The Heroes of Silver Island 2
Safe and Coasting with Ecstasy
Kimberly Bevel found her place on Silver Island. In a community where ménage relationships are the norm, all she’s missing is the love of two super-sexy hunks to complete her paradise. When she meets Coast Guard Petty Officers Emmett "Mett" and Charlie Doyle, she knows she’s found the men she wants, even if the brothers aren’t eager to share.
Mett and Charlie have been equally attracted to women before, but Kimberly is the first neither have been willing to walk away from. There’s little more important to Mett than a woman’s happiness, and he knows exactly how to deliver it. Charlie isn’t as suave as Mett, but he’s got a few moves up his sleeve.
While the brothers go head-to-head in their efforts to win Kimberly’s heart, she looks for a way to keep them both. But when she becomes the target of a madman, she may need Mett and Charlie to do more than keep her bed warm at night.
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Romantic Suspense
Length: 45,889 words
SAFE AND COASTING WITH ECSTASY
The Heroes of Silver Island 2
Tonya Ramagos
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
SAFE AND COASTING WITH ECSTASY
Copyright © 2013 by Tonya Ramagos
First E-book Publication: December 2013
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
About the Author
SAFE AND COASTING WITH ECSTASY
The Heroes of Silver Island 2
TONYA RAMAGOS
Copyright © 2013
Chapter One
Emmett “Mett” Doyle took one look at the Coast Guard patrol boat and muttered a string of unintelligible words under his breath. Strands of colorful lights danced in a blinking succession around the handrails. Garland stretched around the cabin doors and windows. A Christmas tree perched in the corner of the deck, sporting ornaments from every child’s favorite cartoons. And right in the middle of it all stood his brother Charlie, with a Santa hat sitting lopsidedly on his head and a goofy grin painted on his lips.
Mett took the steps onto the deck two at a time, stifling a laugh when his brother started singing the first bars to “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.” The man was decidedly tone deaf, which made the sight of him shuffling his feet along to the beat in his head more eye-rolling and priceless. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“What?” Charlie thrust out his arms at his sides and did an ungraceful spin that nearly landed him on his ass. “Don’t you like it?”
“It looks like it should be on the set of a National Lampoon’s Christmas special instead of docked at the Coast Guard base.”
Charlie pursed his still-smiling lips, which only made him look goofier. “Hmm, too bad John Hughes passed away. I’d be tempted to take a few pics and send them to him. It might have given him some inspiration for another movie.”
Mett chuckled. “Yeah. I bet it would. I don’t suppose you want to tell me why you’ve transformed the patrol boat into a water sleigh for Santa?”
“It’s pre-prep. The boat is setting sail at 1400 for Silver Island. The commander wants us to show it off, let the islanders see how festive we can be and all that jazz.” Charlie leaned over, snagged a second Santa hat from the box near his feet, and tossed it to Mett. “Suit up, brother, we’ve got smiles to bring to all the lovely women’s faces.”
Mett fisted the hat rather than putting it on his head. “The women on Silver Island already have their men to do that for them.”
“Not all of them. There’s plenty of single women on the island.” Charlie turned and headed for the cabin, tossing his next words over his shoulder. “What’s with the Scrooge act today? The holidays are always your favorite time of the year.”
“I only enjoy the holidays when we’re at home with Mom and Dad or when I’m cuddled in front of a cozy fire with my girl.” Mett followed his brother into the cabin, noting it was as insanely decorated as the outside of the boat, and tossed the hat in the nearest empty space not already taken up by holiday paraphernalia. “Seeing as how it’s still almost a week until Christmas day, when we get a few hours of furlough to go home, and I currently don’t have a girl, I don’t see the need to suit up in my Santa’s Helper gear just yet.”
“Okay, how about this for a need?” Charlie picked up a plate of fresh-baked cookies from the counter and offered them to Mett. “You’ve been elected as one of the two esteemed Coast Guard reps for the Silver Island boat parade and the
party to follow.” He pointed to his chest with his free hand. “I would be the second.”
