Sand Angel Page 0,8

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 fuck 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.

Chapter Three

What happened to the innocent, loving girl Drew had known? The woman who sped away on a four-wheel ATV was not the one he left three years ago. He crawled upon the seat of his quad. Had she erased him from her mind because his leaving had hurt her?

Did he really have to ask? Her response to him revealed her fury. He had been a selfish prick. Both of them had paid the price. The question in his mind remained—was there still something left in her heart for him, something worth fighting for?

As he watched sand rails and one quad after another pass by, he felt his anger growing. He had written, apologized. Even as hard as it was, he admitted that he was wrong to have taken the assignment. In one letter he told her he’d come home if she’d have him. Yet each of his letters had been returned unopened.

What was he supposed to have done? Shit-canned his career and returned home to a woman who didn’t want him? Lose everything?

Fuck it. He turned the key with too much pressure, making the engine screech. If he had to tie her to her quad, she’d listen to him.

The sun was beginning to set as Drew rolled into camp. Josh already had the grill going and the scent of hamburgers tempted him.

He had changed his clothes, but his hair was still full of sand from Zoë’s previous roosting. Removing his helmet, he could feel the tiny granules of sand against his sweaty scalp. They itched as he scratched, trying to relieve the discomfort. He needed a shower and another change of clothes, preferably something more comfortable than riding gear.

But first he needed to square things away with Zoë.

As he walked up to Josh, his friend pushed a cold beer into his hand. “Where is she?” Drew asked before pressing the can to his lips. The liquid was cool and refreshing against his parched throat.

“Toy hauler. Didn’t look happy. Whad’ya say to her?” Drew didn’t miss the concern that darkened Josh’s eyes.

Drew ignored him as he headed for Zoë’s trailer. She hadn’t even loaded her quad or raised the ramp. The backend of the trailer was agape. He took that as an invitation and stepped in. She wasn’t anywhere in sight, but he heard water running and looked toward the small bathroom.

Showering.

He’d give anything to