UNTAINTED

by Shanora Williams

  “Yeah, well, I didn’t really get much sleep last night.” I swiped a hand over my face.

  “Again? Why not?”

  “Wait.” I frowned as I sat up. “It’s a Saturday morning. Why are you calling me this early?”

  She laughed. “I had to drop something off for my mom. She’s renewing her driver’s license. Lord help her.”

  I laughed.

  “Trust me,” she continued. “You know I wouldn’t be up this early or calling you if I didn’t have a reason to be awake.”

  “Well, I appreciate you calling me.”

  “We didn’t get to talk yesterday. Should I come over?”

  “That would be great. Maybe we can go to the beach. I could really use some sun today.”

  “Okay, but I hope you don’t mean right out to your backyard. I need a new setting, woman.”

  “What’s wrong with my backyard?” I laughed as I leaned on one elbow.

  “Nothing at all, honey. I just want to see some half-naked men this time. You know the drill.”

  I shook with amusement. “Okay then. I know the perfect spot. See you at eleven? I’m gonna shower, freshen up—all that good stuff.”

  “Yes. And make sure you wear matching flip-flops too.” She busted out laughing.

  I fought my laugh, but it was useless. Her guffaw was infectious. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever,” I laughed. “That was one time and I will never embarrass myself like that again.”

  “Mm-hmm. I’ll be there at eleven. I have a few errands to run but as soon as I’m done with them I will be on my way to your house. Try to catch a nap or something. You sound exhausted.”

  I am.

  “I’ll try.”

  I ended the call and then looked towards the window. The sun had risen a little more, the rays now smothering my ivory bedspread. I flopped backwards and tossed a pillow over my face, knowing damn well that if I didn’t get at least an hour more of sleep, I would be in the worst of moods.

  Kim sounded chipper and like her morning was off to a great start. I needed to carry the same attitude . . . and that all was going to start with a nap.

  Chapter Six

  THEO

  “Dad, pass the sunscreen, will you?” Izzy stuck out her hand and I looked towards the blue bottle on my lap that she was demanding me to hand over. I picked it up and handed it to her, and she gratefully accepted it. “I’ve really missed this place,” she sighed, squeezing a dab into the palms of her hands as she gazed around.

  I pressed my palms into the hot, white sand behind me, leaning back and looking towards the ocean. The water rippled, bright and blue. The sun was blazing today, and it felt good on my damp skin.

  We were at Bristle Wave Beach. In the perfect spot. I’d only come here once, a few years back. Back when Chloe and I were . . . whatever we were.

  It was the same spot. I remember because there was a purple and white beach rental shack that wasn’t too far away. It wasn’t a busy place, since there was a larger competitor by the harbor, but ever since Izzy and I placed our towels down, we’d given them more business than they probably expected today.

  Especially her. Asking for everything, from sunscreen, to an extra towel, a bottle of water, and even a shaved ice with cherry flavoring.

  She finished off the shaved ice before we returned to our spots. I figured while all of that sugar was flowing in her bloodstream and a smile lingered on her face, right now would be the best time to tell her how I was feeling.

  She’d called me three days ago to let me know she had a shoot in Orange County for a commercial. Since I was already in Bristle Wave, she decided to fly in here and hang out at my hotel until it was time for her to go. I didn’t mind. I had a lot to tell her—not only about Sheila, but other stuff she probably didn’t want to hear.

  I sat up and looked over at her.

  She rubbed the cream around her elbows and when she noticed my stare, she asked, “What?” with a slight laugh.

  “There’s something I want to tell you, Isabelle. About me and Sheila.”

  She looked down, focusing on the bottle. “You’re separating, aren’t you?”

  My eyebrows dipped as I met her eyes. “How’d you know?”

  “Well, she’s not here with you. You said it was a vacation for you but knowing Sheila, she would have tagged along. I know she doesn’t work much on weekends, and when I’m in town or coming around she’s always trying to see me and ‘build a bond.’” She rolled her eyes at that. “I guess it just seems obvious something’s wrong.”

