Nantucket Romance 3-in-1 Bundle (82 page)

She tapped her stubby nails on the tabletop. They’d been long only a week ago. She’d taken exquisite care of them in the two months before the big day, and they’d been longer than ever. She’d had an appointment for a manicure the day before the wedding—another cancellation she’d made. But the six days of stress had taken their toll, and now the edges were short and ragged. She must have gnawed on them, though she didn’t remember doing so.

A few minutes later, her shot and a wedge of lemon arrived.
Okay, here we go.
She licked the webbing between her thumb and index finger, salted it, then licked it again. Before the taste faded, she downed the tequila and bit into the lemon wedge. The sourness of the lemon puckered her lips, and she gave a shudder.

Jared’s words from that night rang in her head. “
I’m in love with Jaylee. We didn’t mean for it to happen. It’s over, Sabrina.”

“It’s over, Sabrina.”

Were there sadder words in the English language?
“It’s over.”
He didn’t want her, was rejecting her, discarding her like yesterday’s newspaper.

Stop it.

Sabrina ordered a second snakebite, and when it arrived a few minutes later, she repeated the process. She was starting to feel it.

Jared’s words were fading like a dream sequence, and a warm, fuzzy feeling was taking their place.

Her gaze collided with a man across the room. He had dark, neatly trimmed hair, and a loosened tie. He was staring at her, or at least she thought he was. She was sitting in a corner, so there was no one behind her. But the room was dim, and maybe she was mistaken. A second glance proved her suspicions. He was at a high table, his hand wrapped around a fancy goblet. His lips turned up at the corners, and she realized she’d been staring.

Sabrina pushed the empty shot glasses past the flickering candle to the table’s edge. Across the room, the bartender slid a full mug across the bar to a woman with short blonde hair and a long, ballerina neck. The bartender was flirting with her, smiling. He said something, and she tossed her head back and laughed.

Sabrina was feeling better. Almost giddy. She should’ve come here days ago instead of locking herself in that depressing suite.

The server approached, blocking her view. He set another snakebite on her table. “From the gentleman over there.” He gestured to the corner, where Tie Man dipped his head and raised his goblet in a mock toast.

The server left, and Sabrina lifted her own glass toward Tie Man before she salted her skin and downed the shot. He hadn’t taken his eyes off her. His white shirt almost glowed in the dimness of the room. He was broad shouldered and handsome. And he was interested in her.

The sudden knowledge flattered her, emboldened her. She stood. Her legs felt light, as if they were filled with helium, as she approached him. He watched her every step of the way, and when she stopped at his table, his eyes swept down her body to her bare knees, then back up again.

“Thanks for the drink,” she said.

“Have a seat.” He pushed out the empty chair.

Her body felt weightless as she sank into it. Her thoughts were pleasantly fuzzy. She leaned her elbow on the table and propped her chin in her palm. “I like your tie.” It was red with white dots that played tricks with her eyes if she stared at it.

“I like your eyes.”

She smiled coyly. “These old things?”

“They’re like warm caramel in this candlelight.”

Warm caramel. She liked the thought. She liked this man. He was handsome in a Wall Street kind of way, though his loosened tie made her think he was ready to kick back and relax.

“What’s a pretty girl like you doing all alone tonight?”

She laughed, though she wasn’t sure why. “Looking for company, what else?” It made sense suddenly, why she’d left the hotel, why she’d wandered toward town. It was company she sought. And it looked like she’d found it.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Sabrina.”

“Sabrina.” He seemed to taste her name on his tongue. “Sexy.”

He made her feel good. Or maybe it was the tequila. He took a drink from his goblet and it left his lower lip wet.

“What should I call you?” Sabrina reached across the table and drew her thumb across his lip.

He let out a quiet curse. “Whatever you want.”

She laughed, tossed her hair aside. The movement made her dizzy. “Come on, I told you mine.” She tugged his tie, enjoying the flirtation, feeling less like a wallflower and more like Ballerina Neck at the bar.

He smiled lazily. “Sebastian.”

He looked like a Sebastian. “Well, Sebastian. What’s your story? What do you do for a living?”

He grazed his index finger along the curve of her palm. “Do you really want to know?”

The way he looked at her with those mesmerizing gray eyes made her even dizzier. She realized she didn’t care who he was or what he did. “Not really,” she replied. His touch was warm and pleasant, making her tingle. He wanted her. The thought empowered her. Made her heady with excitement.

“Why don’t we go someplace quiet?” The meaning in his eyes was clear, and suddenly Sabrina wanted that more than she wanted her next breath.

“Lead the way,” she said.

He fished his wallet from his pocket and set two crisp bills on the table, hardly taking his eyes from her.

He pulled out her chair, and her head swam as she rose to her feet.

“Okay?” he asked.

She smiled. “Oh, yeah.” She followed him through the maze of people and into the cool night.

“I’m parked around back.”

She reached for his hand, but he ushered her in front of him, looking around. She drew in a deep breath of tangy sea air, letting it fill her lungs, then blew it out through her mouth. The gravel crunched under her sandals when they reached the parking lot. He opened the door of a low, sleek car, and she slipped inside.

Her skirt rode up high as she tucked her legs in. She laughed. “Whoops.”

In the car, his hand found her leg, and she returned the favor. She felt so good.
This
felt so good. She leaned over the console and kissed his neck. He smelled like soap and alcohol. His face was rough, and she scraped her lips across his jaw.

He pulled her closer. She wished she could make the console disappear. It was a barrier, digging into her ribs.

