Stranded In Paradise

by Jennifer Cole

  After an hour or so chatting with Dax on the porch, Kenny’s eyelids began to grow heavy.

  “Well,” she said and stretched. “I think I’m going to call it a night.”

  Chancing a glance to her right, Dax met her gaze with warm inviting eyes. Could she be so bold as to invite him into her bed? “You are welcome to stay out here…if…you wish.”

  “Thanks. I’ll head in shortly, Kendall. I’m enjoying the night air. I’ve got to tell you, I’m developing a whole new appreciation for the outdoors being here,” he replied, holding her gaze. “I’ll lock up before I turn in.”

  Disappointed that she hadn’t given him the right signals, or perhaps he just wasn’t interested, Kenny nodded in reluctant acceptance and stood.

  “Do you want me to bring the old tom in when I come?”

  She shook her head. “I’ve tried to domesticate him, but he’s not interested. He’ll find shelter in the barn out back. Besides, with my allergies, it’s probably best he stay outside. Well, good night, Dax.”

  “Good night, my Kendall,” Dax said, his voice low, hoarse. “Sleep well.”

  Kenny hesitated for a moment, having great difficulty walking away from this man. His scent was like a drug, hypnotic, mesmerizing, sexy. She ached to feel his hands on her body, to have his cock inside her, his mouth feasting upon hers.

  Lowering her head, she walked toward the door. Once there, she turned to meet his gaze once more.

  The electrical energy that surged between them was undeniable. He had to feel it as well. It hurt that he had denied her subtle advances. But then maybe she hadn’t made her intentions clear enough.

  “Good night,” she whispered again as she closed the screen door behind her.

  * * * *

  When Kendall had looked over at him, Dax’s entire body reacted with the torment his cock was feeling. Would she have welcomed his kiss? Would she have allowed him the pleasure of sharing her body?

  Adjusting the stiff flesh between his legs, he tipped his beer bottle up draining the contents. “Damn it,” he groaned as he thought of Kendall’s naked body curled up, all alone in her bed. It took every ounce of his self-control, to fight his growing need to follow her into her home, into her bedroom. And into her bed.

  Chapter 4

  When he awoke, his meeting was the furthest thing from Dax’s mind. He’d barely slept a wink during the night and felt like shit, even after a shower.

  The entire night he tossed and turned, thinking about Kendall lying in her bed, just down the hall, all alone. Naked. Twice he had stroked himself to some semblance of relief but was far from satisfied. Only one thing would appease his growing hunger and that would be to bury his cock inside her warm wet depths. Until that moment arrived, he knew he would never be content. And that thought scared the hell out of him. He wasn’t a playboy, far from it. In fact, he rarely dated. Never before had he met someone who stirred the carnal fires he felt now that he’d met Kendall Zurich. Sure he’d taken a few lovers to his bed, but his thirst had never been quenched. His body, mind and soul now knew why.

  Dax fastened his watch around his wrist and glanced at the face. He had two hours until his meeting, which he wasn’t going to make. Unable to put off the inevitable any longer, he needed to call the client and was not looking forward to breaking the news to his father. Although an adult, facing the wrath of disappointment from his father was not something he wanted to endure.

  As if it were just yesterday, he recalled the day when his two eldest brothers, Darryl, a pediatrician, and Devin, a congressman, chose to follow their ambitions. Daxton Winslow II refused to even speak to his two sons for close to a year.

  Once the men established themselves and proved to their father there was life outside the legal world, the old man relented. Somewhat. However, the relationship between father and sons had never been quite the same. The three youngest boys quickly learned not to piss off their old man. Following in his footsteps, they all became lawyers, whether they’d wanted to or not.

  The clanking of dishes, combined with appetizing aromas from the kitchen, brought a famished Dax down the hallway. Leaning against the doorframe, he savored a few silent moments watching his beautiful hostess.

