Fierce at Heart (The Kincaids of Pine Harbour)

by Zoe York

  He laughed out loud, and kept laughing for a good long while. “That’s amazing.”

  “But I have something else that might be a good present.” She looked a little bashful, just for a second, then her expression turned sensual, lusty, and it was a direct hit to that primal part of his brain that wanted his wife. “It’s a secret.”

  He groaned happily. “Yes. Tell me.”

  “I always want you.” She swayed her breasts back and forth, trailing her nipples against his chest. “Do you remember when we redid the bathroom, and you used my shower? I was in the kitchen. When you came out in just a towel, my knees went weak. I think that’s when I knew, deep down. I watched you disappear into the darkness of the hallway, and you were just the most beautiful body I had ever seen. I’d been able to resist you once, to lock it down, but after that day, something changed for me. It took me a long time to feel worthy of that desire.”

  “And now?”

  “Now?” She planted her hands on either side of his head and brought one nipple to rest on his open mouth.

  He slowly swirled his tongue around that perfect tip.

  She inhaled sharply, then sank lower, giving him more of her flesh to suck on. “Ah, yes. That. Oh, Adam.”

  But he wanted more of what she was saying. He replaced his mouth with his hand, squeezing her skin gently as he pushed for the rest of that sentiment. “And how do you feel about your desire for me now?”

  “It’s unquenchable,” she whispered, bringing herself down to lie on top of him. She kissed him then, her lips questing against his, her tongue sure and naughty.

  From beneath her, he stroked her hips and breasts, urging her to move against him until she was ready, and then, as he watched her pulse flutter at the base of her neck, he thrust into his wife, bringing her to sit fully on his cock.

  She rose again, the blanket tumbling to pool around her hips, and slowly they began to move. He guided her with lust-filled words, his voice thick with unrestrained adoration, telling her how beautiful she was, how much he wanted her. And he asked her questions, too. What she wanted him to do, where she needed his touch.

  They took their time.

  When he thought she might be close, she slowed down and slid off him, crawling down his body to lick the taste of herself off his erection. Her flicking tongue, distracting and perfect and tormenting, gave him the wickedest of ideas, and he tumbled them around until she was on all fours at the edge of the bed and he loomed behind her.

  First, he teased her with his erection, making her rock her wet, swollen sex back against him. But then he dropped to his knees, surprising her with his tongue, his whole mouth, and the scent of her drove him wild.

  When he rose again, this time filling her from behind, it was her words that drove them both to the edge. “I need you,” she gasped. “Yes, just like that. Right there. Don’t stop.”

  He would never stop. Never stop loving her, never stop needing her.

  As her climax rippled through her, her pussy clenching around him, he roared and thrust deep one last time, barreling forward and collapsing on top of her.

  And then, as her gasps turned laughter, happy, out of control giggles, he dragged himself to the head of the bed and pulled her with him.

  “My wife,” he murmured.

  “I love you,” she whispered back.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  January brought two major storms to the peninsula, closing roads and causing “snow days” for the school more than once, but one advantage of living within walking distance of the bakery—and having a husband with a truck that went through anything—meant Bake Sale! could open no matter what.

  On snow days, she ran hot chocolate sales, so kids could have a cookie and a hot chocolate for twenty-five cents each, and grateful parents rewarded themselves with the fancier treats on sale that day.

  With Bailey’s encouragement, she also tried some themed days. For Australia Day at the end of the month, she featured bake sale items inspired by the bakeries in Melbourne she’d once thought about going to work in. Lamingtons, mini Pavlovas, vanilla slice, and for the savoury set, Vegemite scrolls.

  At the end of the day, she reported to Adam that the Vegemite scrolls hadn’t sold well, but everything else was a hit.

  She brought the jar of Vegemite home, because she wasn’t likely to use it again at the bakery, and she quite liked it on toast with a slice of cheese. As she opened the pantry door to put it away, a scurrying shadow made her jump back.

  “Adam!”

  He came running.

  “The fucking mouse is back.”

  “Makes me want to run you a bath.” His lips twitched. “I’d like to hear that shriek again. Run in and see you all…”

  “All what?”

  “Soapy.”

  She liked the way his eyes twinkled, but this was serious. “We need to talk about the kitchen renovation. When is your vacation time next month? And what can I do to help make this house mouse proof?”

  “I’ll check my calendar.” He set his hands on her shoulders and turned her away from the kitchen. “I was serious about that bath, by the way. I’ll run you one.”

  “You’re so good to me.”

  “And then I have a favour to ask.”

  “What is it?”

  “Let me wash your back first.” He urged her upstairs.

