“No, but that look on your face said it all. Anyway, I had a girlfriend. In fact, I loved her very much, and I thought she loved me. Everything was going great until about six months into the relationship. She got pregnant.” I almost stopped walking in shock. Not that she had gotten pregnant, but at the prospect of him being a father and having never mentioned it before. Where was this baby now? Brodie kept walking, keeping his gaze straight ahead, and I kept my mouth shut and listened. “She had an abortion. She didn’t tell me until after she’d had it. She never gave me the opportunity to want to be a part of her and the baby’s life. When I asked her why, she said she didn’t love me enough to want to bring a child into the world with me. All those months together I’d thought her feelings for me were the same as mine for her.”
“I’m so sorry. That is enough to make anyone steer clear of committing to someone again.”
He shrugged. “Maybe.” He finished his beer and set the cup down in the sand.
“You’re not going to leave that there,” I said.
“No. I’ll pick it up on the way back. But right now, this walk has gotten a bit too melodramatic for me.” Brodie let go of my hand and ran a few steps in front of me, then turned suddenly and swooped up water in his hand, spraying me all the way up to the waist with the salty wetness. I screamed in shock as he laughed.
“Oh, boy, you’re really gonna get it now, buster,” I yelled and ran after him, my wine spilling down my fingers as it sloshed over the rim of the plastic cup. I didn’t care. I had one thing on my mind, and that was getting him back. I bent over, and with as much force as I could gather, sprayed water all over the front of him. I even got his face. “There! Take that!”
Brodie swiped his hand over his face and said, “Oh, so you wanna play dirty, huh?” By the sinister grin on his face, I knew I was in for a very wet adventure. So I ran. I took off down the beach, laughing, taking the smallest of moments to set down the wine, not really caring if it tumbled over. I headed toward a jetty of rocks up ahead. As I approached the mountainous barrier, I realized I’d gotten myself into a no-way-out situation. I couldn’t go into the water where the rocks dipped into the sea; I didn’t know how deep it was, not to mention the waves crashing up against the rocks that would probably kill me. And I certainly wasn’t about to try to climb over them. I didn’t have a chance to do either one as Brodie grabbed me around the waist laughing. “Got you,” he claimed as he hoisted my legs up under this arm and headed toward the water.
“No! Don’t throw me in. Pleeease!” I begged.
He kept going into the water. His jeans had to be soaked. I knew I was done for. I glanced down at the water and screamed and laughed as a large wave flowed past us, crashing against his legs and spraying water up on me. “You don’t think you deserve to be dunked?” he asked.
“No! You started it.” With my arms around his neck, I hung onto him so tight, I wondered if he realized how wonderful it felt. I unconsciously turned my face into his chest as another wave splashed up on us. He smelled really good. A woodsy smell. A bit like the earth, the wind, the water and the sun all mixed together, but with a hint of fruit, like mango or something. I took a mental note to snoop at his cologne bottle and check it out. How can you live with a guy and not know what kind of cologne he uses? Well, we didn’t share the same bathroom for one. In fact, I’d never even peeked into his room. My thoughts about his cologne left me almost as quickly as they came as Brodie knelt down, keeping me in his arms and letting the water flow over us both. We were both soaked up to our necks. My hair was so wet, it clung to my body in ringlets. “Brodie, I can’t believe you did this.” I laughed.
“We needed the refreshment after being cooped up in the car all day. Besides, it’s nice to hear you laugh.”
I sighed. “I didn’t realize I’d been such a Debbie Downer.”
He laughed. “Not so much a Debbie Downer as a Wilma Worrier. Look.” He gestured toward the horizon. “The sun is setting.”
“God, it’s beautiful. Look at all those colors. The orange and purple. You were right. This is a great sunset.”
All of a sudden, he let go of me and I slipped down into the water up to my neck. Before I had a chance to even comprehend what had happened, he stuck his hand out for me. “Come on Wilma, we have some alcohol to drink.”
