All She Ever Wanted - Barbara Freethy [45]
"What's wrong? Did you forget something?" she asked, pulling her hand away from his.
His eyes narrowed as she dug her hands into her pockets, but he didn't comment. Instead, he said, "Let's take a walk. I need to work off that burrito."
And she could use some cool air blowing in her face before she sat down next to Cole in the quiet intimacy of his car. It was ridiculous to be so affected by a casual touch, to be so aware of a man's sexuality. She'd seen hundreds of naked men in her work as a doctor and not been remotely interested, but this man got to her and he wasn't even trying. She really needed to get out more.
They strolled along the Embarcadero, which was filled with tourists and locals enjoying the unseasonably warm October weather. The scents of flowers and fresh fruit wafted through the breeze as they passed by an open air market in front of one of the docks. It would be winter soon, but now there was nothing but sun and a cool, refreshing wind coming off the water.
She did love this city. Like the song, she'd left her heart in San Francisco a long time ago. That's why she'd come back. She'd lied when she'd told Cole it was because of the opportunity to work at St. Timothy's. She'd actually had better offers from a medical point of view, but the chance to live and work in San Francisco had been too tantalizing to resist. Maybe she couldn't share her life with Cole, but she could at least share his city.
They paused a few moments later to look at two sailboats racing across the water. "That's the life," Cole said.
"Do you sail?"
"I've been out a few times on the bay. My uncle has a yacht."
Of course his uncle had a yacht, another reminder that they never had moved and never would move in the same circles. Not that Cole was a snob. She couldn't put that black mark against him. Arrogant, overconfident, possessive, bossy, impatient, yes, but a snob, no.
"What about you?" he asked. "What do you do in your free time? I know you don't have much, but you must have some."
"I run every day if I can, or I try to get to the gym."
"What about the movies?" he asked with a smile.
He'd remembered her fondness for old movies and foreign films. For some reason that really touched her, and she couldn't help smiling back at him. "I went to an Italian film festival last weekend, all subtitles and very romantic. You would have hated it."
"I'm sure I would have. Now give me a Star Wars marathon, and I'm there."
"You always did prefer action and adventure."
"I always did," he muttered, as he started walking again.
They were almost to the Bay Bridge when he stopped and pointed upward. "Do you realize this is the second bridge we've stood under today?"
She looked up at the gray steel structure, which wasn't nearly as pretty as the Golden Gate. In fact, there were scaffolding and drapes along one side of it, part of an ongoing earthquake retrofit program.
"Maybe it's a sign," she murmured. "A bridge between the past and the present."
"That one just goes to Oakland."
"You know what I mean." Her hair blew across her face as the wind decided to play. So did Cole. He pulled several strands away from her mouth, which wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't stopped to take a good long look at her lips. She swallowed at the intent in his eyes. "Cole, you don't want to do what you're thinking—"
"I don't think I can stop myself."
"You should try."
"You're not moving away." His eyes met hers. "And you probably should."
"I'm stuck."
"You have choices," he said, repeating her earlier words. "The right ones aren't so easy to make, are they?"
He didn't give her time to answer, his mouth fitting hers perfectly, his kiss insistent, determined, passionate, everything that was Cole. His hand cupped the back of her head, drawing her into the heat of his mouth. She put her hands against his chest to push