by Jodi Redford
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my wonderful sister, Lynne. Your support means more to me than you could ever know! Also to Sasha, who is not only an amazing editor, but someone I’m proud to call a friend. Last but not least, to the always awesometastic Bridget Connors. A certain paragraph in Chapter Seven is for you, babe. You’ll know why. Heh.
Chapter One
“You need to get laid. And I’m the owner of the eleven-inch cock that’s gonna take care of that little problem for you.”
Making a mental note to implement a mandatory no-guzzling-cheap-wine-while-writing-love-scenes policy, Kayla English winced and ejected the audio book from her car’s CD player. “Pass the crackers, because that’s some hellacious cheesiness.”
Then again, she’d gotten more fan mail than usual after Tori’s Torrid Secret came out last year. Maybe that line wasn’t a flaming pile of dog poop. Not like she could do a damn thing about it now anyway. It was forever immortalized in print, and soon to be audio, once she stamped her approval on the demo CD.
Hell, she was probably just grouchy because it’d been far too long since she’d gotten laid.
Before she could pull the plug on it, the phantom voice of her ex, Jeremy, reared its ugly head. You honestly expect me to believe you’re not a dirty whore?
Six months ago he’d flung those harsh, condemning words at her, but the gut-churning betrayal of his pronouncement still cut her to the bone like a fresh laceration. Nothing she’d said put a dent in his false assumptions. She wrote smutty books, therefore it stood to reason she must be a perverted, cheating slut, right?
A fist-sized ball of tension anchored in her belly, she grabbed her purse and the two bags of groceries resting on the passenger seat. Precariously juggling all three items, she nudged the Camry’s door shut and schlepped toward the steep stairway of the weathered beach house the parents of her best friend, Bailey, had generously loaned her for the next two weeks while they cruised around the Mediterranean.
It felt odd not staying at the sprawling mansion on North Shore, but she was grateful not to be faced with the heartbreaking remembrances of her dad and his last days there before he passed. Besides, her mom had made it perfectly clear that Kayla wasn’t welcome to darken her doorway anytime soon.
Familiar anxiety added to the queasy brew in her stomach. Sucking in a deep breath, she expelled it slowly, willing her tensed shoulders to relax. The crisp, salty tang of the ocean breeze ruffled her hair, doing its part to lessen the stress and uncertainty that’d been her persistent companions far too often lately. This working vacation was precisely what she needed. Respite from the memories of her failed relationship with Jeremy and her falling out with her mom. And hopefully an opportunity to kill her fears that she’d lost her passion for writing.
Even as she clung to that desperate hope, the taunting insecurities coiled inside her—a colony of poisonous asps biding their time.
Jeremy’s betrayal had gouged more than a chunk out of her heart. It was testing the foundation of her belief system. What she’d once held to be one unequivocal truth—that love always conquered all—was now riddled with mile-wide cracks. How could she write about love when she constantly questioned if it even existed? Right now, it seemed less believable than unicorns and Big Foot.
She trudged up the steps, careful not to stick the soles of her thin-heeled sandals with the few stray nailheads protruding from the wooden treads. Shuffling the bags again, she wedged the key into the lock and swung open the front door. She followed another small flight of stairs to the second landing. The sunny seaside décor of the large open living room jogged a contented sigh loose. “Exactly what I needed.”
Two weeks to rekindle her sexy writing mojo, beautiful Florida sunsets over the Atlantic, and soaking up some rays. Bliss. Beat the hell out of remaining holed up in her cramped apartment in Detroit while she banged her head against a wall trying to plot an outline for a new book that was going nowhere.
Shoving aside that last unproductive thought, she surveyed her surroundings with bittersweet emotion. She’d spent almost every summer in Wicked Shores during her youth. She missed those carefree days with an intensity that ached in her soul.
A silver-framed photo on a nearby end table caught her eye, and she crossed to it, drawn like a magnet. Appropriate comparison, once her full attention fell on the gorgeous male subjects centered in the picture. Tyler Bishop and Gibb Masters—leading stars of every single one of her girlhood fantasies.
Hell, who was she kidding? Ty and Gibb still made her quiver in inappropriate places. Her giddy, racing pulse and tightened nipples were all too happy to point out that obnoxious fact.
