by Cara North
“Tell me everything.” She folded her magazine and looked at Grace. She pushed her big Chanel sunglasses on top of the headscarf.
“There’s nothing to tell really.” Thank God she wore her dark sunglasses today. At least she can hide her lying eyes. “We were talking, and one thing led to another and...” She shrugged.
“And.” Megan was actually leaning toward her now.
“You know, we started fooling around and stuff. Then, we just moved upstairs, and well, there we were this morning.” Grace read the lines in the romance novel in her lap. Why couldn’t this be a love scene? Huh, not a bad idea. She began skimming.
“You’re lying.” Megan shook her head. “You lying little bitch, I can’t believe you are lying to me.”
Megan knew Grace. She flirted but was always home at curfew. She knew Ethan. He was a prowler, a deviant. He would have come on too strong, and Grace would have shut him down if not punched him. How they got in bed together still didn’t register.
“Lying?” Grace feigned offense. “I’m not lying. You saw with your own two eyes!” Here we go. She found a great detailed passage, skimmed it, then took a breath.
“So, then tell me.”
“I’m not giving you the play by play. I’m a lady.” Grace turned to face her cousin in that Calvin Klein bathing suit, those Chanel sunglasses, and matching headscarf.
Grace had been privy to all the details of Megan’s men since high school. Megan described Chase and his abilities in graphic detail. It was more than she needed to know and now made her wonder how Ethan stacked up to his little brother.
Enough! Megan felt furious. Grace is trying to steal my thunder, plus play me for a fool.
“Honey, if you slept with Ethan, it would be all over you. And you, you don’t look a bit different than you did last night.” Megan smirked as she reclined again and flipped through her magazine.
“All over me? What’s that supposed to mean?” Grace raised a brow, but Megan couldn’t see it.
“That’s why I think you’re lying.” Megan peered at Grace with those blue eyes. “But if you’re not, then tell me. I’ve heard tales of Ethan before,” she warned her. Ethan was well-known amongst a certain crowd. How could women not want to sleep with Ethan after that article in Vanity Fair where Emma dished on what a sensual lover her fiancé was.
Quoting her novel, Grace laid out the scene.
“Well, first he pulled me into him with those masculine arms of his.” She pushed up her sunglasses now, too. Megan didn’t know who she was dealing with today. Grace turned her gaze to the ocean, to Ethan. His long lean body balancing on that surfboard was enough to transform him into the very character of that book she clutched at desperately. “He was powerful, yet tender ... sensual and erotic. He did things that...”
“Okay, enough.” Megan pushed her glasses back down. That was almost a direct quote from the Vanity Fair article, so they had indeed crossed that line. Shit.
Grace smiled and pulled her glasses back down. Her attention alternated between the scrumptious antics of the novel’s leading lady and the hero, competing detectives on a case, and Ethan surfing in the water. With a sigh, reality slipped in for a moment. She did remember every detail, every line of his face, every sound of his laugh, and every curve of his body that had lay next to her all night. Funny she had known Mitchell all her life, and she could barely remember what color his eyes were now.
“Come on, Megan. Let’s take a walk.” Grace stood and reached for Megan’s hand, pulling her up. “What else is there to get ready for your big day?”
Megan was relieved. At least Grace still knew what was important right now, Megan’s wedding. They walked down to the pier and back.
The guys were sitting on the beach blanket, surfboards stuck in the sand with a group of young babes surrounding them in a half circle. They smiled as they noticed the two women approaching. Megan couldn’t wait to bust their dreams and claim her man. She lived for moments like this. Chase looked small compared to his brother, but at six one he towered over Megan’s petite five-three frame.
“Come play in the water, honey.” Megan called to Chase, holding out her hand. She pitched the scarf and sunglasses close to the blanket. He immediately got up and walked right through the girls to Megan.
Ethan looked at Grace, wondering if she was going to stake a claim or leave him to his fan club. Grace smiled and held her hand out. He was pleased.
“Excuse me, ladies,” he said politely and walked around them toward Grace.
