Dane nodded slowly. “Okay. Will you let me get Ethan to walk you home?”
“No,” she said, “Seriously, it’s like five steps down the beach and it’s WaterColor. I’m good.”
He nodded, and a hard realization set in that if she decided to be with him, she would not be the top priority in his life.
She reached in for a kiss, threading her fingers through his hair, letting the feel of his lips on hers sink down deep into her soul like nourishment. She pulled away and smiled. “Bye, Dane.”
She walked into the living room, finger-waving to Jaden. “Goodnight, Jaden.”
The little boy gave her a shy smile that tugged hard on her heart.
28
By the end of the second week of Marigold’s store closing, she was pretty much wiped out of stock. She kept pulling the merchandise toward the front of the store and had already sold off a few of her fixtures. Several of the shoppers had been other local storeowners, gathering merchandise for their own stores at rock bottom prices. She was thankful to get the sales, but it’d be weird to see her stuff in other people’s stores—if she stuck around 30A long enough to see it.
She’d been running on autopilot the whole week at her store, unable to process what was going on with Dane. He loved her. He said it to her a week ago, not in those exact words but in a roundabout way. As much as I love you had been his phrasing. Had it slipped out? Had he truly meant it in the real sense?
She knew at this point the ball was in her court to make the next move. He’d laid it all out for her, and she needed to respond. She just didn’t know how. Scenarios kept running through her brain, the worst being what if Erin never came back? If Marigold and Dane were together, and Dane was the fill-in father for those boys, what did that make her?
Marigold had taken great lengths over the years to ensure she never got pregnant. She’d been on birth control since she entered college, way before she ever had sex. She wanted to be prepared for any scenario, including the one that happened to her that horrible day at the frat house. She’d never told any of the guys she was with that she was on birth control so they’d always be sure to wear condoms. But she’d told Dane. Why had she done that? Heat spread to her neck as she told herself why. She was close to letting him in…all the way.
The events of her life were culminating into a ball of fire. The closing of her shop. Booted from her apartment. Her need to find a new career and steady income. She was barely functioning in her own life, much less was she ready to jump into someone else’s, especially when the stakes were so high.
She rested against her countertop, staring at the phone in her hand. Her father was one call away. She didn’t have to manage one of the hotels. She could pretty much pick her position, or at least her department. Maybe she’d work in catering for the Savannah location. She could work at one of the gift shops. She didn’t have to go to Savannah. She could go to Tampa or Maryland. All she had to do was call her dad and ask him one question. When can I start?
She was so close to making that call. She just had to get to a place where the words didn’t make her want to throw up.
The bell on the door dinged, and her heart leapt into her throat as Dane appeared in the doorway. “Hey,” she said, her smile wider than her face would allow.
He glanced around, brow furrowed. “I just heard you were closing. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. I can’t believe I didn’t know.”
“Oh yeah,” she said, waving him off like it was nothing. “We had bigger fish to fry last weekend.”
He stared at her, his face beet red. “So, what about your shop? The hotel?”
“I pulled out of the bid, my part of it, at least. It was time to close.”
He frowned. “When did you…”
“A couple of weeks ago. I was actually coming over to tell you about it last weekend when…”
He huffed, running his hand through his hair, glancing around like he’d seen a ghost. “I’m so sorry. I should have been here.”
“No,” she said. “It’s a one-woman job.”
He shook his head, glancing around in disbelief. “I’m so sorry I haven’t been here.” She couldn’t be sure, but was he on the verge of tears?
She went to him, studying his bloodshot eyes. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said, but he clearly wasn’t.
She put her hands on his shoulders and rubbed down his biceps. “What’s up, Dane?”
He shook his head, but his eyes told a different story. She stared at him, waiting, willing him to open up.
He looked down, scratching his head. “Um, Erin came and got the boys today. She’s actually the one who told me about you closing. I’ve been so caught up in them I haven’t even…” He shook his head, his body quivering.
“Oh, Dane,” she said, pulling him to her, holding his numb body against hers, the life feeling like it had drained out of him. He’d clearly resigned himself to being the boys’ father—taken steps to solidify it. She pulled away and studied his face, his vulnerability sending a need coursing through her like a wildfire. She kissed the corner of his left eye, and then his right, wanting desperately to make him better with her touch, but he was hurting in a way she couldn’t heal.
Their mouths met, his soft lips like a drug for her soul. Her hands went to his hair, her fingers threading through as their kiss intensified, the need inside of her growing faster and more urgent by the second.
She pulled away and went to the door, flipping the sign and locking up. She took his hand and dragged him toward the storeroom, closing the door behind them.
In a move pulled straight from a bad movie, she used one arm to swipe everything from her desk and then pushed him down on it, climbing on top of him, and then pulling off his T-shirt. Wrapping her arms around his back, she drank in his skin, the contours of his body between her fingers sending heat through her core. The idea that this man and his body was hers to do with as she pleased was a concept too unbelievable for her to digest.
