Page 23 of Romance Reset
Lincoln wasn’t sure what was going on in Amelia’s beautiful head, but the sight of her, the taste of her had gone to his head faster than any drink. He’d watched her get out of her car and it was like nothing had changed. He saw her, wanted her, because in his mind, she had always been his.
Amelia was beautiful. Sexy and smart and down-to-earth. The kind of girl who didn’t put on airs or pretend to be something she wasn’t. But the girl he’d known had been replaced by an even sexier, more tantalizing version of the teenager who’d left Carolina Cove those twenty years ago. A woman more confident and aware of herself and her abilities—the person she’d needed to find within herself, like she’d said. The new Amelia drew him like a moth to flame.
Despite the mourning and love he felt and would always feel for Jill, in this moment, he experienced a nearly physical break of those ties. He’d loved his wife. Respected her. Cherished her until the day she’d died. But like Carter had said, the time had come, and the fact things had fallen into place as they had with Amelia… He wasn’t a fool and he thanked God for the second chance.
“Um… until we get to know one another again. It’s been a long time. We’re not the same people we used to be,” Amelia said in response to his question. “Attraction was never really a problem but… there’s more t-to friendships than that.”
Friendship. Was that what she wanted? It was a good place to start and he was okay with that. No one knew what the future held, after all, and the past had changed them both, as she’d said. But when he thought of the future… “As you wish.”
She smiled at the phrase and his agreement. But the fact remained that a boat ride and firelight and the sweet taste of the fruit on her fingertips brought out his desire for more. For her and life and whatever came next. He’d force himself to move slowly. Somehow. Even though, more than anything, he wanted to sweep her up and claim her for all the world to see. Yes, they’d changed. And yet, they hadn’t.
Lincoln exhaled and busied his hands by grabbing a piece of cheese from the plate between them. “Tell me more about you.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Everything. I want to know everything, sweetheart.”
They spent the next few hours quietly chatting about places they’d been, vacations they’d taken, celebrities she’d met while working on set and the idiosyncrasies she’d noticed about them. They shared life experiences that had forced them to change and grow as humans, and as evening changed to night, she leaned her head back to stare at the Milky Way above them. Lincoln used the opportunity to tug her closer and maneuver her so that her head was propped on a pillow in his lap. While she stared at the stars, he alternated between staring into the fire and at her, loving the way the light flickered over her delicate features.
He’d missed this. This… quiet peace and companionship that came with being with someone. Someone he cared for, someone familiar. Because as much as Amelia had changed, she was beautifully, intrinsically the same.
His watch dinged and he glanced at the face as a text came through.
“Everything okay?” Amelia asked.
“My son,” Lincoln said. “He wants to know where I am. He’s not used to his old man being out this late.”
Amelia smiled at the statement and shifted, pushing herself upright on the packed sand bench. “I suppose it is getting late. We don’t want the tide to change and get stuck.”
He answered the text with abe home in an hour or soresponse even though he didn’t want the night to end. Didn’t want this to end. “What are you doing tomorrow? Are you free for lunch?”
She blinked at the questions, a smile curling the corners of her full lips up as she tilted her head to one side and stared at him.
“I’d like that very much.”
They began gathering up everything and repacking the backpacks. Once that was done, Lincoln used the small bucket left there to dig out the space each time to douse the fire with sand. He refilled the bucket so it wouldn’t blow away and left it in the pit for the next visit, knowing it wouldn’t be far in the future.
Lincoln held Amelia’s hand as they traipsed back toward the boat. He tossed the backpacks aboard first and then went back for Amelia. The moment he got close and swung her up against him, she pressed her mouth to his, giving him a slow, heady kiss that made him tighten his grip and hold her closer. The kiss ended way too soon for his liking.
“Thank you, Lincoln. Tonight was wonderful.”
He hitched her a bit higher against his chest as he walked into the surf, welcoming the cold water since it cooled his jets and helped him regain some brain power. “You’re very welcome.”
Back on thePearl, they weighed anchor and took their seats. He kept their speed low and slow, not wanting the night to end any sooner than it had to.
Back on solid ground with the boat safely moored at his slip, he tossed the backpacks into his SUV and held Amelia’s hand as he walked her to her car. The marina was seemingly empty, no people to be heard or seen anywhere given the late hour.
Amelia unlocked her car, but before throwing her bag inside, she pulled a card from the folds and handed it to him.
“Since we’ve never officially done this—my numbers. So you don’t have to go through Marsali.”
He smiled and tucked the card into his shirt pocket since his shorts were still wet from the return wade to the boat. “I’ll text you to make sure you make it home okay.”
Silence descended between them, broken only by the sounds of frogs and cicadas and the boats bobbing nearby.
Lincoln stepped close, bracing one palm on her car above her door. He lifted his other hand and brushed his knuckles over her cheek, leaning low to lightly rub his lips against hers. She parted instantly and he deepened the kiss, protecting her head with his forearm as he possessed her mouth with a kiss that demanded everything and wanted so much more.
Her hands gripped his chest, her nails lightly digging into his shirt and the muscle beneath. He groaned at the sensation and she gasped, dragging in a breath as he kissed his way along her jawline to her neck and the sensitive skin there.
