Hoping for Love (8 page)

“No, I mean I
like
you.” He watched with satisfaction as his words registered with her.

“Oh,” she said, sounding breathless. “And that has you out of sorts?”

Nodding, he fought a sudden urge to lean in and kiss the pucker off her sweet lips. He couldn’t do that with the others watching their every move, but he wanted to. God, he wanted to. Up ahead, the beach curved around a point and became the town beach. If he recalled correctly, this end of the town beach was usually sparsely populated.

“Come on,” he said, giving her hand a tug.

“Where’re we going?”

“You’ll see.”

Once they rounded the rocky point and were away from the prying eyes of their group, Evan tightened his hold on Grace’s hand.

“What’s the rush?” she asked as she half walked, half ran to keep up with him.

He stopped and turned to her, catching her when she all but crashed into him. Before he could talk himself out of seeing whether there was anything to this damned attraction, he crushed his mouth to hers. The moment their lips met, he had his answer. Heat streaked through him, burning away all his earlier ideas of what kind of woman he wanted. For whatever reason, he wanted
this
woman.

She let out a needy whimper as her arms encircled his neck.

“Open,” he said in a harsh whisper. “Let me in.” He dipped his head to recapture her mouth, more gently this time, stroking her lips with his tongue before easing his way in.

Even though she kissed him back with equal enthusiasm, there was something innocent and unschooled in her responses. Despite that, the instant her tongue met his, Evan was lost. His cock surged with need. God almighty, he hadn’t had a reaction like this to a woman since he was a horny kid with no idea of how to control himself.

She stripped him of his self-control and his senses. Nothing else in the world mattered beyond the warmth of her eager mouth, the caress of her tongue, the sweetness of her lips and the press of her full breasts against his chest. He wanted her with an urgency that surprised and frightened him.

Stunned by his reaction, he tore his lips free and stared at her. He was breathing hard, as if he’d been running a race. As he came to his senses, he realized she was staring and breathing hard, too.

“Wow,” he said. “That was…”

“Yeah.” She raised her hand to her mouth and rested two fingers on her lips. “Wow.”

“Will you go out with me tonight? Just the two of us?”

She studied him for what seemed like a long time before she said, “I’d love to.”

Encouraged—and relieved—by her reply, he rested his hands on her hips and brought her in close to him again. “Afterward, can we do more of this?” he asked, touching his lips to hers.

“I might be persuaded.”

“I love that haughty tone.” He peppered his words with kisses. “It makes me feel so
chastised
.”

“You’re frequently in need of chastising.”

“Do you give spankings, too?” Her entire face turned red, which made Evan feel bad for being so raunchy. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’m getting used to your irreverence.”

Evan slipped an arm around her shoulders and steered her back in the direction of the others. “You seem to be enjoying Stephanie and Laura,” he said, looking for something—anything—to take his mind off the intense kiss.

“They’re great. Stephanie and Grant are so cute together, aren’t they?”

“Not sure I’d use the word cute. They’re in that newly-in-love stage when everything is viewed through rose-colored glasses.”

“That sounds rather cynical. You don’t think it’ll last?”

“I guess we’ll see.”

“How long have Owen and Laura been together?”

“They’re not together.”

“Really? They’ve got that whole sizzling-chemistry thing going on.”

“Do they? I haven’t noticed.”

“Then you’re not looking. He’s very protective of her. If they aren’t together now, I bet it won’t be long before they are.”

“Very interesting. They said the same thing about us, you know. The sizzling-chemistry thing.”

“Is that right?”

“Uh-huh. What do you think?”

“About?”

Evan rolled his eyes at her. “Our sizzling chemistry.”

“Is it sizzling? I hadn’t noticed.”

He hip-checked her, making her laugh. “You’re being mean to me.”

“I’m very sorry.”

“I don’t think you are.”

“Now who’s being haughty?” she asked.

“That kiss was hot.”

“It was okay.” She bit her lip and looked up at him with big eyes full of mischief. “I’ll bet you can do better.”

