The Ramseys Boxed Set

by Altonya Washington

  Quay stood at last.

  “Get out,” Zara ordered, before he could say anymore.

  “I don’t want to leave it like this,” he said,

  Zara forced herself to face him. “Baby, this is the only way we can leave it. Go,” she urged, softly almost desperately.

  Quay watched her for the longest time, and then backed away and abided by her request to leave.

  ***

  Johari had been in a perpetual state of bliss since leaving the condo with Moses that morning. They’d ridden up the coast to Marin County-the first stop into wine country. Johari told Moses about the friends she had in Sonoma-who were in the business. When Moses suggested they drop in for a visit, she received another surprise: he’d arranged for them to spend a couple of days in the picturesque coastal community. They stopped for breakfast at a local bistro, and then moved on. A while later, Moses had them park their bikes for a more natural mode of travel.

  ~~~

  “Motorcycles and horses. Moses Ramsey I’m impressed.”

  Moses grinned. “I knew you would be,” he sighed, slanting Johari a cunning look.

  It was pushing late afternoon as they horse backed along the crescent cove of Muir Beach. The waves crashed the bank with a provocative calm. The stretch was private and conducive to piece and relaxation.

  “So what brought this on?” Jo asked trailing her fingers through the blonde mane of the white mare she rode.

  “You need about as much relaxation as you can stand,” he told her in a simple low tone of voice.

  Johari was a bit stunned that he’d observed that, but realized that was his nature and he was good at it. “Thank you,” she whispered when he caught her staring. “Thanks for doing what I wouldn’t…I guess not wanting to leave had more to do with me than my sister.”

  Moses urged his gray gelding to a halt and Jo followed suit. They let the horses graze near the edge of the water, while they opted for a seat along the bank to watch the waves roll in from the Pacific.

  “Wanna talk about it?” Moses asked once they were settled.

  Jo propped her elbows on her knees and studied the horizon. “When she was taken…it was a long time before I actually believed it was a kidnapping. Zara was so miserable-she’d always been.”

  “Because of Quay,” Moses guessed.

  Jo nodded. “I always blamed myself because I never reached out to her-tried to find out what was really going on. We were sisters-I knew things weren’t right and I didn’t do a damn thing about it.”

  “Hey?” Moses called, squeezing her shoulder. “Baby we were kids. Kids-all of us. Sure we were playin’ at grown up games, but we were still kids and it wasn’t your place to try and doctor your sister.”

  “Well my folks certainly weren’t gonna do it,” Jo scoffed, tugging on the zipper of her hoody. “They were so caught up in their own lives-with making a name for themselves at Ramsey. Me and Z were usually left on our own anyway.”

  “Humph, maybe we all would’ve been better off with different parents,” Moses groaned, massaging the heels of his hands against his eyes.

  Jo smiled. “Different yes, but would they have been better?”

  “Is there such a thing?” Moses asked, joining in when Johari laughed. “I was almost happy when they told me Marc had been shot,” he confessed once their humor sobered. “It scared the hell out of me feeling that way. Then I found out my mother did it and…I don’t believe there’s a word to describe how I felt when I heard that.”

  “So much hate…” Jo noted, smoothing her palms across the wide-leg fleece spa pants she wore. “Do you ever think maybe your relationship with Josephine could’ve been different if she’d left your dad when you were small?”

  Moses grimaced, the gesture adding a more sinister element to his dark good looks. “She did leave him once. Took me, Fern and Yohan. We were so excited,” he reminisced, the beginnings of a smile on his mouth. “Ma made it sound like a real adventure. It was the one time in my life I remember her treating me just like Fern and Yohan-like she loved me.”

  Johari felt the chill intensify. “What happened? How long were y’all away?” she managed to ask.

  Moses shook his head. “Had to be almost a year. I was almost six and hadn’t started school yet because my birthday came late. So me and Fern started together and then Yo’s smart ass jumped a grade…but Marc found us,” he added, once they’d shared a laugh at Yohan’s expense. “I don’t know why, but Ma went back-just like that. She never left him again.”

  Johari had no idea what to say. She reached over to massage his forearm.

  “People like Marc shouldn’t have kids. My mother signed away her life when she had us-tied her to the fool forever.”

  Johari’s hand weakened and slid from his arm. Her head began to ache and suddenly he was trembling.

  “Sorry,” Moses whispered with an apologetic smile. “Didn’t mean to upset you,” he added.

  But Johari couldn’t respond. She stood and looked out over the calm scene, praying it would sooth the tumult inside her. It didn’t. Moses soon realized that her reaction had nothing to do with anything he’d just said.

  “We should get a move on,” he decided, standing as well. “Gotta get the horses back and we still have a ways to go yet.”

  His words instilled curiosity which forced aside her unease. “What else have you got in store?” she asked.

  “All I’ll say is that I’ve booked us at a place in Mill Valley.”

  The reddish brown arch of Johari’s brows raised several notches. Of course she recognized the name of the quaint lush village that led the way deeper into California wine country. “I didn’t bring any changing clothes,” she said, waving her hands about her.

  “You won’t need clothes,” he said, gracing her with a brief double dimpled grin, “Shall we?” he urged, nodding towards the horses that were drinking form the sea.

