The Path to You: A Steamy Small-Town Romance (Jetty Beach Book 7)

by Claire Kingsley

  Our little getaway was surprising in so many ways. He made me feel amazing. Since then, I’ve grown more and more comfortable with letting him take the lead. I love how he seems to know my body so well, like he has the power to make it do whatever he wants. And I love giving over that trust to him.

  He gave me back something I thought I’d lost.

  The last few weeks have been like a dream. He’s often busy working, but he always makes time for me, even if it’s just a quick lunch date. And if a day goes by and we haven’t had a chance to see each other, he coaxes me into staying with him at his place. I love sleeping next to him, my body tucked against his.

  I’ve never really been in love before. Not like this. The way I feel about him crowds out everything else. I’m not preoccupied with difficult memories, nor am I plagued with so many bad dreams. It’s like Gabriel fills up all the space in my soul, leaving no room for the pain of the past.

  I head to the store to pick up a few things. While I’m walking down the aisle, pushing a small cart, I get a text. I fish my phone out of my purse to check.

  Gabriel: Hi lovely. I miss you.

  Me: I miss you too. I’ll see you at work soon.

  Gabriel: I know. Plan on staying with me tonight, okay?

  Me: Sounds wonderful.

  Gabriel: Love you baby. See you soon.

  Me: Love you too.

  I let out a contented sigh as I put my phone back in my purse. It probably makes me look silly—like some dreamy little girl—but I don’t care. I put back the carton of milk I was going to buy. I doubt I’ll be home enough to use it before it expires.

  After checking out, I head back to my car. I stuck to mostly non-perishables so I don’t have to worry about food going bad. I load the bags into my trunk and walk the cart back to the curb.

  When I turn, something catches my eye—movement off to the side of the building. I glance over in time to see someone disappear around the corner of the store. It’s a freestanding building with a large parking lot in front, but I don’t have a view of that side from where I’m standing.

  My stomach turns over and I get the all-too-familiar tingly feeling in my limbs. It has to be a coincidence. No one was watching me. It was just someone walking by.

  I take a deep breath, then another, and walk back to my car, telling myself there’s nothing to fear.

  By the time I’m seated, with my seat belt fastened, my breathing is back to normal. It’s been a while since I was hit with such a rush of adrenaline. My hands feel a little shaky, but I pull out of my parking spot, determined to brush off the sensation.

  I stop at the entrance to the street and glance in my rear-view mirror. There’s a man standing next to a silver car, watching me. My heart nearly stops and it feels like the air is sucked out of my lungs. It looks like Adam.

  I squeeze my eyes shut. It can’t be. Please, it can’t be him.

  But when I look again, he’s gone.

  Did I imagine it? Was it just some random shopper who happened to be looking in my direction?

  The sick feeling in my stomach spreads. I leave the parking lot, but I don’t go straight home. I wind around the streets for a while, checking my rear-view mirror constantly to make sure I’m not being followed.

  Maybe I’m being paranoid. Maybe it wasn’t him. But I’m not going to take any chances.

  I get into work a little early. I haven’t quite shaken off the feeling that someone was watching me at the store, and I feel safer here. A quick check of the reservations shows we’re booked up; it’s going to be a busy night.

  “Hey, Sadie.”

  I turn around to find Linda, the business manager.

  “Something came in the mail for you,” she says, holding out an envelope.

  I hesitate before taking it out of her hand. My heart leaps and I struggle to keep my expression neutral. “Um, that’s strange. I don’t know why I’d be getting mail here.”

  “It is strange,” she says, her forehead crinkling. “But it’s addressed to you, so…”

  I glance at the outside. It is addressed to me, care of the Ocean Mark Restaurant, at this address. There’s no return address and the postmark is Ogden, Utah.

  “Thanks,” I say, amazed that my voice sounds so steady. Linda smiles and heads back to her office.

  Utah? Adam doesn’t live in Utah, so maybe this isn’t from him. Granted, I don’t know anyone in Utah. I briefly stopped there on my way west, but I didn’t stay long. And I certainly didn’t meet anyone who would send me something in the mail.

