Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
J ade’s body went still as she watched the whale surface in front of them, then glide back down into the indigo blue of the Atlantic Ocean.
It was so beautiful, tears burned her eyes.
Liam stood behind her, the warmth of his chest against her back adding to the moment. His hands rested loosely on her waist, holding her in a way that was both respectful, yet possessive. He’d been like that all day, keeping a distance too far away to be lovers yet too close for mere friends.
‘Tell me again which whales we’ve seen today.’
‘The smaller ones with a white band on each flipper were the Minke whales.’
The whisper of his breath against her neck caused a swoop in her belly. ‘White tummy,’ she murmured.
‘That’s right. The much larger, long, slender one was the Finback or Fin whale.’
‘The males have a one metre-plus penis.’
She felt the vibration of his laughter as it rumbled through his chest. ‘That’s what your book claimed. Way to give a guy a complex.’
‘But they’re over ten times longer than you, so actually…’ Holy crap Jade, where are you going with this?
‘Actually?’ he prompted, mouth closer to her ear now, his voice an octave lower.
‘I was going to say speaking proportionally, you could hold your head up high in a whale pod.’
And now his lips brushed her ear as he spoke. ‘Thank you.’
Oh God, she wasn’t going to survive much more of this. Her nipples were like bullets and there was so much heat between her legs she was worried he’d see steam. ‘Maybe we should stop talking about penises.’
She almost groaned with disappointment when she felt his wall of heat leave her back. ‘The chunky whale with the really long pectoral fins and tubercles on its head, is the humpback.’ He was stood beside her now, eyes searching hers. ‘He’s the one who just made you cry.’
She hadn’t realised he’d noticed. ‘Yeah, well that’s your fault for bringing me here, showing me these guys who look so majestic when they erupt out of the water. I mean, they’re the kings of the belly flop, but somehow they make it look regal. And I bet their stomach doesn’t go red.’
‘Only because they have tough skin. Yours is soft, delicate. Smooth to touch.’ He cleared his throat. ‘It’s probably time we headed back.’
‘Yes.’ Beyond time. Her body had spent all day being primed for sex, and was ready to fire the moment he touched her. Really touched her, rather than the glancing caress of a hand against her back, fingertips down her arm. A flutter of hot breath against her neck.
He was driving her insane, yet it was hard to tell whether he was as turned on as she was. At times she caught him looking at her with hooded eyes, yet then he’d glance away and she wasn’t sure if she’d imagined it.
Of course I want to sleep with you again.
He’d said that, hadn’t he? It was entirely possible he was trying to show her he wanted her for more than sex.
They walked back to the bridge and she tried not to be impressed by the confident way he handled the array of buttons and switches, hands sure on the wheel as he turned the boat around and headed back towards Nantucket.
They made easy talk on the way back, Liam proving to be an excellent tour guide. She’d expected the businessman in him to know about the area, she hadn’t expected him to be so knowledgeable about the wildlife that inhabited it. Yet another sign he wasn’t as cold-hearted and uncaring as he’d been depicted.
Her pulse kicked up a gear when Nantucket came into view. As the boat powered closer, she saw the now familiar white tower and black roof of Brant Point Lighthouse at the entrance to Nantucket Harbour, dozens of boats of various descriptions bustling in and out; yachts, ferries, fishing vessels. Along from the harbour were stretches of golden beach, interspersed with lush green vegetation. It wasn’t just pretty, there was a serenity to it that, like the whales earlier, caught at her throat. She would miss all this.
But you’re here now .
‘How’s your grandma?’ she asked as they drew closer to the wharf.
He slid her a glance. ‘Enjoying the books you collected for her. I set up the Kindle, which she says is the best invention in the history of inventions because it’s a modern gadget she can actually use. It was thoughtful of you to get her CDs, but I’m working on setting her up with the audiobooks, even though she curses a lot when I try and show her how to find and play them on her smartphone.’ His face softened, his voice warmed with such affection her heart gave a hard flip. ‘What?’
