by C. D. Gorri
The thing would need to be replaced, but to do that she’d have to go to the mainland or head on down to the library and use their computer to order one for herself. So, technically, the internet was down. She worried her lower lip as she imagined the conversation between her and her guest should he ask for her WI-FI password.
Oh Lord, forgive me for fibbing, she thought as she rubbed her hands together. She hoped Mr. Graves found The Sea Mist relaxing and distracting enough to forget about work. He would certainly owe his colleagues for thinking so highly of him to arrange for his comfort up to the finest detail.
She wondered at the large cardboard box that arrived for her guest early that morning. It was huge, but surprisingly light. She had placed it on the chest at the foot of the bed in the room she picked out for him. Probably magazines and stuff like that.
“What’s he look like, Mama?”
“We’re lookin’ for a businessman type, older I should think, my sweet Danny. I was told he needed a break from work, poor thing.”
“I bet he’s a million feet tall, with long hair, and he likes to play frisbee on the beach, and he can play guitar too, Mama!”
“Now, Danny, you know you aren’t supposed to bother the guests. And no I don’t think so, I believe Mr. Graves is more the indoor type. A computer programmer. You know, a stuffed shirt!” She whispered into Danny’s ear and tickled him till he gasped for breath.
“No way, Mama! You are so wrong!”
“Nuh-uh, your mama is never wrong! I bet he is bald with a big round potbelly and his skin is as pale and white as a sheet of paper!”
“No way! Hey look, I think that’s him! Maybe they do stuff his shirt?” Daniel tilted his head to the side as if trying to measure the figure staring at them from the deck of the water ferry.
Tulla turned and looked to where the ferry was now docked. A couple of men set the metal plank in place and connected it to the side of the boat. A moment later she noticed a man carrying an oversized army duffle and a sleek black backpack.
If only this was her guest, she thought to herself and bit her lower lip. His long hair was pulled back high on his head in an elastic band, a long beard hung down to an impossibly broad chest that narrowed to slightly tapered waist. He was tall, well over six-foot and the muscles in his arms and legs spoke of an outdoorsy type of guy. Too bad, she thought to herself, but this here is no rusty, old programmer.
The stranger took off his black wraparound sunglasses and if Tulla was interested before, she was positively speechless now. They were a color she had never seen on a man. One moment they were dark as roasted coffee beans, the next they were a light, shimmery brown, kind of like caramel sauce.
Molten, whiskey colored pools in the sunlight inviting her to dive in and loose herself. Her heart thudded in her chest, Tulla could drown in those eyes. He didn’t blink, didn’t move at all. Just stood and stared at her. It was like being caught in the eye of a predator, one from whom she wasn’t necessarily certain she wanted to escape. She managed to break eye contact and looked over the boat again, waiting for her guest for the next month, but there was no one else onboard.
If this was Randall Graves, she was in trouble.
CHAPTER 3
A few hours earlier…
Randall sat in the back of the black limo Dib had arranged to pick him up from the Charleston airport. The two-hour car ride from there to Bluffton went by quickly as he used the time to test and make notes on a new app he was building for the Macconwood-Nighthawk Teen Outreach Program.
He was happy for Cat and Tate. The two of them had been in love for as long as he could tell, but they had only recently gotten married. Together they opened the youth center with the hopes of helping teens in trouble, most especially teen Werewolves.
Randall more than understood the need. Young Werewolves were susceptible to bouts of severe depression after their first Change. The Curse of St. Natalis, though waning, was still present and kept Werewolves from connecting with the other side of themselves. The exception being during the full moon.
The separation caused some to despair. Too many, Randall thought. He recalled his own severe anxiety after he experienced his first Change. His father had beat that out of him. Hopefully, Tate and Cat had a different approach. He growled at the thought of his father then looked up to find the driver staring at him wide-eyed.
Randall stared the man down for all of two seconds before the driver’s eyes went back to the road. He shrugged, oh well, he was no good at small talk anyway. He tipped the man a fifty-dollar bill when they arrived at the dock even though he retrieved his own bag from the trunk. He tried not to notice as the limo hightailed it out of there.
