by Marie Force
Daisy was on the sofa, flipping through a photo album.
David winced when he realized what she was looking at.
She glanced up at him. “What? You said I could snoop.”
He took a seat next to her. “Had to be that one, huh?” The photos of the happy years he’d spent with Janey brought back bittersweet memories.
“It was the first one on the pile. Do you still look at it a lot?”
“I haven’t looked at that in ages. More than a year.”
“Thirteen years is a long time to spend with someone to have it not work out in the end.”
“It was a tough breakup. I won’t deny that.”
She glanced briefly at him before returning her attention to the photos. “Do you still miss her?”
“I miss my friend. She was my best friend for a very long time. I miss that sometimes, like when I hear something funny that I know she’d appreciate. The romantic part had been over between us for a while before we broke up. In a way, our relationship had become more of a habit than a romance, if that makes sense.”
“It does. Is it okay that I asked you about her?”
“Of course it is. You can ask me anything you want to.”
Her lips pursed, and it was obvious there was something else she wanted to know.
“Whatever it is, Daisy, just ask me. It’s fine. I swear.”
“The nurse that you slept with… Did you have feelings for her?”
David hated to think about the night he torpedoed his entire future with Janey. “God, no. That was a one-time lapse in judgment, brought on by an overabundance of stress and fear. I can make excuses until the cows come home, but that was a mistake. A very big mistake.”
“Everyone makes them, you know. It’s probably time you forgave yourself.”
“Maybe so, but I’m not quite there yet.”
Daisy closed the photo album and put it on the coffee table. “Do you have your heart set on going to Domenic’s tonight?”
“I wanted to take you out for a nice dinner, but if you’re not up for it, we can do it another time.”
“I think I’d rather stay here and get a pizza and watch TV.”
“Whatever you want is fine with me.”
“I wish Mario’s delivered.”
“You’re looking at the doctor who tended to Mario’s grandson when he had the chicken pox, earning free pizza delivery for life.”
“Really? That’s awesome.”
“One of the few perks of being the island’s only doctor. What’s your pleasure on the pizza?”
“Plain old cheese and maybe a salad?”
“Coming right up.”
While they waited for the pizza delivery, David poured them each a glass of wine and they flipped through the TV channels looking for something to watch. Daisy vetoed the Red Sox game, and David said no to HGTV.
“Please? I love this show about how they completely transform a space with almost no money.”
“I’ll trade you one half hour of decorating for a half hour of baseball.”
Daisy extended her hand. “Deal. Me first.”
“I see how this is going to go,” he said, grumbling as he shook her hand. He was thrilled to have her all to himself even with more than foot between them on the sofa.
When the pizza arrived, he took advantage of the opportunity to move closer to her while they ate in front of the TV. He had to admit the decorating show was much more interesting than he’d expected it to be. “Wow,” he said after the big reveal, “I can’t believe what they did to that place with a five-hundred-dollar budget.”
“I know! That’s why I love these shows. I get so many good ideas for my place.” As she said the words, her mouth puckered ever so slightly.
“What’re you thinking?”
“That I’ll miss that place—and the island—if I have to move. I’ve been here long enough that it feels like home. It’s too bad it’s so hard to make a living here in the off-season.”
“Hopefully you’ll get the year-round job at the hotel and you won’t have to worry about that anymore.”
“Hopefully.”
As another episode of the budget decorating show got set to begin, Daisy handed him the remote control. “Your turn.”
“Let me do a quick score check, and then we can watch this one, too.”
“You’re hooked!”
“I never said that.”
“You are, too. I can tell.”
“I’m not admitting to anything.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep your secrets.”
They settled in to watch the second episode, and he caught her suppressing a yawn.
“Tired?”
“A little. It’s been a long day.”
“Do you want to go home?”
“Not quite yet. This has been the nicest part of my long day.”
He raised an arm to encourage her to come closer to him and put it around her when she snuggled into his embrace. Brushing his lips over her soft hair, he said, “Best part of my long day, too.”
“Even though I’m forcing you to watch decorating shows?”
“You’re not forcing me to do anything.”
“This is much better than going out.”
“Definitely, but I don’t want you to get overtired. We should get you home to bed.”
Her hand, which was flat against his belly, moved up to his chest and kept going until her fingers were moving lightly over the whiskers on his jaw.
He was so affected by the soft brush of her fingers over his face that he could barely draw a breath. “Daisy… What’re you doing?”
“Nothing.”
“That’s not nothing.”
“Is it okay if I touch you?”
“I love when you touch me, but—”
“David?”
“Yeah?”
“Will you kiss me again like you did the other night?”
He turned to face her on the sofa, his gaze zeroing in on her full lips. “I want to more than you know, but I worry about moving too fast. I don’t want to do anything to upset you like I did that night.”
“You’re sweet to worry, but I’m okay, and I really liked kissing you.”
“Me, too. I thought about it the whole time I was in Boston.”
