“Oh, well, that is part of my job,” Peterson said. “Whenever I see beautiful women, though, I can’t stop myself from wanting to spend time with them. When you put four of them together, it’s like winning the lottery.”
“Yes, we feel very lucky to have won the lottery,” Grady said, his forehead creasing. He hated the way Jon’s eyes kept drifting to Sophie. He might’ve been entertaining everyone, but he was obviously interested in his reporter above all else. “I know I feel that way every night when Sophie and I go to bed together. We live in the same house, you know, share the same bed.”
Sophie’s mouth dropped open as James pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Grady!” Sophie was scandalized by his overt proprietary conduct. “What are you doing?”
“Smooth,” James said, shaking his head. “And people say I’m the idiot when it comes to women.”
“You are an idiot when it comes to women,” Grady shot back, although he had the grace to look embarrassed. “I didn’t mean anything by that, Mr. Peterson. I just … the sun must be getting to me.”
“No offense taken,” Peterson said, offering a warm smile to the women before taking a step back. “I have to get going anyway. I have a lot of customers to attend to.”
“Thank you for the fun stories,” Ally said, remembering her manners. “We appreciate the drinks, too.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Sophie waited for Peterson to be out of earshot before unloading on Grady. “What was that?”
Grady held up his hands, helpless. “I … .”
“Don’t bother explaining,” Sophie said, grabbing her towel and slipping past him. “I’m not in the mood to listen and I can’t even look at your right now.”
“Oh, sugar, don’t be like that,” Grady whined, following her as she stormed toward the hallway that led to their room. “It was an accident.”
“Well, he’s going to be begging for a bit,” Ally said dryly, a small smile playing at the corner of her mouth as she watched them go.
“Why does that make you happy?” James asked.
“I’m happy whenever Grady makes a fool of himself.”
“But they’re fighting,” James said. “That shouldn’t make you happy.”
“It’s not a big fight and they’ll be fine,” Ally said. “In fact, they’ll be peachy after they yell and rip each other’s clothes off. I have a sense for these things. I’ve got twenty bucks that says they’re naked within twenty minutes.”
“I’d rather not bet on Grady’s sex life,” James said, his eyes roaming back to Mandy’s empty chair. “Where is my wife?”
“Oh, I’m proud you waited five minutes to ask the obvious question instead of shaking the answer out of me the moment you appeared,” Ally teased, her brown eyes flashing. “That’s growth. Grady didn’t think it was possible, but I was right on that one, too.”
“Ally, I’m not kidding,” James said, his stomach tensing. “Where’s Mandy?”
Ally must’ve read the worry on his features because she took pity on him. “She said she was going back to the room to go to the bathroom, but I have another twenty bucks that says she’s glued to that window in the floor.”
Things clicked into place for James. “I’m not taking you up on that bet,” he said. “That’s exactly where she is. Son of a … I warned her about this.”
“Go get her,” Ally said, reaching for her book as she leaned back on the lounger. “Get me a drink before you go. I’m too tired to walk to the bar myself.”
“SUGAR, don’t be angry,” Grady said, using his hand to brush away their suite door as Sophie tried slamming it in his face. “I didn’t mean it. It just came out.”
“It just came out?” Sophie was incredulous. “Grady, you’re here for business. Stuff like that cannot just come out of your mouth.”
Grady pursed his lips as he brushed a strand of her wild dark hair away from her face. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on – real life or television – and the fact that she was his still blew him away even after all of this time.
He loved everything about her. She was fiery, sweet, cuddly, smart, and altogether sexy. He was a lucky man. He knew exactly who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with and he had no intention of letting her go.
Sophie snapped her fingers in Grady’s face to get his attention. “Where did your mind just go?”
“To a happy place,” Grady replied, recovering. “I was just thinking how beautiful you are when you’re angry.”
Sophie’s expression softened, although only marginally. “That’s not going to work this time. You embarrassed me. I am not your property … and besides, he wasn’t doing anything but entertaining us.”
“He was flirting and you know it,” Grady argued, extending a finger. “Don’t bother denying that. It demeans us both.”
“Fine,” Sophie conceded. “He was flirting a little. It’s not the end of the world, though.”
“No, but I wanted him to know that you’re my world,” Grady said. “My whole world. He doesn’t need to be flirty with my world. There are a lot of other worlds out there.”
Sophie fought the urge to smile and then gave up. She was angry, but the feeling ebbed quickly. She could never hold on to her fury when he was around. He had a certain gift that she couldn’t explain. Some people might call it charm. To her it was magical.
“Grady, I’m not your property,” she repeated, her tone softer. “I love you, but this is a partnership. You need to remember that.”
“I could never forget that, sugar,” Grady said, reaching for her. “In fact, that’s exactly what I was hoping to talk to you about now that we’re alone.” He pressed his lips to her mouth before she could muster an argument. The kiss was soft at first and then it turned fervent.
When they broke apart a few moments later, Sophie was breathless. “Shut the door,” she said. “I’m going to show you what it means to be in a true partnership.”
“And here comes the highlight of my day,” Grady said, grinning. “Come and get me, partner.”
