The Island

by Alice Ward

  “I don’t know what you’re talking abo…”

  “Save it, Willow,” Daddy said sternly. His jaw was set and his eyes were sad.

  Renee looked at James with narrowed eyes. “Marci showed us that email you sent her. That was a great marketing idea, but her email address wasn’t in Cole’s business contacts. I had my suspicions after your grandparents showed up unannounced, but seeing that email cleared out any doubt.”

  James’s face turned red and he looked down at the table. “I just thought…”

  “I don’t want to hear what you thought,” Renee cut him off sharply.

  Daddy nodded. “Look kids, we know this must be incredibly difficult for you. In your minds, Renee and I are together because you both lost someone. And that’s the truth. If Rose or Gus were still alive, we wouldn’t be here. But Renee and I lost them too, and we’ve lived with our losses for a long time. We have a chance to be happy, and we’re going to take it. And in the future, we’d like for you to talk to us about your feelings instead of plotting behind our backs.”

  Renee nodded. “I’ve made a family counseling appointment with Reverend Hawthorne and his wife. I think it will do us all good to sit down and get everything out in the open.”

  I shot a glance to James.

  Yeah, I’m sure the good reverend would love to hear all about our fucked up little family. I hate this...

  “Is there anything you’d like to say for yourselves?” Daddy asked.

  I shook my head and looked down at the table, blushing with shame. “Just… I’m sorry, Daddy,” I sighed.

  “Thank you, pumpkin,” he accepted. “But I’m not the only one at the table you owe an apology to.”

  “I’m sorry, Renee,” I added halfheartedly.

  “I accept your apology,” she told me. She turned to James and he shifted in his seat.

  “I’m sorry, Mom, Cole. You were right. Your engagement brought up a lot of emotions for Willow and me, and we didn’t handle them very well. I promise it won’t happen again.”

  “Thank you, James,” Daddy told him. “We accept your apology. Now, let me tell you how you’re going to make it up to us.”

  I looked up nervously while Renee looped her arm through Daddy’s.

  “We’ve set a date for the wedding,” Daddy announced. “We’re going to have it on the last Saturday in June.”

  “But Daddy, that’s less than two months away,” I argued.

  “Yes, but we don’t see the point in waiting any longer,” Renee explained.

  Daddy nodded. “Renee has her heart set on having the ceremony up on Eagle Point. Dallas and I will widen the trail so we can take our guests up in the wagons. I’m counting on the two of you to get the place cleaned up and ready for the ceremony.”

  It was the last thing I wanted to do, but I knew we didn’t have a choice. “We can do that,” I agreed. James nodded silently beside me and I reached for his hand under the table. He pulled away from me and I wondered if we’d ever touch again, or if Daddy and Renee’s love story had just put an end to ours.

  ***

  “Where the fuck are these supposed to go?” James growled as he pulled a petunia plant from its plastic container.

  I glanced at him over my shoulder and then rose to my feet. “They’re supposed to go white, peach, pink,” I explained, taking the root ball from his hands. “I’ll do this if you’ll dig the holes for the lavender.” James stomped away and grabbed a shovel.

  It was Wednesday afternoon and James and I were on Eagle Point, planting flowers for the wedding. Renee thought cut flower arrangements were a ‘waste of nature’, so James and I were stuck landscaping the great outdoors.

  Eagle Point was one of my favorite spots on our land. It was a beautiful, grassy plateau surrounded by sandstone bluffs and lush vegetation. It was also the perfect spot to watch the eagles, who nested across the ravine.

  “You know, this is going to look really great when it’s done,” I said as I stuffed the roots into the loose earth. “It’s so beautiful up here. It’s going to be a lovely wedding.” I was trying to be positive, but James wouldn’t have it.

  “I don’t know how you can act so happy about this,” he snapped.

  I stood up and turned to him. “I’m just trying to make the best of a bad situation,” I told him. I brushed my hands off on my jeans and reached for my water bottle. “They’re getting married. There’s nothing we can do about it. You’re the one who insists that’s a deal breaker for us,” I reminded him. “I don’t know why you’re being so hateful.”

