Renovation (A Golden Beach Novel) Read online

  “He’s coming. He had duty yesterday, so he’ll be home and ready to go by five.”

  Her mom breathed a heavy sigh. “Good. Don’t worry, Daddy won’t give him such a hard time.”

  “You sure?”

  “Not really. Just think happy thoughts.”

  She arched an eyebrow. “Thanks, Tinkerbell.”

  “Love you.”

  “Love you, too, Mom.”

  After her conversation with her mother, she sent a quick text to Donovan, crossing her fingers he hadn’t forgotten about dinner.

  Family dinner tonight. Still good? –X

  The morning was still young and he’d only been off shift for two hours, assuming there hadn’t been a last minute call. She wasn’t expecting a reply until after lunch at least. When her phone buzzed in her hand, she jumped in surprise.

  Yes. I’ll even shave.

  She grinned, remembering the feel of his rough stubble as it scraped enticingly over her skin. Why was it so hard for her to tell him how she felt?

  She spent the rest of her day working in the water with the amazing kids she’d come to love. Teaching was her passion. That wasn’t surprising. The joy of teaching kids with special needs, that was something she’d never even considered. Now she couldn’t imagine anything else.

  Donovan was waiting for her when she got home, leaned casually against the dining table. True to his word, his jaw was clean-shaven, his hair was combed and parted neatly, and he even wore a blazer with his jeans.

  “Wow, hotshot.” Her eyes roamed his tall frame, taking in the rare sight of him clean-cut.

  A smirk crossed his full lips as he caught her ogling. “Do I really look that different?”

  “A little,” she said, crossing the living room to run a curious hand over his cheek.

  “Good different?”

  “You look amazing, but then, I like you any way I can get you.”

  He slipped one hand behind her, pressing against the small of her back, and closed the distance between them. “Right back at you, sweetheart.”

  His lips fell to hers, the spicy scent of his aftershave overloading her senses, bringing on an involuntary swoon. She caught his lower lip in her teeth, causing a deep groan to rise from his chest.

  “We’ve got time, don’t we?” he breathed against her lips.

  She glanced across the room at the clock and her heart sank.

  “No. Not really.”

  He looked down at his crotch, motioning to the tented pants he now wore.

  “Well, I definitely can’t go like this.” He gestured to his erection.

  She bit her lip in indecision. He was so delicious, so tempting. All she really wanted was to roll around in a cloud of pleasure with him, but if they were late for dinner she’d never live it down. Her dad would see it on her face, screwing like bunnies while her mother waited to serve the pot roast.

  “I promise I’ll make it up to you after dinner?” she half asked, half stated.

  Grunting, he adjusted himself to make his arousal less obvious. “Yes, you certainly will.”

  She moved to kiss him, wanting to send an apology through contact, but he hissed out a sharp breath and moved away.

  “You touch me and all restraint goes out the window. We’ll head to the bedroom and never make it to dinner.”

  A lightning bolt of lust hit her at his admission. She was doing this to him, getting him so worked up he worried he’d lose control.

  “Then I guess telling you I’m not wearing any panties is probably a bad idea?”

  His eyes widened. He bit back a strangled groan as she pulled the skirt of her knee-length dress up to flash one bare hip.

  “Fucking hell, sweetheart. You’re in so much trouble when we get home.”

  “I’m counting on it, hotshot.”

  “Family dinners,” Donovan muttered under his breath as he and Valerie made their way to the Peters’ front door.

  “You all right?”

  “Fine, sweetheart.” He was such a liar. In fact, he was practically jumping out of his skin with nerves. He’d had dinner with the Peters family on numerous occasions. Angela was one of his closest friends, but this was different.

  Valerie was trying to play it cool as they walked inside, but the tightness of her jaw and her constant fidgeting gave her away. She was as nervous as he was.

  “Sorry about my dad,” she whispered as they walked, hand-in-hand, to the kitchen.

  Her dad had never seemed as formidable as he did the moment they crossed the threshold from hall to kitchen. A retired master chief turned history teacher, he carried himself with a studied discipline only learned by years in the military. Mr. Peters stood at the cutting board, a gleaming knife in his hands and a colorful array of fresh vegetables in front of him.

  “Ah, there they are,” he muttered and waved the knife at them, “The sinners.”

  Donovan braced himself as a wave of embarrassment sent heat up his neck. “Mr. Peters.” He extended a hand in a respectful gesture.

  “Call me Hank. You don’t have to change the way we act just because you’re sleeping with my daughter. Granted, Valerie isn’t the daughter we thought you’d be sleeping with.”

  Hank looked Donovan straight in the eyes as they shook hands, almost daring him to look away.

  “Dad!” Valerie’s cheeks were bright red.

  “Hank! Stop it. Leave poor Donovan alone,” Kelly Peters called from the depths of the kitchen pantry.

  His ears burned and he gripped Valerie’s hand a little too tightly.

