One Hot Summer Anthology

by Morris , Stephanie

  She trembled, waiting, and when he finally sank his teeth into the tendon of muscle at the curve of her shoulder, she moaned long and loud. Her eyes rolled back, and she felt the sensuous pull all the way down to her sex, making her inner muscles contract around him.

  Finally he drove into her, hard and deep, wringing another cry of passion from her. He thrust again, his hips working like a piston, too quickly for her to draw in a deep breath. He groaned her name. A plea. A demand.

  And she answered him with a husky, “Yes.”

  He gave one last violent thrust, spiraling them both into a vortex of all-consuming pleasure that seemed more vital than each rapid heartbeat, more essential than each labored breath she drew. She shattered right along with him, blinded by delirious sensation and intoxicated by her wild need for him. There was so much she wanted to say, and every bit of it frightened her more than anything in her life ever had.

  She struggled to breathe normally, and her body continued to tremble and quiver as residual quakes of her orgasm rolled through her. She was positive all of the pleasure receptors in her body were on overload, had combusted several times. Which was a very wonderful thing.

  In the back of her mind, she felt him shift, and then he was next to her in the bed with his arms and one leg around her. He nuzzled her neck with his kissable mouth, and she sighed her contentedness.

  “Tell me what you thought about giving up all control for a change?” he asked.

  Imani chuckled, as much as she could squeeze out. “You don’t know?”

  “Yes, but my male ego wants to hear you say it.”

  She turned her head until her eyes met his. “You’re a wonderful man. I don’t regret putting my trust in you.”

  “So the restraint thing works for you?”

  Imani nodded. “Probably not as an everyday thing. But on occasion...”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  She laughed. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you, Carson.”

  He lifted his head and winked. “Do you actually want me to answer that?”

  Imani remained silent for several long seconds, the butterflies in her stomach fluttering just enough to make her very aware she knew what he was going to say, but she nodded anyway.

  “Yes. Tell me.”

  “You can agree to spend the rest of the summer with me,” he said. “Imani, I know we haven’t known each other long, but I want to see what we can have together. I want to take you out to dinner, walk down the beach with you hand-in-hand. I want to go to bed lying next to you at night, wake up to you in morning, and cook you breakfast. I want to hear about your future plans, help you figure them out and even take part in you achieving them.”

  She looked into his gorgeous face, the honesty shimmering in his gray eyes. He meant every word he said. There was no doubt about it. He’d shown her in every possible way.

  What Carson didn’t know was she’d been doing some planning of her own, which didn’t involve her job search in any way. She’d begun to think about improving her personal life. Had started to wonder what it’d be like to have a happily-ever-after.

  What she quickly realized was there were no rules to follow, no master plan to formulate. The only specifications she had were her own. What did her heart tell her? What did her gut tell her about the man holding her? This possible future?

  She turned a bit further, raised up on one elbow. “Can I be completely honest?”

  “Always.”

  “I turned down the job from Arias. Not because of you or anything going on between us. As soon as I boarded that plane to Texas, I knew I wouldn’t accept the job. It didn’t feel right. After the interview, I didn’t want the job any longer. In the past several weeks, a lot has changed since I’ve come to Myrtle Beach. My outlook on things is a little different.”

  She paused, clearing her throat. “I’m not saying I’m dropping my life in Charleston to move here. I’ve just decided I need more time to figure out what I want to do in the next phase of my life.”

  “I truly hope there’s an ‘and’ in there somewhere.”

  She grinned as she leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. “And I want to get to know you a little better. I don’t know how it’s going to work out or if it even will, but I at least want to try.”

  For several heartbeats, his expression didn’t change. No response. Then he grinned. Oh, what a smile.

  “Are you certain?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Are you sure about me?”

  “Yes. From the moment you stepped inside of Baxter’s something about you appealed to me. I want the chance to discover what it is.”

  Imani exhaled softly, shifted once more so she was safe in the warmth of his arms. His breath caressed her cheek. As her eyes drifted closed, she felt something different, something wonderful. A heartbeat later, it dawned on her. Even though she might not have the slightest idea of what was to come, she was where she always wanted to be.

  Some Like it Hot

  Stephanie Morris

  Dedication

  To Gail. Thank you for everything.

  Chapter One

  “Here’s to lots of sun, gorgeous men and two weeks of mind-blowing, toe-curling sex.”

  Naja Westbrook held her glass up to the open air then took a sip. The decision to take a vacation and head down to Myrtle Beach had been a good one. She hadn’t realized how much she needed to get away until she pulled up in front of the beach house yesterday afternoon. As soon she lugged her bags up to bedroom on the second floor, she’d fallen into bed and slept well into the evening. When she woke up, there were no signs of her sister having come to the beach house; not that Naja was surprised.

  A few weeks ago, she’d informed Imani, she’d be taking a well-needed break. Due to her hectic schedule she hadn’t been certain she’d arrive before her sister headed back to Charleston. Thankfully, Imani had been persuaded by her new love interest to extend her vacation. She couldn’t wait to meet the man who’d convinced her well-organized sibling to change her plans.