I took his hand and he helped me to stand. As we made our way through the waves and back to the beach, I couldn’t resist giving him one more splash. This time, aiming directly for his face and managing to get his hair as wet as mine. I ran again, and he chased me. But he was so much faster. He grabbed me around the waist again, but this time he didn’t pick me up. Instead, he tackled me to the ground. Somehow I managed to wrestle my way on top of him. Or maybe it was Brodie who positioned us that way. All thoughts of wrestling left my mind as my eyes caught his and I realized our lips were only an inch apart. We were roommates. Platonic roommates. I had no business having the feelings I was suddenly experiencing for him. Being with Brodie this way had to be wrong. But for the first time since I’d known him, well, let’s be honest, I’d always wanted him. I just didn’t know until that very moment that I did. I decided to throw caution to the wind and close the distance. I kissed him. Maybe it was the wrong thing to do. I didn’t care.
Chapter 31
Brodie
When a beautiful woman kisses you, I mean really kisses you with passion and desire, you don’t turn away. At least not in my book and particularly when that woman is someone you’d only dreamed about kissing. So, yeah, I let her kiss me. And yep, I kissed her back. I had a fleeting thought about the slap over a year ago when I had tried to kiss her. But circumstances were completely different now. I wasn’t the one who’d started it. I wasn’t groping her the way I did back then. She deserved much better treatment than that. I let her kiss me until she slowly stopped and pulled away.
She hovered over me, licking her lips like she’d just tasted the flavor of the month from Baskin Robbins. For me, the kiss was like a slice of heaven. I didn’t wait a second longer. I pulled her back to me and kissed those lips the way I’d always wanted to. There was no slap this time. Only a lovely moan that came from somewhere deep inside of her. Sort of like a purr. The sensation of her body so filled with passion on top of mine felt amazing, every bit as wonderful as I had imagined. The intensity of her tongue in my mouth made my body react in ways I knew I had to keep under control.
I needed to take things slowly with Gabrielle. Not only because I wanted to savor every moment of the magnitude of her touch and the way she tasted, but also because she deserved to be treated with the utmost care and tenderness. At the same time, she needed to be shown she was desired. It took every ounce of control I had to keep myself in check. I took hold of her shirt, fisting it in my hand to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, to have something tangible to hold on to.
I allowed her to take the lead, but I also wanted her to know that I was very much involved. The kiss went on much longer than I had anticipated, and when she pulled her lips away from mine, I couldn’t do much except gaze into her eyes.
“This might complicate things,” I said, finally finding my voice.
“Mmmm … possibly. Are you mad?” she asked.
“Mad? Do I look mad?”
“No.”
“Well, then.” I took her face in my hands and gently tugged her back into another kiss. By the time we stopped kissing, the sun had sunk down well below the horizon creating a beautiful landscape of purples and oranges. As the reflection from the sinking sun illuminated the edges of the clouds, they looked like they were on fire.
With the ambience of the sunset, the sand beneath me, and the way her wet body clung to mine, I lost all my resolve and admitted the one thing that had been so difficult to even admit to myself. “The real reason I stopped “sleeping around” with a bunch of different women all the time is you. I didn’t want you to think I was that guy.”
“I … I was going to say I never thought you
were that guy, but that would be a lie. Last year, when you kissed me, you took me by surprise, even more so by the groping. Back then, I thought you were that guy. But not since I’ve known you now. You’re definitely not that guy.”
“Before Beth, I’d never really been the type of guy to use women, or let them use me as the case was so many times after her. What she did was inexcusable and selfish, and at the time, all I wanted to do was hurt her. I couldn’t do that, so I guess maybe I lashed out and took advantage of others instead. I’m glad you don’t think of me in that way. I’ve always liked you, Gabrielle. Having you living at the house has been beyond amazing.”
“I hope this doesn’t ruin it,” she mumbled.
“Don’t say that. This won’t ruin anything as far as I’m concerned.” There was no way in hell I wanted to make the same mistakes I’d made in the past. I liked Gabrielle, and since we’d been living under the same roof, I thought I knew her pretty well. I was pretty sure there was some big secret looming over her from her past, but I had mine too. Giving her a little of that secret tonight had been difficult. Someday, I’d give her the rest of the story.
