Falling in Fiji

by Casey Hagen

  Fast asleep now in the passenger seat, she kept both hands curled around his. Damned if he would do anything to disturb her. Dark waves fell over rosy cheeks as she slumbered. Her slightly parted, plump lips were still swollen from his kisses. Coming to a stop behind the bungalow, he turned off the engine and studied her in her sleep.

  Those long lashes brushed the delicate skin under her eyes. A faint smattering of freckles danced over her cheeks and nose. Her breasts rose and fell on a soft sigh. Unable to resist, he kissed her. When he felt her respond, he traced those sweet lips with his tongue.

  "Mmmm. I love the way you kiss me."

  "I love kissing you." He nipped her bottom lip. "We shouldn't have waited so long to try it."

  "Agreed."

  "Stay there."

  He went around to her side and opened the door for her. After closing the door, he backed her up to the car. "Soon, Corrine Anderson, there won't be a part of your body I haven't explored."

  She tilted her face up to his and looked him dead in the eye. "You seem awfully sure of yourself, Mr. Harden."

  "You'll invite me into your bed." She opened her mouth to say something, but he put his finger against her lips. "Not tonight, but soon. And when you do, you better be ready, because I won't be satisfied with any less than all of you." He put an arm around her. "Come on. I'm hungry and I want to see those sketches."

  Inside, Everett headed straight for the kitchen. The refrigerator had been stocked with chicken, steaks, and scallops. Perfect! He could wow her with his scallop fettuccine with garlic butter glaze. He’d taken his family for a seafood dinner in the city and had the best scallop dish he'd ever tasted. He had tried to duplicate it at home and missed the mark, but it didn't matter, since his experiment came out even better.

  He set oil to heat in a skillet while he rinsed the scallops. Next he grabbed the butter, minced garlic, heavy cream, fettuccine noodles, and Parmesan cheese. Hearing Corrine's footsteps, he called out to her. "Hey, Angel, how do you feel about scallops and—" He stopped when she came around the corner talking on speakerphone.

  "Holy shit! Did he call you ‘Angel’?"

  "Well—"

  "Don't lie to me. Did you guys do it?"

  "Not—"

  "You did something. He's got a pet name for you."

  "We—"

  "Ha! I knew he would be just right for you."

  Everett raised a brow at Corrine.

  "Alexa, you're on speaker. Shut up!"

  "Shit. Forget everything I said, Everett."

  "Not likely," he replied. While Alexa stammered, Everett hooked his finger into Corrine's shorts, pulled her right up to him, and bit down gently on her earlobe. He grinned in satisfaction when she gasped, and he slid the phone from her hand.

  "Good evening, Alexa. If you wouldn't mind, I need to feed Corrine. Then we're going to enjoy some private time."

  "Uh, okay. I can do that."

  "Thank you. And Alexa…have a good night."

  "You too."

  He hung up the phone and slid it in Corrine's back pocket. While he was back there, he opted to give her very fine, round ass a squeeze.

  "How do you"—he grazed the sensitive underside of Corrine's ear—"feel about scallops for dinner"—he ran his tongue along the underside of her jaw—" and then we can sit on our private beach"—he kissed her chin—"and make out." He slanted his mouth over hers, kissing her deeply.

  When he pulled back, she tipped forward. "Easy there, Angel."

  He took satisfaction in the way she pressed shaking fingertips to her lips. "Scallops are wonderful. Thank you."

  "Why don't you get some wine and relax. Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes." He gave her bottom a swat as she bent over to pull wine out of the cooler.

  "Oh my God, this is so good!" Butter and garlic burst on Corrine's tongue when she took a small bite of her tender scallops. Everett was one surprise after another. For once, Corrine found she loved surprises.

  "I'm glad you like it." He smiled at her and took a bite of his own. "Mmmm, damn. I think it came out better this time than it did last time I made it."

  "Is this the meal you make to seduce unsuspecting young women?" Corrine winked and took another satisfying bite.

