Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Aria
W e made plans. It seemed a little insane considering we’d been together all day and because I’d made it clear I wanted to go slow, but when Dex offered a motorcycle ride along the coast, I couldn’t resist. It sounded cold and kind of nuts, but I hadn’t done anything wild in a long time.
I layered up for the ride. I pulled on my warmest jeans, a long underwear shirt, a thick winter sweater and boots. I happened to have a cute leather jacket, a ridiculous impulse buy when Layla and I had stopped at some fashion outlets. I finally had a reason to wear it. I was rushing around to get ready when there was a knock at the door. I glanced at the clock. He was ten minutes early.
My lace-up boots were still untied as I hurried to the door. “Not quite ready.”
It was Isla and Luke. Isla looked pointedly down at my untied boots. “Ready for what? Looks like you’re about to go to an all-night rock concert.”
“Not quite.” I motioned for them to come in. At the same time, I hoped they weren’t staying long. I hugged Luke. He was looking especially handsome in a gray sweater and scarf.
“Are you going out with Kellan?” he asked.
I froze and looked at both of them. I’d forgotten all about the budding friendship between Kellan and Luke. I was fairly certain most of the budding was on Kellan’s side, so I decided to break the news without ceremony.
“Kellan and I broke up.”
“What?” Isla asked. “So, it’s over?”
I nodded.
She looked at Luke and then her shoulders relaxed. “Thank goodness.”
“Really?” I asked.
Luke nodded in agreement. “After our double date he kept texting and calling asking me for contacts and investment tips, and he was hoping I’d introduce him to some of my parents’ wealthy friends.”
“Ugh, how embarrassing. You should have told me.” I sat on the couch to tie my boots.
Isla crouched down to tie the second one. “Luke was going to give him some contacts—for your sake. He figured if you were serious about Kellan, then he didn’t mind helping him out. But I can tell you that neither of us liked him much. He just wasn’t—let’s just say—I pictured you with someone—someone?—”
Luke went to the door to answer a knock. He pulled it open. Dex was dressed in a black leather coat, gloves, jeans and black boots.
“Someone like him,” Isla finished with a sly smile.
I smiled and shook my head at her. “You already knew, didn’t you?”
“Let’s just say Ella was tossing out enough bread crumbs to lead me to the conclusion.”
Dex was still in the doorway looking slightly confused about the houseful of people. “Dex, you’ve met my sister, Isla.”
He nodded. “Good to see you again.”
“Dex, this is Luke Greyson, Isla’s boyfriend.”
The two men nodded cordially and shook hands, but I got the sense that Luke was slightly taken aback by my date choice. I was sure Isla would fill him in on details, but for now, I couldn’t wait to get on that motorcycle.
Luke and Isla walked us out. “You’re riding on a motorcycle,” Luke said in a fatherly tone.
“I’ve got helmets for both of us,” Dex said. “We’re just taking a slow cruise along the coast.”
“I’ll be home by ten, Dad ,” I said.
Luke looked slightly embarrassed. I jumped up and kissed his cheek. “But thanks for worrying.” I hugged Isla.
“Oh my gosh,” she whispered in my ear. I nodded in agreement. It was definitely an “oh my gosh” moment.
I pulled on my leather coat, and Isla nodded with approval. “You finally found the perfect use for it.”
I ran my hands over the soft leather. “I knew it’d come in handy.” I had gloves tucked into the pockets.
Isla and Luke left. Dex took off his gloves and spent the next five minutes adjusting the straps on the helmet he brought me. The whole thing was amazingly intimate—his face in front of mine as his fingers grazed my chin and neck while he adjusted the straps. He finally leaned back to look at the fit and nodded. “Perfect.” Then, unexpectedly, he leaned forward and kissed my nose before pulling on his own helmet. It was such a sweet, simple gesture, but it left me temporarily speechless.
Dex started the bike, and I placed my hands on his muscular shoulders and climbed on behind him. It was a tight, cozy fit, and I had no qualms about pressing against his back and wrapping my hands around his waist. His tight abs felt like steel under my hands.
“Ready, boss?”
“I need a better nickname.” I had to talk loudly over the motor. “Let’s ride.”
I was bundled enough that I felt nice and warm, especially tucked in behind the large man in front of me. He was like a wall, a wall of muscle and rugged hunkiness. We rode along the coastal highway, a two-lane stretch of asphalt that ran parallel with the coast for about ten miles. A half-moon was trying to remain significant, casting an unearthly glow through a thick layer of fog. The ocean looked endless and black under the dark sky.
