Last Call (Book #2 - Heat Wave Series)

by Alannah Lynne

  He laughed uncomfortably and glanced at Joe. “I don’t know what she’s talking about.” He turned back to Sunny, and for the first time, she saw an old man behind those eyes. A tired, old man.

  Robby came up behind her. “Do you have to give the money back if the ordinances don’t get changed?”

  “You son of a bitch,” Joe said, vibrating with anger. “I can’t believe you took the bribe.”

  Ed’s face turned red and his hands trembled as he stared down his old friend. “You’re a fool if you didn’t. I’m seventy-two years old. My business is barely hanging by a thread. What would happen to me and Jane if one of those big-chain gas stations came in?”

  A few of the others in the bar had started to pay attention to Sunny and Ed’s exchange, but now everyone stopped what they were doing and moved closer. Ed must have felt like a trapped animal because his eyes grew wild and his voice escalated to a level she’d never heard from him.

  “It’s just a matter of time before those ordinances get changed, anyway. Why not go ahead and get on with it? The money I got will make sure Jane and I can make it for the rest of our lives. Hell, I’ll even get a day off now.”

  Sunny pushed off the bar and stood up straight. “The resort isn’t going in. I’m not selling this piece of property. And as of this afternoon…” She paused and looked at Gavin, unsure if she could tell the rest.

  He smiled and nodded.

  “Gavin owns the fishing pier, so the resort will never go in. At least, not right here, not as long as Gavin and I are alive.”

  Robby’s head snapped back and forth between Gavin and Sunny at that newsflash, but she was focused on the panic spreading in Ed’s eyes. “Don’t do this, Sunny.” He reached across the bar for her hand, but she snatched it away. “He’ll kill you, if that’s what it takes. He’s crazy and vicious, and he’ll do anything to get what he wants.”

  Sunny shook her head. “Those are just rumors, Ed. Gavin spent all day looking for proof to the contrary, and there’s none to be found. Yeah, he may try to intimidate and bully me into selling, but I can handle that.” She turned and smiled at Gavin and Robby. “I have tremendous backup, so I’ll be fine.”

  Ed eased back onto the stool. He was genuinely concerned for her safety, and she had to wonder if he’d been bullied into taking the bribe. Ed’s shoulders slumped. “I’m not the only one,” he said softly.

  Robby snorted. “Like that makes it okay.”

  “How many are there?” Sunny asked, wanting to make sure they accounted for everyone.

  Ed played with the moisture on his beer bottle. “Five.” He didn’t look up, didn’t make eye contact with anyone. “I don’t know who they are. I only know there’s a majority now.” He started to turn his head toward Joe, then looked back to the bottle. “I guess you’re not one of them.”

  “Hell, no, I’m not one of them.”

  Somewhere, throughout the conversation, Sunny’s anger at Ed had turned to sympathy. Sympathy for getting himself into this mess and not only losing his friends, but probably his self-respect, as well.

  Joe, however, was still firmly in the angry camp. “That son of a bitch approached me, but I’m no sellout. I told him to go to hell. You could’ve done the same thing.”

  Ed’s shoulders slumped to the point she thought he might collapse onto the bar. “I had to do something to make sure Jane was taken care of.” His voice was so soft Sunny barely heard him. He looked at Sunny with pleading eyes. “Can you understand that?”

  She looked away, not ready to forgive, but knowing if she looked into those sad eyes any longer, she’d be sucked in. “I understand desperation makes people do crazy things. But there had to have been another way. A way that wouldn’t have betrayed the trust of everyone who voted for you. The trust of your friends.”

  He stared at his bottle, not speaking, just thinking. “I guess I better head home and tell Jane. She needs to hear it from me, rather than someone else.”

  Sunny grabbed his hand to stop him from standing. “Jane doesn’t know you took a bribe?”

  He looked at the floor and shook his head. “No, she’d never approve.” He sighed like a broken-down, defeated man. “This just might be the end of forty good years.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Gavin took a long drink of his beer and looked around at the long faces of the few remaining bar patrons. The atmosphere had taken a serious nosedive during Sunny’s confrontation with Ed, and it pretty much stayed in the shitter since. He'd walked out nearly forty-five minutes before, ass dragging the pavement, and everyone was still wandering around in a state of shock and disbelief.

