Never With You (The Never Series Book 6)

by Anie Michaels

  “I love my family, but that is not going to be a fun car ride. Plus, we had a deal—spend the week together.”

  My arms instinctively wrapped around her shoulders and I leaned down, brushing my mouth against hers.

  “If you’re sure,” I said once I pulled away.

  “I’m sure.”

  There was a commotion near the door and Brody and Angela appeared, both carrying a baby and a bag. Talia moved to my side, but I left one arm over her shoulder and kept her close. We stood by, watching as they loaded the babies up and turned the car on, keeping the cool air running. Finally, Angela came out of the van and pulled Talia into a hug, whispering something in her ear I couldn’t make out. Brody held out his hand and I took it, shaking it firmly. When we finally released each other’s hand, we were both smiling.

  “It was nice to meet you,” Angela said as she pulled me into a hug as well. It was short and unfamiliar, but as she pulled away she did say, “Take care of my Tally.”

  “I will. You take care of yourself.” It might have been unsolicited advice, but she smiled graciously and made her way back to the van.

  Talia and Brody were hugging and he was mumbling something to her. I was pretty sure he was telling her he could kick my ass if needed. She laughed and smiled up at him.

  “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” Her words came out on a laugh and I couldn’t help but smile. That should have been an indication that I was a goner; her laughter made me happy. The thought settled in the pit of my stomach, but I couldn’t keep the smile from my face. I’d deal with the consequences later. Brody pointed a finger at me as he backed up toward the car.

  “I know where you live, man. Be good to her.”

  “Not a problem,” I replied. I could deal with a protective brother, especially one like Brody. He wasn’t trying to be a macho asshole—he legitimately wanted to protect his sister. And I couldn’t blame him. If someone were trying to move in on my sister within a week, I’d probably be making threats too.

  “Oh, wait,” Talia cried out as her brother climbed in the van. “I didn’t get to say goodbye to the babies.” She disappeared around the van at the same time her parents came out of the house.

  Her dad walked straight to me, offering his hand. “Thank you for all your help the last few days. We appreciate it more than you know.”

  “Anytime.”

  Talia’s mother hugged me enthusiastically, but then pulled away and disappeared into the van without a word. That was okay with me.

  I gave her dad a wave as he walked away and then Talia was back at my side. We stood in the driveway until the van disappeared. Only when they were out of sight did Talia let out a big sigh.

  “As my mom got into the van she told me to have a good time and to leave with no regrets.” She lifted her chin so she could look up at me. “My mom basically just told me to have a wild affair with you.”

  “I like her way of thinking.”

  “Me too.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Talia

  Briggs had taken my bag and my hand and led me back to his house. He took me upstairs, watched me unpack as much as I could, then convinced me to take a nap with him. There really was no denying him that. Next to having sex with Briggs, sleeping next to him, with his arms wrapped around me, was my most favorite thing to do with him. Okay, and surfing. But napping was awesome. So we did.

  I crawled under the covers to where he already lay, rested my head in that perfect nook of his arm, and fell asleep almost immediately.

  When I woke, it felt as though I’d been asleep for days and I noticed I was alone in the bed. I looked around but didn’t see Briggs. I listened, thinking perhaps he was in the bathroom, but I didn’t hear anything in there either. I crawled out of his bed and walked down the stairs, wondering where he’d gone, and I spotted him through the sliding glass doors, sitting at his outdoor table with his laptop.

  “Hey,” I said, still sounding sleepy. “What are you doing out here?”

  “I was working upstairs while you slept, but I got a video call from a client and I didn’t want to wake you. So I came downstairs. Good nap?” He wore a knowing smile. I had probably drooled all over him.

  “Yeah, I feel like I got hit by the nap truck.”

  “Not a bad way to go,” he said, laughing. He closed his laptop, then reached out and wrapped an arm around my hips, pulling me to his side. For once he wasn’t towering over me and I took the opportunity to thread my fingers through his soft, chocolate-colored hair. His eyes closed for a moment and it looked as though he was enjoying my touch. When his eyes opened again they looked sleepier. “I want to take you out tonight,” he said, voice sexy and full of rasp.

