Sinful Ever After (Romance Collection)

by Vivian Wood

  ATTN: CIVICORE GEOLOGY DEPT RE: OLMPIC PARK SAMPLES

  As you likely know, we have been testing the water in the Olympic Park area. We’ve been trying to determine the likelihood that shale formations on nearby lands are ready for hydraulic fracturing. We are hoping to legally unlock lands that are viable for this purpose...

  Fracking? I stop dead, reading that bit again. Fracking is bad. Serious issues often bubble up in the wake of fracking. I heard of earthquakes and groundwater contamination stemming from forcing air sand and water down into shale rock. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg, assuming that the drilling is done perfectly.

  If it’s not, the areas can be left with a poorer quality of air, a lack of usable water, and leaks that can change the ecology wholly.

  I didn’t come out here knowing anything about Civicore’s intentions. Though of course now that it has been said, of course the company had other more nefarious plans. Nothing would have just been done to make me happy.

  Shaking my head, I read on.

  We have determined that the mineral composition of several areas tested is sufficient to continue to move forward with the plan. We have lobbyists and politicians on our side who understand that letting us drill in these sensitive areas is of the greatest interest to everyone involved. We hope to be able to use a mixture of drilling rig types to pull natural gas and petroleum from the ground…

  Disgusted, I stop reading. Fracking in the Olympic Peninsula could destroy the fragile ecosystem I’ve spent the last month probing. Even if they frack outside of the park as the letter seems to indicate they plan to, it could have disastrous results all over the peninsula. I’m actually trembling, I am so mad.

  How did I not see that Civicore was up to no good? How did I not guess that my father had an alternate goal that I wouldn’t like? Moreover, how could Civicore put me in such a terrible position? Now I’m working for a company that wants to come in and tear giant holes in the bedrock all around this area. The park rangers are definitely not going to take that kind of information lightly.

  Yanking my phone free from the charging cord, I angrily call my father. He picks up after four rings.

  “Rachel.”

  Oohh. I narrow my eyes. “What the hell are you doing? What is this fracking nonsense?”

  He laughs. “It’s the same plan that has been in motion for three years over here at Civicore.”

  “And you didn’t think to tell me?”

  “No. I didn’t think I would need to. After all, you were just in the right place at the right time.”

  He tosses that off, as if he were talking about sacrificing a pawn in a chess game he didn’t particularly care about. I pull in a breath through tensed lips.

  “You can’t think that the state of Washington is going to let you frack here. I mean… this is the west coast! Everyone here is politically liberal and already believes in climate change.”

  My father sighs. “Senator Hunter doesn’t feel the same way.”

  “Who?”

  “Senator Mike Hunter. He’s assured me personally that he can get the votes needed to give Civicore access to—”

  “I. Don’t. CARE!” I hiss. “Shut it down!”

  My father laughs again. “Sweetheart, you’re being unreasonable.”

  “Don’t call me sweetheart right now,” I insist. “This is… this is bad, Dad. This is really, really bad.”

  “Well, again. Civicore’s board has had plans to move into doing business in Washington state for some time, so… I’m afraid that supersedes your personal opinions on the matter. Besides, there is basically no one out there.”

  I scrunch my face up. “Yeah, no one except the entire city of Seattle.”

  “Anyway,” my father cuts in, ignoring me. “Since your trip has been so successful, Civicore released all the funding, contingent on the immediate return of its assets.”

  “What does that mean?”

  He gives a long-suffering sigh. “You, darling. I mean you.”

  My stomach plummets to my feet. “What?”

  “Your office is being readied as I speak. It’s not a corner office, but I figured you could work up to that—”

  “No one gives a fuck about the office!” I snap.

  My father is silent for several seconds. “You should be wary of what tone you use with me, Rachel.”

  “Well, I’m not sorry.”

  “I’ll see you in a few days, then.”

  “What? No, I plan to work out the rest of the summer in this job.”

  That makes him angry. “It’s like your entire head is stuffed with cotton. You don't listen! Your little vacation—”

  “It’s not a vacation!” I seethe.

  “Your vacation is over, Rachel. You have two weeks to show up in this office, Clay at your side. And look happy about it.”

  “Or what?” I demand to know. “You’ll cut the purse strings?”

  He lets out a bark of laughter. “You don't even know what that means. Your mother and I have spent upwards of a million dollars on raising and educating you…”

  “So what?”

  “So… think about that before you decide you’re going against me. With no trust fund and a very large, interest bearing loan stacked on your head, it will be hard to stand upright, much less make your way through the world,” he snarls.

  “What loan?” I ask, genuinely confused.

  “Well, let’s begin with your education. That’s a quarter of a million alone. And then the vacations, the penthouse in downtown Manhattan, all the trappings of your lifestyle—"

  “You can’t force me to come back,” I threaten.

  “I will send people to hunt you down and bring you back if I need to. And anyway, the National Park Service will turn you out on your ass the second I ask them to. You just wait and see—”

  I cringe, disconnecting the call. Incensed, I whip my phone at the wall. It hits noisily and then slides down to the floor.

  Burying my head in my hands, I find myself in tears. What am I going to do?