JAMES was quiet when he opened his suite door, making sure to step lightly as he looked toward the center of the room. Mandy’s profile was visible as she sat in her bikini and stared through the window. She was so enthralled he almost thought twice about interrupting her. Then he remembered the promise he made her swear and cleared his throat.
Mandy jumped at the sound of his voice and James instantly regretted jolting her. She was still nervous at times, loud noises causing a brief moment of panic until she remembered she was safe with her husband.
“What are you doing here?” she blurted out.
“I was about to ask you the same thing,” James said, joining her on the floor. He kept his face stern even as his heart told him he wouldn’t be able to muster a lot of energy when it came to chastising her. “I got worried when you weren’t on the deck with Ally.”
“I had to run to the bathroom,” Mandy said.
“Uh-huh.” James rubbed the back of his neck. “You know there are public bathrooms on the deck, right?”
“Yes, but … .” Mandy was caught. They both knew it. “I wanted to see if there was a shark.”
James didn’t bother hiding his smile. “I know that, baby,” he said, sliding his thumb over her soft cheek. “This is supposed to be a social vacation, though. I didn’t get this room for us so you could lock yourself away. We’re getting enough guff about that as it is.”
“I didn’t mean to be gone so long,” Mandy explained. “I was only going to look for five minutes.”
“How long ago was that?”
Mandy glanced over her shoulder, her eyes landing on the clock next to the bed. “An hour.”
James snorted as he reclined on the floor, patting the spot next to him so Mandy could get comfortable as he spooned up behind her. “You can have another twenty minutes and then I’m walking you to the deck. Deal?”
“Deal.”
Jam
es kissed her neck as he relaxed behind her, inhaling her scent as he basked in her warmth. Her body was slight but coiled with enthusiasm as she watched the window. She chatted away happily, pointing out fish and other things she saw as they swam by the window. He listened with one ear as he kept his gaze on her face. Before he realized it, he was asleep. Mandy never stopped talking, and he floated on clouds made of her smile as he napped.
“JAMES.”
Mandy’s voice invaded a nice dream from somewhere far away. She was with James in slumber land and yet the Mandy he looked at wasn’t responsible for uttering his name.
“James.”
James snapped his eyes open, taking a moment to remember where he was and why they were on the floor. That’s when he heard her again. She was much more fervent this time.
“James!”
James jolted to a sitting position, glancing around. He recognized the excited tone of Mandy’s voice, but he couldn’t figure out why she was so worked up. “What is it, baby? Why did you let me fall asleep?”
“Because you needed it and I knew if I woke you up you would make me leave,” Mandy answered honestly, never moving her gaze from the window. “If I let that happen, I would’ve missed this.”
“Missed what?” James wasn’t really cross with her, although he hated being jerked out of a good dream. When he shifted his eyes to the window his heart lodged in his throat and he instinctively gripped Mandy’s hips tighter. It was a ridiculous reaction since she was perfectly safe, but the sight of the behemoth shark on the other side of the glass caused his heart to flip. “Holy crap.”
His voice was barely a whisper as it brushed against the back of Mandy’s neck. He leaned closer, pressing his chest to her back, and didn’t miss the excited thump of her heart. She was practically delirious with glee.
“He showed up two minutes ago,” Mandy said. She had no idea why she was whispering. “I couldn’t find my voice for a full minute. No joke. I kept trying to say your name and no sound would come out.”
“I can see that, baby,” James said, wonderment filling him as he stared at the large predator. It was hard, but he managed to drag his eyes away from the shark and stare at Mandy. He’d never seen her so flushed with delight. He tried not to take it personally since this was a dream come true for her. He would never ruin this moment. “What kind of shark? Is that a Great White?”
“Yes.”
James slipped his arm around Mandy’s hip and pressed his palm to her flat midriff as he rested his chin on her neck. He knew there was no sense prodding her back to the deck now. She would remain in this exact spot until the shark left. Heck, she would probably stay here forever waiting for it to return if he didn’t put his foot down.
“He’s big,” James said as he watched the creature. It seemed to be oblivious to their presence, instead swimming along at a leisurely pace. “He must be twenty feet long.”
“He’s huge,” Mandy agreed. “He’s … beautiful.”
James flicked his brown eyes to her. “He’s not the only one.”
Mandy giggled as he kissed her neck. “How long do you think he’ll stay?”
“I don’t know.”
“Can you get my phone and take a photo?”
James grinned. “Yes.”
“Can we have sex right after?”
James barked out a laugh at the question. “Baby, just for the record, you never have to ask me for sex. I give it freely … and the answer is always going to be yes.”
“It wasn’t when we first got to the room,” she reminded him.
“And yet, if pressed, the answer still would’ve been yes.”
Mandy inherently knew that to be true. “I love you, James, but I really need you to get my phone before this moment passes. I’m going to show you exactly how much very soon.”
James gave her neck one more kiss before separating. He was just as excited as she was to take photos. This was a moment neither of them would ever forget. “I’m getting your phone,” he said. “After we take the photos you want, can we take a few that I want?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, sharks do make you horny, baby.”
