Sea of Love (Love in Bloom: The Bradens, Book 4) Contemporary Romance

by Melissa Foster

  “Lace,” Dane whispered.

  “Yeah?” God, I love your voice.

  “I didn’t plan for that to happen.”

  The sincerity in his voice tugged at her heart. She turned her head, his features slowly coming into focus against the darkness. “I know.”

  He touched her thigh with his hand, and she froze.

  “You don’t need to flinch when I touch you.” He squeezed his warm palm against her scarred thigh.

  Lacy almost never thought about her scar—or the incident that had caused it. The incident, that’s what she and her sisters called it. She’d been only seven when the shark had grazed her leg. She closed her eyes and willed the thoughts away as she’d done so many times before. Usually, men who happened to notice her scar and ask about it were eager for a quick answer and a change of subject. Dane wanted more. He wanted to know the truth, but she wasn’t ready to share it with him. She took his hand in hers, raising it off of the patchy, rough skin that covered the upper part of her right thigh. She’d told him that she thought she might be afraid of sharks, but she hadn’t shared why, and as he touched her thigh, the admission hung on her tongue, but fear swallowed it down. She wanted a relationship with Dane, and if she could keep her fear at bay, she just might have a chance.

  He came up on one elbow and kissed her softly. Lacy closed her eyes as he touched her cheek with one hand and released her hand with the other, resting it on her scar once again.

  “Dane.” Her heartbeat quickened. She reached for his wrist, but he held firm.

  “Shh. You’re beautiful,” he whispered. Then he kissed his way down her side to her thigh. He ran his finger along the long, thin grooves that marred her thigh. Slowly, he followed each pattern, which swam fast and deep in some places and rode the surface in others.

  As he traced the deeper grooves, Lacy closed her eyes, losing sensation for a few seconds as Dane’s fingers traveled the paths she’d worked so hard to forget. When his warm lips touched her thigh, she held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut, disappearing into the quiet, dark place she’d learned to escape when the memories came rushing back. She concentrated on the sounds of the waves, the salty sea air, anything but the feel of Dane touching, exploring, and caressing her scar.

  “Wanna tell me about it?” he asked. Moving away from her scar, he laid his head on her belly.

  “I’m getting a little cold,” she lied, warmed by the heat of his body against her. He lifted his head and returned her gaze. Lacy held her breath again, expecting him to push her for answers—answers she didn’t want to think about. She was too happy. She’d waited months to be with Dane, and as she looked into his eyes, silently hoping he’d let it go, she didn’t know how she’d make it through a day, a week, or a year without seeing him again.

  He pulled her close and rubbed his hand thoughtfully along her back. “Let’s get you back inside.”

  She let out a relieved sigh and reached for her dress. Dane stopped her from pulling it over her head and first gently brushed the sand from her legs, her butt, and her back. He ran his fingers through her hair, shaking free the sand crystals, and warmed the back of her neck with tender kisses. Then he took her dress and slipped it over her head.

  “Here,” he said, placing his jacket around her shoulders. Then he stepped into his pants and put on his shirt, leaving the top buttons open, his curly dark chest hair peeking out.

  He’s too handsome. Too kind. He must have some fault she was missing.

  He held out his hand. “Shall we?”

  They walked through the cool sand toward the lights of the inn. Worries sailed through Lacy’s mind: What now? Would he act like nothing had happened when they were with his family? Should she?

  As if he’d read her mind, he asked, “Will you still be my date tomorrow?”

  When he smiled, Lacy’s pulse ratcheted up a notch again. “Are you sure?”

  Dane stopped walking and touched her cheek. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my whole life.”

  He stepped closer, and the memory of his kiss brought a smile to her lips.

  “Lace, I’m happier than I have been in a very long time,” Dane said.

  OhGodohGodohGod! “Me too.” Me too? What the hell is wrong with me?

  “Then, it’s a date.”

  They stopped to retrieve their shoes. Dane slipped his fingers into the straps of her heels, then picked up his dress shoes and carried them in one hand, never letting go of her hand with the other.

