands before cresting the surface. "Gotcha."

Turning so they were face to face, Olivia rested her hands on Zane's shoulders. "Are you a friendly sea monster or one that consumes its prey under the cover of moonlight?"

He planted his feet and pulled her closer. "Depends on the day."

"Speaking of monsters, how are your beasts doing? Giving you any trouble today?"

Looking up into the endless blue sky, he gave a short shake of his head. "No, I told ‘em to take the day off and stay home."

Olivia stroked his cheek and leaned forward, bestowing the gentlest kisses. "Might as well give them the whole month off. We've got better things to do with our time and don't need their company."

"If only it were that easy." He moved toward deeper water with Olivia anchored against his chest. "I'm never sure when the anxiety will hit, and, as far as I'm concerned, there's nothing worse. I'm a lot more comfortable having some kind of idea when the enemy will show up, and these surprise attacks are bullshit."

"I found that cognitive-behavioral therapy worked when dealing with them after the accident. It took a fair amount of work, but eventually, I had the upper hand more often than not."

"The head shrinker from the army said it was probably my best option. She also suggested that willing them away with my hard-headed stubbornness likely wasn't a fool-proof battle plan."

"Yeah, I might've heard something along those lines too."

He pushed wet hair off her face and was hit all over again by her incredible light and kindness. She was good medicine, and he had a feeling that if he ever completely gave in to the feelings she inspired, it would be damn impossible to let her go. "Appreciate you, woman."

"Really?" She leaned her face into his hand. "I feel a couple of quips trying to escape, but I'm not going to let them because this moment with you deserves better."

"It sure does." Knowing he would never find the words worthy, he let his mouth find hers. He fit their lips together and knew destiny was knocking like a son of a bitch on his door.

How long would it take him to dig up enough courage to answer?

Deciding those mental machinations could wait for another day, he focused on her passionate response to his kiss. Her small hands dug into his shoulders, and the low moans that escaped filled the air around them, igniting his need.

Ending the kiss reluctantly, he pulled her into his chest. "I think we've fulfilled the outing requirement for the day."

Laughter spilled out of Olivia, and he swam for the shore. "We can move on…"

"To the ravaging," she finished as she clung to him like a monkey.

"I was gonna say sweet, sweet lovemaking, but we can go with your idea."

"Thank God."

He dropped her gently to the ground and lifted the pile of their discarded clothes. "But we're gonna have to do it at your house since mine is full of relatives."

Olivia took her clothes and stepped into her shorts. "Speaking of that, did you get any intel about exactly what went down last night and why they ditched us?"

"I got grunts when I checked in with them earlier."

"That won't do."

"Men are lousy at sharing the details." He slid his T-shirt on. "What did the ladies say?"

"Nothing," she whined. "They are both avoiding my calls."

"Looks like a wait-and-see situation."

Olivia snorted. "Zane, we know I'm not a wait-and-see kinda gal."

Shoving his feet into his shoes, he gave her a grin. "Get to it, then."

"Believe me; I will be on the case and have a bag full of facts before you know it."

"You can start right after I deliver a couple of mind-bending orgasms."

Olivia whistled for Bella and then took a couple of steps back. "Less talking, Zane, more action."

The dog crashed through the trees heading toward home, and Olivia followed her. Not a man to ignore an order, he jogged in her direction and prayed he could wrangle his demons into submission before too long.

Women like Olivia didn't come along more than once in a man's life, and the last thing he wanted to do was screw up his one chance for happiness.