Sea of Love (Love in Bloom: The Bradens, Book 4) Contemporary Romance (3 page)

Lacy bristled. “Sort of.” She’d been trying to ignore that worry for weeks as the wedding had neared.

“You’re afraid of sharks?” Max asked. “But you went in the water in Nassau.”

“It’s weird. I
think
I’m afraid of sharks. There was an incident when I was younger. I don’t really want to talk about it, and I haven’t really tested the theory that I’m afraid of them. I just have a feeling that when I step out of my controlled environment, the fear might take over.”

“You do know he’s a shark tagger, right?” Max asked.

“Of course. Can we change the subject?” Lacy asked. “I just need to know that I’m not making a mistake. You guys don’t see any glaring red flags do you?”
Please say no and let me get back to kissing him
.

“No, Lace,” Danica answered.

“What’s the worst that happens? Let’s say you sleep with him and then decide you made a mistake,” Kaylie said. “You only live once. You’d survive.”

Max patted Lacy’s shoulder. “Dane’s a great guy, Lacy. He and Treat are really close, and Treat’s said only good things about him. Well, except for that one thing, but…you know.”

“What thing?” Danica asked.

Lacy didn’t miss Max’s quick head shake.

“It’s okay, Max. Go ahead.”
We’ve shared everything
.

“Okay, but…” Max looked at Lacy, and Lacy waved her hand in approval. “Dane slept with one of Treat’s girlfriends in college.”

“Really?” Kaylie and Danica said in unison.

“I know all about that. Dane told me. I told you guys we talked about everything.” She remembered the conversation well. They’d been on Skype, and never once during the whole uncomfortable conversation did he look away or try to evade her questions. She’d known then that he was a man she could trust. “It was ages ago, but he wasn’t
just
being a jerk. He told Treat last year that he’d felt guilty about it forever. He always felt like he was in Treat’s shadow, and just for once, he wanted to be the front-runner.”

“I’d say that given what we saw in Nassau, he’s a front-runner all right,” Kaylie said with a grin.

“Kaylie,” Lacy chided. Lacy knew that one of them would make a joke about how well endowed Dane was. It had been a difficult attribute to miss when he’d been in swim trunks in the Bahamas, and overhearing Treat make a comment about ten inches had sent a lingering wonder through her mind.

“What? You saw it,” Kaylie said.

Lacy shook her head.

“Remember, these are guys who lost their mother when they were little boys,” Danica said thoughtfully, “and although they had their dad, from what I hear, they really depended a lot on one another. And you know they had to carry a lot of anger and unrealized grief for years. Lacy, if he shared something like that with you, I don’t think you have much to worry about.”

Lacy’s eyes were drawn to Dane again. Treat’s arm was slung comfortably around his shoulder, and they both wore wide smiles. They didn’t look like two brothers who had experienced such a painful time.
Does anyone ever wear the pain of their past for everyone to see?
She glanced at Danica and Kaylie, the sisters she felt she’d known all her life, and yet Kaylie wouldn’t even speak to her when they’d first met.
Fences can mend, even broken-down, worn-out, splintered fences
.

DANE STOOD WITH Treat by the bar watching Lacy with her sisters and Max, deep in conversation. Even from across the room, he recognized the nervous smile on her lips, and he wondered what they were discussing—and if she was thinking about their kiss as much as he was.

“Listen, Dane, Lacy is Danica’s sister, which makes her Blake’s sister-in-law. If you’re just having fun, please let her know up front.” Treat spoke in a hushed tone, his dark eyes filled with compassion and his mouth close enough to Dane’s ear that Dane was sure no one else overheard his suggestion.

