Presque Vu

Chapter 6

"Cassidy!" Raina tried not to panic as Cassie tried to explain that she had thought Raina liked Shannon after the way she had been flirting and the way she had let him chase her around the day before. "What the heck am I going to tell him?"

"Well," Cassie asked, "what do you want to tell him?"

"I..." Raina had no idea. She hadn't even entertained the thought before now. She remembered the way he laughed at his own jokes, not in an arrogant way but as if he knew exactly how cheesy he was being and didn't care; the ferocious grin that always followed, the way those strong arms of his had felt when he picked her up. He definitely had appeal. But how would it look, going out with him when she had just spent the night with his brother?

"Hello? Raina? Are you still there?" Raina realized she had to say something to Shannon, the silence was lasting too long.

"Sorry, I'm still here. I'm just finishing up at work."

"Put him on speaker!" Cassie whispered. Raina waved her off.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. I thought you'd be done by now." Shannon apologized. "Would you like me to call back later?"

"No, that's okay. I can talk for a few minutes. I was just a little surprised."

"Well, I won't keep you long then. I really enjoyed meeting you yesterday and I thought maybe you'd like to get together for coffee or a drink sometime?"

The word was out of her mouth before Raina even realized she had made up her mind. "Sure."

"What's right is right and what's wrong is wrong," Raina's grandmother always used to say. She liked the phrase, not for its truth but for is comforting illusion that things could be separated into neat little categories. There was no gray area, no complex points of view, no moral dilemmas, just simple choices you could make and move forward from without a backward glance of doubt. The decision about whether to meet Shannon for coffee as he had suggested was fraught with the very pitfalls that phrase promised didn't exist. For the second time this week she was left second-guessing herself, albeit for very different reasons. It wasn't like she and Jared were doing anything even close to dating, she reminded herself; she didn't owe him anything. And when Saturday rolled around and he still hadn't called, most of her doubts were just spots in the rearview mirror.

She had lingered over getting ready. She wanted to look amazing, look like the kind of girl people would think belonged with a hot rocker type, but it was an afternoon coffee date and as she dug through her wardrobe she became increasingly convinced those were two incompatible goals. Ultimately she settled on a bohemian print blouse, shorts, and strappy heels that she hoped at least conveyed free spirit. It would have to do.

Raina had elected to meet Shannon at the cafe rather than have him pick her up (at least that way she would have her own transportation if things got weird) and showed up at the arranged time only to find her date had not yet arrived. After forty-five minutes of waiting, she had to seriously consider that she had been stood up. She was nearly ready to flag the waitress down for her check so she could escape with what little dignity she had when she finally saw him, arguing with the hostess as he surveyed the room. Raina waved, and when he spotted her he pointed her out to the hostess with a look of triumph before coming to join her.

"I'm sorry about that. She was telling me you already left." He looked at the empty mug on the table. "I'm really late aren't I?"

Raina nodded. "I have to admit, you're not looking good here bub. I was just about to leave."

Shannon gave her a smile, the same one she had noted when trying to decide whether or not to meet him in the first place. That smile was going to get her into a lot of trouble if she didn't reign herself in. "I hope you'll stay. I'm really sorry. Punctuality isn't one of my strengths."

She wasn't ready to let him off the hook yet. "Okay then, sell me. What are your strengths?"

"Huh, going to put me on the spot now? Well, I'm funny, I'm a good listener, I'm never boring." He bit his bottom lip, the mischievous smile never wavering. "The rest you'll just have to find out for yourself."

It turned out he was all of those things, He spent the next three hours and countless cups of coffee telling her stories of his adventures that Raina was sure had to be at least a little bit fabricated. But he was indeed funny and interesting and listened carefully when she told her own tales, exactly as advertised. She was surprised at how quickly the time was passing and how comfortable she felt with him. She caught herself several times before she began to reveal a little too much, before she shattered the lovely pretense of two uncomplicated people just having coffee and a laugh. If the last few years had taught her anything it was that reality would find a way to spoil things soon enough, it was best to enjoy what she could while it was there in front of her. So when Shannon suggested a walk on the beach after hours of sitting in the cafe ("I know a great spot.") she quickly agreed.

Not far into the walk, it became clear why Shannon had chosen that particular stretch of beach for their stroll as they ended up in a secluded little cove of sorts, out of the reach of prying eyes. As they stopped to gaze out onto the surf, he slipped behind her, wrapping his arms firmly around her waist before lightly kissing her shoulder. Raina shivered at the contact, an odd juxtaposition considering the heat that his touch was creating. She wondered if she should say something about the night she had spent with Jared, (did he already know, would he even care?) but he was already settling down on the sand, pulling at her hand for her to come join him, and she realized she wanted to be done with conversations. There had been enough talking today, enough time spent in her head second guessing every move. Shannon had the most kissable lips Raina had ever seen, and the way he had been biting them, running his tongue over them all through their conversation at the cafe had left her aching for a taste.

Sitting next to him on the sand now she was suddenly caught up in the details of him, the different flecks of color in his eyes as he squinted against the sun, the strong line of his jaw, the dusting of freckles along his collarbone where his shirt had shifted to the side. Tentatively she brushed her fingertips over those dark marks, finding it easier to look at them than to look into those intense eyes of his. She felt him tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, his hand tracing its way to her chin before tilting her face to him, compelling her to look at him, to see him biting that bottom lip again in the way that made her insides flutter. With a deep breath, she surged forward and met those irresistible lips with her own. They were warm and smooth and tasted vaguely of lip balm that she had no idea when he had applied. Even though it was a tiny kiss, a delicate beginning, she could feel it in her core, like a small yet powerful engine coming to life. She was hooked.

Shannon slid his hand to the small of her back, pulling her in tightly as he deepened the kiss, his tongue seeming to shyly ask permission even though he was boldly pressing against her. Raina wrapped her arms around his neck as he pulled her into his lap, losing herself in the solid heat of him against her as heart thundered wildly in her chest, keeping time with the sound of the waves crashing behind them. The sand, the waves, the sun, the beautiful man against her making her toes curl under every time his calloused hands brushed against a patch of exposed flesh all felt like a dream. The best kind of dream. The kind you woke up from smiling and wishing you could go back to sleep just for five minutes more of bliss.

She wasn't sure how long they spent like that, wet kisses and soft little moans ticking the time past, but Raina was startled when she realized her toes were getting damp. The tide had come in while they were lost in each other. Regretfully she broke off the embrace.

"Oh wow," Shannon said, quickly pulling them both to their feet. "I guess we've been a little distracted." He was still smiling that same trouble making grin, and he pulled her close for one last kiss. "Let's walk you back to your car."

They lingered in the parking lot for a few minutes, Shannon pressing her against the side of her car as he rested his forehead against hers.

"You don't have to go home you know," he told her. "Or at least you don't have to go home alone."

It wasn't that Raina wasn't tempted. Shannon's effect on her was undeniable. But taking him into her bed when she still had no longer fresh but still not faded love bites from another man felt a bit too far a walk on the wild side for her. Even more so when she reminded herself it was his brother that had left him there. Better to leave a little for the next meeting. She only hoped it would be soon.