eyond Desire Collection

by JS Scott, M Malone, Marie Hall, et al

  “Good…’cause I want to see you come.” She kissed him as her legs pulled him in deeper, her hips grinding against him. And then her body tightened around his cock, milking him, pushing him even closer to his release. When she spoke, her words came between kisses, her breathing ragged and shallow. “And I want you to tell me again. Tell me you love me, Thorsen.”

  So she had heard him. His heart beat a staccato against his ribs as he picked up his pace. He bent his head to hers, his words spoken as a murmur against her lips. “With every fiber of my being, I love you, darling.”

  Riley cried out as she came, and he joined her, her body shuddering beneath him as he filled her in his release, his orgasm unfurling around hers. And then she kissed the hollow of his neck, burying herself against him and holding him tightly. “I love you too, Thorsen.”

  ***

  Thorsen pulled Riley to him, her body molding to his as they lay there in a tangle of naked limbs. He should feel happy and content—and he would if he didn’t feel guilty that Riley didn’t know about his role in the inn.

  As serious as things had become between them, he had to come clean. And hopefully she’d keep his identity and presence on the island quiet so that Anna and the shareholders at Holt wouldn’t know he’d gone and done exactly what they’d expressly forbidden him from doing.

  “Riley…tell me about the Siren.” He let out a weary sigh, not quite believing he was going to go down this messy road. “Tell me about the events and programs you run—and the financials behind them.”

  She lifted her head off his shoulder, her brows drawn together and a frown on those lush lips. “Sure, but…why the sudden interest?”

  “I guess I’m thinking ahead to the sale of the inn.” If he could find a way to hold onto what she loved most about the Siren, then maybe she wouldn’t mind Holt buying the place. “If we can figure out which of the programs are the most important to you and how profitable they are, then perhaps there’s a way to keep them.”

  “I guess you’re far more optimistic than I am.” She took a deep breath and leaned her head back on his shoulder, her fingers trailing over his chest in random patterns. “I think they’ll let me keep the author conferences—which is great, but I think they’ll try to cut the artist retreats, since they’re usually around for an extended stay at a deep discount, even during the summer months when we’re pretty busy. Then there are the treasure hunts. Those are fun for the families who stay with us. But…I don’t know. It goes beyond that.”

  He kissed the top of her head and held her tightly. “How so, love?”

  “Well, right now, our prices are fairly reasonable. We do change them seasonally, but even at the height of the season, a family of four can stay for a week or two and not have to remortgage their home.” She looked up at him again, and shook her head, her green eyes clouded over with worry. “You just know Holt will raise the prices so they can recoup their investment, which means that a lot of the artists and families—even the writers—won’t be able to afford it. And that means that the programs will fail eventually, even if they survive the initial cut.”

  “I suppose.” His heart sunk, for he knew she was right.

  Damn it.

  Holt’s original plans for the inn had included a complete renovation for a more luxurious look, and a price increase to go with it. He’d have to look into the matter further and see if there was a way to keep the prices level or have the price increases happen gradually. Suddenly, he wasn’t sure it’d be a good idea to tell her of his role in this when he didn’t have all the information.

  He’d have to get Anna’s report first—and he had no doubt she was reporting regularly to Mark. It’d just be a matter of getting his hands on the information before everything was finalized.

  “We should find you a new place to live once we get back.” Riley kissed his chest and let her hand wander under the sheets. “Rentals should be easy to find once the cooler weather gets here, but in the meantime, I can ask around to see what’s available—if you’re still planning on staying.”

  He brushed her cheek, unable to keep a frown from tugging at his lips. “Darling…I’m staying—even if you don’t seem to believe it.”

  She shrugged and looked away. “Yeah…sorry about that. It’s just that most don’t stay past the New Year. Everyone always thinks it’ll be a great idea, but then the temperature drops, the snow hits, the island loses power and they pack their bags.”