Unable to resist, Mett took a gingerbread man cookie from the plate. Charlie had gotten creative with the icing, putting a red scarf around the gingerbread man’s neck and drawing the Coast Guard insignia on his belly. He bit off the gingerbread’s head, chewed slowly, and savored the taste of the ground ginger and mixed spices. “Not bad.”
“They better not be. You taught me to make them.”
Mett lifted a shoulder. “I just gave you the same instructions Mom gave me. Hell, it’s not like she wasn’t standing right there when you made your first batch.”
Charlie chuckled and snagged a cookie for himself. “She was more worried about me falling out of the chair I was standing in than she was that I’d mess up the cookies.”
Mett grinned, easily recalling the memory. At seven years old, he’d barely been tall enough make a batch of cookies without standing in a chair himself. Charlie had been five and, though Mett had always enjoyed cooking with their mother, Charlie had been even more eager to learn.
Mett backed against the nearest wall, crossing his feet at the ankles as he polished off the cookie. “Why us?”
“You mean for the Silver Island parade and party?” Charlie put the plate back on the counter and turned to lean a hip against it.
“Yeah. You being a Food Service Specialist, I get why the commander would assign you, but I’m a Rescue Swimmer. I don’t have anything to do with public affairs.”
“You’re a hero.”
Mett rested his head against the wall behind him and sighed. It had been years since his name had made the papers after a series of successful rescues during Hurricane Emilio that had whipped through the Gulf and ravaged the Silver Springs and Billings coastline.
“People like heroes,” Charlie went on. “And, according to the commander, we’re heroes women like to look at. Ladies on Silver Island like their men two at a time.”
“They won’t be getting that on this patrol boat.” Mett had nothing against the ménage lifestyle promoted on Silver Island. If two men wanted to share a woman, more power to them. As long as they made that woman happy, it was no business of his. It wasn’t the kind of relationship he wanted for himself, but he was open-minded enough not to hold it against other people if it worked for them.
“Naw, but we can feed a few fantasies.” Charlie turned slightly and snagged a snowman cookie off a different plate behind him. “And fill a few tummies with cookies.”
“So when does all this festive cheer kick off?”
“The parade is tomorrow,” Charlie answered around a mouthful of the snowman’s feet. “The party will commence at 1900 in the Island Hall. Me and my crew will be doing the catering for that event.”
“If all this hoopla isn’t happening until tomorrow, why are setting sail at 1400 today?”
“A final prep meeting with the island council, so to speak. The commander said there’s two women we need to talk with. Lara Cabelly, formerly known as Lara Hampton, is handling the boat parade.”
“The US senator’s daughter who’s now married to the island sheriff.” Which was of course how the Coast Guard had gotten wrangled into participating in either event. No doubt, Lara Hampton Cabelly had used her influence to get the Coasties to agree. “Who is the other woman?”
“Kimberly Bevel. Lara has delegated the party to her. I think she works at the Island Welcome Center or something. I figure I’ll talk to Kim since I’m in charge of the catering, you get with Lara, and we’ll take care of both chores at once.”
“The commander doesn’t honestly expect us to hang over the rail out there with a big grin on our face and wave like loons through this whole parade, does he?”
Charlie pushed away from the counter, picked up the Santa hat Mett had discarded when he’d walked into the cabin, and slapped it on Mett’s head. “Yep. Suit up, helper, and put your holiday smile on. It’s Christmas time.”
* * * *
Kimberly Bevel pushed up the sleeves of her thin sweater, tipped her head back, and closed her eyes behind her sunglasses as she enjoyed the cool winter breeze floating in from the Gulf. December on Silver Island was already proving to be mild compared to many of the cities she’d lived in. So far, the temperature had barely dipped below sixty during the day, making it comfortable enough for visitors and islanders alike to still enjoy their spot of land on the water.
“It’s another gorgeous day in paradise.”
Kimberly lifted her head at the female voice and smiled at Lara Cabelly as the woman came closer. “Surely you’re not surprised.”
Lara smiled back and let out a half-laugh. “I guess I shouldn’t be. Almost every day is beautiful here.”
The island had its share of normal rain showers, but the worst weather they’d seen had been during hurricane season. Even those months between June and November had thankfully been mild this year.
