Kick (Completion Series) (14 page)

“The lake.”

Um, no. “As in swimming?”

“If you like, but it’s not exactly what I had planned.” He continued with the same grin and his eyes twinkled just a bit.

“I didn’t pack a swimsuit and I’d rather not buy one. It tends to be a major ordeal finding
something that fits.” I was kinda rambling when I noticed his eyes back at my chest.

“What the hell is wrong with you
, Joel? There’s not much there to see.”

Good, his cheeks tinged pink. “That’s the problem. What did you do with them
?” He actually looked mystified. “There was more there yesterday morning and last night. It surprised me because I didn’t notice them much the first couple of times I saw you.”

“I hide them.”

“Why?”

I couldn’t believe we were having this conversation
while we stood in my hotel room. “Can we just go, please?”

“Sure
, but this conversation’s not over.”

He was so embarrassingly frustrating.
“Yes, it is. We’re friends, remember?”

“That’s exactly why it’s not over. Friends don’t hide
.” He took my hand and practically dragged me to his truck… no, I was wrong. This was a sports car, an older model silver Corvette.

“What year?” I whispered in reverence.

“78 Anniversary Edition. She’s mint, all original.”

“Where did you find her?”

“At a car auction a few years back. I paid premium, but it’s one of the rare times I spoiled myself.”

“Did you name her?” I asked as he assisted me into my seat.

He laughed. “Buckle up, and no. Would you like the honor?”

“Let me think about it. You know my hair will be a mess by the time we reach the lake.”

Joel walked around and got in the driver’s side. “You’ll find a scarf in the glove box and a pair of sunglasses if you need them.”

I opened the glove box and pulled out a brightly
colored scarf. I had prescription sunglasses in my bag. Having never tied a scarf around my head, it took a minute. Darn it, no mirror on the back of the visor. I turned to Joel. “What do you think?”

“It was my mother
’s and it looks just as lovely on you.”

Shit.
My heart fell into my stomach. Joel touched my chin and tilted my face back toward him. “It’s okay. You would have liked my mom.”

H
e was going to make me cry. All the emotional turmoil from the last two days pressed down on my shoulders. Joel was a nice guy and his brother was a jerk. Why oh why did I have sex with Van?

Joel started the engine
and pulled out of the parking lot. Two minutes on the main road and I noticed his grin right before he spoke. “So about your breasts?”

From almost tears to laughter in sixty seconds. I was glad I couldn’t cancel our plans. I gave Joel my best exaggerated sigh.
“Friends do not talk about each other’s breasts.”

“
We can discuss mine all you want. And don’t think I’m stupid, I’ve heard women talk. Believe me I think they discuss their bodies as much as men discuss their bodies.”

He had a point
, but it had been years since I had girlfriends to chat with. “Yeah, maybe, but you’re not my girlfriend, Joel, so it doesn’t work that way with us.” I needed to get his mind off my breasts.

“And what’s the difference—girlfriend, boyfriend. Please tell me.”

“Boyfriend won’t work either. We’re just friends.” I gave an exasperated sigh.

“Semantics. I’m wondering about all kinds of things here. Were your breasts removed for some reason and you wear false ones. Am I losing my mind and I only imagined them? Things like that. A true friend would put me out of my misery.”

The wind whipped across my face, the sun warmed my skin, and I laughed long and hard. He was a nut. “I’m wearing a tight athletic bra that holds them in, if you must know. Not that it’s any of your business. Friends,” and I put a lot of emphasis on that word, “have boundaries.”

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

Argh, more laughter escaped me. “I’ve been doing it for years. Large breasts are not all they’re cracked up to be. Back problems… sagging… believe me, I’d exchange them for a firm pair of B’s any day.”

He groaned. “You know you’re killing me
, right?”

“No, why?”

“Large breasts. I like them even on friends.”

I laughed so hard my side hurt and I had trouble getting out my next words, “Yeah, I noticed some of you
r guy friends have large breasts too.”

T
he unmarred side of his face, which was facing me, tipped up in a gorgeous smile. “So you like large breasts too?”

My laughter never stopped.
“This is a ridiculous conversation and we need to change the subject. I will no longer discuss breasts or man boobs with you.”

He turned back to the road. “Fair enough
, but I need to warn you that I’ll have nightmares about tortured breasts tonight. I promise not to sleep well and I’ll be grumpy tomorrow.”

“So noted.
” I had to change this conversation. “Tell me about the restaurant.”

“Which one?”

I couldn’t help my surprise. “You own more than one?”

“Two to be exact
.”

“
Is it called The Steak House? Sorry but I didn’t catch the name.”

“You’re close. Jack’s Steak House. My brother and I own that one jointly. We helped finance the original owner, Jack. He died of a heart attack two years ago and left us the property.
We also own a little more than fifty percent of The Slam Tavern.”

I tried not to appear shocked. “I had no idea. What about other businesses?”

“Just the team. We’ve put almost everything there. Someday it will pay off.”

“I hope it does.” We drove for a while in a comfortable silence.
Being with Joel was very different than how I felt with his brother. Whereas Van made me nervous; Joel had me relaxing. I fought the urge to stare at his arms on the steering wheel. His arms would lead to his chest and I’d be a goner. The sound and feel of the wind against my face was so intoxicating that I was unaware of when I dozed off.

“Come on
, sleepyhead. We’re here.” Joel stroked my cheek.

I opened my eyes and we were inches apart. It was so unfair. I wanted nothing more than to kiss him and forget his brother. Stupid me. “Where’s here
?”

