by Mika Jolie
“They will figure it out,” Jason whispered behind her. “Claire is a wildflower, Forrest is a local. His heart is here on The Vineyard.”
“It doesn’t bother you?”
He ran a hand through his hair away from his face. “I want them to be happy, whether together or apart.”
“Oh, I thought…”
Realization dawned over his attractive features. “Ah! Claire is as close to a sister to me as those guys are brothers, nothing more. She and I grew up in the same house. My father helped raise her. Her mother oversees my father’s house in Chappaquiddick,” he explained. His voice held warmth as he spoke of his childhood.
There was so much of Jason she didn’t know. If she dared, she could see a younger version of him with sun-bleached blond hair running around with Claire. Hints of jealousy stirred inside her, knowing the other woman knew a part of him she would never know.
Be careful, Minka, you’re getting ahead of yourself.
“I only want you, Minka.”
The words caressed her, making her feel lightheaded. She knew they were temporary with no true substance. But instead of running away from the unknown, she welcomed it. When he reached to brush his hand over the thin shoulder strap of her dress, she smiled. When he brushed his lips against where his fingers had been, she buried her hand in his hair and pulled him closer.
“There’s no holding back tonight, darling,” he whispered against her neck. “Are you sure you’re ready for me?”
Already breathless, her body trembled in anticipation. “I’m ready.”
* * * *
The buzzing sound of her alarm forced Minka to open her eyes. In a daze, she reached for the phone.
6:00. Go run, the letters flashed on the screen.
She hit the snooze button.
“What’s that?” Jason mumbled in obvious half-sleep next to her.
“My alarm. Sorry.”
“You have somewhere to be?”
She lay back against his warmth. “No.” And closed her eyes.
What seemed like two seconds later, but actually fifteen minutes had passed, the phone vibrated again.
6:15. Seriously fatty, go run.
This time with her eyes barely open, she reached and turned off the alarm.
“What’s so important?” Jason mumbled.
“Nothing. Sorry.”
“Come here.”
He pulled her against him and Minka swore no exercise could feel better than this. She nestled into him and closed her eyes only to wake up once more to the freaking alarm. By this point she wanted to smash the damn phone. She grabbed it to turn it off but couldn’t avoid the words that greeted her.
6:30. Fine. Be fat forever. She chewed her bottom lip, assessing the situation. Leave Jason and go for a run that would probably last about ten minutes or stay in the warmth of his arms and burn some calories later. Yeah, the latter was much more appealing.
Jason finally opened his eyes. “Are you sure you don’t have to be somewhere with Keely?”
“Just my exercise alarm.”
His eyes twinkled. “I have some ideas about how we can burn some calories later.”
That was good enough for her and she slipped back into his arms.
When Minka again opened her eyes, Jason’s side of the bed was empty. The bright morning sun hit her face and she winced as she forced her body out of bed.
Twenty minutes later, she entered the kitchen and had to do a double take as the man who stood in the middle of the room looked nothing like the Jason she had become accustomed to. Gone were the worn jeans and T-shirt. Instead he was dressed in a slim, fitted, gray wool suit with a sky blue shirt. His long blond hair was slicked away from his face and his barely tamed beard appeared to have been slightly trimmed. A sudden urge to touch him overcame her.
He greeted her with a smile and moved closer to her. His hands squeezed her hips and gently pulled their bodies together. Minka wrapped her arms around his neck and faced Jason head-on, accepting his summons. Her eyes zoomed to his lips. Her head twirled and heat radiated between them.
He pressed his lips to hers and Minka’s brain shut down. The pure ecstasy of his lips against hers overcame her entire body. One of his hands slowly caressed the back of her neck under her hair. She pulled away ever so slightly to breathe, trying not to show just how vulnerable he made her. But each intake of breath was another reminder of what was really happening, his cologne, and the way his hands entangled in her hair. He consumed her.
“Bonjour,” he greeted against her lips.
She smiled, loving the way the French word made her feel. “I don’t speak French.”
“I can teach you.”
“I’ve heard it’s difficult.”
He shook his head. “It takes time to learn.”
“I have this week and next.”
“Then we’d better start with a French kiss,” he said before pressing his lips against hers with a more urgent pace.
When he finally released her, he reached over and handed her a plate of fresh fruit with two slices of toast. “I made you breakfast.”
Still a little shaken by his transformation, she found herself speechless. She took the plate and whispered a soft, “Thank you.”
“I have a meeting with my father in Falmouth this morning,” he said to her. “I figure I’ll drop you off first then head over to the port. The yacht is waiting there.”
Minka nodded. She knew that Falmouth was on the tip of Massachusetts, just outside of Woods Hole where she caught the ferry. A boat was needed to get off the island to get to the other side.
“I can always call a car service,” she offered, not wanting to cause him any delay.
“Nonsense, it’s on the way.”
She cast him a doubting look and he laughed a soft, rich laughter.
“Our family boat is docked in town on the pier,” he explained. “Besides, my lovely Minka, that will give me a few more minutes with you.” Familiar heat burned between her legs. The way he said her name was so sexy. “And I’ll pick you up for dinner tonight.”
