Liquid heat flooded my veins as I pictured the two of us rolling around in the sand together, the sea spraying over us as we made love, Owen's hands moving up and down my body, even as mine did the same to his. "Mmm. Tempting. Very tempting."
"But?"
"But you'd have a hell of a time dragging Finn out of bed tonight. He tends to whine whenever his precious sleep is interrupted. I already woke him up once. I wouldn't want you to have to listen to him bitch for the next several hours."
Owen laughed again. "It would be worth it for you, Gin. Besides, I'm sure I could find some duct tape somewhere here in the house. A couple of pieces of that would take care of even Finn's whining."
I smiled. Whether we were having a simple conversation about nothing important or discussing something as deep and convoluted as my feelings toward my sister, Owen always knew exactly what to say to make me feel better.
"I don't know," I drawled. "Finn's got an awfully big mouth. I don't think that just one roll of duct tape would do it."
Owen laughed again.
We flirted with and teased each other for a few more minutes before the conversation wound down. We paused again, and I thought once more about telling Owen about Donovan and how the detective had suddenly reappeared in my life. But that would lead to another conversation about my gnarled, knotted feelings, and I felt like I'd already exposed enough of my doubts, insecurities, and vulnerabilities to Owen. I'd never considered myself a coward, but I just didn't have the balls to get into my history with Donovan. Not tonight.
"I love you," Owen finally said.
"I love you too," I whispered back, and hung up.
I put the phone down on one of the coffee tables, but instead of going to bed like I should have, I sat there in the dark and stared out at the ocean, wondering what new troubles the sunrise would bring with it.
The rest of the night passed uneventfully, and Friday morning dawned clear, bright, and hot. By the time Bria and I left the rented beach house to drive over to the Sea Breeze, the temperature had already climbed into the lower eighties, and the stifling humidity made it seem ten degrees warmer than that. I spotted a few people moving in and around the other houses farther down the street as folks gathered up their chairs, blankets, umbrellas, coolers, and sunscreen for a day at the beach, but nobody showed any interest in us that they shouldn't have.
As powerful and connected as Dekes was, he and his men hadn't tracked us from the hotel last night. I hadn't expected them to, given my alias, but it was nice to know that we were in the clear - at least for now. I had no doubt that the bodies in the hotel pool had been found by this point. I didn't know exactly how Dekes would react to the death of his men, whether he would rage and scream or quietly, coldly plot out his payback, but I'd have my guard up, just like I always did.
Bria and I got into Finn's busted-up convertible and headed for the Sea Breeze. I thought that the car might get a few strange looks with its cracked windshield, ripped seats, and dented hood, but Bria parked it in a far corner of the lot next to a few junked pickup trucks, and it blended right in.
Apparently Callie's restaurant served up an even better brunch than they did supper because the lot was even fuller than it had been last night, with several cars double-parked and others lining either side of the road. All the seats at the picnic tables were already taken, so we once again headed inside to wait for a table.
"Do you think that Finn and Owen are already here?" Bria asked, standing on her tiptoes and looking over the crowd.
I opened my mouth to answer her when a large, familiar body sidled up next to me.
"Why, hello, gorgeous," a low, sexy voice rumbled in my ear. "Can I interest you in a walk on the beach?"
Smiling, I turned around to find Owen standing behind me. Finn was there too, but I only had eyes for my lover.
Owen was on the tall side, topping out at about six foot one, with a strong, sturdy body that had hard, sleek muscles in all the right places. His hair was black, and the sunbeams streaming in through the porthole windows made the hidden blue highlights in his thick locks shimmer. The midnight color of his hair set off his pale skin and his piercing violet eyes. His nose was a little crooked, the result of having been broken long ago, and a thin white scar slashed down his chin, but I thought that the small imperfections only added to his rough, rugged appeal. He'd dressed down today in a pair of khakis and a short-sleeved black polo shirt that showed just how wide and strong his chest was, and I thought he was the most handsome man in the room. Hell, in the whole South.
I wrapped my arms around Owen's neck and drew his mouth down for a kiss. I'd meant for it to be a quick caress of my lips on his, but Owen coaxed my mouth open, his tongue stroking against mine, his hands kneading my back, and liquid heat pooled in my stomach. It was several seconds before I pulled back, breathless, aching, and yearning for something else besides breakfast. Something that would be even more delicious and far more satisfying.
"You know, that walk on the beach is sounding better and better all the time," Owen murmured, his eyes glinting with the same heat that thumped through my veins.
"Later," I promised. "We've got work to do this morning, remember? Finn, did you bring the information that I asked you to? Finn?"
He was too busy bending Bria over backward and planting a sound, lingering kiss on her to answer. It took them even longer to come up for air than it had Owen and me, and by the time Finn set Bria back up on her feet, most of the people in the restaurant were staring at them. A few of the wives were even poking their husbands in the chests, muttering about how they never got kissed like that anymore.
Finn grinned, gave an elaborate flourish with his hand, and dipped into a low bow before straightening up and addressing the entire restaurant. "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how it is done."
A couple of the older women broke out into enthusiastic applause, and Finn winked at them all in turn. A furious blush flooded Bria's cheeks at the unexpected, unwanted attention, but her blue eyes were sparkling. Whatever his faults might be, Finn made my sister happy, and that was all I really cared about, even if I'd wanted to keep a lower profile this morning.
We got a booth in the back and sat down, with Finn and Owen sliding into the opposite side from Bria and me. Finn was carrying a silverstone briefcase, but he didn't open it and put it on the table. He didn't need to. I knew what was inside already - all the information he'd been able to dig up on Dekes in the last few hours. In addition to his prowess as an investment banker, Finn also dabbled in information trading. Well, perhaps dabbled wasn't the right word when you had an extensive network of spies and snitches in Ashland and beyond like he did. Either way, there were few things he liked better than unearthing other people's deepest, darkest secrets, whether it was for cold, hard cash or just his own personal amusement.