Searching For Love – the Bradens & Montgomerys (Pleasant Hill – Oak Falls)

by Melissa Foster

  Thank you, Char and Jilly.

  “That could have backfired so badly, Jilly,” their father said.

  “But it didn’t!” Jillian exclaimed. “Look at them!”

  Zev was still gazing at Carly as he said, “Yeah, look at us.” He slid his hand to the nape of her neck and drew her mouth to his in a long, slow kiss.

  “Damn, bro.” Graham whistled as Zev’s and Carly’s lips parted, both of them smiling.

  “See?” Jillian said snarkily. “What do you have to say about Char’s plan now?”

  Carly bit her lower lip, embarrassed and blissfully happy. Zev leaned in and pressed his lips to hers again in a sweet peck.

  “I think we should use Char’s romantic savant abilities to find you, Jax, and Nick significant others,” their mother said.

  Nick shook his head and said, “No thanks. I’m good.”

  “Me too,” Jax agreed. “My life is way too busy for that kind of commitment.”

  “I’m already on Char’s list, thank you very much,” Jillian said with a fluff of her hair.

  Carly looked at his family, overwhelmed with the trip, the welcome, and all that Zev turned out to be. But even that couldn’t slow her words from tumbling out. “Well, I’d like to say thank you for Char’s plan, and to each of you for caring enough after all these years to go to so much trouble to pull the wool over Zev’s eyes. You opened a door that we couldn’t help but plow through.” She looked at Zev and said, “I didn’t realize how much I was missing until you pushed your way back into my life.”

  “I love you,” he said softly, and kissed her again.

  “Now I’m going to cry,” his mother said, making them all laugh.

  “Zev, you said there was good news and best news. We all love the best news, but what’s the good news?” his father asked.

  “Is Carly knocked up?” Nick asked.

  “No,” Zev and Carly said in unison.

  As Zev shared the rest of his news and his family praised his efforts, Carly said a silent thank you to Char for believing in true love, second chances, and happily ever afters when she and Zev had believed their story had already ended.

  THE ROCK BOTTOM Bar and Grill was built along the marina and offered a casual, rustic atmosphere where patrons could eat inside the restaurant or outside on the large open deck overlooking the water, as Carly, Zev, Randi, and Ford were doing now. Boaters also docked beside the deck, ordered dinner from one of the dock waitstaff, and ate on their boats. As Carly listened to Randi and Ford tell stories about trips they’d taken with and without Zev, she imagined a future of summer evenings just like this one, with a cool breeze at her back, sharing a slice of key lime pie with Zev, so in love she was sure everyone around them could feel it.

  “And then there was the trip we took in the fall two years ago, when we went to the Canary Islands to surf and Ford told everyone he was Alex Pettyfer.” Randi paused to take a sip of her drink. She looked beautiful in a colorful peasant blouse and miniskirt.

  “That was last year, and it was winter,” Ford insisted. “We were in Panama for a festival, remember?”

  Randi rolled her eyes. “You’re wrong. It was definitely fall.”

  “I’m always right,” Ford said, and lounged back in his chair, appearing far too sure of himself. He cleaned up nicely and looked handsome in a black T-shirt and jeans.

  “You’re always arrogant.” Randi whipped out her phone and said, “I’ll show you.”

  Ford peered over Randi’s shoulder at her cleavage. A minute later his eyes flicked up to Zev and Carly, and he said, “I pulled off Alex brilliantly.”

  “Your British accent wasn’t all that great,” Randi said flatly.

  Ford scoffed. “My accent rocked. I got loads of phone numbers that night.”

  Zev leaned closer to Carly for a kiss, and then he whispered in her ear, “Told you…”

  “They need one of Char’s plans,” she said softly, catching his hand as it slid across her thigh beneath her skirt. She pressed her thighs together, as she’d been doing all night, and gave him a warning glare. But it just made the wickedness in his eyes hotter, which made her want him even more. “You’re going to lose the dare.”

  He rubbed his whiskers along her cheek, his hand sneaking between her thighs again, as he whispered, “I don’t care.”

  “Hello?” Randi said in a singsong voice. “We lost them again. They’re in some sort of lovers’ trance.”

