Season of Love

by Jill Sanders

He yanked her arm up and her cell phone was jerked out of her hand. She watched as if in slow motion as it sailed through the air, flying over their heads directly towards one of the high-dollar vases she’d marked down on her list.

  She cried out with both pain and worry but was too late to stop the phone from hitting the vase. It crashed to the floor.

  “No!” She jerked her arm free, then rushed to where the vase sat in pieces. She didn’t care about the cracked screen of her new phone, but the destruction of the historic beauty was a loss.

  Before she could recover, she heard another crash and glanced over her shoulder.

  “Don’t you ever touch her again.” Corey had the man pinned against the front door so that only his toes touched the floor.

  “Lilly, call the cops.” Corey held out his cell phone.

  She took it, her eyes going to the destruction once more. Tears were flowing as she dialed 911.

  She relayed the address Corey gave her.

  Corey had loosened his hold on his father, but still the man was pinned to the door.

  “I told you last time that would be the last time you touch me,” Corey said when she hung up and handed back his phone. “I don’t give a shit about me, but when you start pushing women around…” Corey made a sound that was almost growling.

  “You’re probably fucking the bitch,” his father hissed out.

  “Enough,” Corey warned.

  “Just like your bitch of a mother. The moment they take everything you have, they’ll leave you.”

  Lilly turned and watched realization flood Corey’s face. Instead of looking sad, he smiled.

  “So, she did something smart for once in her life and left you.”

  His father’s eyes narrowed. “It’s because you bastards took everything that was rightfully mine.”

  “We didn’t take anything from you.”

  His father made a sound. “Like hell you didn’t. You were probably plotting with my old man from day one.”

  Corey laughed. “Day one? As in the day we were born? Get real.”

  Lilly saw it then. His father was too high to think rationally.

  “Just like your bitch of a mother. Waiting around to get your hands on my inheritance. Well, you two succeeded in it, didn’t you?” the man spat out. He tried to swipe his fist towards Corey, who easily pinned him back against the door.

  “Easy,” Corey warned.

  “Fuck you.” His father jerked away, and Corey dropped his arms. “Someday this’ll be mine. Just like it was supposed to be.”

  Lilly could hear the sirens already. Living on an island where most homes were worth in the high six figures or more had its benefits.

  “Fuck you.” Corey’s father glared at her. “Don’t think I don’t know your kind. Hell, I was married to one for thirty-two years.” He snapped his finger. “Took off on me the moment she found out I was worth nothing.”

  “You’ve always been worth nothing,” Corey said softly.

  “What did you say?” His father moved closer, his body swaying as he walked. “What the fuck did you just say?”

  The two police officers were already making their way up the walkway when Corey’s father’s fist swung towards him. Corey easily ducked it, and the officers were on the older man in seconds.

  “Mr. Miller,” the female officer said after they had his father in cuffs. Her partner was pushing the man towards the patrol car. “We’d heard you and your brother had taken over here.” Corey sighed and nodded. “We also heard from your lawyer to keep an eye out for…” She motioned back to the patrol car where his father sat in the back seat, yelling profanities. “Would you like to press charges?”

  Corey looked back at her.

  “He broke a vase worth half a million.” Lilly motioned to the destruction, tears still flooded her eyes. “Not to mention my cell phone.” She turned to Corey. “It’s up to you. It’s your property.”

  He turned to the woman. “Keep him overnight if you can, but no.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “We won’t be here long enough for him to bug us again. We’re leaving Sunday morning. Shortly after, this place will go on the market.”

  She nodded and handed him a card. “I’m Lieutenant Ryland. If you need anything, give us a call. I’ll be listening out for a call from Earl in case you change your mind.” She smiled. “We’re old friends.” She winked, and Corey nodded.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  “You two enjoy your stay. We’ll book him for public intoxication, since I can smell it on him from a mile away. After he posts bail, we’ll make sure he gets off the island.”

