“So I’ve heard,” his father said casually. “You met with Mitchell? I’m glad you found the time.”
“Me too.” Jett inhaled deeply and blew it out slowly, releasing more of the lingering tension. “It was strange being at the head of the room with the men and women who watched out for me when I was a kid.”
His father’s lips tipped up, and he said, “Yes, I remember that feeling.”
“I don’t know what they were expecting, and I went in there not having a clue as to what I could possibly offer with my limited time. But I wanted to at least hear them out, maybe offer suggestions or throw some money at them and put one of my guys on it. But when I walked in, they acted as if I hadn’t been gone all these years, welcoming me with open arms, saying how proud they were of me and that they always knew I’d do well.”
“They’re good people,” Sherry said. “Everyone asks about you and your brothers. Just because you’re living somewhere else doesn’t mean you’re forgotten.”
“Yes, but I was not a very kind teenager.” His eyes shot to his father, and Tegan felt him tense up again.
“That’s putting it mildly,” Rose said under her breath.
“Thanks, Gram,” Jett said sarcastically, tightening his hold on Tegan. “It’s true. I was a jerk.”
His father lowered his chin, looking at Jett with the seriousness of a businessman and the eagle eye of a father, as he said, “All teenagers are a bit headstrong, but not all of them carry that determination into manhood, as you have. Have you decided to help Mitchell and the others?”
“Don’t know yet,” Jett said sharply.
“Well, I’ll be interested in hearing what you decide to do, if anything,” his father said.
“Oh goodness, look at the time,” Rose said in an obvious attempt to lighten the mood. “Jetty, can you and Tegan drive me home?”
Jett shifted his eyes away from his father, and said, “Sure.”
Jett helped Tegan with her coat as his father assisted Rose with hers. Jett hugged his mother and then he shook his father’s hand and said, “I saw the treehouse hasn’t been torn down yet.”
“I called Rob Wicked, but he and his boys are tied up several weeks out.”
Jett’s gaze darted toward the backyard, and then he said, “I’m coming back into town a week from Friday evening to see Tegan. I have to leave at six the next evening for London, but if you want, I can swing by for a few hours and we can fix it for Doug and Dean’s future kids. You know they’ll talk you into putting up another one anyway.”
His father kept a stiff upper lip, but the emotion in his eyes brought a lump to Tegan’s throat. Sherry and Rose both looked as though they might cry, too.
His father nodded and said, “Sounds good. I’ll order the wood.”
“That’s wonderful,” Sherry exclaimed, blinking rapidly. “Tegan, can you make it, too?”
“Absolutely. I’d love to. Rose, will you be here?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she said coyly.
After another round of hugs and warmer goodbyes, they left. The second the door closed, Rose said, “What have you decided about helping Mitchell and the others?”
Tegan wondered why Rose thought he’d made a decision already.
“There’s no way I’ll hand them over to someone else. This is my town, and those people were there for me dozens of times. I want to be the one to help them get back on their feet and make their businesses even stronger.”
“The man who said he’d never go back to his roots is doing just that,” Rose said.
Jett gave her an annoyed look.
“That’s how you grew your business, honey, teaching others how to grow theirs,” Rose said.
Confused, Tegan said, “Why didn’t you tell your father what you’d decided?”
“I don’t know,” he grumbled.
Rose turned her wise gray-blue eyes on Tegan and said, “It’s tug-of-war, honey, as typical of men as their need to mark their territory.”
“But wasn’t the treehouse an olive branch?” Tegan asked.
As they made their way down the driveway, Rose said, “It was a branch from a very thorny bush.”
Jett gave a confirmatory nod, keeping one arm tightly around his grandmother, and said, “You okay, Gram? Am I going too fast?”
“No, sweetheart. You’re finally moving at the perfect pace.”