She was beautiful. Her hair loosely pulled back in a ponytail. She wore a full coverage suit. The top was like a tank-top with skinny straps, and it fit pushing just a hint of the ample bosom above. The bottoms were like shorts but smaller. He loved that she didn’t feel the need to display herself, yet he wished there was more he could see.
The group of young girls watched him take her hand and began to walk back down the beach whispering and laughing. Grace felt good. Here she was almost thirty, and she held the hand of the man every woman in the area was eyeballing.
“So, you going in?” He nodded toward the ocean, holding her hand loosely. He wanted to grab her and press his wet body against hers.
“Oh no, I don’t get in the ocean.” Grace swayed back and forth nervously. Please don’t ask me to get in the water. Her fear of the ocean was deeply ingrained. Ethan’s body was a welcome distraction from the thought. Her eyes watched the water bead and fall down his chest. Salty, right now he would taste like salt water.
“You live next to the beach, and you don’t get in the ocean?” Ethan shifted his eyes to Megan and Chase, laughing and dunking one another between waves. He had to feel Grace next to him. Maybe a little peer pressure would work. “You’re gonna blow our cover if you don’t go in.”
“I, uh, I ... just.” Her heart was racing. How could she tell him how afraid of the ocean she was? After all, her father died in the ocean. Her mother would never let her swim in the ocean, never let her go with Megan and her dad on his boat.
If it wasn’t a clear chlorinated pool, she wasn’t allowed in it. She couldn’t let him think she was afraid though. That was the first thing her college buddy, Evelyn, taught her about men. If they think you’re afraid of something, they will play on your weakness. Mitchell definitely did. “No, I just never.”
“Come on.” He pulled her hand. Slanting her a look, he wasn’t sure, but he thought she might be afraid.
“My glasses.”
Ethan let go of her hand and delicately pulled the frames away. Her eyes were now brown and fearful. He took two steps and tossed the glasses to the beach blanket. “Let’s go.” He grabbed her hand and led her to the water. He didn’t like to think she was afraid. He wanted to prove that she had no reason to fear him. Ethan didn’t know why that was important to him, but it was. “Trust me, Grace.”
“Do you know how many babies were born on account of trust me?” She remembered that line from a comedy club performance and blurted it out like she had a sudden case of turrets syndrome.
“Well, I’ll be sure and use protection. Let’s go.” What is wrong with her? Had Megan told her something to change her mind? “Are you afraid?”
“No, that’s ridiculous.” Her heart was pounding. Couldn’t he see it? It felt as though it would burst out of her chest at any minute now.
“I can swim.” As if that helped. “I’ve just never...”
“So.” Ethan had pulled her closer to the water, and the wave splashed on her legs. The cool water sent chills all over, and her breasts stood to attention. He had to get her in the water. “Trust me. I won’t let you go, Gracie, I promise.”
It sounded like he just called her Gracie. Only family and really old friends called her Gracie.
“It’s cold.” She laughed nervously, taking one more step toward him. She could see in his eyes he was telling the truth. She could trust him. That sent a tug at her already thunderous heart.
“Okay.” She gasped as
the next wave splashed on her legs.
“Come here.” His voice was thick. He leaned over with arms open as if to hug her. “Come with me.”
She must have been drunk off of pheromones because she moved closer and before she could protest, he had lifted her in the air and began walking into the water.
“Hold on.” Ethan pressed them both into the water easily. Grace gripped his neck like she would die if he let her go. It felt good to have her arms around him. Maybe if he just got a little of Grace out of his system, he could return to New York and return to work, return to solitude.
“Oh my God.” Megan watched as she saw Ethan carrying Grace into the first wave. “I can’t believe my eyes.”
“What baby?” Chase looked around but only saw Ethan carrying Grace into the water. “You want me to carry you like that?” He lifted her easily. She smacked at his chest in play.
“No, silly, she is terrified of the ocean.” She watched in amazement. “This is the first time she’s ever been in.”
“In the water?”
