She hadn’t imagined that she’d ever know what really happened with her mother. And of all the scenarios she’d imagined over the years, her mother involved with bad guys wasn’t one of them.
“Yes,” she said quietly. “As long as you’re discreet and stay safe. I don’t want to put anyone in danger. If it looks like someone could get hurt, leave it. I have lived this long without a mother.” She sighed. “But it would be nice to know. Thank you.”
“Okay. I’ll see what I can find out for you.” He pulled her back to him. Then he cupped her jaw and kissed her. Softly at first, gentle. It was good, but she wanted more. She reached around and grabbed his butt, angling into him.
He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to his bed.
Her heart was already pounding like crazy. She crooked her finger at him so he would come closer and then she unbuttoned his shirt. “Since this afternoon, I have been dying to get my hands on you.”
“Are you sure you weren’t after my candy?” His blue eyes sparkled.
Was that a euphemism?
He pulled a Mexican candy out of his shirt pocket. “I had to hide it from those kids. They stole the rest of my piñata loot, but I love this kind. Juanita makes them.”
She laughed out loud. “You do love your sweets.”
His eyebrow lifted. “And my spicy.” He pressed her back into the bed and kissed the daylights out of her.
Pushing the shirt off his shoulders, she ran her hands over his chest. He was so beautiful. Every curve, every muscle, felt like coming home. Pulling her lips away, she said, “Strip, Captain. We don’t have much time tonight.”
He grinned and, jumping up beside her on the bed, stretched out. Next to her. Naked.
He was gorgeous.
She was rusty, and inexperienced. Probably not like any of the women he’d had sex with. But she didn’t want to think about that. She cleared her throat and ran her finger down his chest. “What would you like me to do?”
He touched her hip. “Everything you do works for me.”
She looked down. Yep. Her simple touch was working. It empowered her. She flattened her hands on his belly and rubbed across his abs. How did he get so fit?
She touched his back, feeling the muscles quiver under her fingers. She massaged his buttocks, enjoying the bunching of muscle in her hand. Coming back around his hip bone, she circled his belly button and played with the dark hairs below it. His breath was coming faster.
She bit her lip and looked into his eyes. Wow. It hit her so hard.
This beautiful man was her Matt.
Alive. Amazing.
She took his penis in her hands and watched him suck in a sharp breath. Their eyes remained locked as she began to rub him. When she ran her thumb across his silky head, he groaned. “Oh, sweetheart. Like that.”
He kissed her, sucking her bottom lip.
She almost came right then.
“I can’t wait any longer. Take off your clothes.” His voice was husky. He reached into his dresser and pulled out a condom. When she was naked, too, and he was ready, he kissed her neck, sending shivers everywhere.
“Top or bottom?” he asked.
“Huh? Oh. Top.”
“Your wish is my command.” He smiled and flipped her over on top of him. “Hell, Julia, you’re so beautiful it hurts. Sit up so I can look at you.”
She straddled him.
Pure adoration. That’s what she saw in his expression. Easing him inside her, she began a slow, intense ride. Deep in, slow drag out.
He let out a short breath. “You feel so good.”
Her reservations, insecurities and sense of smallness went away.
He held her hips, keeping her pressed down. Their eyes were still locked. She could see emotions swirling in his widened pupils. His grip was getting harder, his breath faster. She was getting close, too. She picked up the pace. Faster, deeper.
“Oh, babe,” he said in a way that made her melt.
He rose and cupped her breast like a treasure in his hand. He kissed the underside and then took her nipple in his warm mouth. He sucked and rolling waves of ecstasy took over. She closed her eyes and continued to rock, shooting up and over the edge. One time. Two times. The pleasure was overwhelming. Her cadence slowed. She was losing steam.
He flipped her again and took over. The pace was intense. The bed pounded into the backboard. And...oh, she was coming again. She cried out.
He collapsed on top of her. After a couple of minutes he eased off to the side so that he wouldn’t be too heavy, but stayed joined with her. Perfect. Good feelings were still humming through her core.
