by Marie Force
“I’m right here, and I’m fine.” He kissed her forehead, her nose and then her lips. “We’ll get back on track, babe. I promise.”
“I’ve missed you so much, Mac. I never imagined I could be so lonely for you when you were right there next to me.”
He released a deep sigh filled with regret. “I wish I could tell you it’s going to be fine from here on out—”
Linda pressed a finger to his lips. “You don’t have to tell me that. All I need to know is that whatever happens, we’ll deal with it together.”
“That much I can promise.” He kissed her again, more intently this time, and the passion they’d always shared roared back to life. “How about some dinner?”
Linda slipped her fingers under his shirt, making him shiver when she caressed his back. “Remember what we did after we got Mac and Grant through the chicken pox?”
“Vaguely.”
“We were so relieved to be getting a break from sick kids. We hired a babysitter, got a pizza and went to the beach to celebrate surviving the siege.”
“I do remember that night. As I recall, there was also a bottle of wine and skinny-dipping.”
“Among other things. How about a do-over?”
“It’s kinda chilly for skinny-dipping tonight.”
She ran a finger straight down the center of his chest and hooked it on the waistband of his jeans. “We could skip that part and go right to the other things.”
He seemed somewhat scandalized by her suggestion, which she loved. “Here?”
“Why not? We’ve got a houseful at home—just like the old days. We’ve got to be creative, the way we used to be.”
“Linda McCarthy, you never cease to surprise me,” he said as he tugged the sweater over her head and reached for the button to her jeans.
“I hope I never do.” As he urged her down onto a blanket he produced from the darkness, Linda was overcome with relief and desire and love. He was the best thing that’d ever happened to her, and as he made love to her for the first time since the accident, she felt like he’d finally come home to her.
Chapter 19
“I thought Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy would be here,” Abby said.
The women had gathered in the family room while the guys wandered onto the deck to drink beer and swap stories. Tiffany tried to concentrate on the conversation, but all she could think about was the argument she’d had with Jim when she’d dropped Ashleigh off with him earlier. Once again, she’d had no luck engaging him in civilized conversation.
“They’re out on a date,” Maddie said of her in-laws. Baby Hailey slept in her arms as Maddie rocked her. It was their first outing since Hailey’s birth. Abby’s party had messed with the plans for a girl’s night out, so she and Mac had decided to postpone it until Hailey was sleeping better and Maddie wasn’t so tired.
“Isn’t that so sweet?” Stephanie said. “I’ve never known anyone who’s been married as long as they have, and they’re still gaga over each other.”
“They’ve had a rough time since the accident,” Maddie said. “Mac said his dad had this night already planned so they could reconnect. Otherwise, you know they’d be here, Abby.”
“I totally understand,” Abby said.
“Speaking of reconnecting,” Sydney said, “I saw the most hilarious thing on TV this morning. They had this couple on that had reconciled after nearly divorcing. You won’t believe what she did to get his attention.”
“What’s that?” Grace asked as everyone hung on Sydney’s next words, especially Tiffany.
“She handcuffed herself to him and wouldn’t take the cuffs off until they worked out all their issues. She said it took three hours of fighting and crying and talking and compromising, but they finally scored a breakthrough. After she told one of her friends about it, the story ended up on Facebook, which led to the interview. Isn’t that great?”
Long after the others had discussed the lady with the handcuffs and moved on to other topics, Tiffany was thinking that if Jim were cuffed to her, he’d have no choice but to listen. She’d have all the power.
Tiffany grew more enamored of the idea with every passing moment. Where can I get a pair of handcuffs on this island? Just as she had the thought, Blaine Taylor stuck his head into the room. Speaking of handcuffs…
“I’m looking for the guest of honor,” he said, zeroing in on Tiffany rather than Abby. Per usual, he wore the sex-on-a-stick uniform that made her want to drool.
Under the heat of his intense gaze, Tiffany felt like he’d burned off her clothes, leaving her naked and vulnerable.
Abby got up to give him a hug, which broke the spell he’d cast over Tiffany. She took a couple of deep breaths to calm her raging hormones. The reaction she had to that man every time she saw him was positively indecent.
“Thanks for coming, Blaine,” Abby said. “I really appreciate it.”
“I couldn’t miss the chance to wish you well.”
“Let me get you a beer.”
“I got it.” Stephanie jumped up to take Blaine’s arm. “Stay with your friends, Abby.”
“Thanks, Stephanie.”
Stephanie led Blaine into the kitchen, got a beer and opened it for him. Once she’d sent him outside to join the other guys, she refreshed the food and cleaned up discarded plates and cups. Since “the big fight” with Grant, she’d focused on staying busy so she wouldn’t lose her mind.
Last night, she’d been so furious over what he wanted to do with the story that she’d said some things she probably shouldn’t have, and so had he. It’d gotten quite ugly and heated, and they’d gone to bed mad. Today they’d spoken only when necessary about the party details. The incident had her questioning everything she’d come to believe about them.
