What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 3)

by Lauren Hawkeye

  Tess traipsed through the sand and rinsed off before dipping into the plunge pool. “How long are we staying?” she asked inquisitively.

  Tom walked past. “I’m going to fix us a drink.”

  “Not so fast.”

  “I’ll be right back.” He returned minutes later with martinis and stepped into the water.

  “So how long are we staying in paradise?”

  “How long would you like to stay for, Tess?”

  She floated in his lap. “Forever. I love it here.”

  “Me, too. I don’t know what it is about this place, but I can’t keep my hands off you.” He kissed her and carried her to their room.

  “Oh, you know…It’s the blue sky, the turquoise water, the scent of the Tiare flowers growing everywhere, the heat and humidity, the stars in the sky at night and-”

  He dumped her onto the bed. “I think it’s just you lying on the bed naked.” His lip pulled back into his crooked grin. “I know we just had Sunday a few hours ago, but I want to make love to you.”

  She stretched her arms above her head, pretending to yawn, acting as if she was too tired, but she couldn’t keep a straight face. Tess slid her hands down her body. “Well get over here and make love to me then.”

  “I need to tell you something first.”

  She sat up on her knees, pulling him on top of her. “You can tell me later.”

  Tom took his time, touching her tenderly while he talked. They normally didn’t talk much while they made love, but that afternoon they did. “I’ve waited so long to find you,” he said, gazing into her eyes. “I hope you’re ready for the rest of our lives together because it’s going to be more than either one of us expected. I won’t waste one minute with you. Not one. No more wasted time.” His breathing accelerated and he put his lips next to her ear. “No more tears, Tess. I won’t ever disappoint you or make you unhappy. I love you too much.” He tried to kiss her, but her head dropped back off the side of the bed, cresting a wave of pleasure simultaneously.

  When Tess opened her eyes the next morning, she could smell coffee brewing and climbed out of bed. Tom stood down by the water, skipping stones across the lagoon.

  Tess joined him on the beach, grinning as she handed him a cup of coffee. The only thing either of them had on was their sunglasses.

  “Morning, Tess. What’s so humorous this morning?”

  “I think it’s funny. Here we are, naked, having coffee on our own deserted island. Where else can you do this? I love it here.”

  “Nowhere that I know of. Do you really like it here, Tess?”

  “I hate it. It’s terrible. We should find someplace else to stay.” She laughed sarcastically.

  “Let’s check out the other side of the motu.” Tom held her hand as they walked and talked.

  Tom’s eyebrows creased and he unconsciously squeezing her fingers tighter. “Tess, I need to tell you something.”

  His death grip on her fingers made her flinch. “I didn’t think you were serious yesterday. What is it?”

  “I’ve been keeping something from you and I’m not sure how you are going to react when I tell you.”

  Her brows automatically wrinkled, mimicking his. He looked entirely too serious and very uncomfortable. She didn’t like where this conversation was going. “What is it?”

  Tom turned his eyes away from her, staring solemnly toward the lagoon. “Do you remember when the photo of me was released? When you ran over your phone.”

  Heat rose to her cheeks. “Yes, I remember all too well.”

  “I was here in Bora Bora when that happened.”

  Tess attempted to process what he said, but could only envision the photo of him with that girl. “By yourself?”

  Tom gave her the strangest look. “No, I wasn’t by myself. But that doesn’t have anything to do with it.”

  Tears stung her eyes as her lip quivered. “It matters to me. Why were you here? You told me that you were in Germany filming. Did you lie to me? Do not tell me you were really with her.”

  He looked at her as if she had lost it. “No, no, no, no, Tess. No. Tess, that’s not it at all.” He embraced her, but she stiffened under his touch. “Stop it, Tess.” He held her face, staring into her tearful eyes. “Stop it right now. That’s not what I’m trying to tell you. I most definitely have NOT been with another woman.”

  She sighed heavily, hugging him tightly. “Sorry. You just made it sound like you were going to tell me something about that picture. You have a horrible look on your face like you’re afraid to tell me something.”

  “I am afraid to tell you something.”

  “Well, spit it out. Who were you with?”

  “If it makes you feel better, I was with Lisa.”

  “Lisa? Why were you in Bora Bora with Lisa?”

  He dropped her hand, pacing anxiously, digging his toes in the sand. “Okay, fine. She made me swear not to tell you so you cannot tell her you know she was here. All right.”

  “I wish you’d just say it. You’re freaking me out, Tom. Fine, I won’t tell her I know she was here. What’s the big deal?”

  “You make me nervous sometimes, Tess. Sorry. I don’t get this way very often. Nothing comes out right.”

  “I make you nervous?” She huffed sarcastically.

  “I know you find it hard to believe, but for some reason you make me nervous once in a while. I happen to really love that about you because I never get uncomfortable.” He attempted to grin.

  “I’m still waiting for you to tell me something, Tom.”

