by Marie Force
“Why did you leave?”
“He didn’t have any time for me. He was always working, and I felt like a distraction rather than a girlfriend. My mom was hassling me about whether he was ever going to marry me. After a while, I got tired of telling her we were getting married and then having it never happen.”
“Did you guys ever talk about getting married?”
“Occasionally, but it never went anywhere, so I decided to leave. Part of me thought he’d come after me,” she said with a bitter laugh. “But he didn’t. That told me a lot about where I stood with him. The next time he came home, before Mac’s wedding, I was already seeing Cal. Of course, once he heard I had someone else, Grant was all about trying to get me back, but it was too late.”
“Were you still in love with him?”
She shook her head. “It took me a long time to realize that died long before I left him. I used to think Grant couldn’t love anyone as much as he loves his career, but then he met Stephanie. They seem really good together.”
He dropped her hand and bent to pick up a rock that he sent skimming over the waves. “Does that bother you? That he has with her what he never had with you?”
“Not really. We weren’t meant to be. I accepted that years ago. I’m sure he knows that by now, too.” She glanced at him. “Your brother never told you any of this?”
“My brothers and I have long-standing, unwritten rules on not grilling each other about our girlfriends. We have all we can do to handle our mom’s questions. We don’t pile on.”
“Why am I not surprised?”
“What can I say? We McCarthy boys stick together.”
“I’m concerned about causing a rift between you and Grant with this deal of ours. I’d hate that.”
“Maybe I’ll talk to him about it.”
“Really? You’d do that?”
“If it would make you more comfortable with it, then yeah, I’d do it.”
“What would you tell him?”
“That we’re hanging out, having some fun, helping each other through a rough time. Something like that.”
“How do you think he’ll react?”
“Truthfully, I think it’ll be the least of his concerns. He’s got something else weighing on him.”
Abby wasn’t sure how she felt about the idea of Grant not caring—at all—that his brother was seeing her. “You know, girls have a secret girlfriend code.”
“Which is?”
“No dating my exes.”
“Guys aren’t usually as territorial, especially years after they’ve moved on with someone else.”
“So you’d be fine with one of your brothers dating Sasha?” she asked with a smile.
“I’d probably warn them to lock up their valuables, but otherwise, I don’t suppose I’d care.”
Abby laughed at the valuables comment. “And you just broke up with her a few days ago.”
“So Grant ought to be fine with it, right?”
“If you say so. It’s not like this is a relationship or anything. That would probably be different.”
“Exactly.”
“So when can we skinny-dip?”
Adam stopped walking and turned to her. “That’s usually done under the cover of darkness.”
Abby took a long look around the deserted stretch of beach. “Who would know?”
“You’re serious.”
She forced herself to look at him, wishing he wasn’t wearing sunglasses so she could see his eyes. “Dead serious.”
“I’ve never done it during the day.”
“So we’d both be doing something new.”
“I don’t know, Abby. We might get caught. Would you be okay with that?”
“Would we get arrested? Fingerprinted and all that?”
He laughed. “Why do I get the feeling you might enjoy that?”
“Another thing I’ve never done. Have you?”
“I’ll never tell.”
“You have! What’d you do?”
Adam laughed and shook his head. “No way are you getting that out of me.”
“Come on! After what I told you last night, you have to tell me.”
“Nope,” he said as he took off down the beach, jogging away from her and her questions.
Abby gave chase, and when she got close to him, she leaped onto his back, expecting him to keep moving. Instead, he went down like a fallen oak, landing with an oof in the wet sand. Somehow she ended up on top of him. Shocked by the turn of events, Abby burst into laughter. That hadn’t gone as planned.
“Shit, girl,” he said when he could talk again, “are you trying to kill me?”
Abby was crippled with laughter.
“Glad you think it’s so funny. I may never walk again.”
That only made her laugh harder. And then she realized their bodies were perfectly aligned and one part of him was letting her know it approved of her proximity. She pushed up his sunglasses so they rested on his forehead. “That’s better,” she said.
His arms encircled her, keeping her pressed to him. “Now that you have me where you want me, what do you plan to do with me?”
The old Abby would’ve apologized for tackling him, for getting his clothes wet, for acting less than ladylike. The new Abby stared into his eyes and took the wordless dare he issued. She bent her head and kissed him, keeping her eyes open and fixed on his as their lips met tentatively at first.
“Tell me about being arrested.”
“Make me.”
Abby had no idea how to make him do anything, so she gently pressed her lips to his again, hoping to cajole him into talking.
“That’s the best you can do?”
“Are you enjoying this?” she asked testily. Did he have any idea how much courage it had taken for her to kiss him in the first place?
“Oh yeah. Very much so. The seep of cold, wet sand at my back and warm, soft woman at my front… What’s not to enjoy?”
“Do you want me to get off you?”
“Absolutely not.”
His smile was contagious. “Are you going to tell me what I want to know?”
“Are you going to kiss me like you mean it?”
“Will that get me the information I want?”
“You’ll have to do it to find out.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Mr. McCarthy.”
He tilted his hips suggestively, pressing his erection against her belly. “Very hard.”
