Heat is in my belly, and a tear is on my cheek.
I shove it away. Snap out of it, Hope.
Fate has dropped this amazing second chance in my lap, and I can’t squander it. Few people get a second chance like this, and I have to explore the area and see if I can find a good location to open a family-friendly restaurant where patrons can let their creativity flow.
I have to get my head back in the game, and my brain back on my dream.
Four hours later, the sun is setting, and I’m walking to Metallicar only partially satisfied with my afternoon exploring.
The buildings are historically beautiful, navy and maroon board with white wooden porches and green awnings. The alleys are wide, and I can imagine tucking Pancake Paradise into one of them with a folding sign out on the main walk sending visitors my way.
Still, I’m not getting that click. Dad said I would know the change was right when I felt the peace in my heart, the feeling of satisfaction.
I felt it in the Embarcadero. San Francisco was my home, so perhaps that’s why it seemed so natural to me.
This place is strange. It’s beautiful, small with a gorgeous coast and an absolute built-in clientele. It just doesn’t feel like home.
A bit discouraged, I park the car outside the beach shack. The night has turned hazy and cold, pretty typical for late summer in San Francisco, and I walk inside the empty place, dropping my keys on the counter and going to the closet.
My teddy bear coat hangs on a peg, and I take it off, walking outside to try and see the stars. I’ll be lucky if I see anything tonight.
Tonight I’m on my own, and the loneliness weighs heavy on my shoulders.
I know they’re up there. I know if the fog rolls away, I’ll see them looking down on me just like Dad said. Holding my phone in my hand, I can’t call him again. I’ll only make him worry, and I have to be an adult now. I have to stand on my own two feet and face these times of loneliness.
I have to believe this too shall pass…
A drop of rain touches my cheek, and I close my eyes, allowing a tear to join it. It’s so poetic for the rain to fall at this point in my story. The darkest night, the fog, the cold rain…
I’m gearing up to feel very sorry for myself when a low creak echoes from the other side of the house. A thump on the boards, and my eyes fly open. My heart skips like a rabbit.
Shit… Someone’s here!
The bad thing about being in the beach cottage is the same as the good thing—I’m so far out here on the beach highway alone, anything could happen.
I can’t breathe. Fishing out my phone, I unlock the screen quickly and press the two buttons to call 911.
Backing slowly along the rail of the balcony, I make my way towards the wooden staircase leading down to the beach. It’s a long, winding descent, but I know it better than any burglar. I can be away from danger in thirty seconds or less.
“Hello?” A low male voice stops me in my tracks, freezing me to the spot.
“911, what’s your emergency?” A higher, female voice cuts through the swish of the waves far below, the push of the wind around my ears, the soft cry of seagulls.
“Hello?” I call back, straining my eyes in the darkness.
The voice sounded familiar, almost like…
Spotlights on the corners of the house point away from where I stand, leaving me dazzled by their light, and concealed in the darkness.
“Hope? Is that you?” The deep, rich voice is like warm caramel in my veins.
“John?” It’s a hushed whisper, a prayer. My entire body is tight.
I hear him before I see him. I hear the heavy thump of his feet on the wooden boardwalk, and his silhouette appears, outlined in the beam of the spotlight.
“You’re here!” I cry.
“Where have you been?” Relief is in his voice, almost like he can’t believe he found me on the back porch of my family’s home.
“Monterey?”
Instantly, I’m surrounded by his strong arms, sweeping me up in a hug against his hard body. I never even saw him move. Of course, my eyes are flooded with tears. My hands grasp and cling to his shirt, to his body. My mouth searches for anything, kissing his neck, his jaw, until finally our mouths collide.
He shoves my lips apart, and our tongues entwine as I exhale a noise of gratitude and deep satisfaction. Strong hands grip my ass, and my legs wrap around his waist as he lifts me.
I grasp at his cheeks. I slide my fingers into his soft hair. He’s my water in the desert, cool ice cream on a hot summer day…
Our kisses taste like the salt of my tears. I laugh and cry, holding his face as I pull his lips with mine. Our teeth clink together, and I realize we’re both smiling. We’re desperate and devouring. We’re together again at last.
“God, I’ve missed you so much.” His voice breaks in a way that thrills me to my core.
“You missed me?”
He lowers me to my feet, and my eyes have adjusted, I can see him in the hazy darkness. His lowered brow, his chiseled jaw, his perfectly defined lips parted over straight, white teeth. He’s such a work of art.
“I’ve missed you more than I’ve ever missed anything.”
Shaking my head, I blink up at him. “But you said—”
“Hello? Is this an emergency?” My phone is in my hand, and I snap out of the joy of reunion to realize I still have 911 on the line.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” I hold my hair back, and JR moves around behind me.
His hands slide around my waist, before he wraps muscled arms like steel bands around my body, pulling me against him.
My breath disappears. “It’s not an emergency,” I manage.
“Sounds like it’s not.” The lady on the line has a laugh in her voice, and I close my eyes as warm lips close against the side of my neck. “Have a good night, Miss.”
I intend to do just that. Hitting the end button, I turn in his arms to find his mouth. I’m off my feet again, only this time he’s walking, carrying me inside the house.
Once we’re through the door, he lowers me to my feet, and I take his hand, leading him down the short hall to my bedroom. I’m not wasting any time.
The room is open, with a balcony that overlooks the beach. It’s too cold to open the doors, but it creates a shushing ambiance in the air around us.
Lust and need drive us. JR’s strong hands are on my hips, moving under my thin sweater and lifting it over my head, leaving me in a white lace bra that just covers the bottom half of my breasts.
He exhales a groan. “You’re so beautiful.”
A flash of need shoots to my heated core, and my fingers circle the buttons of his shirt, quickly unfastening them, doing my best not to rip his clothes off. The fabric falls open, and I slide my palms along the planes and ridges of his lined torso.
“I was afraid I’d never see you again.” Leaning forward, I trace my lips along his skin.
He’s here.
He came to me.
My eyes close as heat rushes through my chest.
Large hands cup my cheeks, lifting my face and tilting it so he can devour my mouth. My lips part willingly, hungry for his kisses, his possessive touch.
His hands leave my cheeks and circle my back, unfastening my bra. As it falls away, a whisper of cool air hardens my nipples. His hands cover them, tweaking the tips, sending sparkling waves of energy between my thighs.