by Jill Sanders
“Bout time,” he said when he recovered. “Dude, it’s been on your face since she stepped off the boat.” Ben shook his head. “Kind of like how I felt about Sarah.” His smile grew. “One look at her”—his voice rose slightly— “and I fell at her feet.”
“Passed out, you mean,” Sarah said with a chuckle.
He’d heard the story many times of how Ben had arrived at the resort to assess Sarah for her long-lost grandfather, who owned the place and was ready to hand it and Elite Resorts International, his other business, over to his only grandchild. Ben had been fighting the flu and had passed out cold at Sarah’s feet.
“Get new jokes,” Bella said, rolling her eyes.
“We do. We have you living in town now,” Ben said, walking over and kissing his sister’s forehead. Then his smile fell away. “Don’t scare us like this again.”
“The security system is in place now.” She hugged her brother, then kissed each of her nieces. “Thanks for helping today.”
“Any time,” Ben added and took a sleepy child from Bella.
They watched them drive away, then he shut and locked the door and walked over to the security panel.
He showed her the system. “Here’s the code.” He punched it in, and the system turned green. It showed all the windows and doors in the house as green dots on a flat screen. “We can go over it in more detail tomorrow, but for now…” He turned to her and took her mouth. He’d been starved for the taste of her again.
“Do you have a full week off from work?” she asked with a sigh.
“Yes.” He smiled down at her.
“Good.” She sidestepped him and walked over to the countertop. “Then you can go with me to LA on Friday.”
His steps faltered as he made his way towards her. “Friday?” he asked, suddenly remembering that she’d mentioned she had commitments at the end of the week.
“Yes, I have this gala I’m…” she started to say, moving around the island as he stalked her. He laughed and half chased her as she tried to finish talking. “I’m supposed to…” She raced out of his hold with a giggle. “Black tie…”
He wasn’t paying much attention, and when he finally caught her, he pulled her up to sit on the edge of the counter and he kissed her. Her legs wrapped around him as his hands traveled up her silky-smooth legs to find her wet under her panties.
“My god,” he groaned, needing to feel more of her. “I don’t think I can wait,” he said against her neck.
“No, don’t.” She urged him on.
He bent down as pulled the skirt up high over her thighs. He had a moment to register soft white lace before he pulled it aside and laid his mouth over her pussy, licking and kissing her until her knees tightened on his shoulders. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders as he slid a finger into her heat.
“Calvin,” she cried out as she arched for him.
She tasted so good that he didn’t think he could ever get his fill of her.
“That’s it, come for me, Bella,” he urged her as his hand traveled higher under the dress and gripped her hips.
“Calvin, I can’t… please…” she begged him.
She tugged and pulled him until he stood between her legs, using his thighs to spread her legs wider. He pulled on a condom and slid slowly into her.
“I love you, Bella,” he said as he kissed her.
She smiled at him and then held on as he showed her exactly what she did to him.
When he carried her upstairs a few minutes later, she was lax in his arms and humming a song.
“That’s nice,” he said as he laid her on the bed and helped her out of the dress. “What’s it called?”
She stilled and then laughed. “Leave it to me to date a man who doesn’t know my number-one hit.”
He flushed and avoided her eyes. “I…” he started to say, but she stopped him.
“No, don’t. It’s okay.” She smiled. “I don’t expect everyone to listen to my songs.” She pulled off the dress and tossed it aside.
He picked it off the floor and hung it in the closet, then double-checked the sliding doors. He pulled the blinds shut as she pulled on one of his T-shirts and her sleeping shorts, the really small ones he liked with the hearts and flowers. His eyes moved back up to hers when he realized she’d been saying something.
“Sorry, what?” He shook his head clear of the image of him taking her again. Peeling off those shorts and…
“Earth to Calvin.” She snapped her fingers and laughed.
“Sorry, I just have to…” He picked her up and kissed her. She wrapped her legs around his hips and held on as he pressed his hard-on against her core. God, he wanted her again. He would always want her again.
He laid her down on the edge of the bed, and she began to move under him, and he knew that there wouldn’t be a time he didn’t want her as much as he did now.
When he pulled the comforter over them both, they were both still naked.
“Is that how you’re going to distract me from talking about my work each time?” She giggled against his chest.
He sighed. “Sorry, you were just very distracting in that dress today. Then it was those shorts…” He closed his eyes, trying to will his body to shut down instead of heat up for her again.
He felt her sigh as she ran her fingertips over his chest in little patterns.
“So, you’ll go with me to LA on Friday?” she asked.
He thought about it, then nodded. “What kind of gala did you say this was?”
“Black tie.” She leaned up and looked down at him. “You’ll need a tux,” she said with a frown.
“I’ve got one. I need it sometimes for work.”
“Right.” She rested her chin on her fist, which rested in the middle of his chest. “Good.”
“How long do we have to be out there?”