  “I can’t believe he took the bribe,” Joe said for the fifteenth time.

  “Do you think Miss Jane will really leave him?” Robby’s eyes were wide with concern, and his earlier rage seemed to have dissipated.

  Joe’s anger had also come down a notch or two, but wasn’t anywhere near gone. “She won’t leave the sorry bastard. She’ll make his life hell for a while, and he deserves it. I’ve known Ed most of my life. Believe me, this isn’t the first stupid thing he’s done in the past forty years. It’s a doozy, but it’s not the worst.”

  Whoa, what the hell had Ed done that was worse than—

  Gavin’s thoughts were cut short when Joe’s black-as-night stare landed squarely on his face. “What’s your role in all this?”

  Gavin had braced himself for that question and was surprised it took so long for someone to ask. The others in the bar turned toward him, awaiting his explanation. “I used to work for Holden Enterprises—”

  Sunny gasped. “Used to? What do you mean used to?”

  Oh yeah, he hadn’t gotten around to sharing that information with her yet. “After screwing Max over the way I did, I was going to be out of a job, anyway. I figured I’d beat him to the punch and tendered my resignation this afternoon.” He kicked back on the barstool like he didn’t have a care in the world. “I’m on vacation for the next sixteen weeks, and then I’m out of a job.”

  Sunny’s eyes widened even farther and her jaw nearly came unhinged.

  “I told you I had a lot of accumulated vacation time.” He shrugged and picked at the label on his beer. “Max’ll get my resignation paperwork tomorrow, and then he can decide how he wants to handle the vacation pay. I’ll probably get a lump sum compensation check and be done.” Which would help with living expenses while he sold his house and began renovations on the fishing pier.

  “Do you know who the other paid-off commissioners are?” Joe asked.

  Gavin nodded to Sunny, who seemed to be lost in her thoughts. “Sunny thinks she found all five of them.”

  She wiped her hands on her jeans and nodded. “Robby and I found four other names we recognized on a list of subcontractors.” She smiled sadly and grabbed Joe’s hand. “I was so relieved when we didn’t find your name.”

  “Sunny,” one of the young pool players called. “We’re gone. We’ll see you Friday.” Although the kids probably hadn’t understood everything that transpired tonight, they weren’t immune to the depressing mood, and Gavin wasn’t surprised to see them calling it an early evening.

  Sunny waved at the kids. “You guys be careful.”

  Since Ed left, the other patrons trickled out pretty consistently. With the kids gone, Joe was the only one left. He slid his empty bottle across the bar and said, “I think I’m gonna head out too. Maybe go home and watch a little TV.” He started to slide off the stool, then paused and looked at Ed’s seat cover. “Whatcha gonna do with that?”

  Sunny sagged, deflated. “Robby wanted to pull it off this afternoon and burn it, but I wouldn’t let him.” She chewed her lip and stared at the seat. “Maybe we’ll leave it there for a while.” Tears filled her eyes. “I feel kinda bad for him. I know that feeling of being desperate and trapped, but…” She pulled in a breath, then slowly released it. “Dammit, I don’t know what to think or feel.”

  Joe nodded. “I know what you m
ean.” He swiveled his gaze around to Gavin. “I guess since you own the fishing pier, you’ll be a permanent fixture around here.”

  Gavin laughed. “Yeah, I guess so.” He looked at Sunny and winked. “What do I need to do to get my own barstool cover?”

  She blushed, and before she could answer, Joe said, “Wait until I’m gone to answer that. I don’t want to know.”

  Robby carried a load of glasses out of the kitchen and began restocking the shelves. “It’s only nine. I can’t believe the place is empty.”

  Sunny dipped her rag into the bucket of water and swiped at the bar. “It’ll take a few days before everyone settles down and things get back to normal.”

