by Casey Hagen
Her thoughts veered back to Everett. What kind of father would he make? His mother sounded so loving and involved. Was his father? How had Everett grown up? Would he take an interest in his children? Did he even want children?
An image of a blond-haired little boy running in a park formed in her mind. Chasing him? Everett. When Everett lifted the boy, he squealed with delight as Everett laughed. God, she was pathetic! Her biological clock shouldn't even be ticking yet. She was twenty-eight, not thirty-eight. But ever since he’d showed up at the airport with the key to her heart in the form of hazelnut coffee and bakery awesomeness, her biological clock had kicked into high gear.
Pathetic! Here she was in Fiji, wide awake, and still tangled in her bedding while the sun warmed the gorgeous day outside. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and froze at the sound of Everett's phone and his rough morning voice answering.
"Hello."
She listened, wanting to avoid walking in on him at an awkward time like last night.
"No, it's okay. I'm on vacation, but I can handle it."
She frowned.
"Give me thirty minutes. Thanks, Will."
She ducked into the bathroom to brush her teeth and hair. She couldn't avoid him, but she didn't need to go out there with bad breath and bed head.
He stood next to the couch folding the last of the sheets, when she found him a few minutes later. The view of his muscled chest immobilized her tongue. His shoulders and arms flexed with each movement. Athletic shorts hung low on his hips. Did she mention his chest was bare? With a sexy dusting of blond hair? Yeah. That. Since it seemed she swallowed her tongue, she stood there, staring. She’d slept on that chest most of the plane ride yesterday.
"Good morning, Corrine Anderson."
He bent down to grab his glasses and—good Lord, that butt.
"Don't look at me like that unless you're ready for the consequences."
"Consequences?" she squeaked.
"Yes." His eyes darkened and dropped lower, and damned if she didn't feel the heat of his stare like a touch. Her nipples tightened and, as mortifying as it was, she stood her ground.
He met her eyes, his lips quirked. When he started stalking her with calculated steps, her eyes darted to the kitchen.
"Going to run?"
She closed her eyes as his minty breath fanned over her face. He'd been up for a while, then. "I don't run."
"No. I don't imagine you would, but a part of you wants to."
"You don't know me."
"Oh, but don't I? Every time I get near you, you shore up those defenses and you search for an escape. You wear your emotions where the world can see. Where I can see."
He ran the tip of his finger under her chin, down her neck, collarbone, the valley of her breasts, down her stomach, over the sensitive skin of her abdomen, and hooked his finger into her shorts. With one yank, she fell into that soft chest hair and against his hard, rippled stomach. Oh, good Lord help her, but she wanted to jump him right there.
Sinking his hands into her hair, he tipped her head back and nipped her chin with his teeth. "You're not ready yet."
"You don't know—"
He met her eyes then. "You're not ready, but you will be."
With a chaste kiss to her cheek, he grabbed his clothes and headed for the shower.
When had she lost control of this vacation? "Good Lord, I'm in trouble!”
Corrine ducked into the shower right after Everett. Cowardly? Yes, but in her defense, she needed more cloth between her and Everett before round two. Dressed in capris and a thin button-up blouse over a tank top, she took a blow-dryer to her hair, letting the strands fall where they may. Ten minutes later she spritzed her tousled waves, applied lip gloss, a bit of mascara, and forced herself to face Everett.
She found him at the dining room table texting on his phone. He spotted her and did a double take, giving her a slow smile. Bless the man, he’d made fresh coffee, but before she could head for the coffee pot, he stepped up to pour her a cup.
She took a sip and hummed her pleasure. God, there was nothing better than hazelnut. She was addicted, pure and simple. "Thanks for the coffee."
He leaned against the counter, bracing his hands on the edge, watching her. "Anytime."
"Why do you do that?"
"What am I doing?"
"Staring." She held her coffee cup in front of her. Strangling it. Just a little.
His lips quirked. "I prefer to call it enjoying."
