Love's Sweet Discovery

Love’s Sweet Discovery

Short & Sweet Series

By

KD Jones

Romance Rebels Publishing

Copyright © 2015 by KD Jones
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the publisher
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Blurb

Warning: For Mature Adult Audiences. Contains language and actions some may deem offensive. M/F

Claire Vanderling has reached middle age but doesn’t feel like she has anything to show for it. As the manager of a prosperous art gallery, she works hard, but her personal life is practically nonexistent. Her son, Thomas, has graduated college and is about to start a new IT company in Japan with his best friend. She might not see him for six months, so she arranges for them to have one more trip to a family beach home in the Hamptons. When her son’s best friend shows up, she finds much more than just a simple vacation—she discovers a passion long buried inside her.

Jacob Tanner is excited to be starting a new company with his best friend. He wants to go directly to Japan to get settled, but Tom insists that they spend time this summer with Tom’s mother. He met Claire once before while he and Tom were still in school together. When he sees her again, he is surprised to find that he cannot take his eyes off her. How had he not realized how sexy Claire was?

As desire flares up and passion is unleashed, will they give in to their bodies’ demands or will they be able to resist love’s sweet discovery?

Chapter 1

Claire Vanderling frowned at the piece she was adjusting on the display wall. As manager of her friend Lydia’s art gallery, she took pride in helping showcase such exquisite works of art. She took a step back and tilted her head to the side. It was beautiful, but she would have done the lighting and shadows differently.

She shook her head. What was she thinking? She hadn’t painted in years. No, not since she had found her ex-husband, William Rockchester, fucking his beautiful young secretary in their bed.

The only good thing to come out of her marriage was her son, Thomas. He was the joy of her life. No mother could be prouder than she was of him. He was the absolute best parts of her and William. He looked so much like his father with his sandy brown hair and tall, lanky frame. His one resemblance to her was his bright green eyes.

William had insisted she quit college while she was pregnant. He’d promised that she could return part-time after the baby was born, but that never happened. Being an at-home mom wasn’t so bad but she felt something was missing from her life.

Thinking of her little Thomas made her sigh. He wasn’t so little anymore.

Thomas graduated last year from college. He had spent the past year working in New York, coming up with his own business plan. Just last month he and his best friend, Jacob, got the financial backing to open their own IT company in Japan. They would be moving there in August.

It saddened her to know that she might not see her son for six months to a year. That’s why she decided that they should spend one more summer at their family beach home in the Hamptons.
Claire wanted a month but Thomas said that he could only spare a couple of weeks. She would take what she could get.

*****

“We should be in Tokyo looking for a good work site for our office.” Jacob Tanner paced the small New York City apartment that he shared with his best friend and business partner, Tom Rockchester.

“I can’t believe you’re complaining about a free vacation. You’re nothing but work, work, work. When was the last time you had any fun?” Tom plopped down on the big comfy sofa.

Jacob thought about it for a moment. “Fun can happen later. We need to stay focused on our business plans.” He wasn’t out of shape—he usually went to the gym every morning and played basketball on the weekends—and he got plenty of sun. His new business was taking up most of his time, though, so it might have been about a month since he had done any extracurricular activities.

“When’s the last time you got laid?”

“That is none of your damn business!” He had dated some and had a few more serious relationships, but they always fizzled out. His previous one had lasted a year before she left him because he was too busy to pay any attention to her. Jacob just assumed that once he and Thomas got their business up and running smoothly, he would have plenty of time to pursue a social life. 

“I’m just saying that you haven’t taken any breaks in almost two years. Leslie left you a year ago and you haven’t dated anyone since.”

“I don’t have time, and women always want you to give them plenty of attention.”

“I’m just as busy but I make the time, Jacob. Life’s too short to be all work and no play.” Tom’s cell phone buzzed so he pulled it out of his back pocket and started reading his text messages.

“Fine, I’ll go to the beach house with you.” He knew Tom wouldn’t let up until he agreed. He would take his laptop and get some work done, and maybe find time for a little surfing, too.

“Great. I’ll text you the address to the house, and here’s a spare key.” Tom handed him the key and typed a message to Jacob’s phone.

