Orchids & Hurricane Kisses

by Stacy Eaton

  “Are those all for you?” he asked as he eyed the six long-neck bottles.

  “Yep, I plan on getting drunk, again. What about you? Only four? Are you a lightweight or something?”

  He laughed. “No, I just filled my hands. I didn’t think about grabbing an ice bucket until I was out here.”

  I winked his way. “I learned to do it last night.” I ripped the cap off the first beer and took a long drink as he watched.

  “Do you always stare at people when they drink?” I said after I’d licked my lips. Ice-cold beer was so good when life totally sucked.

  “No, not particularly.”

  “Then why are you staring at me?” I bent my knees and propped my arms on them as I looked away from him and studied the surf.

  “I’m trying to figure you out.”

  I snorted. “Good luck with that.”

  He barked out a laugh. “You’re kind of an enigma to me, you know.”

  “Oh,” I laughed for a second, “enigma, huh? That’s a big word.”

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  I studied him for a moment, finding myself sucked into his green eyes. He could ask me questions all night long, I might or might not answer, but I sure would love to listen to his voice. “Go ahead.”

  “Why were you laughing earlier?”

  “Seriously? You are named after bread. Don’t you find that the least bit funny? And your brother is named after horse hair.”

  He was silent for a moment. “You actually know what Roan means?” He pointed a long, thick finger at me. “See? Enigma.”

  The sudden urge to nibble on that finger struck me, and I turned away. “Yep, I guess I am.” I took a long drink.

  “How did you know what Roan meant? Did you Google it or something?”

  “No, I grew up on a horse farm.”

  “You did not.”

  I shoved his arm playfully, and he wobbled to the side. “Yes, I did.” He started laughing as he righted himself.

  “Okay, I have another question,” he began, and I held up my hand.

  “No, it’s my turn. Why are you staying in the Honeymoon Bungalow if you’re alone?”

  He tensed and then let his focus scan over the water for a long time. I thought he wouldn’t respond, but finally, he did. “I was supposed to be here with my wife.”

  “But?”

  “Oh, no, I answered your question. It’s my turn. What’s your name?”

  “Amy. Where is your wife?”

  “I don’t have one.”

  “Why?”

  He turned toward me slowly, his brow arched into that sexy curve again. “Isn’t it my turn?”

  “Sorry,” I said as I put the bottle to my mouth to hide my grin.

  “Are you married?”

  “No, divorced. Why don’t you have a wife?”

  “Why don’t you have a husband?” he shot back immediately.

  “I just told you we got divorced. Where is the woman who was supposed to come here with you?”

  “Probably packing her shit at my house, at least I hope that’s what she’s doing.” He sighed, finished what was in his bottle, and cracked open another one. “I was supposed to be married today, but I found out as I stood at the altar that she’d been cheating on me and was pregnant with another man’s baby.”

  “No—”

  “It’s my turn to ask,” he said.

  “That wasn’t a question, more of an exclamation.”

  “It sounded like a question.”

  “It wasn’t. Your turn.”

  “Why are you here alone? Isn’t this place for couples?”

  “Why did you come on your honeymoon if you’re not married?”

  “Man, you suck at taking turns, don’t you?” he laughed, and I snickered quietly beside him. I held my beer out to him, and he tapped his bottle’s neck against mine.

  “Touché,” I said. “I’m actually here for work—and before you ask what I do, tell me why you came here to celebrate a honeymoon by yourself.”

  “I needed to get away. I think I’m celebrating that I didn’t get saddled with a relationship that was doomed. Now, what do you do?”

  “I work for a magazine.”

  He seemed to ponder that. “What kind of magazine?”

  I swished my finger at him. “My turn. Did you love her?”

  “Autumn?”

  “Man, doesn’t anyone have a normal name anymore?” I blurted.

  “What’s wrong with Autumn?”

  “Who names their kids after a season? Or types of bread? What’s wrong with a normal name like Martha, Henry, Beth, or Charlie?”

