Tidal Wave (Paradise Lost Book 3) Read online

  Lauren’s voice is cold, though I can’t hear her words.

  The asshole’s face holds that arrogant sneer and he answers her in a high-pitched voice. I’m not liking this at all. I know she said she can handle it. I believe her. But something in me has had enough of this prick. I start to climb off my boat.

  She stands tall, with her hands on her hips, the sway of the boat tied to the dock doesn’t affect her. God, even without the blonde waves, she’s a fucking Amazon princess.

  That’s when I see the dark-haired guy pull his phone from the pocket of his plaid shorts. He’s looking to his right and left like some kind of cartoon thief. The doughy asshole is moving with purpose toward the boat. He looks like he intends to jump onto it with Lauren. I hop onto the dock and start to run.

  The plaid shorts guy raises the phone up and sites into it just as the pale prick drops into the boat and plops an arm around Lauren.

  I’m on my way. I can’t stand that he’s touching her, that the other guy is poised to take her picture and probably sell it to tabloids, or at the very least post it all over social media. She didn’t do anything to them. Diana is on my heels. Her flip-flops slap the dock and she yells, “Fuckers!”

  I don’t waste any time with the camera guy. He’s close enough to the side of the dock that a shove is all it takes. I don’t even slow my stride. He and his cell phone go overboard with a shout and splash.

  My eyes are on the prick in the boat with Lauren. She’s ducked from under his arm and has moved across the boat, out of his way. I launch myself from the dock and land inches from him. He screams and cowers on the bench alongside the edges of the boat.

  Diana smacks down next to me. She crouches with her hands up, curled slightly, her focus dead on the guy. “I’m gonna drop your ass.”

  He’s tearing up. “Please.”

  Lauren gives me and Diana one of her patented disgusted eye rolls. “Would you guys stand down? For fuck’s sake. He’s a loser.”

  The guy in the water is sputtering and nearly to shore. Lauren points at him. “I am glad you took care of his phone.”

  Diana shimmies back, still keeping her hands up, her bird-dog eyes riveted on the guy, and her crouch in ready mode. “Get your ass off the boat.”

  His gut jiggles over the waistband of his shorts as he scuttles to the side and climbs out onto the dock. “Shit. It’s Liesa Temple, man. You’re like, public property. What’s the big deal?”

  Lauren glares at him. She couldn’t be any more Liesa than she is at that moment. “I’m not Liesa Temple, you asshole. And even if I was, she’s not public property. She’s a human being.”

  That sneer worms its way back onto his face. “If you don’t want attention, why’d you do that show anyway?”

  Diana leaps off the boat like a cheetah after a gazelle. A really weak and soft gazelle. He lets out a whimper and runs down the dock. His drenched friend says, “They owe me a phone!”

  The doughy guy yells at him without stopping. “Shut up!”

  Diana brushes her hands together as if wiping off dust. “Taekwondo, man. Scares the shit out of them. One of these days I’m going to get to use it.”

  Lauren smiles at her but her chin trembles. “It’s great to have a bodyguard.”

  Diana reaches a hand to Lauren’s arm and leaves it there, squeezing it as if calming a scared pony. Lauren keeps her eyes on the floor of the boat and the two stay motionless for a few seconds.

  If I didn’t know how fearless Lauren was, I’d say she was really unnerved by that asshole. The way she’d handled him reinforced my belief. But she sure looks rattled now. As I watch, she straightened her spine and flashed a thankful smile at Diana.

  It reminded me of the way she conquered her fear of the water when she started diving.

  Robert and Toby are walking toward the boats. Now that the divers are gone, they’re anxious to finish the day.

  I love the strength and confidence Diana has, though I know it’s hard-won. “You came out of nowhere.”

  Lauren is already handing tanks out of the boat to Toby and Robert.

  I can’t believe she’s unscathed. I want to say something to support her. “I guess I should have known you can take care of yourself.”

  From the cloud that descends on her face, I can tell I’ve said the absolute wrong thing. She’s irritable when she answers. “I guess I’d tell you to trust me, but I know how that goes.”

