Masquerade by the Sea

by Traci Hall

  Richard rose to his full height and leaned across the table to look from Heath to Jolie. “What do you mean, rudder trouble? Girl, you promised me that you’d be smart about that old junker.”

  Junker? Heath finished his mimosa in one swallow. Good thing he hadn’t brought up the engine.

  Jolie barely stopped herself from kicking Heath under the table. Her dad’s face, red with anger, zeroed in on her.

  “Sit down, Richard. It would take more than an iceberg to sink the Masquerade.” Anjelica sighed and offered the pitcher to Heath. “Gramps knew how to build a boat.”

  “What rudder trouble?” Her dad sat, but his silver brow remained furrowed.

  “Just some seaweed caught on the paddle. It’s fine,” she said, giving Heath a warning glare.

  “Richard,” her mother said, drawing out his name. “She’s a Master Captain. Which is more than you did. Jolie knows what she’s doing.”

  “I know, I know. But I get us from here to there all right, don’t I now, love?” Her dad took her mom’s hand and brushed a kiss along the knuckles. “You’re just upset because our trip’s been delayed.”

  “What trip?” Jolie asked. She didn’t remember them talking about a trip. Was Mom finally getting her wish to go to Greece?

  “We’re taking the sailboat out, back to see my folks.” Her dad touched her mom’s shoulder. “And Great Granny.”

  “Great Granny isn’t feeling her best.” Her mom frowned. “She just turned ninety-five, so it’s no surprise, but I want to go see her.”

  Jolie took a drink of her mimosa, her mind circling around and coming back with the same conclusion. She adored her Great Granny, but she had to make a living. She’d chosen the charter business, and she’d invested every last dime—and some borrowed dimes, too—to live her dream. Her stomach clenched around the orange juice. “I can’t get away right now, Mom.”

  “I know, honey, I know,” her mom said. “But I’ll give her your love. Just because she’s tired doesn’t mean she’s on death’s door.”

  “When are you going?” Her Great Granny was the oldest member on her mom’s side of the family, Granny and Gramps gone already.

  “Just waiting on the sail repair for the boat. It took a beating the last time we were out.”

  “Dad, I thought you were getting a new one?”

  He rubbed two fingers and his thumb together. “It would be nice. What we can afford is a good mending job.” Her dad winked at her from across the table then explained to Heath, “Us Gordons are hard workers.” He smacked the table and laughed. “Have to be. Lucky in love, aye, but not plump in the pocket.”

  Heath seemed to consider this a moment. “Love makes a man rich where it counts.”

  Jolie hid her surprise behind another sip of mimosa.

  “Well said.” Her mother nodded with approval.

  “How long are you staying, Jolie?” Her dad dabbed at his mouth with the napkin. “A month or two?”

  “Only until tomorrow,” Jolie said with a shake of her head. If it was up to him, she’d never leave home. “I brought Wahoo for dinner.” Thank you Jamison. He often gave her a steal of a deal, understanding that she was on a tight budget. Better to sell it to her for cheap, he said, than have it go to waste.

  “Excellent. I’ll get the marinade started.” He covered her mom’s hand, and her mom squeezed his fingers in return. If things were tight, it never mattered because they all shared what they had and their parents’ love was a buffer from suffering. “Tandy’s flight comes in at four today. Coming back from Ohio. She’ll be ready for some good fish.”

  “My sister is a flight attendant,” she explained to Heath, who sat back in the wooden chair, his hand resting above his right knee, his left leg stretched out. “Corporate gigs, usually more glamorous than Ohio.”

  “Yes, she was complaining.” Anjelica laughed. “Her last flight was to Paris. Poor thing.”

  “And what about Nesta? Is she around?” Jolie hadn’t heard any thumping dance music coming from upstairs, so she assumed her sister was gone for the day.

  Her mom pushed her plate back and scowled. “That girl...”

  Jolie knew better than to even chuckle.

  “Following in her older sister’s footsteps, that one.” Her mom stood up and gathered the dishes. She put a hand on Heath’s shoulder to keep him seated as she walked around the table. “Sit, and enjoy the view. There will be plenty to do later.”

