His bark of laughter combined with a sharp exhale of disbelief. “Are you kidding me?”
“Nope. It’s a constant reminder that’s served me well over the years.” She rested her head back on his shoulder and finger-combed his chest hair. “You can tell your boss he’ll never win, and I’ve got the tattoo to prove it.”
He sighed and scooted up so he could lean against the wall. He hated to lose this moment of post-coital bliss, but he might as well use the opening she gave him. “Tell me about this bar. Why are you so firm in your resolve to keep it?”
She scooted up next to him and pulled the sheet with her. “Can we have this conversation dressed and with food? I haven't eaten since early last evening, and I'm starving.”
“That's probably a good idea.” He smiled and took another moment to admire the splendor of a mostly naked Sunny. “I'm not sure how much talking we'd get done sitting in bed. Naked.”
Her gaze traveled down his chest to his lap, then back to his neck. Despite what she’d said, her thoughts were revealed in the way her eyelids dipped as she sank her teeth into her lower lip. As much as he liked the idea, more sex wasn't going to fix the problem. It would only complicate things further, so he crawled out from under the sheet and pulled on his pants.
“Can you hang out for a few minutes while I take a shower?” she asked.
“Sure.” He leaned over to kiss her forehead and once again found himself lost in her eyes. In the bright sunlight, they changed from silver to a pale, pale blue. The longer he stared, the more fascinated he became. When the expression buried in them went from why-the-hell-are-you-staring-at-me to crawl-back-into-bed-with-me, he took a deep breath and stepped back.
He could easily stay in bed with Sunny for days. But that wouldn’t settle anything, and she was hungry. “If you're okay with me rummaging through your kitchen, I'll fix you lunch while you shower.”
Her face lit up with a smile that turned him inside out. “Why would I mind?” She crawled out of bed and swung her way to the bathroom. “What girl doesn’t dream of having a man cook for her?”
When Gavin was finally able to pull his gaze away from her naked ass—because she shut the bathroom door and blocked his view—he scrubbed a hand over his face, then headed to the kitchen. He couldn’t change millions of years of genetic coding, but he was thoroughly disgusted with the primal beast roaring to the surface… taking great pleasure in fixing his woman something to eat. No, he wasn’t out bludgeoning something to death with a club, but he was still preparing her a life-sustaining meal, and that was highly gratifying.
The Neanderthalian part of his brain may be no larger than a speck of dust, but it recognized, the moment Sunny called him Romeo and blasted him for his inappropriate drink requests, his life had jumped off the track.
The larger part of his brain, the one he used on a daily basis for logic and reasoning, was beginning to have its doubts that he’d ever find the old track again.
***
Sunny showered and dressed, then went in search of something more appropriate for Gavin to wear to the beach. Taking their food outside seemed to be the best option. She wanted to strip and lick and suck him like one of her Dum-Dums and didn’t trust herself to behave if they stayed within the confines of her apartment.
He and Robby were about the same height, but whereas Robby was still boyishly thin, Gavin seriously outweighed him in muscle. After rummaging through all of Robby’s drawers, she settled on a large T-shirt and a pair of running shorts she thought might work. She had no idea what size shoes Gavin wore, but hey, he was at the beach. He could go barefoot.
She carried the shorts and T-shirt to the kitchen, where she found Gavin looking completely at home. This was getting out of hand and no longer felt like a one-time fling. Especially since she’d been trying to figure out ways to keep him around. “Are you okay with having a picnic on the beach?”
He gave her the beautiful smile that transformed his face from harsh to handsome. “Sure.” He cut a sandwich in half, then stacked it on a plate with two others. “Do you have any sandwich bags?”
“Yeah, but I’ll finish this up.” She held the clothes out to him. “I thought these might be more comfortable than your dress clothes.”
He swallowed hard as he looked at the clothes, and for a second, she didn’t think he would take them. His eyes softened and his mouth curled in a smile. Reaching for the clothes, he said, “You make it tough on a guy. How am I supposed to go back to work after this?”