Belatedly she realised she must have been staring. ‘I was wondering about the woman who inspires such devotion in Liam Haven that he turns into a ball of goo when he talks about her.’
He grunted. ‘She’s my family. My world.’
‘I can see that.’ She paused, wondered whether to ask, then decided if he clammed up on her it would be a good thing. Stop her from making a rash decision to fall back into bed with him. ‘How many other women have turned you into a ball of goo, even if only temporarily?’
His eyes narrowed. ‘Is that your way of asking me about my exes?’
‘You saw through my subtle line of questioning, huh?’
His mouth twitched. ‘You have many attributes. Subtlety isn’t one of them.’
‘Noted, but I’ve told you about my exes, and you haven’t said anything about yours, other than the fact you’ve been hurt in the past.’
‘That’s all there is to say. Two serious relationships, one with a childhood sweetheart who turned out to have no heart. One further and final mistake which ended six years ago.’
‘Which one was Sabrina Ellis?’
He stilled, hands gripping tighter to the wheel. ‘Jeremy told you.’
‘To be fair, he only mentioned it because I asked him.’
‘You asked Jeremy about my past relationships?’
Jade slunk into the plush leather of the seat. ‘Yes, okay, I was interested to know who you’d dated.’
A small smile played around his mouth. ‘How long ago was this?’
‘At the library event,’ she muttered.
‘Um… and what juicy information did Jeremy manage to impart about Sabrina?’
‘He was pretty useless, actually. Said she was the daughter of the owner of the Ellis Hotel empire so go you, and that was it. He only brought her up so he could reassure me that you wouldn’t be fazed by… how did he put it… “interwork, non-curricular relations”? Something like that. I was too busy memorising her name so I could Google it later to really listen.’
He nodded, eyes now watching her curiously. ‘And were you reassured?’
‘By knowing the fact I worked for you wouldn’t bother you? Sure. But that diving into a hot affair with you was a good idea? No way, José.’
* * *
Liam slowed the boat and turned to face the woman next to him. The one he’d driven himself half mad trying to keep his hands off all day.
‘April was my first mistake, but I was young and inexperienced. Sabrina was the second. I was older and should have known better. She was the hardest to recover from.’ He paused, staring out at the harbour as he tried to gather his thoughts. ‘We’ve both been hurt in relationships, so we both have our reasons for being wary about what’s happening here. But the difference is, we’d go into this knowing it will end when your three months is over.’ It was the first time he’d thought of her going, and it caused a disconcerting tightening in his chest. ‘We talked before about what would make us regret it. What we didn’t ask ourselves was whether we’d regret not taking this further. Not spending the next two months enjoying each other.’ He put his hand on her cheek, taking satisfaction from the hitch of her breath, the widening of her pupils. She wasn’t immune to him. ‘I know I would, but maybe I have more to gain.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I told you, I feel like I’m a better version of myself when I’m with you. I want to see more of that guy.’ See if he can be brave enough to lower some walls, risk letting someone close again . Not someone. Her. He was prepared to risk it for her . Gently he ran his thumb down her cheek. ‘You told me you came out here to find yourself, prove you were every bit as smart and capable as your sister. Is there any way I can help with that, other than letting you work out your contract?’
She laughed. ‘Well, you could give me some of your “I don’t give a shit what you think of me” attitude. And a dollop of your “I’m so frigging successful nothing can touch me” confidence.’
She was joking, but he wondered if there was some way he could make her see what he did, what others did. ‘That attitude, the so-called confidence, I didn’t have as a kid. It came from building the business. Once you have belief in yourself, it matters less what others think.’
‘I can see that.’ Her eyes darted away. ‘And I’m starting to think maybe I’m not the worst manager the bookstore has seen.’
‘You’re a fucking great manager,’ he asserted, then laughed as he met a pair of blue eyes shining with mischief. ‘You deliberately put yourself down so I’d say something nice.’
‘Maybe.’ She smirked. ‘Worked, too.’