  “Why? What do you have planned, Mom?”

  Her dad’s hearty laughter let her know it would be dirty work.

  “Scrubbing the boathouse? Repainting the dock?” Jolie eyed her mom, who left without answering, and then turned toward her dad. “What is it?”

  He put his hands palms up and shrugged.

  “Out with it!” Jolie said, starting to get nervous. The place needed everything from painting to plumbing. “Why didn’t Roscoe do it?”

  “Your younger brother is too busy in Miami, playing at being a DJ, to come home and help his parents.” Her dad sighed. “And Darnay is all thumbs.” He looked toward Heath with hope in his eyes. “Your mother ordered a bunch of new cabinets from IKEA, and they all need to be put together. How are you with a wrench, son?”

  Chapter Thirteen

  The next day, Heath waited in the Gordon family pool for Sabina to join him. Jolie said she’d send her cousin out, giving them privacy during the aquatic therapy session. The cool water felt good against his skin, which had tanned from working out in the sun yesterday, putting shelves together with Jolie and her dad beneath the palm trees.

  It had felt like something from a made-for-television movie, with the dogs chasing lizards and her mom bringing out iced tea and slices of mango. Jolie’s easy laugh made him smile as she and her dad joked around. He’d kept each of Jolie’s admiring glances close to his heart, adding it to the other things she made him feel. Not broken, for one thing, and that mattered.

  They’d had a low-key night, eating Wahoo and salad under the stars, the lap of water against the dock soothing. Tandy had stayed with a friend, so it was just the four of them, talking. Easy.

  He stretched his leg in the water, feeling the pull ease the ache. The water allowed him to take the pressure off, just like Jolie’d said.

  Sabina came out of the sliding glass door, wearing a no-frills one piece black suit, a turban over her hair and a serious expression.

  “Hi. We’re going to be up close and personal,” Sabina said, joining him in the water. Her skin was the color of coffee beans. “Don’t get any ideas, now.” Her tone was dry, her delivery dead-pan, and Heath wasn’t sure she was joking.

  He missed Jolie’s easy smile, especially when Sabina squeezed the cramped muscle around his scar tissue. “Grr,” he said, swallowing the curse words.

  “It’s all right. Lean on me. Feel where my fingers are?”

  He nodded, all he could manage against the onslaught of agony. But then, like a damn miracle, something shifted and he could breathe. He dared a couple breaths in a row, tensed for another shock but nothing came.

  “Relax,” Sabina whispered. She smelled like sun block and mint tea. “Think about the waves ebbing onto the shore. Out again, disappearing into the sand. Dancing with the seagulls.”

  Heath closed his eyes. Who knew that the ocean image might be part of pain management? Cody would never believe it.

  “I’m going to teach you some exercises that you can do with a band, all right? You want to stretch in the water. Use the resistance to make that muscle strong. Start a few times a week, but work up to daily.”

  They worked together for thirty minutes, and Heath barely realized the time had gone by.

  “Well,” Jolie called, coming out of the house in her bikini and carrying a couple of water bottles. “What do you think, Sabina?”

  “Doesn’t matter what I think. It’s up to Heath.”

  Heath would have to join a gym with a pool if he decided to stay with it when he went back home to Uta
h. “My leg feels better,” he admitted. “We’ll see.”

  The session over, Sabina at last granted him a smile. “Be a skeptic,” she said, swimming over to the deep end of the pool where Jolie waited, sitting on the edge with her feet in. She gave Sabina a water bottle.

  “He’ll see. Thanks for fitting him into your schedule, Cuz.”

  Heath didn’t dare get out of the pool with the way his loose swim trunks tightened against his groin. His blood heated as he looked at Jolie in a tiny yellow bikini. Jolie’s long legs and beautiful cloud of dark brown hair. In the past few days, he’d realized that she was a genuinely cool person. Kind, funny, generous. Loving. Well, hell.

  “Aren’t you thirsty?” Jolie asked, swinging a plastic bottle back and forth.

  He swam over to the deep end, nothing graceful about his strokes, and accepted a cool water bottle. “Thanks.”

  “When are you two headed back?” Sabina asked. “We’re having a barbecue this weekend.”

