by Jill Downey
Faye’s cell phone rang and seeing it was her sister-in-law Ella, she picked up.
“Hey,” Faye said.
“How are you holding up?”
“Not so good. It’s just so unfair.”
“I know but Kyle is the best and he’ll get him out.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Faye, why don’t you and Jesse come over and wait with Finn and me? We can hang out by the pool and be miserable together. And our company left so we have tons of food I don’t want to go to waste.”
“I don’t know…I just don’t feel like doing anything right now.”
“I know, but it will be good for all of us. Finn would love to see you and Jess and so would I. We haven’t had any time together since you bought the bar…please?”
Sniffling, Faye said, “I suppose… let me check with Jess.”
“Yes, to whatever it is,” he said.
“I guess it’s a go.”
“Bring your swimsuits.”
“Okay. We’ll see you soon.”
The ride over, sitting tucked behind her man with the wind in her face, had helped clear her head. Ty was innocent, she knew that, and she also knew her big brother was fierce in battle. He was in good hands. That’s what she intended to cling to.
“Aunt Faye, Jesse! Come play with me!” Finn yelled, as he held onto his noodle, splashing water with each kick.
Faye smiled affectionately at her nephew. He was so dang adorable, who could resist. “We’ll be right there.”
Now that Ella didn’t have on clothing to disguise her baby bump, it was obvious she was pregnant. She still rocked her bikini but there was a decided swell to her belly above her bikini bottom. It was so beautiful to see. She wondered if she’d ever be lucky enough to have what Ella and Kyle had. They were so happy together and such a tight family unit. She hoped so.
“I’m going to grill some burgers and brats when we’re ready to eat. I have potato salad made up, chips, and a homemade key lime pie. Can I get either of you anything now?”
“No rush but I’ll have a bottle of water when you get a chance,” Faye said.
“Me too,” Jess said.
“Two waters coming up. Finny, do you need anything?”
“Nope, just somebody to play with,” he said.
“We’re coming already,” Faye grumbled, her lips curving up in a smile.
Faye watched as Jess peeled off his white tee-shirt, her gaze drifted over his body resting on his strong thighs…remembering their lovemaking the night before.
He caught her staring and his eyes smoldered and heated her skin as he returned the favor and watched her strip down to her bikini. He reached for her hand and they walked to the pool’s edge. Faye dipped her toes in, testing the temperature of the water.
“Dad always says make it quick, just jump,” Finn said.
Jesse jumped into the air and tucked his body into a cannonball and yelled “Yee haw!” as he plunged, spraying Faye from head to toe. She shrieked as the cold water splashed her.
“You’re toast now!” Faye said, before diving in.
Finn cheered Faye on as she chased Jesse, finally catching up and jumping on his back to pull him under. They wrestled, their water slicked skin making them both even hotter. Faye’s knee accidently brushed against his hardness and she let out a little gasp, “Oh!”
“I would like to kiss every inch of you right now,” he whispered.
She bit her lip then dove under again and swam over to Finn.
“Aunt Faye, can you pretend to be my horse?”
“Sure, hop on.”
Jess floated over and said, “But Finn, wouldn’t you rather ride a wild stallion?”
Faye sputtered with laughter and Finn said, “Yes.”
“You little traitor. See if I ever let you saddle me up again.”
Finn giggled and wrapped his scrawny arms around Jesse’s neck, holding on tight while Jess called, “Hold your breath I’m going under.”
With a powerful kick he dove under and as graceful as a dolphin swam to the other end with Finn laughing in delight when they resurfaced.
“That was dope!” Finn said.
“Um where have I heard that before?” Jess said, as it reminded him of why they were there in the first place. Ty.
“Ella says that Dad is going to bring Ty home.”
“Yes, I have no doubt.”
“Maybe he’ll be here in time to eat with us.”
“That would be pretty great Finn.” Jess said, “Hold your nose.”
Finn’s eyes got wide and he grinned from ear to ear. Jesse’s picked Finn up over his head and threw him high into the air.
He made a big splash then came up sputtering, “Do that again!”
Jesse tossed him a few more times until he realized Finn would never grow tired of this game. “Buddy my arms are getting tired. I’m going to have to take a break.”
“Aunt F-a-y-e…your turn.”
“I think Jesse should throw you a few more times. I’m enjoying the view.”
He winked at her, “One more time just for your Aunt Faye.”
Finn surfaced sputtering, shaking his hair like a dog after a bath. He rubbed the water out of his eyes with his fists, then his eyes lit up.
“Ty!”
48
Faye’s eyes widened in shock when she saw Kyle and Tyler standing under the arbor.
“Ty!” she shouted as she scrambled out of the pool. She ran over to Tyler and hugged him with her dripping wet body, laughing and crying at the same time. “You’re here.”
“Thanks to Kyle. He’s a badass!”
“I told you.”
Jesse walked over wrapping his beach towel around his waist. “Dude.”
“Dude,” Tyler said, grinning.
Jess’s voice was thick with emotion as he said, “Man is it ever good to see you.”
Ty shrugged and looked down, “The security tape cleared me.”
Faye gasped, “It did?”
