We entered an open plaza surrounded by brick archways and mobs of people. The music grew louder and switched to mariachi. Everyone we passed had a smile on their face. Vacationers traveled at an ambling pace, carrying a verve of energy that spoke of fun and day-long happy hours. I wanted to be a vacationer.
No one rushed and everyone looked cheerful. I was smiling too. The ocean lay before us, an endless puddle of blue, as we weaved through crowds and kiosks. Vendors peddled everything from popcorn to jewelry.
“I feel like we’re in a Jimmy Buffet video.”
Hale chuckled and shifted his arm over my shoulders as we walked along the water watching the ships come into the harbor. Key West was a very accepting place. As men and women strolled through the town, so did men holding hands with other men and vice versa.
Hale pulled me to a small wagon full of glimmering gems and silver. “Pick out something you like.”
I stared at the kiosk, so many shiny things. “I don’t wear jewelry.”
“You don’t like it?”
I shrugged. I mostly couldn’t afford it. “Every girl likes pretty things. I’m just afraid I’ll lose it.”
He grinned. “Try this on.” He cradled my hand and slid a ring onto my finger, but it was too big.
The merchant spoke with a Cuban accent. “She looks like a size six.” He eyed Hale, drawing some conclusion about his pockets and slid open a drawer with a key. “You might like these better.”
Diamonds twinkled in the sunlight and my eyes went wide. “I don’t need anything.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Hale leaned over the velvet-lined drawer and examined the selection. Plucking something with quite a sparkle from the case, he turned and I balled my hands into fists.
“What are you doing? Give me your hand.” I lifted my right hand and he slid the heavy ring onto my finger and smiled. “Perfect.”
The ring was delicate, a thin platinum band with a diamond anchor running horizontally across my finger. The points of the anchor were subtle little hearts. It looked too fancy for me, but my recent manicure helped pull it off. I glanced at him and smiled. “It’s really pretty.”
“So are you.”
He turned and paid the merchant, then took my hand as we continued to walk. His thumb occasionally ran over the ring, his eyes glancing at me every few seconds.
I wasn’t sure why he picked that specific ring, but I loved that it was an anchor, because in a way that’s what Hale was to me. My anchor.
We reached a pier shaded by umbrella-top tables and sat. Hale ordered two margaritas as musicians played from a wooden stage.
“It’s so nice here.” The waitress returned and passed me my drink.
“It’s nice being here with you. I haven’t walked around like this for ages.” He reached across the table and rubbed his fingers over mine, drawing my attention back to the diamond ring. It was the nicest jewelry I’d ever owned.
“Thank you for this.”
“I’d like to buy you another ring someday.” He picked up my left hand. “Maybe for this finger.”
Oh, boy. I drew in a breath and sipped my margarita. “Why is it getting crowded here all of a sudden?”
“The sun’s about to set. They put on a show every night.”
I squinted at the water and Hale excused himself for a minute. When he returned, he put a straw hat on my head, which shaded a great deal of the glare coming off the ocean. “Thanks.”
“You look good in hats.”
In the distance, street performers swallowed fire and juggled machetes, but the most interesting sight to see was the man in front of me. I tried to recall how stuffy he’d been when we first met, a time when I mistook his interest as irritation. Now I realized he only spoke when he had something to say and he always meant what he said.
“Why were you interested in me?” I asked.
He tilted his head. “You’re different.”
I scrunched my nose. “I’m weird.”
“The best kind of weird,” he said, not daring to disagree. Sitting back, he sighed, his mouth curving and his lashes lowering as an expression of ease took over his face. “You counterbalance my life. You make me laugh and I love seeing what you’re going to do next. You’re unpredictable.”
Being that he was a bit of a control freak, I found it odd my unpredictability attracted him. “And that’s a good thing?”
He nodded. “You always pique my interest.” He sipped his drink. “Plus, you’re sexy as hell in the most effortless way.”