  One change they’d made over the last month was they had switched the workout room and her bedroom. Now the weights and treadmill were in the room downstairs, with the adjacent big shower, and all of her clothes and personal belongings were upstairs with Adam’s. The second room upstairs was essentially a walk-in closet with natural light, and the bedroom at the back was just for sleeping.

  And sex.

  She stripped out of her work clothes, then wandered naked into the bathroom, where Adam had left the tub filling. She stepped into the hot water and sank into it, letting the heat soak into her muscles.

  When he returned, he had a cup of tea for her, and an innocent look on his face.

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “What’s the favour?”

  “I want to go on vacation.”

  She jerked upright and the water sloshed dangerously close to the lip of the tub. “What?”

  “I want to go lie on a beach somewhere hot. Drink fruity rum beverages out of coconuts and float on ocean waves. I’m tired, you’re tired. We’ve both worked hard, and if we can find enough days off between the two of us—if you’re willing to close the bakery, or stock it with easy things that Bailey can put in the oven or pull out of the freezer—if you—”

  She frowned. “That’s your favour? You want to go on vacation?”

  “I’ll pay for everything. You just need to pack a bathing suit or three. And sunscreen. But I’ll take care of that. The buying of it, and the rubbing it into your flesh.” He gave her his best boyish grin. “Come on, Isla. Wouldn’t it be nice to sleep in every morning, with the warm Caribbean air finally coaxing us to the beach for a late brunch…”

  She shook her head, laughed, then slid under the water. When she came back up for air, water streaming down her face, she was laughing harder still.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “How on earth is that a favour for you? I know you’re the world’s best husband, but come on. You want to take me to a beach and you’re pretending like that isn’t the world’s greatest gift to me?”

  “I thought you might not want to close the bakery,” he mumbled. Then his eyebrows shot up as what she’d just said sank in. He grinned like he’d never grinned before. “You think I’m the world’s best husband?”

  She flicked water at him as she nodded happily. “Not the most modest, though.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  “It’s a hell yes. Take me away from the sleet and the snow.” She crawled onto her knees, braced her hands on the side of the tub, and leaned up to kiss him. “You said your new year’s resolution was a honeymoon. Who am I to stand in the way of a goal
like that?”

  “I did, didn’t I?” His gaze darkened as he glanced down her body. “Oh, hello bubbles, my old friends.”

  She slid back into the tub, and waved her foot at him. “Come join me.”

  He stood and peeled off his t-shirt. “Don’t have to ask me twice.”

  Epilogue

  Isla baked her own wedding cake—a year late.

  Adam woke her up on their first anniversary with slow, lingering kisses, then hauled her out of bed so they could go to the shop.

  “It’s my day off,” she mock protested, but she was grinning from ear to ear.

  Adam had flowers waiting for her, a close replica of the flowers she’d carried in her bouquet, and a beautiful card. Isla gave him her anniversary gift after they got dressed. It was a long, flat box that weighed nothing, and she loved the look of confusion on his face as he tried to guess what it was.

  The look of delight on his face when he opened it up and found matching aprons was something she would never forget.

  They were both blue, like her favourite aprons at work, but these were special because they were monogrammed Mr. Bake Sale! and Mrs. Bake Sale!

  “You have been my rock this past year, and I wanted to acknowledge how special this day is, not just because I love you, but because of what you gave me last year. And I think we should wear them to bake our wedding cake together.”

  “Technically, you baked it yesterday,” he reminded her.

  “Right. We should wear them to decorate the cake together.”

  They drove over in Adam’s truck, so they could transport the cake home, and he parked behind the bakery. After he parked, he hustled around to open her door, then jogged ahead to unlock the bakery, too.

  “You’re being extra chivalrous today,” she teased, looking back at him as she stepped into the bakery kitchen.

  The transition from bright light outside to the dim shadows of the kitchen meant it took her a minute to notice it was full of people. All their friends, Adam’s brothers. Even her brother, she realized, who she wasn’t close to, but apparently Adam had found him online. And Stevie, too. She stopped, shocked at all the faces, and then Catie popped the cork out of a bottle of champagne. “Surprise!”

  Adam wrapped his arms around her from behind, and she leaned back against her husband. “Happy anniversary,” he whispered against her temple. “We’re having a champagne brunch after a group effort to decorate the cake.”

  She took a glass of champagne Kerry offered, then hugged every last person in the place before returning to the kitchen. Adam had his apron on, and she donned hers, too.

  Adam had insisted on a three-tier cake.

  She’d joked that there was no way even Josh and Will could eat that much, and it would go to waste. Now she was glad she’d also made cake pops from the excess cake she’d cut off the rounds the day before.

  The bottom tier was vanilla cake with bourbon buttercream filling. The middle tier was lime sponge with a curd. And the top tier was raspberry, with the raspberry bamboozle icing she’d made for Adam.