“Yep, showed the whole thing. It also showed your ex snooping around in the middle of the night, but not last night.”
“Julian?”
“Yep.”
Faye arched her brows as she looked at her brother. “So, Ty is completely in the clear?”
“Yes. The video shows the whole thing. There was some kind of scuffle, the victim fell and hit his head on a metal cleat. The murder probably wasn’t intentional. Shows the other guy throwing him off the dock and hightailing it out of there. Problem for him came because the victims clothing got snagged so he didn’t float out to sea. We still don’t know why they were there in the first place.”
“Ty recognized the other guy from the good old days. Saw him with the vic once; he was waiting in the car when they were making an exchange.”
“I brought a still shot for you to look at…see if you recognize him,” Kyle said as he pulled out the photo.
Faye gasped and held a hand to her throat, “Jess, it’s the guy from the boat, the one who insisted on using my dock and entrance.”
Jesse looked down and said, “I’ll be damned. That’s him all right.”
“Unfortunately, we don’t know who he is, or where he came from, but he claimed he’d been using my dock for convenience and was mad that I’d bought the place and ruined his perfect setup,” Faye said. Faye’s eyes narrowed deep in thought. “Now that we know those two were connected and both seemed to be lurking around my bar, the next question is why? They showed up way before Ty did, so that connection has to be a coincidence.”
Kyle smiled at Ella and pulled her against his side before saying, “It’s possible they were using your place for their drug operation and that would surely have pissed them off when you blew it by buying the place.”
“That’s the most obvious reason. But why keep showing up when their setup was blown?” Ty said. He looked past them, and a dazzling smile lit up his face.
“Addison!”
She rushed
over, “Faye called and invited me. I hope that’s okay?”
“Are you kidding me?” He grabbed her up in a bear hug and lifted her off her feet.
He leaned down and planted a kiss on her surprised open lips. He kept his arm slung across her shoulders as they discussed different scenarios.
“Bottom line, we won’t know until the guy is caught. He’s probably long gone by now,” Jess predicted.
“Ella can you go grab some swim trunks for Ty? The rest of you can take a dip while I start the grill.” Kyle said.
Faye’s eyes sparkled as she teased, “I’d never thought I’d see the day my big brother would be so domesticated. I love it.”
“I won’t argue with you. I’m smart enough to know that I’m the luckiest guy on the planet. Ella is the best thing that ever happened to me. I’m going to spend the rest of my life proving to her that she picked the right guy. It took a lot of convincing to get her to give me a chance.” He squeezed her before she left to grab the swimsuit. Kyle watched her, his eyes warm pools of love.
Faye sighed. “You two are wonderful together. You’re the happiest I’ve ever seen you. You used to be so restless, now… you’re totally content.”
Ella returned a few minutes later and threw a pair of trunks at Ty. He went into the pool house to change. Addison took off her clothes and when Ty returned his eyes practically bulged out of his head.
“Wow! You look amazing!” he said.
Addison smiled shyly, “You’re not so hard to look at yourself.”
He grabbed her hand and they held hands as they jumped in the pool together.
“Ah, to be eighteen again,” Faye said.
Jesse looked at her, his face serious, “I wouldn’t go back, the best day of my life was the day I walked into The Pelican and saw the girl of my dreams.”
Faye’s cheeks grew warm, “You sweet talker.”
Finn had wrangled Ty into taking over where Jesse had left off, tossing him into the air, his shrieks and laughter lifting everyone’s spirits. Faye looked around and felt her heart ache in her chest. She was so happy. These were her people. She looked at Jess, in deep conversation with Kyle and knew he was her mate. Tonight…he’ll be all mine …and she intended to take full advantage of that.
Hours later as they lay in bed together, both of them languid from the wine, water and sun, Jesse felt his cock respond to her naked breasts flattened against his chest. He held her tight against him and breathed in her sweet scent. Nuzzling her hair, his hands caressed her back, stroking up and down. He moved his hips slowly and slid his erection between her thighs rubbing up against her sweet spot.
Faye took in a sharp breath, then sighed his name, “Jess.”
“Faye,” he responded his voice low and seductive. “I need you.”
She bit her bottom lip then said, “I’m yours.”
“Mine,” he said, and covered her mouth with his.
Faye’s breath quickened as he began thrusting slowly between her legs. After sliding on a condom, he rolled her onto her back, parting her thighs with his knees. He slid into her, voice gruff and said, “Tell me again.”
“I’m yours Jesse. All yours.”
He pushed hard into her and stilled until she began writhing beneath him begging, “Jess, please!”
“Please what?” Then he plunged in and stilled again, waiting.
“Please, take me,” she pleaded. He smiled against her lips and thrust again.
She raked her nails down his back. “Jess,” she was panting lifting her pelvis her legs wrapped tightly around him squeezing.
“Look at me,” he commanded.
When she looked up at him her eyes glazed and heavy lidded with desire, he couldn’t hold back any longer, he began to ride her hard and fast. When he felt her climax pulsating against his shaft, he exploded with his own orgasm. His body shuddered until he collapsed on top of her burying his face in her hair.