  Once inside, the lights of the inn were too bright, the hardwood floors smooth beneath her bare feet. Lacy held tight to Dane’s hand, not wanting the night to end. The middle-aged woman behind the counter smiled as they passed, and Lacy wondered if she could tell what they’d just done. She reached up to touch her hair, startled when she felt the mass of frizz that her corkscrew curls had morphed into. What was I thinking? She cringed at the thought of what she must look like. They took the stairs up to the second floor, passing a mirror that hung on the wall. She turned away, embarrassed, and made a mental note to be sure she looked great tomorrow.

  Standing before the door to her room, she felt her nerves tighten again. Should she invite him in? Would he want to come in? She dug through her purse for her room key.

  “I had a really nice time tonight,” Dane said.

  Lacy bit the inside of her mouth, afraid to lift her eyes and meet his. She wanted to kiss him again so badly that she didn’t trust herself. “Mm-hmm.”

  “You’re meeting your sisters in the morning, right?”

  She’d already forgotten. She grabbed her key card and fumbled with inserting it into the slot. “Yeah.”

  He nodded, and Lacy saw a question in the narrowing of his eyes and the nod of his head. He took the key card from her hand and unlocked the door.

  “After you meet Danica and Kaylie, since we don’t have to meet everyone until around four o’clock, maybe we can go for a sail,” Dane suggested.

  “On the boat you’re staying on?” Dane had borrowed one of Treat’s sailboats to live on while he was on the Cape. He’d lived on boats for so many years, he’d told Lacy that he missed the feel of the water beneath him when he was on dry land.

  “No. That one is in Chatham already. He has two other beauties. I’m staying at the inn tonight.”

  Here? Please don’t go.

  Dane pushed open the door and stepped closer to Lacy.

  “I want nothing more than to come inside and hold you in my arms until we both fall asleep, but I’m worried I’ll smother you,” he said.

  She reached for his waist. “Smother me, please.”

  Chapter Six

  “I CAN’T SEE how you’d expect anything else.” Kaylie wore a peach tank top and white shorts. Her blond hair cascaded in waves over her shoulders, one side tucked behind her ear. She lowered her big brown sunglasses and spoke to Lacy while looking over the rim of the frames. “I mean, you guys lusted after each other for more than a year. It’s only natural for you to end up doing the dirty on the beach.”

  Lacy and her sisters sat around a small wooden table on the patio of the Bookstore Restaurant, sipping coffee and nibbling on croissants.

  “I feel a little like I don’t know where we go next,” Lacy admitted.

  Danica set down her coffee mug and adjusted her sunglasses against the bright morning glare. “Lacy, you’ve had one-night stands before. Does this feel like that?”

  Lacy sighed. “No, definitely not. To be honest, afterward it felt kind of natural, like we’d been dating forever, but you know how that goes. I’m still in that afterglow stage. The God, he’s too good to be true haze.” She looked toward the beach, thinking of their incredible night together and how they’d made love into the wee hours of the morning. His every touch had been filled with a heated combination of tenderness and sheer, masculine sexuality. She felt a flush warm her cheeks and tucked the memory away.

  “The real question is, what do you want from this? Women alwa
ys let the guys decide, and really, it’s just as much up to us.” Danica nodded toward the beach across the street. “Weren’t you worried about being seen?” Her dark curls were secured with an elastic band at the base of her neck, and as she turned toward Lacy, a few sprang free just behind her ear.

  “We were up on the dunes. I worried, but only for a second.” Lacy thought about how quickly she’d fallen into Dane’s arms and how badly she’d wanted him. She had to tamp down her desire if she was ever going to be able to evaluate what their relationship was—or could be. She was used to sizing up clients, figuring out what they wanted, where they needed to be, and then getting them there. Relationships weren’t that different from clients. The problem was, with clients she had a data sheet, a starting place. She knew their goals before they’d even met. With Dane, the data sheet was only partially complete and the goals were muddled with desire.

  “He’s so nice, and a gentleman, and great at…you know…but what can really come of us when he travels all the time?” Lacy had been thinking about Dane all night. He hadn’t promised her the world or even hinted at anything more than what she knew they were—two people who were attracted to each other—but who knew where that might go. “He touched my scar,” Lacy said quietly.