  I know my father is serious about hanging all the debt that he threatened on me. I’ve seen it time and again, people who are mostly innocent taken down by Civicore’s army of lawyers. In the face of a million dollars or more owed? I will drown in it.

  Oh my god. And the fracking… I can’t tell Grayson about that. I just… I will be so ashamed. I may not have come here with malicious intent, but by coming here at all I unwittingly helped Civicore make up their minds to frack in this state.

  Oh, Grayson will never forgive me.

  And judging by my father’s tone, he is likely on the phone with the National Park Service right now, demanding that I be shipped home. I will be a pariah as soon as anyone in the ranger service finds out what Civicore has used me to do.

  I get up and close the door. Then I sink against the wall, sliding to the floor, tears overcoming me.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Grayson

  I lie in the uncomfortably small twin bed, breathing Rachel in as she slumbers. She’s solidly asleep on my chest, even drooling a bit, but I don't mind. I just suck in deep breaths while she lies there, her chest rising and falling.

  She looks so peaceful.

  Being with Rachel for these past weeks has reawakened something in me. Something raw and animalistic, yes. But also something… more tender, more compassionate.

  I feel lucky to get to touch her and downright euphoric when she caresses me. I am possessive of her now, of her time and of her body, though I don’t know if I have any right to be.

  I’ve been meditating on exactly what the change means for me, in my life. I mean, I assume that the time will come that Rachel will have to go back to New York. It makes my heart ache, but that doesn’t make it any less true.

  What will the unlocked part of me do when she’s gone? I can rage against it as much as I want inside, but on the outside I will have to play it cool. At least until she’s gone.

  I don't know h
ow I’m going to do that exactly, but I’ll figure it out.

  Glancing at the feeble sunlight as it filters in the window, I realize with a start that I stayed inside all night. Granted, most of that time we were fucking. Part of that time I was passed out. But still! That’s pretty major for me.

  It’s not as exciting as what I have planned for today, though. I thought that I would plan a little surprise for her this week, especially since we are close enough to civilization to have access to a variety of foods.

  Being able to do this for her, to make her smile, means a lot to me.

  I shift a little, trying to move my bad shoulder, and she stirs. She doesn’t open her eyes, but she still talks to me.

  “You’re still here.” She smiles a little and burrows against my bare chest.

  “I am.” I twirl the ends of her glorious mane of honey colored hair around two fingers.

  “That’s good.” She yawns. “It seems early, though.”

  “It is,” I confirm. “So take your time waking up. But when you do…”

  She opens one eye and looks up at me. “When I do?”

  “After you wake up I have a little day hike planned.”

  She closes her eyes again. “Uh huh.”

  “I promise that you want to see what I have planned…”

  These brown eyes open again, focusing on me. “You promise?”

  “I do.”

  Rachel pushes up off my chest with a sigh. “Okay.”

  “You don't have to get up yet!” I protest.

  Her face pinches. She looks sad for a second. “I want to make sure I enjoy every minute I’m still here in Washington. I can sleep when I’m dead.”

  I cock my head to the side, scanning her face. I’m trying to figure out where that note of sadness is coming from. Is she already trying to prepare herself for her inevitable return to Manhattan? But soon she bounces out of bed, her naked ass looking like a million dollars as she heads over to her backpack.

  I get up with a sigh. What I have planned for today really is worthwhile, but that doesn’t make getting dressed any easier. Watching Rachel put clothes on and hide her incredible body is almost a crime.

  I lead her south, a little outside of the protected land that is designated by the National Park Service. We start off down the trail, the forest growing lusher with every step. Everywhere we look, there is water. Trickling down in streams, pouring over waterfalls. Our pace is slow; we aren’t going very far. I know most of the way by memory. I’ve been to the place where we’re going more times than I can count.

  The trees grow taller, the forest fuller. Everything is so green and bright. It’s one of the reasons I love this place so much.

  We pass a sign that says we are now leaving the national park. Rachel crooks her eyebrow at me.

  “It says we are leaving the park. You’re not taking me into the middle of nowhere to take my organs against my will, are you?”

  I laugh. “No, your kidneys are safe for today. We are probably only a mile or so away from the destination.”

  “You are so damn mysterious,” she declares. “You could just tell me where we are going.”

  “Then it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

  She rolls her eyes but doesn’t protest. “Fine.”

  We walk another mile. She’s talking about how the earth we are walking was shaped over the millennia and why this part of Washington state is so interesting for geologists. I’ll be honest, I feel a little dumb when she is talking. I went into the Navy instead of college. Rachel, on the other hand, has had so much education it’s crazy.

  She pauses in the middle of the conversation, cocking her ear. “I hear water.”

  “That would be the waterfall right around the corner.” The trees suddenly thin out, the ground beneath our feet growing rocky.

  She arches a brow. “I feel unprepared for this. I didn’t even bring my bathing suit.”

  I grin. “I doubt you would want to get in the water here. The water comes directly from Mount Cristal and it is freezing.”

  I lead her around several tremendous boulders. Her eyes catch on them, making note I’m sure.

  Her eyes narrow. “More than the last waterfall you took me to?”

  “See for yourself.”