‘Newsflash, I’d have said it anyway.’ He studied her. ‘Do you enjoy managing the shop?’
‘Yes. Well, I enjoy interacting with the customers, talking about books, trying new stuff. The spreadsheets are a form of torture that should be outlawed.’
‘What if we spent some time together going through the business model? I could help you plan the next two months so you get the most out of it. If you want,’ he added, acutely aware she’d not actually said she even wanted to see him again after today, never mind continue to build a relationship, even if it was only as friends.
‘Would you really?’
She didn’t get it, he realised. ‘Of course. Christ, Jade, have I not made it clear enough that I want to spend as much time as I can with you? That I’m borderline obsessed with you?’
A smile spread across her face. ‘Well, if you put it like that, I’d love to take some business lessons from you.’
‘I have a feeling we’ll be learning from each other.’
‘Good. One-sided relationships never work.’ For a few beats there was silence, just the gentle hum of the engine and the slap of the waves against the hull. ‘You didn’t tell me what happened with Sabrina,’ she said eventually. ‘How did it end?’
He preferred the silence. ‘I wasn’t rich enough.’
‘Seriously? She had some figure you didn’t match up to? Like she’d carry on dating you if you were worth ten million but not one million?’
‘Her dad told her she needed to ditch me and date someone appropriate .’ The word still stung, as did the memory of how na?ve he’d been to think it would ever have ended any differently. Especially after what had happened with April. Only his grandma had ever really wanted him. ‘Stupidly, I thought she might fight for me. Turns out she loved the sex, the illicitness of fucking one of the staff. But not me.’
Her hand settled over his arm and she squeezed. ‘Lucky escape. She sounds like a right cow.’
Laughter huffed out of him, and he realised it was the first time he’d been able to laugh about that time in his life. ‘Now you have some gossip for Jeremy.’
‘Oh, no, you should tell him. I hear you’re besties now.’
‘God, no.’ Yet even as he denied it, he had to concede that as his only friend, it was likely Jeremy counted as a best friend.
‘Aw, come on, you’re going to be his best man. Can’t get more bestie than that.’
‘You heard, huh.’
‘I was down as substitute if you turned him down.’
‘That makes much more sense.’ Was he seriously jealous that his gay guest-services manager was close to the woman he was infatuated with?
‘Why would it make more sense?’ Jade demanded. ‘The man has a secret, totally platonic, crush on you. Why else would he put up with you for all these years? And don’t tell me it’s because you pay him. I happen to know he was offered a job at Chase and turned it down.’
‘He was?’
‘Yes, so stop fighting with Jeremy and start to realise you’re both on the same side.’ She grinned. ‘And beneath all the sniping, you really like and respect each other.’
He made the mistake of looking at her again. The amused smile, the dazzling blue eyes… His heart tripped.
Fuck.
He knew the signs. He was falling for her, and this felt even more frightening than before because he was actively trying not to. It was like he was driving a truck downhill, trying desperately to slam on the brakes but the pedal didn’t work and the damn thing kept hurtling forward, gaining momentum.
All he could see ahead was a mangled mess.
‘Liam? You look like someone’s walked over your grave.’
Just glimpsing into my future .
‘Sorry. All this talk about Jeremy being my bestie. It’s disconcerting.’
‘The Jeremy part?’ Her expression softened. ‘Or the fact you now have friends?’
‘A friend,’ he corrected.
Her fingers interlaced with his. ‘You have more than one, remember.’
His heart squeezed, emotion ploughing into him. Was there a way he could do this and avoid the mangled mess? If they stuck at platonic friends, would it take the momentum out of their relationship and steer it towards somewhere safer? ‘Thanks.’
She rested her head against his shoulder and for a moment he felt a pulse of contentment. But then he accidentally looked down, caught sight of the valley of her breasts and that pulse turned hotter, needier. It was not going to be enough to spend time with her, talk to her. Not if he couldn’t wrap his arms around her, smooth his hands over her skin. Slide into her heat.
The crash was inevitable. The only question was whether he would make it out of the twisted mess alive.