LATER THAT NIGHT, Tegan gazed out the bathroom window at the moonlight kissing the tops of the trees as she dried off from a shower, thinking about her life. She’d come to the Cape expecting an adventure, and when she’d first suggested she and Jett try being friends with benefits, she’d expected it to be relatively easy to remain unattached. She’d been wrong on both counts. Carrying on her uncle’s legacy might have begun as an adventure, but the theater had become a part of her. Or maybe it always had been, and she simply hadn’t realized it. And Jett? She clutched the towel to her chest. Her heart had felt like it might explode when she’d seen him standing beside Jock in her hallway yesterday morning. It had been like a dream, working with him and Jock to move her things, making a home out of the cottage. She loved the cozy space, and she loved that Jett and Jock had become friends. She thought about the amazing day they’d had, and goose bumps rose on her flesh. She could still feel the joy and determination vibrating in the air as Jett had swung the bat, and his laughter and the cocky comments that followed. She could still see his eyes turning dark and seductive with every furtive touch they’d shared. She loved how their competitive natures pushed them to win and also drew them together in celebration. And she was proud of him for trying to bridge the gap with his father. Thorny branch or not, he was making an effort, and that filled her with happiness. She felt like she was walking across that rocky bridge with him, and that made her happy, too. She sighed. She loved everything about their coupledom.
She loved everything about him.
“You coming, babe?” Jett called from the other side of the bathroom door as she hung up her towel.
Her pulse quickened. “Just a sec.”
She slipped on her silk cami and matching panties and opened the door, melting at the candlelit bedroom. Her eyes found Jett kneeling naked and masked beside the bed, and her body ignited. She swallowed hard, her nerves tingling.
“I always keep my promises,” he said seductively.
She’d been so swept away with everything else, she’d forgotten about this promise. A sly grin spread across his lips as she went to him, hoping her weak knees wouldn’t give out. She wanted to look at all of him at once, his delicious lips, broad chest, thick thighs, and the sinful shaft waiting to bring her pleasure.
“Good evening, Miss Fine. I’m here to fulfill your every desire.”
A whimper slipped out before she could stop it. He was gazing up at her through the sexy mask that said FUCKABLE FLIRT on it. Oh God. This man…Her emotions were too big, whipping around inside her like a storm trying to break free. She was breathing too hard, falling too fast, but she didn’t want to stop.
Jett ran his fingertips along her legs, sending shivers of heat racing through her. “Where shall I start, beautiful?”
How was she supposed to think, much less speak? She scrambled for her voice, for a command to give him, and whispered, “Take my panties off.”
His hands trailed up her outer thighs, light as feathers, and he drew them down. Then those piercing eyes found hers, making her heart pound even harder. God, he was really doing this! She was so nervous, her voice trembled as she said, “Kiss your way up to my mouth.”
He started at her ankles, caressing her legs as he slowly and meticulously kissed a path up one leg, lingering on the tender skin behind her knee, sending titillating pleasures darting through her. He loved every inch of her hamstrings and thighs, teasing so close to her sex, she grabbed his shoulders to keep her knees from giving out. Her desires rushed out in a heated demand. “Lick me.”
He thrust his tongue between her thighs,
slicking along her wetness. Her sex clenched, and she didn’t even try to hold back. “Use your hands, grab my ass, suck my clit. Make me come.” She might be the one in control, but he was the master, taking her right up to the clouds. Lights exploded behind her closed lids, and still he was relentless. She forced her eyes open, wanting to see him as he pleasured her. Their eyes collided with the force of an earthquake, making everything that much more intense. He clutched her bottom tighter, forced her legs open wider, and used his wicked mouth to send her soaring again. The world careened around them as she tried to pull him to his feet. But he pushed his hands beneath her top, playing her like a symphony once again, leaving her boneless and shaky.
“Up,” she panted out. He rose and his arms circled her, holding her to him like she was precious. “Take the mask off.” He pulled it off, and the emotions in his eyes stole her breath once again. “Jett,” came out like a plea.
“I know, Tegs. I feel it, too.”
