It bothered her to keep wondering if he had
ulterior motives for getting to know everyone. He denied the
accusation when she confronted him on his offer to help Robby, but
she couldn’t stop the idea from sneaking up on her every now and
again.
He was one hell of a kisser and a great
lover. But should she trust him?
“What’s his deal, Sunny?” Robby asked,
standing behind her, peering over her shoulder. He didn’t know the
real reason behind Gavin’s appearance, but he obviously had
suspicions. Last night, he questioned why Gavin brought three women
he didn’t like to a bar in Anticue to drink two beers.
She knew the answers to those questions now,
but Robby didn’t. He probably formulated all kinds of crazy
reasons, although none could be crazier than the truth.
She made another note on her notepad and
grabbed a sucker. Closing time was in half an hour and she’d hoped
to escape without having this conversation. Apparently, that wasn’t
going to happen.
“If I ignored you, you’d be pissed.”
She turned and glared at him. His cranky
attitude was another item on her must-talk-to-Robby-about list.
“I’m not ignoring you.”
“Really. Could’ve fooled me.”
Even though they were siblings and not a
parent and child, she didn’t like it when he got mouthy like this.
He wouldn’t talk to anyone else like that. At least, she hoped he
wouldn’t. And just because they were related, it didn’t give him
the right to treat her badly.
But she also recognized he needed to create
discomfort between them so it would be easier to leave home and go
out on his own. She once overheard a psychologist soothing a friend
on the subject, explaining that since humans didn’t toss their
young out of the nest, conflict was necessary in order for the
child to make the separation happen.
Knowing that little bit of psychobabble
didn’t help when Robby was being a jerk. But she had to admit, the
way they were going at each other lately, they’d both celebrate in
the street the day he left for college.
Grinding her teeth, she said, “Follow me to
the kitchen.” She rounded the corner, out of sight of everyone in
the bar, and said, “Last night, Gavin thought he was sent here to
get ideas from us. Ideas he could use in the resorts he
builds.”
“And now?”
“It turns out his boss wanted him to find out
who owned the bar. They want us to sell the property so they can
tear it down, along with the old fishing pier and a few houses on
either side of us, to build a resort.”
“You can’t be fucking serious.”
Sunny’s eyebrows shot to her hairline and her
chin dropped to her chest.
Robby scrunched his eyes together, and his
shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t directed toward you.” He
grabbed her and squeezed her in a big bear hug. The kind he used to
give her all the time… up until about six months ago when he
stopped hugging her at all. As the last vapor of air left her
lungs, he let go and stepped back. “You told him no. Right?”
“Of course.”
Robby paced around the kitchen, staring at
the floor. He spun around and glared at her, his posture rigid, his
voice tight. “He’s using you. He’s getting close to you so he can
change your mind.” His thoughtful pacing turned to stomping. “Why
are you letting him hang around? Why are you spending time with
him?”
Sunny blew out a shaky breath and chomped on
her Dum-Dum. They were valid questions, ones she’d asked herself a
hundred times. The easy answer: he was amazing in bed and gave her
the chance to live out a few fantasies. The hard answer: she liked
him.
She winced. There was a third, more legit
reason, but she hesitated to share it with Robby.
Gavin made it sound as if his boss would
resort to foul play, if necessary, to get what he wanted. Even
though she didn’t really believe it, it would be an explanation as
to why he was sticking around. She didn’t want to tell Robby that,
because he would worry about her. But in case Gavin's concern held
some validity, she wanted Robby to be aware of the slight risk, so
he could be more cautious. “Apparently, his boss, Max Holden, can
be pretty unrelenting in his pursuits. Gavin is acting as a buffer,
of sorts, between us and his boss.”
Robby stopped and scowled out the door, no
doubt drilling a hole in Gavin’s head. “Why?” He turned toward her.
“Why would he do that for us?”
“He used to come to Anticue with his
grandfather when he was young. I think he has a sentimental
attachment to the area and doesn’t want it changed by a big
development.”
She took hold of Robby’s hand. “Bottom line,
Robby. At this point, we don’t have any choice but to trust Gavin.
If he’s hanging around here, at least we know what he’s up to.”
