by Marie Force
Chapter 12
Three hours later, Abby emerged from the tattoo parlor, sore but still elated. Because of the location, this one had hurt a lot more than the other one, but she had no regrets. It was gorgeous! Purple was her favorite color, and the flower had come out magnificently.
She checked the messages on her phone—again. She’d expected to hear from Adam by now, but he hadn’t called or texted. The sun had set during her hours in the chair, and the first stars twinkled in the night sky. Without much thought to her destination, she walked in the opposite direction of the hotel, drawn to the beach where placid water rolled gently onto the sand.
Abby kicked off her shoes and waded into the water, gasping at the first contact of cool water on inflamed skin. Her mother had always extolled the healing properties of salt water, so Abby kept her lower leg in the water. A half-moon sat just above the horizon, where the hulking outline of a ship was visible in the waning daylight.
The beach was completely deserted. Anywhere else, Abby might feel anxious about being there alone. But this was Gansett Island, and she’d never felt anything but safe here. That sense of safety sparked a reckless desire for yet another new experience. She waited until twilight faded and darkness set in before she walked up to the cooling sand and tucked her phone into her purse and set it on her sandals.
Before she could lose her nerve, she quickly added her denim jacket, T-shirt and jeans to the growing pile. Down to her new underwear, she hesitated. That was close enough, right?
“No, it isn’t. If you’re going to do this, do it right.” Her hands trembled with excitement and fear of being caught as she unclipped her bra and slid off the thong, nearly groaning with the relief of tugging it from where it didn’t belong. Standing completely naked in the great outdoors for the first time, she extended her arms and spun around, overcome by the sheer naughty joy of doing something so far outside her comfort zone. As she dashed into the cold water, she let out a squeal of delight, even as her mother’s voice in her head warned against ever swimming alone.
Growing up on an island, the litany of dangers had been hammered home from a young age. Perhaps that was why she’d never taken any chances. Perhaps that was why she was just now, at the age of thirty-two, first experiencing the sublime delight of swimming naked. And it was sublime and delightful. The sluice of the cool water over her skin sent shock waves to all her most sensitive areas. Her nipples tightened from the cold as much as the excitement of doing something new.
She stayed close to the shore in waist-deep water, floating on her back as the half-moon worked its way higher in the sky, casting a glow over the water. A million stars dotted the night sky, and she picked out some of her favorite constellations. As she floated in peaceful serenity, she couldn’t help but wonder why she’d never done this before. She already couldn’t wait to do it again.
Adam couldn’t figure out where Abby might be. He’d told her he’d be by to see her after dinner with Joe and Janey, but here it was almost eight, and there was no sign of her at the Beachcomber. He tried her cell phone again, but, like the last three times he’d called her, it went straight to voice mail.
When he thought about where he’d found her the night before, his gut clenched at the idea that she might’ve gone looking for trouble without him. Why did that thought make him so damned mad? They had a deal, after all. She’d agreed to let him be her partner in crime, so if she was out looking for some other guy to fool around with…
Storming through the Beachcomber lobby, he stopped short when he realized he was jealous. How ridiculous was that? He was jealous of some nameless, faceless guy that she might or might not be messing around with. What business was it of his? If she wanted to call off their deal, that was her prerogative, but damn it, she ought to at least tell him.
“You’re out of your mind, man,” he muttered as he took the back stairs from the Beachcomber and crossed the street to the Sand & Surf to see if she might be working in the gift shop.
Laura was at the desk when he came in. “Hey, cuz,” she said. “What’s up?”
“Have you seen Abby, by any chance?”
“Not tonight, why?”
“No reason.” Adam decided to go with evasive so his entire family wouldn’t be buzzing about him and Abby before anything significant had even happened between them. “I had a question for her and couldn’t find her. She’s not answering her phone.”
“She’s probably out going wild,” Laura said with a laugh. “That’s her goal for this summer.”
“So I’ve heard,” Adam said, not at all comforted by Laura’s offhand comment. “How are you? Feeling better?” She still seemed paler than usual.
“A little. Turns out I’m not sick—exactly.”
“Oh no?”
“Can you keep a secret?”
“I’m insulted you would ask.”
Smiling, Laura crooked her finger for him to come closer. “I’m pregnant.”
“Oh my God, that’s awesome!” When she seemed to grimace, he said, “Isn’t it?”
“It’s unexpected as is the fact that there are two of them in there.”
“Two.”
“That’s what I said.”
“Holy shit. Twins.”
“Three kids in one year. Holy shit is right.”
“Well, um, congratulations?”
“Thank you, and if you say better me than you, I’ll smack you.”
“I didn’t actually say it.”
Smiling, Laura gave him a play smack to the arm that connected with the tattoo.
The flash of pain took his breath away. “New tattoo,” he said through gritted teeth. “Why does everyone have to hit me there?”
“You got a tattoo? Let me see!”
Adam took off his jacket and rolled up the sleeve of his shirt, exposing angry red skin that would someday resemble Gansett Island. At the moment, it looked like burnt pizza.