  “It’s okay, hotshot. Relax.” Her soft voice in his ear sent a blanket of calm to cover him.

  Hank chuckled as he continued chopping vegetables for what looked like a salad. “Sorry, sorry. It was just too easy.”

  Kelly breezed into the kitchen, her arms full of canned peaches. She grinned at them. “Hank likes to play the big bad master chief, but he’s really a softy.”

  Valerie tugged at his hand and led him to the family room. “Come on, hotshot. I’m pretty sure my dad has tortured us enough. Brandon just got some new video game, want to play with him?”

  The tightness in his chest was completely gone by the time dinner was served. He’d played a few levels of the latest Call of Duty game with Brandon, while Valerie entertained Asher with vicious rounds of Candy Land. Riley sat with them, headphones distracting him from the world as he worked on some crazy hard puzzle. It was nice, being here and feeling like part of their family unit. He’d always felt welcome, but this time there was a sense of belonging and acceptance.

  The front door slammed, drawing everyone’s attention as Angela came storming down the hall.

  “Angela, what in the world?” Kelly asked, shock and worry coloring her face.

  Angela stayed silent, only shaking her head as she grabbed a bottle of wine and the corkscrew. Apprehension tickled the back of his neck at the sight of his friend. Her eyes were too bright, red-rimmed, and shining. He felt, rather than saw, Valerie tense from where she sat at his feet with Asher.

  He leaned his head down to murmur in her ear, “What’s up with Angie?”

  She turned bright blue eyes up to him, sending a shockwave running through him. “She was meeting Garrett this morning to show him her songs. I don’t think it went well.”

  “Fuck.”

  Asher jumped up from his seat on the floor and shouted for everyone to hear, “Donovan said a potty word!”

  Donovan shot Valerie an apologetic glance and turned his attention to Asher. “You’re right, buddy. I’m sorry. Can you give your sister a break from Candy Land for a bit? I need to talk to her.”

  Asher assessed him with wide blue eyes, which were nearly identical to his oldest sister’s. He nodded once
and got up, heading in the direction of Riley.

  “You want to talk to her or drink with her?” Donovan asked, motioning to Angela currently struggling to free the cork from her wine bottle.

  “Both?”

  “Good plan.” He winked and placed a palm on his favorite spot at the small of her back. As she walked, he could feel the sway of her hips under his hand. A bittersweet ache struck him from out of nowhere at the sudden onslaught of love he felt for her. Another reminder of the fact that she wasn’t ready to love him.

  Angela had finally ripped the cork out of the wine bottle and was mid-pour when the two of them reached her.

  “Hey, do you just want a straw?” Valerie asked, pushing two empty wine glasses at her sister.

  “That would do the job quicker.” Angela’s smirk lightened the mood as she filled the other two glasses.

  “You okay, Angie?” His protective instincts rose at the hurt on her face.

  “Nope. I will be, but right now I just want to drink this wine, eat dinner with my family, then go home and get very, very drunk.”

  Valerie raised her full glass and motioned for them to do the same. “Okay then, cheers.”

  As the night wore on, things loosened up. He remained highly aware of Hank’s eagle eyes on him throughout dinner. Only as Kelly served dessert did he finally feel more comfortable touching Valerie. He rested a cautious hand on her knee under the table, needing the connection.

  “So, baby girl, how’s the new job?” Hank asked, as he spooned a big scoop of vanilla ice cream into his coffee.

  “Good. I mean, the pay isn’t great, but I love working with the kids.”

  “I loved the pictures from Grace and Drew’s wedding.” Kelly peered at them over her coffee cup.

  “It was so beautiful. They’re coming for a visit in a couple of weeks. Grace just sent me an email.”

  Angela piped up for the first time since arriving. “The wedding was great, except for Valerie’s run in with Mick. You should have pressed charges on that jerk.”

  The room fell heavy with silence as all eyes turned to Valerie. His pulse hammered in his ears. What the fuck was Angela talking about?

  “Umm . . .” Valerie started, her eyes flitting to his.

  “Sweetheart, what is Angie talking about?”

  “Val, I’m sorry,” Angela whispered.

  “Valerie?” Kelly questioned her daughter, her voice sharp.

  “It . . . It’s not a big deal. He just thought there was still something between us, he made a lot of inappropriate remarks, made me uncomfortable, tried to kiss me. That’s it.”

  “Why would you need to press charges, then?” He bit out the words as his anger boiled to the surface.

  “That’s just it, I didn’t need to.”

  Angela coughed. “You had to knee him in the crotch to get him to leave. There were marks on your shoulders from his fingers.”

  Rage caused his hand to clench around Valerie’s knee, making her jump under his touch. Releasing her immediately, he pushed his chair back and excused himself. He needed to get some air, clear his head.

  The evening was mild, stars twinkling in the deep blue velvet of the night sky. Beautiful, late summer nights were one of his favorite parts of living in Virginia. At the moment, he couldn’t have cared less about the weather, stars, or Virginia for that matter. All he could think of was that greasy snake, Mick, with his hands all over his Valerie.