He rubbed her arms and down her sides, as if trying to touch her everywhere all at once. She could still feel him inside, pressing her sensitive spots.
“Matt, oh, oh.” And just like that, without any movement, she came again.
Four times. Just like he promised.
That was the last thing she thought before she fell asleep.
* * *
Somewhere she could hear singing and recognized the song about a pirate turning forty. Matt was rubbing her cheek and she felt so good.
Don’t stop. Don’t ever—
She opened her eyes. “Henry! What time is it?”
“It’s okay, I set my alarm. It’s eleven thirty. We’d better get dressed and get going.” He kissed her gently before he rolled over and turned the alarm off. The pirate song stopped. “You are so sexy when you snore. I might’ve taken a hundred pictures while you slept.”
“You did not.” She shoved him lightly.
He grinned. “You’re right. I did not. But I wanted to so bad.”
What was his obsession with taking pictures of her and Henry?
Once they were dressed, he took her hand in his and didn’t let go until they were back at the car. They didn’t say much. He was strangely quiet.
When he pulled into her driveway and stopped the car he said, “I’ll walk you up.”
“No need. I’ll just tiptoe in and let the babysitter out.”
He took her hand in his as if he wasn’t going to let her go. “I’ll be here bright and early. I’ve got plans for us. Big plans. Tell Henry he’d better find a superhero T-shirt.”
“That will make him destroy the rest of his room. What should I wear?”
“Is nothing on the table?”
She shook her head.
“Dammit. Okay, then jeans and walking shoes. Maybe bring a sweater.” He checked his watch. “Twelve oh one. You’d better go in.”
It was his last day in Plunder Cove already. She leaned over and kissed him quickly and hustled out of the car before her tears ruined everything.
Eighteen
The sun hadn’t officially come up yet, but Matt couldn’t wait. He stood at Julia’s darkened door and knocked. He heard movement inside.
“Sweetheart. It’s me.”
“What time is it? I’m not dressed.”
“Good.”
She opened up slowly. Her hair was messed. Her makeup was gone. She was wearing a gray tank top that did little to hide her precious curves and a pair of pink silk shorts that perfectly adorned her bare legs.
He lifted a bouquet of wildflowers, twice as big as the ones he’d brought yesterday. “Go ahead. Smash the hell out of them.”
Her grin spread. She grabbed him by the collar and gave him a yank. They crashed into the same wall—lip to lip, pounding heart to heart, body to body.
When she released him to catch a breath she said, “Good morning.”
“I think we’ve found our sunrise ritual.”
She sighed. “Today’s our last day together.”
They locked eyes.
He tried to dive in deep so that he’d never have to come back out. He cupped her cheek and kissed her l
ips softly. “Then we’d better love the hell out of it.”
“Coffee?” Her voice cracked.
“Please.” He sat at the kitchenette and watched her get the coffee going. Then he pulled her into his lap. “Missed you last night. I wish you didn’t have to leave.”
She leaned her head back on his shoulder. “Missed you, too. But I couldn’t leave Henry alone.”
“I get it—”
“What time is it?” Henry came into the kitchen in his pajamas. He was rubbing his eyes.
“Half past the butt-crack of dawn,” Matt said.
Henry snorted. “You said ‘butt-crack.’”
Julia stood. “Oh, boy. It’s going to be one of those days.” Her voice sounded mom-ish. Hell, he loved it. He couldn’t get enough of all the amazing sides of Julia.
“It sure is. Get yourself ready, Henry. We’ve got a great adventure planned. Think Superman,” Matt said.
“What? Oh, no way! Are we going to fly?” The kid’s face split open with happiness.
Matt grinned. “Maybe.”
“Yippee!” Henry punched the air. “What plane are we going in? Mr. Harper’s new one?”
Matt shrugged. “I’ll have to see which one is available for us. Go get ready, brush your teeth, scratch your butt—you know, whatever you kids do.”
