Gansett Island Boxed Set, Books 1-16

by Force, Marie

  “The girls sure did hit it off,” Grant said.

  “Seriously,” Owen said.

  “I’m glad to see Stephanie relaxing a bit and making some friends,” Grant said. “She’s been so alone for such a long time.”

  Evan nudged his older brother. “You’ve got a bad case for her, bro.”

  “So it seems.” Grant turned his formidable blue-eyed gaze on Evan. “I could say the same for you.” To Owen, Grant said, “Do you think he realizes he’s barely taken his eyes off Grace all afternoon?”

  While Owen chortled with laughter, Evan huffed with indignation. “That’s so not true.”

  “She’s awfully pretty,” Owen said. “I can certainly see why you’d be captivated.”

  “She’s funny, too,” Grant added. “I like her.”

  “I don’t know why you guys are making such a big deal out of it.” Evan felt like he was fighting for his life or something, which was ridiculous. What did he have to be fighting about? So they’d had some laughs, so he found her attractive, so he wanted to get to know her better. Big whoop. Except even as he tried to talk himself out of it, the truth of the matter was that he was more interested in her than he’d been in any woman in like, well, ever. “We’re just friends. I’m not captivated. Whatever that means.”

  “If you don’t know,” Owen said, “I’m not going to explain it to you.”

  Grant laughed at their banter.

  “What about you?” Grant said to Owen. “Joined at the hip with Laura. What’s that all about?”

  Owen’s smile quickly became a frown. “Nothing. We’re friends. That’s it.”

  “Uh-huh,” Grant said with a knowing grin. “You’re as full of it as he is.”

  “I don’t know what the hell is going on around here lately,” Evan said as desperation crept over him. His throat felt tight and constricted, as if he’d knotted his necktie too tightly. Except he wasn’t wearing a tie. He wasn’t even wearing a shirt, for crying out loud, so why was he having such a hard time getting air to his lungs?

  There was absolutely no rational explanation for the way he felt when Grace was around—happy, calm, amused, aroused, intrigued, disturbed, unsettled, dismayed. All in one muddled package. Nothing about it made sense. She was just another woman in a long line of women who’d paraded through his life. He couldn’t see any reason to make it into a bigger deal than it was.

  And then her laughter rang out, drawing his attention to where she sat with Stephanie and Laura. Grace’s hands danced with animation as she entertained them with a story that had the other two women laughing hysterically.

  Evan wanted to know what she was saying. He wanted to hear the story and be in on the joke. He wanted her. Oh Jesus. What the hell was wrong with him? Though the day was seasonably warm with a hint of September chill in the air, Evan began to sweat.

  She wasn’t the kind of woman he could just have and discard. He’d known her only a short time, and he already knew that much about her. Grace Ryan wasn’t a one-night-stand kind of gal, and he was hardly the kind of guy who was looking for more than that.

  “Check him out,” Grant said to Owen. “Staring again.”

  This time, Evan could hardly deny that he’d been gawking at Grace.

  “There’s nothing wrong with liking her, Ev,” Grant said. “She’s a nice girl.”

  “That’s the problem,” Evan said, filled with defeat. “She’s too nice for me.”

  “Nah,” Grant said, punching him lightly on the arm. “That’s not true. Despite your many, many faults, at the end of the day, you’re a good guy.”

  “No, I’m not.” Evan thought of the many meaningless connections he’d made with women over the years, the promises he’d made and never kept. He wasn’t a good guy. He certainly wasn’t good enough for the likes of Grace Ryan, who was probably all about ethics and morals and permanence.

  “Why do you say that?” Owen asked. “Look what you did for her when she was marooned at the marina.”

  “I just did what anyone would do in that situation.”

  “There were a lot of guys around that night,” Owen reminded him. “No one else went over to her table to find out why she was crying. Cut yourself a break, man.”

  “I don’t have any business starting something with her. She lives in Mystic, and I’m heading back to Nashville soon. I’ve got the tour coming up next summer. It’s not the right time to start something.”

