by Annie Rains
“I haven’t had one of these in years,” he said.
Grace dipped and kissed his mouth before walking away. “Food’s almost ready. Just a few finishing touches and then we’ll sit.”
Jack stared into his glass, finally taking a sip. The carbonation of the drink stung in a satisfying way.
“I always knew you two would end up together,” Tammy said.
Jack sighed. “No, you didn’t. We were brother and sister.”
“For a little while. But I always suspected Grace and I wouldn’t stay long. I have a way of sabotaging things that make me happy. I’ve always been that way.”
“So I should feel sorry for you? Is that what you want? You sold off my mother’s things one by one because you don’t know how to be happy?”
Tammy wasn’t smiling anymore. Instead her hands shook around her glass.
And he felt like an asshole.
“No,” she said. “Don’t feel sorry for me. I do enough of that for myself.” She shook her head. “Grace needs someone like you. I’m not sure she knows how to be happy, either, but I’ve noticed a difference in her over the last few couple weeks. I’m guessing it’s because of you.”
Jack didn’t say anything. If he did, he might say something else that made him feel like a jerk. There was a lot of anger bubbling at his surface when he was around Tammy Donner. He didn’t want to see her any differently. He wanted to keep harboring these feelings of dislike for her. She deserved his bitterness.
“All right. Dinner is served.” Grace stepped in front of them proudly. “Let’s head to the table.”
Jack stood. The sooner he ate, the sooner this night would be over.
—
Grace’s stomach was so tense she could barely eat. She’d been holding up the dinner conversation for twenty minutes. All Jack was doing was grunting. And her mother just looked like a guilty dog who’d peed somewhere in the house, head down, eyes large. Along with her tremors, it broke Grace’s heart to see her mom this way.
Maybe this was a mistake.
Jack ate the final bite of his food and laid his fork down. He wiped his mouth hastily and then looked up between Grace and her mother. He wasn’t even attempting to enjoy himself tonight. This was an unyielding, uncaring side of him that Grace hadn’t fully seen before.
“Well, that was good,” he said, scooting back from the table.
Grace frowned. He’d been here less than an hour. “You’re leaving?” she asked.
“Yeah. I have something to do.”
“You didn’t have something to do earlier when you scheduled a date with me,” Grace said, anger rising in her voice.
Jack didn’t seem to notice, or maybe he just didn’t care. “Yeah, well, you didn’t have another guest coming to our date at that point.”
“Are you serious right now? This is my mom. If you were serious about me at all, you’d want to make amends.”
“If you were serious, you wouldn’t be hiding the fact that we’re together from everyone important to you,” Jack shot back.
“My mother is important to me. And tonight I told her about us. I’m really excited about us.”
Jack’s eyes were steely. He looked at her mother and back to her. “I’m nowhere near ready for what you did tonight, Grace. You shouldn’t have done this.”
“This is my fault, you two.” Grace’s mother started to stand on shaky legs. “I’m the one that should leave.”
“No,” both Grace and Jack said.
“I just want to be alone right now, Ms. Donner. You stay, I’ll go.” He headed for the front door.
“Jack,” Grace called after him.
He didn’t stop. When the door had closed behind him, her mother spoke.
“I’m sorry.”
Grace turned to look at her mother. “He didn’t even give you a chance.”
“He did. He actually took that better than I would’ve thought. It’s a start.”
Grace wrapped her arms around her waist, giving herself a much-needed hug. “You think so?” she asked.
“I do. And if it’s important to you, we’ll keep on trying.”
Grace surprised herself by smiling. “It is important to me.”
“You’ve never been one to give up. You’re stubborn, hardheaded.”
“I get it from you.” Grace laughed even though she felt like crying.
“So, chin up. He didn’t hug me tonight, but one day he might.”
Grace swallowed back the thickening in her throat and lifted her chin just slightly. She’d never expected that Jack would hug her mother. Only that he would tolerate her. “Okay. Want me to take you home?”