She was terrified that their fledgling relationship would come unraveled. What would she do then? He’d become essential to her, as critical as air and water and food. If they broke up, she’d have one hell of a time rebuilding her life once she got past the devastation of losing him. She’d do it if she had to. It wasn’t like she hadn’t done it before, but the thought of being without him made her ill.
Stephanie rested her hands on the sink and let her head fall forward, stretching out the tension that had gathered in her shoulders during the long day. She had no idea how long she’d been there when strong, capable fingers began kneading the knots from her muscles. She’d know those particular hands anywhere. If she traveled around the world and back again, she’d never find anyone whose touch affected her like his did.
“What’s the matter?” Grant’s lips skimmed over her neck from behind as he continued the heavenly massage. “Is this too much for you? Hosting a party for my ex-girlfriend?”
“No, it’s fine. Everyone’s having a good time.”
“Everyone but you.”
“I’m having fun. I always do with this group. You know that.”
Turning her to face him, he ducked his head to force her to meet his gaze. “Talk to me, Steph. Are you upset about what happened last night?”
Because she couldn’t lie to him, she nodded.
“Aww, baby, come on.” He hugged her tight. “It’ll be okay. We’ll figure it out.”
Her hands landed on his hips. “What if we don’t? What if it all falls apart—”
“That’s not going to happen. We won’t let it.”
“You don’t know that for sure.”
“Yes, I do.” He rested his forehead on hers. “I love you more than anything. I can’t remember what my life was like without you to argue with. I love everything about us, even the fighting.”
That drew a reluctant laugh from Stephanie. She never got tired of hearing him tell her how much he loved her.
“You know what’s the best part about fighting?” he asked, his lips vibrating against her ear.
“There’s a best part?”
“Mmm-hmm. Making up.”
She linked her arms around his neck, molding herself to him in a mov
e that had become as natural to her as breathing. They fit together so perfectly, like two halves of a whole. “Is that what we’re doing now?”
“Hell, no. That’s what we’ll do when we get home later.”
She closed her eyes and relaxed into his embrace. It was going to be okay. “I’m already home. You’re home.”
“Does that mean you love me, too? Even when you think I’m unreasonable and pigheaded and stubborn?”
As he tossed out all the words she’d thrown at him the night before, Stephanie smiled. “Despite your many negative traits, I do love you.”
“Good,” he said, sounding relieved.
It occurred to her that he’d been worried, too.
“Steph?”
“Hmm?”
“I don’t want you to worry about us breaking up, okay?”
One of the things she loved best about him was that he always seemed to know exactly what she needed to hear. “Okay.”
“It’s not going to happen.”
“You don’t know that for sure.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Get a room,” Evan muttered as he came into the kitchen wearing board shorts and a ripped T-shirt.
Stephanie pulled free of Grant and let out a gasp. “What happened to your face?”
Grant turned to his brother. “Holy creature from the black lagoon! What the hell, Ev?”
“A little surfing accident. Face versus the bottom.”
“Ouch,” Grant said with a grimace.
Stephanie guided Evan to a chair at the kitchen table and went to get some wet paper towels. “Is there a first aid kit somewhere?” she asked Grant.
“I’ll get it.”
“It’s no big deal,” Evan said. “I’ll grab a shower and clean it up in there.”
Stephanie kept a hand on his shoulder to stop him from getting up. “You need something more than soap and water on that mess.”
“Is it really that bad?”
“It’s worse than bad.”
“Gee, thanks a lot.”
“I’m seriously pissed with you, by the way.”
Startled, Evan looked up at her. “What’d I do?”
She made an effort to keep her voice down. “You spent the night with Grace and then split this morning without a word.” Stephanie didn’t mention that she’d done the same thing after the first night she spent with Grant, because that was different. It hadn’t been the first time for either of them.
“How is that any of your business?”
“Because she’s my friend, and I expected better from you.”
“That’s where you made your first mistake.”
“You need to fix this. She’s not someone you use and discard. For reasons you can’t begin to understand, what you did was the worst possible thing you could’ve done to her.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m not at liberty to say.”
As Evan glowered at her, Grant returned with the first aid kit and handed it to her.
“Don’t leave me alone with her, bro,” Evan said. “She’s in a mood.”
“You’re on your own, pal,” Grant said with a laugh. “I’ve got to get more ice.”
“There’s some in the garage freezer,” Stephanie said. To Evan, she said, “This might hurt.” She did her best to clean the huge scrapes on his face without hurting him, but he winced more than once.
“Oh my God,” Grace said when she came into the kitchen and stopped short when she caught a look at Evan’s battered face. “What happened?”
Evan went completely rigid.
“Man versus surfboard,” Stephanie said. “Surfboard won.”
Grace came in for a closer look. “Are you okay?”
Stephanie stabbed Evan in the back with her fingernail, hoping to snap him out of his stupor. She really wanted to smack him upside the head!
“I’m fine,” he said without looking at Grace.
Reaching into the first aid kit, Grace found a particular tube of ointment and handed it to Stephanie. “Use this. It’s antibacterial.”
“Why don’t you take over?” Stephanie said. “I’ve got stuff in the oven I need to tend to.”
Evan started to get up. “Wait a minute.”
