by Krista Lakes
“Hi, Lucas. You here to chop some peppers?” I asked, knowing full well that he was there to see Brooke.
“No,” he answered, shaking his head. He looked directly at Brooke, his dark eyes nervous. “I was actually going to go check on the shark pups. You want to help?”
I tried really hard not to snort at the blatant excuse. “Hey, girl, come out and look at the beautiful ocean and moon with me!” was really what he should have said.
“Yeah,” Brooke answered quickly, nodding and grinning. “I mean, Izzy, do you still need me?”
Brooke begged me with her eyes and bit her lip. I rolled my eyes at her.
“Sorry, Brooke. I'm helpless in the kitchen without you.” I stuck my tongue out at her and shooed her with my hands. “Go. I am actually pretty good at making this by myself.”
Brooke's face split into a grin about a mile wide as she mouthed the words “Thank you!” I shook my head at the two of them as they hurried through the kitchen and out the back door. Their excitement was contagious. I couldn't help but smile at the thought of the two of them flirting in the dark. It was just too cute. They went well together.
I picked up the newly washed pepper and began to dice it. It was going to go in the salsa. Outside I could hear Lucas’s deep baritones punctuated by Brooke’s soprano giggling. It was a happy sound. I wondered if I sounded that happy with Noah.
Actually, I thought to myself, I think I sound even happier.
Chapter 14
I woke up with the dawn, for once welcoming the warm sunshine instead of hiding beneath my covers and trying for five more minutes of sleep. It was a new day; one that I got to spend with Noah. I climbed out of bed and threw on a bikini that would make Brooke proud and a cute little orange print sundress. Without waking Brooke, who was snoring peacefully with her hair tangled around her head like a halo, I snuck out into the morning sunshine.
I walked along the beach path toward the mansion, humming slightly. I hadn't felt this happy in a long time. I didn't know it was possible to feel this happy. Not only was I off to see the man of my dreams, but he was still on the island. We had a chance.
The sky was a beautiful blue with the only clouds being dark gray, but far on the horizon. The world was made of blue, green, and sand. It was almost too gorgeous of a day to be real. I came to the entrance of the Grove and sent some good vibes toward it. Hopefully that would turn out all right too. I had thrown my four thousand dollars of tip/bet money into the fund to buy it. Four thousand dollars wasn't much toward the overall price of the property, but I hoped it was enough to help tip the scales in our balance. I had already done so much work and had so many wonderful ideas to research there.
Passing the last little bit of the Grove, I came to the beach where Noah and I had built the sandcastle. I almost didn't want to look, afraid that the beautiful castle would be washed into the sea, but I did. And it was still there.
I stepped off the path and into the beach, heading to inspect the sand structure. The moat, and the lack of rain the past few days, had saved it. The edges were starting to wear away, and several of the shells I had placed had fallen into the moat, but it was still standing. Despite the worn edges, I still thought it was the most beautiful castle I had ever seen. It stood on the beach like a glorious sentinel, waiting for its occupants to return from the sea. I wished that it could stay standing like this forever. For a moment, I even thought it had a chance.
I replaced one of the shells and deepened a section of the moat before continuing on my way. I gave it one last look as I got back on the path and hurried on my way to see Noah.
***
I knocked on the door to Noah's villa, my heart speeding up with every knock. I could hear his footsteps as he came to the door, and I smoothed my hair one last time. I loved how just thinking about him made my insides shiver. I couldn't have removed the grin on my face if someone had paid me.
“Izzy,” he greeted me warmly, opening the door. Barefoot, he had on a pair of low slung khaki shorts and a blue t-shirt that made his eyes pop. His hair looked tousled and windblown; it was all I could do to keep my hands to myself and not run my fingers through it. He dipped his head and kissed me demurely on the cheek as I stepped inside.
I had expected the little beach cabana to be empty, but instead, it looked like a paper tornado had hit. Sitting sedately in the center of the wreckage was a petite, adorable, redhead. She had her hair cut in a pixie-cut style that made her sexy and cute at the same time. She wore running shorts and a tank-top that accented her fairy-like body. I was really, really glad Noah had warned me about her. If he hadn't, I would have been incredibly jealous. Even as it was, the green-eyed monster in my stomach wasn't terribly happy about the situation.
