Long Simmering Spring (20 page)

Cole’s hard chest was pressed against her back, his arm thrown casually around her waist. Encircled in his arms, she felt safe. Secure. He’d trusted her last night, and he’d gotten her to trust him. For the first time, Julie realized they were forging new ground, moving together in a different direction. Experiencing something she’d never had before. Something she suspected he’d never had, either.

Burrowing deeper under the covers, she put a hand over his arm. Her small movements must have woken him, since he tensed and then yawned. He slid his hand under her rib cage and pulled her even closer to his body.

“Good morning,” he said, his voice low. “You’re still here.”

“I’m still here. And so are you.”

He stiffened a little bit. “You want to talk about what happened last night.” It wasn’t a question.

She shook her head. “No.” It seemed too raw to rehash. “But I will ask you two questions.”

“Two questions.”

“And you have to promise to answer them honestly.”

“Okay.” He sounded a bit wary, but she knew he’d tell the truth.

“One, have you ever, um, shot anyone or anything when you’ve whipped out your gun in the middle of the night?”

He paused for a few seconds before answering. “No.”

Thank God
. “And two, are you seeing anyone?”

He didn’t even hesitate. “You.”

“Cole—” she said, her voice a warning. “You know what I meant.”

“I know what you meant,” he said flatly. “A shrink. I have before, but not right now.”

She turned her head so she could see his eyes. They were still the same color—that piercing blue—but there was a darkness to his gaze. “Do me a favor. Go back.”

He gave a snort and looked away. “You sound like Val.”

“Your brother really cares about you.”
Like I do.

“Yeah. Well, I’ve been doing okay. And I’ve been busy.”

“Cole, you know better than I do that this kind of thing doesn’t go away by itself. Combat veterans typically have a whole host of issues to deal with when they come back from war. Your PTSD, plus a healthy dose of survivor’s guilt—both of which I’m sure you’ve been told are perfectly normal, given what you’ve been through—means you have to maintain the work that you’ve been doing to keep yourself together.”

He cleared his throat. “Look, you asked your two questions. I answered them. Now it’s time for other things.”

There were hundreds of questions left unasked and unanswered, but his tone left no doubt that he wanted to move on. For now, that was all right. They’d surely get a chance to talk about it later. “What other things?” she asked.

“This,” he replied, before covering her mouth with his own.

They made love again, slowly and carefully. Cole was unhurried, stroking her body gently, clearly mindful of their passion the night before. They didn’t speak. They didn’t have to. Heat lapped at her body as he brought her to a slow simmer, coaxing her to the edge. And then, together, they did a free-fall into the abyss. Even their moment of climax was almost reverent as she sighed into his mouth. Afterward, they lay in the rumpled bed, simply breathing. For now, it was enough just to be near him.

After a few moments, Cole lifted himself up on his elbow. He stroked her hair, smoothing it. Silently, she observed him, her gaze sweeping over his hair, then his chiseled cheekbones, before slipping down his chest to where his torso disappeared under the covers. When she saw a slight movement, her eyes widened and she looked up at him.

“I think I’m good for now,” she said.

“We won’t,” he said, continuing to stroke her hair. “Lord knows I want to, but I don’t want either of us to get sore. Besides,” he continued, “I have to get to work.” He leaned over to kiss her softly on the mouth. “Mind if I take a shower?”

“Please,” she said, gesturing toward the bathroom.

He disappeared while she put on an oversized shirt and pulled out some clothes to wear that day. He emerged a few minutes later, freshly washed and smelling like her freesia soap.

As soon as he saw her, he stopped. “Damn.”

“What?”

“You look amazing.”

“I’m a wreck.”

He shook his head. “No. You look sexy. Your hair is all messy and that shirt—”

She looked down. “It was my dad’s.”

Cole groaned. “Then I should
not
be thinking what I’m thinking right now.” He donned the clothes he’d brought in last night and ran his fingers through his still-damp hair. Even with limited resources, he looked utterly put-together.

“You going to take a shower now?” he asked, stroking down her arm with his hand.

“Yes.”

“Okay. I have to go, but I’d like to take you to dinner tonight, if you’re free.” She nodded. “Great. I’ll be home at seven.”

