Page 15

H arlow chewed on her bottom lip as she listened to the ringtone. She half hoped Lena would answer and half hoped she wouldn’t. It was silly to be so nervous about calling someone who used to be her best friend.

“Hello?”

She answered! Harlow squeezed her eyes shut at hearing Lena’s voice for the first time in what? Four years? Oh, how she’d missed her best friend.

“Hello? Who is this?”

Right, she needed to speak. “It’s Harlow.”

“Harlow? It’s really you?”

“Yeah. Hi. Long time, huh?” Lena had married and moved to Savannah, her husband’s hometown, so there hadn’t been any chance of running into her around town. That had been five years ago, and they’d kept in touch with weekly phone calls until Anthony managed to isolate her from her friends. Why had she let that happen?

“Too long. The last time I tried to call you, it said your phone was disconnected.”

Because Anthony had terminated that phone’s account and given her a new one with a new number. To keep peace with him, she hadn’t given any of her friends that num ber. Never again, she vowed for what had to be the hundredth time.

“I’m sorry,” she said. There was too much to explain for a phone conversation, but there was one thing she wanted Lena to know. “So, I’m divorced.”

“Good. I never liked Anthony. I know he’s the reason we lost touch. Damn, I’ve missed you, girl.”

“Same. So much. I wish you weren’t so far away. I’d love to have one of our girl nights.” Girl nights for them had been wine, popcorn and staying up late talking and watching romantic movies.

“I have an idea. J.D. has to go to Boston next week for a few days. Why don’t I come see you then?”

“Really? That would be so awesome.”

“How about I get there Tuesday and stay until Thursday. J.D. comes home Friday morning and I’ll need to pick him up at the airport.”

“Perfect.”

“I’m so excited. I can’t wait to see Tyler. Gosh, he was only a few months old the last time I saw him.”

“He’s the cutest little boy now. You have my number. It’s the one I called you on. I’ll text you my address.” She’d wait until Lena was here to explain about Tyler.

She disconnected and smiled. A feeling that had been missing from her life grew inside her. It was happiness. She was becoming herself again. She’d reconnected with her best friend. A sexy man, one she liked a lot, had kissed her, and she hoped he would do it again.

That happiness dulled an hour later when Grayson called to tell her that Anthony’s man had placed a tracker on her car. The conversation was brief, and he made no mention of when he would see her again. She’d ended her earlier call to Lena with a tremendous surge of happiness. This time it was with disappointment.

He’d kissed her twice now, and last night’s kiss was amazing, but maybe not so special for him? She replayed it in her mind, every detail, every sensation. The way his lips felt against hers, the way his hands held her so gently yet so firmly. The way he pressed his body against hers, the taste of him, the heat of him, the spicy scent of him. Never had she been kissed as if nothing else mattered but her, as if the man kissing her was consumed by her and only her.

As much as she wanted more, she needed to focus on getting her son back, and when she did, 100 percent of her time would be on Tyler. She hadn’t seen him for months, didn’t know what his state of mind would be. Had Anthony turned him against her? She suspected so, and her heart ached at the thought that her little boy would hate her.

Before she sank into a deep depression and crawled into bed, pulling the covers over her, and crying from the bone-deep hurt of missing her son, Harlow decided she had to get out of the apartment. Do something. Maybe she’d take a ride to the beach and walk in the sand. She’d liked strolling through the shallow water that day with Grayson. It had been calming, and she needed calm.

She changed into a new pair of white shorts and a pink T-shirt. A quick check in the mirror brought a smile to her face. She sure looked a lot different from her last walk on the beach. “Much better,” she told her reflection.

Because there was a tracker on her car, she’d take her phone, let Anthony think she didn’t know he was spying on her. She had a right to go wherever she wanted, and she wanted her toes in the sand and her feet in the water.

An hour later, as she drove down Ocean Boulevard in North Myrtle Beach, looking for a place to park, she passed Grayson’s home. She hadn’t intentionally found her way to his house, but when she saw him walking up the stairs to his front door, she shrugged. Why not? This was the new her…or was it the old her coming back to life? Whichever it was, she was here, he was there, and there wasn’t any reason to sneak around. With another shrug, she pulled into his driveway.

He turned and a smile ticked up his lips as she came to a stop. With that smile, her concern that he wouldn’t welcome her vanished. She shut down the engine, and as she stepped out, he jogged back down the stairs.

“I didn’t set out to land on your doorstep,” she said when he stopped in front of her. The dark sunglasses hid his eyes, and the lowered bill of his ball cap shadowed his face as he looked down at her.