I’d gone over and over it in my head the past two years trying to figure out what had made Beth do what she had done. Why she hadn’t felt the same way about me, how I hadn’t known. Little things, like when she’d go get coffee for herself and not for me. Or when I’d ask her what she was doing or where she was going, and she’d get all defensive and accuse me of being jealous. It had never occurred to me that the reasons she got so upset by those questions was because she didn’t really want me to know. That she didn’t love me.
As much as I loved this moment with Gabrielle, I thought it would be best if we took it very slowly. “It’s getting dark now. We should probably go in and put some dry clothes on,” I suggested.
“Yeah. Thanks for getting me all wet, and I think I lost my wine somewhere way down that-a-way.” She pointed back toward the hotel we were staying at.
“We’ll get you another one.” I gently flipped her off of me and stood, holding my hand out for her to take. When she got to her feet, I pulled her in; wrapping my arms around her waist I kissed her again. I savored every centimeter of her lips, her taste, her scent and took them into memory, not knowing where this would lead, if anywhere. I just didn’t want to forget.
Back at the entrance to the bar, we slipped on our shoes. Our clothes were soaked, but not dripping. Gabrielle’s hair hung down her back in wet curly strands. Some of the shorter curls around her face stuck out, while others seemed to be plastered to her cheeks. Her wet, tousled look made me think of a beautiful mermaid set free from the sea ready to conquer her mate into submission, and I, her willing victim. I opened the door for her, smiling a bit, fantasizing about the future, hoping there would be one with Gabrielle however long or short it might be.
As expected, Kipper and Denny were still sitting at the bar watching the TV. I wasn’t sure if Gabrielle felt comfortable enough to let them see her, us, all wet. I turned to her. “If you want to head up to the room so you can get dried off and change quicker, I’ll order some more drinks and bring them up.”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll wait for you.”
“Okay,” I said, feeling a bit like a high school kid about to run into some of the guys who would no doubt give us a hard time about what we’d been up to.
As we approached the bar, Kipper turned around. “Hey, how’s the water?”
“Um … great,” Gabrielle supplied and I couldn’t help but notice the flush in her cheeks.
“You and Denny should go for a swim,” I added to take the focus off of us.
“Nah, maybe tomorrow. I like the sun. It’s dark out now. Hey, what time are we getting together for practice and setup?”
“Sometime around eleven.”
“Sounds good,” Kipper said and Denny nodded. “Hey, look who’s risen from the honeymoon suite!” he added, gesturing with his head toward the doorway where Lena and Jackson walked in holding hands. Great, two more people I didn’t feel like seeing right now. I hoped the questions about us being wet would hold off until tomorrow.
Then I was sure the dam had broken on the seal of our little kissing event as Kipper blurted out. “Damn, Denny, you and I need to find some women. With the way things are progressing around here, it’s bound to be an interesting week.” He slapped Denny on the back and they both laughed. These guys were no dummies, and I knew they had their suspicions of just what Gabrielle and I had been doing.
“What happened to you two?” Lena asked.
“What’s it look like? We went swimming,” I said, but Gabrielle’s cheeks turned an even rosier shade giving everything away.
Lena’s and Jackson’s glances went to me then back to Gabrielle. “Is that all?” she asked?
“Um …” Gabrielle stole a glance at me, opened her mouth to speak, but simply looked back at Lena and smiled.
I had to interject. Otherwise, Jackson would be all over this in a second or two. “Yeah. We were walking and well, you know me, I couldn’t resist the urge to start splashing her and one thing led to another until we were waist deep in the waves.”
Jackson nodded that all-knowing nod he usually does when he knows something he’s not supposed to know. “Sounds like it was fun. Did you see that gorgeous sunset?”
“Oh, yeah. It was one of the most beautiful ones I’ve seen in a long time. Made me remember how much I miss the beach,” Gabrielle said with a sigh.
