The Promise of Provence (Love in Provence Book 1) (38 page)

“I love it! I love the idea it has been turned in this same door by so many hands through two centuries.”

“You’re a funny bird, Katherine Price, a sweet, funny bird. I’m so sorry for the sadness you experienced on your trip.” He put his arms around her as they stood in the intimacy of the narrow street and pulled her close, something that had not happened to her in a very long time.

Resting her head on his shoulder briefly, she said, “Thank you, Nick, for being such a comfort. It was good to talk about this tonight.”

He kissed her gently on each cheek, lingering long enough to give a clear message of his feelings. Katherine caught herself almost ready to slip her arms around him just as he gave them a quick squeeze and pushed open the heavy door.

“I’ll call you tomorrow.”

A sudden panic overtook her, and she decided to be busy for the next little while to spend some evenings on her own.

An e-mail message from Joy to both Katherine and Philippe reminded them of her invitation to come to the
manoir
for
les vendages
, the grape harvest. It was going to be held in three weeks’ time.

At the market for her morning
leçon sur les fromages
, Philippe asked Katherine if she was truly interested in going.

“I wouldn’t miss it for anything!”

“Will you drive with me?”

Katherine hesitated. “Do you mind if I go with you?”

“
Avec plaisir
. I did not want you to feel it was a foregone conclusion.”

Katherine smiled as she thought about it on the way home. For all the time they spent together in the cycling club, the two mornings a week she had her cheese lesson, and the odd meal or drink they shared, Philippe never stopped being a classic gentleman. She was discovering he had a great sense of humor and was thoughtful and courteous, but there was always a little edge of restraint. That was fine with her. She understood where he was coming from.

Walking home from the bus stop after her bridge lesson the following Monday, she heard Nick call her name.

“Katherine! Where are you going? Have you been avoiding me?”

“Hey, Nick, I’m just on my way home from bridge. What are you up to?”

“I’m heading over to the Blue Lady for a nightcap. Didn’t feel like drinking by myself. Want to come?”

One drink turned into a couple, with Katherine getting caught up in the convivial atmosphere of the pub and the banter among Nick’s high-spirited friends. Feeling a little unsteady on the way home, she didn’t object when Nick put his arm around her as they walked.

After opening the door to her house for her, he pulled her back gently as she began to step inside, and she slipped into his arms, her lips meeting his.

This time, he did not suppress his desire for her, and to her surprise, Katherine responded. They kissed several times, saying nothing as his lips brushed her face and neck before finding hers again, the caress of his mouth soft but demanding.

Katherine moaned lightly, her eyes closed, unsure if her head was spinning from the kiss or the martinis. “I think I better lie down.”

“Good idea,” he replied, the tone of his voice clearly implying he would join her.

“I mean alone. I’m feeling a little drunk,” she said.

Nick kissed her again, more passionately, before Kat eventually pulled away.

“Katherine Price, I’m going to kiss you into submission one of these nights. I’m warning you right now. Prepare yourself. You are a beautiful woman and I want you to be mine.”

Katherine gently pushed him away and waved good-bye. “Thanks for being so much fun. I needed to laugh! You’re a good kisser too—really! G’night.”

“Goodnight, gorgeous! Just remember, I’m going to be all over you. Consider yourself warned,” Nick said as he pulled the door closed.

Nick was taking it slow for her sake. She knew it and appreciated it but was beginning to think he might be the fling Molly wanted her to have.

Much to her surprise, Kat had been sharing all the details with Molly during their Skype conversations. “Spill, girlfriend!” Molly would say, and spill Katherine did. Molly continued encouraging Kat to have an affair. She had seen enough of Nick to feel he was a decent man and was convinced Katherine would only benefit from feeling some love from him. She believed Katherine had something good in her future, and the sooner she began taking baby steps toward it, the better. Molly wanted Katherine to recognize that her own sensuous, physical self still existed. Tony had certainly given Molly the gift of that belief.

“You know I’m not suggesting you turn into frickin’ Sally Slut! That would never be you under any circumstances.”

Kat laughed. “Got that right.”

