Champagne Kisses: A Timeless Love Story (7 page)

"I don't have any family. My parents died before I joined the service, and I've never been married." A sadness crept into his eyes. "I could never find anyone willing to put up with me. Do you find it hard to be in the Saunders' employ?"

I shuffled the papers on the desk before answering. I wanted him to know I was still single, still waiting for someone, without being obvious. "No. The Saunders are the only family I have. I'm married to my work."

A ghost of a smile crossed Dean's rugged features. The room was far too warm for my taste, and I felt a trickle of sweat run down my back. The electricity in the room was humming as though we had never been apart.

"I see you were with the one-oh-one unit for another two years after..." my voice cracked slightly as I remembered that vacation we had together, " after your deployment for Desert Storm."

"And?" Dean's eyes grew hard. I didn't know if it was from remembering our time together or what he had seen in the war.

"What happened to you?"
Why did you never write? Why didn't call me? You broke my heart!

"I got shot. I watched my friend die in my arms and almost lost another. And the worse part was that we weren't even allowed to tell our families where we were. Frontera died and I didn't even get to tell his mother why," Dean said. His voice stayed quiet, but there was a hidden anger and silent pleading for me to understand. He didn't write me because he couldn't. It didn't take the pain away.

"Tony died? What happened to Matt?" I couldn't help but ask. I wondered if Kimberly knew. She had always said she knew something bad happened to him.

Dean's blue eyes met mine. There was a dark pain in their cerulean depths and I wished I could jump up and hug him, but I knew I couldn't. It had been a long time since we were lovers.

"He's alive and well. He actually lives not too far from here in a little town on the coast." He watched me absorb the information. I waited for a moment to see if he would ask about Kimberly and Jenny, but he stayed silent.

I cleared my throat. This interview was getting away from me. "Why would you like this job?"

He flashed me a dashing smile and leaned back slightly in his chair. "I'm the perfect person to protect Jack Saunders. I'm subtle. I stop things before they happen. Mr. Saunders is the world's most eligible billionaire bachelor, and as a result he has the press's interest. His younger brother catches the media's attention on a regular basis, and thus thrusts Jack Saunders into the spotlight. He needs someone who can react and assess, and thus prevent a situation rather than smashing a reporter's camera."

"And what makes you think that's what I want?" My voice came out far huskier than I intended and I hoped he didn't notice the blush threatening to consume me.

Dean leaned forward, making my heart skip a beat as he came closer to me. "I know you want me because I'm here interviewing. If you didn't think I would be a good fit for this position, I wouldn't be here."

I swallowed hard. I stammered and began to fuss with the documents in front of me. Dean gave me a smile and sat back, enjoying my fluster.

"Would you have any trouble reporting to me as your supervisor?" I asked the question bluntly, trying to find a way to regain control of the heat coursing through my body. With him sitting within arms' reach, every memory of our time together was flooding through me. I hadn't expected it to be like this.

"You are in charge, ma'am. I'll do anything you wish." He shot me a confident smile that made me unsure as to whether or not he intended the double meaning. The emotions of the past were threatening to overwhelm me, and I had to stop this before I lost control of the situation.

"You should know that there is a strict no fraternization between employees policy."

"That's not going to be a problem,
Ms. Weber
."

The room suddenly dropped ten degrees. I wasn't hot anymore. His face regained a guarded expression, the teasing grin gone. It almost hurt to have the tension between us cut so quickly. I wanted to fix it, but I knew I couldn't. Not if we were going to work together. Our past was very much over, and there was no hope for our future.

"Well, Mr. Sherman, you have all the necessary qualifications. This interview was merely a formality. The Saunders family had already decided to hire you. You start tomorrow morning. I'll have someone bring in the paperwork."

I stood up, my heart alternating between pounding and freezing. I didn't know what to do with the mix of emotions running through my mind. Dean stood as well and shook my hand. I could still feel the current of electricity running through our touch, though it didn't match with his icy demeanor.