Look at me, making friends and everything. I am rocking this vacation! Randall exhaled as he walked to the counter and got his ticket for the hour-long water taxi to Bloody Point. He sat like a statue in the small indoor seating area for the entire ride. He hated the noisy motorboat. Not that he hated the sea, he just preferred sail boats or even the occasional rowboat to the noisy excuse for water transportation he was trapped in.
The boat docked abruptly and he walked outside desperate for some fresh air. He stopped breathing the second his eyes found her. It was like time stood still and everything else just faded away. The woman on the dock wore a gauzy sort of blouse that revealed a sliver of her slender, tanned waist. She had on a pair of fitted jean shorts that stopped just above her knees. Impossibly small canvas sneakers graced her feet as she stood on her tiptoes searching around him with her eyes.
She was deliciously curvy in all the right places with toned calves and shapely thighs. Her skin was lightly bronzed from her time in the sun. From where he stood it looked smooth and clear too. Damn, he wanted to reach out and feel it for himself. Her heart shaped face was beautiful. She had full lips and big eyes the color of stainless steel. He’d never seen eyes like that before.
Her honey streaked hair floated around her shoulders as a warm breeze drifted off the water. It swirled around her, making her look like a fairy or some such magical creature. The breeze carried her scent to his nostrils and Randall’s stomach muscles clenched.
She smelled as good as she looked. Like coconuts and sea salt, the good kind. He licked his lips thinking of all the ways he’d revel in that scent, when a little whirlwind with red sneakers and blonde hair wrapped himself around her tiny waist.
Oh shit, he knew as soon as he saw her that she was the owner of the B&B, it was printed on the tote bag she carried. But if she was married then he needed to get right back on that damn boat before he did anything stupid. He didn’t wreck happy homes. It wasn’t his style.
One thing he knew, the guy who called that woman his was one damn lucky son-of-a-bitch. He shouldered his bag and walked towards the woman and child, the least he could do was introduce himself and apologize for the error. He tried not to let his disappointment show.
“Hey there, I’m Randall Graves, I, uh am sorry Mrs. Nirvelli-”
“Mama, that’s funny! He calls you missus like Missus Clara! That’s my teacher!”
“Hello. Yes, I heard him, sweetie. I’m sorry, this is my son Daniel and he just loves guest day. It’s actually Ms. Nirvelli, I’m a widow.”
Randall felt those muscles in his stomach tighten again. Widow huh? Well, widow wasn’t married. He wanted to kick himself for the turn his thoughts had taken. Only a heartless bastard would think those kinds of thoughts about a single mother. Then again, no one ever accused him of having too much heart. Besides, she was an adult and could make the choice herself.
It’s not like he was some kind of animal or something. He rolled his eyes at the irony and followed his hostess off the dock towards her car. He suddenly wished he’d taken the time to dress better. At the very least he could have had a haircut and a shave before embarking on this vacation. Damn, he must look terrifying. The little boy grinning at his heels seemed to think otherwise. He extended a chubby little hand and smiled.
“Y
ou can call me Danny, sir. Gosh, you are big! How big are you?”
Randall stopped walking and narrowed his eyes. He focused on the little whirlwind instead of his captivating mama and thought before replying. He didn’t have much experience with children, he’d never been around them much, but he imagined he was pretty darn big to a boy that size.
He dropped smoothly to one knee and accepted the boy’s hand in a manly shake that he couldn’t help but be impressed by. He liked the kid. He liked his mother too. Randall figured the best way to address the situation was to tackle it head on. It was more than probable that he’d be on intimate terms with the boy’s mother by the end of the trip.
Randall acknowledged this as a fait accompli. Not because he was conceited, but because he felt a burning desire flame inside of him when he looked at her. He hadn’t experienced that kind of thing in decades and if he was reading the signs correctly, she was not averse to the idea. The way her eyes lingered as they roamed over his body told him so, even if she didn’t realize it yet herself. At any rate, he wanted to be able to look the kid in the eye when the time came to leave. Straight shooting from the get go, he thought to himself.