He tugged at her shirt, and she lifted her arms for him to pull it off. Cupping his jawline, she kissed him over and over like she could never physically get enough of his taste while he undid her bra in the back. She let him discard it and watched his hands move to her bare breasts like magnets. She smiled at him, shaking her head. “You’re such a guy. All about the boobs.”
“Oh, yeah,” he said, going in for one of them with his mouth as she leaned back to give him full access, his tongue working tricks that made her body sizzle from deep within. When he’d had his fill, she got down off of him and went for the button on his shorts. He hopped up, helping her out, unzipping and letting his shorts and underwear fall to the floor. Dropping to her knees, she took him into her mouth, gripping his sweet ass as she moved up and down on his hard length.
“Fuck,” he uttered, and she glanced up at him to catch him watching her.
Letting her hands slide down, she gripped his inner thighs, causing his body to heat like a sauna. Pulling off of him, she let her finger trail between his cheeks with a tease as he met her gaze with a hunger she hadn’t sensed in her lifetime.
She slid her skirt and thong down her legs and off over her boots, which had zippers and required way too much distraction and effort to remove at the moment. Pushing him down on the desk again, she climbed back onto his lap and found his cock, positioning it at her point of entry.
“You okay with this?” she asked him. Consent for unprotected sex was no joke for her.
“Fuck yes,” he said, gripping her arms.
She slid down onto him, gasping at his length filling her up. As she moved up and down on him, waves of sweet decadence filled her from head to toe, his bare skin against hers more indulgent than a warm, fudgy brownie with a mound of ice cream on top.
His hands cupped her ass as she rode him, and she leaned in close to him, their bodies melting together in a frenzy of heat. She didn’t mean to, but in a pure moment of carnal hedonism, she bit his nec
k.
“Fuck,” he yelled.
“Sorry,” she said, hesitating.
“No, it’s fucking awesome.”
She grinned as she moved on him, faster and faster like she was a cowgirl at a rodeo going for the county record.
Oh, God, what was that building inside of her? A pleasure coming from deep within…or was her clit rubbing against something? Whatever it was, she didn’t want it to stop.
She clung onto him. “Hold on, Dane.”
He leaned back, gripping the edges of the desk. “Okay,” he said, like he was ready for battle, but struggling hard.
The buildup came from within this time. She wasn’t sure if she would even know the difference between an orgasm with her clit and one from her G-spot, but now that it was happening, there was no mistaking it.
As she let herself go, sweet release filled her. Dane’s groan signaled his own release, and so she squeezed him to her, their hearts pounding against one another’s.
She pulled back from him to look at his face but could only find herself going back in for another kiss. She smiled at him. “Thank you.”
“For what?” he asked, his breathing still labored. She lifted an eyebrow, and the hint of pride in his expression came through. “I didn’t do anything. You did all the work.”
“You provided an excellent workplace.”
His body shook with silent laughter.
She wrapped herself around him, their bodies too warm for her to break away just yet. He kissed the crook of her neck, and then squeezed her so tightly she lost her breath for a moment, but she didn’t even mind. It could be even tighter as far as she was concerned.
A feint knock sounded from outside the storeroom, like it was coming from the front door. Dane had been hoping he would never have to leave. Marigold, on his lap where she belonged, stilled, and then closed her eyes. “Crap.”
“Do you need to get that?” he asked, praying the answer would be no.
“What time is it?” she asked, glancing around. “I’ve got a guy coming to buy a fixture at four.”
“I think it’s about that time,” Dane said, hating this guy, whoever he was.
She ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him. “I’m so sorry. I’ll be back.”
She pulled off of him, leaving him feeling like he’d just parted with a vital organ. He’d always thought he knew the difference between love and sex, but he’d not had a clue until now. The term making love had always been a cheesy, romantic cliché. He understood that term at this moment with full clarity, like he’d been in the dark his whole life and was just now waking up to the light.
As she stood there glancing around for her clothes, buck naked with nothing on but those boots, her hair cascading over her bare shoulders almost reaching her breasts, he thought he might be the luckiest man on the planet. “God, you’re beautiful,” he said, without even realizing the words were coming before they were already out.
She gave him a wry look. “I’m a naked chick. Of course you think I’m hot.”
He hopped down off the desk, his mouth open to say so much more, but that goddamned knock came again.
“Coming!” Marigold shouted, grabbing her shirt and sliding it over her head. “Where is my underwear?” she asked, glancing around. “Oh, screw it.”
She pulled her skirt up over her naked ass, and then opened the door. The idea of her walking around with no panties on made his cock start to come to life again.
He dressed and then ran cold water over his hot face. He was in deeper than he’d ever been in his life, so deep that he had no clue how to come back. God knew he never wanted to go back to life before he knew her. Life with her was everything he never knew could be possible and couldn’t have dreamed of wanting if he’d tried.
He opened the storeroom door to find her talking to a guy about their age who was handing her his credit card. The guy smiled at her in a way that signaled way more than a customer/retailer interaction.
The guy looked up at Dane, his smile melting away. That’s right, asshole. Keep moving.
