Lying in the Sand (6 page)

She pulled it out of the display box then handed it to him. “And the size?” she asked.

Henry handed it to Sydney. “You guys are the same size. Can you try it on?”

Sydney pulled her wedding ring off and put Ren’s on. “It’s a perfect fit.”

“Good.” Henry took it off. “This is perfect.”

“Alright.” The associate rang him up. “How would you like to pay for that?”

“Credit card,” he blurted. He handed the card over.

Coen clapped his shoulder. “We’ll take you out to lunch…since you’re officially broke.”

Henry laughed. “Thanks, guys.”

“What’s your plan?” Sydney asked over lunch.

“I want it to be intimate, but I want everyone there immediately afterward. I think it would mean a lot to her,” Henry said.

“Well, you’re a writer,” Coen said. “Maybe you should write her something.”

Henry rubbed his chin. “I think I know what I want to do. But I’ll need your help…and Thatcher’s help.”

“Thatcher?” Coen asked.

“Why him?” Sydney asked.

“Because he’s rich and knows everyone on the island. He might be able to get someone to do a favor for me,” Henry said.

“Since you’re Nancy’s best friend, I’m sure he would do anything for you,” Sydney said.

“Yeah, I think he would.” Henry felt his heart rate increase. “I can’t believe this is really happening. I never thought I would feel this way about someone…besides you.”

Sydney placed her hand on his. “I’m so excited for you. Ren is the perfect girl.”

“I know she is,” Henry said. “She came into my life at the most random time. But she stuck.”

Coen smirked. “And she blows your mind, right?”

Henry nodded. “Like no one else.”

“Then marry her,” Coen said. “Sydney is the best sex I’ve ever had. The first time we fooled around, I knew I wanted to screw around with her a lot.”

“Is that supposed to be romantic?” Sydney snapped.

“What?” Coen asked. “You think I fell in love with you for your awesome personality? If you remember, all we did was fight when we met.”

She glared at him. “But we developed a relationship too.”

Henry knew where this was going. “So I need your help on this one. You’ll be there?”

That seemed to snap the couple out of their fight. “Of course,” Sydney said. “We’re so excited.”

“Yeah, man. We are.” Coen fist pounded him. “Now we’ll both have balls and chains.”

“Never thought I’d be excited about that,” Henry said with a laugh.

“Believe me, it’s pretty incredible.” He gave Sydney a fond look. “It’s something you’ll appreciate every morning when you wake up.”

Sydney smiled at him then gave him a gentle kiss.

Henry watched them, jealous. Not because he wanted Sydney, but because he wanted that with Ren as soon as possible.

Chapter Six

Cheyenne kept thinking about Gray long after their last kiss. He was sophisticated and sexy. He was good-looking but interesting at the same time. There was more to his pretty face and exceptionally chiseled body. And the fact he was forward with her, telling her exactly what he wanted, was something she longed for. He didn’t reject her. Instead, he made her feel beautiful. If Bryce didn’t want her, that was okay. Because someone else did.

Cheyenne went to Derek’s apartment after work, his cash in her purse. When she came to the door, Paola answered it.

“Hey.” Her long dirty blonde hair reached her chest. Her tight and toned body was obvious in everything she wore. And she was a sweet girl, everything Cheyenne wanted her brother to find in another person.

“Hey.”

Paola opened the door and let her enter. “What brings you here?”

“I just stopped by to see my brother.”

“Not sure why. There isn’t much to see.” She smirked then headed to the living room. “Derek, your sister is here.”

“Tell her to jump off a cliff,” he yelled from the bedroom.

Cheyenne rolled her eyes. “I guess I’ll keep the fifty bucks you loaned me.”

His voice echoed down the hallway instantly. “I’m coming.”

Paola laughed then sat on the couch. “So, how’s it going?”

“Good. Bryce fixed my car but he refused to let me pay him for it. So I’m giving Derek his money back.”

“That was nice of him,” she said.

“Yeah, friendly.” The bitterness was in her voice.

Paola caught the tone. “Did something happen?”

“No, nothing happened.” Literally.

Derek came down the hall, his hair damp. “Just got back from the beach.”

Cheyenne pulled the cash out of her wallet. “Thanks for loaning it to me.”

“Did you get paid already?”

“No. Bryce refused to take my money.”

Derek pocketed it. “He’s a good guy. I like him.”

“I like him too.”

