Twice Cherished

by Ava Branson

  She sat up and plucked it from my hands, wiggling to get into a better position to roll it down my length. Her fingers shook as she tried and fumbled. Before I could take it from her hands and begin the end of my agony, she leaned toward me and swiftly took me in her mouth.

  “Christ, Micki,” I growled.

  Urged on by my response, she took as much of me as she could in her hot, wet mouth, licking and sucking until I pulled her from me, learning what mortal pain was all about. “No,” I hissed out between clenched teeth. “Give me the fucking condom.”

  Somehow, between the two of us, we got the goddamn thing on. I reached for her and we tumbled backwards onto the sofa, her hands reaching and grasping for my arms, my shoulders, my back. She opened her legs, wrapping them around my waist and the feel of her still wet, tender flesh against me sent a primitive ripple of masculine need through me.

  Cupping her face, I kissed her mouth. Gently at first, then she rocked against me, turning the kiss into an inferno. I slid into her with as much control as I was capable of, giving her a chance to adjust. When she tensed, I stopped.

  “No, don’t…please don’t stop,” she breathed.

  I felt her soften, easing the way. “Jesus, Micki…I’ve touched heaven right here. In you.”

  She smiled softly, but it captured my everything. I slid deep, pulling a gasp from both of us. Bracing myself on my forearms, I studied her face while I still had a thread of control. “You okay?”

  “I’m more than okay,” she smiled seductively.

  I began to move, slowly at first, trying hard to be gentle. She wasn’t having any of it. Slanting her hips, she angled them to meet me thrust for thrust. I moved to grip her hip with one hand and went deeper.

  Harder.

  Faster.

  Guttural sounds slipped from her throat. “God, Devin. Don’t stop. Don’t ever, ever, ever, ever stop…” She bucked under me. Not wanting to hurt her, I tried to pull back. She tightened her legs around me in response. “No, no…more.”

  I found her eyes, my vision blurred.

  One last thrust sent me crashing over into the abyss.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Micki

  I was boneless. Mindless. Utterly spent when he collapsed in the crook of my neck. Sucking in harsh, ragged breaths, his heart thundered against mine. A fine sheen of perspiration covered both our bodies, slicking his back and letting my hands glide up and down the hard muscles. The weight of his body on top of me pushed me deep into the cushions, cradled in a way I never wanted to end.

  I opened my mouth, feeling like I should say something clever or witty, but nothing came. Every fiber in my being just wanted to hold onto this moment forever. It felt…right. Complete. Like I’d found what I’d been searching for and never knew was missing.

  He lifted his head, those piercing blue eyes meeting mine, and my heart slammed in my chest. What I saw in their depths both thrilled and frightened me. My face must have reflected my confusion.

  His brows knit together. “You okay?”

  I smiled, nodding. “More than okay, actually.” Threading my fingers through his hair, I sighed inwardly in complete and total contentment.

  He gave me a wicked grin. “If you’d like to make sure, we can do this again because, well, you know. Practice makes perfect and I’m a perfectionist.”

  “You could do this again this soon?”

  “With you, yes.” He shifted his body and I could feel that he was still semi-hard. I wriggled underneath him to accommodate him and warm tingles surged low in my belly as I felt him pressed up against me. The memory of how he’d felt inside me moments ago sent a shiver of craving straight between my legs.

  “I could be talked into it.”

  He looked pleased. “I don’t want to make you sore.” He shifted his weight to the side and propped himself up on his elbow, trailing his other hand up and down my side, leaving goose bumps in his wake. His expression darkened. “How long has it been?”

  “Been? Since…”

  “Since you’ve had sex. You were incredibly tight. Not that I’m complaining or anything.”

  I didn’t know whether to feel embarrassed or okay with the fact that I wasn’t the kind of person who had sex for the sake of having sex. “It’s been a while. A pretty long while, actually.”

  An array of emotions flickered in his eyes and I found myself holding my breath, wondering what he was thinking.