  “Oh, gosh. I totally forgot about that.” Danica leaned across the table and touched Lacy’s hand. “I never put two and two together on that front.”

  “Wait. You went snorkeling in Nassau, so how afraid of sharks can you really be, and why should your scar matter?” Kaylie finished her coffee and sat back in her chair.

  “But snorkeling was in shallow water, and you guys were all around me. To be honest, I’ve thought about it all night, and I realized that I’ve pretty much kept things within my comfort zone when it comes to open water.” Lacy touched her thigh. “I think I realize why my mom used to keep me so busy with day trips during the summers. We were always running to museums and going to the pool. We lived two hours from here. You’d think we’d have come to the beach at some point, but we never did. Even when she brought me here for an occasional weekend, we never went to the ocean.”

  Danica squeezed her hand. “Lacy, whatever your mom did, she did because she loves you, and if she felt you needed to be away from the ocean, then maybe you really were afraid of sharks after the incident. It makes sense, but you’ve never tested it as an adult. Maybe you’re not really afraid of them, but you’ve been taught to think you are.”

  Lacy squinted in the direction of the beach. Am I afraid of sharks? “I have these memories of being petrified after the incident, but I can’t remember even thinking about it much in the years since. It was so long ago.”

  Danica looked at Kaylie. Kaylie slipped off her sunglasses and said softly, “Lacy, if there’s one thing I learned from Danica, it’s that sometimes we hide our fears even from ourselves.”

  “I don’t even know what that means.” Lacy rubbed her temples. “Really, this is all kind of silly. We’re seeing each other today, but he hasn’t even said anything about after that.” And I can’t stop thinking about it.

  “So…what? Then you go back to texting and an occasional video sex call?” Kaylie ran her hand through her hair and shook her head. “I don’t know how you put up with that stuff. I’d figure out what you want this weekend, and if it’s Dane, then let him know in no uncertain terms.”

  “Kay, give her a break. She’s just seen him for the first time in more than a year.” Danica turned a serious gaze toward Lacy. “Lace, ignore the ultimatum advice; it rarely works. Just enjoy yourself and let things happen naturally. But if you think about things and you realize that sharks are a bigger issue—which given your history, they very well could be—then he deserves to know now rather than later.”

  “Speak of the devil,” Kaylie said with a smile.

  Lacy turned around and spotted Dane and Hugh at the gate of the patio. Her heart rate hastened when Dane’s eyes locked on hers—the memory of their night together translated in his heated stare.

  “Hey, ladies.” Hugh waved as he pulled a chair from a neighboring table and straddled it backward. “How’s the coffee?”

  Dane squeezed Lacy’s shoulder, and she thought her heart might leap from her chest. He leaned down and kissed her cheek.

  “Hi, beautiful,” he whispered. “I missed you over the past hour.”

  Lacy felt her cheeks flush. Now that she knew what was beneath Dane’s white shorts and tan Brave Foundation T-shirt, her fingers itched to touch him. She wrapped her hands around her mug to keep them from acting on their own.

  “You guys sleep okay? I slept like a rock.” Hugh’s light yellow polo shirt stretched tight across his muscular chest. His hair looked as though it had dried in the wind, with thick waves pulled back from his handsome face, in contrast to Dane’s finger-brushed hair, the front of which hung thickly above his eyes. “Savannah, Josh, and I had a few drinks in Savannah’s room, and by the time I fell into bed, I was zonked. You should have joined us,” he said to Danica and Kaylie. “I told Blake and Chaz what we were doing.”

  Danica looked down, and the blush on her cheeks told Lacy what her sister was doing the evening before.

  “Chaz was so tired,” Kaylie explained. “But maybe we can catch up with you guys tonight.”

  “Maybe so,” Hugh said. “I have to be in California Tuesday for a charity race. I can’t drink a lot, but we can go have some fun.” Hugh flagged down a waitress and ordered coffee. “Anyone else want a cup?”

  “No, thanks,” Dane said. “Lace, Treat said we could take out his Talaria. It’s not a sailboat, but she’s a beauty. I thought we’d take a whirl around the bay.” He raised his eyebrows toward the others.

