In Too Deep (Grayton Series Book 4) (13 page)

“Thank you.” She glanced up at him.

“For?” He waited.

“This.” She nodded to the boat. “I didn’t realize how much I’d missed being on the water like this.”

He pulled her closer. “You know, I fixed up Julie’s old sailboat.”

“Oh?” She smiled. “I bet she really enjoys it now.”

He nodded. “Of course, we still head out on it each year to Crab Island to watch the fireworks.” He sighed, missing his family.

“Roman.” She pulled away. “You could always…”

He stopped her by shaking his head. “I’m here where I want to be. With our family.” He leaned down and kissed her.

They settled the small boat and Missy pulled out the food from the basket and they enjoyed chicken, mashed potatoes, beans, and even some carrot cake that Jenny had made.

They finished up just in time for the first fireworks to go off. Reagan sat on his lap and oohed and ahhed with each bang. He pulled Missy closer and had never felt more right than he did at that moment.

When Reagan started to fall asleep after the fireworks were all over, Missy carried him below and laid him on the queen-size bed. When she came back up, she was carrying a cold beer for him.

“My kind of woman.” He chuckled as he took a sip and then handed it back to her. She took a deep drink from it and sighed.

“I’ve been thinking about getting one of these and renting them out. That way, if I want to go out on the water anytime, I could.”

He nodded. “Solid business plan. That’s why I went ahead and bought this beauty today.”

“What?” She leaned back, frowning up at him. “You bought this boat?”

He chuckled. “It seemed easier than renting one. Do you know how much they wanted for just a few hours aboard?”

“No, how much?” She leaned in closer, causing his body to react. “Oh, no. No business talk tonight. We can go over my smart move tomorrow during business hours.” He pulled her close again and ran his lips over hers.

“This is really nice,” she said as she sighed and held onto him. “A perfect night.”

He nodded in agreement. “What would make it even better is taking a dip with me.” He nodded to the water. “Or are you still afraid of the water after dark?”

She chuckled. “There are a lot more fish in there after dark than in the sunlight.”

He laughed. “Are you even listening to what you’re saying?” He smiled.

“You know what I mean. During the day, I can see them.” She cringed. “Besides, after all the stories you boys told Cass and I…” He watched the sadness flood her eyes when she mentioned their sister. Then she shook her head and smiled at him. “It’s no wonder I have a phobia.”

He stood up and took her hand, then pulled her up next to him. “Well, since I’d like to make love to you and can’t do so with a sleeping eight-year-old just a few feet away, I guess we’d better head back in.”

She sighed and wrapped her arms around him. “Maybe I can bear a quick dip.” She leaned up and kissed him.

He chuckled and then moaned a little as she stood back and pulled her top over her head. She was wearing a white bikini top, which caused his mouth to water. He watched her slow movements as she removed her shorts to a matching pair of bikini bottoms. He felt himself grow unbearably hard in just a few seconds.

When she walked back to him, her fingers tugging lightly on his shirt, he helped her remove his top and followed her down the ladder into the warm, dark water.

Since they had weighed anchor in the cove, they could both easily touch the sandy bottom.

“Shuffle your feet,” she said as she moved farther away from the boat. “We have skates here.”

He sighed. He hated the little buggers. They looked like rays but sent a nasty shock up your leg when you stepped on them. Some even bit. Shuffling his feet, he followed her until they were only knee deep. The moon was almost full, and since there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, they could both see the sandy beach area.

He took her hand as he glanced back at the boat, which was only about twenty feet away. “Will he be okay?”

She nodded. “If he wakes up, we’ll hear him.” She pulled him farther onto the shore. “Now, you mentioned something about making love?”

He pulled her close and covered her lips with his. Her swimsuit was easy to pull off, and soon she lay under him in the sand, beautifully naked for him to enjoy. He ran his hands and mouth over her, tasting the salty water on her skin.

When he slid into her, he told her exactly how he felt about her. He felt her tense, so he quickly covered her lips and ran his tongue over hers. When he heard her moan with pleasure, he followed her and told her once more.

“Get used to hearing it,” he said just below her ear as their skin cooled off from the intense pleasure. “I’ve only been in love with one woman my entire life.” He leaned up and looked down at her, waiting until her eyes fell on his. “There’s no escaping how I feel about you.”

***

“
There’s no escaping how I feel about you.”
Roman’s words played over in her head for the next few days. Even when she kissed Reagan goodbye and watched him load onto the bus that would take him and his classmates to Orlando, she couldn’t get it off of her mind.

She knew in her heart that she loved Roman. Always had. Just like him, she’d only loved one man her entire life. Him. But even now, she knew that it wasn’t possible for them to be together. Not like they wanted.

There were too many obstacles for them to jump. Too many dangers lurking just around the corner.

The first night Reagan was gone, Roman cooked her chicken cashew salad and made love to her on the kitchen countertop. The second night, after ordering Chinese takeout, he made love to her on the sofa. The third, they’d made love in the back seat of her car after he’d taken her out for Italian and parked on the beach to watch the sunset.

Every night, he consumed her mind and body so that she never really had time to feel the empty spot where their son was. Each day he told her that he loved her. Each time it shocked her system to the core. They still hadn’t talked much about it. She guessed that he was just trying to get her used to hearing those words from him.

Roman brought her a large bundle of wild flowers and delivered them to the store. They had even dressed up one night and gone to the local steak house and had a fancy dinner with champagne. She’d never been treated so wonderfully before.