Dinner. That meant another date. She couldn’t think. Not when he was speaking to her that way, not when he was making plans to see her again, not when he was watching her so closely and standing so near with all of his lean muscles camouflaged in the expensive suit. She didn’t think it was possible, but the suit amped his sexiness level over the Richter scale. So she just nodded. Nodded in fear that if she spoke her voice would betray her and show how much his presence affected her, how much he had taken from her at least physically. No, she couldn’t and wouldn’t speak. She was still in awe that this man was showing interest in her.
* * * *
One hour later, Jason sat on the boat, hoping the smooth rhythm of the ocean would shake off some of the tension vibrating in his body. He exhaled and checked his watch. Fifteen more minutes before they docked.
He should have had sex with Minka before he left and relieved some of the frustration bottled inside of him. Hell, he shouldn’t be on the yacht in a fucking suit heading to Falmouth. Jason swore under his breath. He should have told the old man to go to hell as he had done five years ago. Digging up the past was not his idea of passing time. All ties had been severed and that suited him just fine. Leave things as they were, live for the moment and life to the fullest. That was his new motto and he intended to stick to it. Why unearth bad memories? Sure, he still harbored a certain level of resentment but, give or take ten more years, even that would fade. Time had a funny way of healing the soul.
After his mother’s death, he had gone on a mission to self-destruct and purchased a one-way ticket to hell. As it turned out, even hell didn’t want him. He lived a life of adrenaline, booze, and women. Fast and hard, angry at the world, so much so even his friends at times didn’t want to be around him. He’d partied too hard, drank too much, even gotten stoned a few times with people he couldn’t recall. As for the women, well, somewhere along the line he’d lost count
. As one of the Montgomery boys, they’d all wanted a piece of him and he had given, expecting nothing in return. There were instances when he’d stumbled out of bed with two naked women fast asleep next to him and he couldn’t remember what the hell had happened. He searched his mind for some of their names, but even their faces were now a blurry memory.
The mission to self-destruct went on for quite a while until the three men and the woman he viewed as an extended family performed an intervention.
“You’re going to die by your twenty-seventh birthday,” Adam had said with disgust.
“Dying will not bring your mother back,” Blake had chimed in.
“You’re the closest thing I have to a brother, Jason. So stop acting like an asshole,” Claire had said in a shaky voice.
“Listen, man, we care about you,” Forrest had said in a controlled voice, “but in the end, you have to want to stop killing yourself. The five of us, we are a unit. But we don’t want any part of the person you are becoming.”
That day they pulled him from submerging in his sorrow. He and Adam purchased a run- down space and turned it into one of the trendiest bars in Edgartown. His inn was booming and was now one of the hottest places to stay on The Vineyard and he was almost done refurbishing his mother’s battered house.
Only the last few days, he had been distracted by thoughts of Minka.
Shy, reserved Minka, with the sad smile. Things weren’t going as he’d imagined. He brought her home last night with one purpose, make love to her until she was out of his system. Instead he made a dinner date with her tonight. A dumb-ass move.
The moment he’d picked her up from Oak Lane Inn, her beauty had blown him away. Things didn’t get better during the course of the night. She got along too well with his friends. She had been too responsive in his arms, almost as if she belonged there. The one time she disappeared in the ladies’ room with her sister, Jason had felt almost empty. He groaned. His mind lingered to the memories of her relaxed features sleeping during the drive back to his house.
Once he’d parked the Jeep, she stretched her body, causing her breasts to almost fall out of the little piece of material she wore for the night. He’d watched her slowly open her eyes to meet his. She looked slightly disoriented, but quickly became aware she had fallen asleep.
“I’m sorry. I guess I was tired.”
“You didn’t get much sleep last night,” he had reassured her. “Are you okay walking inside? I can carry you.”
What the fuck was happening to him? Jason clenched his jaw.
She had blinked her long lashes with uncertainty, a little nervous quirk he’d picked up on yesterday.
“I can walk.”
“I’ll get your bag.”
By the time Jason had made his way to her door, Minka was standing outside barefoot with her heels dangling from her fingers. Part of her hair had come undone from the bun coif she sported throughout the evening. She’d looked undone, and had left him completely breathless. Even after they had sex over and over during the night, he still wanted more. In fact all he wanted now was more of Minka. Typically, he could handle the female gender and was always prepared for any situation, but something about Minka hypnotized him.
He reluctantly admitted to himself he wanted to see more of her after tonight, but he vowed to keep things light and fun with lots of sex. The truth was she was built for physical pleasure. Just the thought of her curvaceous body naked under him made him tighten with need.
There was nothing like great sex. And with Minka so far, she was the best wild sex he’d ever had.
If he really chose to examine the situation, he might discover his desire ran deeper than the physical attraction, but he wasn’t ready to do that, so he dismissed the thought and focused his attention on the reason he was heading back to Falmouth.
