by Kira Archer
Flashbacks of the cool water lapping at her ankles sent a shiver down her spine. “I don’t…”
“I’d be happy to take him, Lena. You could sit on a chaise and soak up some sun, and Tyler and I can play in the water.”
Tyler beamed, his blue eyes, so like her own, shining like two bright little sapphires. She wanted to say yes, wanted to make him happy. But letting him get too attached to Elliot was a really bad idea. He’d already latched on too much for comfort. And in three days, they’d all go their separate ways. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to get hurt. It was too late in some ways. It would hurt her not to see Elliot again. It hurt her at that moment to see little creases of pain form near his eyes as he realized she didn’t want him hanging out with her son. It hurt her to see her son’s face fall in disappointment.
But it would pass. She and Elliot would go back to their lives and forget each other. Tyler would find something else to occupy his attention. But if she let him get attached to Elliot, that was a kind of hurt that wouldn’t go away so easily. So she said the only thing she could say.
“Not today, Tyler. We’re going to play with your cousins again.”
Tyler’s lower lip trembled, tears filling his eyes. “They are all going to the beach, but you won’t let us go there, so we can’t go play with them. We can’t do anything fun.”
He stomped away and plopped onto a bench near one of the koi ponds, his arms folded and his face turning bright red as he tried not to cry. Elliot looked down at her with a frown. He didn’t seem angry exactly. More like concerned. But the last thing she wanted was to hash all her emotions out right then.
Before either of them could say anything, Oz came up to her. “Elliot, can you watch Tyler for a few minutes? I want to talk to Lena.”
Elliot glanced at her for permission, waiting for her nod before he went to join Tyler on the bench. Lena and Oz stood in silence, watching the two of them. Within a minute or two, Elliot had Tyler giving him a grudging smile. Another minute and they were both lying on their bellies, laughing while the fish swam to the surface to nibble on their fingers.
Oz nudged Lena with his shoulder. “What’s going on with you?”
She glanced up in surprise. “Nothing. Why?”
Oz snorted. “You are wound so tight I feel like I could put you down in the middle of the room and watch you spin yourself out of control like one of those wind-up toys you get from fast food places. What’s going on? Why don’t you want Elliot playing with Tyler? He’s a good guy.”
“You sure about that? You were doing a pretty good job giving him the evil eye during the dance lesson yesterday.”
Oz shrugged. “I’m your big brother. It’s kind of a knee jerk reaction to want to beat off any guy who gets near my little sister.” He grinned at her. “But Elliot… I know he doesn’t have the greatest reputation. But deep down, he really is a decent guy. He might date a lot, but as far as I know he’s always up-front in his relationships. He hasn’t left a string of broken hearts all over New York City. I think I’d be okay if you two…you know.”
Lena gasped, horrified. It was almost as bad as having the sex talk with her parents. “Oz!”
He shrugged again. “Just thought I’d put that out there,” he said with a laugh. “Regardless of whether you two have anything going on, you don’t need to worry about him with Tyler. He’d never let anything happen to him.”
“I know that. But you know how Tyler is. He gets so attached to men. It’s like he’s a new baby duck imprinting on the first male he sees.”
Oz chuckled. “Yeah, he does get attached. But it’s only for a few days, right?”
Lena tried to keep the heat from rushing to her face but failed. Utterly. Oz raised his eyebrows.
“Something I need to know?”
“No,” she said as firmly as she could.
For once her brother paid attention and left it alone.
“Well, like I said, whatever is or isn’t going on between the two of you, I don’t see the harm in letting Tyler have a little fun. Look at them.”
Lena glanced back at her son. He and Elliot had moved to one of the larger ponds and were flicking water at each other. Every time Elliot got sprayed, he’d do a goofy little dance, acting like he was melting. Tyler doubled over in laughter. He took a step back, a little too close to the water’s edge, and Lena’s stomach bottomed out. She opened her mouth to shout a warning, but before she could, Elliot was there. He scooped Tyler up in his arms and ran away from the pond in crazy circles. Tyler shrieked with laughter.
