by AliyahBurke
“I don’t have time for the drama of dating. I’m just getting my own head back to semi-normal. Maybe someday I will be ready to jump into the shark-infested dating waters.”
He laughed a deep throaty sound. “Shark infested dating waters? Tell me how you really feel about dating.”
Serenity chuckled slightly. “Sounds pretty bitter, doesn’t it? I need the right man to appear in front of me. Mr. Perfect and all that. No fuss, no muss. Just appear and I know immediately that he is the one for me.”
He cocked a brow at her and made a big show of looking between where he stood before her and her feet. He reached out for her and halted her at the steps where he drew her back close to him. Before either of them knew what was about to happen, his lips were closing in on hers.
The kiss shook her. Him too, if his accelerating heartbeat was any indication. As his lips found hers, Serenity’s eyes fluttered shut. His tongue slid between her full lips and entered her mouth. When it touched her tongue, her heart skipped a few beats.
Her body leaned into his, accepting his warmth and strength. Her arms slipped up under his jacket to encircle his trim waist. Brandt’s hands cupped her face and held her tenderly as his lips worshiped her mouth.
Their bodies melded tighter together and became almost as one. Brandt was the one that pulled away, a reaction that opened Serenity’s eyes. Her eyes met his pale blue ones and she saw desire in them, a very humbling sight. To be desired by this man was unbelievable to her.
“Spend the day with me,” he coaxed in his low timbre.
Oh God, how she wanted to. So much. “I can’t. I’m going surfing with Chris.” Serenity saw the flash of anger in his eyes at her statement, an act she would have missed if her observation skills weren’t so finely tuned, but he didn’t say anything to her about it. “You could come with,” was her counter offer.
“Wouldn’t that cramp your time together?”
“Chris and I are just friends. Yes, he is attractive—okay, he is frickin’ hot. But there is nothing between us, just camaraderie. Nothing more.”
“Hot? You think he is hot?” Brandt’s eyes narrowed.
“Yeah, I do.” She winked at him as she pulled out of his arms. “But I also think you are pretty damn hot as well.”
That said, she jogged up the steps, leaving him to follow if he so chose. And he did.
* * * *
Serenity immediately went to the phone and made a call to the vet. While she was on her call, Brandt explored her home as if he had any right to do so.
Everything was bright and cheerful. He walked into her bedroom and found a scene that fit the woman he had spent the night with sitting on the sand. Granted, he didn’t know all that much about the woman Serenity was at the time, but he was ready to learn. As far as he could tell, the two were opposites of each other.
Raven the dark half and Serenity the light half. His mind drifted back to the time he spent with Raven and her lack of emotion. He could count on one hand the times that she showed any, and he wasn’t counting when they were pretending for others.
One happened was when he watched her as she viewed the lake, another was when she looked over her dogs and the third was when she laughed, actually laughed, at something he said. Even now he could remember how the sound of her voice affected him. The surprise he had at her laughter, the joy it brought him.
Now here he was, snooping around in her bedroom like he had done before in Kentucky. That time, however, he had gotten caught. She had a double bed covered with a comforter the color of the ocean. Simple furniture was in the room—a rocking chair, a dresser, and a small vanity that was covered with dog toys. Clean and neat.
On the small bedside table there was a book. He picked it up and saw it was a romance novel, A Knight’s Vow by Aliyah Burke. Who knew Serenity was a romantic? A bookmark was about a quarter of the way through the book.
His body sat on the bed as he picked up the book and opened it to where her marker sat, and he began to read. Brandt settled himself back against her headboard as he got comfortable. That was the last he remembered.
* * * *
After hanging up with Hank, Serenity glanced around her living room for Brandt and didn’t find him. She walked down the hallway to the two bedrooms. He wasn’t in the first one, her office, which left her bedroom. Jax was with her and Hella was nowhere to be found.