“You are so going to pay for that.” He stopped short all of a sudden. “Are you laughing at me?”

Shrieking with laughter, she took off running for the chairs and the safety of her new friends. Watching her go, Evan couldn’t wait to have her all to himself for an entire evening. He’d show her chemistry.

As Grace hustled back to Laura and Stephanie, her heart raced with excitement and anticipation and a tiny bit of dread. She could feel Evan’s eyes boring a hole in her back as he followed her to the row of chairs, where the other women sat watching them with interest.

“You guys,” she said breathlessly. “I need your help.”

“What’s going on?” Stephanie asked, her brows knitted with worry. “Did Evan say something?”

“Yes! He asked me out! I have nothing to wear and hardly any time. You have to help me.”

“We’re on it,” Laura said.

Both women jumped up and started folding their chairs and collecting their belongings.

“Hey,” Grant said as he came out of the water with Owen trailing right behind him. “Where’re you going?”

“We have some errands to do,” Stephanie told her boyfriend. “We’ll catch up with you later.”

Grace wouldn’t have thought Grant capable of pouting, but there it was.

Laughing, Stephanie kissed the pout off his lips.

He hooked an arm around her to keep her close to him. “There,” he said after a lingering kiss. “That’s better. You can go now.”

“Gee, thanks.” She poked him in the belly and reached for the beach bag she’d dropped in the sand while he kissed her. “See if you boys can stay out of trouble while we’re gone.”

Owen bent to whisper something in Laura’s ear.

Smiling, she looked up at him and nodded. “See you back at the ranch.”

The three women started to walk toward Stephanie’s car.

“Grace!”

She spun around to find Evan watching her with heated eyes that made her want to shiver. Only the prying stares of the rest of the group kept her from doing just that. “Yes?”

“Pick you up at seven thirty.”

“See you then,” she managed to say in a cool, unaffected tone that was a total lie. She was affected all right—on every possible level. While she couldn’t wait to see him again in a few short hours, she was also dreading it. After her recent spate of bad luck, she couldn’t help but wonder what might go wrong tonight.

When they were settled in Stephanie’s old car and heading into town, Laura spun around in the passenger seat. “Tell us everything. You guys disappeared around the point, and we couldn’t see you anymore.”

“Which was clearly his intention,” Stephanie added, glancing in the rearview mirror at Grace.

“Spill it,” Laura said.

This whole thing was so new to her. Grace hadn’t had much opportunity to dish with other women about men. Until she lost the weight, men hadn’t exactly been lining up at her door. And the idea that a man who looked like Evan McCarthy could actually be interested in her was hard to believe. Of course, the moment she had that thought, she was infuriated with herself. Why
wouldn’t
a man like Evan like her?

Oh, who was she kidding? Wait until Evan found out she was a formerly fat virgin with next to no experience with men. He’d run for his life, screaming for mercy. Her deep sigh had Laura reaching for her hand.

“What’s wrong, Grace?”

As tears burned her eyes Grace wanted to shriek in frustration. For every step forward she managed to take, there seemed to be two steps backward, too.

“I’m sorry to drag you guys away from the beach,” Grace said once she managed to get her emotions under control. “I think I’ll cancel with Evan. I’m not up for going out tonight.”

“What the heck are you talking about?” Stephanie asked. “Did you see the way he looks at you? Like he wants to devour you. Grant said he’s never seen Evan look at a woman that way—ever.”

Hearing that only made Grace more concerned about what might happen later. She was so afraid of how much she wanted him. Every minute she spent with him only made the yearning more acute. All the years she’d spent pining for Trey paled in comparison to what she already felt for Evan. Nothing good could possibly come of that.

“Tell us what has you so upset,” Laura said. The compassion in her voice wrapped around Grace like a warm blanket.

“I want to tell you, but you have to promise you won’t tell Evan—or Grant or Owen. Or anyone.”

“Of course,” Laura said. “We won’t tell, will we, Steph?”

“Mum’s the word.”

