Love in Catalina Cove

by Brenda Jackson

  Her cell phone rang and she quickly pulled it from her purse. “Hello?”

  “Just checking to make sure you’re coming to church.”

  Vashti smiled. It would be the first time she’d gone to church since returning to the cove, and when she’d seen Reverend Castor at Ms. Gertie’s funeral he’d made it a point to not only welcome her back to Catalina Cove, but to invite her to church. “Yes, Bryce. I’m coming to church.”

  “Good. I’m sitting with the folks and will save you a seat.”

  “Thanks. I’d appreciate that.”

  “So how was your date last night with Sawyer?” Bryce asked.

  “Great and please don’t ask for details. I want to keep it all to myself for now. All I’m going to say is that Sawyer is simply amazing.”

  “Wow, the sheriff has moved from the nice column to the amazing column.”

  “Yes, and before you asked, yes, we’re going on another date. And I’m looking forward to it. I’ll see you at church in a few. Goodbye.”

  Slipping the phone back inside her purse Vashti headed for the door. The Witherspoons had invited her to dinner after church. She figured that she and Bryce would be able to talk privately then.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  “IT’S A BEAUTIFUL day for boating, Sawyer,” Vashti said, as he helped her onboard his boat. She noticed all the other boaters taking advantage of the beautiful weather. And his boat, a twenty-eight-foot-long cabin cruiser that was painted metallic blue with splashes of white with a design resembling a bolt of lightning, was beautiful as well. It had a lavish forward berth and wraparound port seating with a table and an integrated swim platform.

  “And your boat is stunning. I thought you said it was small.” She glanced around thinking there was nothing small about this boat. It was larger than the one her parents had owned and the layout made it twice as roomy.

  “Thanks and make yourself at home. I’ll give you a tour in a minute. There’s a keg of wine coolers over there.”

  “I think I’ll have one now. What about you?”

  “I’ll get one later, after we select a spot to idle awhile.”

  She tried not to stare at him while he moved around getting the boat ready. This was the first time she’d ever seen him in a pair of shorts and he had the perfect male physique for them, especially his masculine hairy legs and powerful-looking thighs. She hated giving his body her full attention but temptation got the best of her.

  They hadn’t spent any time together since Saturday night, although they had seen each other at church on Sunday, but only at a glance. And it had been a sizzling glance that had tempted her more than once to look across several pews to seek him out. He’d undoubtedly been thinking the same thing because their gazes would automatically connect.

  He had called Wednesday evening to finalize plans for their date. Since Jade was to leave this morning for a church outing, he’d suggested they go boating and take in a movie on Saturday.

  Like him she was wearing a pair of white shorts, but while he had on a T-shirt, she had a bikini top that matched the bottoms under her shorts. She’d worn a cover-up over her outfit, but since they were now headed out toward the open sea, she decided to take it off. He released an appreciative whistle.

  “You look nice, Vashti. Real nice.”

  “Thanks. So do you.” The look he was giving her almost made her weak in the knees.

  “I hope you know what you’re wearing is a turn-on,” he said, roaming his gaze over her.

  “Is it?”

  “Yes.”

  If he thought being dressed in an outfit meant to show off his solid muscles wasn’t having an effect on her, then he was wrong. Standing there with his legs braced apart with a sailor cap on his head while steering the ship away from shore gave alluring, rock-hard and masculine all new meaning when grouped together.

  Their eyes connected and desire lit up his eyes the same time it lit hers. A low moan escaped her lips, a sound she was certain he heard, if the darkening of his pupils was anything to go by. She broke eye contact with him and saw they were not only moving farther from shore but away from other boaters as well.

  “I understand you offered baton-twirling lessons to Jade. I appreciate that and I’m willing to pay you.”

  “Don’t you dare consider doing that, Sawyer. First of all, I need to make sure I can still twirl a baton. It’s been years. And second, I would love to teach Jade what I know. I guess you already know your daughter is special. You’re a lucky dad.”

  He smiled and she could tell her words pleased him. She was glad because she had told him the truth. “Thanks. Raising a teenager—especially a daughter—isn’t easy. Jade and I have a close relationship and I appreciate that. I’m also glad that she has a good head on her shoulders. She’s not perfect but I wouldn’t trade her for the world.”

  Vashti thought that was a nice thing for a father to say and figured her own wouldn’t think such a thing. She pushed thoughts of her parents out of her mind as she took a sip of her wine cooler. She began talking about how things were going at the inn and the scheduled grand opening.

  “I’m glad you hired a full staff. That will make things easy on you,” Sawyer said.

  “Yes, it will. I’m getting excited about it. I hate I’ll be losing Jade in about a month when school starts back. She’s been a big help.”

  When he brought the boat to a stop she saw they were out in the middle of the gulf with no other vessels around. They were alone. Smiling, she thought she liked that.

  “Why are you smiling, Vashti?”