In the photo, the two men leaned on the rusted bumper of Ty’s old Jeep. Both wore faded cargo shorts, but that’s pretty much where the similarity ended. Dark-haired, sexy bad boy Ty could barely rein in his grin. No doubt he was thinking of all the lucky ladies he’d charm out of their panties later that night. In contrast, sun-kissed surfer god Gibb wore a slightly shuttered expression, as if he was reluctant to reveal too much to the camera lens. He’d always been the more reserved of the pair.
According to Bailey, her brother and Gibb had opened a charter fishing business in the Wicked Shores marina after Gibb’s marriage hit the skids and he moved back to the area. Which meant Kayla had a better-than-good chance of running into her secret crushes at some point during the next two weeks. Her only saving grace was the objects of her deepest desires knew nothing about her over-romanticized quest during her early college years to save her virginity for them. In her wildest fantasies, she’d concocted images of them fighting over the prestigious title of being her first lover.
God, how pathetic would she look if they knew any of that ridiculousness? Grimacing, she plunked the bags of groceries and her purse on the massive granite island in the kitchen.
After stowing the perishables in the fridge, she freed one of the Mike’s Lemonades from the cardboard caddy and twisted off the cap. A citrus-spiked effervescent hiss beckoning enticement, she swigged a refreshing sip and wiggled out of her sandals. She glanced toward the window situated above the sink and caught the blood-orange hues of the sun painting the distant waves. Her dad had always claimed this idyllic slice of the coast filled his writer pen with magic ink. Easy to believe. She only prayed it’d deliver the same benefit to her laptop keyboard.
Her toes soaking up the chill from the pastel peach tiles, she crossed to the sliding glass door overlooking the rear deck. A large in-ground pool took up a fair amount of real estate on the ground level. That was new. As was the adjacent pool house.
Quaffing a more satisfying swallow of the Mike’s, she hitched her attention to the left…and choked on the mouthful of alcohol when her gaze landed on the firm, wet, naked ass of a guy scrubbing himself briskly in the outside shower situated on the opposite side of the pool. The sun-bleached wooden doors were thrown wide open, awarding her an unimpeded, eye-popping view of rock-hard glutes flexing beneath the streaming cascade of crystal-clear water.
“What. The. Hell.” Her tongue refusing to dislodge any further words, she visually tracked the glistening stream in a reverse journey up along that strong, sculpted back. Acres of muscles and bronzed skin. Indistinguishable tattoo taking up most of his right shoulder and lower torso. His big hands slicked through the glossy, mink-brown hair plastered to his skull, sending sparkling fat globules of water flying. He leaned his head back, awarding her a better glimpse of his face.
She broke from her fascinated trance with a double blink and a sharp staccato breath lodging in her windpipe.
Ty Bishop was the Adonis standing buck-ass naked less than fifty feet away from her. Half convinced she’d been dropped into one of
her erotic reveries, she pinched her arm and winced at the sting. Nope, one hundred percent awake.
Broad, sleek shoulders flexing, Ty dialed off the shower and reached for the towel hung on a nearby peg. He pivoted, and she automatically zeroed in on his semi-erect cock.
Sweet mother of God. Speaking of hung…
Fat, rosy and splendidly lickable, his cock jutted from a neatly trimmed patch of dark hair. She would have sold her soul to have access to binoculars right then. Or at least 20/20 vision. He gave his cock a brisk rub with the towel, and her knees almost buckled. Dear Lord, that was the luckiest damn scrap of fabric on the face of the earth.
After drying his chest, Ty snapped the towel around his neck and glanced upward toward the house. He frowned, his eyebrows tugging into a prominent V.
It took a moment to realize he was staring at her. Directly at her. Hot waves of panic slamming her dead center, she dashed into the kitchen, ducked to her knees and crouched near the cabinets. Yeah, it was a completely boneheaded reaction. He’d already busted her ogling him. Resisting the urge to rap her forehead against the whitewashed cupboard, she fizzled out a groan.
