The sun blinded him as he rounded the corner of a building and followed the sidewalk back to the docks. He pulled his sunglasses from his shirt pocket, slid them over his eyes, and blinked as Kimberly came into the tinted view. He slowed his step as he watched her climb down from the boat. She stopped when her feet hit the dock, tipped her head back, and waved at Charlie, who was standing on the deck.
Yeah, Charlie was definitely in to her. The look on his brother’s face gave him no doubts about them apples and, if that little wave coupled with the radiant smile on her beautiful face as she turned was any indication, she was hot for Charlie, too.
Mett saw Charlie’s gaze flick to him and his brother shot him a salute before pivoting on his heel and disappearing into the cabin. He knew what that salute meant. Charlie had scored. The bastard.
“Figures,” he muttered, shoving his hand back into his pocket as he continued down the sidewalk. Knowing his brother had already made a move on Kimberly didn’t stop his heart rate from accelerating with each step he took that brought him closer to her. He knew when she spotted him, watched as her smile remained in place, but took on a different look that told him it was now for him, and felt that visceral effect return with a vengeance.
“Wow! That was perfect timing,” she said as the distance closed between them. “I just finished going over the party menu with your brother. Charlie is your brother, isn’t he? I mean, Lara and I assumed by the last names, but…” She angled her head and gave him a slow once-over. Her gaze slid from his face and down his front in a way that had his body proving he was very alive and doing damn well, as every nerve-ending stirred and his cock stiffened. “You really don’t look a lot alike.”
“We’re half-brothers. Both of us got more of our father’s traits than our mother’s.” If Mett could change anything about himself, it would be that. He’d rather be a dork than possess any of his father’s genes.
“That explains it. I’m guessing your mom has the dark hair and both of your fathers must be pretty tall?”
Mett nodded. “Got it in one.”
She licked her sensuous lips, drawing his attention to her mouth. His gaze followed the path her tongue as she dragged it along her bottom lip and his cock flexed behind the zipper of his slacks.
“I’m also guessing you got your eyes from your father.” Before he could answer, she reached up and gently pulled his sunglasses off his face.
He almost held his breath as a gentle breeze carried her soft lavender scent straight to his nose. Instead, he gave into the temptation and took a deep breath, letting that scent, combined with a hint of something purely female, torment his senses.
“You have incredible eyes,” she said, her voice a little breathless.
Mett held her gaze and a primitive possession roiled through his mind. He wanted her. He wanted to overdose on her scent, tenderly explore every inch of her tantalizing body, and probe her mind until he knew precisely how to make her the happiest woman on the planet.
“So do you.” He could drown in her eyes and no amount of his training or skill as a rescue swimmer could save him. He already felt himself being pulled under by the strong current of attraction and heat he saw in the depths of her dark blue eyes.
Maybe he’d been wrong about Charlie. Maybe his brother hadn’t made a move on her.
Yeah, and maybe Santa would be using pigs instead of reindeer to pull his sleigh this Christmas because they really had learned to fly.
“I should probably let you get to the boat,” she said after a long moment that had him wondering what mental trip she’d just taken. She folded his sunglasses and handed them to him. “Save me a dance at the party tomorrow night, okay?”
“Okay.” A little stunned, Mett watched as she walked away. The woman had the same unexpected impact as a fist to the gut. She was intense, bold, and shockingly sharp.
As he forced his feet into action, he found himself looking more forward to carrying out that order than any command he’d ever been given. He wanted to wrap his arms around her lithe body, hold her close, and feel how perfectly she would fit against him.
Tomorrow night, he’d get that chance.
Chapter Two
Kimberly didn’t have time to think, at least not about anything that didn’t pertain to the vast list of to-dos she’d created to keep herself and the party planning on track. All around her, islanders were putting the finishing touches on the decorations in Island Hall, setting up the buffet tables and bars, and merrily singing every Christmas song that came to their minds. Across the street, a crew of Coast Guard chefs had commandeered the commercial-size kitchen inside the island’s most posh restaurant, Starry Skies, where they were preparing the menu she and Charlie had decided on. Charlie, however, hadn’t been anywhere in sight the only time she’d managed to squeeze out a moment to look.
