by Rye Hart
And strangely enough, I saw the man at that exhibit.
And the two after that. He appeared to be alone, and it gave me a creepy feeling.
“Ma’am?” I asked the tour guide. “Are your tours given in specific orders?”
“Not really. We usually ask where the participants want to start and then go around from there,” the tour guide said.
“Huh. Okay,” I said.
I looked behind me, feeling like I was being watched. But the man I expected to find there wasn’t.
Maybe I was simply being paranoid.
We walked around the history museum for two hours before the kids started talking about getting hungry. I ushered them outside and down the walkway to the sidewalk so I could hail us a cab.
And just as I lifted my hand, I looked across the street, right into the eyes of the man that had been in the museum.
Bells were going off in my head. I shuffled the kids into the first cab that pulled up and quickly rattled off the address to Kevin’s place. I stared out the window at the man as the kids complained about wanting to go out to eat, but I calmed them down by telling them I would make us all massive ice cream sundaes when we got back.
I turned around and watched the man fade into the background. He didn’t seem to be following us, but I was still unnerved. He had been looking straight at me, right into my eyes every time I turned my head. The hairs on my arms began to stand up as an uneasy feeling coursed through my body.
I’d have to talk to Kevin about it once he got some free time.
I had a bad feeling brewing in the pit of my gut.
CHAPTER 11
KEVIN
“Gianni, thank you for meeting me on such short notice,” I said.
“Not a problem. Is everything all right?”
“My business partner, Owen. He contacted you regarding your financials, correct?” I asked.
“He did, yes. I told him I would get him whatever he needed.”
“Because you know this is the standard procedure for my business with an order of this magnitude and price?”
“I understand. Is something wrong?”
“We’ve come across some issues, yes. With the payment plan you’ve chosen, my company asks for financial data for the past twelve months, so we can determine if the investment is safe for my investors.”
“I’m aware of your procedures, Mr. Spencer.”
“I just want to make sure, because you’ve only turned in data for seven months.”
“I informed Owen that we would be handing the information over in batches.”
“It has to all be together as one formal document. With the way it looks now, it seems as if you’re covering something up, and that doesn’t sit well with the investors,” I said.
“Are you accusing me of something, Mr. Spencer?”
“On the contrary, Mr. Russo. You know how this works. We’ve known one another for years with our mutual contacts. We have your best interests in mind. But if we do things any differently with you, it looks like I’m favoring you because of our friendship. You know how this goes. You’re a businessman. Be reasonable, Gianni.”
“I’ve already talked you through my financials, Kevin. What more do you want?”
“The proof on paper. I was able to contact my investors to settle them down enough to buy you until the end of the day. But we need the other five months of your financial statistics, otherwise, we can’t proceed with the deal.”
“I’m giving you a foot in the door when it comes to the banking industry. Doesn’t that mean anything?”
“Not when we’re talking about a possible ten-million-dollar contract, Gianni.”
I wanted to hear the man out and take pity on him. Hell, I wanted to help the guy. I wanted to be able to bypass these logistics, but I couldn't do anything differently simply because it was Gianni. I knew some businessmen worked that way, but I wasn’t one of them.
And I wasn’t going to start with him.
“You have until the end of the day to get Owen the rest of the financials. You can contact him if you have any questions,” I said.
“So now I can’t even call my friend?” Gianni asked.
“Right now, you’re not dealing with a friend. You’re dealing with a businessman. Owen is the one that handles the upfront financial transactions. Until this matter is settled, it’s in his hands. When you're ready to sign the contract and talk about production and shipment schedules, then it’s back to me,” I said.
I stood up from the table and buttoned my coat.
“So that’s it? You brought me out here to strong-arm me?”
“I’m not strong-arming you, Gianni. I’m not sure what you think I’m trying to do, honestly. We require financial data for twelve months if you want to do a monthly payment plan. Simple as that. It was right there in the contract I handed you, and while you highlighted many things you took issue with, that wasn’t one of them.”
I watched the man grit his teeth as I pushed in my chair.
“The end of the day, Gianni. And if you can’t deliver, I can refer you to someone who can help you out with your needs,” I said.
I left Gianni sitting in the restaurant and headed back to the house. This deal was getting a little ridiculous. I’d never known Gianni to be an unreasonable man, but he was quickly beginning to be a pain in my ass. I hopped into the cab and rode back to the house where I found my kids and Brooke playing in the water. The storms had cleared up and the sky was blue once again. I strode into the house and quickly traded my business suit, for a bathing suit, then walked out onto the porch.
“Cannonball!”
The kids were squealing with delight as I jumped off the porch and into the water. I felt them swimming up to me and wrapping themselves around me as I came shooting out of the water. They were hugging and kissing me as Brooke was standing there smiling, in her bikini with the slope of her breasts swaying against her lightly-tanned skin.
The ocean suited her.
“Are you done working?” Daniel asked.
“Are you gonna swim with us?” Sydney asked.
“Will you be home for dinner?” Brooke asked.
I looked up at her and watched a grin spread across her cheeks.
“Yes, yes, and, most certainly, yes,” I said with a smile.
