by Marie Force
“Most definitely not.”
He gave her a curious look that quickly became something else entirely when she took him into her mouth, lashing him with her tongue as she applied gentle suction. His entire body trembled and his grip on her hair tightened.
“Jenny…” he said on a long sigh as his back arched. “Jenny.” The second time he said her name more urgently, which was the only warning she got before he came in her mouth. “Goddamn.”
She wiped her hand across her tingling lips.
“Come here.” He held out his arms to her and brought her to lie on top of him. “That was incredible. You’re incredible.”
“Good to know I haven’t forgotten how to do that,” she said and instantly regretted the telling statement.
“You’ve definitely not forgotten. You made me crazy, but I suspect that was your goal.”
“Turnabout is fair play.” She loved the way he held her. She loved the way he smelled of soap and clean sweat and salt water. She loved a lot of things about the way she felt when she was with him. Despite all this love she was feeling, she reminded herself what this was about—and what it wasn’t.
There was no reason that she could think of why a woman her age couldn’t have a hot summer affair that was all about sex. People did it all the time, right? Just because she’d never done it didn’t mean she couldn’t start now with something new and different. She’d certainly had enough of the status quo. Maybe a hot summer affair was just what she needed to shake things up before she moved on to a more significant relationship.
“I can almost hear you thinking,” he said as he ran his fingers through her hair, making her scalp tingle along with her lips. He tapped a finger on her forehead. “What goes on in there?”
“Nothing much. You’ve managed to fry most of my brain cells tonight.”
“You fried most of mine, too.”
As his chest hair tickled her nose, Jenny smiled. It was good to know they were equally affected by what had transpired between them.
“Could I ask you something?”
“Sure,” she said tentatively.
“You said it’s been a long time since you did this, which leads me to wonder why a gorgeous, sexy woman like yourself would choose to live alone in a lighthouse.”
Her brain was stuck on the words “gorgeous, sexy woman.”
“Living in this lighthouse, on this island, has been very good for me, believe it or not.”
“Have you ever been married?”
The question as well as his curiosity took her by surprise. “No. You?”
“Nope. Engaged?”
Jenny closed her eyes tight. “Once.”
“What happened?”
“It… He, um…”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me. We’ve all got stuff we’d rather not talk about.”
While she was relieved that he wasn’t going to push her for answers, she suddenly wanted to know what he’d rather not talk about. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to tell him about Toby, but she knew how that story changed things. It made people look at her differently, and she didn’t want Alex looking at her differently. Not yet anyway. If this continued, eventually he’d ask again and she’d have to tell him. But for now, she liked the fact that he didn’t know about her awful tragedy.
“Are you roasting with me on top of you?” she asked.
“Not too bad.”
As much as she didn’t want to move, it was way too hot to stay pressed together sharing body heat. “How do you feel about a very cold shower?”
“That sounds like heaven.” He released her, and Jenny stood, acutely aware of her nudity, which was rather foolish in light of what they’d done together.
She bit back a groan when her already sore muscles protested the movement. Tomorrow—or I guess it’s today now—will be fun. With him following her, she went into the adjoining bathroom, where the small shower stall had just enough space for both of them. Jenny turned on the water, set it to cool and retrieved towels from under the sink.
“This place is so awesome,” Alex said as he took in the bathroom.
“It’s got everything I need, along with the most amazing view.”
Standing pressed together in the shower, they rinsed off salt water, sand and sex, taking turns washing each other. He even massaged shampoo into her hair. His tenderness was somehow harder to process than the raw erotic side he’d shown her earlier.
“I should go,” he said when they were clean, dry and wrapped up in towels.
“You don’t have to go yet. Unless you want to.”
“I don’t really want to.” He ran his fingers down her arm, took her hand and led her back to bed.
“We should change the sheets. They’re all sandy and gross.” She crossed the room to the trunk where she kept extra linens and retrieved clean sheets.
“Did you paint that?” he asked of the painting of her view propped on an easel.
“Yes, that’s my masterpiece.”
He took a closer look. “It’s really good.”
“Thanks. Maybe someday I’ll actually finish it.”
Working together, they changed the sheets.
When the bed was made, he came over to her side and tugged at the towel she’d knotted above her breasts. “It’s too hot to sleep in anything other than the altogether.”
She let him remove her towel and watched as he dropped his into a pile on the floor next to hers. “As long as you know we’re not getting these clean sheets dirty.”
Laughing, he followed her into bed. “That sounds like a challenge.”
“It’s not.”
He turned on his side to face her. “You’re pretty far away over there.”
She turned on her side. “Better?”
“Still too far away.”
She slid a bit closer. “It’s too hot for much more than this.”
He placed a hand on her hip over the sheet. “Is it too hot for this?”
“I suppose that would be okay.”