  “No reason,” she said, glancing over at him and again feeling that magnetic pull that was always there whenever they looked at each other.

  “I missed you this week,” he said, moving toward her.

  “And I missed you, too,” she confessed.

  He came to a stop in front of her and she knew he intended to kiss her, and she wanted the kiss. Reaching out he caressed her chin with his finger. “I missed you more, Vashti.”

  His words spoken in a deep, throaty, yet husky voice, sent sensuous shivers down her spine. “That’s debatable, Sawyer.”

  His gaze shifted from her eyes to her lips when he said, “I don’t think so, baby.”

  He then lowered his mouth to hers.

  * * *

  THE MOMENT HIS mouth touched Vashti’s, Sawyer felt a fluttering in his chest, too close to his heart for comfort. That knowledge sent a shot of panic through him, tempted him to pull back and end the kiss. However, instead of ending it, he deepened the kiss, needing the taste he was becoming used to. The taste he was constantly craving ever since the first time their mouths had connected that night at Kaegan’s cookout.

  He cherished these moments with her, whether in the bedroom or out. They were precious to him. Maybe becoming way too precious but he couldn’t cease those feelings. The last thing he wanted to do was overwhelm her, especially since she’d been the one against them continuing an affair. Now that they were of one accord, in sync with their wants and desires, he didn’t want his greed for her to take over. That’s why he had deliberately not seen her this week and had contacted her only on Wednesday to finalize plans for their date. He was trying to slow down and give her time to adjust to them being an item. But just being with her now, the words she’d just spoken and the way she was returning his kiss, tongue stroke for tongue stroke, showed they were past taking things slow.

  He finally ended their kiss and licked around her lips with his tongue, something he always enjoyed doing. She was pressed hard to his chest and he could feel her heart beating just as fast and furious as his own. Both were breathing like they’d run a marathon and were gearing up for another race.

  Taking her hand, he said, “Now for that tour I promised you.”

  Sawyer showed her around, pointing out different aspects of th
e boat topside before leading her down the steps to the cabin where soft music was playing. He knew the moment she saw what he wanted her to see. A table set for two with what appeared to be candlelight. In essence, they were battery operated candles whose flickering flames resembled the real thing. Wineglasses were on the table as well as a bottle of wine. In the center of the table was a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

  “The table setting is beautiful, Sawyer,” Vashti said looking from the table to him.

  “Thanks.” He picked up the bouquet of flowers. “These are for you.”

  “Mine?” she asked, sounding both surprised and excited when he handed them to her.

  “Yes. When I told Jade of our plans to go boating, she balked at the idea, saying taking you boating wasn’t romantic. So I wanted to make it romantic for you and figured the flowers, candles, music and a specially prepared picnic lunch from Witherspoon Café should do it.”

  “It did,” she said and he saw the depth of appreciation in her eyes. “I’ve never been given flowers before.”

  He lifted a brow, finding that hard to believe. “Never?”

  “Never. I expected flowers my first Valentine’s Day as Scott’s wife but it didn’t happen. He said sending flowers was a waste of good money.”

  The more he heard about her ex-husband the more he knew how much of an ass the man was. Sawyer would send flowers to Johanna every Valentine’s Day to let her know how much he loved and appreciated her for taking good care of him and their daughter. He never thought about it as wasted money and couldn’t imagine any man being so inconsiderate to the woman he was supposed to love. Right then and there, he decided this would not be the last bouquet of flowers she got from him. “Come on and let me show you the rest of the cabin.”

  He could tell she was impressed. He showed her how, by the sliding of a few doors, he could easily convert his dining area into extra sleeping quarters. She also seemed amazed how his bed could enlarge from a single to a double with a remote, and the extra hideaway Murphy bed for Jade with a press of a button. She also liked the placement of the window near the bed where you could wake up and view the gulf.

  “How often do you go out on the water for long periods of time?” she asked him, turning from looking out the window.

  He brushed a curl away from her face, needing to touch her then. “Not often, only because since Kaegan got his yacht, he invited me to use it when Jade and I take a trip up the coast. Needless to say, after spending a night in such luxury, it was hard to come back down to earth and take this one out overnight the next time.”

  A smile touched her lips. “Granted I’ve never been onboard Kaegan’s boat, but I have seen it. However, I would think yours would be perfect. Maybe not for you and Jade because I can see you both needing more space, but if you were to ever invite a friend overnight, the two of you wouldn’t mind the limited space.”

  Sawyer reached out, took the flowers out of her hand to place them behind him on the table. He then wrapped his arms around Vashti. “If I didn’t know any better, Ms. Alcindor, I would think you were dropping hints for an invitation.”

  She grinned. “Yes, you could think that, if you didn’t know any better. But just in case you’re too slow to read between the lines, Sawyer Grisham, hopefully this will help you somewhat.”

  Reaching up she wrapped her arms around his neck and on tiptoe, joined her mouth to his.