I held on tightly and watched the landscape and occasional headlights blur past. It was a unique way to spend our first date, clasped together on a motorcycle with no way to communicate. Yet it still felt intimate, as if we were getting to know each other better with each passing second, even without words. I felt safe and comfortable behind him as if we’d already known each other for a long time.
We hadn’t made a plan, only to cruise along the coast, but when we reached the public beach turnoff, Dex turned the bike. We rolled down the road to the empty parking lot. Dex parked the bike. I braced my hands on his shoulders and swung my leg over to get off. I wriggled my cold nose and instantly remembered that a cold, red nose was not my best look.
Dex pulled off his helmet. His thick hair instantly revitalized in the breeze. I fussed with my helmet buckle for a second until Dex stepped forward to lend a hand. He lifted it off my head, and I was imagining myself with helmet hair and a bright red nose. I casually fluffed my hair and rubbed my gloved hand over my nose. I even added in a discreet cheek pinch. I was acting like a self-conscious, lovestruck teenager. I hoped the ridiculousness would pass quickly. I just wasn’t sure why it was happening in the first place. I’d had other first dates. The only variable was that this first date included Dex.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Dex said. “I’ve been wanting to check this beach out.”
I could feel my posture deflate. I’d convinced myself he was up for a romantic walk on the beach, but he was here to look for whatever it was he was missing. The thing that brought him to Whisper Cove.
Dex must have noticed my disappointment. “We could get back on the bike.”
“No, it’s fine. I guess I thought we were—that you brought me to this nice, secluded beach—” I shook my head. “It doesn’t matter. Maybe if you told me what you were looking for, I could help. There are some caves just past that outcropping—” I started toward the caves, but he took hold of my hand to stop me. I turned to look at him.
“You’ve caught me. My motive for stopping here was two-fold. I wanted to check the area out, and I also wanted a quiet, romantic spot, here under the yellow moon on this ivory stretch of sand so I could do this.” He pulled me closer. His hands were warm on my skin as he took hold of my face and lowered his mouth to mine.
My knees turned soft. I pressed my hands against his chest, curling my fingers into the soft leather of his coat, just to keep upright. The kiss lasted long enough for me to feel slightly dizzy from it all. He lowered his hands and wrapped his arms around me for a hug, which was as head-spinning as the kiss.
We parted, but he held onto my hand. “All right, sir, you might just have saved the evening with that kiss. Now, will you tell me what you’re looking for?”
“I will and you’re going to think I’m making it up, but I promise you, I’m not. Let’s walk toward those caves. I hadn’t even been thinking about rocky caves.”
The tide lapped against the rocks, sending cold, salty mist through the air. Dex’s phone light led the way. “My friend, Quinn, got himself involved in a heist of sorts. Two old friends from our past, Sam and Victor, guys who were always looking for quick money, talked Quinn into joining them in their plan to steal a box of gold coins—old ones, Spanish doubloons or something like that—from a wealthy collector. Sam was a pool man for the rich owner. He showed Sam the coins. That got the gears spinning on a plan. I reminded Quinn that Sam and Victor rarely succeeded in anything in life, but the lure of gold coins was too much. After the heist, Quinn hid the coins before he was arrested. It’s really important for everyone’s safety, Aria, that you don’t tell anyone … not even your sisters.”
“Oh my gosh, so we are literally looking for pirate treasure. I’m on a dark beach with a man who occasionally stands on the deck of his boat with a big bird on his shoulder, and now we’re searching for his lost gold. If you knew how often twelve-year-old Aria dreamt of just this scenario, and let me add that the pirate in my daydreams was not nearly as handsome.”
“Huh, take that, daydream pirate. Kind of feelin’ like I need to start saying things like ‘shiver me timbers.’”
I stopped to consider the suggestion. “Nope, that makes the whole thing cheesy.”
“Right. Then I’ll stick to just being handsome and looking for coins.” We reached the spot where the outcropping of rocks jutted away from the cliffside before ending in the water. We stayed close to the cliffs. Dex climbed up first and then turned to offer me his hand. It took some concentration to get across the jumble of rocks with only a phone light to lead us, but we reached the other side and dropped down. The sand was always wet in front of the caves. They weren’t so much caves as deep recesses in the side of the cliffs.
Dex shone his light into the deep crevice. “Boy, I’ll bet this is a nice teen hangout for kisses and, well, other things teens do.” He looked at me pointedly.
“Don’t look at me, I need to concentrate. I once walked in here barefoot and got pinched by a crab. It latched onto my little toe. So, there are no memories of stolen kisses for me in these caves. Only grumpy crabs. Besides, we didn’t come here often. It was too far from home, and we had our own slice of beach just a five-minute walk from the back door.”