“Trust me. There is love waiting for you. Love from a good man. I feel it. I’m not saying that good man is necessarily Nick. But he might be the right place to begin. It’s a new world, girl. Go for it!”

Katherine still struggled with whether she really had a place in the “new world,” whether she really wanted a place there.

She also knew Nick was a man with a history of relationships. He had never been secretive about it when some gorgeous younger woman sidled up to him at the Blue Lady and looked at him in a way that could only mean they had slept together.

Looking sheepishly at Katherine, he would shrug his shoulders and say, “Hey, I’ve been on my own for a while.”

They shared another evening of serious kissing on Katherine’s terrace after splitting a pizza at the café around the corner. Katherine was discovering more pleasure from Nick’s lips than she could recall. Certainly it hadn’t happened like this in her marriage. James had been a hasty kisser, wanting to get right down to business.

“Kat, that’s it. If I don’t get out of here right now, there will be no stopping me,” Nick whispered before getting up to leave.

She realized Nick could sense her hesitation in moving their physical relationship along, but she was beginning to think she wanted more.

I’ve got to stop acting like a modest schoolgirl and listen to the passion that is building inside me.

Her dinners with Philippe were filled with easy conversation. He took pleasure in introducing her to all manner of fine dining in unobtrusive little hole-in-the-wall cafés that only a local would know. Their interaction became more animated but never moved beyond friendly, although she often caught him studying her carefully.

She also caught herself doing the same and began to wonder how it would feel if he kissed her.

There were several times when she shared dinner or a coffee or drink with both men. At those times she found herself fantasizing more than once about them, but then she would remind herself she was no spring chicken.

Why would either one be interested in me with all the beautiful young women around this town? If I were ten or twenty years younger, choosing between these two men would be a lovely dilemma.

48

This weekend might be the test
, Katherine thought as she packed an overnight bag. Nick had invited her to cruise along the coast and over to Saint-Tropez. The distance itself would normally only take a few hours, but he had some stops planned, so they would make a weekend of it.

In spite of the sumptuous luxury of designer everything on Nick’s yacht, each area felt comfortable and easy to live in. There were three bedrooms besides the master, and Nick suggested she pick whichever appealed to her.

“Sharing the master bedroom is your best option,” he said, squinting slightly as he cocked his head and gave her a long look.

“I love this one,” Katherine announced, standing in the doorway of a small stateroom decorated in shades of turquoise and aqua like the sea itself. Nick smiled stoically as he placed her weekend bag inside.

Tim, the captain, and his wife, Twig, were on board, although Nick had told them no help would be needed in the kitchen. They had their own crew quarters and would be seldom seen. It was an odd feeling for Katherine, but she soon adjusted.

Leaving early Saturday morning, they cruised slowly, stopping first at Île Saint-Honorat in the Îles de Lérins, just minutes off the coast of Cannes.

Although the current monastery and vineyard were not open to the public, they were able to see the stark abbey with its medieval vestiges and the ruins of the fortified monastery, stunningly set on the sea edge.

“It is so peaceful here, Nick. So quiet . . . very Zen.”

Nick, turned tour guide once again, described how the monastery was founded in the fourth century and that Saint Patrick supposedly studied there in the fifth century.

“The fortified structure was built between the eleventh and fourteenth centuries, but of course, during the Revolution, the monastery was confiscated and became the property of the state. I shudder to think what happened to the poor monks! The church regained ownership in the mid-1800s and built this modern building then that is used today. I’ve heard there are about thirty or so Cistercian monks here now.”

Katherine smirked as she was reminded of the European definition of the word “modern.”

As they entered a small gift shop, he said, “For centuries, silent, humble, and ecologically minded, these monks have divided their time between prayer and sustenance. Today they produce all of this stuff—their own red and white wines, lavender oil, honey, and this”—he picked up a bottle—“an herbal liqueur, Lérina.”

“It looks kind of like Chartreuse,” said Katherine.

“It’s similar. Tastes a bit like Galliano too, but it can pack quite a punch! I’ve got some on board—the older, the better.”

