Island Nights

by P. J. Mellor

  To her disappointment, he didn’t take things any further. His body was obviously interested. Now, how did she get his mind to follow?

  Granted, her sexual expertise was limited. She’d never been the aggressor, hardly knew where to begin. But tonight would be their last night alone. For a while, at least. Maybe even forever.

  Emboldened by that thought, she rose on her knees and gently tugged her nipple from Ben’s mouth.

  When he opened his eyes, she dragged her breasts across his open mouth, teasing him, daring him to take her.

  Swallowing disappointment when he didn’t make a move, she inched lower until she was up close and personal with his now-impressive erection.

  Again, she dragged the tips of her beaded nipples across the bulbous tip, then sandwiched him by pushing her breasts tightly together.

  Finally he made a move, bucking his hips off the mattress, his erection going in and out. The drag of his skin on hers made her squirm, aching for more.

  Their breathing became ragged.

  Lordy, she wanted so badly to climb on top of him and sink down until he was buried deep within her aching flesh, then ride him. Hard. All night long.

  If this was going to be their last night together, she wanted to make it count.

  Rubbing her aching folds against his leg, she all but whimpered her frustration. How desperate was she to be humping his leg?

  Suddenly his fingers found their way between her legs. Up, up they went, until they were buried deep.

  She went wild, bucking and thrusting, riding his hand. Too intent on seeking gratification to think about anything but reaching her climax.

  Close. She was so close. When he removed his hand, she bit back a scream of frustration.

  “Reese.” Ben’s voice seemed to be coming from far away, instead of almost next to her. “Reese. Open your eyes and look at me.”

  Forcing her eyes to open, she looked up at him. The look on his face went beyond lust, but she couldn’t identify it.

  He nodded, directing her gaze downward. “Look at us. Watch what we’re doing.”

  Embarrassment flooded her when she saw the wetness—her wetness—covering his hand, wetting the sheets. He probably thought she was some kind of pervert. A desperate pervert, which was even worse.

  He wouldn’t allow her to pull away. Instead, she watched in horrified fascination while he continued to play with her slick folds, occasionally dipping into her, then rubbing and pulling on her distended clitoris.

  The sight turned her on more than she would have imagined.

  She wanted more.

  She reached for him, but he stopped her.

  Their gazes locked.

  “Wait,” he said, his breathing fast and shallow, “I have to know. Is this a pity fuck?”

  Ordinarily, she’d have been mortified to have someone ask her such a thing, but now all she felt was overwhelming desire. A desire that would not be doused by fear or doubt. Or stupid questions.

  “You could say that,” she said with a smile as she climbed to straddle him. With slow, precise movements, she lowered herself until she’d taken him fully. “I plan to keep going until you beg me to take pity on you and let you get some sleep.”

  He gave a lazy thrust and smiled. “You can try, Blondie.”

  38

  “No offense, but green beans aren’t my idea of breakfast.”

  “We ate all the cured bacon. It was this or sauerkraut.”

  Reese smiled over her cup of hot chocolate, enjoying the sun shining through the window, warming her back.

  Ben’s heated gaze was doing a pretty good job of heating her front.

  Having breakfast naked had been Ben’s idea. At the time, she’d been all for it, since she was desperate to look at as much of him as she could, while she could.

  Now it was slightly embarrassing.

  “Maybe we should think about getting dressed,” she began, pressing her legs together to keep from squirming on the oak chair.

  Slowly he shook his head as he rose. “There’s one more thing we need to do before we pack up.”

  She tried to focus on his face, she really did. But with something as impressive as his arousal heading straight for her, it was pretty much impossible.

  “Oh?” Her voice squeaked.

  He nodded and took their cups, placing them on the sideboard. Next he stacked the plates and set them on the counter. Returning to her, he bent and kissed her as he lifted her to the table.

  His kiss tasted like chocolate and green beans.

