Last Call (32 page)

Ed’s shoulders slumped to the point she
thought he might collapse onto the bar. “I had to do something to
make sure Jane was taken care of.” His voice was so soft Sunny
barely heard him. He looked at Sunny with pleading eyes. “Can you
understand that?”

She looked away, not ready to forgive, but
knowing if she looked into those sad eyes any longer, she’d be
sucked in. “I understand desperation makes people do crazy things.
But there had to have been another way. A way that wouldn’t have
betrayed the trust of everyone who voted for you. The trust of your
friends.”

He stared at his bottle, not speaking, just
thinking. “I guess I better head home and tell Jane. She needs to
hear it from me, rather than someone else.”

Sunny grabbed his hand to stop him from
standing. “Jane doesn’t know you took a bribe?”

He looked at the floor and shook his head.
“No, she’d never approve.” He sighed like a broken-down, defeated
man. “This just might be the end of forty good years.”

Gavin took a long drink of his beer and
looked around at the long faces of the few remaining bar patrons.
The atmosphere had taken a serious nosedive during Sunny’s
confrontation with Ed, and it pretty much stayed in the shitter
since. He'd walked out nearly forty-five minutes before, ass
dragging the pavement, and everyone was still wandering around in a
state of shock and disbelief.

“I can’t believe he took the bribe,” Joe said
for the fifteenth time.

“Do you think Miss Jane will really leave
him?” Robby’s eyes were wide with concern, and his earlier rage
seemed to have dissipated.

Joe’s anger had also come down a notch or
two, but wasn’t anywhere near gone. “She won’t leave the sorry
bastard. She’ll make his life hell for a while, and he deserves it.
I’ve known Ed most of my life. Believe me, this isn’t the first
stupid thing he’s done in the past forty years. It’s a doozy, but
it’s not the worst.”

Whoa, what the hell had Ed done that was
worse than
—

Gavin’s thoughts were cut short when Joe’s
black-as-night stare landed squarely on his face. “What’s your role
in all this?”

Gavin had braced himself for that question
and was surprised it took so long for someone to ask. The others in
the bar turned toward him, awaiting his explanation. “I used to
work for Holden Enterprises—”

Sunny gasped. “Used to? What do you mean used
to?”

Oh yeah, he hadn’t gotten around to sharing
that information with her yet. “After screwing Max over the way I
did, I was going to be out of a job, anyway. I figured I’d beat him
to the punch and tendered my resignation this afternoon.” He kicked
back on the barstool like he didn’t have a care in the world. “I’m
on vacation for the next sixteen weeks, and then I’m out of a
job.”

Sunny’s eyes widened even farther and her jaw
nearly came unhinged.

“I told you I had a lot of accumulated
vacation time.” He shrugged and picked at the label on his beer.
“Max’ll get my resignation paperwork tomorrow, and then he can
decide how he wants to handle the vacation pay. I’ll probably get a
lump sum compensation check and be done.” Which would help with
living expenses while he sold his house and began renovations on
the fishing pier.

“Do you know who the other paid-off
commissioners are?” Joe asked.

Gavin nodded to Sunny, who seemed to be lost
in her thoughts. “Sunny thinks she found all five of them.”

She wiped her hands on her jeans and nodded.
“Robby and I found four other names we recognized on a list of
subcontractors.” She smiled sadly and grabbed Joe’s hand. “I was so
relieved when we didn’t find your name.”

“Sunny,” one of the young pool players
called. “We’re gone. We’ll see you Friday.” Although the kids
probably hadn’t understood everything that transpired tonight, they
weren’t immune to the depressing mood, and Gavin wasn’t surprised
to see them calling it an early evening.

Sunny waved at the kids. “You guys be
careful.”

Since Ed left, the other patrons trickled out
pretty consistently. With the kids gone, Joe was the only one left.
He slid his empty bottle across the bar and said, “I think I’m
gonna head out too. Maybe go home and watch a little TV.” He
started to slide off the stool, then paused and looked at Ed’s seat
cover. “Whatcha gonna do with that?”