  “When Benny took over the film for me, Lisa flew to Germany with him to say goodbye. I was coming here to Bora Bora and she wanted to tag along. She mentioned something about your dancing at the premier. Apparently you were a twelve and she seemed somewhat pissed about it. Lisa asked me earlier where you learned to dance and I told her I thought some of it came from Bora Bora so she wanted to take a Tahitian dance lesson while I took care of some…business. Lisa’s slightly competitive, and you dance better than she does. That’s why she was with me at your house when John came after me. I flew straight from Bora Bora to Las Vegas when I found out about the picture in the magazine.”

  Tess grinned, but was losing her patience. “You’re rambling. Please, just spit it out.”

  “I told you I had a plan, but everything got screwed up when that ridiculous picture was released. When I came to Bora Bora, Tess, I had already planned on asking you to marry me. I came here to…make a purchase for you, a wedding present for the both of us.”

  “Why? Are you worried I’m not going to like it? I love everything about this place.”

  “Good. Because this is your wedding present.”

  “I know. This is our honeymoon.”

  “No, Tess. This place is ours.”

  “What place?” she asked.

  He grinned immensely. “This motu, the bungalow, the boats. They’re ours. I had this built for us. It’s your wedding present.”

  “You bought this island?” Tess’ mouth hung open in complete shock. “The whole thing? Are you kidding me?”

  “Nope. I’m not kidding you. We don’t have to go home. This is home.”

  “Get out of here! How the hell do you buy an island? I don’t even know what to say. I love it! You’re serious, aren’t you? The bungalow? Everything?”

  Squeezing her tightly, he lifted her up until her toes came out of the sand and he could kiss her lips. “The whole thing. We can learn how to sail, too. We may never go back.”

  “You’re crazy!” She chuckled, completely taken by surprise and still in shock.

  “I am crazy! About you. We’re going to have fun together for the rest of our lives. No more wasted time.” Tom set her back down, stroking her arm from shoulder to wrist, glancing at her watch.

  “Wait a minute.” Tess said, mystified. “Why are you so afraid to tell me about this? You know how much I love it here, Tom. Why would I be upset? Why were you freaking me out just now to
tell me this?”

  The smile fell from Tom’s face. He inhaled deeply, hesitantly pointing to a long stretch of dark blue water that followed the lagoon by the outer reef. It wasn’t very far from their motu. They could kayak to it.

  “Do you see the dark area in the water? It’s an underwater highway for marine life.” Tom paused, sighing heavily again. “It’s like a cleaning station for fish. The Tahitian people say the manta rays come to this spot daily to be cleaned by the reef fish.”

  The world seemed to slow to a crawl. Tess nodded her head as tears stung her eyes. It all came together now. This is why he wanted an explanation when she broke down in the shower. And yesterday when they made love, he said he wouldn’t make her unhappy.

  “We need to be able to come here,” she quietly repeated his words.

  “That’s right. We need to be able to come here,” he nodded. “We live here.”

  “No more tears, Tom, I promise.” She bit her lip, trying not to cry.

  He grinned his crooked grin for her, trying to make her smile before kissing her softly. “Are you sure, Tess? I don’t want this to make you unhappy or uncomfortable. When I bought this place, they told me about the manta rays that visit every day. That’s what really sold me on this particular motu. I knew it was perfect, or at least I thought it would be perfect, but now I’m not sure.”

  She stared at Tom, thinking of Richard and the manta rays.

  “The day we saw the manta rays means a lot to me, Tess. We were both so happy and excited. Without even thinking, you practically climbed into my lap and wrapped your arms and legs around me. My heart was pounding in my chest,” he said very quietly. “That’s never happened to me. Not like that. Not ever.”

  “I remember that exact moment. I was so relieved after seeing the manta rays, it felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders. It was the first night we stayed together,” she whispered.

  “Tess, I realize now that the manta rays have a different meaning for you, don’t they? They hold a special place in your heart for Richard.”

  She could only nod her head as tears streamed down her cheeks, thinking of Richard and the manta ray box that held his ashes. How could he possibly know that? “How did you know? How do you know about the manta rays?”

  “I’m not sure, just a gut feeling, but when you said you were afraid he was watching us in the lagoon together, I knew I was right. I thought this motu would be perfect because you can visit him here, but….did I make a mistake, Tess?”

  Tess took a deep breath. “Richard and I tried to see the manta rays several different times, but they never showed up for us. On our last trip here, we were shopping at the market when he found a wooden box with a carved manta ray on the lid. He thought the box was the perfect souvenir to take home. Richard kept it on the counter next to his sink in the bathroom, that way he could look at it every day, determined to see them the next time we came back here. He never got the chance.”

  Both of them stood in the sand with tears streaming down their faces. “After he died, I looked at that box every single day, knowing how badly he wished to swim with the manta rays. I woke up one morning and decided to bring him here, so he could see their show every day. I needed to say good-bye to him. My kids thought I had completely lost my mind, but ten days later, I was on my way here to Bora Bora with his ashes in that manta ray box.”

  Tom nodded his head, listening to her story.

