Why did her irritability turn him on so much?
It wasn’t a difficult question to answer. It was because it meant she cared. Her indifference would have been a hell of a lot harder to take. But her irritation with him—if it was the only thing he could get from her, he’d take it. Happily.
So when he saw the muscle ticking in her jaw after he said he’d join her and Ella on their walk, he smiled to himself.
He really was an asshole, but he couldn’t help it, damn it.
They left the house and turned toward the beach. Dark, nasty-looking clouds rolled in the distance, and rain crashed so hard into the ocean the horizon blurred.
“We don’t have much time,” he commented.
“You could always go back to the house if you’re afraid of getting wet,” Zoey said.
“Not afraid, babe. Just wouldn’t want you to catch a chill.”
Walking between them, probably deliberately in case Zoey decided she wanted to claw his eyes out, Ella let out a breath. “No one’s catching a chill. Let’s just walk the beach and get back to the house before it starts pouring.”
Ah, Ella. Ever the peacemaker. Sometimes the referee.
Zoey was the one to change the subject. “It’s so pretty here this time of day. I’ve missed the sunsets.”
“Me too,” Ella said. “Too bad we won’t be getting much of one today.”
Nate kept quiet. He’d missed Sugar Cay a lot this past year, but for a different reason than they did. He missed it because it was the only place he could see Zoey anymore. Weeks ago, this annual trip to Sugar Cay had begun to occupy his thoughts, take his attention off everything that he needed to do.
It wasn’t because of the secluded location, the palm trees, the brilliant white sand, or even the fact that his closest friends would all be here. It was because of the short, sexy fireball of a woman on the other side of Ella.
They walked onto the beach. Nate kept his shoes on, but both women took their sandals off to bury their toes into the sand.
“There’s nothing in the world like the sand at Sugar Cay,” Ella said, her voice ripe with appreciation. “So soft and silky…”
Zoey just sighed and closed her eyes. The look of pleasure that crossed her face was one Nate knew well. Too well. The two of them had been so hot together… It was always a wild ride between the sheets for them. He was surprised they hadn’t ever set the bed on fire.
He had to look away from her. But his body tightened at the memory anyway.
Shit. It wasn’t like he could throw himself at her, as much as he wanted to. Not after all this time. She hated him. She’d probably laugh in his face.
Hell, she might even have a boyfriend.
“So, do you have a boyfriend?” he asked as they started strolling down the beach.
Both women’s gazes snapped to him.
“Uh,” Ella said, “who? Me or Zoey?”
“Both of you, of course,” he said smoothly. Or what he hoped was smoothly. “It sucks being all the way across the country from my best friends—”
He heard a subtle, sarcastic snort from Zoey’s direction.
“—because I don’t get to keep up with you as much as I’d like.”
Ella sighed. “No, I don’t have a boyfriend. I’ve dated around the past few months, but no one’s stuck.”
“That’s too bad,” Nate said sympathetically. There was a long silence. When Zoey didn’t volunteer her answer, he said, mega casually, “What about you, Zo?”
Shit. That hadn’t come out as casual as he hoped. His voice sounded tight. Hopeful.
He felt like a wuss. Clearly being around her too much was going to turn him into a girl.
“No boyfriend,” she clipped out.
Good. That was very, very good. He breathed a silent sigh of relief.
“You know what’s really weird?” Ella said. “We’re all single this year. Well, except Matt.”
“And Matt’s engaged,” Zoey said. “That is so hard to believe.”
“No kidding,” Nate added. “Out of all of us, I’d expect him to be the last to settle down.”
“No way,” Zoey said dryly. “That would be you.”
Nate eyed her around Ella. “Why do you say that?”
She turned away from him to gaze out over the distant water, which was getting rough, the breeze whipping up whitecaps as if in anticipation of the rain.
Nate stopped walking. “No, really. Why do you say that?”
Ella stopped too, giving him a pleading look. But he crossed his arms over his chest and stood firm. Heaving a sigh, Zoey slowed as well, turning to look at him over her shoulder. “Because, Nathan, you’re a player.”
