by Cindy Miles
“She’ll be fine,” Matt chimed in, standing next to his wife. He’d already gathered Willa from Jep’s arms, and she snuggled against the width of Matt’s muscular chest. Her little legs dangled down, lost to exhaustion.
“That’s...great. Thank you,” Sean said. “Thank you both. You’ve all been so kind to us. To Willa.”
Matt patted Willa’s back gently. “She’s a sweetheart,” he confessed. “Won the heart of old Jep there faster than anyone I know, other than this one.” He inclined his head to his wife. “I’ll watch after her,” Matt assured her. “She’ll be fine. Go have fun.”
“I’ll take her crabbing on the first morning tide,” Jep announced, coming to stand beside them. “I promised her breakfast with the porpoises,” he confessed. “Alfresco.”
Sean took Jep’s weathered hand in hers. “She’ll love that. Thank you.” She glanced at all of the Malones. “Thank you all. For...everything.”
“Let’s go,” Nathan whispered against her neck, and Sean felt the blush heat her throat.
Nathan slipped her hand in his, and with a wave, Sean left Willa in the care of the Malone family, leaving on an unknown nighttime adventure with the eldest son. The feelings of assuredness, of trust that her daughter was in good hands, stunned her. It was another first. Never had she entrusted her daughter’s care to someone else before meeting the Malones.
Butterflies beat furiously inside her belly as Nathan led her down the beach to just under the boardwalk, where the music sounded near. Nathan gave her a spin and pulled her close, and they danced in the sand to an old blues song. He twirled her once more then swept his lips over hers, and then held her head still and kissed her deeply.
The sound of a motorboat disrupted their kiss, and Sean turned just as the driver of the boat killed the engine, skidding it onto the sand. He was blond and well-built, with a Coast Guard cap on.
Nathan gave her a sly look. “Your sea chariot,” he said with a grin, and helped Sean into the skiff, and as the other man climbed out, Nathan clapped him on the back. “Jake, meet Sean,” he said. “My girl.”
Jake grinned. “Nice to meet you, Sean.”
“I owe you one, Jake,” Nathan said.
“No prob, Malone,” Jake said. “Nice haircut, man.” He glanced at Sean. “You must really be something, for Malone here to have chopped off the beard. Have fun, you two.”
Once in the boat, Jake shoved them off, and Sean looked at Nathan in the moonlight. “What are you up to?”
His mouth lifted upward in one corner. “You’ll see. Now come here.”
With the moon bathing the sea in a swath of silver, Sean nestled against Nathan’s chest as he navigated the skiff across the water, and the warmth of his body blended with hers. Before long, the small island Nathan had taken her to before loomed ahead. A small fire flickered in the darkness.
“Neverland,” Sean said, and Nathan kissed the top of her head.
“Neverland,” he confirmed. His mouth grazed her cheek. “Or, Foreverland.” He smiled, and she felt it against her skin. “Whichever suits best.”
Foreverland?
She couldn’t even begin to hope.
Just enjoy the now, Sean. Enjoy this man, and this time now.
It might, just might, become yours and Willa’s forever.
“Are you always so...”
“Sappy?” Nathan helped her from the skiff. Sean’s bare feet landed in the water, and its warmth lapped her bare thighs, wetting the hem of her dress. “Yeah, I’ve a sappy bone, Ms. Jacobs.” He pulled her with him onto the beach, where he dropped the anchor behind a fallen tree. His eyes shone as his gaze found hers. “Strangely enough, I get this romantic bone from my grandfather,” he confessed, and guided Sean along to the small campfire, already snapping and crackling, sending sparks flying up into the night. A large blanket lay on the sand near the fire, and a small cooler sat atop it and a large sleeping bag opened with two pillows. Next to the cooler, a big vase and a handful of wildflowers sat waving in the breeze. “He took my grandmother here, once upon a time.”
Sean smiled, because the sweetness of it, the nostalgia, sank into her bones. “I love that,” she confessed, then she smiled. “Thank you, Nathan Malone. I—”
Nathan pulled her to him, his hands sliding up her throat, grasping the back of her neck as his eyes searched hers. He lowered his head, his mouth moving against hers.