  I looked away when she attempted to meet my gaze. “You aren’t upset about it?”

  She shrugged. “The only thing that is upsetting is that you can’t keep a woman.” She was teasing, but she winced when she said that. “Except . . . Mom. That was different.”

  “And Chloe?” I mused, meeting her eyes and arching a brow.

  She stared at me, but said nothing at all. Instead, she stood up, dusted the sand off her bottom, and then made her way towards the ocean.

  Chloe was still a tough subject for her. I wasn’t sure if she was holding grudges about it, or if it was so hard for her to talk about because of the way they left off.

  There wasn’t a day that went by where I didn’t remember what she’d said to Chloe when I had that condo—how she bashed her because she’d fallen in love with me, her father.

  I constantly took full blame for it. I came onto Chloe. I made her mine and in my mind, nothing was going to interfere with that.

  Not Trixie.

  Not Sterling.

  Not even my daughter—my own flesh and blood.

  I watched the water run around her ankles when she met at the shore. She tucked a lock of curly brown hair behind her ear. I knew what that gesture meant. She was thinking. And she was upset.

  I guess right now would have been a bad time to tell her that after our father-daughter time, I was going to try and find Chloe while I was here. I knew where she lived. I didn’t know her schedule, but I would wait, if it came down to it.

  I looked around the beach. There weren’t many people around—then again this part of the beach wasn’t the attraction area.

  This area was much more serene, but slightly bumpy. Lots of shells, but that wasn’t a bad thing.

  I peered to the left, towards the shack, when I heard someone laughing—a woman’s laughter, and it sounded familiar.

  Too fucking familiar.

  Brows dipping, I sat up straight and continued looking in that direction, watching the shadows grow taller on the sand.

  Two women rounded the shack several seconds later. One was heavyset, with a beach umbrella strapped around her, a red bathing suit on, and a red headband. She was talking while moving her hands in an animated manner.

  And then there was another woman.

  She was taller. Thinner, with curvy hips. A Coke-bottle shape. Her skin was tan and flawless, her legs shiny and silky. Her full, pink lips curved upwards, and her cat-like eyes were as memorable as ever.

  Her hazel irises were bold beneath the eyeliner she wore. Her hair swam around her face. It seemed messier than usual, but like she had it that way on purpose. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, lifted her head, and pointed where she didn’t know I was sitting.

  But then she saw me.

  And she stopped dead in her tracks.

  Her jaw fell, her chin practically hitting the ground.

  Her body froze.

  Her eyes stretched wide and she dropped her arm in a flash, blinking quickly, as if blinking that fast would get rid of the person that sat only a few steps away from her.

  But it wasn’t going to happen.

  Because I was there.

  I was real.

  Slowly, I stood, staring right at her, my heart thundering in my chest. I was absolutely fucking speechless.

  My Little Chloe Knight—though she wasn’t very little anymore.

  She’d grown even more, her body settling into her curves, those assets o
n full display. Her slim belly barely hid beneath the cover up, and neither could those perfect, creamy thighs, or her full, perfectly sized tits. She looked fucking stunning, and seeing her standing there made my cock pump with nothing but desire.

  I didn’t even know what the fuck to say.

  Where to begin . . .

  This didn’t seem real. What the hell was she doing here? On the same beach we walked once before? On the very same day as me? What kind of fucking coincidence was this?

  Everything I had planned to say to her had flown right away with the beach breeze. All words lodged in my throat. I wasn’t prepared.

  Her friend stopped walking when she realized Chloe was in a frozen state of mind. She looked from Chloe to me, and then her mouth gaped. She didn’t know who I was, but she obviously liked what she saw in me.

  I took a step forward, focusing on my Knight. “Chloe?” I called.

  She stepped away and I paused on the step I was about to take.

