Star Kissed: A Crane Series Romance

by Nancy Warren

  “Oh, for God’s sake. Why don’t the pair of you pull your dicks out and have a pissing contest. Just get it over with.”

  He was so surprised to hear Jen talk that way that he dropped his hand and turned to stare at her. He might have thought she’d picked up her coarse habit of speech from Crane except that he was across the desk with his mouth hanging open in identical shock.

  “Now that I have the floor, maybe we can talk business for a minute. How are you doing with the accounting systems?” She fixed Mark with a look that said, behave, or you’ll be sorry. She ignored Cam completely, and her new boyfriend didn’t say a word.

  “I’ve done all the training necessary here and I’ve got everything I need,” he said stiffly. “The rest I can do from home.”

  In fact, he’d planned to write a report and spend a couple more days making sure everyone he’d trained was up to speed. But now that Crane was back he felt no great desire to hang around. Especially if Bron wasn’t going to be here. What Jen had coaxed out of him was the fact that he was done. He didn’t need to stay here any longer. He’d always loved how smart Jen was. He’d finish up today and then instead of heading home take a holiday himself. Hell, it had been in the back of his mind from the beginning.

  He nodded. “I’ve got everything I need. I’ll finish up and head out.”

  “Great. I’ll email you with any questions,” Jen said.

  “I’ll be out of touch for a couple of weeks. I think I’ll do some sightseeing while I’m here.”

  To give him credit, Crane wasn’t as stupid as he appeared. “You hurt my sister, and you’ll be sorry you were born.”

  Mark leaned in until they were nose to nose with the desk between them. “You hurt Jennifer, and you’ll be sorry you were born.” Then, because he wanted to, and because it would annoy Crane, he turned and kissed Jen. Right on the mouth. “You take care.”

  “Good luck,” she said softly.

  “You, too.”

  Why she’d choose an ape like Crane over him, he’d never know, but she had and was obviously happy. And she’d done them both a favor, he now realized. All he had to do was figure out what would make him happy. He had a few ideas.

  Bron shoved her beach thongs on top of a silk halter top, and didn’t even pause to rearrange them. She didn’t care what ended up where in her bags, what got gunked with sand, creased, or ruined. She didn’t even care what she left behind, so long as she could get out of here. She heard the front door slam and cursed, ramming the thongs down hard enough that she could close the bag. She’d get everything else later, when Mark was out of the country. Right now she was on a self-imposed stress leave. That was a term a Yank like Mark would like. Stress bloody leave. After a short but shattering interview with Cam, she’d actually quit her job, something she had never done before. She was just so mad she didn’t care.

  Cam could blaze with the best of them, but just as she’d reached his office door he’d yelled, “Don’t be daft. Take a couple of weeks off. Have a holiday.”

  She hadn’t even acknowledged he’d spoken, but by the time she’d tidied her desk, made a couple of phone calls that had to be made or the company would suffer, and picked up her bag, he still hadn’t come to grovel. Which was annoying because she was ready to accept his apology, and even admit she’d been partly wrong. Not for sleeping with Mark of course, or with anyone else she felt like, but because she’d moved into the corporate house even though she knew Cam would have a fit if she’d asked. But Cam didn’t come to grovel sufficiently that she felt she could apologize, so she sucked in a breath and walked with her head as high as she could get it to the front door.

  “Have a good holiday,” Fiona said casually, even though her eyes were shining with all the pent-up excellent gossip she’d stored today. She should be good for years on today’s fiasco.

  “Thanks.”

  “Here’s your holiday pay.” Fi handed her an envelope. Her brows rose, but the receptionist shrugged.

  “Never turn down free money.”

  Good advice if she’d ever heard any, especially as she was currently skint: semi-unemployed and homeless. The envelope was still in her bag, unopened. If she cashed it, she’d do something stupid. What she needed to do was get a new place. And some new attitudes. And no more men.

  “Bronwyn?”

  Why hadn’t he given her enough time to get clear of the place? Even as her foolish heart leapt like a hooked fish, she scowled. Couldn’t the man have worked to the end of the day like anyone else? If only to give her time to get her stuff out. She bumped one of her big canvas bags against her thigh as she limped her way out of her room. She got to the top of the stairs and found Mark at the bottom staring up at her in a way that made her heart flip over just as it had the first time she’d seen him. It wasn’t fair. How could he do that to her? She said the first waspish thing she could think of.

  “Why aren’t you with Jennifer?”

  “Jennifer Talbot?”

  “No. Jennifer Lopez.” A beat passed, and she felt him looking at her in a way he never had before. “Jen’s with your brother, Cameron.”

  She snorted. “Does Cam know she was hugging you in the office?”

  Mark didn’t argue or deny or even look guilty. He smiled up at her. She wasn’t sure if he was stupid, crook, or amoral. All three probably. “It was kind of a goodbye hug.” She continued to stare down at him. He continued to stare up. “I hear you’re going on holiday.”

  “That’s right. I’m packing for Paris as we speak.”

  Mark slipped a folder out of his briefcase. “How about the Whitsundays?”

  There was no doubt that the white folder looked like it came from a travel agent, but why would he be flashing it at her? Since she didn’t know the correct answer, she kept silent.