  Before she could mention that, he had her spread-eagle on the table. With the first swipe of his hot tongue, she was incapable of coherent speech.

  While he nipped and sucked and licked her to oblivion, his hands moved constantly, stroking, tweaking, petting.

  On sexual overload, she didn’t feel her orgasm coming until it slammed into her, taking her breath. Her heart skipped a beat. Or two. Her blood roared in her ears, drowning out all other sounds.

  So focused inwardly, she scarcely noticed when Ben picked up her limp body. At the bay window, he placed her hands to grip the center window frame, then gently pressed until she was bent over the window seat. Before she could draw a breath, he slid into her from behind.

  “Don’t. Forget. Me.” He seemed to be saying with each thrust. “Please. Don’t. Leave. Me.”

  Although she’d have sworn her last climax wrung her out, her eyes widened at the tiny spark low in her belly. It quickly spread to a flaming inferno, threatening to consume her, branding her.

  Making her his.

  Was that a man looking in at her? At them? A scream ripped from her throat as tiny nerve endings all over her body stung and quivered.

  Ben increased his tempo, making her forget everything but the feel of him gliding in and out.

  Within seconds, he followed her over the edge with a guttural groan.

  He collapsed on her back, weighing her down. She welcomed the warm weight of him, wishing she could bottle the feeling to open and relive in the coming years.

  After a while, Ben straightened and pulled out of her. Cooler air wafted around, chilling her.

  Here she stood, legs spread wide, totally naked, bent over, flashing her assets. What, exactly, was the protocol?

  She knew she should be embarrassed. Instead, she realized she wanted nothing more than to wiggle, to entice Ben to do it again. And again.

  She’d never felt as alive as she did when they were having sex. Making love. Getting it on. Whatever you chose to call it. The thought of living the rest of her life without that feeling, that closeness, that feeling of utter completeness, was scary. And depressing. And flat-out sad.

  “Okeydokey, Blondie, that should do it.” Ben’s slap stung her bottom. It said something about her recent sexual deprivation that it made her a little turned-on.

  Straightened, she resisted the urge to rub the offended area. “Excuse me? Do what?”

  “Take your mind off being seasick on our ride back to Sand Dollar.” Grinning, he stepped into his now-dry, if stiff, cargo shorts, sans boxers.

  “You really think sex would do that?” She snorted. “You hold yourself in mighty high esteem. While I appreciate your, um, effort, Ben, I have a patch for that.”

  He used a little more force than might have been necessary as he washed their dishes. “And we see how well that worked on the trip to the island.”

  Indignation immediately left her. Walking to him, she put her arms around his middle and gave a little hug. “I’m sorry.” She sniffed. “I guess I’m just a little sensitive this morning. A lot has happened over the last few days.” An image of piercing eyes staring at her while Ben was pounding into her flashed through her mind. “Ben! There was someone outside the kitchen window.”

  “What?” He dried his hands and threw the towel on the counter before turning to take her into his arms. “When?”

  “Just now! When we were, you know.” Her cheeks burned at the thought of what the my
stery man had seen.

  “Who the hell was it?”

  “How should I know?”

  He started for the front door, Reese at his heels. “Stay inside,” he ordered, striding through the double front doors onto the porch.

  He stopped abruptly, scanning the front lawn.

  Reese barreled into his back. “Sorry.”

  With a sigh, he turned and gripped her arms to steady her. “Blondie, I told you to stay inside.”

  “Since when do you tell me what to do? For that matter, since when do I do it?”

  “Good point.” He turned, rubbing his neck and looked out into the trees. “Whoever it was, he seems to be gone. Do you remember what he looked like?”

  “Ah, I was a little, um, preoccupied. Remember? It was pretty shocking to open my eyes and find another pair of eyes staring back, I’ll tell you.” She shuddered.

  He gave her a quick hug. “Of course, it was, darlin’.” He turned her toward the door and gave a little push. “Let’s finish getting packed up. Do you want to hike to the boat or would you rather me get it and come around to get you?”

