Rainy Day Friends Read online

  “Hey, I didn’t kill him.”

  “True, you just threatened him with . . . what was it? Something about taking his favorite body part and shoving it up his own ass?”

  Mark had no regrets. “He was a dick to you.”

  “True. But I let him be, so that’s on me. I’m completely over him, though.”

  “Then what’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.”

  If only that was true. “Is this one of those ‘nothings’ where later on you’ll send me a ten-page essay via text?” he asked.

  “It’s not about me,” she said.

  Mark looked at his watch.

  Mia sighed. “Why do I try to help you?”

  “Me?” Color him confused. “I don’t need help with anything.”

  “Spoken like a clueless man.” She jerked her head toward the table. And Lanie.

  With a shake of his head, he started to walk away but she caught him. “Listen,” she said. “You know how Mom collects people? Holden. Lanie. River—who she’s already going to birthing classes with. Anyway, you’re a collector too.”

  Mark watched as Lanie broke one of her cookies in two and gave a half to each of his girls. Okay, so maybe he was a collector, but so was Lanie. She just didn’t seem to know it yet. “Do you have a point?” he asked.

  “Yes, if you’d let me make it. I get that you’re still off love, but it makes me worry for Lanie. Not that I think you’ll hurt her on purpose, but . . .”

  Mark let out a slow exhale. “I hear you.”

  “I hope so, because even as hurt as she’s clearly been and as careful as she is, she’s let your girls into her heart. And she’s well on her way to letting your family in too because, well, we’re fucking irresistible. But up until now, the women you’ve let into your life don’t go all the way in. They dig you ’cuz you’re the sexy, badass military hero or because you carry a gun and know how to use it, but you’re more than that. They’ve been takers, not givers. And Lanie . . . she’s a giver. You need to protect her, Mark, even if it’s from you.”

  It was excellent advice. It really was. And he needed to heed it, he thought, watching Sierra climb into Lanie’s lap and press in close.

  Lanie didn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around his little girl and squeeze. She murmured something into Sierra’s ear that had her giggling and wriggling with pure joy.

  Sierra hadn’t spoken a word since the day her mom had walked out on her, but she was still the best people reader Mark knew. That she was comfortable with Lanie spoke volumes.

  Lanie smiled too and Mark wondered if she even realized she was letting down her guard for them. He doubted it.

  The girls were safe for her, which made him smile because the girls terrified most people. In fact, the Capriottis terrified most everyone.

  But not Lanie, and even thinking it had something tightening in his chest. Because if he wasn’t careful, it was going to be him who got hurt at the end of this.

  Good thing he was very careful.

  THE WINERY ALWAYS settled down after the end of the workday. It was one of Lanie’s favorite times to walk the property. It was quiet, majestic. Beautiful. But tonight as she walked the path to the end of the cottages, past the big house to the barn where the two boogie boards had been leaning against since she and Mark had used them and saw only one, she hesitated.

  Don’t do it.

  But she did. She grabbed the board. And five minutes later she’d changed and was on her way.

  She’d spent the past ten years in Santa Barbara, but before that, she’d grown up in Morro Bay, only fifteen miles from here, where her parents had a home. She’d always felt most comfortable on the beach, any beach, with wet sand between her toes.

  The sun was just setting when she slid out of her car and ditched the sweatshirt and shorts she’d pulled on over her bathing suit. She searched the swells and found him, a silhouette of a male body surfing the waves as the sun sank below the horizon.

  Mesmerized by the sight, she dove into the water and joined him. Long before she got out to him, he turned his head and found her. Between the swells, their gazes met and held.

  She waited, holding her breath. When he smiled and gave her a hurry up gesture with one jerk of his chin, she smiled back.

  They spent the next hour racing for the biggest swells, trying to best each other and, barring that, knocking each other off. They exchanged no words, nothing but long looks and the occasional laugh when successfully unseating the other. But there was plenty of touching, grabbing, patting, wrestling . . .

  It was the most fun she’d ever had.

  Eventually they came out of the water and collapsed to their knees onto his towel, panting from the exertion. She’d never felt more alive and it was doing things to her, revving her up. She wondered if he had condoms tonight . . .

  “You shouldn’t surf by yourself,” he said.

  “You do,” she said. “And besides, I wasn’t by myself.”

  He shook his head and gently pushed her wet hair from her face. “I just don’t like the thought of you out here on your own.”

  “I’m good at being on my own.” She brought her hand up to his, holding it to her face, belying her words.

  Water drops clung stubbornly to his face and shoulders, some running down his chest and abs. “But that’s my point,” he said quietly. “You don’t have to be, not here. You’ve got a lot of people at your back. Mia, Alyssa, River, my mom . . . everyone. They like you, Lanie. They care about you.”

  He hadn’t included himself in that assessment. Not that it mattered, because she knew he liked her. He liked her a lot. But since he wasn’t going to let it go anywhere, it didn’t matter.

  It was a reminder of something she didn’t want to think about, because she couldn’t control her emotions like he could and had to look away. But he took her face in his hands and ran his thumb lightly across her lower lip. She leaned in a little closer and could feel his abs tighten against her. She felt him take a deep, slow breath and watched as his eyes darkened.

  She put a hand to his chest to feel the reassuring rhythm of his heart. God, she was so stupid happy to be with him. It was way too easy to fall right back into the only place that seemed to work for them.

  Mouths locked.

  Mark wasn’t big on words but he was most excellent at using actions to reveal his thoughts. She tried to do the same now, letting him know with her kiss how much his presence here tonight meant to her.

  Remember, not falling for him . . .

  His hands slid up her back, sending shivers cascading through her. She started to say something but was silenced by his hot mouth covering hers again. And again. Since that was nice, very nice, she pressed up against him for more and he angled his head and gave it to her, taking the kiss even deeper, and she felt herself wobble.

  His arms tightened, pulling her hard against him in a silent I’ve got you and she let herself go, grinding into him, suddenly desperate to feel as much of him as she could.

  Not falling for him . . .

  A fact made much easier when he pulled free and met her gaze with reluctance. “This isn’t a good idea.”

  “Did you decide that before or after the night at the lake?” she asked.

  He winced and closed his eyes for a beat.

  Pulling her hands from his delicious body, she tried not to notice that they were wound up against each other, only an inch—or more accurately eight to nine inches—away from having a very happy ending to the night.

  “I was serious about this not becoming serious,” he said.

  “And I heard you.”

  He opened his eyes, his gaze unwavering on hers. “I just wanted to make sure there wasn’t any misunderstanding.”

  It was like diving into the cold ocean without any of the feel-good euphoria to go with it. Or the boogie board. Or the ability to swim. He’d literally just jumped into her personal nightmare and found the one thing that could paralyze her. Her deepest, darkest fear.