by Bobbi Brattz
“I’m an adult. Lock the door.” Her words were terse, strong, and fearless. He was sure she meant business.
He did as she asked and came back to her side. She watched him with passion in her gaze, though there was also a bit of doubt. Van took her hands and kissed each palm, wanting to calm her and give her confidence in him.
“If you’re sure, Layla. I don’t want to do anything to harm you.”
“You have always been a gentle man, but this time I want you to treat me like a woman, not a delicate child.”
Slipping an arm around her waist, he pulled her closer and studied her eyes, wanting to know if she was absolutely positive about her desires. When he captured her lips in a tender kiss, she moaned, deepening it.
“Teach me how to kiss like you want it.” Her whisper was full of yearning.
Van deepened the kiss, seeking access to her mouth with his tongue. He wanted to treat her with kid gloves, but she was determined to love him with passion. Releasing a deep groan, he seized her mouth, his tongue given access as he taught her how to slide her tongue across his, tasting her sweetness.
“Van,” she moaned in between breaths.
There was a sudden knock on the door that froze them in place.
“Why is this door locked? Layla, is Van in there with you?”
“Kona.” Van stood and left her sitting on the bed.
“Yes, now go away!” she cried.
“I’d better open it, before he knocks it down.”
“Let me in!” Kona yelled.
Van did and stepped back.
“What’s going on here?”
“I’m an adult, Kona. You figure it out.” Her words were harsh and bitter.
“You dared to touch my sister?” His fist shot out and hit Van on the jaw, hard enough to make him see stars.
“Stop it!” Layla shouted, leaping off the bed. “How dare you hit him!”
Mateo and Piers came into the room.
“Oh, for crying out loud. Get out, all of you. I’m so tired of being treated like a child. Get out!” she screamed.
“What’s going on?” Mateo asked.
“I said out!” Tears began pouring down her cheeks. “Van, you stay, but the rest of you leave right now.”
Kona and Van stayed with her. When Van moved to the bed, she put up her hand, her chest heaving with fury.
“Kona, I want you to leave him alone. He’s here on my request. I’m an adult now. I can appreciate that you want to protect me, but I’ve decided to have Van in my life, and I don’t want you to hover over me anymore. Do you understand?”
Staring at her like she had two heads, Kona said, “Who are you, and what did you do to my sister?”
Van was proud of her for standing up for herself. He could understand Kona’s protective nature.
A small smile graced her lips. “It’s time I stopped hiding in shadows, Kona. You know how it’s been for the past three years. I don’t care if there’s a stalker or not, it’s time I acted on my impulses. Do you understand? I love you, but there comes a time when you need to back off, and that time is now.”
Hurt registered in Kona’s eyes, as well as a spark of anger. He’d protected her long enough. She was a woman who knew what she wanted. He had to respect that or she’d go insane, being alone for the rest of her life.
“Please, Kona, let go of me. I want Van to stay with me tonight. I’m scared, I’ll admit, but I trust him.”
Kona glared at Van. “Well, I don’t.”
“You can’t run my life forever. Please try and understand. I have needs just like you do. Get out now, and leave us alone.”
He seemed speechless for a moment then recovered.
“I’ll leave, but this isn’t over. You and I are going to talk, Van.”
“Kona!” she cried. “Get out!”
The door closed behind him, leaving Van and Layla alone. He studied her from the doorway, as though looking for a reason to leave.
“Come here,” she said softly, beckoning him with her finger.
Like a moth to a flame, he approached her, his expression wary.
“I’m not so sure this is a good idea, Layla.”
Blowing out a deep breath, she patted the bed beside her. For a moment he hesitated then sat down, taking her hand.
“I’m sure. If you don’t want to after that, I can understand. Is your jaw all right?” She touched his cheek, her eyes focused on his. She meant business.
“I’m fine. You’re brother has a hard right, but I’ve been hit before. He’s not bad.”