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with him…” He gave me a hopeful look. My brother was desperate for me to move on with a good guy.

“I enjoy his company—but he’s just a friend.”

“Oh, come on. You guys are totally into each other.”

She laughed. “No, believe me, we aren’t. Besides, I’m seeing someone.”

His eyes widened. “What? Who the fuck is it?”

“Geez, calm down.” Her brother went from calm to insane in a just a split second.

“I said who is it?”

“You just asked me to jump off a cliff a second ago.”

“Don’t play games with me.” He got in her face. “Who is it? Why don’t you just go out with Bryce? He’s a good guy. Why do you always pick losers?” His face was starting to get red.

“Okay, first of all, the guy I’m seeing isn’t a loser.”

“You’re a horrible judge of character,” he snapped.

She held her cool. “He’s a regular at the hotel I stay at. He builds hotels in Hawaii and California. He’s loaded and he’s a gentleman. He took me out to dinner then walked me to my car.” She left out the part about his desire to hook up. “There’s nothing wrong with him.”

“Is he old?”

“No, he’s twenty-seven. Just a little older than me.”

“What about Bryce? What’s wrong with him?”

“The guy I’ve spent the past three months with? The guy who hasn’t asked me out?”

“He just wants to take it slow. Give him a chance.”

“I did. I asked him out last week and he turned me down.”

His eyes widened. “What?”

“You heard me. I asked him to go out to dinner and he blew me off.”

Derek’s face was plastered in confusion.

“And that didn’t exactly make me feel good. Gray took me out and we had a good time. I’m not wasting anymore time with Bryce.”

Derek was quiet for a while, just thinking. “I want to meet him before you see him again.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I don’t want you to waste your time with a dick.”

She sighed. “After dating a jerk, I know how to spot them. Don’t worry about that.” She headed to the door and opened it. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“I mean it. If he wants to date you, he needs to ask my permission.”

She rolled her eyes. “This isn’t the
Godfather
.”

“I’m your brother and that’s how it’s going to happen.”

She walked out. “I’ll see you later.”

“I mean it.”

She shut the door and walked out.

When Cheyenne looked up from her desk, she saw someone she recognized.

Gray gave her a dark look before he approached. “I was hoping to run into you.”

Despite the chill running up and down her spine, she kept her façade of indifference. “The feeling is mutual.”

He rested one hand on the counter and drummed his fingers on the surface. “Would you like to check me in?”

“It’s what I’m paid to do.” She searched his name and found his reservation. “Three nights at the club level ocean view room.” She swiped his keys in the machine then handed them over.

He took one then placed the other on the counter. “Feel free to stop by whenever you want—day or night.” He gave her a dark smolder before he grabbed his bag and walked to the elevator.

When he was out of sight, she released the air she was holding then grabbed the key, stuffing it into her pocket. Whenever she was near him, he made her knees weak. Her lips burned and her throat suddenly became dry. All she could think about was how good his kiss felt. She hadn’t stopped thinking about him since they parted. And now she was thinking about him even more.

When her break came around, she received a message from Gray.

You look lovely today—even with the counter blocking most of you.

She smirked even though she wished she wouldn’t.
You looked good from my angle too.

Just good?

Her cheeks blushed.
I misspoke. Sexy—that’s what I meant to say.

Much better. I hope you don’t have plans tonight because I’m taking you to dinner.

Fortunately, I don’t.

Good. Because I haven’t stopped thinking about the last kiss we shared since the moment it happened.

Now she was grinning like an idiot.
That makes two of us.

I’ll meet you in the entryway at nine. And I should warn you…

What?

I’m going to kiss you the second I see you.

The butterflies flew in her stomach, and her thighs automatically squeezed together. No one had ever swept her off her feet like that. No one had been romantic, had made her feel desired in this way. He was repairing the insecurities Bryce caused. She put her phone way and got back to work.

At nine she met Gray in the same spot she met him last time. He was wearing a black suit with a blue tie. His thin legs looked toned in the slacks, and his shoulders were broad. When he turned in her direction, she stared at his blue eyes, which suddenly looked gray. He stared at her hard, the intensity shining through. One hand was in his pocket and he sauntered to her, closing the gap between them.

When she reached him, she suddenly felt light, like she was floating in space. It was an out of body experience, one she couldn’t describe.

Gray immediately wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her to him, crushing her. Then he cupped her face and gave her a hard kiss, moving his lips against hers. He breathed into her mouth almost instantly, the passion taking over.