  “Thanks,” Corey repeated before he shut the door.

  Reaching over, she took his cell phone and snapped a few pictures of the broken vase.

  “For insurance purposes.” She sighed. “I’m sure your grandfather had some.”

  He frowned over at her. “It was just a vase.”

  “It was a piece of art and, more important, a piece of history.” She shook her head. “Who cares how much it was worth. It’s the historic value that will be missed for generations to come.”

  He shook his head and moved closer to her. “You continue to amaze me,” he said softly. She felt his muscles relax under her fingertips.

  “Oh?” she asked, smiling.

  “You look at that”—he motioned to the mess— “and instead of crying for the cost, you cry for the history.”

  She chuckled. “I have an aunt that’s an artist,” she supplied. “And I think it was a rare Ming vase. The good news is that I took a picture of it. The bad news is, it was on my phone.” She frowned down at her broken screen.

  “There’s a cell phone store in town. We can head in and have some dinner and see about getting it fixed or replaced,” he suggested.

  “I’ll go change.” She looked down at her wrinkled clothes. “Maybe grab a shower.”

  Instead of releasing his hold on her, he tightened it. “I’m sorry about all that.” He nodded towards the front door.

  “Don’t be. We can’t choose our family members.” She touched his cheek where the red mark was. His skin had returned to normal and she could tell he wouldn’t be left with a bruise. He was still sporting a small bruise under his eye from the last time his father had hit him. Even his lip was still slightly swollen.

  He bent down and brushed a soft kiss across her lips. “I’ll show you to your room.”

  “My…” She smiled. “We aren’t sharing one?” she asked playfully.

  He glanced sideways at her. “I didn’t think…”

  She stopped him by putting a hand on his arm. “Corey, I came up here to spend the weekend with you, and to help you out. But mainly to spend a few nights wrapped in your arms.” She stopped at the top of the stairs and wrapped her arms around him now. “Don’t take that pleasure from me.”

  He chuckled. “I wouldn’t think of it. Okay, you pick which room we stay in then. There are six of them.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “Maybe we can utilize each one before we go.”

  She laughed and started making her way to the room she’d picked out on their tour. Seeing her bag already sitting just inside the door, she smiled over her shoulder at Corey. “See, you already understand me. Now…” She slowly pulled her shirt over her head and watched as his eyes dropped to her exposed skin. “Guess what I’m thinking about?” She turned and started to make her way towards the massive bathroom as she peeled off her clothes, and Corey followed behind her, dropping his own clothes along the way.

  14

  They drove his newly titled BMW i8 into the small town closest to his grandfather’s place. It was strange—he still thought of the house as his grandfather’s but the car as his. Maybe it was because there were fewer than a hundred miles on the vehicle. Either way, the house didn’t feel right for him to keep. It wasn’t in the right location and wasn’t the kind of place Corey would have picked out for himself.

  They ate at a small burger joint while the phone was re
paired. When they were done eating, they grabbed her phone and headed back to the house.

  Seeing a Mercedes in the driveway as they pulled in, he parked beside it.

  “What now?” He sighed.

  “Whatever or whoever it is”—she reached for his hand—“we’ll deal with them, together.”

  He was shocked and pissed at the same time when he found the front door unlocked. He’d not only locked it on their way out, he’d set the alarm as well.

  “Maybe we should call the police back?” Lilly suggested.

  “Whoever it is, they have a key and the code to the alarm.” He nodded to the wall where the alarm sat silent. “Stay here,” he started to say as they both stepped into the main living room.

  Hearing Lilly’s gasp, he jerked his eyes forward as Lilly covered her eyes.

  He saw Reece, the legal secretary for his grandfather’s lawyer, in a see-through nighty spread out on the massive fur rug in front of the fireplace. She was surrounded by soft candlelight as slow music played in the background. There was a bottle of champagne, which she’d probably taken from the refrigerator, chilling next to her as she sipped slowly from one of two glasses.