As much as Dane didn’t want or need advice from his eldest brother, he had been thinking the same thing. The last thing he wanted to do was to put Lacy in an uncomfortable position. Before the wedding, he’d decided that he would take things slowly with Lacy, but damn, when he saw her sitting a few rows back, with those big baby blues drinking him in, he’d been unable to turn away. He’d spent the last year and a half walking across a tenuous tightrope; on one side was Lacy, and on the other, the career-driven, commitment-phobic man he’d always been—the part of himself he was trying to leave behind. If he were to look down from the tightrope, he’d see the man he’d always been, the man who never thought of a woman beyond a few dates and a few good times. The man who did, indeed, have an incredibly beautiful woman—or two—in every port, women who never pushed for more than he was willing to give, whom he’d forget the minute his boat was put to sea until the next time he arrived.

From the moment he met Lacy, he’d been drawn to her for more than her seductive body and the sweet, innocent facade that he was dying to peel away. He’d shared more with Lacy over the past fifteen months than he’d shared with any of his brothers, or even his best friend and employee, Rob Mann.

Dane had yet to meet a woman who could handle his crazy travel schedule, or the dangerous work he did for a living, and he hadn’t given it much thought…until Lacy. He’d tried guarding their conversations, testing the waters. It hadn’t taken long before he knew he wanted to dive in headfirst. But fear held him at bay. Once he allowed himself to fall, there’d be no turning back—and if their sensuous kiss was any indication of what was yet to come, he knew he’d have a hard time keeping his emotions in check. What if he allowed himself to fall for her and she didn’t want the travel and the sharks, the fundraising events and the busy lifestyle? He knew he couldn’t do what Treat had done for Max and change his way of life for her—then again, if he’d been asked two years ago if he’d ever want a monogamous relationship, he would have said,
Hell no
. But that was before Lacy.

Savannah, his younger sister, joined them before Dane could respond to Treat.

“Three brothers down; now just two more brothers to go,” Savannah teased. Her auburn hair flowed in natural waves past her shoulders. A thick lock fell forward, covering one of her mischievous green eyes.

Josh sidled up to her. “You’re kidding, right? Hugh and Dane? They think we’re the anomalies.” He winked at Treat. Though Josh was as tall as Dane and Rex, and every bit as masculine, as an upscale fashion designer, he kept his body strong and lean while his brothers’ physiques bulged with muscles from their more physically demanding lifestyles. Josh’s clothing hung handsomely from his broad chest and slim hips, and with his close-cropped hair, he looked like he’d walked out of
Esquire
magazine.

“How about you, Savannah?” Josh asked. His fiancée, Riley Banks, appeared by his side.

“You’d make a beautiful bride,” she said to Savannah.

No one had taken the Braden siblings by surprise more than Josh when he fell in love with Riley. He hadn’t ever so much as brought a woman home or talked about a serious relationship, and suddenly his and Riley’s friendship turned into a love affair, and overnight Josh went from one of America’s most eligible bachelors to being engaged and having a new business partner.

“What’s happening with Connor Dean, anyway?” Treat asked. The last time they’d all been together, Savannah had just broken up with her client-slash-boyfriend, actor Connor Dean. Her job as his entertainment attorney had turned into something more intimate, the details of which she hadn’t shared with any of her brothers.

Dane half listened to their banter. He was still weighing Treat’s comment.
If you’re just having fun…
Lacy was so much more than fun.

Savannah rolled her eyes. “I told you, it’s complicated. Besides, now Josh and Riley have to design her wedding gown. That should keep them busy for a while.”

Josh wasn’t one to be waylaid. “Word on the streets is that your newest client is something of a ladies’ man.” Josh and Savannah both lived and worked in New York City, and although Josh generally kept out of Savannah’s professional life, he still kept an ear to the ground when it came to his older sister.

“Dylan Ross? Yeah, he’s kind of a ladies’ man, but wouldn’t you be if you were the hottest country singer around?” Savannah brushed a piece of lint from her rose-colored, strapless bridesmaid dress. “Anyway, I don’t want to talk about work. This is Treat’s night. I finally have a new sister-in-law, and I’m thrilled about it. There’s enough testosterone in our family for twelve football teams. It’s time for a little feminine influence.”

