Long Simmering Spring (15 page)

“Hello, everyone,” Julie said. “Nice to meet you. And don’t be fooled by Cole’s introduction—I’m Star Harbor’s
only
doctor!”

Everyone was laughing when a man with a booming voice spoke up. “Aren’t you going to introduce me, too?” he asked. Cole turned and a man close to his own height and build, but with brown eyes and salt-and-pepper hair, sauntered up to greet him.

“Chief Michaelson, good to see you.” Cole looked the chief dead in the eye as the two men shook hands. Michaelson looked exactly the same. Same flattened nose, the result of being broken half a dozen times. Same creases around the eyes, although he noticed they were a bit deeper. Same hard, no-nonsense look. Some things never changed.

“Thought you’d gone off to greener pastures,” the chief said, his mouth unsmiling but his eyes twinkling.

“Yes, sir.”

“How are things going?”

“Well, sir, I have four deputies and three patrol cars, my own station house, and the full support of Barnstable County. I’d say things are going well.”

“Thought you’d make a run for it here,” Michaelson said, a tease in his eyes.

“I doubt anyone could replace you, sir.”

“You were always a smooth one, Grayson. Yes, indeed.” Now the chief was really smiling. “It’s good to see you, too, son.”

Cole introduced Julie to Michaelson before saying, “Chief, I have something I’d like to float by you. Mind if we go somewhere a bit more private?”

Chief Michaelson nodded his assent. Cole turned to Julie. “I’ll be right back, Doc. Stay with Joe and the gang. They’ll take good care of you.”

“All right.”

Cole had trusted his life to these men and women for three years. He knew Julie would be in good hands for ten minutes.

Julie enjoyed talking to Cole’s old colleagues and learning a little bit more about what made Cole tick, but she was glad when he finally finished with Chief Michaelson. The group had started to grill her for details about their relationship that she wasn’t quite ready to give. Still, she couldn’t fault them—they were all cops, after all. She and Cole said their goodbyes and drove to the Fens, right near Fenway Park. They had to park far from the ballpark, but it was a nice day, and Julie didn’t mind walking.

“I can’t wait to take you to your first Red Sox game,” Cole said, holding out his hand. “Are you ready to make history?”

“Yes,” Julie said, placing her hand in his. “Let’s go.” As they got closer, they joined the throngs of people decked out in their team’s colors who were all heading toward the stadium. There was a sense of excitement and community. Children giggled in anticipation and men talked loudly about the starting pitcher’s statistics. The energy was infectious, and Julie felt her heart rate increase as they moved closer to the entrance.

Once they had passed through the gates, the already impressive sound level increased tenfold. They were pressed in between hundreds of people all heading in different directions. Now, fans’ voices were intermingled with vendors hawking their wares—programs, posters, caps, and foam hands to wave in solidarity. The smell of hot salted peanuts wafted through the air. Just as quickly, it was replaced by the meaty aroma of bratwurst and the tang of sauerkraut. Everything was at once foreign and familiar.

Cole kept his hand tightly clasped around hers. Enviously, she looked up at him, wishing she had a few more inches of height to see above the crowd. Soon they found their seats, a few rows from the field on the first-base side.

“I’m going to get us drinks and food. What would you like?”

“What are you having? A chili dog?” she teased.

“Nope. A cold beer and a hot brat.”

“Are the brats any good?”

“The best.”

“Then I’ll have the same.”

“I knew you had it in you, Doc.” He sounded triumphant.

“What, to eat a bratwurst? Like I tell my young patients—hot dogs and sausages are ‘sometimes’ foods. Now certainly qualifies as a special ‘sometime.’”

Cole grinned. “You won’t be disappointed.”

He disappeared, reappearing with a cardboard tray of food and drinks a few minutes later.

“Thanks,” she said, taking the beer and gingerly placing it in her seat’s cup holder. Then she took the bratwurst from him, and while he was watching, took a big bite, enjoying the spicy, meaty flavor. When her mouth was clear, she glanced around. “How many people do you think will be here?” she asked Cole.

“Capacity is just over thirty-five thousand. I think the stadium will reach its maximum, this being opening day and all.”