Henry was halfway out of the kitchen before he turned around. “Like this?” He scratched his backside.
“Yep.” Matt scratched his, too.
Julia rolled her eyes. “Oh, wow. Could there be any more boy humor in this kitchen?”
Matt laughed. He was enjoying this little family moment way too much. “You’d better get a move on, too. I’m hungry and breakfast is calling.” And then acted like he was going to swat her butt, too, but his hand lingered instead.
She turned and gave him a smokin’ hot look. “You trying to get something started, Matt Harper?”
“Maybe.” Hell, with that look, he already had. File that intel away for further inspection.
When Henry and Julia left the kitchen, Matt felt a sudden loss, like a hole opened up in the universe and sucked all the good stuff out. He sat down at the tiny kitchenette table. Glancing around the small kitchen with the crammed appliances and far too few cabinets, he realized he felt more comfortable here than anywhere else. The knowledge hurt.
Here didn’t belong to him. He had to leave it and all the good stuff behind.
An hour later they were flying over the ocean. Henry was in the back seat trying to see everything out the windows while playing with the headset. Julia was in the copilot seat, quietly taking everything in.
Matt settled into his captain’s seat, enjoying every damned second. God, he loved flying. It had only been two days on the ground but he’d missed jetting through the sky. The feeling of lifting off and leaving his troubles behind was addictive. He didn’t want to think about what it meant that he’d been so eager to share this with Julia and Henry.
It was a great day to fly. The Pacific Ocean was a sparkling navy blue with swaths of turquoise. The sky was streaked with orange and yellow as the sun came up. Winds were almost nonexistent. Perfect. He did one lazy circle over Plunder Cove.
“Look down, Henry. That’s Casa Larga. Wave at Old Man Harper.”
Henry waved. “I don’t see him.”
“That’s because he’s stuck on his throne or locking people in the dungeon.”
“Matt! He’s kidding, Henry,” Julia said through his headset.
Less than a minute later Henry asked, “Where are we going?”
“Santa Barbara. Should take us about half an hour. Keep your eyes on the coast and soon you’ll see the purple-blue mountains. That’s when you will know we are almost there.”
“What’s in Santa Barbara?” Henry asked.
“Breakfast,” Matt said, rubbing his stomach.
“Can we fly over my house first?” Henry asked.
“Sure thing.” Matt performed a large eight in the sky and came back around.
“You love this, don’t you?” Julia said softly. He couldn’t read her expression. It seemed like an odd swirl of sadness and admiration.
“Flying? Hell, yes. It’s what I was born to do. The only thing I’m good at.”
“I’d say there are other things you are good at doing.” Her cheeks were pink.
“Sweetheart, after breakfast I’ll try to beat my score.”
She bit her lip. “Yes, please.”
“There it is!” Henry yelled. “Wow. Pueblicito looks so small.”
“It’s not the size that matters.” Matt winked at Julia.
“Can you do some tricks?”
“Tricks?”
“Yeah spirals, rolls, dives, something.” Henry bounced on his seat.
Julia shook her head. “No! There will be no crazy tricks.”
“I have to agree with your mom. RW probably wouldn’t love you getting sick on his plane.”
“Fine.” Henry crossed his arms. “But you know how to do wicked maneuvers, right? Like in war and stuff. If bad guys were shooting at the plane.”
Where was the kid going with this line of questioning?
“If there was shooting, I’d pull out the stops to keep you two safe. The Air Force trained me to outfox the bad guys. Luckily, we don’t have to worry about that this morning.”
Henry was quiet for a moment and then he said, “Guess my dad didn’t do it right—the fox thing—’cuz they shot him down.”
Julia made a strange garbled sound. Her face went pale and the look in her eyes was panicky. Her hands were in tight fists. Just the mention of the guy knocked her on her ass. Her reaction made something in his chest burn.