“He wants to protect me from everyone and everything, but sometimes I have to stand on my own two feet⎯kiss me, Van.”
Without another word, he obliged, sweeping her into his arms and seizing her lips, taking up where they’d left off. Layla began to undo his shirt buttons one at a time. He reveled in the feel of her soft fingers on his sensitive skin. Once the shirt was undone, he practically ripped it off, barely removing his lips from hers while he did it.
His heart beat faster as Layla sank into him, melding with his hard body. She pushed him down on the bed and he rolled with her. When she straddled him, she paused a moment. He was hard against her nether lips. He reached up and caressed her breast through her sarong, then tugged at the soft material, wanting to see her.
She gasped, running her fingers over him as she began to explore his body. It was killing him to go slowly when he only wanted to sink into her and take her hard. He was lost as he fell under her spell, fire burning in his groin. She was a flame, and he was the tinder, alight and hot. Van closed his eyes and breathed her in. He prayed she wouldn’t stop.
* * * *
Van watched her as though expecting her to stop, but she shifted against him, closing her eyes as she imagined sex to be as wonderful as her friends said it was. Rae and Tara were in healthy, happy relationships, and both of them had told her that making love should be pleasurable on both sides.
“Are you sure?” Van asked, his voice low and husky like he’d just had a shot of whiskey. She leaned down and met his lips once more, aching for him to fill her. She’d never felt so close to a man before, though she definitely wasn’t a virgin. This was her first experience since…
She refused to think about it.
“You smell so good,” he whispered against her mouth. “Let me undo your sarong,” he asked, waiting for her to accept what he offered.
With a slight nod, she sat up and gasped when he came with her, supporting her back as he kissed her neck, taking it slow and easy. Threading her fingers through his hair, her core on fire for the touch of him, she moaned as his teeth grazed her collarbone.
When he untied the sarong, it slipped away to fall into a puddle at his feet. Without a bra on, she was naked to him, her G-string the only thing she had left on. His teeth nibbled on her breasts, while his tongue soothed over the tiny bites. Sucking on her tight buds, he chuckled low in his throat when she hissed, a myriad of sensations floating like a million butterflies in her belly.
“Oh, Van. Why did I wait so long?” she murmured, moaning again as he switched to her other breast. Her hand cupped the back of his head, pulling him closer.
Once again he turned them, stripping down his shorts. Watching her as she lay flat out on the bed, he asked, “Last chance to stop, honey. Do you want to?” His eyes spoke volumes, proving he wanted her more than ever.
Pleasure trickled through her veins as she watched his hard body ripple with muscles. She nodded. “Yes, I do want you—now, Van.”
“You are so beautiful.” Slow and steady, he traced his fingertips over her sensitive skin until he reached the G-string. He slid his fingers between her skin and the fancy black lace and leisurely pulled them down her legs until they dropped to the floor.
“I’ve wanted to be with you since as far back as I can remember in high school. You were always so quiet and unattainable.”
“I wanted you, too, Van, but I didn’t know how to show you.”
“Years and years when we could have been together.”
She placed her fingers on his lips to still him.
“We weren’t meant to have each other back then. Let’s focus on the now, okay?”
“Anything you want, Layla. I’m yours.”
“Then fill me, my handsome man. I’m ready for you.”
Van inserted his finger into her channel. She shifted her hips, wanting more. She was wet and ready for him, but he went so slowly she cried out. Sliding his finger in and out at a snail’s pace, he had her squirming on the bed, frantic to have him within.
“Come on, Van. Stop torturing me.”
“I’m going to make love to you, Layla, not just have sex. Humor me. You are such an amazing woman. When I watch you with the torches, it kills me inside, fearing you’ll get hurt, but you never falter. You always catch them and smile like it was the easiest thing in the world. I want to give you the same treatment while I make love to you.”
“It’s better than anything I’ve ever experienced before.”
