Sunset Sail

by Shannyn Leah

  “So you’re worried about logistics?”

  “What do you think I’m worried about?”

  “Me. My past. The women. My life in the spotlight.”

  Emma’s fingers slowly stroked the hair on the back of his neck. “I’m in this with you. You promised me a lot last night and I trust you. I believe in you.”

  He shook his head. “You and my aunt. Funny thing is, that first night with you in your hot little red dress, Linda said you were the kind of woman I needed.”

  “One that puts you in your spot? Doesn’t take your crap?”

  “She said ‘sweet,’” Grayson said, kissing her nose. “I don’t think she knows you as well as she thinks.”

  Emma gasped and playfully hit his chest. “Watch it.”

  “She’s the closest person I’ve ever had for a mom for most of my life, so beware−she is pushier than she seems,” Grayson said.

  Emma grinned. “You’re yet to really meet my family.”

  He grinned back. “It can’t be worse than mine.”

  Her hands ran up and down his chest. “They might surprise you.”

  “They probably won’t approve of me stealing their sweet little Emma’s heart.”

  “Stop calling me sweet when all I want to do it be bad.” She licked his jaw line. “With you.”

  Grayson growled.

  “Exactly. Besides, Izzy likes you.”

  Emma stopped and looked at him. “Are you nervous about what my family thinks about us? Don’t be. They all have messy relationships. My mom is dating my dad’s brother, after having an ongoing affair while my dad was alive.”

  “But, to be fair, your uncle is a nice guy. My dad, not so much and being with my aunt...” Grayson took a deep breath. “...I don’t like it. My dad cheated on my mom before she died. I think she found out the night she died. That’s not the kind of guy my aunt needs in her life.”

  Emma’s free hand laced into his.

  “I’m not that guy,” Grayson said. “I know it seems like I am, but I won’t do that to you.”

  “I never thought you would.”

  “Never?”

  She shrugged. “Nothing is set in stone, but there are so many firsts you’ve had with me, including this ‘friends with benefits’ thing, and I think it makes us stronger together. I’m not worried.”

  “Good,” Grayson said.

  He dipped to kiss her, but Emma moved away. “But...”

  “But?”

  “As for your dad and Linda, I think you should give them a chance. Give your dad a chance. They have history together and know each other better than anyone else does. They know what they’re getting into.”

  “You mean Linda knows what she’s getting into,” Grayson said.

  Emma shook her head. “Not only Linda. Yes, she knows about your father’s past and has to deal with that knowledge. But your dad is putting himself out there too. He’s not offering Linda a fling, or one-night stand. He’s offering her a relationship and that’s a huge step...isn’t it?”

  “Don’t turn this around and compare them to us. I am nothing like him.”

  Emma climbed off Grayson, to reposition her legs, and straddle him and rest her arms around his shoulders. “You’re a lot like him.”

  “Emma−”

  “Grayson, it’s not bad. Brock’s not a bad guy, he’s just made some bad decisions in the past. Don’t get me wrong, I am angrier than all friggin’ hell at the pain he put you through.”

  Grayson almost couldn’t take her serious with her polite cussing.

  “No father should ever put their child in that position. With that said, at the end of the day, your dad loves you. I can see it. Everyone can see it. Look how much you’ve changed in less than three weeks−”

  “Because you’re worth changing for.” Grayson kissed her.

  “So it Linda.”

  Grayson frowned at her. His aunt was worth changing for, but was his dad strong enough to do it without hurting her?

  “Can we change this topic?” Grayson asked.

  Emma frowned at him. “You should talk to your dad.”

  Grayson shrugged and moved in for her lips, but she pulled away.

  “I think it would be healthy to talk to your dad about what you’re feeling. After the sparring match between you two, it’s apparent, you two are far overdue for a serious conversation.”

  Let the chick-flick movie begin. He needed to stop this before the waterworks show began.

  “Our time is almost up on this cruise and I want to enjoy every minute with you.” He kissed her again.

