Someday Beach (12 page)

S
ometime in the night, he must have covered them with his blankets. He always got too hot, even in winter. Kicking them off his legs, he snuggled closer to Shelly and smiled when he buried his face in her hair. She smelled so wonderful.

He could definitely get used to having her in his bed. She moved a little, tangling her legs with his, and the silky softness of them almost undid him.

He loved women. All different kinds of them. But he especially loved the silky soft kind. The kind that smelled and tasted like honey.

He drifted off again as sweet dreams of the two of them filled his head.

When he woke, he was alone in the bed. Instantly he felt loss, but then he heard his shower running and smiled.

When he pulled back the shower curtain, she gasped and tried to cover herself.

“Little late for that, don’t you think?” He chuckled and stepped in behind her, wincing at how hot the water was. His hands went to her hips and pulled her close.

“You scared me,” she said, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

He chuckled. “Sorry. Up a little early today, aren’t you?” He ran his mouth over her neck, enjoying himself.

She leaned a little, giving him more access to her neck. “Mmm.” She leaned back into him. “I have to drive into Panama City today for a meeting with a supplier.”

He ran his hands up the front of her slowly. “Hmmm,” he said against her skin. “What time do you need to be there?”

“Nine.” She sighed and turned around and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “That gives us just enough time to enjoy this shower.” She smiled and kissed him.

“Good.” He pushed her up against the shower wall, and his hands roamed over every inch of her. When he slid into her, twin moans of delight filled the bathroom.

Slick skin against slick skin. Water ran down both of them as he tried to keep his footing in the shower. Her nails dug into his arms as he braced himself against the wall, holding them both upright. One of her legs was wrapped around his hips as he became more and more out of control.

Finally, he felt her tighten around him, and he let go himself a few seconds later.

“I can’t believe we didn’t kill ourselves.” She chuckled against his shoulder.

“Maybe we weren’t trying as hard as we should have.” He leaned back and smiled at her. The hot water hit him right between the shoulder blades. “We’ve got to do something about this heat.” He bent down and turned the heat down.

She whined a little. “After three weeks of having only cold water, I was really enjoying that.” She moved around him and stood in the spray. “I was starting to feel like I was boiling myself.” She looked down. He noticed that her pale skin did look a little red.

“Take as many hot showers as you want.” He smiled and dumped some shampoo into his hands to lather himself. Then he ran his soapy hands down her as well.

“Mmm, that feels so good.” She leaned into his hands. “I may never want to leave your shower.” She giggled.

Just then, they heard his brother calling out.

“Hey, I’m back. Hope everyone’s decent,” Cole called out. Marcus chuckled as Shelly gasped and tensed.

“He won’t come in here.” He frowned down at her and watched her cheeks turn a rosy color.

“I… I’d better get ready. I don’t want to be late.” She ducked under the spray to rinse off and then stepped out.

After showering, he dressed and headed out to throw together some breakfast. He knew Cole wouldn’t wait long and would probably eat everything in the fridge. He wanted to make sure he could sit down with Shelly before she left for the day.

By the time he was done making scrambled eggs and toast, she was stepping out of his room looking damn sexy in a cream skirt and teal blouse. Her hair was piled up on top of her head and several strands of hair fell around her face. Her lips looked very inviting painted a rosy pink.

“You clean up pretty nicely,” Cole said just before he shoveled some of the eggs into his mouth.

She smiled. “Thank you.” She walked over and took the cup of coffee he was holding out for her. Before she could snatch it away, he leaned in and kissed her solidly on the lips, just to make sure his brother knew where they stood.

“I have some breakfast for you before you head out.”

She frowned a little, then took the cup and sat down by the plate he’d set down.

“Damn, Marcus. I don’t know how you do it, but you make the best eggs,” Cole said with his mouth half full. “Bet you didn’t know that he cooks too.” Cole smiled at Shelly.

Marcus thought he saw Shelly’s cheeks turn a little redder, as she shook her head no.

“Talented.” He shook his head. “Except when it comes to surfing.” Cole laughed.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Marcus warned.

“Hmm?” Cole looked up at him. “Oh, no. Not until later.” He dismissed his brother. Marcus was sure he’d received his warning, but he went on ahead and told the embarrassing story of how Marcus had broken his arm, anyway.

By the time Shelly was done with her breakfast, she was laughing so hard, he was sure his manly reputation was tarnished.

“Well…” She stood up with her plate. “I’d better be going if I’m going to make my meeting in time.” She set her plate in the sink then turned to him. “I’ll see you later tonight.” She walked over and kissed his cheek. He felt pretty special until she did the same to his brother, who immediately puffed up his chest and winked at him.

Marcus frowned as he followed her outside.

“What do you say to hitting Cassey’s tonight for dinner?” He pulled her to a stop by placing his hand on her shoulder.

She smiled and nodded. “Sounds wonderful. I shouldn’t be too late.” She got in her car and he watched her drive away.

When he walked back into the apartment, Cole was sitting on the couch watching the news.

“Thinking about hanging onto this one?” he asked without looking at him.

“If you don’t have anything better to do today, put on some work clothes. We could use your help down at Shelly’s.” He walked out of the room to grab the rest of his stuff.

Cole and Roman ended up helping for the entire day. It was nice having two extra hands around. By the time his men called it quits, he was sure they had just jumped the schedule ahead by a whole day.

When they got back to the apartment, he frowned when Shelly’s car wasn’t parked out front. Showering, he changed and sat with his brothers and watched some highlights of last night’s game as he waited for Shelly to return.

