by C. A. Harms
He pushed back and began to crawl out of bed. I turned, looking back over my shoulder, and my eyes immediately shifted downward. “Well, from the looks of your friend, I would say he didn’t get the memo. In fact, he looks more than willing to go another round.”
“Harper, after last night, and the things you did to my friend—” He pointed down toward his erection. “—I’m pretty sure I’ll be walking around with a twenty-four hour hard-on when thinking of you and your talents.”
He grabbed his pants and carefully pulled them on before tucking himself safely away. Leaning over me, he then kissed me softly. “Get dressed. I’m taking you out for breakfast.”
I turned and looked at the clock to my right. When I looked back at him, he smiled. “Okay, smartass,” he corrected. “I’m taking you to lunch.”
***
“You gonna share with me why my best friend is smiling bigger than I have ever seen her smile in the entire time I’ve known her?” Callie sat down in the chair across from me, giving me a curious look.
I was focused on the backside of an extremely delicious man, who happened to be the same man who had rocked my world only hours ago. I had agreed to have lunch at Jett’s because Easton had to go over a few figures with my brother anyway. Taking care of both matters at the same time seemed like a good idea.
I was now questioning my decision. A very eager and nosy brunette was playing twenty questions, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to share the details of my happiness just yet. I just wanted to keep it tucked away nice and safe so no one could bring me down.
“Come on, give me something, even if it is just a little snippet of just how amazing the sex god over there is.” She directed her thumb toward Easton, who was standing at the bar.
“I will just tell you that he knows exactly what he is doing when it comes to the female body.” I smirked as her face lit up with excitement. I knew then that more questions were about to fly. “That is your snippet, your mini preview, now zip it, eager beaver.”
She pouted instantly, but that was all I was willing to offer. I didn’t want to do anything to jinx the last twenty-four hours.
***
“A beach party,” I repeated. “Since when did you become this crazy party planner?”
“Avery loves the beach. It’s her favorite place to be. I just thought a surprise beach-themed birthday party would be something she would enjoy.” Quinn continued to scan the shelf for another container of frosting.
“So let me get this straight. Jett is closing the restaurant early, and we are having a birthday blowout?” Quinn nodded. “You do know that the beach is public?”
“Yep,” she said as she smeared the frosting over another cupcake.
“So anyone could just join the party.”
“So?” She shrugged. “The main purpose of being close to the restaurant is so all our friends can join the party. The restaurant being closed will allow Jett and Callie, and even Jude, to relax for once.”
“You must give it to Jett good if you convinced him to close down. What are you packing? A magical pu—?”
She place her hand over my mouth. “Don’t finish that sentence. You are so crude sometimes.” She lowered her hand and smiled. “But just for the record, I may have asked him while I was on my knees.” Her cheeks reddened as she smiled brightly.
“Oh.” I shivered in disgust. “I could have gone without that tidbit. But I will admit that you are a little minx, and I may be slightly proud to call you my sister.”
She winked and went back to frosting her cupcakes. Jett had no hope of conquering Quinn. She obviously ruled that relationship, or at least her mouth did.
Chapter Twenty
Easton
“Would you mind explaining to me what the hell happened between you and Sarah?” Ray’s voice blared through the phone. “I decided to check in with her, and she told me she was looking for a new job.”
“Things got a little complicated,” I said.
I knew this conversation was bound to happen, but I was hoping she would find another job and we would be able to avoid the entire thing. Instead I had a very angry father ready to tear into me.
“‘Complicated,’ what the hell does that mean?” he shouted. “You sleeping with her is what made it complicated in the first place.”
“You don’t think I regret taking things to that level? You know that your daughter is the reason why what we had went south.” Ray knew our history, and he of all people should understand my reasoning for firing her.
“This puts me in a difficult place.”
“No, Ray, this is where you need to separate business from personal matters. When I have an employee that insults my guests in my place of business, when she makes very inappropriate comments even after she has been warned more than once not to, that is business. The fact she’s my ex has nothing to do with me firing her. She’s the one that couldn’t come to work and leave our personal shit at the door.”
I had reached my limit, and I was done giving reasons for my business decisions. If Ray didn’t like my choice, then I was past the point of giving a shit. “If you choose to make this personal, then I am sorry for that, but I’m not sorry for letting Sarah go.”
The silence that followed made me uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure which way this conversation was going to fall.
“I know she has problems, Easton,” he said. “I know she’s the one to blame for everything that went wrong with the two of you. I’m not a fool, I just don’t know what to do with her anymore. I think she’s wrapped up with that joker Greg again. She won’t admit it, but she’s acting the same as she did last time she was with him. She’s hiding something, and I can’t put my finger on it.” He sounded defeated.
“Have you looked in to it?” I asked.
“Bennie’s got guys on it, but I’m afraid this time. What if I’m not able to keep her straight? I can feel it, son. She’s sinking, and in the end she may drown.”
Suddenly I felt guilty. “Let me know if you need me,” I told him.