“He better not hurt you.” Robby’s tone was a
combination of his two sides: a man who wanted to be her protector,
and a helpless little boy who worried about his sister.
“I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.”
It might have been the lack of conviction in her voice, or maybe
her wariness showed in her eyes, but Robby didn’t seem
convinced.
She wasn’t lying. She could take care of
herself. But she also couldn’t shake the fear that she was playing
with fire. And not in reference to Max Holden. She already liked
Gavin more than she should, and the possibility of getting hurt was
very real.
Apparently, though, she was willing to take
the risk.
“Is he staying here tonight?” He sounded as
disgusted as if he were asking, “Is the boil on my ass a permanent
condition?”
She found herself hesitant to answer but then
remembered her emphatic statement to Gavin.
I’m almost thirty
years old…
Dammit, if she wanted to have wild, crazy sex on the
beach, so be it. “Yes. He’s staying here tonight.”
Robby rubbed the back of his neck. “I think
I’ll stay at Chad’s.” He swung out of the kitchen door, then looked
back over his shoulder. “Things are winding down. Is it okay if I
go ahead and take off?”
“Sure. I can handle it from here.”
He shifted his gaze to Gavin, then looked
back to her with serious, wary eyes. “I hope so.”
She blew out a breath and rubbed her
forehead. She hoped so, too.
Gavin watched Sunny snag a Dum-Dum from the
jar, then go to work cleaning the counter. “You told him why I’m
here?”
“Yep.” She didn’t look up but continued to
scrub a spot only she could see.
He figured that’s why Robby slammed out—after
firing ocular silver-bullets at him. He considered going after
Robby, to explain the situation from his standpoint. But as angry
as he appeared, Gavin decided it wouldn’t do any good.
He took a sip of his beer and watched Sunny
scrub the polish off the counter. “What can I do to help?”
“Nothing.” Rather than sparkling with their
normal brightness, Sunny’s eyes were flat and dull as she turned
away from him. The guilty pangs that came with seeing Robby upset
intensified. He didn’t like being the one that brought darkness to
their lives, and he wished—again—he knew how to fix it.
He sighed and reached for a Dum-Dum. “I don’t
like him being nasty to you, especially when I’m the source of the
conflict.”
She shrugged it off. “Nasty is his middle
name right now.” She muttered something about “stupid conflict” and
“necessary evil” while rearranging the liquor bottles on the shelf.
Gavin didn’t understand, but the muttering seemed to make her feel
better, so he let her have at it.
“Sunny, we’re gone,” the biker and his
girlfriend yelled from the door.
Sunny waved and blew them air kisses. “Y’all
be careful going home. See you Wednesday?”
The girl ducked her head as if embarrassed,
and the guy hugged her. “Maybe one of these days we’ll get
married,” he said. “Then we won’t have to do this anymore.” He
laughed and kissed his dumbstruck girlfriend on the head before
leading her out the door.
“I guess they’ve never discussed
marriage.”
Sunny blinked and snapped her mouth shut. “I
don’t know. They haven’t been dating for long, and it’s a bad
situation. But they’re both great, and they seem like a perfect
couple.”
“You don’t always need a long time to know
someone's right for you.”
Well, shit.
Where had that
ridiculous pansy-ass statement come from? Gavin glanced at the
bottle in his hand. He’d only had three beers, so he couldn’t blame
the alcohol.
Going for a quick subject change, Gavin
nodded toward the door and got to his feet. “Want me to lock up for
you?”
Sunny glanced around, only just realizing
everyone else had left. “Uh… Sure.”
He flipped the lock on the door, then plunged
the
open
sign into darkness. As he turned back toward the
bar, a flash caught his attention. Looking through the windows of
the rolling door, he studied the dunes. The only thing he saw was a
spectacular full moon. A perfect night for camping on the
beach.
He picked up the blanket from the corner he’d
stashed it in earlier, then laid it on the pool table closest to
the door. “How long will it take you to wrap things up here?” he
asked, stepping behind Sunny. “I have special plans for you.”
She was facing the mirrored wall, and he
watched the dullness in her eyes turn to glittering anticipation.