Every day, Reagan texted them pictures of his trip and told them how much fun he was having, but if it hadn’t been for Roman, she would have gone a little mad. The morning before Reagan was set to return, they drove down to Apalachicola for some of the best blueberry pancakes she’d ever had.

The rest of the day seemed to be one of the slowest ever. Since the holiday rush was over, the slowness of the store caused her to sit and stare out the window for hours in between customers.

Roman was working the ferry that day so even he couldn’t help pass the time. Minutes seemed like hours as she waited to see the bus drive by the store. She’d never been away from Reagan so long. It was still two hours before the bus was due to arrive and she was going crazy.

“Why don’t you go out with the next ferry and keep Roman company?” Jenny asked, leaning on the counter.

She sighed and looked at her friend. “Is it that obvious?”

Jenny laughed. “You’re driving me nuts.”

“Fine, I guess it couldn’t hurt. Besides, it’s dead around here anyway.”

“I made some brownies last night.” Jenny nodded to a plate under the counter. “I bet Roman would like some.”

She smiled and took the plate. “We should sell these.”

Jenny’s eyebrows went up. “I’m not that into baking to keep up with the demand.” She smiled. “Besides, I only bake for friends.”

“The whole town is your friend.” Missy laughed as she jogged out the door to catch the ferry.

“Hey, this is a nice surprise,” Roman said as she walked in.

“I brought brownies.” She smiled. “I bothered Jenny enough that she gave us the entire plate.” She held them up and wiggled her eyebrows.

Roman laughed. “Can the day go any slower?” he asked when she sat next to him.

“Sheesh! I know.” She rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe it.”

He chuckled and pulled her close for just a moment. “We’ll make the last two hours go by faster.” She smiled and hugged him.

***

Cole glanced down at the red dot on his phone and cursed. He’d been sitting outside of the small house for almost an hour. Still, when he rang the door, no one answered, least of all his brother.

The most he could tell was that the place was well kept. The metal roof looked fairly new and the siding was freshly painted a light teal. Even the white picket fence out front was spotless. He wondered whose house it was, and why his brother’s cell phone would be left there, unattended.

Roman never went anywhere without his phone. Then he remembered the day his brother had left and felt a sick feeling wash over him, causing him to curse once more.

Just then, a dark-haired kid rode his bike up to the house. When the kid dumped his bike in the front yard, Cole jumped from the truck and rushed over.

“Hey,” he called out, and the boy turned around quickly and glared at him.

“Hey,” he finally said when he realized Cole wasn’t going to cross the fence line.

“Do you know Roman Grayton?” he called out.

The kid squinted his eyes at him, and Cole felt a wave of deja vu hit him. Then the kid put his hand up and blocked out the sun. “Yeah.”

Cole sighed. “Is he staying here?”

The kid shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe. Why?”

“He’s my brother and I’m looking for him.”

“He’s down at the docks,” the kid said, and then he turned to go into the house.

“Which docks?” he called out, but the kid was already inside. Cole smiled when he heard the locks click behind him. Smart kid.

The docks were less than three blocks away, but he drove since he didn’t know exactly where he’d end up. He spotted his brother’s car right away, since there were only two large buildings along the road.

Pulling in next to Roman’s car, he sighed and looked at the sign above the door.

“Dog’s Landing” was etched in thick wood and painted a bright teal. The shop looked like a free-for-all type of store, not unlike many he’d seen in his life.

When he walked in, he realized it wasn’t actually like any he’d seen before. While most shops like this were cluttered and unorganized, this one was spotless. Its narrow aisles were neatly filled with groceries, gifts, and everything one would need on a vacation stay in the area, including bait and fishing tackle.

Walking up to the counter, he smiled at the pretty brunette behind the counter.

“Can I help you?”

“I hope so…”—he glanced at her name tag—“Jenny. I’m looking for my brother, Roman.”

She smiled and nodded. “He’s helping Missy out on the boats today.” Cole felt his fingers start to tingle.

“Missy? Marissa?” His voice sounded hollow.

When Jenny nodded, he felt a wave of relief rush through him, followed quickly by anger. “Where can I find him?” he asked between clenched teeth.

Jenny blinked and looked around. “Um, the boat should be coming back”—she looked down at her watch—“in about ten minutes.”

He nodded and left the store without another word. He stepped out on the large deck of the pier, reached in his pocket for his phone, and dialed Marcus.

“Hey.” Hearing his brother’s voice helped calm him a little.

“You’ll never believe where I am.”

“Aren’t you back from Hawaii yet?”

“Yes, I’m in Carrabelle, chasing down our crazy brother, who appears to have found Marissa.”

“What?” Cole could hear he had his brother’s full attention. “Have you seen her?”

“No, not yet.” The phone was silent for a while.

“Maybe you should come back.”

“What?” Cole blinked a few times.

“Listen, if Roman hasn’t called to tell us that he’s found Marissa, maybe he has a good reason.”

Cole shook his head, not sure if he was hearing Marcus right. “Are you nuts?”

“Maybe he’s trying to convince her not to get spooked away again.”

He thought about it and felt his heart skip. Damn, why hadn’t he thought of it. Marissa might still be running from whatever had caused her to leave all those years ago, and if anyone could convince her to come back, it was Roman.

He’d called his brother a few times and he’d had been very vague with what he’d told him, never once mentioning where he was or what he was doing.

Chapter Thirteen

W
hen Roman and Missy drove up to the house, they were both a little shocked to see Reagan’s bike laying in the front yard. He had gotten home early and they rushed in the front door and both of them engulfed him in a hug until the boy started complaining.