“Hello, Danny, it is nice to make your acquaintance. To answer your question, I believe I am six foot three inches tall and I weigh around two hundred and fifty pounds. You look pretty big yourself for a boy of, what are you seven or eight? How big are you?” He tried to keep his voice light and easy going as he had no wish to frighten the child. He was rewarded with a smile for his efforts.
Randall’s heart squeezed inside his chest. He was struck by the child’s open expression and wide-eyed honesty. The way the kid shook his hand all proper-like was just another point in his favor, Randall had to fight to hold back a grin of his own. The boy smelled of saltwater and sand, crayons, and if Randall wasn’t mistaken, a grilled cheese sandwich that made his stomach growl. This was some kid.
“How’d you know I’m seven? I’m gonna be eight soon though! Oh, and I’m almost four feet two inches tall, but I only weigh fifty pounds! Maybe I can get my shirt stuffed like you? Mama said you must stuff your shirt, how do you do that anyway?”
Randall raised an eyebrow at the red blush that crept across the boy’s mother’s cheeks. He was intrigued more by the pretty pink color that was now across her entire face then with the actual question that was put to him. He turned back to the child.
“Uh, what was the question again, Danny?”
“Oh, well Mama said businessmen have stuffed shirts-”
“Danny, let’s not bother our guest with questions, come on now, get in the car. Uh, if you will just follow me Mr. Graves.”
“Lead the way. Uh, will your boyfriend be joining us later?”
“Oh, um, no, no, I do not have a boyfriend at the present time, Mr. Graves, but I assure you the B&B runs smoothly and will suit your needs.”
“Well, that’s good news for me,” Randall smiled to himself, grateful the boy had run ahead.
“I’m sorry what was that?” She asked him while searching her tote bag for what he assumed was the car keys. He clearly got to her considering said keys were already in her other hand. He smiled as he took them from her and clicked the unlock button before handing them back.
“I was just saying how wonderful that is for me, Ms. Nirvelli. I’d hate to be caught staring at another man’s girl.”
Her steel colored eyes sparkled in the afternoon sun with little hints of silver. She wrinkled her nose in a futile attempt to hide her smile, but his wide grin must have been contagious. She shook a finger at him in that way mother’s do at spoiled children and shook her head as she rounded the car.
“I do believe you are flirting with me, Mr. Graves,” she cleared her throat and closed her bag as she walked. Her canvas shoes made little noise on the graveled floor of the dock parking lot. She stopped and met his eyes when he answered, his deep voice little more than a rumble.
“Not yet, but I intend to.”
“Well, I’ll consider myself warned.”
CHAPTER 4
“Get in, Mr. Graves! You can sit up front with Mama!”
“Thank you, Danny, I think I’d like that.” He grinned as the mama in question dropped the keys on the car mat before she finished buckling her seatbelt. Her response delighted him.
The tempting Ms. Nirvelli wasn’t exactly immune to his charms. That was a good sign. A damn good one! She regained her composure and turned to him with a professional expression on her face.
“Well, I guess I should tell you that The Sea Mist is mine and Danny’s of course. Your colleague, Mr. Lowell has rented all the rooms out for the duration of your stay. You won’t be disturbed, Mr. Graves.”
“Call me Randall. So, Dib rented them all, huh? And, uh, was this on the phone?” He couldn’t help but wonder if his Packmate had been up to something when he booked this vacation for him.
He smiled at the formal way his hostess addressed him. Now that he knew she was not married, Randall decided to put some effort into exploring the electricity that seemed to spark between them. Surely, she noticed too.
“Oh no, he insisted on video conferencing through the internet. We chatted quite a few times. I have to say he led me to believe you were much older than you look,” she took her eyes off the road for a moment to look him up and the down and he felt the weight of that look like a thousand-pound brick.
