Chapter 3
Dante sipped his beer as he leaned against his kitchen counter and stared out the window.
He’d been doing it for the past twenty minutes.
But why not? He had nothing better to do than watch Marti play in the water.
Luckily for her, the sun wasn’t as hot as it had been yesterday; otherwise, he figured she would not have stayed outside as long.
As he watched her walk back to shore and ease down on her beach towel, he couldn’t help noticing the gracefulness of her movements and how sexy she looked in that two-piece swimsuit.
It fit her body like it was custom-made for it.
And since she had removed her cover-up, a lot more of her almond-colored skin was exposed.
He liked what he saw. Every single inch of it.
The legs that he’d only gotten a glimpse of that morning were long and shapely, her waist was small, and the top of her two-piece suit did an awesome job of exposing the shape of her breasts. Even from a distance, they looked firm, and the thought of cupping them in his hands made his mouth water.
She had taken off her straw hat, and he’d watched as she pulled her shoulder-length curly brown hair up in a messy-looking knot that actually looked cute on her. He thought the hair color ─with a few golden highlighted strands ─was perfect for her skin tone.
She seemed to be enjoying the beach as much as he was enjoying watching her. Obviously, the cold temperature of the water didn’t bother her any more than it bothered him. After that first dive, you got used to it, and by mid-afternoon, the water warmed up, thanks to the heat of the sun.
He soon realized that she was a good swimmer.
Not that she hadn’t been before, but when she’d mentioned that the incident that summer had kept her from returning, he’d wondered if she’d developed a fear of water.
He hated to admit that he hadn’t bothered to ask Ms. Della about her over the years because, frankly, she’d never once crossed his mind.
However, that was then. Now she was a woman no man could forget.
And she’d never married… Of course, that didn’t mean she hadn’t ever been in a serious relationship.
It merely meant she hadn’t met the right guy yet.
And he knew that more and more women were waiting to marry, wanting to establish their careers before settling down.
And then there were some, like him, who’d decided that settling down was not on their ‘to-do’ list. He looked around at the beach house, then turned his gaze back to the beach.
He had to admit, he liked his life just fine.
It was uncomplicated and he was beholden to no one.
He knew there were other things he could do instead of standing there ogling Marti…
like moseying over to the Seaglass Saloon and playing a game of cards with some of the guys there, retirees he had gotten to know.
Sometimes, he would share a drink with Cal Bennett, a retired bull rider who was married to one of the owners of the saloon, or shoot the breeze with Hendrix Becker, who owned the Wild Rose Point RV Park.
But for some reason, he wanted to hang around here today.
And he was definitely enjoying the view.
He figured his dad had been doing the same thing on that summer day close to twenty-nine years ago--standing in the kitchen, sipping a beer while leaning against the counter, looking out the window and watching his son.
That had to be the reason Mario Avera had reacted so quickly when Dante had run into trouble.
He’d rushed from the house and dived into the water like the champ Dante had always thought him to be.
Dante was about to take another sip of his beer when his cell phone rang. He recognized the ringtone and quickly pulled it out of his pocket. It was Skylar. “You okay, Sky?”
He heard his godbrother’s chuckle. “I’m fine. Just thought I’d check on you.”
Dante rolled his eyes. His godfather Ricco had called a couple of times last month, so he figured now it was Sky’s turn. “Let’s not get things confused, Skylar Kingston. Our roles haven’t changed. I’m still your protector. You are not mine,” he said, fighting to keep the amusement from his voice.
“There’s nothing wrong with me making sure you’re okay, Dante. Is there?”
“No, of course there’s nothing wrong.” In a way, he appreciated the concern, but there were times when Sky forgot about the thirteen-year age difference between them.
He’d never taken a prolonged vacation before─at least not one for more than two weeks at a time.
And that was why Sky was sure there was something Dante wasn’t telling him; some medical condition he wasn’t sharing, some problem that he couldn’t manage.
Dante had told Sky more than once that everything was fine and that he was in the best of health.
And now that he knew Sky was happily married to Haven, Dante had figured that this was the perfect time to finally enjoy his life for a change and take an extended vacation.
“Are you enjoying your time on the Oregon Coast, Dante?”