Greg Hogan was bad news. He was known in Miami as the go-to guy for all your dark needs. Drugs, women, he supplied on demand. The last time Ray found Sarah with him, she was strung out on illegal drugs between two guys in some rundown hellhole. He’d left his mark that night, tearing the place to shreds and almost crippling the men before dragging her out. He then checked Sarah into the first clinic he could and said she’d either get clean or he’d cut her off. She finished six weeks of therapy and stayed away from drugs for three months. I slipped up after that and we spent a night together, attempting to rekindle our fucked-up relationship. Two days later I found her in bed with one of the bartenders from Ricochet. She’d had a relapse when I’d walked away, saying I had enough, which led to yet another six weeks at the clinic.
My father had hired her on at Ricochet after that, promising her a management position if she stayed clean for a year. During that time we gave it another go. Yeah, I’ll admit that was definitely one of my poorest choices.
Things were great that year, and I’d really thought she was getting her life together, but after she was promoted, she shifted fast. The partying picked up, and so did the late nights and lying about everything she could. But she did well at her job, so my father promoted her to one of the management positions three weeks before he died.
After his sudden death I checked out of living for a while, and when I found out Sarah had cheated on me again, I blamed myself, but I let her go anyway. Clearly we were toxic for each other. A relationship between us would never work, and I would never be able to trust her.
I’d kept her on as an employee more for Ray’s benefit than anything else. But I couldn’t handle the drama that seemed to follow Sarah anymore. I should have severed ties with her when Ricochet became mine.
I tried not to let the situation sour my mood. I had a beach party to attend in a few hours, and I’d been looking forward to being with Harper all day. Between her schedule and mine, we ha
dn’t seen much of each other since our first night together.
***
The music flowed from the speakers Jett had set up around the patio. He had gone all-out for Avery’s birthday, and I knew it was more for Quinn’s benefit than Avery’s. He would honestly do just about anything for his girl.
I arrived just as they were leading Avery blindfolded toward the restaurant’s back doors that opened out onto the beach behind the restaurant. I was impressed with the amount of people out there, some familiar, others not.
“Surprise!” they all shouted as Kade untied the silk tie that hid her view.
“You hiding over here for a reason?” Harper asked as she stepped up to my side. Her smile made my chest tighten. I was a lucky man.
“The only person I came to see is at my side, so there’s no reason to go any farther.” I lowered my lips to hers. It had been too long since I’d kissed her.
She moaned softly as I pulled back, her eyes still closed as she whispered, “How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Every time you kiss me, I feel it all the way down to my toes.” She opened her eyes and smiled up at me. “I love it.”
That comment was very unlike Harper. It was another small indication that she was letting me in a little more.
She led me by the hand toward the party. The beach was a mixture of tourist and locals, as well as Avery’s guests. No one seemed to mind the assortment. A volleyball net had been set up, and a game was taking place. Jett and I sat back and took in the girls teaming up, determined that they could beat Jude and Kade. I focused on the game and Harper, whose little bikini had my mind racing.
“Is that who I think it is?” Jett asked, snapping my attention back to reality.
I pried my eyes from Harper as she adjusted the top of her swimsuit. “Who?”
“That fucking scumbag, Ian. Is that him?”
Hearing Ian’s name had me immediately scanning the beach. The moment my eyes locked on him, I gripped the arm of the chair in anger. “Sure is,” I said, taking in the woman he was walking hand in hand with. “And that’s his wife.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Harper
I laughed when the ball came in contact with Kade’s head. “Oh yeah,” I yelled and spun around, giving my girls high fives. “We are so bringing you guys down. Your egos may not be able to handle the beat down you are about to receive.”
Jude flipped me off and Kade chuckled. “Bring it on, Harper,” he yelled, bouncing from side to side like he was warming up his muscles.
“Listen, you ain’t got it, and no amount of warm-up is gonna help you find it.” I heard Avery snicker. “Face it, boys, you two suck.”
I loved teasing the two of them. They were such opposites. Kade was a cutup, but he’d never truly healed from the devastation of losing his high school sweetheart. Jude was a little more intimidating—well, to most people. I knew deep down that he had a past. He carried himself as if he were on the edge of destruction, on the lookout for the chance to take charge and make others fear his presence with just one look. He could be scary at times, but when he got that way it only made me smile. I recognized the mask, because I too wore one.
“Put on your big-girl panties,” Jude said as he stepped forward. “Shit’s about to get real.”
Callie arched an eyebrow. “Oh really?”
He winked in her direction and I was shocked. Jude never got this relaxed. “Don’t worry, Cal, when you lose, I’ll take care of your broken heart. I promise when we’re all done you’ll be smiling again.”
We all stood frozen, staring at the man that looked like Jude but who was in no way acting like the man we all knew.
Callie stared at him in shock, her mouth hanging open. “You think you can handle me, Jude?”
