24 Hours Bundle

by Jo Leigh

  Of course, he did, but before she could search for a weapon, he did that flipping thing again, which was something of a miracle, as she was no delicate flower. But there she was on her back, gasping as her whole body went straight to the brink of orgasm.

  In another display of he-man strength, he lifted her thighs and butt and shoved one of the nice firm pillows underneath.

  “Condoms,” he said, and she completely understood the desperation in his voice.

  “Drawer.”

  He leaned over, ripped the box apart, tore the package open with his teeth and hissed until it was on. Then he was ready, and lordy, she was more than ready, so thank God he didn’t ease into her or any crap like that.

  He took her. Hard.

  She cried out with the sheer intensity, the rightness of having him inside her. Her legs wrapped high around his waist, and she arched to meet his next thrust.

  Above her, he had that look, that man thing she loved watching, as if nothing existed on the planet but her. The world could have ended, and he wouldn’t have missed a beat.

  For that, she was incredibly grateful.

  It was her last cogent thought. The animal took over and it was grunting, and pushing and aching and almost, almost…

  She pulled the comforter up when it hit, and she was so loud the whole island could hear. But then, a few seconds later, he grimaced, braced, and when he came, he came loud, too.

  Panting, still shuddering with pleasure, she watched him as he pulsed a few more times, as his facial muscles relaxed and he was able to focus.

  “Wow,” he said.

  “I’ll say,” she muttered.

  “I have to move,” he told her.

  “It’s okay. Just don’t go far.”

  “Not a problem.” He eased out of her, then took care of a little business after he rolled to his side. A moment later he got rid of the pillow under her butt and lay down beside her. His arm went around her shoulder and she curled so close she could hear his heart beat.

  “Holy crap,” he said, a little hoarsely.

  “Uh-huh.” She smiled and just enjoyed the afterglow. He was better than the Alex she’d built in her head. In so many ways. Four more days weren’t going to be enough. Not even close.

  12

  “ARE YOU SLEEPY?” ALEX ASKED.

  Meg shifted in his arms. “Not really. Drained, yes, sleepy, no.”

  “Me neither.”

  “So,” she murmured, looking up at him. “What do you want to do?”

  He shrugged. “Staying in bed is good. Or we could go dancing. Or check out the cove.”

  “Or we could go back to the Trade Winds and have some of that key lime pie.”

  He nodded. “Mmm, pie.”

  “It means getting up,” she said.

  “Showering,” he added.

  “Putting on clothes.”

  “I was with you right up to that putting on clothes thing,” he said.

  She sat up, flipped her wild hair behind her shoulders. “I must have pie.”

  “And so you shall.” He got up and held his hand out for hers. She stood, kissed him and led him to the bathroom.

  She got the towels, he turned on the water. He wished he was seventeen again so that he could take advantage of all that warm water and slippery soap, but instead, he just washed her beautiful back and admired the scenery.

  When it was her turn with the sponge, she took her time, rubbing his shoulders with care. His eyes closed and he hummed in satisfaction.

  “Alex?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I’m sorry about inviting Tina and Walter to dinner.”

  “You didn’t. They invited themselves,” he stated.

  “But I didn’t even try to get us out of it.”

  The sponge moved to the middle of his back, and he realized that while the professional masseuse had been skilled, adept and very good at her job, being washed by Meg was in a class by itself.

  “I felt sorry for her,” she said.

  “Why sorry? Because her husband is so consumed with his work that he can’t see her?”

  Her hand stilled. “Well, yeah.”

  Alex turned to face her, even though it meant she wouldn’t be washing his lower back. “You only felt sorry for her?”

  “You said it yourself. He can’t see her,” she said.

  “He can’t see anything but his job. Sound familiar?”

  “This is not about me,” she said defensively.

  “If you say so,” he replied.

  Her face scrunched up. “Stop that. You don’t get it about the mountain. It’s not like a regular job.”

  “I know. A regular job would let you breathe a little. You might actually find yourself a life,” he said.

  “Don’t be blithe about this, Alex. It’s not fair.”

  He heard the hurt in her voice. “I’m sorry. I’m being a jerk. Not that I didn’t warn you, but still. I’m sorry.”

  She hit him weakly with her balled fist, and then she stepped out of the shower, grabbing one of the white fluffy towels.

  He felt like shit. Couldn’t he just keep his self-righteous mouth shut? Meg was strong and smart and she knew her own life. Just because he’d decided to change his path didn’t mean she had to. Although, if she couldn’t…

  He rinsed off and followed her into the other room, wrapping his towel around his waist.

  She was standing by the closet, holding a red dress still on the hanger.

  He padded across the wood floor until he was just behind her. With both hands on her slender shoulders, he leaned down. “We okay?”

  She turned. “I know you’re concerned, but honestly, I’m all right. When we get online, I’m exhausted and frustrated, and I bitch to you. I don’t talk about the good parts. The people I care about. The animals I’ve helped.”

  “It must be great.”

  She smiled. “Pie now?”

  “I’ll be right down. And I think you’ll look gorgeous in that dress.”

