Silas drew her down, whispering into the indigo shadows. “Stay?”
Sofia nodded, heavy-lidded, and snuggled against him. He pulled a sheet up over them to ward off the breeze, and she slipped into a deep, contented sleep.
She woke to an unfamiliar bar of sunlight and contented feline rumbling in her ear. When Houdini stretched, flexing his paws in her tangled hair, she laughed. She’d fallen asleep with the man and woken up with his cat. Blinking, she scrubbed the sleep from her eyes. Silas’s apartment was empty, but the clock revealed that she hadn’t overslept. Rolling out of bed, she tugged the fuchsia dress over her head.
She padded into the kitchen with Houdini at her heels. On the brown laminate counters was a Stern & Lowe New York mug next to a pricey grind-and-brew machine. A note in tidy block print instructed her to help herself to the coffee. She touched the stainless steel carafe. Still warm. She poured and leaned against the counter, watching the end of the sunrise over the nearly empty beach.
The cat rubbed up against her calves, brushing the dress’s fabric out along his tail. Silas’s teasing echoed in her memory.
“You should never make coffee with clothes on.”
She wondered if he’d made the coffee before he dressed for his dawn run. Out the window, she watched a jogger make his way barefoot along the high tide line. He ran easy, she thought. His body flowed over the sand, without tension or rush. It wasn’t until he shifted his stride to cross the softer sand that she realized it was Silas. Houdini leapt up to the counter and helped himself to some spilled coffee. She scratched him behind his ears.
“Classy animal.”
Houdini purred in reply.
Silas rinsed his feet off at the shower stands; his wet feet left fading footprints as he crossed the beach parking lot and the street. Sofia swallowed the last of her coffee and rinsed the mug in the sink. She was at the door to the bedroom to collect the rest of her clothes when Silas came in.
He swung her around by the waist to face him, greeting her with a kiss tasting of salt and adrenaline. “Good morning.”
“Hi,” was all Sofia could manage before he was kissing her again, smoothing the dress over her ribcage, dipping his hands into the bodice to touch her breasts, bending to take her nipples into his mouth, one tight peak then another. When she peeled his shirt over his head, his skin was hot to the touch under a sheen of clean sweat peppered with fine sand.
Suddenly impatient, she pushed her dress down, shimmying it over her hips. Silas slipped out of his running shorts, watching her undress with a hungry gaze. Reaching for her, he kissed her again. Her head spun with lust and caffeine. He steered them not to the bedroom, but to the adjoining bath.
“Silas?”
“I’m filthy.” His smile was wicked. “I really need a shower.”
NINE
Even with the shower, Sofia was still early to work. Amy found her touching up the paint on the Old Man of the Mountain who looked down on the eighteenth green. She had Sofia’s phone in hand.
“Morning, Sofia.” She handed over the phone. “This was ringing when I signed the timesheet.”
Sofia checked her missed calls. “Thanks, Amy. Do you want to open the register or take over for me out here?”
“I’ll take over out here, if that’s okay.”
Sofia opened her voicemail on the way back to the office. The missed call was from Judy.
Sof, it’s Judy. Keep Saturday open. We’re having a cookout around four and it’s about damn time you met Christopher and the kids. Bring dessert and Silas. Don’t worry, we’ll be nice. See you then.
She texted Silas, thinking as she did so that they rarely, if ever, used their phones. The habit of wandering between their two buildings in search of one another had formed easily. Maybe too easily. Her phone pinged. His reply was immediate; he even told her he’d take care of the dessert.
It had been a few days since she’d checked her work email. The hotel had hired a contract manager to carry her workload while she took the personal leave to run the Landing, so there wasn’t much to monitor until she was ready to return to D.C. She’d been grateful for the company’s care and support following her father’s death; she hoped their goodwill extended as far as accepting her application for the promotion.
Setting her laptop down on the desk, she opened her email client. One new message from the personnel director waited. Her stomach lurched. Her finger trembled over her laptop’s trackpad.
