by Jill Sanders
They were standing in the large walk-in freezer, removing out-of-date produce. There was a large trash can that was almost full, but the shelves were still lined with produce that they could keep. As long as the inspector allowed Cassey to open back up, she would only lose minimal stock.
Less than ten minutes later, Marcus received a call on his cell and stepped out to answer it.
“Gotta take this,” he mouthed as he walked out.
Luke turned back to the task at hand, which was organizing the frozen meat section. He wasn’t much of a cook himself, but he knew that the food stocked in the small freezer was high quality. Looking down at a bucket of fish, he wondered what she would do with all of it if she was forced to close down for a while.
“That bad, huh?” Cassey asked, walking over to him, a frown on her lips as she looked into the bucket.
“Hmm?” He looked up from the large icy bucket of fish. “Oh, no, they’re fine.”
“Good.” She smiled a little and leaned against the wall of the freezer. “Well, I’ve done all I can do with the stoves.” She wiped her arm across her face, leaving a streak on her cheek.
He chuckled and stepped closer to her. Using a towel, he wiped the spot away. “You know, there isn’t one speck of dust left in this place. I know the inspector will approve you.” He smiled down at her and flicked his finger down her nose, then lightly gripped her face and dipped for a soft kiss. “Mmm, you taste like honey.”
She chuckled. “Wendy brought in some of her honey cookies. I lose all control when it comes to them.”
“Mmm.” He dipped his head and took another sample as he backed her up a step until her back was pressed against the wall. He felt her shiver and gasp as her back hit the cold wall. Chuckling a little, he reversed their positions until he felt the cold between his shoulder blades.
She smiled up at him and pushed against his shoulders a little more. “Cold?”
He shook his head and chuckled. “With you pressed against me, it’s a wonder everything isn’t melting.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and reached up on her toes and started kissing him again. When she pulled away, he was beginning to wonder how the small room wasn’t filled with steam.
“Cassey, let’s call lunch and send everyone home,” he said as he nibbled on the skin just below her ear.
She chuckled and shook her head. “Can’t.” She pulled back. “We have the dining room to clean after lunch.”
“Fine, but at least we can give everyone a very long lunch break,” he said, pulling her closer.
“Mmm, that sounds—”
“Hey, did you know that your brother is a complete idiot?” Marcus said, walking in and shaking his head.
Cassey sighed and took a step back from Luke. “I’ve known that for years, but you shouldn’t be so hard on yourself.” She smiled and punched Marcus’ arm lightly.
He chuckled. “Funny. I was talking about Cole. He’s heading to Australia. There’s an approaching cyclone off the North Queensland coast, and he’s heading to Byron Bay to surf in the massive waves they are getting.” He shook his head and frowned a little.
“Cole knows what he’s doing.” Cassey smiled and patted her brother’s shoulder. “Besides, he’s really good at it.”
“I’ve seen some of the footage from the storm down there.” He shook his head again.
Just then, Wendy walked in. “Hey, boss, we’re going to break for lunch. Do you want us to pick anything up for you?”
“No.” She looked over at Luke and tried to hide the smile. “We’re set.”
“Where are you going?” Marcus asked, starting to walk with her. “I might head out with you.”
“We’re heading to—”
Luke didn’t hear the rest, since Cassey was shoving him out the door and down the hallway.
“You must be starved.” He chuckled when she shoved him through a doorway.
“Famished.” She shut the door behind her. Since the lights were off and the door closed, he had no clue where they were. When her hands came to his chest, pushing him back against the wall, he realized he no longer cared.
Cassey couldn’t seem to control the shaking. Her fingers shook as she pulled Luke’s shirt off his arms. When she felt his skin exposed, she dipped her head down and licked his salty skin. He tasted better than the honey cookies she’d devoured less than a half hour ago.
His fingers went into her hair, holding her to his skin as he moaned her name over and over.
“I want you so bad,” he groaned as she lapped at his flat nipples with her tongue. When her fingers reached for his belt buckle, he pushed them aside and reversed their positions until she was pushed up against the wall, her hands held over her head in one of his.
“My turn,” he moaned as he flipped up her shirt and exposed her skin. With his free hand, he pushed down her bra until her nipples puckered in the cool air of the broom closet. She’d been so blinded with lust, she had settled for the first room that wasn’t below zero. Now as he tugged at the hem of her jeans, she wished they were in her room and that they had the whole day to explore each other.
His hands released hers above her head and traveled down her body, exploring and causing her skin to heat where he touched. He pulled on her jeans until she was exposed, then he ran his fingers over her cotton underwear.
“Nice,” he said as he played over the soft material until she felt them turn moist from her desire.
“Luke.” She dug her nails into his skin, trying to pull him closer to her.
“I know,” he groaned as he yanked her jeans off her long legs. Then he dug his fingers into her hips as he ran his mouth over her exposed chest. She reached for him and flipped open his jeans, then wrapped her fingers around his length. He was perfect. She could spend hours exploring the length of him, enjoying the way he felt in her hands.
His jeans hung on his hips and he almost fell when he moved to step closer to her.
