by Jill Sanders
“No, Adam’s off shift for the next few days.” She turned to go.
“Don’t get any ideas about filling your free time with Tristen.” The woman leaned on the railing and glanced off towards the ferry as it left in the rain.
Lilly barely held in a chuckle. “That won’t be an issue.” She turned and walked into the hallway.
“Miss Brown, there’s a Marcus Stein on the phone for you,” Marla, a young woman Sarah had hired over a year ago, said from behind the front desk.
“Thank you, Marla. I’ll just take it in Sarah’s office.” She made her way up the grand front stairs.
She walked into Sarah’s office, sat down, and picked up the phone. She didn’t know who Marcus Stein was or what he wanted, but she figured it was another part of the daily life of running the resort.
“Hello?” She settled her breath from the rush up the stairs.
“Miss Brown?” The man sounded older and bored.
“Yes, this is Lilith Brown. How can I help you?”
“I know this may sound strange, but I’m wondering if you are a survivor of Hurricane Katrina?”
She felt the entire room spin as a hollow buzzing started in her ears.
“Miss?” The man’s voice came again.
“I’m sorry, I think you have…” She was about to hang up.
“I understand if you’re afraid. It’s just, my client has hired me to track down her daughter.”
She shook her head, closing her eyes to the tears that started falling and swallowing back the fear. “I… I’m sorry I can’t help you.”
“I understand. My client’s husband died during Katrina,” he continued, stopping her from hanging up.
“Dave? Dave died in Katrina?” She felt a wave of relief wash over her.
“Yes.” He paused. “Miss Kincaid, your mother”—he sighed— “for the longest time had assumed you had died too. That was until a few days ago.”
“I… how? Why?” She laid her head down on the cold wood, trying to breathe.
“She’s a woman that loves to read the society magazines. There was a wonderful story of a recent marriage…” She heard some papers being shuffled. “A Benjamin Rothschild to a Miss Serenity Holley.”
“Sarah,” she corrected.
“Yes,” he coughed. “Anyway, there was a large picture that went with the article. I believe you were the bridesmaid?”
She nodded her head, not trusting her voice. Then sighed when the line remained silent. “Yes,” she supplied.
“Your mother knew instantly that it was you. That she’d found you, Cara Kincaid.”
***
Adam stood under the awning and avoided the rain. He normally didn’t mind a good summer storm, but this one was really starting to get on his nerves. He didn’t like that his grand-mère had to drive in bad weather. Especially coming out to the docks to pick him up.
He watched her car pull around and stepped over to the driver side with the waiting umbrella.
“Why don’t you get in, son, so I can take us into town for some dinner?” she said, reaching for the door.
“You know very well that I like to drive,” he said in a soft tone, looking down at her.
“Oh, phooey.” She barked with laughter. “You’re just afraid of my driving.” He helped her get out of the car and walked her around to the passenger door.
Sonya’s French accent had retreated long before, leaving her with a very unique and colorful way of talking.
“Gran,” he started to say, only to have her eyes narrow at him.
“Don’t you Gran me.” She turned to him once he sat behind the wheel. “You’re up to something.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “And don’t think we’re not going to discuss it over dinner.” She turned back and stared out the front windshield. “When it rains this much, I like to eat at Roy’s. A good greasy burger is called for.” She glanced at him quickly. “If you’re good, I might even throw in a chocolate shake.” She chuckled at the face he made.
They drove the two miles into town and parked outside of Roy’s, one of the only family diners in town that knew how to cook food good enough for his liking. He helped his gran out of the car and into the restaurant and as they sat down, he glanced around to see if he recognized anyone. The room was full of strangers. He’d only lived in Silver Cove for a few months, but his gran had moved here a few years back. Of course, she waved to everyone and chatted with them like they were old friends while he sat in silence and waited until things died down.
After placing their orders, she folded her arms on the table and just looked at him. He smiled back at her.
It had been almost eighteen years since he’d seen that face for the first time. There were a ton of new lines and wrinkles across her forehead, but there was also a heck of a lot more laugh lines around her eyes and mouth than when he’d first arrived.
“Spill,” she finally said, her eyes narrowing.
“Tu es belle.” He reached for her hands and pulled them up to his lips.
“Flattery will get you nowhere,” she said, but he noticed her eyes soften. “What are you up to? Why do you need me to tell everyone you’re staying in town, when you’re really heading back to the resort?”
He sighed, then leaned closer and lowered his voice. He spoke to her in French in a soft tone.
“Do you remember the woman I was telling you about, Lilly?” he asked, waiting for his gran to catch on.
“Of course,” she said back in fluent French. “The girl you are smitten with?”
He chuckled. “Yes.”
“What about her?”
“Someone has been stalking her. They have left some pretty crazy notes.” He remembered the pieces of green paper he’d given to Carl.
She gasped. “That’s terrible.”
“I’m going back to the island tonight to stay with her,” he added.
His gran smiled. “You’re in love.” It was more of a statement than a question.