  Carly jerked Zev’s hand away and said, “Sorry.” Geez, she really was in a lover’s trance.

  “I’m not,” Zev said smugly.

  That look got under Carly’s skin, turning her on even more. She needed a distraction from her biggest distraction and said, “Who was right about the timing of your trip?”

  Randi grinned and pointed at herself with both hands. “Me, of course. I knew it wasn’t last fall because Zev met up with Graham in Belize last fall, and it wasn’t the winter in Panama, because Zev wasn’t even there with us. He’d gone home to see his parents for the weekend and then he went to see Luis.”

  “None of that matters anyway,” Ford said. “The only thing that matters is that you, Carly, missed Zev doing a Magic Mike dance that night.”

  “Yes!” Randi clapped. “When all the ladies begged Alex Pettyfer to get up and do a Magic Mike dance, Ford chickened out. Have you ever seen a harem of angry, drunken females? I thought Ford was going to get his butt kicked, but Zev rescued him. He dragged Ford’s lame ass up to the stage, and they both did a horrible rendition of Magic Mike’s sexy dancing. Ford was the better of the two, in case you’re wondering.”

  “But Zev was the best dancer in our high school, and he won a dance contest when we were in college.” She looked quizzically at him and said, “Zevy, have you lost all your sexy moves? Because I might have to rethink this relationship.”

  “No, but I wasn’t going to outdance my buddy.”

  “What?” Ford pointed at Zev and said, “I’m not that bad of a dancer.”

  “That’s debatable,” Randi chimed in.

  Zev put an arm around Carly and said, “Besides, I didn’t want any of those crazy women jumping my bones.”

  They had a good laugh over that, but Carly knew from the look in Zev’s eyes that he was telling the truth.

  As they finished dessert, Randi said, “I’m bummed that you’re going back to Colorado tomorrow. It was so fun having another woman on board.”

  “And this guy has never seemed happier,” Ford said, motioning to Zev. “You’re not going to dump his ass and leave us with a weepy Braden, are you?”

  “No way. I just got him back,” Carly said. “Believe me, going home is the last thing I want to do. I’ve had more fun today than I’ve had in a long time.” Her heart hurt thinking about being away from Zev, but this was their reality. When Zev returned to his boat Sunday evening, he would be embarking on a life-changing adventure, and who knew how long it would be before they saw each other again. She was honored to have been part of working on the concretions and to have taken part in today’s expedition, and she wasn’t going to let the fact that they’d be apart for a few—several?—weeks get her down. So she said, “I’m beyond thrilled for you guys. You’re going to make history, and I want to hear all about it. Every detail.”

  “I’m going to buy stock in video-chat software,” Ford said. “I have a feeling its use is about to spike. Don’t worry about Zev, Carly. I’ll keep him warm when you’re gone.”

  Zev shook his head, chuckling.

  “Ford had a few too much to drink one night and wandered into Zev’s cabin thinking it was his,” Randi explained.

  “Sounds juicy.” Carly bumped Zev’s shoulder and said, “Is there a side of you I don’t know about?”

  “Hardly,” he said.

  “That was the night we found out that Ford is very handsy when he’s drunk and Zev likes to sleep in the nude,” Randi said with a giggle.

  “I happen to love that he sleeps in the nu
de.” Carly pointed at Ford and said, “But I’m a fearsome force when it comes to protecting what’s mine, so keep you paws off my man, buddy.”

  They all chuckled. Randi flagged down a waiter and ordered three rounds of shots. When he brought them to the table, she lifted her glass and said, “To Zev, for finally getting his ass in gear and going after his Goonie girl.”

  “Hear, hear!” Ford said, clinking glasses with Randi.

  Zev and Carly tapped glasses, and Zev said, “Amen to that!”

  They each picked up another shot glass, and Carly said, “To the Fearless Threesome. May next week bring you fame, fortune, and no shark bites.” She held her glass out, waiting for them to tap it with theirs, but they were exchanging glances she couldn’t read.

  “I think you got the tagline wrong, babe,” Zev said.

  “What do you mean? You told me you were the Fearless Threesome.”

  “Were is the operative word,” Randi said.

  “Now that Zev has a better half, I think it’s time we change our name to the Fearless Foursome,” Ford said with a wink, and they all clinked glasses with Carly.