Sunny sagged, deflated. “Robby wanted to pull
it off this afternoon and burn it, but I wouldn’t let him.” She
chewed her lip and stared at the seat. “Maybe we’ll leave it there
for a while.” Tears filled her eyes. “I feel kinda bad for him. I
know that feeling of being desperate and trapped, but…” She pulled
in a breath, then slowly released it. “Dammit, I don’t know what to
think or feel.”

Joe nodded. “I know what you mean.” He
swiveled his gaze around to Gavin. “I guess since you own the
fishing pier, you’ll be a permanent fixture around here.”

Gavin laughed. “Yeah, I guess so.” He looked
at Sunny and winked. “What do I need to do to get my own barstool
cover?”

She blushed, and before she could answer, Joe
said, “Wait until I’m gone to answer that. I don’t want to
know.”

Robby carried a load of glasses out of the
kitchen and began restocking the shelves. “It’s only nine. I can’t
believe the place is empty.”

Sunny dipped her rag into the bucket of water
and swiped at the bar. “It’ll take a few days before everyone
settles down and things get back to normal.”

“Since everyone’s gone, I’m going with the
guys to Wilmington.” Robby paused and looked up. “I mean, if that’s
okay.” He looked at Gavin, then back to Sunny. “He’s here with you,
so you’ll be okay. Right?”

“I’ll take good care of her.”

Robby made an
ewww
face, and Gavin
laughed. “I didn’t mean it like
that
. I just meant I’ll make
sure she's okay.” But, if Robby was going to be gone… he’d work on
that,
too.

“Right.” Robby grabbed his keys off the back
counter and headed for the door. “Is it okay if I come back here
tonight? Chad’s floor is starting to get uncomfortable.”

“Of course it’s okay. Gavin'll be here, but
you can come home. He’ll be…” She let the words trail off and cut
her eyes to Gavin.

Robby opened the door and yelled over his
shoulder. “I’m locking you guys in to work it out. See you
later.”

“I’ll be what?”

She bit her lip and gave the bar another
swipe. “I was going to say you’d be spending a lot of time with us,
but… Will you?”

Gavin stalked around the end of the bar
toward Sunny, who watched him with wide-eyed anticipation, not
moving, barely breathing. He dropped his bottle into the recycling
can as he passed it, then took her hands in his. “I’ll spend as
much time here as you’ll allow. How about if we go upstairs, get in
that kickass tub of yours, and negotiate.”

***

Gavin brushed Sunny’s hand away as she
reached for the faucet. “You go relax; I’ll do this.” He turned on
the water, held his fingers under the spray, and adjusted the
temperature. “I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

She hip-checked him out of the way and
grabbed her bottle of bubble bath. She took the cap off and
sniffed. It wasn’t too girly smelling so hopefully Gavin wouldn’t
mind. A bath without bubbles—lots of bubbles—just wasn’t a bath.
She dumped a generous portion into the water and watched the suds
form. “You go relax. Your day has been a whole lot rougher than
mine. I’m not the one who flushed my entire career…”

Her breath caught in her throat as the
enormity of the situation hit her square in the chest. She twisted
the top back on the bottle and turned to face him. “I can’t believe
you bought the fishing pier and quit your job.”

His eyes softened as he took the bottle from
her hand and set it on the counter. Pulling her to him, he said,
“I’ve had my doubts for months, I just…” He sighed and rested his
chin on the top of her head. “I didn’t want to look at them too
closely, or try to figure out what they were telling me.”

He always projected so much confidence she
found it hard to believe he could ever have doubts, about anything.
She pulled back from the tight embrace and studied his face
“Doubts? About yourself?”

A cocky smile indicated that was a ridiculous
question, but after a second, the cockiness waned and he turned
pensive, maybe even a little sad. “I haven’t doubted my ability to
run the company. The problem has been my desire to.” His hands
dropped to her waist, then slipped under the hem of her shirt. “I
started to question if that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of
my life.”

His blue gaze melded with hers and in a
flash, the heat in the room spiked—not just the sexual heat, but
the emotional intensity of the moment, as well. Without saying a
word, his eyes and searing touch clearly expressed his intent. The
rest-of-his-life plans now included her.

They hadn’t discussed the future, but there
was no questioning what she saw in his face. For once, he was the
one broadcasting his thoughts, and she found herself nodding in
agreement to his unspoken declaration.

