I opened the door and stepped out of my truck, taking a few steps toward the happy couple. A few feet from them, I stopped.

  “What are you doing here?” Chloe asked, her hands planted on her hips.

  “Y-you know this guy?” Bryan stuttered, standing beside her with his chest puffed out.

  “Yeah. Bryan, meet Shaw. Shaw, this is Bryan.” Her voice was flat, unamused.

  “Charmed.” I grinned at the bastard.

  “What are you doing here?” Chloe repeated.

  “What does it look like?” My voice was raw, but I couldn’t have masked my emotions right now even if I wanted to.

  “Is this your . . . boyfriend?” Bryan asked.

  Amused, I waited to see how she’d answer.

  Chloe’s gaze fell from mine, down to the pavement between us. For the second time tonight, I wished I knew what she was thinking.

  “No, he’s not.” Her voice was soft and she sounded tired.

  Ouch. Why did that sting? It was the truth—it was even the answer I expected—so why didn’t I like hearing those words?

  “Is everything okay?” Bryan asked her.

  “I’d like to speak with you when you’re through,” I said to Chloe.

  I watched as she led him away, walking her date over to his black compact sedan. They said good-bye—no kiss, only a hug, which pleased me. Then she stalked toward my truck.

  “What the hell was that?” she asked, throwing her hands up in the air.

  “Jason told me you were out. I was just checking up on you.”

  “Well, you didn’t have to do that. I’m fine,” she huffed.

  “I know I didn’t have to. I wanted to. There’s a difference.”

  “I don’t know what the hell this game is, Shaw, but I’m fucking tired. Exhausted, actually. If you’ll excuse me.” She shoved her way around me and headed for her car.

  I didn’t try to stop her. I just hopped in my truck and followed her home. She wanted to go home? Fine. But this wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

  When we reached her place, I got out and trailed her up the stairs. I thought she might try to stop me, but she didn’t. She let me inside without a word and closed the door behind me. I just wasn’t ready to let her go, even though I knew I was breaking my own rules.

  Chloe left me standing in her bedroom as she went into the bathroom and closed the door. She relieved herself, then ran the water—brushing her teeth and washing her face, I was pretty sure. When she emerged, I’d turned out the lights and pulled down the blankets on her bed.

  She shot me a curious glance but gathered her pajamas from a dresser drawer and stripped down—facing away from me—then changed into an oversized T-shirt and loose cotton shorts. She climbed into bed without a word.

  Stripping down to my boxers, I climbed in beside her. I was breaking every rule in my playbook, but fuck if I could be stopped now. I pulled her close until her body was pressed up against the bare skin of my chest, and I held her there. It was crazy how perfectly she fit nestled in at my side.

  “Is he nice to you?” I breathed against her neck.

  She thought for a moment, and I knew I wasn’t going to like the answer. “Yes,” she said finally.

  “That’s good.”

  “Guess so,” she said.

  “Tomorrow is Wednesday.”

  “I know,” she whispered, and I couldn’t tell if that hint of hopeful longing I heard in her voice was just my imagination.

  “Be here,” I said.

  Chapter Twelve

  Chloe

  “So, how was your date? I heard you guys have gone out twice now?” Courtney asked.

  “Huh-uh,” I grumbled around a mouthful of cinnamon roll. “No grilling me until I’ve had my fix.”

  We were sitting at our favorite coffee place, eating my favorite treat, and this frosting was my crack. I wouldn’t be deprived my pleasure.

  Courtney took a sip of her coffee and leaned back in her seat. “Fine.”

  After a few bites, I wiped my mouth with a napkin and set down my fork. “Yes, we went out twice and he’s nice.” I shrugged.

  “Come on. I need juicier details than that.”

  I took a deep breath, knowing I wouldn’t make it out of there alive without at least divulging something mildly intriguing. So I blurted the most interesting thing about going out with Bryan.

  “Shaw crashed my second date.”