She hooked her arms around his neck and kissed him hard, pulling him as close as possible. His tongue moved into her mouth, touching hers lightly. Then he sucked her bottom lip before his mouth moved against hers again.

Her hand moved to his hairline and felt a soft curl. She fingered it, twisting it while he kissed her. She wanted to kiss him all night. Dinner was forgotten. All she wanted was this.

Gray pulled away, the desire heavy in his eyes. “I’m not known for my self control so I’m going to stop before it’s too late.” He kept his face close to hers, looking at her lips.

“Maybe I don’t care about control.” She wasn’t sure why she said that. It was a very stupid thing to blurt out.

His eyes burned and smoldered. “Don’t tease me, darling.” He sucked her bottom lip. “Because I’ll drag you to my room and order room service—not that we’ll be eating it.”

Her spine shivered at his words.

He studied her face before he stepped back. “Now let’s go to dinner before my gentleman side disappears altogether.” He grabbed her hand and walked her to his car. The valet opened the door for her and Gray escorted her inside. Then he got into the driver’s seat.

Once he pulled onto the road, he rested his hand on her thigh, feeling the bare skin. He gripped her gently then released, his fingers making circles across her skin.

Whenever he touched her, she felt the burn in every inch of her skin. Her internal body temperature increased sporadically. She wouldn’t be surprised if there was steam coming out of her ears.

He pulled into the parking lot and killed the engine. “I hope a steakhouse is okay with you.”

“It is.”

He got out then opened the door for her, immediately taking her hand and helping her to her feet. Then he pushed her against the car and boxed her in. His lips sought hers and gave her a long and slow kiss. “Something to hold me over during dinner.”

She was knocked off her feet and could barely think straight. “Yeah…”

He grabbed her hand and walked with her inside. He pulled out the door for her when she sat down then moved across from her. “I recommend the sirloin. It’s quite good.”

“I’ll consider it.” She crossed her legs then looked at the menu. But she wasn’t really thinking about dinner.

He put his menu down, already knowing what he wanted. “How was your week?”

“Uneventful. My car battery died so I didn’t have a car for a while.”

“Is everything okay now?”

“Yeah. My friend helped me out.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“How was California?”

“Good. But I worked the entire time.”

“It sounds like you’re a workaholic.”

He shrugged. “Guilty. But the greatest success stories in life are people who live and breathe their job. There’s no such thing as a forty hour week work schedule.”

She nodded. “My brother has been surfing non-stop for years. Now he’s a pro.”

“Your brother sounds like an interesting guy.”

“He is. I can’t stand him but I love him.”

He smirked. “My sister and I are the same way. I’m insanely protective of her and she hates it.”

Cheyenne laughed lightly. “My brother is the same way.”

He studied her face. “Does he know about me?”

What should she say? “I mentioned you.”

“And what did he say?”

“He flipped—like normal.”

He laughed. “He wants to kill me?”

“No. He wants to meet you so he knows if you’re a good guy.”

He nodded but didn’t anything.

“That wasn’t my way of asking you to meet my brother,” she said quickly. “He sticks his nose in my personal life too often. I know he’s coming from a good place, but he takes it too seriously. He puts too much pressure on himself to take care of me and look after me.”

He processed my words for a moment. “Any particular reason why?”

She didn’t want to discuss Ryder. She wanted to forget about it. “My parents passed away a few years ago. Now he feels like he has to be a mom and dad to me—even though I’m older.”

His eyes fell in sadness. “I’m so sorry…”

“It’s okay. It’s hard but it was a long time ago. My brother and I are doing well under the circumstances.”

“May I ask what happened?”

“A drunk driver hit them.”

“I understand your brother’s attitude.”

The waitress approached their table.

Gray took a moment to compose himself. “I’ll have the house sirloin.”

She looked at the menu again. “I’ll have the chicken masala, please.”

She walked away and left them in silence.

Gray reached across the table and placed his hand on hers. “I’m sure your parents are proud of the independent and pretty woman you’ve become.”

She smiled then dropped it quickly. “I know they are.”

He pulled his hand away and sipped his wine, staring at her.

She wanted to change the subject so there wouldn’t be a cloud of depression hanging over them. “Tell me something about you.”

“What would you like to know?”

“Did you go to college?”

He nodded. “USC—I have an MBA.”

MBA? What did that mean? “Sorry?”