“The question you should be asking,” he replied, squaring his shoulders, “is can you handle me?” The sun was beating down on us, but the heat pouring off Jude as he raked his eyes over Callie raised the temperature at least twenty degrees. His eyes were eating her up, and she was doing the same to him.
“Oh my God, I think I just came watching that exchange,” Avery announced, and Kade turned on her. “What? That was hot. I didn’t know Jude had it in him.”
I walked forward and pulled the volleyball from Kade’s hands. “You people need to get laid already.”
When I spun around to walk away, I saw him. Ian was standing about ten feet away with a look of panic on his face as he pulled his wife a little closer to him. I could see he was trying to move her along, but she was talking to another woman.
I narrowed my eyes and glared back at him. I had tunnel vison, and in that moment all I could envision was punching that asshole right in the mouth.
His wife looked up and smiled, cocking her head to the side. “Hey, don’t I know you?” Ian immediately tensed as she took a few steps toward me. “You look really familiar.”
“Yeah, you do too,” I said, pretending to vaguely recognize her as well.
Ian stepped up to her side and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Come on, Molly, let’s let them get back to their game.”
A strong set of arms wrapped around my waist, and Easton stepped up behind me, pulling my body flush against his.
“How you doing, Ian?” he said in a stern, forceful tone.
Molly looked back and forth between them. My own heart was racing. I had no idea what Easton was doing, but I knew he was getting enjoyment out of this.
“Do you know each other?” Molly asked.
Ian stumbled over his words, but Easton took over once more. “Yeah, I know your husband here quite well, but I do have to say he never mentioned he was married.”
Molly glared up at Ian and crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh really?”
“I’m Easton, and this beautiful girl right here is Harper.” Ian only grew tenser as Easton introduced us, his expression hiding nothing.
“It’s very nice to meet you both. I’m sorry to interrupt your party. I just thought you looked very familiar.” Molly was once again looking directly at me.
“No problem. It’s my brother’s restaurant, and we’re just having a little party for our friend to celebrate her birthday.” I looked at Ian, who was glaring at me.
“Well, enjoy your party,” Molly said as she stepped back, lightly pulling on Ian’s arm. I watched them walk away.
“Are you okay?” Easton asked.
I nodded. “It’s just makes me sick that he’s treating his family so horribly. Does he not realize how selfish he’s being?”
“Men like him, they don’t care,” he whispered before placing a soft kiss against my temple. “They only care about their own needs. Everyone else is expendable.”
***
“So he’s married and has two kids?” Alexis gasped through the phone. “You’re joking, right?”
“Nope.” I popped the P for emphasis. “He’s a scumbag, and of course I was lucky enough to cross paths with him. We Jameson girls seem to attract dirt bags. If they’re out there, they will find us.”
“Well, Jett says Easton and you are getting along nicely,” she said, prodding for details.
I laughed. “Um, if having lots and lots of earth-shattering sex with a man that has magical powers in the bedroom qualifies as getting along nicely, then yep, we sure are.”
She giggled. “Jett says he’s crazy about you.”
My heart sped up at the thought of Easton having strong feelings for me. “He’s pretty great, but I’m just taking it one day at a time,” I said as a nervous feeling settled over me. “Things seem to shift in the blink of an eye for me.”
I was one of those people that waited for the other shoe to drop. It was inevitable. It would happen; it always did.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Easton
“You think she’ll like it?”
I looked up at Jett and grinned. “What girl wouldn’t love an engagement ring? You do need to make sure she takes it off
before swimming, though. With that thing on her finger, she’ll surely sink right to the bottom.”
Jett held the large diamond ring between his two fingers, smiling like a fool. The expression looked good on him. “Congratulations, man,” I said. “You found the right girl.”
“I sure did,” he said. “Quinn owns me. She’s my world.”
“So when are you asking her?”
He placed the ring back into the box and tucked it inside the desk drawer. “Tonight,” he replied. “I can’t wait any longer. I’m ready to make her my wife.”
***
My conversation with Jett had me thinking about my future. What would it be like to find that one person who shifts the ground beneath your feet? The one that holds your heart in their hands, who makes you feel as though you’re suffocating unless they’re by your side?
I wanted that. The security of a lasting love.
What I didn’t want was to pull up at my place to find Sarah perched on my front steps with Ray at her side. As I approached them, Sarah stood up and brushed off her pants.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“We were hoping that we could talk.” She looked at me with a pleading expression. “It’s really important.”
Without replying I led them inside, took off my suit jacket, and draped it over the back of the couch.
Something red on the arm of the chair caught my eyes. The shirt Harper had worn on the last night she was here was lying where I’d placed it after removing it from her body. Flashes of what we shared after that moment filled my mind, and I smiled, feeling calm for just a moment.
I looked up to find Sarah staring down at the shirt. The expression on her face was easy to read. I had known her long enough to recognize jealousy.
“So what’s so important that you had to drive all the way from Miami to tell me? A phone call would have worked just the same.”