“It’s kind of a big deal.” Grace took a deep breath and forced herself to meet Laura’s concerned gaze. “I was obese for most of my life. I had lap-band surgery eighteen months ago, and I’ve since lost a hundred and thirty pounds.”

“That’s amazing!” Laura said. “Congratulations.”

“Good for you, Grace,” Stephanie added.

“Thanks.” Grace had to force herself to get through this. “I have like zero experience with men, and I’m feeling way out of my league with Evan.”

“You’re not out of your league, honey,” Laura said.

“He could have anyone he wants—”

“And yet you’re the one he wants to devour,” Stephanie said, smirking in the mirror.

Grace’s pulse raced as images of Evan devouring her filled her imagination. What did that entail anyway? Swallowing hard, she said, “I have no idea what I’m doing with dating or flirting or sex or any of it.”

“So you’ve never…”

As her face heated with mortification, Grace shook her head at Laura’s gentle question.

“Well,” Laura said to Stephanie, “we’ve got some work to do to get you ready.”

“I’ll do your makeup,” Stephanie said.

“I don’t usually wear makeup,” Grace said.

“You do now,” Stephanie replied as she pulled into the parking lot at Gold’s. “We need some supplies. Let’s go, ladies.”

As they trooped into the store, Grace kept a lookout for either of the Golds but didn’t see them.

Stephanie led the way to the cosmetics aisle and then turned to take a long look at Grace.

“We’ve got to do something magnificent with those eyes of yours,” she said. “They’re not so much brown as they are gold.”

“I agree,” Laura said, reaching for lash-enhancing mascara and tossing it into the basket Stephanie had looped over her forearm.

“I’m thinking a dark gray shadow with a hint of shimmer,” Stephanie said, holding up her selection for Laura’s approval.

“Perfect.” Laura tossed a compact and oversized brush into the basket. “This bronzer will highlight her lovely tan.”

“Good call,” Stephanie said. “Now, about the lips.”

Her head spinning, Grace followed them to the lipstick display. The staggering array of colors and textures made her eyes swim.

While Stephanie and Laura put their heads together to consult, Grace calmed herself by looking around at the store. It was quieter than it had been earlier in the day, but there were still several customers in line at the register and others perusing the aisles. From the raised pharmacy platform in the back of the store, she’d always be able to see everything that was going on. If it happened, that was. Just as she was wondering when she’d hear from the Golds, Mrs. Gold’s nasally voice beckoned from the front of the store.

“Grace Ryan, is that you?”

Stephanie and Laura looked up at Grace with surprise.

“Hi, Mrs. Gold,” Grace said as the gray-haired woman swooped down on them.

“Oh, I told my Henry that was you! We were getting ready to call you!”

Grace nearly stopped breathing, and her heart slowed to a crawl. “Is that right?”

“We’ve given careful consideration to your offer, consulted with our children, and we all agree that you should be the new owner of Gold’s Pharmacy! Congratulations, honey!”

As she accepted Mrs. Gold’s hug, Grace noticed Stephanie and Laura staring at her in stunned silence. Grace didn’t think this would be the best time to tell Mrs. Gold that the name of her store would be changing to Ryan’s Pharmacy. “Thank you so much,” Grace said to Mrs. Gold. “I’m so excited.”

“We’ll have to sit down about all the details and apply to the town to transfer the license, but we’re anxious to do this as quickly as possible. We’ve already been to see Jim Sturgil, the island lawyer, and he’s going to draw up the papers for us.” Mrs. Gold seemed to realize all of a sudden that Grace wasn’t alone and lowered her voice. “Might you come by tomorrow morning to talk particulars?”

“I’d love to. I’ll be here.”

“Wonderful.” Mrs. Gold gave Grace another hug. “We can’t thank you enough. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She skipped off toward the back of the store.

“Oh my God!” Laura said. “
You’re buying Gold’s?
”

“Looks that way,” Grace said with a satisfied smile. All her plans were falling into place, and she couldn’t be more excited.

“Congratulations, Grace,” Stephanie said. “That’s awesome. I’m so glad you’ll be staying on the island.”