Mandy realized what he was saying after a moment of contemplation. She was initially horrified but then quickly intrigued. “Okay, but you have to promise never to show the photos to anyone but me.”
“Who am I going to show them to?”
“I don’t know. Maybe you’ll brag to your brothers or something.”
“Yeah, because I’m known for sharing photos of you naked,” James grumbled.
“Just get the phone,” Mandy begged. “I think I might cry soon and I don’t want to cry in my photos.”
“I’m on it, baby,” James said. “Hold on. I won’t let anything ruin this moment. I promise.”
10
Ten
“You two look … shiny.”
Grady was relaxed and happy as he stood behind James and Mandy in the buffet line later that night, his fight with Sophie all but forgotten. They spent the rest of the afternoon in their room, only leaving when the noise from their growling stomachs became intolerable.
“You look shiny, too,” Mandy said, her face flushed. “Do you want to see what we were doing?”
Grady was caught off guard by the question. “I … don’t think so.” He glanced at James for confirmation. “I think your wife got too much sun today.”
“That’s not what she’s going to show you,” James chided, chuckling. “Just look. She’s going to have a conniption fit if you don’t.”
“Okay, what do you want to show me?” Grady patiently waited for Mandy to pull up a photo on her phone. When she did, his mouth dropped open as he grabbed the device. “Holy crap! Is that what I think it is?”
“It’s Great White,” Mandy said, her voice cracking. She had no idea why she felt so weepy. “It’s … amazing. Oh, and that’s me posing in front of it.”
“I never would’ve recognized you,” Grady deadpanned.
“Don’t cry,” James pleaded, slipping his arm around Mandy’s waist as he kissed her cheek. “You know I can’t stand it when you cry.”
“I don’t know why it’s happening,” Mandy said, swiping at her cheek. “I can’t explain it.”
“It’s called excitement,” Grady said, his voice full of awe as he moved his finger over the screen to look at another photo. His mouth dropped open when he hit the third in the line. “You two are sick.”
“Hey!” James grabbed the phone from him. “Don’t look at those.”
“You showed them to me,” Grady reminded him.
“Yes, but those photos are private,” James said. “We showed you the first one, not the last one. I can’t believe you looked at them. You know I’m going to have to kill you now, right? You saw my wife naked.”
Mandy’s cheeks flooded with color as she stared at her feet. “I told you to email those from my phone to yours and then delete them.”
“I did email them,” James shot back. “I just forgot to delete them.”
“If it’s any consolation, I saw more of you than her,” Grady said. He wasn’t particularly worried about James following through on his threat. “Was it cold in your room? Was the air conditioner on high?”
James scowled. “Baby, I’m going to double check my phone against yours and then I will meet you back in line, okay? Stay here with Grady … and go ahead and kick him if he’s a douche.”
Mandy pressed her lips together and nodded.
“Don’t worry about it,” James said, kissing her cheek. “Grady won’t tell anyone if he knows what’s good for him.”
“Oh, I’m going to tell everyone,” Grady countered, smirking as he watched his brother scurry away. “You guys are seriously kinky. That was some weird crap.”
Mandy’s expression was serious when Grady turned in her direction.
“What?” Grady was flummoxed. “I swear I didn’t see much of you. I couldn’t look away from him. He seemed
seriously … excited … about the shark.”
“I don’t care how much you mess with James over the photos,” Mandy said, taking Grady by surprise. “I’m not embarrassed and I don’t care if you saw me naked. That was one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen. And, yes, I was talking about the shark and not James’ excitement … although, to be fair, that was pretty fantastic, too. We had a great afternoon.” She took on a dreamy expression before returning to reality. “What were we talking about again?”
“How sick you and my brother are,” Grady replied, not missing a beat. “Seriously. You’re truly sick. I’m mortified that you guys would take pornographic photos of yourselves while watching shark porn. It’s so tacky.”
Mandy made a face as she glanced around, making sure no one else from their small group was present before unloading her thoughts on Grady. “When are you going to propose?”
The question was so far out in left field Grady almost choked on his tongue. “What?”
“When are you going to propose?” Mandy repeated, not missing a beat. “I think it should be soon. Do you have the ring with you?”
Grady’s mood turned from confused to agitated. “What did James tell you? That was a private conversation between the two of us. I cannot believe he told you my plan. I’m going to kick the crap out him and his shark excited … friend.”
Mandy stilled. “James didn’t say anything.”
Grady had the grace to look abashed. “Oh, then where did the question come from?”
“It came from an afternoon conversation we had with Sophie,” Mandy replied. “She admitted she’s ready for you to propose and that her feelings were hurt when Jake proposed to Ally before you popped the question to her.”
“How is that my fault?” Grady protested. “She told me she wasn’t ready. I’ve been walking around on pins and needles for months wondering if I was going to get a sign from her when she was finally ready for me to bare my soul and beg for eternity.”
Mandy flicked the spot between his eyebrows, causing him to rear back. “There’s your sign. Propose.”
“You have a vicious streak,” Grady groused, rubbing his forehead. “That was mean.”
Deadly Waves (Hardy Brothers Security Book 23) Page 8