Silent as the rosetted jaguar, she crept into her bedroom. The morning light filtered in through the sheer orchid tinted curtains. They did nothing to stop the light that framed the man who slept on her bed.
Brandt was propped up on her bed, his feet hanging off and his back on the headboard. She noticed her book in his hands as it began to slide out of his grasp.
Dressed still in his tuxedo, he looked so delicious on her bed. But she had to go. He had to get to the vet and then meet Chris.
So put on her swimsuit and tied on her sarong. She removed the book from his hands and put it back on the table. A subtle push toppled him over so he was lying instead of sitting.
Hella had joined him on the bed and so she just left them there. The way she looked at him told Serenity how much that dog loved him. It was amazing how much she had bonded with Brandt since the first day they met.
Grabbing her beach bag, she and Jax went out to the living room. A quick note to Brandt was put under the keys to his rental car on the kitchen counter, where he would find both things.
Serenity and Jax left the house and hopped into the Jeep. The tired woman and her dog headed to the large brick building that housed both a vet’s office and a kennel and went inside.
Irk had a condition called meningoencephalomyelitis. Inflammation of the meninges, brain, and the spinal cord. Since they got him to the vet in time he would recover, but he would be slower from here on out. The stop to see Irk and Hank didn’t take too long, and after that she made a call to Seth.
“Morning, Seth.”
“Morning, dear. How was your night?”
“Better now. I just got back from seeing Irk.”
“I know, I have already been. Thanks so much for going to help him last night. I think it is time for him to retire. Want a dog?”
Serenity laughed. “Are you kidding? I would take him in a heartbeat.”
“We will discuss it later. Where are you right now?”
“Driving down to meet Chris. We are going to try this surfing thing again.”
“Have you had breakfast?”
“No, and before you ask, I haven’t had any sleep either.”
He chuckled. “You know me too well. Why didn’t you sleep last night?” He paused and then asked in a slightly worried voice, “Does this have anything to do with Brandt Fowler?”
“Yes. I blew it. He knows who I am.”
“How the hell did that happen?” Seth sounded angry and scared.
“He asked me a question about Jax and Hella in the vet’s office and I wasn’t thinking. My mind was on Irk. Very unprofessional of me. So we went to my house and sat on the beach and talked. Well, I talked, he listened.”
“Are you okay?”
“I think so. He’s still very angry and I know I’ll have a lot more explaining to do if he wants to get deeper into it.”
“Is that what you want?”
A deep sigh reached Seth. “I don’t know. I still believe that I’m in love with him. But I’m not sure.” That was a lie. She knew she was in love with him. And always would be. “Seeing him last night brought back a wave of feelings I thought I didn’t have anymore. I need to find out about me, Serenity, but my soul feels complete when I’m near him. Hell, Seth. I don’t know anything.” Except that it is time for me to go home.
“Well, meet me for lunch. Or I will come there and we will grab something down there. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Stay on the board.”
“Ha ha. Very funny. I will see you later.”
She hung up and pulled into the lot that would take her to the
place where Chris was waiting. His car was the only other one there. At six-thirty in the morning, there weren’t too many people out yet.
Jax jumped out and ran ahead as she picked up her bag and walked after him. Chris was there, the boards in the sand beside him. His body was solely clad in a pair of shorts, showing off his muscled chest that gleamed in the early morning sun.
“Wow!” he yelled up to her as she came across the last bit of distance that separated them.
“Wow what?” she asked as she walked up to him.
“You look hot.” His dark eyes boldly ran over her body and she definitely knew that he appreciated what he saw.
“You look wet,” she quipped. He was a very attractive man; his dark skin looked amazing against the white of his swimming shorts. His body was hard and glistening with water.
“Well, I had to try out the water. Besides, I knew you would not want to go in without knowing how the water was.”
“Warm. The water here is always warm.” She dropped her bag and looked at the man that stood with her. He was so handsome, kind, and the embodiment of everything any woman would be proud to call her own man. And sure as she was standing there next to him, it wasn’t him that she wanted to be with.
