Unforgettable Summer: Wild Crush, Book 1 (26 page)

Would Summer be watching too?
Ty shook off the thought with a muttered curse, which the microphone telegraphed to the entire crowd. Laughter filled the air as Ty offered a lopsided smile and an apology.

“Last I have to thank everyone for coming out here today, the people here at Bells Beach are always amazing. You guys rock!”

As expected a cheer roared through the assembled mob. People jumped up and down, some tried to throw stuff onto the stage. People shifted again, parting at one particular spot halfway from the front.

And this time Ty knew he saw her.
Her,
not a figment of his imagination. He’d know that long dark hair anywhere. He’d know that face, even behind dark glasses, and with the glare of afternoon sun in his eyes.

Summer was here.

The presenter had taken back the microphone and was going over his own spiel for the audience and for the cameras. He let out a high-pitched expletive when Ty snatched the microphone back off him.

Ty ignored the guy and spoke into the device, his mouth dry. “Summer? Summer Campbell. I know you’re here.”

A murmur moved through the throng. Then the noise that had previously been coming off the group in ripples died down to nothing as everyone wondered what was going on. In the ensuing silence, Ty could hear his own heart slamming into his sternum. He wondered absently if the mic was picking it up.

Hoping he wasn’t going to end up looking like a complete nob in the montage of the day’s highlights, Ty tried again. “I’m looking for a woman, about five two, dark hair and eyes, cuter than a basket full of kittens, answers to the name of Summer. She was right over there.”

Ty pointed to the spot where he’d last caught a glimpse of her. The horde parted, every person save one moving aside. She stood in the gap that was left, wearing a simple black-and-white striped sundress and an anxious expression. Everyone around her stared, which Ty knew would freak her out. With obvious trepidation, she lifted a hand and waved.

Ty’s heart galloped like an out-of-control stallion. “What are you doing here?”

Her reply wasn’t loud enough to be heard from where he stood. There was an exchange of words, a passing along of a message from one person in the assembled group to another. Someone at the front called up to the podium. “She said she came to watch you surf.”

A smattering of applause broke out, signaling the audience’s approval.

Is that it?
Ty wanted to scream it into the microphone, but his throat clogged up. Was this nothing more than a sudden yen to see him in action? Had she hoped not to have to talk to him at all? What the fuck was happening?

The same person who’d passed on the last message called out something else. Ty cocked his ear to indicate he hadn’t heard. The blonde girl said with a sunny smile, “She said you were amazing.”

Ty frowned. He wasn’t interested in Summer’s critique of his performance. She could have sent him a fucking email.

Then a possibility occurred and it slammed into him.
She’s pregnant.
That last time when he’d lost his head, he’d put her at risk. Now she was here to tell him about the baby, because she’d promised she would. It was the only explanation that made sense given how adamant she’d been that she didn’t want a relationship with him.

Myriad emotions churned in Ty’s gut. A spark of panic for sure, but that swiftly morphed into a surge of elation. A baby, a little person that was Summer’s and his. It was what he wanted, what had pushed him to buy the house in Leyton’s—he’d yearned even then to make a family in it someday with Summer.

But his excitement nose-dived as quickly as it had risen. What if she didn’t mean to keep it? She’d had to get married once before because she was pregnant, he’d never make her do that again. He couldn’t force her into a relationship she didn’t want because of a baby she hadn’t planned.

Ty was so caught up in his racing thoughts that he hadn’t noticed the messenger in the front row was once again trying to get his attention. When he looked at the woman, she repeated her message with a beaming smile. “She said she came to ask for another chance. She said she was wrong and she loves you.”

The women in the audience emitted a collective sigh. Some of the men started a slow clap. Ty stared into the crowd at Summer. She’d popped her sunglasses on her head, and now he could make out the anxious hope showing on her face. Ty spoke into the microphone the TV presenter was still trying to get back off him. “You mean it?”

She nodded and called out, this time loud enough for him to hear. “Yes!”

“You really want to give this a go?” Ty glanced around at the crowd, the TV cameras, the hustle and bustle that was part of a pro event. “This?”

She nodded again—emphatically. Then she placed two hands over her heart, and whispered words he couldn’t hear but could read easily on her lips even from this distance.
Please forgive me.

Aw geez. She owned his heart so completely that all it took to melt it was three little words. Ty’s hand shook, and he figured it was past time he gave up trying to do this through a microphone. His voice trembled with emotion he figured could be clearly heard all across Bells Beach. “Get up here, will ya?”

Summer began making her way through the mass of people, a difficult task until they started moving aside, forming a path down the center of the crowd. The slow clap that had started earlier gained momentum as more people joined in. Ty wanted to run to her, but he knew they’d both be engulfed by the throng if he went down there.

Before long she was there at the foot of the stage, and a couple of fit-looking guys were helping her up. Ty dropped the mic, grabbed her hands and hauled her over the railing. He pulled her into his arms, burying his face in the sweet-smelling curve of her neck and holding on tight.

The crowd roared their approval. Over the din, the TV presenter tried to speak, finally finding an angle he could work with. “There you have it, guys, your world champion and his lovely lady. You saw it all here on
Wicked Surf TV
…”

There was a loud pop, and a moment later more champagne sprayed over them both. Ty let out a muffled noise that he really hoped would sound like a laugh if anyone picked it up with their sound equipment. In actuality he was so close to crying it was embarrassing.

“Bloody hell, Summer,” he rasped. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“Neither can I. But it feels right. Everything feels right when I’m with you.”

Her words echoed Ty’s feelings. It was great, beyond great, riding the perfect wave and winning the ultimate prize in his chosen career. But this, holding the woman he loved afterward? It was the best kind of reward. He did live a charmed life, and all he wanted to do was share it with Summer.

