Searching for Beautiful (Searching For 3)

"I am mad!"

He swam over and stood. "How mad?" he drawled.

She growled. "Really mad."

"That's what I thought. Better cool you off."

She didn't have a chance. With a graceful motion, he loomed up from the water like some type of monstrous sea creature, grabbed her, and pulled her in. Her shrieks got cut off by the slap of warm water closing in. She hit the bottom, and her feet scraped against soft moss before she kicked herself to the surface. The huge grin on his face pushed one vow to the forefront of her mind.

Revenge.

Oh, it would be sweet.

"Proud of yourself?" she drawled, shaking her head like a wet dog to get the hair out of her face.

"Kind of. Things were getting way too serious."

His outrageous statement made her laugh. Damned if he'd be the one to let her sulk, even on her failed wedding day. Wolfe sensed when she needed to stew, be depressed, or push through. Right now, there were so many emotions churning like choppy waters she didn't know where to focus. The water helped clear her head.

Gen kicked her feet, treading water. "Ewww, it's all soft and gooey on the bottom. God knows what's down there."

"Scared of a few fish?"

She pursed her lips. "Don't come running into my room tonight."

One dark brow shot up. He swam around her like a shark circling his prey. "A proposition? I had no idea you lusted after my body."

She snorted and almost choked. "Oh yeah, it'll be romantic. Me, you, and the big hairy spider I'm putting in your bed."

The humor drained from his face. "Don't fuck with me."

She laughed and stuck out her tongue. "Bet there's a lot around here. Ever seen one of the wood spiders?" She gave a shudder. "Furry, with fat legs and superfast, so you can't catch them."

He tried to laugh it off but she caught the paleness to his features. Damn, this was too much fun.

"You know what comes with spiders?" he said.

"What?"

"Frogs. Lots and lots of green frogs. Like Kermit."

The horror washed through her. "I told you that in secret," she whispered. A creepy shiver raced down her spine at the image. "You're a horrible, evil human being."

"I find a spider in my bed, and you'll wake up to a portrait of Kermit."

"Asshole. I was drunk when I confessed. Drunk info should be sacred--you broke the cardinal rule." She'd had a dream once that haunted her to this day, and was stupid enough to confide in Wolfe after too many beers. She'd woken up from a wicked nightmare of Kermit the Frog faces attacking her. Instead of sweet smiles, they had bloody teeth, and had gone after her like a herd of piranhas. She hadn't been able to watch a Muppets movie since.

"An eye for an eye and all that," he said. Then dove beneath the water.

Gen watched him swim, appreciating the raw power and grace of his body and flexing muscles. Awareness trickled through her, but she was an expert at ignoring it.

Wolfe needed so much more than a quick lay or another affair. He needed a friend. Gen knew him better than anyone, and was gifted with the trueness of his soul. Sex was the surefire pathway to disaster, heartbreak, and the loss of one of her most important relationships.

No thanks.

What he offered was enough. No expectations, only acceptance, respect, and love.

Very different from David.

The thought was like an uppercut, and for a moment she fought for breath. She'd done a terrible thing, and she was going to pay. Wolfe was wrong. Mistakes ruined lives, and by not following through, she'd let everyone down.

No. You protected yourself. You know why.

The inner voice whispered slyly, as if she knew much more and couldn't wait to spill. But Gen didn't want to hear it.

She swam to the dock and jumped back up, reaching for her beer. Her goal of drunken forgetfulness was the only thing keeping her together right now. Thank goodness for Mr. Samuel Adams.

Wolfe surfaced, pulled himself out of the water, and grabbed a beer for himself. Quickly arranging the towels over the battered dock, he lay on his back, bottle propped up on his belly, and stared up at the sky. With a sigh, she did the same, shoulders touching, drying off in the hot breeze, watching the first stars poke out from the clouds. The alcohol gave the scene a nice blur that dulled all the sharp edges.

"I should be on a plane to Bermuda," she said.

"This is better. Pink sand is overrated."

"The cake was coconut with chocolate icing. Five tiers."

"I got you Sno Balls. They have coconut on them."

A smile touched her lips. "True. My negligee was five hundred dollars of pure silk. Maggie got it for me in Europe."

"Well, that's just stupidity. Gonna be on for two minutes and ripped off you. Never understood the expensive underwear crap."

"You modeled them and made a million dollars." Maggie had turned Wolfe into a superstar of designer boxers, which he wore in billboard and magazine ads in place of formfitting tightie whities. Wolfe posed at a delicious side angle wearing simple black boxers, arms crossed in front of his chest, and a moody expression on his face. He was the rebel hottie incarnate. The tagline read F-- Briefs: Wear What Feels Good.

The United States bucked the curse word. Europe loved it. He became a legend, a millionaire, and the biggest model in the industry.

He quit after a year to go to college for his business degree and to run Purity. Women still chased him, but he never threw his fame around, and since he was growing his hair and usually covered up his tat with long shirts, many never knew.

"It was a pisser for a while, but I'd never buy expensive boxers. Who's gonna see them?"

A genuine laugh escaped her lips. He was so different. David adored anything with the right label, and he sniped about her boring wardrobe and lingerie constantly. "Agreed. But what about sex? Honeymoons are known for endless sun, drinks, and sex. I probably won't have sex again for a year. Maybe more."

"You got beer, the sun was just out, we're by a lake, and I'm here. If you're hard up, I'll have sex with you."

That earned him a punch that hurt her more than him. "Gee, thanks. You're a real buddy."

"They call them fuck buddies. You know, great friends who don't want to mess up the dynamic so they just agree to occasional sex."

"I hate that term, it's so crude. I've seen every one of those movies and they all end up the same. One of them falls in love, the relationship explodes, then someone confesses their undying love and they get together in a romantic way."

"Hence the word movie, Gen. Fiction."

"Some movies are based on reality. Maybe those are, too."

She felt rather than saw him roll his eyes. "Other than the occasional war film, no romance movies are based on reality."

She turned over, propped up on her elbow, and stared at him. His challenge sung to her sense of competition. They both had a strange need to win, and could spend hours debating ridiculous points of inane information. "Marley & Me."

"Oh, for God's sake. I'm removing war, animals, and historical movies from the pool."

"How many do I have to name?"

"Two is good."

"What do I get?"

"I'll protect you from Kermit."

"Hardy-har-har. You have to tell me one secret you've told no one else. I don't care what it is."

She had no idea why that request popped out of her mouth. Gen waited for him to blow her off, and almost retracted her words. But something kept her silent. Probably since her life had exploded around her, she had nothing to cling to. A secret for a secret. Something to make her feel not so alone. Not so . . . broken.

Arilyn would have been proud of her ability to self-diagnose her issues. As the counselor of the matchmaking agency Kinnections, she counseled clients on awareness in relationships and helped break down barriers that would block their journey to happiness. Of course, knowing she had emotional problems because she'd run away on her wedding day still didn't make her feel

like snagging a gold star.

"Wolfe, forget it, I--"

"Agreed."

Wow. She didn't see that coming. Of course, now she had to find two movies based on real life that had some type of romantic relationship in them. No wonder he'd agreed. "Give me a minute to think."

He rested his arms behind his head and gave her a cocky grin. "Take all the time you need."

The lightbulb went on. "Titanic!" She beamed with pride.