Then he kissed her on the mouth, a searing, devastatingly hot kiss that she wished could have lasted all morning. He kissed her forehead and left, the stairs creaking as he made his way to the front door. When she heard the door shut, she went to the bathroom and flicked on the water. It only took a few seconds before it was nice and hot. Stepping in, she let the water sluice over her in sheets. Let it work its magic on her sore, achy muscles. In fact, there were some aches in places she didn’t even know she possessed muscles—and for a runner, that was saying a lot.

Last night she’d come to grips with the fact that she was falling in love with Cole Grayson, the very last man she’d ever expected could make a bid for her heart. She’d tried to push him away, but he’d held on tight. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized he was just what she needed—someone strong, loyal, and real.

Cole’s PTSD had proved to be the one thing she hadn’t seen coming. All this time, she’d been worrying about her own issues, but there was something much more important at play. His file said he’d been treated for the disorder, but why wasn’t he still seeking help if the symptoms were still there? There were no answers. Only more questions that he would clearly be reluctant to address.

Sure, he came with a whole lot of baggage they’d have to deal with, but unlike dealing with a patient’s problems, this was different. This was love.

It was new and strange, but she was slowly growing used to feeling off-kilter. This was the new normal. Julie Kensington in love.
Deep breath
. She could do this. Finishing her shower, she stepped out to peer at herself in the mirror. She did look different. There was an aura about her. She looked satiated. Like a well-fed cat.

Julie blinked at herself, no longer surprised at what she saw.

As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t sit around her house all day thinking about Cole. It wasn’t a terribly productive use of her time when she had a million-and-one things to do at her own office. Plus, thanks to all the exercise she’d gotten between the sheets, she was really hungry.

CHAPTER 16

As soon as Julie was dressed, she grabbed the latest copy of the
Journal of the American Medical Association
and shoved it in her bag. Then she hopped in her car and drove to the LMK for brunch. She found parking on one of the old cobblestoned streets around the corner from the restaurant. The place was packed when she arrived, but she found a free spot at the counter. Spying Buster through the open window behind the counter, she gave him a little wave. Buster touched the tip of his baseball cap to her, gave her a slow smile, and then went back to working.

While she waited for one of the servers to take her order, she turned around on her seat to check out who was there. So many new faces dotted the place—a testament to Royce Hogan’s push to increase tourism, no doubt—but she saw a few people she recognized. Melinda Cook was there with her elderly grandmother, both dressed in their Sunday best, and the Millers were seated in a back booth. Billy noticed her and gave her a big wave. She smiled and waved back.

“Here you go, Julie,” Rachel said, setting a teacup and saucer in front of her. “Earl Grey, just the way you like it.”

“Thanks, Rachel,” she said, giving the dark-haired woman a little smile. She loved being part of this community.

“So what can I get for you? Your usual?”

“Yes, please.”

“No problem. We’re super busy today, but I’ll send Lexie out when she has a few minutes.”

“Thanks. I’d like that.”

She pulled out the medical journal but didn’t read for long. Despite the crowd, the food came out in short order, with a twisted orange slice on her plate, Buster’s way of saying hello. The man didn’t talk much, but she knew he liked her—and not just because she’d patched him up more than once. He was devoted to Lexie, and because Julie looked out for her, too, it meant that she and Buster were on the same team. Just then, Lexie came out of the back, wiping her hands on her apron.

The petite woman took one look at Julie and let out a low whistle. “Oh, my, my, my,” she said. “You finally did it.”

“Did what?” Julie said.

“It’s written all over your face.”

“What’s written?” Julie asked, getting exasperated.

Lexie just gave her a look that said she knew it all. “There you go again, forgetting that I’m married to one of them.”

Oh
. Did
that
. She felt a blush creeping down her neck and studied the curve of the orange peel. True to Star Harbor, her personal business was on full display. “It was kind of inevitable.”

“Well, heck, don’t sound so happy about it,” Lexie said.

Julie looked up. Her friend was watching her carefully. “It’s not that I’m unhappy. It’s just that things are . . .”

“Complicated?”

“Yes.” Like everything else about the man.

