Page 13 of The Seascape Between Us (The Men of Saltwater Cove #4)

Chapter Eight

Grey

I sat at the table next to the window, my laptop set up in front of me, even though I couldn’t remember the last thing I’d read.

Nothing was registering tonight. So instead of trying to focus on work, I looked out past the line of lampposts casting a soft glow over the boardwalk at the inky darkness stretching out until forever.

Unable to stop thinking about Daniel, I’d given up on trying to sleep.

After everything that had happened today, sleep would be a long time coming, if at all.

I figured I might as well do something productive.

I’d opted to work, but apparently, that wasn’t going to happen either. I just couldn’t focus.

All I kept thinking about was Daniel and how good it felt to be with him again. Of course, I wasn’t with him again. We’d just kind of made out and jerked each other off—not unlike the first time we were together.

On one level, I knew what we’d done was a mistake of epic proportion.

We barely tolerated each other at the best of times, and we were committed to relaunching this hotel and making it profitable again.

Introducing a host of complications probably wasn’t one of my smarter moves, after all.

Still, on another level, how long had anyone really expected me to go without putting my hands on Daniel Quinn? And by anyone , I meant me.

No one besides my father had known what had happened between us when we were younger—so no one alive. And I sure as hell didn’t plan to tell anyone now.

Just thinking about Daniel made my pulse jump, and my cock stir.

The man was gorgeous and seemed completely oblivious to just how gorgeous he was, which, of course, just made him hotter.

I’d forgotten how open he was during sex.

No games, no subterfuge, and definitely no need to guess what he liked and didn’t like.

I grinned to myself. He was delightfully expressive.

There had always been something about the way Daniel had turned so soft and fuzzy under my hand, as if he were turning himself over to me completely, and it went straight to my cock. I’d caught a glimpse of that side of him again tonight. A bit of a teaser that left me craving more.

It would be so easy to fall for him again.

Never mind how hot he was or the possibility of mind-blowing sex.

The guy shopped for old people, for crying out loud.

He installed blinds, absorbing the expense even though he clearly couldn't afford it. He’d held back my last name from that Mr. Sullivan in case I wasn’t comfortable talking about my father.

I’d been a dick to Daniel since I’d been here, and he’d still tried to protect me.

I could easily let myself love him again.

Could we try again? Could we put the past behind us and start over? Ryan didn’t seem to be a part of Daniel’s life anymore. Maybe a fresh start wasn’t completely out of the question. He’d clearly been into what we’d done earlier.

Of course, he had practically bolted from my room afterwards. Not a great sign.

I sighed. What had happened between us was probably a onetime thing, and that was for the best, considering everything else we were dealing with.

I did my best to ignore the weight of disappointment settling on my shoulders that the thought of never kissing or touching Daniel like that again brought.

Still, given everything we had ahead of us to get this hotel back on its feet, getting involved probably was a bad idea.

But whatever decision I made shouldn’t be decided unilaterally.

Before I made any decisions one way or the other, I should probably get Daniel’s take, at least. And I should probably do that sooner rather than later.

After all, better to address what’s happened before any negative feelings set in and start to fester.

A perfectly legitimate reason to see Daniel again that had nothing to do with reassuring myself he was okay.

I stood and left my room, starting towards Daniel’s quickly before I could talk myself out of it. The wind off the water was cool. Goosebumps stippled my skin, and the relentless hush of the surf was the only noise in the quiet night. Well, the surf and footsteps scraping the concrete behind me.

I froze. My heart stuttered in my chest. Who was that? With no guests, Daniel and I were the only ones staying at the hotel. I drew a deep breath, then swung around.

Daniel, his hands shoved into his jeans pockets and shoulders hunched, was ambling towards me.

“Holy shit.” I pressed a hand to my pounding chest. “You scared the crap out of me.”

Daniel frowned and stopped in front of me. “Um… sorry? What are you doing out here?”

“I was going to talk to you.” My thumb jerked over my shoulder toward his room. “I didn’t like how we left things after… Anyway, I figured we should talk.”

“Is everything okay?” Daniel asked.

“Of course. Where are you coming from?” I asked, even though it was none of my business. “Was there something wrong in the hotel?”

“No, everything is good.” He leaned back against the rail. “I was at The Dunes, talking with a friend.”

Alarm bells clanged in my head. Not another friend . Not again.

“Someone you’re dating?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “I wouldn’t have done anything with you tonight if I were dating someone.”

So, he was really only up for cheating on me, not with me. Great to know.

Though it was hard to stay angry at him. Even in the low light from the fixture next to my room’s door, I could see the faint blush tinging his cheekbones at the mention of earlier tonight.

“Brody’s just a good friend,” Daniel continued. “He owns the bar and lives in the apartment above with his boyfriend, Jett. He was one of the college kids renting your dad’s place.”

“Small world.” Was he making a point of telling me that this Brody guy was dating someone for my benefit?

“Especially around here.”

“I thought maybe you’d go to see Ryan.” Holy shit, I’d said his name. I couldn’t quite believe I’d worked up the nerve to ask him, but I needed to know.

I tensed. Focusing on his expression, I tried to read his reaction.

Daniel flinched as if I’d hit him, and he turned his gaze to the sea. My stomach sank like a rock plunged into the ocean.

“Sometimes, I forget just how long you’ve been away from here,” Daniel said without looking away from the water. “Ryan died in a car accident almost seven years ago.”

Shit . I really needed to learn to keep my big mouth shut. “I’m sorry.”

And I was. Whatever had happened when we were kids was a long time ago, and Ryan didn’t deserve that.

“Ryan and Brody were married,” Daniel explained. “That’s how Brody and I became friends.”

“Wait… You guys weren’t together?” I asked.

“Who?” Daniel asked, looking genuinely confused.

“You and Ryan.”

Except on days when I really wanted to torture myself, I never let myself imagine Daniel and Ryan living their life together. When I came here and realized that they weren’t together, the relief rolling through me was immeasurable, but I still wondered what had happened.

“Me and Ryan?” Daniel’s eyes widened, then he snorted as if the possibility were ridiculous. As if I hadn’t seen them together. “Ryan and I were never together. We’d been friends since grade school. That’s all we’d ever been.”

Of course, I knew that wasn’t true. I had seen them together with my own eyes. Daniel with his head tucked into Ryan’s neck. Ryan’s arms wrapped around Daniel, holding him tightly. The image had been seared into my memory for seventeen years.

Why did he keep lying about this? Even if he did finally admit to what he’d done, what possible difference could it make after all this time?

“You know, it’s late.” I backed away from him towards my room. “We can talk about this tomorrow. There’s no rush.”

Daniel watched me, his brows pulling together in a perplexed frown. “Okay, if you’re sure.”

Oh, I was sure. There was nothing more to be said. I was crazy to even toy with the idea that Daniel and I could try again. Clearly, there was no hope for that.

The fact that Daniel would still lie about Ryan after all these years later, after the man had passed away for crying out loud, it was obvious he hadn’t changed. He still couldn’t be trusted.