Dangerous Embrace (Embrace #1) (10 page)

“Really? A singer. That’s interesting.”

“Interesting is an understatement when describing my mother.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, why?”

“She has a tendency to make herself larger than life. I guess it’s safe to say she likes being the center of attention. She was constantly moving us from one place to the next...always wanted to be the new best thing.”

“I imagine that’s a common thing for a performer.”

“Is that it? Because I’ve yet to come up with a decent excuse for the things she does.”

“Hell if I know.” He chuckled, and Sarah laughed too. “But what an interesting way to grow up—with your mom being a singer and moving around like you did.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve definitely seen a lot.”

He pursed his lips and wondered exactly what that meant. What would it take to really get her to open up and talk? She was so closed off to people, it was no wonder she didn’t have many friends. It seemed as if she liked it that way. “So where have you lived?”

“Portland, Boulder, Nashville. I went to high school in Flagstaff, Arizona. When I graduated, my mom moved back up to Portland with her new husband. I didn’t want to move again, so I stayed and started college.”

“You went to the University of Arizona?”

“Northern Arizona University is in Flagstaff, but I transferred to San Francisco and graduated from UCSF.”

“Apparently you weren’t too tired of moving since you moved to San Francisco and ended up here.”

“Yeah, Flagstaff wasn’t working for me.”

Mark sensed there was more to Flagstaff than she wanted to tell him. Her voice grew quiet, and she turned away from him to face the window. She was clearly uncomfortable talking about her family, but she didn’t have anything to be ashamed of. He wouldn’t judge her based on her parents’ mistakes.

“There’s a bus stop up here on the right if you want to pull over to get out and run away. I’ll understand, I warned you—dark water.”

“What aren’t you telling me, because I haven’t heard anything too terribly dark. Lots of people move around a lot.”

When she didn’t respond, he said, “Would you feel better if I made up some outrageous stories about my mom?”

“No—geez! My stories are all true.”

“It’s going to take more than your mom to scare me, although now I understand why you’re such a loner. Moving around so much would make getting to know people hard, much less have time to grow deeper relationships.”

“Yeah, that’s the reason,” she said, sarcastic again.

He frowned. “What’s made you so cynical?”

She was such a tough nut to crack. Never had he met a woman who kept herself so tightly guarded. Most people loved talking about themselves.

“Nothing, you’re right,” she said. “I told you this is a nice drive. Beautiful day.”

“All right, I’ll back off.”

She didn’t say anything else, which bugged him, but he accepted it. He’d agreed to come to the beach to brighten her spirits. Now, he didn’t know if that was possible, not when she had such a dark outlook on life.

“What are you thinking?” he finally asked after a long stretch of silence.

“I’m thinking I’m an ass for ruining your good mood.”

“That’s funny. I was thinking the same thing about you.” He gave her a thoughtful look. “We both need to cheer up. I’ve already decided you can’t be miserable while riding in this car.”

“And when did you decide this?”

“In the garage when I was trying to figure out what put you in such a good mood. I didn’t understand it until I saw the car.”

“I’m sorry I’ve been such a downer.”

“Don’t go there,” he said. “I’m happy you feel better. Your eyes are brighter and you look...better.” He looked at her, making eye contact.

“I didn’t realize I looked bad before.”

“No—I didn’t mean—I meant...sorry. Ugh, this isn’t coming out right.” He gestured toward her. “You’re beautiful all the time, but today you look a little less...miserable—not the word I’m searching for but...”

He looked at her again. She was breathtaking even with her dark moods.

She stared at him for a moment, clearly getting some enjoyment out of his discomfort.

“Was that a compliment?” she asked.

He laughed. “Okay, all right. I’ll shut up. You talk—tell me more about your family.”

She chuckled. “Hmm...let’s see, I have two brothers. Devon is the oldest. As you know, he lives in San Diego. Robert is nineteen and at Stanford. My baby sister, Hayley, is fifteen and lives with my mom in Portland. She’s a sweetheart but too much like my mom.”

“You have two brothers and one sister? How long were your parents married?”

“My mom and dad were never married. It was just a fling. He married Ava’s mom when I was little and then married Kim after divorcing Ava’s mom. Robert is their child. He and I have the same father, different mothers. Devon, Hayley, and I all have the same mom, but different dads.”

“Oh, so they’re your half-siblings.”

“I try not to label my family. It doesn’t matter to me whether or not we have the same mother and father. I don’t love them any less, so why use a disclaimer?”

He shrugged. “That’s a good point. I never thought of it that way.”

“I know, it’s scary, huh? I warned you,” she chanted halfheartedly.

“Not that scary and don’t get cocky. We can’t all grow up with interesting parents. You don’t have to rub it in.”

“Ha, ha, funny.”

Mark’s smile faded and he said, “So...if your parents were never married, have you ever lived with your father?”

“Nope. I spent a few summers with him when I was young. That’s how Ava and I got so close, but other than a few months, I’ve never lived with him.”

“It must have been hard not having a father around growing up.”

“It was hard not seeing him every day. I imagine it’s just as hard for Jamie when he’s not with you. Being a teacher, I see a lot of kids going through that and it breaks my heart. They’re so confused and always just a little homesick for one parent or the other. Especially the kids who only get to see their dads one or two days a month...it takes a toll on them.”

He stared at her for a moment, realizing he had finally gotten through her wall, she was talking. No matter how self-conscious she was about her parents and her upbringing, something great had come out of it. The passion she had for her job and for kids came through loud and clear in spite of how she was raised. And now he finally knew how to get her talking.