“I’m liking the direction of this conversation,” Jade, Rex’s live-in girlfriend, said as she joined them. Her jet-black hair hung almost down to her waist, and the cream-colored dress she wore contrasted sharply with her olive skin. She reached a hand out to Rex and blinked her long eyelashes flirtatiously. “What do you think, Rexy?”

Rex groaned, then leaned down and kissed her. “I think you know I’d do just about anything you want when you look at me like that.” He lifted his chin to Dane. “But maybe you should ask Dane about the lip-locking he was doing out on the terrace. I think he’s got more female influence headed our way.”

Jade put her hand on Rex’s chest and narrowed her eyes. “Don’t embarrass him.”

“No embarrassment here,” Dane said, throwing his shoulders back. “I was with Danica’s sister Lacy.”
Lacy. Sweet, delicious Lacy
.

“And?” Savannah pushed.

“And it’s none of your business.” Dane kissed Savannah on her cheek and stepped away, knowing he was leaving his siblings with as many unanswered questions as he had reeling around in his head.

Two steps later Treat’s hand landed on his shoulder. “Just tell me that I don’t have to be in damage control mode tomorrow for the family gathering. That’s all I want to know.”

Dane turned a harsh glare at Treat, then softened when he saw the empathy in Treat’s eyes. “Truth?”

“Always,” Treat said.

“I don’t know what this is.” Dane looked across the room at Lacy, and damn if his heart didn’t skip a beat. “All I can tell you is that I’ve thought about her nearly every minute since Nassau, and I plan on getting to know her better this weekend.”

Treat followed Dane’s eyes to the table, where Max and Lacy sat with Danica and Kaylie. A smile spread across his lips. Dane recognized the love in Treat’s eyes that hadn’t been there two years before. That love was wholly meant for, and because of, Max. He was contemplating that look when Treat interrupted his thoughts.

“And Lacy?” Treat finally asked.

Dane shook his head. “She’s receptive. Interested. We’ve been so close, just not physically close.” He looked at his brother and was thrown right back into his teenage years—hoping his older brother, who seemed to hold all the answers to life, would share his knowledge and help him find his way.

“Get to know her,” Treat said quietly as Max approached. “Then you’ll know exactly what she wants and if it’s what you want. Things will become clear.”

“Thanks, bro.” Dane smiled at Max. “Don’t you two have to leave before any of us can?”

“Damn right they do.” Their father’s deep voice boomed between them.

“Are you kicking us out of our own wedding?” Treat asked.

“Hell yes. I’m an old man, and I need my sleep. Now, take that pretty little wife of yours and get to your suite so I can go to bed.” He looked at Dane and patted his cheek. “Let this other son of mine move along with his evening plans.”

Dane shook his head.

Hugh tapped his spoon against his glass. Soon, the whole room was doing the same, and Treat beamed at Max as he swooped her into his arms. He towered a foot above Max. Dane didn’t think he’d ever seen Max look so beautiful, or so in love, as she did at that very moment: staring at Treat with adoration in her eyes, her lips slightly parted, her cheeks flushed. Treat bent down, his lips moving silently.
I love you
. Then he dipped her in his arms and kissed her until the entire room cheered.

A moment later, they were laughing, holding hands as they ran across the floor toward the exit, Max’s dress trailing behind them.

The second they were out the door, Dane headed toward Lacy.

LACY GRIPPED THE edge of the chair. Her heart slammed against her chest as she watched Dane walking toward her.
This is it
. This was the night she’d been fantasizing about. His eyes were trained on her, and with each of his determined steps came a new worry:
What if my expectations are too high? What if in person we’re not compatible sexually?

“Lace, look at me, sweetie,” Danica urged as she took her hand. “
Now
, Lacy, before he gets here.”

Lacy turned her eyes to Danica’s serious face. “You are a beautiful, confident woman. Don’t be so nervous or too eager. You do not have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

Over the last year and a half, she’d come to appreciate Danica’s advice, even if it sometimes bordered on motherly.

