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

by Melissa Foster

“Craig Knoll. Nice to meet you."

  “If you stop by that table, one of the Brave volunteers can give you an educational pamphlet. You’ll find a list of books that you can read to Ashton, so he can better understand sharks and maybe even work on overcoming his fear of them.”

  “We’ll do that,” Craig said. He reached his hand out to the woman beside him. “This is Kathie, my wife.”

  Kathie stepped forward, her cheeks flushed. She looked a little older than Lacy, and Lacy knew that part of that flush was due to the incredibly handsome man standing before her. Her eyes drifted back to Dane. And he’s all mine.

  AFTER WATCHING A movie that explained how four decades of federal protection was the cause for the expanding seal population, Lacy and Dane left the visitors center and headed toward Provincetown.

  “So if they protect the seals, won’t the sharks just keep coming as more seals are born or move into the area?” Lacy asked.

  “That’s the issue. Part of what Brave does is to gather research about swim patterns, mating grounds, things like that. Something will need to be done, but the answer isn’t killing the sharks. We think the answer lies in somehow getting the seals to migrate elsewhere. But like anything else, politics take precedence, so decisions are slow, and meanwhile, great white sightings are increasing.” Dane glanced at Lacy and could see the gears in her mind working. He loved knowing that she was becoming interested in the process and reasoning surrounding what he did.

  Dane pulled into the parking lot of PB. Boulangerie, a little French bakery in Wellfleet.

  “What’s next on our agenda?” Lacy asked. “I didn’t see anything else on the itinerary.”

  Dane lifted the left side of his mouth in a smile. “You’ll see. I have to run in and pick something up. I’ll be right back,” he said. He left Lacy in the car to wonder what he was doing, and he went inside to collect the dinner basket he’d called ahead and ordered when Lacy had been in the ladies’ room at the visitor center. He’d felt closer to Lacy in the past day than he had even over the previous fifteen months. It was like their hearts had just clicked into place beside each other. As Dane returned to the car, he saw Lacy through the passenger window. Her neck was arched, her eyes were closed, and her lips were slightly parted as she rested against the headrest. They hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before, and as he took in her long, graceful neck and those lips he couldn’t get enough of, he was reminded of the sexy little whimpers she’d made when he was loving her the previous night. Loving her. He had no doubt that he was moving in that direction. Hell, he was probably already there. The thought moved around his mind like a cloud, seeping into every crevice until it was no longer separate from his other thoughts. It was in everything he saw, in the smell of the lobster in the bag in his hands, in the breeze as it mussed his hair. Hell, it was in him. He closed his eyes and reminded himself that she’d been back for only twenty-four hours and that telling her how he felt might send her running right back out of his life.

  It was nearly sunset when they turned down a narrow road just before Pilgrim Lake. Lacy carried a blanket and Dane carried the package he’d picked up at the market as they walked down the peaceful stretch of beach. With his free hand, he reached for Lacy’s hand.

  Dane saw the pod of seals before Lacy noticed them. She squinted as they neared.

  “What…Oh my God. Are those seals? There must be hundreds of them.” Lacy's eyes grew wide as she turned to face Dane.

  “When the tide goes out, the seals come in. I wanted you to see just how many seals there might be in any one place,” Dane said.

  The seals covered every bare spot of a sandbar about fifty feet from shore. The tide was already starting to roll back in. Dane spread out the blanket and stood with Lacy at the edge of the water.

  “They’re magnificent,” she said. “I never imagined how big they really were. They must weigh hundreds of pounds. Look how many there are.”

  Dane nodded. “And this is just a fraction of the seals that are around the Cape.”

  “No wonder there are no more fish around. They have to eat,” Lacy said.

  He took her hand and led her back to the blanket. He withdrew plastic wine glasses, a bottle of wine, a loaf of French bread, and a variety of cheeses from the package.

  “When did you have time to arrange this?” she asked.

  “I can’t tell you all of my secrets,” he said as he poured them each a glass of wine. “I figured I’d have to feed you at some point, and what better place than while we enjoy the tide as it rolls in?”