He kissed her all over her neck and shoulders, which was torture to her over sensitive skin, still tingling from her climax. A long while later as she was just about to doze off, Jesse whispered in her ear, “I love you Faye Bennett.”
49
Faye grabbed at the envelope taped to her door before it blew away. She unlocked and went inside taking off her drenched clothing in the foyer. The letter had stayed dry under the cover of the storm door, but by the time she got inside it was soggy and her written name smeared almost beyond recognition. The whole condo rattled as the wind howled outside. The forecasters had predicted it would only reach a level two by the time it made land. They didn’t call for an evacuation, since the storm was losing steam rather than gaining in intensity. Still, one hundred-mile-per-hour winds were nothing to scoff at, but they didn’t feel it was necessary to evacuate and move inland.
The hurricane was expected to hit land sometime late evening but even now the rain was torrential, coming down so heavy you couldn’t see your own hand in front of your face. It was eerie. Jesse was taking last minute precautions to batten down Ruby and Hank’s house. Maddy was on her way home and due any minute. She hated being alone in this storm. She headed to the bathroom to towel dry her hair then changed into some dry clothes.
After putting the tea kettle on the stove, she picked up the letter, her chest heavy with dread. Her hands shook slightly as she opened the card. ‘My Dearest Faye. I had to make contact with you, to say goodbye. I thought by moving here temporarily I could convince you of how much I love you and what lengths I’m willing to go to win you back. But I can see that you are happy and in love. I’ve finally accepted it, and I want that for you. I’m sorry…for everything. I lost the only thing that ever mattered to me. It was never about the money. It was always you and I’m sorry I ever gave you a reason to doubt that. You will always be my biggest regret. I’d like to see you one last time before I leave. Please. For old time’s sake. Forever yours, J.’
The kettle whistled, and she poured the boiling water over her herbal tea bag. She added honey and waited for it to steep. She didn’t know what to think of the note. There was no way in hell she was going to meet with him, but could it actually be true? Was he leaving? She hadn’t realized how much anxiety she’d been burying until she felt the relief sweep through her body. Suddenly the door opened and Maddy entered drenched to the bone and looking like a drowned rat.
“Oh my God! It is wicked out there. You can’t see an inch in front of your face.”
“I know I just got home myself. Let me go get you a couple of towels.”
She reached for the towels and suddenly remembered that she hadn’t boarded up the large window in the back of the bar. Dammit! It would only take about fifteen minutes tops.
“Maddy I forgot to board up the large back window. Will you go over there with me?”
“Are you nuts? I’d just leave it.”
“If we go now, we’ll beat the worst of the squall and we can get back before Jesse gets here. I’ve got everything ready for our hurricane lock down party, alcohol, flashlights, candles, snacks, cards and games…all ready and waiting.”
“I still don’t think it’s a smart idea.”
“I can’t just leave it! We’ve put so much work into the place, I’d feel sick if it got destroyed over my stupid mistake.”
“Fine, I’ll go. I’m not letting you go alone. Let’s get this over with.”
“Let me leave a note for Jess, then I’m ready.”
She scrawled a quick message for Jesse, and they ran outside. The front door was suddenly ripped out of Faye’s hands and slammed back violently against the wall. The street was deserted, not a car or person in sight. Her hair whipped painfully against her face and she was drenched to the bone within seconds. She and Maddy held hands as they made a run for it. The rain stung as it pelted her skin and the wind pushed them back. Faye felt like she was trying to go up on a downward moving escalator. She imagined that a gale might pick them both up bodily and blow them out to sea. Maybe this wasn’t such a smart
idea.
Trash blew around and the trees were bent so far over that it was a miracle they didn’t break or completely uproot. And this was a level two. She’d witnessed the aftermath of a level three and it had been devastating to their community. They finally made it to her vehicle. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, her shoulders knotted with tension as she drove the three blocks to her bar. The car was being blown about and she prayed it would get them there safely.
She pulled right up to the entrance and hunkering down, they raced to get inside as quickly as possible. The whole building creaked and shook, and she could hear banging from something that had blown loose outside.
She flipped the light switch, and nothing happened. “Damn Mads the electricity is out. Hold on I have a mag light behind the bar.” She felt her way along until she found the flashlight.
“Let there be light. Thank God!” Maddy said.
“Follow me,” Faye led the way to the storage room to grab the plywood and cordless drill. It was right where she’d left it. Now that she was here though, she wondered if she and Maddy could even do the job by themselves. With the wind they probably wouldn’t be strong enough to secure the board and drill at the same time. It would be hard enough under good weather conditions. Nope, this was an exercise in futility. Change of plans. We’re going home!
“Mads not my brightest move. I think this is a hopeless cause. I’m sorry.”
“I agree. Let’s get home. Dry clothes, a bourbon and coke, a few games sound like heaven.”
As they walked out of the back storage room, the front door banged open. Thinking it was from the wind, they both screamed when a figure came toward them in the dim light. The man came towards Faye and raised his arm overhead, then her world went dark.
“Should we lock them up in the storage room?”
“Naw, we don’t have time for that. Let’s grab the statue and get the hell out of here.”