  There had been about a million times since she and Zev had reconnected when Carly hadn’t thought she could feel any happier, but as they cheered and drank, she realized she was wrong again. Being part of Zev’s circle of friends, his family on the sea, brought a whole new level of joy.

  They entertained Carly with more stories until nearly eleven o’clock, when Zev took her hand and said, “If you guys don’t mind, I’d like to take Carly down to the beach for a walk.”

  “That’s code for ‘get you naked,’” Ford teased.

  They paid the bill and said their goodbyes in the parking lot. Carly hated leaving, but Randi and Ford made it easier. Ford hugged her and reiterated how happy he was that she and Zev were together. He promised, with a wink this time, to keep Zev warm and hoped she’d be back soon. She and Randi exchanged phone numbers, and Randi promised to keep Ford out of Zev’s bed in exchange for Carly bringing chocolates the next time she visited. They both wished her luck with the festival, and before parting ways, Zev took a last-time-we picture of the four of them for Carly.

  She loved that the most.

  It was a beautiful, clear night, and as they made their way down to the beach, the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore brought a heightened sense of peace. They took off their shoes and carried them as they walked along the beach. Carly was a little tipsy, and blissfully happy. She wanted the night to go on forever. But despite the alcohol warming her, she shivered against the breeze billowing off the ocean.

  “Let me help you with your sweater.” Zev helped her put it on and said, “So, you said you’re from Colorado?”

  She recognized the playful look in his eyes. It was story time. “No. Coronado. It’s a city in California. I traveled all this way in my dingy.”

  He arched a brow. “In your dingy.”

  “That’s right. I didn’t want to attract attention, given how famous I am.”

  “Ah, right. I almost forgot. You’re an Olympic yodeler.”

  She laughed. “You couldn’t go with pop star?”

  “Way too easy.” He stole a kiss and said, “I’m a model.”

  “Well, isn’t that fancy?”

  He nuzzled against her neck as they walked and said, “If you yodel for me, I’ll let you touch my ten-million-dollar abs.”

  “Ten million?” she said dramatically. “Is that all abs are worth these days? Sheesh. You should have been a yodeler. I’ve got seventeen houses and a kangaroo.”

  They both laughed.

  “You are living the high life,” he said. “I had a house once, but I got in a fight with the mailman who refused to deliver my mail just because I like to answer the door naked. The bastard burned down my house.”

  She’d missed disappearing into the secret world of Carly and Zev. She looked out at the moonlight glistening off the water and said, “Ten-million-dollar abs and you only had one house?”

  “I think my abs are worth ten mill, but all I was able to book were cheesy commercials. The casting directors said something about my penis being too big and inappropriate for movies.”

  She giggled and said, “That must have been hard to take.”

  “You have no idea. They were like, ‘Dude, you can do porn,’ and I was like, Screw that. I took the insurance money from my house, bought and renovated a van, and now I travel and live in it.”

  “You live in a van?”

  He hiked a thumb toward the marina parking lot. “Sure do. I’ve got it right up there. Do you want to see it?”

  “I don’t know,” she said coyly. “My daddy taught me not to let cute guys with big you know whats lure me into their vans.”

  “Oh, right. That’s probably smart. Well, we could drive out to Fortune’s Landing and see the sights there.”

  “Really?” She slipped right back into Carly mode, forgetting her ruse.

  He hauled her into his arms, hugging her tight, and said, “What do you say, yodeler? Want to drive up to the cliffs with a cheesy commercial model and show me what you can do with your vocal cords? I’ll show you what I can do with my rock-hard…abs?”

  “Yes! I love this! I love us!” She threw her arms around his neck and plastered her lips to his.

  They ran hand in hand back to the marina, laughing and kissing every few steps, and continued frolicking all the way to the parking lot.

  “Here’s my other girl,” Zev said, leading Carly to an orange Volkswagen van with a white roof.

  “She’s quite pretty. Does she have a name?” Carly asked.

  “Sunrise. Because the orange reminds me of the sunrises you and I used to watch.”

  Carly reached up and pretended to brush something off his ear. “Sorry, you had bullshit coming out of it.”

  He laughed and swept her into his arms. “You think so?”

  “I know so.”