  “Since everyone’s gone, I’m going with the guys to Wilmington.” Robby paused and looked up. “I mean, if that’s okay.” He looked at Gavin, then back to Sunny. “He’s here with you, so you’ll be okay. Right?”

  “I’ll take good care of her.”

  Robby made an ewww face, and Gavin laughed. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant I’ll make sure she's okay.” But, if Robby was going to be gone… he’d work on that, too.

  “Right.” Robby grabbed his keys off the back counter and headed for the door. “Is it okay if I come back here tonight? Chad’s floor is starting to get uncomfortable.”

  “Of course it’s okay. Gavin'll be here, but you can come home. He’ll be…” She let the words trail off and cut her eyes to Gavin.

  Robby opened the door and yelled over his shoulder. “I’m locking you guys in to work it out. See you later.”

  “I’ll be what?”

  She bit her lip and gave the bar another swipe. “I was going to say you’d be spending a lot of time with us, but… Will you?”

  Gavin stalked around the end of the bar toward Sunny, who watched him with wide-eyed anticipation, not moving, barely breathing. He dropped his bottle into the recycling can as he passed it, then took her hands in his. “I’ll spend as much time here as you’ll allow. How about if we go upstairs, get in that kickass tub of yours, and negotiate.”

  ***

  Gavin brushed Sunny’s hand away as she reached for the faucet. “You go relax; I’ll do this.” He turned on the water, held his fingers under the spray, and adjusted the temperature. “I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

  She hip-checked him out of the way and grabbed her bottle of bubble bath. She took the cap off and sniffed. It wasn’t too girly smelling so hopefully Gavin wouldn’t mind. A bath without bubbles—lots of bubbles—just wasn’t a bath. She dumped a generous portion into the water and watched the suds form. “You go relax. Your day has been a whole lot rougher than mine. I’m not the one who flushed my entire career…”

  Her breath caught in her throat as the enormity of the situation hit her square in the chest. She twisted the top back on the bottle and turned to face him. “I can’t believe you bought the fishing pier and quit your job.”

  His eyes softened as he took the bottle from her hand and set it on the counter. Pulling her to him, he said, “I’ve had my doubts for months, I just…” He sighed and rested his chin on the top of her head. “I didn’t want to look at them too closely, or try to figure out what they were telling me.”

  He always projected so much confidence she found it hard to believe he could ever have doubts, about anything. She pulled back from the tight embrace and studied his face “Doubts? About yourself?”

  A cocky smile indicated that was a ridiculous question, but after a second, the cockiness waned and he turned pensive, maybe even a little sad. “I haven’t doubted my ability to run the company. The problem has been my desire to.” His hands dropped to her waist, then slipped under the hem of her shirt. “I started to question if that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”

  His blue gaze melded with hers and in a flash, the heat in the room spiked—not just the sexual heat, but the emotional intensity of the moment, as well. Without saying a word, his eyes and searing touch clearly expressed his intent. The rest-of-his-life plans now included her.

  They hadn’t discussed the future, but there was no questioning what she saw in his face. For once, he was the one broadcasting his thoughts, and she found herself nodding in agreement to his unspoken declaration.

  He drew in a shaky breath, then slowly… very slowly lowered his lips to hers. As he deepened the kiss and his hand crept up her ribcage, she stiffened and held her breath.

  When she dressed this afternoon, she hadn’t had the energy or mental focus to figure out a good necklace/shirt combination. She finally decided clothes were clothes and settled on a plain bra and high-collared shirt, without a necklace. But now, in this erotically charged moment, she wished she had on something sexier than a boring white bra and panties.

  Sensing her tension, Gavin pulled back from the kiss. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed.”

  He flinched, then frowned. “What?”

  “I’m not wearing a necklace.” Recognizing her fears as foolish and anxious to have the awkward moment behind her, she stepped back from his grasp and stripped off her shirt. “In fact, I’m not wearing anything special, just a plain old white bra.”

  He tilted his head to the side and looked at her with such deep tenderness her insides ached. With a soft, gentle touch, he flipped open the front closure on her bra and smiled appreciatively. “The necklaces are hot. But…” He cupped her breasts in his hands as if he were holding a precious piece of glass. “You are extraordinary.” He tweaked her nipples and dipped his head. “It’s not the necklaces that make you beautiful.”