  “And this happens often?” It was doubtful he’d done a decent job of masking his jealousy, but he’d be damned if he could think straight around her. And bloody hell…how many men had told her they’d stay? “You know you make me crazy, darling.”

  She leaned over and kissed him with a wide smile. “They weren’t all staying because of me.”

  “Only most of them, was it?” He had to laugh—and had to kiss her again.

  “There have been a few, but like I said, no one sticks around for long.” She chewed on her bottom lip, making him want to kiss her again. “I’m sorry if it’s made me cynical about you sticking around.”

  “Riley, I meant it when I said I loved you.” He cupped her face, tangling his fingers in her hair, his eyes locked on hers. He needed her to believe him and refused to have her constantly wondering if he was going to leave. “I don’t speak those words lightly, love, and they’re not words I’ve spoken often—if at all, truth be told. Things might be moving quickly between us, but it doesn’t mean my feelings are any less true.”

  “I didn’t mean to imply…” She nestled in deeper against his side, and rested her head against his shoulder again with a sigh. “And don’t think I spoke the words lightly either, Thorsen. But the upcoming months are going to be busy as hell with Holt taking over, and I worry that you’ll soon get bored and decide that staying wasn’t such a good idea.”

  “I have plenty to keep me busy, Riley. Besides, I might take some of the painting classes you guys offer—or maybe I’ll try my hand at writing some steamy romances.” He waggled his eyebrows at her and reveled in her laugh. “Might need to steal you away from work, though—you know…for inspiration and working out all the intimate details.”

  “As if the other romance writers would let you go for even a moment.” Her lips turned up in a seductive smile as she sat up. Her hair fell over her shoulder and with the sheets draped precariously around her waist, she looked like some ancient goddess sculpted from marble. A seductress…a siren.

  And then her smile faded…just a little. He cupped her face, now worried. “What is it, darling?”

  “I was just thinking…the art classes, the romance writers…I don’t know that they’ll survive the changes Holt has planned.” She shrugged and looked down at her hands as they played with the sheets. “Hell, with the inn changing hands, even I could very well be out of a job. It’s not like I’ve welcomed Anna Blake or Holt to the island with open arms.”

  Yet she had. Not only with open arms, but she’d essentially taken Holt to her bed. And by the gods, she was going to be furious with him. “Riley…what if Holt isn’t the enemy? What if they’ll work with you to find a compromise?”

  She let out a weary sigh and looked up at him, her eyes going red with emotion. “And what if I’m forced not only to leave the Siren and my cottage, but Mermaid Isle? ’Cause that’s exactly what will happen if I lose my job, since there’s not much of a job market on the island.”

  “Didn’t the owners negotiate your position into the sale?” He knew they had, since it was a clause he was happy to sign off on.

  She shrugged and looked away. “What if they decide they don’t want me around and buy me out instead? They could do it whether I agree to it or not. Then I’ll have no say on what happens at the inn, and though it’s better than being fired outright, I’d still be forced to leave the island.”

  “Those are a lot of what if’s, Riley.” He twined his fingers with hers, wondering if he should just confess it all. “It can’t be all doom and
gloom, darling. Not if we’re together—not if you meant it when you said you loved me.”

  “I did mean it.” She pursed her lips with worry and then leaned in to steal a quick kiss. “I do love you. Ever since that summer, I’m afraid.”

  “Riley, there’s something I need to tell you…” Bloody hell. How was he going to get the words out?

  And then her phone started ringing. She picked it up and cringed. “Sorry! Really sorry. It’s the inn, and they wouldn’t be calling if they didn’t need me—especially this late. I’ll only be a minute.”

  “Aye, darling. Take the call. No worries. It can wait.” A knot took residence in his chest as he watched her pad across the room naked and into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

  He took the opportunity to call Ethan. If something was up at the Siren and Anna had something to do with it, then he needed to find out what was going on, his guilt already overwhelming him. “Ethan, sorry to call so late.” It was nearly eleven.

