A searing grin spread across his face. He knew I squirmed with desire, desperate for him to do whatever he pleased—right there, right then.
Fuck the bet—he’d already won.
“We shall see, Garrett Mitchell. We shall see,” I said, playing along.
“Yes, we will, babe.” He walked away, but not before I caught a glimpse of him wearing the cockiest smirk I’d ever seen.
I walked along the beach, picking up a few unusual and pretty seashells while he was gone. The refreshing water washed over my feet along my trek before I turned back and headed toward our campsite.
When Garrett returned, there was a devilish gleam in his eyes, and I swore my panties melted on the spot. The man was the most gorgeous thing on the planet.
“Do you happen to have one of those mesh laundry bags with you?” he asked.
“Yes, I do actually,” I said with a puzzled look.
“I need it.” He winked. “We’re going to have one hell of a dinner tonight.”
I retrieved it then he carried it with him into the water before swimming to a large rock several feet out. He dove deep with the bag before I realized he was collecting something in it.
Several minutes later, he swam to shore wearing a grin and plopped down on the sand beside me.
Narrowing my eyes, I said, “If you were catching crab with your hands, that’s cheating.”
“Scallops. I swam out to the rock yesterday and saw some grassy beds below the surface.” He lifted the bag proudly. “I hit the jackpot.”
“Oh my God, we are going to have something so delicious tonight. Did you learn to do that in Port Bolivar?”
“No. I learned in Florida with Jennings. When I purchased The Reef resort down in the Keys, he traveled down for the closing. He loves to catch scallops.”
“He taught you?”
“Yes. The first time we went, we were boating a few yards off the coast. They are more prevalent in grassy water close to the shore, and I swear he looked like he was looking for Easter eggs.” He winked before placing them back in the water and tying the bag to the wheel of the plane.
“Sounds like you two had fun.”
“We did. Jennings has always been like a second father to me.”
“Did you know Greta has the hots for him?
He whipped is head around. “You’re kidding.”
“She thinks he doesn’t give her the time of day because of the age difference, but I’m pretty sure he’s attracted to her. I told her to make a move.”
Garrett scowled. “I don’t think you should play matchmaker with them.”
“Why? You obviously have a lot of respect for them both. He’s like a father, and she has a lot of savvy and class.”
“Some things aren’t always as they seem, Brooke. Let things work themselves out. Let the cards fall where they will.”
“Well unless he’s completely not interested, they’ve probably already slept together.”
Garrett worked his jaw back and forth like he was holding something back. His face tightened and his shoulders grew rigid with tension.
My eyes widened. “Are you…attracted to Greta?”
“Fuck no. I’ve never had a single inappropriate thought about her.”
I gave him a look that said I doubted his words. “Then what gives? Why are you so against them being together?”
“I don’t care if they’re together or not.”
“Then why the reaction? Clearly something bothers you about them.”
He shrugged nonchalantly. “I don’t care if they hook up, fuck, date, get married, have the white picket fence and a house full of kids—I just don’t think you need to play Cupid. End of discussion.”
I grinned. “Has there ever been anything between the two of you?”
“Never. I don’t get involved with people who work for me, with the exception of an assistant who sparked my attention the first time I saw her. Believe it or not, she dressed in boring clothes, tempting my imagination to run wild. I think she wanted me envisioning what she hid underneath…how she would feel in my hands…what her skin would taste like. What she didn’t know was, I thought about bending her over and fucking her on my desk every time she was near.”
“I bet that stupid woman regrets not bending over her desk like an offering, wearing nothing but a pair of stilettos and letting you fuck her nine ways to Sunday. I bet she would have loved to give you the surprise of your life.” A small smile teased the corners of my lips and my eyes gleamed upon seeing his espresso gaze darken.
His jaw twitched. “If I had ever walked in and found her in that position, I would have spanked her perky ass before rewarding her with my cock.”
The entire conversation was drawn-out foreplay, and it was driving me to brink of bending over to let him make good on his word. The man made me want to beg him to touch me everywhere, but first I needed to bathe, shave, and be fresh and ready.
Clearing my throat, I let out a breath I hadn’t known I’d been holding. “I’m going to walk down to the lagoon.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“I’m going to be a while. I…want to take a swim, relax, and get cleaned up.”
His dark eyes hooded. “I need to shave.”
“I like your five o’clock shadow. It’s sexy.”
“Then I’ll keep it.” His eyes traveled down my body. “I could always shave you.”
I knew he wasn’t talking about my legs or underarms, and my nipples hardened at the thought.
When we reached the edge of the lagoon, I kicked off my flip-flops, pulled my white tank top over my head, and shimmied out of my shorts. A few days before, I’d used his knife and cut off all the legs of my pants to make them more practical for our current surroundings, and some had ended up more like Daisy Dukes.
I felt his burning eyes watching me undress and decided to give him a little show of my own. I hadn’t worn a bra for the last few days, and my perky breasts stood at attention as I paraded in front of him wearing only pink lace underwear. Stooping over for my toiletries, I gave him a flash of my ass high in the air, and he rewarded me by expelling a soft growl.