  When she saw Lilly standing next to him, her eyes narrowed. She actually pushed her ample chest out slightly more, her nipples very visible through the see-through lace.

  “Well, I hadn’t expected you to bring along a friend,” Reece purred as she moved up to her knees. Her legs spread slightly and, he couldn’t help it, his eyes moved instantly to the dark patch of hair between her legs that was covered only by silk.

  Turning quickly, he put his back to her.

  “I think you’d better dress and leave before we call the cops for trespassing,” he said in a firm voice, even as his dick sprang to life. Again, he blamed his man-genes, which jumped at any chance to see a pretty naked woman, even though his mind and heart wanted only Lilly.

  “Oh.” Reece’s voice moved closer. Corey saw that Lilly had her eyes diverted to the ceiling and figured one of them better keep an eye on the intruder, so he turned to watch her slink her way towards them and forced himself to stare at the spot between her eyebrows. He pushed Lilly behind him. He told himself it was to protect her in case Reece turned violent, but really, he didn’t want Lilly to feel uncomfortable. She went willingly and gripped his hips and rested her forehead between his shoulder blades. He thought he heard her giggle, but he was too busy trying to focus on the spot between Reece’s very manicured eyebrows. “Don’t worry, sweetie, I can party with three,” Reece purred.

  One of her painted and very long red fingernails scraped his chin. He was pretty sure it would leave a mark, so he took a step back and came up against Lilly.

  “I’m not sure how you got in here, but—”

  “Your grandfather liked to party,” Reece supplied, “so he gave me my own entry code.” Her nail was back, this time scraping up and down his arms and chest, no doubt leaving marks there as well. “We can continue our arrangement.” She smiled. “I don’t mind, actually.” She nodded to Lilly who was now poking her head out from behind him. “With you and your brother, it should be a whole lot more fun.”

  “I’m not sure what arrangement you and my grandfather had, but it died with him. I’ll be changing the lock and the security codes after you leave. You have a few minutes to dress and go.” He took Lilly’s hand to leave, but the woman’s nails dug into his upper arms. Thankfully, he hadn’t removed his coat yet, as he was pretty sure she would have drawn blood.

  “How dare you,” Reece hissed. “I have a contract.” The woman’s voice spiked. “I’ll sue.”

  His chuckle stopped her rant. “Go ahead.”

  “You think this is funny? I’m due what I’m owed.” She hissed, stomping over and wrapping a fur mink around her shoulders.

  “Whatever you were owed, died with my grandfather.” He relaxed slightly now that she was covered. “If you continue to fight this, I’ll make sure Earl knows about this.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.” She jerked closer, her nose inches from his. “I have a contract.”

  “With a dead man,” he answered. Her eyes narrowed.

  The woman’s brightly painted red lips thinned as her eyes ran over them. He could tell she was calculating her next move.

  “One way or another, I’ll get what I’m owed.” She turned and glided out of the house without a glance back.

  Corey relaxed.

  “Well, that was fun,” Lilly said, gaining his attention. His eyebrows shot up.

  “I could invite her back?” he suggested, earning a moderate slap on his shoulder. “Easy, I think she bled me.” He grabbed his arm and she laughed.

  “Those nails!” She shook her head. “Why do they sharpen them into points?” She removed her coat and tossed it over the sofa. She picked up the glass of champagne and took it to the sink and dumped it. Then she grabbed two fresh glasses, and the container of chocolate strawberries he’d gotten for her from the fridge.

  She walked back over to the fireplace and looked up at him. “Well? Go lock that door so she doesn’t get it in her mind to come back, because I’m thinking I want to lay in front of this fire, drinking champagne and eating chocolate-covered strawberries…”—her smile grew slowly— “completely naked, so it’s me you have in mind instead of her.”

  He moved quickly, making sure to set the alarm again as he passed by. He tossed his jacket over hers, turned off a few more lights, then toed off his shoes.