“I’m really sorry about that. Search and rescue was the part of my job I loved the most. Saving lives is the biggest rush. I wish I could’ve found him for you guys.” He also wished he could pull Julia into his lap and kiss the sadness out of her lips. Kiss her until she couldn’t remember any other man but him. “Sorry to bring up bad memories. That was insensitive of me.”
“No, it’s not you. I just... Henry doesn’t...and you don’t...” She swirled her hand in the air as if to link the words together in a way that made sense.
The only thing clear was that she still loved Henry’s father. And Matt was never going to change that.
Right. He needed to stick with the plan. One last sexy weekend and then he would bug out and build that airline he’d always wanted.
Throwing out the game plan wasn’t an option.
* * *
A half hour later Matt touched down at the private airport in Santa Barbara. It was a small Spanish building with palm trees around the front.
“Perfect landing,” Julia said.
He cocked an eyebrow. “It could’ve been smoother.”
She’d never experienced such a graceful landing. Matt was an impressive pilot. In the pilot’s seat, he was both relaxed and energized. Comfortable and alert. He flew the skies the way he rode his bikes—one with the machine. Flying seemed to pull together his broken pieces and connect him with the wind, the clouds, that endless blue sky. She’d never seen him in his true element before today and it tore her up. He didn’t belong in Plunder Cove. Grounding him would rob him of the freedom he craved and the life he’d longed to have since she could remember. How could she do that to him?
She wouldn’t do that to him.
“You okay? You’ve been a little quiet.” Matt studied her.
“I’m fine.” But he wasn’t imagining things. She hadn’t said much since Henry had brought up his dad. With her fumbling reaction, he must’ve thought she’d lost her mind, and he’d be right. She’d almost blurted out that he was Henry’s father right then.
She’d started to think she should tell him the truth. But when? And how? The longer he believ
ed that Henry’s father was shot down in Afghanistan, the harder it would be.
Would he feel trapped? Would he think he had to give up his dreams? Would he love their son?
Would he still leave Plunder Cove?
Her heart hurt.
“Are we getting out now?” Henry interrupted her thoughts.
“Yep,” Matt said to Henry but his intense gaze was still on her face. “Ready?”
No. She had no idea what she was going to do. But to him she said, “Absolutely. Let’s go.”
Nineteen
Back at Plunder Cove, Angel’s cell phone rang. It startled her because she didn’t get many calls and it took her three rings to find the darned thing. The screen read No Caller ID. Her heart pounded. Only one person outside Plunder Cove had Angel’s number and she was instructed to call only in emergencies. It was too dangerous otherwise.
“Cristina?”
“Yeah, Angel, it’s me. I have to talk fast.”
“Are you in trouble?”
“Not me. I’m freaking out about you.”
Angel sat heavily. “Tell me.”
“A dude was poking around, asking questions. Says he’s helping you. Says he’s looking for info on Cuchillo, like he knows you two were a couple. Like he’s a cop! That’s a freaking bad idea, mujer.” Cristina’s voice was a low growl. “Cuchillo likes using his knives, especially on snitches, you know that.”
She did. And she knew a lot of other things that kept her awake at night. “I haven’t talked to the cops. I promised you I wouldn’t. I’m not putting your son or my family in danger.”
“Someone talked.”
Why would anyone be asking about her after all these years? Unless...oh, no. “The guy.” She pressed the ache in her forehead as understanding bored into her brain. “Was he a private investigator?”
“Said he was, but smelled like cop.”
RW! He must have hired someone to investigate the gang. This is what happened when she spilled her darkest secrets. She’d found some sort of solace at the time, but now she felt sick. The world started to spin. “I’ll call the man off.”
“It’s too late. I told him I’d tell him if the gang was getting close to finding you. But now...” There was a beat of silence. Angel could picture the girl...well, really a woman now, checking to make sure no one was listening. The gang had ears everywhere. “I think they saw me talking to the dude, or something, because everyone’s...I dunno...weird around me. They’re stirred up but won’t tell me why.”
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