  “Do you think you could come down? Or maybe I could come up? I’m getting a crick in my neck.”

  She sat down and pushed her bag out of the way. Mark sprinted up the steps and sat beside her. Too late she realized she’d have been better to go down. By making him come to her, she’d ended up wedged against the wall of the landing, with his hip warm against hers and the familiar feel of his thigh and the brush of his shirt against her arm. She wanted to throw herself in his arms and weep. Instead, she sat stiffly and pretended great interest in her manicure.

  “Bronwyn, will you go to the Whitsunday Islands and spend your holiday with me?”

  “I thought you were dumping me because I’m Cam’s sister.”

  “I want to start over. I was stupid, foolish, misguided—”

  “Tactless,” she added, happy to help him abase himself before her.

  “Definitely tactless,” he agreed. “And you were . . . amazing. I came over here bruised and angry and really believed I only wanted to have fun; party and bed a different woman every night. And then I met you. And even when I tried, when we went out together, I didn’t want any other women. I only wanted you.”

  “Really?”

  He took one of her hands in his and she liked the warm current that passed between them. He kissed her knuckles, and she liked the soft brush of his lips and the tiny scrape of whisker as his chin hit.

  “You were right. I think deep in my head I thought I wanted Jen back, but when I saw her today, all I could think about was you. I can see that she’s happy. No idea why. What she sees in that hairy brute is a mystery to me.” A giggle from beside him reminded him this was her brother he was talking about.

  “Me, too,” she agreed.

  “So you’re saying you don’t love her anymore?”

  “I’ll tell you what I told Jen. A little part of me will always love her. She’s terrific. But she’s not for me, and I’m not for her. I guess we were together so long we stopped realizing that we were friends more than lovers and destined to be better colleagues than spouses.”

  “Crikey. You worked all that out today?”

  “I think I’ve known it for a while. I didn’t want to face it.
”

  “So now what?”

  “I think your brother’s an ass, you think your brother’s an ass, let’s say to hell with him, and take a holiday. I want some time to enjoy you and get to know you.”

  “You’re not going to try and score with other women when you’re with me?”

  He winced. “How could I have acted like such a jerk? No. I promise.”

  “Well, okay. Then I won’t have to tell my friends you’re gay.”

  He stiffened alarmingly. “I thought I heard something about deficient equipment.”

  “That was at the office.”

  “I see. So you told your friends I was gay and your colleagues I was sexually deficient. Anything else?”

  “I might have mentioned Viagra.”

  “Okay, that’s it.” He hauled her to her feet so fast she squeaked.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Obviously, I have to remind you that I’m not gay, all my impressive parts work, and medication will not be required.”

  “You’re not mad?”

  He shoved a shoulder into her belly so fast the air oofed out of her and hoisted her over his shoulder. “I am extremely mad. And you are about to be punished.”

  She sighed with pleasure, hanging on upside down to his waist as he walked her to his bedroom.

  “The Whitsunday Islands are near the Great Barrier Reef,” she said to his swaying butt. Nice butt. “We can go snorkeling and diving and see all sorts of things.”

  “The only thing you’re likely to see is the ceiling of our hotel room,” he warned her as he tossed her to the bed.

  Chapter 9

  After he’d treated her like a disposable toothbrush for the first couple of weeks of their acquaintance, and she’d still fallen for him, Bron was helpless to resist Mark when he treated her like the most important woman in the world. They flew to Brisbane and then changed to a smaller plane which took them to Hamilton Island, where a motor yacht ferried them to their island. She’d been to the reef once on a scuba trip, but she’d never been to the scatter of tropical islands that edged the Great Barrier Reef.

  While uniformed waiters served them champagne and hors d’oeuvres, the sea sparkled around them and ahead she spied a half-moon of the whitest sand she’d ever seen. The resort was populated with young, well-to-do couples, and there were few children. The entire place was geared to romance and hedonism. She’d never stayed at a resort as swish and dreamy as this one. Perfect. Except that they seemed to be the only pair who weren’t newlyweds.

  “Are you honeymooners, love?” asked the woman handing out towels by the pool.

  “Not yet,” Bron said bitchily.

  “We’re still practicing.”

  And practice they did, but still it seemed they couldn’t get enough of each other. Funny, tender, uncomfortably contorted or slow and easy, it didn’t matter. She couldn’t get her fill of him and Mark, it seemed, couldn’t get enough of her. He’d said nothing about going out to the reef, so she decided to surprise him with tickets. After a dinner of fresh seafood they’d sat out and listened to the waves for hours, talking about everything from the politics of their two countries to first boyfriends and girlfriends to sports they’d excelled in and trophies they’d won, should have won, or lost ignominiously.

  “Hey,” she said when there was a lull, “I bought us a present today.”

  He glanced at her with a gleam in his eye she knew well. “Did it come from the sex shop?” There was a well-stocked one in the main building, but so far they hadn’t felt the need for any extra excitement.

  “No,” she said, and handed him the envelope. The excited gleam in his eyes died when he read the tickets and the brochure she’d included.