  After they decorated it, Adam carried it into the front of the shop, and then he thanked everyone for coming, and Will and Josh for helping him arrange the surprise. “There’s one more thing I wanted to do before we cut the cake.” He nodded at Josh, who popped a Bluetooth speaker from out of nowhere and set it on top of the display case. “Owen remembers our parents dancing to this song when we were kids. It was my mother’s favourite. And since we didn’t get a first dance last year…” A song started playing that Isla recognized from her childhood, Could I Have This Dance by Anne Murray. “What do you think?”

  She slid her hand into his and let him twirl her into his arms. “For the rest of our lives.”

  BONUS SCENE! If you are curious about Adam and Isla’s first night together, that scene is available as a newsletter subscriber exclusive “A Little Bit More”. Click here to sign up, and I’ll email it to you!

  For more information about Pine Harbour, visit the series website at www.pineharbour.ca. Discover a town map, try Isla’s baking recipes, and read about all the books set in this town… including Will’s book, coming next: Wild at Heart.

  Acknowledgements

  First and foremost, I need to thank every firefighter who ever allowed a ride along to be filmed, because I think I’ve watched YouTube’s entire catalogue in that category at this point. Writing a book without being able to do any hands on research is a challenge, especially in this series, where I usually am able to go up north and do some in-person scouting around.

  I also owe an endless amount of gratitude to Jessica Alcazar, who puts up with panicky messages about literally everything, but mostly about covers. The last minute switcharoo on this series was facilitated by her wise counsel!

  It was a joy to work on this book with Kristi Yanta, an exceptional editor who always reminds me to put more of what matters on the page, and strip out what doesn’t.

  Elizabeth, Monica, Cecly Ann, and Becky, thank you for the keen typo and grammar notes!

  And finally, a thank you to someone named Dora who posted a chocolate chip cookie recipe to AllRecipes.com more than a decade ago. I’ve been making those one-bowl cookies ever since, and it was while munching on a batch early in the pandemic, in March of 2020, that I had the idea for this book. In her honour, Isla makes those cookies too. (The recipe is on the town website, www.pineharbour.ca!)

  ~ Zoe

  The Original Series

  Before The Kincaids of Pine Harbour there were eight other books. Pine Harbour: The Original Series is now complete!

  Meet the Foster boys: Dean, Jake, Matt and Sean. A cop, a contractor, a paramedic and an adventure racer. All soldiers. None of them looking for love, but it’s coming!

  Their best friends are the Minellis: Zander, Rafe, Tom and Dani. A full-time soldier, a cop, a park ranger and a paramedic. Dani’s the only girl in the entire bunch and she’s not sure how she feels about that. When Rafe got married, she was thrilled to have a sister–and even though he and Olivia have split up, Dani’s not giving up that bond. (And neither is Rafe, for that matter).

  The Books of Pine Harbour

  Love in a Small Town

  Rafe and Olivia

  Six years. Two break-ups. One divorce. They should be over each other…

  Love in a Snowstorm

  Jake and Dani

  Never fall in love with your best friend’s little sister…

  Love on a Spring Morning*

  Ryan and Holly

  Duplicity. Desire. Denial. They were doomed from the start.

  Love on a Summer Night

  Zander and Faith

  Sometimes saying goodbye is just the beginning.

  Love on the Run

  Dean and Liana

  She needs a bodyguard. He needs a job. But there’s nothing strictly professional about their attraction.

  Love in a Sandstorm

  Sean and Jenna

  It was supposed to be a fling. Two weeks in the south of Spain before they returned to war. They weren’t supposed to fall in love…

  Love on the Outskirts of Town

  Matt and Tasha

  She fell for him over cupcake decorating, with her daughter sitting between them. And then she learned his name, but it was too late.

  Love on the Edge of Reason

  Tom and Chloe

  Friends with benefits worked just fine—until the double lines on the pregnancy test.

  www.zoeyork.com

  Join my VIP reader email list to stay in touch and be sure to hear about all my new releases and special sales!

  Also by Zoe York

  Explore all my series! Through all of them, you’ll find a similar sweet, steamy heat to this book.

  SMALL TOWN ROMANCE

  Pine Harbour

  Wardham

  Camp Firefly Falls

  MILITARY ROMANCE

  Pine Harbour

  Camp Firefly Falls

  SEALs Un
done

  Hot Caribbean Nights

  Vikings in Space (yes, I write sci-fi sometimes, too!)

  www.zoeyork.com

  About the Author

  Thirteen-time USA Today bestselling romance author Zoe York lives in London, Ontario with her young family. She’s currently chugging Americanos, wiping sticky fingers, and dreaming of heroes in and out of uniform.

  www.zoeyork.com

  Copyright © 2021 Zoe York

  All rights reserved.