  “Would you bet your chance to see my abs on it?”

  She thought about that for a second. “No, but I don’t believe you.”

  He went to the side of the van, unlocked the door, and slid it open, waving her in. “After you, beautiful.”

  She brushed the sand off her feet and peered inside. Across from the doors was a narrow counter with a camping stove on top and drawers beneath it. A double bed took up the back of the long van, with shelves full of clothes on one side.

  “Climb in,” he urged.

  They placed their shoes just inside the door and she climbed in. There was a surfboard hanging on the other side of the van, and on the ceiling above the bed was an eight-by-ten photograph of Carly sitting with her knees pulled up, arms crossed over them, and her cheek resting on her arms. She was sitting on a hill, and the sun was rising in the background, spreading layers of orange and yellow across the sky.

  “Zevy” slipped out full of disbelief, memories flooding her. “That was the summer your family drove cross-country.”

  “Three weeks without you nearly killed me. I begged my parents not to stop overnight on the last leg of our trip because I couldn’t take another day without you.”

  “I remember. You came to my window at three in the morning and said, ‘Carls, come with me on an adventure.’” Her body tingled with memories of how much she’d missed him, too. It had always been that way. Hours apart had seemed like days, weeks like months, and each year after they’d lost Tory and he’d left—she only just realized—had felt like a lifetime.

  “I brought a blanket, and we rode our bikes to our spot on the overlook and just held each other for hours.”

  “And watched the sunrise,” she said softly. He was standing outside the van, and he felt too far away. She went up on her knees, putting her arms around his neck. “I’ll never doubt your word again.”

  “Then I guess I’d better start working on my abs.”

  She began unbuttoning his shirt and brushed her lips over his warm skin. “Nah, they’re alread
y worth more than ten mill.” She kissed his stomach and up his sternum, enjoying the way his body flexed to her touch. “But it might be nice to see the sunrise from Fortune’s Landing. I bet it’s romantic this time of night, and I do want to see if you were telling the truth about your gigantic porn-worthy penis.” She pressed herself against him, his hard length as enticing as the love in his eyes as she kissed his cheek and whispered, “Friendly reminder…I’m not wearing any underwear.”

  “I’d say fuck Fortune’s Landing, but I will not let you down.” His eyes blazed as he handed her the keys and said, “You drive. Use the GPS. I’m going to be a little busy.”

  And busy he was.

  Zev might have been a safety warrior about diving, but there wasn’t a seat belt in sight for him as she drove at a snail’s pace to Fortune’s Landing. It was hard to concentrate when the boy-turned-man with whom she’d fumbled through discovering the glories of sex and love had his talented mouth on her neck and magical hands between her legs.

  By the time they reached Fortune’s Landing, she could barely see straight. The second she cut the engine, Zev pulled her off the seat and into his arms. His mouth was hot and demanding as they fumbled and crawled onto the bed in the back of the van. She pushed at his shirt and tore open his jeans. His hands were everywhere at once, trying to get her dress off, quickly growing frustrated with the strings in the back.

  “I’m going to shred the fucking thing,” he growled.

  “There’s one bow!” She sat up, breathless and needy. As she reached behind her back, she said, “You do you. I’ll do me. Hurry.”

  “Fuck that. I’m doing you.”

  She giggled. “I meant getting naked.”

  As he made quick work of stripping off his clothes, she shifted off the bed, bending over a little so she didn’t bump her head, and the flimsy dress sailed down her body and puddled at her feet.

  Zev’s eyes turned volcanic. His hands circled her waist, and he tossed her on the bed, burying himself to the root in one hard thrust. Their mouths crashed together. There was no finesse, no holding back. Every piston of his hips caused an explosion of sparks along her heated flesh. She clawed at his back, trying to meet his pace, but she had no control as their bodies took over, and too many divine sensations engulfed her. Her head fell back, and she cried out his name, but he tugged her mouth back to his, loving her through her climax. Her inner muscles had never pulsed so tight. His cock had never filled her so perfectly. He pushed his hands beneath her, curling his fingers around her shoulders and locking on like a vise, driving deeper into her with every feverish thrust. The world spun away again, and he was right there with her, tearing his mouth away to grunt out her name as ecstasy consumed them.