by A. C. Arthur
She tore her mouth from his, and both of them breathed heavily at the temporary respite. He continued nibbling along her chin, dragging his tongue down the line of her throat when she tilted her head back. Last night that heart pendant had been right there, at this hollow spot. He licked there feverishly, loving the faint hint of the floral-scented perfume she’d no doubt sprayed on her neck after showering this morning. Her ass was so soft beneath his hands, and he squeezed each cheek loving the way she pressed her pussy into him as if she was as hungry for him as he was for her.
As if she wanted him again. When she hadn’t before. That thought had him going still. The sound of their heavy breathing almost beat out the sound of his thumping heart as every word she’d spoken to him last night and just moments ago circled like a brewing storm in his mind. Grace was back, but not for him. She’d come to this island to write a story about his family, not to pick up where they left off. She was a journalist, so that made sense. This—his hands on her ass, mouth on her skin, the same pulsing need for her he’d always had—did not.
She must’ve been thinking the same thing because as he slowly released his hold on her, she hurried to put distance between them, smoothing down her dress as he turned away, trying desperately to calm the rage of emotion soaring through him.
* * *
Nowhere in her planner did it say “kiss RJ,” or rather, “let RJ make you weak with need.” No, Grace was absolutely certain she’d never written any such thing.
She was meticulous about her schedule, jotting down every step of her day in one of her many planners. She scheduled everything from the time she would wake up to how many USB drives she packed as backups for her backups. She could, admittedly, be a little intense about planning and more than a little wanton when it came to RJ Gold.
He had his back to her now as he stood across the room opening a bottle of water. She felt like a schoolgirl who’d been sneaking around, hoping the principal wouldn’t open the door and catch her. Because she’d been caught skipping class more times than she could remember during high school, there was real mortification to the thought that someone could have come into the cabana while RJ’s very clever mouth had been making her moan.
“I’ve gotta get going. Riley has us scheduled for a lunch and hiking thing.” He didn’t turn to face her but took a deep swallow from the water bottle.
Okay, so they weren’t going to talk about what just happened. Cool. Great. That worked for her.
“Yeah, I should get going, too. I have another interview scheduled with Veronica later this afternoon, just before dinner with the family, I guess. And I need to go back to my room to do some more research.”
“What did she tell you?” He did turn to face her then.
She’d been about to lift a hand to check her hair but now that he was staring at her, she changed her mind. “We only had a short time to speak this morning because Tobias woke up early and wanted to have breakfast with her. So we just talked about how she and Tobias met.”
“How did you link up with her? Do you two know each other?” RJ looked pretty perplexed as he questioned her, and she wondered if his confusion was solely related to meeting with Veronica.
“Her stepson from a previous marriage is a freelance photographer I’ve worked with on stories a couple times. He gave me her number and I called her.”
“And she agreed to tell you all of her husband’s business, just like that?” He sounded incredulous, and she had to admit it did seem unbelievable, but it was true.
“I told her exactly what I wanted and she agreed. She said it was high time people knew what they were talking about when they referred to the feud.” And Grace had been elated at having the close, personal insight into Tobias King.
“I’m gonna talk to her,” he said, and Grace eyed him cautiously.
“If I don’t write this story, RJ, someone else will. And if Veronica has something to say, she’ll say it to me or the next person.”
He didn’t immediately respond.
“You know I’m right,” she said after a few seconds of silence.
The heated glare he’d given her just before that kiss was gone. Now he was giving her the look he most often carried during business hours. The scrutinizing facial expression that said he was determined to be in control and there was nothing she could do about it. But Grace had already offered RJ all the control she could give him. He could either take it or leave it.
With that thought she grabbed her bag and pushed the straps up onto her shoulder. “I’d gladly show you my work, let you in on this story every step of the way, but if you don’t want that, it’s fine. Just know that I’m not backing down. No matter how good that kiss felt.”
She started toward the front of the cabana, but his hand on her arm stopped her from reaching for the material to let herself out.
“It felt good for me, too.”
It was a quiet admission that sent a flush of warmth over her skin. Telling her that wasn’t easy for him. RJ didn’t like admitting any weakness—and kissing her when he was angry with her for being here in the first place was definitely a weakness. One she hadn’t counted on.
Maybe it was time for her to make a partial admission as well. “I don’t want to hurt you. I never did.”
He shook his head with a quick jerking motion. “I don’t want to talk about the past anymore.” She was happy to hear him say that. “And I don’t want you writing this story. But—” he turned her slowly until she faced him again “—I know how much your career means to you. I also know how tenacious you can be, and while I’m certain I could shut this down even if it cost us a little backlash in the press, I’m not going to do that.” He shook his head again. “I’m no stranger to ambition.”
