Catch Me (The Winters Family Series: Book 1) (2 page)

Isabel knew she needed to move away from the window.  Instead, her girl parts were coming back alive and doing the Merengue. An immediate change of plans. Breakfast later, first a VERY cold shower.

Isabel still had a few hours before her shift started.  She worked 3pm-midnight during the week. That was her "official" schedule, but of course in television news you had to be flexible.  You never knew when late-breaking news would hit.

She decided to take a walk on the beach.  She threw on a light yellow v-neck cotton tee, and some simple blue cotton shorts.  She put her ear buds in her ears, and opened a music app on her phone.  Just as she opened her door to head out, Bryan Adams' song "Thought I Died And Gone To Heaven" started blaring in her ears.  She turned to head down her steps and stopped.  Her neighbor, Mr. Blue Eyes, was just heading down his steps.  She felt a bit shy all the sudden.  What if he did see her earlier?

Drew walked out of his cottage finally ready to go for a much needed run.  He had his ear buds in, and the player set to "Best of Rob Zombie.  "Never Gonna Stop (Red Red Groovy)" started blasting just as he turned to head down his steps.  He stopped suddenly and noticed his gorgeous neighbor heading out.  Clothes on or off, this woman had curves that would make a grown man cry.  She was stunning.

He turned off his player, removed his ear buds, and looked her way.  He smiled, like he had a thousand times before (old habits die hard) and started walking towards her.  When he reached her bottom step, he looked up.

"Heading out for a run?"

Isabel never felt shy, yet right now she was a whole lot of shyness.  Run?  Really?  That wasn't even in her vocabulary.  Walking, now that was in her vocabulary.  She smiled without realizing it, and replied.

"Running and I don't get along.  I was just heading out for walk."

Drew just looked up into her eyes, "you and running don't get along?  That's a shame."

Isabel drummed up her courage, and tried to ignore the shyness.  "Not really. Walking is so much better, especially on your knees..."  Her voice trailed off as she realized she was rambling.

Drew just lightly laughed as he walked up her steps.  He put his hand out as a greeting.

"Hi, my name is Drew, and I get along with both running and walking.  Would you like some company?"

Isabel was loquacious, flirtatious, yet completely speechless as she accepted his handshake.

She exhaled and answered, her voice shaking, "Hi, I'm Isabel." Then she wrapped her ear buds around her phone, looked up and smiled.

"Company would be great."

The trail heading down to the beach was narrow and Drew took the lead.  Isabel was enjoying the view of his broad, muscular shoulders.  Yes, he was built, but not like a bodybuilder.  He was very tan.  She loved how his shorts hung low over his hips.  He was shirtless and that, probably, was distracting her from the very moment their eyes met.

His hair was sandy brown, and long enough for her to grab handfuls of his hair.  Oh my god, where did that thought come from?  Getting her mind back on track, she noticed how he walked with a purpose, his strides were deep, long.  He was a man who showed beauty naturally, but she realized that in her experience, he was a man who never looked twice at a woman like her.

As they walked onto the beach, Isabel walked alongside Drew.  She really needed to calm down.  She stopped and removed her shoes.  She loved feeling the sand between her toes. She looked out at the ocean, then back to Drew.

"Do you run out here everyday?"

Drew was watching Isabel as she took each step.  She would dig her feet deep in the sand, then wiggle her toes every once in a while.

"If I have the morning off.  How about you, do you walk out here much?"

"No. I should, but instead I find myself relaxing. I have a crazy work schedule."  They were just passing some of the larger homes.  Tucked in between two homes that had huge windows from floor to ceiling there was a beautiful Victorian home with pale blue shutters and a large open porch.  She stopped to enjoy the home and dig her toes into the sand again.  Forgetting that Drew was with her for a moment, she turned to start walking again, "sorry, I just love that home.  It is so different from the others. It has so much character."

"It does. "  Drew agreed.  "I wonder how long it has been there?  It is definitely older.”

They continued walking down the beach.  Even with Isabel's nerves, she found her voice to say more than five words to Drew.  About an hour had passed and they were almost back home.

Isabel stopped and looked at Drew.

"Thank you for the company.  I need to go get ready for work now."

Drew had not had a normal conversation with a woman since he didn't know when.  He needed to see her again.

"Um... Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

"I would love to, but I work really late." Isabel was annoyed with her schedule for the first time since she got here.

"Well, how does a late dinner on my patio sound?"

Isabel smiled, paused just a moment, and said "that sounds great."

CHAPTER 3

Isabel arrived at work and stepped out of her car.  Her co-worker Shawna, who was also slowly becoming a good friend, walked up with a smile on her face and a cup of coffee in each hand.

Shawna had a petit frame, with long flowing red hair in spiral curls that brought out the green in her eyes.  What she lacked in height, she made up for with a strong personality, which helped her in her role as nighttime Executive Producer.  She worked closely with Isabel every night, they clicked immediately, inseparable ever sense.

Shawna handed a cup of coffee to Isabel, "Good afternoon beautiful!"

"You are way too happy to start the workday," Isabel said, smiling.  "What is that all about?"

"Well, I may look happy, but girl..." Shawna was waving her coffee-free hand around Isabel's head, "you are glowing. What's going on with you?"

"Can't I just have a good day?" Isabel said, coyly.