  She leaned her head on his shoulder. “This is very romantic,” she said.

  Lacy felt so good against him. He could sit right there next to her on the beach forever and never feel like he was missing a thing. He put his arm around her shoulder, and they watched the seals disappear with the rising tide.

  “You’d never know they were there,” Lacy said.

  “I think the silence of mammals is part of their beauty. We humans are loud. Everything about our lives is loud and creates havoc. Take a look around after we leave the beach. From our cars to our lawn mowers, we put things into the air that shouldn’t be there, and we leave so big of a footprint that…” He looked down at Lacy, who was gazing up at him with a tender smile. “I’m sorry. I’m lecturing again.”

  “You're passionate. I like that,” she said. “I can’t help but wonder, Dane. Why are you compelled to be the one to make a difference with something as scary as sharks?”

  He kissed her forehead. “They don’t scare me. I could die driving—”

  “I know, driving down the street,” she said. “But why? Why not do something safer? Be an advocate for living green or something.”

  Dane shrugged. “Everyone has a calling. Sharks are mine.” He put his hand beneath her hair and brushed his fingers along the fine hairs on the back of her neck. “Just like you’re my calling, Lace. I want to be with you, and I want to protect you.” He didn’t know how it had happened so fast, but Lacy owned a piece of his heart as big as any piece his family ever had. “I never want anything to hurt you, and I never want to cause you any pain.” The sun set behind the dunes, casting a blue-black haze over the water. He leaned down and kissed her, hoping that in that kiss, Lacy would feel the three words he couldn’t yet say.

  LACY GIGGLED AS Dane kissed the back of her neck while she tried to concentrate on finding the right key on her key chain to open the door. The porch light was off and she couldn’t see anything. She swatted playfully at him with a feigned sigh. He slid his hands around her waist and up her belly, cupping her breasts. Lacy leaned against him, feeling his heart beat against her back.

  “Dane,” she whispered through a smile.

  He dragged his tongue along her neck. “I’ve waited all day,” he said.

  He spun her around so she was facing him and pressed his hips into hers, then backed her up against the door. With his hands on either side of her head, he pushed her hair to the side.

  “God, I love your face,” he said, then settled his lips over hers.

  Lacy dropped the keys and wrapped her hands around him, pulling him even closer. He smelled like ocean air and tasted like wine. The combination was intoxicating. Well…that and the bottle of wine they’d shared. He moved his hands up her rib cage and fondled her breasts, then kissed his way down her neck, sucking at the area just above her collarbone. Lacy felt a rush of heat between her thighs.

  “We should go inside,” she managed.

  He moved his hands to her hips. “Okay,” he whispered, but he made no move toward the door. Dane took her in another deep kiss as he slid his hand beneath the waist of her shorts. The tip of his finger touched her hair, then slipped deeper.

  Lacy gasped as he slid a finger inside of her and teased her while his other hand explored the curve of her breast and his mouth found hers again. His kisses alone were enough to send her into fits of heart-quaking lust. She moaned against his mouth, which spurred him on, and he pushed
his hand deeper, sending Lacy up on her tiptoes with a little mewl of want.

  “Come for me,” he whispered against her neck.

  Lacy couldn’t think past the feeling that was rushing up her center as he sucked on her neck and flicked the spot that made her toes curl. She gripped his shoulders, tightening the muscles in her thighs and clenching her teeth against the fast and furious orgasm as it gripped her, and her body was overtaken by a shiver of tiny tremors and pulsing sensations around his hand.

  “That’s it, baby,” he said in a deep voice that nearly sent her over the edge again. He withdrew his fingers from her pants and put them in his mouth, then closed his eyes as he drew them out slowly.

  Lacy practically lunged for the keys. She fumbled through them as fast as she was able, breathing hard and not wanting to waste a second. She shoved the key into the lock and pulled Dane inside, kicking the door shut behind them. The cottage was dark as night, save for the moonlight coming through the glass doors in the living room. Dane knew just how to make her body sing, and now it was her turn to learn to do the same. She pushed him back against the front door—not so playfully.