“I am, too. I already know I love it here. But do me a favor—please don’t mention the news about the store to anyone yet. I don’t want Evan to think that buying the store had anything to do with him, because it didn’t. It was something I wanted for myself.”

Until Mrs. Gold had shared the good news, Grace hadn’t been aware of just how badly she’d wanted it to work out. Everything about this move felt right to her, and she couldn’t wait to get settled in the cozy apartment upstairs.

“I certainly get that,” Laura said. “I felt the same way about the opportunity with the hotel. It was all about doing something that I wanted for once. Don’t worry, we’ll keep it between us until you’re ready to tell people.”

Stephanie nodded in agreement. “Absolutely. That’s your news to share.”

“Thanks.” Grace was relieved they seemed to understand. “I appreciate that. I feel much better about the idea of spending the winter here knowing you guys will be here, too.”

“We’ll have tons of fun,” Stephanie promised.

Laura tossed the lipstick they’d chosen into the basket and steered Grace toward the checkout. “Let’s get out of here. We’ve got to get you ready for a hot date!”

“I’m
not
having sex with him,” Grace protested an hour later as the three women crowded into the small bathroom in her room at the Beachcomber to experiment with hairstyles. Stephanie had produced a box of condoms that she’d bought for Grace on the sly when they were at Gold’s.

“Just in case,” Stephanie said with a knowing grin as she put them on the counter next to the sink.

Grace had dropped a hundred dollars on a black silk cocktail dress that her friends assured her was sizzling hot and another fifty on sky-high heels that they said made her legs look a mile long. Since she had absolutely no experience with this stuff, Grace was taking their word for it.

“Read my lips: I am
not
having sex with him.”

“You say that now,” Stephanie said, smirking, “but don’t you want to be ready, just in case?”

“Define ‘ready.’”

“How to say this…” Stephanie looked to Laura for guidance. “You know how when you have an important event, you’d shave your legs?”

“Of course.”

Laura’s eyes danced with mirth as she apparently got where Stephanie was going.

Grace wished one of them would clue her in.

“If there’s any chance you might have sex, you also want to shave…” Stephanie pointed down.

Grace finally got what she meant and gasped. “Ew, really?
All
of it?”

“I wouldn’t say
all
,” Laura said diplomatically. “Most would be good. Guys dig that.”

Grace wondered how she’d managed to live nearly thirty years without knowing this kind of stuff. “They do?”

“Yep,” Stephanie said, holding up Grace’s razor and pointing at the shower. “Time to tame the beast.”

Laura busted up laughing, which spurred giggles all around.

“I don’t think the beast needs taming,” Grace said. “I’m not going to sleep with him.” Maybe if she said it often enough, she’d begin to believe it herself.

“I sleep with his brother, and I’m friends with his other brother’s wife,” Stephanie said. “Trust me when I tell you the McCarthy powers of sexual persuasion are not to be taken lightly.”

“Lalala, too much information.” Laura stuck her fingers in her ears. “I don’t want to know this stuff about my cousins.”

Stephanie rolled her eyes at Laura. “As if it’s news to you.” Giving Grace a nudge toward the shower, she said, “Better to be ready, just in case.”

The idea of sleeping with Evan filled Grace with excitement and anticipation and anxiety. “Fine, but I’m not having sex with him.”

“You keep telling yourself that,” Stephanie said, “but I’ll bet you’ll be thanking me tomorrow.”

Grace eyed the other woman shrewdly. “I’ll take that bet.” She held out her hand. “Twenty bucks?”

Stephanie shook her hand. “Make it fifty. Laura, you’re our witness.”

“Duly noted. Take your shower, Grace, and then I’ll do your hair.”

“You guys must have better stuff to do than babysit me.”

“Are you kidding?” Stephanie said. “This is fun! I can’t wait to see you all dolled up in that black dress Laura found for you and the heels. Evan will wet his pants when he gets a load of you.”

Grace chuckled at that visual as they left the room and shut the door. She eyed the razor warily as she considered their instructions. “Well, they certainly know better than I do, so here goes nothing.”