Starfish Island

by Brown, Deborah

As she drifted off, happy to escape her throbbing head, she felt a rocking movement and heard the sound of a motor. I’m being taken somewhere. I’m being kidnapped.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  THE FEEL OF warm sunlight on her face awakened Nicole. She moved her head restlessly to avoid the glare, her eyes popping open at the sudden sharp pain that assailed her when she moved her head. She looked around the room, which had a Caribbean island feel, with pale blue walls and doors opened onto a slew of planters filled with plumeria and other tropical flowers. The tantalizing scent of coffee and freshly baked muffins made Nicole turn her head.

  “So you’ve decided to come back to us,” said a laughing voice.

  “Cecilia!” Nicole exclaimed in bewilderment, wincing when her head throbbed again. “Aspirin,” she squeaked.

  Cecilia set the breakfast tray she was holding on the bed, opened a drawer, and took out a bottle, from which she handed Nicole two pills. “I want you to sit up and eat some of this breakfast. Doctor’s orders. While you eat, I’ll talk. If you don’t eat, I won’t talk. Those were my orders.”

  “Doctor’s orders?” Nicole asked slowly, as memories flooded her.

  “Yes. He said you needed to eat and rest to get your strength back.” Cecilia smiled down at Nicole as she poured the coffee. “Michael will be disappointed he wasn’t here when you opened your eyes.”

  Wherever Michael was, Nicole needed to get dressed and leave before he showed up again. She didn’t want to be the one to tell Cecilia that she didn’t know her brother at all.

  “Now then,” Cecilia said, pulling a chair close to the bed. “I’m sure you must have a million questions. I know I would. You look a lot better this morning, by the way. When Michael carried you into the house unconscious last night, we were worried sick. Michael called the doctor immediately from your house, and he checked you over there. He said you’d be all right––no serious harm done––and gave his okay to move you to our place to get plenty of food and rest. He followed us back and made sure you were settled.”

  Nicole blinked in bewilderment. She sipped the coffee, her stomach letting her know loudly that it would like some food. She picked at an apple muffin.

  “You probably don’t remember much of what happened,” Cecilia went on. “I promise you that no one is going to bother you ever again. Chester and Ellis are under arrest and so is Katrina.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Look out!” Cecilia jumped up and rescued the coffee pot that was rocking precariously on the tray. “Yes, Ellis. Don’t make any more of those wild leaps, Nicole, or you’ll drown in hot coffee.” She moved the pot to a side table.

  “Please keep talking,” Nicole urged, “before I go out of my mind. Ellis Sadler?”

  Cecilia laughed and then sobered. “I know. I was as flabbergasted as you are when I heard the story. Michael’s the one who put all the pieces together. We should wait for him; he had to go make another statement to the police. You know he sat by your bedside all night?”

  Nicole shook her head. Why would he do that? He probably wanted to know what she remembered before she had the chance to talk to someone else.

  “The doctor said you could have a bath, but no shower. How does that sound?” Cecilia jumped up. “Ava brought over some clothes for you this morning.”

  At the sound of the door opening, Nicole looked up to see Michael standing there, a huge smile on his face. He covered the space to the bed in a few steps and ran his fingers down her cheek. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up.”

  She felt tongue-tied, unsure of what to say.

  “How’s your head feeling?”

  They stared at one another. “A little bit of a headache,” she said finally.

  Cecilia cleared her throat. “I was just going to help her into the bathroom for a bath.”

  Michael turned slightly. “Has she eaten?”

  “One bite of muffin.” Cecilia sighed.

  “Thank you, Cecilia. After she’s done bathing, I’ll call down for breakfast.” He inclined his head toward the door.

  Cecilia had clearly been dismissed, and both women blushed crimson.

  As soon as the door closed, Michael sat on the edge of the bed and drew Nicole into his arms. “You could’ve died.” He pressed his mouth to hers, lingering, his tongue sliding over her lips and tracing them, so sweet and gentle. She pushed away all reason and allowed herself to savor what he offered. He kissed a trail along her cheek, and his tongue flicked her outer ear, making her shiver. “Do not move. I’ll be right back.”