  James tossed down the shovel and shoved a lavender plant into the fresh hole. His t-shirt was drenched in sweat and he wiped his brow with a blue bandana. “I’m frustrated, Willow,” he told me. “It’s hard for me, spending time with you and knowing I can never have you.”

  I took a long drink of my water and sat down on the picnic blanket. “I’ve told you, I don’t think the wedding has to mean the end for us,” I said patiently. We’d been having the same argument for days and I refused to back down.

  “I won enough money in Kentucky to build my house,” I continued. “I have a contractor coming out next week to look at the lot. I’ll live on one side of the ranch, you’ll be on the other. We could date like normal people. The fact that our parents are married doesn’t have to stop us. Even Matt and Lucas agree with me, and you said they’d understand where you’re coming from.”

  James pulled his wet t-shirt over his head and sat down across from me on the blanket. He pulled a towel from his backpack and dried off his chest. “You’re being naïve, Willow,” he told me. He grabbed a bottle of water and stared off at the horizon, unable to look me in the eye.

  “Then enlighten me,” I pressed. “Because so far, you haven’t given me a good enough reason to call things off between us.”

  James chugged the water and crushed the empty bottle in his fist. “Damn it, Willow. I’m trying to be the good guy here. It’s unfamiliar territory, but I’m doing the best I can. You’ve worked your whole life to get to where you are in your career. All of your dreams are coming true. You’re breeding program is drawing attention from all around the country, and the horses still have two more races to run. Do you want to go to Preakness and have everyone whisper and stare at us? I won’t cause a scandal that could ruin your career. Not when it’s just taking off.” He tossed the bottle towards the ATV and stared off into the distance.

  He’s not going to give on this. He thinks he’s doing the right thing… arguing isn’t going to get me anywhere. I need to switch up my tactics.

  I stared at him for a while, trying to figure out a new approach. I wanted to tell him that I didn’t care about my dreams, that my career didn’t matter if I didn’t have him by my side. Instead, I let out a long sigh and told James he was right.

  He turned to me in surprise. “What?”

  “You’re right,” I said again. “And I appreciate the sacrifices you’re making for me. I just wish…” my voice faded and I bit my lower lip.

  James turned around to face me. “You wish what?” he asked softly.

  I tilted my head to the side and gave him a bashful smile. “I wish that the last time we were together, I’d known it was our last time together. I’d have paid more attention… appreciated it more.”

  James’s eye softened and he relaxed his shoulders. He studied me for a moment before speaking. “I wish that too…”

  I crawled over to him and looked into his eyes. “We could take care of that… we’re in the middle of nowhere… and our parents aren’t married yet.”

  “You have a point there,” James agreed. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck and lowered my mouth to his. The touch was soft at first, then grew more passionate as our tongues danced to a rhythm as ancient as time.

  James pulled away. We yanked off our boots and jeans, kicked off our underwear, and fell back into each other’s arms. James pulled my t-shirt over my
head and unhooked my bra with one hand. We lay down side by side on the blanket, our hands and mouths exploring each other’s bodies for what may have been the last time.

  “You’re so beautiful, Willow,” James said, stroking my face. “No matter what happens, always remember that.”

  I kissed him again, trying to memorize the taste of his lips. James rolled away from me and retrieved a condom from his backpack. He unwrapped it, rolled it down his cock, and turned back to me. I fell into his arms and threw one leg over his hips.

  “I don’t know how I’ll live without you, Willow,” he said as he drove his cock into me.

  I’m never going to let you find out.

  I kissed James’s neck as we slowly moved together on the blanket. He sucked my earlobe and we made slow, quiet love as a gentle, welcome breeze blew across us. I pushed James onto his back and climbed into his lap. He bent his knees and I leaned back against his legs as I ground into him. James sat up and I wrapped my arms around his neck as he dove for my breasts. I bounced up and down, taking and giving. He sucked my nipples in turn.

