Always and Forever

Evernight Publishing

www. evernightpublishing. com

Copyright© 2013 Hazel Gower

ISBN:
978-1-77130-442-9

Cover Artist: Sour Cherry Designs

Editor: Cheryl Harper

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal
.   No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DEDICATION

This book is for Natasha Devereux
, thank you for never saying no. I would like to thank my awesome critique group Word Whispers, thanks for your support. A big thank you to my editor, I really appreciate all your help. Lastly to my family, I love you.

Hazel Gower

Copyright © 2013

Chapter One

I wonder if this is stalking?
Sabina thought as she watched the object of her obsession walk out of the water. Well-defined muscles glistened as water slid down a perfect six-pack stomach. The waves crashed against his legs, and he shook himself as he strolled to his towel.

“You should go talk to him
. What have you got to lose? ”

Sabina eyed her walking friend Alice up and down
. Nothing was out of place, from her blonde ponytail on the top of her head to her running top and shorts. Alice had run with her for an hour, and she wasn’t panting and sweating like Sabina.

Sabina wished she looked as good as Alice after running
. She wished she looked as good as Alice full stop, but it wasn’t the case.

“If I looked like you
, I might have the courage to go over to him. It is so unfair you ran the same distance as me and not a hair is out of place. I hate you. ”

Alice laughed at her
. “No, you don’t. You love me. Sabina, I have been running the distance we did this afternoon since we were in high school. You started last month, and only because you found out Shaun swims every afternoon around this time. I don’t know what your problem is anyway. He’s one of your dad’s close friends. He comes over to your house and you talk to him there, and at barbeques and functions. ”

She shot a glance at Alice
. “Quiet. Don’t say it so loud. He might hear you. And it’s totally different. My dad’s around, or other people. I’ve never been alone with him. Well, except in my dreams. ”

“You do realize you are starting to get pathetic
. I don’t know why you think he is so out of your league. ” Alice put her hands up before Sabina could butt in. “I know there is a twelve-year age gap, and your father thinks the sun shines out of his arse because he is next best engineer other than him, but really I don’t see it. You’ve had a crush on him since you first met him. I think it’s odd that of all the places he could move to, he just happened to move so close to you and your dad. ”

Alice wiggled her eyebrows at Sabina
as they sat down to rest on the sand by the stairs off the beach. “Sabina, you need to ask him out. What’s the worst that could happen? He says no, or you go on a date with him. If you don’t want to ask him out, you need to get over him. How about I set you up with one of Scott’s friends? ”

Sabina didn’t want to get over Shaun
. She sighed as she watched as Shaun smiled, winked, and walked her way. “Oh no, he’s coming this way. What do I do? ” She searched frantically around for an exit that wouldn’t make it look like she was running, but behind her were stairs and the rock face up to higher land, and in front of her was the beach.

Alice gave her a wicked grin and patted her on the back
. “Be yourself. I have to go. I’m going out for dinner tonight with my fiancé. You’ll be all right. ”

Sabina shook her head and gave Alice a pleading glance
, silently begging her not to leave. The traitor nodded and walked away, which left her staring up into amused emerald green eyes.

“Do you have somewhere to be too
? ”

Sabina shook her head
,  too scared to talk.

“Are you busy tonight
? ”

Oh God
, what was happening? Staring at Shaun, she knew this time she would have to answer.

“No
. ”

Shaun raised his eyebrows at her and waited for her to continue
.

“I’m at home tonight
, every night actually. Tonight, though, I will soak in a bath and probably read some trashy romance novel while I imagine the hero is you. ” She groaned as she realized what she’d just told him.

He laughed
. “You think of me, do you? ”

Sabina moaned and hid her face in her hands
. Slowly, she peeked through her fingers to see him grinning down at her. “Please forget I said that. I’m so embarrassed. ”

He beamed down at her
. “I won’t forget. It means I know I have a chance with you. ” He winked. “So you’re too busy to come to dinner with me tonight? Or do you want to stay and read your book? ”

Sabina
gulped. “You want to go to dinner with me? Alone? ”

He chuckled
. “Yes. How about I pick you up at seven thirty? ” He reached for her hand to help her stand.

“Yes
, I would love to. ” She stumbled on the sand as Shaun pulled her up and fell against his chest. Oh God, his body was rock hard. What she wouldn’t give right now to reach out and touch him with other parts of her body. She felt her cheeks heat and she pulled away, closing her eyes in embarrassment that her sweat-coated body had touched his.

“Whoa there
. Honey, you okay? The sun is bright today. Did you put sunscreen on? ”

She nodded
.

“You don’t want to get sunstroke
. Come on, I’ll walk you home to make sure you get there okay. ”

He held her hand as they walked up the stairs and headed in the direction of her house
. “How does it feel to be finished with university? ”

Startled
, she chanced a glance at him to see him watching her closely. Oh no, he wanted her to answer. He’d been to her graduation party, but today was the first time she’d ever talked to him alone. Sabina didn’t know if she could answer. She’s talked to him a million times before, even cooked him dinner when he’d come to visit her father, but right now her mind couldn’t seem to focus and talk. It kept flashing images of him walking out of the water or the feeling of his smooth, hard body against her skin. Shaking herself, she mumbled, “Um, yeah. I’m lucky the school I did my last assessment at loved me. I’ve taken over for a teacher who took maternity leave. ”

He smiled down at her
. “Your father is very proud of you. I don’t think there is a person at the mine that doesn’t know his daughter graduated university and has a job already. ”

Sabina groaned and tried not to imagine her father boasting about her to everyone
. She loved her dad but he exaggerated everything about her. She’d heard him once telling his friends how good a cook she was, and how she cooked better than anyone he knew. Sabina had even heard him telling fellow managers that she would make some man the perfect wife someday because of her beauty, cleaning, and cooking skills.

“I dread to think of what he’s told everyone
. ” She stopped at the bottom of her driveway, turned to Shaun, and noticed him looking her up and down. Sabina’s free hand gripped her shirt so she didn’t touch herself and try to fix the mess she must look.

“I wouldn’t worry
. From what I have seen so far, everything he has said is true. I’ve been friends with your father for a while now and I agree with everything he says. You’re caring, practical, smart, loving, and devoted, not to mention the best cook. ”

She gulped and promised herself as soon as she got in the house
, she would have a talk with her father.

Shaun
let go of her hand and grinned down at her. His bright green eyes were alight with amusement. “There is one thing I look forward to finding out if it’s true. “

She waited
for him to tell her, but he waved behind her and shook his head, saying, “I’ll see you tonight, seven thirty. ”

Sabina nodded and watched him walk away before she turned to see her dad on the porch with a drink in hand
, smiling. An uneasy feeling seeped into her. Her father wouldn’t push someone into dating her so they could get ahead in the mining industry, would he? Shaun was his friend. As she watched his smile spread, she wondered. No, he wouldn’t do that to her surely.

She’d never forgive her father if he’d even hinted to Shaun that he’d get a promotion
for dating her.

Without
daring to look back to stare at what she knew to be a nice tight arse, Sabina walked up her drive way and paused to glare at her dad. “You didn’t. Did you? ”

She narrowed her eyes on him as he tried to look innocent
. “You didn’t bribe Shaun to ask me on a date? ”

Her dad seemed genuinely
shocked, but she knew how good he was at making deals and getting what he wanted. “Dad, I don’t need you to find dates for me. I’m almost twenty-three years old. ” Her father opened his mouth but she cut him off. “Just because I don’t date or go clubbing like a lot of girls my age doesn’t mean I need setting up. I’ll be so angry if you’ve used my crush on Shaun to manipulate him into dating me. ”