“You? As long as you want before you have to go back to work. Me?” She frowned. “Maggie texted me that my last commitment will end in September.” She frowned. “Which means, I won’t be able to move out here until fall.”
He sat up a little, pulling her with him. “September?” He frowned.
She nodded and laid her head against his chest. “You won’t change your mind about this, about us, if I’m away for two months, will you?”
He shook his head. “That’s not what I’m worried about,” he explained, thinking about the crazy person or persons that had it out for her.
She glanced up at him. “If Michael and everyone in Hollywood sees you and I together…”
“You think he’ll stop?” he asked. He doubted it but didn’t want to keep her up all night. Instead, he pulled her back down and held her against his chest.
“I can only hope,” she said with a yawn.
“I’ll arrange our flights tomorrow,” he replied and listened as she fell asleep. Nothing would change his mind about wanting her right where she was. He was a better person with her around. A complete person. She was the only family he needed.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Calvin filled the following day with fun things and some local events. They went blueberry picking in the morning across the county line at a farm they purchased local produce from. Then he took her to a small winery for lunch and a wine tasting event.
Then he took her out in the sailboat again. This time, he opened the sail while she stood at the helm and steered into the sunset. She realized once he threw the anchor down in the middle of a small inlet that she hadn’t gotten woozy even once.
He’d packed snacks. Not as elaborate as the ones Adam had brought that first trip, but still, the cheese and crackers with fresh fruit were perfect with the bottle of wine he’d purchased from the winery earlier.
As they started heading back to the docks around sunset, she realized that she could get used to being spoiled by him.
She helped him secure the sailboat and even helped him clean it before heading into town for dinner.
As with each time she moved around town,
she ran into people she knew. This time, it was a couple of school friends that had gone to Brighton.
She tried to discourage them from taking up too much of her time, since she wanted to enjoy a quiet dinner with Calvin, but he’d been pulled in the opposite direction when he ran into a few co-workers. She found herself at the bar talking to Robin and Cindy, two of her closest friends from school, while Calvin stood at the other end of the bar talking to two guys she’d seen at the resort.
Her eyes kept darting up to him, across the bar, and each time their eyes would connect, she’d smile at him. He would give her these sexy looks that had her knees growing weak.
By the time their name was called for a table, he had found his way over to her. She quickly introduced him to her friends before they sat down in a booth near the back wall.
“Is this place always this crazy?” she asked when they were alone.
“No, they have a school reunion this weekend at the high school. I think a lot of these people are in town for that,” Calvin answered.
After ordering a bottle of wine, they ordered dinner and talked about their days in school. Calvin seemed really interested in her time at Brighton. He told her that Ben had enjoyed his two years working there as dean when she’d been attending classes. Bella knew that once they’d had the girls, he had decided he needed more time at home. Besides, running both businesses was plenty enough for them to handle while chasing two little ones.
“So, are you nervous about the interview tomorrow?” he asked shortly after their food was delivered.
She set her fork down and frowned. “I wasn’t until you mentioned it.”
When she noticed the frown spread on his lips, she laughed and picked up her fork again. “Relax.” She chuckled. “I was just joking.” He looked slightly relieved. “Not really. I’ve done enough interviews over the past few years that it’s like flying now. You always have some nerves, but at this point, I can work through them.”
He nodded. “I’ll wager that this interview is a little different than any you’ve done in the past.”
“True.” She glanced around the room as she thought of the possible questions that would be thrown at her. Her eyes fell on a dark-haired man at the end of the bar who was staring at her. She felt a shiver race up her spine as he lifted a beer and saluted her. It wasn’t the move so much, but the look he was giving her that had her turning her back on the man and focusing on Calvin as he talked about all the preparations for the interview.
By the following morning, she felt the butterflies in her stomach as she sat across from a row of cameras. It was easily one of the most nerve-wracking things Bella had ever had to do. She assumed because this mattered more than all the other interviews. She’d taken almost a full hour in makeup and had spent about that same amount of time picking out the right outfit for the interview.
They’d decided to set up the shoot outside on the wide back porch that overlooked the sound and green yard of the resort, and Calvin stood against the railing.
When the cameras started, a few lighthearted questions were tossed at her. Maggie had given her several talking points to discuss, things like her upcoming album and events she would be attending that weekend.
As she talked about these simple things, she relaxed and almost forgot why they were there in the first place. Then the questions started coming at her about Michael Himes. She tried not to show the tension as it crept into her, but when the reporter straight up asked her if she was stalking him, she had to take several breaths before answering.
“My commitments with Mr. Himes were nothing but professional. I agreed to go with him to the opening of Rivers Crossing to promote “Someday Hope,” which had been selected for the soundtrack. I’m very thankful to the director and his team for choosing my number-one hit to represent their movie.” She smiled and tried to represent ease in her demeanor. “However, the facts are, I have never pursued a personal relationship with Mr. Himes and have warded off any advances he has made towards me. Unfortunately, because of some recent… trouble that has befallen me, my agent and the good people at the Silver Cove police force have all agreed that it was best for me to put out a restraining order on Mr. Himes.”