My mouth pursed. Well, that was nice. Someone go deflate my ego before it floats away…
The waitress returned and Hale ordered another round of drinks and a tray of conch fritters. As the sun dipped below the horizon we were given a breathtaking show of pink skies, as sultry music accompanied its blazing decent.
Walking back to the car, I leaned into him, holding his hand and wrapping my other hand around his. Despite my whole run-in with the law thing, it turned out to be a fabulous day.
Once we were in the car on our way home, it occurred to me we’d been gone for almost six hours. “Who has Elara?”
He’d said he was letting Brynlee go, but I wasn’t sure if my near-arrest interfered with his plans.
“Marta took her to my dad’s. She’s keeping her overnight.”
“Oh.”
“Barrett took Elle out on the sloop.”
“I’m sorry, the what?”
“The sloop. His sailboat.”
I frowned. “Just the two of them?”
“They’re adults, Rayne. They’ll be fine.”
“How long are they going to be gone?” I didn’t know if Elle would remember to pack her anxiety medicine and I worried I might have to hurt Barrett if he took advantage of my friend.
“They’ll be back sometime tomorrow.”
“They’re having a sleepover?” That wasn’t good. However, that also meant Hale and I finally had some privacy.
What could I honestly do about Elle and Barrett anyway? She was an adult, if a confused one. However, I couldn’t claim I was any different. Did any of us really know what the heck we were doing?
Elle did. No matter how much she’d changed, she was still in there. Little signs had been cropping up more and more. Just yesterday she had mentioned some celebrity gossip, impressing me with her apt recall. Maybe I was underestimating my friend’s ability to make proper choices for herself. And maybe I was being too hard on Hale’s brother. No. Barrett was still a slut.
The evening air cooled my skin as Hale maneuvered the convertible along the streets back to his house. “I had a really nice day with you.”
“Ditto.” His fingers laced with mine, his thumb once again brushing over the ring.
When we reached the house, I was suddenly nervous, which was silly, because this was Hale. It was quiet and I was happy to see my purse resting on the dining room table beside Hale’s car keys. I removed my hat and took a minute to savor the lovely day we had.
Hale’s hands gently touched my shoulders, which had gotten sun, and I shivered. “Do you want a drink?” he asked softly, his lips grazing the side of my throat.
“Sure.”
I followed him to the bar where he poured two glasses of wine. My gaze traveled to the guesthouse, which was dark. “Is Brynlee gone?”
He handed me a long-stemmed glass. “She’s gone.” He clinked his glass to mine and I sipped, relief finally settling in.
“I’m sorry if I overreacted about her.”
He placed his glass on the bar and studied me for a moment. “You didn’t. I won’t have anyone coming between us, Rayne. Especially not some kid.”
As much as my insecurities got the better of me from time to time, his words startled me. “What do you mean?”
His posture was casual as he eyed me, long, fit body leaning against the bar. “I needed a nanny to see to my daughter’s well-being and comfort. I don’t need anyone but you seeing to mine.”
“La
st night at the pool—”
“Was the first and last time she made an inappropriate invitation in my home. Had she made a comment like that before, she would have been gone long ago.”
“What did she say?” I was afraid to know, but at the same time, my curiosity was endless.
“Does it matter?”
It probably shouldn’t. What mattered was that Hale had handled the situation the moment it became a concern. I shrugged because I didn’t want to dwell on issues that no longer mattered.
“Rayne.” He waited until I lifted my gaze to his. “I love you. I know we’ll disagree and I’m perfectly aware of how stressful the last few weeks have been, but you never need to question my loyalty to you. You are the woman I want. Only you.”
Feeling vindicated, I smiled. “I’m glad.”
He removed my glass from my hand and placed it beside his. His gaze found mine, and the air in my lungs turned heavy. Stepping closer, he brushed his lips to mine and gently ran his fingers through my hair. My mouth opened as I tilted my face and he deepened the kiss.