  “Hmmm, I think I can get on board with that plan. Where are we going?”

  “Dinner. A nice place. Did you bring anything you could wear to a nice restaurant?”

  I smiled down at him. “I think I can put something together.”

  “Good,” he said, then slapped me on the ass. I yelped, surprised, but then laughed. “I’ve still got a little work I should get done here. Feel free to hang out with me, or inside. Whichever. I ran to the store and got some muffins and juice, in case you’re hungry.”

  I threaded my fingers through his hair again. “Mind if I read out here? It’s beautiful.”

  “It is,” he said, his voice dreamy, as he ran his hand over the spot on my ass he’d just smacked. “Pull up a chair.”

  I leaned down and pressed a fast but sweet kiss against his mouth, then went inside and fished my Kindle out of my bag, grabbed a muffin, and rejoined him on the deck. It was beautiful outside—a perfect Oregon coast summer day. Not too hot, not a cloud in the sky, and the faint wind was warm. Luckily, Briggs’s table had a big umbrella, so I didn’t have to worry about getting sunburned. Instead, I propped my feet up on his lap, which made him smile, and I read.

  We spent about two hours in relative, companionable silence. He worked, I read and nibbled on my muffin, only a few times stopping to ask him a question or say something that crossed my mind. Every once in a while his hand would drift to my foot, kneading my arches, rubbing my soles affectionately.

  Eventually he closed his laptop again and let out a sigh.

  “You feel like heading out in about an hour?” he asked, one hand running smoothly up my calf.

  “Sounds good to me.” And it did. The last few hours were so good. Lying with him. Relaxing with him. Just being with him was easy and wonderful. My family was likely all back in their respective homes, dealing with life, going back to normal, and all I could think of was that if I’d gone home, I would have been alone. I would have walked into an empty house. I might have sat quietly for a few hours reading, but the difference between the simple act of reading alone and reading while Briggs sat at a table with me was astounding. World-tilting. I let myself feel sad for just a moment, thinking about how I’d temporarily given up being all right by myself, given up being okay with being alone. But then I tried to focus on the fact that Briggs and I were still together and had a few days to make the most of our time together.

  Upstairs I showered again, rinsing off my body but not washing my hair. I’d packed a black jersey dress. It wasn’t exceptionally fancy, but it was black, which meant it could swing either way, and I could dress it up with jewelry and shoes. I slipped on my turquoise sandals and matching turquoise necklace and earrings. I also put a thin gold belt around my waist. I left my hair down, the red curls tamed by crème and a little bit of heat from my hair dryer. I left my makeup light, liking the natural look, just adding a little bit of mascara and lip gloss.

  I’d monopolized the bathroom for a good thirty minutes, so I took one last look at myself in the mirror and decided I was pleased. I walked back into the bedroom to see Briggs standing in front of his dresser, buttoning up the cuff on his sleeve.

  He looked divine.

  He had on a dark pair of jeans and a white button-down shirt. His dark hair was mussed,
but in a sexy way, and his lean muscles all along his shoulders and arms were barely contained by his shirt. It wasn’t fancy, but it was sexy as hell.

  “Wow,” he said quietly, his eyes roaming up and down my body. “You look incredible.”

  I looked down at myself, blushing a little, not used to compliments of that nature.

  “It’ll do in a pinch,” I said, trying to brush off his words. “You’re not so bad yourself,” I replied awkwardly. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

  “After you,” he said, motioning toward the door.

  Downstairs, he helped me up into his truck, his strong hands on my waist, hoisting me up. I couldn’t even pretend to not like it. He climbed into his seat but wouldn’t even start the truck until I slid to the middle, closing the distance between us. He drove with his hand on my thigh, the last two fingers on his hand resting right under the fabric of my dress. Just the visual had my heart rate elevated.