Yeah, well, if he didn’t want to go back to work today, that was okay with her. He wouldn’t hassle her about selling her property. And she’d have more time to explore his body.
While Gavin changed, Sunny packed the sandwiches into her seldom-used picnic basket. They looked and smelled great, but sandwiches alone didn’t a picnic make. She tossed in a bag of chips, then dug around in the fridge until she found a bunch of grapes.
With her head stuck in the refrigerator, she yelled, “What would you like to drink? Your choices are Pepsi and water. Or we can go down to the bar and get something.”
She heard him coming through the living room and glanced up in time to see the T-shirt fall over his head, then slowly crawl down his chest and stomach. Gavin in a suit was sexy. Gavin barefoot, wearing running shorts and a T-shirt that hugged his broad chest and shoulders was freaking fantastic. She chewed on her bottom lip and once again debated the merits of food versus sex.
He leaned in close and whispered, “If you keep looking at me like that, we’ll never get out of here.” He reached around her for a bottle of water, then backed away. “Where’s a blanket?”
She gulped and nodded toward the hallway. “In the closet.” Shaking her head to get herself back in the game, she grabbed a Pepsi, a couple bottles of water, and a handful of Dum-Dums.
Gavin returned with the quilted blanket flipped over his shoulder, picked up the basket, then opened the door. “Lead the way.”
The path across the dunes took them past the old Anticue pier, with its rusted roof, peeling paint, and missing shutters. “I’ve heard rumors that a group of investors were going to buy this, make the necessary repairs, and reopen it.” She shrugged. “Far as I know, though, no one’s gone through with the purchase.”
Gavin sighed and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
“What’s with the sigh? It would be great to have that old building refurbished and reopened.”
Gavin nodded and the muscle in his jaw jerked. “Yeah, it would. But that’s not the investor’s plan.”
“How do you…? Oh. Your boss is the one who’s buying it.” Rather than a question, the words came out as a nasty-sounding accusation. “Why does he want to buy all this property, anyway?”
“He wants to build a resort.”
Relief blasted through her and exited in a nearly hysterical laugh. “Then he’s wasting his time. And yours. We have ordinances to prevent things like that from being built. This is a non-issue.” Happier by the second, she pointed to a spot between two vacant summer homes. “Is that okay?”
He opened his mouth, as if he had more to say on the subject, but then snapped it closed and shrugged. “Sure.”
He set the basket down before wandering along the water’s edge while she spread the blanket on the soft sand. Kicking at the wet sand, with his hands tucked into his pockets, he looked like a sad little boy who’d lost his best friend, and the urge to comfort him was overwhelming.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Not the appropriate reaction to someone who was nothing more than a fling. Whatever was bothering him, he’d have to deal with on his own. Resolve in place, she unpacked the basket and waited for him to make his way back to her.
Without saying a word, he sat across from her, then pulled a grape from the bunch. Looking at her through the dark fringe of his lashes, he brushed the grape against her lower lip and said, “Open up.”
The grape was cool, his fingers warm, as she drew them into her mouth. His breathing
quickened, and her heart raced as she stroked her tongue over his thumb and forefinger before flicking the fruit free of his grasp.
He drew in a shuddering breath and slowly withdrew his fingers. “Do you know how incredibly sexy you are?”
She chewed the grape and contemplated his question. “I like to feel sexy. That's why I wear the necklaces. But I don't think of myself as being sexy.”
“Well, you are.” He handed her a sandwich. “You better feed yourself. Anymore of that and your lunch will go by the wayside… like breakfast.”
She drew in a deep breath and savored the fragrant aroma of chicken and peppers wafting from the sandwich bag. “This smells wonderful. What is it?”
He’d been watching her reaction and, seemingly pleased with the response, grabbed another sandwich for himself. He leaned back on his elbow and kicked his legs out in front. “Chicken salad. Sort of.”