“What if I want to do all sorts of things that I’ve never wanted to do before?” Lacy’s voice was a thin, shaky thread. She squeezed Danica’s hand. “Dan, should I be worried about…you know…that ten-inch comment that Treat made in Nassau?”
God, did I really ask that?

Danica leaned in close. “All guys exaggerate. Ten is probably more like eight. Besides, we pop out babies; we’re made for big things.” She hugged her tight and whispered, “This is your night. Whatever you want to happen will happen. If you don’t want anything to happen, then it won’t. You’re in control, so enjoy it. Promise me?” Danica pulled back and searched Lacy’s eyes.

Lacy felt a little better.
How did I ever get along without you?
“I promise.”

Kaylie leaned over Lacy’s shoulder and whispered between them, “Don’t forget, we want all the juicy details tomorrow. Breakfast?”

“Okay.” Lacy realized with a start that she might still be with Dane in the morning. She had no plan.
Do I need a plan?
“Um, let’s play it by ear. Text me in the morning.”

“I am so going to win my bet on this one,” Kaylie teased. She kissed Lacy’s cheek. “Hi, Dane, we were just leaving.”

“You can stay,” Dane said, pulling out a chair.

“I’m beat, and Chaz has been hanging out by the doors for the last twenty minutes. I think he’s ready to go, too.” She put a hand on Lacy’s shoulder. “G’night, sis.”

“This was such a beautiful wedding,” Danica said as she rose to leave.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. Will we see you tomorrow afternoon?” Dane asked with an easy smile.

“Oh yes, we’ll be there, and maybe we’ll see you for breakfast tomorrow, Lacy,” Danica answered before leaving them alone.

Dane leaned in close and whispered, “Did our time apart feel like a lifetime to you, too?”

His breath was warm against her cheek, and when he drew back, there was no mistaking the hunger in his eyes. “More than that,” she said.

“Would you like to take a walk?” Dane reached for Lacy’s hand.

“That would be really nice.” Every nerve in her body pulled tight as they walked out to the terrace and down the steps to the lawn.

The wind swept through the chimes hanging in the trees, creating a faint tinkling against the natural melody of the leaves in the breeze.

The balmy night air carried the scent of salt water and Dane’s cologne: a sweet, manly smell that Lacy knew she’d never forget. Like the first time they’d met, the way the air felt electrically charged when they’d first locked eyes, it was etched in her memory.

The grass gave way to sand beneath their feet, and Lacy stopped to take off her heels. “Do you mind if I leave my heels here?” Lacy leaned down and pulled off one shoe, then reached for the other and lost her balance.

Dane caught her before she landed in the sand. “Whoa.”

She bit her lower lip and smiled. “Thanks. I’m not very graceful.”

He took a step closer to her and ran the knuckle of his index finger down her cheek. “Graceful is boring.”

He stared at her so long and with such yearning that Lacy thought she might stop breathing.

“I should leave my shoes, too.” The way he said it, he might as well have been saying,
I want to take your clothes off and ravish you.
He sat on the edge of the grass and removed his shoes and socks.

“Aren’t you worried about your tux?” Lacy asked just to keep her mind from thinking of him ravishing her.

“Nah, that’s what dry cleaners are for.” He rolled up his pant legs and reached a hand up to her.

It took a second before Lacy realized he was asking for help to his feet, like they’d been there for each other their whole lives. She took his hand and, with his help, pulled him up, just inches away from her. Her pulse soared. His breath filled the space between them.
Kiss me. I should kiss you. I’m so nervous
.

Dane licked his lips, and Lacy swallowed hard, bracing herself for a kiss.

“Let’s…go down to the water,” Dane said.

Water? Oh my God. I totally misread you
.

Their feet sank into the deep sand as they headed toward the water. Dane’s hand was like a warm glove around hers, but it did nothing to lessen her embarrassment over misreading his intentions. After the kiss on the balcony, she was sure he’d kiss her the next chance he got—and she worried about why he hadn’t.