  Lacy struggled to tame her excitement at spending an afternoon with Dane, and in the next moment, she worried he might want to swim in the deep sea. That was definitely out of her comfort zone. She touched her scar. “Sounds great. Will we be swimming?”

  “Not if I can help it,” Dane said with a wink. “Any other takers?”

  Lacy knew how close Dane was to his family, and she wasn’t surprised when he invited the others along, though she was a little disappointed at the idea of not having him all to herself.

  “Savannah and I were going to hang out at the beach this morning. We’ll come along, if you don’t mind,” Hugh said.

  “We’re going into Chatham today with Kaylie and Chaz, but thanks anyway,” Danica said.

  “Sounds great,” Dane said to Hugh. He squeezed Lacy’s shoulder. “Great.” Dane looked at his watch. “Why don’t I go get things ready, and I’ll meet you guys at the dock in half an hour.”

  “I’ll help.” Hugh sucked down his coffee in two quick gulps and jumped from his chair. “Nice to see you guys. We’ll see you this afternoon.”

  Dane kissed Lacy’s cheek, and as she watched him walk away, she felt the heat of her sisters’ stares.

  “Looks like you’re going to a boat party,” Kaylie said.

  Danica leaned in close to Lacy and asked, “Did Dane say he missed you the last hour? I guess you had company overnight?”

  Lacy felt heat rush up her cheeks again. “Okay, yes, he stayed in my room.” She sighed. “I was gonna tell you guys, but…”

  “Good for you, Lace,” Kaylie said.

  “I’m happy for you,” Danica said. “But you should be honest with him about your scar before you guys get any closer. Hiding things just causes trouble later.”

  Any closer? I’m already waist deep.

  Chapter Seven

  DANE THOUGHT IT had taken all of his restraint to walk away from Lacy’s room this morning when he really wanted to keep her in bed for another two hours. He’d been wrong. It took even more control to keep from swooping her into his arms at the Bookstore Restaurant, when she was with her sisters. Now, as he watched her walk down the dock toward the boat, he knew he should play it cool, pretend that his heart wasn’t thundering in his chest and every nerve in his body wasn’t calling out
for her. If he let loose that bundle of emotions, he might never let her go again.

  As she approached with a trusting smile and those gleaming blue eyes that slayed his heart, his body had a mind of its own. He jumped from the boat to the dock and hurried toward her. The hell with making a good impression. He took Lacy in a deep, passionate kiss, lifting her feet off the dock, his chest pressed against hers, her heart hammering in perfect timing to his. And when he drew back, he was relieved to see a wide grin on her lips. God, you’re beautiful.

  He set her feet back down on the dock just as Hugh and Savannah came up behind them.

  “What is this, the Love Boat?” Savannah teased. “Hi, Lacy,” she said with a wave. Savannah’s brown bikini showed through her white cover-up. She stood next to Hugh, who was wearing swim trunks and tank top. Both looked at Dane and Lacy with approving smiles. Savannah arched a brow. “Is this gonna be a make-out trip? Do Hugh and I need to find dates?”

  Lacy blushed, and Dane pulled her against his side. “We have a lot of time to make up for, but I promise we’ll behave.” He winked at Lacy.

  Lacy wore the same blue bikini she’d worn in Nassau—the one Dane had pictured her in until last night, when his visions of her no longer required clothing.

  Dane and Hugh climbed aboard the forest-green Talaria, a forty-eight-foot Hinckley yacht. Dane helped Lacy aboard, and for a moment they stood gazing into each other’s eyes.

  “Come on, lovebirds,” Savannah said as she grabbed Lacy’s hand and dragged her toward the bow.

  Lacy looked back over her shoulder with a wide smile, and Dane felt a tug in his heart. What was it about her that was so different from the dozens of other women he’d been with over the years?

  “Dude, are we gonna pilot this boat or stare?” Hugh teased. Hugh was six and a half years younger than Dane, and as the youngest of the Braden siblings, he’d picked up on all of the ribbing from his older brothers and sister, and over the years, he’d learned how to dish it out as well as take it.