He reached up and removed the glasses. “Yet here you are.” He gave her another heart-dropping smile before his gaze focused behind her. “You weren’t followed?”

Where the devil was her brain? It had been an impulsive decision to stop at his house, a wrong one. Rattled, she backed away from him. “I wasn’t thinking. I need to go.” If she’d brought Anthony’s attention to him, she’d never forgive herself.

“Public parking is four blocks down on your right. Go there, then walk back here along the beach.”

“I should just go home.”

“No, do what I said. It’ll be all right.”

She was furious with herself. Sure, she was aware of the trackers on her car and phone, but she’d… Well, she just hadn’t thought. Her bad, but never again. She was well aware of what Anthony was capable of. She needed to be smarter than him, and from this moment on, she would be.

Grayson wrapped his fingers around her elbow. “Get in your car and go to the public parking, and then walk this way.” He opened her car door. “Go.”

She went.

After she parked where Grayson had told her to, she walked up the beach to his house, and her eyes widened at the sight in front of her. Somehow, he’d timed it so that he was walking past her wearing board shorts, no shirt and with a surfboard tucked under his arm.

Holy hotness! Her feet tripped over themselves when her eyes locked on that naked—and so amazing—chest. “Huh…” she said. Her ability to use words had apparently taken off with the wind blowing past her.

“Keep walking,” he said quietly as she neared him. Acting as if he didn’t know her, he continued down to the water with his surfboard.

She kept walking.

Just how long was she supposed to walk, though? She guessed she’d passed him fifteen minutes ago. Did he really know how to surf? It had been a real effort not to turn and watch him. And dear heaven, she wanted to slide her fingers over that chest, and after testing the firmness of those muscles, she’d lick them. Never in her life had she had such a thought, and it made her giggle like a schoolgirl giddy with her first crush. And look, there was that very chest walking toward her.

How’d he do that? She glanced back, scrunching her eyebrows at seeing how far she’d traveled. It was impossible that he was ahead of her, but unless she was hallucinating, he somehow was. “How—”

“Go back to my house and go inside. It’s the one with the red surfboard propped up next to the stairs.” He kept going.

Okaaaay. This cloak-and-dagger stuff wasn’t for her. Next time she had the bright idea to come to the beach, she was going to have Einstein hide her car keys. Ahead of her, Grayson broke into a jog, and as they had with the front of him, her eyes locked on his back and what a sight to behold. Even wearing clothes, it was obvious that he was built mighty fine, but wearing nothing but board shorts… Someone slap an oxygen mask over her face because he really was breath stealing.

She wanted her hands on that broad chest, the trim waist and…she fanned her face when her gaze reached his butt. That she wanted to see naked. She wanted those long legs wrapped around hers while his body covered hers. She just bet that Grayson Montana knew how to make a woman’s body sing, and she wanted her body to sing if only just once.

What if she let herself have one time with him? She had faith that he would find a way to bring her little boy back to her, but until then, what if…

The what-ifs bounced around in her head as she walked back down the beach. She was a single woman and hadn’t been with another man but Anthony since meeting him. She’d never cheated on him, not even during the last few years of their marriage when she’d been so miserable. Why shouldn’t she enjoy the company of a man if that was what she wanted? As soon as she had her boy back, he would be her sole focus for who knew how long.

It could be years before she felt she could bring another man into her and Tyler’s life. It all depended on the damage Anthony had done to their son. The time from now until he came home would be her only chance to have a little something for herself.

A thought nagged at her, though. Would that mean she was using Grayson for her own personal pleasure? Would that be a selfish thing to do on her part? How would he react if she was up-front with him, if she told him what she wanted? She’d be clear that as soon as she was reunited with Tyler that the affair would be over. She snorted. In only a few minutes, she’d gone from considering just one night with him to maybe having a short affair.

When he reached his house, instead of going inside, he veered off to the water. She didn’t let herself watch him slip away. She didn’t think anyone was following her, but if so, she didn’t want to tip them off that she had any interest in him.

“Who are you, and what have you done with Harlow?” she murmured, chuckling. It wasn’t that long ago that she’d been hiding inside her ugly dresses and tight buns. Now her hair was blowing in the breeze, and she was wearing shorts as she dug her bare toes in the sand while considering having a fling with a man who made her heart flutter. It was wonderful. She jogged up the stairs and went in Grayson’s house.

He came in a minute later. “Back in a sec.”

She blinked as the man starring in her brand-new fantasies walked past without stopping, still wearing nothing but board shorts. If he was going to put on a shirt, she wished he wouldn’t. She’d really like some more chest-looking time. Although, she’d probably embarrass herself by drooling, or God forbid, actually licking him, so a shirt was probably a good idea.