  CHARLIE HANOVER WALKED OUT OF the hotel lobby, trying to get his anger under control. It didn’t help that his flight had been a nightmare, but now that he was here, no one would give him Alex’s room number, and he couldn’t find Butch Castellano, the owner of Escapades, who would. His buddy in Washington had convinced Castellano to find a room for Charlie, which was great, but if he couldn’t locate Alex, the favor was useless.

  The damn place was huge and he didn’t have a clue where to start. He’d gotten Alex’s cell number, but it went right to voice mail every time he called.

  He’d already checked out the pools, the disco, a couple of restaurants and the spa. The problem was, Rosten could be in his room, he could be on a boat or at the beach. There was simply too much territory to cover, and it was already eleven.

  Charlie walked past the fountain at the top of the steps, then down to the wide path where his cart waited. It felt absurd to set off at random, so when he had started the cart he headed for the north side of the hotel, toward his room. He had to strategize. Tomorrow, he’d go to room service. Surely Rosten had ordered something, and Charlie felt certain he could bribe some of the wait staff to send him in the right direction.

  He would also spread some dough to housekeeping, maybe the spa. No way in hell was he leaving this island without an exclusive.

  From his latest phone calls, he’d learned the shit was definitely hitting the fan in D.C. He knew it was going to be a big story when he got word that the Daily Show had put out an APB to get Alex on the air. Competing, of course, with CNN, Fox News and PBS NewsHour, not to mention the news royalty—the nightly news shows.

  Charlie still couldn’t believe what he’d read in the columns, but he wondered if those outside the circle would get the significance of the act. It was as if the head of the Freemasons had given out the secret handshake to all and sundry. It simply wasn’t done.

  The big question was why? Why talk about that most sacrosanct of procedures, the very underpinning of h
ow Washington worked, in such a public forum? Alex must have realized he’d never write in the town again. Who would trust him?

  True, the man hadn’t quite crossed the line. None of his sources had been officially off the record. The only trouble anyone would get into from the revelations were those who’d been less than forthright in their dealings with the American people, like Senator Allen. Which, Charlie figured, was the point. And Alex hadn’t spared himself. His sins were now part of the public record.

  An interesting, if foolhardy, move. One usually reserved for those who had nothing left to lose. And that’s what Charlie wanted to find out. Why would a man as young and successful as Alex Rosten throw his career away? What did he hope to accomplish?

  As Charlie neared the north hotel entrance, he found his musings had gotten him too wired to sleep. He turned the electric cart around and headed back to the crowds. Who knows, maybe he’d get lucky.

  THIS TIME, Meg made sure they got a table for two. It was after eleven, but there were still a lot of people eating dinner. She loved that there were folks in bathing suits eating lobster sitting next to a couple in formal wear eating a large platter of French fries. Vacations were good things.

  She smiled at Alex, who was looking quite yummy in a pale gray silk shirt and jeans. She tried to picture him in his suit and tie, all Washington proper. He’d look great, but there was something so incredibly sexy about his casual clothes that made her want to rub against his body like a cat.

  “Key lime pie, huh? You don’t want to look at the rest of the desserts?”

  She shook her head. “When I find something I like, I stick with it.”

  Alex quirked his head. “Are we talking about sweets here?”

  “We most definitely are,” she said, as she slipped her foot out of her sandal and ran her toe under the hem of his jeans.

  His smile came slowly as his eyes narrowed wickedly.

  “I meant to tell you when we were in the bungalow,” she said, leaning forward, her finger skimming the rim of her water glass.

  “Tell me what?” Alex asked.

  “You know that loft upstairs?”

  He nodded.

  “You won’t be using that,” she said.

  “I see.”

  “If that’s okay with you,” she added.

  “I think we can come to some sort of agreement.”

  “You do, huh?” she teased.

  “You don’t snore, do you?” he teased back.

  “What if I did?”

  He grinned. “Wouldn’t make a damn bit of difference.” He leaned closer. “I was just trying to be all dark and mysterious. Inside I was wagging my tail like a puppy.”

  She laughed as the waitress came to their table.

  “The lady wishes to have key lime pie,” Alex said.

  “And for you?” the waitress asked.

  “Oh, I want that, too.”

  “And to drink?” the waitress added.

  Meg put her hand on Alex’s, just because. “I’ll have iced tea, please.”

  The waitress turned to Alex.

  “You have whole milk?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  “That’s great.”

  With a smile, the waitress left to fill their order, while Meg stared at Alex. “Milk?”

  “What’s the matter with milk?” he said.

  “Nothing. It does a body good.”

  “Hey, I’ll need all my strength if I’m not sleeping upstairs,” he stated.

  “I’m not even sure you’re going to be sleeping downstairs,” she quipped.

  “Maybe I’ll have two glasses of milk.”

  Meg squeezed his hand. “I love innuendos. And double entendres.”

  “I’ll do my best to keep up the pace,” he said.

  “You’re doing fine,” she told him.

  “You know what you can do for me?” he said, smiling.

  “What?”

  “Tell me about the good parts.”

  “Of sex?” she asked, although she knew what he meant the minute the words were out of her mouth. “Oh, you mean work.”

  He nodded. “I’d like to know.”