“It must have been so cool growing up in that cottage. The only thing I had five minutes from the back door was an abandoned laundromat. Although there was a gas pump and mini-mart ten minutes away. That’s right, baby, blue raspberry slushies whenever the craving would strike. Walked around with a blue tongue all summer long.”
“Not too shabby. Are these coins in something? A Ziploc or a shoebox?” I asked.
“Well, to add to the pirate theme, I believe they’re inside a wooden box.”
I clapped with delight. “I was hoping you’d say that. Now, if only you had a treasure map with a big red X.”
“Trust me, matey, I wish that, too.”
“Matey!” I said excitedly. “You have full approval on that nickname.”
His dark brow arched. “Yeah? I was thinking something a little sexier, but we’ll give it a trial run for a bit and see if it sticks. Matey .” He pulled me in for another kiss. “This might be the world’s best treasure hunt. If only we could find those darn coins.”
I stopped before following him into the cave. He turned back to see why I’d stayed put. “Are you planning to keep the coins?”
“And that is where the pirate similarities end. If I get them returned to the owner, Quinn’s sentence will be reduced to time served.”
“Well, why not just ask Quinn the location of the coins?” The question upset him.
“Quinn is in a coma. He suffered a terrible beating in prison. Word got around that Quinn knew the location of a box of very valuable coins, and they—” He couldn’t finish.
“They tried to beat it out of him,” I said. “That’s just awful. Is he expected to recover?”
Dex shrugged. “Not sure. But I raced to his bedside in the prison hospital and asked him where the coins were. He told me Whisper Cove rocks, and he said the words ‘lyin’ talk.’ They were the last words he spoke before he slipped into the coma.”
“I hate to burst this evening’s treasure hunt bubble, but this is not Whisper Cove. Do you think he meant near Whisper Cove?”
“I wish I knew for sure. But since we’re here.”
I’d pulled my phone out, too, and we both spent a few minutes shining their light beams into dark recesses in the rock. I was also on the lookout for angry crabs. At least this time I wasn’t barefoot.
“It seems to me that he wouldn’t have just put the box down somewhere where it could be easily found.” I turned in Dex’s direction. “Or maybe he did, and those coins are long gone.”
“I considered that, only I think a find like that would end up in the papers.”
“Unless the finder decided not to make it public. But I think you’re right. Most people would not hide a discovery like that.” I directed the light into another crevice and found a lump of seaweed but no box. “Dex, what if he hid it somewhere in the town of Whisper Cove? I can’t think of where at the moment, but maybe it’s in town.”
“I thought that but where do the rocks come in? There doesn’t happen to be a rock and gem store called Lyin’ Talk in town?”
“Not that I know of and I pretty much know every corner of town. Are you sure you heard the words right?”
“The two goons who walked into the café had the same clues. I managed to coax the information out of them.”
“Coax? You didn’t?—”
“Let’s just say if they didn’t spill what they knew, they would have spent a very cold night out on the rocks below the lighthouse. I know Quinn, and he probably kept his mouth shut right up till the end, but he told his attackers that the coins were in the rocks.”
“Who did that to him?”
“The prison has been very secretive on details. That’s standard practice, apparently. They keep reports on beatings and murders inside the cells quiet. They try to treat the victims in-house, but the conditions are not ideal for someone to recuperate, especially someone with extensive injuries like Quinn. I managed to get some county hospital doctors to get Quinn moved to their care.”
“He’s lucky to have you as a friend. I can’t help but think Kellan made a mistake pushing you out of his life.”
Dex chuckled but it was a sad sound. “Trust me, he would not agree with you on that.”
“He disagreed with a lot of things I said. I see that now as I reflect back on our relationship. Not sure why I let it go on so long. I guess it’s just that societal pressure for a single woman to find someone. Kellan fit the bill for the perfectly suitable boyfriend. I’ve just never been interested in perfectly suitable.”
“Lucky for me because I’ve never been called perfectly anything, especially suitable.” Dex walked over and pulled me into his arms. “I know this still feels really shaky and strange and, if I’m being honest, unbelievable considering how the week started, but I like you, Aria. And I’m not just saying that because you’re my boss. I think I knew almost the second I crouched next to you on the dock. You were wet and cold and angry and incredibly beautiful, and all I could think was—why did that damn gull have to pick this morning to be an idiot?”
I laughed and cuddled into his warm embrace. “And what are you thinking about your bird now?”
“I’m thinking he’s the smartest bird a pirate could ask for.”