He smiled, his eyes filled with knowledge. “It gets better, much better.”
Slipping his arms beneath her hips, he lifted her to him, placing her legs up over his shoulders as he took her nether lips into his mouth, his tongue delving deep within her until she cried out with need. Almost immediately, she climaxed as waves of pleasure roared across her belly, making her breasts ache to be touched.
“Van! Please, I need you now,” she hissed, her hands grasping his forearms to pull him closer.
He moved over her, his cock hard as a rock, pressing into her pussy one inch at a time. She was wild beneath him, her hips rising to meet his.
“Deeper. Harder. Faster,” she ordered him, but he held back, as though wanting her to feel the whole experience as he moved in further. When she’d taken him all, she laughed low in her throat. “It’s good. It’s so good.”
While she moaned and thrashed beneath him, he rested on his forearms, watching her eyes. She knew what he would see. Need. Plain, burning need. Leisurely, he moved, his muscles bunching as he waited for something.
Suddenly, her eyes widened. “It’s strange, I feel like I’m standing on a cliff. Van. Please⎯“
He thrust his hips harder, faster, and deeper, filling her full as he took her over the top only to come crashing down as she fell. He joined her, holding her closer. She was locked in a passion so powerful that they both gasped, then shouted out their joy at the same time. When he was spent, he lay on top of her, supported on his arms as he kissed her hard, his tongue soothing her swollen lips.
“Are you all right?”
“Van, I’ve never been so right in my entire life compared to this moment. Thank you.”
“Thank you? Who says thank you after sex?” he said, laughing.
She smiled, meeting his humor.
Her fears relieved, she pulled him close to her and kissed him once more, thrilled that she was no longer broken. The past was laid to rest.
Chapter Five:
Pleasurable Moments
Logan walked the perimeter of the resort, looking for clues as to who might have caused the fire, but nothing appeared to be out of place. He stopped in at Mateo’s place on his way back home. After a quick knock on the door, Rae answered.
“Hi, Logan. Come on in. We’re all in the living room talking about the case. Did you find anything?”
“No such luck. I want to talk to Layla if she’s still up.”
“She doesn’t go to bed much before eleven. It’s only half past ten.”
He followed Rae into the house.
* * * *
When the doorbell rang, Layla and Van were just coming out of the bedroom, hand-in-hand. Kona sat on the sofa watching them as they walked into the room, his face a dour mask. Van didn’t appear to be phased about it though, and she slipped his arm around her shoulders.
Layla smiled shyly at Logan when his eyebrow raised a notch. She’d finally done what she’d wanted to do for years, and it hadn’t scared her a bit. Rae and Tara seemed quite pleased with the new relationship. Tara winked at Layla, and Rae smiled brightly, nudging her friend.
Mateo stood at the window with Piers and Logan.
“I’m glad everyone’s still here,” Logan said. “I have a report for you. I did a walk around of the resort, and nothing seems out of place.”
“I doubt the stalker would try anything with all of us here, but to be safe, I’ve got a few cruisers doing a drive by ever hour or so. The security guards are doubled, and we have Layla well taken care of,” Van said, squeezing her shoulder gently. Layla curled into him, her arm around his back.
Kona was the only person there who wasn’t comfortable with the situation.
“Layla, can I talk to you in the kitchen?” he said through gritted teeth, his eyes showing anger and concern as he glared at Van.
Van let her go, though not before Layla reached up to kiss him tenderly. When she followed her brother to the kitchen, she heard the others snickering, and grinned. She knew Kona wasn’t good with the situation, but it didn’t matter anymore. She’d conquered her fear, at least of Van, and that made her happy.
Kona took her by her shoulders and turned her around gently to face him.
“What was that all about?”
She rolled her eyes and looked him in the eyes.
“You’re not the only person around who can have a bed partner, Kona. I chose Van. I’ve been interested in him for a long time now.”