“Thank you,” he corrected, and kissed her deeply, one hand moving down her back, over her hip.
Sean moved her hands over Nathan’s chest, around his neck, and kissed him back. Her nerve endings fired, humming just beneath her skin. “For what?” she asked, nipping his bottom lip. She slipped her hands into his hair, loosened the band then tossed it to the ground. Nathan’s hair fell in waves around his face. Shorter now, but still...pirate-like.
“You saved me, Sean Jacobs,” he said quietly. In his eyes, Sean saw the firelight’s reflection. Intense pools of dark green stared down at her. “Before you came into my life, I’d given up on, well—” He shrugged, seemingly struggling with words. “Let’s just say I’d become complacent. With the island. With my family. I got so used to it average seemed...okay with me. I kept my guilt over Addie’s death hidden, and never thought of forgiving myself. I have now. I never thought, though, that I’d find someone. Someone like you.”
Sean’s heart surged, and Nathan grazed her mouth with his thumb. “It’s like you and Willa,” he began to say then lowered his mouth to her ear, holding her tightly against him. “It’s like you two were meant just for me.”
Sean’s heart melted then, and she breathed, closed her eyes, breathed some more. “Nathan,” she began. Should I tell him? If I do, will it crush his newfound forgiveness? Confirm I’m not to be trusted?
“Open your eyes, Sean,” he said quietly. She did, pushing her thoughts aside, and that penetrating gaze that seemed to see past everything studied her. She closed her eyes again, and this time felt the slightly rough caress of his thumb against her lips. “Look at me.”
Slowly, Sean opened her eyes, and the darkness filtered in, and all she saw was the man standing before her, holding her head still, forcing her gaze to his.
Nathan’s eyes searched hers for a moment, seeking, studying. The sounds of waves rolling against the shore of the small Foreverland island, and the salty, warm air, filled Sean’s senses. Their faces were so close—close enough to breathe the same air, swallow the same gasp.
“Just...trust me,” Nathan said softly.
Just trust me.
The words sank into her bones, and Sean inhaled, exhaled. Then she gave Nathan the slightest of nods.
She’d trust him. With some things.
He couldn’t know everything. It would be dangerous if he did. And the thought of something happening to Nathan, or his family, made her physically ill. She couldn’t let that happen. She’d have to figure out a way to resolve the threats, her past, on her own.
But tonight, she’d trust him with some of her secrets.
Enough to warn him of just what and just who it was he was falling for.
Slowly and without a word, Sean led Nathan to the fire, and together they sat, and with a cleansing breath, Sean looked at this man who’d risked more than she’d ever meant for him to risk, and began to tell the story that could very well scare him away.
She prayed it wouldn’t.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
NATHAN WATCHED THE fire play over Sean’s features, and his heart surged for her. He knew she felt fear. He could see it in the lines now furrowing her brow. Could hear it in the quaver of her voice. She was scared.
Scared that she was going to run him off.
Little did she know, it’d take a hell of a lot to accomplish that.
He’d fallen for her. Hard. For her and
Willa. Package deal. Bad past and all.
He tried to envision the next day, the next week, without them, and the vision wouldn’t come. Didn’t want it to. He wanted them on their little dock, waving as he and Owen sailed by after a day of shrimping. Waiting for him on the front porch after he’d showered and hurried over. His girls.
No way could she scare him off.
Yet, she obviously thought she would. So Nathan prepared to listen closely as she sat, her knees pulled up beneath her sundress, arms wrapped around her legs tightly, hanging on.
She didn’t say anything for some time. Just stared into the darkness, beyond the firelight, just...staring. Finally, she looked at him.
“Nathan,” she began to say, her eyes wide. “I’m...not who you think I am.”
He said nothing; simply held her gaze, hoping to assure her he could take whatever she dished out.