“Hi!” the girl chirped, hopping to her feet and holding out her hand. “You must be Izzy.”
Her handshake was firm and professional. She grinned, her green eyes sparkling. Her smile was infectious.
“Hi,” I replied, “and you must be Noah's assistant.”
“Yup, I'm Beth. It's nice to finally meet the woman who has made Noah stop answering my phone calls.” She turned to give Noah a teasing glare. He laughed and held up his hands.
“You guys look really busy,” I said, eyeing the piles of paper scattered across the table, floor, and chairs. Two laptops sat open on the table, and even their keyboards had paper on them. I tried to see what was written on the papers without looking like I was, but Beth was already busy picking them up.
“Yeah, but I'll take this view over my cubicle any day of the week,” she said, gesturing to the ocean out the window. Her arms were full of papers, but she had most of the ones near me picked up before I even had a chance to help. “I should convince Noah to go to his friends' parties more often.”
I went to hand her the last piece of paper near my feet; it looked like a map of the island, but Beth had it in her pile before I could get a good look. Maybe Noah was looking at a house to flip? There were several hurricane-damaged properties in the area that he could renovate and sell to a wealthy businessman for a nice sum of profit.
“How about you take the rest of the day off, Beth?” Noah asked, his eyes fixed on me. I bit my lip as he looked tellingly at the hem of my skirt. A warmth spread in my stomach and headed south. “Go enjoy the island a little bit.”
Beth set her stack of papers on the table. She grinned at him, her hands busy picking up the various files scattered on the chairs and adding them to her stack. “You don't have to tell me twice. I'm out of here as soon as I get this put away.”
Noah put his hand on my shoulder, his touch adding to the warmth in my lower section. He put his mouth near my ear. “Let's go outside and let Beth finish in here,” he said, his words causing my hair to tickle my neck and sending sexual currents straight down my spine. I nodded and followed him happily outside onto the porch.
He leaned nonchalantly against the wall. I loved the way his shirt hugged his broad shoulders, then tapered into his waist. He looked good, and he knew it.
“What would you like to do today?” I asked as his blue eyes watched my every move with a slight smile. He looked me up and down, obviously liking what he saw and stoking the fire growing in my belly.
I went to the wall beside him, pressing my shoulder blades into the wood. He shrugged. “I didn't have any plans.”
He pushed himself off the wall and placed his arms on either side of me, pinning me in place. My breath caught a little bit. He smelled like clean sunshine and soap with just a hint of something masculine that drove my feminine parts into a frenzy. He came in slowly, taking his time as his mouth covered mine. His tongue probed gently at my lips until I let him in. I heard a low moan that I realized was mine. The man could kiss.
“How's that for doing something today?” Noah asked, his voice low and rough. I wanted him so bad.
“Wow. That sounds good,” I gasped. I was already halfway to the bedroom in my head when I heard a thud followed by an “Ouch!�
�� from inside. “I think the room is currently occupied, though.”
He chuckled and kissed me again. I wondered if I would be able to walk after this, because he was melting all my bones into liquid desire. He pulled back again, giving me enough space to breathe but still keeping me pinned against the wall.
“Where's she staying anyway?” I asked, desperately trying to gather my wits together. He scattered them so effortlessly that it was difficult. “I happen to know there isn't a pull-out sofa in there.”
His mouth twitched in a smile and he kissed my forehead. His eyes were glowing with desire and making my thoughts scatter again. I loved that look. “The main house is practically empty. Owen went home after the party, Jack met a girl on the island, and his secretary is leaving this afternoon.”
“Jack brought his secretary?” I asked. “I didn't see her at the party.”
“That's because she wasn't invited.” The note of disdain in his voice made it evident he didn't think too highly of the secretary. “The party was just for the boys.”
“Oh,” I said with a nod. Then I processed the first part of his statement. “Jack met a girl?”