The man she wanted was asleep on her bed. His black hair was probably tousled and his lashes settled sinfully on his cheekbones. His skin was tanned by the sun and he was her dream. It was Brandt Fowler, not Chris Lone, that she craved to be with.
“Right.” Chris said. “Well, let’s get started.”
“Okay. Jax, stay around here and behave yourself.” Serenity walked to her board and inspected it as Chris watched her. “I think I am ready. My leg cramped up last night so I am not sure how much I can do.”
“Very well. Let’s go.”
She dropped her sarong and was oblivious to the renewed look of appreciation that she received from Chris. Before Brandt had come back into her life it would have been something she noticed. Now, not at all.
They surfed for a couple of hours. Serenity was doing well and not falling off the board. Too much. When her leg began to twinge she gestured to Chris and they rode in. Others had come to the beach and Jax had settled down by her things.
“Well, that was a good ride for you. You are getting the hang of this, Serenity. You will be awesome.”
As they walked up towards their bags she noticed Hella running towards them. Brandt was here. Her stomach did a little flip flop at that prospect.
They picked up their towels and dried themselves off. Serenity tied her sarong on, and leaned down to pat Hella. No sign of Brandt anywhere.
“How did she get here?” Chris asked.
“Someone dropped her off. She was with them for a while this morning.” Why didn’t he come down and see her? Why did it hurt so much?
Serenity knew he was around, knew he was near. Frustrated that Brandt didn’t come down, she looked at Chris and jerked her head back towards the water.
“You sure?” he asked even as he picked up his board again.
“Positive.”
“Your leg?”
“Fine. I am not ready to quit yet.”
“You’re the boss.” He gave her a slight bow as she removed her sarong again and grabbed up her own board, preceding him to the water’s edge.
“Damn straight.”
* * * *
From a distance, Brandt watched as she greeted Hella and then scanned for him. At least, he believed it was for him. He hid. As he stood with the bark of a tree pressing into his back he wondered what the hell he was doing.
The woman he loved was down on the beach and he was hiding like a schoolboy. He felt so childish, and with a shake of his head he stepped out from behind the tree and looked to where she had been. She was no longer standing there.
Jax and Hella were lying side by side, watching the water. Brandt’s feet took him toward them. He wore a white shirt, khaki shorts, and sandals. A quick stop at his hotel for a shower and a change had been in order.
The sand was smooth as glass on his feet. His eyes were busy searching for Serenity. Women, beautiful women in skimpy bikinis, looked at him, tried to get his attention, but he had a mission. So they were ignored.
As he approached the shore, both dogs rose to greet him before returning to the bags on the sand. Sinking to the white sand by the dogs—well, Hella—he watched Serenity surf.
Her dark body gleamed in the sun and her bikini made him relive their two nights together. What was she wearing anyway? Was it even legal? He wasn’t sure about that. Her face was filled by a brilliant smile and he lost his heart all over again.
Closer and closer she came to the shore, making his heart race. Suddenly she just tumbled off the board. His heart stopped. Seconds later she resurfaced. Laughter spilled out of her as she maneuvered her lithe body back onto the board.
Brandt watched with a clenched jaw as Chris paddled over to her. Side by side they sat on their boards, laughing amongst themselves.
After a short while, it seemed like an eternity to Brandt, they came back towards the shore. The wave brought them in at nature’s own pace.
Once the waves had pushed them close to shore they got off the boards and strode up the beach.
Brandt’s heart fell to his stomach as he watched them come out of the water together. Never had he been so attracted to any woman.
Tiny beads of water ran down her smooth skin. Skin that was darker than when he had seen her in Kentucky. No strap marks on her shoulders, so he figured she must wear a lot of tops like the one she wore now most of the time.
Her bikini was white with a hint of blue in it. It tied around her neck. The bottoms were not overly revealing but way too much so in Brandt’s mind. They accentuated her long strong legs.