  Johari went on ahead, but Moses held back. His thoughts returned to the night he’d come to her hotel suite and demanded the truth. The look on her face that night was the same as the one she wore now. What she wouldn’t say was scaring him more with each passing day. His feelings practically mimicked that unnamable emotion that riddled through him when his mother shot his father. He knew whatever she was hiding involved the drinking problem she’d acquired. Beyond that, he had no clue. The longer she kept her secret however, the more certain he became that he’d have to force it from her.

  ***

  Michaela smiled and leaned against the doorjamb. Her amber gaze sparkled more brightly than usual as she watched Quest and Quincee on the floor of the nursery. Quincee made her baby noise as her father laughed softly while he gazed down at her. Softness, awe and love radiated from his handsome face and Mick found that she was entranced.

  So was Quincee, for that matter. She followed the path of his fingers as they wiggled before her eyes which were as beautifully haunting as her father’s. When she captured his pinkie in a tight fist, Quest chuckled and pressed the softest kiss to her tiny nose.

  “Obviously there is a younger woman who can turn your head.”

  Quest looked up and winked at his wife. “You caught me and I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do about it.”

  Mick slipped her hands into the pockets of her green and coral print sleep pants. “I guess I’ll just have to live with it,” she sighed and strolled further into the yellow and pink nursery. “She is a phenomenal lady, though. I guess I can’t blame you.”

  Quest smiled, clutching Mick’s wrist to bring her to the floor. For a few moments, they indulged in a sweet kiss until he pulled back.

  “I love you. I never want to lose you.”

  His solemn tone sent a shiver scurrying up her spine. “Why would you say that?”

  Quest shook his head. “I’m just talkin’.”

  “No…I think it’s more and I think it’s why you and Taurus don’t get along.”

  “My cousin confiding in you now?” Quest tease
d, though his expression had definitely hardened.

  It was Mick’s turn to grimace. “Not really and it’s not because I haven’t asked.”

  Quest trailed his fingers across the hemline of the white ribbed tee Mick wore. “And what’s he said when you’ve…asked?”

  “That I should ask you. That it’s something you’re both ashamed of.”

  Quest moved then, standing to put Quin back in her crib. “I can never tell you that, so you should stop asking,” he advised softly.

  “Why? Why should I stop?” Mick continued to push, looking up at him from the floor. “Quest do you think I would judge you?”

  “Humph, I’ve done enough of that for you and me both,” he said, watching Quin drift off while he absently rubbed his palm across the front of his black T-shirt.

  “Quest-“

  “Mick please don’t make me go into this,” he blurted, turning to look down at her.

  The gray stare was now a bottomless black. Mick had never seen such a lost and helpless look there. It scared her more than a little bit.

  “It’s okay,” she whispered, tugging his hand and smiling when he settled to the floor again. “It’s okay,” she chanted, hugging him as tightly as he did her.

  ***

  I don’t suppose you got us separate rooms?” Johari was asking Moses that evening. They strolled behind the porter who escorted them down the short corridor of the small bed and breakfast.

  “You suppose right,” was Moses’ only reply and silence settled.

  Exquisite- not even captivating could describe the allure of the suite. A beautiful sleigh bed occupied a far corner and teemed with ocean blue and silver gray sham pillows and coverings. Cushioned arm chairs and a loveseat carried the same color scheme and complimented the luxurious white carpeting throughout the room.

  The atmosphere was primed for seduction with candles lit and a soft instrumental piece filling the air. Johari glanced into the adjoining bathroom and gasped. There were more candles lining the huge square tub that was filled with bubbly hot water. Backing out of the alluring room, Jo shrieked when she bumped into Moses who stood right behind her.

  “What are we doing?” she asked in a helpless fashion.

  “Nothing yet,” he informed her softly while relieving himself of the sweatshirt he’d worn that day.

  Johari retreated as he ventured further into the bathroom. Her bright eyes were riveted on his dark tattooed torso and she blinked away-desperate to focus on something-anything else. Sadly, neither the massage oils lining the countertop nor the painting of the couple in the act of making love did anything to assist her in…refocusing. Clearing her throat, she began to tap her fingers against her forehead.

  “Listen to me, I just don’t think we should be falling so deeply back into this,” she said and gestured around the room.

  “Why?” he asked, having continued to stalk her until she was trapped against the counter. He was fully nude and wasn’t shy about letting every hard inch brush her body.

  Swallowing, Jo took note of his hands braced on either side of her hips. “There’s um-there’s still so much…” she attempted to explain, but couldn’t finish. Her eyes faltered helplessly below his waist.

  “Why?” Moses probed. “Because there’s still something you won’t tell me?” he added, suddenly all too serious.

  Johari was drained of further comment, but Moses didn’t press for response. Instead, he concentrated on undressing her-drawing down the zipper on her fleece hoody. The simple act aroused her so; she threatened to slide right to the floor. Moses prevented that by propping his knee between her thighs. The zipper parted and next came the front fastening of her bra. Without bothering to remove it or the hoody, he simply settled his hands inside the open bra cups.

