Sun-Kissed

 

Standing in front of Jackson’s charcoal gray front door, I set my tote on the ground and wiped my clammy hands on my shorts. I didn’t like not knowing what to expect, and I was at a total loss as to what Jackson wanted. His instructions to bring my swimsuit along suggested that I wasn’t here to be reprimanded for my disappearing act, but when it came to the formidable team leader, there was no telling.

It didn’t help that I’d essentially agreed to date Jackson without even speaking to him about it. Although I hadn’t discussed the issue with Liam or Chase before making my decision, it was different with them. They’d both made their interest in me obvious before I left Santa Cruz. Jackson, on the other hand, often made me wonder if he merely tolerated my presence. Admittedly, things had improved between us, but I was still having trouble wrapping my head around the idea that he wanted something more than friendship.

The door swung open and Liam stood there with a smile so big there were creases in his cheeks. “I couldn’t wait any longer for you to knock,” he said, gathering me into a tight hug.

He backed away quickly and gave me a once-over, his gaze lingering on my hair, which was in waves around my shoulders. “I’d seen the video surveillance, but I still can’t get over you with black hair. You’ll dye it back, right?”

Not giving me a chance to respond, he ushered me into the house, tote and all. “Sorry, come in. It feels like I’ve been waiting forever to see you, and now I’m mucking it up. Let’s try this again.”

He placed his hands on my shoulders to hold me in place, then backed up a few steps. I couldn’t help but notice he was wearing what I considered a typical Liam outfit—slim-fitting navy slacks, a light blue dress shirt, and expensive-looking shoes. He’d shed his tie, and several buttons were undone at the neck, providing a glimpse of the smooth skin under his shirt. In other words, he looked amazing.

After a long pause, Liam strutted toward me, his smile back in full force. “Hello, gorgeous. Welcome home.” Wrapping his arms around my waist, he pulled me in close and placed a chaste kiss on my cheek.

Attempting to hide my surprise, and slight disappointment, at his restraint, I returned his smile. “Hello, Liam. I didn’t realize you were going to be here.”

“I wouldn’t have been able to keep him away if I tried.” Jackson appeared at the patio door with Penny at his side. Unlike Liam, he’d already changed and looked relaxed in a pair of boardshorts and T-shirt. I soaked up the sight of him, my eyes drawn to his messy black curls and ever-present five o’clock shadow. After months without seeing him, and perhaps due to the awkwardness of our altered relationship, I found his perfection more intimidating than ever.

Penny ran to me, and I knelt to pet her, relieved at the momentary reprieve from both Liam and Jackson. “Hi, girl,” I cooed, scratching under her chin and behind her ears. “I missed you.”

“I hate that I’m jealous of a dog right now,” Liam grumbled.

I looked up at him, and he shrugged. “What? She’s getting a more enthusiastic greeting than I did.”

“You startled me, that’s all.”

“I told you to wait for her to knock,” Jackson said smugly, still standing by the patio door. “Haley, do you want to go down to the beach? The water is almost tolerable this time of year.”

“Sure.”

“Do you need to change?”

“Nope, I’ve got my suit on under my clothes.”

“Okay, come on out whenever you’re ready.” He whistled for Penny and she trotted after him.

Liam slowly approached, a glint in his eyes. He tugged on one sleeve of my top, revealing my shoulder, then ran a finger over the strap of my swimsuit. “The striped one-piece. I approve.” His eyes told me he remembered every second of our encounter the last time I’d worn this suit. I did too. His hands on my bare flesh, our first kiss, my legs wrapped around his waist . . . I’d relived it many times.

“I’m glad.”

He stroked my shoulder, the skin tingling under his touch. “I’m truly happy you’re home.”

“Me too,” I whispered.

Abruptly, he withdrew and headed toward the study. “I’ll see you outside.”

What was that about?

After a brief internal pep talk, I made my way through Jackson’s living room to the glass doors leading outside. He was reclining on a lounger, appearing as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Dark sunglasses hid his eyes, but I could still feel their intensity when I settled onto the chair next to him.

I scanned the mostly deserted beach, watching a surfer in the distance as he wiped out and then again. Though there was a breeze, the August heat was almost stifling, and I had to admit that the water looked inviting. Maybe if I just walked in up to my knees, I wouldn’t freeze.