  She moaned and pushed her fingers through his hair as he kissed a trail across her shoulder and down to her breast. While he lavished one breast with the attention of his tongue and teeth, he massaged the other with his hand.

  Through the steam and her own lust-filled haze, she noticed the bubbles encroaching upon the edge of the tub. She tugged on the ends of his hair to get his attention. “If we don’t shut off the water, we’re going to spend our time cleaning up a mess, rather than making our own wet, sloppy one.”

  He unlatched from her breast and rolled his eyes upward to meet her gaze. His eyelids were heavy, his eyes dreamy. He looked happy and sated, and if she didn't know better, she'd swear he was drunk.

  “I definitely want to get sloppy wet. Inside you,” he said, reaching around her to shut off the stream of water.

  His words were like a match to the coals, and within seconds, Sunny had her clothes off, not-so-patiently waiting for him to do the same. She’d just about decided to forgo the bath and jump him where he stood when he stripped out of his pants and stepped into the tub.

  Gavin in her tub, surrounded by bubbles, proved too much to resist. She took the hand he offered and stepped in with him. She sighed with appreciation as the two of them eased into the warm water together, and bubbles crackled and popped as she relaxed back into the inviting cradle of his body.

  Held in his warm embrace with the water sloshing against her in a gentle caress, the troubles of the past several days evaporated like the steam coming off the water. Lost in a relaxing trance, the rough loofa sponge touching her elbow made her jump and sent bubbles dripping over the edge.

  “Ooops.” He chuckled. “Didn’t mean to startle you.” He dipped the sponge into the water, then squeezed the suds over her chest and shoulders.

  Relaxing deeper into the water, she said, “You’re spoiling me.”

  “Spoiling you makes me happy.”

  Despite her body’s relaxed state and her desire to forget everything except the feel of Gavin’s body wrapped around hers, her mind continued to work overtime. She’d only gotten bits and pieces of information, leaving her with more questions than answers. “What are you going to do?”

  In a low, sexy drawl, he said, “Do I really need to spell it out, or are you just trying to get me to talk dirty to you?”

  Her stomach did a somersault as she twisted to
look at him. She was asking about his future plans, like… Would he stay in Myrtle Beach and commute, or would he move to Anticue? What about his grandfather and the farm? What would happen between the two of them now that he owned the property next door?

  She didn’t excel at taking a back seat and letting life drive itself. She liked having a plan and knowing where she was headed. But looking into the fathomless blue depths of his eyes, she decided the future didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was right now.

  She returned to her relaxed position, corralled in the strength of his body, and said, “I want you to talk dirty to me.”

  He nipped at her ear before scraping his teeth over her neck. In a deep, raspy voice, he proceeded to describe in graphic detail exactly what he planned to do to her.

  The pictures he painted with his words lit her up like a torch. She threw her head back onto his shoulder, arched her back, and pressed her breast into his hand. It felt as if all her nerve endings were exposed, and she couldn’t wait another minute to have him inside her.

  She crawled out of the cradle of his body and onto her knees. “I need you inside me. Now. Hard and fast.”

  Gavin’s voice was a gravelly croak when he said, “Condom,” and crawled out of the tub. Soap bubbles slid off his shoulders and elbows and landed on the floor in thick globs. He grabbed a towel, but she wasn’t sure why he bothered, since he didn’t use it to dry off, only halfway wrapped it around his waist.

  His broad shoulders and back glistened with water droplets, and the thought of slowly licking them off his skin, drop by drop, propelled her into motion. Water sluiced off her body and sloshed over the edges of the tub. Bubbles dripped off her, joining the ones that had fallen from Gavin. Out of habit, she grabbed a towel, but it made even less contact with her body than Gavin’s had.

  She squealed and grabbed the doorframe to catch her balance as she slipped on a puddle of water. With her next step, her foot caught purchase on the bedroom carpet. Then she was practically running across the room toward him.