  I wave my hand, letting her go first. She goes ahead, walking around one final rock. There the path splits off, diverting us up a steep, pebble-strewn ramp. Beyond that is the actual falls themselves, several tall boulders spitting an unending supply of water down their rocky face. Before us stretches a pool of the dumped water, riotous at first and then growing so smooth it’s almost glasslike. I watch Rachel’s face as she takes the whole thing in.

  When she turns and hugs me around my waist hard, I’m surprised. “How did you know that I would want to see this?”

  I hesitate, looking down at her. “Well… I did want to bring you here. But that isn’t really the surprise. That’s only a little way further down the path.”

  Her eyebrow shoot up. “Really?”

  I laugh. “Yeah, really.”

  “Well…” She glances at the waterfall. “Okay…”

  “Come on,” I say, taking her small hand in my big one. “You think I’m a mystery? You want to know me more? Ask and you shall receive.”

  I see the question marks written all over her face as I lead her back to the trail. We go around a few boulders and then come to a smaller trail. Leading Rachel down it, I can’t help but notice that my heart is in my throat.

  We step into a large clearing. Across the way, a cement foundation has been laid. I see Rachel furrow her brows.

  “What am I looking at, exactly?” she asks.

  “My house. Well, it will be a house when I’m done. Right now it’s just the cement subfloor.”

  She shifts, looking at me with a great deal of puzzlement. “This is going to be your house?”

  “Yeah.” I rub the back of my neck. “Eventually. I just bought the land this year. I’m building it very slowly.”

  “I didn’t even realize you were thinking about living indoors. I mean…” She chews on her lower lip.

  “I’m working on the whole sleeping outdoors obsession. Besides, I figure I’ve got time. It’s not like the building process is exactly quick.” I hesitate. “You said yesterday that I’m a mystery to you. It’s not intentional. To prove it, here is one piece of the puzzle.”

  Her eyes shine with unshed tears. I panic, because this was only supposed to make her feel good, to let her know that I’m not purposely keeping her on the outside.

  “It’s great,” she says, her face crumpling. “It’s just…”

  She stops, putting her hand in front of her mouth.

  “Oh Rach…” I’m at a genuine loss for what to do. I cross to her, pulling her into my arms. “I’m sorry. I just thought--”

  “No, I’m sorry,” Rachel cries. “It’s so… thoughtful.”

  She clings to me, sobbing as she presses her face against my chest. Wrapping my arms around her, I hold her tight.

  “Are you sad because the summer is almost halfway over?” I ask.

  That only makes her cry harder. I’m guessing that I’m right, then.

  I draw her face toward me, cupping her cheek and wiping away a tear with my callused thumb. Her eyes open, looking at me with an expression of pure want.

  She wants me. For some reason, I am not prepared for that.

  Shaken to my very core, I drag my thumb across her lower lip, then follow the caress with the press of my lips against hers. She responds immediately, ravenous for my touch.

  Fuck.

  Echoing her sentiment with an appetite all my own, I bend her backward, trailing kisses down her neck. I grab her by the waist and bring her down to the ground, spreading her thighs and bringing us together. My mouth descends upon hers, hungry and demanding.

  She opens her mouth and her thighs for me, drawing me in without a second of hesitation. Her hands slip around my neck, fingernails lightly sco
ring the flesh of my shoulders. I palm one of her breasts, then pinch her nipple, drawing a cry from her lips.

  I trail kisses down her jaw, skipping over her neck, and bend down to nuzzle the space between her breasts. I feel her legs wrap around me, her heels digging into the backs of my legs, pulling me as close as possible.

  I reach down and hike her shirt up and then her shorts down, finding her bare underneath. I groan as I rip off her entire shirt, kissing her newly exposed breasts. I know I’m not being delicate with her, but I’m too entranced to care.

  She doesn’t seem to mind, her head thrown back. She’s making these little ‘oh’ sounds that are killing me, every second I’m not inside her.

  Fuck. I need to have her, right this second.

  She kisses me, and I bite her lower lip. She grabs my head and bites me on the neck, which I swear makes my cock pulse.

  “Talk dirty to me again,” she whispers. Her words are another turn on.

  “Fuck!” I grit out. “You are such a bad girl, Rach.”

  I squeeze one of her breasts hard, and she gasps.

  “Bad enough to get punished?” she whispers.

  “Ohhh fuck,” I say, pushing her down against the ground. I look at her for a second, searching her face. “You don’t really want that.”

  She struggles under me, trying to push me off. “Maybe I do.”

  I bring my hand up to her neck, fitting my fingers around the slim white column of her neck. I apply just a little bit of pressure, making her gasp and writhe beneath me. When I release her, she tries to pull me closer for a kiss. I allow it for a moment, but then I pull back. There is much more I want to do to her.

  I move back, kneeling on the ground, and ruck her shorts down her legs. I cast them aside, then I strip off my own shorts and shirt.

  Her eyes are immediately drawn to my cock, which jumps at the attention she pays it. She looks up at me, biting her lip.

  “Can I taste you?” she asks quietly, seeming unsure.

  God, could Rachel be any sexier? I reach down and stroke my cock with one hand, nodding.