“Sort of?” She pulled off the top piece of bread and studied the sandwich. He'd shredded leftover chicken, added salad dressing, diced green and red peppers and onion. Impressive. She replaced the top slice and took a bite.
Her eyes drifted shut as she savored the flavors mingling on her tongue. “This is really good.” She opened her eyes and took another bite. “Would you mind telling me exactly how you made it? This would be a great, easy-to-make addition to our menu.”
He slid a glance her way and winked. “We can probably work something out.” After eating in silence for a few minutes, he asked, “Where are you from, originally?”
She took a drink of her Pepsi and considered this getting-to-know-you business. Sex was one thing. Getting to know each other on a personal level seemed dangerous to her emotional wellbeing.
She started things with him as a one-night fling, which turned into a one-night-and-one-morning, scorching-hot fling. At this point, she could still walk away and be fine. Mostly. But what if, in the process of learning more about him, she accidentally fell for him? As strong as her attraction to him was, she could easily see that happening.
She decided to be cautious. She’d share a little, but not reveal too much. “I’m from Randall, West Virginia.” No one knew where Randall was. And, based on his blank expression, he didn’t either. “It’s a little town halfway between Charleston and Pittsburgh.” She pulled off a bite of sandwich and popped it into her mouth. “What about you?”
“I was born in Virginia, but grew up outside of New Bern.” Shadows dulled his eyes as his gaze shifted to the ocean’s horizon. Before she could ask about the sadness she sensed in him, he said, “Why did you leave West Virginia?”
“I wanted to live someplace warm.” Where even if they had no heat in the house, or she was forced to sleep in the car, she wouldn't have to worry about freezing to death. “When I first left home, I went to Myrtle Beach. I didn't want to go any further south because it was too far away from Robby.” She watched a wave roll onshore and thought back. Life had never been a cakewalk, but leaving Robby almost killed her.
“What about your parents?”
“Mom subscribed to Ed’s theory of time off for good behavior. In her case, she only waited ten years, not forty. And rather than taking a year off, she took a lifetime. Dad wasn’t a bad father, and he did the best he could. But after Mom left, everything pretty much went to shit.”
She rolled a loose grape around on the blanket. “Dad worked in the coal mines, usually pulling double shifts for the overtime wages. But there never seemed to be enough money. We were always being forced to move from place to place. Each worse than the one before.
“I hung around for a year after graduation, trying to work and help Dad pay the bills. And help raise Robby.” She pulled off a piece of her sandwich, but had lost the desire to eat. “There aren’t any good paying jobs in the area, so I had to do something. For Robby and me. I left Robby with Dad and prayed he’d be okay until I could get back to get him.”
She could still see the tears streaming down his face the day she told him she had to leave. “I packed my car and left for Myrtle Beach, promising to come back for him as soon as I could. I waited tables, learned the bar business, and put away as much money as possible. Summer months were great, and I made a killing in tips and wages. Winter months were lean, but I still managed to sock away enough that I was comfortable going back for Robby a year and a half later.” She pushed her fingers through her hair. “God, it was so hard being away from him for that long. Always wondering if he was okay.”
She stopped talking and cleared her throat. Shit, so much for not being too revealing.
Gavin had stopped eating and was watching her closely. The intensity of his stare, and the pity behind it, made her uncomfortable. “I’m not telling you any of this because I want your sympathy. In fact, pity is not accepted. Period.” She’d had enough of it from her teachers and classmates to last ten lifetimes. “I’m telling you this so you’ll understand what that building means to us. It isn’t just a bar. It’s our home. Other than Robby, it’s the most important thing in my life.”
His angular features sharpened and his brow dipped low in a frown. “It’s not pity, Sunny. It’s awe.” His expression softened. “Robby’s lucky to have you. I don’t know many people who…” He stared off into the distance and chewed on the inside of his cheek. “Only a special person would sacrifice themselves the way you have for Robby.” He frowned again and grew agitated. “I hope he appreciates all you’ve done for him.”