  “Is that your question? Because it was actually three separate questions.”

  “No, that was rhetorical. My question was: Did you love the woman with the fall name?”

  He quirked a brow, “You’re a trip, woman, you know that?”

  “It’s not woman, it’s Amy, and I already told you that. Now I can’t answer that question because you still haven’t answered mine.”

  He sighed heavily, drank from his bottle, and then resumed his hundred-yard stare over the water. Right when I thought he would finally respond, he stood and held his hand out to me.

  I took it without hesitation. “Where are we going?”

  “I don’t care, I just need to move. If you want me to answer that then I need to walk. Grab another beer and let’s amble along the water.”

  “Amble, huh? I’ll do one better, I’ll bring the bucket.” I guzzled the last of what was in my open one, dropped it to the sand beside his, and then opened another beer while he watched my every move patiently. Once I had it open, we headed to the surf and began to tread along the water’s edge.

  “I thought I loved her, but all afternoon I’ve been thinking about that. This isn’t a question for you by the way,” he smirked at me, “but I was wondering to myself: If I had really loved her, wouldn’t I be devastated that this had happened? Instead, I’m kinda grateful.”

  “Then you didn’t love her—or maybe you did, but she wasn’t the love of your life.”

  He barked out a short laugh. “I think my brother has the monopoly on that.”

  “Roan?”

  “Yeah. He was married to his high school sweetheart, but she died. Recently, he met someone else, and I have no doubt that by the time I get back home, they are going to both be deeply in love.”

  “Aw, I’m sorry to hear about his wife. Was it an accident?” I had heard that Roan had married, but I’d never met her.

  “No, she had cancer.”

  I winced, “That really sucks.”

  “Yes, it does.”

  I accidentally brushed against his arm, and a shiver zipped down my spine.

  “You cold?” he asked me immediately.

  “No, someone must have walked over my grave.”

  He grinned. “Been a while since I heard that saying.”

  “I’m full of them.”

  “What?”

  “Sayings.”

  He stopped and stared at me hard. “Where did you come from?”

  I took a few steps back toward him and leaned in, smiling, “Don’t tell anyone, but I really don’t know. Although I once learned in school that it takes a man and a woman, and they come together and do this thing called sex. Maybe you’ve heard of it.”

  His head fell back on his shoulders, and he belted out a laugh so full of life that my body began to hum. I also felt myself sinking, and I hoped like hell that the feeling was because the water was swirling around my ankles and pulling the sand out from under my feet—and not because I was sinking into the handsome and sexy jilted groom in front of me.

  Chapter 3

  Rye

  My stomach hurt, but it wasn’t from anything I’d eaten, and it sure wasn’t from the four beers I’d ingested either. My abdominal muscles ached from laughing so hard. I honestly could not recall one time in my life where I had whooped it up for literally hours.

  Amy an
d I had walked and continued our twenty questions the entire time, although I think I answered more questions than she did. In a way, she was elusive. I’d learned she was here on business and lived in Maryland. She preferred beer but did enjoy the fruity hotel cocktails in the afternoon by the pool—not that she’d really been to the pool, she didn’t have a bathing suit. I’d also learned that she was in the bungalow beside mine thanks to the hotel messing things up.

  I made a fire in the pit on the private patio of her bungalow while she was inside, and I had just reclined on the deep-cushioned couch opposite the fire when she stepped out wearing a robe.

  All evening my body had been conscious of how gorgeous she was, and every time we’d accidentally bumped into one another on our walk, I’d felt this crazy urge to pull her into my arms and kiss the hell out of her. With her in a robe, the urge to do more than just kiss her slammed into me.

  “Don’t get any ideas,” she said firmly as she came to the couch and sat down at the end near my feet. She kicked her legs up to the cushion beside me. “My pants were wet from our walk, and I don’t have any other clothing.”

  “No new ideas,” I stated, and she shot me a lopsided grin as if she knew exactly what I was thinking. Maybe I wasn’t the only one who was having these urges. I had the distinct impression that she was drawn to me, too.