  “I said the same thing about me and Steph,” Grant said, gazing at his girlfriend with unabashed love and affection that made Evan acutely aware of what he might be missing out on. “It seemed really hopeless, but when push came to shove and I had to decide between her and going back to LA without her, it was a no-brainer.”

  “Where do things stand between you guys now?” Owen asked.

  “We’re taking it a day at a time, but I’m renting Janey’s house for the winter, and yesterday Steph agreed to stay with me.”

  Evan had never seen his brother look happier.

  “That’s cool,” Owen said.

  “I’m working on the screenplay about her and her stepfather’s story. We’re looking forward to her stepfather’s Halloween court date and hoping for the best.” Grant shrugged. “As long as we’re together, I feel like we can get through anything.”

  “That’s all well and good,” Evan said, “and I’m happy for you. Don’t get me wrong.”

  Grant raised an eyebrow. “But?”

  “You can work anywhere. All you need is a laptop and you’re good to go. I have to go back to Nashville. I’m going on tour. Where does a girlfriend fit into that?”

  “I don’t know,” Grant said, “but if it’s the right girl, you’ll figure it out.”

  Evan knew his brother believed every word he said, but Evan wasn’t convinced.

  “Can I give you one piece of advice?” Grant said.

  “Can I stop you?”

  Laughing at Evan’s scowl, Grant stopped walking and turned to face him. “Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Look at what happened at the marina this summer. Dad and Mac and Luke could’ve been killed in a matter of minutes. Beyond his worries about Dad, do you think Mac came out of the water thinking about anything other than getting to Maddie as soon as he could? Same thing for Luke with Sydney. It didn’t take nearly being killed by a drunken boater to show them what really matters in life. They already knew. You don’t want to miss out on that, Ev. And neither do you,” he said to Owen. “Don’t be so caught up in maintaining the status quo that you miss out on what could be the most awesome thing you’ve ever experienced. Trust me. You don’t want to miss that.”

  “That wasn’t a piece of advice,” Evan grumbled. “It was a freaking speech.”

  Laughing, Grant tugged his brother into a headlock. When he fought his way free, Evan noticed Owen staring off into space and wondered if he was pondering what Grant had said.

  “I think you’ll be sorry if you don’t try to figure out why you’ve had such a strong reaction to Grace,” Grant added. “You’ll regret letting her go home on Monday without getting to know her better.”

  Since the idea of never seeing her again filled him with irrational fear, Evan ventured a reluctant glance at the girls and found her watching him with a wistful expression on her face. Was it possible that she was equally attracted to him? There was only one way to find out.

  “Keep walking,” he said to his brother and best friend as he started back toward the women.

  “And miss this?” Owen said as he turned to follow Evan. “No way.”

  “Right there with ya,” Grant said, trotting along behind them.

  Resigned to their interference, Evan walked to her, knowing that once he did whatever he was about to do, there’d be no undoing it. And what was he going to do exactly? He had no idea. All he knew was he wanted some time alone with her without the prying eyes of his brother, cousin and friends on them. As Grace watched him approach with a wide-eyed, curious stare, he could feel th
e anxiety, apprehension and hint of excitement emanating from her. Whatever was brewing between them, she felt it, too, which was comforting.

  Aware that all eyes were on him, Evan held out a hand to Grace. “Walk with me?”

  “Oh, um, sure.” She took the hand he offered and let him help her up.

  As the sweet scent of her surrounded him, it occurred to him that his attraction to her made no sense at all. She was nothing like the petite, perky blondes he usually preferred, and yet he was dying to find out if her dark hair was as silky as it looked.

  He liked his women confident, experienced and willing to try new things—inside the bedroom and out. Grace didn’t exactly exude confidence. While Stephanie and Laura had worn revealing bikinis to the beach, an oversized T-shirt covered Grace’s bathing suit and kept her curves hidden from him. Evan didn’t want to admit that he’d been dying to see her in a bathing suit and had been disappointed when she kept the cover-up on all afternoon.