Dear Ms. Buck,
Firstly, please accept DeVarona International’s deepest sympathy for the loss of your father. On behalf of the Luxelle Europe division, I’d like to thank you for your interest in the position of Event Director at Luxelle Santorini. We are impressed with your resume and history of service to the DeVarona hospitality brand, and would be pleased to offer you the position, effective September 30. …
Sofia read the rest of the offer with trembling fingers. Her imagination spun out a red carpet of opportunity stretching into the horizon. She could wrap up the season in Hampton; Kevin Landry would find her a buyer for the Landing. Her condo in Columbia Heights would be snapped up in a heartbeat. Judy and Chris could visit and have that honeymoon she’d offered. Visions of white sand, azure skies, and sun-soaked days carried her through the remainder of the day, marred by one persistent question.
How was she going to tell Silas?
Even hours later, when he knocked on her apartment door and let himself in, she still hadn’t come up with a perfect answer.
“Hi,” she said, closing her laptop to hide her internet search for real estate on Santorini.
“Hey.” He crossed the room and leaned over the sofa to kiss her. “How was the rest of your day?”
“Good.” She set the laptop on the coffee table, evasions forming on her lips. “Amy and I got some maintenance done on the Old Man; we were busy. You?”
He came around the sofa. “Besides spending a good portion of the day dreaming up ways to get you back into the shower, it was just another day.”
“You don’t need to work so hard at that, you know.” It was so much easier to let him seduce her. “I really ought to shower at least twice a day.”
“Yeah?” He crawled over the cushions, leaning in to kiss her neck. “Does that mean we can get dirty first?”
So much easier, she thought, when his body was warm and solid over hers, when she could push his shirt up over his head and lay her hands on the broad expanse of his back.
She gave her mouth up willingly when he kissed her, surrendering to the ease with which their bodies moved together.
Impatient, she reached for his waistband, but he stopped her, kneeling back. Grasping her hips, he tugged her down on the sofa, settling himself between her thighs. Her heart skipped eagerly when he smoothed his palms up over her belly, kneading her breasts gently over her clothes before raising her arms up.
She let them rest behind her on the arm of the sofa while he unbuttoned her camp shirt and pushed it aside. He watched her, eyes hot with desire, as he parted the fabric, held her eyes while he bared her skin to the cooling evening air. With his mouth he traced the lacy border of her bra as his fingers slipped under the satin. She pushed herself up, half sitting, to shed the shirt and bra.
Silas laid her back and she gave over to him. He took one taut nipple and then the other into his mouth, teasing the sensitive flesh with a delicate scrape of teeth, drawing out the ache of pleasure with his clever fingers.
When her body moved restlessly, pressing against him, he shed the last of his clothing, peeling away her lace and satin, following the fabric with his mouth. She cried out when his tongue teased the center of her wanting. He brought her up slowly, tenderly, taking his cues from her soft sounds, from the skip of her breath. When she tensed against him, he pressed on, pushing her pleasure over the edge.
“Silas.” Her hands clutched at his shoulders, drawing him up. “I want you inside me.”
He responded to her directness in kind, fillin
g her, gathering her close. They came together with an urgency that shocked her.
They never made it the shower, but woke together before dawn in her bed, bodies tangled. Sofia rolled him under her, taking the lead, bringing them both fully awake with sweetness and heat as the dawn broke over the Atlantic.
~~~
Saturday was weighed down by a still and sullen heat. Sofia changed her uniform polo twice before Amy arrived to cover the evening shift. She showered under cold water and dug in her closet until she found a lightweight skirt and tank top. She twisted her hair up off her neck and skipped her face, opting for lip-gloss to finish her outfit.
She went in the main entrance of Atlantis Market. Silas’s nephew was restocking the sunscreen display. “Afternoon, Ms. Buck.”
At least he didn’t call me “ma’am” this time, Sofia thought wryly. “I’m looking for Silas.”
“He said you could go on up.”
She smiled and headed for the back door and the stairs. Silas met her on the landing in his customary surf shorts and band tee. “Hi, gorgeous.”
“Hey,” she said, noticing his empty hands. “Where’s dessert?”
“We have to pick it up.” He touched the tip of her nose. “I didn’t forget.”