Once they were a safe distance away, Elliot put him down and started to run from him, making Tyler chase him. Elliot’s arms and legs were pumping like he was running as fast as he could, but he was only moving barely fast enough to keep ahead of Tyler until he let himself get tagged.
“See,” Oz said. “Tyler is in good hands with Elliot. I know he’s like a big kid himself, but he’s a good guy, Lenny. What would it hurt to let him hang out with Tyler? Or at least let him take Tyler to go play in the water, since that isn’t something you can do.”
“Oz,” Cher called out.
Lena glanced over and waved at her soon-to-be sister-in-law.
“Gotta go,” Oz said, pulling her in for a quick hug. “Think about it.” He gestured at Elliot and Tyler. “They’re having fun. Let them.”
He left her to go join his fiancée, and Lena watched them with a growing ache in her heart. She was thrilled her brother had found someone he loved so much. But sometimes watching them caused twinges of jealousy. She wanted what they had. But it didn’t really matter what she wanted. She needed to do what was best for Tyler.
She turned her attention back to her son, chewing her bottom lip while she watched him play with Elliot. They both looked like they were having a great time. And Oz was right; Elliot was amazing with Tyler. He’d gotten him away from the pond without yelling or scaring him or making a scene. She probably would have gone into full-on hysterics and scared the crap out of him. And never let him near the pond again.
But Elliot had taken care of the problem without causing a new one. Pretty slick.
Hearing Tyler’s laughter ringing through the courtyard made Lena smile, but inside, the doubts and fears she tried to keep at bay started filling her again. Tyler looked so happy. He was running and playing and splashing through the water like a normal kid. Lena’s frown deepened. When was the last time she’d seen Tyler so carefree?
He was a happy kid. Always smiling, always respectful, always in a good mood. But as she watched him dart between bushes and rolling on the lawn, she realized that she didn’t often see her son full-out playing. He was always careful, playing close to her, rarely straying too far.
What kind of mother was she that she didn’t let her son just play? Or splash around in the water? Most kids liked doing that. And somehow, despite her crippling fears, Tyler still wanted to swim. She hadn’t passed that fear along to him. Yet. But how long would that last? Heck, she wouldn’t even let her son play at the beach when they were on a damn tropical island. She wanted to protect him, sure. But she didn’t want to be one of those overprotective mothers who didn’t let their kids out of their sight. And she wanted her son to have fun like all the other children were.
Well, then. Only one thing to do. She took a deep breath, ignoring the butterflies that had gone apeshit in her stomach, and went to get her son.
Chapter Eleven
Elliot had been looking for Lena for the last half hour, and the worry was beginning to get to him. When she’d come to get Tyler, all she’d said was that she had a surprise for him. But judging from the look on her face, it wasn’t a good surprise. Or at least not one she was looking forward to. He’d thought she’d decided to try and take him swimming on her own, but they hadn’t been at any of the pools that he’d seen. Cher and Oz hadn’t seen them. He didn’t bother to ask his parents.
He finally decided to go see if they’d ended up back in her room. Wh
en he got there, the door was open and a housekeeper was busy making the beds. She looked up when he came in.
“Excuse me, but did you happen to see the woman who is staying in this room?”
“Yes. She and her little boy went down to the beach.”
Elliot’s mouth almost dropped open. “The beach? Are you sure?”
“Yes. I brought them some extra towels.”
“Do you know which one they went to?”
The woman shrugged. “I suggested Kiddy Cove, since she wanted to take her boy swimming. No telling for sure if that’s where she went.”
“Thank you,” Elliot said, turning on his heel and running for the elevator.
Lena face-to-face with the entire Caribbean ocean? No way was that ending well. What if she had another panic attack and fainted again? What if it happened when Tyler was out in the water? Something could happen to Tyler, and she might not be able to get to him. Dammit, she never should have gone without him.