"Enjoying?"
"The view. You're beautiful. Especially now. Here."
"What's different about here?"
He pushed away from the counter and took the coffee out of her hands.
"Hey! I want that!"
"In a minute." He slid his arms around her, settling them low on her hips. The brush of his hips, his arousal against her, set her blood racing so fast, she could hear it in her ears. "Maybe it's because I finally let myself take a vacation. I'm not wound so tight anymore. As a matter of fact, I'm feeling very loose." He bent his head, tucking his face against the side of her neck. His smoothly shaved skin brushed over hers, and she broke out in goosebumps. "Mmmm, I love your hair like this."
Clean aftershave overwhelmed her, in the best of ways. Was it possible to orgasm from scent alone? When he licked her skin her knees gave out, but he held her steady as his lips played over her sensitive flesh. Heat pooled in her center. Desire coiled tight, keeping her in a vise grip. Never in her life had a man made her feel so much.
"Your pulse is racing," he mumbled against her.
"Yeah." Profound, Corrine. Real profound.
"You taste even better than you smell."
Those lips moved over her collarbone now, and her eyes rolled back in her head. "You haven't tasted all of me."
Everett froze. The tongue he'd started a slow, steamy lick with stopped on her throat. He pulled back and stood to his full height, at least a head higher than her. His erection jumped against her belly.
"Is that what you want, Corrine Anderson?"
"Ummm…"
He stepped back. "You're not ready."
She couldn't meet his eyes. "Why haven't you kissed me?"
"Oh, but I have." He smiled.
"Not on my lips."
"Not yet, but I will. When it's right."
Her cheeks flaming, she spun away. She'd all but begged him to kiss her. How pathetic she must seem.
"Hey…" He cupped the back of her neck. "We have plenty of time for that. For right now, though," he turned her to him, "adventure is calling. I have something to show you."
He slid his phone out of his pocket and turned the screen to her.
"What is it?" She narrowed her eyes.
"It's an adventure generator. We put in which Fiji island we're on, hit the button, and it spits out our adventure. What do you think? Want to leave it all in the hands of fate?"
Here she was in one of the most beautiful places in the world with this surprisingly wonderful man. Her broken engagement to Jordan seemed a distant memory. Her mother wasn't here to criticize her decisions. Shedding her inhibitions, her fear of doing the wrong thing, she bit her lip and nodded.
He smiled and gave her another one of those devastating kisses on her forehead. "Here. You do the honors."
She took a deep breath and clicked the button. The loading symbol spun. Everett leaned over her shoulder. She took a deep breath, breathing him in, when their adventure flashed on the screen.
Parasailing
"Nice!" he said.
"Wait! Doesn't parasailing involve heights?"
"Well, yes, but I'm sure it's not too high. It's not like, say, skydiving."
"I'm afraid of heights."
"I'll be right there with you."
"So we'll die together. Romantic."
"We won't die." He wrapped his arms around her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "You're brave, Corrine Anderson," he whispered. "You stood up for yourself when your fiancé betr
ayed you. You marched right up to me at Indigo and challenged me. We're here because you're brave and you wanted adventure. So let's have one."
The rough timbre of his voice soothed her frayed nerves. He believed in her. He’d known her for all of thirty-six hours and had showed her more support than her own parents. Everett Harden was a powerful package, and if she wasn't careful, her heart would stumble right out of her chest and into his hands.
She leaned back and locked eyes with him. "I'm doing this, but if I we die, I'm going to revive you and kill you."
"Deal!"
7 Trust Me
They picked the first parasailing company on the list. Bird's Eye Adventures had an impeccable safety record; not that that made Corrine feel even one tiny bit better. Len, the owner, assured them every care would be taken to ensure that their ride was enjoyable. Because of the stronger winds, Len offered to let them go up in the parasailing chair. Grateful, even if it only offered a false sense of security, she agreed.