“Layla, you never even looked his way when he was nearby. Why all of a sudden?”
“It isn’t sudden. I simply made a choice. We talked, and I decided to accept him into my life. He’s a good man, Kona. You know that he is.”
Running his fingers through his long hair, he growled. “I know he is. It’s just that for all these years, you never once indicated that you were interested in him, and now in one afternoon, you and he are in bed together.”
“Listen, you. When you take woman after woman to bed, don’t think I’m unaware of it. What’s good for the goose, as the saying goes. I’m a full grown woman with needs of my own, and you have no right to stop me from seeing whoever I want.”
For a moment, Kona looked shocked, as though he’d never heard her speak before. Pulling himself together, he nodded.
“All right. I see your point, but he’d better be good to you, or he’ll have to go through me.”
Placing her hand on his chest, she smiled. “I know you’re just looking out for my best interests, Kona, but bear in mind that I know what I want. I really like him, and I hope you’ll treat him with the respect he deserves.”
“Let’s go back and join the group.”
She reached up and hugged him, kissing his cheek before they left the kitchen.
* * * *
Through the slats of the blinds, he watched as the cop kissed Layla in front of their friends. There was no way he could get closer to her. Though she was guarded by too many people, it didn’t stop him from planning. The cop and the firefighter were on the lookout for him, and that angered him more. It was time for a distraction. Maybe if they were too busy, they’d leave her alone.
He lit a match and watched it burn. It was hot and sexy, just like her. The flame was only small, and he liked the big blazes. Time rushed past. If he could get to her before the ten vacation days were up, he’d take her back home where he could have her all to himself. She was perfection, a woman who understood fire as a living, breathing thing.
Reaching down, he grabbed his hard cock and stroked it. Always when she twirled the torches, she made him stiff. He’d never felt such a strong attraction to a woman. A woman he hoped was the one. He decided to keep her with him unless she cracked. If she did, he’d burn her so that no one else could have her. Watching his victims succumb to the fire had been his greatest pleasure, until now when he’d found his perfect mate. The only things getting in his way were her friends.
He had every confidence tha
t she’d want to be with him. Layla⎯she was everything he’d wanted in a woman and more. She’d desire him above all others…or pay the price.
* * * *
The sun rose early, full of the colors of the rainbow. Birds, tree frogs, and insects serenaded her as Layla stood on the patio looking over the vast ocean. The scent of wildflowers filled her nostrils as she breathed them in. It was a perfect day, but for the old wives’ tale that she whispered, “‘Red sky in morning, sailor take warning, red sky at night, sailor’s delight.’ At least I’m not a sailor.”
Strong arms curled around her waist as Van pulled her back into his chest. They’d had a long night with little sleep, and she couldn’t have been happier about it. Van was sweet and gentle with her, almost too gentle, but she loved the way he made her feel.
“Penny for your thoughts,” he murmured as he nuzzled her neck.
Ticklish, she twisted away from him, laughing with delight. “You are such a monster. Way to spoil a perfect moment.” Layla had never felt so sated, yet here he was, making her want him all over again. His hair was tousled, and he had an after-five shadow on his face that only made him look sexier, his naked chest drawing her like a magnet. She wanted to touch him all the time to make sure he was real.
“Your eyes are sky blue this morning. Last night they seemed darker.”
“All the better to see you with, my dear.” He growled, grabbing her hand and pulling her back into his arms. He kissed her hard, taking all thoughts from her mind.
Never before had Layla found a man like Van. He treated her like a princess, always thinking of her needs and wants. She returned the favor and offered him her body without reservations. It was perfect.
“Let’s go get some breakfast so we can get back to more important things. I have to go to work in a few hours.”
“Van, you are insatiable. Don’t change. Don’t ever change.” She offered her mouth once more, kissing him with abandon.
“Hey, you two. Get a room!” Rae teased, standing in the patio doorway to the dining room. “It’s time to eat.”