  “You do remember that you own the cruise line, right?” Emma asked against his lips.

  “I knew you had an ulterior motive to dating me,” he teased.

  She laughed and he captured her sound with his mouth.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  EATING DINNER WITH the Cohens, and their lack of communication, infuriated Emma. She glared across the table at Brock and seethed about his deception. This family was good at pretending nothing was wrong. They laughed, joked, and smiled while hiding a multitude of secrets. An outsider wouldn’t even know there was a bubbling pit of deceit beneath their friendly exteriors.

  But Emma knew.

  And Emma didn’t like it.

  When supper ended and the family spent another night on the deck watching a juggling act, Emma planned on cornering Brock, but Melissa beat her to the punch, cornering Emma.

  “So...” Melissa said, with a straight face lacking even a tiny grin.

  Emma smiled. “So...” she repeated, anticipating this moment with her friend, the non-believer of love.

  “You’ve gone and fallen in love with Seaweed Scum? Brought your feelings into the equation? Fell into the lie women tell themselves−”

  “Yes,” Emma said, unable to hold in her excitement. Melissa was her best friend and she wanted to share things in the future about Grayson. She needed to know how important he was to Emma. “I know it’s sudden, and a little crazy...a lot crazy...but, I love Grayson. And, he loves me. He really loves me.”

  Melissa sucked in a deep breath and sighed, “I know.”

  “What?” Emma hadn’t been expecting that. She’d prepared mental lists to convince Melissa, and hadn’t been positive she would succeed.

  “I’m not saying I agree with you or that your little fling will even last longer than this cruise.”

  “It’s not a fling. It’s a relationship.”

  “Wait until you get into the real world before you label it.” Even as Melissa said the words, Emma saw a small, approving smile on her lips. “I saw the way Grayson protected you at the bar, the night you took off. I was leaving to find you, figuring you went back to our room, and from my...my very distant view...it appeared that he’s not so bad.”

  Emma didn’t think it was wise to tell Melissa that Grayson was her little bit of bad, but a whole lot of good.

  Melissa’s next words were forced out through thin lips. “I will be nice to him, as long as he is nice to you.” Meeting in the middle was exactly what friendship was about.

  Emma hugged Melissa’s stiff body and waited for her to loosen up and hug her back.

  “This is nice,” Emma said, teasing her.

  “Good grief, everyone is staring at us.”

  Emma pulled away. “Thank you.”

  “Have you seen Linda?” Grayson asked, wrapping an arm around Emma and kissing the side of her head.

  Emma shook her head.

  “If you hurt her, I will kill you,” Melissa said to Grayson. “Hurt equal’s death. Understood?”

  Grayson nodded. “Crystal clear.”

  “Good.” Melissa walked away, sending him a warning stare.

  “She terrifies me,” Grayson admitted, when Melissa was out of hearing distance. “I’m sure her father could actually hire someone to kill me.”

  Emma laughed, then sobered. “Seriously, I think they could.” Emma knew Melissa wouldn’t, but the sentiment w
as nice.

  They watched her disappear in the crowd. “I know. Anyway, I was talking to my dad−”

  Emma’s inside lit up. “You were?”

  “About Micah,” Grayson said, quickly distinguishing the hope that they’d discussed themselves.

  Her smile fell. “Oh.” Would those two men after have a real discussion?

  “Apparently, Samantha wasn’t aboard out of pure coincidence. She got a good settlement for keeping her mouth shut about what happened between me, her and my dad...”

  Emma rubbed his arm as his voice softened at the topic. His hand covered hers and squeezed.

  “But, she’s breezed through it and she was working out a new deal with Micah to expose the Cohen love triangle.”

  “That sounds awful.”

  “And they were planning on dragging Linda into the story, too. I wanted to go talk to her.”

  He would talk to Linda, but not Brock. Aggravating.

  Emma saw her opportunity to talk with Brock open up. “You should go talk to Linda. I will grab us drinks while you do that.”

  He bent down and kissed her. “Be right back.”