  “Tomorrow morning. Weekends are full for me, usually. Thankfully.” Jolie took her foot and splashed water toward Heath.

  He was caught off kilter by the little gold ring on her toe. Would she be ticklish, if he nibbled her toe?

  “We have a lunch from two to four, and then a dinner party from seven to eleven.” Jolie’s smile was happy. “We’ll need to be well rested. Saturday is a sunset cruise lasting through ten, and Sunday we’re booked all day.”

  Heath nodded. “Whatever you need.” If he didn’t know what to do, he’d learn.

  “I like your attitude,” Sabina said. “Speaking of work, I have to get back to the office. Wish I could spend the day out here.”

  “Thanks again for coming,” Heath said, meaning it more this time, now that he knew he wasn’t going to be wrung out. “After physical therapy in the gym, I’m usually dead for a few hours.”

  “I don’t beat people up,” Sabina said, lifting herself from the pool. “Do those exercises and you’ll be stronger before you know it.”

  Jolie stood, water dripping down her shins, and put her hand on Sabina’s back. “You’re the best.”

  “I know.” Sabina took a towel Jolie had brought out earlier and wrapped it around her body. “Bye, Heath. See you next week, right?”

  He lifted his hand. “Thanks.”

  Yes, he’d fought the idea of water therapy but he’d do the exercises. If they worked, and he had a chance to ski again? At the least, he’d have more mobility.

  He put the water bottle on the concrete edge and practiced moving his leg. Hope flared. And then he heard a giant shout and he pushed himself back against the wall of the pool in surprise.

  “Cannon ball!” Jolie shouted as she leapt into the deep end. Heath made his way toward the steps in the shallower section, but she wanted to swim. Hopefully he’d stay and keep her company.

  When she bounced up off the bottom, she caught the look on his face and bit back laughter.

  “What in the hell are you doing?” he asked, a reluctant smile tugging at his lips.

  “Pretty obvious. Cannon ball.”

  Heath gave up and grinned. “Nice form, Jolie. You got some good distance with the splash.”

  “You want to try?” she asked, teasing. She and her siblings used to have contests to see how far they could get the splash.

  “Another time.”

  “All right.” She swam toward him, adjusting her bathing suit to make sure all her parts were covered. The tip of his nose was slightly pink, despite the sunscreen. “I’m proud of you, Heath.”

  Jolie hadn’t missed her cousin’s approving eye as she appraised Heath’s shoulders and abs. In a not-so-clinical way. Did she blame her? Not a bit.

  “We’ll see how it feels tomorrow.” His tone was cautious but she’d watched the hope cross his features earlier as her cousin worked with him.

  “All right. If you need help with the exercises, let me know. I was peeking at what Sabina was doing from inside the sunroom.”

  “You were?” His throat flushed.

  Adorable. She winked. “Yeah.” Water glistened, making his eyes lashes look black. His hair, slicked back, showed the strong lines of his face. Nose, sharp cheek bones, jaw covered with an inch of beard.

  Heath lifted his hand to her shoulder, trailing drops of water down her arm. The slow progress tickled, but she didn’t move, her gaze locked with his. Her mouth dried and she leaned closer, forgetting about anybody else as she lifted up on her tip-toes to wrap her arms around his neck.

  He had no reason to pull away this time, and she pressed her breasts against the solid muscled wall of his chest. She felt him tremble and then his hands were wrapped around her waist, his fingers tracing the dimples at her lower back. He shifted so that his weight was on the right leg, the buoyant water keeping them together.

  His lower lip, full, firm, beckoned.

  The back sliding door opened and the dogs raced outside. Jolie reluctantly disengaged her arms from Heath’s neck. His expression was neutral, as if he followed her lead. No regret.

  “It’s probably too soon for me to be making out with you in my parent’s pool.”

  “I wasn’t complaining,” he said in a husky voice.

  Her dad yelled, “Scooter, get in here. That damn dog has my snorkel!”

  Jolie laughed and looked across the grass. “Schipperkes are water dogs and Scooter is true to her breed.” The black dog had the look of a Husky or a large Pomeranian, and at the moment was wrestling her dad’s snorkel under the fish pond by the small rock garden.