“Yeah, my uncle, her dad died on a rescue mission. My aunt hated when I came to the beach. If my dad hadn’t brought me...”
“It’s okay, baby. Ethan won’t let her get hurt out here.” Chase knew Megan only wanted the best for Grace. She always talked about her, but Grace was fickle, set in her ways like an old woman instead of a woman in her prime. If Megan worried, so did he, and that was a lot where Grace was concerned.
“Okay,” Ethan said setting her down in the water. “We are about chest deep, but as the waves come in, you have to jump up and over them.” He held his arms around her. He loved the way her skin felt on his hands. Her eyes were brown and big. Her pupils were dilated, her body full of goose bumps. She was afraid of something. Now that she was chest to chest, he could feel her heart pounding. “Are you okay?”
She clung to his arms and breathed deeply in and out.
“Look at me,” Ethan said softly. “When I say jump just push up, I got you. You’re not going anywhere. Just don’t let go of me, okay?” He smiled. “You’ll be surfing in no time.”
Grace was aware of his cocky self assured posture and statements. Ethan had no doubts about who he was or what he was capable of. It both intrigued and annoyed her. She wanted that self actualization, and he had it in spades.
Megan and Chase made their way over. As they approached, Megan winked at Grace. She was in too deep now, and there was no way she was going to give Megan the opportunity to start teasing her like she did when they were teenagers.
Grace swallowed a part of her fear and thought about the way Megan and Chase were playing before Ethan carried her in here. The water wasn’t that scary. She relaxed her grip and pushed back moving away from Ethan. Her senses were on overload. Too much Ethan, too much ocean.
He was grabbing her hand and saying something when she felt the wave hit her from the side. Her hand slipped right away, his fingers passing hers.
Then, her feet were up and her head was down, and then she realized she had been toppled by a wave and was alone. Under the water, she rolled again as the panic started. Damn it, Grace. Why weren’t you listening. Silence and darkness, she thought. Is this what my dad felt before he died?
Grace could feel arms around her pulling her up hard. Then, the air hit her lungs. She could breathe again. She coughed and coughed and was afraid she would throw up.
“Grace!” Ethan had her firmly in his grip. “Are you okay? Why didn’t you jump? Where were you going?”
She scared him. He didn’t like that.
“Gracie.” Megan was now next to her, pushing the loose hairs back away from her face. “What the hell are you doing? You scared the shit out of me!” Megan was almost between Ethan and Grace now. He had them both within his massive arms. It was only because he could tell Megan was scared herself he let her weasel between them.
“Jump ladies.” Ethan made sure they both stayed above the wave.
“You wanna get this?” He motioned at Chase, who just stared in shock. He had probably never witnessed compassion like that from the diva. It may have also bothered him that she was in Ethan’s arms. Ethan didn’t know or care why his brother was stunned, but he wanted Megan out of his space.
Grace took a deep breath and felt embarrassed now that she wasn’t dead. Megan was tending her like an infant. It was just a wave. How humiliating.
“I was thinking,” was all Grace could say. Megan had grabbed her almost as hard as Ethan. Why wouldn’t she, Grace was all the family she had left.
Ethan laughed. “Okay, well, enough water for one day. You scared me to death, woman.”
His hands were firm but gentle. Her body shook in little tremors of fear beneath them. Grace was in shock. She just didn’t know what to do. It had been so long since she felt anything, and now she was surging with emotions.
Chase had pulled Megan back into his own arms and was whispering in her ears now. He was shocked at Ethan’s reaction. His big brother was going after Grace as soon as the water knocked her over.
Ethan gave Grace a lot of attention, more than any woman, including family. He tried his best to avoid people, yet he pushed Grace at every turn. First, flirting at the historic sites and then feeding her at dinner.
Surely, if he had slept with Grace last night, he would not be interested in her this morning. That was how Ethan operated. This man carrying Grace out of the water was new to him. It made him nervous for his brother and for Grace. Chase began comforting Megan then started playing again.
“Hold on, Gracie.” Ethan placed her arms around his neck and grabbed her thighs with his hands. She followed his lead wrapping her legs around his waist. He held on to her thighs and began the walk out of the water.