By the time the car stopped, she was desperate for more. She followed him through the back door of a house, and she tripped over an empty suitcase. He steadied her, then pulled her into the darkness. She followed blindly, her needs propelling her.

Sabrina woke to a distant thud. She opened her eyes, then shut them against the bright light pouring into the room. Maybe the thud had been her brain pounding against her skull.

Even closed, her eyes ached. The bed under her felt odd. Soft and not like her bed at all. Then she remembered. Nantucket. The hotel. But that didn’t explain the sun streaming into the room.

She forced her eyes open in time to see the door to the room open. Where was she? She’d gone to a bar the night before.

An attractive brunette appeared in the doorway just as a body moved beside Sabrina. A man, bare chested, was awakening.

Sabrina felt a chill sweep over her and realized she was unclothed beneath the covers. She clutched the cool sheet to her chest.

The woman froze in the doorway, her ice-blue eyes widening. She looked back and forth between Sabrina and the man.

The bar. She’d been in the bar. Tie Man. He’d bought her a drink.

“Tracey!” Sebastian sprang up. He stared at Sabrina as if he wasn’t sure how she’d gotten there.

“That’s
it
, Sebastian. It’s over!”

Sebastian jumped from the bed, tugging the sheet with him, wrapping it around his waist, leaving Sabrina exposed.

She grabbed the pillow, clutched it to her.

Sebastian cursed. “It’s not—I’m sorry, baby!” He followed the woman—his wife? His lover?

Sabrina wasted no time finding her dress, lying haphazardly on the hardwood floor. Her head throbbed as she leaned over to retrieve it. She shrugged into her dress, sliding on her sandals even as she tugged the dress over her hips. She hopped on one leg, finding balance as she slipped on her second sandal, then scanned the room for her bag.

Then she realized he had driven her there. How would she get back to the hotel? She didn’t even know where she was.

The woman was screaming now. “How dare you bring that tramp here! Sleep with her right under my nose!” Her voice wobbled erratically.

She had to get out of there. The voices were coming from across the house somewhere. She crept down the hall. Sebastian was apologizing, pleading. “Come on, Tracey—”

“Don’t you touch me!” the woman said.

The back door was within sight. The voices were coming from the living room just beyond the kitchen. She could slip out without being seen. Her feet moved quickly across the linoleum. She opened the back door and escaped into the bright morning.

She walked almost an hour before she came to a main road. She’d asked a bicyclist for directions to town and had walked until her feet were blistered. By the time she’d returned to the hotel, the aftereffects of the tequila and her night of shame put her in bed for the day.

She’d known that night had been a terrible mistake, but she hadn’t known until much later that it would ruin her chance with Tucker.

Now, Sabrina turned up the hill and blew out a shuddery breath before setting a punishing pace. If she ran hard enough, fast enough, maybe she could chase the memory from her mind.

Harbormaster: I love the way we talk about nothing.

Sweetpea: I love that I can say anything I want to you.
I’ve never had that freedom with anyone else.

Chapter Sixteen

The next night, Arielle went shopping for some things to perk up the loft, giving Sabrina a chance to write Tucker. After she’d sent the first message, he’d replied, and they’d been chatting since.

Are you kidding? she wrote. Name one good movie in the eighties. Just one.

She sent it and leaned back, anticipating his answer. She realized she missed being with him on the weekends. She’d gotten accustomed to going to his house, to being with him physically.

She shook the thought, reluctant to spoil her good mood. His response appeared.

Back to the Future. E. T. Raiders of the Lost Ark. Honey
, I Shrunk the Kids . . . I could go on and on.

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids?, she replied
.

He knew she wasn’t a movie buff. Give her a good book any day. She wasn’t even sure how they’d gotten on the topic, but that’s how it was with them. They’d leap from one topic to another, and before she knew it, hours had passed.

“Ooooh, who’s Harbormaster?” Arielle’s voice made her jump.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that.” Sabrina’s heart raced from the scare.

“I wasn’t sneaking. You were just distracted.” Arielle wiggled her eyebrows. “Is it a maaan?”

Sabrina closed the program before Arielle could snoop. “Yes, it’s a man, but he’s just a friend.”

“A friend, huh?” Arielle tugged Sabrina’s ponytail, then set a bag on the floor and sank onto the sofa, still panting from her trip up the stairs. “Does he live on the island?”

She supposed the truth couldn’t hurt. “Maybe.” She regretted closing the program without saying goodbye to Tucker. She’d write him when Arielle took her bath.

“So, are you, like, dating? Come on, tell all. How long has this been going on?”

“There’s nothing going on. We’re just writing each other. What did you buy?” Why did her cousin have to be so meddlesome? But then, maybe if Arielle saw she’d moved on from Jared, she’d stop pushing her to attend the wedding.

“Stop changing the subject. When did all this start? I know I’m being nosy, but give a single girl a break. I haven’t had a date in months.”

Sabrina couldn’t imagine that was by anything but choice. “We’ve been writing a year or so.”

“A year! And he hasn’t asked you out?”

How could Sabrina explain without revealing everything? “I told you, it’s not like that.”

“Ha! I saw that look on your face when I came in. You were totally absorbed, and you had this goofy smile on your face.”

“I did not have a goofy smile—”

“Did too. Completely goofy.”

“Whatever. Don’t you need a bath?”

“Changing the subject again?” Arielle raised an eyebrow. Finally, she jumped off the couch. “Fine, fine. Be all mysterious and secretive,” she tossed over her shoulder, walking down the short hall.

“I will, thank you very much,” Sabrina called after her.