  While she didn’t intend to give Carson a hard time because he seemed to have Imani floating on cloud nine, she wouldn’t hesitate to let him know what she’d do if he hurt her. However, from the way things seemed, there was no chance of that. She’d been in town for twenty-four hours and hadn’t seen Imani or Carson. That would all change tonight when she met the two of them for dinner at his restaurant, Baxter’s.

  Until then she had some time to kill. Perhaps she’d go for a stroll on the beach. The weather was beautiful. People were out in abundance, taking advantage of it. There were several gorgeous men milling around. Maybe one of them could help her relax.

  Unlike her sister, who’d been reluctant to let her guard down when she’d first arrived, Naja looked forward to finding a sexy-as-sin man to help her unwind a little while on vacation. Her life in Raleigh was hectic. There were moments when she barely had time to breathe because of her job as an event planner. She was always careful not to overbook herself. It was just the clientele she worked with were demanding. Thankfully, she was surrounded by a team of efficient assistants.

  Yes, she definitely needed to chill out and the best way to start was with a few none battery operated out-of-this-world orgasms. Naja chuckled and closed her eyes. Imani would cringe if she heard her thoughts right now. Even though she was only three years younger than her sibling, it was enough of a gap for them to be night and day personality wise.

  Imani was the serious plan her entire day out sort of person. Naja was as well, when it came to work. Outside of work, she went with the flow. She liked to have a good time, but was smart enough to be safe while doing it. She planned to veg out as much as possible during her two week stint in Myrtle Beach.

  After draining her wine glass of the remaining liquid, she sat it down on the patio table and decided to go for a stroll as a means to kill time and to scope out the beach. Several moments later, the house was locked up and she made her wa
y down the back steps toward the sand she couldn’t wait to dig her feet into.

  She inhaled deeply as she wandered down the beach, grateful at how fortunate she was to be afforded this opportunity. It’d been a few years since she’d been to the beach house. She definitely used it more than Imani did, but for the most part her family rented the beach home out to vacationers. Once her older sister had become unemployed, the first place Naja thought to advise her to go was to the beach house. She couldn’t think of a more relaxing place to be, especially with the soul searching Imani needed to do. Evidently her idea had been a good one, because Imani was more at ease than Naja had ever recalled her being. Not to mention she appeared to be smitten with Carson. If all the reports were accurate, Carson was just as much over the moon.

  Naja stopped and stared out at the ocean, laughing at the sight of two kids burying a grown-up in the sand. She remembered days like that with Imani and her grandfather. As a child she’d loved coming to the beach to spend time with her grandparents. Whenever summer time rolled around, she and Imani knew what they’d be doing for at least a month during the break from school. Those childhood memories always made her smile. This was the first time she and Imani had been at the beach house in years. She was looking forward to hanging out with her.

  Imani had always been a great big sister, even when they didn’t always agree. Her older sibling had always been there for her over the years. She was glad she had the opportunity to return the favor on occasion. Releasing a pent up breath, Naja continued on her stroll down the beach, checking out the scenery, until she realized it was time for her to head back to the house and get ready for her dinner date with Imani and Carson.

  An hour later she was freshly showered and dressed in a brown tank top, pink jeans and brown sandals. It felt so nice to be able to dress down for a change. Grabbing her purse, she headed out the front door. She couldn’t wait to see her sister. Several moments later she pulled up in front of Baxter’s.

  As soon as she entered the restaurant, she spotted her sister and waved.

  Imani raced over to her and they embraced each other tightly.

  “It’s good to see you.”

  “You too, Naja. I’ve missed you.”

  Naja gave her an extra squeeze before pulling back to give her a once over. “You look good. Well-rested and relaxed. Beach living seems to agree with you.”

  “In ways you wouldn’t believe. Speaking of which, let me introduce you to Carson.” Imani motioned behind her and a man Naja hadn’t noticed before now made his way over to them.

  She shook her head. “That’s the man you were saying no to? Imani, you have better willpower than me. Let me tell you.”

  Imani laughed. “Behave yourself. Besides, I came to my senses.”

  “I’m glad, because if you’d let someone else snatch him up, you’d live to regret it the remainder of your days.”

  Imani didn’t have a chance to reply. Carson slid his arm around her older sibling’s waist and Naja didn’t miss the way Imani melted into his embrace. He smiled as he held his free hand out to her. “It’s nice to finally meet the sister Imani is always talking about.”

  She offered up her hand in return. “And it’s nice to finally meet the guy my sister is always mentioning.”

  As if it were possible, Carson’s smile widened even more. “We’re glad you could join us for dinner tonight. Our table is ready, so we can sit down if you’d like.”

  “I’d like that very much.” Naja followed Carson and Imani over to the table, checking out the décor of Baxter’s while she did so. He’d done well for himself. She paused as her gaze landed on two paintings. “Imani, are those your paintings?”

  Her sister and beau stopped, glancing in the direction of the paintings she referenced.

  Imani chuckled. “Yes, they are. I should have known you’d guess.”