“I come from...nowhere,” she continued. “Orphaned, and I have no idea who my parents were. All I know is they were on the streets. And my mother left me at the hospital, right in the room she had me in.” She stared again, possibly caught up in some memory. “I, of course, don’t remember that,” she said, “so there isn’t any sadness that accompanies that loss. It’s...just a fact. I was abandoned. Why, I’ll never know. The first thing I do remember, though, is sitting in some office, wearing a pair of thin Star Wars pajama pants and waiting there for—” she shook her head “—hours. I suppose I had either been dumped by one foster family, or was waiting for another one. I don’t know.” She looked at him then. “I was in and out of homes, some okay, some not. Most were okay.” She dug a line in the sand with one finger.
“But I thought I could do better on my own, so I ran away. To the streets, to a group of older teens who had befriended me. I thought they would have my back.” She smiled, but it wasn’t happy. “They didn’t. I really fell into the streets then, Nathan.” She met his gaze. “Alcohol. Drugs. Theft. It’s how I lived my life, until...” She sighed. “I met a guy in a bar. A really nice, wealthy, decent guy. I...believed him when he made promises. I thought he loved me, thought...he’d rescue me.
“I was so young, thinking I deserved whatever heaven he was promising. I was dead wrong about that, too.”
“Willa’s father?” Nathan asked.
Sean nodded then seemed to ponder her next words carefully, for a long time. “I was already pregnant when I realized how wrong I was, so—” she gave an acerbic laugh “—I did what I did best. Ran. To another city, states away. And I’ve been running, with Willa, ever since. I’ve...not been with anyone—another man—since I got pregnant with her. And...I never finished high school. I have a GED—I got that just a few years ago.” Tears welled in her eyes, and she looked away, but Nathan grasped her chin and made her stay focused. On him. Through her tears, she smiled. “Ever since Willa was born, I’ve made up stories to tell her. Fairy-tale stories. I created a safe world, a safe place, and Willa became the strong, feisty little fairy in my stories. One day, I decided to write one down. I had a pretty decent savings account. From...before. From Willa’s father. But I knew I had to do something to make more money for Willa and me to live on. I didn’t want to leave her with anyone else, didn’t want anyone taking care of her. So I did a little research, took a chance and submitted my story to a literary agency. That ultimately led to a rather nice contract with a children’s book publisher.”
Nathan said nothing at first. He was completely fascinated that one woman could have so much courage. “You’re a writer? That’s what you meant when you said you do freelance writing?”
Sean nodded. “It was a great way to make money while still being able to care for Willa by myself,” she said. “I write under a pseudonym. Completely random.”
“And now you’re in Cassabaw,” Nathan encouraged.
“Yes. I...just...was trying to fit in. To find a decent home for Willa, while staying one step ahead of—” She paused after her voice trembled. “Willa’s father is...possessive. In a psychotic way. I never wanted him to find out about Willa. So...that’s me in a nutshell. A mess.” Then she let the tears fall, and Nathan pulled her into his lap and, with his thumb, wiped the tears from her cheeks.
Five years. She’s been alone for five years. Longer.
No more.
“All of that was before, Sean.” He tilted her beautiful face upward to see him, to look in his eyes when he spoke. “Important, because it made who you are today, and darlin’, that’s what matters to me.” He smiled. “I think you’ve found what you’ve been searching for.” She buried her face into his neck and sobbed. He held her, ran his fingers through her hair, kissed her temple, then forced her to look at him once more. Her wide hazel eyes stared into his, waiting. “You don’t have to run anymore. You belong here, Sean. You and Willa both. With me.”
Those wide eyes searched his for several seconds, as though trying to see if he was bluffing, or if he’d change his mind. He saw the moment in the wet depths when she believed him, trusted him, and she grasped his face in her hands and pressed her mouth to his. She kissed him, long, lingering against him, her lips trembling as they sought his, and without words, he knew Sean accepted him, accepted the fact that she hadn’t scared him away. She clung to him so tightly, it nearly made his breath come short.
He laid her down, his arms still wound around her, and kissed her deeply, tasting her mouth, swiping her tongue with his, not getting enough of her. She’d bared her hurt, her past to him, and it’d been nothing but a past to Nathan, one he wanted her to put behind her if it caused her pain. He wanted her to live in the now, on Cassabaw, to begin her new life, void of bad memories. Filled with good ones.