  Back to that again. Why would I expect her to suddenly be friendly? Four years to hate me is a long time. “You’re welcome.”

  “For what? Telling the world I was Liesa Temple?”

  Justin would be simply a run of the mill creep, ogling her, and masturbating to her memory, except I informed him she was a celebrity and he assumed that meant free for the taking. “You are Liesa Temple.”

  She glares at me. “I left that behind four years ago.” She slows her words and points at me. “I left a lot behind back then.”

  “Okay, kids.” Diana stands with her hands on her hips, pretending to be oblivious to the impending explosion between the two of us. “We’ve got boats to unload and tanks to fill. Let’s get to work.”

  Chapter 8

  Blake

  What did I ever see in her?

  Long legs? Incredible ass? A laugh that lights your heart?

  That’s not enough to put up with this smug, holier-than-thou attitude of hers. Robert follows me back to my boat and stands on the dock while I lift the tanks up to him. “She’s a firecracker, that Lauren.”

  I glare at her for a moment. She’s not paying any attention to me. She’s laughing with Toby and Diana as if she’s forgotten I’m even here. Damn her.

  “She’s a spoiled princess.” I know I’m muttering and sputtering. I’m the guy who is always friendly and in a good mood. But she works me until I do things I wouldn’t normally do.

  Like walk away from the best friends you ever had?

  She changes me. Always has. When I thought she loved me, I felt as if I could move mountains. I would gladly have tossed one a hundred miles away if it had been in her way. I begged her to walk away from Liesa’s Life. But she wanted to do it on her own terms.

  She felt like she had to protect Zach and her mother, the incredibly self-absorbed Simone. She succeeded in making it possible for Zach and Kylie to be together. And seeing how happy they are together, I ought to be grateful on Kylie’s behalf.

  I tried to keep all news of Liesa Temple far from me, but sometimes I couldn’t help my eyes wandering the Enquirer in the grocery store line. It didn’t seem as if she’d spared her mother anything. Simone’s money troubles even made it past my information barriers.

  But no news of Liesa. She’d done a hell of a job disappearing. I suppose she lived in her grandmother’s lavish home and spent her days watching TV and eating bonbons. Occasionally helping out Kylie and Zach.

  I don’t even know what bonbons are, but it’s something Mom always said to dis lazy people.

  Robert keeps up his happy chatter. He doesn’t seem to mind that I answer in one syllable and my attention keeps shifting to Lauren.

  Damn. Those legs stretching from her boy shorts. How can I forget the way she wrapped them around me, snugging me deep inside her?

  Remember Erika.

  Erika is a tidy lover. She doesn’t make a lot of noise. She doesn’t move around a lot. She closes her eyes and makes little grunting noises. I can’t be sure, but I think she fakes her orgasms. When she climaxes, she lets out a little squeak that signals the end.

  Shit, I don’t want to remember how it was with Lauren. She went after sex the same way she goes after everything. Fearless. Abandoned. Getting everything it has to offer. She moves and tries new things. And, sweet Christ, when she orgasms...

  Fuck. I’m so hard thinking about her I need to pretend to mess around with something in the bow of the boat. I wish Robert hadn’t already unloaded the cooler of iced soda cans so I could throw it over my head.

&
nbsp; Or down the front of my pants.

  Erika.

  It’s a sad thing when a guy thinks about his fiancé to bring down a raging hard-on. But the guilt of wanting Lauren when I have the giving and attentive Erika counting on me, did the trick in short order.

  I keep my back to Robert when he jumps into the boat. “Okay, boss,” he says. “Will I see ya tomorrow?”

  I heft myself to the dock and grab the tops of two tanks. “Probably not. Hopefully, Diana found a substitute dive master to fill in. I need to get home.”

  Why? You don’t have a job.

  Erika will miss me.

  But will you miss her?

  Chapter 9

  Lauren

  I hate him. He ruined my life.

  Are you saying Ellie is a disaster?

  No, but Blake put us both in danger by saying Liesa Temple out loud.