Situated in the chair, safety harnesses in place, Corrine white-knuckled the handle to her left and Everett's hand to her right. She closed her eyes and prayed to God for a swift death, should anything go wrong. The boat bobbed slightly in the rippling Pacific. She abandoned Everett's hand and curled her fist tight into the side of his cargo shorts.
"Not that I don't like your hands on me, but you’re taking skin there."
"Sorry." She let go of his thigh and returned to his hand. After Len double-checked the equipment for safety, he started up the boat. In just a matter of minutes, they were up to speed and ready for their ascent. Len's right-hand man released the seat lock, and they started to rise up above the boat slowly.
"Oh, God. I think I might be sick." She closed her eyes, but it only made it worse.
"Look at me, Corrine."
She shook her head and focused on their joined hands.
"Corrine." He tipped her chin up, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Look right at me and breathe. Keep your eyes on mine."
She focused on those blue depths with flecks of green and gold shooting like starbursts from his pupils. Why hadn't she noticed that before?
"You're not wearing your glasses."
He smiled. "No. I put in contacts for today."
She glanced over his shoulders and gasped.
"Eyes on mine, Corrine. Tell me about your best day."
"What do you mean?"
"The best day you can remember. Ever. Tell me about it."
“I was six. My mother took me to a real-life tea party. Just her and I." It was a lifetime ago, but seemed just like yesterday.
"What did you wear?"
Her eyes drifted shut and there she was, standing in front of her full-length princess mirror, spinning in her pink polka dot dress.
She’d tied her lace belt into a bow all by herself. She’d had her favorite pink headband holding back her long ringlets. She’d waited patiently for her mom to buckle her favorite white sandals.
Her mom breezed into her room in a cloud of Shalimar, her pretty dress with little blue flowers swishing around her legs. Taking a seat on Corrine's canopy bed, she reached out. "Come over here, darling. I have something for you."
"What is it?"
"Well, since this is your first tea, these will be perfect for your gorgeous little outfit." She pulled a pair of silky white gloves from her purse.
The smooth white fabric stretched over Corrine’s arms. Her mother helped work her fingers into the correct finger holes. The cool fabric shimmered, making her feel like a real-life princess.
"And finally, no princess can go to her first tea without the perfect necklace." Her mom opened a small box and pulled out a delicate necklace with a single pearl surrounded by little diamonds.
Corrine didn't realize then, but the diamonds were real. Her first piece of real jewelry. She still had the necklace tucked away in the original box.
After her mother fastened the necklace, they drove to the country club. Her mother let her sit in the front, which she never had before. A special treat, she called it. Corrine couldn't sit still as they pulled into the big circular drive at the oak door entrance. A man with a bright white shirt and black vest took her mommy's keys and drove the car away.
God, she had been so young.
"Tell me about the club."
"The room was huge, surrounded by big windows. Lots of lights…"
A waiter showed them to their table in the center of the room. He spoke in hushed tones with her mom while Corrine kicked her legs in the big, soft chair he pulled out for her. Each table held fresh tulips in a rainbow of colors. Her mother showed her how to lay her napkin across her lap properly. When the waiter came back with their tea, her mother filled each of their flowered china teacups. Corrine really wanted one of the funny little biscuits on the matching flowered plate, but her mother said a lady always waited for her tea first.
She took a small sip with her pinky in the air, just like her mother did. Her tea was sweet, with lemon and orange flavors.
"So what did you do in school this week?"
"Missy brought in her guinea pig for show and tell. I liked it, but it smelled funny. Oh! Danny got in trouble trying to peek at the girls in the bathroom. He had to go to the principal and everything. Mrs. Beckett had us all pick what we wanted to be when we grow up."
"What did you pick, honey?"
"I want to paint pretty pictures, with lots of colors."
"Wow, sweetie! What a fun job!"
"I have to get a lot better at it."
She took Corrine's chin in her hands. "Honey, you just practice your little heart out. You can do anything you want to do. The sky is the limit!"
