But more than that, I hadn’t realized how much I’d been pushing down my own feelings about Ian. Even after we’d made love in my little beach house the other night, I hadn’t let myself believe in the fairy tale. I’d thought that he would be here for a short while, then leave again and leave me behind with a broken heart.
Tonight, though, he’d put all those fears to rest. He had thrown around the word forever, and told me he wanted to grow old with me. Was it truly possible? The father of my child, the love of my life, was going to stay with me forever. I wouldn’t have to be alone anymore.
It was possible. The man was setting me down on the room’s giant king-sized bed right now, kissing me with such tenderness that I wanted to weep. First my forehead, then the top of my head, then each of my cheeks. He bent over me and nibbled at my ears, then put his mouth on mine, filling my body with an instant rush of heat.
I closed my eyes as he pushed his tongue past my lips and made it dance with my tongue. I could already feel my breasts swelling with desire and my nipples hard and alert. Between my legs, I was growing wetter with every passing second. He could turn me on in an instant with his kiss and his touch, and he was doing that now.
The wind raged outside, and I had the brief thought that I hoped the hurricane would not hit us too hard. But even thoughts of the hurricane could not disturb me now. Not when a man as gorgeous as Ian was in my arms.
Memories flashed across my mind. I remembered hot summer afternoons making love to Ian on the beach. I remembered cooling off in the ocean water, and letting him take me in the salty waves as well. I thought of spending the night together at my old beach house, with the windows open to let in the cool night breeze and the sound of the ocean.
A thrill ran through me as I realized that I would have all of that again. I had been mourning the loss of Ian for so long, but now he was here again, and life felt complete.
He was tugging off my shirt now, his moves gentle but sure in the darkness. There wasn’t much light in here—just whatever was drifting in from the candles in the living room, but it was enough for me to see his eyes. He looked at me with such a mix of tenderness and hunger that I felt like I would never be able to look away. All I wanted to do was stare into those eyes forever.
He kissed every inch of my body as he removed my clothes, layer by layer. His lips were firm and hungry, and every time they brushed against my skin I felt a shiver of delight. I had missed this so much. I had missed him so much. How had I made it the past five years without him? It seemed impossible now. With him right in front of me, I felt like I could finally exhale. Like I’d been holding my breath all this time, just waiting for him to come find me again.
Now that he’d found me, he was going to have me. And I was going to love every second of being had. I sat up and wiggled so that I could reach his shirt, and I slowly undressed him with as much tenderness as he had undressed me. I pulled off his clothes and kissed his strong, sculpted muscles. I ran my hands along his chest, down his abs, and to his rock hard erection. I shuddered with delight as I felt the length of him and imagined it sliding into me. I could feel the juices of my desire dripping down my legs as I became wetter and wetter for him.
He moaned as I gripped his shaft harder. I loved it when he did that. He was a tall, strong man, but my touch could still reduce him to a trembling mess. I loved that kind of power.
Of course, he had the same kind of power over me. He ran his hands up to my breasts and took my nipples between his fingers. I instantly became putty in his hands. The heat and tingling jolts of pleasure I felt whenever he twisted my hard nubs made me feel like pure electricity was running through my body. I could not get enough of him.
He kissed me again as he continued to tease my nipples, and I felt my breathing speed up as I tried to contain all of the glorious sensations running through me. But I could never fully contain it all. I moaned with delight as he moved to kiss my neck. He nibbled at my skin, and I felt the pressure and heat beginning to build in my core. I was completely his in that moment.
I had always been his. Why had I ever tried to deny that? Why had I ever tried to convince myself that I could live without him? His touch and kiss were like oxygen to someone who had been underwater for too long. I breathed him in with desperation.
He seemed to feel the same for me. His low growls, grunts, and groans became more intense, until he pulled me to the bed. He sat on the edge and stood me in front of him, so that his huge dick was pointing straight at my dripping wet entrance. I felt my whole being on fire, and the heat in his eyes told me that he knew it.
“Burn for me, Ruby,” he said in a husky voice. “Burn for me.”
And then, he pulled me close so that I was standing just inches in front of his dick. He was so tall that his sitting height matched perfectly with my standing height. I looked down to get a full view of his erection, and the thrill of seeing it so close to my own naked body made me tremble.
“You’re so big,” I whispered.
“For you,” he answered.
And then he reached back to grab my ass and to pull me even closer. His erection pushed against my entrance and slid into me, and I was instantly in heaven. Ecstasy radiated across my body as he pulled me closer and pressed deeper and deeper into me. I might have collapsed from the thrill of it all if it hadn’t been for his hands holding firmly to me.
I could not believe the way he filled me. He pushed against my inner walls, making room for himself and setting off thousands of delightful sensations as he rubbed against my most sensitive cells. I closed my eyes and concentrated fully on the wonder of having him inside of me.
When he began to thrust, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to hold back for long. Each time he pushed deep, deep into me, the inferno within me grew hotter. The electricity crackling between us intensified, and I began to gasp for breath as I felt myself at the mercy of his touch.
