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"Ah, don’t worry about it" I could hear the sh the phone "This too shall pass"

"I know, I know It’s just a long weekend, and I’ll make the best of it But then there’s Bria," I said, finally focusing on as really bothering hed "She loves it down here, Owen She absolutely loves it You should have seen her face today Other than the visit to the cemetery, she was so happy, especially e first walked into the Sea Breeze and she saw Callie again I keep forgetting that this was her home for so many years, that she had friends and a job and a life down here Part ofall of that behind to s haven’t exactly been easy for either one of us these last few ive it some time," Owen said "Bria’s only been back in your life for a fewto know each other There’s bound to be an adjusture out what kind of relationship you can and want to have, especially now that Mab isn’t around to constantly be a threat to both of you"

"Yeah, but so far, I don’t think that Bria likes what she sees very uy-free so we could finally have a chance to connect with each other, but it looks like it’s going to be anything but that"

We fell silent again Outside, the waves continued to crash into the shore, while the liht

"You know, if I left now, I could be down there just after sunrise," Owen murmured in a low, sexy tone "You, me, a deserted beach The possibilities are endless"

Liquid heat floodedaround in the sand together, the sea spraying over us as weup and downVery teging 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 hiain "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 s a si sos toward my sister, Owen always knew exactly what to say to make ot 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 ain, and I thought onceOwen about Donovan and how the detective had suddenly reappeared in my life But that would lead to another conversation about s, and I felt like I’d already exposed enough of my doubts, insecurities, and vulnerabilities to Owen I’d never considered et into ht

"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 ht, and hot By the time Bria and I left the rented beach house to drive over to the Sea Breeze, the tehties, and the stifling hurees war 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 ht I hadn’t expected theiven my alias, but it was nice to know that ere 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 e and scream or quietly, coldly plot out his payback, but I’d have ot into Finn’s busted-up convertible and headed for the Sea Breeze I thought that the car e 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 e, faeous," a low, sexy voice rumbled in , I turned around to find Owen standing behind me Finn was there too, but I only had eyes forout at about six foot one, with a strong, sturdy body that had hard, sleek ht places His hair was black, and the sunbeah the porthole s hts in his thick locks shiht 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 sed appeal He’d dressed down today in a pair of khakis and a short-sleeved black polo shirt that showed just hoide 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 ue stroking againstmy back, and liquid heat pooled in my stomach It was several seconds before I pulled back, breathless, aching, and yearning for so that would be even

"You know, that walk on the beach is sounding better and better all the ti with the sah ot work to do thisthe infor Bria over backward and planting a sound, lingering kiss on her to answer It took theer to come up for air than it had Owen and me, and by the time Finn set Bria back up on her feet,at the their husbands in the chests, ot kissed like that anyave an elaborate flourish with his hand, and dipped into a lo before straightening up and addressing the entire restaurant "And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how it is done"