  "Well, well, well. Corrine Anderson, are you flirting with me?"

  "Maybe. Although I think we've moved beyond the point of flirting."

  "Impossible! Flirting is forever. At least it is if my parents are any indication."

  "Really?" She couldn't remember the last time her parents were in the same room together, let alone flirted with one another. She tried to remember a time they’d even kissed on the lips, and couldn't.

  "You sound surprised."

  "When I watch my parents, I'm not sure how they managed to make my sister and me, let alone flirt with each other."

  He took a sip of his wine. Corrine focused on his throat working as he swallowed. Yeah, she couldn't imagine not flirting with him for the rest of their lives.

  Uh oh! No thinking of forever. No picket fence. No till death do we part. No, no, no! It's a vacation. He's a ridiculously hot, single guy looking for a little fun. Same thing Corrine was supposed to be looking for.

  "That's sad."

  It was, and she had no idea where things changed for them. Her father worked. A lot. She couldn’t remember more than a handful of school events he made it to, and even then, he usually ducked in for the last ten minutes. Her mother always made excuses for him. She reminded her and Hannah all the time how proud they should be of him. She essentially became his campaign manager, selling his best attributes to the children who longed for him.

  Corrine shrugged. "It's not entirely uncommon in my world."

  "Your world or your parents’ world?"

  She had never thought about it like that. She no longer lived with them, so why did she keep comparing the life of her choosing with theirs? "I don't know."

  "Corrine, you’re how old?"

  "Twenty-eight."

  "You're twenty-eight and you're still lumping yourself in with your parents and sister. Why?"

  Funny how it took a stranger to figure out what she herself hadn't. "I don't know. Maybe it's because they still expect things from me."

  "And what do they give you in return?"

  She tried to think of any benefit earned from being at their beck and call. She’d earned her position with Ross and Dunham. Although she kicked him to the curb, she’d found Jordan on her own. Okay, not a great example of her prowess to steer her own future, but she did do it on her own.

  "They don't give you anything, do they?"

  "I'm starting to feel like you're always attacking my family. I don't like it."

  "Well, I don't like how they have you doubting every move you make."

  "They don't—"

  "Don't tell me they don't! I've been with you for forty-eight hours, and so far the sum of who you are is based on who they choose to let you be."

  She reared back as though he’d slapped her. Was that all he saw? A puppet dancing on a string? Well, to hell with him! No longer hungry, she pushed away from the table and dumped the rest of her food in the trash.

  His hand curled around her arm—and damn her traitorous body for enjoying the feel of that right now of all times! Angry tears formed in her eyes. "Don't touch me!"

  "Corrine, wait."

  "No!" She grabbed the bottle of wine and the spare blanket at the foot of her bed and marched out to the beach. She spread her blanket, plunked down in the center, and brought her knees up to her chest. Bright blasts of corals and pinks streaked the sky as the sun slid down over the Pacific. She took a big gulp of wine right from the wine bottle. Something she had never done before. Her family would be horrified. See, she could buck the system! She was her own woman, dammit! If she wanted to drink wine straight out of the bottle, she would, and anyone who didn't like it could shove it!

  Corrine pulled out her phone. Eleven texts from her mother. One from
her father. Two from her sister. Super! A family affair. She decided to bite the bullet and called her sister first.

  "Corrine, are you okay?"

  "Of course I'm okay. I'm on vacation. All these damn texts are ruining it, though."

  "Well, Mom called upset, saying you weren't acting like yourself, and you took off."

  "Is there some sort of etiquette dictating how a woman should act when she catches her fiancé cheating, cancels the wedding, and decides to go on the honeymoon?"

  Hannah laughed, and the knot in Corrine's chest eased a bit. Thank God for her sister. If anyone could understand the pressure of being an Anderson, it was her.

  "I guess not. Tell me, though. Are you really okay?"

  "Can I tell you a secret?" Corrine hoped she was making the right decision telling her sister. Right now Everett was hers and hers alone, but sharing it brought it all out in the open.