  He disappeared into the bathroom, and she heard water running. The thought of a nice hot shower made her sit up, and she stifled a groan as she flung her legs over the side of the bed. Nicole stood, swaying on her unsteady feet and hoping the room would come into clear focus and stop moving.

  Michael raced across the room. “Did you listen to one word I said about staying put?”

  “I heard the water running. I just want a shower.”

  “No shower for you; you’re too unsteady on your feet still.” He carefully picked her up and carried her to the bathroom, nudging the door open and stepping into the warm steam, which wrapped around them like a comforting blanket. He put her down and drew her nightgown over her head. She felt a rush of embarrassment before he wrapped a fluffy towel around her body, which warmed her and eased her embarrassment. He sat her on the vanity bench, a smile flickering across the corner of his mouth.

  “If you move again, I may have to spank you.” He shook his finger and laughed.

  “What’s so funny?” She grimaced.

  “I rather like the idea of you lying naked across my lap.” A stupid smile spread across his face.

  “Men! Of course you do. It’s not your bottom that’d be hurting.” Nicole watched as Michael fiddled with the hot and cold knobs until the temperature was just right.

  Then he removed his own clothing.

  Nicole stared. “What are you doing?”

  “Making sure nothing happens to you.”

  She gave an unladylike snort but said nothing, excitement overtaking her as she took in the sight before her.

  He removed her towel, dropping it to the floor, and helped her over to the tub, his hands firm on her waist. He lifted her up and stepped into the bath, which was brimming with bubbles.

  “Just relax, honey, I’ve got you and I’m not letting go anytime soon.” He sat down, nestling her against his chest, feathering kisses along the back of her sensitive shoulders.

  The warmth of the water seemed to swallow her whole; she tipped her head back to look up at him and smiled. He took her chin in his hand and guided her lips to his. Pressing into her, his tongue slid in and out along hers—a slow, sophisticated dance.

  “Thank you!” she whispered softly, closing her eyes, sinking her shoulders into the water with a smile.

  Michael picked up the bar of soap and lathered his hands, running them along the smooth contours of her skin, massaging his way down her body. His fingertips stroked along the curves of her breasts, eagerly trailing upward toward her erect nipples.

  Nicole lay against his chest, a dreamy smile on her face. She focused on the sensations his fingers brought her. She felt so relaxed, while at the same time, he was driving her crazy. His fingers flicked the tips of her nipples, giving them a hard pinch. Nicole gasped and shot forward.

  His eyes full of lust, he continued to gently massage, eliciting a moan as he pulled her back. “You’re not clean yet,” he whispered in her ear. She settled back, closing her eyes. His hands seemed to be everywhere at the same time, one stroking down across her stomach and between her legs, caressing the part of her that was aching for his touch, playing with her curls. The other danced from breast to breast, soaping the ample mounds, the sounds of splashing water almost drowning out her low moans. He swirled more soap around his palms and rubbed the sudsy mixture between her thighs, down one leg and then the other. He allowed his hands to roam fre
ely over every inch of her body before finally pushing his fingers against the folds of her core.

  Nicole’s body felt awash in sensation. No one had ever been this intimate with her before. Never had so much attention been paid to her body in such intricate detail. His fingers found the small nub and began to lightly circle the straining pleasure zone as her thighs clamped suddenly around his hand. Her own hand came to meet his, pushing his fingers against her folds as she ground desperately against them, breathing hard, her mind swamped with nothing but the feelings between her legs.

  She didn’t hear the splashing of water on the floor as he slipped his fingers inside her and slid with ease around her swelling clit. Her hand twisted behind her back to grasp his erection. Lifting her hips slightly, she pulled him along her wet folds.

  Grasping her waist tightly, he lifted her until she cleared his penis, which now stood tall and rock-hard below her.

  She reached between her legs and positioned his head at her opening, lowering herself slowly. He thrust into her, filling her as she moved back to meet him thrust for thrust. Kissing her until he was unable to hold off, he raised his hips to meet each of her pushes, and soon they were both rocked with massive orgasms.