  He drove down Highway 101 and I enjoyed the view. We were probably only about a half-hour away from sunset, so the sky was a beautiful orangey-red color. I felt the truck slow and watched as Briggs pulled into a parking lot on a hill. I looked around, but couldn’t see a restaurant. He parked and then hopped out, then came around to open my door for me.

  He took my hand and walked me back toward the highway, and it was only then I saw where we were headed. The restaurant sat on the other side of the road, nestled in the cliffside. It was a big white building that looked as though it was a hotel too.

  I let Briggs lead the way, his warm hand enveloping mine. He walked us into the hotel and I followed him to the entrance of a restaurant.

  “Good evening, welcome to Fathoms. Do you have a reservation?” The hostess was a younger brunette. She wore a friendly smile but was obviously all business.

  “Yeah, party of two for Townsend.”

  She looked down at her iPad and then gave him a smile. “Right this way, Mr. Townsend.” She led us around a corner and when we walked into the dining room of the restaurant I had to hold in a gasp. The entire wall of the building that faced the ocean was one continuous wall of windows. All you could see was beach and ocean.

  The hostess led us to a table right next to the window and my eyes went wide. The view was absolutely breathtaking.

  She laid menus in front of us, smiled, and told us our server would be with us shortly.

  “Briggs,” I whispered, leaning over the table. “This is amazing.”

  “It is,” he said, smiling at me.

  “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”

  “Me neither,” he said, still looking right at me, his mouth holding that sexy smile. It made my lungs catch and heart sputter in my chest.

  The waiter came and took our drink orders. I ordered a glass of white wine while Briggs ordered a rum and coke. I looked around at all the tables and was just in awe. There were candles lit, and each table had a small centerpiece with red roses in a low vase. The sun was setting over the ocean. It was so beautiful. Suddenly the thought occurred to me that Briggs might have taken his ex-wife to this restaurant, and the idea made me sick to my stomach.

  “So, have you been here before?” I asked, trying to sound completely cool and uninterested in his answer.

  “No. Actually, I’ve driven past it a million times but never been inside. I was telling Porter the other day I wanted to take you someplace nice and he recommended this restaurant. Said he took his wife here on their first date.”

  His response surprised me. Stunned me, even. It made me feel something a little too similar to feelings, to wanting, so I tried to push it away. Luckily, just then, the waiter delivered our drinks, so I took a small sip of my wine, thanking the wine gods for sparing me from having to respond to something so sweet and thoughtful.

  “Actually,” he said after taking a sip of his own drink, “Porter and Ella asked if we wanted to go over to their house for dinner tomorrow. What do you think?”

  “It would be really fun to see them again before I go. Plus, I mean, no offense, but your kitchen isn’t really up for cooking at the moment.”

  He laughed at my joke, which I was thankful for.

  “True. I’ll let him know we’re in.”

  “Will your friend Patrick be there? With Megan?”

  “No, they went back to Portland already.”

  “Darn. I really like Megan.”

  He only smiled at me as a response, but then the sunset caught his eye and his gaze moved to the horizon. I watched him for a few moments, loving the way the orange hues made his hair look a copper color, but then I pulled my eyes away and looked out toward the ocean. Pink, orange, purple, and even a little blue all played above the water. Wispy clouds accentuated the beautiful colors. The water right on the horizon was a deep blue, almost navy, while the water closer to the shore was almost the color of the turquoise I wore around my neck.

  I jolted when I felt Briggs’s hand close around mine, but when I looked over at him, he was still admiring the sunset.

  Dinner was amazing—as I expected. Decadent and rich. Briggs convinced me to order dessert, but I made him split mine with me. It was the best piece of cheesecake I’d ever had and I vowed that one day I would go back there to have another. The bill came and when I moved even an inch to reach for my wallet, willing to pay my half, he practically growled at me and said it was his treat. I let him pay without a fight because, honestly, I liked that he wanted to so badly. It had been a long while since I’d felt taken care of, but Briggs seemed to be pulling out all the stops.