  "Of course!"

  "I'm here with a guy." She winced as she said it.

  "Shut up! My God, this would kill our mother!"

  Corrine groaned. "Don't remind me."

  "Can I be the one to tell her?"

  Corrine laughed. "You're sick."

  "So…tell me all about him, and more importantly, how you ended up with him."

  Corrine straightened her toe ring. "I was out with Alexa Saturday night. She dared me to ask him to dance. When I hemmed and hawed, she said she knew I would chicken out. So I slammed the tickets in front of him and dared him to go with me."

  "Oh. My. God. That's awesome! Is he hot? Does he have a good job? Is he hot?"

  Corrine smiled. Leave it to Hannah to get right to the good stuff. "You asked if he's hot twice."

  "Of course! It's the most important question."

  She peeked over her shoulder to make sure she was still alone before she answered. "He's pretty damn hot. He's got this whole intellectual thing going on. He's super smart. Wears these thick-rimmed glasses sometimes. I have to tell you, there's something about those glasses that do it for me."

  "I love it! What about his body? Is he tall? Built? You gotta give me something. Hair color, eye color—don't leave out any details!"

  "Hannah, compared to me, everyone is tall."

  "You know what I mean."

  She closed her eyes. "I would guess at least six feet. Dirty blond hair and dark blue eyes."

  "His body?"

  "You're nosy!"

  "Hey, I'm building a picture here."

  Corrine rolled her eyes. A habit she had broken except for when she spoke to her sister. "He's strong, yes."

  "Chest hair or no chest hair?"

  "Chest hair."

  "Are we talking sexy chest hair or is he sporting a vest?"

  Corrine sighed, remembering the feel. "Sexy, soft, perfect chest hair."

  "Sounds like you're involved."

  "As crazy as it sounds, I think I am."

  "I don't know if it's that crazy. Didn't I ever tell you how I met Josh?"

  "I thought you met him at work?"

  "I did, but it's not so simple. We were negotiating a deal for a takeover. He was representing the other side. We couldn't come to terms on price, so we laid it all on the line over a game of strip poker. He lost, and I used his tie to tie him to the chair and have my way with him. We’ve been together ever since.”

  “That’s insane!”

  “Come on, it’s no more insane than daring someone to go on a trip with you.”

  She had a point.

  “So, where's your boy toy sleeping?"

  "On the couch."

  "What are you waiting for?"

  Corrine nervously chewed her lip. "I can't sleep with someone when I broke things off with Jordan less than a week ago."

  "Why not? He didn't even wait that long."

  "I know," she whispered.

  "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to blurt it out like that."

  "I know you didn't. I'll be okay."

  "Do I need to kick Jordan's ass for you? I will, you know."

  "I know you would, Hannah Banana," Corrine said, using Hannah's childhood nickname.

  "I love you, Corey," Hannah said softly. When she was a toddler she couldn't say Corrine, and started calling her Corey instead.

  "I love you too. I should let you go. I have to call our mother."

  "Why don't you let me make the call for you? You go ahead and enjoy your trip. And for the love of God, get that man in your bed! What better way to get over one man than to get underneath another one?"

  They said their goodbyes and Corrine went back to her wine. Feeling better after talking to her sister, she rattled off a quick text to her dad to let him know she was fine, and ignored the many from her mother. Her mother would have something to say about that when she got home, but too bad. After the way she’d been treating Corrine after the sham of an engagement blew up in her face, she didn’t deserve any better.

  11 Redemption

  With the sun down, a light chill settled in the air. Corrine probably needed to go inside so she didn't get cold, but she was hurt, and facing Everett after the way she’d lost her temper would be embarrassing.

  She tipped the wine bottle back and took a deep drink.

  "You willing to share?"

  Without waiting for an answer, he dropped down behind her on the blanket, tucking her between his legs. Chill gone. Figured.