“Yes.” He smiled, then frowned. “I need to be there to protect her.”
“Of course you do.” She leaned forward and patted his hand. “Go. Be safe though. I know you didn’t like to be on the water during the storm—”
“I’ll be fine,” he broke in, just as their food arrive.
“Before you go,” his gran said once the waitress left, “I have something for you at home.”
He smiled. “You didn’t have to give me anything but your love.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “And you’ve given me enough for a lifetime already.”
She blushed and he saw a tear come to her eyes. “You really are too much.” She patted her hand over her heart. “Never an ounce of trouble. If you ask me”—she said in between bites— “your parents were just too selfish to raise you themselves.” She looked up at him. “It’s a good thing too, because I don’t know what I would have done if they hadn’t sent you to me.”
“I was a hellion,” he added, frowning into his soup.
“You were a nine-year-old boy.” She waited until he looked at her. “Nothing more.”
He felt something in his chest shift. “Speaking of my parents, have you heard from them lately?”
His mémère frowned and set her fork down. “They are having problems,” she said, looking down at her food.
“What kind of problems? Money?”
She laughed. “No. Marriage.”
He frowned. “How bad?”
“Your mother is thinking of moving to the States.”
“That bad?” She nodded.
“Your father…” She sighed. “I never liked the man. His head has always been too far into politics and chasing other women.”
“Other women?”
“Yes, why do you think they moved you here?”
“Because I was a hellion.”
She chuckled. “Yes, you were.” She reached over and patted his check. “But it was so he could have time to pursue his desires.”
“What about
my mother?”
“She didn’t want to raise a boy to follow in his footsteps.” She frowned down at her plate and pushed the half-eaten burger away, disgusted.
Chapter Fifteen
Lilly floated through the rest of the evening shift. Her mind wasn’t really on her work or even the conversations she’d had with guests or employees. By the time the evening meal was over, she was desperately wishing for a hot bath and a couple aspirin.
Even the weather had taken a turn for the worse again. More lightning lit up the night sky and thunder crashed loudly throughout the buildings. She dashed through the rain, along with several other employees, to their building and climbed up the stairs while Heather chatted with her about her day. She was only half-listening to her story.
“I’m sorry, I guess I have a headache,” she said when Heather asked her a question that she hadn’t heard. “I’m going to go in, take a bath, and relax for the night.”
“Okay, if you need anything…” Heather added.
“Thanks.” She unlocked her room, stepped in, flipped on the light, and screamed.
Then she sighed and closed her eyes until she heard Heather pounding on her door. Quickly opening it, she smiled. “Sorry, saw a spider.” She rolled her eyes. “Guess I’m going to hunt it down, then take a bath.”
Heather took a step back and cringed. “I would help…”
“I know.” She smiled. “Go, save yourself. Night.” She shut the door and flipped the lock.
“You could have warned me,” she hissed at Adam, who was reclining back on her bed as if he’d been there for hours. “Or turned on the light so I knew you were here already.”
“So, I’m a spider, am I?” He chuckled.
“Heather has arachnophobia. I knew she wouldn’t ask to come in if it was a spider.” She walked over and pushed his booted feet off her still-clean bed.
“How did everything go?” he asked, sitting up.
“Fine.” She walked over, tossed her shoes into the corner, and sat down in her chair, which was still holding her blankets and pillow.
“You?”
“Fine. I came back just before sunset. I didn’t want to chance the weather getting worse.” He paused when lightning lit up her room. “Which seems to have paid off.”
She realized that he’d just risked his life to get back to her and she sighed. “I’m grateful you did. I was worried about you.” She realized that was partly the cause of her headache. Now that she knew he was okay, the majority of it dissipated.
“You didn’t have any problems?” he asked, moving to the end of the bed.
“No, everyone acted normal.” She shrugged, thinking about the phone call. “I…” She took a breath. “I do have something to tell you, but…”
“What?” Worry instantly crossed his face.
“I received a phone call today.”
“From?” He leaned forward, reaching out and touching her knee. “Is everything okay?”
“A private detective. That my mother hired.”
“Your… mother, mother?” he asked. When she nodded, he just stared at her blankly. “But, I thought…”
“Yeah, so did I. I just figured all these years that I got away because they were both…” She sighed. “It seems that Dave died in Katrina, but my mother, Carolina, survived.” She felt a tear slide down her face. Adam was up instantly, pulling her into his arms.
“I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be. She was never really there for me. She always took Dave’s side and when I tried to tell her about… him, she blamed me.”
“How did she find you?” he asked, pulling her down to the edge of the bed.
“Sarah and Ben’s wedding photo in the papers.”
“What does she want?” His hand was rubbing up and down her arm, removing the chill that had come over her.
“To talk.” She shrugged. “I guess.”
“The PI didn’t say?”
Sighing, she admitted, “I guess there was too much buzzing in my head to hear anything more after he told me he knew who I was.”
“Did you get his number?” Adam asked. She nodded and handed him the sticky note. “We can call him tomorrow.” He tucked it into his pocket. “For now”—he stood up— “I believe you mentioned something about a bath?”