  As he stood there, he wondered just how long he’d be able to keep up the façade of ‘gentleman’, because his raging libido wanted nothing more than to rip off Kendall’s clothes and sink himself into her body. Her scent teased him relentlessly. The fragrance of jasmine had taunted him when he’d laid his head on the pillow the night before. It was infused in the blankets he’d covered himself with, and the towels he’d used to dry off after showering. Watching her made his body hard. He wanted her like he had never wanted anything before in his life.

  * * * *

  When Kenny sensed his presence, a shiver teased its way up the length of her spine, stilling her movements. With her back to him, she relished the weight of his stare as it raked over every inch of her body. His quiet confidence engulfed her, consuming her very being. The self-induced orgasm she’d brought herself to the night before only added to her sexual frustration, instead of relieving it. Her body ached to be his, for Dax to take her to carnal heights she suspected only he could.

  “Good morning,” she said, before turning around. When she did turn, the mischievous smile tugging at his luscious full lips took her breath away. A soft gasp escaped her. “I, uh, know you have an important meeting this morning, so I wasn’t sure how long I should let you sleep.” The heat in his eyes as he held her gaze had her nipples growing painfully erect. Willing them to recede, Kenny hoped Dax didn’t see the evidence of the effect he had on her. “Coffee?” she asked, groaning in silence at the huskiness of her voice.

  “Please,” Dax’s tone echoed hers as he answered, pushing away from the doorframe.

  Their fingers touched as he accepted the mug she offered him, and her panties dampened. A knowing grin crossed his face as he took a seat at the table.

  “You didn’t sleep well,” Kenny said, observing his bedraggled appearance. She hadn’t slept worth a shit either.

  All night she’d flipped and flopped, thinking about sexy Dax Winslow sprawled across her spare bed—she’d imagined naked—just a few feet down the hall.

  “No, I didn’t,” he admitted, before lifting his mug to his lips. As he swallowed, the appreciative, deep, throaty moan he gave made her nipples pucker tight once again. “I’m not going to make my meeting and that won’t be good for my father’s firm. I need to call Waterston, and my father.” The forced smile on his face was unconvincing.

  Dax’s sudden uneasiness had the hair on the back of her neck standing on end.

  For a brief moment he sat stiffly and looked terribly uncomfortable. Setting a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of him, Kenny could no longer fight temptation.

  Reaching up, she ran her fingers through the dark waves above Dax’s right ear to the back of his head. Moaning low, his eyes closed and he tilted his head into her touch. The strands felt like silk sliding through her fingers, the spicy scent of his shampoo filled her nostrils. Touching him only taunted the painful pulsing of her body.

  “Thank you,” he said, opening his eyes to look up at her.

  “Don’t sweat your meeting, Dax.”

  The need to taste him overwhelmed her. It would be so easy to lean over, to press her lips against his, to slip her tongue into his mouth. He smelled delicious, and his flavor would be…

  Shaking her head, she willed her body to stop its trip to climax land.

  It was a battle she was losing. As Kenny dropped her hand between Dax’s shoulder blades, the subtle fragrance of her growing arousal tickled her senses. Oh, for the love of God, she whimpered in silence.

  * * * *

  When her slender fingers threaded through his hair, it took all of Dax’s control not to pull Kendall onto his lap. The feel of her hand on him was like a brand. Then his control nearly shattered when the light musky scent of feminine arousal
flooded his nostrils, driving his cock to the brink of release. Christ, no, not now! He silently begged. Down cock, down!

  “I have a web-cam, internet and fax machine,” Kendall suggested with a casual shrug. “Why don’t you conduct your meeting via the world wide web?”

  While she sat down at the table across from him and began eating, Dax sat in thought for a few minutes. “Damn, that’s a great idea.” Jesus, she just kept astounding him. “You are a brilliant woman, Kendall Zurich.” She wasn’t just brilliant, she was an incredible woman; sexy, desirable, and Christ, he had to have her. “You may have saved my hide.”

  She shrugged again, nodding toward the plate of food in front of him. “Eat your breakfast before it gets cold.” The sassy smirk she flashed threatened to burst him apart at the seams.

  After he helped her tidy up their breakfast dishes, she led him to a smaller bedroom which she used as a home office. A computer sat atop an old oak desk along the far wall, with two filing cabinets on the opposite side.