Jacob looked at the key in his palm. “Wait, aren’t we going together?”

“I have to wait on the bankers to finalize the paperwork. Then I’ll come up.”

“I could stay for that,” Jacob offered.

“Nope. If you stay, you probably won’t come at all. You go on to the beach house and relax. It shouldn’t take more than a day or two. We’ll be there for at least two weeks.”

Jacob watched Tom walk to the door. “Hold up, you never said two weeks!”

“Mom wanted me to come for the whole month but I told her we couldn’t spare but two weeks. Don’t argue, go and pack. I’ll see you in a day or two.” Tom rolled his eyes when Jacob grumbled. “I’m going to go get us some beer.” He turned and left the apartment.

“Damn it!” How uncomfortable would he be sitting around with Tom’s mommy? Shit, he should have refused.

Jacob went up to his loft bedroom and started packing his clothes. He picked mostly shorts with a few suits in case they all went out for dinner. Jacob decided he would spend as much time on the beach as possible. Besides, Tom and his mother would be so caught up in visiting each other they would barely know he was there.

He felt a little better and was actually starting to look forward to catching some waves. His parents left him to be raised by his grandparents who lived near the shore, and he used to surf every day before and after school. It kept him out of trouble. There was nothing like being on his board out in the ocean, surrounded by nature. The smell of the sea and the warmth of the sun were very therapeutic.

He looked over at a framed picture of his grandparents. They would definitely want him to take a vacation and relax. Maybe this would be just the thing he needed.

Chapter 2

Claire pulled up to the oceanside beach cottage. It sat on stilts, allowing for parking underneath. She parked her car and pulled out her two suitcases. She should have packed lighter than this, but she was going to be here for two weeks.

She had made good time, arriving right as the sun was setting. Claire grabbed her travel cases and carried them up the steep circular steps leading to the decking that overlooked the ocean. She opened the door to the cottage and sneezed. It had been a while since anyone had used it. Thomas had brought his friends there to celebrate graduating college, but Claire had not been there in years.

She left her bags in the entryway and walked into the front living room. She opened the large sliding doors, letting the breeze come in. The ocean air was clean and invigorating. Claire closed her eyes, inhaled deeply, and released her stress along with the air she took in. “Much better.”

The sun was just touching the horizon. Beautiful golds, reds, and yellows sprinkled out across the ocean. It always made her think of one word:
majestic
.

She went back inside and got her bags, passing through the dining room, which was connected to the living room and open to the kitchen. She continued down the hallway. On the left were two bedrooms with a bathroom in the middle. There were two doors on the right. One opened to a closet with a double stack washer/dryer combination and shelving next to it with towels and toiletries. The next door on the right was her old art studio. She hadn’t painted in years, but when she did it was often on vacation. She passed by without opening the door. At the end of the hallway was the master bedroom.

The two guest rooms had partial ocean views. Her bedroom was situated at the right angle to get a wide view of the ocean almost as nice as the view from the front room. She opened the door and walked inside. She sniffed and almost sneezed again; it was stuffy in there, too.

Claire opened the windows in the other two bedrooms to get a good breeze going through the beach house. She went to the kitchen next and opened the cabinets and the refrigerator. No food at all. She was going to have to make a trip to the grocery store tomorrow. She was too tired and just wanted to relax for the evening. She wasn’t hungry because she had a late lunch on the road.

She sat on the couch and read for a few hours. When Claire caught herself dozing, she made herself get up and close all the doors. Then she headed for bed. On her nightstand, she had a picture of her and Thomas when he was five years old on the beach. One of the neighbors had taken it for her. They had such wonderful memories here. She was glad she’d insisted that Thomas spend a little time with her before he left.

Claire opened one of her suitcases and pulled out a nightgown. She kicked off her shoes and changed into her pajamas. She was too tired to take a shower.

*****

Jacob cringed at seeing Tom’s mother’s car parked under the beach house. He had hoped to get there before she did, or at least arrive at a decent hour. Instead, it was almost two in the morning. He didn’t want to wake her up, especially since Tom wasn’t with him. That would be awkward.