Bracing his weight on one elbow, he rose above her, staring into her face. He traced along her temple, down her cheek, her jaw, her chin.
“You’re perfect, Sean Jacobs,” he said quietly. “Perfect for me.”
Sean’s hand stilled his, the one he’d been tracing her features with, and she brought it to her lips, closed her eyes, and kissed his fingertips. “Thank you,” she said, and her voice quavered, and when she opened her eyes they were filled with tears again. Then, she smiled. Slightly. Timidly. Shyly.
The gesture made his heart surge, and Nathan lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her slowly at first, but then she sat up and faced him bravely. And when she reached for his shirt, he allowed it, trying with all his damn strength to give her time to undo each button when he wanted to rip the thing apart. When she had it off she sat back, her eyes on his, and pulled her white sundress with little blue flowers over her head, never breaking his gaze, and dropped it beside them. When her fingers went to the clasp between her breasts, holding her bra together, and let the garment fall over her shoulders, Nathan’s intake of air fell on the night air, and Sean took his hands, placed them against her skin, her breasts. She was so soft. They fell together, their mouths fused, their tongues tasting, and they were one. It felt right. It felt good.
And Nathan wanted to touch, taste every inch of her.
Her willingness to trust his touch made his heart beat hard against his ribs, and he kicked off his jeans, pulled her against him, and they rolled until Nathan was on his back, and Sean lay against him, looking down. It was her turn to explore every scar, every flaw, every contour of his face. She traced his throat and Adam’s apple, and she fell atop him, his arms around her body, their mouths searching, exploring. His hands moved over her hips, her buttocks, pushing her panties down until they were skin to skin, nothing left between them but body, and Nathan’s pulsed with desire. He rolled Sean gently onto her back, his hands exploring her collarbone, her breasts, trailing down her narrow, flat stomach, and when his gaze rose to meet hers, her eyes were wet with need. She grasped his hands in hers and pulled him down to her, and wriggled the slightest bit beneath him. Nathan nearly exploded at her actions.
But her thigh
s fell open, and she welcomed him, kissing him, sliding her tongue along the rim of his bottom lip, releasing the slightest of groans, and Nathan moved, filled her and stayed completely still until she grew used to him there, taking up space in a place that she’d trusted to no one in so long. She trusted him, now, and he gently caressed her lips with his, pushed her silky fairy hair from her face, kissed each eye, the tip of her nose, the corners of her mouth, her top lip, then the bottom one.
Then, Sean’s legs wrapped around his hips, pulling him completely inside, and Nathan couldn’t help the groan that escaped him. He kissed Sean as he began to move, to rock, and she moved with him, and their mouths and tongues mimicked their sensual movements, until Sean pulled back, her eyes closed, and she bit her lip as a moan tore from her throat and she convulsed as pleasure rocked her. And only then did Nathan turn himself loose, and the orgasm that racked his body pulsed through him over and over, going from his groin to behind his eyes, to his brain. He felt Sean’s hands caressing his back, his hips, and he moved his mouth from her shoulder as the remnants of ecstasy left his body, and he kissed her slow, long, leaving not an inch untouched.
Finally, he propped his weight on one elbow, and he stared at Sean in wonder, and watched as firelight and moonlight merged on the planes and angles of her face. Having come from a close-knit family, the thought of never knowing a loving bond, of never having siblings, parents, grandparents stunned him. Even in his darkest moments, after Addie’s death, he still had his family, his home, to come back to. To heal, as best he could. He didn’t know what it felt like to truly be alone. With no family.
“Hey,” he finally said.
A slow smile curved Sean’s sexy mouth. “Hey back,” she said sweetly.
Nathan lifted his hand, holding it out to her until she grasped it. He shook, grinning. “Evening, Ms. Jacobs. My name’s Nathan Jebidiah Malone.” His grin widened. “And I’m the last guy you’ll ever need to meet.”
* * *