“Home? You said I could complain as much as I wanted about Mrs. Smith tonight. Don’t make yourself a liar, sweetheart. It’s unflattering.”
Grace plopped into the chair next to her mother at the table. She lifted the rum and Coke she’d made herself to her mouth. “Okay. I’m listening.”
—
Grace skipped her morning muffin with Krista the next day. She wasn’t in the mood to explain what had happened at dinner. It’d been a disaster. Although Grace took some comfort in knowing that her mother thought it hadn’t completely gone to hell. Jack would come around eventually. Grace really wanted to believe that.
She showered, dressed, and made her own coffee, grabbing an apple instead. Her hips would thank her for this choice one day. When she got to the office, she worked steadily until noon. It was just her this morning. Without the distraction of one of the brothers ambling in, she finished all the business and was left to twiddle her thumbs.
The office phone rang and Grace jumped. She reached quickly, hoping it was Jack. “Sawyer Seafood Company.”
“Is this the office manager?” someone said on the other line.
“Yes, sir. What can I help you with?”
“I own the Southport restaurants. The deliveries aren’t here yet.”
Grace looked at her watch. It was lunchtime. No fish meant no business. “They’re not there?” she asked, repeating what the man on the phone had already said.
“That’s right. I have enough fish to feed my customers for lunch, but I won’t for dinnertime if my delivery doesn’t arrive soon.”
Grace got the man’s phone number and promised to call him back. Then she set to locating the delivery, hoping that the restaurant’s owner was loyal. Sometimes one mistake cost you. Not everyone was able to forgive and forget.
Grace blinked, realizing she wasn’t just thinking about the Southport restaurant.
Chapter 16
Jack and Tristan had worked all morning on the new job. Hammering nails and cutting wood was good for his mood. He was still upset about being tricked into last night’s dinner with Grace and her mother. He also regretted the way he’d walked out on them. Maybe after clearing the air he and Grace could make up in lovers’ fashion—if she promised to never pull that crap on him again. Dating her didn’t mean dating her mother. They needed to get that straight. He was willing to tolerate Tammy Donner from a distance, but not from the other side of the dinner table.
“Lunchtime,” Jack told Tristan, grabbing a drink of water. “Let’s make it a long lunch. See you back after one.”
“Sure.” Tristan grabbed a bottled water, too, and headed to his car.
Jack climbed inside his own truck and pointed it in the direction of Sawyer Seafood Company. Grace was on the phone as he walked in, so he waited and listened.
“Yes, sir. Yep. I’m so sorry that happened. The delivery truck broke down. You can’t plan for these things.” She waited as the person on the other line barked so loud Jack could hear him from where he was standing. Jack had one guess about the person she was talking to.
“I’m sorry. We do our best. The truck will be fixed and the delivery will be on time tomorrow.” She listened again.
Jack walked over and gently tugged the phone from Grace’s ear. “Jack Sawyer here. Is this Mike Hoffman? Hey, Mike. This is Jack Sawyer. I j
ust want to reiterate everything Ms. Donner just told you…Uh-huh. Well, that’s life. We have to be prepared and the same goes for you, my friend.” Jack’s gaze flicked down to Grace. “Like I’ve advised you before, you should always have some frozen fish in your freezer…No, sir, I’m not telling you how to run your business. Just telling you how to run a good business.”
Grace grimaced as sat at her desk.
“Okay, so you’ll get your fish tomorrow. No problem. Have a good afternoon.” Jack set the receiver back on the phone and looked at Grace.
“The delivery truck broke down,” she said.
“I got that. It happens.”
Grace nodded. “It made for a pretty stressful afternoon.”
Jack leaned against her desk and folded his arms. “Sorry ’bout that. Just know that most customers are more understanding than Mr. Hoffman.”
Grace nodded, but kept her gaze distant from his.
He reached out and touched her shoulder. “So I guess we should talk about last night.”