He leaned back a bit
, allowing me to breathe comfortably. “We’ve been driving for over an hour. You’ll enjoy the food; it’s locally grown vegetables with locally raised meat and fish. They also have a good draft beer.”

“No beer for me. I’m swearing off alcohol.”

Snarly Joel came back. “You know I owe my brother a black eye for that, right? He knew damn good and well what he was doing when he gave you too much alcohol. Hell, I might punch out a few of his teeth.” His hands held the steering wheel in a death grip, causing his forearm muscles to bulge.

I placed
my fingers on one of Joel’s fists. “I’m a big girl. The last thing I want is the two of you fighting. Absolutely no black eyes or missing teeth. You will no longer be my friend if you do either. You got me?”

He didn’t smile.
“We’ll see.”

Grrr,
the man drove me crazy.

“Did you just growl at me?”
Now he smiled.

“Yes
, and I bite. So stop. Let’s eat, I’m suddenly famished.”

He dropped it
, hopefully for good. The place was packed and Joel had thankfully made earlier reservations. He ordered a Great Lake’s Brewing Company draft beer and without looking at him, I did the same. To hell with Van. I enjoyed my beer last night and I could have one today. I had no reason to think Joel would jump in my shorts after a beer or two. As long as he kept his shirt on, I was safe. He didn’t order another beer with his meal, choosing water instead. “I’m driving and we still have a ways to go.”

I switched to water and enjoyed my Crispy Lake Erie Perch with a
house salad instead of the usual side that accompanied the meal. Joel had the Pumphouse Burger with all the trimmings. I could only shake my head when he finished off my fish.

“You could have ordered two meals,” I said
as he took the final bite from my plate.

“Don’t think I haven’t before.” His smile was so devilish. “I have des
sert packed in a small cooler in the backseat. We need to get on the road, and you’ll want to use the ladies’ room first. There are no facilities.”

I gave him an evil look. “Boy are you lucky I didn’t have another beer.”

He only smiled. “I’ll grab the check while you do your thing.”

Joel wasn’t around after I
did my thing
, but a minute later he stepped out of the men’s room. Forty minutes later we drove onto the ferry that took us to Middle Bass Island. I took my first airplane flight a few days ago and now I was taking my first ferry ride. What an adventure. We left the ferry and Joel drove a little while longer before pulling onto a well-maintained unpaved lane.

“I can’t believe you’re driving Lola on this road.”

“Lola?” He cocked his eyebrow.

“You said I could name her
, so now you’re stuck with it.”

“Lola can handle a little dirt. Not a lot
, but I’m moving slow.” We drove about fifty more yards and he parked next to a trail. “Come on, let’s get down there.”

We were on a slight hill. I carried a blanket and my bag while Joel hefted the small cooler and something in a vinyl carry
ing case. It turned out to be a foldout shade to block the sun. We set up about twenty feet from the water. There was bottled water in the cooler, no alcohol, and his dessert was chocolate chip cookies, which we decided to save for later after our lunch settled. Joel even thought to bring sunscreen. I applied it to my arms, legs, and face. I looked around at the beautiful scenery—the water, trees, an amazing sky and privacy. “How did you find this spot?”

“My realtor did. I bought it.”

He always surprised me. “You bought a beach?”

His laughter mixed with the sound of small waves
hitting the shore. “I want to build a family home here someday.”

“Um, wow. I don’t know what else to say. It’s perfect.”

“I like the island atmosphere, the entire area actually.” He rolled to his side so he faced me. “I have a question for you, but I don’t want to ruin the mood.”

I groaned
. “Then don’t, please.”

“Sorry
, but it’s driving me nuts. Aren’t your breasts hot and sweaty pushed behind that medieval torture device?”

“You did not just go there
.”

“You can’t be comfortable. Come on. I’ll turn the other way, you take it off, and we can both relax.”

The killer problem here was that the sports bra was wet with my sweat and extremely uncomfortable. If I was busy, I never thought about the material binding me. Lying here, I noticed the scratchy pinch. Did I dare? I groaned in frustration. “You promise to keep your hands to yourself?”

“You’re a tough
customer,” he said with a groan.

“Joel!”
The exasperating man.

“I pr
omise not to lay hands on your breasts… today.”

“What th
e hell does that mean?”

“We don’t know what the future holds.” He sounded so reasonable.

I needed to set the record straight. “This is just a friendship, remember?”

“Friends, I agree.”

I made sure my sigh was long and loud. “Roll over and don’t peek.”

“Tell me when I can look.” His voice had grown husky and I was
sure this was a bad idea.

The sports bra was impossible to slip
off from under my shirt. That meant going completely topless with Joel’s broad back two feet from me. “I mean it, don’t look.” His chest started shaking. “Are you laughing at me?” I asked while hurrying to get my clothing resituated.

“Yes.”

“Jackass.” As soon as I had my shirt back on, I grabbed my bag and buried the damp bra in the bottom. I lay back down loving the freedom. “Okay, you’re good.” Joel did the last thing I expected. He pulled his shirt over his head.

“No
t fair,” I shrieked.

He looked at me
, his blue eyes practically burning. “Why not? You’re comfortable now and I’m hotter than hell. I thought you liked man boobs.”

I don’t know h
ow he kept from laughing outright at the look of shock I couldn’t get off my face. I could see his smirk. It took everything I had not to pull my own shirt over my head and give him a little of his own medicine. His muscles were so far beyond fucking hot my rising blood pressure couldn’t handle it. I was two feet from the hard cut of his chest, and more than anything, I wanted to lick the line between each muscle. God help me, I wasn’t even tipsy.