  Jo tossed back her head, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth while his head lowered to feast on the full café au lait mounds. Her hands folded over the edge of the counter and she arched and ground upon his knee between her legs. A tortured whimper roamed from her throat when both his thumbs manipulated her nipples to firm peaks while his tongue charted a moist path across every spot he’d bared beneath her clothing.

  “Moses wait I-“

  “Later,” he decided, thrusting his tongue inside her mouth just then.

  The kiss deepened instantly. Johari forgot about all else and lost herself in the kiss. Her hands molded to his bald head as she frantically suckled his tongue. Moments later, she was as nude as he. One of his hands cupped her neck and she could barely gasp when his other hand explored her. An early climax was imminent with him stroking the fleshy extra sensitive petals of her sex. Her entire body shook, but he stopped before she could crest to that desired peak of satisfaction. He lifted her high against the rigid wall of his chest and carried her to the bubble-filled tub.

  Johari felt a shudder riddle deeply through her when her toes sank into the hot bath. She and Moses continued to kiss lustily as they became immersed in the water. For a while, they knelt in the center of the tub-caressing, squeezing…Moses couldn’t get enough of her. Both his palms were filled with her breasts and he kept her nipples firm amidst his merciless fondling.

  Several times, Johari tried to delight herself with his length filling her hand, but he wouldn’t allow it. He was desperately attempting to restrain his baser instincts. Breaking the kiss, he turned her to the wall and made her splay her hands against the wine colored tiles. Leaning closer, he returned to weigh her breasts and nibble on her earlobes.

  Jo shuddered violently, actually crying out when his expert touch ventured past her waist. The fingers of one hand parted the lips of her femininity while the middle finger of the other delved and rotated inside the creaminess of her desire.

  “Mmm,” Johari grunted, biting her upper lip as she concentrated on the wondrous sensations coursing through her like sweet honey. Moses was lavishing her nape with wet kisses, while adding another finger to his intimate exploration of her body.

  “Please Ram, please now,” she moaned, nudging her bottom against his steel length. “Dammit Moses please,” she cried when he wouldn’t oblige. Her laughter was a cross between satisfaction and frustration when he inserted a third finger into her drenched sex. In no time at all, she was in the throes of a shattering orgasm. Moses was unrelenting and continued to plunder her sensitized desire as she tensed and savored the thundering pleasure.

  She rested her forehead against the tile, willing the shudders to subside. Gathering strength from someplace unfathomable, she broke away from Moses in order to have him sit in the bubbles which were quickly dissipating. Hungry for the taste of him, she lavished his midnight skin with ravenous kisses. She favored his throbbing shaft with as much enthusiasm as he’d shown her earlier. Eagerly, her tongue stroked the silk sheath of his impressive length. She licked and suckled bringing him to a stunning climax.

  His low moans of satisfaction mingled with weak requests for her to wait.

  “What?” Jo taunted, adding more enthusiasm to the treat she delighted him with.

  “I don’t want to-” He couldn’t finish the statement. Every time she covered his length, he groaned.

  It was Johari’s turn to be unrelenting. She offered no respite as Moses tried to reach for a condom from the basket of necessities set next to the tub. She chuckled when he grabbed an item only to discover it was an individual sized bar of soap. When at last he achieved success, he tugged the ball of hair on her head and persuaded her up. He could barely set the condom in place for watching as she stared at him and wiped remnants of telltale moisture from the alluring curve of her mouth. Soon though, he was gripping her hips and settling her down over his devastating erection.

  Again, Johari rested her hands against the tile. She threw back her head and rode him vigorously-oblivious to the water sloshing out of the tub. Moses couldn’t decide between cupping her breasts or her hips. Finally, he rested his head back against the tiles and just savored the sweetness of her walls sheltering his pul
sing shaft. Seconds away from release, he drew her close and buried his face in the crook of her neck. His eyes squeezed shut as the proof of his pleasure unleashed itself.

  Too exhausted and sated to move, they opted for a nap in the semi-filled tub.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Johari had no recollection of how she made it from Moses’ truck and back to her hotel suite when they returned to Seattle from San Francisco around ten that morning. After a week of bliss, it was almost impossible to reprogram herself to the real world.

  She floated into the room with a smile brightening her face. Closing her eyes, she leaned back against the door and sighed.

  “Somebody looks like she had a good time.”

  The unexpected voice sent a gasp lilting from her throat. Her eyes widened to silver pools while she clutched her heart. Her hand was already gripping the door knob, but she didn’t turn it. Something about the voice made her venture further into the suite instead of abiding by the warnings that screamed ‘run fool!’

  Strolling past the entryway and into the living room, Johari couldn’t have been more stunned to find her friend and colleague Kennedy Shaw. He was seated on the sofa as though he were just dropping in for a friendly chat.