Lifting himself on one arm, he leaned in to kiss her softly. “I had a really, really good time tonight after a really, really shitty day. Thank you for that.”
She caressed his face, running her thumb over the stubble on his jaw. “I had a really good time, too.”
Alex smiled and kissed her again before he settled on the pillow next to hers. “Are you sure it’s okay if I stay? You won’t get in lighthouse-keeper trouble or anything?”
“It’s fine,” she said with a chuckle.
“I should go home, but my brother is there, and I’m so damned comfortable here.”
“Relax and get some sleep while you can.”
He brought their joined hands to his chest, where Jenny could feel the strong, steady beat of his heart. Long after he fell asleep, she was awake thinking about how much she liked him and how strangely connected she felt to him despite her plans to keep her emotional distance from a man who’d initially seemed all wrong for her.
The more time she spent with him, the more she began to suspect he could actually be all right for her.
Chapter 9
Evan and Owen played the last notes of “Ring of Fire,” played in homage to the heat, and stepped back from the microphones to guzzle the bottled water they’d been drinking all night.
Grace was glad to see Evan taking his own advice about hydrating between beers.
“Damn, it’s a hot one on Gansett,” Owen said to cheers from the crowd. “We’ve got a special treat for you tonight. As you know, my buddy Evan is the owner of the new Island Breeze recording studio right here on Gansett. He’s recorded the first single on the Island Breeze label, and he’s going to debut it here tonight. How lucky are we?”
More cheers from the crowd at the Tiki Bar.
“Oh and Grace,” Owen said, “you’re going to want to come up here, if you would.”
It took a second for Owen’s request to sink in. She glanced left at Laura and right at Stephanie.
Evan nodded at her, gesturing for her to come to him.
Grace’s heart beat hard and fast as she stood and walked on wobbly legs to the stage.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Owen said, “let’s have a round of applause for Evan’s fiancée, Grace Ryan.”
The hooting and hollering from the table full of friends and family as well as everyone else in the bar had Grace burning with embarrassment. She hated being the center of attention, which her fiancé certainly knew.
Owen took her hand and helped her up the stairs.
“I’ll get you for this,” she said under her breath.
“He made me do it,” Owen said as he went down the stairs, leaving Grace alone on stage with Evan.
“Isn’t she gorgeous?” Evan asked, setting off another round of cheers and whistles.
“You’re a dead man,” she hissed at him.
As if he didn’t have a care in the world, Evan tossed his head back and laughed. “Have a seat in my office, baby.”
When she was settled on the stool Owen had abandoned, Grace folded her hands and tried to ignore the sensation of sweat rolling down her back. So much for the cool shower she’d enjoyed after Evan left earlier.
“I’ve been saving this for a special occasion.” As he spoke into the microphone, he never took his eyes off her. “We met right here just over a year ago, and my lady and I have been making some wedding plans, so I’d say this counts as a special occasion, wouldn’t you?”
More cheers and whistles. She really was going to have to kill him for embarrassing her this way. And then he started to strum his guitar, and everything faded away except for him and the music and the words and the love as he sang “My Amazing Grace” to her. They might’ve been completely alone for the way he focused entirely on her.
My amazing Grace, how sweet she is,
She took a wretch and made him a man
When I was lost, she was there
When I was blind, she led me home
’Twas Grace who taught me how to love
And Grace who took away my fear
How precious is my darling Grace
She gives me hope to carry on
Amazing Grace, how lucky I am
To be the guy she loves
To be the one she chose
To be the one to take her home
My amazing Grace, how sweet she is,
She took a wretch and made him a man
When I was lost, she was there
When I was blind, she led me home
When we’ve had ten thousand days together
I’ll still want more
A lifetime with my amazing Grace
Will never be enough
My amazing Grace, how sweet she is,
She took a wretch and made him a man
When I was lost, she was there
When I was blind, she led me home
By the time he played the final notes, Grace had tears running down her face, and all she could think about was what she’d do when he left. She couldn’t picture a day without him, let alone weeks on end.
Pushing the guitar to his back, Evan put his arms around her as the crowd went wild cheering and stomping their approval of the beautiful song.
Grace couldn’t seem to stop crying.
“Good tears?” Evan asked.
She nodded.
“Are you mad I did this here?”
She shook her head.
“Can you talk?”
She shook her head again, making him laugh. It took a few minutes for Grace to recover her composure, wipe her face and pull back from his embrace. “That was incredible. Thank you so much.”
He kissed her right there in front of everyone. “We’ll be back in a few,” Evan said to the crowd.
Canned music blasted through the speakers.
Evan held out a hand to help her off the stool.
Owen appeared to assist her down the stairs.
She heard Evan say, “I’ll be right back,” to Owen.
“Take your time. I can handle things here for a minute.”
With his hand on the small of her back, Evan escorted her to the table, where their friends and his brothers greeted them with applause.