  “Dad, I was thinking we should go to Dane’s for some drinks tonight, too,” Izzy called out behind me.

  I glanced over my shoulder and back to Chloe as Izzy came closer. She spotted Chloe when she met up to my side, her smile evaporating almost instantly. Her jaw dropped, her body static.

  Chloe looked over at Izzy, and then she did something I didn’t see coming.

  Instead of confronting her past—instead of facing us and striking up a conversation—she turned on her heels and ran away.

  Chapter Seven

  CHLOE

  Shitshitshitshit!

  This couldn’t be real.

  This couldn’t be happening.

  My insomnia must have been getting to my head now.

  I didn’t care what or who I hit as I stormed away. I didn’t care that my feet were moving so fast I might have tripped over anything that was in my way and fell face first into hot sand.

  To my luck, I didn’t, and I made it into the Tiki shack, dashing down the aisle and towards the coolers. My heart was pounding so hard that my head was spinning as I gripped the handle of the cooler.

  I needed to control myself.

  I needed to breathe.

  But I couldn’t regulate it.

  I was panting so hard, clutching the handle tighter and tighter, hoping to gain some control and stability. There were dark spots swirling in my vision.

  Calm down, Chloe. Just calm down.

  I straightened my back, staring up at the honey buns on the shelf above. There was a tiny bumblebee on one of them and I immediately reached up to grab it.

  I didn’t care that it had three days’ worth of carbs, or that there was so much icing on it that it would probably make me puke later on. I just needed to distract myself, and get as far away from them as I could.

  What the hell were they doing here anyway? And especially Izzy? I thought she would never come back to this town after what I’d done.

  “Are you okay?” The woman behind the counter put on a friendly smile when I turned in her direction.

  “Yes,” I breathed, my lips stretching to smile. I held up the treat and walked towards the counter. “I just want to buy this.”

  “Good choice,” she chimed, picking it up and punching it into the cash register. As she was doing that, I looked towards the door. No one was coming. Not even Kim.

  Wait . . . actually, I was wrong.

  Someone was coming, and I was hoping it was Kim so we could bail . . . but it wasn’t her.

  It was him.

  His strides were casual, and I could see him looking through the window, right at me. He was shirtless—still with the body of a god. Those tattoos of his glistened on his skin, the sunlight reflecting off his nipple ring, and as he got closer, his tongue traced his bottom lip.

  My stomach formed into knots at the sight of his tongue, and it was not in a bad way.

  I glanced at the woman again and she was still punching numbers in. I drummed my fingers on the counter, hoping she’d catch the signal that she needed to hurry—that I needed to get out of here ASAP.

  She finally placed the treat down on the counter and I tossed her some cash. “You know what? Keep the change. It’s okay,” I said hurriedly, and then I rushed towards the back door.

  The bell above the front door chimed, but I didn’t look back to see him come in.

  I heard the back door slam behind me and then I scurried ahead, pulling out my cellphone to call Kim. I didn’t get very far before I heard the deep, familiar voice call my name and the door slam again.

  I froze, but I shouldn’t have.

  I couldn’t help it.

  His voice sent a chill down my spine, even though it was slightly above eighty degrees outside. I heard him coming closer.

  And closer.

  Until finally he was right behind me.

  Breath bated, I lowered my phone and stared at the sand between my toes.

  “Chloe,” he murmured. His voice was both demanding and desperate. Was he angry? Did I care?

  Hell, of course I did.

  I turned a fraction of the way and that’s when I looked at him. Up close. In full.

  He was still so damn beautiful, and I wanted to hate him for it, but I couldn’t. His beauty was rare.

  He was flawless. Slight wrinkles around his deep brown eyes. That was something different, but if anything this natural change made him . . . sexier.

  His dark brown hair wasn’t just brown anymore. There were light streaks of silver throughout, mostly at his temples, which revealed his age. But with a body like his, a smile that wicked, and a face that handsome, he could have still been judged to be in his late thirties.