  “Micki,” he began, his low and gravelly. He closed his mouth, pressing his lips firmly together, the muscles in his jaw working.

  My heart beat harder. Maybe he was thinking this was a mistake. That it wasn’t something he wanted to continue with after all. That he was feeling guilty having made love when this wasn’t what he wanted after all.

  I startled when he cleared his throat, but he cupped the back of my head in his hand and brought his mouth closer to mine. “If you’ll let me, I’d like to spend the next two days that you’re here doing nothing but making love to you. Anywhere and everywhere you’d like.”

  And just like that, the last shred of protective wall I had erected around my heart dissolved into thin air.

  I was hopelessly, irrevocably, in love with Devin Stockton and there was nothing I was going to be able to do to shield my heart if he didn’t feel the same.

  “I’d like that,” I said softly.

  He made good on his promise. After making love a second time—this time in his bed—I fell asleep in his arms, feeling like anything was possible in the universe. Feeling cherished. He even managed to tamp down the ugly specter of guilt that had been my constant companion for twelve long years. For this moment—these two precious days—I wouldn’t allow that to dim the pure joy my heart was filled with. There would be time enough to do that when I got home.

  The following day we sailed to a small deserted cove and anchored, enjoying a lunch Edith had carefully packed for us. Not a cloud in the sky, the noonday sun danced brilliantly over turquoise water, almost blinding me as we sailed. Halfway through lunch, he brought up the topic of refurbishing boats.

  “I was serious when I urged you to consider that. Honestly, I’ve been approached by several people, friends of my clients, who have older boats and don’t want to or don’t have the money to go out and commission a new custom yacht. But they still want their boats to be upgraded and made more modern, which is way more cost effective than a new build.”

  I took a long drink of what I’d decided was Edith’s signature drink. A half-tea, half-lemonade concoction that tasted way better than anything I’d tried in the States. When I asked what she put in it, she just smiled slyly and winked. I knew not to push.

  “I hear what you’re saying and have no doubt that you’re right, but that’s a big leap for me with no real experience and, call me crazy, but I would think that someone with an already expensive yacht would feel much more inclined to hire someone with experience. Don’t you think?”

  He looked quite serious. “I could arrange for that. For you to get some experience, and with my help, I know it would go well.”

  I stared at him for a long time. “You aren’t kidding, are you.” It was more statement than question.

  “I’m dead serious.”

  I let the air leave my lungs slowly as I eased back into the cushions in the cockpit. Countless questions ricocheted through my mind with dizzying speed. The underlying thought that he would work with me…what did that ultimately mean? Could the future hold a space for me joining forces with him in business? What did that mean for us?

  “I won’t lie and say I’m not intrigued, but I also won’t lie and say the thought didn’t scare me to death. I mean, I’ve worked hard to build up my studio, which is kind of an important thing in my life because, you know…it pays the bills?”

  “I get that. I do. Look, what if I put together some numbers along with a rough timeline of what it would take to do a full refurbish? There just so happens to be a friend of mine who spends half a yea
r down in Tortola and he’s looking to have some work done. It would be an excellent job to cut your teeth on.”

  This was becoming more real and more than a little exciting. “I…I guess. This is just a little mind-boggling and a lot to consider, Devin.”

  He grinned. “I know it is, but think about it. But not for the rest of the day or tonight. I have other things for you to think about.”

  I arched one brow. “Oh, you do, do you?”

  “Mm hmm.” He slid over to sit beside me, tugging at the back string of my bikini. “Like how much better I like you naked in the sun.” Very slowly, he pulled until it came completely undone. Shivers of anticipation raced through me, filling my breasts with aching need. “How clumsy of me, I missed one.” His fingers went to the tie behind my neck, pulling that one loose faster than the other one. When it was undone, he plucked at the string between my breasts and pulled the top free. The warmth of the sun against my skin only added to the pulsing need for more that sprang to life between my legs.

