Free Love on the Rocks by Elle James

“Otis and I get along pretty good on our own.”
    He grinned. “I admire independent women. But would you consider coming in for a drink? I have beer in the refrigerator.” His grin twisted wryly. “Though I’d think working in a bar, you’d be tired of just about every alcoholic drink.”
    Roxi smiled. “Ice water would be nice.”
    “I can do that.” He waved her toward the stairs leading up to his cottage perched on thick treated posts, buried deep in the ground, made to weather the strongest storms and tides as high as twelve feet.
    Otis slipped past them on their way up and sprawled on the decking at the top.
    “I’d suggest sitting out on the deck, but the wind is really getting wicked. However the living area overlooks the cape.” Decker opened the door and held it for her to enter, followed by Otis.
    “No, Otis!” Roxi grabbed his collar. “You weren’t invited.”
    “He’s welcome to come in.”
    Roxi released the dog’s collar and stepped into the cottage.
    Decker was surprised that having Roxi in his cottage didn’t inspire the usual twinge of guilt he’d felt every time he considered seeing other women after Allison’s death. Perhaps being at Cape Cod had helped him to let go. He’d never brought Allison here. This place held no shared memories. The cottage, the beach, the quaint towns were a clean slate for new memories. He found himself eager to create new ones with Roxi—a woman as different from Allison as he could imagine.
    With Roxi in his cottage, all manner of possibilities raced through his head, and his heartbeat thudded against his chest. He felt like a teen on his first date and feared he’d make a mistake and scare her away. Fighting back the urge to take her into his arms and hold her, Decker strode past her to the kitchen and filled two wine glasses with ice and water. When he returned to the living area, Roxi stood at the huge picture windows, staring out at the night sky.
    “It’s hard to believe there’s a hurricane off the coast when the moon is shining bright where we are.” She accepted the wine glass and smiled. “Nice touch.”
    “It’s our first drink together.” He touched the rim of his glass to hers. “To getting to know each other.”
    She tilted her glass, sipped the water and then set it on a nearby end table. With a determined look, she took his glass from his hand, set it beside hers and then stood in front of him. “I’ve not been in many relationships, so I might get this all wrong…but…the kiss yesterday…” She bit her lip, her cheeks flooding with color.
    Decker waited though her confession and confusion were endearing. He wanted anything that happened to be something she wanted and initiated. If she had been sexually assaulted as a young teen, she might still have issues with men.
    With every ounce of control he could muster, he held back and let her come to him . At the same time, he understood the weight of her decision if she chose to initiate something with him. It meant Decker had to be open for more than a one-night-stand. He had to let go of the grief and guilt he’d harbored since Allison’s death.
    His gut clenched for a moment as his insides churned. Allison was gone. What they’d had as husband and wife had been good. They’d been happy.
    It was quite possible the beautiful woman in front of him had as many hang-ups as he did. Was Decker the right person for her? Would he get cold feet and back out if she wanted more than a kiss? She deserved someone whole, committed, sure of his intentions and gentle.
    But, damn it, he couldn’t turn away. Not when she stared at him with big cornflower blue eyes, so wide, trusting and—holy shit—sexy!
    THE MOMENT DECKER yanked Len out of his seat and threw him out the door of the Dream Spinner, Roxi knew that John Decker was the kind of guy she could trust. He would never do anything to hurt her. Most likely, he’d leap into any fray to protect her. As she stood in front of him, her