Shawna laughed, "Sweetie, you have okay days, not good days.  Now fess up girl."

Isabel took a drink of her coffee, and choked a little while laughing.

"Okay, okay! Do you remember the guy in the cottage next door to mine?"

Shawna shook her head, and lifted both eyebrows.

Isabel barely gave her a chance to respond. "Well we may or may not have a date tonight.  Well I think it is a date, he invited me to dinner at his house tonight after I get home from work."

It was Shawna's turn to choke on her coffee, "Oh My God, are you serious?  A date?  At midnight?  What started this?  And don't leave out any juicy details!"

Isabel was giggling as they walked into the news room.  She sat down her coffee at her desk, "yes, yes, and yes!  And for the record, it was just two people taking a walk together, so it's not all that juicy."

"Oh no you don't.  Walk, what, when, where? Talk girl!"

Isabel put her hands up in surrender, sat down, and shared her morning.  She decided to leave out the nude episode, and made a mental note to buy curtains this week ASAP.

When she finally finished, Shawna was leaning one elbow on her desk, resting her head in her hand, with a dreamy look in her eyes.  "Why can't I ever get that lucky?  Do you realize what this means?  Oh my god your neighbor is totally interested in you."

Isabel was feeling nervous and excited on her drive home from work.  When she pulled up to her cozy little cottage, she looked over and smiled.  Drew was sitting on his porch.  The man was too beautiful.  Someone needed to pinch her, this night couldn't really be happening.

He had his legs resting on the railing, with a beer resting in his hand.  He immediately smiled when he saw her pull up.  He stood up, and Isabel just about forgot to put her car in park.  While still in the car she found herself talking to herself.

"Come on Izzy you are beautiful, strong, happy, and completely smitten with this man....no, no, crap, this is not helping." She opened her door and sat there for a few more seconds.

Drew walked over to her car, smiling.  "You okay?"

Isabel immediately felt her cheeks flush, "All good.  Sorry, was a crazy day."

Drew leaned on her car door. "Then I believe it is time for you to relax.  I hope you have an appetite?"  He held out his hand, and helped her from her little car.  His touch was gentle, his hand was rough, yet so soft.  The heat that shot through Isabel's hand was immediate, and brought a jolt of awareness to her.

She smiled, "I'm starving.  What are we having?"

He touched her nose in a gentle, flirtatious way and said, "that is a surprise."

Isabel had dated, she even had a long term relationship.  There was something different about this man, the heat he created by just one gentle touch was almost too much.  She just met him, yet Drew took her breath away.

The air was cool, a breeze blowing in from the ocean.  They walked onto his porch.  She smiled with unease, not because of dinner, but because this man was creating feelings she was not prepared to have just yet.

Drew looked into her eyes, "would you like wine or beer for dinner?"

Isabel felt like saying, "a shot of bourbon would be good."  Instead she decided on a glass of wine to calm her crazy nerves.

Drew lead her to a chair, and carefully pushed her up to the table.  He then stood behind her, and put his hands on her shoulders, and bent down to her ear.  He quietly said in a low husky voice, "are you up for a little mystery dinner?"

A jolt of heat shot through her from where his hands were, and went all the way down to her very intimate spot.  With a shaky voice she forced out, "yes."

The next moment Isabel was shocked, Drew reached in his back pocket and pulled out one of his ties.  Smiling, he tied the tie around her head, and covered her eyes up.  "No peeking allowed."

For the next minute or so Isabel heard clanking, and rustling around.  Then she felt Drew's leg resting next to hers.  "Okay, since you told me about your love for cooking, food, and trying new things- I thought this would be fun."  In a sexy voice he said, "Do you trust me, Isabel?"

Laughing nervously, with an obvious tremor in her voice, "I just met you, I guess we'll have to see."  Then she felt something lightly touch her bottom lip.  She parted her lips slowly with apprehension, and slowly began chewing.  The taste was sweet and salty in one bite.

With a grin, "are we having dessert first?"

"Maybe," was all Drew could reply at that moment.  He was watching her as she took the bite of salted caramel ice cream cake.  Her lips were full and ready.  Her face was so gentle and kind, with strands of her long dark hair falling around her face.  She had soft velvety skin, and a beautiful creamy complexion.  Her eyes were the color of the rainforest, and truly radiant.

He slowly slide the tie off, and looked into her eyes.  She had more than one emotion flash across her face.  He grinned at her, and then feed her another forkful of the decadent ice cream cake.

She laughed, "where I grew up, dessert is supposed to be served last."

He looked down, then straight into her eyes, "It takes too long to get through all the courses.  Can I ask you something personal?"

"Ummmm... okay?"  Isabel had no idea what the question could possibly be.

He looked at her with a devious grin.  His heart felt like it was beating a mile a minute.  His palms felt sweaty.  He knew this was as good of a time as any, he had to just ask.  He cleared his throat, "Did I really see you standing at your bay window this morning... naked?"

She looked momentarily stunned, then started to say, "I'm sorry..."

Drew was inches from her mouth, "I'm not."  Then he lightly touched his lips to hers.  The touch was so soft, yet you could feel the wanting between them.

She nervously pulled away, unsure of her feelings.  He had desire in his eyes and that scared her.  She quickly stood, knocking over her chair, looked at him, and then walked straight to her cottage.