  “It’s fine. I was actually getting ready to call you. While tracking down the financials you wanted—and don’t think those were easy to get without raising suspicion—I came across a new deal your dear cousin has in the works with Durham Inc. You know them, right?” Ethan didn’t wait for an answer. “They tend to buy up chunks of land and develop them—hotels, casinos, malls. That sort of thing.”

  Thorsen got a sinking feeling, his mind already racing through the possibilities of what might be happening. Surely nothing good if it involved Mark. “What do you think Mark is getting up to with Durham?”

  “It’d be hard to say without direct access to Mark’s computer files…”

  “Yeah…like that’s ever slowed you down.” Thorsen knew Ethan—and that man had a way of getting his hands on all sorts of information. Whether he was secretly a hacker or he employed one, Thorsen didn’t want to know.

  “Well, people tend to be lazy about securing their networks outside of work, and since almost everyone tends to take work home with them…you know how it is.” Thorsen could hear the smile in his friend’s voice. “Anyway, if I had to guess, I’d say it somehow involves the inn. Or rather, the land that’s adjacent to the inn. That’s a fair amount of prime waterfront acreage with nothing more than a big old farmhouse and barn on it. But…here’s the kicker. The inn and the land it’s on block access to that prime real estate, other than a narrow dirt road, which technically belongs to the inn. In the past, it wasn’t an issue because the land owner was elderly, out of state, and quite frankly, didn’t care, so there was no reason to pursue putting in a legal access road.”

  Thorsen’s heart pounded against his chest, already too tight with dread. “So what’s changed then?”

  “Typical scenario—the elderly owners passed away and the children want to sell it and split the money. Not worth a whole lot when there isn’t any real access, the island is fairly remote, and the lot’s still somewhat wooded. As a result, it’s been on the market for close to a year without any offers. Overpriced, too, for what it currently is. But if your cousin is pulling in a company like Durham, then they’ll change the whole economy of the island. If Durham gets involved, they only have one size they work with and that’s big.”

  “Bloody hell. The inn would be nothing but a speed bump. And companies like Durham have enough money and influence that they can likely get anything they want approved under the guise of improving the local economy and strong-arming the rest.” The inn would never survive plans like that, and Mark could easily convince the board to tear it down if it meant they could turn a massive profit.

  This was all his fault. He was the one who put Mermaid Isle on Mark’s radar. And Riley…she’d never forgive him. Here she was worried about her artist retreats when the entire inn might go up in smoke. Thorsen had to put a stop to it. He just hoped it wasn’t already too late. “Has my cousin already bought the land next to the inn?”

  “Nothing official as of yet, though that might just be a delay in the paperwork or the computer updating. Looks like most of the family is in Vermont. It’s a bit of a drive from Boston, but doable.” Ethan paused for just a moment and let out a barely audible groan. “What are you thinking, Eirik?”

  “Call the owners of that land first thing in the morning and tell them to stop any and all negotiations they might already have in the works. Then head over there. Make them an offer they can’t refuse—enough to have them backing out of any deal they might already have on the table.” Hopefully they hadn’t closed a deal on the land yet. “It’ll be the only way to keep that bastard of a cousin of mine from ruining the inn.”

  “Eirik, man…are you sure? That’s a whole lot of money—and for what? I know you inherited a fair amount, but…”

  “I know—and I really do appreciate your concern and help with this, Ethan. But it’s something I’ve got to do. Because if that fails, then I’m going to have to stop Holt from buying the inn, which will put me in a rather difficult situation within the company.” He could already see how it would play out, with the board ousting him and Mark finally ecstatic and in control of Holt. “See if you can find out anything more on the land and if you turn up anything at all, let me know immediately. I don’t care if it’s the middle of the night.”

  “You do realize that your cousin’s a vindictive bastard, right? He’s already gunning for you, and messing with his plans is going to send him over the edge.”

  “I know, but Mark needs to be stopped if he’s partnering with Durham. Call me the minute you know anything, all right?”