“I guess we should.”
They both remained silent for a long moment. He’d thought she would apologize first. “Are you waiting for me to apologize?” he finally asked.
She looked up. “I’m certainly not apologizing. I invited you over for dinner. My mother was there. Big flippin’ deal. I have nothing to be sorry for.”
“It is a big deal. You know that. Your mother isn’t the typical girlfriend’s mother.”
Girlfriend. It was the first time he’d used that word in relation to her. She seemed to notice, too.
Her eyes rounded. “Well, a girlfriend should be able to invite her mother over for dinner without asking permission.”
Jack blew out a breath. “Your mother and I have a history that’s a little out of the normal. I stayed through the meal. That’s a start, isn’t it?”
She met his gaze, softening just a touch. “I guess I knew you wouldn’t be thrilled with the change in plans.”
“I had a few other plans for the evening,” he said, lowering his voice.
The corner of her mouth curled. “Oh yeah?”
“Uh-huh.”
“What kind of plans?”
“Big ones.”
She laughed out loud.
That was more like it. “I’d say this was our first couple’s fight.”
“First you call me your girlfriend. Now we’re a couple.”
He stroked a piece of her hair out of her face. “Is that okay?”
Both sides of her mouth curved upward as she shrugged one shoulder. “If we’re going to be a couple, you’re going to have to be around my mother.”
He didn’t want to talk about Tammy right now. “And you’ll have to prepare me for those times beforehand.”
“Fair enough.” She stood and went to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I think if we’re going to be a couple, we should come out to everyone, though. As soon as possible.”
“Thought you wanted to wait until after the tournament this weekend,” he said, kissing her mouth, once, twice. He couldn’t get enough.
“I don’t want to wait any longer,” she said breathlessly.
“Neither do I.” Except he was talking about more than just telling his friends and family. “I want you right here, right now.” He pressed his lower half into her and she gasped, closing her eyes.
“I’m at work. I can’t—”
“No one’s here. You can.”
Her eyes widened and then grew fiery with a need he recognized and loved. He loved everything about this woman—with the exception of her mother.
“Yes,” Grace relented, allowing him to press her against her desk. “But let’s make it quick.”
—
Grace moaned as Jack’s hand cupped her backside. He pulled her flush against him—a perfect fit. Then his hand curled around the back of her neck, keeping her mouth on his, which she didn’t mind one bit.
Grace melted into the heated kiss. Into Jack. Lifting her up, he set her on the top of her desk, pushing his body between her legs.
“Your dad has already been by today. Sam and Noah, too.”
“No reason for them to come back,” Jack whispered as he continued touching her. She was fully clothed, but that wasn’t stopping his hands from finding their way to her bare skin. “There’s a shower here.”
Grace pulled away momentarily. “A small shower. We can’t possibly fit.”
“We’ll have to stay close. I can help you wash off the stress of the morning. Give you a little massage while the hot water beats against us.”
“You make it sound so romantic.”
“It can be. Come on.” He stepped away, allowing her space to hop down off the desk. Then he locked the office’s door and turned the sign to CLOSED.
They ran down the hall like little kids, excited and turned on by the newness of their lovers’ tryst. When they entered the bathroom, Jack pressed her against the sink and slammed the door shut. The harsh sound made her body jolt with awareness, which only increased her arousal.
“I’ve been mad at you all day,” she said, nipping at his bottom lip.
“I’ve been mad at you since last night. I could barely sleep when I got home.” He pulled her flush against him again. Slipping her hand down into the space between them, she worked to unbutton his jeans. “I guess we’ve both been bad.” She nipped again and his pants came undone. She worked her hand down between the denim and his skin.
He cursed softly and lowered his forehead against hers as she stroked him a moment. Then he growled, “You. Naked. In the shower. Now.”
