Sand Angel

chapter Two


Perspiration moistened Zoë’s heated skin as she rolled the bike up the ramp of her toy hauler. She hadn’t been prepared to see Drew again. Unwanted memories flooded back. He didn’t have to make contact for her to remember how it felt for his hands to stroke her skin, the warmth of his mouth sucking on her breast or how his cock filled and claimed her. Dammit. She hadn’t even forgotten his spicy scent, the sensual brush of his breath across her neck, the soft, sexy drone of his voice and more devastating—the taste of his kisses.

A shiver raked her spine. All she should be thinking of right now was getting out of there and fast. She tightened her grip on the bike’s handlebars to still the tremor in her hands. Three years she’d worked to erase his memory. She didn’t need this now. Muscles tensed, inflexible boots braced against the ramp, she strained to load the bike that usually boarded easily. But not today.

Nothing was going to be easy today.

The bike abruptly halted. The reverse inertia caught her off guard.

As if the damn thing had a mind of its own, the bike pulled against her forward thrust. She released a tight squeal as the soles of her boots slipped. Arms flailing, balance lost, she began to fall. In slow motion the bike leaned to the side of the trailer out of her reach. With robotic movements she stumbled backward. Just before she struck the ground, two strong hands reached out and pulled her into an embrace.

Zoë closed her eyes. Truth was, if he had loved her he wouldn’t have left. Yet she couldn’t shake the sensation of his arms wrapped around her. Familiar hands that could awaken every nerve ending and make her body sing with joy.

Stop it. Zoë mentally shook the wayward thoughts from her head. He would never be a part of her life. Besides, she didn’t have time for relationships. Her riding career took her all over the United States and sometimes internationally.

When her eyes opened, regret shone in his, or was it pity? Did he think she was still that lovesick woman who wanted nothing more than to spend her life with him? The image of the home, picket fence and Drew’s children she had painted in her mind years ago was bullshit.

She’d been an idiot.

If nothing else, Zoë had her pride. No way would she give Drew the satisfaction of seeing her squirm, of revealing that she still thought of him from time to time. She had to get her shit together and then she’d leave.

“Going somewhere?” Drew’s deep, sexy rumble was like liquid silk against her skin. It smoothed across her flesh and covered her like a blanket on a cold night.

Crap. Crap. Crap. His voice was so provocative it caused her breasts to fill with desire. A blazing flame licked unmercifully at the tips of her traitorous nipples, bunched into hard peaks. She didn’t even want to think about what was going on between her thighs, now moist and slick with need.

Shoulders rigid, she shrugged out of his grasp. Zoë prayed for courage as she slowly turned to confront the man who had broken her heart.

“What’s it look like?” Her voice was brittle, perhaps a little too high pitched. She cleared her throat, as her hands rushed to her hips to hide the shaking that began when his dark blue eyes met hers.

“Like you’re running away from me.”

Like you did? she wanted to say, but she left the words unspoken.

He paused for what seemed like forever. “Zoë…” She could hear an excuse festering as her name softened on his tongue. He reached to touch her cheek.

Zoë jerked her head away, stepping back as she released a huff of disbelief. “Oh pu-leeze… Running? From you? You wish.” Her response came out a little too bitter.

Where her bravado came from she had no idea. Her brain felt numb, cloudy, but apparently her mouth didn’t.

Thank God something was working.

His brow furrowed. For what seemed like forever he simply stared at her. The silence was unnerving. Her palms were clammy and any moment she expected her stomach to growl with the frustration building inside her.

“Then what are you doing?”

“Duh.” Her eyes widened as she released a weighted breath. With the brush of a hand she pointed inside the trailer. “Loading my bike and unloading the quad.”

Surprise brightened his eyes. She felt a rush of excitement that she had unsettled him.

“I came here to ride.” Even though her tone was nonchalant, she wondered where that response had come from—there was no way she could stay here. She glanced over his shoulders as if she looked across the Dunes to reinforce her statement.