The left side of her mouth lifted into a smile. “The whole time?”
Nodding, he leaned in slowly and kept his eyes open, which was how he saw the flush of her cheeks, the flutter of her lashes and the dab of her tongue on her lower lip. The movement of her tongue sent a charge of desire roaring through him, but he tried to ignore the insistent press of his cock against the fly of his pants. This was about her, about going slowly for her, about taking his time and not scaring her off.
As their lips met and her eyes closed, David kept his open so he could be certain she was with him and not reliving memories that would be better forgotten. He loved everything about kissing her, and could’ve so easily let the desire and the passion take over his better judgment.
He went slowly, determined not to let it get out of hand the way it had the other night. But then her tongue slid over his lower lip, setting off a chain reaction that made him groan.
Apparently encouraged by his reaction, she did it again and again until he couldn’t remember his own name, let alone his vows to go slowly. Before he knew it, they were reclined on the sofa, facing each other as their tongues mated in a sensual battle.
With their bodies pressed together on the sofa, it wasn’t easy for David to hold back. And then he felt her tugging at his shirt, pulling it free from his pants. Her hand on his back was nothing short of electrifying. When he’d said he loved her touch, he wasn’t kidding.
Reluctantly, he eased off from the kiss, turning his focus toward her jaw and neck. She smelled so sweet, like soap and flowers. He could easily become addicted to that scent, he thought as he kissed his way to her throat and then focused on her collarbone.
Her free hand encircled
his neck, keeping him from pulling back from her.
He knew he should stop before things went any further, so he dropped his forehead to her shoulder, summoning the control that had all but deserted him.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing.”
“Why did you stop?”
“Because I…”
“It’s okay if you’re not in the mood. I didn’t mean to be so forward.”
Laughing softly, he flexed his hips so she could feel the evidence of how “not in the mood” he was.
“Oh.”
“Yeah. Definitely in the mood.”
“Then what’s wrong?” She combed her fingers through his hair, making his scalp tingle.
Every inch of him was affected by her touch. “I feel like we’re moving too fast. You were hurt badly, in more ways than one, and I need to be careful with you. Yet…”
“Yet?”
“I can’t get enough of you. When I kiss you, I forget all about being careful.”
“I’m not fragile, David. I won’t break.”
“You’re not fragile. You’re strong and resilient, and I respect that about you more than you know. But you were seriously injured not all that long ago. It would kill me if I ever did anything to hurt you.”
“It would hurt me if you treated me differently because of what happened with him.”
He blew out a deep breath, uncertain of what to say to that.
“I love when you kiss me,” she said. “I love when you touch me. And the last thing I’m thinking of when I’m kissing you is anything to do with him. I can barely remember my own name when you kiss me.”
He smiled because he knew exactly what she meant. “I’m still afraid of moving too fast and spooking you.”
“You won’t.”
“How do you know?”
“Because it’s you, and you’ve been so amazing from the very beginning. I’ve never been in a relationship like this one.”
“What makes it different?”
“I’m not afraid all the time. I’m not afraid of saying the wrong thing and making you mad or doing the wrong thing and waiting for you to explode. I feel safe with you.”
“I could kill him for putting you through that.”
“It was partly my fault.”
“How in the world can you say that?”
“I put up with it far longer than I should have. You and Blaine both tried to warn me after it happened the first time that he was escalating, but I was convinced that he loved me and would never really hurt me. I’d be dead if Blaine hadn’t gotten there when he did, so yes, I blame myself for not putting a stop to it sooner.”
“I hate to hear you blaming yourself for what he did.”
“I don’t blame myself for the violence. I blame myself for failing to see the handwriting on the wall where he was concerned. But I learned from it, and I’ll never let it happen again.”
“I don’t want you to ever be afraid like that again.”
“Neither do I.” Her palm was warm against his cheek. “I can’t imagine ever being afraid when I’m with you. So don’t treat me any differently than you’d treat any other woman.”
“You’re not any other woman, Daisy. You’re special.”
“I feel special when I’m with you.” With her hand on the back of his head, she drew him toward her for another kiss.
He’d planned to keep it chaste, but she had other ideas, teasing him with her tongue until he had no choice but to let go of all his worries and lose himself in her sweetness. His hand traveled down her back, over the curve of her bottom to the hem of her dress. He nearly lost it when he encountered the warm, soft skin of her upper leg.
She moaned and slid her leg between both of his, encouraging him to touch her more intimately.
He wanted to so badly. It had been a very long time since he’d wanted anything as badly as he wanted her. With her body tight against his and her tongue teasing and tempting him, it was hard to remember any of the reasons why he had thought to practice restraint with her.
It occurred to him that there was plenty they could do without going too far. He slowly slid his hand up the back of her leg as her fingertips pressed into the muscles on his back. Did he dare to go a little higher? The sweet curve of her ass beckoned, almost daring him to go for it as the mewling sounds coming from her told him how much she wanted him to keep going.