  I hate him because he ruined me for anyone else. I hate that I haven’t wanted to date. That when I force myself to go out on one of Kylie’s setups, I feel no desire. I’m only twenty-five, for fuck’s sake. I’m not done having sex. I haven’t even started.

  I look at Blake in the other boat, handing tanks up to Robert. He’s already put on a layer of tan just from one day. And I have no problem assessing his tan, because the son of a bitch hasn’t bothered to put on a damn shirt. That prick, asshole, fucking fucker.

  See what he’s done to me? I’ve nearly given up cursing because of Ellie. And here I am, swearing like a truck-driver because he’s made me so fucking crazy. Shitheel.

  I can’t stop stealing glances at him, even though he’s an asshole and should rot in Hell. I’m so pissed I feel I could rocket into the stratosphere on rage alone. Why did he have to show up in my sanctuary?

  I had lulled myself into thinking my life was great. Ellie, painting. My family. Solitude. I didn’t need a man. I didn’t need Blake.

  Fuck him.

  I climb on the dock and wave Toby on. “See you tomorrow.” He’ll go fuel up the boat and by the time he gets back to secure it, I’ll be gone.

  Diana stands on the dock with her clipboard, going over the reservations for tomorrow’s dive. “Got a full roster again.”

  I latch on to the tops of two tanks. “I’ll be here. Have you found anyone else to substitute on the other boat?”

  She winces at the pages on her clipboard. “Not yet. I talked to a dive master who worked at Dive Love with Kylie and Blake. He works at the Blue Heron now and has a day off in two days. He’s willing to help us out then.”

  Two days? “When does Blake head back?”

  Diana shrugs. “He thought tomorrow. Maybe I can get him to stay.”

  I lift the empty tanks. “Don’t count on him. He’ll let you down.”

  She frowns at me. “Blake’s a unicorn. He’s thoughtful and generous. He’s a good one.”

  I roll my eyes. “Right. How reliable was he for you after your hospital stay?”

  She bristles. “He did everything he could. And he was set to let me live with him in New York when he left.”

  “Oh? And how was that going to work when he wouldn’t return your calls or emails?”

  Diana drops the hand holding the clipboard and gives me that fierce look she’s perfected. “I don’t give a shit what your problem is with Blake. We need him and he’s helping us out, so grow up and quit acting like a junior high geek mad because the quarterback won’t pay attention to her.”

  She stomps off in her flip-flops. Blake walks out of the tank shed and nearly bumps into her. They have a short conversation in which Blake nods, Diana hugs him, and both of them smile. I can’t help remember what it feels like to have his arms close around me. I don’t want to be all junior high but damnit, I am so jealous of Diana right now.

  I brush passed them on my way to deposit my tanks in the shed. Diana hollers to me. “I’ve got some stuff to do at the shop. If I leave before you’re done filling tanks, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I tip my head at her since my hands are full. Blake and I schlep the tanks from the dock to the shed. He’s faster than I am, maybe showing off. When he gets his tanks hauled, he starts in on the few remaining of mine.

  I’m wondering how Ellie got along without me today. Did she give Gram any trouble over lunch? She’s a good eater but she often chooses to assert her will. Kind of like last night’s battle over the squash. Gram doesn’t always want to make compromises.

  Blake squeezes passed me in the doorway of the tank shed. That olive skin, his dark eyes, but mostly, it’s his soft curls. Ellie looks so much like him. Maybe he missed it because Zach is darker than either Kylie or me. But even Zach has blue eyes.

  Chapter 10

  Blake

  She’s here. The girl I’ve tried to forget for four years. If I’d have known this is where she was hiding, would I have come for her?

  She’s working harder than I expected. I don’t know why it surprises me that she hauls tanks, cleans up the boat, lifts and tugs. Doing the show, dealing with cameras and directors, keeping that incredible schedule. She never shirked her job. She was a professional.

  Maybe I’ve been caught up in the image she created and haven’t remembered the Liesa I knew. Lauren.

  I’m still trying to figure out what went on between her and Diana after the creep left. Lauren seemed scared. What’s happened to her?

