Falling Fast (Falling Fast #1) - Tina Wainscott Page 0,56
in a moment of crazy.”
Good. Her considering it crazy meant that she wouldn’t suggest doing it again. Holding her naked in his arms—that was a lot different from what holding her a few minutes ago had been.
They were staring at each other, caught in a spell. He cleared his throat. “We should probably—”
“Yeah, finish this up. Especially if a real-estate agent might be coming tomorrow.”
They cleared out everything they wouldn’t need in the next couple of days. The pantry was next, the two of them working in the small space, checking for expiration dates to determine whether to keep it or toss it.
She handed him a can of peanuts. “Here, why don’t you take this for yourself? It hasn’t even been opened. In fact, take anything you want.”
Raleigh had always been keenly aware of charity, but he saw only warmth in Mia’s eyes. “We could give anything usable to Rose.”
“Good idea. I don’t want food going to waste.” She moved right on in her task, handing him an opened box of pasta. “Grandma was trying mung-bean pasta. Seems she didn’t like it, since it’s long past the expiration date. She always detested throwing out ‘perfectly good food.’ ” This said with finger quotes.
Raleigh laughed. “She was always trying to foist stuff off on me. This included. Green pasta? I passed.”
They both sank into silence for a few moments, and he wondered if Mia was thinking about the feisty lady, too.
“Did you know Nancy fell madly in love with a bad boy when she was sixteen?” Mia asked, confirming his suspicion. But the question, that was a surprise.
“No. She didn’t talk about her past much, other than in general ways. Foods she liked as a kid, dancing to big bands, that sort of thing.”
“It was in the letter she left for me. She said he rode a motorcycle, smoked, and drank. Of course, her parents forbade her to see him, but she and James sneaked off anyway.” The look she gave him said, Sound familiar? “She saw the good in him, even though he’d been in trouble. She saw a boy who needed love, and who deserved it.” There was that look again.
His fingers curled over the frame of the door opening. “What happened?”
“She got pregnant. Gave up the baby. He went to jail for statutory rape. She never saw the baby or James. And she regretted not trying to find him earlier. By the time she finally did search for him, he was dead.” Mia set a canister of oatmeal back on the shelf and stepped closer. “You reminded her of James. The good parts.”
“Hopefully, I brought her some good memories.”
She brushed a lock of his hair from his forehead. “You did. And she saw her and James in us. The way they loved each other. She watched us making a sandcastle and saw something special. It’s still there, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but—”
“I love you, too, Raleigh. You can’t stop me from saying it this time. I have loved you all these years. Maybe it was buried for a while, by time and circumstances, but the moment I saw you at the memorial service it came right back.” She drew her hands down the side of his neck, her fingers at his pulse point. “I don’t want to live my life in regrets. I never regretted loving you. Or even racing with you. I don’t regret skinny-dipping last night. But if I don’t do this I will regret it.” She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him.
Her words swamped him, rushing through his veins. He wrestled with them, with his control, as her mouth moved sweetly across his. How much would he regret falling? How much would he regret holding back for their own good?
The answer crashed in on him, and he pulled her out of the pantry and dived into the kiss. She made a soft sound, her fingers threading into his hair, her body smashing into his. All the hunger he’d tried to stave off crashed in like the waves outside.
“You said you’d give me anything I wanted,” she whispered between kisses. “But what about what you want?”
He backed her up against the wall, cradling her face in his hands. “I want this. Want you. From the moment I saw you in the garage last week, it brought back everything I missed about you. Everything I loved.” He ran his thumb across her lower lip. “Your smile. Your laugh. The way it feels just being with you.”