“I’m so sorry, Ty. I thought I wasn’t brave enough for all of this, but I am.” She let out a rueful laugh. “My goodness, I think I just made a spectacle of myself on television.”

“That was me, and it’ll be all over YouTube in five minutes.”

She laughed again and pressed herself hard against him, uncaring that his damp, sandy wetsuit was probably making a mess of her dress. “I hope Jasmine sees it.”

Ty leaned back and looked into her face. “Jasmine?”

“She thinks we were meant to be together. It was uncharacteristically romantic of her to admit it. She also thinks I should sell Summer’s Retreat and travel on the money.” She touched his face. “I haven’t decided about that yet. Would it be very unfeminist of me if I gave up everything I owned and followed you around the world for a little while?”

“Who gives a fuck if it is?” Ty stared at her. “You’d really do that?”

“I’m considering all my options,” she said with an ear-to-ear grin. “It only recently dawned on me how many of them I have. If I like traveling, maybe I could have a mobile naturopathy practice.” She laughed, giddier than Ty had ever seen her. “Or I could work in Leyton’s part of the year, and meet you on tour when I can. I just want to be with you and I can do whatever works to make it happen.”

“You think so?” Stepping back a little, Ty glanced down at her stomach. “Even with a baby on the way?”

She appeared confused for a minute. Then her befuddled expression relaxed into a smile. “There’s no baby. That’s not why I came here.”

Ty studied her expression, the naked love in it. The last of his worry fell away. She hadn’t come to him because she had to. She’d come because she wanted to. She wanted
him
, even though his life wasn’t ordinary or comfortable or safe or any of the things Summer was used to. She was stepping out of her comfort zone. For him.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Ty cupped both sides of Summer’s face and drew her in for a resounding kiss. When he pulled back she was laughing. “I love you, babe.”

“I love you. I can’t believe I thought I could go on living without you. You make me so happy, so brave and so crazy. And I’m pretty sure I can get used to being unsure what’s going to happen next. It’s very exhilarating.”

Ty laughed too. “We can have such a life together, Sum.”

She smiled, a beatific curve of her lips. “I’m looking forward to it.”

He kissed her again and the crowd cheered. Not that Ty heard it. All that existed for him at that moment was Summer and his visions of their future, the one they would share. He didn’t kid himself it would be easy, but it would be perfect.

Because the woman he loved, his unforgettable Summer, had finally found her way back to him.

About the Author

Sami’s been a secretary, sales assistant, bartender, waitress, student, tutor, human resource manager and administration officer, but at heart she’s always been a writer. She enjoys creating emotional, sexy stories about the gorgeous, aggravating men who live in her head and the women who were made to steal them away from her.

Sami lives by the coast in Australia with her husband and two stupendous daughters. To learn more about Sami, please visit
www.samilee.com
, join her on Facebook or Twitter, or send an email to
[email protected]
.

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Good things come to those who dare.

Sunset Knight

© 2009 Sami Lee

Lana Green is looking for a lover. At twenty-three, she’s more than ready to shed her shyness and shake up the status quo. Lucky her, the aloof bad boy she’s always wanted to shake it with, Brody Nash, is back in town. Too bad he barely knows she’s alive. Then an unexpected kiss makes her think her days of lusting from a distance are over. Despite the fact she’s no femme fatale and has zero clue how to seduce a man, she sets out to do exactly that.

Brody hardly recognizes the alluring woman as the same gawky computer geek he left in Graceville six months ago. Lana has him spellbound, but his temporary stay in town is strictly business—running his friend’s restaurant while the man’s on his honeymoon. Brody doesn’t do relationships, and he doesn’t do permanent. But when he finds her asleep on his boat, he can’t keep his hands, or any other part of his anatomy, to himself.

Things get complicated when he discovers what he thought was a casual sexual encounter has just cured her of the one thing she wanted to get rid of—her virginity.

Warning: Contains sex that simmers and sizzles, featuring shenanigans in a moving automobile, light bondage, hanky spanky, chocolate cupcakes, chocolate condoms, and a good girl learning how much fun it is to be bad.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Sunset Knight:

“You shouldn’t have come.”

Annoyance sparked to life. “You asked me to.”

Brody’s touch was soft on her cheek as his eyes roamed over her face. “I know, but Drew reminded me we’re supposed to be working together.”

“So? I can handle going to bed with someone I work with.”

He scowled. “Really?”

Lana realized she’d made it sound like a habit she’d acquired. Not wanting to follow that conversational path, she decided instead to concentrate on him. On the fact that he was here, that he hadn’t moved away as a man who wanted her to leave might have.

The moonlight filtering in through the hatch in the ceiling of the cabin bathed him in cerulean light. He’d removed his bow tie and jacket, and the crisp white of his dress shirt took on a fluorescent appearance. Lana’s gaze drifted downward to examine the V of skin revealed by the two buttons he’d undone, and her mouth dried out. Lana reached out and toyed with the shirt. She felt the heat of his flesh through the soft fabric and knew hers must be as hot to the touch.

His breath caught sharply when she released the next button, his shock mirrored by the way her heart slammed against her ribs. Even as the audacity of her own actions stunned her, Lana slid her fingers down and worked on the next button until it too was free of its hole.

Her question was barely audible. “Do you want me to leave?”

She was terrified he’d say yes, but he said nothing at all as she slowly, methodically released every last fastening. When she was done the material hung open to reveal a strip of his chest—toned flesh covered in fine dark hair. She’d never seen him with his shirt off before, and he looked better than she’d ever imagined.