  “I can walk with you.” She shrugged. “It may be my last time to see the hotel or the island.”

  Damn Dorinda’s hide. She didn’t deserve to have the island, regardless of her intentions. Especially not the hotel.

  Ben nodded as he began shoving folded clothes into his duffel bag. “Yeah. Or if you do, it will be remodeled and be a bed-and-breakfast.”He said the last words as though they left a bad taste in his mouth.

  She could identify.

  “It just burns me up,” she said, slinging her stiff clothes into her bag, “to think about the oil testing. I have no proof, but I just know my boss is behind it. And it’s not even her danged island yet!”

  “But you’re still going to bid on her behalf, aren’t you?” Ben had stopped, his voice quiet.

  “You said you don’t want it. If she doesn’t buy it, someone else will.”

  “I never said I didn’t want it.” He tossed his bag aside and strode to take her hands. “I need to tell you something.”

  He pulled her to sit on the sofa, now once again against the outer wall, then sat next to her, his hands tightly clutching hers.

  “What? Were you lying before, about being married?” Her attempt at a joke fell flat in the silence.

  “No.” He licked his lips, his thumbs idly rubbing the backs of her hands. “Remember I told you my late grandmother owned this place?”

  She nodded, her mind jumping around in an attempt to second-guess what he was about to say.

  “She left it to me.”

  “Why don’t you want to keep it? Why are you letting it go to auction?” She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

  “Of course, you don’t, Blondie. You strike me as the type who always pays her bills and does the right thing.”

  “And you’re not?” How could she have been totally wrong about the man she’d been so intimate with?

  “Yes and no.” He held up his hand. “Let me explain. I was a little, well, wild as a teenager. I played the rebel card for years, ignoring my family. Even, I’m ashamed to admit, my grandmother.”

  “Ben, we all make mistakes when we’re young—”

  His chuckle was dry. “Yeah, but I made it into an art form. After I graduated from college, Gram begged me to turn myself around and use my degree. She said she wasn’t always going to be around to bail me out when I screwed up.” He shrugged. “I guess I didn’t believe her. Anyway, after all those years of school, I thought I deserved to party before settling down. Hell, I’d done my bit with helping Rick and Rita, I felt the world owed me. After I spent some time with Gram that summer, I set sail, determined to be the king of the bachelors.”

  “And were you?” Did it really matter? She’d thought about it most of the night. She already knew what she needed to do.

  He looked away for a second. “For a while.” Tears sparkled his eyes, making them appear aquamarine. “I didn’t even hear about Gram’s passing until it had been almost a year. Then it didn’t seem like there was any point in coming back. I didn’t know she’d left the island to me. Or that she’d neglected to pay the taxes. So, of course, I didn’t pay them either. By the time Rick caught up with me, the place was already under a tax lien. Hell, I had no money. Not enough to pay the back taxes. That’s when I started scrambling, doing every job that came along and socking money in the bank.”

  “Ah, that would be your taxi and limo service?” she asked with a sad smile.

  He nodded. “And charter service, and handyman work. I even helped birth calves. Did you know that?”

  Shaking her head, she wiped away a tear.

  “It was pretty gross, but it paid decent.”

  “I’ve seen the tax records. You’re seriously behind, big-time. But if you can come up with the back taxes, you can stop the auction. What about your friends? Is there anyone who could loan you the money?” Poor Ben. He’d lost so much. He didn’t deserve to lose his inheritance.

  “They have. But it wasn’t enough. The whole town tried to help. They’ve had bake sales and car washes.” He heaved a sigh and stood up. “None of it was enough. Don’t cry. I wasn’t telling you to make you feel sorry for me.” He pulled her up into his arms. “Don’t cry, sweetheart, it’s going to be okay.”

  She sniffled and lifted her head. “You’re right. Because I’m going to loan you the money.”

  “What? Are you crazy?”

  “Probably, but that’s beside the point.”