She shrugged off the compliment. “I love Robby; it wasn’t a sacrifice.”
He ate a few chips, then took a drink of water. “How did you end up in Anticue?”
“Myrtle Beach was okay, but we wanted to live someplace smaller. Someplace like Randall. We stayed in Myrtle Beach until Robby graduated high school. By that time, we'd saved enough for a down payment on the property. We traveled back and forth, both of us working our real jobs as much as possible, then coming here and working on the building during our time off.”
She searched Gavin's face for understanding. “Do you understand why I'll never sell that building? It's the first house, or anything for that matter, that Robby and I have had that was ours. We worked and scraped and saved and busted our asses, not only to open the bar, but to have a decent place to live.” She stiffened her spine and squared her shoulders with renewed determination. “No one is going to take it away from us.” She locked eyes with him to drive her point home. “No one.”
Chapter Twelve
Gavin scrubbed a hand down his face, then pulled a long drink from the water bottle, wishing like hell it was a bottle of Crown. He thought he was in a tough spot in Sunny’s kitchen this morning.
Fuck that. Now his ass was jammed between a rock and a hard place.
Many people grew bitter and disenchanted with life after struggling the way Sunny had. But through it all, she maintained her bright, cheerful spirit, laughing and smiling with ease. He admired her grit and determination and especially her unwavering loyalty and love for her brother. As she picked at her sandwich, he studied her tattoo. Life forced her to adopt a never-give-up attitude, and she was right, it served her well.
Unfortunately, Max lived by the same rule.
Gavin reached across the blanket and stroked her leg. “Max has already invested too much to let your… stubborn”—he smiled—“yet admirable determination stop him.”
“What do you mean ‘invested too much?’” Her steely gaze cut him to the core. “No one has invested anything in this property but me and Robby.”
He nodded to the old pier. “He's already purchased all the property surrounding yours.” And a few county officials. He brushed a lock of hair off her shoulder and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.
“You’re forgetting about the island’s ordinances.”
Gavin stuffed his sandwich bag into the cooler, then watched the waves. “I don’t think that’s going to be an issue.”
“Why not?”
He didn’t know why, but he hesi
tated to tell her about the bought-and-paid-for commissioners. Maybe it was because he didn’t have proof of those transactions. Or maybe, because Anticue was a small place, he feared she knew some of them. Given Sunny’s feisty personality, she was likely to go knocking down doors to confront them. Not a bad idea at a later time, but a terrible idea at the moment.
When he didn’t answer, she lifted her chin and tossed her shoulders back. “I don’t even know why we’re still discussing this. I own this property, and no one can make me sell.”
True enough, in theory. Not in practice. “Max will make your life hell until you give in.”
Anger vibrated from her, but her voice was low and calm. “I’ve lived through hell before. I never planned to repeat the experience. But I survived the first time. I can do it again.”
He didn’t like that her life had been difficult, and thinking about Max making it rough again made him crazy. Anger and frustration pushed at his temples until he thought his head would explode.
A lot of his frustration came from knowing exactly how Sunny felt. He was ten when his parents disappeared. He remembered the overwhelming feelings of helplessness and loneliness, at least, prior to his granddad selflessly moving him to the farm and promising to always keep Gavin safe.
His granddad had sacrificed everything for him, like Sunny did for Robby. While the small farm his grandfather owned didn't bring in a lot of money, they had each other and a comfortable home. As an adult, Gavin busted his ass to make sure his grandfather was able to keep the farm. He would have fought like hell if someone tried to take it away from them.
Guilt punched him in the gut with the reminder he didn’t visit his grandfather nearly as much as he should. Hell, he didn’t even call like he should. But Granddad never complained. He just accepted Gavin’s excuses with total understanding.
And really, that’s all they were. Excuses. At first, he was busy working his way through college. Then he was busy climbing the ladder at Holden Enterprises. He was so wrapped up in himself he lost touch with the person who mattered the most.
Last Call (Book #2 - Heat Wave Series) Page 10