The guy cleared his throat and took his credit card from her. “Yeah, Fort Walton,” he said in answer to a polite question she’d asked him.
“Need any help getting that to your truck?” Dane asked.
“I’ve got a dolly, but thanks.” The guy’s smile turned into a serious nod. Good.
As the guy went to a display and wrapped it with a bungee cord to his dolly, Dane put a hand on the small of Marigold’s back protectively. She looked up at him with a knowing smile that said she had his number. That was okay. He was pretty much past any pretenses at this point. His heart was so exposed he might as well shed his skin.
“Let me get the door,” Marigold said, heading that way and letting the guy through. “Come back if you decide you can use the matching one.”
“I will,” he said and then nodded at Dane, a concession.
She closed the door and gave him a look. “You’re a jealous guy, aren’t you?”
He shrugged. “Can you blame me? That guy was hitting on you.”
She waved him off. “I wasn’t going to let it go anywhere. I’m just trying to get these fixtures out of here. If a smile and a wink does the trick, then so be it.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “How much for the rest of them?”
She smiled. “You’re really cute sometimes, you know?”
His heart pricked for her and what she was going through. “I’m so sorry you’re losing your shop.”
She pulled away from him. “It’s fine. I had a good run. To be honest, there’s a real freedom that comes with it. I mean, there’s a crippling fear of the unknown, but I’m taking things one step at a time. Today, sell off merchandise and fixtures. Tomorrow, figure out the future.”
He had a future in mind with her. It was so easy, too. Come back to his condo and let him take care of her for the rest of their lives. But that wasn’t how this was going to go down, as much as he wanted it more than anything he’d ever wanted in his life.
She met his gaze, her expression worried. “I’m so sorry about the boys. What did she say when she picked them up?”
He shrugged. “She said she needed a break, and she knew I’d say no if she asked upfront.”
“Would you have?”
He let out a hard breath, the turmoil of Erin bearing down on his shoulders. “I don’t know.”
She gave him a smile with a nod, like she’d already known the answer. She glanced around like she was looking for something and then met his gaze. “Actually, I think I’m moving back home.”
His heart froze. “To Savannah?”
She nodded. “Or possibly West Palm Beach, or maybe even Tampa. I’ve got a lot of options. There’s an opening for a gift shop manager at our Naples location. Of course, I’d have to live in my car at their real estate prices, so it’d be a whole lot more practical for me to pick, say, our Myrtle Beach location. It’s on the Pawley’s Island side. I think I could actually afford to rent an efficiency apartment there, if one exists. I’ve been doing cost-of-living analyses of these places, and, to be honest, I have no idea how people can live these days.” She stopped, rubbing her forehead. “You know you can shut me up at any time.”
He just stood there, processing the fact that she was seriously considering leaving. Don’t go. The words were on the tip of his tongue. But he couldn’t ask that of her. He couldn’t promise her anything.
She met his gaze, searching it. “Dane, I’m in love with you, too. I mean, you didn’t actually say those words to me, but I think you might have indicated them, and you said a lot of sweet things the other day, and so I think I’m not completely out of line here, but anyways, that’s neither here nor there.” She took a huge breath and then let it flow out of her like it was helping to heal her in some way. She clasped her hands together and held them in front of her. “I love you. I think you are an amazing man with the biggest heart on the planet, and I feel a hundred percent confid
ent that I will never ever find anyone as perfect as you. But as much of a complete idiot that this makes me, the fact remains that you are tied to a situation that I’m not prepared to be a part of.” She motioned around her store. “Look at me, Dane. I’m losing my shop. I have no job. I have no place to live. I have a stack of unpaid invoices and debtors wanting their money. I’m a complete mess. You have two kids who need you. They’re counting on you. And if I become a serious part of your life, they’ll start counting on me, too. But I’ve got to get my own life in order before I can become anyone else’s caregiver. Can you understand that?”
His heart crumbled under the weight of her words. While everything she said made perfect, logical sense, he didn’t care. It wasn’t what his heart wanted. His heart needed her. And there was no substitute. Nothing but a life of what ifs and dreaming of the one that got away lay in front of him if she left, but he was powerless to stop her.
He nodded, the pressure in his sinuses bearing down on him. He needed to leave before he showed her just how weak he really was. He went to her, putting his shaky hands on her shoulders, it taking everything in him to stay temporarily strong. “I love you, too,” he said, and then pressed his lips against hers, feeling the tremble of her whole body.
He pulled away, unable to meet her gaze one last time, his heart twisting in pain.
29
Chase loaded the last box into the truck Marigold rented and then peered around to her car, hooked up to the trailer behind it. “Are you absolutely sure you can navigate this thing?”
She held up both hands. “I’ve got it all mapped out. It’s ready to pull straight out of here, and I don’t plan on stopping until I get home. If I’m desperate to pee, I’m going to park it in a big grocery store lot or something, somewhere I can just pull straight forward. Trust me. I got this.”
WATERCOLOR WISHES: Love Along Hwy 30A, Book Four Page 21