Sea of Love(9)

She reached for his waist. “Smother me, please.”





Chapter Six


“I CAN’T SEE how you’d expect anything else.” Kaylie wore a peach tank top and white shorts. Her blond hair cascaded in waves over her shoulders, one side tucked behind her ear. She lowered her big brown sunglasses and spoke to Lacy while looking over the rim of the frames. “I mean, you guys lusted after each other for more than a year. It’s only natural for you to end up doing the dirty on the beach.”

Lacy and her sisters sat around a small wooden table on the patio of the Bookstore Restaurant, sipping coffee and nibbling on croissants.

“I feel a little like I don’t know where we go next,” Lacy admitted.

Danica set down her coffee mug and adjusted her sunglasses against the bright morning glare. “Lacy, you’ve had one-night stands before. Does this feel like that?”

Lacy sighed. “No, definitely not. To be honest, afterward it felt kind of natural, like we’d been dating forever, but you know how that goes. I’m still in that afterglow stage. The God, he’s too good to be true haze.” She looked toward the beach, thinking of their incredible night together and how they’d made love into the wee hours of the morning. His every touch had been filled with a heated combination of tenderness and sheer, masculine sexuality. She felt a flush warm her cheeks and tucked the memory away.

“The real question is, what do you want from this? Women always let the guys decide, and really, it’s just as much up to us.” Danica nodded toward the beach across the street. “Weren’t you worried about being seen?” Her dark curls were secured with an elastic band at the base of her neck, and as she turned toward Lacy, a few sprang free just behind her ear.

“We were up on the dunes. I worried, but only for a second.” Lacy thought about how quickly she’d fallen into Dane’s arms and how badly she’d wanted him. She had to tamp down her desire if she was ever going to be able to evaluate what their relationship was—or could be. She was used to sizing up clients, figuring out what they wanted, where they needed to be, and then getting them there. Relationships weren’t that different from clients. The problem was, with clients she had a data sheet, a starting place. She knew their goals before they’d even met. With Dane, the data sheet was only partially complete and the goals were muddled with desire.

“He’s so nice, and a gentleman, and great at…you know…but what can really come of us when he travels all the time?” Lacy had been thinking about Dane all night. He hadn’t promised her the world or even hinted at anything more than what she knew they were—two people who were attracted to each other—but who knew where that might go. “He touched my scar,” Lacy said quietly.

“Oh, gosh. I totally forgot about that.” Danica leaned across the table and touched Lacy’s hand. “I never put two and two together on that front.”

“Wait. You went snorkeling in Nassau, so how afraid of sharks can you really be, and why should your scar matter?” Kaylie finished her coffee and sat back in her chair.

“But snorkeling was in shallow water, and you guys were all around me. To be honest, I’ve thought about it all night, and I realized that I’ve pretty much kept things within my comfort zone when it comes to open water.” Lacy touched her thigh. “I think I realize why my mom used to keep me so busy with day trips during the summers. We were always running to museums and going to the pool. We lived two hours from here. You’d think we’d have come to the beach at some point, but we never did. Even when she brought me here for an occasional weekend, we never went to the ocean.”

Danica squeezed her hand. “Lacy, whatever your mom did, she did because she loves you, and if she felt you needed to be away from the ocean, then maybe you really were afraid of sharks after the incident. It makes sense, but you’ve never tested it as an adult. Maybe you’re not really afraid of them, but you’ve been taught to think you are.”

Lacy squinted in the direction of the beach. Am I afraid of sharks? “I have these memories of being petrified after the incident, but I can’t remember even thinking about it much in the years since. It was so long ago.”

Danica looked at Kaylie. Kaylie slipped off her sunglasses and said softly, “Lacy, if there’s one thing I learned from Danica, it’s that sometimes we hide our fears even from ourselves.”

“I don’t even know what that means.” Lacy rubbed her temples. “Really, this is all kind of silly. We’re seeing each other today, but he hasn’t even said anything about after that.” And I can’t stop thinking about it.

