Page 18 (1/2)

At three o’clock, she stood at the top of a cliff looking down on the four small lakes she’d been at the other day Way down She could see a few otters playing along the shore of the first lake, and as she stood there in awe, a fish leapt out of the water, executing a perfect gainer before flopping back

Her legs obbling fro down froht, but in either case, she could hear her grandma’s voice in her head

It felt like a pro else, too, peace Four Lakes gave me peace

Aain, feeling them burn with emotion Jesus, ith her today? But there was no denying the truth She’d been feeling flickers of hope ever since Sierra Meadows It was new and tenuous, but it was there As for peace, she hadn’t been quite sure When she thought about her life, she knew she’d always lived it to survive But she was beginning to see that there was more to life than ht there, just learning that

Which left heart, so she’d never believed in for herself and had, in fact, openlyit now, and she had no idea if maybe that was thanks to Lucky Harbor, to the friends she’dup so deep inside her that she hadn’t even knoas empty

Matt knocked at Amy’s door He was early for their date because… well, he didn’t really have a reason, other than he wanted to see her He had no idea what the night would bring, but if it went anything at all like their other encounters, it wouldn’t be boring

Her car was in her parking spot but she didn’t answer He knocked again, and then when she still didn’t answer, he tried the door It opened, which didn’t make him feel better--Amy wasn’t a woman to leave her door unlocked "Amy?"

Nothing, so he stepped inside "Hello?"

Still nothing

Her place was sh that he could see from one end to the next Her bedroom door was open, and he stepped closer It looked like a boone off A female bomb Clothes spilled out of the dresser drawers and closet and were scattered across the bed, but no one was actually in any of the clothes

The bathroom was dairlie things on the counter, tubes and bottles, and the place smelled like sexy wo bra lay on the floor Nice He turned back to the living roo to a tiny deck area, and it was cracked open He pushed it further The thing squeaked like hell and was all but i with her back to hie

This was because she had in earphones that led to the phone or iPod in her pocket and she was singing

Off-key

She was drawing, too, sketching so fro furiously over the paper, a bundle of additional colored pencils in her other hand

He listened to her sing for a second and felt the grin split his face Guns N’ Roses, "Welco "Welcole, feel rinning, Matt reached out and set a hand on her shoulder Amy nearly ca, and whipping out the ear buds, she whirled around, leading with a roundhouse kick that would have leveled him flat if he hadn’t ducked

"Are you crazy?" she asked when he straightened "I nearly took off your head"

"You had your music up and didn’t hear me" He bent to pick up her pad and pencils, which she snatched out of his hands and hugged to her chest She was staring at hi fast Too fast She wore a strapless sundress with a colorful print that was sexy as hell She wasn’t in her usual kick-ass boots, but the heels in their place were still pretty damn kick-ass If she’d connected with his head, he’d still be down for the count "You’re not wearing black"

She shifted, then shrugged "It’s Mallory’s"

"You look beautiful," he said

She wasn’t impressed by the compliment "You just let yourself intorong"

"Well it’s not," she said "And I don’t like surprises"

"I’m sorry" He rubbed his jaw and considered her "I scared you"

"I told you I told you I don’t like it when someone sneaks up on me"

She had told hiut clenched hard over how she ht have learned she didn’t like to be surprised Slowly he stepped closer, taking her iPod, setting it down on the chair she’d just vacated Then he took her pad and pencils and did the sa his hands up her arms and then down

She exhaled a shuddery breath

He inhaled slowly and deeply, and she did the sainally "Sorry," she said "Didn’t mean to take your head off I left ies necessary"

She tipped her head up and looked at hi sweet" Not even close His hands dropped to her hips The material of her skirt was silky sh it She s his head and pressing his face to her neck

She slapped a hand to his chest and leaned back "Are you serated inhale that ," he said "Re you taste"

She sucked in a breath and ainst him, just a little rock of her hot bod that finished off the job that the panties on the bathroom floor had started His lips were at her throat He sucked on her skin, and the sound she made, the soft, feminine sound of arousal, nearly did him in

The next sound that shesoftly, he pulled back "Ti her hand, he pulled her through her place "Whatever you want"

"We were already doing what I wanted"

He stopped and glanced back at her with a smile "Yeah?"

"Yeah"

His body revved Down, boy "I like that idea," he told her "I like it a lot After I take you out"

"You don’t have to"