  Her brows wrinkled. “He did what? Why?”

  “Toward the end of my second date in the park, Shaw’s truck was parked in the distance. He was watching us.”

  Her gaze was inquisitive as she watched me, clearly trying to piece together if there was more to my friendship with Shaw than I’d let on. “And . . .” she said.

  “When we got closer, he got out and kind of tried to intimidate Bryan.” At least, that was how it seemed.

  She rolled her eyes, letting out a huff. “God, how annoying. So he tried to pull that older-brother protective bullshit on you?”

  That wasn’t what it felt like. It felt like the man I was fucking got all territorial and protective of me. But I couldn’t tell her any of that, so I nodded.

  “Guess so.”

  “Dick,” she muttered. Then her head snapped up and her gaze met mine. “Unless . . . he likes you.”

  “No, I doubt that’s it.” I looked down into my coffee.

  “Seriously. Think about it.” She sat up straighter in her seat. “Samantha’s been gone a long time.” Her brow crinkled in concentration.

  “Yes, eight, almost nine months ago,” I said. But who’s counting?

  “Right, eight months ago.”

  “What’s your point?” I asked, taking another bite of cinnamon roll.

  “So, that’s a long time, Chlo. He’s probably ready to move on. And maybe since you’re someone he’s always been close to, someone he feels comfortable with, he’d look to you for . . .” She waggled her eyebrows.

  He’d look to me for what? Comfort? A rebound fling? It hurt to think her assumption was that I’d be some meaningless stepping stone on his reintroduction to dating. It implied I wasn’t good enough for him. Then again, maybe she was spot-on. It had been the better part of a year and I’d been there for Shaw in every way I could think of. And yet he was going out on dates with another woman.

  I couldn’t really see myself moving on from him, not until I’d laid all my cards out on the table and forced him to consider us as something more. Not this secretive, behind-closed-doors affair we were having, but something real. I wanted a shot with Shaw, as crazy as that sounded.

  Though I’d harbored secret fantasies about him for so long, when he got married, I took that totally off the table. And rightly so. He was a married man. I’d missed my chance and there was no way I’d ever do anything to sabotage him. I knew then I’d signed up for a lifetime of regrets and living with the words I’d never said aloud to another soul. I loved him.

  I wasn’t going to push him as a new, grieving widower, but now? As Courtney pointed out, it had been eight months. And while that wasn’t very long, Shaw was the one showing signs of being ready. He not only was having a physical relationship with me, but also had let Jason set him up on a double date.

  I indulged in the sticky, sweet dessert, bite after bite, until my stomach hurt.

  “It’s Wednesday,” I said out of the blue.

  Courtney nodded. “Hump day.”

  We’d see about that.

  • • •

  By the time I got home late that afternoon, it was pouring rain.

  “Turn on the news,” Jason called from the kitchen.

  “Why?” I asked, grabbing the remote from his favorite armchair and hitting the On button.

  “They’re going to upgrade that tropical storm to a hurricane warning, I heard,” he said, joining me in the living room and staring at the TV screen as a newscaster stood outside in a bright yellow raincoat, getting pelted with sideways rain.

  We both listened quietly for a few minutes. Growing up here, we were so used to storms, they barely fazed us. The only thing it meant for certain was that business would suffer at the inn—people would cancel their reservations for the coming weekend, or their flights would be canceled when they got to the airport.

  We rarely left town for storms, only driving up the coast into mainland Florida if they predicted a category-three storm or higher. We’d hunker down, stock up on batteries and water, and ride it out just like we had all the other times. When we were kids, sometimes it had even been fun, building pillow forts in the living room and playing flashlight tag through a dark house.

  The phone call from our parents came right on cue.

  “Hey, Mom,” I answered. “Yeah. We’re watching the weather report now.” I alternated between listening to the weatherman and my mother for a few minutes. “They’re saying it has the potential to turn into a category two. Should be fine, though.”