  When he returned to the fire, she was there, the firelight dancing over every part of her soft skin. His steps faltered, and he stood there looking down at her for almost a minute before he felt he could move.

  “I’ll never get this image out of my mind,” he whispered.

  His eyes were glued to her as she plucked a large strawberry from the plate and slowly dipped it between her lips. Her tongue darted out and she licked it and then nibbled on it, and he about came in his jeans.

  He stripped his shirt and jeans off, making sure to grab the condoms he’d stuffed in his jean pockets, and was beside her by the fire quickly.

  She smiled over at him. “Drink?” She held up the flute of champagne.

  He took it from her fingers.

  “I like your shorter nails,” he said out of the blue, earning a chuckle from her.

  “They can be sharp, if they have to be. If she had put a hand on you”—she glanced down to his erection, then back up to him— “they would have come out.”

  He smiled and cupped her face. “I don’t doubt it.” His smile grew. “So, does this mean that we’re together?”

  She laughed. “You have to ask that?” She glanced up and down their naked bodies. “Now?”

  He set his glass down, then wrapped his arms around her and rolled with her on the rug. Their lips met and held as the kiss moved through him, changed him.

  The next morning, they woke to snow. After making love in front of the fireplace, he’d carried her up to their shared room where he’d made love to her again on the massive king-sized bed. He’d fallen asleep with the smell of her sexed skin in his head. He’d woken to her hair in his face and smiled before he’d fully opened his eyes.

  The feel of her soft body pressed against his was the best wake-up call he could have had. He wanted to feel that every morning for the rest of his life.

  Before she stirred, he was slipping into her again. His hands moved over her slowly, causing light moans to escape from her lips. When her eyes fluttered open, they were foggy, and he could tell she was on the verge of coming for him. He held onto her and let himself follow her.

  Burying his face into her hair, he came up with a brilliant idea. Why couldn’t he have this all of the time? He knew how he felt about her, knew that it was bigger than anything he’d ever felt before. If this was love, he didn’t want to let it go.

  Leaning back, he could tell she was still in recovery mode. No better time to strike than now.

  “Move in with me,” he
said, causing her eyes to jerk open.

  “What?” She sat up, taking the sheets with her as he rolled over.

  “When I return to Pride, I’m going to be looking for a place of my own. Why not move in with me instead of the apartment with Riley?”

  “Because…” she stammered as she slowly stood up, taking the comforter with her.

  He waited. “Because…” he prompted.

  “I’m thinking.” She turned from where she’d stopped in front of the window.

  He walked over and stood behind her, his hands resting on her shoulders as they looked out at the view. There was a heavy mist laying over the mountain and the water, blocking out the city beyond and making it appear as if they were the only living thing for miles.

  “You enjoyed last night, right?” he asked, turning her towards him.

  “Of course,” she started. She bit her bottom lip and her eyes crinkled. Reaching up, he used his thumb to soothe the spot. “We’ve only been seeing each other—”

  “We’ve technically known one another for almost a year,” he broke in.

  She sighed. “Yes, but, technically… We’ve only been…”

  “Is it a time thing then?” he asked, breaking into her thoughts again.

  “N-no.” She shook her head.

  “Good, because if my memory serves me right, your parents moved quickly. Or so your father told me.”

  She sighed heavily. “I—”

  Just then his cell phone rang. “Hang onto that thought,” he said before he moved over to the nightstand. He saw Carter’s number on the screen and answered it.

  “What the hell did you do?” Carter asked when Corey answered the call.

  “What?”

  “Grandpa’s lawyer called me, said he’d been trying to get ahold of you all night and morning. Something about dad?”

  “Yeah.” He sighed. He’d meant to text or call Carter last night but had forgotten after their little visitor had left and Lilly had gotten naked.

  “Well, he’s gone and done it. He’s suing us,” Carter said.

  “What?” Corey sat on the edge of the bed. “For what?”