She swallowed hard, feeling her shoulders droop as her aplomb slipped. With a slight shake, she quickly steeled them once again. She couldn’t lose the ground she had now.

At what point had her conscience decided she wasn’t running away or trying to get as far from Drew as she possibly could? Yeah. She was proud of her newfound courage, but she’d never make it through the night, much less the entire weekend, in Drew’s company. She had to be crazy to even try.

A puzzled expression tightened his features. He frowned. “Do you need some help?” he asked hesitantly.

She threw him one of her best are-you-kidding? looks. “Nope. Been doing this by myself for some time. Good to see you again, Drew.” She spun around and headed back up the ramp, holding her breath, hoping this was the end of their conversation. She didn’t know how much longer she could maintain the false, detached shell.

As she gripped the handlebars of her bike, she heard sand crunch beneath Drew’s boots as he walked away. Her own movements were quick. She always moved quickly, one step away from a memory that could bring her crashing down and destroy her.

Tying down the bike didn’t take long, and neither did unloading her quad. She unscrewed the gas cap, picked up the gas can sitting just inside the trailer and topped off the quad’s tank. A warm breeze slid across her bare skin. She glanced at her shirt still lying across the bike’s seat.

Screw it. She’d ride without a shirt. Her exercise bra hid more than a bathing suit top did.

“Sis?” She refused to acknowledge Josh as he came up from behind her. She gave the gas cap an extra turn. “Zoë…”

Her boot connected hard with the front tire, releasing some of her frustration, before she faced Josh. “You could have at least warned me.”

Josh had the good sense to look abashed. He nervously licked his lips and then grimaced. Sand still coated him. She should have felt remorse, but she didn’t.

“He just showed up on my doorstep as I was leaving. What was I supposed to do?”

She flinched at his bald-faced lie. “Bullshit. Ever heard of that little thing called a cell phone?”

“Ever hear of turning it on?” he threw back at her.

Damn. She wanted to stomp her foot. “Okay. You got me there.” She seldom remembered to turn the stupid thing on. It was only by chance that Josh got a hold of her and found out she was passing through town. They hadn’t seen each other for a while and agreed to meet at Glamis for a long weekend—it was Thursday, which meant it was going to be an even longer weekend than she had anticipated.

Boy, was that a wrong decision.

“But Drew?” Zoë hated the whine that slipped out. She regrouped. “Dammit, Josh.”

He reached for her, surrounding her with loving arms. He worried about her, as did their parents. They didn’t understand her passion or her desire for speed. Hell. Her boss was even worried. Everyone understood Josh’s appetite for toys and pushing the limits. Why it was so hard for them to believe a woman wanted the same thing, she had no idea. There was more to life than a husband and a family. She didn’t need either. Her chin inched higher as she fought moisture filling her eyes.

Zoë attempted to jerk free but Josh didn’t let her go. He rested his chin on the top of her head. “Would it hurt too much to talk to him?”

Every muscle and tendon grew tight. She could almost hear the hard shell she’d erected around her begin to crack. “Josh—” her voice was a mere whisper, “—let me go.” Her jaws clenched so hard they ached with the pressure.

“Zoë?”

“Now,” she firmly demanded. She had to get away.

When he released her, a wave of relief almost swamped her. Her toes curled in her stiff boots, the discomfort enough to help her focus inwardly, gain the strength she needed.

It smarted, but she forced a smile she didn’t feel. “Nothing to say.” She walloped him on the chest with an open palm.

Before he could say anything else, she moved quickly toward her quad. Throwing one leg over the quad, she said, “Let’s ride,” before she crammed her helmet on her head. With both hands she raised the goggles that rested on the mouthpiece of her headgear to shield her eyes.

No one saw the first tear fall or the one that followed it.

She needed to escape. Needed to outrun Drew’s memory.