“What?”
She started ticking names off on her fingers, each name cracking out like a BB gunshot. “Sarah. Melissa. Fatima. Angela. Kate. Tyra. And those were just the year we broke up. I would go on, but I lost track of all of them.”
He gaped at her. Jesus. She’d just listed the six girls he’d dated after her. Starting with Sarah… That poor girl. He’d been so messed up. Not ready to be thrown into a new relationship when he was still in love with Zoey. The rest—he could hardly remember them. He doubted he’d have been able to recall all their names, especially in order like that.
Ella groaned. “Can we just walk, guys?”
He ignored her, kept his gaze on Zoey. “I’m not a player, Zo.” Not anymore, anyway.
Nah, there was more to it than that. He’d given up on finding something real. Because he knew where to find it—across the country being a heroine to a bunch of underprivileged kids. And she had given up on him years ago.
Zoey shrugged and started walking again. Casting one last pleading look in his direction, Ella rushed after her.
Nate stood still for a couple of seconds, watching them. Ella was blond and willowy and pretty—she looked like the kind of girl you’d see lounging around in a bikini on a billionaire’s yacht. Nate had actually seen her doing that more than once.
But Zoey… She was small and compact. Her dark, almost-black hair tangled down her back in wild curls. The way she looked, the way she dressed, the way she acted, even the way she thought about things, was so different from most of the girls who ran in his and Ella’s sphere.
It all made Zoey that much more appealing to him. And as he watched her walk away, his blood heated. Her ass… He’d always loved it. It had substance. She had curves to make a man go crazy, and the way her hips swayed as she walked across the sand was so sexy… He wanted to catch up to her, grab her arm, spin her around, and kiss her until she forgot how much she hated him. Until she forgot everything but the feel of his hands on her.
Clenching his fists at his sides, he strode forward, catching up to them after a few seconds. Engaged in conversation, they ignored him as he drew up beside Ella. They had moved on from the topic of his man-whoring and were talking about Zoey’s job.
“So I have this one kid, Michael. He’s eleven years old, right?” Zoey’s voice was animated. “And I don’t know how many foster homes he’s lived in, but he’s so smart, Ell. And such a talented artist. He’s up for adoption, technically, but, you know, most parents want babies or toddlers. He’s eleven…and…” Zoey trailed off, shaking her head.
“What happens to kids like that?” Ella asked, true curiosity in her voice. Ella was sweet and kind, but she was sheltered to the point of ridiculousness. She’d lived in the lap of luxury since the day of her birth.
“Nothing good, usually.” Zoey let out a shuddering breath. “I feel like I’m making a difference with him, you know? He’s reading at grade level, and he’s a whiz in math, and his art is amazing. But…” She shrugged, helpless. “What can I do? How can I be a lasting influence? How can I give him enough love to sustain him? The truth is, I can’t. And it breaks my heart.”
“But he’ll remember you. We all remember our best teachers, right? You’ll always influence him, Zoey, even when you’re not teaching him every day.”
Zoey had been skirting the edge of the water, and now she took a slight turn and walked in until the ocean lapped at her ankles. Still wearing shoes, Nate hung back. But she spoke loudly enough for him to hear. “I’ve always wanted kids,” she said. “But these days I’m thinking I don’t want biological children. I want a couple of kids like Michael. Older kids who’ve never had the stability of a home or a family. I want to give someone a home and a family.” She sighed deeply. “Well, someday,” she amended. “When I’ve saved some money, and I’m more settled and in a position to have a kid.”
Something tightened in Nate’s chest. He’d always accused her of being a bleeding heart, and she was. But it wasn’t an act for her like it was with most do-gooders he’d met. She threw her heart and soul into making a difference in the world.
They’d talked about kids…a long time ago, when they’d both believed they had forever. They’d both wanted children. But her change of heart—her plan to adopt older children instead of having her own—didn’t surprise him. It was so Zoey.