  He lowered his head to my breast, licking, sucking. He grazed the hardened peak with his teeth. I hissed in a breath at the white-hot sensation, unconsciously spreading my legs as his hand trailed down my belly. Sliding one finger between my legs, he stroked the swollen flesh under my bikini bottom, the fabric barrier only adding to the erotic sensation.

  A low moan vibrated in his throat as he administered the same lavish attention to my other breast.

  “I’m hungry for dessert.” He slipped his fingers inside the material and I cried out his name. With an almost violent yank, he had my bottoms off and was down on his knees, spreading me wider before looking up at me with a look of unvarnished desire. “Christ, you’re beautiful,” he rasped before licking into my heated, needy flesh.

  My first lover had become an expert lover.

  We spent the rest of the afternoon making love, swimming naked in crystal-clear water, lying in the cockpit of the boat, lulled into serenity by the movement of the water. For those brief moments, I almost believed this could be our future.

  The remainder of the days flew by entirely too fast. The grim reality of getting on that plane and flying back to Mimosa Key filled me with an emptiness that began to grow into almost physical pain. I was afraid when I left all the hope that had begun to bloom would wither under the scrutiny of a view from outside this fantasy world I felt we were in. So many unknowns. So many questions.

  My small bag packed, I went to say goodbye to Edith and thank her for everything she’d done. “Edith, I’ll never be able to replicate your wonderful food and I don’t have the vocabulary to tell my friends what an experience it was.”

  Her big smile transformed her face. “Ahh, you don’t need to tell nobody. You just come back where you belong. I’ll fatten you up and when you get yourself with a baby, I’ll fatten that one up, too.”

  Taken aback at the future she alluded to, I felt tears sting the backs of my eyes, grateful for the moment her hug gave me to recover and steady my voice. The woman obviously thought things were further along between me and Devin than they actually were. Sniffing as delicately as I could, I managed, “I’ve no doubt you could fatten up half this island without batting an eye.”

  “Bah.” She swatted the air with her hand. “They don’t appreciate it.”

  My throat remained tight as I leaned down to pick up my bag. Devin got to it before I did.

  He did a quick assessment of my face. “You okay?”

  Damned if the sound of concern, coupled with Edith’s words, didn’t bring on a fresh bite of tears. Blinking furiously, I nodded with a tremulous smile. Pointedly looking to the large grandfather clock on the far wall of the living room, I said, “We’d better get going so we’re not late.”

  The drive to the airport was made in silence. Not uncomfortable silence, but we were both lost in our own thoughts.

  Entirely too soon, the turn came for the airport and before I could think of something to lighten the mood, we were parked. He turned the car off and draped one arm, waiting until I faced him. I kept my eyes averted, studying my hands like I’d never seen them before. I’d rehearsed this moment all morning and prayed I had the strength to keep our parting light because it wouldn’t take much to send me tumbling into a cavern of self-pity. And the last image I wanted him to have of me was one of an emotional, blubbering heap.

  “Micki, look at me.” His tone was gentle but commanding.

  Taking a deep breath, I lifted my eyes to meet his. The sound of my blood roared in my ears and my stomach flip-flopped.

  He reached over and covered my hands with his larger one, the warmth seeping into my cold fingers like a ray of sunshine after a long, stormy day. “Look, this was way too short to even begin to tell you how I feel. I don’t want to overwhelm you anymore than I already have, but…shit,” he muttered, turning to look out the windshield. “I have to fly down to St. Thomas again. After that, I’d like to come back to you, if you’ll have me, that is. We need to talk—”

  “Yes, please,” I interrupted. “Please…come. As soon as you can.”

  I watched his eyes as he processed my words. “Be ready.”

  Confused, I repeated. “Be ready?”

  “You’ll see. I’ve been thinking about a helluva lot of things, but you’ll have to wait until I get there.”

  With that teaser, he slid out of the car and came around to my side, reaching in the back for my bag.