  “I set him free so he could be here in the lagoon forever. The next day you invited me to go with you. When the manta rays actually showed up, I couldn’t believe it. I know it sounds silly, but at that moment, I could’ve sworn the manta ray was Richard waving goodbye telling me, Hi, baby! It’s me. I made it. Thanks. I love it here. It was okay for me to be happy again. I allowed myself to feel again. I wanted to be with you, Tom.” She laid her head on his shoulder. “I love it here. It’s better than perfect. Thank you so much.”

  Tom tilted her face up to his own. “I was hoping you could have the best of both parts of your life. Your old life and your new life. I want you to love our home here, and you can visit him, too. I don’t mind sharing you. You’re with me now, but I understand you miss him. I want you to be happy when you see him, not sad or stressed out. Don’t you think he deserves to know you’re happy?”

  Tess agreed nodding her head. “How can you be so understanding? How do you know me so well? You’re so wonderful to me.”

  “Because I love you, Tess, more than I thought imaginable. I’m sorry you had to go through the pain and heartache of losing Richard. I’ll admit, I do get a tiny bit jealous of him, well envious is probably a better word. But in my mind…I almost feel as if he took good care of you until I could find my way to you.”

  “We’re meant to be together. Soul mates,” she whispered.

  “Do you feel better?”

  She nodded and he held her for a long time. Finally, Tess said, “I’m hungry.”

  A huge grin lit up his face. “Come on. Let’s go.”

  They headed back to their bungalow. Right after breakfast, she put on a bikini. “Are we kayaking or taking the boat tied up to the dock?”

  “Where are we going?”

  She pointed to the dark water. “The sooner the better. I need to do this.”

  “Let’s kayak.”

  They tossed their gear in the kayak, and paddled for the dark water. Slipping into the warm blue water, Tess sensed Tom’s uneasiness, unsure if he should hold her hand. His eyes smiled beneath his mask when she reached for his fingers. They drifted above the underwater trench, watching schools of the fish, turtles and even a few sharks swim beneath them.

  This time Tess saw them first. Three huge shadowy black figures came from the deep, gracefully twirling, rolling, and dancing to the underwater music. Each one glided effortlessly through the water doing back rolls and somersaults, coming so close they both could’ve reached out and touched it. They drifted alongside the manta rays, watching in awe as they performed underwater ballet before returning to the depths of the underwater trench.

  Just like the first time, she wrapped herself around him and both wore huge smiles. “You don’t think I’m crazy, do you?” she asked.

  “No, Tess, I don’t think you’re crazy. I told you he’d be happy to see you.”

  “Thanks.” She beamed.

  They paddled back to their own private paradise. Tess lay on the bed content and happy. Tom came to lie beside her.

  “I’m so lucky. You’re so wonderful. I can’t believe you bought this motu for us. How long are we staying? Seriously, how long?”

  “Indefinitely. Tess, the last time you were here, did you really decide at the last minute to come on your trip?” Tom questioned inquisitively.

  “Yes, ten days before I got on the plane. Why?”

  “I arrived here the day after you and I made my reservations eleven days before I left. That’s the exact same day you made your reservations to come to Bora Bora,” he said with a look of astonishment.

  She sat straight up in bed.

  “Everything does happen for a reason,” Tom and Tess said simultaneously.

  “I knew it was love at first sight.” Tess smiled.

  Tom grinned. “From the very first moment I laid eyes on you.”

  Continue The Mathews Family story with Book Two: Shayla’s Story

  For the past twenty-one years, Beverly Preston has been a stay at home mom, although she prefers the title Domestic Engineer, raising her four amazing kids. Along the way, Beverly worked side by side with her husband Don, the love of her life, designing, building and selling custom homes. As her children begin to venture out on their own, she’s left to shed a tear—for a minute—wonder what’s next in life, and embrace the feeling of empowerment that surely must’ve been wrapped in a present she received on her fortieth birthday.

  Beverly lives in Las Vegas and if she isn’t at home riding her spin bike, you’ll find her spinning richly emotional and sinfully sexy romance s
tories.

  Don’t miss the next novel in this sensational new series.

  Here’s where to find Beverly online!

  Website:

  http://www.beverlypreston.com/

  Facebook:

  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beverly-Preston/312837202100905

  Twitter:

  https://twitter.com/BeverlyPreston

  Author Page:

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  Moving Forward

  Erika Ashby

  Copyright © 2013 by Erika Ashby

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Prologue

  Jake

  I was born into the Silver Platter type of lifestyle. The good life as, most people would call it, was always at my fingertips. My mother, being the single rich mom that she was, was hardly ever around. She wasn’t cut out for having kids or being any sort of positive role model. In fact, she always had my daily activities so mapped out that it would be damn near impossible to ever interfere with anything she had going on. As a child I knew my mom loved me, but I also knew she just didn’t know how to show it, or more like she didn’t care to show it. Being the only parental influence I had around, she was the one I really looked up to. She dated a lot of men and called it being social—I called it being a hussy. I was around her enough to know how she was willing to do anything to get her way and keep working her way up the social ladder. I know you can’t always blame the way you are based on how you were brought up, but in my case I do.