The sun shone off their glistening bodies as they walked across the sand to where Brandt still sat on the sand. Even Brandt had to admit that Chris looked very good in his white shorts. They made a very good-looking couple.
With a pat for each of the dogs, a dripping Serenity reached for her sarong and secured it around her waist, an action that effectively blocked his view of the scar on her leg.
Brandt had seen the four-inch scar on her leg and the puckered skin had held his attention until she covered it. It was his fault that she had it.
With the blue and purple sarong tied at her waist, Serenity turned her attention to the man sitting on the sand.
“Good morning, Mr. Fowler.”
“Morning, Serenity.” There was such an intimate quality to the way he said her name. Like she was his. His alone. Without taking his eyes off her he added, “Morning, Mr. Lone.”
“Good morning, Mr. Fowler.”
“Thanks for bringing Hella down this morning.”
“My pleasure,” he purred as he slowly regained his feet, reaching his full height above her. Moving in an unhurried motion, one strong hand of his reached out and lean fingers wiped some drops of water of her shoulder.
“Chris and I are going to get some coffee, would you like to join us?” Her gaze, at least, was steady when she met his eyes.
“I would love to join you.”
Seconds passed and they never took their gaze off one another. It was as if they were the only two people on the face of the earth.
Her tongue snuck out and wet her lips, causing Brandt to feel a jolt deep in his groin. “Good. Let’s go.”
Soon they were walking down the beach towards the buildings in the city. Part way, Serenity tossed Hella’s leash to Brandt. “Here, she wants to be with you. You walk her.”
“Okay.” He loved this dog. Into the streets they walked. Two men walking on either side of a woman. Two German shepherds and beach bags.
* * * *
They stopped outside of a little sidewalk café and picked a table. Jax and Hella curled up under the table, out of the way, while the humans ordered coffee and muffins.
“So how long are you here for, Brandt? Can I call you Brandt?” Chris asked as
he swirled his coffee around in his cup.
Serenity was also interested in his answer but didn’t say a single word, just turned her eyes to the man that haunted her every thought. Brandt flicked a glance at her before meeting Chris’ eyes dead on.
“I’m not sure. Since the conference is over in three days, my original plans were to go home but I have found I like the scenery around here.”
“Really, what sights have you gone to see?” Chris dared him to answer.
“I have gone up the beach and seen some of the smaller homes. Very cozy, very intimate. I saw this one house that I fell in love with. Very small but perfect. The pale purple curtains in the bedroom really accentuated the rest of the color scheme.” His eyes never wavered from Chris’ and they both knew he was talking about Serenity’s home.
“The beach at night is amazing with all the stars in the sky. And of course, the women are beautiful here.”
Chris cut his eyes over to Serenity, who was sitting between them. “I suppose so. But since I met Serenity here, I haven’t noticed any other women.”
That got a response out of her. Serenity jerked her eyes over to Chris and barely caught his wink. What the hell is that man doing now?
She could hear Brandt’s breathing change as he grew angry. His knuckles cracked under the table, and as he put his hands back up she spoke up.
“Very funny, Chris. I have seen you out with many other women.” Serenity shot him a glare.
“Only because I wanted to make you jealous. All you have to do is say the word and I will never see any of them again.”
Brandt’s breathing grew faster. Harsher.
“Whatever, Chris.” Serenity just shook head.
“Tell me, Brandt. You have a girlfriend back in the States?”
Serenity calmly put a piece of her muffin in her mouth as she waited on eggshells for Brandt’s answer to the question.
“No. I am not over my previous one. She kind of sunk her claws into me and hasn’t let go yet.”
“Man, I hear that. Some women, you just can’t get it out of your head how good they were in the bed. . .”
“Excuse me, gentlemen.” Serenity interrupted them. “Any chance of talking as if there wasn’t a woman around after I leave?”