Knowing he was turned on and that she’d done that to him filled her with confidence as she tipped her head and brought her lips down on his again, this time keeping her mouth slightly open. She slid her lips over his, back and forth several times until his arms tightened around her. On the next pass, she dabbed her tongue lightly over his bottom lip, drawing a groan from him.
“Abby,” he gasped. “Stop teasing me.”
“Is that what I’m doing?”
“You know you are.”
She smiled at him, enjoying the teasing. Had kissing ever been so fun? Not that she could recall. There was something to be said for playful fun that had nothing to do with building something that might—or might not—last forever. This was about right now, right here, and it felt pretty damned good.
Abby decided to show him some mercy, kissing him again like she meant it this time, sending her tongue into his mouth to tease and flirt. For the longest time, she wondered if he was going to respond in kind. And then his hand was in her hair, anchoring her to him as he rolled them over, taking control of the kiss.
Her world was reduced to the cocoon of his body sheltering hers from the sunlight. It didn’t matter that they were making out in the middle of the day in a place where they might be seen by anyone. It didn’t matter that he was Grant’s brother or that they were nursing broken hearts. All of that faded away as he took possession of her mouth in sweeping, passionate kisses that had her pressing against him intimately, asking for more.
Their tongues met and mated in an erotic dance
that made her nipples tighten, wishing he would notice them.
He pulled back from her abruptly, staring down at her with a dazed look on his face. “Wow.”
She couldn’t seem to look at anything other than his sexy mouth. “Yeah, wow.”
“Can we do that again?”
“I don’t have anywhere to be today.” Until Mac and Luke finished their work on the gift shop at the Surf, she was free and clear. “Do you?”
He shook his head and came back for more, kissing her until her lips were numb and her body aching for fulfillment. As if he knew that, he shifted ever so slightly, pressing his erection into the V of her legs.
She cursed the jeans he’d made her wear for putting a barrier between them. Since she couldn’t have what she really wanted, she sent her hands on an exploration of his muscular body. Reaching the hem of his jacket, she delved underneath, seeking skin as his tongue explored her mouth in great detail.
When her fingers made contact with his back, Adam gasped and flexed his hips, letting her know what her touch did to him.
He broke the kiss and turned his focus to her neck. “God, Abby… I want to kiss you everywhere. I never expected…”
“What didn’t you expect?”
“This. You. Us.”
“It’s pretty hot, huh?”
“Ah yeah, you could say that.” He combed his fingers through her hair, making her scalp tingle.
“We could go for a swim to cool off.”
“You’re not letting that go, are you?”
“You’re not afraid, are you?” she asked with a challenging smile.
“Maybe a little.”
“Of what?”
“Of what might happen if we get naked together. I’d prefer a little privacy when that happens the first time. After those kisses, I can’t be responsible for my actions.”
It was, Abby discovered, a huge turn-on to realize he was wrestling with his attraction to her and trying to do the right thing. “If you tell me about being arrested, I’ll let you kiss me again when we’re back at my room.”
His eyes heated with desire that fueled hers. “In that case, I might tell you there once was a college spring-break trip to Florida that might’ve resulted in a night in jail that my parents still don’t know about because I was over eighteen at the time.”
“Ooooh, blackmail! I love it!”
“You wouldn’t…”
“Don’t give me reason to.”
“I’ve been warned. You’d kill my reputation and make Mac’s life complete. As far as my family knows, he’s the only one who’s ever been arrested.”
“For flattening mailboxes with Joe. That story is McCarthy family legend.”
“So you see how important it is that they never find out about me.”
She snuggled into his embrace. “You’d better be nice to me.”
“I have a feeling that being nice to you is going to be very easy to do.”
Abby smiled, pleased with him, with their day so far, and filled with anticipation about what else might happen before the sun went down.
Chapter 10
Every day Ned Saunders went home after the eleven o’clock ferry arrived to check the mail—and to have lunch with Francine. Lately, the mail was the more important item on his agenda. Surely any time now the letter they were waiting for would arrive, and he and Francine could get busy planning the rest of their lives.
As he drove his cab toward home, Ned grappled with growing frustration. It’d been almost two weeks since Bobby Chester had agreed to file for divorce from his ex-wife Francine, who also happened to be the love of Ned’s life.
When was Bobby going to come through with the papers? Ned had personally seen to it that Bobby had Francine’s new address, and he’d hired Dan Torrington before the boat accident to make sure Bobby kept up his side of the deal they’d made when he insisted on spending time with Maddie and Tiffany before he would file. That had happened two weeks ago, so what was the delay?
Since Dan was down with his injuries, Ned didn’t want to bug the guy, but the waiting was making him crazy. Francine, on the other hand, was matter-of-fact about it, telling him every day that it would happen when it was meant to. Whatever that meant. If the papers didn’t arrive soon, Ned was going to the mainland to have yet another conversation with Bobby. Enough was enough already.