Gathering my papers, I scurried out the door, afraid to even glance behind me. I needed to clear my head and hopefully figure out what I was going to do. Working with Dean was not going to be easy, and I only had until tomorrow morning to figure out how to do it.
At least this time I wouldn't have the distraction of waking up in his bed,
I thought.

J
une 7th, 1990

The sky was just beginning to glow with the promise of morning when I felt Dean slip out of bed. He padded quietly on the floor, picking up his clothes and dressing. I peeked one eye open to watch him wriggle into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, admiring the view. It was worth it to wake up a little to see his body move. His blue eyes caught me peeking and he came over and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Go back to sleep," he whispered, leaning over to kiss my forehead. His lips were warm and soft, so soft that I never wanted them to leave.

"Where are you going?" Sleep made my voice creak like an old door. Dean brushed the hair off my forehead, smiling down at me. He looked like an angel in the morning light.

"Boy things today. Remember?" Dean's blue eyes twinkled with excitement. I nodded slowly, remembering that he had said something about going out with Matt and Tony today.

"Have fun. When will you be back?" I asked, sitting up slightly.

"Late afternoon." He kissed me again softly. "Go back to sleep."

I mumbled an "Okay" and shifted to my side, finding a cool spot on the pillow. Dean made sure the sheet was tucked up around me before he quietly tip-toed out and shut the door.

***

T
he roar of motorcycle engines in the late afternoon made me look up. The growling rumble was loud enough to hurt my ears as three bikes powered up toward the house. Kimberly flashed me a big grin, practically flinging her book down on the sand in order to run to the front of the boys' house to greet them. I marked my place and grabbed my swimsuit cover. Then, I followed her at a more sedate pace. Jenny was already hot on Kimberly's heels.

In the large driveway of the big beach house, the three men revved their engines and grinned at us girls coming to greet them. Jenny hopped on the back of Matt's bike and squealed with delight as he raced around the open street.

Tony and Dean started doing dangerous-looking patterns with their bikes, obviously showing off their skills. The two of them made tight figure-eights around each other, eluding one another and certain death by mere inches. I wanted to cover my eyes, sure they were both going to crash and die. Then, they powered into a high-speed circle. They chased one another in such a tight spin that it looked as though their bikes were moving along the ground on their wheel rims. My breath caught in my throat, fear threatening to choke me.

I wanted them to stop. I hated motorcycles. Something about them scared me. Maybe it was the noise, maybe it was that I liked some steel between me and a certain death, maybe it was the accident that put my cousin James in the hospital for three weeks. In any case, to me, they were just glorified death traps.

Dean laughed as Tony pulled out of the circle-chase and over to where Kimberly stood, her hands on her face in total amazement at their daredevil antics. The manly testosterone effects of the bikes were certainly working on her and Jenny.

"Wanna ride?" Tony asked Kimberly, her shy smile threatening to beam off her face. She nodded and he pulled her onto the back of his bike, revving the engine. He handed her his helmet, and she kissed his cheek before putting it on.

"Hey, Hot Stuff," Dean said, giving me a wicked grin as he took off his helmet. "Hop on."

I hesitated for a moment. I didn't want this.

Dean raised his eyebrows waiting for me to answer. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, ready for me to join them.
It's just a motorcycle. They aren't going to do anything too dangerous. He isn't James,
I told myself. Besides, I trusted Dean.

The two other bikes took off down the drive, and Dean kept his hand outstretched. "Come on, it'll be fun!" he said.

"Promise me you'll stop if I ask you to," I said.

He looked at me like I was being a worry wart, then brought his hand up to his opposite shoulder. "Tap my shoulder three times and I'll stop immediately," he said, tapping his shoulder three times.

I bit my lip and nodded. I accepted the helmet from his hand and got on the back of the motorcycle. The bike shook like an angry volcano beneath me, and I clung to Dean for dear life. He was my rock, his abs hard and tight under my arms as I pressed into him. I tucked my feet up and held my cheek into his back, squeezing my eyes shut as he cranked the engine.