“A few times, huh, I bet,” Randall discreetly adjusted himself and tapped his fingers on the dashboard. A nervous habit of his which was why he usually played an instrument.
It gave his hands something to do. Right then they were itching to do all sorts of things, and all to the delectable woman sitting to his left. He inhaled and got a whiff of her scent, sea salt and coconuts. He licked his lips.
“Um, here, let me turn the radio on. Is country, okay?”
He nodded his assent. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to hide the need that was taking over him, body and mind. If he opened his mouth he couldn’t be sure he’d do more than grunt. He wanted this woman. And badly.
She was a businesswoman, surely too astute to mistake the raw attraction he felt for her. He watched through heavy lidded eyes as she drove the old hatchback through the narrow tree lined street. It drove well for an older model, but it was a tad too small for his long legs.
The drive through the main part of town was quick. From what he could see it was pretty and clean, maybe quaint was a better word. He tried to settle into the seat, but he just could not get comfortable.
He turned and looked down the narrow streets. He saw a couple of older people in golf carts, but that was pretty much it. There were not many families out and about. It must be lonely for the kid, he thought to himself. He wondered how she came to live in such an isolated place.
“Ow,” he banged his knee on the glove compartment in his effort to find a suitable position.
“Oh, uh, there is a release just under the seat there,” Tulla motioned where the release latch was located after observing him moving around in his seat, but damn him if he could reach the thing. There was simply no room for him to bend over.
He struggled once and twice to the sounds of laughter coming from the munchkin in the back. Finally, his driver and hostess for the next month put the car in park at a stop sign and leaned over him. He gulped as he got another fresh wave of her scent. He had to fight the urge to touch the wavy tendrils of hair that stuck to the side of her face in the South Carolina heat.
She was beautiful alright. A small dimple sat on her right cheek as she pursed her lips, he wanted to kiss it. She held her breath as she reached down between his knees with her small elegant hands. Randall closed his eyes, his brain taking liberty with all sorts of images he should not be thinking, but couldn’t help. He cleared his throat. His body trembled with anticipation.
He opened his eyes, certain she’d see the Wolf inside of them and weary of her reaction. Their eyes locked, but instead of fear, she smiled, a wicked s
ort of grin. He swallowed. Holy Hell!
He was just about to speak when he found himself flying backwards. The seat moved quickly and heavily as she pulled the lever. She tried to look ashamed as he banged his head on the slight indent on the ceiling of the car, but her giggle gave it away. He muffled a curse under his breath and rubbed his head.
“Uh oh, you need to put a dollar in the swear jar now, right Mama!”
“Oh, I’m sorry Mr. Graves,” she said. But Randall knew better. It was as if she had guessed the lascivious nature of his thoughts and got him back for it! The minx!
“Now, Danny that swear jar is for us, not the guests!”
“No, no he’s right,” Randall said. He looked at her hand, the one that was still resting between his knees, her fingers still gripped the seat adjustment bar.
He looked back into her eyes with all the smoldering heat he felt in every part of his body. He gave a satisfied smile when she sat up quickly before taking the car out of park and stepping on the gas again. Randall’s smile turned into a grin, let the games begin.
“So, I owe a dollar, huh, Danny? Is that right?”
“Uh, huh! You said a swear word so you pay a dollar!”
“Alright then, here you go. Now, you be sure and put it in the, uh, swear jar for me, okay?”
“Yes, sir, I can do that. Right, Mama?”
“Okay, Danny, thank you. I’m sorry Mr. Graves, I didn’t mean for you to get involved in my attempt to break from the terrible habit of swearing.”
“Not at all. I may find myself attempting to reform as well. Led by your fine example of course, Ms. Nirvelli,” Randall smiled genuinely for what seemed like the first time in ages. He enjoyed their banter and wondered if she did too.
He rubbed a hand along the length of his beard and wondered how on Earth he had let it grow so long. He looked out the window and was surprised to find himself interested in the what was outside. Werewolves generally liked being outside, but he had spent the last twenty-years or so behind closed doors.