Francine said they had everything they needed. A piece of paper, she claimed, wouldn’t change anything. They rarely disagreed, but he didn’t agree with her this time. That piece of paper would change everything. It would make her his wife. It would make her and her girls and their children his family. He wanted that more than he’d let on to her or anyone. He wanted it more than he’d ever wanted anything.
With his heart pounding, he slowed the cab and approached the mailbox at the end of the long driveway leading to the home he shared with Francine. He pulled open the mailbox and saw a large brown envelope that filled him with excitement. Was this it? At long last…
When he saw the return address from a lawyer’s office in Providence, he let out a happy shout. “Halle-freaking-lujah!” Mail in hand, he hit the gas and flew down the dirt road, skidding to a stop in the yard where Francine was on her knees planting impatiens in gardens that had suffered from years of neglect before she moved in with him.
“What in the devil has gotten into you, old man?” she asked as she stood and rubbed her hands together to rid them of dirt. She missed the streak of mud on her cheek, which only made her more adorable to him.
He bounded out of the car, waving the envelope over his head. “Deeeeevorce papers, baby doll!”
Her mouth fell open, and she gasped. “Really?”
“Would I lie to ya? Open ’em up! Let’s get ’em signed and back on the afternoon boat!” He took her hand and tugged her inside. “I’m hearin’ wedding bells a’ringin'! Want me ta open it?”
Her hands were clutched in a nervous pose that tugged at his heart. The poor gal had been through the wringer with Bobby Chester, especially lately when he insisted on spending time with their girls before he’d initiate the divorce. Francine had hated asking that of her daughters, but they’d done it for her. “Please,” she said. “Go ahead.”
Ned tore open the envelope and scanned the letter from the lawyer. Divorce papers and something else, too. “Well, I’ll be goddamned.”
“What? What is it?”
“The bastard set up college funds for the grandkids. Twenty-five thousand bucks each.”
“You’re kidding me.”
Ned handed her the letter and the paperwork detailing the trust funds that had been established in the names of Thomas and Hailey McCarthy as well as Ashleigh Sturgil. The lawyer had noted that funds would also be established for any future grandchildren. Envelopes addressed to Maddie and Tiffany had been enclosed.
Francine shook her head as tears filled her eyes. “Finally,” she whispered. “He finally came through for them.”
“Aww, honey, don’t cry. You know I can’t stand it when ya cry.” He put his arms around her and patted her back awkwardly. He never had any idea what to do when she cried. Luckily, it didn’t happen very often. She was tough as nails, his gal, and it took a lot to break her.
“I’m sorry,” she said, sniffling and wiping her face, which made mud of the dirt on her face.
“Come ’ere, doll.” He took her over to the sink, wet a paper towel and wiped her face, showing her the results when he was done.
She laughed through her tears. “God, I’m a mess.”
“Yer my mess, and I love ya.”
“I can’t believe he did this.”
“About time, doncha think?”
“Yes, for sure.”
“Ya gotta tell the girls.”
She nodded.
“Invite ’em for dinner. I’ll stop at the pier and get some lobstas. We’ll make a night outta it.”
“You don’t have to do that, Ned.”
He tipped her chin up and kis
sed her. “I want ta. We still got some a them chicken nuggets that Thomas likes?” He pulled open the freezer door and rooted around, looking for the chicken the boy loved. “All gone. I’ll get some a that, too, and them apple juice box thingies for Ashleigh.” Turning to her, he stopped short when he found her watching him with a smile on her pretty face. “Whatcha looking at, doll?”
“You.”
“What’d I do now?”
She came over to him and rested her hands on his chest, looking up at him with that soft, sweet expression that turned his insides to pudding. Whenever she looked at him that way, the thirty-plus years he’d spent without her melted away, and he was right back in the throes of first love. “You’re a wonderful father and grandfather, and we’re all so very lucky to have you.”
“Oh, well…” Ned couldn’t believe the tears that filled his eyes, “That’s mighty nice a ya to say, doll.”
“I mean it, and I love you, too.” She kissed him, her hands framing his face in a tender caress. “What do you say I sign those papers so you can send them back on the boat this afternoon and we can get busy planning our wedding?”
“I think that sounds like the best idea ya ever had.” He kissed her again, lingering a bit this time. Her sweet kisses made him as crazy for her now as they had when they first met. “Do ya think it would be okay if we put them papers on the late boat?”
“I’m sure it’d be fine. Why?”
He waggled his brows at her. “I got celebratin’ on my mind.”
“Is that right,” she said with a grin. “Anything in particular?”
“Come with me, and I’ll show ya.”
Carolina spent the morning trying to work on some new designs for her jewelry, but ended up staring out the window at the bird feeder while her pencil dangled between her fingers. At times like this, she wanted to go back to the peaceful days before she met Seamus, before she discovered he had feelings for her that he’d gone out of his way to keep to himself for a long time after they first met.
She wanted to go back to last fall, to the night they’d spent together at Joe’s house on the mainland, before she’d known what it was like to be held by him, to be loved by him. Surely she’d been better off not knowing. This, she decided, was a form of purgatory she never could’ve imagined. Knowing he was out there, just a few miles from her, wanting all the things she’d tried to tell herself she didn’t need anymore…