  “Well, I’ll leave you to it, Mr. Winslow. I need to go to the shop, but I’ll see you around lunch.”

  The sexy smile on her lips made his testicles pull up tight against his body.

  “Knock ’em dead, counselor.” The huskiness in her voice was just about his undoing.

  * * * *

  As Kenny dismounted her motorcycle, she felt the unmistakable weight of Haydn’s stare of annoyance. Over the years she’d been on the receiving end of that look numerous times. Without him even saying a word, Kenny knew he was furious she’d invited Dax back to her home.

  A couple of months earlier, Haydn voiced his intentions that he was interested in a personal relationship with her. However, she was not. Ever since she was a little girl, she’d looked up to Haydn as the big brother she’d always wanted, but never had. And she loved him as such.

  Their families had been very close and the two had basically been raised together. With Haydn being a few years older, Kenny had followed him around like a lost puppy when they were little. Anything Haydn did, Kenny had to do too. As kids, Haydn made no bones about her annoying the hell out him. It wasn’t until the day she followed him up a tree only to fall out of it, breaking her arm in two places, that Haydn realized how much she idolized him.

  Although his family didn’t have the means for Haydn to further his education, and he’d dubbed himself nothing more than a ‘grease monkey in a small town garage,’ Kenny still looked up to him. He was a very good man, and she knew her happiness was of the utmost importance to Haydn. And for several years Kenny also knew he’d silently worshipped the very ground she walked upon.

  “Morning, princess,” Haydn said as she approached him. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, a gesture he’d performed every morning since the day she’d taken over the garage. Kenny accepted it for what it was, a simple platonic exchange between two very close friends.

  “We need to talk about pretty boy,” Haydn told her.

  “I’ve told you, I’m not interested in a relationship with you, Haydn.”

  He nodded. “I’m only concerned about you takin’ him home wit you, princess.”

  The low rumble of a tow truck pulling into the lot to pick up Dax’s rental car silenced the lecture when Haydn excused himself to tend to the driver.

  Alone in the office, Kenny found her mind wandering to the handsome stranger she had left in her home. While one part of her ached to be near him, to touch him again, to inhale his masculine teasing scent, another part was thankful for the small reprieve.

  It had been torture sleeping under the same roof with him knowing those strong hands and well-defined muscles were lying beneath the sheets in her spare room. As silly as the thought seemed, she’d been envious of the lucky cotton fibers caressing Dax’s naked flesh and the feather pillow cradling his head.

  “Jesus,” she groaned, aroused again. I need to change my underwear.

  At the breakfast table as Kenny had run her fingers through the silky softness of his hair, she’d felt herself edging very close to climbing onto his lap. She was growing desperate to feel his thick flesh stretching her open as he claimed her body. The need to have his hands touching, caressing, exploring her was becoming a fight she was losing.

  If she hadn’t left her home when she did, Kenny was positive she would have thrown herself at Dax’s feet and begged him to ravish her. The fact she was losing her self-control made her feel weak. It was a feeling she didn’t like. She was proud of her ability to remain focused, to stand strong when faced with adverse situations. However, since crossing paths with the distinguished, incredibly alpha Dax Winslow, her maintained self-control was quickly becoming a thing of the past.

  The gentle tinkling of the bell above the door made Kenny blink back to reality.

  “Morning, sunshine,” Uncle Mel’s booming voice greeted her as he entered.

  “Good morning, Uncle Mel.” She returned his greeting with a kiss on his furry cheek. “Good morning, Max, Webster,” she continued, ruffling each of the dogs’ coats who followed behind him.

  An hour and a half later Haydn left the garage to drive into the city to pick up some parts for a 1969 Cougar, when Uncle Mel wandered from the office into the shop.

  “Where’s pretty boy?” he asked, after watching Kenny quietly for several minutes.

  “He’s at home,” she replied, focusing on her task. Knowing her uncle as she did, Kenny was expecting this conversation.

  Expected it, yes, prepared for it, not particularly.