Elliot hauled ass down to the beach as fast as he could go, his heart in his throat, anxiety crawling through him like some disease he couldn’t shake. The resort owned several small beaches in addition to the huge stretch of sand that was the only barrier between the resort grounds and the ocean. Elliot didn’t think Lena would choose one of the more crowded spots. With as nervous as the water made her, she probably wouldn’t want a huge audience for her first foray.
Elliot took a few deeps breath, trying to calm his nerves. He wouldn’t do her any good if he was half hysterical himself by the time he got to her. He tried Kiddy Cove first. It was a good spot for her to go. Probably full of kids, yes, but it would be more fun for Tyler to have other children to play with, and Lena had seemed determined to give Tyler a surprise he’d really love.
When he first reached the cove, he thought he might be mistaken. He scanned the beach, his gaze traveling along the sand, picking through the family groups, one by one. No Lena, no Tyler. Then he heard Tyler’s laughter ringing out, and he looked out toward the ocean.
The sight that met his eyes froze him in his tracks. “Holy shit.”
Lena stood in the water, the ocean waves lapping at her kneecaps. Tyler was near her, but not close enough for her to touch. He was slightly farther out than her, the water reaching to his belly button. Lena’s hand was stretched toward her son. Elliot couldn’t hear what she said, but he could see her hand trembling even from where he was.
“Not good, not good, not good,” he murmured, kicking off his shoes so he could sprint down to where they were.
Tyler caught sight of him before Lena did. Not surprising, since Lena’s gaze was fixated on her son. Her face had gone so pale even her lips were nearly bloodless. She’d dropped her arm so that both hands were hanging at her sides, clenched into fists.
“Hey,” he said, coming up behind her slowly.
She turned her head, keeping the rest of her body motionless. He slipped his arms around her waist from behind. She remained stiff for a second and then sank against him with a tremulous sigh. He pulled her to his chest, and she wrapped her arms around his and laid her head back against him.
“How did you know we were down here?” she asked, her voice thready and shaken.
“Housekeeping.”
She managed a snort. “Figures.”
Her body went rigid again. “Tyler,” she called out. “Don’t go out any farther.”
Elliot could tell that she was trying to sound normal, but he could hear the panic beneath her words.
“I’ll get him,” he said, letting go of her to get to Tyler.
“No.”
Elliot stopped, frowning in his confusion.
“I mean, I want him within reach but… He’s having so much fun…”
Elliot looked back at Tyler and had to smile. The kid had on a face mask that squished his cheeks out the bottom and a snorkel that flopped uselessly at the side of his face. He kept dunking his face into the crystal clear ocean waters, coming up seconds later only to dive back down.
Elliot turned back to Lena, pale and trembling but bravely standing with the ocean crashing against her shins, all so her son could have fun. He brushed a damp lock of hair from her cheek and kissed her forehead.
“No worries.”
He headed toward Tyler again. When the boy came up for air again and saw Elliot coming, he excitedly splashed toward him, a large shell clutched in his hand. His legs were no match for the surf, and when the next wave rolled in it knocked Tyler’s feet from under him. Elliot scooped him up before he went under completely and swung him into the air before letting him back down with a splash.
Tyler grabbed his hand, pointing to all the sandy treasures he’d been finding beneath the waves. The water was clear enough Elliot could see the bottom, and they spent several minutes digging their toes into the sand and seeing what they could unearth. Every few minutes, Tyler would run to Lena to show or tell her something. She did her best to show the proper enthusiasm, but her face was still too pale, her body still rigid. She was doing amazingly well. Tyler had no idea his mother was seconds from a panic attack.
Still, the fact that she’d ventured into the ocean at all was incredible. If she could stop thinking about the fact that she was in the water, she might actually enjoy herself. Hmm, that was a thought. The few times he’d seen her so distracted she wasn’t paying attention to what was going on was when she was admiring some of his finer attributes. He wasn’t totally naked, but his chest was on display for her viewing pleasure. Maybe he just needed to take her mind off the vast ocean lapping at her legs and make her think of more pleasant things.