“We try our hardest not to let Jamie feel like he’s missing anything. It helps that Ali and I can still be friends.”

“I think it’s great that you consider his feelings. Most people are so hurt while going through a divorce, they don’t consider their kids. Sometimes I think I’m lucky I didn’t have to go through that as a kid. Since my parents were never married, I didn’t have to live through their divorce.”

Within the next few minutes, the road curved to the right and the coast came into view.

“Oh, there it is,” Sarah said, lifting up to rest her eyes on the coastline.

Her face lit with excitement, and if he didn’t know any better, he’d think this was the first time she’d seen the ocean.

“I’m glad you’re driving so I can enjoy the view.” She leaned toward him for a moment before resting back in her seat. “I would live here if I could. Right on the beach. People don’t realize how lucky they are to live in California. I missed this when we moved away.”

He grimaced. “Sorry, I’m one of those bad people who have taken this for granted. It is beautiful, though.”

“I actually looked at a house out here to buy, but I talked myself out of it.”

“How did you talk yourself out of it?”

“It didn’t make sense.” Her smile faded. “A single woman with no family owning two houses—a vacation house even. Seemed reckless and extravagant.”

“If you’re happy, who cares, and property is an investment.”

“The road is up here on your left.”

“I see why you drive the long way. The view from the highway is incredible,” he said, turning after the Wright’s Beach sign.

She was right about feeling better, and it wasn’t just the car and it wasn’t the beach—it had to be the company.

After Mark parked the car, Sarah jumped out and began grabbing things out of the trunk.

“Wait, stop, Sarah, hold on before you hurt yourself. I’ll carry these.” He handed her the blanket. “Here, take this and go pick a good spot.”

She rolled her eyes and took the blanket.

He watched her disappear over the sand dunes and shook his head.

“Definitely a split-personality disorder,” he mumbled to himself, grabbing everything else they needed and closing the trunk.

When he caught up to her, he laid out the chairs next to the blanket she put down.

“This is one of my favorite beaches. I like watching the high surf,” she said.

Mark scanned the beach. “It’s incredible. Perfect weather too. Crystal clear skies.”

“Look—do you see the people up on that cliff?” she asked as she lowered herself into a chair.

There were two people high on a cliff that hung over the next beach. The spray from the surf splashed in the sun under them. “Yeah, how’d they...”

She pointed to the trailhead. “That’s my favorite hiking trail. It’s about six miles down to Goat Rock.”

He shielded his eyes from the sun and examined the path. “You’ve hiked that?”

The trailhead started at beach level, climbed up and down through rugged terrain along the sea cliffs.

“Many times. It’s awesome and the views are unbelievable.”

“Who do you hike with?” He turned from the cliff back to Sarah.

She laid her head back and stared up at him. “What do you mean? I told you I like to come here alone.”

“You hike that trail alone?” he asked as he pointed to the cliff, his voice growing hard, even though he fought not to show his irritation.

“Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”

His pulse quickened. “Sarah, that’s not safe. What if you got hurt?”

“I’d use my phone to call for help.” Her lips quirked into a crooked smile. “Whadda ya think?”

“How do you dial if you’re unconscious?”

“Give me some credit, Mark. I’m a good hiker. I kick that trail’s ass.”

He sat down and watched her, not sure what to think. “You shouldn’t do things like that—hiking alone. It’s not safe.”

Why would she do such reckless things? He followed the trail with his eyes. This woman was totally backward in her view of things.

“That’s more of a walking trail and I can handle it alone. As a matter of fact, I can handle a lot of things on my own.” She raised her eyebrow at his stare. “What?”

“Nothing...just...nothing.” He shook his head. “Forget it.”

“Come out with it, geez.”

Mark didn’t laugh...nothing about this was funny. It was reckless for her to hike alone, especially out here. Why was her own safety something she took so lightly?

“You’re fearless about some things.” He hesitated, looking up at the trail again. “But other things—easy things seem to scare the shit out of you.”

“Like what?”

“Like hiking that cliff. Like staying home alone when it’s not safe.” He stopped and scanned her thoroughly. “Yet when I’ve tried to help, it’s like you’re closed off to people...and not only me. You love this place, but you don’t share it with anyone.” He brushed a hand at her. “I’ve only known you for a week, but I don’t need long to see how skittish you are around people.”

She pulled the sunglasses off her face, and the sun glinted off her beautiful gray eyes.

He fought the instinct to grab her and hold on, protect her, and keep her this relaxed all the time. His heart skipped a beat in his chest. Oh man, Brian was right—this was dangerous territory.
She
was dangerous—his heart already hurt from it. He had never in his life met anyone like her before.

“And who the hell is Kevin?” he asked, unable to keep his mouth shut for another second.

“What?” she said with wide eyes, her voice dropping to little more than a breath.

“Kevin? You were screaming at him in your sleep the night I stayed with you, after the hospital.” He held her gaze as the color drained from her face. “You told the police you didn’t know the man who attacked you.”

Seconds later her entire face lit on fire. “Do you think I’ve been acting? What? A game between me and an old boyfriend? Or do you just think I’m a complete whack job and a liar?”

“No—no, Sa-rah.” He shifted in his chair to face her. “I was there—of course, I don’t think you’re lying. That’s not what I meant.”

Sarah leaned forward in her chair and rested her face in her hands.

He reached out and touched her arm. “I’m sorry. You’ve been through hell. I would never take that lightly.”

“Do you think I like this? Do you think I’m looking for pity? I hate this. I hate being a victim. I hate having my choices taken away by someone bigger and stronger than me.” She braced her hand on her knee and got to her feet. “I’m going for a walk.”