His hand curved around a small but supple cheek, squeezing and kneading as the kiss intensified.
All at once, she broke the kiss and took a series of deep breaths.
“Too much?” he asked.
“Not enough,” she replied, chuckling.
“Daisy,” he groaned. “You’re not making this easy.”
“Good. Don’t stop. Please, don’t stop yet.”
He might be capable of some measure of control, but he was certainly no saint, and he hadn’t had sex in a really long time. Thus, it didn’t take much encouragement on her part to continue caressing her bottom while she squirmed against his rigidly erect cock. It took very little encouragement to slip his fingers beneath the elastic of her panties and delve into the liquid heat between her legs.
“David,” she said, gasping as he found the center of her desire.
“Is this okay?”
She nodded and initiated another kiss, using her lips and tongue to drive him slowly mad. And then she was pulling at his belt and tugging at the button to his pants and her warm, soft hand was wrapping around his shaft. All thoughts of going slow evaporated in a haze of desire that overtook him.
He slid his fingers into her channel, stroking her inside and out as she did the same for him. Her thumb slid through the moisture that had gathered at the tip, moving back and forth until he was on the verge of exploding in her hand.
Breaking the kiss, he pressed his face into the curve of her neck, breathing hard from the effort it took to hold back. “Daisy…”
“Hmm?”
“God… Don’t stop.”
“Same to you.”
Even in the throes of runaway passion, she made him smile. Determined now to help her find the ultimate pleasure, he focused his attention on the tight bundle of nerves at her core, teasing and stroking and caressing until he felt her tighten and tremble as she came.
Her release triggered his, and she stayed with him all the way, her hand tight around him as he let go of the worries and gave in to the desire.
When the trembling aftershocks subsided, he eased his fingers from between her legs and drew her dress down over her bottom. “That was hot,” he whispered against her lips, “but we made a bit of a mess.”
“It was well worth it.”
“Mmm. I completely agree.” He used the tail of his dress shirt to clean up. “I should take you home.”
“Not yet.”
With her snuggled up to him, her hair fragrant against his face, the last thing he wanted to do was move. So he tried to relax and enjoy the sweet pleasure of holding her close. He closed his eyes, telling himself they’d leave soon. But first he wanted to hold her for a little while longer.
*
The moment Seamus’s mother was settled in her room for the night, Carolina walked out the back door and headed down the dirt road that led to the shore. She had to get out of that house before she lost her mind. Hours of pretending that nothing was wrong had left her worn and frazzled.
She couldn’t believe he’d done this to her—and to his mother. The poor woman had been shocked by how much older Carolina was than her son, which had been the first clue that Seamus had been less than honest about what he’d told his family back home in Ireland about her.
Carolina kept her head down and walked fast, guided by the light of the moon and the rage that drove her to get as far away from the house—and him—as she could get.
Pounding footsteps on the path had her spinning around as her rage intensified. “Go back to the house. I have nothing to say to you.”
; “I have something to say to you.”
“What could you possibly say to fix this?”
“How about I’m sorry?”
“Sorry. You’re sorry. That’s great. I’m glad you’re sorry for completely humiliating me in front of your mother, not to mention how you made her feel by blindsiding her right off the boat. You made a total mess of this, and you’re sorry?” She tossed up her hands and turned to keep walking because she was afraid she might punch him again if she didn’t get away from him. Carolina Cantrell, who’d never struck another human being in her life, driven to violence by the man she loved. Wasn’t this a fine mess?
“Caro, honey, wait. Please let me explain.”
“I don’t want to talk to you right now.”
“I know, and I totally deserve that. But can I please tell you why I did it?”
Carolina would’ve chosen to keep walking if it wasn’t for the fact that his mother and cousin would be their guests for the next two weeks. Somehow, she had to make peace with Seamus or run the risk of alienating his family. “Fine. Tell me why you felt the need to lie to me and your mother.”
“I didn’t lie. Exactly.”
Incredulous, she said, “What would you call it?”
“I…I told her you were older than me.”
“Did you tell her how much older?”
“No.”
“Then you lied.”
“You don’t understand.”
“Make me understand, then.”
“My mum, she’s a lovely lady, but at times, she can be a bit… How to say this? Well, she can be judgmental. And I thought if she met you and saw how much I love you and how much you love me—or how much you loved me before you figured out I hadn’t told her about the age difference… I thought maybe if she saw us together, she’d see what I see when I look at you.” His hands curled around her hips. “I didn’t want her to come here with preconceived notions.”
“You should’ve told me so I’d be prepared for her reaction.”
“You’re absolutely right. I should have told you, and I’m so sorry I didn’t. You insisted we invite her here right when everything between us had settled into a good place. Your son knows, and the sky didn’t fall in. We were just getting somewhere. Finally. I didn’t want her to come here and undo all that by making you feel bad about yourself or your age or anything.”