*******

Shelly was running late. Her meeting had gone exceptionally well. There were just too many items to choose from at this supplier. She couldn’t wait to have her space filled with all the wonderful things.

She hadn’t ever been to Panama City and decided to spend some time looking around. She even drove to the beach since it was a rather warm day out.

It was hard to explain, but she felt absolutely wonderful and wanted to enjoy her time as much as she could. When she finally looked down at her watch, she realized she was running a little later than she’d planned for. Pulling out her phone, she texted Marcus that she would meet him at Cassey’s since she’d lost track of time.

He responded back almost immediately.

Hope you had a good meeting and day.

The best. Panama City is very nice. The meeting went wonderful. Tell you more over food. I’m starved.

Good, see you there. I missed you today.

She felt her heart flutter a little as she started to drive out of town. It was so nice not to be questioned about every little detail, where she was and what she’d been doing. It wasn’t as if she’d had a leash on, but she might as well have, the way she grew up.

Freedom was something she’d never really experienced, and now that she’d had a taste of it, she planned to do everything in her power to keep it. The drive back to Surf Breeze was wonderful. She couldn’t believe how many deer came out at dusk and ate alongside the road. She’d lost count at twenty-three. When she drove into town, she sighed.

She’d never really felt at home anywhere before. Even though she’d only been here a little over a month now, she really did feel like this was her home.

Pulling into her parking spot, she desperately wished she had time to run over and see all that they had accomplished during the day, but she knew Marcus would be waiting for her.

She couldn’t help but smile when she walked into the Boardwalk Bar and Grill and saw Marcus surrounded by his family, looking happy as the entire group laughed at something he’d said. When his eyes zeroed in on her, he shrugged his shoulders and stood up and started walking over to her.

“Sorry.” He nodded to his family. “They just won’t take a hint about not tagging along.”

She smiled. “It’s okay, I like the company.” She reached up and kissed him right in front of everyone. She thought she heard a cheer that was cut off short. When she looked, Roman was rubbing his stomach and Cassey, who was sitting right next to him, was frowning over at him.

“They may be nosy, but they mean well,” Marcus whispered before they walked over and joined the group.

She’d never had the pleasure of having family meals before. No big holiday get-togethers with aunts or uncles and cousins. She’d never experienced anything like what she was experiencing with his family now for the second time in just under a month.

She laughed and joked with them, this time feeling a little more comfortable than she had the first time around. Marcus had suggested the Red Snapper Po Boy, which had ended up being the best sandwich she’d ever had. She’d taken Cassey’s suggestion of a drink, a frozen Pineapple Sunset, one of the bar’s signature specialty drinks. It had been as delicious as it was beautiful.

By the time Marcus tugged on her hand to get her to move from the seat, her head was feeling a little numb from the drink. She felt wonderful.

“I’m going to go show Shelly what we accomplished today. I’m sure she’s dying to see it all.”

She nodded. “It’s so wonderful seeing it come together.” She sighed as everyone smiled at them. “Good night, everyone.”

“You’ll be happy and surprised at how much got done today. Roman and Cole lent a hand.”

“Oh?” She wrapped her arm in his as they walked along the boardwalk. The beach was too dark for her to see the water, but she could still hear the waves lightly lapping up on the sand. Even that sound made her think of home.

“Did I mention that I put an offer on the place on Sugar Sand Lane?”

“And?” She turned a little towards him.

“Haven’t heard back from them yet. Apparently, the owners are out of state. That’s one of the reasons the place is in such need of repair.”

“Well, I know you’ll get it. Just don’t start work on it until my place is done.” She smiled.

He laughed. “No. I’ll be working on it on my own time.”

“Oh? I thought you were going to fix it up and sell it?”

He shook his head and pulled her to a stop just outside her door. “No, this one’s personal. I’m getting tired of sharing a place with my brothers. Besides, I need some room to grow, and to enjoy.”

She smiled up at him, knowing exactly what he meant. Even though she hadn’t been escaping brothers, she had been escaping family by moving here.

“Here now.” He took hold of her shoulders and turned her towards the doors. “Close your eyes.” She did as he asked and trusted him to lead her inside without bumping her into anything.

“Okay,” he said, nudging her into position. “Open.”

When she did, she gasped. She had a workspace. Not only that, but her workstation desk was completed.

“It still needs to be sanded and stained,” he said from behind her somewhere.

She shook her head as she took in everything. The small cubbies, the smooth area that she’d use to sketch or plan out her material. Everything was perfect.

“It’s wonderful. Perfect.” She turned to him, a huge smile on her face. She watched the worry in his eyes disappear after hearing her words. Then she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him solidly.

She enjoyed him for a moment and then pulled away. “I want a better look.” She laughed, knowing that she could get lost in him if she didn’t step away now.

She ran her fingers over the smooth wood. It could use a fine sanding and paint, something she was itching to do herself. She liked the height of the desk area. There were even cubbies the right size to hold rolled up material and patterns and smaller ones for pens or scissors. It really was perfect.

“I can’t believe you finished this in one day.” She turned to him.

He was watching her, smiling. “I wouldn’t have been able to if it wasn’t for my brothers helping out.”

She nodded. “Then I owe them one.” She turned back to it.

“Don’t you want to see what the men accomplished upstairs?”

She turned quickly and nodded. “I’m dying to.”

He took her hand and they walked up the stairs. “They have the closet area completed and ready for paint. Your bathroom…” He shook his head. “They ran into some plumbing issues, but I’m told it will all be fixed by Friday. The guy had some issues installing your tankless water heater, or so I was told.”