Rather than the usual haste I’d grown accustomed to, he took his time, kissing me and holding me close. I sighed, as his lips worked down my throat and the hem of my dress lifted, but he didn’t undress me. He merely teased the sensitive skin of my thigh with slow whirls of his fingertips.
“Come with me,” he whispered, taking my hand and walking me up the stairs.
When we entered his room he watched me closely as he stripped off his jacket and shirt. I wondered if there would come a time when the sight of him wouldn’t take my breath away.
My eyes feasted on his tanned chest and chiseled abdomen. Broad shoulders begged for the bite of my nails. I glanced at the ring on my finger and smiled.
Wearing only pants, he stepped close and looked in my eyes. My breath held as he lifted my dress, the material slithering off my heated skin and leaving me standing in only my bra and panties. His mouth closed tenderly over my shoulder, sending quivers to my core. As he peeled away my bra, my skin puckered in the slight chill of the air. My panties lowered and his touch drifted over my hips, between my thighs.
“So beautiful,” he whispered, soft caressing fingers grazing my sex.
I wanted to touch him too, so I unbuttoned his pants and pushed them to his hips. He stepped forward as they fell to the ground in a heap and the heat of his body warmed my front. My hand slipped between us, cupping and stroking him as his mouth found mine.
Backing me to the bed, he gently lowered my body. My knees parted as his weight pressed over me. He was so patient, so tender. Rolling to his back, he reached for a condom and slid it over his length. I straddled him and he watched me through half-lidded eyes as I positioned my body over his.
Cupping my hips, he held me as I sank onto him. We both sighed as he filled me and pulled me close, catching my nipple between his soft lips.
I rocked over him, swaying and moaning with each glide of his hard body against mine. His grip tightened, but there was no hurry, no rush to be anything more than together.
We watched each other as we made love. Our foreheads pressed together as our breath mingled and we held each other tight. When we came we came as one and I shut my eyes and sighed. This was everything I’d been missing. It was the quiet that held us tight, secure within our relationship and absent of all the noise from the outside world.
“I love you, Hale.”
He brushed his mouth over mine. “I love you, too, baby.”
We slept only a few hours before reaching for each other in the dark. I’m not sure if it was me searching for him or him reaching for me, but we found one another and made love again sometime during those quiet hours.
When morning came my body was tender and my insecurities nowhere to be found. I watched Hale sleep until his mouth curved and I knew he was awake.
“Are you staring at me?” he mumbled.
“Yes. You have tiny freckles on your nose.” They were far too boyish for such a responsible man, hidden like little secrets on his tanned skin.
His eyes opened and his body stretched in a blatant invitation. I glanced at the blankets, trying to discern if he was hard. Following my gaze, he threw the covers off his body and shamelessly put himself on display.
My cheeks heated and I looked away.
“Oh, no, you don’t,” he rasped, catching my chin. “You can’t look at me like that then turn away.”
My lips pursed as I tried to hide my smile. “Don’t you go blaming me for that.” I gestured to his erection.
“Oh, you did it.” He tucked my hair behind my ear and tipped his chin in the direction of his hips.
I silently chuckled, knowing what he wanted, and twisted to face the foot of the bed as I slithered down his hard body, taking him into my mouth. He sucked in an audible breath, his hands roaming freely over my legs and ass.
“Back up.” He pulled my knees, placing them on either side of his shoulders as he yanked my body down.
I squeaked as his tongue swiped at my sex, his fingers massaging into my ass and holding me to him. It was hard to concentrate while he was distracting me with soft strokes of his fingers and tongue.
His knees lifted as his hand traveled up my spine, directing my attention back to his cock. It was probably a terrible blowjob, but how was I supposed to think with him teasing me at the same time?
Finally, he flipped me onto my back and put on a condom. “I need you,” he rasped, dragging his tongue up my stomach and tracing my breasts. “I want it hard.” Back onto my stomach, he hitched me to my knees, lining up our bodies and thrusting deep.
