Chapter 6 "Chance Encounters"
Banning Estate….pool house
Teresa sat in her lounge chair, caught up in memories, as her mind wandered back to the magical night she had spent with Fox. Though she'd tried very hard to block that night from her memories, her body refused to cooperate. She ached for Fox, wanted to be with him so badly she thought she'd go mad. Every time she closed her eyes she could almost feel his lips on hers, could feel the warmth of his skin as he pressed her against him, remembered the bliss she'd felt when he'd been buried inside her tight sheath. A low moan escaped her lips as she recalled how tenderly Fox had kissed and caressed every inch of her silken skin before he's slipped inside her.
"Snap out of it Teresa. Fox isn't the right man for you. He despises you and with good reason. What you did was inexcusable and if he ever remembers he will hate you even more than he does already. And even if he could forgive you, there's no future for you. He's a Crane, just like Ethan. And you better than anyone should know that the Crane's can't be trusted," her conscience whispered.
"Earth to Teresa," Leslie Banning called out as she stepped out of the pool. Picking up a towel from the neat stack by the pool, she began drying off her long dark hair as she gracefully settled her long-limbed frame into the lounge chair next to Teresa.
"Did you say something Les?" Teresa replied absently.
"That must be some terrific fantasy you've been having Resa because you've been in la-la land the whole afternoon. So who is he?" Leslie asked, tongue in cheek.
"Who's who?" Teresa asked innocently, leaning over to sip from the frosty glass of iced tea that the housekeeper, Marta, had left on the side table. Leslie laughed and lifted a brow, clearly unconvinced that Teresa hadn't been thinking of a man. She knew Teresa like the back of her hand and the slight blush on her cheeks and the sparkle that lit up her dark eyes left no doubt in her mind that her best friend was hiding something big from her. And that it involved a man.
"The man that you've spent the entire afternoon fantasizing about," Leslie teased.
"I haven't been fantasizing about anyone, Les," Teresa lied reluctant to share her secret even with her best friend. "I was just thinking about the party Mama wants to throw for Papa next weekend," she added as a means of changing the subject.
"Hmm, I'm always up for a party," Leslie replied brightly willing to let Teresa off the hook even though she remained unconvinced. "Did your mother decide on a theme yet?"
"Yes, it's going to be a 40's style bash."
"Oh, sounds romantic," Leslie replied her jade green eyes darkening with pain as she recalled her turbulent marriage to Zachary Hotchkiss. Zachary had swept her off her feet when she'd been a naïve and idealistic eighteen-year-old and she had married him against the wishes of her family and friends. She'd been so crazy about him that she'd overlooked his unpredictable temper and his insane bouts of jealousy when they'd been dating, certain that she'd found her prince and that they'd live happily ever after. But the months she'd been married to Zachary had been hell on earth and had left her scarred and broken. If it hadn't been for Alexia, Leslie knew she wouldn't have survived. Leslie knew that if she had to do everything over she would because her daughter was the most precious thing in the world to her.
"Now, who's daydreaming?" Teresa asked with a smirk, knowing by the shadows in Leslie's eyes that she'd been thinking of her ex-husband and wanting to distract her.
"I'm going to ask Marta to make us something to eat," she added and Leslie nodded grateful that Teresa had let the subject drop. Some things were too painful to share, even with your best friend.
"Marta, would you mind making your world famous crab salad with that yummy Italian dressing you make from scratch for Les and me?" Teresa asked Marta with a wide smile. Marta laughed and pointed to the table where two bowls filled with romaine lettuce, ripe plum tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, fresh avocado, black olives, and juicy crab meat sat. Freshly baked rolls drizzled in butter and a fresh pitcher of iced tea sat side by side of the tempting salad. Teresa let out a delighted laugh and went to scoop up the goodies when a pair of masculine hands wrapped themselves around her waist.
"Guess who?" the low-pitched male voice asked.
"Dylan," Teresa shrieked delightedly, flinging herself in his arms. Dylan laughed at her enthusiastic response and pressed a friendly kiss on her soft lips.
"I've missed you babe," he told her simply.
"I've missed you too, Dillweed," Teresa replied with a grin. "How was your trip?"
Fox stood at the doorway, his features set in a scowl and his hands clenched at his side. The easy familiarity between Teresa and his best friend grated on his nerves even though he had no claim on Teresa and thus had no reason to feel jealous.
"Take it easy, Crane, what Teresa does or doesn't do is none of your business," he told himself.
Willing himself to relax, Fox stepped into the room and cleared his throat. "Am I interrupting anything?" he called out.
Teresa's easy laughter died as she looked up into the face of the man who had been haunting her dreams for days.
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