  “Your cock feels so amazing,” I moaned. “I never want to let it go.” I grabbed a handful of James’s hair and squeezed my pussy muscles around him.

  James let out a long sigh. “You know I love it when you do that,” he moaned. “I never want to be let go…”

  I planted my feet on the ground and pushed myself off of his cock. I let all but the tip slip out, and hovered motionless above him. “But that’s exactly what you want. This has to be the last time, remember?” I whispered. I lowered myself down on his shaft, rocked my hips in a circle, and then rose again.

  “Are you sure you want to give this up?” I sank down, circled my hips twice, and rose again, teasing James to his limit.

  “Willow, please,” James gasped, thrusting his hips upward. “You know I don’t want to give you up… I’m sorry, I was wrong… please…”

  I slammed myself down onto his cock and rocked my hips back and forth against him. James wrapped his arms around me, rolled forward, and laid me on my back. He thrust into me, wild and unrestrained. His urgent, animalistic movements spurned me on, and I bucked against him just as forcefully.

  “God… I’m going to come,” James moaned, his breath heaving from his chest.

  “Come with me, baby,” I demanded and he did, his cock spasming in release inside me.

  I watched his face as he came, heard the cries of his passion and felt his breath on my skin as I memorized this beautiful moment. Then I crashed with him, tumbling over the edge as waves of pleasure washed over me. I cried out and he took the sound into his mouth, his lips pressing against my own as my juices gushed over him and he collapsed on top of me.

  We lay there for long moments, our mouths touching, our bodies still connected. He rolled over and spread out on the blanket beside me.

  “You’re playing dirty, Willow,” he said, gasping for breath. “You knew I’d agree to anything, the way you were teasing me.”

  I grabbed a fresh bottle of water and took a long gulp. “I know,” I nodded, passing him the bottle. “You can take it back if you want.”

  James shook his head and pulled on his boxer shorts. He pulled a clean t-shirt from his back pack and tossed it to me. “I don’t want to take it back. I thought I was doing the right thing, walking away from you. But I can’t do it. I’m not strong enough.”

  I gave James a soft kiss and pulled his t-shirt over my head. “I know it will be hard. But I really think we can find a way to make it work.”

  James lay back down on the blanket and I curled up on his chest. “I don’t think we should say anything about this,” he told me. “Let’s wait until the races and the wedding are over. Once everything else settles down, we’ll find a way to tell everyone about us.”

  “Speaking of the wedding, we still have an awful lot of planting to do,” I reminded him. I moved to sit up and James pulled me back down into his arms.

  “We’ll get to it,” he told me. “I’m exhausted. I just need to lay here for a few minutes.”

  I nuzzled back into his chest, and we drifted off to sleep.

  ***

  “Well, well, well… what do we have here?”

  I opened my eyes and found Bradley sneering down at us. I jumped up and James stirred awake.

  “What are you doing here?” I demanded, reaching for my jeans. James stood up and moved between me and Bradley.

  “Dad and I stopped by to see Cole, and he mentioned that he’d expected the two of you to be back by now. I was worried, so I volunteered to check on you. My, oh my. How will I describe what I just walked in on?”

  James glared down at him, but we had no defense. We’d literally been caught with our pants down.

  “Bradley, this isn’t what it looks like,” I insisted. I pulled on my jeans and stared down at the blanket, searching for an excuse.

  Bradley snorted. “Oh, I think it’s exactly what it looks like. Tell me, Willow. Isn’t inbreeding frowned upon in the thoroughbred world? I wonder what all of your fancy horse friends will think when they find out that you’re screwing your stepbrother.”

  “You bastard,” James growled. “It’s our word against yours. Everyone that matters has seen that video of you forcing yourself on Willow at the Derby. No one will take you seriously.”

  Bradley gave us a wide smile and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “Then I guess it’s a good thing I snapped a few pictures before I woke you up.”

  The color drained from James’s face and I felt like I was going to pass out.