  It’s time we bury the hatchet. I don’t want to carry around all this resentment for her. Isn’t that what the pre-marriage counselor advised me to do? Reconcile my past so Erika and I can move on to a good marriage.

  Lauren’s too stubborn to make the first move, so I will. I follow Diana to the shop and dig in the freezer at the back of the store. Every dive shop has one. I stuff one ice cream sandwich down my gullet while Diana watches.

  “Normally, I’d make you pay for those, but since you’re doing us such a favor, I’ll let it go.”

  It’s too late to avoid the ice cream headache and I wince. “Put it on my tab.”

  She shakes her head. “And you don’t gain an ounce. Look at you, four years going to school and not working out, probably eating pizza and tacos every day. I hate you.”

  I talk around my full mouth. There is nothing I love more than ice cream. And these ice cream sandwiches are my favorite. “I don’t see that you’ve put on any weight. Though you seem to want to hide it.”

  Her face falls. “It’s been a long road back. Kylie and Zach have been great.”

  “Zach, huh?”

  She nods. “Yeah. I admit he wasn’t high on my hit parade when I first met him. But he grows on you. You know, he walked away from his inheritance to be with Kylie. That was a shit ton of money.”

  I go back to the freezer for another. Three dives can make a guy hungry. “With Mrs. Knightly’s money, though, he seems to be landing on his feet.”

  Diana gives me an irritated glare. “It hasn’t been easy. Yeah, Kylie’s grandmother gave her money for a down payment, but that’s where it ended.”

  “And the house.”

  “They pay rent. And they’ve worked their butts off here. Zach every bit as much as Kylie.”

  “How do you fit in?”

  She lets that stern face slide off. “They made me a deal. I am buying in slowly but I’m a full partner. I know it’s charity but I’m good with that.”

  I stuff half the sandwich in, knowing it will probably cause another brain freeze. “It’s not charity. You’re working.”

  “Of course I’m working and I’m worth it. But I wasn’t then. There were whole weeks I didn’t come to work. Couldn’t get out of bed.”

  I hate what I did. Walked away and left her and Kylie to deal with the horror Diana had gone through. Why don’t they hate me?

  “They never said a word. Somehow managed without me.” She grins in that cocky way she used to. “Of course, they weren’t nearly as successful then. Paradise Found didn’t take off until I got my shit together and took over. All they want to do is dive and make eye
s at each other. Those two need direction, I’m telling you.”

  I laugh. Kylie wouldn’t take direction from a cartographer. This partnership is working, though. I try not to feel left out but it hurts that I’d left them and they’d done fine without me.

  “Hey,” Diana says. “Don’t you feel bad about going after your dreams.”

  How does she know what I’m thinking? I don’t answer. Anything I say will sound self-pitying, because it is.

  “It’s what Kylie and I wanted for you. I’m sad you didn’t let us share it with you, but nobody here holds it against you. We’ve been through too much heartbreak and loss to judge how anybody else manages their own pain. We’re just glad you’re back.”

  “I wasn’t managing pain.” Because you’re never going to admit Lauren hurt you. “I was going to law school, something I always wanted to do. But I shouldn’t have done it at the expense of you and Kylie.”

  Diana laughs. “Okay. Believe what you want. But I know grief when I see it, and brother, you were in mourning.”

  She gives me one last nod and steps around me into the office.

  Mourning. She’s crazy.

  I’m nervous, especially after all Diana’s nonsense, but I want tomorrow to go better than today. There’s no reason Lauren and I shouldn’t be friends. I dig into the freezer for two ice cream sandwiches and head toward the dock.

  Chapter 11

  Lauren

  I know I felt relief at getting a day off from Ellie, but I suddenly miss her and am anxious to get home and spend time with her.

  I’ll get ice cream sandwiches on the way home from Paradise Found. There’s nothing Ellie loves more. If I fix spaghetti, she’ll happily eat it and then I won’t have any reason to withhold the ice cream. Ice cream is her deepest love, a devotion she holds above all others. And her delivery system of choice is the ice cream samich.