“Ouch. That looks like it hurts.”
“Just a little.”
“Sorry about the smack. What brought this on?”
“An impulse, I guess you could say.”
“So, Sarah said she gave you the overview of our reservation system challenge?”
“She did, and I’ve already given it some thought. I’ll be by to work on it in the morning.”
“That’s great, Adam. Thanks.”
“I’m going to press on. If you see Abby, tell her to call me.”
Laura eyed him as if she was intrigued and wanted to ask more. But thankfully, all she said was, “I will.”
“Congrats again, and tell Owen for me, too.”
“I will.”
Back on the sidewalk, Adam considered his options for a minute before he withdrew his phone, ignored the resounding objections of his conscience and pinpointed her location using the coordinates of her phone. “What the hell is she doing at the beach at this hour?” He walked to the far side of town, cutting through the ferry-landing parking lot to get there quicker. Would he find her alone, or had she gone there with a guy?
The thought of that had Adam jogging the last quarter mile, cresting the dunes in time to see Abby float into a moonbeam. When he realized she was naked, every thought drained from his head and all the blood in his body rushed to his groin. “Good God,” he whispered, gripped by the erotic scene and relieved to find her alone, even if he was dismayed at the idea of her swimming by herself at a deserted beach.
And then the devil took hold of him as he realized another opportunity that had him holding back a laugh at the thought of it. Moving stealthily and using the faint light of the moon to guide him, he found her pile of clothes in the sand and gathered them, her shoes and purse, retreating toward the dunes about a hundred feet from where she’d left her stuff. He sat to wait, holding back the need to laugh so he wouldn’t alert her to his presence.
Maybe it wasn’t very nice to play a practical joke on her, but it wasn’t nice of her to disappear for hours without a word to him whe
n they’d made tentative plans. It served her right, or so he told himself. His conscience was being a real pain in the ass where she was concerned.
He didn’t have to wait long for her to emerge from the water and venture up the beach looking for her stuff. He’d bet everything he had that she was now regretting her impulsive swim when it dawned on her that she didn’t have a towel or any way to dry off before getting dressed. She had bigger problems than that, not that she’d realized it yet.
Adam could just barely see her from where he sat, but he could tell she was looking for her stuff and becoming increasingly nervous, which made him feel extra guilty. Time to make his presence known.
“Looking for something?” he called out to her.
She let out a squawk of surprise. “Adam? What’re you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“Did you take my clothes?”
“Maybe.”
“Oh my God! What are you, twelve?”
“Apparently.”
“Give them back. This instant!”
Smiling, Adam held back a laugh that would get him into even more trouble. “Come get them.”
“I am not doing that.”
“Since you need what I’ve got, I think you’d better do what you’re told.”
“This is not funny.” She might be getting madder, but she was also getting closer.
“Yes, it is.” His eyes adjusted to the dark and feasted on the sight of creamy white skin, sweet nipples and a thatch of dark hair at the juncture of her thighs. His mouth went dry as she stopped a foot from him and held out her hand.
“Give me my clothes.”
“Make me.”
“Adam!”
Leaving her clothes in a neat pile on the sand, he got up, brushed the sand from his hands and stepped closer to her. “You’re lucky it was me who found you here and not some creep.”
“I’m not entirely sure you aren’t a creep.”
“I’m not,” he said as his hands landed on her shoulders to draw her into his embrace.
“Don’t touch me. I’m mad at you.” Her words and actions didn’t jibe as she snuggled against him.
It was all he could do not to caress every inch of bare skin. “Cold?”
“What do you think? How did you find me anyway?”
“Someone told me they saw you heading this way.” He bent his head and nuzzled her neck, pushing her heavy, wet hair out of his way.
She shivered, and her arms encircled his waist as she looked up at him.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said, his voice husky and rough. He couldn’t fight the need to kiss her for another second, capturing her cold lips in a kiss designed to warm her up from the inside out.
To his amazement and delight, she kissed him back, matching his hunger with plenty of her own. Her tongue met his every thrust, twirling and dancing in an erotic dance that made his head spin. This kiss put the earlier one to shame, he decided as his hands moved from her shoulders to her breasts.
When his palms covered her hardened nipples, Abby gasped and broke the kiss. “Adam…”
“What, sweetheart?”
With her hand on the back of his head she guided him to her breast, telling him what she wanted. He was happy to oblige, drawing her nipple into his mouth and running his tongue back and forth over it. When he added a bit of suction, she cried out, and her grip on his hair became painful—not that it stopped him from doing it again.
Only when he realized she was shivering from the cold rather than his attention did he pull back from her. “Let’s go back to your room and get you warmed up.”
“How do you plan to do that?”
“You’ll have to come with me to find out.”
“I’m still mad at you for stealing my clothes.”
“You can punish me to your heart’s content.”
“Is that right? I’ll have to give that some rather significant thought.”
As Adam doled out each article of clothing—stopping to take a good long look at the bra and lacy thong—all he could think about was how soon he could help her take them off again.
“I can’t eat another bite,” Mac announced as he pushed back from a table full of lobster shells. “Even if I beg, don’t let me have any more.”