He guided her to the bed, coming down over her. As their bodies came together, he dipped his head beside hers and whispered, “You said I’m seven people, but I only want to be one.” He lifted his face and gazed into her eyes. “I want to be yours, Tegs. Just yours.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
JETT COULDN’T REMEMBER a time when the thought of attending a wedding didn’t spur a feeling of dread. The lengthy ceremony, the tears, and even the toasts that followed had always felt fake and unnecessary. He’d always thought it was much ado about an antiquated union that could, in his eyes, end only one way. But Saturday evening, as he sat with his arm around Tegan while Gavin and Harper recited their vows in a flower-filled room at the Silver House on Silver Island, everything changed. He was no longer the odd man out, making excuses to leave early and checking his phone fifteen times an hour. He’d asked Tia to screen his messages and delegate what she could to Jonas and other staff members for the next twenty-four hours, allowing him to focus on the woman who was opening his eyes to things he’d never realized he was missing out on.
While everyone else was captivated by the bride and groom, Jett couldn’t take his eyes off Tegan, sitting pin-straight on the edge of her seat with tears streaming down her cheeks. It didn’t matter how adventurous she claimed to be, he knew that she was a put-down-roots kind of woman. The type of person who loved traditions like family gatherings at holidays, spending weeks with her favorite uncle every summer, and taking annual trips without having much of a plan. She liked weekly talks with her sister and catch-up calls with her parents, and she deserved to have all those things and so much more.
An outburst of cheers and clapping as the bride and groom shared their first kiss as a married couple jerked Jett from his thoughts. Tegan turned teary, elated eyes on him. He felt his chest crack wide open as she leaned into his arms, sniffling against his shoulder.
“That was so beautiful,” she said through her tears.
He held her and said, “Not nearly as beautiful as you are.” When she’d come out of the bedroom wearing the blousy-sleeved, low-cut, pale pink dress with white polka dots she’d made over the winter for the wedding, he’d been speechless.
She drew back and said, “I’m a mess. Is my eyeliner smearing?”
He brushed away her tears. “No smears, babe. And you’re not a mess; you’re happy for them, which makes you even more attractive.”
Everyone stood up, clapping as Gavin and Harper made their way down the aisle. The people standing at the ends of the rows threw rose petals from baskets lining the aisle.
Tegan leaned into Jett’s side with a dreamy expression as she clapped and said, “They look so happy!”
He wanted to say that she’d get that one day, too, but some things were too big to even think about. He kept her close as they made their way to the banquet room with the other guests.
Jock fell into step beside Jett and said, “That was really something.”
“Great wedding,” Jett agreed. “How are you holding up?” On the ferry ride to the island, Jock had confided in him about having a rocky relationship with his twin brother.
“Good. A few more hours and I’ll be back on the ferry, doing even better.”
“We’re here if you need us,” Jett said as they joined their friends gathered near the open bar.
“That was so romantic. Look at the lovebirds.” Serena lifted her and Drake’s joined hands, motioning across the room to Gavin and Harper, surrounded by their families and talking with the young blond photographer.
“They look almost as in love as we are,” Drake said as he drew her into his arms.
“I love weddings.” Desiree leaned into Rick and said, “Remember ours?”
“I’ll never forget that day.” Rick kissed her.
Andre pulled Violet closer and said, “Neither will we. It’s the day we came back into each other’s lives.”
“You were lucky Violet didn’t kill you that day,” Serena reminded him.
Andre had shown up as Violet’s mother’s plus one for Desiree and Rick’s wedding, and from what Jett had heard, sparks had flown.
“Seriously, though,” Serena said, “don’t you think Gavin and Harper’s first married kiss was hot?”
“Their vows are what got me,” Tegan said. “They were poetic and heartfelt.”
“Gavin’s vows made me cry,” Daphne said, struggling to hold on to Hadley’s hand.
Hadley clutched one of the birds Jett had given her as she tried to escape her mother’s grasp, chanting, “Dock! Dock!” Her hand slipped free and she toddled over to Jock as fast as she could in her pretty pink dress and white shoes and hugged his legs, smiling like she’d found her happy place.
“Hey, I gave you that bird and he gets the attention?” Jett teased, but Hadley was totally focused on the man whose legs she clung to. Discomfort riddled Jock’s face. Knowing that Jock had lost a child, Jett swooped Hadley into his arms and said, “Come here, pretty girl. Let’s talk about your bird.”