A twist of the key and the bike roared to life. The vibration between her thighs did nothing to quell the heat that simmered since she first saw Drew. It was like a flash flood as a million sensations seduced her. The achingly tender way he entered her body that first time, stealing her innocence as well as her heart. The repeat performances that had left her hungry to learn more, experience more. Each time more heated, more carnal.

And then the devastating loneliness.

Zoë didn’t wait for Josh as she popped the clutch and gassed it. All four tires dug into the sand, throwing it everywhere. A gust of warm air hit her in the face as she applied more fuel, tearing away from Gecko campground and Drew.

There was freedom in the wind. Speed was the only thing that fed her soul these days. But the Dunes were no place for stupid moves.

The quiet beauty of the ocean of sand lulled people into a false security. One minute the ground would be beneath her. The next she could be flying off a slip-face, a miniature cliff, soaring fifteen feet or higher in the air. The crashes weren’t a pretty sight.

Zoë knew never to ride alone or to venture farther than she could see. Well, one out of two wasn’t bad. Chalk her up as only half-stupid.

Adrenaline was like acid pumping through her veins as she approached an enormous dune cut by wind and weather. The tallest dunes were two hundred feet high and scared the shit out of newcomers.

But not Zoë, especially today.

That little hormone that stimulated her heart and increased her blood sugar, muscular strength and endurance was quickly pushing Drew to the back of her mind. All she saw was the challenge—the top of the mountain. The surface was smooth, no tire tracks announcing that anyone dared to approach it. That made it Zoë’s mountain. It dared her to conquer it. This was what she longed for—the challenge, the isolated bubble that surrounded her when she went into the zone. It was her mountain.

That was until an idiot crossed in front of her, making her swerve to avoid hitting him.

Concentration blown, she circled around, preparing herself for another approach when the same lame-dick passed in front of her again. Fit to be tied, she came to an abrupt stop. Pushing her goggles down upon the rim of her helmet, she tore her headgear off and placed it on the handlebars.

“I’ll kill the sonofabitch,” she mumbled beneath her breath as she stomped toward the rider idling his quad.

When she got within several feet of the rider, he pulled his goggles and helmet off.

Drew.

A gush of frustration pushed from her lungs. The damn man had changed clothes. Instead of the blue and white Fox ensemble, he now wore a matching yellow and black getup. Josh and Drew were the same size, muscular and six-two. She’d forgotten that Josh owned more ensembles than she did. It would be no hardship in sharing his clothes and boots with Drew.

Damn, he was sexy sitting on that bike.

The vibrant color was striking against his dark skin. She shook her head, pushing the thought away. She should have recognized Josh’s spare quad. Just then an identical quad passed by, and then another.

Okay. So maybe she wouldn’t have.

“What the hell are you doing?” she barked.

“Stopping you from killing yourself.” He cut the engine, threw his leg over the quad and stood up. Zoë didn’t miss the concern glowing in his eyes as he closed the distance between them.

“Killing myself? Don’t you realize that your idiotic attempts could have killed us both?”

“What was I supposed to do—ride up beside you and ask you nicely to pull over?” When she didn’t answer quickly enough, he said, “You would have tried to outrun me. Right?”

“Yeah. But—”

“But nothing. That hill is too much for you. Can’t you see no one is challenging it?”

All she could do was laugh at his attempt to protect her. “Now? After all this time you think you have a right to interfere in my life? To protect me?” She shook her head and started to turn away when he reached out, connecting with her arm, to jerk her body against his.

She didn’t have her shirt on, only the exercise bra. His jersey teased her skin, rasping her tender nipples against the cotton of her bra. His warm breath swept across her face. The smell of freshly applied deodorant and cologne, warm and spicy, assailed her.

When she opened her mouth to speak he stole her breath away with a kiss. Not just any kiss, but one with pressure and heat as he stroked his tongue across her now-sealed lips. She couldn’t open up to him. She couldn’t afford a taste of what she’d missed for three years.

His tongue was as persistent as she was obstinate. He nipped her bottom lip. She whimpered, the small cry parting her lips. He took full advantage of her moment of weakness and swept in to deepen the caress.

