Ex on the Beach (35 page)

Before she could return to her post by the bar, Mark joined her. He casually slipped an arm around her waist as he chatted with his family, and she watched the expressions of his parents and brothers change. Eyebrows went up, his youngest brother, Eddie — though still a year older than Mark — grinned widely, and Celeste quietly studied Andie’s face. It made Andie wonder if she thought Mark was pushing her again.

“Mark, this must be your family.”

All eyes swiveled from Mark’s hand on Andie’s waist to the newcomer to the group. It was Penelope.

“Ah,” Mark said. He removed his arm from Andie and beckoned Penelope into their circle. “The beaming bride.”

Andie caught him toss a quick glance over Penelope’s head, his gaze landing on Rob, who was standing with Gray near the head table. He then brought his attention back to Penelope.

“Let me introduce you,” he said.

Penelope beamed and smiled prettily with the compliments handed out with each introduction, but when Mark got to Eddie, she reached forward and held out her hand.

“My friends call me Penny,” she said.

Andie blinked. That was news. She hadn’t heard even one of them call her Penny the whole two weeks. At the blank stares she was getting from both Andie and Mark, Penelope —
Penny
— giggled and blushed. She touched her hand to her cheek.

“I mean, I
wish
they would call me Penny. I’ve tried for years, but my parents always insist on Penelope, so …” She gave a little shrug, looking embarrassed now. “Everyone else seems to follow.”

The moment seemed suspended for several long seconds, and then Eddie cracked the cutest smile as he took the hand Penelope was still holding out in front of him and brought it to his lips.

“Then I will call you Penny,” he declared.

All eyes now turned to Eddie.

Wayne coughed into his hand. Ryan, the second oldest Kavanaugh son, locked his gaze on his brother’s and Penny’s hands still clasped in the space between them, and Jonathan finally elbowed Eddie in the side.

Eddie released Penny, and everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

Penelope didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave, and since the evening wasn’t at all about Andie, she quietly slipped away and returned to stand to the side of the bar, where she could once again observe.

Everyone seemed to be having a great time. With the restaurant filling up, it appeared most of the guests had arrived. Drinks were flowing freely, smiles and good humor were being passed around, and it was looking like the ladies of Seaglass could once again pat themselves on the back.

They had done well.

The main event was tomorrow, and then Andie would collect her bonus and head for the bank.

Seaglass was safe.

After that it would be only a matter of Andie figuring out if she wanted to continue with the position she held or if she preferred to hand off more responsibility to Kayla. Maybe there was another opportunity here on the island waiting for her. She enjoyed the startup more than the day-to-day work. Possibly that’s where her talents lay.

She watched Mark laugh with his family, and couldn’t help but smile along with them. She’d missed being a part of that group. They were good people.

“Ms. Shayne.” Christopher Jordan approached, and Andie flicked her eyes over the solid frame of Penelope’s brother. He did make an impression. “My sister tells me you’re to blame for all of this.”

Andie’s eyes widened, but she kept herself from seeking out Rob. Had Penny’s brother figured out that something wasn’t right with the bride and groom? “Excuse me?” she asked.

Christopher’s mouth turned into a crooked slash, and then he laughed, loud and hearty. His blue eyes took on a mischievous spark. Andie laughed along with him — though her laughter came more from nerves.

“I swear,” he said. “I meant that in a good way. Penny has done nothing but sing your praises since I got here. I’m Chris. Her brother.”

“Oh.” Surprise colored Andie’s voice at the compliment. “Thank you. She’s a treat to work with. And please, call me Andie.”

“You should have seen your face.” He chuckled a bit more, his gaze teasing her, and then he cranked his smile brighter. She couldn’t help but be flattered by the attention.

A large hand appeared between them at the same time another slid possessively across her back.

“Mark Kavanaugh,” Mark said in greeting. He shook Chris’s hand while keeping a firm grip on Andie. She glanced up at him. He was jealous?

Then she scanned Chris one more time from head to toe. Hell yes, he was jealous. This man was hot. And he’d been hitting on
her
.