  Naja gave Carson major brownie points. Clearly he supported Imani’s passion for painting. “I’d know your work anywhere. Those paintings are gorgeous. If you don’t have any extras just lying around, I’m going have you paint something for my apartment.”

  Carson looked over at Imani with a slight frown. “You haven’t told her?”

  “I planned on mentioning it tonight.”

  Naja’s left brow arched upward. “Told me what?”

  “Wait until we get to the table.”

  Carson and Imani resumed walking and Naja followed them.

  She slid into a private booth across from her sister and boyfriend. She didn’t waste any time getting back to the subject. “Glad to know your creative streak is still going strong. I’m thrilled at the fact you’re supporting her, Carson.”

  “It isn’t a hardship. Although, I have to be honest, I thought Imani would have a coronary when she walked into the restaurant and saw them displayed.”

  Naja laughed. “Sounds about right.”

  “Hey now! I had the right to be nervous. You know I’ve always kept this part of my life relatively private.”

  “Which I haven’t been able to figure out since you took up painting. You have a true talent you should be happy to share.”

  “Then you’ll be happy to know I’m getting used to doing so now.”

  Before Naja could ask her what she meant, their waitress came up to the table to take their drink orders. She ordered lemonade then picked up the menu so she could figure out what she wanted. Deciding on a sirloin steak and loaded baked potato, she sat the menu aside.

  When the waitress walked away, Naja turned her attention back to the couple across from her. “So what did your last cryptic statement mean?”

  Imani smiled as she glanced over at Carson. “Well, because of Carson’s love of my work, I now have more customers than I can count. I even have the ability to turn down some.”

  “What?”

  Imani laughed. “Baxter’s gets quite a bit a business. Several people have noticed my paintings and some have commissioned me to create something for them. It varies from landscape painting to real-life paintings. The few I had stockpiled are all gone.”

  “Wow! That’s wonderful, Imani. I’m proud of you.”

  If she hadn’t already had a positive viewpoint of Carson being a part of her sister’s life, this just sealed the deal.

  “It’s been interesting. Once Carson convinced me to let him put the paintings up, people starting inquiring about who’d done them immediately. As much as I’ve been enjoying it, I keep my schedule light so I don’t get burned out.”

  “That’s great. So are you thinking about doing it full time or just while you’re here?”

  Imani’s smile dimmed and she glanced at Carson before clearing her throat. “That’s just it, Naja. I’ve been really thinking about my next move. I’m not sure I’m going back to Charleston right now. I’m not sure I ever will. Being in Myrtle Beach this last month has really opened my eyes. I feel different, in a good way.”

  Naja reached across the table and grabbed her sister’s hand. “I can tell. You don’t have to explain it to me. I can see it. Now, our parents might think you’re off your rocker, but I understand.”

  She turned her focus to Carson. “I guess now would be a good time to ask you what your intentions are regarding my sister.”

  “Naja!”

  “Relax, Imani. I’m just preparing him for Dad. If he can’t pass my interrogation, he doesn’t stand a chance with Daddy.” Naja arched a dark brow in Carson’s direction. “So, back to my question. I need to know Imani isn’t making a mistake in giving you a chance. Tell me the affection I see in your eyes toward my sister is real.”

  “It’s very sincere. The instant I saw Imani I was intrigued on the deepest of levels. I care for Imani. While what we have is still developing I always look forward to finding out what each day will bring when it comes to us. It might scare her, but this attraction between us is not a fluke. Our compatibility amazes me at times.”

  Carson paused and gazed at Imani. “I don’t proclaim to be perfe
ct. I never will. So, when you ask me what my intentions toward your sister are, it’s simple. I plan to spoil her and treat her like the exquisite jewel she is for as long as she’ll allow me.”

  Naja had to stifle a sigh. Not because what he’d just said was super sappy, but because he clearly meant every word uttered. Imani was so lucky. She wondered if Imani had any idea. While she wasn’t in the market to find her love, she could appreciate the true beauty of it. And her older sister was in love, whether she realized it or not.

  Naja smiled at the waitress appreciatively as she delivered their drinks. She glanced up in time to catch Carson and Imani share a passionate kiss. A sliver of jealously traveled through her at their intimate gesture. She wasn’t looking to fall in love in the least. Didn’t actually have time for such a thing in her life, but she wouldn’t mind finding a man who could make her feel special for as long as she was in Myrtle Beach. Now, she just had to find him. Fast. She didn’t have any time to waste.

  Chapter Two

  Sterling Henson sat on the back porch of his friend’s beach house, taking in the serene setting around him. There was a tightness in his chest that had gotten lighter over the past few months, but hadn’t disappeared completely. As much as he tried not to focus on it, he couldn’t help himself. The entire point of this vacation was to unwind from all of the guilt and turmoil he’d experienced over the last eight months.

  Releasing a pent up breath, he closed his eyes. One of these days the pain of his loss wouldn’t hurt as much. He smiled as he thought about Amelia. She’d been such a beautiful soul. The ying to his yang. The person who’d been the constant reminder for him to relax and not take life so seriously, because one never knew how much time they had.