  “She killed it, Dad,” Jolie called out and swam over to sit down on the steps in the water. Heath sat next to her and her dad gave a frustrated growl and slammed the sliding door closed.

  “That’s pretty funny,” Heath said, his tone observant. He made sure that his leg brushed hers when he took his seat. They were out of sight of the house on this end of the pool. “Your dad is awesome.”

  “Agreed. Uh, thanks for not bringing up the engine last night at dinner.”

  “I’m sorry for mentioning the rudder at breakfast. I was on the spot,” he said, frowning.

  “Don’t worry about it. Dad can be intimidating. But he cares, and if he knew how much I was babying this engine, he might get upset.” She’d promised to be careful, and she was.

  She loved that Heath didn’t yell, or shout, or freak out. Considering that he’d had a bout of anxiety on the boat yesterday, she really appreciated his calm now. He put his arm around her hips, under water, curling his fingers next to her bare thigh, which sent a current of want up to her belly. “What is your plan?”

  Jolie cleared her throat, forcing her brain cells to focus. “Jamison told me a few days ago that he can get me a refurbished engine, right? The problem is, Gramps made the boat himself. He built the engine too. I’m not sure if there will be any structural remodeling needed to change them.”

  “It’s custom,” Heath said with a nod, his hair smoothed back from his forehead. “Might not be able to just pop in a new one.” He flexed his hands and she missed his touch against her leg. “I’m good with a Chevy engine, but I don’t jack about a yacht.”

  “Rajah is a mechanic and we’ve been really careful. Especially with the water filter. He thinks we can make it to October but I don’t want to test it. Getting Randall’s business will bring me closer, quicker, to getting a new one.”

  Their legs brushed on the step, sending a shiver through her body. “Instead of refurbished?” he asked.

  “I’d rather have brand new with a better, longer warranty. I don’t want to hurry and buy something that will just need to be replaced in two years.”

  “Makes sense.” He nudged her arm and her skin zinged.

  Sizzled. Did he feel it? She wanted to crawl over him and find out. “It’ll be okay. Granny says that things have a way of working out.” Jolie searched his eyes, not seeing any reluctance to get back on the boat. “This weekend will be trial by fire. We’re going to be busy, but I t
hink you’ll do great.” She couldn’t keep from pressing her thigh to his as they sat on the step.

  “I’ll do my best,” he said, his voice deep. Throaty. Hot. She dropped her gaze to his broad, tanned shoulders, his sculpted arms.

  “How did you get so, uh…” she was at a loss for words.

  Heath smiled and flexed his biceps. “Ripped?”

  She blinked, her mouth dry. “Yeah.”

  “Working out. I couldn’t do what I wanted with my lower body, so I concentrated on my upper body strength.”

  “Hmm. It’s nice.”

  “Nice?” He deliberately brushed his arm against hers. “That got me into trouble yesterday at breakfast. You can do better.”

  Jolie moistened her bottom lip, lifting her gaze from his black swim trunks, her hand at his hip. “I can’t think. I know I shouldn’t...”

  He stared at her, his eyes smoldering like amber embers, tempting her to get closer, to throw herself on the fire. “Why not?”

  She shifted her body so that she faced him and leaned into him, lifting her chin and parting her mouth slightly in invitation.

  He took her up on it.

  “You should,” he said, teasing her, sliding his lips across hers in the lightest brush of skin to skin before he captured her moan of pleasure in his mouth.

  God, he knew how to apply the right amount of pressure. How to flick his tongue against hers, how to put his hand in her hair and hold her tight as he ravaged her mouth. Nip, suck, nibble, he stole her breath but she didn’t care.

  She put her hand on his chest, her palm splayed over his nipple. His hand settled on her waist, kneading her flesh.

  Dizzy, Jolie pulled back and swallowed. “Oh,” she said, knowing her eyes were probably crossed. She was surprised the pool hadn’t dissolved in a burst of steam.

  He leaned back and adjusted his seat on the step. “Nice, my ass.”

  “We shouldn’t do that again.” She wanted him and to hell with the consequences.