“Right there with you,” Blaine said. “Uncle.”
Ned chortled with delight at their pleasure in the meal he’d planned down to the last potato. They’d fed the kids earlier, and now Thomas and Ashleigh were watching their latest favorite movie, The Little Mermaid.
Baby Hailey was snoozing in her mama’s arms. Maddie had quit eating long before her husband finished.
“It was a wonderful treat, Ned,” Tiffany said. “Thank you.”
The others chimed in with their thanks as Francine handed out wet wipes.
Mac and Blaine each took a side of the table and rolled up the newspapers they’d put down on the table, scooping up the discarded lobster shells.
“You can take that right out to the can in the driveway,” Francine said, holding the screen door for them.
When she came back to the table carrying a plate of brownies, Ned caught her eye and nodded, encouraging her to get on with the reason for the dinner party. He opened new beers for himself, Mac and Blaine and refilled the ladies’ wineglasses.
Mac and Blaine came back in and took turns washing their hands at the kitchen sink before returning to the table. Groaning, Mac dropped into his chair. “That was some kinda good.”
“Glad ya enjoyed it,” Ned said, delighted to be presiding over a family dinner in the home where he’d lived alone for decades. He loved everything about being part of his new family—the kids running around and making a racket, the playful bickering between Maddie and Tiffany, the razzing he and Francine withstood any time the kids caught them kissing or hugging each other. He’d never been happier in his life, and he wanted nothing more for those he loved than to see them happy, too.
Under the table, Ned patted Francine’s knee, hoping to prop her up for the conversation she needed to have with her girls.
Glancing at him once more, Francine said, “There was another reason we wanted to have you over tonight—other than the lobster.”
“The brownies?” Tiffany took one of the chocolate treats, broke one in half and fed part of it to Blaine, who watched her every move like a man who was madly in love.
Those two kids were crazy about each other, and it warmed Ned’s heart to see Tiffany so happy after all she’d been through with her ex-husband.
“I received the divorce papers from your father.”
“Finally,” Maddie said.
“No kidding,” Mac added. “About time.”
“That wasn’t all he sent,” Francine said, handing an envelope to each of her daughters.
“What’s this?” Tiffany asked.
“He’s established college funds for each of the kids,” Francine said.
Over the sleeping form of her baby daughter, Maddie stared at her mother. “You’re kidding me.”
“No.”
Tiffany opened her envelope and quickly read the note inside. Maddie left hers on the table, apparently not as curious as her sister.
“What does it say, hon?” Blaine asked Tiffany.
“That he was glad to have the chance to see me, and he wanted to do something for my daughter because he owes me for all the years I had to do without. He says he knows it’s not much in light of what I deserve, but it was the best he could do. He said he’d be happy to see Ashleigh and me any time we’d like to see him. All I have to do is call, and he’ll come. And he said he loves me. Always has.” Her voice broke, and she shook her head.
Blaine put his arm around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder.
“Do you want me to open yours for you, babe?” Mac asked Maddie.
Her lips were set firmly as she shook her head. “I’ll look at it later.”
“Want me to take Hailey?”
Ned met Mac’s worried gaze.
“When will the divorce be final?” Tiffany asked.
“I signed the papers and sent them back this afternoon,” Francine said. “The note from your father’s lawyer said six months.”
“You need your own lawyer,” Maddie said. “He owes you a small fortune in back child support, not to mention emotional pain and suffering. College funds for your grandchildren are a nice gesture, but they don’t come close to what he owes you.”
Ned reached for Francine’s hand. “We’ve talked to Dan, and yer mom and I have talked about it, too. There ain’t nothing she wants or needs from him, ’cept a divorce. We got everything we need.”
“Still, it’s not fair, Mom,” Tiffany said. “You should get some sort of settlement.”
“Ned is right,” Francine said. “The only settlement I want is the piece of paper that says I’m no longer married to Bobby Chester. I’ll never regret marrying him, because I got you girls out of it. But it’s time now to move on with my life, and by signing the papers and not asking for anything more, that’ll happen a lot sooner.”
The girls were quiet as they thought it over.
Ned cleared his throat and worked up his courage. “I wanta say somethin’ else. None a you kids will ever want for nothin’. I made a lotta money buyin’ and sellin’ houses over the years, and never spent much of it on anythin’. Mac and his siblings are my heirs, but you girls have been added inta my will as well. And yer kids don’t hafta wait for me ta kick it to have their college paid fer. If ya don’t want the money from yer daddy, send it back to him. Yer kids won’t suffer any if ya do. I waited a long, long time to have a family of my own, and there ain’t a one a ya that’s gonna want for nothin’. That’s all. That’s what I wanted to say.”
Francine and the girls stared at him.
“What?” he asked, squirming after a long minute of silence.
Maddie transferred Hailey to Mac and got up. She went over to Ned. “Stand up.”
Glancing at Francine, who shrugged, Ned did as Maddie asked. When the girl hugged the stuffing out of him, he nearly cried like an old fool.