Hot and moist, his tongue stroked every inch of her mouth, breaking down her resistance one layer at a time. Arms loosely by her sides, she melted against his chest. For a moment she feared she might fall if he hadn’t tightened his embrace. It took all she had not to return his affection, to stay impassive.

“Kiss me,” he whispered against her mouth. His lips were featherlight as he slid them back and forth, a wicked enticement.

“No,” she said emphatically.

“Kiss me, baby.” No fair using the endearment he had used so many years ago. It made her tremble, causing her breaths to be ragged and audible as he shamelessly continued. “Kiss me like you used to. Hungry, as if you could eat me up.” There was a plea to his voice she had never heard before.

“No.” She wouldn’t give in to him. Even when he traced the bottom of her lip with his sinful tongue, she refused him.

He had never been forceful with her, so when he cupped her head, her immediate response was to pull back, to resist. More pressure was applied as his eyes grew darker with desire and their noses touched. They were both breathing heavily. No words between them, only the sexual tension that cried out for release.

But she would fight it. She had no other choice—she couldn’t let him past the barrier she had erected. Besides, she didn’t want him. She had a new life to live.

A sandpapery growl rumbled deep within his chest. His nostrils flared.

Zoë had never heard or seen anything so primitive, so arousing. In a moment of desire, she forgot where they were. For just a second she thought of giving in, of taking what she wanted. That was until two girls in a sand rail slowed down and said, “Get a room.” A stream of laughter followed as they revved the engine and sped forward.

Zoë trembled as she tried to reel her emotions in.

“We could, you know.” His voice was deep and coarse, his eyes flames of fire burning her up with his heat.

She couldn’t think. “Could what?” She had to keep her distance and hold on to the last bit of strength she had. There was no way she could taste him and then walk away, because that’s what would become of this moment of weakness.

“Get a room, baby.” His fingers wove through her hair. “I’ve dreamed of holding you again.” His lips brushed hers so lightly she thought that maybe she imagined it. “Kissing you.” His nose caressed hers, his eyelids heavy with desire. “Zoë.” Her name was just a whisper. “Let me make love to you.”

Zoë’s breath caught in her throat as a rush of moisture dampened her panties. How many lonely nights had she thought the same thing, dreamed that her cold vibrator was Drew’s hard and thick length slowly parting her folds, pushing deep and fast into her body?

But in the end she was always left shivering and crying, still unfulfilled, or worse—in the arms of a strange man.

No. She wasn’t about to relive this nightmare again. Heat rolled across her face. Her body tensed. She wasn’t a toy. He couldn’t drift back into her life and f*ck with her head.

Damn him to hell.

“Why wait for a room?” she cooed, bracing her palms against his heaving chest.

He sucked in a mouthful of air and pressed his hips to hers. His firm erection dug into her belly.

Good. He would feel the full effects of her next words. “Just drop your pants, hon. I’ll give you one here for old times’ sake.”

Talk about hell freezing over. He went ramrod stiff. The fingers in her hair tightened as he pulled her head back so that her neck arched, strained. A nerve ticced in his forehead. The veins and tendons in his throat became more pronounced. “Don’t ever cheapen what we had, Zoë.” He sounded angry, like she felt.

Her laugh came out choked. “What we had? We didn’t have anything worth holding on to. You proved that.” She pulled her head away from his fingers. A mass of tingles splintered across her skull as her hair roots were stressed. His grip tightened further, increasing the sensation, an ache she craved. Pain was something she had learned to live with, even desired. “Don’t come knocking on my door thinking those old feelings are alive. They died the day you left.” The venom in her words must have struck the right chord, because he released her as if she had sprouted horns. The furious expression that twisted his features made her take a step backward.

Zoë didn’t wait for a response. Without another word she spun around, hopped back upon her quad. She didn’t take the time to put on her helmet and goggles. She just slung them over the handlebars, started the engine and rode away.