  My hands tremble and my heart races as I slide my finger beneath the flap, breaking the seal. There’s a folded piece of paper inside. I take it out and open it.

  My stomach rolls over and bile burns the back of my throat. I stare at it, my eyes wide. It’s a printout of the photos from the Simple Pleasures article. In both of them, I’m circled with a red pen. At the top is a single word.

  Mine.

  I look on the back, but it’s blank. There’s nothing else. No name. No return address on the envelope. Just this photo and that one word.

  Oh my god.

  Gabriel isn’t in his office. I find him in the dining room, talking with Sam.

  “Can I talk to you for a minute?” I ask.

  “Of course.”

  He gives a few last instructions to Sam and leads me to his office, his hand gentle on the small of my back. When we get inside, he closes the door behind us.

  “Is everything okay?”

  I’m trying so hard to hold it together, but my hand shakes when I hold up the printout. “No. This came in the mail for me.”

  Gabriel takes it out of my hand. His face clouds over with anger. “Did this come to your house? Or here?”

  “Here.” I hand him the envelope.

  “Utah?” he asks.

  “I don’t know,” I say. “Adam lives in Missouri. Or he did, at least. I guess he could have had it sent from Utah so I wouldn’t know it was him? Maybe he knows someone there?”

  He pulls out his phone and taps on the screen a few times.

  “What are you looking for?” I ask.

  “What’s the name of your hometown?”

  “Jackson City.”

  He taps a few more times, then holds up his phone. It’s a map.

  “If you were going to drive from Jackson City, Missouri to here, it would take you through Ogden, Utah.”

  I clap my hand over my mouth.

  “Hey,” he says, his voice soothing. He puts the paper down on his desk and runs his hands up and down my arms. “He’s not going to hurt you. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  I take a trembling breath. “He’s here, Gabriel. He knows where I am and he’s here. I think I saw him.”

  “Where?”

  “When I was at the grocery store earlier,” I say, clutching my stomach. I think I might vomit. “I thought I saw someone watching me, but when I looked again, he was gone. But I think it was him. He knows I work here.”

  “Sadie,” Gabriel says, his voice firm. He grabs me by the upper arms and holds me steady. “Listen. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I don’t care if he’s in town. He can’t hurt you. Baby, I swear, I won’t let him touch you.”

  I step into him and he wraps his arms around me, kissing the top of my head. “You don’t understand. He’ll never stop. I don’t know what he’ll do.”

  “If he shows up, we’ll deal with him.” He rubs slow circles across my back. “But I don’t want you to be alone. You should come stay with me. Not just for tonight.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely. I want you with me. Plus, my house has a home security system. We’ll go to your place after work and get what you need.”

  Relief floods through me and I nod against his chest. The idea of being in my house alone, knowing Adam is out there, is terrifying.

  Gabriel pulls back and touches my face. “You’ll stay with me until…” He hesitates, his eyes searching
mine. “I guess until we’re sure you’re safe.”

  “Thank you.”

  He leans for a kiss. “Don’t worry.”

  “What if he comes here?”

  His eyes narrow and his shoulders tighten. “I hope he comes here. Then I can deal with him.”

  “Oh god, Gabriel, don’t kill him,” I say.

  “You don’t want him gone?”

  I step back. “I do, but what if you went to prison? You can’t.”

  He laughs, but there’s little humor in it. “Don’t worry, baby, I’m not going to murder anyone. But if he comes anywhere near you, I’ll make sure he never does it again.”

  19

  Gabe

  Sadie unpacks a few things into drawers I hastily cleared for her. I don’t want her to feel like she has to live out of a bag while she’s here, and I certainly have enough space. We made a quick stop at her house on the way home from the restaurant so she could grab some of her things. I did a circuit through the house while she waited near the front door. I wanted to make sure everything was okay before I let her go inside.