"Open your eyes, Corrine Anderson."
A sea of blue spread out before her eyes. "Oh!"
From their vantage point, the people on the beach looked to be scurrying like ants. For once, her fear paled in comparison to the vision before her. Colors burst from every direction. Teal bleeding into blue. Blue bleeding into navy. Rich green islands outlined in sandy white beaches.
She pictured a beautiful bracelet in her head. Jade as the center stone surrounded by a thin border of white danburite. Surrounding that, in jagged lines, she would use only her best pieces of turquoise followed by deep blue lapis. The minute they got back in the boat, she would sketch the vision to memorialize the piece before she lost it.
"I would have missed this," she whispered.
He picked her hand up and kissed it. "I wouldn't have let you."
She watched as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Are you seriously checking your work messages five hundred feet in the air?" Even on vacation, he handled business communications at least every couple of hours. She wished he could relax and shut it all down.
"No, I'm taking a picture." He leaned in right next to her, holding the phone away from them. "Smile!"
Everett held the photo out for them to look at. Corrine didn't recognize the girl smiling back at her. Had she ever smiled that big? Her waves brushed against his neck as he leaned in, his cheek to hers. His skin had started to color from the sun. His smile stretched just as wide as hers. They looked like a couple. A relaxed couple. A close couple. Like more of a couple than she and Jordan ever had.
They soared for an hour, spotting rock formations, waterfalls, lush jungle, and small villages. She expected it to be loud, but it was peacefully quiet, with only the occasional breeze or bird call. Everett kept his arm around her, his fingers rhythmically drawing circles over the back of her arm, heating her skin, firing her blood.
"Look over there!" He pointed.
She turned toward one of the smaller outlying islands. The small oval medallion proudly jutted up in the middle of rich blue water. As they got closer, rich turquoise clouds dotted the water surrounding the tiny island. A long, winding dock spread from the island into the water, hitched to a cluster of huts on stilts.
"I considered renting one of those. Now I'm kind of wishing I had."
"I'm glad you didn't."
"Really? Why?"
"Not much privacy there. Where we are, with trees surrounding us, our own private beach, we’re tucked away from prying eyes."
"No witnesses." She snorted.
"You say it like I'm going to murder you in your sleep."
"Are you?" She grinned.
"I have a list of things I plan to do to you, but I swear, you'll like all of them."
His hot eyes roamed over her as her gaze dropped to his soft lips. Him not kissing her was systematically driving her mad. She’d spent a good part of her night wondering what it would be like. Instead, he kept teasing her with small kisses everywhere but where she wanted it most.
She cleared her dry throat. "A list?" How many things could there be?
"A long list. Lots and lots of things on that list."
She would disappoint him. Playing Miss Manners for her mother kept her busy. Her social calendar—better yet, her mother's social calendar—didn't leave a whole lot of time to date. If she couldn't date, how could she gain sexual experience?
She'd had all of two lovers over the years, and the experience had been underwhelming. It certainly wasn't what she read about in all those romance novels Alexa gave her. Jordan didn't even give her a chance before he sought fulfillment elsewhere.
She was in trouble. "It's good to be organized."
8 Revelations
When they returned to shore, Everett stepped off the swaying boat onto the weathered wooden dock and reached out to help her. He kept her hand interlocked with his for the rest of the afternoon.
She had done so well in the air once she stopped thinking and started enjoying. He loved hearing about her best day, but for reasons he couldn't explain, the story sounded almost sad. When she whispered how her mother told her she could be anything, her voice broke. He sensed her good mood was vanishing, so he told her to open her eyes, although they hadn't reached their cruising height.
It hadn't mattered. She’d lit up with a look of wonder on her face. He would remember that look for the rest of his life. The way her eyes darted around trying to see everything at once. Her soft exhale of wonder. He wanted to hear that sound again. He wanted to hear it from between the softness of her thighs.