Chapter Twelve
“The scale cannot measure beauty, talent, purpose, life force, possibility, strength, or love.” Steve Maraboli
Jason looked around the large immaculate office, taking in every detail from the bare desk to the impressive collection of law books stacked neatly in the library. He remembered a time when this office held some sort of familiarity, comfort, and sanctuary for him; yet today, as he stood in the vast room, he felt strangely out of place.
Sucking in a deep breath to clear his lungs, he walked to the window overlooking the huge water fountain in the well-groomed garden. A vision of him as a young boy throwing a penny in that cascade of water emerged. He didn’t want to think about those times; those memories needed to remain buried. And he was okay with that.
The door to the office opened and he didn’t turn to face the intruder. He already knew who it was. His shoulders tightened as his father walked into the room.
“Hello, son. I thought I’d find you here.”
“Why have you not given this office to someone else?”
His father shrugged. “This is your office.”
His father walked to the old desk and dropped a manila folder onto its clean surface.
“I’m not coming back.”
“And yet, here you are.”
His father’s gaze swept over Jason. The scrutiny didn’t trouble him. He long accepted he didn’t fit the mold of a millionaire’s son. “You asked me to come see you. I obliged.”
“You look good,” Charles noted. “In a suit. Of course the hair is too long, but…”
“This is who I am.”
“I have come to accept the tattoos.”
A smile formed on Jason’s lips as he thought of his first tattoo. The eagle on his shoulder. His father had been furious. His mother, who had one or two small hidden tattoos, had smiled and walked away.
“When are you coming back to work?” Charles persisted.
Jason walked away from the window to the library with the leather-bound law books. He reached for the first business law book he’d bought in college and opened it blindly. “I have a job.”
“Damn it, Jason, you’re not a construction worker or,” he waved his hand, “an innkeeper. You didn’t graduate at the top of your class at Harvard to do nothing.”
Jason chuckled. In five years, his father still didn’t get it.
“If this is why you asked me here, I’ll leave now.” This time he made no attempt to hide the frustration. “This conversation could have taken place over the phone or, even better, via text.”
At that instant his phone vibrated in his pocket. He retrieved the device and he studied the words from Minka.
I have to meet a few vendors with Keely and Claire today. I should be done by six. Sorry for disturbing you.
He texted back.
You’re not. In the office, arguing with my father. Will pick you up at 7.
Jason caught himself just as he was about to type Love, Jason, A closer he used only for the people closest to him.
Keep it light, he reminded himself as he pressed send before burying his cell in his pocket. He raised his head to meet his father's inquisitive gaze.
“She reminds me of your mother,” Charles said with a smile. “Innocent, but wild.” With that, his father walked out of the office and closed the door behind him.
A soft knock came from the door. Was his father back for another go at him? No, his father never knocked. “Enter,” Jason instructed. The pretty red-headed assistant he’d noticed earlier walked in.
“Can I get you anything, Mr. Montgomery? Coffee, tea…” her voice lingered suggestively.
He took in her features. Her red hair was striking against her creamy skin. At one time, he might have taken her up on her offer. Only this time he didn’t even entertain the idea. Worse, it was Minka who occupied his mind. Jason shook his head, pulled out the leather chair and sat. “No thanks, Liz. I’m good for now.”
By the time Jason lifted his head to check his watch, three hours had gone by. He examined the few pages he had read and highlighted with notes. There were still other documents he needed to complete, but from what he was ab
le to review so far, he hated to admit it, but the settlement offer was fair, if not generous. Sliding the chair back, he rose and walked three doors down to his father’s office.
He came to an abrupt stop at the sight before him. Unlike five years ago, his father’s pants were not down and the woman was fully clothed, sitting on his lap and wrapped in his arms. He studied his father’s latest conquest. She couldn’t be more than a few years older than he was. She laughed at something his father said and tilted her head to accept his mouth on her neck. A part of him wanted to walk out of the room as he did five years ago, but he remained standing there until they both realized they were not alone.
His father gently pulled the woman off his legs and came to his feet. “Jason, this is Nicole. I invited her to have lunch with us.”
Nicole gave him a smile. Jason was glad she didn’t extend her arm out for a formal greeting. “I’m done for the day,” he muttered before stepping out of the office. It took all his strength not to slam the door behind him.
He had not meant to drive to the inn. Once inside the Jeep, his intention was to go back to his mother’s old house and let out his frustration on finishing the kitchen. He found Minka, Keely and Claire in the back by the meadow deep in discussion. He should have walked away and gone inside the inn, but here he stood in his suit, captivated.
His heart raced at the sight of Minka in the delicate bohemian dress that accentuated her curves. He ached.
Her hair was swept to one side in a single braid, giving her an innocent look. She was engaged in a conversation with Keely, Claire, and someone else out of his view.
He rushed his steps. He knew she was going to be busy with Keely for the day, but after leaving his father’s office his thoughts had been consumed by her. He needed to see her.
She looked up and a look of surprise swept over her pretty face before she refocused her attention on Claire. Jason watched her brush one loose strand of curls behind her ear. Her lips parted and she licked her bottom lip; a flashback of her kissing his body rushed through his head.