With a terrifying surge, the bike jumped forward, the engine roaring in my ears. My entire body was vibrating, and I wished my fear would turn into excitement. I wanted to like this. I wanted to impress Dean with my willingness to do exciting things. I wanted to be like Jenny; I could hear her laughing and begging Matt to go faster. I opened one eye to see the two of them nearly parallel to the ground in a deep turn as they were about to turn onto the road. The image made my stomach flip, and I quickly buried my face into Dean's back.
Please, please don't do that to me, Dean
, I begged in my head.

Dean turned, his body weight shifting to guide the bike. I clutched desperately at his shoulders, praying that I wouldn't hit the ground. I clung to his back like I was drowning in fear. James had spun out on a turn. This was not fun. With every turn, the ground seemed to rise up to meet me, promising a painful fall. All I could see was my cousin's body in the hospital bed with the white bandages and tubes going into his arms. The scars up and down his body from where the road slowed him down.

"I want off, please," I whispered. I was surprised I made any noise at all. Every fiber of my being wanted off that bike. Dean must not have heard me, the whistling wind stealing my words before they reached his ears. Instead of slowing down and letting me off, the bike increased in speed. I opened one eye in time to see Matt and Jenny rush past. I wanted to scream. The three boys were horsing around, weaving in and out between one another on the empty street like it was a game. I felt the breeze as Tony and Kimberly whizzed by, their engine screaming in my ears. I never wanted something to end so badly.

"Let me off!" I finally screamed, beating at Dean's back. I knew it wasn't quite the code that he had given me, but he took the hint quickly enough. He pulled the bike to the side of the road, stopping as quickly as he could while still being gentle. He turned around, his cocky grin fading as he saw the terror on my face. I scrambled off like the bike was molten hot. The helmet was suffocating me, so I ripped it off and let it drop from my fingers, backing onto the crab grass of the front lawn, my palms sweaty. I wiped them on the thin blue fabric of my swimsuit coverup. I couldn't decide if I was burning hot or terribly cold. My knees wobbled, and I only stayed standing by sheer will power.

"You okay?" Dean's brows knitted together, confusion and concern etched on his face.

"I don't like motorcycles," I said. I concentrated on breathing in and out. In and out.

He hesitated for a moment. "Okay, then we'll go do something on our own," Dean said. He looked back where we had come from. "I have to drop the bike back off at our house. If you get back on, I'll go really slow."

"No." The idea of getting back on made me want to throw up. James's voice echoed through my head, the moans of pain any time he moved calling out from my memory.

He sighed, then held his hand out. "I'll take the helmet, then. Wait here and I'll be right back." I leaned forward and picked up the helmet. Dean took it from me and winked before putting it back on. "Don't get on the bike with those other guys. They're crazy."

That finally made me smile. Dean's engine growled to life and he took off. I watched him go, my hands still shaking a little bit. Still, I was happy that he listened to me. Within a few minutes, Dean was jogging back up the road to where I was at.

"I'm sorry," I said immediately. "I know you wanted to ride your motorcycle."

He just shrugged. "I did that already today." He took my hand in his, pulling me gently to start walking with him. We traveled quietly for a moment, away from the house and the motorcycle.

"I'm sorry I freaked out on you like that," I said quietly. Dean just nodded as the tension between us broke. He didn't say anything. "My cousin and I were really close. He was in a really bad motorcycle accident last year."

Dean gave a quiet "mmm-hmm" and squeezed my hand.

"He was in the hospital for three weeks. The doctors said he was lucky to be alive, but he was never quite the same after that. I've never liked motorcycles since."

"I'm sorry I pushed you, then," he said softly. "You doing better now?"

I nodded and rested my head against his shoulder. He felt good against me. I bent my arm behind me, pulling his hand so that it wrapped around my waist. My world felt right again.

J
une 7th, 1990

The boardwalk creaked under our feet as we made our way along the sandy planks. Small local shops had their doors open to let in the warm ocean air and passing customers. The smell of hotdogs and popcorn drifted by, and music played softly from the inside the shops.

"I'm starving. You want something to eat? My treat." Dean let go of my hand, eyeing the food stand.