  “Great,” he said with enthusiasm so false she wished she’d discussed it with him first and hadn’t surprised him.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked. “Did you once have a near-death experience with a sea turtle?”

  “No.”

  “Allergic to coral?”

  “No. But it’s nice to know you’re still using your gifted imagination to make me look foolish.”

  “Scared of sharks.”

  “N—” His eyes widened. “There are sharks out there? People pay to snorkel in shark-infested waters?”

  She snickered. “If you worried about everything in our waters that can kill you, you’d never dip a toe in.”

  “I get seasick,” he admitted as though it were a shameful secret.

  “Oh, that’s nothing to worry about. They hand out Dramamine and sick bags when you get on the boat.”

  He swallowed. “This is not inspiring me with greater confidence.”

  “Come on,” she coaxed. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

  “So was my appendectomy.”

  Of course, he went in the end. And while he didn’t get sick, he did snore for most of the way after liberally dosing himself with Dramamine. Bron stuck with a ginger pill, since she had a strong stomach anyway. And oh, wasn’t it worth every minute on the open ocean to share that experience with him. The boat docked to a metal platform that floated in what appeared to be the middle of the ocean. There was no land visible anywhere, only a chop of waves at the reef.

  Once she had Mark awake, he seemed quite eager so they suited up with face masks, snorkels, and flippers, and from the first moment they dipped their faces in, it was as though they’d been transported to another world. Giant clams, their gaping mouths proudly displaying vivid red, green, and purple centers, giant sea turtles, quietly going about their business, mostly oblivious to those watching them, and fish of every color and description. They held hands as they darted here and there pointing sights out to each other, pulling in this direction then that.

  After hours of snorkeling, they took a break for the lunch the crew put together on the pontooned raft, and then reboarded the launch back to their island resort. Mark, she couldn’t help but note, was too busy reliving their adventure to remember his Dramamine pill, and since the return ride was fairly smooth, he made it home fine.

  “Snorkeling makes me horny,” he told her as he pushed her into the room on their return.

  Since she’d been thinking more of a hot shower and dinner, she rolled her gaze. “Everything makes you horny.”

  “Only when you’re around.”

  “I can’t believe it’s our last day,” she said.

  Her wail was supposed to be theatrical, but underneath it was the knowledge that when this holiday was over, so was the best affair she’d ever had. Mark would be going back across the world to San Francisco. Sure, she consoled herself, she’d see him the odd time. He’d still consult for Crane. Maybe she could convince Cam to send her over on a research mission. They could snatch a few weekends together. But it wouldn’t be the same.

  Refusing to hurt, or at least to let him see how much she hurt, she said brightly, “What do you want to do for our last day?”

  “Make love to you.”

  She giggled, but it had a wistful sound. “That’s what we did yesterday.”

  “And the day before.”

  “And the day before that.”

  “Is there something you’d rather do?” he asked politely.

  She gazed across at him, with a dab of shaving cream still sticking to his chin, a towel wrapped around his tropically tanned shoulders, and a pair of plaid boxer shorts. The whole package made her liquid. She grabbed the hem of her cotton sundress and stripped. It was all the answer he needed.

  “We’ve only got an hour until the boat leaves,” she said sometime later.

  “Mmmm.” And he nuzzled her belly and nibbled his way to her hipbone.

  “Mark,” she said later, waking from a deep and comforting sleep.

  “Mark!”

  “What?” he mumbled.

  “That’s the boat whistle. We aren’t even packed.” She began pushing at limbs that seemed to twine about her like enormous choking vines.

  “Coming in or
going out?” he said with maddening calm.

  “I don’t know. Wake up.”

  “We’re probably too late,” he said, using precious remaining seconds to kiss her breast. “I love your breasts,” he murmured.

  “Do you have sunstroke or something? The boat is going to go without us.”

  “Yes,” he agreed. “It is.” The man was beyond sunstroke. He was certifiably insane.

  “Don’t you even care?”

  “Not particularly. I like it here.” She felt his forehead for fever, but he pulled it away and kissed her palm.

  “You can come here again,” she assured him, wondering if maybe it was something he’d eaten.

  “I want to spend my honeymoon here,” he added, going back to her breasts.

  “Well, you wouldn’t be alone.”

  “I want to spend my honeymoon here next week,” he explained further, moving from her left breast to her right. “You know, I’m sure each of your nipples tastes slightly different, but I can never work out why.”

  “What?” she shrieked.

  “Your breasts. I think they taste different.”

  She smacked his shoulder. “Not that part, the other part.”

  He raised his head, and the expression in his eyes caused her heart to stutter. “They have a chaplain on call, and the wedding chapel has some openings. We can get married today.”

  “Why would you want to marry me?” she asked, trying hard not to sound like she was about to bawl her eyes out.

  “Because I love you.”

  “But I’m completely hopeless. I’m terrible with money, and I get chucked out of flats, and make fools of people at the office, I’m not smart and smooth like Jennifer Talbot.”

  “You’re funny, and sexy, and wildly creative, and I love you.”

  “Oh.” She sniffed. She did not cry over men, she reminded herself. Okay, she could be catching a cold. One sniff did not a sob make.