Free Clear as Day by Babette James Page A

couple had roused. His arm stroked around her waist. “May I have this dance?”
    “That’s not our song. We don’t have a song.” But it was so easy to turn and let him take her in his arms.
    He grinned. “It’s our song. We were strangers. It was night.”
    Nate sang to Kay as they danced, his eyes and smile tender and serious. The warm, comforting need filled Kay, muting her fears as she rested in his embrace. Memories of their first hello, their first touch washed through her, sweet and hot.
    She flushed. Oh, boy.
    I love you. Come on, Kay, what’s so hard about saying those three little words ?
    Nate said them so easily. He had to be wanting her to say them to him, but what she felt for him wasn’t love. She couldn’t lie to him.
    With effort, she relaxed, and focused on the exquisite sensations of his strong body moving against hers in the dance. Memories of their lovemaking hours ago filled her. Their bodies together, she understood. That was right.
    The music changed to Luther Vandross’s “Here and Now.”
    Nate nuzzled her ear. “Feel how you make me feel,” he whispered into her ear and nipped at her earlobe. They moved body to body, the hard ridge of his arousal tempting against her belly. Her body clenched with heat and damp, and she melted against him.
    “Oh, babe, what you do to me. If we were alone right now…” His sexy growl trailed into a chuckle as he spun her off to the nearest beach chair and tumbled her crosswise into his lap.
    They lounged there together, watching the dancing and conversation. Nate toyed his fingers over her hands and arms, teasing just enough to keep her pleasantly aroused. His own arousal was not waning, as her bottom could attest. For the moment, she was able to focus on their pleasure, relax against his warm chest, simply be, and enjoy.
    JoAnn studied them sitting there and gave an approving smile. Lloyd leaned down and kissed JoAnn, gently rubbing her belly with a look of utter gentleness and pride.
    See? There was a good example of love and a marriage working out for two people.
    True. JoAnn was so happy now. She had a hellish first marriage in her past, and look at the good man she had now in Lloyd. Patti and Scott had a solid relationship. And look at Christopher with Margie. Their marriage looked promising. She needed to focus on the positive. Love wasn’t toxic for everyone.
    Nate was a good man, too, but marriage? And he’d bought a house. Hadn’t just been looking at a house, but bought it. Without telling her. Without asking her. He expected her to drop what she was doing with her own life and move in with him? His spontaneous moments in past years with ice cream, letters, and phone calls were fun, but this was not funny. They were lovers two weeks out of the year, and he went and bought her a house?
    … I love you, Kay. Always have. From the moment I first saw you.
    He couldn’t have loved her. They were friends .
    ****
    Nate took a long swallow of the beer he didn’t really want. So, how did he fix this mess he’d made?
    Night had settled in, the music long ended, and everyone sat kicked back in beach chairs. They’d hang out yacking and joking along until they couldn’t keep their eyes open, as they did every year.
    He couldn’t relax. Kay had abandoned his lap for the chair beside him. He let his hand stray over to rest on her arm, tracing his fingers over her skin. He just wanted to get her alone. So they could relax. So they could talk.
    Trouble was, everyone always made talking out a problem sound like it was so simple and solved everything, but actually doing it, and securing the desired outcome without screwing up, seemed about as easy as rowing upriver with a teaspoon.
    Their future was on the line here. Big stakes.
    And to be honest, as much as he wanted answers, he was too damned tired. His nap in the afternoon had been nice, but nowhere near the real rest he needed. He just wanted to crash with Kay in his arms, stop worrying, and