  “My turn,” she said in a husky voice. Her eyes adjusted to the light, and she saw the whites of his eyes grow big and then disappear altogether.

  He reached for her, and she stepped back, then grabbed his fly at the waist and ripped it to the side, sending the button flying across the room.

  “Lacy,” Dane said in a deep whisper. When he pulled her close, she felt every inch of his heat against her thigh, and when he kissed her again, she nearly melted into a submissive kitten. She drew back from that delicious kiss, and with one palm on his chest, she pinned him against the door, using the other hand to draw down his zipper and push his shorts and boxers down to his ankles. He stepped out of them, and she kicked them to the side.

  “You know what I like,” she said. “Now teach me.” She unbuttoned his shirt and ran her hands along his chest, then used her mouth to bring his nipples to hard peaks, feeling her own gratification in the wetness in her underwear.

  “Lace,” he whispered. “Come here. Let me love you.”

  She moved back up his body, but when she was close enough to kiss him, his hot breath on her lips, the smell of wine mingling between them, she reached down and cupped his balls.

  “I’m an eager student,” she whispered, not recognizing the raspy sound of her own voice. She dropped to her knees and licked him from base to tip, lingering there until a groan escaped his lips. She wrapped her slender hand around his shaft, feeling the thick vein that ran up the underside like a snake, and she stroked him.

  “Tell me what you like,” she said, enjoying the feeling of control that swept through her as she watched him writhe against the door.

  She took him in her mouth, the head of him touching the back of her throat, then drew him out slowly, feeling the pull of her cheeks as she sucked. She released him and kissed her way up his torso to her full height, then grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him into a deep kiss. His hands found her then and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her to the living room. She drew back, shaking her head.

  “No. No, Dane. This is my turn. I want to learn to touch you the way you like it.” She could hardly believe she was saying it, but the desire to master his pleasure was stronger than the need to be taken by him. The control she’d felt for that few seconds still had her body captivated and left her wanting to claim him as much as he’d claimed her.

  “You don’t need to. I like every way you touch me,” he said, lowering her to the couch.

  She scrambled off the cushion and grabbed his hips—hard. “Teach me,” she insisted. She dropped to her knees with a smile and licked him from base to tip, then wrapped her hand around his formidable erection and stroked him. He closed his eyes, and she took his hand and put it on his cock, then wrapped her hand over the top of it.

  “You lead; I’ll follow,” she said.

  His eyes flew open.

  “Come on,” she said, dropping to her knees. He was so beautiful, standing with his shirt hanging open, his ripped abs splayed before her, naked from the waist down. She urged him by moving his hand with hers, then licked the tip. He moaned, and she buried him in her mouth, squeezing her hand around his. He moved his large hand over hers.

  “Squeeze,” he said. She did, and he sucked in a breath. “Now stroke.”

  She did as he asked, and he guided her with his strong, capable hand on top of hers, helping her strokes and the pressure of each movement, showing her just what he liked by the sexy little sounds coming from his mouth. She sank to the floor and licked his balls.

  “Lacy,” he said in a sharp breath.

  “No?” She moved back, worried she’d done something wrong. I’m so bad at this. She felt her cheeks flush.

  “Yes,” he said with a grin. She moved closer and licked him again while he guided her in tighter, faster strokes. Every stroke pulled at her center as she swelled in anticipation.

  “Squeeze harder at the top,” he said.

  Lacy smiled to herself. She had always been a perfect student, and with Dane she was no different. She did as he asked, and he sucked in another breath. She ran her tongue up the base of his heat. “Show me how to suck you,” she said.