  It’s late, so we both change for bed. She stands next to me at the double vanity in my bathroom while we brush our teeth and it feels… right. Like she belongs here.

  Maybe it’s too soon to ask her to move in with me officially, but I’m tempted. It’s more than my concerns for her safety. I want her here because I’m in love with her. The more I think about it, the more sure I become. I want to share my life with her.

  But tonight isn’t the time for big decisions. We’re both tired, and I know everything that happened today made her edgy. To her credit, she handled the dinner service perfectly. I almost asked her if she wanted to go home, but to be honest, I wanted her there, where I could protect her. She didn’t let fear get the better of her, and even now, I can see the strength in her eyes.

  I don’t think she gives herself enough credit for how strong she is. She’s amazing.

  We slip between the sheets. I prefer to sleep naked, and Sadie doesn’t mind. She snuggles up against me, her back to my front. I love that she doesn’t hesitate to let me touch her. I slide my hand beneath her tank top and cup her breast. Her nipple hardens against my palm and I kiss her shoulder.

  “Mm,” she says. “If you keep doing that, you better mean it.”

  I flick my tongue over the dusting of freckles on her shoulder and press my erection into her ass. “I mean it.”

  She arches her back and I slip her panties down so I can press my cock against her bare skin. She rubs against me while I kiss her neck. I reach around, sliding my hand down her belly to the soft skin between her legs. She’s already wet and she presses her ass against me harder when I start rubbing her clit.

  “You make me feel so good,” she whispers.

  “I love making you feel good.”

  As much as I’m enjoying the feel of her ass grinding into me, I move away and gently nudge her onto her back. She raises her arms so I can take off her shirt, and I toss it to the side. I kiss down her neck to her breasts, sucking on each nipple while I keep stimulating her clit. She moans as I work my way down, caressing her soft skin with my lips.

  When I reach her center, I position myself between her legs. She stiffens a little so I rub my jaw against her inner thighs and plant soft kisses outside her pussy. Her breathing quickens and her legs relax.

  I slide my tongue up her center, tasting her, and groan with pleasure. “God Sadie, you taste so good.”

  Before she can answer, I go to work on her clit, exploring her. I feel for her body’s responses as I lick and suck. She gasps and moans, clutching the sheets.

  “Oh, Gabriel… How are you… That’s so… Don’t stop.”

  I push her legs back and increase the pace, using my tongue in a steady rhythm. She goes wild, losing control, and I feel her orgasm peak. I don’t let up, bringing her to climax again, making one orgasm roll right into the next. When she finally comes down, gasping for breath, I kiss her gently, working my way back up her body.

  “How did you do that?” she says, still panting.

  I reach for a condom and quickly slip it on, then climb on top of her. She lifts her head to bring her lips to mine and I kiss her deeply, letting her taste pass between us.

  “Baby, every bit of you tastes so good,” I say. “I could do that to you forever.”

  Instead of holding myself braced above her, I lower down and rest my forearms beneath her shoulders. It puts more of our skin in contact. I grab her shoulders from behind and hold her while I slip my cock inside. She’s so wet, I slide in easily, her heat enveloping me.

  My hips move and this angle presses my pelvis against her clit with every thrust. She already came for me—at least twice—but I want to make her come again. I love being the one to make her let loose—love feeling her succumb to my body. I know it’s not something she gives easily, and I cherish it.

  Plus, she feels fucking amazing.

  I kiss her neck while I fuck her, sucking on her soft skin, tasting her sweetness. She clutches my back, her legs wrapped around me, her pussy blissfully tight. I can feel her heat build and it urges me on. I thrust harder, faster, holding her with my hands beneath shoulders. Her hard nipples press against my chest, every bit of skin that touches hers lighting up with electricity.

  I’m consumed by her. The feel of her body and her scent on my sheets. Her taste on my tongue. The pressure builds almost to a breaking point, our bodies moving together as one. I groan against her neck and she pants my name with every breath.