The knowledge that it bothered Mark made her warm inside.

“I was just telling Andie here how pleased Penny is with everything.”

Andie beamed, unable to keep from smiling just a tad too bright. She’d just discovered that jealousy was an aphrodisiac.

Mr. Jordan stepped beside his son, and all eyes went to him. Andie’s growing passion took a nosedive. Mr. Jordan had mostly done nothing but glare at her since last Saturday’s boat trip, and he wasn’t falling short of that now.

“Can I talk to you privately?” he asked her. The words were polite, but his voice was hard.

No!
she silently shouted.

“Sure,” she answered instead. She glanced toward Mark, and when she did, her eyes caught on Rob and Penny, now standing in the hall. Rob did
not
have his arm casually propped on the wall above his fiancée as if looking for any excuse to get closer. And Penny did
not
look happy.

Their voices were too low to hear, but it was clear they were arguing.

Mark followed her line of sight and his jaw tightened.

What a few minutes earlier had felt like a successful event suddenly felt like a night snowballing downhill at a rapid pace. She swept her gaze over the crowd to find Michael with his camera trained toward the hallway.

Terrific. She could already imagine an eight-by-ten of a fighting bride and groom showing up in
Today’s Brides
instead of photos showcasing Penelope’s dazzling wedding dress and the elegant cake they would all have the next day.

“Ms. Shayne.” Phillip Jordan’s voice grew even colder, so she turned and followed the man, mentally making a face at his back. She was sick of him, too.

Once they stepped inside the kitchen, he stopped.

“What can I do for you, Mister—”

“It’s what you can stop doing.”

“I don’t know—”

“You and your whole family.” Rage spewed from the man to the point that she could barely make out his words, but Andie had no idea what had him so upset.

“If you’ll explain the problem,” she calmly began, “I’m sure we can figure out a solution.”

Aunt Ginny chose that minute to walk through the area. She’d apparently arrived during the last half hour but had remained in the back. When she saw Andie and Mr. Jordan, she stopped as if a deer frozen in headlights. Andie could see her mother standing a few feet behind Aunt Ginny in a similar frozen state.

“
She
knows what the problem is,” Phillip ground out, pointing to her aunt.

Andie turned to Ginny, at a loss for what to do. Then she watched her aunt’s face turn a bright shade of pink.

Behind her, Cassie took on the same hue.

“What is going on?” Andie whispered to her aunt. She still had no idea, but the identical looks of guilt on Ginny’s and Cassie’s faces had her more than worried.

Mr. Jordan turned to her once again, his face red with fury. “Marilynn and I went out for our morning walk this morning at sunrise, and came upon these two.” He glanced at Ginny and Cassie, and then turned a heavy scowl back to Andie. “They were in the water. Naked.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

M
ark pulled the rental into the small drive of the bungalow and shifted into park before turning to look at Andie. They’d finished the rehearsal dinner a while ago, most everyone had headed out in limos to continue the party, and Andie had spent the last hour trying to calm the Jordans. Apparently neither of them took kindly to walking up on skinny-dippers before their first cup of coffee of the day.

“I suppose you could look at it as a good thing,” he suggested.

She focused a narrowed gaze on him. “How do you figure?”

“Your mother and your aunt seem to have gotten over their issues with one another.”

Andie merely shook her head and made a sound of disgust. “What a blessing,” she muttered. She shoved open the car door, so he followed on his side.

“Also, he could have brought it up first thing this morning,” Mark added. “At least you didn’t have to worry about it all day.”

“So … what?” She held her hands up in the air as if in question, as she stood on one side of the hood with him on the other. “It’s better to spring it on me in the middle of the rehearsal dinner? When I had a photographer there from
Today’s Brides
…
and
Rob and Penelope were each either flirting with someone
else
, or arguing with each other?”

She had a point. It had been a tough night all the way around.

He reached toward her, and she pointed a finger at him. “And what was your brother thinking, flirting with the bride?”