  By the time we stood up to leave it was dark outside and I could no longer see the ocean. There were many other couples in the restaurant enjoying a romantic dinner by candlelight, and I knew I would remember this date for the rest of my life. He took my hand as we walked toward the exit, and I wrapped my free hand around his forearm, leaning against him.

  The door was right in front of us, but Briggs turned to the right, pulling me to the desk at the front of the lobby.

  “Hello,” he said to the smiling young man behind the counter. “I have a reservation for Briggs Townsend.”

  “Wait, what?” I asked, stepping back.

  “I see your reservation right here,” the guy on the other side of the desk said, tapping away on his keyboard. “You’ve booked an ocean view room with a balcony and hot tub. I just need a credit card on file and I’ll get you your keys.”

  “Briggs,” I said as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. “What did you do?”

  “I got us a room.”

  I was at a loss for words, so I ended up just blinking in his direction for a few moments, but then I was able to speak. “But your house is just twenty minutes down the road.”

  “My house doesn’t have a hot tub.”

  “I didn’t bring a suit.”

  He leaned closer, his mouth just barely pressing against the shell of my ear. “I was counting on that.” So that shut me up.

  Briggs finished at the desk and the guy behind it was obviously smirking at us. My remarks had clued him in that we weren’t tourists, so it was pretty clear why we were there.

  This was a sex thing.

  I wasn’t complaining; I was just a little mortified.

  I didn’t say anything else as Briggs took instructions on how to get to the room, then took my hand and led us down the hall to the elevator. We were both quiet as we rode up to the fourth floor, but I gripped his bicep with my free hand and leaned my head against his shoulder, loving the way I fit so perfectly against him, as though the side of his body was made like a companion to mine.

  The doors opened with a ding, and he led me down the hall, stopping at a door and inserting the key card. He let me enter first but didn’t drop my hand.

  “Briggs,” I whispered, taking it all in. It was beautiful. Wide, enormous, picture windows showed off the indigo sky sprinkled with so many stars, they were countless. Along the edge of one of the windows was a hot tub so big, eight
people could have sat comfortably in it—plenty of room for just two. The bedding was crisp white with two blue velvet club chairs tucked in the corner, perfect for reading. There was a balcony, but that would have to wait to explore, because no sooner had I taken in the gorgeous room, had Briggs wrapped his arms around my waist from behind me.

  “You like?”

  “Yes,” I breathed. Then his lips feathered over my neck and it was suddenly difficult to stand. I turned and wrapped my arms around his neck, taking in the way his dark eyes were sparking. “This was very sweet of you. Incredibly romantic. It’s too bad you don’t date. You’d make an exceptional boyfriend.” I’d said the words before I’d thought about how they’d sound out loud.

  “Talia,” he said, his voice full of apology, and that was the last thing I wanted. I didn’t need him to apologize for being unavailable. He didn’t owe me any apologies. I’d gone into this with eyes wide-open.

  “Shhh,” I said as I pressed a finger against his mouth. “That came out wrong. All I meant was this is wonderful. One day, when you’re ready, you’re going to make someone so happy. But right now, here with you, it’s perfect and I’ll look back on this night with so much warmth, Briggs, I promise.” And I meant it. I knew it would probably hurt for a little while after we’d said our goodbyes, but I wasn’t going to trade a little bit of sorrow for my time with Briggs. Not ever.

  He was quiet for a moment, even after my finger fell away, but his eyes never left mine.

  “If this were a year from now, Talia, you have to know—”

  I kissed him then, but not because what he said made me happy, but because my heart couldn’t hear it. I couldn’t hear him say the words that I’d missed out on a future with him because I’d met him too early. That didn’t seem fair—to him or me. Instead, I kissed him.

  An hour later, after using my body to keep him from saying things my heart couldn’t handle hearing, we sat in that incredible hot tub and looked out at the sky. Even though the tub could fit a ton of people, Briggs still kept me close, pulling my back into his chest, one arm wrapped around my waist to hold me there while the other hand lazily dipped in the water and then poured it down my arm.