  “Did yer houseguest reschedule his meetin’?” He tucked his hands in his pockets.

  Shaking her head, Kenny smiled up at him. “No, he’s conducting it via web-cam over the internet,” she said, dropping the transmission from an old Chevy pickup.

  “I don’t understand all that ’lectronic shit,” her uncle grumbled.

  “I know, Uncle Mel,” she sympathized with a grin. “This meeting is very important to his law firm.”

  “He’s a good boy, ya know,” he continued, and began rocking on his heels.

  “I know,” she agreed whole-heartedly. He’s easy on the eyes, smells divine, and I’m sure he tastes exquisite.

  “Comes from good stock,” he stated matter-of-factly. “I can tell.”

  “I know you can, Uncle Mel.”

  “He’s good husband material, Kenny,” he said, watching her lift the radiator from the under the hood.

  She raised one brow at him in warning. “Uncle Mel.”

  With his hands raised in defense, he muttered, “I’m just sayin’.”

  “I know.” She expelled an exasperated sigh.

  The garage fell silent as she proceeded to work the motor mounts loose, before hooking up the hoist to lift the engine out of the truck.

  “You two didn’t…ya know?”

  “Uncle Mel!” The wrench in Kenny’s hand slipped from her grasp. The sound of metal slamming against the concrete floor bounced off the cinder walls, echoing in the small garage. She cast a ‘you did not just ask that’ glare at him.

  “I’m just sayin’, ya haven’t dated anyone since that clown at the university and well, I ain’t gonna be ’round forever, sunshine. I wantcha ta be happy. I wantcha ta have what ya mamma an’ daddy had.”

  “Uncle Mel…” She hoped the tone in her voice advised him to choose his next words carefully.

  “I know, I know, ya thinks I’m a babblin’ old fool, but I knows about these things, Kenny. And I haves a feelin’ about that young man.”

  She walked up to her uncle and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I know, Uncle Mel. And you’re not a babbling old fool. I don’t even know Dax, but what I do know is that we come from two totally different worlds.”

  “Yous ain’t that diff’rent.”

  “Well, I’m not about to give up my life here. This is where I belong. This is my home, and you are my family. And Dax has his own life.” She pulled back to look up at her uncle. “And someone like Dax Winslow wouldn’t
be happy here in ‘butt-fuck nowhere.’”

  * * * *

  Mel smiled down at his niece. Oh, she was so young and naïve. She’d been the apple of his brother’s eye, and now his own. Trusting his sixth sense, Mel’s instincts told him Kenny’s world was about to be thrown for a big-ass loop, at the hands of the dashing lawyer, Dax Winslow.

  “Don’t count yer chickens, my sunshine.” He chuckled, giving her a tight squeeze. After placing a kiss in the top of her head, he released her and headed back into the office to read his paper. “Don’t count yer chickens.”

  “Oh, that old fart,” he heard her quip.

  “I heard that,” he called over his shoulder.

  The sound of the wrench smacking against the cement floor filled the garage bay a second time. “I was counting on it, old man,” Kenny hollered back.

  Chapter 5

  Entering her home, Kenny was quiet, not knowing if Dax’s meeting was finished.

  Wandering by her office, she found it empty. She heard singing coming from the kitchen and ventured in that direction.

  In the doorway, she stood smiling while watching Dax. He had his back to her, and she knew he didn’t realize she was there. As he spun around, hitting the high-pitched chorus of Elton John’s Bennie and the Jets, he froze.

  The man couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket.

  Staring back at him, she knew amusement sparkled in her eyes because her body began to tremble as she attempted to stifle her laughter.

  “Not…one…word.” He pointed a finger at her in warning, and grinned.

  Kenny shook her head, her eyes wide and teary as she bit back a giggle. Turning away from him, she opened the fridge, grabbed a couple bottles of juice and carried them to the table. As he sat down across from her, she couldn’t hold it any longer and burst into laughter. He looked at her through squinted eyes for a few minutes before joining her.

  “I would have never suspected you to be so musically challenged, counselor,” she managed to croak out, wiping at the tears streaming down her face.