He’d been in her dreams last night, though. She’d mentally replayed the half-hour she had spent with Charlie on the boat over and over again, remembering his taste, the feel of his hard body pressed to hers, and the sensation of his stiff cock wedged against her belly. She didn’t doubt if she hadn’t stopped that kiss she would have known the feeling of having his massive cock inside her needy pussy instead of the vibrator she’d resorted to last night in an effort to dull the ache the memory instilled.
She had nearly thrown caution to the wind and indulged in the man right there in the cabin of the Coast Guard patrol boat. She hadn’t had sex since she’d planted her feet on Silver Island. She’d been handling her body’s intense reaction to both him and his brother until the moment she’d gotten Charlie alone on that boat and he’d moved close enough to touch. She’d seen the intention in his eyes just before he’d kissed her. She’d felt it move on to the next objective when his hands had framed her body and started to roam.
And she’d wanted it. She’d come so close to ripping off his clothes, shedding her own, and devouring him right then and there.
Two things had stopped her. In that short span of time from the moment he’d introduced himself to the instant she’d put on the breaks, she’d gotten a sense that he was a man she wanted to really get to know. She hadn’t wanted a quick fuck in a tiny kitchen with a man she’d never see again. She’d wanted to make sure when she stepped off that boat she did so with the knowledge that it wouldn’t be their last encounter.
She also wanted Mett. She knew when a man found her attractive. If she’d had any doubts about Mett, he’d thoroughly dissolved them when she’d run into him on the sidewalk after she’d left Charlie on the boat. He’d been hiding his lust well right up until the moment she’d taken off his sunglasses. She’d heard him take a deep breath and had watched as his wintergreen eyes had darkened with desire.
Yeah, he definitely found her attractive, but he’d been holding back. Other than returning her compliment about his eyes, he hadn’t said anything to her that had been suggestive in any way. When she tried to balance that with the way Charlie had faced off with her on the boat about sizing him up, it was like comparing apples to oranges. The differences in the brothers obviously ran deeper than their looks. She’d found herself spending a good portion of last night—when she wasn’t fantasizing about being the important layer in a Doyle sandwich—cataloging those differences and eagerly anticipating the chance to discover others.
“Kim, where do you want these?” Chad Divine came toward her carrying a large box filled to overflowing with small holiday grab bags tied by ribbons with tiny naked Santas and Mrs. Clauses.
Kimberly giggled. “I’m not going to ask where you came across that ribbon.” Chad was the owner of Divine Playthings, the island’s sex toy shop. She didn’t know specifically what the little bags contained, but seeing as how Divine Playthings had packed and donated them, she figured there was at least one item in each geared to spice up a trio’s evening after they left the party tonight.
She pursed her lips as she surveyed the few remaining open spaces in Island Hall. “If you can find a plac
e by the door, it would be great since we’ll be giving them out as door prizes.”
“You got it.” Chad shot her one of his movie-star worthy smiles and sauntered off.
“Cerridwen asked me to tell you the bar is ready to go.”
Kimberly turned and let her lips spread into an ear-to-ear grin as her gaze landed on Arianrhod Evans. With her mane of long spiraling flaming-red locks, green-knit sweater, and long black skirt that nearly dragged the floor and was covered in working, blinking holiday lights, the islander looked like an elegant and breathtakingly beautiful walking Christmas tree.
“You’ve got to tell me how you managed to get actual working lights on your skirt.”
Arianrhod turned slightly, lifting the hem of her sweater to show Kimberly the small rectangular box attached to the waistband of the skirt at the small of her back. “It’s battery operated.”
“It’s genius!”
“Cerrie has one, too, but she wouldn’t wear it today because she’s so busy setting up the bar.” Arianrhod leaned closer and lowered her voice. “She can’t move as well in the long, flowing skirts as I can. She trips over them every time.”