“You’re such a good person,” Ella told her. There was a grave seriousness in her voice as she said it.
Zoey laughed out loud. “Seriously? I’m sarcastic and snappish and rude. Just ask Nathan.” She threw her hand back, gesturing at him.
He gazed at her. Smooth olive-toned skin, a button of a nose, a heart-shaped face, and those gray-blue eyes that challenged him at every turn.
Sarcastic, snappish, rude, and sexy as hell.
And a good person.
He’d realized a few months ago that, as much as he tried to pretend otherwise, he was in love with her. Truth was, he’d never fallen out of love with her.
He wanted her. And as he stood there gazing at her, his decision was cemented. He’d thought about it a lot over the past several months. Now that they were finally here, together on Sugar Cay, he was going to fight for her.
It would be a battle, he knew, and he could end up bloody and maimed.
But if he won… Having her back would be the sweetest victory of his life.
As he stood there staring at Zoey, the rain came. It didn’t start with a sprinkle or slow, fat drops like most rainstorms did. It was a deluge, a sudden pounding that stung the exposed areas of his skin, obscured visibility, and drenched him in the space of a few seconds.
Zoey shrieked. Ella grabbed Zoey’s hand and tugged her out of the water. As they emerged through the curtain of rain onto the dry sand, Ella took hold of Nate’s hand, and the three of them took off running.
The women laughed and squealed all the way back to the house, but Nate didn’t—he was too deep in thought. In schemes and plans.
The battle to win Zoey back would start tonight. He hoped she was ready.
Chapter Two
Dinner was always quite the affair in Sugar Cay. The friends sat around a huge walnut table in the dining room while being served delicious gourmet food and sharing bottles of wine and great conversation. The formality of it was always a surprise to Zoey. The crystal chandeliers, the silver place settings, the exquisite china, the bouquets of birds of paradise, orchids, and lilies… It was overwhelmingly beautiful. And so out of her league.
But it was nice too. Comforting in a way she’d never really understood until she’d experienced the dinners here. Her parents had never been much for sit-down dinners when she was growing up, but evidently it had been a big deal in Jake and Ella’s house, because while Jake was pretty casual about breakfast and lunch while they were on his island, he always insisted they eat together around the table at dinner.
Tonight’s main dish was tequila-marinated mahi mahi with quinoa and grilled vegetables. It was the best meal Zoey had had in a long time, and as everyone talked animatedly about Rebecca’s plane-crash adventure, she ate with relish. When the server asked her if she wanted seconds, she nodded.
As the woman walked away to fetch the food for her, she felt the heat of someone’s gaze from across the table. Nathan’s gaze. She swung her head to look at him, cocking a sarcastic brow. “Yes?”
“Hungry?” he asked in a low voice.
“What’s it to you if I am?”
His lips curved in a slow smile that increased her heartbeat as if she’d just run a mile. That smile—it made her recall all the naughty things he used to do to her with his mouth.
She’d tried to forget. God knew she’d tried. But sometimes she’d still wake up at night shuddering from a dream of him using that wicked mouth on her.
She reached for her wine, then, reconsidering, she moved her hand to her water glass. She took a healthy swallow as he said, “I like a woman who can eat.”
She nearly spit her water all over her plate, but she managed to contain it, only choking a little. Her accelerated heartbeat sent all the blood rushing straight to her face, and her cheeks grew hot.
He’d always liked to watch her eat. He’d loved to feed her in bed. He even included food in their sex play sometimes. She’d never really understood his fascination with her and eating, but it had never bothered her. In fact, she’d found it sweet and even hot. That she could be herself around him and eat like a horse or drink like a fish and have him actually appreciate it—that was unique about him.
“Oh, I thought you were over your food fetish,” she said. “Considering Oksana and all.”
His expression went tight, and Zoey realized most of the room’s attention had turned to them.
Zoey hid her wince. Damn it, that had been a low blow. Even for her. Oksana had been about six feet tall, blond, Russian, and thin as a board. Her clothes had hung on her like she was a hanger, not a person.