Julie smiled, then sat back and enjoyed her bratwurst and beer, along with the spectacle. They spent the afternoon in true Boston fashion—watching the Red Sox soundly beat the Baltimore Orioles. Cole answered her questions about game rules, and she loved taking it all in. She especially liked the feeling of his hand in hers and watching him roar with excitement when a Red Sox player scored.

After the last out had been called, Cole and Julie walked out of the stadium with the rest of the crowd. It took a long time for them to make their way home, given the foot and car traffic exiting the stadium. By that time she was tired, and it was a relief to finally watch Cole turn onto the Cape’s Route 28, taking them back to Star Harbor.

The spring evening was actually warm, and Cole drove more slowly than usual. He rolled down the windows a bit so they could enjoy the early-evening air. Julie looked out and up. No stars yet, but the moon was just beginning its ascent into the evening sky. As they drew closer to the end of the Cape, the salty smell of the sea became more intense. Coupled with the musky perfume of the forest, it was pleasant and familiar, and Julie sighed, relaxing into the seat of Cole’s car.

It was a few minutes before Julie realized that Cole had turned off Route 28 onto a side road that led to the western part of the Cape.

“Aren’t we heading back to Star Harbor?” she asked.

Cole glanced over and gave her a smile. “Not just yet,” he said. “There’s something I want to show you.”

Cole drove for ten more minutes, winding down a woodsy road that appeared to lead toward the water. Julie guessed they were somewhere in the vicinity of North Falmouth. The road let out into a dirt clearing that overlooked Buzzard’s Bay. The clearing was about fifteen feet above the water, with a small cliff that Julie instinctively knew must lead sharply down to the small beach below.

He rolled up the windows and cut the engine, then came around to help her out. As soon as she exited the car, she was hit by the heady aroma of damp earth and new growth and the ever-present smell of the water that you could never really escape living on the Cape. A few crickets chirped in the woods behind them, and the water crashed on the shore. In the dim light, she could just make out a few ships bobbing up and down on the bay. Soon they’d put on their night lights, and tiny spots of brightness would twinkle across the water.

The town of Mattapoisett would be directly opposite them across the bay, a low, dark line on the horizon. Without warning, a hard, brief pang of longing twinged in her chest as she thought about her parents, so she turned to Cole. He simply smoldered, his black hair tousled slightly from the wind, his heavy-lidded blue eyes trained on her, his lips curled in a half-smile.

“You like?” he asked in a low voice.

“Very much so,” she responded. “This has been a day full of surprises.”

“Good ones, I hope.” He took her hand in his and stroked the back of it with his large, callused thumb. Julie’s temperature began to rise.

“Very good ones.”

“My brothers and I used to come out here on weekends to get away from Star Harbor,” Cole said, nodding toward the water. “We’re on a small peninsula. There aren’t any houses out here, so we’d let loose, drink, do whatever.” He gave Julie a sly grin. “But you were such a good girl. I bet you never came out here, did you?”

Julie shook her head. “No. I didn’t. But you knew that already.”

“What would you have done back then if I’d asked you to join us?” He gave her a wicked smile.

“I definitely wouldn’t have come.”

“And now?” he asked in a low voice, inching closer to her. She stared at his mouth. Couldn’t look away.

“Now I would. If you asked.”

“I’m asking.” He bent his head and kissed her. The warm pressure of his lips on hers elicited a tingling sensation that started in her head and slowly trickled down her body. After kissing her lips for a few moments, he trailed his way down the side of her neck with his mouth, while his hand remained entwined in hers.

“I brought a blanket for us to sit on,” he said warmly. “Come on.” He nodded his head in the direction of the large blanket he must have laid out while Julie was watching the water. He eased himself down to it, then helped Julie to sit directly in front of him. She sank down onto its heathery softness. Cole wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her back until she leaned on him, her back pressed against his chest.

Julie nestled into his warmth, feeling the security of his strong arms, the hardness of his thighs as they pressed on either side of her hips. Although she was slim, not small, Cole’s large size made her feel petite. She closed her eyes, enjoying it. Even though they hadn’t been closed for that long, when she opened them, it was darker outside. Little spots of light twinkled on the bay and across the water.

“It’s beautiful, Cole. Thank you for bringing me here.”