He drew in a shaky breath, then slowly… very
slowly lowered his lips to hers. As he deepened the kiss and his
hand crept up her ribcage, she stiffened and held her breath.

When she dressed this afternoon, she hadn’t
had the energy or mental focus to figure out a good necklace/shirt
combination. She finally decided clothes were clothes and settled
on a plain bra and high-collared shirt, without a necklace. But
now, in this erotically charged moment, she wished she had on
something sexier than a boring white bra and panties.

Sensing her tension, Gavin pulled back from
the kiss. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m afraid you’re going to be
disappointed.”

He flinched, then frowned. “What?”

“I’m not wearing a necklace.” Recognizing her
fears as foolish and anxious to have the awkward moment behind her,
she stepped back from his grasp and stripped off her shirt. “In
fact, I’m not wearing anything special, just a plain old white
bra.”

He tilted his head to the side and looked at
her with such deep tenderness her insides ached. With a soft,
gentle touch, he flipped open the front closure on her bra and
smiled appreciatively. “The necklaces are hot. But…” He cupped her
breasts in his hands as if he were holding a precious piece of
glass. “You are extraordinary.” He tweaked her nipples and dipped
his head. “It’s not the necklaces that make you beautiful.”

She moaned and pushed her fingers through his
hair as he kissed a trail across her shoulder and down to her
breast. While he lavished one breast with the attention of his
tongue and teeth, he massaged the other with his hand.

Through the steam and her own lust-filled
haze, she noticed the bubbles encroaching upon the edge of the tub.
She tugged on the ends of his hair to get his attention. “If we
don’t shut off the water, we’re going to spend our time cleaning up
a mess, rather than making our own wet, sloppy one.”

He unlatched from her breast and rolled his
eyes upward to meet her gaze. His eyelids were heavy, his eyes
dreamy. He looked happy and sated, and if she didn't know better,
she'd swear he was drunk.

“I definitely want to get sloppy wet. Inside
you,” he said, reaching around her to shut off the stream of
water.

His words were like a match to the coals, and
within seconds, Sunny had her clothes off, not-so-patiently waiting
for him to do the same. She’d just about decided to forgo the bath
and jump him where he stood when he stripped out of his pants and
stepped into the tub.

Gavin in her tub, surrounded by bubbles,
proved too much to resist. She took the hand he offered and stepped
in with him. She sighed with appreciation as the two of them eased
into the warm water together, and bubbles crackled and popped as
she relaxed back into the inviting cradle of his body.

Held in his warm embrace with the water
sloshing against her in a gentle caress, the troubles of the past
several days evaporated like the steam coming off the water. Lost
in a relaxing trance, the rough loofa sponge touching her elbow
made her jump and sent bubbles dripping over the edge.

“Ooops.” He chuckled. “Didn’t mean to startle
you.” He dipped the sponge into the water, then squeezed the suds
over her chest and shoulders.

Relaxing deeper into the water, she said,
“You’re spoiling me.”

“Spoiling you makes me happy.”

Despite her body’s relaxed state and her
desire to forget everything except the feel of Gavin’s body wrapped
around hers, her mind continued to work overtime. She’d only gotten
bits and pieces of information, leaving her with more questions
than answers. “What are you going to do?”

In a low, sexy drawl, he said, “Do I really
need to spell it out, or are you just trying to get me to talk
dirty to you?”

Her stomach did a somersault as she twisted
to look at him. She was asking about his future plans, like… Would
he stay in Myrtle Beach and commute, or would he move to Anticue?
What about his grandfather and the farm? What would happen between
the two of them now that he owned the property next door?

She didn’t excel at taking a back seat and
letting life drive itself. She liked having a plan and knowing
where she was headed. But looking into the fathomless blue depths
of his eyes, she decided the future didn’t matter. The only thing
that mattered was right now.

She returned to her relaxed position,
corralled in the strength of his body, and said, “I want you to
talk dirty to me.”

He nipped at her ear before scraping his
teeth over her neck. In a deep, raspy voice, he proceeded to
describe in graphic detail exactly what he planned to do to
her.