“Inquisitive, aren't we?” he teased, nuzzling my hair. He laughed softly, anticipating my next questions. “She's a tourist. He wouldn't shut up about her. I saw him for all of five minutes before he dashed off to see her again.”
“Is that so?” I murmured. I loved the way his lips felt as he nibbled down my neck.
“Oh, Noah, Emma's so perfect! She's so pretty and smart and sexy and...” Noah said, raising his voice several octaves to sound like a girl. I giggled. “It was actually kind of cute, but in a sickeningly sweet kind of way.”
“What's the secretary think about that?” I tipped my head to give him better access to my neck. “I'm guessing she wasn't here to work.”
“She threw a vase at my head this morning when I went in the house,” he said. I pushed his shoulders back so I could look at him, feeling a worried expression shaping my face. He smiled at my concern. “She thought I was Jack.” He must have seen the concern in my face, so he followed up with, “Don't worry, she missed.”
I punched his shoulder lightly, glaring at him through my eyelashes. He chuckled again and kissed the tip of my nose. “Good. I'd have to go beat her up if she had hit you. Poor girl, getting dumped on vacation.”
He pulled back, a frown creasing his face. “Don't feel sorry for her. She brought her pick ax to dig for gold on this trip. She didn't actually care about Jack, and everybody but him knew it.” He shook his head as if to banish any further thoughts about her before he smiled at me. “At least this Emma chick seems to like him. He says she doesn't know who he is. That she thinks he’s just some guy visiting his wealthy friend on the island.”
“That sounds familiar...” I said, exaggerating a thoughtful twist in my mouth and tapping my chin with my index finger. “Handsome man meets girl and keeps his job a secret.”
“Ha ha,” he said, rolling his eyes at me good-naturedly before going back to kissing his way up and down the side of my neck, his hands pulling my hips into him.
“I'm happy for them,” I said softly, pressing myself against him. I could feel him harden at my movement. I really wanted Beth to finish up in there. “You still haven't told me what you want to do today.”
“There's a great little touristy area to buy stuff from local craftsmen over by the resort,” Beth said, coming out the door. Noah and I both turned to look at her, and she blushed a deep red when she saw the position we were in. “Oh, but you weren't actually asking the question...”
She hiked her very full messenger bag higher on her shoulder, and gave a nervous giggle. I glanced over at Noah to see his eyebrows raise at her. Her face somehow became an even darker shade of crimson.
“Pretend I said nothing. Bye!” And with that, she scurried away and back to the main house. Noah groaned, putting his head on my shoulder.
“Well, at least the house is ours again,” I said, arching my back to press my hips into him again. His hands tightened on my waist so I couldn't pull away. He lifted his head and looked into my eyes.
“Actually, before we get to that, I have something I want to give you.” His eyes searched mine, and his handsome mouth curled into a smile as if he liked what he saw.
“You don't have to do that,” I replied. An impish smirk crossed his features, making him devilishly good-looking.
“Do what?” he teased.
“Give me things. I mean, I know you can afford it, but you really don't have to.” I was having a hard time concentrating on our conversation. I wanted to be naked with him, not discussing gifts.
“I know I don't have to.” He moved one hand to cup my cheek. “I want to. I want to give you everything.”
Before I had time to say anything, he kissed me, his mouth sending me to heaven. I was giddy with happiness. It wasn't the gift that made my stomach do joyful flip-flops; it was that he wanted to give me everything.
He stepped back, releasing me from his grasp and the wall. He grinned, excited like a proud child, and grabbed my hand to pull me indoors. I giggled and followed him, floating on air.
The room was clean of all traces of work. The laptop on the desk had even been neatly stored in a bag off to the side of the room. Noah dropped my hand and held his up for me to stay while he ran into the bedroom. I heard a drawer open and close before he came out, grinning like crazy.
He held his hand out to me, a small silver box with a shiny silver bow resting on his palm. It looked fancy. I took it with trembling fingers. Please don't be expensive jewelry, I thought. Since I worked on boats and in the ocean, I could never wear anything nice. I wanted to be able to use this gift, not just leave it to collect dust on my nightstand.