With a quick tug, he yanked his shirt over his head, giving me an eyeful. His shorts hung low on his hips, and my eyes landed on his sculpted, chiseled chest then slid down to that perfect V and onward to the hard bulge begging to be free from behind the zipper. My lips parted, and I rolled my hips.
“I know what you’re doing. As difficult as it may be, I won’t fuck you…yet—not until tonight, after I’ve won the bet. Follow me. I want to show you something.” He retrieved the bottles from my hands, tucking them into the pockets of his shorts. “Swim with me to the waterfall.”
In a few strokes we reached the cascading water, and I followed his lead as he swam through it. I wiped my eyes dry with my hands and stood, the water coming to the tops of my breasts.
My jaw dropped in awe. A large alcove was nestled into the wall, and an opening to the left of the embankment allowed rays of sunshine to spill into the serene enclosure. It almost looked like a wall of mother of pearl with its sparkling, colorful facets.
“Oh my God…this is beautiful.”
“Not even close to how beautiful you are,” he rasped, pulling my back flush against his chest. I felt his hardness pressing into my backside, making my insides quiver. I let out a soft whimper, and I couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Who cares about the stupid bet—I want you, Garrett.”
He eased the palms of his hands up and down my arms then dipped his mouth to my ear. “Have patience. Relax and lean back. Let me wash your hair.”
I moaned, desire racing through every cell in my body. He guided my head back while he doused my locks with water before lathering them with a generous amount of soap and working his fingers from my scalp to the ends.
It felt totally relaxing, and I sank into the sensation of his magical hands, letting out a pleading moan. No man had ever massaged my head or washed my ha
ir, and Garrett doing so made me feel like a pampered queen.
“You can’t begin to know what you do to me when you make sounds like that.” His lips found my ear again.
“I know.” I panted against him. “Believe me, I know.”
He pulled the lobe between his lips, gently biting down as his hands continued to worship me. When he rinsed away the suds, my body went slack, letting him maneuver me around. His hands gripped my hips and lifted me to the bank, where he took his time working soap over every inch of my body.
As he pulled the travel-sized shaving cream and razor from his pocket, a wicked gleam flickered in his eyes. “Have you ever been bare?”
“Not in a long time…not since—”
He covered my mouth with his, silencing the rest of my sentence. Nibbling on my lips, he murmured, “If me shaving you reminds you of him…of you and him together, fuck the shave.”
“I want you to. The thought of you doing that to me is…erotic. It turns me on.”
We didn’t speak as he took his time with the razor. He was careful with each sweep and rinse, and I thought was going to come apart at the seams—especially on the last pass over my skin when he dipped his head to slide his tongue through my folds.
I gasped and whimpered.
One single swipe and he stopped—fucking stopped.
I squeezed my eyes closed and arched upward for more.
Nothing.
He pulled away.
“We need to get back. Tonight, I’ll own you, do what I want, how I want, and you’ll beg for more.” He stared deeply into my eyes and pinned me with an unmistakable promise in his gaze.
I pushed up on my elbows, needy and panting. I wanted him right then, and I knew he felt the same. “Stop teasing me, Garrett. I want it to happen now.”
“Patience. Anticipation only makes it better.”
Sexually frustrated, I rolled my eyes, my lips parting in agitation. One side of his mouth turned up in a cool and aloof manner, as if he wasn’t fazed in the least.
Before I told him to shove the entire bet up his ass, he caught my hands between his and pulled me into the water. He dipped through the falls, and I took one last look at the most beautiful tranquil paradise—a place that would be etched into my mind forever—before I swam through.
Upon reaching the shore where we’d left our clothes, Garrett slid into his khaki shorts and tossed his shirt over his shoulder. My heart beat erratically as I focused on his ripped chest, unable to turn away.
He cleared his throat, drawing my attention, and I blushed at his cocky grin.
He taunted me.
He purposefully drove me mad.
He pushed my buttons—and he liked it.
The bulge pressing against the front of his shorts, the dark hooded eyes, and the way his chest drew in deep breaths showed me all I needed to know. He may have been better at maintaining control of his desire than me, but he hadn’t seen the wrath of Brooke Sheridan…not even close.
If he wanted to play with fire, I would be the gasoline.
I stooped over, giving him a close-up view of my ass as I stepped into a white lacy thong. Instead of slipping into the soft yellow sundress, I draped the fabric over my arm and began a seductive walk.
“Put your dress on, Brooke.”
“Actually, the breeze feels nice against my skin.” My voice was sugary sweet.
“The mosquitos are going to eat you alive before we get back.”
I kept strolling along the trail. “None so far. Thanks for looking out for me though.”
Garrett cleared his throat and let out a whispered string of profanity as we headed back to the campsite.
Chapter 13
I purposefully added an extra sway in my hips for the entire journey from the lagoon, and every time I glanced over my shoulder, Garrett’s eyes were searing into me appreciatively. The reaction I’d stirred urged me to keep testing his limits as we strode along the footpath.
If he wanted to play games, I’d play…and I’d up the stakes to win.
A month before, the thought of having a relationship had been so far from my mind, sex included. Right then, on that island, I wanted to explore what I didn’t understand and let him fuck me senseless.