She didn’t usually like a man, or anyone for that matter, telling her what to do. In this case, though, it turned her on. She lifted her shirt overhead, going slow even though this was technically a quickie. A cramped shower didn’t exactly seem romantic, but it felt romantic right now. Loving how Jack’s eyes watched her, she reached behind her and unhooked her bra. The garment hadn’t even dropped to the floor before Jack’s hands were on her. She moaned in pleasure—so much pleasure. And they’d barely gotten started.
Jack dipped and brushed his mouth over her neck. She arched, giving him full access. There was an unshaven edge to his face that set her skin on fire as he kissed down her neck. One of his hands enveloped a breast, squeezing softly. Then he coaxed her body toward the shower.
He turned the knob and hot water beat against her skin as she clung to him. There was even less room than she’d thought, but she didn’t mind. Jack’s mouth returned to hers as he slipped one hand between her legs, finding a rhythm with his fingers that had her moaning and chanting his name. All the sensations were hitting her as hard as the shower’s unrelenting water.
Gripping Jack’s shoulders, she hung on and forgot that she was ever mad at him, or he at her. She forgot everything except the moment they were suspended in.
—
Jack had a big, satisfied smile on his face as he left Grace in the bathroom to finish getting dressed. With a towel wrapped around his waist and his own clothes in hand, he walked down the hall to get himself a drink of water from the filtered water jug. He paused. The empty office wasn’t as empty as he’d thought.
Noah turned to face him from the window that overlooked the ocean.
“Hey, bro,” Jack said slowly, praying that Noah hadn’t overheard the lovefest in the bathroom. Of course, Jack was naked under this towel, and any fool could connect the dots. No sense trying to cover things up. He and Grace had decided to tell Noah the first chance they got anyway.
“We were going to tell you,” Jack started. It was a lame thing to say. Something like you’d see in a movie right before the other person blew up and refused to talk to the offending character again.
“Tell me what?” Noah crossed his arms at his chest. His cheeks were red—angry. Noah knew exactly what had just happened in that bathroom, which made this a little more awkward than just sitting down with him and explaining that he and Grace really liked each othe
r. “Tell me that you’re screwing my sister?” Noah asked, his voice growing loud.
“She’s not your sister, dammit. She was your stepsister once upon a time.”
“Once a sister, always a sister. I never forgot about her the way you guys did.”
Jack laughed. “That’s why you were the coldest to her when she came to work here. Why you couldn’t even look at her for the first week. Because you loved her as a sister so much, right?” Jack shook his head.
“I acted like that because it hurt like hell losing her once, and I didn’t want to lose her again. And this time when she leaves, it’ll be your fault.” Noah pointed a finger and took a step closer. “You’re fucking my sister. You’re going to break her heart, and whether it’s intentional or not doesn’t matter. She’ll quit working here and leave. All because your dick had an itch.”
Jack held up his hands. “It’s not like that. Let me take you out for drinks. We can talk about this—”
The bathroom door opened down the hall. Grace’s soft footsteps approached.
“Jack?” she called. “Where’d you go?” She stopped in her tracks. All the blood drained from her face. “Noah.”
Jack could almost see all the questions rising to the surface. What had Noah heard? What did he know?
Noah stalked angrily toward the door. “I’m out of here. Please, don’t stop because of me. I’ll just lock the door back up so you two can continue.”
Grace’s startled eyes turned to Jack. Her hair was still wet and hanging in clumps around her shoulders.
“I’ll go after him. I’ll fix this,” Jack said, dropping his towel and pulling his jeans back on.
She gave a shaky nod.
Then Jack chased after Noah. He understood perfectly why his younger brother was upset. And yeah, he had every right to be. Jack and Grace had kept this a secret from him. For all Noah knew, this was just sex that Jack was having with Grace. Meaningless sex. Which couldn’t have been further from the truth.
“Just wait, will you?” Jack said, stopping Noah’s truck door from slamming. Noah slammed a hand against his steering wheel.
“How long have you been sneaking around?”