Kimberly laughed. “I would, too.”
Arianrhod narrowed her eyes, staring at Kimberly thoughtfully as she straightened. “You met them.”
Kimberly drew her brows together, perplexed. “Met who?”
“Your men.” Arianrhod said the words so simply, as if the answer should have been a no-brainer.
Kimberly’s heart skipped a beat. Arianrhod, her sister Cerridwen, and their mother Elen were Pagan. Though none of them were currently in a ménage relationship, they had made Silver Island their home because of the open-mindedness of the community. No one judged them. Not even when Arianrhod discreetly revealed things she’d seen in tea leaves or tarot card readings.
“You already knew about them and you didn’t tell me?”
Arianrhod shook her head. “I haven’t been shown anything about you. Obviously, I didn’t need to be. I can see it in you now. You’re always energetic and kind and I’ve rarely ever seen you without a smile on your face, but you have a different glow about you today, the kind a woman only gets when she’s in love.”
Kimberly’s eyes widened. “Whoa now. I just met him, uh, them, yesterday. It’s way too soon to be talking love and all that jazz, Ari.”
“Perhaps,” Arianrhod conceded with a warm smile. “But it won’t be long.” Her gaze shifted to a point behind Kimberly and her smile widened. “Five or ten minutes should do the trick. You should go talk to him. Good communication skills make a great foundation for a lasting relationship.” And, with that, she spun on her heel, and briskly returned to the bar her sister had set up in the far corner of the room.
Kimberly stared after Arianrhod, her mind reeling. Five or ten minutes? Good communication skills? She should go talk to whom?
She got the answer to her last question when she turned and spotted Charlie standing in the doorway of Island Hall. Chad had snagged his attention and had apparently enlisted his help with the grab bags, because Charlie had an arm full of them. He was staring at the ribbon on one with an expression of sheer amusement on his handsome face.
Everything inside her went all wonky as she studied him. He was dressed the same as he’d been yesterday in a Coast Guard Bears cap, chef’s coat, black slacks, and shiny black shoes. He looked as devastatingly sexy and dangerous as he had yesterday, too. It was good to know she hadn’t played up his do-me factor in her fantasies last night. No doubt about it, even after twenty-four hours away from him, he still topped the jumpable charts with a sinful perfection.
She watched as he laughed at something Chad said, then he lifted his head, and his gaze locked with hers. The smile that unfolded on his lips that she remembered kissing so very well and the flames that leapt into his whisky-brown eyes rocked her equilibrium and stole her breath. She took a second, willed her body to calm down, not that it really worked, and walked over to join him.
“Well, you finally made it.”
“I’ve been here a while. You looked like you were pretty busy. I didn’t want to interrupt.”
He’d been standing here watching her and she hadn’t known it? No fair! “I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.”
His eyes twinkled and his gaze raked down her front in a leisurely appraisal that had her blood heating to the temperature of molten lava. “Oh, but I saw you.”
Yoiks, the man was potent. The longer she held his gaze the dizzier she started to feel. She even swayed a bit before she managed to steady herself. “I checked on your crew at Starry Skies about an hour ago. You weren’t there, but I twisted the arm of one of your guys and got a sample of the candied yams.” She rolled her eyes dramatically and swallowed, her taste buds zinging at the memory of the sweet potatoes caramelized in brown sugar, swimming with pecans, and topped by lightly browned marshmallows. “I’ll admit all I could say was oh, my God.”
He chuckled and didn’t break eye contact as he handed Chad the bags in his hands when the other man reached for them. “Just wait until you taste the cornbread dressing topped with turkey gravy and cranberry sauce.”