Cursing under his breath, he stepped back, kicked off his shoes, and freed his legs from the jeans.
It was too dark in the small room to see clearly. She quickly disposed of the rest of her clothing when she heard him remove his. Then he came back to her and pressed up against her, starting a kiss that deepened more than any she’d ever experienced before.
He took her left leg in his hand and pulled it up high until her knee was next to his chest, fully exposing all of her to him, and then he slid into her heat as they both moaned. Her leg wrapped around his hip, pulling him closer as he pushed her back up against the wall.
“Cass, I can’t…” he moaned breathlessly.
She dug her nails into his shoulders as his thrusts grew faster and harder. Her head fell back and her eyes closed to the wonder of it all. Their skin was slick with heat as the darkness veiled them, causing the feeling, tastes, and sounds to be heightened. She’d never experienced sensory overload until that moment.
His fingers traveled over her skin, pinching her nipples lightly. His lips ran over her neck, just below her ears, as he nibbled his way back to her earlobe.
When she felt herself losing control, she reached up and took his hair into her hands and pulled his mouth back to hers as she felt his final thrust.
A few minutes later, when she flipped on the light in the small closet, she tried not to laugh. It looked like a scene from a movie. Their clothes were thrown all over the small room. She found her underwear on the top shelf with several rolls of toilet paper. Her left shoe was in the empty mop bucket and her other one was wedged behind a broom.
“I didn’t know you could have so much fun in a broom closet.” He chuckled as he pulled on his shirt.
She smiled. “Neither did I. Maybe we should try out the supply closet upstairs sometime,” she said, pulling on her shoes while trying not to fall flat on her face.
He chuckled. “I’m game.”
Just then, they heard voices down the hall and stopped moving. She held her breath as she heard Wendy ta
lking to someone outside the doorway. Screaming was more like it.
“Are you stupid?” they heard her saying. “Or do you just want to get yourself killed?”
“Neither,” Cassey heard her brother Cole say. She didn’t know he was still there. After what Marcus had said, she’d expected Cole to be on a plane heading to Australia.
She put her finger over her lips and nodded to Luke, who was sitting on an overturned bucket, putting on his shoes.
“I thought you’d learned your lesson last time. I won’t cover for you again like that,” Wendy said.
“And I appreciate your help keeping my family from finding out, but I can handle this. Besides, I need the money to help Cass out.”
“Bullshit,” Wendy said. “You live for the danger. It’s a death wish.”
Cole chuckled. “I told you, it’s more dangerous coming around here all the time, eating those honey cookies of yours. A guy’s likely to get fat and lazy sticking in the same place for too long.”
“Then go,” Wendy yelled. “See if I care.” They heard her walk off.
“Wendy.” They heard Cole chase after her.
“I didn’t know they were a couple,” Luke said, standing up again.
Cassey spun around quickly. “What?” Then she laughed. “No, Cole and Wendy aren’t dating.” She almost felt like laughing again, but something held her back. The conversation they’d just overheard could have easily been interpreted as an argument between a couple, but she knew better. Her brother had a different woman on every beach he surfed.
“Really?” He smiled at her and started walking towards her. “They could have fooled me.”
She shook her head. “They fight more than my brothers do. Honestly, I don’t think Wendy can stand Cole. They tolerate each other for my sake. It’s a hate, hate relationship.” She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Like we used to have?” He smiled, then dipped his head down and placed a soft kiss on her lips.
Luke’s words played over and over in her mind for the rest of the day. She tried to concentrate on cleaning, but she just couldn’t shake what had happened during lunch.
She’d always been able to keep her feelings separate from her physical relationships. She’d always had a plan as far as relationships went. Keeping her heart safe had been the number one goal in her life. Why, then, was she starting to feel like her heart wasn’t listening to the goals she’d set for herself?
Luke was the son of her enemy, or so she kept telling herself. So far, he’d been there for her, physically and personally, but he just wasn’t the kind of man she saw herself falling for. For one, he was rich. She wasn’t a snob but she was realistic. He’d grown up with money, lots of money. He’d probably never experienced wanting for anything in his childhood. In all the stories he’d told her about his childhood, he’d never had to go long without getting what he wanted.
He’d lived in one of the nicest hotels, eaten at one of the most expensive restaurants, and gone to school at one of the most prestigious colleges around.
By the time everyone called it an evening, she’d talked herself out of having any feelings for Luke. It was for the best. He was out of her league.
When she locked up for the night, she took a second look around. First thing in the morning, the inspector would be there, deciding her fate.
The place had never looked as clean as it did now. Everything shined. Her brothers had helped her employees for most of the day, but after lunch, Cole had left to head to the airport and his surf trip. The news had gotten wind that he’d be surfing the storm waves and it was all over the television set by nightfall.
She hadn’t worried much until she stopped below one of the sets in the bar that was playing a piece about the storm, and she got her first real look at the waves her brother was flying halfway across the world to surf. Marcus walked up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders and whispered, “He’ll be fine.”
Still, she wished she would have said something else to Cole before he’d left. Maybe if she had yelled at him like Wendy had, he would have stayed.
