Page 62 of Betrayal In Calusa Cove
Things could be replaced. Memories couldn’t. Fletcher held himself accountable for not being there for his parents. For not being there when they’d died. But there had been no way of knowing that the end would come in a fiery car crash. It hadn’t been his fault. Nor had it been theirs.
It had been an accident due to poor visibility during a torrential downpour on a night that had destroyed more than two lives. That storm had taken many.
Behind her, she heard him move—bare feet on hardwood, the faint brush of fabric as he leaned against the doorway.
“You trying to seduce me with snacks and whiskey?” he asked, voice low and teasing.
She turned and grinned. “If I was, it’d be working.”
He crossed the room in three long strides and slid his arm around her waist, resting his good hand against the curve of her hip. “You’re all I need, Baily,” he murmured into her hair. “Snacks are just a bonus.”
She tilted her face toward his and kissed him, slow and soft. “You keep talking like that, and I might actually forgive you for keeping a bullet wound from me and give you a little peace and quiet right here in this kitchen.”
He tossed his head back and laughed. Hard. “Do you have any idea where I got the phrase peace and quiet from?”
“I’m scared to ask, and honestly, I’m a little disgusted that I just referenced a blowjob by using it. I mean, really. It’s a little rude if you ask me. It’s like saying the only time you get any peace and quiet around here is when my lips are wrapped around your?—”
“Oh, my God.” He pressed his hand over her mouth. “Do not say it. You’ve been hanging around Audra too much.”
“Is that where you got it from? Because coming from her, it’s almost funny.”
He rested his chin on her shoulder. “No. And I can’t believe I’m going to even say this because it’s kind of gross. I once heard my parents use it to reference the same thing. I believe they had code names for all sorts of sexual acts they didn’t want their son knowing about. Or maybe they didn’t want me to know they were kinky old people.”
“We did catch them in a compromising position in the boat…and in the car.” She chuckled. “Your parents were so adorably in love.”
“That they were.” He took the glass she handed him and lifted it. “To us, finally getting it right this time.”
“To us,” she echoed, clinking her wine glass to his. Her heart swelled. They were finally on even ground again, standing side by side. She sipped, staring into his unwavering gaze.
He set his glass aside, then took hers and did the same thing. “So, shall we go through one of those boxes?” He waved his hand toward the kitchen table and arched a brow.
Shifting her gaze, she sighed. “Do you really think we’re going to find anything other than memories from your childhood?”
“We might not, but it could be fun to rummage through.” He took her hand and led her across the room.
She took a seat as he opened one of the boxes, pulling out his senior yearbook, setting it aside, then digging his hand in and finding a small box of letters.
“Oh, my,” he whispered. “These are all from you.” He waved the stack of envelopes. “I can’t believe my mom stuffed them in here. All of them are addressed to the first Naval Base I was stationed at.”
“Some of those letters are super embarrassing.” Her cheeks flushed. “I hope your folks didn’t read them. In my early letters, I got a little sexually graphic.”
“I know, and I always enjoyed them, but would have to hide them from my friends.” He laughed, setting them aside and pulled out more pictures and a few trophies before moving on to the second box. “You once described in great detail how you wanted a repeat session of sex on my parents’ boat.”
She dropped her forehead to the table and groaned. “I can’t believe some of the things I wrote to you back then.”
He pulled her from the chair and crushed her to his chest, kissing her heard. “I’m thinking I want to defile this room again. Or maybe a different room.”
“We’ve probably had sex in every room in this house.” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, careful not to graze his wound. “I thought for sure your mother finally caught us when we tried it in the laundry room. Why on earth did we think that would be sexy?”
“I’m not sure we did.” He smiled. “I believe it started out as my mom scolding me for bringing in half of the swamp and telling me to undress in the mud room and put my stinky clothes in the washer. Then you strolled in…and gave me ideas.”
“You’re the one who had ideas because I didn’t even say hello before you had my sun dress up to my waist.”
“That’s what happens when you go commando.” He arched a brow.
She shrugged. “It was easier because you always had sex on the brain.”
“So did my girlfriend.” He tugged her tight to his chest and kissed her good and hard. It was the kind of kiss that told her she wasn’t making it out of the kitchen without him stripping her of half her clothes if she wasn’t careful.