“Look at these,” Katherine pointed to CDs for sale.

“They are well known here for their Gregorian chants, beautiful and haunting,” Nick said, selecting two to purchase.

Watching a few monks slowly walking in the distance in their distinctive bleached-white hooded habits, Katherine thought how the image gave a mystical feeling to the surroundings.

“It’s one of my favorite places to stop,” Nick told her.

“I can see why. I’m glad you brought me here.”

They returned to the boat for lunch, which Nick had already prepped.

“Here, Kat, you can help by shaving the parmigiano onto this beef carpaccio,” he said, placing two plates with scrumptious-looking paper-thin slices of meat arranged in a circular pattern with a clump of arugula in the middle.

“Mmm, looks delicious!” Katherine noted as she reached for the olive oil.

“That’s the secret,” Nick said, nodding at the oil.

The yacht slipped away from the dock and moved westward as they ate.

Along the Côte de l’Esterel with its rocky, red hills, west of Cannes, there were many beautiful, quiet coves.

After putting on bathing suits, they anchored midafternoon to snorkel and swim in a hidden inlet, free of any other boats, and unreachable by land.

Katherine had to admit, Nick looked pretty good in a bathing suit for a man his age. He had the kind of solid, compact body that wore clothes well, and there was something very sexy about his graying blond hair and tanned body.

Did I really think ‘sexy’?

She was enjoying the feeling that was growing stronger as they stood at the railing, their arms touching lightly. Taking her hand, Nick helped Katherine down to the platform at the stern of the boat, where they put on flippers, masks, and snorkels. Laughing at each other’s appearance, they slipped together into the sea.

The turquoise-edged deep blue water contrasted in the most striking way with the red sandstone rocks and hills of the massif behind that were dotted with brush and deep green pines.

Swimming in the warm water of such a protected lagoon was a sensuous experience, Katherine quickly realized. The salt water was liquid silk, as Nicked called it, and its crystal clear quality gave the fish and coral below a vivid clarity.

Resting her elbows on a floating mattress and slipping off her mask, Katherine shook the water from her hair and turned her face up to the sun. Swimming up from behind, Nick put his arms around her. Katherine quickly ducked underwater to the other side of the mattress. Nick’s action had brought back a very unpleasant memory of that night in the pool in Provence, and she had reacted with fear. Foolishly too, she thought.

“Whoa, what was that all about?” Nick asked. Embarrassed, Katherine was successful in laughing it off as nothing more than being playful.

“I was just being silly.” She knew her fear this time was the reaction to the exhilaration she felt from his being so close to her. She wanted it.

Nick leaned across from the other side to kiss the tip of her nose, her chin, and finally her lips, and Katherine leaned into each one.

“Is this paradise or what?” he asked.

“It has got to be pretty close,” she agreed. “Simply stunning.”

Back on an upper deck of the boat, they relaxed on soft-cushioned lounges as the course shifted across the bay. After bringing them each a large glass of water, Nick sat on the edge of Kat’s lounge and leaned across her. His eyes slowly worked their way up from her toes to her hair, desire clearly written on his face.

Katherine was wearing a white strapless suit that emphasized her toned body and smooth bronzed skin. She had to admit she felt good when she put it on.

“Do you know how gorgeous you are?”

Katherine smiled. “Nick, I’m heading for sixty. With all of these nubile young women around, I can hardly qualify as gorgeous.”

“It’s all in the eye of the beholder—and youth isn’t everything. You are a beautiful woman, Kat. You’re in great shape, and you’ve got a way about you that is incredibly enticing.”

She put her hand up to his lips, but he simply held it and continued. “You know how I feel about you. I don’t want to just be friends.”

Pulling her up by her hand, he slipped his arms around her and made his point with a kiss that was too good for Katherine to resist. The warm sun washing over their almost naked bodies only fueled his passion.

They continued to kiss while his hands caressed her body. She didn’t even think about stopping him, and kissed him back with increasing pleasure. His fingers lightly skimmed down her torso until they rested close to the warmth between her legs, sending a tremor of excitement deep inside Katherine. After a few minutes, he gently laid her back on the lounge, kissing the crest of each breast before he stood.