“Yeah! Daddy’s home!” Daniel said.
The kids and I splashed around and I roped Brooke into the fun. I pulled her underwater before insisting we all play a game of Marco Polo. We were swimming around and bodysurfing on the waves into the shoreline. I started building a sandcastle with the kids while Brooke laid out in the sun. My eyes raked down the curves of her legs and the way they fell open so she could tan the insides of her thighs. I licked my lips as my kids ran into the ocean, kicking at the waves and giggling their heads off.
I couldn't take my eyes off her. The slope of her breasts, and the way her toned stomach glistened in the sunlight. Her hair fluttered around her head like an angelic halo and her arms spread out to her sides. She was ready for the taking. Ready for my body to sink between her legs and make love to her on the beach. Her pouty lower lip was jutted out slightly and her eyes were closed.
I wanted to settle down beside her and dance my fingers up the length of her thighs.
But the kids beat me to her, splashing her with a bucket full of water.
My eyebrows rose to my hairline as I stifled a laugh. Her mouth was hanging open in shock before she playfully eyed the twins. She stood up and took off after them, her breasts bouncing and her ass flexing with every stride she took.
She chased them right into the waves before picking them up and tossing them into the water.
I walked up behind her before a wave came and knocked her off balance. She fell backwards and braced herself to be submerged, but my arms darted out and caught her. She looked back at me and I watched her cheeks tint with the faintest blush.
Her skin was electric against mine.
“You okay?” I asked. “The
kids got you good back there.”
“It’s fine. I think I fell asleep anyway. I’m not much use as a babysitter if I’m sleeping on the job.”
“You’re not on the job when I’m here,” I said.
“You're practically a kid when you want to be,” she said, with a grin.
I steadied her on her feet and watched as her eyes fell to the shoreline up the beach. I followed her line of sight and saw her staring at a man. He was standing in the ocean, up to his knees in water. He was looking out over the horizon, studying something off in the distance.
“Do you know him?” I asked.
“I don’t think so,” Brooke said.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“Yesterday, when the kids and I were at the museums, there was a man there. He kept— popping up everywhere we were. He even watched us get a cab to come home. I think that’s the guy.”
“Do you think he was following you?” I asked, something spiking in my gut.
“I don’t know. He sort of gives me the creeps.”
And he did. I could see the goosebumps crawling all over Brooke’s skin.
“I’m sure you’re just being protective of the kids. It’s a small island and with all the rain yesterday, there were probably a lot of people at the museums. It makes sense that you’d run into the same person twice. There isn’t much else to do when it rains all day. Did he say anything to you?” I asked.
She folded her arms over her chest and shook her head. “No.”
“Then I’m sure it was just a coincidence,” I assured her. But I could tell she still wasn’t convinced.
Her body was more relaxed, but her eyes were still filled with worry.
“Okay,” she said. “Then I won’t stress about it.”
“Good. Because another storm’s coming in and we need to get the kids in the house.”
We dragged the kids into the house, kicking and whining, but when the storm started to rage again, they seemed to get the picture. I had given my chef the evening off, so I was the one cooking for the night. Brooke got the kids cleaned up and ready for dinner, then we all sat down and enjoyed the steaks and mashed potatoes I’d been able to whip up.
It wasn’t a five-star chef meal, but it was edible.
The kids were practically nodding off at the table. Brooke kept eyeing me with amusement in her stare and I shook my head. She was wearing my children out, which was funny, because I was convinced it would be the other way around. She finished her steak and started cleaning up while I got the kids tucked into bed, then returned to the kitchen where a glass of wine was waiting for me.
“This mine?”
“Mhm,” Brooke said. “If I remember correctly, you’re a fan of storms.”
“I am indeed.”
“Figured we could sit and enjoy this one,” she said.
She was standing at the doors that led onto the porch. I went and stood behind her, watching the fury of the ocean kick up against the shore. The sky was black with clouds that hung low, pregnant with the water it was going to drop on us all night. I sipped my glass of wine, feeling the heat radiating from Brooke’s skin.
She still smelled like the ocean, and I felt my mouth beginning to water.
“Are the kids scared of storms?” Brooke asked.
“Why do you ask?”
“I just wondered if I should brace for two little people clambering into my bed in a couple of hours.”
“Nope. If anything, Sydney will climb into Daniel’s bed and sleep there.”
“What a treasure those two are,” she said.
“They’re my guiding light.”
She looked up at me with those round doe eyes and I felt myself cave. I set my wine glass down behind me and wrapped my arm around her body. She gasped, her cheeks tinting once again as my lips pulsed air against her face.
“You’re a hard woman to resist, Brooke Shaw.”
“Then don’t,” she said, breathlessly.
Her wine glass fell to the floor, spilling its contents as I captured her lips. Her hands flew to my hair as I backed her into the door, pressing her against the cool glass. The storm raged outside, providing a perfect backdrop for our passion, with distant rolls of thunder for sound effects. The flashing lightning illuminated her curves, drenching them in sparks as my fingertips danced along her sides.