Skylar’s question made him rein in his thoughts. “Yes, I am. I get up every morning before dawn to take a swim, then I come back to the cottage to enjoy my coffee. The rest of the day, I take it easy and do whatever the hell I want.”
“Sounds like a good schedule, especially when you kick things off with a swim and then a cup of Avera coffee. I hope you don’t run out.”
“I brought a lot of it with me so that won’t be happening. How’s Haven?”
“Beautiful as ever. She’s adjusting to living in San Francisco. We went sailing today and she thoroughly enjoyed it. And she’s thinking of going to medical school to fulfill her dream of pursuing a combined MD and PhD degree.”
Dante smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. You married a woman who is not only beautiful but one who’s smart as the dickens.”
When he heard a loud feminine yell of, “Get away from me, you pesky bird!”, he glanced out the window and saw that Edgar was being a nuisance—again. “Give Haven my love, Sky. I got to run. Goodbye.”
He clicked off the phone, quickly eased it back into the pockets of his shorts, and rushed out of the house to assist the damsel in distress.
***
Marti was at her wits’ end. Nothing she did would make the bird fly away.
The seagull had seemingly come out of nowhere and was refusing to move on.
It was a menace. She had tried shooing it away, but it wasn’t the least bit afraid of her.
It was as if the blasted thing was claiming this stretch of beach.
“Scat, Edgar! Leave. Now!”
As if the bird not only recognized the deep male voice but also the command, it screeched loudly before flapping its wings and taking off. Marti watched the seagull fly away and couldn’t help admiring the sight of Edgar’s white wings against the backdrop of the bright blue sky.
It was only then that she switched her attention to the man who had rescued her from the seagull.
He was wearing a pair of denim shorts that showcased muscular legs, and a San Francisco 49ers T-shirt that covered his broad shoulders and a sculpted chest. His hair was no longer wet and seemed to fall in silky waves around his shoulders.
He didn’t just look gorgeous, but also almost irresistible.
“Are you okay?” he asked, as his gaze scanned over her body.
The heat from his gaze felt hot on her skin, to the point that she was tempted to grab her cover-up and put it on.
She wasn’t sure why she suddenly felt underdressed in front of him.
There honestly wasn’t any reason for it, since she was certain he’d probably seen women wearing a lot less.
Still, did he have to look at her like that?
“I’m fine. Thanks for being my secret weapon. Now I’m wondering how you got him to obey you. Should I have said scat instead of shoo?”
He grinned. “Not sure that’s what it is. Edgar just knows my disposition. I took an ornithology class in college. Not that I was interested in the study of birds, but I needed an elective and figured that class should be easy enough.”
“Was it?” she asked, sliding down to sit cross-legged on the huge towel spread out on the sand.
“Yes, and I enjoyed it, too. I discovered a lot of things about birds that I hadn’t known.”
“Like what?” she asked, motioning with her hand for him to join her on the beach towel.
Kicking his sandals off, he dropped down beside her. “Like the fact that seagulls are pretty damn smart. They can discern human behavior and individual personalities. I think the reason Edgar constantly annoys so many people is because he knows that he can get away with it.”
“Who named him?”
Dante leaned back on his arms. “I believe the townsfolk did. According to the locals I’ve gotten to know since being here, that seagull is considered a legend in Wild Rose Point, even if he is an annoying menace. He likes to make his presence known.”
“Obviously,” she said. “He’s also a thief. He flew off with a cluster of my grapes and then had the audacity to come back for more.”
He chuckled. “A seagull’s favorite thing to do is eat. They’re known to observe people closely, trying to decide who will be their next food-snatching victim.”
“That’s not what I wanted to hear. I was planning to spend a lot of time on the beach while I’m here,” she said, frowning. “I refuse to give up my beach time, but the last thing I want to do is fight a seagull who assumes he has territorial rights around here.”
***
Dante smiled as he listened to Marti’s outburst. She looked so cute when she was upset.
Damn, as far as he was concerned, she looked beautiful, period.
He could pick up a faint scent of the cologne she had been wearing that morning.
He figured the salt water had diluted most of it, but still, she smelled good.