  The quiet snick of the door as it opened and shut caught his attention and brought his eyes back down from the sky. She stood on the front porch, arms wrapped protectively around her middle. Eyes, wide and unbelievably blue, stared at him, pleading without words.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” His voice broke on the first word, somehow taking all of the power from his question.

  “I was . . . I didn’t think it was a big deal.”

  “Not a big deal? Valerie, he assaulted you.”

  “It was my fault. I should have stayed out of sight. I took care of it, anyway.”

  Frustration took away any remaining sense of composure he had. Raking his fingers through his hair, he let out an angry breath. “It was not your fault. Did he hurt you?’

  “No.”

  The wave of anger at the idea of Valerie, alone in a foreign country, being taken advantage of, was too much. He sank down to the porch steps and pulled her to sit on his lap. His arms clutched her to him, needing to protect her from the past.

  “Hey, hotshot. I’m fine. You’re cutting off my air supply, though.”

  He loosened his grip slightly and nuzzled into the sweetness of her hair. “I can’t even think of someone hurting you without wanting to break something. Why didn’t you tell me about Mick?”

  She pushed away from him and stared him down. “Because of this. Your reaction. I don’t want to make you feel like this.”

  “Like what?”

  “You’re angry.”

  He saw it in her eyes; trepidation and a guarded expression. “Not with you.”

  “It’s something I don’t . . . I’ve never told anyone, not even Angela. Not until we went back, anyway.”

  His heart hammered against his chest as he realized she was trying to work up the courage to tell him exactly what had happened to her.

  “If you don’t want to tell me, it’s okay.”

  She shook her head and took a deep breath. “I dated Mick for a while in Braley. He was the foreman on our construction crew. Things were great at first, until he started getting possessive. I broke it off, he didn’t want to let me go. The last time I saw him, right before I decided to come back, he forced himself on me.”

  “Jesus, sweetheart. Why didn’t you tell anyone?” Bile rose in his throat.

  “I shouldn’t have put myself in that position. I knew he wasn’t a good guy by that point. I thought if I cleared things up, made him completely aware that I was done, he’d understand and let me go.”

  He clenched and unclenched his fist, itching to hit something. “That was not your fault.”

  “You’re mad.”

  “Not at you. I can’t deny I want to beat that ass-hat into the ground, but I’m not mad at you.”

  She leaned her head against his chest, sighing as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

  “Thank you for telling me,” he murmured against her temple as he placed a light kiss there.

  “Thank you for listening.”

  Chapter 25

  Valerie stirred under her blankets as the sound of a Skype call broke through the haze of her dreams. Her eyes were heavy with sleep and the warm weight of Donovan’s arm across her waist tempted her to ignore the persistent ringing. But a Skype call? That meant Grace. She scrambled out of Donovan’s grip and threw on a T-shirt before grabbing her laptop and heading into the living room.

  Her pulse pounded in her temples. What was wrong? Was someone hurt? As the call connected, she said a silent prayer that nothing had happened.

  Grace’s worried face appeared on the screen and her heart sank.

  “Grace? What’s happened?”

  “You need to tell me what’s going on with Mick.”

  Confusion started swirling in her head. Mick? “Nothing.”

  “He put pictures of you online.”

  “Oh, yeah. I know about that. I didn’t even know he was there. It’s not a big deal. I un-friended him so he can’t tag me anymore.”

  Grace’s eyebrows shot up and her cheeks flared a bright red. “Not a big deal? What are you talking about? You’re practically naked.”

  “What?”

  “He posted a bunch of pictures of you. You’re in your underwear, topless, sleeping and barely covered by a sheet. That’s not a big deal?”

 
She felt sick. “Where are they?”

  “All over. On every social media site I could find. He made them public. Anyone can see them.”

  She pulled up her internet browser and typed in her name. Sure enough, there they were. She hadn’t posed for any of these, but they were definitely her. The one of her sleeping was in Mick’s bed when they were together. A feeling of violation left a gnawing pit in her stomach.

  “Oh, God.” It came out a whisper as a tear slid down her cheek.

  “Drew is already working on getting a court order for the images to be taken down. He’s not sure he can do much, but it’s pretty obvious those pictures weren’t taken with your consent.”

  She swallowed convulsively as the images of her naked breasts burned into her.

  “It’s going to be fine. We’ll do what we can over here until we leave for our trip.”

  “Thanks.” Her voice sounded hollow, wooden, and detached.

  “I’ve got to go. I’ll see you soon.”

  “Yeah. See you soon.”

  She stared at the screen—willing the pictures to blink out of existence—for what seemed like hours. Her eyes stung and her chest ached. The shuffle of Donovan’s feet on the hardwood floor registered dimly in her head.

  “What the fuck is that?” His deep voice came from behind, causing her to slam her laptop shut. It was a defensive gesture, she knew this, but she couldn’t control her guilty reaction.