  He took her hand and steadied it at the base of his shaft as she settled her mouth over him and took him in, stroking him with her tongue. Each time she drew him out of her mouth, his hand rode hers in a tight grip up and then down, following the trail of saliva she’d left. He tangled his hands in her hair and helped her efforts, guiding her in just the right rhythm as her tongue swirled the head and then ran down the length of that plump vein. The sensation of the pull on her hair and having him in her mouth had her squirming for more of him. She felt him swell beneath her palm, and she tried to speed up her motions. He groaned, then yanked her back by her hair. His massive arms picked her up around the waist and laid her on the couch. In the next breath, he was above her, his broad, muscular chest heaving with each breath as he thrust into her. He buried his tongue in her mouth, riding her fast and hard, swallowing her moans as he plunged deeper, harder, causing every muscle in her body to tighten and burn. Lacy felt the sensitive tangle of nerves inside of her reaching for more, screaming to liberate her pent-up sexual ache as he arched his back and called out her name. His shaft throbbed inside of her swollen center, and she dug her fingernails into his back, raising her hips to meet each pump, never wanting the exquisite palpitations that stole her mind and silenced her voice to stop.

  Dane’s body shivered with aftershocks. His biceps trembled as he looked down at her with a scorching mix of primal lust and gratitude.

  “Jesus, Lace. Where did that come from?”

  She bit her lower lip and smiled. Knowing she’d caused those little shivers of heat that were making his body rock every few seconds filled her with confidence.

  “I wanted to make you feel as good as you make me feel,” she said.

  Another shock ran through him, and he shook his head as he sucked in a fast breath.

  “You’re a good teacher,” she said.

  “You’re a fast study,” he said, lowering his sweet mouth to hers.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  ROB HAD THE boat ready to go when Dane and Lacy arrived at the marina the next morning. Dane handed Rob a warm to-go cup of coffee, noticing his eyes were clear and his skin color looked healthy. He was relieved to see that Rob’s strength and confidence had returned, but he’d be sure to keep an eye on him just in case. He helped Lacy aboard, then pulled her into a hug. Today they were going to troll for sharks so Lacy could see one in the water.

  Dane whispered in her ear, “You sure you want to do this? It might be ten times harder than the aquarium, and you had a hard time there.”

  “I know. I do. I really, really do,” Lacy said.

  He knew this was going to be difficult for her, but Danica had stressed the importan
ce of Lacy facing her fears, and apparently, she’d told Lacy the same thing. He felt the fast pace of her heart against his chest, and Dane wondered if he was doing the right thing.

  “You two must have had a hell of a night. I almost never beat Dane to the boat,” Rob teased.

  “Yeah, about beating me to the boat. You look pretty chipper,” Dane said. “I take it things are better with Sheila?”

  “Much. You were right. We needed to talk, and now that we have, we’ve got it all under control. That was three days of hell that I never want to go back to. Hey, why don’t we all have dinner tonight? Sheila and the kids would love to see you, Dane, and she’s heard about Lacy for so long she feels like she knows her already.”

  “Lace?” Dane and Lacy had spent the night in each other’s arms, and now, looking at Lacy’s gratified grin, he knew the worst was behind them.

  “Sure. Sounds great,” she said. Lacy zipped her sweatshirt over her bikini and stretched out in one of the deck chairs. They were taking Treat’s boat out today instead of the work vessel. Dane had wanted Lacy to be comfortable, and if she had a difficult time, she could escape to the cabin belowdecks.

  “I guess it’s a date,” Dane said to Rob. “You had me worried, Rob. I want you to know that if you need me, I’m here. I’ll go to meetings. I’ll let you stay on the boat. I’ll stay at your motel. Whatever you need. I’m here for you.”

  “I know, Dane, and I appreciate it. I went to a meeting yesterday morning and another last night. I figured immersion therapy might be a good thing.” Rob winked. “I did fine last night. I had them move me to another room. I didn’t want any reminders of how far I’d fallen.”

  Dane glanced at Lacy. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, Rob, it’s that we can always change. We make mistakes and we learn from them; then we move on. There is no hard-and-fast point of no return.”

  THE AFTERNOON SUN beat down on them as they sailed through Chatham Harbor. He was relieved to see Rob back to his old self again. His energy was high and the camaraderie they’d shared for so many years fell right back into place. Dane silently vowed to keep a better eye on Rob. What kind of a friend was he if he didn’t notice when his best friend’s life was upended?