That was an understatement. She didn’t say that, but simply gave him a tentative smile. “We can meet tomorrow morning and go over my notes from Veronica.” There—she was putting the offer out there again. She told herself this was how she’d deal with any possible source in a story, giving them a little so that they’d eventually offer her a lot. But it was probably a big fat lie. A part of her had always wanted to give RJ everything, just not at the risk of losing herself and all she wanted to become. She told herself that was then and this was now. Could she give him everything now? Was there a place in his life for her after all they’d been through? Of course not. They weren’t the same people, too much time had passed, he was about to become CEO of RGF, an even bigger and more high-profile position than he’d had before. And she was writing a story that would undoubtedly expose some of his family’s deepest and darkest secrets. Ambition had once been their biggest commonality; now it was probably their greatest obstacle.
His hand still touched her arm lightly. “I have to check my schedule.”
“Me, too.” Moving her free arm, she reached into her bag and found the business cards she’d tucked in the side pocket.
“We’re quite a pair,” he said.
She looked up at him again just as he clapped his mouth shut.
“I mean, what other two people would come to a beautiful island like this and still keep scheduled appointments.” He finished the statement with an uneasy look.
“You’re right about that. But I definitely plan to take some R & R time while I’m here. I mean, who knows when I’ll be back here again?”
Probably never, since traveling alone wasn’t high on her list of things to do and after walking away from RJ. The extent of her dating life since had been dinner-and-a-movie dates, and occasionally sex before getting in her car and driving home. Work was her priority and it created an easy excuse for those parameters. An excuse that didn’t allow her to admit she didn’t want to do any fun social activities without RJ in her life.
“Yeah, well, at least you’re not being forced to do that. Riley’s got us booked mostly every day up until the wedding.” He pulled his hand from
her arm to look at his watch. “Speaking of which, I really have to get going.”
“Sure, no problem. Here, take my card.” She pushed it at him and he accepted it. “I’ll be around tomorrow if you want to hear about my interview. Just call or text me and we can set up a place and time to meet.”
He nodded, glanced down at the card he now held and then back up at her. “I’d like that,” he said. “I’d like to hear what Veronica says.”
“Good.” She almost said “it’s a date” but wisely kept her mouth shut. She and RJ weren’t dating.
“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” he said after a few more uncomfortably silent moments.
“Right. Tomorrow.” Then, because she couldn’t stand this awkwardness that had replaced the desire brewing between them, she turned and lifted the curtain before stepping out of the cabana.
Nobody paid attention to her as she walked toward the building where her room was located, and she didn’t look back to see RJ again. It was smarter to play this as a business dealing, not any type of rebooted affair. She and RJ as a couple were over. No matter how much her body wanted that statement to be false.
CHAPTER SIX
IT WAS A little after ten the next morning when RJ knocked on the door of Grace’s room. While waiting for her to answer, he adjusted the tray containing two cups of coffee he held in one hand and clenched his fingers over the bag of doughnuts in the other.
“Hey,” Grace said brightly when she opened the door. “Oh, wow, you brought coffee. Bless you!”
She stepped back out of the way before he could respond, so RJ walked into the room saying, “Yeah, I was hungry so I figured you might be, too.”
“I thought you might’ve had something on the schedule for today, so I was surprised when you texted me a while ago.”
Today she wore another pair of those barely-there shorts, the ones that seemed to make her legs appear miles longer than normal, giving him way too many ideas about traveling up and between those legs. Yesterday’s kiss had rattled him. It had felt like they’d never parted ways and yet, things were drastically different now. With a shake of his head to rid his mind of the thoughts of Grace that’d plagued him during the hike yesterday afternoon and well into the evening, he walked through her room, toward the table near the open patio door. She had her laptop set up on the table. Two spiral books and a handful of pens were scattered around as well.
“Nah, I got out of it. Well, to be fair, the women are having dress fittings.”
Grace was already lifting one of the coffee cups to her mouth, pausing only to say, “And you don’t need to try on your tux?”
He shrugged. “I’ve tried that tux on three times already. If it doesn’t fit by now it never will.”
She chuckled and then sipped from the coffee. “Still the defiant one.”
He watched the way her lips pressed over the lid of the cup, then forced himself to stop being a horny fool and reached for his own cup. “No, that’s still Maurice. He’s the one who suggested we all skip the fitting and go do something fun.”
She’d taken a seat in the chair near her laptop, so RJ sat in the one across from her.
“And this is your idea of something fun? Bringing doughnuts and coffee to my room while I work?”
For a second, he could only stare at her. She had no idea how lovely she looked with her hair in a messy ponytail, her oversize T-shirt hanging off one shoulder and her face scrubbed totally free of makeup. “Maurice’s idea of fun was scuba diving, which interested me even less than trying on that tux. Besides, you love doughnuts.”
She sat back in the chair, both hands wrapped around the cup she now held close to her face. “Coffee and doughnuts are the breakfast of champions,” she said, her tone a little more wistful than it had been just seconds ago.
“So you always said.” He grinned because he couldn’t help it. There’d been so many mornings when they’d had this discussion.