And then, I let go. My release came in rapid, violent waves, and I cried out over and over as my inner muscles began to clench around him. The hurricane outside had nothing on the power pulsing within me. I held on tightly to Ian as he continued to thrust, drawing out the sensation for a wonderfully long time.
Slowly, the tremors began to fade. But Ian wasn’t done yet. He pulled out of me, then stood and flipped me around so that I was bent over on the bed, my ass sticking into the air. He came around behind me, and without warning he slammed into me again.
The heat and tremors that had just been dying down instantly began again. I gasped as he went deeper and deeper into me. My inner muscles clenched violently around his shaft, over and over as I came again. I was dripping wet and burning up for him. He made me feel pleasures I had never known before.
And he found his own pleasures as well. As he pushed deeper and deeper into me, his thrusting became faster and faster.
“Mine,” he growled. “You’re all mine.” He moved within me, back and forth, back and forth. He gave me no relief, and I would not have wanted any. This was the longest orgasm of my life, and I never wanted it to end.
When he joined me in finding his own release, I could feel the pulsing of his dick within me. He let out a roar as he stiffened and thrust deep into me, holding himself there as he throbbed and spilled his seed into me. I suppose we were being reckless, and that if we kept doing this we were going to end up with another child sooner rather than later. But I think that deep down, that was what both of us really wanted.
When he finally pulled out, he fell onto the bed and pulled me down with him. He kissed my forehead, my cheeks, and my lips, and then he held me close.
“I love you,” he whispered in a husky voice. “I’ve always loved you. My greatest regret in life is waiting so long to come back and tell you that. But I’m going to tell you every day for the rest of our lives. I love you, I love you, I love you.”
I smiled and nestled my face against his chest. “I love you, too.”
My greatest regret was not telling him about
Chloe sooner, but I was done dwelling on regrets. I was ready for all of us to move forward with our lives, and I had a feeling our lives together were going to be quite an adventure.
Outside, the wind continued to howl like crazy, but in here it was warm and safe. Ian pushed back the blankets so we could crawl under them, and we snuggled there together until we fell asleep. I had never been so happy. Chloe was sleeping peacefully in the other bedroom, and I was finally in the arms of the man who loved me, and who was going to be an amazing father to our daughter.
I forgot to even worry about finding a job, or whether my beach house would still be standing in the morning. The important thing was that I was surrounded by love, and nothing could truly hurt me.
Chapter Eleven
* IAN *
The next morning, I woke up early, well before Ruby or Chloe. I took a quick shower and got dressed in the only suit I had brought with me. I hadn’t been planning on wearing a suit at all during my little vacation, but I had brought one just in case. I was glad for that now. I had a few people at the resort I wanted to talk to, and I figured the conversations would go better if I was dressed appropriately.
I wrote a quick note to Ruby, telling her that I’d be back soon but she should feel free to order room service when she woke up. I gave her a kiss goodbye on the forehead, but she didn’t even stir. I had to laugh. It was true—quite literally—that Chloe would sleep through a hurricane, but she didn’t get that trait from me. That was all from her mother.
I slipped out of the room, thoughts of the hurricane worrying me. How bad had the damage been? Since the windows of my suite were all boarded up, I hadn’t been able to see anything. My phone had also been out of battery, so I hadn’t been able to check the news. But the power had come back on, which had to be a good sign, right?
I walked to the elevator, happy to see that it was working normally. I took it all the way down to the first floor and stepped out into the resort’s lobby, which was deserted except for a handful of employees who were huddled around a television at the reception desk. I walked up to them and saw that they were all watching the news, so I joined them.
I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw that, thankfully, the worst of the hurricane had missed Driftwood Island. Only the outer edges had touched the island, resulting in some heavy winds and rain, but nothing that would cause the major devastation that could have happened if the actual hurricane had passed directly over us.
I glanced over my shoulder and looked out the large front windows of the resort. One of those windows had broken, but the glass had already been cleaned up and the open space had been boarded over. I was sure the window would be fixed within a day—this resort always stayed on top of things, and kept everything in top shape. Outside, there were a few tree branches scattered here and there, and the sky was gray. In the near distance, the ocean pounded against the shore with angry waves. But otherwise, things didn’t look too bad.
On the news, the reporter was saying that recovery would be quick and easy on Driftwood Island, but that Northern Florida was in danger. The hurricane had apparently changed course a bit and was soon going to make landfall. I felt badly for the people on the mainland, but I was relieved that damage had been minor here on the island. I hoped that Ruby’s little beach house was okay.
One of the resort staff members noticed I was there, and turned suddenly away from the television. “I’m so sorry, sir! I was so caught up in the hurricane news that I didn’t see you there. How can I help you?”
“It’s alright. I know it’s been quite an exciting morning. I was actually hoping to talk to whoever might be the hiring manager in charge of your entertainment programs here at the resort. I have a singer I’d like to recommend.”
“Of course. Let me see if he’s in for the day yet.”
