Page 1 of Gilded Bird

Chapter One

Mika

Bathed in sunshine I am aware of how blessed I am.

Coming to Sunset Springs could have been a bad idea. It is a hot tourist spot where the beaches overflow with partiers. With beautiful white sand beaches, crystal clear waters, and sun-soaked days most of the year, it is always summer here. For a divorcee on the wrong side of forty who has never dared don a two-piece, it is the last place I expected to wind up.

My son Jameson opened a hot new bar here, Sunset Shots, and after a visit down to celebrate its success, I never wanted to go home. Because I had nothing to go home to anymore, I decided not to. Twenty years of marriage, a son, a successful real estate business, and one day my husband decided he had stopped loving me. To be fair I am not sure I ever loved him.

Growing up in an abusive household forced me to seek an escape. It was not fair to my husband that he was the golden ring I grabbed hold of. He was not a bad man, but we never should have been together. We had nothing in common, wanted different things, and we had very different views on just about everything.

One thing we agreed on—we loved our son.

Jameson was the one thing that kept us together. The one thing we could agree we were blessed to have together. Once Jameson went off to college, I thought we would end things, but we were both too scared. My husband’s new secretary was the push he needed—they fell in love and to be honest, I don’t even begrudge him his happiness.

“It is a beautiful day to have a beautiful day,” I murmur as I slip on a silky coverup over my bright coral bathing suit.

Life at the beach suits me, it turns out. After our divorce, I thought it was best if I made a fresh start. I left town, going on a road trip that lasted several months, something I had wanted to do for a long time. Stopping here changed my course because we both decided it was time for me to settle somewhere for a while.

“Morning Ms. Bird,” a polite male voice calls, catching my attention from my reflection in the glass door. Blinking, I glance at the young man holding the other door open for me. “Have a wonderful day.”

“Thank you! I will, and you do the same!”

Smiling at him, I slide my big shades on, tug on the bright coral hat that it took twenty minutes for me to convince myself to purchase, and I sail down the sidewalk. Renting a condo near the beach is a constant reminder of how beautiful this place is.

White-capped waves crash on the sand beaches, the warm salty breeze welcome on my skin, and the sounds of seagulls could be the setting of one of those cable network romances. Warm and sweet, with a pop of heat. I smile at the silly analogy as I head for the beach, a romance of the cable network variety tucked inside my bag.

Later tonight I am meeting my son for dinner with his new girlfriend. I am excited for him. Jameson has never made much time for women, so I am thrilled he found someone. Someone who he seems very serious about, who he might settle down and give me grandbabies with.

At the beach, I choose a small cabana close to the shore so I can feel the salty sea spray. Lying out beneath the covered chaise, I let out a sigh of complete contentment as I settle in to enjoy the sunshine. Four chapters into a much steamier read than I expect, I notice a game of volleyball.

“Holy hotness overload,” I whisper as I watch four guys playing, fanning myself with my book.

It could be the steamy scenes I just read, or how the sun shines down on their perfect bodies. Each one looks as if they were carved from golden granite. Sharp curves and valleys of muscles glisten from sweat as they hit the ball back and forth, laughing, taunting each other, having a hell of a good time by the looks of it.

My gaze is drawn to one of the beautiful men. Dark hair and golden skin marked on one entire side with black artwork. Besides the beautiful work of art that is his body, his smile radiates something warm. It creates a tug between my legs as I stare at him, wondering what is behind that smile.

That smile turns towards me as if he felt my improper stare. I pull my book up to hide, laughing at my silliness. Who cares if we leer at hot bodies on the beach? Some of us came here to be leered at I assume. Chuckling again, I shake my head as I try to focus on the romance in the book, not the one that is not going to happen here on the beach.

“Mika? Holy Hell, Mika?”

Yanking the book down, I gape up at the huge figure looming over me. No. No possible way.Maddox Ford. My son’s best for half of his life. How could he be the hot piece of beach boy ass I was just eye-fucking?Jesus, Mika, rein yourself in!

“Y-yes. Maddox. What a surprise seeing you here…atthisbeach…in Sunset Springs.”

Maddox grew close to my son during their freshman year. They were thrill seekers who stirred up trouble together. Normal teenager stuff, nothing I worried myself over. They were thick as thieves during the most formative times of their lives. Which meant he was always at my house, eating at my table, even for holidays.

There was always something about him that I could never reach. Part of him that he kept hidden from all of us. Even from Jameson. I think it is the same thing I just saw in his smile. There is a warmth there, a need to please people. But there is something else that he always held back, a part of himself he never wanted to share.

Swallowing hard, I sit up as he settles down beside me. Propping a hand beside my hip, he smiles down at me, nodding. He is so big, bigger than I ever remember him being. It has been years since I have seen him, but notthatlong. What happened to the cute kid I knew?

Now he is a beautiful man I barely recognize.

“Well, I hoped to see you while I was here. It has been too long, Mika,” he murmurs, his voice warmer than the sun.

Blinking up at him, I sit up, closing my silk wrap around my body as he stares at me. “Mrs.… well, I guess not anymore.”

“No, not anymore,” he says gently, nodding his head. His eyes flick to mine, brighter blue than the crystal ocean. I feel my heart somersault as those eyes trail over my bright swimsuit. “Good for you Mika. He never had a clue what he had, did he?”