Our tongues battled. Her head tipped off to the side as her leg came up and hooked around my body. I pressed harder and ground my cock against her. I felt the veins in my groin pulsing as my hand slid up her bare thigh. She was wearing nothing but a shirt and a flimsy pair of shorts, giving my fingers easy access. Her hands pulled at my shirt and I raised my hands above my head. Lightning pierced the sky and it cast a light on the lust building behind her eyes. I watched her stare at my bare chest as her engorged tits pressed against the fabric of her shirt. She ran her fingers down the swell of my muscles, rippling them over my abs before her fingertips settled on the hem of my swim trunks.
Then she pulled the drawstring that held them to my body and they fell to the floor before she hit her knees.
CHAPTER 12
BROOKE
I slipped his cock between my lips and felt him brace himself against the table behind him. Thunder was crashing in the distance as I moaned around his dick. His legs were clenching, and his head fell back. I watched his muscles undulate and crackle with ecstasy as I slid him all the way to the back of my throat. I could feel his precum leaking, dripping down my throat as I hollowed out my cheeks. His hands gripped the table tightly, the veins from his arms bulging as he tried to control his urges.
I ran my hands up his thighs and raked my nails around to his ass. I gripped tightly onto him, pulling his hips toward my face. Obscenities fell from his lips in breathless grunts as I swallowed him whole, trapping him deep in my throat as I nuzzled his trimmed curls.
He smelled like lust and the ocean, like a man who needed a woman more than he could stand. I felt him wanting to lose control. I felt the surge of electricity that shivered through his body. The thunder was rolling closer and the lightning was flashing faster, and it coaxed me into bobbing my head.
It wasn’t long before he yanked me up from my knees and pinned me back against the glass.
His hands tore at my clothes, ripping them from me as they fell to the floor. My peaked nipples were raking against his strong muscles, and I shivered as his tongue wrapped them up, sucked them to painful peaks, he pressed into them and made my body quake.
I was dripping for Kevin, trembling for more, but speechless and unable to express my desires.
I couldn't deny the fire between us, the engulfing flames that raged within my body whenever he looked at me, talked to me, touched me or called my name. I couldn’t be alone with him. I’d tried to avoid it ever since I knew he was on the island. Being alone with him was my demise, the one thing that would bring devastation to my world.
And yet, I wanted him to level me, burn me to the ground, if it meant feeling him against me.
He slid to his knees and parted my pussy folds with his fingers. His tongue pressed into my clit, giving me no time to adjust to the speed he was starting with. I jolted, moaned, and rolled my hips into his face. He crooked my leg over his shoulder and pressed me into the glass, then slipped a finger into my dripping warmth.
“Kevin. Oh, fuck.”
I bucked into his hand as he tossed my other leg over his shoulder. Furrowing my brow, I looked down at him, my hands flying to his hair for leverage. I clung to him as he suspended me in midair, pressing me against the glass as thunder rolled over our heads. The lightning was strobing, casting shadows along the wall as he slowly stood. Sliding my entire body up the glass as his tongue pressed into my clit.
It was all too much.
I could feel myself growing weak.
My head slammed into the glass as thunder crashed above our heads. It was so loud it shook the windows and covered the moans dripping from my lips. He inserted anoth
er finger and crooked it just right, sending me shivering. The wild electricity forced my hips closer to his mouth.
I coated him with my arousal as his lips wrapped around my clit.
I knew I was saying his name, calling out to him as my back arched off the glass. I knew I was crying out and shaking violently as my pleasure crashed over my body. But the storm was swallowing my sounds and Kevin was smiling into my pussy, his fingers were stroking that pebbled spot and his tongue was lapping at my clit, like the peaceful waves of the ocean against my shoreline.
I collapsed into him and he caught me against his face. I clung to his hair as he pulled me away from the window, his fingers slipping from my pussy. His hands grabbed my ass and he walked me to his bedroom, the storm raging outside as he kicked the door closed behind me.
He dropped me onto the bed and our eyes locked. That predatory stare washing over his face made me quiver with excitement.
Then his lips crashed into mine as my legs wrapped around him, my body ready to receive his.
His cock slid into me effortlessly and we bucked against one another. I slid up the bed as he reached for the headboard, his hips slamming into me, snapping against me and shaking my entire body as he gazed down on my jumping form. I raked my hands down his chest as the bed knocked against the wall in time with the crashing of the storm outside.
“Kevin. Kevin! Don’t stop. Please. Harder. Go harder. Let me feel you.”
He growled in response as he picked up my leg. He tossed it over his shoulder and bent closer into my body. The entire bed was rocking on its frame, crashing into the wall and matching the swell of the thunder outside. With each crash that shook the house, my mouth opened to say his name, swallowed by the sounds of the storm as his cock throbbed against my walls.
The lightning played sharp shadows across his features, showcasing to me the animal that was finally being let loose.
There was the man I remembered from all those years ago.
His cock thickened inside my body as his hips pounded against mine. The lightning and the thunder were simultaneous. The waves were knocking against the legs of the house. The windows were shaking and the bed was crashing against the wall and my juices were dripping on the bed below us.