  We’re trapped. He’s going to tell everyone and it’s going to be a disaster, just like James warned.

  Bradley slid his phone back into his pocket and gave us a devilish grin. “Now, I’ll be happy to keep this whole incident to myself… as long as you do exactly what I say.”

  THE END

  Continue on to read Part 3 in the next page.

  Love All Out

  PART 3

  CHAPTER 1

  I stood on Eagle Point in stunned silence, staring into Bradley’s cold, arrogant eyes. I couldn’t believe what was happening. Just a few hours earlier, I’d convinced James that we’d find a way to make people accept our unconventional relationship. But when Bradley threatened to expose our love to the world, I realized that James had been right all along. No one would accept us together. We were only setting ourselves up for ridicule and heartache.

  “What do you mean, ‘as long as we do what you say’?” James growled. He stood between me and Bradley as if he could protect me from what was to come. I didn’t have to see his face to realize that he was angry. The slow burning rage in his voice told me everything I needed to know. One part of me wanted James to punch Bradley in the face again. Another part of me was terrified to anger the one person with the power to destroy our lives.

  Bradley gave us an amused grin. “I thought my statement was pretty self-explanatory, but I guess I gave you too much credit. What I mean is, essentially, you’re both mine. From this point forward, you’ll do what I say, when I say it, or I’ll let everyone know about your sick little sibling bonding sessions.”

  James ground his foot into the dirt and balled up his right fist. “Or, I could knock your fucking teeth in, delete the pictures, and you can fuck yourself.”

  “James, no,” I said, finally finding my voice. He turned to me and furrowed his brow in frustration.

  “Give me one good reason,” he replied. “Because the way I see it, this is the quickest solution to our problem.”

  I moved beside him and put a comforting arm on his shoulder. “You can’t hit him, James. He’ll press charges again.”

  Bradley nodded. “Listen to your girlfriend, or sister, or whatever the fuck you call her. She’s right. If you lay one hand on me, I’ll have your ass thrown in jail. And then, I’ll make sure your cell mates know that you like to screw family members. I wonder how they’d react to that.” He put a hand to his chin and t
apped it with one finger.

  “You’re a fucking bastard,” James hissed.

  “That may be,” Bradley agreed with a grin. “But I’m a bastard who fucking owns you.”

  “What do you want?” I asked meekly. There was no denying what Bradley had walked in on and I looked to the ground in shame.

  “I haven’t decided yet. But I promise I’ll make it interesting,” Bradley answered with a wink. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going back to the house. I’m sure my father’s ready to leave. I’ll tell Cole that you’re finishing up here for the day and will be down soon. I’ll be in touch,” he added as he turned back to the mouth of the trail.

  “Bradley,” I called after him.

  He looked over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised in curiosity. “Yes?”

  I twisted the hem of James’s t-shirt in my hand and looked down to the ground. “It’s just… this isn’t…” I stammered. I took a deep breath and started again. “This isn’t what you think it is. That’s all.” I wanted to beg him to delete the pictures and forget what he’d seen. But I knew it would be useless and I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.

  “Like I said, I’m not stupid,” Bradley snorted. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

  I watched until he disappeared down the trail and then scrambled around the blanket, gathering my clothes. I pulled off James’s t-shirt, fastened my bra around my chest, and slid the straps over my shoulders. An engine grumbled in the distance and James kicked at the dirt.

  “That bastard!” he yelled. A deep scowl spread across his ruggedly handsome face. “I knew he didn’t walk all the way up here. He took one of the ATVs, but left it down the trail. He didn’t want us to hear him coming. He was fucking hoping to catch us doing something!”

  “Yes,” I agreed as I tugged my t-shirt over my head. “And his plan worked.” I pulled on my socks and stuffed my feet into my boots. James stood and watched me, still wearing only his jeans.

  “Willow, we are not playing his game,” he insisted. “You’ve spent the last three days trying to convince me that we can be together. You said it yourself; this doesn’t have to be a big scandal. I’m sure some people will be shocked, but once they get to know us…”