Lexie rolled her eyes. “Why am I not surprised? With the Grayson boys, there’s always some complication. Want some advice?”

Julie shrugged. “Sure.”

“Like I told you before, try to enjoy it. I knew that Cole would be good for you and I think you’re good for him.”

“Mmm,” she said. If Lexie only knew how much she’d enjoyed it—over and over and over again!

As if she knew what Julie was thinking, Lexie gave her a smile. “I can tell that you’re already considering the possibilities. Unfortunately, I have to get back to the kitchen, but I want to hear more. Talk to you later,” she said, dashing off. Just as Lexie ran back to the kitchen, the door jingled and out of the corner of her eye, Julie caught a flash of red hair.

“Avery!” she called out from her seat.

Avery walked up to her right away. “Hi, Julie. Great to see you! I’ve been meaning to give you a call. Kate had her six-month checkup on Friday, and she’s still cancer-free.”

“I’m so glad to hear that,” Julie said. “I’ll have to follow up with CCH to get her office file updated.” Julie had helped Avery and Emma navigate the confusing world of hospitals and treatments when Kate, a breast cancer survivor, had come down with pneumonia a few months ago. Though Kate had been treated at Cape Cod Hospital, Julie was still her primary physician and acted as a liaison among all her caregivers. “And how are
you
doing?”

“Well,” Avery said. “I’m still enjoying my new job at Falmouth Family and Children’s Services. There’s been a huge learning curve, since half of the position is educating other social workers. Lots of reading and distilling ideas, but I really like it. You were right about Theresa Vasquez. She’s amazing to work for.”

Julie couldn’t help but smile. “So pleased it’s been working out for you.”

“I wouldn’t even have considered the job if you hadn’t recommended me to Theresa. I owe you so much thanks.”

“Which you’ve given me again and again,” Julie said, hoping to stem any effusiveness. The last time Avery thanked her, she’d gone on for ten minutes and Julie had turned bright red—right in the middle of one of Babs’s dinners. “Seriously, I’m just happy knowing that you’re in a good place, and that you’re thriving.” Julie pointed to an empty seat beside her. “Would you like to sit down?”

“No thanks,” came a deep voice. “We need a private booth in the back.”

“Theo,” Avery said, her blue eyes lighting up. When the big man approached, Avery tipped her face up to his and he kissed her briefly, but passionately. She turned back to Julie. “Theo was just parking the Jeep at the wharf. We got back to Star Harbor last night after spending the evening on Nantucket.”

“How nice,” Julie said, watching the way Avery’s features went all dreamy when talking about her fiancé. Julie glanced up at Theo. He was handsome, no doubt about it, from his black-as-night hair, to his impressive build, to the otherworldly green eyes shining behind his glasses. Even the imperfect, broken nose looked good on him.

Now Theo was eyeing her speculatively. She swallowed and looked away. One night with Cole and she’d been marked. “I don’t want to keep you. Please, enjoy your brunch.”

“Okay. ‘Bye, Julie,” Avery said. “See you soon.”

“Catch you later,” Theo said, leading Avery toward the back of the restaurant, his hand on her back.

That gesture only served as a reminder of Cole. With difficulty, she tried to refocus on her journal article—a less-than-fascinating read about the prevalence of
E. coli
in the intestinal tracts of rats—and to keep her mind off Star Harbor’s most reformed bad boy.

Despite her distraction, Julie finally got sucked into the article. She came out of her stupor only to realize that someone had taken away her empty plate and left the check. She quickly pulled out her wallet and signaled to Rachel that she wanted to pay. She’d just put twenty dollars on the counter when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

“Dr. Kensington, how are you?” Pru Miller said in her well-modulated voice, Harry at her side and Billy clinging to his mother’s leg.

“Fine, thanks.” She smiled down at the little boy. “How are you doing, Billy?”

Billy buried his face in his mom’s blouse.

Pru just smiled. “
So
much better thanks to your quick work last month. I don’t think there will be any scarring at all. We’re extremely pleased with the way you handled our little boy. In fact, Harry and I would love to get to know you better, personally. Please come to our annual Memorial Day barbecue.”

Harry nodded. “Join us.”