The sound of the waves crashing became louder, and Lacy was surprised to find that the longer they walked, the more her nerves calmed. When the sand beneath their feet became firm and wet, they followed it along the water’s edge.

“Are you as nervous as I am?” Dane asked.

Lacy let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Oh my gosh, yes. I thought it was only me.”

“I just can’t believe you’re finally right here by my side. Sometimes this past year went by so fast, and some days it seemed treacherously slow, but the distance between us always seemed too vast.” Dane paused to pick up a shell. “I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to just forget about work and get on a plane to see you. I was so nervous about today, tonight. We’ve gotten so close that part of me worried what might happen when we finally came together.”

Me too. Me too. Me too
.

DANE LOVED THE feel of Lacy’s feminine hand in his own and the way her slender fingers curved over his knuckles. Every time he looked at her, his gut tightened. Even when they’d been texting and video chatting, it had taken all of his focus not to let his nerves get the better of him.

“I’m thirty-six years old, Lacy, and I can’t remember the last time I was nervous around a woman.” Dane saw the tension in Lacy’s shoulders ease. “I don’t know how I can feel comfortable and nervous around you at the same time. It’s very weird.”

“I know. I feel it, too.”

“Yeah? Good. Then we can be nervous together.” He squeezed her hand and thought about Treat’s warning. “My brother warned me to be careful with you,” he admitted.

“Your brother? Why?” Her voice escalated in surprise.

“It was Treat. He’s very protective of family, and you’re Danica’s sister.” He shrugged. “He wants to make sure I’m not going to hurt you.” He searched her eyes for a response and wondered what she’d think of his honesty. Dane was nothing if not honest, in all aspects of his life. He’d learned a harsh lesson about breaking trust with those he loved when he’d slept with Treat’s girlfriend, and it had cost him years of his brother’s trust. He’d never make such a mistake again.

“Well, are you going to? Hurt me, I mean.” Her eyes grew wide like two blue moons. Lacy drew her eyebrows together and bit her lower lip again.

God, she looks cute when she does that
. Dane shook his head. “It’s not my intent to hurt you.” Her bare shoulders glistened in the moonlight. He ran his finger from the arc of her shoulder down to her elbow.

“Lacy…” He lowered his voice to nearly a whisper. “I don’t know what this is, or what it will end up being. All I can say is that I’ve thought of no woman but you for well over a year.” Treat’s words came back to him.
Get to know her
. “Maybe it’s because I thought we’d have more time together in Nassau and then I was called away, or maybe it’s because the attraction was so intense my stomach was tied in knots for the first time in forever. I don’t know, but I know that when we kissed earlier this evening, it was like no kiss I’d ever experienced before.”

Lacy lowered her eyes, and even in the dim moonlight, he could see her cheeks flush. He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek.

“Did you feel it, too?”
I have to know
.

She nodded, looking at him from beneath those glorious blond curls. He stifled the urge to pull her to him. Treat was right. He needed to be careful with Lacy, but not because she was Danica’s sister. It was the tenderness he saw in her eyes that made him want to protect her. She wasn’t a girl he was interested in just for fun, and he had to make sure she knew that.

“I’m a big girl, Dane. I make my own decisions and my own mistakes, so tell Treat that he doesn’t have to worry about me.”

She looked so sexy that for a moment Dane forgot he needed to hold back; then the warmth of her touch on his hand reminded him.

“I guess I don’t know what this is either, but I want to find out.” She held his gaze for a beat too long, translating her desire loud and clear. “When do you leave again?”

“I’m here for the next week or two, depending on the success of our tagging. They’ve had a number of great white sightings this summer on the Cape, and they’ve asked Brave to tag and track them.” Dane loved traveling, and every tagging mission renewed his focus and drive. He’d been tagging sharks for thirteen years, and he never stayed in one place very long. Normally, he looked forward to the next mission, the next state or country. Tonight, he wished he had a month, or a year, before heading out again. He wanted more time with Lacy.