When he returned, he was dressed in soft, well-worn jeans and a dark blue T-shirt not tucked in. He was barefoot, and why was that just downright sexy? Jeez, was she so sex-starved that she was now adding a man’s feet to her fantasies?

“You okay?” he said.

“Huh?” Heat burned her cheeks as she dragged her gaze from his feet to his face. “I mean, sorry? What did you say?”

Amusement along with an awareness of where her mind was filled his eyes. He leaned a hip against the island, his gaze never leaving hers. “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but is there a reason for this surprise visit?” When she hesitated, he said, “I mean it, Harlow, you’re welcome here anytime, but is everything okay? Has something happened?”

“No. I just got antsy this morning and had to get out of my apartment, and a walk on the beach sounded like a good idea. I didn’t mean to come to your house.” She shrugged as she gave him a smile.

He smiled back. “Well, it’s a nice surprise. As far as I could tell, you weren’t followed.”

“Oh, good. I wasn’t thinking when I came here, but that won’t happen again.”

“I hope you mean that you’ll think next time, not that you’ll never come here again. I like having you here.”

Oh, silly heart, stop that fluttering thing you’re doing. “I have to ask. How in the world did you get ahead of me on the beach?”

“I swam.”

“No way.”

“Way.” He smirked. “You forget I was a SEAL. Swimming’s kind of our thing. One of our many things.”

“Many things?”

His gaze raked over her as he stepped closer, his eyes locking on hers. “Do you really want to know?”

They weren’t talking about his SEAL skills anymore, and a delicious shiver trailed down her spine. “I think so. Yes.”

He leaned in, his lips brushing against her ear. “I’m good at a lot of things,” he whispered before trailing kisses down her neck. When he reached her collarbone, he took his mouth away and stepped back. “I need a hard yes, Harlow. When you can give me that and not just a think so , I’ll be more than eager to show you what those things are.”

She wanted to snatch his mouth back. While she’d walked back to his house, she’d decided she wanted a fling, and she wanted it with him. It seemed he was open to something happening between them, and she appreciated that he wasn’t willing to take advantage of her. That gave her even more assurance that she could be honest with him.

“What’s going through that pretty head of yours?” He tapped her forehead.

“I…” She was so out of practice with telling a man what she wanted. She should have practiced what she wanted to say, written it down even.

As if understanding, he took her hand. “Come with me.”

He led her up the stairs, through his bedroom and out to a balcony. “No one down on the beach can see us up here,” he said as he put his hand on the back of a cushiony chair. “Sit here.” There were two chairs, two small rattan ottomans in front of them, a table between them and off to the side a minifridge. “Water, beer or wine? That’s all I have up here.”

“It’s barely lunchtime, but a beer at the beach sounds perfect.”

He grinned. “My kind of woman.” He took out two bottles. “You probably prefer a light beer, but all I have up here are dark ones.” He handed her one of the bottles. “This is a craft beer, a porter with notes of chocolate and coffee. I think you might like it.”

“Thanks.” He was right, the few times she drank a beer, she preferred something light, but she was on an adventure, so why not try something new?

“To new beginnings.” He clinked his bottle against hers.

She smiled, liking that toast. “Oh, that’s pretty good,” she said after taking a tentative sip of the dark beer. She took another drink. “I can really taste a little chocolate and coffee.” She eyed the label, wanting to know what to buy because she was going to get herself some.

Look at her, sitting on a balcony at the beach in her shorts with the hottest man she’d ever known, drinking a dark beer for the first time and thinking about having a fling with him. If anyone had told her a month ago this would be her life, she would’ve thought they’d lost their mind.

For a few minutes, they drank their beers in comfortable silence, and as seconds passed, a soothing tranquility settled over her. The waves weren’t big enough for surfers, but there were windsurfers gliding by on their boards and hang gliders towed by boats were floating by under their colorful parachutes. Below them, a laughing woman was watching a man unsuccessfully try to get his dragon kite in the air.

She darted a glance at Grayson to find that he was watching her. When he caught her looking at him, one side of his mouth quirked up in a lazy half smile. Then his gaze left hers and traveled along her body in a slow perusal, and everywhere his eyes landed goose bumps rose as if they had a direct connection to those amber brown eyes that she thought she might be able to stare into for eternity.

Get a grip, girl. She hated that inner voice. Maybe she didn’t want to get a grip. Maybe she wanted him looking at her as if he’d like to devour her.

“You ready to tell me what’s going on in that head of yours?” he said, his voice husky as if he already knew what her answer would be.

Okay, then, this was the new her, right? He asked, so she was going to put it out there. “I want to have sex with you.”