He grabbed his bag and headed up the stairs. Jacob heard the waves crashing against the shore and smelled the salty sea air. He closed his eyes as he enjoyed the moment. Maybe he did need this time to relax. He had noticed Tom’s old surfboards lined under the beach house and they had inspired him to go out at the crack of dawn and catch a few waves.

Tom was right. Jacob needed this little break before he moved and started their new business. Once in Japan he didn’t know when he would have time to take a vacation. This would hopefully be just what he needed.

Chapter 3

Claire stretched as she woke up. Sleeping in was her favorite part of vacations. She knew it had to be close to eight or eight thirty. Usually she was up as early as six for work.

She thought about what she needed to do to get the house ready for Thomas’s arrival. She had to change out the sheets on the beds, take a full inventory of what was in the kitchen cabinets, and make a trip to the grocery store.
At least I have stuff to make a pot of coffee.

Claire got up and put on a robe. As she walked down the hall, she paused at the door of her studio. Reaching out, she turned the handle and pushed the door open. It was one of the dustier rooms. She walked inside and over to her easel, where she had a half-finished painting. On the floor were several blank canvases.

She opened the case with her painting supplies in it and frowned at seeing the dry state of her brushes. It bothered her to see how badly she had let things go. This was not her. Claire took pride in caring for her possessions and her tools. The reason this painting wasn’t finished was because it had been started right around the time that she had caught her ex cheating on her. She’d never had the heart to complete it. Claire took it down from the easel and put it out of sight.

If she was going to start painting again, she should start with a clean slate. Claire put up a blank canvas but when she reached for the brushes she knew they were ruined. She had to get new ones. She added them to her list of things to get.

Claire left the studio and went to the kitchen to get the coffee pot set up. At least she could make herself a decent cup of coffee before she went to the store. There was no sugar or creamer but she needed the caffeine more than anything.

Once she got her cup made, she headed toward the sliding doors and stepped out onto the deck. Claire sat down on one of the chairs by the patio set and looked around at her surroundings. There weren’t a lot of people out on the beach yet. The seagulls squawked overhead. The sound of crashing waves was peaceful, then something out on the ocean caught her attention. She leaned forward, squinting. Ah, a surfer was out.

She glanced around at the beach and noted there were a few more beach houses that had been built since the last time she had been there. She really needed to come out more often. Feeling inspired, Claire got up and jogged back to her studio and grabbed a large sketchbook and pencils. She also snagged one of her smaller easels and headed back to the deck.

Claire set up her sketching tools and stood while she drew the landscape. Her technique was a little rusty, but she flipped from page to page expanding the drawing each time. She just felt like something was missing.

She looked up and saw the surfer on the beach talking to a few bikini-clad girls who walked by. He waxed his board, and from where she was standing she could see every rippling muscle. He was simply gorgeous, strong and sexy as hell.

Claire hadn’t realized that her hand with the pencil was moving and she turned in surprise to find that she had been sketching the surfer. She didn’t catch his face, only his back and his profile. It was enough to get her artistic side turned on.

She wasn’t sure how long she had been sketching, maybe a couple of hours. Claire stretched her arms a little then used her little pinky to smooth out the surfer’s defined muscles. Damn, she wished her paints and paint brushes were not ruined because she was itching to add color. She was so caught up in her drawing she did not hear her muse approach.

“Wow, that’s a great sketch.”

Startled, Claire turned around quickly, almost knocking her easel backward. She gazed up at the man who had inspired her inner painter. “What?”

“Didn’t mean to startle you. I knew you managed an art gallery but Tom never said a word about you being a talented artist yourself,” the stranger said in a deep, rumbly voice.

Who was this? How did he know Thomas? It took her a moment looking the hot guy up and down before she finally realized who he was. “Jacob?”

“Hi, Mrs. Rockchester.”

*****

Jacob felt his breath catch. He had seen Tom’s mother once at their graduation, but it was not up close. He had no idea that she was so fucking hot. He felt his shaft harden in his wet bathing shorts.

Claire was wearing a very short blue robe, and he wondered if she had anything on underneath. Images of her naked with her long dark hair spread out over his pillow entered his mind and he had a hard time concentrating on what she was saying.

Were her nipples puckered?
He licked his lips with desire. He was drooling a little.