“So, you did put a restraining order on Michael Himes?” the reporter asked.
“Yes.”
“Can you tell us more about what events you’re talking about that led you to such drastic measures?”
“My apartment in LA was broken into, then my rooms here at the resort were destroyed. I’ve even had credible threatening messages left on—”
“By Mr. Himes himself?” the woman broke in and asked, looking a little put back.
“They were sent from a burner phone. The police are looking into—”
“So, you have no proof they were sent by Michael Himes?”
“No,” she answered with a slight smile. “The police seem to think—”
The woman’s eyebrows shot up. “They said the threats and the break-ins were Michael Himes?”
“N-no,” she stuttered as she took a deep breath, trying to calm her heart rate down. “They are still looking into where the threats have come from. My agent believed it was the best course of action after his latest lie-riddled interview.”
The reporter tilted her head slightly as her eyes moved past Bella to land on Calvin. “I see that your mystery man, who we now know is Calvin Winters, is here. Is it true that he works for your brother’s business, East Haven Resorts? The place in which you are staying?”
“Yes.” She smiled over at Calvin; he was frowning at the back of the reporter’s head since she’d turned back towards Bella. “Calvin is an old friend of the family.”
“And you were aware of his dark past?” The woman’s smile turned sinister.
“I am. No child should ever have to lose a family member to a psychopath. The fact that his five-year-old sister was snatched from her own yard while his parents weren’t home is devastating.” She straightened her shoulders. “No child should ever be blamed for matters that were out of their hands.”
“So, you know that at one point, Calvin was dragged down to the police station and questioned as a suspect?”
Bella’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, I believe the police were just doing their job and trying to find Kelly Winters. Unfortunately, Calvin was twelve at the time. Even their parents were questioned, and they had been having lunch at their country club when Kelly was snatched. The real killer, Elijah Adams, is spending life behind bars thanks to DNA found at the scene. The man had been hired by Calvin’s parents to paint Kelly’s room. He’d stalked the little girl and chose a time when she was most vulnerable. It’s unfortunate.” Her eyes moved over to Calvin’s. “The man left the family shattered and broken in more ways than one.”
The woman shifted some papers in her hands and cleared her throat, and Bella could tell that she was growing agitated that the line of questioning hadn’t resulted in the drama she’d hoped for.
From there, the questions returned to her music and if she’d be returning to Hollywood.
After the cameras were shut off, the reporter thanked her, and Bella stood back as everything was put away and carted towards the ferry.
“That was intense,” Calvin said, running his hands up and down her arms.
“I’m sorry about the personal questions about you. I should have warned you that I thought it was a possibility,” Bella said to him.
He smiled down at her. “I figured it could be, with me standing five feet away.”
“Do you think that will send a clear message to Michael?” she asked as the ferry left the docks.
“If not, I don’t know what else could.” He sighed before leaning down and kissing her.
Two days later, they stepped off the plane in LA. The entire trip was less nerve-racking with Calvin by her side. Somehow, everything she did with him was easier and more fun. The long plane ride seemed to fly by quickly, as opposed to the one she’d taken out to Maine by herself l
ess than three weeks ago.
As they waited for their luggage to arrive, a swarm of reporters flooded around them, screaming questions at them. It took two security guards to clear a path so they could finally get their luggage and head towards the doors to catch a ride to her apartment.
Then one question thrown at them made her stop and turn towards the group.
“What are your thoughts about Michael Himes lawsuit against you?” someone shouted at her.
“Sorry?” she asked the male reporter who’d shoved a microphone in her face. “What lawsuit?”
“You didn’t know about the legal action the award-winning director has threatened to file against you for defamation?” the man asked.
“No,” she answered and turned to push their way to the string of waiting taxis.
When they were in a car, heading towards her place, she pulled out her cell phone and called Maggie.
“What’s this about Michael suing me?” she asked when her agent answered the phone.
“What?” Maggie asked. “When?”
“I don’t know. Apparently, the press already knows about it.” She leaned her head back and closed her eyes.
“I’ll call you back,” Maggie said before hanging up.
“You okay?” Calvin asked.
“How can he sue me?” She groaned.
“Hey, whatever it is, we’ll deal with it.” He had taken her hands in his and was rubbing his thumb over the insides of her palm.
“I know, it’s just… why can’t the man leave me alone?”
“Good question. I may just have to have a one on one with the man.”
“Don’t you dare.” She sat up and turned towards him. “That’s all we need is you getting into a fistfight with him. Can you imagine the lawsuit then?”
He chuckled. “I wouldn’t…” Then his eyebrows shot up slowly. “Okay, maybe I would.” He laughed and kissed her. “For you, I’m willing to overlook it.”
“Thanks.” She rolled her eyes.
By the time the taxi arrived at her apartment complex, she was exhausted and thankful the event wasn’t until tomorrow night.