  * * *

  HOURS LATER, Vashti woke up, loving the feel of having her naked body wrapped in Sawyer’s arms with her face buried in his naked chest and their legs entwined. She didn’t have to think hard to remember how they managed to get so entangled.

  After the tour of his boat she decided she needed to test out his bed and had seized the opportunity to make it happen. And boy, did it happen. It simply amazed her just what a great kisser he was as well as a lovemaking machine. He had more stamina than any man she knew. At least any man she’d ever made love to. One orgasm always led to another and another. She felt weak, probably because they had skipped lunch.

  “Hungry, baby?” he asked, lightly running his finger up and down the leg thrown over his. She fought back the moan that threatened to pour from her lips.

  She lifted her head to look at him. He gave her a smile like he knew exactly what touching her did to her. “I would love to see what the Witherspoons prepared for our lunch that’s turning into dinner,” she said.

  “Is that a hint that I’m starving you?”

  She grinned, thinking of how they’d ended up in this bed. It had been all her doing this time and not his. He had gone along for the ride, so to speak. “No, but I feel like I might be starving you.”

  “Never. I love you here with me.” He leaned closer and then whispered. “And I love whenever I’m inside you.”

  Vashti fought off the sensations his words caused to flow through her. They had been in bed for at least a couple of hours. For all she knew other boaters might have decided to idle in the area. What if they had and were curious as to what was happening on Sawyer’s boat? That thought made her glance out the window.

  “Looking for somebody?”

  She glanced back at him. “Are you sure we’re still out in the area alone?”

  He chuckled. “No. The only thing I’m sure about is that I want you again, although I know we should eat to regain our strength.”

  “Does that mean we won’t be fishing today?”

  “It means we will do whatever you want to do. Today belongs to you.”

  She loved it when he said stuff like that. Whenever he made her feel special. “Then I think we should eat dinner.”

  “Okay.”

  They both pulled their naked bodies out of bed. It amazed her how comfortable she felt being nude with him. And she absolutely loved looking at him naked.

  “Like what you see?” He’d caught her checking him out again.

  No need to lie. “Yes, I like what I see.”

  And as she slid into her top and shorts she came close to saying she was falling in love with what she saw.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  VASHTI SMILED WHEN Jade walked into her office. “It’s that time already?” she asked, glancing at her watch.

  “Yes, I just wanted to let you know I was about to leave and that I finished everything on that list you gave me to do today.”

  Vashti leaned back in her chair. “You always do. You’re very efficient, Jade, and I don’t regret hiring you.”

  Jade laughed. “You need to tell that to my dad. I believe he thinks I’m probably more of a pest to you than a helper.”

  “Then I will definitely tell him when I see him again.” Vashti lowered her head to go back over the papers she’d been reading. When she detected Jade was still there, she lifted her head. “Jade? Is there anything you want to talk about?”

  She noticed Jade was nervous, as if she was trying to make up her mind about something. “You look busy. Maybe this isn’t a good time.”

  Vashti wondered what this was about and tossed the documents in the middle of her desk, and set aside her late-afternoon cup of coffee. “This is a great time. Would you like to have a seat and tell me what’s wrong?”

  Jade took the chair across from Vashti’s desk and nervously rubbed her hands together. “Nothing is wrong, but I would like to talk to you about my dad.”

  Vashti raised a brow. “What about your dad?”

  Jade met her gaze. “He likes you.”

  A smile touched Vashti’s lips. She and Sawyer had been seeing each other for several weeks now. It didn’t take much to remember their first official date at the Lighthouse and the lovemaking afterward. Then almost a week later they had spent most of the day out on the gulf in his boat. They were supposed to be fishing and not below deck in bed wrapped in each other’s arms. By the time they’d grabbed their fishing poles it had been barely l
ight enough to see. However, they managed to bring in a good catch that day.

  Since Jade had gone on that church outing Sawyer had spent the weekend with Vashti. It had been nice waking up both Saturday and Sunday mornings, wrapped in his arms in her bed. Saturday morning they’d had breakfast at the café. She hadn’t imagined it when all eyes had gone to them when they walked in. Even Bryce, who’d been helping her folks out, had lifted a brow.

  Later Bryce told her the reason she’d done so was because Vashti had walked in wearing a just-made-love look. It was no surprise by Saturday afternoon, anyone living in the cove who hadn’t known before was now well aware she and Sawyer were involved. Having others know didn’t bother her like she thought it would, and it certainly hadn’t bothered Sawyer.

  If anyone had thought Sawyer would cool things when his daughter returned to town from the church outing they had been sadly mistaken. Although he hadn’t stayed overnight at her place, he did drop by a couple of times during the week to keep her company and usually didn’t leave until after midnight.

  Her very intense affair with Sawyer had been going on for about three weeks, and now Jade wanted to talk to her about her father. According to Sawyer, Jade was fully aware they were seeing each other, although Jade had never mentioned anything about it to Vashti...until now.