“Which is why the tourists keep on coming.” Kimberly glanced out to sea, where she could just make out the stern of the departing excursion boat ferrying visitors from the island to the docks on the mainland in Silver Springs. “We had nearly a full boat come in this morning and the one that just left was barely half-full.”
Lara nodded. “I spoke with Marcus on my way over here. He said the resort is almost booked to capacity and most of the rental cottages are taken, too. Apparently people are leaning more toward vacationing for the holidays instead of going home to family this year.”
“Hey, I’m not complaining. All the planning we’re doing for the parade would be a bust if we didn’t have people to show for it.”
“Very true. You can bet the party wouldn’t be, though. I don’t think there’s a single islander who isn’t intending on showing up. And, speaking of the party, I wanted to thank you again for volunteering to help with that. So many people are pitching in that there’s very little I’m having to do myself.”
Kimberly slanted Lara a look. “Again, I’m going to say, surely you’re not surprised.”
Lara laughed. “And again, I’m going to say, I guess I shouldn’t be. Still, I’ll admit I’m not quite used to it yet. Everyone is like one huge family here. It’s…different.”
“From what you’re used to in Washington? Well, yeah. Just wait until you wake up on Christmas morning and there’s no snow on the ground.”
“That’s something I won’t miss at all.”
“Have you found out if Brandon is going to make it home or will it be just you and the sheriff?”
Lara’s angelic face filled with disappointment. “He’s OCONUS and isn’t at liberty to tell me where. He managed to call last night from a sat phone and said he’ll try again soon, but that looks like the best I’m going to get this Christmas.”
Kimberly dragged a comforting hand down the woman’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I know it can’t be easy having one of your men so far away at this time of the year.”
It wasn’t easy being away from any loved one around the holidays. Her father would be spending the Christmas season on the road like he often did, and her mother…
God, Mom, I miss you so much.
Today marked the eleventh year since her mother had passed away. Though she missed her terribly, she refused to allow her sorrow to take control. She’d made a promise to her mother that she would continue to enjoy the holidays even though her mother would no longer be with her and, every year since, no matter what, she made sure to keep that vow.
“It’s not.” Lara pushed an audible breath from her lungs. “But it would be worse if John was still a SEAL, too. God, I can’t imagine having both of them gone.” She wrinkled her forehead. “It’s funny how a woman can get so used to having a man around that she can’t remember what life was like without him. Even when Brandon is gone, he’s not really gone, if you know what I mean.”
Kimberly nodded. She understood what Lara was saying even if she didn’t know what it truly felt like. She tamped down the jeal
ousy fluttering in her belly and covered it with the belief she’d been holding onto that one day she would know what it felt like. She believed in her heart of hearts that she’d found her place on Silver Island. She might be living everyday surrounded by women who were blissfully happy in ménage relationships with fantastic men while she didn’t have anyone, but that would change…one day.
When she’d first settled on the island and taken the job as the attendant at the Welcome Center, she’d found herself scrutinizing every attractive man who stepped off the excursion boat, secretly wondering if he was the man for her. She’d even developed a gigantic crush on the island sheriff, even though she’d known deep down he wasn’t the one. John Cabelly and his best friend Brandon “Ace” McCormick had been meant for Lara, a destiny that had been made clear when all three of them had been reunited on the island.
It had only taken Kimberly a few months before she’d stopped being so desperately hopeful and had learned to be happy and content with the life she was building on the island alone. She’d made friends and felt close enough to most of them that she thought of them as family. She had a great job and a charming cottage. So what if her overly large bed in that cottage was empty every night save for her? One day, when the time was right, she’d have a man on her right, another on her left, and her island paradise would be complete.
“Well, would you look at that.” Lara tipped her chin and a wide smile spread her lips. “I love it!”
Kimberly turned, following Lara’s gaze, and her jaw dropped as a short laugh escaped. She’d grown accustomed to seeing the Coast Guard patrol boats in the waters surrounding the island, but she’d never seen any of them decked out in full-blown holiday cheer like the one approaching now. “Oh, that is too cool.”
Safe and Coasting with Ecstasy [The Heroes of Silver Island 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 1