She felt a blush creep over her face. “That’s not what I meant.”
He kissed her swiftly and jogged down the stairs, opening the door to the store. “Theo! I’m out. You good?”
Theo’s muffled reply sounded affirmative, which seemed sufficient for Silas. Sofia marveled at the mysteries of male communication as she followed him out the door.
“Whose ride?” Silas asked.
Sofia jingled her car keys. “Air conditioning.”
When they were in the car, she asked him where they were heading. He gave her an address on Route 1. When they arrived, he asked her to pull over so he could run in. Sofia watched him duck into a shop she thought might have once been a diner. The awning over the front door read “Treat.” Candy striped café curtains obscured the interior, but Sofia got the impression of an old-fashioned ice cream parlor.
Silas came out with a reusable grocery bag bearing the Treat logo. He set it in the backseat of her car before sliding in next to her.
Sofia’s curiosity got the better of her. “What did you get?”
“Sundae party,” Silas replied. “I figured there would be kids, and who doesn’t like ice cream?”
~~~
Judy and Chris’s two cars filled their small driveway. The house was a Cape Cod cottage with a screened-in breezeway between the house and garage. Both garage bays were open, revealing a lawnmower, snowblower, as well as two bikes, a hefty stroller, and a small aluminum fishing boat. Sofia pulled her car onto the side of the road behind a small SUV. Silas grabbed the bag of dessert and followed her across the front lawn. The smell of hardwood charcoal wafted through the screens from the back.
Her knock on the breezeway door was met with a shout to come through. Judy was perched on the deck railing with an athletic brunette. A man Sofia assumed was Chris Dunaway was manning the grill with Dex Adams. Sofia took the brunette on the deck to be Dex’s pediatrician wife.
“Sof!” Judy hopped down and hugged her, squeezing hard. She released Sofia and hugged Silas. “I’m so glad you joined us!”
Silas held up the bag full of sundae fixings for the hostess’s inspection.
“Ooh, a Treat Sundae Party?” Judy gave Sofia a significant look. “He can stay.”
“Can I put this away?” Silas asked.
“Oh, my lord,” Judy gushed. She called over her shoulder to her husband. “Christopher, I’m leaving you for Sofia’s boyfriend.” Pointing to the breezeway door, she patted Silas’s arm. “The kitchen’s that way.”
Silas took his instructions and left in the direction of the kitchen.
An irritated squawk interrupted their arrival. Judy reached down for an infant carrier parked under the shade of a canvas umbrella, nudging it so it rocked. She rattled a colorful plush ornament hanging in front of the infant buckled inside. “Sof, this is Andie.”
Sofia crouched down to run a finger over the baby girl’s cheek. “I’ve heard a lot about you.” She looked up at Judy. “She’s beautiful. I love that you named her for a Molly Ringwald character.”
“Pretty in Pink!” Judy squealed. “Laurie, Sofia and I must have watched that movie a hundred times.” She pulled Sofia over to the brunette. “Sof, this is Laurie, Dex’s wife. Laur, this is my oldest friend, Sofia Buck.”
Laurie leaned in for a quick hug. “Dex mentioned he’d seen you in the bar. We knew your father a little. I’m so sorry for your loss.”
The other woman’s warmth wrapped around Sofia. “Thank you. It’s really good to meet you.”
Dex called her over to the grill, just as Silas came out from the kitchen to join her. Chris leaned over to kiss her cheek, keeping his tongs and spatula over the grill. “It’s a pleasure, Sofia. I’ve been hearing about you for years.”
“I’m sure it was all lies,” Sofia laughed.
“Judy tells me you and Decker go way back.” Chris greeted Silas with a man-nod. “How’s the Jeep?”
Silas shook Dex’s hand and looked over the grill full of burgers and bratwurst. “Running great.”
“Sof!” Judy called, holding up a pitcher. “Iced tea?”
“If you gentlemen would excuse me,” she smiled and headed for Judy and Laurie, who’d moved to deck chairs under the umbrella with the baby.