Where RJ preferred something from a more traditional breakfast menu—eggs, bacon, pancakes—Grace wasn’t as formal with the meal and claimed the caffeine and sugar mixture she loved worked much better for her throughout the day. He could never vouch for how the combo improved her productivity, but it never failed to bring about that glorious grin on her face. The one that almost matched her look of being well-pleased in bed. How many times had he lost himself in that particular look? The one where she was heavy-lidded, a slow smile spreading across her face just before she’d drag her tongue over her teeth and say something sexy like how much she loved being with him.
“RJ?”
“Huh?” he responded to the raised tone of her voice, clearing his throat in hope that the thoughts he’d just had would dissipate. He felt like a total ass for thinking about getting her in bed at ten in the morning.
“I asked if you and the family had a good time on the hike yesterday.”
He sipped his coffee and watched as she reached for the bag of doughnuts, taking the Bavarian cream–filled one that had been dusted with powdered sugar. Deciding it was smarter not to watch her bite into it, he fished into the bag for one of his own. He grabbed a chocolate frosted one and a napkin, then set his coffee on the table.
“I’m not a hiking kind of guy,” he started. The memory of yesterday afternoon with the rest of the bridal party was still a hilarious scene in his mind.
“Oh no, what’d you do? You’re on an island, not at some snowcapped mountain. From what I can see of the resort it’s beautiful up there.”
Chewing the bite he’d taken only allowed him to shrug initially. “It’s a big rock. A steep rock. And it was about two hundred degrees outside by the time we finished lunch at the beachside café and started walking.” He left out the part about Nina and Desta being attacked by a bug and Major and Maurice bumping into each other trying to swat it away until they looked like a scene from a comedy sketch. They’d eventually tumbled into the waterfall they’d been exploring.
“Yeah, it was pretty warm out yesterday. I’d been hoping to get a chance to go for a swim, but I fell down so many rabbit holes while doing my research.” She was taking another bite of her doughnut, licking the cream from her finger.
The second he caught himself groaning he stuffed the last bite of his doughnut into his mouth. “You still enjoy swimming,” he said when he was finished chewing. It was a statement, not a question, because when they were dating, Grace had used the pool in his apartment building more than he had.
“You know it.” She reached for a napkin after finishing her doughnut. “And whenever I get around to buying a house, that’s going to be a prerequisite.”
A pool and at least four bathrooms because she didn’t want to have to share a bathroom with guests or anyone else. There’d been a few discussions about what type of home they might like to have together. Those conversations about their future had seemed so natural after the first year of their relationship, leading him to believe that they’d been on the same page about their trajectory.
“Your parents have a pool at their house. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind you moving back just to use it on a daily basis.” He liked Grace’s parents, Milton and Videtta. They were both professors of Black studies at a local college and he’d had the pleasure of meeting them multiple times during the year and a half he’d dated their daughter. He’d even called Milton and asked for his blessing before proposing to Grace.
“Yeah, they do, and so do Charity and her family of five, who’re still in Westchester with my parents. They have a house on an acre of land with a massive pool that I’m in each summer when I go home for vacation.” She grinned like an excited child just talking about swimming. It was her favorite hobby.
“That’s right, Charity and Bret, that’s his name, right? They’d just gotten engaged when—” He couldn’t finish that sentence. “You said she has a family of five, so she’s got three kids now?”
/> “That’s right.” Her hand was already in the bag for another doughnut—powdered and cream-filled again. He knew exactly what she liked. “Two girls and a boy. Trinity and her husband, Randall, don’t have any kids yet, to my mother’s dismay. But they’ve got a huge aquarium full of brilliantly colored fish.”
He nodded and smiled. Major just had a custom aquarium built in the basement of the house he and Nina purchased a few months ago. RJ thought it was a clever addition to the space but he wasn’t a pet person, at least not after the idea of having a dog with Grace had fizzled.
“And how’s Hope?” The oldest Hopkins sister had a chilly personality.
Grace’s raised brow and half smile hinted that she knew exactly what he was thinking about her sister. “Just got engaged three weeks ago,” she said with a smirk that surprised him almost as much her announcement.
“Really?”
So Grace was the last single sister. Did that bother her? During the time they were together she’d shared with him the pressure she’d always felt to be just as good as her parents and sisters were in their careers. The weight of that task had sparked her competitive and tenacious nature. He’d been able to relate as the oldest Gold sibling—it was expected that he’d one day helm the company and he’d strived to prove he was up to the task. As he was also the last single sibling in his family, it occurred to him that while successful in business, he and Grace had fallen short in the area of love.
“Yeah, somebody finally cracked that stiff exterior of hers.” She laughed. “And my mom’s ecstatic that the majority of her daughters are about to be married. ’Cause you know, the more who’re married, the greater the possibility of that houseful of grandchildren she wants.”
There was a hint of something in her tone, irritation, sarcasm. The relationship among the Hopkins women had been a close-knit but still strained one, if he recalled correctly. From the sound of Grace’s voice and the look on her face, it still was. What if problems with her family dynamic had influenced her decision to not accept his proposal? Frustration threatened to push to the surface. If anyone knew about juggling different personalities and expectations within a family, it was RJ, and Grace knew that.