“Is Rob here, too?” Lacy asked. Dane had spoken highly of Rob over the past year. She knew they were very close.

“He arrives Sunday. When do you go back home?” he asked.

Lacy lived just outside of Boston, two hours from the Cape. “Sunday. I have to be at work on Monday. I heard about the sharks around Chatham. Is that where you’re working?”

“I don’t want to talk about work, Lace. We have forty-eight hours, and I don’t want to waste a second of it.”

“What did you have in mind?” Lacy asked.

“I have no idea, but I know I want to kiss you again.” He leaned in close, then hesitated, until he was sure the darkening of Lacy’s eyes was a sign of acceptance. She tightened her fingers around his and closed her eyes. The moment his lips met hers, every muscle constricted. She wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him deeper. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, and he felt a familiar tightening in his groin. He swept her mouth with his tongue, drew one hand up to the back of her neck, kissing her deeper, then, fighting every force of nature that was driving him forward, forced himself to draw away.

“Jesus, Lacy. I could make love to you right here.”

“Here,” she whispered.

Dane was unsure if it was a question or a statement. What was he doing? He might not be certain of what was between them, but he knew Lacy wasn’t a girl he wanted to forget—or could forget. He needed a distraction to keep his lust in check.

“We need to walk,” he said with a wavering voice. He took her hand and walked down the beach. “I’m sorry. I know I’m hot and cold, and I’m not usually like this.”

“Is it me?”

He heard the worry in her voice and stopped abruptly, looking her in the eye. “Yes. It’s you, Lacy, but not in a bad way. Believe me. I want to make love to you here and now, but I told myself we’d take it slow. It’s just…” He rubbed his forehead, wondering how he could possibly explain what he didn’t even understand. “Lacy, I’ve got months of fantasies racing through my mind. Images of what I wanted to do with you, thoughts of touching you. Christ, I can practically feel you beneath me.” He pulled her closer. “All those intimate thoughts and pictures are chased by my wanting to slow down and get to know you better.” He searched her eyes again, looking for a clear indication of what she felt. What he saw was something he didn’t expect—surprise.

Lacy let out a long breath. “Dane, that’s exactly how I feel, like there’s all this pressure to make those thoughts come through, but then there’s the other side of wanting to get to know you, so it doesn’t feel so…I don’t know…dirty.”

“You’re anything but dirty.” He kissed the tip of her nose, and she smiled. “Although, we could be dirty if you wanted to.” He raised his eyebrows in quick succession.

Lacy’s jaw slacked and her eyes opened wide in an exaggerated fashion.

“I’m kidding,” he said quickly.

“I know. So was I. Didn’t you get my over-the-top gawk?” she teased.

He pulled her to him and kissed her again.

“God, you surprise me.” He touched the soft skin of her jaw and kissed her again. “So, we should take it slow?” he asked when they parted. “Get to know each other?”

“I think we should just let nature take its course.” She leaned in and kissed him.

Jesus
. All it took was that one kiss to send his desires careening out of control.
The hell with it.
He took her hand and, while still kissing, they stumbled up the beach to the dunes, where the grass grew in tall tufts. He pulled his lips away long enough to find a path up the sandy hill.

He threw his jacket on the sand, and before he could reach for her, Lacy was in his arms, kissing him again. Her tongue probed his mouth with urgency, as she pulled the tail of his shirt from his pants, then slipped her warm hands underneath. He heard himself groan and winced, not wanting to seem too eager, but she met his groan with a moan, and it spurred him on and kicked his steely resolve to go slow out with the tide. He unzipped her dress with trembling hands—he’d waited so long to be with her that his breath caught in his throat. He kissed the tender spot at the base of her neck, then licked the sweet saltiness of her skin, relishing in the taste of her
.
Dane couldn’t get enough of her. He trailed kisses across her breastbone as her dress dropped to the sand and dragged his eyes down her incredibly sexy curves, remembering every word they’d spoken over the previous months, every secret they’d shared, every intimate desire they’d whispered in the dark.