I nodded appreciatively, then took a few steps back to wait. If all went well, Ruby would no longer be unemployed by the end of the day. She was going to kill me for interfering with her job search, but I didn’t care. She had the voice of an angel, and it was time for the world to hear it.
* * *
That evening, I found myself at Joe’s Sandbar, Driftwood Island’s favorite local bar, with Ruby by my side. Ruby’s friend Kelsey had generously offered to watch Chloe for the evening so that Ruby and I could go out. I had been to Joe’s Sandbar with Ruby a few times during the summer I spent with her five years ago, and I was surprised to find that Joe, the bartender, remembered me. I had to remind him of my name, but he definitely remembered my face, which was impressive since he’d only seen me a few times. He welcomed me back to the island and gave me a free pint of Driftwood Ale in celebration.
There was a lot to celebrate tonight. Ruby’s house had been undamaged by the storm, and Chloe and I had spent most of the afternoon together, getting to know each other better. I was loving having a daughter.
Right now, the crowd at the bar was fairly light. People were just starting to trickle in after a long day of work. I led Ruby to a secluded table in the corner and set down her beer in front of her.
“Cheers,” I said. “To us, and to our family’s future.”
She grinned and clinked her glass with mine. “Cheers. To a great future!”
We both sipped in silence for a few moments. I looked around the bar, wanting to just take it all in. The place hadn’t changed a bit, with its kitschy sea-themed decorations and oversized dance floor. It was a far cry from the bars I frequented in New York, but that was a good thing. I was already working on selling my company and leaving the New York life behind. I could hardly wait to tell Ruby all my plans, but as I opened my mouth to speak, she spoke first.
“I think I might have found a job today! I talked to one of the secretaries down at city hall and she said they’re looking to hire a new secretary. One of the old secretaries is retiring. I’m going to put in my application tomorrow and—”
“Hold on, Ruby,” I interrupted. “I found a better job for you.”
She frowned at me. “What do you mean? I told you I don’t want any help. I want to find a job based on my own skills, not based on a billionaire putting in a good word for me.”
“I know. And I fully expect you to be mad at me about this, but just hear me out. I talked to the hiring manager at the resort who is in charge of the entertainment programs there. As it turns out, the lead singer for one of their regular shows has just decided to move back to the mainland, so they’re holding auditions for the spot. I mentioned your name, and he knew who you were.”
“He did?”
“Yup. Apparently you’ve already made quite a name for yourself singing in the hotel while you were cleaning rooms.”
Ruby’s face turned bright red. “I didn’t think anyone could hear me.”
“Well, apparently they did. And they all love your singing. The hiring manager said that if you want the job it’s yours.”
“Really? But…I don’t know if I have the courage to sing on stage. It’s fine while cleaning or something, but, in front of people?”
I looked around at the bar, which was filling up rapidly. “Try it right now. I think you’ll find that you love it.”
“What? Are you out of your mind?”
“No. Not at all. These are all people you know and they’ll be supportive. Go up to where the band is setting up over there and ask them if you can sing a song to warm up the crowd.”
“You are out of your mind.”
“Just try it. I’ll let the whole singing matter drop if you hate it, I promise.”
“You promise? Not another word about it?”
I raised my right hand. “Scout’s honor.”
“Fine.”
She got up and sashayed to the band leader. I knew she thought she was going to go through this one once and feel humiliated. Then she could tell me I wasn’t allowed to mention singing anymore.
But I knew better. I knew once she opened her mouth and experienced letting her voice out to the world, she would be hoo
ked. It’s what she’d always wanted. Somewhere between meeting me the first time and having Chloe, she’d let that dream die. But I was going to make sure it was revived.
I sipped my beer and grinned as I watched her talking to the band leader. He shrugged, then smiled and nodded. A few minutes later, he was walking up to the microphone and clearing his throat.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special treat tonight. As many of you know, our very own Ruby Jennings has quite a voice. And if you didn’t know, you’re about to. She’s going to sing a country tune for us. I know you’ve all heard the recent hit ‘Just My Horse and Me.’ But you’re going to hear it like you’ve never heard it before. Put your hands together for Ruby!”
The growing crowd in the bar cheered as the band began to play the first notes of the song. Ruby stepped nervously up to the microphone, but I could tell she was excited, too. Her voice wavered for the first few notes, but then she found her groove.
Her performance was breathtaking. When she finished, the crowd demanded more. Then more, and more. She sang five songs before finally begging off and saying she needed a break. When she came to sit by me, she immediately started downing what was left of her ale so that she didn’t have to talk to me. She wouldn’t meet my eyes either, which I found amusing.
“Well?” I finally prompted.
She sighed. “Fine. You were right. I enjoy singing in front of a crowd.”
“You’re damn good at it, too.”
She blushed. “Thanks. I hope the resort guests like my singing as much as the crowd here did.”
“Don’t worry. They’ll love it. You’ll be famous, and then I can say I knew you way back when.”
Ruby punched me playfully, but I could tell she was pleased. “I guess my job search is over, then.”
Trusting Him: A Billionaire Beach Island Romance (Billionaires of Driftwood Island Book 5) Page 8