My fingers curled into the bedding as I rocked forward, moaning with every thrust. He held my shoulder, keeping my body arched at an angle that sent him deep. Once I was panting and wearing out, my chest flattened to the bed, he moved his legs outside of mine, making the fit extra tight as he pounded into me.
It was hard and it was wild, but it was absolutely Hale. His body quivered and jerked as he came. We were both spent and I’d likely be walking crooked for the rest of the day, but it was totally worth it.
This little escape from others was exactly what we needed. It reaffirmed the delicate connection we shared and all the bottled-up chemistry between us.
I sighed and rolled to my back. Hale fell to my side and pulled me close. I wanted to stay there forever, in his arms. As much as we had lives outside of those four walls, I could have remained there for the rest of my life and never missed a single thing. Finally, I felt anchored again.
Chapter Fifteen
I might be nesting…
The days that followed were so perfect, I wondered if all my previous angst and worry had been imagined. It seemed the wave of anxiety had passed and all systems were under a great woonami warning—that’s a wooing tsunami.
While Hale searched for a new nanny, I delayed my plans to go back to work for Remington and spent the days helping with Elara. Elle had become quite the first mate and every day she and Barrett sailed somewhere new. Some nights they stayed in the cabin of his sloop and others they returned home.
I asked again if something was going on between the two of them, but she said no. I wasn’t sure if the new Elle would lie to me, and maybe she wouldn’t, but I couldn’t imagine spending that many nights with a guy like Barrett Davenport and nothing happening.
The morning before their last excursion led me to believe my best friend was back but changed, more than anything else I’d witnessed so far. I’d just put Elara down for a nap and was quietly coming down the stairs when I paused at the sound of Barrett’s voice.
“Don’t forget the chips.”
From the landing I could see Elle in the kitchen, but not Barrett. She nodded and placed a few snack bags in her pack. It was so ordinary, yet strange to see this side of Elle. Then I saw Barrett and my breath held.
He approached her from behind, leaning around her body to inspect the bag. “You got everything.” He wasn’t asking but praisin
g.
Elle turned in the space of his body and the granite counter and smiled up at him. “I’m getting good at this.”
Barrett smiled, but it wasn’t the expression he flashed during photo shoots or when flirting with other pretty girls. This was a genuine smile I hadn’t seen often—or ever. He carefully tucked a strand of Elle’s blonde hair behind her ear, but that was as far as he went. There seemed to be a subtle tremor in the air that neither of them wanted to rattle. The moment stretched and I expected to see them kiss—after all, it was Barrett—but all he did was look at her.
“You’re good at a lot of things.”
The look on my friend’s face was a priceless show of pride and confidence with so many vulnerable undertones, I decided whatever they were doing together was just fine and good for Elle. It might even be good for Barrett, too. I couldn’t quite explain it to Hale when I tried. It wasn’t so much of a sexual tension I felt as much as it was a shared common interest and delicate, newborn friendship. I knew then Elle had control of the situation and I could stand down.
Besides, I was enjoying my time with Hale’s daughter more than I was willing to admit. Lately, her hearing and vision seemed so sharp. I could tell she was absorbing everything I said. Sometimes she’d even babble back and we’d have a lengthy conversation about her nine-week-old concerns and my ongoing deciphering of the world.
“And that is what you call a corn dog. You’ll have to wait until you have teeth to try one. I’m not sure when you’ll be getting your chompers, but I’ll teach you about all the good carnival cuisine when you’re ready. Funnel cake is another favorite.”
As I pushed her stroller down the sidewalk I continued to educate her on the sort of food I knew she’d never experience with the Davenports. Elara stared at me from under the canopy of her carriage and smiled. Sometimes her grin would falter and she’d look at me as if questioning my sanity, but I was pretty sure that was just gas.
“Are you excited to see your Grandpop? We’re going to surprise him. Yes, we are. And he’s going to be grumpy, but it has nothing to do with you, cuteness.”
Calamity Rayne II: Back Again Page 14