Several torturous seconds ticked by before she detected the unmistakable whoosh of the glass door sliding open on its track. Any prayer of escaping the awkward situation died a thousand painful deaths. Nervous sweat trickling a sticky path along the nape of her neck, she squeezed her eyes shut and wished fervently for the power of invisibility. Or a giant sinkhole to open and swallow her up.
Soft footfalls announced that her lame-ass hiding spot hadn’t done one damn bit of good. Daring to crack one eye open, she peeked upward and met the sexy devastation of Tyler Bishop’s grin head-on.
“Damn, Kay. If I’d known you were standing there, I woulda given you somethin’ more interesting to watch.”
Chapter Two
“I—I wasn’t spying on you.” Shaking her head emphatically, Kayla pushed to her feet. “I swear.”
“Way to crush a guy’s fantasy.” Ty secured the knot on the towel around his waist before reaching for her. Ignoring her gasp of surprise, he hauled her into his arms.
“Ty, you’re all wet.”
“You haven’t seen me in seven years, and that’s the most important thing you’ve got to say?” He pressed his nose in the crook of her neck and inhaled until he was drunk on her sweet strawberries-and-cream scent. Her shaky breath ignited another spark to the charged chemical attraction dominating his cells whenever he was around Kayla.
She’d always been a hazard to his sanity. Time apparently hadn’t lessened her impact on his equilibrium. Adding another layer of torture to his current load, he grazed his lips along the soft patch of skin beneath her ear just so he could hear the seductive catch of her breath again.
Jaysus. All these years and he still had it bad for her. There were only two things that’d stopped him from pursuing Kayla and ensuring she spent a lifetime or two naked, sweaty and satisfied in his bed. First was the indisputable fact his baby sis would castrate him for making time with her best friend. As for number two—
A door banged shut in the distance, breaking Ty off mid-muse. The distinct thump-thump-thump of footsteps jogged up the main stairway, followed by the ill-timed arrival of Gibb. AKA—reason number two for Ty keeping Kayla’s luscious body off-limits.
Plucking his polarized Oakley’s free, Gibb mopped his brow. “Whose car is that parked in the drive?”
Before Ty or Kayla could open their mouths to respond, Gibb glanced in their direction. A pregnant pause preceded Gibb’s rough inhalation. His focus zigzagged from Kayla’s arm crooked around Ty’s shoulder to the hand Ty shamelessly had plastered to her left butt cheek. The shock holding Gibb’s features hostage slowly morphed into something that boded a world of bodily hurt for Ty.
Knowing Gibb, he’d pass off his reaction as nothing more than his natural predilection to protect Kayla from Ty’s boundless lechery. He’d never admit he was a walking boner advertisement where Kayla was concerned.
Then again, avoidance and silence seemed to be Gibb’s standard MO when it came to situations he’d rather not address. Something Ty was all too familiar with. Gusting a resigned exhalation, he resettled Kayla on her feet and slid his palm from its happy place on her ass.
She took a quick step back, her movements wobblier than the smile she fixed on Gibb. “Hey, you.” A world of awkwardness rode shotgun with her greeting. Smoothing a lock of hair behind her ear, she trotted over to Gibb and sent his scowl packing the instant she wrapped him in a hug.
An obvious flicker of heat flared in Gibb’s eyes when Kayla’s breasts pillowed against his chest. Yeah, motherfucker didn’t have the hots for her. At all.
“Good to see you, Kay.” A note of huskiness threatened to bust Gibb before he caught the evil offender and covered it with a lame attempt at clearing his throat.
Ty didn’t bother reining in his smirk.
“You too.” Kayla’s gaze ping-ponged between him and Gibb. “Both of you.” Her cheeks holding a high dose of color, she chewed her bottom lip. “Bailey, uh, didn’t mention the possibility of either of you stopping by.”
It took all of Ty’s energy to drag his fascinated attention away from her soft, tempting lips. “We didn’t stop by. We’re staying here.”
Kayla’s expression resembled that of a deer caught in the headlights of a runaway semi. “What?”
“Storm blew through the marina the other day and ripped off a large portion of the roof at Master Charters,” Gibb offered.