  He wrapped his arms around her middle and leaned down, tucking his face into her neck. "I'm sorry, Angel. I didn't mean it the way it sounded."

  Unable to speak past the lump in her throat, she handed him the bottle of wine. He drank from the bottle and twisted it into the sand next to them. She sighed when both arms banded tightly around her. He buried his face in her hair and breathed deep. "Forgive me?"

  Not trusting herself to speak, she nodded.

  "Look at me."

  She couldn't. She was embarrassed and now she was crying. They had such a perfect first day and now she was a hot mess. His comment hurt. Not because it was true, but because it came from him, and no matter how many times she warned herself, he was becoming important.

  Hooking his arms under her legs, he turned her sideways in his lap. "Look at me, Corrine Anderson."

  She did, and saw the anguish in his eyes when he noticed the tears rolling down her face.

  "Shit. Come here." He pulled her to his chest and rocked her. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I would promise you it won't happen again, but I'm human, and a man, so…"

  She laughed through her tears.

  "You think that's funny?"

  "A little." She tipped her head and gave him a soft kiss. "I'm sorry I overreacted the way I did."

  "You didn't—"

  "I did. I'm touchy when it comes to my family, but that doesn't make it okay to take it out on you."

  "Is this the part where we kiss and make up?"

  "I thought we just did."

  "That little kiss? That's it?" He dragged his thumb under her eyes, wiping away her tears. He licked the moisture from his skin. Corrine shivered. Had she ever seen anything so sexy? Not that she could recall.

  "What did you have in mind?"

  "At least second base." He looked up and nodded. "Yeah, second base sounds good."

  "I've heard of the bases, but I don't know what each one is."

  "Hmm, interesting. Well, first base is kissing, with tongue." He kissed her long and deep, stealing her breath and sanity. "I would say we have that one covered. Now second, second is a bit more interesting, and we touched on it today when you put my hand here." He ran his finger over her breast, smiling when her nipple puckered under the light touch.

  "So sensitive." He unbuttoned the bottom buttons of her shirt, pulling the sides apart to reveal the tank top beneath.

  "We touched on it again when you put your hand here." He moved her hand to his hard length.

  "You said we only touched on it?"

  "Sure. Second is touching each other's most private parts, but I don'
t think it counts unless skin meets skin."

  "Are you sure those are the rules?"

  "No. You have to admit, though, skin on skin, so much better."

  "So what are you waiting for?" They were under the moonlight now, but her eyes had adjusted to the dark. She could see his features. The way his jaw tensed. The hungry intensity in his eyes when he gazed at her breasts. Just when she thought he wasn't going to do it, he hooked a finger over the top of her tank and pulled the fabric down, tucking it under her breasts. He licked his lips.

  She had never had man adore her like this. This is what it feels like to be craved. She squirmed a bit, anxious to see what he would do next.

  "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

  "Show me."

  With a groan, he slid his index finger under the edge of the first black lacy cup. He eased the fabric down until her breast popped out. With a low growl he did the same to the other side. He brushed gentle fingers over each tip. Her nipples tightened to painful points.

  Feeling antsy, she wiggled some in his lap and ran her hands up the ridge of him.

  "Jesus," he ground out. "I wonder if those sweet nipples taste as good as they look?" Without waiting for a response, he bent and sucked one stiff peak into his hot mouth.

  Corrine gasped and held his head to her breast, desperate for more. His warm, wet tongue danced in perfect circles. Over and over, he suckled, tugged, bit, and soothed again with his tongue. Frantic for release of the pressure building in her, she squeezed her thighs together, squirming to get comfortable.

  Wanting to drive him out of his mind the way he was driving her out of hers, she reached for the button of his shorts, but fumbled. Three attempts later, she carefully lowered his zipper and reached her hand into his underwear.

  Wrapping her fingers, as much as she could, around his smooth heat, she stroked up and down, feeling moisture soak her palm. When the time came, she wasn't so sure how he was going to fit inside her, he was so large.

  "Sweet Jesus. Keep doing that!"