Kimberly slanted him a look. “Just like mom used to make?” When they’d been preparing the menu on the boat yesterday, he’d asked her about her favorite Christmas dinner dishes. The candied yams had been one she’d suggested. She’d also confessed to a love affair with southern-style cornbread dressing, but had yet to find anyone who could make it like her mother used to make. A satin ribbon of nostalgia wound around her heart as she thought about all the Christmas chit-chat she and her mother had shared over plates loaded with southern-style cornbread dressing. The memory made her smile, especially when she thought about how stuffed their tummies had been after, and how they’d vowed every year to stop overindulging. It was a promise neither of them had ever been able to keep.
“I hope so. If it’s not, I’ll keep trying until I get it right.”
It wasn’t a line. She could see by the seriousness mixing with the desire in his expression that he really would keep trying for her. She planted her hands on her hips. “Are you really going to make me wait until the party tonight to try it?”
His gaze flicked over head at the room behind her. “You can taste it now if you can escape for a few minutes.”
“Go,” Chad told her, obviously eavesdropping on the conversation. “If anyone asks where you went, I’ll tell them you were whisked away by a white knight and will return when you’re done with him. They’ll understand.”
Kimberly barked a laugh. “Knowing the people on this island, they probably would. Seriously, though, I have my cell phone in my pocket. Call me if there’s any problems.”
“There better not be.” Chad consulted his wristwatch. “The parade is supposed to kick off in less than an hour. Everybody should be finishing up so we can head to the beach.”
“Come on.” Charlie reached for her hand and pulled her out the door with him as he stepped onto the sidewalk outside Island Hall. “This will only take a minute.”
Kimberly shot a furtive glance down the street, noting the main drag was nearly deserted, presumably because anyone who wasn’t setting up for the after party had already moved to the edge of the island to get the best view of the upcoming boat parade. She fell into step next to Charlie as they walked across the street, amused when he shortened his strides so she could keep up. He released her hand, slid his arm behind her, and flattened his palm on the small of her back.
“Did you think about me last night?”
Kimberly looked at him, surprised by the question. “You crossed my mind a time or two.” More like a time or ten zillion, but she didn’t want to stroke his ego too much. “What about you? Did I cross your mind at all?”
The corner of his lips twitched. “Oh, maybe a time or two.” He stopped as his feet hit the sidewalk outside Starry Skies and whirled her around in his arms.
She took a startled breath that caught in
her throat as she tipped her head back and met his gaze.
“Or maybe all night long,” he said huskily as he dipped his head and crushed his mouth to hers.
She probably should have seen it coming, but this time, he didn’t give her a chance. His tongue drove between her lips, demanding and controlling the kiss, tangling with hers in a passion that left her no choice but to surrender. Not that she would have fought him. Her arms were already around his neck, her fingers delving into the satiny hairs sticking out of his cap at his nape. She melted against him, letting him take all he wanted, and reveling in the sensations of being in his arms again.
“Damn, woman,” he whispered gruffly as he tore his mouth from hers. His lips traveled over her cheek and nuzzled her ear. “You’re doing it to me again.”
Kimberly closed her eyes as the warmth of his breath fanned the fine hairs on her ear and sent slivers of fiery longing raining through her body to settle in her pussy. Wetness seeped from between her feminine lips and soaked her panties. Her clit throbbed, burning with the pressured desire to be touched and manipulated until she finally found her release.
She let a small smile unfold on her lips as her fingers toyed in the hairs at his nape. “Who’s putting on the breaks this time?”
He growled in her ear, a low-rumbling sound of a tortured man. “I am and, believe me, it’s taking every bit of control I’ve got to do it.” He nipped her earlobe, drawing a soft moan from her lips, and pulled his head back to look at her. “Did you forget we’re standing on the sidewalk outside a restaurant in the middle of the busiest street on the island?”
Actually, the instant he’d spun her in his arms and yanked her against the hard wall of his body, she had forgotten. “Well, I guess there is that. Although we’re about the only two people out here right now.”
He chuckled softly. “Yeah, but there’s also the fact that we’re right across the street from the Sheriff’s Department.”
Safe and Coasting with Ecstasy [The Heroes of Silver Island 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 3