“You don’t need to feel uncomfortable around me.” Jackson’s words broke the silence, and I jerked my head to look at him, but his gaze was trained on the ocean.

“What?”

“As soon as you arrived, I could tell you were dreading seeing me.”

“I wasn’t dreading—”

His chuckle interrupted my disagreement. “There’s no point denying it. You stayed in the car for a good ten minutes before finally making it to the door and stalling there as well.”

I bit my lip. Why did he have to be so observant?

“I’m sorry. I guess I’m a little nervous.”

He stood and stripped off his T-shirt, tossing it carelessly on the chair. “There’s no reason to be. Treat this like any other day at the beach. No expectations, no pressure.”

His words barely registered as I stared at his torso. As always, Jackson’s skin had that healthy, sun-kissed hue I loved. And, his build was just right. Not too slim or too bulky, but sleek and cut.

I cleared my throat. “Okay, I can do fun.” Avoiding his gaze, I pulled off my top and shimmied out of my shorts. After folding them neatly and sliding them in my tote, I grabbed my sunscreen and began applying it on my arms.

“Do you need help with that?” Jackson had removed his sunglasses and was watching me with a smirk.

Pretending annoyance, I snorted and continued applying the lotion. “Don’t tell me you’re resorting to the oldest line in the book.”

“Assisting you with responsible skin protection is nothing but common courtesy.”

“Is that so?”

He took a couple of steps toward me, and my breath hitched. “Indeed, it is.”

Taking the bottle from my hand, he moved behind me and brushed my hair over one shoulder. He caressed the lotion into my skin, under the straps at my shoulders and across my back. His movements weren’t overly sensual, but they weren’t as innocent as they could have been, either.

“For the record, I’m happy you’re back.” He stood back as if to inspect his handiwork. “You’re good to go.”

I let out an exaggerated sigh to hide my pleasure at his small admission. “That’s a relief.”

Jackson grabbed a couple of towels, then placed his hand on my lower back as he steered me to the stairs leading down to the beach, Penny following behind. “If you’re being a smartass in an attempt to push me away, it’s not working. I happen to like your smart mouth.”

How did he see through me so easily?

Deciding that my mouth was already getting me into enough trouble, I didn’t respond, instead relishing the feel of my toes sinking into the sand and the sound of the waves rolling to shore. Being back in Santa Cruz made me happy, and not only because of the guys. I had every intention of soaking it up.

“You planning on staying way up there?” Jackson asked, already knee-deep in what I knew to be frigid water.

“No.” I took several small steps until my feet were covered. This isn’t so bad. Then, a wave sprayed water over my legs and I jumped back. “Holy crap!”

Jackson laughed as he waded in even deeper. “I never knew you were such a wimp.”

“I am not a wimp,” I protested. “It’s freezing!”

He shook his head sadly. “Gidget would be so disappointed in you.”

I gaped at him. “You watch Gidget?”

“I have trouble sleeping sometimes, which means I’ve seen a lot of old TV shows.”

“Well, then you should know that she lived in Southern California. Big difference.”

“Actually, the water is only about ten degrees cooler here.”

“Then, this shouldn’t bother you,” I said as I kicked my foot, splashing him in the face, although I’d been aiming for his chest. Oops.

I immediately braced myself for retaliation, but instead of dousing me, he picked me up and carried me farther into the water. Laughing and squealing for him to put me down, I latched onto his neck, hoping he wouldn’t dunk me all the way under.

When I finally stopped struggling, he placed me on my feet and held onto my hips. The water almost reached my waist, but it didn’t feel nearly as cold with so much adrenaline pumping through my veins. And, it probably didn’t hurt that my body was plastered against Jackson’s.

“Truce?” I asked hopefully.

“I could be persuaded . . . if you agree to a surfing lesson.”

“I don’t know, Moondoggie, will there be a wetsuit involved?”

“As fun as it would be to torture you, yes, I will get you a wetsuit.”

I removed my arms from around his neck and backed toward the shore and a barking Penny. “We have a deal, then.”