  “The critters,” she said. “Above everything, I love the animals more than I can say. And being on the mountain lets me grow up with them, not just see them once and off they go. I deliver the babies. I fix them when they get sick. I bury them, too, but that’s not as bad as you’d think. They’re all mine on some level, and that’s an amazing thing. I can’t think of another vet that has what I do.”

  “Wow,” Alex said, leaning back in his chair. “I never thought about it that way. I can see where it would be fulfilling.”

  She nodded. “The llamas at O’Reilly’s place can be major pains in the ass. But there are these twins that I’ve known since day one, and every time I come by, they can’t get enough of me. They’re like puppies the way they follow me around. And when I leave, they watch until my truck is out of sight. It’s pretty cool.”

  “I’m envious. We never had pets growing up. Allergies. And then I was in college, and life got crazy. I’ve always wanted a dog,” he said.

  “You’re allergic?” she asked.

  “No. Most of the rest of my family is. So pets weren’t allowed. Although I did have a pet frog for a few weeks. He couldn’t fetch worth a damn,” Alex joked.

  She chuckled and brightened as she caught sight of their pie. She couldn’t look away as the waitress walked across the room, but Meg heard a couple of “oohs” in her wake.

  Each slice was huge. Enough for two, easily. Not that Meg was willing to share. And she could see that the whipped cream was the real thing, made fresh moments ago.

  It looked so good, she didn’t even wait for her iced tea to hit the table. She tasted the first bite and swooned. The bright lime flavor burst across her tongue, and her eyes closed out of sheer bliss.

  “Oh, my God,” Alex said, his words muffled because his mouth was full.

  She nodded. If anyone tried to take one crumb from her plate, she’d stab him to death with her fork. Luckily, no evil threatened, and she slowly, bite by exquisite bite, made her way through the pie. As she neared the end, her bites got smaller and smaller because she didn’t want it to end.

  She had four more days to enjoy Escapades. Which meant four more pieces of this amazing treat.

  “Oh, shit.”

  She looked up, surprised at Alex’s vehemence, although she understood. But he wasn’t talking about the fact that he’d already finished his pie. He was staring over the edge of the deck, watching a golf cart drive slowly by.

  “What?” she asked, looking at the driver. He was an average-looking man, a little chunky and balding, but about the same age as Alex.

  “I have to get out of here.”

  “Why? What’s wrong?” she demanded.

  “Charlie Hanover, that’s what’s wrong,” he said tersely.

  “Who?”

  “He writes for the New York Times, and I know he’s not here on vacation.”

  “How can you possibly know that?” she asked.

  “Because I know him, and I have no doubt whatsoever that he’s looking for me. We’ve known each other since college, and there’s no love lost between us. I caught him in some nasty dealings back in the day, and he’s never forgiven me.”

  “What does he want?”

  “To make sure I never write another column. That I’m disgraced. The man is nothing if not vindictive.”

  “You don’t want to confront him?”

  “Not here. I know I’m going to have to run the gauntlet when I get back, but I’m on vacation. Charlie can wait, just like all the others,” Alex stated. “Ah, you’ve finished your dessert. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad if we moved this to, say, the beach?”

  “Or, say, the disco?”

  “Seriously?” he asked.

  “I just ate a billion calories. I need to move,” she said, patting her stomach.

  “We could go back to
the bungalow.”

  “We will. But later. Let’s at least check it out, okay?”

  “Whatever you want.” He held her chair for her as she struggled not to eat the last crumb on her plate.

  The elevator for the disco was right outside the restaurant entrance. Alex got very James Bond looking for the reporter guy as they walked the short distance.

  It was so curious to her. He talked about these columns so casually, as if they were nothing, and yet, from his brief description earlier today, she knew they were anything but. Especially since a reporter from the New York Times had flown here just to track down Alex.

  “Alex?” she murmured as she hit the up button on the elevator.

  “Yes?”

  “When do I get to read these columns?”

  “Figured you’d ask. And I want you to read them. Only, not yet, okay?”

  “Before we leave?”

  “Yeah. I promise.”

  “Great, thanks.” She wouldn’t push it, but she’d make sure he kept his word.

  The ride was short, just long enough for a kiss that made her toes curl. Then the doors opened right onto the disco.

  The joint was hopping. The band, which was really large and included horns along with guitars, keyboard and drums, was on a stage at the back. There were tables on two levels, and a big dance floor flooded with colored lights and happy people.

  Alex led her to a table near the bar, which was a total score, and a moment later a waitress in a very skimpy skirt and bikini top came by. Meg ordered a Sex on the Beach. Alex, on the other hand, went with a Coke. Huh.

  He leaned over, resting his hand on her shoulder. “Do you want to dance?”

  She leaned his way. “What?”

  He got closer. “Want to dance?”

  “What?”

  He moved his mouth right up to her ear, so close his breath made her quiver. “Dance?”

  She nodded.

  Alex stood, but when she joined him, she leaned over to his ear. Just as close. “I heard you the first time.”

  His brows furrowed. “What?”

  This time, she licked the shell of his ear with the tip of her tongue. “I heard you the first time.”