  Her body spasms beneath me, her pussy suddenly clenching around my cock. Fuck, she feels so good when she comes. My eyes roll back, my body goes rigid, and I unleash inside her. My cock pulses hard, the sensation overwhelming. I drive into her while she digs her fingers into my back.

  My breath comes fast, my chest pressed against hers. She holds me tight for long moments, and I wait, enjoying the feel of her body beneath me. Eventually I get up and deal with the condom, then crawl back in bed with her. She smiles at me, her eyes dreamy and sated. I pull her into my arms, take a deep breath of her scent, and settle in to sleep.

  Something jolts me awake. It takes me a second to realize my phone is ringing. I grab it and look at the time; it’s just after three. A hit of adrenaline surges through me and I sit up. Something must be wrong.

  “Hello?”

  Sadie rolls over and blinks.

  “Mr. Parker?” I don’t recognize the man’s voice on the other end.

  “Yes, is something wrong?”

  “This is Stewart Watson with the Jetty Beach Fire Department,” he says. “Are you the owner of the Ocean Mark?”

  “Yes.”

  “Mr. Parker, there’s a fire at your restaurant,” he says. “We got the call about fifteen minutes ago. Someone drove by and saw the flames. A unit has already responded and they’re working to control the blaze.”

  I’m up and out of bed before I realize what I’m doing. “I’ll be right there.” I hang up and toss the phone on my bed.

  “What’s wrong?” Sadie asks.

  “There’s a fire at the restaurant.”

  “Oh my god.”

  I jam my legs into a pair of jeans. “You don’t have to get up.”

  “Of course I’m coming with you.” She’s already half dressed.

  My mind is spinning on the drive up the coast. It’s the longest twenty minutes of my life. I grip the steering wheel, my knuckles white from the strain. Sadie is silent in the passenger seat, her face turned toward the window, her hands clutched together in her lap.

  I see the glow before the restaurant comes into view. Flickering orange light dances on the surrounding trees and reflects off the clouds. In the darkness I can just make out a black cloud of smoke billowing into the night sky.

  I whip around the hard left to the restaurant. Two fire trucks are parked in front, their lights flashing in the night. I park at the edge of the lot and throw open my door. The heat beat
s at me, even from this distance.

  Everything seems to be moving in slow motion. The firefighters with their hoses. The fire chief shouting instructions. Flames shooting out the roof. I hear glass shattering, the dull roar of the fire. The whine of a siren as another fire truck arrives. The air smells of choking smoke.

  There’s nothing I can do.

  I stand next to the car, staring at my restaurant. It’s engulfed in flames, much of one side already crumbling, the wood beams turning to ash and glowing cinders. Despite the yelling, the men running, the reinforcements arriving, I know it’s already over. They won’t be able to save it. The best they can do is contain it and keep it from spreading.

  I put a hand on my car to steady myself. This place is my life. I put everything I have into my restaurant. All my money. My time. My energy. Everything. This place was my dream.

  Now all I can do is stand here and watch it burn.

  A wave of emptiness washes over me. I’m numb, as if my ability to feel is being burned away to ash. I can’t feel the heat of the fire. The acrid tang of smoke is gone. Even in my darkest moments, I’ve never felt this hollow. Gutted.

  Helpless.

  I’m startled by the feel of someone next to me. Sadie slips her hand into mine and squeezes. I glance at her face; she’s horror-stricken as she watches the restaurant burn.

  A fireman walks over to talk to me. I drop Sadie’s hand and step forward, bracing myself for what I already know he’s going to say.

  There’s nothing more they can do.

  20

  Sadie

  My eyes are heavy, but I can’t sleep. I’m lying on Gabriel’s couch, curled up with a navy throw blanket. Despite my exhaustion, I keep staring at the ceiling. I’m too worried to rest.

  We were at the restaurant until after dawn, watching it burn, waiting for news. It was one of the most horrifying experiences of my life—and that’s saying something. The blaze was huge by the time we got there, and no matter how hard the fire fighters worked, it ripped through the building as if it were nothing but dry grass.