  “Eirik…” He let out a ragged breath. “I hope she’s worth it.”

  His eyes settled on Riley’s naked form as she walked back into the room. “She is. I’ll be in touch.”

  He hung up and set his phone aside, unable to pull his gaze away from her. Even with his mind racing over the information Ethan had just given him, his body still had a mind all its own. The mere sight of her had him going hard, even as he forced himself to reel in his hormones.

  “Sorry about that.” She managed a hint of smile, but seemed distracted. Something felt off. “You had wanted to talk to me about something?”

  “It can wait.” At this point, he needed more information—especially with the latest developments. There was no point in confessing when he didn’t know what the hell was going on. Though he could certainly find out for himself, given his background, it wouldn’t exactly be easy to pull off while still entertaining Riley. He’d just have to be a little more patient and wait for Ethan to get back to him.

  He shifted over to make room for her on the bed and opted instead to concentrate on what might be happening on her end. “Is everything okay at the inn?”

  “No…I don’t think it is.” She slipped into bed beside him and nestled against his side. “Honestly? I just don’t know what the hell is going on. Logan said Anna requested several more meetings with Jack and Ava, and before he knew what was happening, Jack was going through the file cabinets and digging around for all sorts of stuff. I’m sure she just wants as much info on the inn before the deal is closed but, what the hell? Jack and Ava already turned over everything they had to.”

  “It does seem like Anna’s been overzealous. Did you want to head back? I can drive if you’d like.” Thorsen wasn’t sure what Anna was after, but more and more, he was starting to think Ethan was right and his cousin would be trying to either skew the numbers so things looked bad for the board or he was figuring out some new business venture that involved the Siren and Durham.

  “I don’t know. I honestly think Jack and Ava will just tell me that everything is fine and send me off to finish my vacation. And that’ll do nothing but annoy me further. Logan’s going to keep an eye on things and call me if anything changes.” Her entire body felt tense and unsettled against his side, making him wish she wasn’t involved in this mess and there was more he could do to ease her worries.

  “Just let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” He ran a soothing
hand down her back and kissed the top of her head. “No matter what happens, darling, I’m here for you.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “I’m so sorry, Riley. I really need to take this.” Thorsen grabbed his phone and gave Riley a quick kiss before escaping into the bathroom for some privacy.

  Riley checked the time. Barely nine in the morning and that was Thorsen’s third call of the day. He’d mentioned there was unexpected business he had to deal with and had apologized profusely for the interruptions, but she didn’t really mind. She knew there were times when work took precedence. Speaking of which…she might as well check in with Logan and see if Anna had stirred up any more trouble.

  It didn’t take long for her to wish she hadn’t called, though she knew opting for ignorance was never a wise decision. All it did was allow one’s problems to grow until they were impossible to ignore—and usually far more difficult to contend with.

  Riley took a deep breath to try to steady her nerves and squash her panic. “So, another person from Holt has shown up, and Jack and Ava are getting ready to head to Portland? Did they say what for?”

  “Not a word, though I can tell you right now, I didn’t like the look of this guy from Holt. And I don’t think he’s just another lawyer, either.” Normally so calm and collected, Logan’s voice now sounded strained, his worry palpable. “Riley…I’ll try to find out more if I can, but… shit…I think this guy might be trying to bump up the sale of the inn.”

  A clammy cold washed over her as she felt the blood drain from her face. “You need to find out, Logan. And if they are trying to get Jack and Ava to sign the papers early, then you need to try to stop them. I’ll try to hit the road as soon as I’m able, though I’m still hours away.”

  “I’ll do what I can, but…Ry, they’re selling the inn. Whether they do that today or a week from now, what difference will it really make? They’ll be signing those papers one way or another. And you shouldn’t rush back, because there’s nothing any of us can do.” Logan let out a deep breath. “Just stay where you are and enjoy your time off. There’s no point in upsetting yourself with stuff you can’t control. You need to try to let it go.”