  He was twenty years older than me, which made him forty-six now.

  Our eyes instantly locked as I turned to face him. His mouth twitched when he finally got my attention, and his shoulders sagged a bit as he stepped closer.

  “You’ve got to stop running away from me,” he said, almost too empathetically. He probably thought I was a fool now. An idiot, sprinting off like I was in some kind of Olympic race.

  “I—I wasn’t running,” I stammered.

  His cheek tilted upwards, and one of his breathless smirks was put on display. “Yes, you were. And if I’m recalling the past correctly, this is the third time this has happened between us. These random encounters where you run off. First at the park years ago, and then the grocery store when you came back from college that summer, and now here. I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised. You’ve never liked facing conflict.”

  I swallowed hard, rubbing my elbow nervously. I glanced down at his hand—focusing mainly on his ring finger. The ring was gone, but there was a tan line there. I did my best to hide my hand behind the honey bun.

  “Theo,” I said lightly, and he perked up, giving me all of his attention—not that he wasn’t supplying it before. “What are you doing here? There—in that spot?”

  “You mean our spot?” He tilted a brow, smirking.

  I pursed my lips.

  “Just visiting,” he said.

  “Why?” I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes at him. Why was he back?

  He thought on it before he spoke. “Izzy has a commercial shoot in Orange County next week. She wanted to spend some time here with me before she went to work.”

  “Oh.” I stepped aside. He was watching me too closely—not that I minded. It was just a tiny bit awkward now.

  This whole encounter had taken me by total surprise. I wasn’t expecting to see him sitting there—almost like he was waiting for me to show up. If destiny was pulling cards, they’d better be correct when dealing them this time. I didn’t have the energy for these heart games again.

  My battered heart couldn’t take anymore than it already had.

  He sighed and took another step closer. “Could you stop treating me like a stranger?” he asked with a light chuckle.

  “I’m not. But you’re here . . . with Izzy . . . who just so happens to hate my fucking guts. I can’t really
just hug you, you know?”

  He half-shrugged. “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”

  I started to speak again, but my mouth clamped shut. “How would you know?”

  “She’s changed,” he stated. “She’s not what she was before. I know it. She knows it, though she never talks about it.”

  I snatched my gaze away, staring down at my feet again. The icing of my honey bun was melting now, and it wasn’t from the blazing sun. It was due to my sweaty hands.

  So what if she’d changed? That didn’t mean she was going to welcome me back into her life with open arms. I knew Izzy well enough to know she didn’t just let shit go, even if she had matured a little.

  She used to be the queen of grudges.

  “I heard you’re separated now,” I acknowledged.

  “You heard or you saw?” I whipped my head up as soon as he said that, and he flashed a crooked smile, looking me up and down.

  What?! “I heard,” I fibbed.

  “You saw, most likely on my Facebook.” My heart stuttered in my chest. “But that’s a discussion for another time. Come on. Say hey to her.” He started to step away, but I caught him, gripping his wrist and tugging on it.

  “Theo . . . I—” I struggled for words when his warm brown gaze met mine. “I can’t go back there. To Izzy.”

  “Your friend—Kim, right?—is setting up a spot for you two as we speak.”

  “Well, tell her to pack up and meet me here. I’ve had a shitty week and I’m just not ready to face Izzy yet.”

  He looked down at the hand I had wrapped around his wrist. His face changed. His features softened a touch, and his lips parted. “Look, I know it’s been a while, but can you trust me?” He grabbed my hand and hauled me closer. His large body hovered above me, his head tilted as he looked right into my eyes.

  He smelled delicious, and his skin was hot. I could feel the heat radiating off of it. For a split second, fear consumed me. This man—Theodore Black. He was standing right in front of me—treating me like some prized possession. Almost like he’d forgotten all about our disastrous past.

  About his wife.