  Emma found Brock at the bar, alone.

  “You slept with Grayson’s wife,” she hissed as angry as she felt.

  Instead of the guilty face Emma had expected, Brock smiled. A happy smile. This was not a happy topic. What was he smiling about? No wonder Grayson hadn’t had a serious face-to-face talk with him about their past. Well, tough on both of them. They were talking whether Grayson initiated it, or she had to convince Brock to do so.

  Brock’s cheating had broken Grayson. He might be trying to be the one-woman man he hoped he could be, but the unresolved issues between father and son were holding him back, affecting his healing, and impending their chances at moving forward.

  “Grayson told you that?” Brock looked impressed by his son’s admission.

  “Yes.” Emma’s jaw tightened and her breathing slowed.

  “Good,” Brock said.

  “Good?”

  “Grayson has never told anyone about that night. Not even Linda. I had to explain to her what had happened in Vegas.”

  “Good. You deserved to feel like the...the...seaweed scum you are.”

  Insults hadn’t been how Emma planned to resolve the rift between the Cohen men, but her mouth was getting away from her.

  “Grayson opened up to you, Emma. That means I might get me some grandbabies.”

  Grandbabies? How dare he think about grandbabies or any positive aspect for him?

  “You think Grayson is ready for children?” Emma demanded. “Do you know him at all?”

  “I know that if he’s opened up to you, he’s finally healing.”

  “He’s so afraid trying not to be you. Or afraid that I will think he’s like you. Deep down, he thinks all women are like Samantha. He thought I slept with you, which is why you almost got slugged.”

  Brock’s pleasantries fell away.

  “He’s the way he is because you couldn’t keep it in your pants.” It was harsh, she knew it, and she should have felt guilty...but she didn’t.

  Brock didn’t get mad at her. He lifted his drink to his lips, threw the liquid back and motioned for a refill.

  “Touché, Ms. Caliendo. My son doesn’t have the nerve to tell me the truth, tucking it away, instead to eat at his soul. But you...I like knowing Grayson has a woman who will stand up for him. Protect him.”

  “That was your job and you failed,” Emma shouted it louder than she’d intended and caught the attention of Grayson and Linda, who made their way over.

  “Is everything alright?” Linda asked.

  Emma felt Grayson wrap his arm around her waist.

  “Fine,” Brock reassured them.

  And just like that, Emma watched them all once again ignore the truth. She couldn’t handle it. It would drive her insane.

  “It’s not fine,” she said. She pulled out of Grayson’s grasp, so his touch wouldn’t affect her decision to face this.

  They all looked confused. How were they confused?

  “Naughty bingo,” she said.

  Another round of confused looks greeted her.

  “If you people can’t talk, then we are playing a round of naughty bingo.”

  Grayson reached for her. “I don’t think a round of naughty bingo will solve anything,”

  “Denial, sucker, hurt,” Emma said to Grayson and he immediately retracted his arm. “Your turn.”

  WAS SHE SERIOUS?

  Grayson eyed Emma, curious as to how she thought this was going to help.

  She pointed at Brock and repeated, “Your turn.”

  She was serious. She wanted Grayson to describe his dad in three words. That was easy, but he didn’t see how it would help. From the look in her eyes, though, he didn’t think ignoring her demand would go over well either.

  Grayson grumbled how stupid this was, before saying, “Selfish, heartless, broken.”

  Brock and Linda exchanged a puzzled glance.

  “I don’t know what this is,” Brock said.

  “Your son thinks you are a broken, selfish, heartless man,” Emma said.

  Grayson ran his hands over his face. What was she doing?

  “I don’t disagree. What kind of man goes after his son’s wife?” Emma demanded. “I don’t care if they were married for half a day, there are boundaries and you overstepped them. You know what, if Grayson won’t give you what you deserve...”

  When Emma started toward Brock, Grayson caught her around the waist and lifted her off the ground.

  “I might not be strong, but I am feisty,” she yelled at him.