  The strength of her orgasm stole the breath from her lungs, wringing a bursting gasp from her as she writhed and twisted against him. As soon as one wave of pleasure ended, another crested, and she rode it to the top, barely coming down before the next wave hit. Still buried inside her, he gently kissed the back of her neck, already familiar with her most sensitive spots.

  At last, he pulled out, breathing against her neck, letting the water swirl around their bodies. Her eyes were clamped shut, her breathing ragged as the pressure of his penis on her overly sensitized clit withdrew. For a moment, there was nothing—no sound, no feeling, just their deep breathing. Slowly, she came back to reality as he ran his hands down the soft skin of her back. Michael wrapped his arms around her waist, leaned back in the water, and turned her to face him. She grasped his head in her hands and kissed him deeply.

  “You’re amazing,” she whispered against his lips.

  “My pleasure...” Michael chuckled.

  He stood and scooped her out of the tub. Setting her on the vanity bench, he grabbed a thick towel and dried her with long slow strokes up and down her body, first the back, then the front. He kneeled and dried her legs, burying his head in her most intimate place and tenderly kissing. Then he wrapped her in a plush terry robe, securing the belt, and hauled her body against his. He lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, then began a slow dance with their tongues. As they kissed and teased, Michael slowly walked them back to the bed. He turned back the covers, and they slid between the sheets, her head resting on his chest as she listened to his heartbeat.

  Michael picked his cell phone up off the bedside table and quickly sent a message.

  “There’s no texting while we’re naked,” she said and pinched his nipple.

  “Breakfast is on its way up.” He pulled her into his arms.

  After what seemed like only minutes, someone knocked. “Stay here,” Michael said as he rolled off the bed, tightened his robe, and answered the door. He came back with a large tray and set it on the bedside table as she positioned herself up against the headboard. There was only one plate, filled with an egg frittata and a slice of zucchini bread. There was also a glass of orange juice, and her favorite part: a single red rose in a vase.

  Michael adjusted her pillows and settled the tray between them on the bed. He took the orange juice and held it to her lips.

  “There’s enough food here to feed four,” she teased, hoping she wasn’t expected to eat it all.

  “I’m here to make sure you eat at least half.” He cut off a piece of the egg dish and held out the fork.

  She inclined her head, taking a bite. It was good, but she had no interest in food. “And if I don’t?”

  “You’ll sit here until you do.”

  “That trick didn’t work with my mother and Brussels sprouts, so your chances of success with that tactic are… zero.”

  “Open up.” He pressed more of the frittata toward her.

  “Tell me what happened,” Nicole begged.

  “Only if you keep eating. You must have food.” Michael held out a piece of the bread.

  “Please,” she said, and licked the end of his finger.

  “Eat.” He lifted a forkful of egg to her open mouth. “Remember Katrina Lewis? Of course you do.” He rolled his eyes. “Seems her departed husband managed to stay barely one step ahead of the law. They maintained their financial façade with some sort of mini-Ponzi scheme.”

  Nicole ate another piece of bread, and Michael went on, “When he died, everyone demanded their money. She found out that the bank accounts had been cleaned out and he’d been living from one con to the next. That was when Katrina decided to come back here and pick up where she left off with me.” He picked at the food on the tray. “Her plan was to marry me, the fiancé she’d mercilessly kicked to the curb for a man with (supposedly) more money, by any means necessary.”

  Michael looked at Nicole with concern, but she carefully kept her eyes on him. She wanted to hear the story, and she wouldn’t spoil it by reacting childishly. “Apparently, she thought I had a short memory, or that I was desperate since I hadn’t replaced her, and would take her back. When that took longer than she’d expected, she used some of her late husband’s skills and started swindling people out of money and property. It was all her idea to double- and triple-sell real estate lots.”

  “Katrina Lewis? I find that hard to believe.”

  He held the orange juice glass to her lips, dribbling it down her chin. His tongue quickly caught every bit of liquid, and he finished off by licking up her chin and around her lips.