A burst of childlike laughter heralded the return of the three other children at the party. They came crashing out of the rhododendrons that lined the fence at the edge of the property. The tallest, a tiny version of Chris, raced over to the deck, brandishing a grimy Wiffle ball.
“Dad? Will you play catch?”
Chris shook his head. “Gotta make dinner, Bud.”
Two preschoolers trailed behind him, one lean and sturdy, the other still sporting a baby’s softly rounded joints. The littlest one looked plaintively at Dex. “Daddy?”
Silas spoke up to the trio of little boys. “Can I play, too? If Dex here isn’t scared of my fastball, we’ve got the makings of a good game.”
All three boys lit up. Dex jumped the deck railing to whoops and applause from the kids. “Silas, this little monster,” he pointed to the smallest boy, “is my son Henry. The beanpole is Jake Dunaway.” He ruffled the older boy’s hair. “And his brother John.”
Sofia watched Silas choose up teams with Dex and the little boys. She turned to Judy. “You really did name them all for John Hughes characters. I didn’t put it together until just now.”
Judy grinned. “At least I didn’t call Johnny ‘Bender.’”
The three women dissolved into laughter. Down in the yard, Silas set himself up as the pitcher and coached Jake and Henry into position. John took up the plastic yellow bat and the game was on. Dex played catcher behind a home plate he fashioned out of a Frisbee in the grass. Silas faked a big wind-up and lobbed an easy pitch at John, who whacked it past Silas’s shoulder.
Laurie watched Henry scramble for the ball. “Silas is so sweet with the boys.”
Judy looked at Sofia. “Mmhm.”
Chris finished with the meat on the grill, and Judy orchestrated the rest of the table setting while she nursed Andie in the shade. The bigger kids managed to sit still long enough to inhale their weight in potato salad and hamburgers before Jake led the charge for dessert.
“Sofia and Silas brought ice cream,” Judy informed them. “Go play. We’ll call you when it’s ready.”
Judy, who’d had Andie over her shoulder, got up and deposited the sleeping baby in Sofia’s arms. “I have to pee.”
For someone so small, little Andie Dunaway was solid and warm in her arms. Sofia scootched in her chair to accommodate the baby and inhaled the powder and milk scent of Andie’s peach fuzz hairline.
“So, Sofi,” Dex said, freshening everyone’s iced tea. “You headed to D.C. when the
season’s over?”
Sofia felt everyone’s focus shift to her. “Yeah,” she said, wishing she could dodge the question.
“Judy and I drove by the other night,” Chris added. “The Landing looks great. Your old man would be proud.”
“Thanks.” Sofia picked up her tea with her free hand. Andie didn’t stir. She remembered then what Judy had said about Chris and her dad being in recovery together. She gave him the best smile she could muster. “I’m glad you think so.”
Silas deflected the line of questioning by asking about the Dunaway Auto Repair lettering on the back of Jake’s baseball shirt. While they discussed the business and rec-league sponsorship, Sofia chewed on her guilt.
Her father wouldn’t be proud. He’d be devastated. He’d let his only child go to keep the drink and the pain, but he’d never lost Buck’s Landing. She couldn’t get rid of it fast enough.
“Sofia? Are you okay?” Laurie was leaning across Judy’s empty chair.
“Oh.” Sofia set her glass down without drinking from it. “I’m fine. Just woolgathering.”
“Do you ever have time off on weekends?” Laurie asked.
“I can, if my assistant manager can come in. Why?”
“Judy keeps forgetting to ask you,” Laurie said, casting a maternal eye over the three boys racing around in the yard. “I can’t imagine why. She and I are going up to Freeport to do some shopping some time soon, and we wanted to invite you.”
“I’d love to,” Sofia replied, finding that she meant it. She liked it here on the Dunaways’ deck. She liked Dex’s wife and Judy’s husband, and the kids made everything so cozy—and crazy. Andie stretched slightly, her sleepy weight shifting, and Sofia felt the movement in her heart. She leaned over and kissed the sleeping baby’s forehead.
“You want me to take her?” Laurie asked.
Buck's Landing (A New England Seacoast Romance) Page 10