Mark guffawed. “I think you’ve got that one backwards, sweetheart. ‘My friends call me Penny,’” he mimicked. “What in the hell was that about? What was Eddie supposed to do?”

“Not chase after her all night like a dog with a new bone!” Andie just shook her head and began to move. They met in front of the car, and he slipped an arm around her shoulders.

Yeah, he thought. Eddie had done that. Things might have gone somewhat smoother if his brother hadn’t become infatuated with the bride. The whole night had been a comedy of errors. Except none of it had been funny. And Mark had yet to be able to help Andie calm down.

“I’m sorry it was such a rough night for you, sunshine,” he whispered, pressing a kiss to her ear. “But it’s over now. Let’s go down to the beach and listen to the ocean.”

The water had always calmed her, so it seemed a good plan.

“I can hear the ocean from here,” she grumbled. But she let him lead her around the small cabin to where he could make out the start of a path. The night was clear and the moon was almost full, so there was no need for a light.

Once they stood just feet away from the water, he felt her tension begin to drain away. He wrapped his other arm around her and shifted her to face him, then began to move slowly back and forth with her in his arms.

“I’ve wanted to dance in the moonlight with you since I saw you at Gin’s two weeks ago,” he whispered.

She pressed her cheek to his chest. “I wanted to kick you in the balls when I saw
you
,” she murmured.

He both laughed and cringed. “If I recall correctly, you did.”

He couldn’t see her face but suspected she smiled. More tension was easing from her with each passing minute, and he suddenly found himself desperate to let her know how he felt. They only had two nights left, and though he had a whole seduction thing he’d played out in his head, he didn’t want to wait another minute.

With her still cradled against his chest, he slipped a hand to her chin and caressed her soft skin. They stood there, continuing to sway in the dark until he finally tilted her face up to his. The moonlight glowed on her pale skin. He knew she was what he wanted for the rest of his life. There was no question in his mind.

He brushed his lips against hers and she shuddered in his arms.

“I love you,” he whispered.

She stopped moving, and it was as if the ocean ceased movement at the same time. All went silent. He saw her throat rise on a swallow, and he suddenly feared that he’d moved too fast. Or that she didn’t love him in return.

A tight knot formed in his stomach. The muscles of his legs became primed, as if ready to flee. All he could do was wait for her response. Finally, she blinked — slowly — and that seemed to release a pent-up breath he held.

“Andie?” he pleaded. “Say something.”

She shook her head. “Just kiss me,” she whispered. “Will you do that for now? Just kiss me?”

It would have to be enough.

He slid his hands into her hair, and fitted his mouth to hers. Her lips parted and he moaned against her, stroking his tongue along hers. She shook in his hands, giving him hope. He hadn’t moved too fast. She just needed a moment to catch up.

When she wrapped her arms around him and flattened herself to his chest, he slid his hands down her back to hold her close. “You feel good against me, babe. I want to make love to you. Out here,” he suggested.

Her eyes shone bright for just a second, but then she stepped back and shook her head. “Not out here,” she said. “There’s been too much ‘exposure’ today already. Plus,” she continued, gesturing with her head toward the cabin, “Wendy’s bungalow is on the other side of this one. She’s not of a fan of noise from her neighbors. I’m sure she wouldn’t appreciate a peep show, either.”

Mark glanced in the general vicinity of the bungalow, glad they’d called it a night before the rest of the group. He wanted Andie alone for a bit. Without the prying ears of her family, without a tasteless bridesmaid next door, and without anything else taking up space in her head. He wanted it to be just the two of them in every sense.

So he followed her inside, inhaling the scent of flowers trailing after her.

He wanted her to tell him she loved him.

Once inside she let her purse slip from her shoulder to the floor and turned to him. Heat exploded between them as they kissed, each delving deep inside, intent on uncovering hidden secrets.

When they finally broke apart, he sucked in a steadying breath. “You do things to me, babe. Things that I like.”

She gave him a soft smile. She didn’t say anything, but he had the thought she was thinking she liked those things, too. Then she pulled her top off over her head and turned toward the hall leading to the bedrooms.