“So…what? Then you go back to texting and an occasional video sex call?” Kaylie ran her hand through her hair and shook her head. “I don’t know how you put up with that stuff. I’d figure out what you want this weekend, and if it’s Dane, then let him know in no uncertain terms.”

“Kay, give her a break. She’s just seen him for the first time in more than a year.” Danica turned a serious gaze toward Lacy. “Lace, ignore the ultimatum advice; it rarely works. Just enjoy yourself and let things happen naturally. But if you think about things and you realize that sharks are a bigger issue—which given your history, they very well could be—then he deserves to know now rather than later.”

“Speak of the devil,” Kaylie said with a smile.

Lacy turned around and spotted Dane and Hugh at the gate of the patio. Her heart rate hastened when Dane’s eyes locked on hers—the memory of their night together translated in his heated stare.

“Hey, ladies.” Hugh waved as he pulled a chair from a neighboring table and straddled it backward. “How’s the coffee?”

Dane squeezed Lacy’s shoulder, and she thought her heart might leap from her chest. He leaned down and kissed her cheek.

“Hi, beautiful,” he whispered. “I missed you over the past hour.”

Lacy felt her cheeks flush. Now that she knew what was beneath Dane’s white shorts and tan Brave Foundation T-shirt, her fingers itched to touch him. She wrapped her hands around her mug to keep them from acting on their own.

“You guys sleep okay? I slept like a rock.” Hugh’s light yellow polo shirt stretched tight across his muscular chest. His hair looked as though it had dried in the wind, with thick waves pulled back from his handsome face, in contrast to Dane’s finger-brushed hair, the front of which hung thickly above his eyes. “Savannah, Josh, and I had a few drinks in Savannah’s room, and by the time I fell into bed, I was zonked. You should have joined us,” he said to Danica and Kaylie. “I told Blake and Chaz what we were doing.”

Danica looked down, and the blush on her cheeks told Lacy what her sister was doing the evening before.

“Chaz was so tired,” Kaylie explained. “But maybe we can catch up with you guys tonight.”

“Maybe so,” Hugh said. “I have to be in California Tuesday for a charity race. I can’t drink a lot, but we can go have some fun.” Hugh flagged down a waitress and ordered coffee. “Anyone else want a cup?”

“No, thanks,” Dane said. “Lace, Treat said we could take out his Talaria. It’s not a sailboat, but she’s a beauty. I thought we’d take a whirl around the bay.” He raised his eyebrows toward the others.

Lacy struggled to tame her excitement at spending an afternoon with Dane, and in the next moment, she worried he might want to swim in the deep sea. That was definitely out of her comfort zone. She touched her scar. “Sounds great. Will we be swimming?”

“Not if I can help it,” Dane said with a wink. “Any other takers?”

Lacy knew how close Dane was to his family, and she wasn’t surprised when he invited the others along, though she was a little disappointed at the idea of not having him all to herself.

“Savannah and I were going to hang out at the beach this morning. We’ll come along, if you don’t mind,” Hugh said.

“We’re going into Chatham today with Kaylie and Chaz, but thanks anyway,” Danica said.

“Sounds great,” Dane said to Hugh. He squeezed Lacy’s shoulder. “Great.” Dane looked at his watch. “Why don’t I go get things ready, and I’ll meet you guys at the dock in half an hour.”

“I’ll help.” Hugh sucked down his coffee in two quick gulps and jumped from his chair. “Nice to see you guys. We’ll see you this afternoon.”

Dane kissed Lacy’s cheek, and as she watched him walk away, she felt the heat of her sisters’ stares.

“Looks like you’re going to a boat party,” Kaylie said.

Danica leaned in close to Lacy and asked, “Did Dane say he missed you the last hour? I guess you had company overnight?”

Lacy felt heat rush up her cheeks again. “Okay, yes, he stayed in my room.” She sighed. “I was gonna tell you guys, but…”

“Good for you, Lace,” Kaylie said.

“I’m happy for you,” Danica said. “But you should be honest with him about your scar before you guys get any closer. Hiding things just causes trouble later.”