  For a moment, we lost ourselves in each other. The fire crackled softly to our right, the surf whooshed to our left. A slight breeze in the air lifted the ends of her long, dark hair ever so slightly, and in the distance, Caribbean music played. The orchids that grew all around us filled the air with a sweet scent, adding the final element of romance to the moment.

  Amy touched my leg tentatively, “Are you ticklish?”

  “No,” I replied.

  She lifted my foot and put it on her lap. She began to massage it, and I almost groaned at the intensity as she put two thumbs into the ball of my foot.

  “Feels good, doesn’t it?”

  “Yes, but why are you rubbing my foot? Isn’t that rather personal?”

  She shrugged, “I guess, but we have been rather personal tonight, haven’t we?” She shifted her leg and put her foot in my lap. I got a flash of the creamy-white skin of her thighs and averted my gaze. “You rub mine, and we’ll call it even.”

  I laughed. “I guess you’re right. It has been rather personal tonight.”“Hey, we were just two strangers consoling one another from our woes in life. Now we’re just sharing a casual touch.”

  I didn’t agree with that at all. I’d never been into feet before. I knew some guys who were, but I’d honestly never really taken an interest in them—until now. Her foot was small, dainty almost, and the skin was incredibly soft. Her toenails were painted a bright purple that matched her vibrant personality.

  “See, isn’t that nice? Not too personal.”

  “Sure,” I replied as I tried to control my hormones and keep my body in check. I was half-hard, and it wouldn’t take much to get it straining against my zipper.

  After a moment, she let her hand glide up the top of my foot to my ankle, and then under my pant leg to my calf. Yep, that did it. I sat up and moved her foot off my lap. “I should get going.”

  “Did I do something wrong?” Her brow was furrowed as she stood, and her robe gaped slightly, giving me a peek at the swell of her breast.

  I inhaled and counted to six to get myself under control before I looked at her again. The firelight was reflecting off her green eyes, and her skin looked so warm and soft that I wanted to touch it with my lips. I wanted to bury my hands in her hair and devour those full, rose lips.

  “No, you didn’t, but if I don’t go now,” I paused and made sure she was listening, “I won’t go at all.”

  She knew what I meant and didn’t hesitate as she stepped closer. “Then don’t go, Rye.”

  “Amy,” I said her name, and she pressed her fingers over my lips as she hushed me.

  “Do you not feel the magic in the air? Maybe it’s just me that feels it, maybe I am totally wrong, but it’s like this night was meant to be, like the stars aligned for this moment, and you and I are supposed to be here together.”

  The side of her face glowed from the firelight, and I let myself go. “I feel it,” I whispered just before I speared a hand through her hair and brought her mouth to mine. The kiss was explosive as our bodies slammed into one another. She was right, we were destined for this moment. It was perfect, meant to happen, and I knew that down to the tips of my toes.

  She felt incredible against me, and I separated our bodies slightly to tug on the belt of her robe. As her robe fell open, I pushed it aside to cup her full breast. She whimpered into my mouth as I pinched her nipple. Her hands left my shoulders, and she shrugged out of the robe. I stepped back and looked at her gorgeous curves in the firelight.

  Amy wasn’t the least bit self-conscious as she stood there in all her beautiful skin, and I ate her up with my gaze. She began to unbutton my shirt, and I stood patiently as she did. It wasn’t until she slipped the silk off my shoulders that I reached for her again, and she pressed a kiss to my chest. The tingling started again and spread as she moved her mouth over my skin. Her hands were on my belt, then my zipper, then pushing my slacks off my hips. I helped her get them and my boxers off and then it was just her flesh against mine.

  We returned to the cushioned couch where I lay on my back. It wasn’t until she was climbing over me that I thought about protection. “Wait, Amy, I need my pants.”

  She grinned. “Glad one of us is thinking.” She bent over and yanked the pants off the floor. It didn’t take long to get the condom out of my wallet, and she snatched it from my hand.