“We just passed second base, gorgeous.”

She smiled, pulling him close to her again, her voice thick with emotion. “I’m glad we did.”

His tongue traced a line from her chest to her ear, where he whispered huskily, “To be continued, sweet woman.”

Katherine felt pleasure rush into the pit of her stomach and did not want it to stop.

The moment was lost as Nick’s phone rang. Hesitating, he checked the call display and then excused himself, looking annoyed at the interruption. With Nick distracted by his Blackberry—something she had noted was a constant part of his routine—Katherine picked up her camera. Leaning on the railing, she carefully planned her next shot and tried to calm her still trembling hands.

Nick’s eyes followed her, but he remained caught up in his phone call.

As the village of Saint-Tropez seemingly began to rise out of the sea ahead of them, Katherine went to a higher deck to take photos of the colorful jumble of ochre, yellow, and pink village houses overlooked by the church tower and the hilltop citadel.

From a distance on the water, it still appeared to be the unassuming fishing village it once was. Drawing slowly into their mooring, that image was quickly dispelled.

Side by side all along the dock were yachts like Nick’s. Some smaller, some larger. All reeking of extravagance.

“It’s a different world,” Katherine observed quietly. “I’m not sure it’s mine.”

“Just put a cover-up over your suit now and bring a casual change of clothes. I’ve ordered a water taxi to take us to La Voile Rouge. We can swim there, have dinner on the balcony, and watch the sunset. I reserved two lounges, so we’re good to go. Okay?”

“You’re the guide. I’ll be ready in a minute after I throw a few things in my bag and fix my makeup.”

As the water taxi headed out on the short run, Nick filled her in. “This is the original beach club in Saint-Trop, as the locals, the Tropéziens, call it, and it’s still the hottest ticket in town. It’s very French, and the clientele likes everyone to acknowledge that, so North American behavior really isn’t tolerated. The beach is small and beautiful. The food is outstanding. The parties can get wild.”

Katherine looked at him and raised her eyebrows in a questioning way.

“Don’t worry! You’ll see everything from kids to grandparents loving it there. If I’m going to show you what it’s like in Saint-Trop, this has to be our first stop.”

Nick was right about everything
, Katherine thought to herself as they stumbled back down to the water taxi well after midnight.
The beach, the atmosphere, the food, the sunset, the party. All
magnifique
.

The champagne certainly helped.

She giggled and put her finger to her lips to shush him, as Nick helped her onto
Searendipity
’s gangplank, singing loudly. Whirling her around the deck in a mock waltz step, he lost his balance, and they collapsed in a heap on a suede-covered couch.

“Oh Christ, Kat. I want you so badly,” Nick’s voice was muffled as he pressed his face into her neck and ran his hands through her hair. Without giving her a moment to respond, Nick kissed her passionately, his tongue seeking hers.

Katherine felt her last vestiges of resistance melt away. Her lips responded, parting.

The stars, the moon, the gentle lapping of water around the boat created the perfect ambiance.

Their mouths and fingers explored each other, and he guided her hand to feel just how ready he was.

Their clothes dropped to the floor as they fell back on the couch, Nick’s body covering Kat’s. His hand gently parted her legs as he kissed her breasts. His fingers stroked her, slowly at first and then more urgently.

The electricity of skin on skin, so foreign to her for so long, heightened Katherine’s passion as she ran her nails down his back and thrust her hips forward, inviting him in.
Hurry
, was all she could think. He slipped on a condom with obvious skill.

She hadn’t meant
Hurry and finish
, though. His deep thrusts had her burning with desire. After a quick explosive orgasm for both, they lay quietly entangled in the sweat of each other’s embrace. Moonlight spilled across them.

Katherine’s alcohol-induced languor kept her drifting in and out of sleep, but her foot rubbed along Nick’s leg as her desire grew again and she waited for him to respond.

Slowly she became aware of his deep breathing, which quickly turned into loud snoring. She sighed in frustration and, slipping quietly out of his arms, fumbled her way to bed, where she instantly passed out.