  She wasn’t his type. It was that simple. Why, then, was he thrilled to be walking next to her on the beach and dodging the waves that teased the shore? His heart was beating funny, his mouth was dry as the sand under his feet, and he couldn’t think of a single witty or charming thing to say to her. What the hell was wrong with him?

  “Nice day,” she said after a long period of silence.

  “Uh-huh.” Under normal circumstances, September was his favorite month of the year on Gansett. Cool, crisp sunny days perfect for surfing and sailing, and chilly nights ideal for bonfires on the beach. Today he was completely out of sorts and off his game.

  “You’re acting uncomfortable again,” Grace said.

  “Am I?” Startled, Evan snapped out of his musings and glanced over to find her watching him intently.

  “Are you sorry you invited me to hang out with you this weekend?”

  “No,” he said, shocked to the core. That was the last thing he wanted her to think. Well, maybe not the last thing… “Of course not.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “I don’t know,” he said, going with the truth. “I’m out of sorts.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. It’s been such a fun day. I was hoping you were enjoying it as much as I am.”

  “I’ve enjoyed it very much, Grace. That’s kind of the problem.”

  “I don’t understand,” she said, looking and sounding confused.

  Evan could tell he startled her when he reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. “I like you.”

  “I like you, too.”

  “No, I mean I like you.” He watched with satisfaction as his words registered with her.

  “Oh,” she said, sounding breathless. “And that has you out of sorts?”

  Nodding, he fought a sudden urge to lean in and kiss the pucker off her sweet lips. He couldn’t do that with the others watching their every move, but he wanted to. God, he wanted to. Up ahead, the beach curved around a point and became the town beach. If he recalled correctly, this end of the town beach was usually sparsely populated.

  “Come on,” he said, giving her hand a tug.

  “Where’re we going?”

  “You’ll see.”

  Once they rounded the rocky point and were away from the prying eyes of their group, Evan tightened his hold on Grace’s hand.

  “What’s the rush?” she asked as she half walked, half ran to keep up with him.

  He stopped and turned to her, catching her when she all but crashed into him. Before he could talk himself out of seeing whether there was anything to this damned attraction, he crushed his mouth to hers. The moment their lips met, he had his answer. Heat streaked through him, burning away all his earlier ideas of what kind of woman he wanted. For whatever reason, he wanted this woman.

  She let out a needy whimper as her arms encircled his neck.

  “Open,” he said in a harsh whisper. “Let me in.” He dipped his head to recapture her mouth, more gently this time, stroking her lips with his tongue before easing his way in.

  Even though she kissed him back with equal enthusiasm, there was something innocent and unschooled in her responses. Despite that, the instant her tongue met his, Evan was lost. His cock surged with need. God almighty, he hadn’t had a reaction like this to a woman since he was a horny kid with no idea of how to control himself.

  She stripped him of his self-control and his senses. Nothing else in the world mattered beyond the warmth of her eager mouth, the caress of her tongue, the sweetness of her lips and the press of her full breasts against his chest. He wanted her with an urgency that surprised and frightened him.

  Stunned by his reaction, he tore his lips free and stared at her. He was breathing hard, as if he’d been running a race. As he came to his senses, he realized she was staring and breathing hard, too.

  “Wow,” he said. “That was…”

  “Yeah.” She raised her hand to her mouth and rested two fingers on her lips. “Wow.”

  “Will you go out with me tonight? Just the two of us?”

  She studied him for what seemed like a long time before she said, “I’d love to.”

  Encouraged—and relieved—by her reply, he rested his hands on her hips and brought her in close to him again. “Afterward, can we do more of this?” he asked, touching his lips to hers.

  “I might be persuaded.”

  “I love that haughty tone.” He peppered his words with kisses. “It makes me feel so chastised.”

  “You’re frequently in need of chastising.”