  I laughed. “I’m not ready for that yet.” I took it back from her and set it on the table above my head before I wrapped my arms around her waist and flipped us both so she was now under me. I lowered my head to her chest, and her hands held my head in place against her breast as she arched under me. Right then, it wasn’t my body that touched her—it was my very soul.

  The fire was dying when the two of us settled next to one another on the couch. A fine sheen of sweat covered our bodies, and goosebumps popped out on my skin as the breeze whispered over it. I was able to snag the edge of her robe from the floor and drag it over us as she rested her head on my shoulder.

  Amy’s breathing began to calm, and her body twitched as she drifted off to sleep. I stared at the top of her head. “Where did you come from?” I whispered before I placed a kiss against her brow. This woman had just given me the most incredible wedding night that I could have imagined—and she wasn’t even my bride.

  I woke up to the sounds of birds chirping and the sky beginning to lighten. Amy was still lying in the crook of my arm, her hair scattered wildly around her head, her face relaxed and beautiful in rest. I shifted my arm out from under her and slipped off the couch without disturbing her too much. I gathered my clothes and the used condom that was in a wadded napkin and headed into her bungalow to use the bathroom.

  There was nothing personal lying around except her laptop and its bag on the table and a pair of black dress flats near the closet. I closed the bathroom door and used the facilities. As I left the bathroom, I glanced at her small kitchenette and noticed the coffeemaker. I paused and looked out the back door. Through the gauzy curtain, I could see her still resting where I’d left her.

  I put the coffee on, not sure if I would be here when it was ready or not, but at least she would have coffee. After it was started, I headed back outside and watched her sleep for a moment. She was beautiful, and the memory of her laughter warmed every ounce of my soul. The smile that had spread over her lips throughout the night was now so ingrained in my mind that I could imagine it superimposed on her resting face.

  Crap—

  I walked past her to the walkway that led to the beach and glanced over to my bungalow. Damn, my place was wide open. I sure hoped my stuff was still there.

  I made my way tow
ard the surf and stopped at the line where the soft sand became packed from the waves rushing over it. I took a seat and stared out over the water as the sky brightened. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been there, not too long, before I heard the sand shifting behind me.

  I glanced over my shoulder to see Amy in her robe, carrying two cups of coffee, her eyes bright, her smile radiant. My heart thudded hard against my chest wall.

  “Morning. I thought maybe you’d left in the middle of the night, but then I smelled the coffee.” She handed me a mug. “I didn’t put anything in it, but the coffee is so amazing it doesn’t need anything.”

  “Black is fine. I prefer it that way.”

  She settled beside me and didn’t mince matters. “So, should we talk about last night, or pretend it didn’t happen?”

  “It happened,” I replied immediately.

  Her smile grew. “Would it be too forward of me to ask—”

  I laughed. “Amy, the fact that you just asked that after all the questions you asked me last night blows me away more than any question you could ask.”

  She snickered. “Fine, then I’ll just ask you.” She paused as if gathering the courage to put the words out there. I held my breath. “Was the sex last night, like really, really, awesome, or was that just how I felt about it?” She looked my way, and I saw the nervousness in the creases next to her eyes.

  I set the coffee mug down into the sand and then took hers from her hands and set it beside mine. When I turned back, her lips parted, and the nervousness disappeared from her features. Her eyes brightened as I got to my knees beside her and took her face in my hands. “Amy, last night was really, really, really awesome sex.”

  “Wow, you added a third really,” she breathed between us.

  “To be honest, I would probably add a tenth one, but it would take too long. I’d rather do this instead.” I took her mouth in a soft, gentle kiss that quickly became more heated as she wrapped her arms around me and pulled me to the sand.

  We lay in the sand for a few minutes, making out like teenagers, and then I rolled over to my back and stared at the soft colors in the early sunrise. “If we are going to keep this up, I’m going to need to find a drugstore.”