“In other words, we’re shit out of luck until the insurance company decides to cut a check for the repairs.” Thankfully his and Gibb’s office and the lobby escaped damage-free, but the rear apartment hadn’t fared so lucky. The insurance adjuster had assured them that other than the ridiculously butt-high deductible, he and Gibb wouldn’t be faced with astronomical out-of-pocket expenses for the necessary repairs. Mighty generous, considering the insurance company was already sticking it up his and Gibb’s asses with outrageous annual premium hikes.
“God, that’s awful.” Worry shadowed Kayla’s sky-blue eyes. “Hopefully it won’t hurt your business.”
“No, we’re still able to function on that end.” Gibb scratched his jaw. “Assuming we can get the roofers lined up soon, we should be able to move back in before the first of the month.”
Kayla’s expression once again drifted into the territory of panicked. Ty frowned. “What’s wrong?”
Her gaze veered to the grocery sack on the counter. Enlightenment seeped into Ty’s brain. “You were planning to stay here too.”
“Your parents loaned the house to me for the next couple weeks. Obviously that was before your and Gibb’s situation cropped up.”
Kayla…under the same roof. Possibly walking around during the middle of the night in nothing but itty-bitty panties. His dick stirred beneath the towel.
“Ty? A powwow if you will,” Gibb demanded in a low undertone before stalking toward the far hallway that led to the bedrooms.
“Be right back, darlin’.” Tossing Kayla a wink, Ty trailed after Gibb and steeled himself for the argument looming on the horizon.
Once they were inside Ty’s room and out of earshot of the kitchen, Gibb stacked his arms over his polo-shirt-encased chest. “Keep your dick in your pants.” Tension pinched the corners of Gibb’s mouth when his gaze flickered south of Ty’s waist. “Or at least under that damn towel. If you even think about fucking around with Kayla, Bailey will cut off your balls and barbecue them before feeding them to the resident gators.”
Ty was plenty aware that his little sis could be scary when it came to protecting the innocent virtue of her friends. Her distrust of him was entirely unfair and unwarranted. Not like he’d tried putting the moves on any of her girlfriends…lately. And honestly, the Francesca situation wasn’t his damn fault. Crazy woman jumped him in the rear alley behind the Blue Marlin when he got too impatient to wait for the restroom to clear out. A guy sho
uld never have to fend off an unexpected, wily, cock-sucking attack while on a mission to take a leak.
Groaning, he plowed his fingers through the damp ends of his hair.
“You’ll get over it, Casanova.”
Pissed that Gibb had misread the cause for his frustration, Ty gifted him with a narrow look. Everyone within a fifty-mile radius of Wicked Shores was under the misassumption that Ty was a horn dog easily led around by his cock. It thoroughly chapped his ass that Gibb thought no better of him. Especially since Gibb was plenty responsible for Ty’s manic sexual Olympics during his mid-twenties and the resulting reputation Ty had earned for himself.
Yeah, maybe it was unfair to level any blame on Gibb. Not entirely his fault they’d gotten stupid drunk that night seven years ago. And it sure as hell wasn’t Gibb’s doing that his cock somehow ended up in Ty’s mouth. Christ, a blowjob was a blowjob, regardless if it came from a dude. Couldn’t fault Gibb for going along with it. But at the same time, Gibb damn well knew that night was the sole instigator for Ty’s man-whoring mission afterward.
Sucking his best friend off and loving the hell out of every second of it? For years Ty had questioned his sexuality and everything he’d assumed he’d known about himself. There were still moments he secretly questioned if he wasn’t bi, but at least he now refrained from screwing all available and willing women he could in an effort to prove he wasn’t gay for Gibb.
Still, it damn well wasn’t right that Gibb viewed Ty’s past sexual exploits with such a critical eye. Not when he knew the cause for them. Didn’t matter that they never talked about that night. It was always there between them. An awkward fucking ninja reject in Day-Glo orange.
The soft, tentative crunch of footsteps outside the door put an instantaneous halt to Ty’s silent grousing. Both he and Gibb simultaneously jerked their focuses to Kayla when she hesitated in the doorway.
“Since I’m not a big fan of strained moments, I’ll do us all a favor and find another place to stay.” She fished inside her purse and pulled out a fancy smartphone. “Any chance there’s a phone book with hotel listings lying around somewhere?”