Stephanie reseated him with a hand to his shoulder. Bending down close to his ear, she said, “Man up.”
As she walked away, she felt his stare burning holes right through her.
Evan wouldn’t have believed this day could get any worse. The last person he’d expected to see at his parents’ house was Grace.
As she dabbed ointment on his wounds, she went out of her way to avoid eye contact. He wanted to ask her why she was there, but he assumed Stephanie had invited her. Or maybe she’d come hoping to see him again? And how did he feel about that?
His every nerve ending felt like it was on fire and not because of his injuries. No, it was her. She was doing it again—whatever it was that she did to him. It was like a spell or something. She only had to touch him and he forgot all about his plans and his rules and his aversion to anything that even resembled a relationship.
“Just so you know,” she said as she dabbed at his wounds, “I’m here because Stephanie asked me to be and not for any other reason.”
“I never thought otherwise,” Evan said, lying through his teeth.
“Good. I wouldn’t want you to think it had anything to do with you, because it doesn’t.”
Well, he thought, that wasn’t very nice, but it was probably the least of what he deserved. He sat still for as long as he could before he grabbed hold of her hand and withdrew it from his face. “That ought to do it.” He tried to ignore the current that traveled through him like lightning when his skin came into contact with hers.
“But there’s a whole area—”
“It’s fine.”
She shrugged and tossed the ointment into the first aid kit. “Suit yourself.”
The potentially awkward moment was diffused by the arrival of Dr. David Lawrence, Victoria Stevens, the nurse practitioner at the clinic, and Seamus O’Grady, who made a beeline for Grace.
Evan watched in stunned amazement as Seamus greeted Grace as if she was his long-lost best friend, making a big production out of hugging her and kissing her cheek.
And Grace! She giggled like a schoolgirl. What the hell was that about? How did they even know each other?
“Gracie, my love, help me find a beer,” Seamus said in the ridiculous accent that made the women swoon. Whatever! “This has been the longest day in the history of long days.”
He thought he’d had a long day? And her name was Grace, not Gracie. Why didn’t she tell the bloody bloke that?
Seamus tucked Grace’s hand into the crook of his arm and whisked her away. She never so much as glanced at Evan as she took off with the Irishman.
After what they’d shared just twenty-four hours earlier, who did she think she was, flaunting another guy right in front of his face? Apparently, she was pissed he hadn’t called her. Maybe he hadn’t called her yet. Had that occurred to her?
Couldn’t a guy take a few hours to get his head together after a woman turns his well-ordered world upside down? And what was with her telling her friends about what’d happened between them? As if a guy could do that and get away with it. Total double standard!
Grant handed him a beer. “Looks like you could use this more than me.”
“What’s the latest protocol on next-day phone calls?” Evan asked his older brother. He kept an eye on Grace and Seamus, who were standing far too close on the back deck. She was wearing a dress that showcased her abundant curves, and Evan rolled his hands into fists to keep from going out there and dragging her away from that Irish charmer.
“What do you mean?” Grant asked.
“You go out with a girl, have a good time and want to see her again. How long do you have to call her before you’ve officially blown it?”
“Define ‘have a good time.’”
“You know. A good time.”
Grant sighed with exasperation. “Sex or no sex?”
Evan wished he’d never started this conversation. “Option A.”
“With sex, I’d say a day. Two at the most.”
“So I’m not a jerk because I left before she was awake and didn’t call her today. I knew it.”
“Wait, whoa. You left before she was awake, and you didn’t call her all day?”
“You just said—”
Grant looked at Grace, who was laughing at every word Seamus had to say. To Evan, her laughter had never been more inappropriate.
“I hate to say it, but you might’ve blown it, bro.”
Hearing his brother say those words, Evan wanted to hit Rewind and undo this entire day. Everything he’d done had been wrong. He wanted to be there when she woke up, share breakfast in bed with her, entice her into the shower and spend the entire day with her. He couldn’t have blown it beyond repair. Not yet.
He stood and headed for the deck.
“Evan!” Grant grabbed his arm. “Wait! Don’t go out there spoiling for a fight. Think about what you’re doing.”
Evan tried unsuccessfully to shake off his brother’s iron grip. “I want to talk to her.”
“She’s talking to Seamus right now. Bide your time. Wait until she’s alone.”
“I don’t want her talking to Seamus,” Evan said, consumed, for the first time in his entire life, by a fit of jealousy so fierce it stole the breath from his lungs.
Grant, that son of a bitch, threw his head back and laughed. “Welcome to the club, my friend.”
Infuriated by his brother’s laughter, Evan said, “What club? What the hell are you talking about?”
“It’s a super-secret club for guys who’ve lost their minds over a woman. I’m a new member, but Mac, Joe and Luke are veterans. They can probably advise you better than I can.”
“Keep your damned club. I haven’t lost my mind or anything else over her.”
“Then why do you look like you want to go out there and disembowel poor Seamus?”
“I do not look like that.”
Luke hobbled up to them on his crutches. “Whoa,” he said when he got a good look at Evan’s battered face. “Definite improvement.”