She allowed him to walk her backwards until her shoulders bumped up against the bathroom door. He fumbled as he reached behind her and opened the bathroom door.
They stumbled into the room together as he caught them and moved until she was once more pinned between him and a door.
“I’ve missed your lips,” he said as his lips rushed over hers.
“You’ve only been gone for a few hours.” She gasped when his teeth scraped up her neck, causing goosebumps to rise all over her skin.
“Too long,” he growled next to her ear. His hands pushed her clothing away quickly, only moving away from her for a moment as he tossed his clothes aside.
When they were both naked, he pushed his body back up against hers and pinned her to the wall. His hands skimmed over her as his mouth nibbled every inch of her exposed skin.
She raked her nails along his back, needing to pull him closer to her as his mouth worked down her body. She’d never experienced the pleasure that spiked through her when his hot mouth found her soft folds.
Her fingers dug into his hair, holding him in place as his tongue lapped at her and she took her pleasure. Her shoulders pushed against the cool wood as she closed her eyes and silently begged him not to stop.
“Tell me how much you missed me,” he said against her skin.
“Yes,” she agreed. “More,” she begged.
“More?” He chuckled. “Like this?” His finger dipped into her heat as his mouth continued its pleasure.
This time she screamed out his name as she felt her legs fold out from under her.
“Easy, I’ve got you.” He lifted her up and walked her into her standup shower. “Your shower is bigger than mine.” He frowned at the space. “And you have a seat.” He shook his head.
Her mind was still too foggy to register his complaints, so she just moaned and nodded in agreement.
“Who did you have to kill to get this bathroom?” He pushed the showerhead aside so she wouldn’t be shocked by the cold water and turned on the faucet. When the water had warmed, he flipped the showerhead towards her.
Just one more thing to like about him.
“Sarah,” she said absentmindedly.
He chuckled. “Sarah is still alive.” He lathered soap all over her skin.
“No, Sarah set it up for me. Since I don’t go to the mainland, she gave me the room with the nicest bathroom. I actually had to wait a whole year to move in here.”
The water was clearing her mind and she wondered about his pleasure. Glancing down at him, she realized he was still fully hard and ready to go, which only made her feel more on fire than before.
“Adam?” She moved closer to him, her hands roaming over his chest as he moaned slightly.
“Hmm?” he asked, his eyes going dark just before they closed.
“Does it work both ways?” she asked, softly.
“What?” He leaned his head back against the tile.
Instead of answering, she sat on the bench, taking his thighs into her hands and moving him a step until his hardness was right in front of her face.
“Lilly,” he warned, just before she took him into her mouth. When he groaned with pleasure, matching her own sounds from moments ago, she realized it did work both ways.
She used her mouth on him, much like he had on her. Learning how to please him turned her on even more. This time it was him who screamed out her name.
His hands came under her arms, pulling her up. “As soon as I can think again, you are in so much trouble.” He pulled her next to his body. “Where did you learn that?”
She giggled. “From you.” She sighed as he pulled her hair under the water and started running his soapy hands
down its length.
“I talked to my mémère today. She says my parents are getting a divorce.”
She leaned back. “I’m sorry to hear it.”
“Don’t be. From the sounds of it, my father has been cheating since before the ink dried on the license. It sounds like my mother is going to be moving here.”
She stood back and looked at him. “How do you feel about that?”
“Probably as excited as you feel about talking with your mother.”
She laid her head down on his chest. “Promise me that if we ever have kids, we’ll be better parents to them than they were to us.” She felt him still, then sighed. “Sorry, it’s been a long day.” She started to pull away, but his arms around her stopped him.
“No, I like the sound of that.” He put his fingers under her chin until she looked up at him. “I like thinking ahead to our future.” He ran a kiss over her lips. “You are going to make an incredible mother.” He smiled down at her and she felt her heart skip.
***
Adam lay in the bed, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling and listening for the hint of any sounds. Every now and then, the room would light up from the storm, but the thunder was too far away now to wake Lilly up from her deep sleep beside him.
Her warm body was pressed against his, causing him a little discomfort, but he knew she was worth the sleepy limbs and tightness in his shorts.
His mind played over the day and he wondered how long they would have to wait until her stalker made his move.
He must have fallen asleep because a few hours later he awoke and heard the shower running and saw the light streaming through her window.
When Lilly walked out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, he smiled at her.
“Guess we had a peaceful night.”
She nodded. “I hope you ended up getting some sleep.”
He yawned, then nodded. “Since I’m not really here, I’m going to see if I can get a few more hours in after you leave.”
She smiled. “I wish I could crawl back in there with you.” She frowned as her eyes roamed over him. “I really, really wish I could.”
“So, do,” he coaxed.
She backed up a step and shook her head. “Can’t. The men are supposed to start sealing the floor in the attic today. Plus, I have orders to place, invoices to scan, and…” She smiled. “A kitchen to oversee since my head chef is slacking off for the day.”
