Tornado Allie(14)
“Tell me more about you,” Drake said, leaning back casually against the wall of the pool.
He wanted to talk? What was the point of skinny-dipping if they weren’t going to fool around?
“What do you want to know?” Ignoring the thrum of arousal low in her belly, she joined him along the wall, keeping her hands to herself for now.
“You mentioned a new job.”
“I’m a news producer. Sounds glamorous, but I assure you, it’s not. When I lived in Ohio, I worked my way up from intern to copywriter to morning weather girl and finally the evening news producer.”
He raised a brow and laughed. “Weather girl, huh? Didn’t know they still had those.”
The rich baritone sound of his laughter heightened her arousal. When will he touch me? “They don’t—technically. My official position was weather anchor, but no one hid the fact I was hired as the viewers’ morning wake-up call.”
“I’m trying to picture it.” He closed his eyes. “Did they make you wear a bikini underneath a yellow raincoat?”
She swatted his shoulder. “No, nothing as obvious as that, but I was encouraged to wear tight, low-cut clothes and to flaunt my assets.”
He opened his eyes and took her hand, lacing their fingers under the water. “If you hated it, why’d you stay?”
Her pulse picked up tempo, and euphoria, hot and sweet, rushed through her veins. The physical contact between them wasn’t sexual. It was…more. A feeling of connection.
“I didn’t hate it. I didn’t enjoy the lack of respect, but I’ve always loved the science of weather. I knew if I stuck it out, I’d eventually move into a better position.”
His thumb brushed figure eights on her palm. “Why’d you leave?”
The touch soothed her, easing the way to discuss the most difficult time of her life. “A year and a half ago, when the doctors diagnosed me with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, I realized I’d never taken a risk in my life. I decided when I got well, I’d live my life differently. I’d always wanted to live in a city like New York or Chicago, so I sent out a couple of job applications to the cities’ news stations.”
She hadn’t thought she’d ever hear back, much less get a job offer. It had given her the confidence she’d lacked and confirmed her decision to move was a good one.
“And the bucket list?” He tugged on her hand and brought her to stand in front of him.
“That was all your sister’s idea. I’d already accepted the job in Chicago when I developed pneumonia. She wrote a list of activities we’d do together once I got better. I think it was also a way for us to stay connected when I moved away.”
He inched closer, his erection grazing her stomach. “Whose idea was it to come on my tour?”
Tonight was about trust, but so far, she’d only given up bits and pieces to him. She trusted him physically and sexually. Could she trust him emotionally? She searched inside and made a decision. He deserved the truth.
“Mine.” She slid her hands up his chest. “When I told you about my cancer and the bucket list, I wasn’t exactly forthcoming.”
“Oh no?” His body tensed underneath her palms.
“I did want to see a tornado, and it was the first item on the list, but there was another reason.” She blew out a breath. “Taryn had always talked about her brave older brother. One day, she showed me a picture. The one from your Web site of you standing on the hood of your car with a tornado in the background. I…wanted to meet you.”
She waited for him to respond, but she was greeted with only the sound of those damned crickets chirping. His mouth opened, then closed again. Embarrassed, she face-planted into his chest. “I’m sorry, I should’ve told you, but I didn’t know how—”
Strong fingers tipped up her chin, and he kissed her, their teeth clanging together as his tongue swept into her mouth, searching, seeking, in a hungry claiming, both raw and primal. Fire zinged to all her nerve endings, the tightening in her nipples almost painful when they brushed against him. She whimpered when he removed his lips from hers.
“I’m flattered.” He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. “You’re not the only one who was interested. Taryn and my parents have raved about you for years. We were supposed to meet once at my family barbecue, but you stood me up.”
“How could I have stood you up if I didn’t know we had plans?” She laughed. “Believe me, if I’d known you were there waiting for me, I might have gone. I think I know which barbecue. I was having a rough time with my treatments, and your sister tried to convince me hanging out with your family would cheer me up. I wonder if she’d intended to introduce us that weekend.”