After finally ordering the drinks, we made our way upstairs. I gave Gabrielle a chance to shower and change while I ordered a couple of burgers from room service.
Chapter 32
Gabrielle
As I towel dried off from the much-needed shower to remove the sand, some of which was lodged in places I didn’t think it could penetrate, I glanced in the mirror. I thought I looked different, but didn’t know what it was. Nothing I could really pinpoint. I felt a little different. Relaxed for one, but that’s not usually something that shows up in the mirror, is it? Maybe it was the grin that I couldn’t seem to contain. I couldn’t believe I had kissed Brodie on the beach and that he had returned the kiss. Following it with another, then another. Wow. I never imagined he could feel that good. I must have been nuts to be so upset with him last year, but it had been such an unexpected development at the time. This time though, he never let his hands go wandering places where they weren’t welcome. I’m not entirely sure they would have been unwelcome anywhere on my body this time. I’d gotten to know him much better. We’d become friends. Having his hands on me felt … well, absolutely wonderful.
I finished drying off and put on a clean pair of shorts and a white, button down sleeveless shirt that tied at my waist. I glanced in the mirror briefly before leaving, thinking all I needed was a pair of cowboy boots and I’d look like a dark-haired Daisy Duke. Not quite the look I’d been going for, but too late, all my other clothes were out in the room in my suitcase, and this is what Brodie would see me in as I came out of the bathroom. No hiding until I got a chance to change. Sheesh.
Brodie sat on the edge of the bed, just turning around after hanging up the phone. “I ordered some burgers.”
“Great! I’m famished.” Smiling, I added, “Getting dunked in the ocean seems to have spiked my appetite.”
He rose and pulled me against him, tilting my face up to his. He still smelled of saltwater, and he was still a bit sticky and sandy, but I didn’t care. I liked being against his hard body. “How about kissing. Did that have any effect on you?”
I grinned. “Yes. A great deal.”
“Good? Or Bad?”
“While being dunked in the ocean raised my hunger, remembering the kisses has only put my appetite into remission with the prospect of more.”
“Really?” He laughed. “That was most profound, Miss Demeres.”
“Hmmm … if you’re going to start being so formal and calling me by my last name, I don’t think we should be so clo
se together like this.”
“Just showing my respect. I’ll call you anything you want. I like Gabrielle though.”
“Gabrielle is fine.” He held me so close I thought I would fall over if he let go. When he lowered his lips to mine, I forgot about names, burgers, or even Daisy Duke attire and let my mind escape to that spot it had on the beach, just enjoying the softness of his lips, his tongue as it melded with mine. When he stopped kissing me, I groaned a little.
“I need a shower,” he said and kissed me on my forehead before turning to walk into the bathroom.
When I heard the water start, I went to my suitcase and pulled out another top that didn’t look quite as hoedown as the white shirt. A simple t-shirt with black and white roses on the front.
As I pulled the shirt over my head, my phone rang. “Hello?”
There was silence at first, then a strange, deep voice, “You’re a slut after all. I knew it.”
I didn’t recognize who it was. The voice sounded muffled, almost like the person had a towel over the receiver of the phone. “Who is this?”
“You can’t hide from me. I’m always watching.”
Click.
My heart pounded in my chest. I didn’t know who would be calling me and saying those things. I thought of Jeff. I suppose it was possible, but how would he know where I was? My hands were shaking as I checked the number. It was blocked. My eyes welled up with tears and I was suddenly overcome with fear. Fear that it was Jeff or someone from my past. Could it be? After all these years? I shook my head. That was preposterous. Spying on me? Away from home? Whoever it was had to have followed me down here.
“Gabrielle?” Brodie’s voice sounded urgent, filled with concern. I turned to look at him, still clutching the phone in my hand. He walked over to me. His jeans hanging low on his waist revealing the awesome v cut below his stomach. His chest as well as his feet were bare. Once again illuminating that Greek god appearance the way his hair fell over his forehead, damp with a slight curl. “What’s wrong? I called you four times and you didn’t answer me.”
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