  “No way!” Running his hands through his hair, he stalked from one end of the lobby to the other and back. “I can’t take your money,” he said in a strangled voice.

  “Sure you can.”

  “You said your boss didn’t pay much. How could you have that amount of money on hand?”

  “She doesn’t. But I’ve worked for quite a while and have built up my 401(k). I can borrow from it. You can pay me back when you can.”

  “How—no, I can’t. There’s no guarantee I will ever get this place back up and running, much less turn enough profit to repay you. So, thanks, but no thanks.”

  “Ben Adams, how dare you tell me I can’t give you money! It’s my money, and if I want to invest it in you and your island and this hotel, I dang well am going to do it.” She poked him in the chest with her index finger. “Got it?”

  His chuckle sounded rusty as he rubbed the spot she’d poked. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Good, as soon as I—oh! I have a signal!” Furiously, she began typing. “I’m transferring the money to my checking account right now. There! Done. It should hit my account by midnight tomorrow, at the latest, in plenty of time to be available before the auction.”

  “I have some money, Blondie, you don’t have to loan me the entire amount.”

  “But you’ll need some money for restorations. You did say you wanted to get this place back up and running, didn’t you?”

  “But—”

  “This is going to be your business. If it helps, you can think of my money as a business loan.” She stroked his face. “I believe in you, Ben. I know you can do it.”

  He swallowed. “Okay. I’ll take it. But it’s just a loan.”

  “Absolutely! It’s coming from my retirement. I’m going to need it someday. But not now. Right now, you need it more.”

  “I’m paying you back with interest. Just as if I’d borrowed the money from a bank.”

  “Dang straight you will.”

  “And I intend to sign paperwork to that effect, or it’s not a deal.”

  She nodded.

  “And the only way I will accept your loan is if your name is on the deed with mine.”

  Wow. That took her by surprise.

  “That’s not necessary, Ben—”

  “Yes. It is. Or no deal.”

  “Okay, but as soon as you pay me back, I’m signing my half back to you.”

  “Deal.” He stuck out his hand
and she reluctantly shook it.

  During her restless night, she’d wondered if the reason she wanted to offer the money to Ben had anything to do with the feelings she had for him. It was too early to fall in love, but she’d definitely fallen in lust. And, after their somewhat rocky start, she’d genuinely come to like him.

  It was a lot of money. But it was the right thing to do.

  A hint of a smile curved her mouth.

  Stopping the Dragon Lady in her tracks just made it that much sweeter.

  39

  “Where is that sniveling little nothing assistant of mine?” Dorinda grabbed Paige something-or-other as she walked through the lobby of the pitiful excuse for a hotel. “You’re one of her few friends, aren’t you? I thought I recognized you. Well, speak up! Where is she hiding out?”

  “First of all, yes, I’m one of Reese’s many friends. Secondly, I have no idea where she is at the moment, due to the recent tropical storm. That’s the reason I’m here. Unlike you, I was worried about her. And thirdly,” she said, her voice full of scorn, “take your fucking hands off of me before I break every bone in your skanky body.” She leaned close and hissed, “I’m a doctor. I know where every one is located.”

  Dorinda gasped and dropped her hand. “Bitch,” she said under her breath as she watched the younger woman walk toward the restaurant area.

  “I heard that,” Paige called back, but she didn’t stop walking.

  Dorinda finished signing in as Halston walked up. He knew how she felt about public displays, so his proprietary hand on her ass was doubly offensive.

  “Save it for the privacy of our room, lover,” she said in a low voice she hoped was not a snarl. She needed Halston. Monetarily, at least until she recouped her losses and could get back on her fiscal feet. Physically … well, that was more complicated.

  For the time being, she’d do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. And she’d try to draw the line at the wherever part. Although her recently donned thong was already dampening at the thought.

  “All checked in?” No doubt about it, there was a definite gleam in Halston’s eye.

  It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what he had in mind.