I bit my lip and looked up at him. His eyes danced with excitement as I pulled the bow free and opened the lid. I pulled out the necklace inside slowly. It was a shark tooth hung on a strong, simple black, cotton cord.
He took it from my fingers and undid the clasp before wrapping his arms around me to put it on. The point of the tooth hung right at the dip of my collarbone. I played with the smooth tooth between my fingers. This was something I could wear even at work.
“The tooth is from a lemon shark,” he explained, watching my reaction. “The guy selling it to me told me to get the black cord instead of a chain so you could wear it in the water. Something about it not sparkling.”
I smiled up at him. “Barracudas and sharks are attracted to sparkly things,” I stated, my brain going into Science Mode without me realizing it. “The flashing looks like a distressed fish to them.”
“You are such a teacher,” he said with a chuckle. “Do you like it?”
“I love it,” I answered honestly.
He put his hands on my shoulders, admiring the necklace. “In the South Pacific, it's legend that a tooth from a man-eating shark will bring the owner a prosperous and long life, free of any evil, especially that of the sea.” He shrugged like what he was giving me was nothing special, but the thought was beautiful. “It will keep you safe in the water.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, lifting my eyes to reach his. He beamed at my thanks and I kissed his cheek. I played with the tooth in my fingers, unsure if I wanted to tell him that lemon sharks weren't man-eaters.
“What?” he asked, frowning slightly. I wondered if he could read my mind.
“Lemon sharks...” I took a deep breath. “They don't eat people.”
“You said one bit you.” His face split into a grin and he bounced on his toes with glee. He had been anticipating this. “So, while technically it's more of a woman-eater, I'm pretty sure it still counts.”
I giggled. “Then it really is perfect. Thank you.”
I stood up on the tips of my toes to kiss him. I had meant it to be sweet and full of thanks, but as soon as my lips touched his, I wanted so much more. I wanted him.
He cupped my face in his hands, drawing back and smiling
. There was sunshine and warmth in those blue eyes, and I couldn't look away. With gentle fingers, he brushed a strand of hair from my face, tucking it neatly behind my ear.
“I love you, Izzy.”
My world spun in happy circles. I was giddy and lightheaded and about to float through the ceiling with joy. “Really?” I asked, my breath catching in my throat.
He caressed my cheek with his finger. “Yes, really. There was supposed to be flowers and candles...” He frowned slightly at himself. “I meant to tell you in a far more romantic way, but-”
“I love you too, Noah,” I said, cutting him off. His face shifted into an ecstatic grin. I loved the way his eyes lit up as he looked at me. I raised my lips to his and we shared a breath before kissing again. “This is more than romantic enough for me.”
He wrapped his strong arms around me and picked me up, spinning me in a circle. My feet swung out in a wide arc, our laughter and kisses mingling as we spun. I couldn't believe how fast this was all happening, but in my heart I knew it was all true. Loving Noah was simple and easy. It felt right, like he was always supposed to be a part of my life. Like the universe had meant for us to be together and had just waited until the timing was right. I was happier than I had ever been in my entire life when I was with him. This was what life was all about.
Chapter 15
Instead of setting me down, he scooped me up in his arms, carrying me to the bedroom like a fair maiden. He held me gently as if I were a delicate flower, his strong shoulders and biceps not even struggling with my weight. His knees bumped against the big bed, but he didn't set me down. He just kissed me more, holding me close to him.
I wiggled for escape, and he reluctantly released his hold on me with one arm so I was kneeling on the bed, our heads at the same height. He nipped at my lower lip, growling with want. The sound sent an electrical current through me. That noise had the unique ability to send me into a shudder just a millimeter below orgasm.
Not taking my eyes off him, I reached for the hem of my dress, lifting it smoothly overhead. Just before the fabric cleared my eyes, he captured my arms in his. I struggled to free myself, but his grasp was too strong. I couldn't see through the blindfold of my dress, my arms stuck in its straps.