  “What are you doing?” Grayson asked. He wasn’t mad at her. In fact, he was finding the entire ordeal unusual and entertaining while enjoying seeing how much Emma cared for him.

  “I’m getting you justice. So you can move on.”

  Grayson set her down and stepped in front of her, turning his back on his dad and Linda.

  “You’re protecting me?” he asked.

  Emma pouted at him. “I hate how much this hurts you.” She looked around him to send a glare to his father. “I don’t care about the merge or your dad’s feelings, I care about you.” She looked around him again. “Selfish, arrogant, jerk,” she added.

  “Stop playing naughty bingo with my dad,” Grayson said. “It’s creeping me out a bit.”

  Emma frowned.

  “What do you think this is going to accomplish? What are you looking to accomplish by poking my dad in chest or punching his shoulder?”

  “Pain,” she growled.

  Grayson tried his hardest not to smile at her ridiculousness. “I don’t think that’s going to hurt him.”

  “It will crush his soul.”

  Grayson laughed this time. He couldn’t help it. Emma did not find it amusing and her eyes widened in shock. He bent down and kissed her. “I love you woman,” he said, against her lips.

  Emma stilled beneath him. “Huh?”

  His hands cupped her face and kissed her harder. “I said, I love you.”

  “You do?”

  Why did she sound so confused? What did she think was happening?

  “Yes. Please don’t use your soul crushing words on my dad.”

  “He deserves them.” She tried to look around him, but he held her head firm.

  “I made a mistake in that elevator, letting you go. You made a mistake walking away. Everyone makes mistakes and from those mistakes, we learn. I’ve learned I love you and maybe without my body breaking the rules I built to keep my heart closed off from people, I wouldn’t have realized how much I love you, want you, need you.” Grayson lowered his voice. “I might be able to talk to you, but it’s not the relationship I have with my dad. In a couple days, everything will be back to normal.”

  “I didn’t come over here to soul crush your dad. I wanted him to talk to you. What you two are doing isn’t healthy,” Emma said. “You need to have closure, so we c
an have a future.”

  If closure was what she needed, maybe it was time his family moved on.

  Grayson turned away from Emma and stepped in front of his dad. Before he chickened out, because Lord knew he wanted to, he wrapped his arms around Brock and squeezed.

  Linda made a sound of approval.

  “I love you, Dad,” Grayson said. “And I forgive you.”

  Brock’s arms tightened around Grayson. “I love you, Son, and I will never forgive myself.”

  “Promise not to hurt Linda and we can wash our past away,” Grayson said.

  “I promise.”

  Linda pulled Grayson into a hug once the two men parted. When she finally let Grayson go, she and Brock headed back to the show.

  “That’s it?” Emma asked, looking skeptical.

  Grayson shrugged. “That’s it. Do you feel better?”

  “I guess... Do you feel better?”

  He nodded. “I do. You were planning on jabbing him in the chest, weren’t you?”

  Emma wrapped her arms around him. “I would have done whatever it takes, because as much as I tried to label you seaweed scum, either I like playing at the bottom of the water, or I’m in love with you.”

  “I like the latter,” he said.

  “Me, too.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  GRAYSON’S CONDO WAS contemporary, with minimal furnishings, almost as if no one lived here. No family pictures, no mail sitting on the counter...nothing. Everything was black, white or chrome. The leather sofa set and glass tables sat on a black rug and defined the living room area. The tiled backsplash in the kitchen was textured black and grey, accentuating the chrome appliances. But Emma didn’t get a really good look before Grayson whisked her straight down the hall and into his bedroom where the king sized bed was the only thing she noticed. The glass shower was equally impressive, even more impressive when Grayson had made love to her inside it.

  Afterwards, he’d shaved and dressed, then left her to get ready, he needed to make some calls now that they were back on land. All her luggage had been brought to his condo and she was glad she had over-packed, affording her a fresh, new dress to wear tonight. Grayson had a tux waiting for him on the back of his door and Emma paired up a deep navy blue dress with black heels.