Page 7 of Rocky Mountain Devil
Laurel wiggled her wrists and he released her. She caught the front of his open shirt, tugging until she could smooth the fabric over his chest.
Even with a layer of material between them, her touch scalded him.
“I bet what we need to do is cool off with a walk by the river before you take me home,” she offered.
“Cool off with a jumpinthe river, you mean.”
Rafe groaned as she lifted herself up and settled on the seat beside him, their hands brushing lightly. His body was a burning mass of need and guilt.
Walking together beside the water in the moonlight was all kinds of perfect and terrible. Rafe held her hand and wished for a way to go back to what he’d felt before, even as he never wanted to give up what was churning inside.
They turned in unison toward the old tree hanging over the water, the surface of the curved trunk worn smooth by time. Laurel crawled up and sat demurely, arranging her skirt carefully before lifting her face toward him.
“When you leave, you live every day to the fullest. Don’t wait for me, you hear?” Rafe ordered.
Laurel’s eyes were shining pools of moonlight, a thin line folding between them as confusion drifted in.
“I mean it. You’re going away, and you get to date for the first time—heck, you might fall in love. If that’s what’s waiting out there for you, you’ve got to take the chance. Life’s too short to be put on hold, but…” he caught her by the chin and poured every bit of himself into the words, “…but if you come back, and we’re both single, I’m warning you right now, you willneverget away from me again.”
“What if I want to wait?” she asked.
Even though her words gave him a thrill, he shook his head. “That’s not living. You’re my best friend, Laurel. How could I want you to put everything on hold for years when we don’t know what might happen tomorrow?”
The lesson he’d learned from Mike’s death. Don’t wait, don’t waste a minute.
She nodded before pressing a hand to his cheek. “You’re right. We don’t know—so when I leave, you need to live too. You need to date, and maybe fall in love.” A burst of laughter escaped her. “Hey, don’t make that face. Not after you finished trying to bossmearound.”
“That’s different,” he attempted, only to have her cover his mouth briefly with her palm as she leaned in close and glared.
“Don’t push it, Coleman. I have it on thebestauthority I’m the devil to deal with when I want to make a point. No, youwilldo all those things that mean you’re living, including not letting your father make you bitter.”
“He’s a jackass—”
“Yes, I know, but that doesn’t mean you get to—” Laurel interrupted herself, eyes flashing. “Not having that conversation. Not here. Not now. Now is forus.”
He leaned their foreheads together. “For us.”
They stared at each other for the longest time. Rafe stood between her legs, the warm summer breeze tangling around them as they silently said goodbye, thank you, and everything else words couldn’t say.
Then between one breath and the next, she took his world and changed it forever.
“You’re right, Rafe. There are no guarantees, and we don’t know what might happen tomorrow. So if you promise to live, then so will I.” Laurel stroked a hand down his cheek, “But if all we’ve got for sure is today, I want everything.”
She wrapped her arms around him and pulled their bodies together…
Chapter Two
June, current day, Rocky Mountain House
Shhhhh
Lies, Deception and Why We Keep Secrets
Laurel stared for a moment before rolling her eyes then moving the library cart toward the nonfiction section. Books were wonderful. Books were amazing, and some of them had double the entertainment value the author intended.
An entire book on why people keep secrets. Umm,duh? Because it was no one else’s business? Try that one on for size.
“Laurel, when you’re done, I’m going on break. Man the desk?” Wendy Tomes—unfortunate name for a librarian—stood beside her, pressing a hand to her baby-full belly. “I need to get off my feet for a minute.”