  “You did that on purpose,” she said with a smile

  “Maybe,” he said and kissed her again. He eyed the plate. “You’re not even half done yet.”

  Here was another first, being fed, and she enjoyed studying him, wishing their time together never had to end.

  “Anyway… She’d picked up quite a bit from her husband, who was apparently a computer genius. She used her relationship with me to gain access to Edwards Inc. and was quite clever about it. She’d managed to lift my access card and make a copy of it, so she could come and go as she pleased.” He paused momentarily, then continued. “She used my resources to find buyers and sellers, buying property on paper and selling it off to unsuspecting people. That was where Ellis Sadler came in. They handled every facet of the operation out of his office. He’d decided that criminal activity would hasten his rise to the top. When he became Caroline’s lawyer and found out that she had—as far as he knew—no living heirs, he began his scheme to get control of her entire estate.”

  “I should have listened to you when you told me to be careful of that man,” Nicole said.

  “It didn’t take long for Ellis to realize he’d never wrest control from Caroline while she lived. And he certainly knew he couldn’t persuade her to make a will in his favor. So he set himself up as secret heir to the fortune, with plans to produce a faked will as soon as she died.” He stopped talking, his eyebrow arched, and pushed another forkful of food against her lips.

  “I’m full,” she moaned, pressing her lips in a firm line.

  “Three more bites.”

  She surveyed the plate and scrunched her nose. “Two.”

  Michael fed her one bite of egg and one of muffin. “Are our children going to be this difficult?” He laughed.

  She blushed. “Finish your story.” Kids? Although scary, the idea appealed to her.

  “Where were we? Oh yes, Ellis. Enter Lucia and the Greys into the scheme,” Michael wiped his hands and leaned back against the headboard. “It was Ellis who came up with the idea of faking a marriage between Kirkland and Lucia. As a kid, Kirkland had been attracted to her, so it wouldn’t seem suspicious that the two of them might run o
ff and get married.”

  She crooked her finger. “I’ll drink the rest of my orange juice.”

  He handed it over. “Ellis knew the Greys through and through and knew they would do anything for money. Their job was to deliver Lucia, so they leaned on her hard. She wanted nothing to do with the scheme, but she couldn’t hold out with her own father and mother hammering at her day and night.”

  “I always felt sorry for Lucia,” Nicole said.

  “Lucia liked Kirkland, but she and Zander have been in love since they were teenagers. He still loves her, and I think she really loves him. Ellis started pressuring her, giving her expensive jewelry, telling her that it was nothing compared to what she’d get if she went along with his plans. The jewelry did the trick.”

  Michael stood and put the tray back on the table, then disappeared into the bathroom and came out with a washcloth and hand towel. He sat on the edge of the bed and gently cleaned Nicole’s mouth, taking her hand and meticulously cleaning each finger. His careful attention made it clear to her that he wanted her to understand that she was his and the thought of her being with someone else drove him crazy. The realization sent heat flooding through her body, settling in her core. When he was done thoroughly cleaning her hands, he leaned forward and kissed her lightly.

  “Then the will was revealed,” he continued, “and brought Ellis’s plans to a grinding halt, heightening his desperation. He needed quick cash, so he decided to sell off some of your property, cheating you out of the profits with fraudulent sales paperwork.”

  “There was never any indication in my dealings with him of the level of deceit he was capable of.” She sighed sadly.

  “Back to Katrina. Ellis knew about her husband’s shady dealings––he was friends with the lawyer who’d gotten him acquitted in more than one case—and he threatened to tell me about her orchestration of criminal activities if she didn’t help him.”

  She reached for his hand, gesturing for him to move next to her so they could curl up together face to face.

  “Then you showed up,” he said. “I wanted you from the first time I set on eyes on you, back when Caroline asked me to check you out. I followed you to an ice cream store in Santa Fe, where you met your friend with the crying boy. You immediately took control of the situation with soothing words, telling him, ‘You can’t eat ice cream and cry at the same time.’ I was jealous. He got to sit on your lap and play with your hair, and you never said a word about the sticky mess he made.”