Grace rested her head on his shoulder and tried not to cry. A tear escaped anyway. The whole experience was overpowering her. Ethan had held on to her. She had let go of him. Now, here she was draped around his body one arm supporting her under her butt, the other holding her back, pressing her firmly to his chest like a child. She felt almost cherished.
Megan and Chase stayed in the water, body surfing and playing around. Ethan sat on the blanket next to Grace and watched them, pretending not to notice her tears. He didn’t want to add insult to injury, and the fact she was holding them back meant she didn’t want anyone to notice. So, he sat in silence. He really wasn’t sure what to do with a crying woman who wasn’t related to him. His cousin Stephanie worked for him. She cried a lot, but she was an emotional lady, an artist. Ethan understood that.
As he watched his little brother and Megan hoot and laugh in the waves, he wondered what his mom would think of Grace. She was like a southern belle one minute and then a feisty little imp the next. He didn’t like her sad like this though. It made him feel helpless, and he hated that.
Turning his eye from the ocean to Grace, she still laid face down, silent except for an occasional sniff, and she was facing away from him. He looked back out toward the ocean at his brother and Megan still having fun. Megan seemed different here.
He knew she was using Chase to get to him all those years ago, and he hoped she genuinely loved his little brother now. He knew firsthand how manipulative women could be, always trying to trap a man.
Too much time in silence made Ethan think of the troubles ahead in New York. When he gets back, he has Chloe to deal with. How far back her treacherous deeds went he had no idea, but he would find out. She grew more dangerous each time he ran into her.
Women, women are not to be trusted. So why was he risking himself with Grace?
Ethan lay back on the blanket and closed his eyes. He thought about how good Grace felt around him. It didn’t feel sexual. Hell, she was scared to death. It just felt right, like she needed him. Needed him on a deeper level, not for money or for publicity, she needed his friendship, his time. He hated to admit he liked that. Grace was strong, independent, and single by choice. She obviously didn’t need anyone, but the thought of her needi
ng him, now that felt right.
The sun beamed down and dried his wet body. He wondered if she should put on more sun-block. When they got there, she had lathered on so much her skin was white for the few minutes it took to soak in, but that was hours ago. Remembering the feel of her skin as he helped lather up her shoulders again pulled a smile across his lips and sent a tightening to his groin.
It seemed like only minutes before Megan and Chase were standing over them ready to go, so he didn’t get a chance to ask her.
“I’m starving,” Megan proclaimed. “Let’s get something to eat.”
* * * *
Grace had regained her composure and wasn’t sure why Ethan had just sat there without saying a word. Any other guy would have at least asked what was wrong. She tried to hide her tears but knew she wasn’t doing a great job. He asked a hundred questions the other day, but when she was crying, he didn’t say a word. She hadn’t cried in years. She needed to blame it on someone, and Ethan had made her get in the water. She glared at him then returned to her sullen mood. Men, scoundrels the lot of them!
“The sun will be going down soon. Do you want to head back or stay and watch the sunset?” Chase glanced out the large window of the pizzeria. “We could grab a bottle of wine and some glasses.”
“We still have to drive home remember.” Grace spoiled the moment. Ethan had barely spoken to her since the water. She missed his attention now, his touch.
“Only one person has to drive, Gracie.” Megan turned to give her cousin a scornful eye. Grace was out to ruin everyone’s night. Megan had never seen her so bitter before. She felt sorry for Ethan. Every time he tried to talk, she shut him down. It was usually the other way around. Ethan was the one driving women away, but now Grace was lining up a one way ticket out of her life, express flight. Megan felt her heartache. Grace really was driving men away, but she didn’t want to believe it.
“I’ll drive.” Ethan raised his hand to the waitress for their check. Grace wasn’t speaking to him. He should never have pressed her to go in the water. He should have never let her get that far from his grip. She was scared. He had asked her to trust him, and he failed to keep a grip on her. He felt like such an ass, and she treated him in kind.