Unmerciful, my body craved the pleasures he could give, thirsted for his mouth, coveted his touch, and yearned for the way he plunged deep inside me. He had awakened something within me, something I’d never known existed. It was fervid and raging and implored to be set free. The way he made me feel was profound and perplexing; I wasn’t sure I even understood the magnitude of the deep throb humming his name from deep inside my body.
When we approached the plane, I carelessly tossed my toiletries inside, trying to pretend I wasn’t incredibly turned on.
“Put your clothes on while I go for a walk.” His husky voice sounded strained.
“Not going to check your traps, see if you have a chance at winning?” I called over my shoulder.
He cocked up an eyebrow. “I trust you’re not thinking of releasing my catch and sabotaging my plans for you.”
I let out a giggle, tugging my dress over my head. “I don’t play dirty, Mr. Mitchell.”
“Oh but you will, because tonight I’m going to fuck you dirty.”
I gulped, struggling to slip my arms through the spaghetti straps while watching him saunter away.
Good…Lord…I’m done for.
Lost in a complete stupor, I drank in his perfection, unable to tear my eyes from the vision of him sauntering away. I watched, chewing on my bottom lip until he disappeared around the bend and out of sight.
Thoughts of us in the little alcove behind the waterfall had me reveling in how he made me feel. Skin to skin, his soft demanding caresses against my body—and dear God, the sensation of him shaving me bare before sweeping his tongue through my wet crevice…
Good gracious, holy mother of all saints!
Easing down to the sand under some shade, I stretched my legs out in front of me, staring straight ahead at nothing but glorious beauty, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips. Garrett didn’t fool me for a minute. He had taken a walk because, like me, he needed to simmer down and force himself to hold back because of the bet, so he could fuck me in a way I couldn’t imagine in my wildest dreams.
Pressing my head against the trunk of the palm tree and soaking in the warm breeze sailing across my skin, I closed my eyes.
What was happening to me? The thought of being lost in the middle of the ocean on a tiny island that may not even exist on any map should have scared the hell out of me. Instead, I felt safe, as if he’d saved me from my own abandonment.
It was as if Garrett had knocked the breath out of me and flutters of butterflies were on a crazy mission in my stomach. I seemed to live with a constant ache between my legs. The way my heart tripped over its own beats in my chest scared me, but not enough to stop the crazy ride we were on. He’d made it clear he didn’t want anything serious, and I wasn’t about to allow my heart to get involved.
It was sex—really good sex, and that was all.
A gentle breeze skimmed over me as my mind rambled, always coming back full circle. No matter what happened, it was nothing but a good time. Maybe instead of me being his buffet, he’d be mine.
“Brooke.”
I flinched, my eyes popping open. Garrett stood next to me holding a folded lawn chair and a colorful beach towel.
Jumping to my feet, I asked, “Where did you find that?”
“At the end of the peninsula. There were a few empty beer bottles and signs of a pretty recent fire.”
“Someone else is here?”
He shook his head. “Not anymore. Looks like they accidentally left this stuff behind, perhaps boaters stopping to enjoy the beach, or who knows, maybe they camped for the night.”
“If they came by boat, we must be fairly close to mainland.”
“Not necessarily so—it could have been a yacht. It was definitely a recent rendez
vous because the sun hasn’t had time to fade the towel or chair.”
“Maybe they’ll come back.”
“Don’t get your hopes up. Most likely they were just passing through.”
“It makes me feel better to know someone else has been here, that we’re not castaways on some island no one has ever stepped foot on. Plus, they might decide to return!” I put my hands on my hips and looked him dead in the eye, daring him to squash my renewed hope.
He laughed, unfolding the chair and dusting off traces of sand. “Retract your claws, kitty. Relax and finish your nap.” He tipped his head to the comfy-looking chaise.
“How long were you gone?” I hadn’t realized I’d dozed off and had no idea how long I’d been asleep.
“A couple of hours,” he replied as he moved over to the plane. He rummaged around inside his briefcase then returned holding a leather portfolio embossed with his initials.
“What are you doing?”
“I need to work out some details on the agenda for the next board meeting at Mitchell Oil.”
Board meeting? He’s thinking about a freaking meeting while a dirty fuck is all I can think about?
I felt an irresistible urge to remind him of our bet as he nonchalantly eased down to the sand. Staring in bewilderment, I wondered if he’d forgotten or lost interest as he fiercely scribbled away on a legal pad. All of the Mitchell brothers sat on the board, though Chad was the only one of the three actually working in the industry.
Cool and collected, he jotted down notes without regard, as if certain he’d be attending the meeting. While he addressed business concerns, I couldn’t concentrate long enough to think beyond the next few hours.
How could he be unaffected?
Agitation sliced through me. He’d worked up my appetite, and I didn’t mean hunger due to lack of food. My sexual appetite screamed for another bite of him.
After several minutes of silence, I blurted out, “Wonder what time it is.”
“I’m guessing around three or four.” He glanced over the notepad, pinning me with the wicked glint shining in his eyes. “You seem anxious, Brooke. Anything bothering you?”
Finding Wicked Page 10