Grace fanned her face, certain it was bright red from the emotional wallop as much as the heat.
“That was incredible, Ev,” Maddie said.
“It’s gonna be a smash hit,” Grant added.
“Let me know if you need an entertainment lawyer,” Dan said. “I know people.”
“Thanks, everyone. Glad you liked it.” Evan accepted the beer that Mac handed him and offered it to Grace.
She took a long drink before she handed it back to him. “Thank you,” she said softly, hoping he knew she wasn’t talking about the beer.
“Thank you.” He kissed her forehead and leaned in close to whisper in her ear, “I can’t wait to marry you. I know you’re freaking out about what I told you earlier, but when I think about the next year, that’s the number one thing on my agenda. No matter what else happens, we’ve got a date to keep in January.”
“Will you play the song again at the wedding?” she asked, looking up at him, fortified by his assurances.
“You bet I will.”
A ringing phone jarred Jenny out of a deep sleep. Movement next to her startled her for a second until she remembered that Alex had stayed.
“What’s up?” he asked in a gruff, sleepy-sounding voice. Suddenly wide awake, he sat up straight. “I’ll be right there.” He got up and started looking around for his clothes.
Jenny turned on the light for him. “What’s wrong?” she asked, blinking him into focus.
With his back to her, he stepped into his shorts. “My mom. Paul thinks she might be having a heart attack.”
“Oh my God.” Jenny got up and went to her dresser for clothes.
“What’re you doing?”
“I’ll drive you so you can get there quicker.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know I don’t.” She got dressed as fast as she could, which wasn’t easy with hands that didn’t want to work the way they were supposed to and a body full of sore muscles. When they were dressed, they rushed down the spiral stairs to the kitchen, where Jenny looked for her purse and keys before remembering she’d left them in the mudroom earlier.
In the car, she blasted the air-conditioning, taking the relief from the heat where she could get it. She glanced over to find Alex staring straight out the windshield, his jaw rigid with tension. “Has she had heart trouble before?”
“No.”
“Am I taking you home?”
“Would you mind going to the clinic? Paul called rescue, and they’re on their way there.”
“Of course.” Jenny drove as fast as she dared on the winding road to town and pulled up to the clinic’s emergency entrance ten minutes later. “Do you want me to come in with you?”
For a second, he seemed torn with indecision. “No, you don’t have to. Thanks for the ride.”
“I hope she’s okay.”
“So do I.” He got out of the car to meet the ambulance as it turned into the parking lot.
Jenny moved her car out of the way but couldn’t seem to make herself leave. She parked and watched from a distance as Paul emerged from the back of the ambulance. He and Alex stood together to watch the paramedics remove the stretcher from the back. David Lawrence came out of the clinic to meet them, and Alex and Paul rushed inside with him.
She knew she ought to leave. His family crisis was none of her business. But that second of indecision she’d seen on his face had her shutting off the car. It had her reclining the seat ever so slightly. And it had her watching the clinic door for the rest of the night.
Alex emerged into the soft dawn light feeling like he’d been assaulted after the long night without sleep—and the sexual marathon that had prove
d he wasn’t as young as he used to be. The relentless heat smacked him in the face as he left the cool interior of the clinic. He did a double take when he saw Jenny’s car in the lot. Other than David’s car, it was the only one there, so it was hard to miss.
Approaching the car, he saw that she was asleep with all the windows open. Seeing her there, obviously waiting for him, hit him square in the chest, making him ache for much more from her than what they’d already shared. He knew it was stupid to feel that way. After all, what did he have to give her besides a family and business in disarray? But he couldn’t deny the ache in the vicinity of his heart as he touched her shoulder gently, trying not to scare her.
She came awake, blinking her eyes. “How is she?”
“She had a bad case of heartburn from something she ate at bridge night.”
“Oh thank goodness.”
“David is keeping her for observation for a few more hours. I’m going home to get my truck and coming back to get them.”
“I’ll give you a lift.”
“You didn’t have to wait for me, Jenny.”
“I know.”
He looked at her for a long time, drinking in the sight of big brown eyes, kiss-swollen pink lips and soft blonde hair and trying to decide what it was about her that had him so undone. She’d waited all night for him, even after he’d told her she didn’t have to. Why had she done that?
“Are you coming?”
Realizing he’d been staring at her, he nodded and walked around the car to the passenger seat.
Without asking him where she was going, she drove him home. As they went through the entrance to Martinez Lawn & Garden, he directed her around the greenhouses.
“Home sweet home,” he said, looking to break the silence—and the tension.
“It’s nice,” she said as they approached the ranch house where he’d grown up.
“It was nice of you to wait.”
She shrugged as if it had been no big deal to sacrifice a good night’s sleep for him. “I had a lot of time to think while I waited.”