  “Not even a hint?” I asked. How was I supposed to wait until…who knew?

  He shook his head, but his smile said it all. He was enjoying the hell out of keeping me guessing. “Nope, not even a tiny one.”

  Our eyes met and he dropped the bag at his feet and hauled me the rest of the way out of the car and up against his hard body. “It’s going to be fucking hell until I get to do this again.”

  His mouth came down on mine in a brutal, savage kiss that left me mindless. Without a thought about being out in public, I cupped his ass and pulled his hips against mine. A growl rumbled from his chest and I smiled against his lips.

  “I can tease, too, you know.”

  He decided to play hard ball, and he captured my breast in one hand, easily finding its already hardened peak. Tweaking it just enough to make me gasp, I pulled away from his mouth.

  “It’s going to be hell for me, too, but Devin…we’re in the airport parking lot.”

  “I really don’t give a shit where we are. It’s going to be three long days until I can touch you again.”

  Carefree laughter bubbled up inside me. “I know, but still.”

  He let me go, but just a couple of inches. I chuckled at the look of disappointment on his face. Lifting up on my tiptoes, I pressed a fast kiss on his chin. “You look like you lost your favorite toy,” I teased.

  There was nothing light in his expression. “I lost you once. That isn’t going to happen again unless it’s what you want.”

  Seated once again beside Linc in his plane, I craned my neck to keep Devin in my sight as long as I could. Feeling no shame, I plastered my fingers to the windows in the cockpit until we’d taken off and the only thing I could still see was the yellow of his Jeep…until that, too, disappeared behind me. Whether Linc intuitively knew I needed a moment or he could read the emotion that was no doubt evident on my face, he was uncharacteristically quiet. I concentrated on keeping the dam of tears secured until I was in the safety and privacy of my cottage.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Devin

  Three long, fucking days. Seventy-two hours of hell. If it didn’t rip my guts out so much, I’d have thought it incredibly fucking funny that a grown man could behave like a love-starved puppy. Moving through my business meetings on auto-pilot, hearing—but not caring—what offers were being made, all I could focus on was boarding that plane and getting back to Mimosa Key as soon as I possibly could.

  Finally I packed my lackluster interest in future business dealings onto Linc’s plane, along with my bag, and settled
in for what I’d been counting the hours to get to. “Listen, Linc, I can’t thank you enough for accommodating me, man. I’d tip you but I know you won’t take it.”

  Linc smiled back from behind mirrored aviator lenses. “You paid for the trip, that’s enough. Besides, seeing that goofy look of anticipation on your face is tip enough.” He gave me another hard look and burst out laughing.

  I was concentrating too much on getting to Micki to care what he thought he saw.

  “You’re adding armchair psychologist to your many skills?”

  He shrugged good-naturedly. “Don’t think I need any special training to see what’s pretty fucking clear on that ugly mug of yours.”

  “Oh yeah?” I challenged.

  “Oh yeah,” he repeated. “Christ, you have it bad, my friend. Real bad. And judging by the state your lady friend was in when I flew her back here, she’s got it bad, too.”

  “What do you mean, the state she was in?” I straightened, ready to pull every detail out of him by hand if I had to.

  “Hey, I didn’t mean anything bad by that, man. She just looked… I don’t know. Heartbroken might be too strong. Sad…yeah, sad. That’s the right word. And I’m not the world’s best judge on all things women, but if I had to take a stab at describing it, I’d say she looked scared, too.”

  That didn’t make sense. We’d had a mind-blowing three days. She’d responded to my touch like no other woman ever had, but…scared? Of what?

  I couldn’t get to the rental car company fast enough.

  The sign for Mimosa Key finally appeared, and I felt the tension start to ebb from my neck and shoulders. She’d be in my arms in minutes. I glanced at my speed and pressed the gas pedal down.

  Fifteen minutes later, I pulled up in front of her cottage, my mind and body humming with energy unlike any I’d felt before. Everything was different since she came back into my life, and I loved it.