  “Do you give spankings, too?” Her entire face turned red, which made Evan feel bad for being so raunchy. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. I’m getting used to your irreverence.”

  Evan slipped an arm around her shoulders and steered her back in the direction of the others. “You seem to be enjoying Stephanie and Laura,” he said, looking for something—anything—to take his mind off the intense kiss.

  “They’re great. Stephanie and Grant are so cute together, aren’t they?”

  “Not sure I’d use the word cute. They’re in that newly-in-love stage when everything is viewed through rose-colored glasses.”

  “That sounds rather cynical. You don’t think it’ll last?”

  “I guess we’ll see.”

  “How long have Owen and Laura been together?”

  “They’re not together.”

  “Really? They’ve got that whole sizzling-chemistry thing going on.”

  “Do they? I haven’t noticed.”

  “Then you’re not looking. He’s very protective of her. If they aren’t together now, I bet it won’t be long before they are.”

  “Very interesting. They said the same thing about us, you know. The sizzling-chemistry thing.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Uh-huh. What do you think?”

  “About?”

  Evan rolled his eyes at her. “Our sizzling chemistry.”

  “Is it sizzling? I hadn’t noticed.”

  He hip-checked her, making her laugh. “You’re being mean to me.”

  “I’m very sorry.”

  “I don’t think you are.”

  “Now who’s being haughty?” she asked.

  “That kiss was hot.”

  “It was okay.” She bit her lip and looked up at him with big eyes full of mischief. “I’ll bet you can do better.”

  “You are so going to pay for that.” He stopped short all of a sudden. “Are you laughing at me?”

  Shrieking with laughter, she took off running for the chairs and the safety of her new friends. Watching her go, Evan couldn’t wait to have her all to himself for an entire evening. He’d show her chemistry.

  Chapter 8

  As Grace hustled back to Laura and Stephanie, her heart raced with excitement and anticipation and a tiny bit of dread. She could feel Evan’s eyes boring a hole in her back as he followed her to the row of chairs, where the other women sat watching them with interest.

  “You guys,” s
he said breathlessly. “I need your help.”

  “What’s going on?” Stephanie asked, her brows knitted with worry. “Did Evan say something?”

  “Yes! He asked me out! I have nothing to wear and hardly any time. You have to help me.”

  “We’re on it,” Laura said.

  Both women jumped up and started folding their chairs and collecting their belongings.

  “Hey,” Grant said as he came out of the water with Owen trailing right behind him. “Where’re you going?”

  “We have some errands to do,” Stephanie told her boyfriend. “We’ll catch up with you later.”

  Grace wouldn’t have thought Grant capable of pouting, but there it was.

  Laughing, Stephanie kissed the pout off his lips.

  He hooked an arm around her to keep her close to him. “There,” he said after a lingering kiss. “That’s better. You can go now.”

  “Gee, thanks.” She poked him in the belly and reached for the beach bag she’d dropped in the sand while he kissed her. “See if you boys can stay out of trouble while we’re gone.”

  Owen bent to whisper something in Laura’s ear.

  Smiling, she looked up at him and nodded. “See you back at the ranch.”

  The three women started to walk toward Stephanie’s car.

  “Grace!”

  She spun around to find Evan watching her with heated eyes that made her want to shiver. Only the prying stares of the rest of the group kept her from doing just that. “Yes?”

  “Pick you up at seven thirty.”

  “See you then,” she managed to say in a cool, unaffected tone that was a total lie. She was affected all right—on every possible level. While she couldn’t wait to see him again in a few short hours, she was also dreading it. After her recent spate of bad luck, she couldn’t help but wonder what might go wrong tonight.

  When they were settled in Stephanie’s old car and heading into town, Laura spun around in the passenger seat. “Tell us everything. You guys disappeared around the point, and we couldn’t see you anymore.”

  “Which was clearly his intention,” Stephanie added, glancing in the rearview mirror at Grace.

  “Spill it,” Laura said.