Every time Zoey had seen Oksana and Nathan go into their bedroom, she’d felt like an elephant were standing on her chest. It had been crazy painful to see them together, even over a year after she and Nate had broken up. Even though she’d dated guys since him, even gone to bed with a couple of them, she’d given up on all of them pretty quickly. None of them could compare to what she’d had with Nathan.
But she shouldn’t have thrown that in his face. Not now, and not in front of everyone. She knew better.
Damage control. She opened her mouth, and as she was scrambling for something to say to soften her last statement, Will came to her rescue.
“Hey, Zo, Ella told me you were thinking about buying a house.”
Thank God. Nathan turned to Will, his brows raised.
“Well…” She sighed. If only she could afford a house in DC on a teacher’s salary. “Not a house, exactly. But I’m hoping to find a condo to buy over the summer. It’s been a goal of mine to get out of Crappy Apartment.”
The rest of them gave her odd looks, but she didn’t mind. She got it—they didn’t understand her nickname for her apartment because they just didn’t relate to the concept of crappy apartments. They’d never had crappy anythings.
“Where were you thinking of buying?” Nathan asked.
“There’s a cute one-bedroom I have my eye on in Columbia Heights.”
Nathan’s nose wrinkled. It actually wrinkled! She widened her eyes at him. “What’s wrong with Columbia Heights?”
“You shouldn’t move there.”
He’d gone and done it. He’d turned into an unbearable snob.
“Why the hell not?”
“Seriously?” Nathan said. “Crime rate, for one. It’s too high.”
“Too high for what? Columbia Heights is a great neighborhood. And the place I’m looking at is near 16th Street. You do realize Crappy Apartment is over on L Street.”
Nathan pressed his lips together into a flat, thin line. He tended to do that when he was really annoyed. “I heard,” he said tightly. “But you should look into Crestwood. Or Cleveland Park. Less crime there, and they’re both relatively close to your school.”
Like she could ever afford anything in either of thos
e places. He was so out of touch with her life. “I think Columbia Heights is a better neighborhood for me. I like it there.”
“Are you kidding? Columbia Heights isn’t a better neighborhood for anyone.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. Really? Was he really going to take this where she didn’t want to go in front of all their friends?
He held her gaze steadily.
Apparently, he was.
“You do realize I’m a teacher, right? Teacher’s income and all?”
The server set another dish of mahi mahi in front of her, and she looked down at it, her stomach twisting. She’d completely lost her appetite.
“Crestwood isn’t that expensive.”
She looked back up at Nathan, her face still hot, her eyes burning. “It’s way out of my price range, Nathan.”
“No, it isn’t,” he said, as if he knew anything about real estate prices in DC. “There really are some good deals to be found.”
She cocked a brow. “Really? And you discovered these ‘good deals’ how, exactly, from California?”
“I just know, babe. It’d be a better place for you to live. I guarantee it.”
She did grind her teeth then. And she stared daggers at him. Because, dammit, he’d lost the right to call her “babe” years ago.
The housekeeper came in and whispered something to Rebecca. Rebecca stood. “I…have to go,” she said. “Excuse me.” And she bolted out of the dining room.
Zoey glanced at Jake, who sat frozen, his fork halfway to his mouth. Slowly he lowered it. He looked at the rest of them and shrugged. “Must be something to do with Tyler.”
Tyler? Oh, Rebecca’s pilot. Right. He hadn’t been at dinner. After all that raging chemistry between Tyler and Rebecca earlier, Zoey had expected him to show up at some point, even though over drinks in the living room, Rebecca had said he was phoning people from the NTSB about the crash. The housekeeper must have given her a message from him.
Rebecca had the right idea, though. Zoey was done. She’d had a long day—a long month, actually. She’d lost her appetite. And she’d dealt with Nathan too much in too short a time period. She needed space. She turned to Ella. “You were right earlier, when you said I looked tired. I’m beat. I think I need to head to bed.”
The Reunion Page 2
