Page 26 of Break Away
“Traffic around Oakland was a bitch, perusual, but the drive around the Yosemite Valley neverdisappoints.”
He caught her speculative look.
“I see. Did your decision to make the trip inone day have anything to do with me not leaving my home aftersomeone messed with my stuff last night?”
He shrugged. “It saved me from having to finda place to sleep tonight.”
“I’m sure you have friends who would havelent you their couch.”
He didn’t disagree, and continued to rinsethe dishes.
Zoey came up beside him, a dishtowel in herhand. She pulled on his shoulder as she went up onto her tiptoes.He caught a whiff of fresh flowers and wondered if it was from hershampoo. Then she was brushing his cheek with her lips in a gesturethat was both friendly and seductive.
“You’re looking out for me. It’s unnecessary,but thank you.”
He turned to face her, and the air betweenthem heated. Gaze intent on hers, he took the towel and dried hishands, placing it on the counter before settling them on her hips.“Want to try that again?”
Her smile faded, eyes reflecting the sameinner conflict he was experiencing: need, want, and a healthy doseof caution all bound together in a messy knot.
The heat between them flamed brighter, thenshe was fisting a hand in his shirt to pull him to her. The earlierjolt was nothing compared to the hot blast when her lips touchedhis. He pulled her closer until her curvy body fit snugly againsthis and he dove into the kiss.
Vague warning notes sounded in the back ofhis head, but he ignored them. He skimmed a hand under the loosecotton top she wore, stroking her from hip to back, his hungerstoked by the feel of warm, taut skin. Her mouth opened and hertongue slid against his while he traced his fingers up theindentation of her spine. It took all his willpower not to unhookthe back strap of her bra and enjoy the results.
He wasn’t the only one digging it. Zoeyreleased her hold on his shirt and slipped her hands under thefabric to rub over the muscles of his stomach, making what weremost decidedly turned-on noises. Her fingers moved to his abs andthe thought that she might reach lower had him harder than he hadbeen and full-on ready. Then she hesitated, her hands going still,and he knew she’d heeded the warning signs.
She backed up a step, holding her hands up infront of her like he was a prowling bear ready to attack. Hebattled back the need until he had it strapped and under control.He could appreciate her wariness because he felt the same.
Breathing slowly and with deliberate care, heworked to steady the rhythm of his heart. He didn’t needcomplications in his life right now, and he had a feeling ZoeyHardesty represented one exceptionally big complication.
She licked her top lip and his heart ratekicked up again, and he backed up another step. “That was amistake.”
Right. Maybe it was a mistake, but he wasn’tsure he liked her saying so. “I should go.”
“I think you should.”
She walked him out onto the porch where heretrieved his gear. He crossed to the steps, then stopped andturned around. She stood under the porch light, and he didn’t thinkany woman had ever stirred him as she did.
“It may have been a mistake, Zoey, but youcan’t deny we both liked how it felt.”
Chapter Eight
Sunday afternoon, Zoey passed the drivewayfull of cars and looked for a place to park on the street.Gallagher events were sprawling affairs. Family members extendedinvitations to their friends and those friends sometimes passed oninvitations to others, and pretty soon there were dozens of peopleshowing up. She found a spot on the street, gauged it to be longenough, and squeezed her Prius in between two larger vehicles.
Hitching her hobo bag over her shoulder andwith a large, flat container in her hands, she weaved her waythrough the cars on the long driveway and told herself she wasn’tlooking for Levi’s motorcycle. He wouldn’t miss his mother’sbarbecue, so she was sure to see him. But she wanted time tomentally prepare herself.
When she’d opened the door to his knock lastevening, she’d had to force back the lick of lust at the image he’dpresented. The helmet had left his dark hair sticking up at oddangles, and when matched with the shadow of beard along his jaw,he’d hit smokin’ hot. Then there was all that black leather andmotorcycle gear he’d started pulling off. That would have gottenany woman hot and bothered.
Ending the evening with a kiss that hadnearly blown the top off her head, and had left her feeling morethan a little off balance. Since there were no motorcycles parkedanywhere she could see, she figured she’d arrived ahead of Levi andbreathed a sigh of relief at the reprieve.
The sounds of the gathering came from theback, so she let herself in through the side gate. When she reachedthe edge of the back deck, she stopped to survey the scene. A nethad been rigged across a flat area of the sloping lawn, and severalkids were playing volleyball. She recognized Cameron MacElvoy,longer and leaner than when she’d last seen him, with Christy andRobby Cutter from the Broken Arrow ranch. Jack Morgan’s stepson,Adrian, launched the ball high and wide to bounce on the deckbetween two large barbecues. The smell of grilling meat carried inthe breeze. Brad Gallagher, a spatula in one hand, caught the ballin the other and winged it back. “Keep the ball off the deck,” heyelled.
“Zoey, look, I’m making a giant bubble.”
She turned her attention to where Levi andBrad’s sister Maddy stood in the center of what looked like half adozen preschool kids with a wide tray set on a small table. Acouple of the kids held plastic hoops, and Maddy’s daughter Keeleydipped hers into the tray, then ran with it across the grass, agiant, shimmering bubble billowing behind her.
“That’s a good one,” Zoey called. Keeleypassed off her hoop to her twin, Mason, who dipped it in the soapywater and twirled in circles to make his bubbles. Zoey waved toMaddy and turned when she heard Eva’s voice.
“There you are.” Eva came down the steps fromthe deck with a clatter of footsteps. “What’d you bring?”