Stretched out on beach towels, the sun quickly drying us, Jackson explained some of the basics of surfing. I doubted that his instructions would be very helpful without a demonstration, but I was grateful he was filling the silence rather than drilling me about my time away. Apparently, it was possible to turn off his “team leader” mode after all.

As we walked back up the stairs to Jackson’s house, I was surprised to see Knox, Chase, and Theo seated around the patio table and Liam standing at the grill. Only Ethan was missing, something I tried not to dwell on.

“What are you guys doing here?”

Theo stood and gave me a hug. “You didn’t think we’d deny you a welcome home dinner, did you? Cute swimsuit, by the way.”

“Thanks.” Skittish from all the eyes on me, I said, “I guess I’ll, um, go change.”

Inside the house, I decided it was time for another pep talk. I hadn’t prepared myself for the possibility of facing the guys together so soon, and I didn’t know how to act around them. One-on-one, I felt reasonably comfortable, even with Jackson. But, dinner with all five? How could that be anything but awkward? Would we overlook the humongous elephant in the room?

It’s fine, Haley. Go out there and pretend like everything’s normal and ignore the fact that you’ll soon be dating, and kissing, five guys who are best friends. It’s only dinner. No big deal.

And, it was fine. The guys must have sensed I was feeling unsure of myself and the situation, because they did an admirable job of keeping the conversation on ordinary topics . . . until dessert. I had just taken the first bite of my ice cream sundae, loaded with every topping imaginable, when Theo opened his big mouth.

“So, has everyone made a date with Haley for next week?”

I dropped my spoon, and it clanged against the edge of the bowl. Theo’s face was a mask of innocence, but I scowled at him anyway. What was he up to? He hadn’t even asked me out yet.

Chase gave me a soft smile. “Haley and I are going out on Saturday.”

“Excellent!” Theo exclaimed. “Put me down for Sunday, then.”

“Actually,” Jackson interrupted, “I need Haley on Sunday.”

Need?

He focused those deep blue eyes on me. “I thought we could have the Zenith chat you were promised, if that works for you.”

My pulse quickened. Jackson was going through with it? “Of course.”

“Good. I’ll come over to the loft Sunday afternoon.”

“Do you want the rest of us there?” Knox asked Jackson.

“No, I’ve got this.” He turned to me. “I do have one question for you before then, though.”

“What’s that?”

“Knox told me that you saw your father last month?”

“That’s right.”

“Is there anything you can tell us about where he is and what he’s doing?”

“Yes and no. I don’t know where he is, but he’s been staying in touch by phone.”

Knowing I needed to be honest with them, I explained the connections I’d made researching Dad’s old case files—Danny Franco’s unsolved murder and his girlfriend’s testimony about the dark-haired man who visited their apartment shortly before. The fact that Franco had a membership to The Punching Bag, the gym where my dad suspected DuBois was involved in drug distribution. And, I told them about the seven-digit number that was connected to both Franco and DuBois.

“When I talked to my dad a couple of days ago, he said he’d tracked down Franco’s girlfriend but didn’t tell me anything else. As far as I know, he hasn’t figured out the number’s significance yet.”

“I can help,” Chase offered.

“We all can,” Knox said. “Do you think he would accept it?”

Considering my dad was determined to keep me out of the entire DuBois situation, I doubted it. But, it would make sense for him to take them up on their offer, since they could help him. Of course, he didn’t trust anyone, so that was probably wishful thinking.

“Honestly, I don’t know. He wouldn’t be happy with me for telling you all of this, but I’m tired of the secrets. Can I think about it?”

Jackson nodded. “We’re not going to force our involvement, but make sure your father knows that we have the resources and ability to assist.”

“Thank you, and thank you all for dinner. This was nice.”

“Not nearly as nice as the party Liam and I wanted to throw you,” Theo said sulkily.

“Party?” I laughed, then looked around the table. “Who do I have to thank for keeping Theo and Liam under control?”

“I take offense to that,” Liam said. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to spoil you.”

“Did you see the sundae bar? If that’s not spoiling me, what is?”

“A four-layer cake,” Theo said. “One for every month you were away.”

His smile told me he was teasing, but I could still sense his hurt beneath the surface. I didn’t blame him, any of them, for being upset with me. Would my presence be enough to make it up to them? Or, would I have to prove I was home for good?