“Just a few minutes.” She picked up the container of Redi Whip then
hesitated. Smiling, she set it back down and caught his gaze in the
reflection of the mirror. She popped the sucker from her mouth and
said, “Robby is staying at a friend’s tonight. We don’t have to go
to the beach.”
He pressed his body against hers and stroked
his fingers down her arms. “Yeah, we do. I promised you sex on the
beach.” Holding her gaze in the mirror, he nuzzled her neck. “You
know you’re killing me with those damned suckers, right?” A smile
played at her mouth, and she shook her head. “I can’t watch you
suck on one without imagining what it would be like to be the lucky
bastard.”
Her breath hitched, and she twisted in his
arms. “Oh yeah?” She trailed her fingers down his chest, past the
drawstring on his borrowed shorts, and cupped the hard proof of his
confession. “Mmmm… Do you know what my favorite flavor is?”
He gulped. “No.”
“Peppermint.” She looked up at him with a
sad, pouty expression. “But they don’t make suckers in that
flavor.” She reached behind her and grabbed a bottle of peppermint
schnapps off the shelf. “Maybe I could make my own.”
He struggled to make his lungs work as he
followed her train of thought. He’d never experienced this
personally—hey, a first for him—but he heard other guys talk. The
peppermint, combined with the cool air in the room, added to the
already intense sensations of the woman’s mouth.
But hell, he was cranked so tight it wouldn’t
take but three seconds of Sunny’s mouth on him and he’d be a
goner.
Her fingers shook as she pulled at the
drawstring of his shorts and loosened the waistband. She flipped
her gaze to his and hesitated, as if gauging his reaction to make
sure it was okay for her to continue.
Only a fool would tell this woman no… to
anything.
He took her face in his palms and lowered his
mouth to hers for a hot, searing kiss. Keeping their mouths
connected, he murmured, “I’m okay with
anything
you want to
do… or try.”
***
“Ugh, I hate the beach,” Callie whined as she
followed Jason across the soft sand in front of the Blackout.
Tiffany and Jen were behind her, equally unhappy about picking
their way across sand and seashells in three-inch heels. Next time
they turned into spies, they’d remember functionality was as
important as being cute.
Callie didn’t know why she agreed to take a
hike down the beach in the first place. She already knew Gavin was
in the bar. She saw his SUV in the parking lot when they cruised
past a moment earlier.
When Jen suggested they could turn around,
park a few houses away, and take a look into the bar from the
beach, Callie hesitantly agreed. Now, she questioned why she’d done
such a stupid thing.
It could be a perverse need for more torture.
Or maybe, a part of her still hoped against hope that things
weren’t as they appeared. The lights in the building had gone out
as they approached, so they knew the bar was closed. But Gavin, or
the bartender, hadn't exited, so they must still be inside.
Since the customers were gone, she hoped they
were finalizing the deal so Gavin could wrap things up and head
back to Myrtle Beach.
Jason helped each of them climb to the top of
the sand dune directly in front of the bar. “Okay,” he said. “What
now?”
Callie had stuck the small binoculars she
used on European sightseeing trips into her purse. Swallowing the
fear and nausea rising in her throat, she pulled them from her bag.
Sticking with the story of checking up on Tiffany’s boyfriend,
Callie glanced at her and said, “I’ll look first and tell you what
I see.”
Tiff bit her lip and frowned. “Are you
sure?”
No, not at all.
But she nodded and
said, “Yeah, give me a second to get these adjusted.” Her breathing
was choppy and her hands shook, making it difficult to see as she
pressed the lenses to her eyes. She turned the knob to adjust the
vision, and…
Oh, God.
The view through the front windows was
blurry, but it was good enough to see Gavin sealing the deal all
right. Not with pen and paper, but with an intense kiss.
His hands cupped the bartender’s face, and
their mouths fused together. While Callie tried to catch her
breath, Gavin trailed his kisses from the blonde’s mouth, across
her cheek, and then down her neck.
In a perfectly orchestrated movement, he and
the bartender exchanged places so he was the one with his backside
pressed to the counter. The bartender slipped her hands under the
hem of his shirt, pushed it up over his chest, then stripped it
off.