“My pleasure,” he said, kissing the back of her head. She smiled and turned, knowing he’d take advantage of the proximity of her lips to his. As soon as she’d turned to give him access, he kissed her. Slowly at first, then with growing heat.

He turned her body so that she was facing him. Then he enveloped her in his arms, easily rolling her beneath him, the crook of his arm cushioning her neck. She lay on her back, Cole above her. Above his head, a few early evening stars glimmered. She looked back to his face. He was watching her watch the sky.

“You’ve never done this outside, have you?” he asked, a smile curving on his lips.

“Not like this, no,” she admitted.

“Just lie back and relax,” he said, before kissing her gently. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, reveling in the feeling of his body covering hers. It felt good, right, real. She opened her mouth and then he simply devoured it with his own, his tongue slipping inside with familiarity. Spearing his hand into her long hair, he gripped her scalp gently while he concentrated on her lips. Slowly, he ran his other palm down her neck, her shoulder, her arm, and clasped her hand. For a long while they lay like that, wrapped in each other’s arms.

The pleasure that had started a spark when he first kissed her grew, flames diffusing out from her lips, down her neck, lapping at her breasts. She moaned, and Cole unclasped his hand from hers and slid it to her hip. Slowly, he moved it up until his palm covered her soft flesh.

She lifted up and into him, urging him to continue, loving the way her nipple hardened in his hand, relishing the firm bulge of his erection pressed against her inner thigh. When had she grown this wanton? Cole was doing this to her—breaking down her defenses until she simply had to let him in. No one had been this deliberate in her seduction. He was courting her, one date at a time, one kiss at a time. He was forcing her to slow down to his pace, to take her time, to look inward to see what it was that she really wanted. But that was a good thing, a very good thing, because then she had more time to savor exactly what he was offering. She’d spent years on her academic education and on figuring out how to manage on her own, but pretty much no time at all on her social life. Now she was making up for it, in spades.

He kneaded her breast gently, and when her brain caught up with her body, a surge of excitement overwhelmed her. Tearing her mouth away from his, she nibbled down his neck. In response, he buried his face in the place between her neck and her shoulder, nipping softly at her skin with his teeth. Somehow, Cole knew exactly what to do as the fire grew hotter. His touch grew firmer, yet no less gentle.

She wanted him—all of him. He could see into her darkest desires, knew what she needed.

Just as Julie was mentally willing him to lift her shirt, to push her bra aside and to suckle on her breasts the way he had before, the way she liked, he slid his hand lower. But instead of following through and sliding his hand under her shirt as she expected, he moved it down her leg to her knee. Then, he began to move it up, slowly pushing her skirt up, past her knee, past her thigh, higher and higher.

As the cool night air hit her exposed leg, his intentions became clear. “Cole!” she exclaimed, opening her eyes wide.

“C’mon, Doc. Let me make you feel good,” he said, massaging her thigh.

“What if someone comes!”

“Mmm . . .” he said, nuzzling her cheek, “don’t worry about it. A public sex act is only a misdemeanor.”

“Oh, my God, Cole!” she said. She was excited as much from the physical sensations as she was from the curious thrill of potential discovery, and a jolt of pleasure went straight to her core. She was enjoying the naughtiness as much as he was. And she was no longer surprised at her reaction.

“Don’t worry, Julie.” He kissed her neck, then her mouth. “We’re not going to have sex here tonight.” He placed a hand on the side of her face, cupping her jawbone.

“Oh, um, I mean, that’s not what I . . .” she trailed off. Did he mean they were going to have sex later, in a different location?

“Is it bad that I like making you stammer?” he said, brushing her lips with his thumb. “You usually have an answer for everything.”

She shook off her embarrassment and glanced around. “Seriously, are you sure this is a good idea?”

“What are they going to do? Arrest the sheriff of Star Harbor? We’re not breaking the law. At least, not yet.”

He moved his hand down her body and once again slid it up her leg, then pushed aside her panties and eased a fingertip inside her.

Julie gasped with pleasure, welcoming him in. She was ready, willing, and simply waiting for his touch to unleash the desire that had been unfurling. He pulled his fingertip out, circled her swollen, damp flesh, and then pushed it back inside slowly, ever so slowly. He repeated the motion again and again, until she could barely stand it. All the while he kissed her, and his lips were the sweetest thing of all, dragging her under.