Tyler ran closer to shore to lay his shells along the sand, and Lena turned to Elliot, gratitude shining from her eyes. He seized the moment and bent to fill his cupped hands with seawater. He splashed it over his face, standing up and running his hands through his hair while the water trickled down his chest. He shook his head a little, letting the water fly around him, like he was trying to cool down. Totally innocent, nothing to see.
Oh, but Lena was definitely watching. She still stood frozen in the waves, but her face was no longer deathly white. Her cheeks flushed pink, her eyes riveted to his. He gave her an encouraging nod, took a step backward, and held out his hand.
“Come here.”
Her mouth dropped open, her eyes widening with fear.
“Come on, Mommy. It’s fun in the water!” Tyler said, trotting back out to Elliot.
Her eyes darted back and forth between Tyler and Elliot. She took a little step forward but froze again, her breath coming in short, terrified bursts when a small wave rolled in, splashing against her knees.
Perhaps a little more incentive? Elliot brushed his hands down his sides, like he was trying to get excess water off him, ending with his thumbs looped in the waistband of his shorts. He ran his fingers along the band to drop them a little lower, low enough that Lena could see the fine line of muscle cording at his hips. He worked hard for those damn muscles. Might as well put them to good use.
He left one hand on his hip and held the other one out to her. “Come on.”
Lena took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Elliot smiled at her, and she returned it with a hesitant one of her own. She walked out to him, her eyes glued to his. As soon as she was within reach, Elliot took her trembling hand and drew her to his chest. She wrapped her arms around him like he was her lifeline.
He brushed her hair from her face and cupped her cheek. “You are so brave,” he murmured so only she could hear.
She tilted her face up to his. He leaned down with a tender brush of his lips. She sank into him, and he deepened the kiss, his mouth working over hers until she opened to him. His hands threaded through her hair, keeping her captive while he delved inside, kissing her until she moaned and trembled against him.
He’d never kissed a woman the way he was in that moment, and he’d kissed a lot of women in his life. With passion, with lust, even a few with a lot of like, and one or
two with what he thought was love. But nothing had ever come close to what he felt now. It wasn’t the heated kiss from their night together or even like the one in front of the day care center. There was no agenda behind it. Nothing but him wanting to show her how proud he was of her, how much she moved him, how much he was starting to care for her. It was more…real than anything he’d ever felt in his life.
He finally understood the moment Tom Cruise had jumped on the couch during the Oprah show. He understood every word to every sappy love song he’d ever heard. It was amazing. Exhilarating.
And scary as hell.
He pulled back enough to see her face. She smiled up at him, and the knot that had started forming in his stomach loosened a notch.
Tyler came running at them full tilt, his legs kicking through the water and spraying all over them. Lena shrieked and laughed, holding her hands out to ward off the splashes. Elliot grinned and grabbed Tyler under his arms, then swung him into the air to settle him onto his shoulders. Before he trotted them deeper into the surf, he wrapped his arm around Lena’s waist and kissed her again.
“Come to my room tonight, you and Tyler. We can have dinner, watch a movie, and play video games or something. Just the three of us.”
Tyler bounced on Elliot’s shoulders. “Can we, Mommy? Please!”
Elliot held his breath, watching the emotions playing across her face. He’d already braced himself for when she said no. He shouldn’t have put her on the spot like that. Especially in front of Tyler.
He’d decided to tell her not to worry about it when she spoke.
“Sure. That sounds like fun.”
“Yay!” Tyler yelled.
Elliot had to agree with Tyler.
“Thank you,” he said, leaning down for another swift kiss before taking Tyler out to play in the waves.
Chapter Twelve
Lena tucked Tyler into Elliot’s huge king-sized bed and closed the door most of the way behind her. She wanted to be able to hear him if he needed her, but since she and Elliot were going to work on his business proposal, she didn’t want their voices to wake Tyler. She moved quietly back out to the living room area of Elliot’s suite.