  I chuckled at her response. Not even our own mother was concerned with our safety—well, not much anyway. I handed the phone to Jason.

  “She wants to know how many cancellations we’ve gotten.”

  I sat down on the couch, mentally cataloging the tasks we needed to complete to secure the estate. The shutters needed to be latched over the windows, the trash bins brought inside the shed, and a few other things I’d leave to my dear brother since it didn’t look like the rain would be letting up anytime soon. Let him get soaked.

  Jason ended the call and started dialing someone else.

  “What’d she say?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “Nothing much. But I remembered Shaw was supposed to go out boating today. Just want to make sure he’s heard the news.”

  “Surely he wouldn’t go out in the rain.”

  Jason shrugged. “It was fine this morning. And besides, you know Shaw. He’s a stubborn ass.” He pressed the phone to his ear.

  Just then the wind picked up, howling low and steady, creating an ominous mood.

  He hung up a few seconds later. “Huh. No answer.”

  “Do you have any idea where he is?”

  Jason shook his head. “Don’t look so panicked. I’m sure he’s fine, Chloe.”

  “Right.” I nodded, forcing the scowl off my face, but that did nothing to ease the panic churning inside me. The storm might not be bad—if we were safely locked inside—but out on the water? That was a whole other ball game.

  “I’m going to head over to the marina,” Jason said, mirroring my thoughts. “Make sure they know about the forecast upgrade and check on the guys. Maybe Shaw’s back by now.”

  “Okay. I’ll take care of the chores here.”

  We each took off in separate directions—my brother out into the pelting rain, running for his truck, and me to get my rain gear so I could take care of everything outside that needed to be done.

  • • •

  Night had fallen on our coastal town and we were under warnings for both the hurricane and flooding. Rain was coming down in sheets, and the wind was howling something fierce outside my bedroom window. And most importantly? Shaw was still out there.

  Jason had come back from the marina with a grim expression on his face, and I knew before he even said a word. I’d sunk down into a kitchen chair when he shook his head, and listened with my heart in my throat when he said Shaw’s boat was still gone and no one had heard from him all day.

  I didn’t hear much after that, but sat there numb as Jason made us some sandwiches and explained how he helped Shaw’s crew secure the marina and then sent them all home.

  Now, two hours later, the power was out and I was sitting in the center of my bed, staring at that uneaten peanut butter sandwich as candles lining my dresser flickered in the room. Jason had urged me to stay downstairs with him in case we needed to take shelter in the safe room in the center of our house. I would go there if the storm got worse, but for now I just needed to be alone.

  I had plenty of time for my mind to wander to all the what-ifs. The biggest of all . . . what if Shaw didn’t make it home, and I never told him all he meant to me?

  Unshed tears welled in my eyes as I lay back on my bed, repeating a silent prayer over and over. Please just keep him safe.

  Suddenly there were headlights outside and the roar of an engine. It had been so black and so desolate all evening, I was startled. I ran to the window.

  Stalking up the stairs to my apartment was a soaking-wet Shaw.

  Oh, thank God. My fingers trembled on my lips as I watched him approach.

  His face was a hard mask and his eyes were squinted from the onslaught of rain. I was frozen in place and when he reached the door, it rattled against its frame.

  I hadn’t realized I’d locked the door. I never locked my door, but maybe subconsciously I wanted to keep the storm out. When I flipped the lock and opened it, the wind took hold of the door and pulled it. Shaw tugged hard, closing it with a thud.

  I flung myself into his arms. “I was so worried.”

  “I know. Shhh.” He stroked my hair and hushed my cries with his kisses. “I’m here now.”

  He was being so sweet, so tender, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was about to change.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Shaw

  The ocean was an unforgiving, tumultuous bitch. Spending an evening navigating toward a light in a marina that could no longer be seen through the wind and the rain does things to a man. My mind began to focus, singularly, on the few things I knew to be true.