She was standing at the top of the stairs, her hand on the railing, when Luke walked up the stairs towards her.
“Don’t worry. Everything is going to go smoothly tomorrow.” He smiled and took her hips into his hands.
She shook her head. “Actually, I was worrying about my brother.”
He tilted his head. “Cole?” When she nodded, he smiled. “That man is an ledgend. I’ve never seen a surfer who was born for the water like him, and I’ve seen some of the best. When I was in college, I took a summer off and went to Hawaii. Spent a few months bumming around the beaches, trying to find out what I wanted to do in life. Since I can’t surf, and I wasn’t a threat to the locals, I made friends easily.” He continued his story as he took her hand and walked the rest of the staircase towards her apartment. “Well, I bumped into Maka one day.” He stopped and she watched as a smile crossed his face, reaching all the way to his eyes.
“Maka? You mean—”
He nodded. “The best surfer ever. He holds more records in surfing than they have for surfing. Well, Maka decided to take me under his wing that summer.” He paused as she opened her door. “He told me that if I wanted to, I could be surfing like him by the end of the summer.” He shook his head. “I sat with him on the beach, and every day he would try to convince me to get in the water.” She turned just in time to see a sad look cross his face. Reaching over, she took his arm. He shook his head and sighed. “But because of what happened to Calvin…” He shook his head again. “Anyway, I watched surfers come and go, all trying to impress Maka, seeing if they could convince him to teach them. Maka would sit and point out what each surfer was doing wrong. Then your brother showed up with a group of surfers. He wasn’t there to impress the great Maka. Instead, he headed down the beach to a spot where the surfing wasn’t as good and enjoyed the water. Maka saw him down the way surfing and took my arm and said, “There, that one. He has a ka'i'ininokekai, water heart. He has the power to ride whatever wave he wants in life. Look how he stands, how he rides the waves like they are made just for him.”
“He said that about Cole?” She reached for his arm. Luke nodded.
“I left the next day after my father tracked me down and told me he’d signed me up for summer classes.” He shook his head. “Cole will be fine. He was the best surfer on the beach in Hawaii, and I’m sure he will be the best in Australia.”
She smiled up at him. “I know you’re right. Now all I have to worry about is the inspector tomorrow.”
He chuckled. “I have a few ideas to keep your mind off that.” He pulled her close and kissed her until she no longer worried about her brother or the inspector.
Chapter Twelve
Luke woke early the next morning. He could feel Cassey’s hair on his chest. Her sweet smell was surrounding him, making him wish that he didn’t have a million other things that he had to do that day instead of lying naked with her in bed all day.
When she started to move under his hands, he gently kissed her skin until she calmed down again. Then, as he slid into her, he heard her gasp and watched her eyes open and focus on him.
“Morning.” He smiled down at her, and she smiled back, wrapping her arms around him. He could get used to this. Being here with her. Waking up next to her, inside of her.
They went slow as the sun rose, and then, because they had taken a little too long in bed, they showered quickly. She grabbed a blueberry muffin and a Coke, rushed out of her apartment, and headed towards her office, where she had a few things to finish before the inspector was due.
He chose to sit outside and drink his coffee and nibble on his blueberry muffin over the morning paper.
He had several meetings today and planned to run back to Emerald Beach to finish that talk with his father. He hated to think that his old man was going to disinherit him, like he’d threatened to do, but he was determined to stick to his gu
ns this time.
When he left Cassey, she was downstairs wiping the bar for the millionth time. He knew the inspector wasn’t due to arrive for two more hours and wondered if she was going to make it that long, but then Wendy showed up and she seemed to relax a bit.
As he drove to his first meeting, he thought about last night. Just being with her again gave him the courage he needed to stand up to his father later that day. Imagining holding her made him realize he could get through the tough meeting.
The meeting with Marcus and the building inspector went very well, leaving him feeling even more lighthearted. On his drive towards Emerald Beach, he dialed Cassey’s cell phone.
When she answered, he heard a bunch of yelling in the background and got concerned until he realized it was cheering.
“Sounds like the meeting with the inspector went well.”
She laughed. “Better than well. We are all set to open our doors tomorrow.”
“That’s really great.” He smiled and turned his blinker on, moving over for a woman who was entirely too rushed to get somewhere. Since he’d installed the hands-free speakers a year ago, he’d always imagined he looked like a fool, talking to himself in the car as he drove along.
“Where are you?” she asked, and he could hear that she’d walked into a quiet room to talk to him.
“Heading to Emerald Beach. He’s my father. I just couldn’t leave things the way they were the other night.”
The line was quiet for a while. “I hope things go well with your dad.” He heard the sensitivity in her voice and wondered what he’d done to be blessed with knowing someone who cared so much. Even when his father was hell-bent on destroying her, she still cared that he could make it right with the man.
“Thanks.”
“I know it may not help, but I think he loves you very much.”
Luke didn’t say anything for a while. “Thanks. I might have to stay the night here. My mom is back from Paris today, and I know she’ll want me to stay the night.” He could just imagine her biting her bottom lip with this news. “I wish I could be there to hold you right now,” he said softly.