Jock’s shoulders visibly sank with relief, and he said, “I’m going to grab a drink.”
“Dock!” Hadley cried, reaching for him as he walked away.
Daphne took her crying daughter from Jett’s arms and said, “Sorry, Jett.” She smoothed Hadley’s hair, trying to quiet her. “Shh, honey. He’ll be back. Let’s play with your bird.”
Jett and Tegan exchanged worried glances. Jett thought about going after Jock, but just then the photographer joined them and said, “Hi. I’m Tara. Harper and Gavin asked me to take pictures of your group. We can wait until your little one is in a better mood. I’ll be taking candid shots, too, throughout the reception. Harper’s planning a bonfire on the patio with anyone who’s staying the night. I’ll be sure to get pictures then, too.”
“That sounds fun,” Tegan said. “Thank you.”
Hadley scowled at Tara. Her cries had subsided, but tears still dripped down her cheeks.
“I don’t blame you, sweetness. My niece, Joey, thinks her Uncle Jack is the icing on the cake, too.” Tara turned to look over her shoulder at Jock, who was ordering a drink, and said, “Jack is one of the kindest men I know.”
“Are you his sister?” Serena asked.
“Oh no, sorry. I didn’t mean to confuse you,” Tara said. “My sister is Joey’s mother, and Jack’s brother Levi is her father. They’re not together. Levi is raising Joey, and she just adores Jack. I think I’ll go say hello.”
As Tara walked away, Daphne said, “It’s weird to hear her call him Jack since we know him by his nickname.”
Tara embraced Jock, and Serena said, “I wonder if she thinks he’s the icing on the cake, too.”
“I don’t know, but Jock grew up here, and Harper said her photographer was from the island, too. I’m sure they’re close,” Tegan explained.
“I wonder how close,” Daphne said under her breath as Hadley tried to wriggle out of her arms.
“Are you interested in Jock, Daph?” Desiree asked.
“What? No,” D
aphne said as she set Hadley down, and Hadley toddled off in Jock’s direction. “Of course she’d make a beeline for him.”
As Daphne went after Hadley, Tegan turned to Jett and said, “Do you think he’s okay?”
Jock had a drink in his hand, and he was talking with Tara. “He seems fine now.”
Emery burst into the group and said, “This place is gorgeous. No wonder Harper didn’t want to settle for any other location. Did you see the view?”
The Silver House was built on a bluff overlooking Sunset Beach and Silver Harbor. It was one of the most sought-after wedding destinations on the East Coast, despite its limited capacity. The banquet room they were in had views of an expansive patio, gardens, arbors, and the harbor.
“Can you imagine how gorgeous this place is in the summer with all the flowers in bloom?” Dean said.
“No more gorgeous than Bayside,” Serena said, snuggling up to her man, and everyone agreed.
Jett slid his arms around Tegan’s waist from behind. She glanced over her shoulder, and he whispered, “You were too far away.” He kissed her neck, and she leaned back against him, making a contented sound, as Chloe and Justin joined them.
“What is going on here?” Chloe asked, eyeing Jett and Tegan.
Justin put his arm around her and said, “Jealous? Because I’ll happily stand in as your FWB.”
“Wait. Where have you two been this whole time?” Emery asked.
“Around,” Chloe said lightly. Then she turned a sterner voice on Justin. “I’m not in the market for an FWB, thank you very much.” She scooted out of his grasp. “Although, Beckett is looking awfully delicious in that suit, isn’t he? Maybe I will rethink my FWB stance.”
“Like I’ve told you before,” Justin said with an edge to his voice, “when you’re done with the Ken dolls and ready to ride a real man, I’m your guy.”
Chloe scoffed.
“For the record, Tegs and I are no longer just friends with benefits,” Jett explained. “We’re exclusive now.”
“You are?” Emery exclaimed. “That’s awesome!”
Bayside Fantasies (Bayside Summers Book 6) Page 31