  First, Samantha, while I did miss her, hadn’t been a good wife. I wasn’t even sure we’d still be together if she was here. That didn’t erase the tragedy of her death, but it was a fact. Second, I loved Chloe and I always had. I’d talked myself out of that fact so many times, I started to believe I could move on, told myself I wasn’t good enough until it was true. Now the way I treated her reflected that.

  It’s strange what being thrust into a dangerous situation will do to you. I found myself reflecting on my life. It was a true come-to-Jesus moment. I vowed that if my little boat found land again, I would finally have the talk with Chloe I’d been putting off since college.

  And now here I was, holding her in my arms, listening to her sob and quieting her with kisses.

  “I’m here.” I kissed her forehead. “Don’t cry.”

  She looked up at me, her lower lip trembling. “I was so worried, Shaw.”

  “I know.” I took a step back and looked down at her T-shirt. “I’m getting you soaked.”

  Thunder cracked outside, and it seemed to break the trance Chloe had been in since I stepped through the door. “You must be freezing. Come on.”

  She led me into the bathroom, stopping on the way to take one of the candles from the dresser to light our path. Once inside the bathroom, I began stripping off my soaked clothes. Wishing the power wasn’t out so I could take a hot shower, I pulled off my jeans and boxers and tossed them into her tub.

  Now completely nude, I let Chloe put a blanket around my shoulders before we headed to her bed. She moved a plate holding a sandwich to the nightstand and pulled back the covers.

  She was about to climb into the bed, but my hand around her wrist stopped her. Her eyes met mine, asking what I needed in the flicker of candlelight.

  I lifted her shirt off over her head and stripped her down to her panties. I needed her body heat, but more than that, I needed to feel her skin on mine.

  She never questioned me, never fought me. She gave me what I needed, always putting her own needs aside. If that wasn’t the definition of love, I didn’t know what was. But I also knew that I’d fucked things up between us and she was dating now, trying to move on.

  I drew the blankets back, and Chloe slipped into the bed with me right behind her. We each lay facing the window, which was getting battered by the rain and wind. Water cascaded in a steady stream, and flashes of lightning lit up the sky every few seconds.

  I held her close—her back against my chest and the curve of her ass nestled against my groin—and pulled the blankets all the way up to my chin, tucking them in around us.

  “What happened?” she asked softly.

  “When I went out this afternoon, it was clear. I knew about the storm, but I never expected it to get so bad so fast.”

  She nodded. “Jason went by the marina looking for you.”

  “I’m here now.”

  I tightened my hold around her and she let out a soft sigh. I let her warmth surround me, heating me slowly from head to toe. My own personal sunshine.

  “That storm was a wake-up call. I had a lot of time to think,” I said.

  “About what?” she whispered.

  “When I watched you on that date, you looked so happy. If he’s what you want, I’ll back away right now. I’ll step back and I’ll be your friend. No hard feelings.”

  I swallowed a hard lump that had formed in my throat. Why were those words so hard to say?

  She shifted, turning around to face me. “Why does it sound like you’re saying good-bye?”

  “Because. I know you’re dating now, exploring your options, which is well within your rights.”

  She made a noncommittal noise in her throat. “I’m not sure what I want. Besides, Bryan’s only in town on business.”

  “What’s going to happen when he leaves? You get left behind with a broken heart?”

  “What’s it matter to you? I didn’t think you cared anymore. You’re dating what’s-her-tits, anyway.”

  Both my eyebrows shot up. “What’s-her-tits?”

  “My point is, you were dating too.”

  “No,” I said, correcting her. “Jason dragged me out. The first time I didn’t know it was a setup, and the second time, I went because your brother had started to get suspicious and was questioning my motivations with you.”

  “So, what are you saying? You want me to date?”

  I shook my head. “I want to keep you all to myself, but I don’t know if I can do that.”

  She hesitated, chewing on her lower lip. “I don’t know if I can go on living in Samantha’s shadow.”

 

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