by Mac Flynn
Murphy chuckled. "He has a big heart beneath all that bluster."
I dug my fork into the crab salad and twirled it around. Movement out of the corners of my eyes caught my attention, and I looked out on the view from the deck. The calm night allowed the water to be like a mirror that perfectly reflected the cloudless sky. Stars dotted the eastern sky and twinkled down on us. I leaned one elbow on the table and sighed.
"Something wrong?" Murphy asked me.
I smiled and shook my head. "No, everything's right, and that's what's got me thinking."
He put down his utensils. "Oh?"
I sighed. "I'm. . .I'm sorry for how mean I've been. You've been trying to help me all day today, and I've been-well, I've been a jerk."
He chuckled. "It's the jet lag. Don't let it bother you too much."
"But it does bother me, and I have to get this-" Our eyes met and his caught me in their brilliance.
The depths of his eyes showed a deep affection that I could have mistook for-well, for love. His playful grin made me want to smile. His stupid antics made me want to laugh. Even his jokes, on retrospect, were funny. My heart fluttered at the possibility that maybe I cared about him. Maybe a little.
"Like what you see?" he teased.
I blushed and stared down at my plates. "T-that depends on what I see."
He leaned over the table and set one of his hands over mine. "I hope it can see that I l-"
"Who the hell did this?"
We both started back from the quiet, tense moment. The loud, angry voice was from someone at the front of the shack. The revelers quieted down and even the music died.
"What seems to be the problem, Mundo?" I heard Casa ask.
"Someone wrapped their boat around my engine, and I want to know who did it?" Mundo growled. Judging by his voice I guessed he was a small giant with a short temper.
Casa tried to calm his riled guest. "I will look into it immediately, Mundo, but won't you-"
"No! Now who owns that damn boat with the old diesel engine?" Mundo shouted.
I whipped my head to him and glared. "You just had to double-park, didn't you?" I growled.
He grinned and shrugged. Nothing about him bespoke of fear. "It was the only spot down there," he defended himself.
Large, heavy footsteps pounded the rickety boards of the deck and shook all the tables. The dancers scrambled through a side door that led to the rear of the shack. A hulk of a man rounded the front corner of the shack and marched towards us. He was a good six foot-five with shoulders as broad as I was tall. The man wore a torn white shirt jacket and matching pants. His arms and legs were adorned with spikes and chains. Behind him were four men dressed in similar fashion, and they wore bandannas around their heads. They were the biker gang of the water ways.
Murphy turned to the behemoth and bowed his head to our 'guests.' "Good evening, Mundo, what can I-"
"It's your damn boat, isn't it, Murphy?"
"Perhaps, but I'm sure it was just an-"
Mundo grabbed Murphy's collar and lifted him out of his seat. He shoved his face into Murphy's and snarled. "No 'perhaps' about it. You're always causing trouble, around here, Murphy, and this time's the last time."
I jumped to my feet and slammed my hands on the table. "Let him go," I ordered the giant.
Mundo's eyes flickered to me and widened. I cringed when lecherous grin slid onto his lips. "What do we have here?" he mused.
Murphy frowned. "Don't even think about it, Mundo," he warned the behemoth.
Mundo returned his attention to Ken and chuckled. "What are you going to do about it, writer? Write me out of one of your stories?"
"No, just this one."
Ken grabbed the man's arm and twisted with more strength than I thought he possessed. Mundo cried out and released him. Ken dropped to the ground and swept one of his legs into both of Mundo's. The giant crashed to the ground beside our table and his spikes became embedded in the boards. The other gang members cried out in anger and rushed Ken. He slammed his fist into the first two, and they collided into the ones behind them. The whole bunch fell onto each other, and their boss. Ken climbed over them, grabbed my hand, and pulled me through the side door and into the kitchen part of the shack.
Mundo roared behind us and I heard him stand. The whole place was in a panic. People grabbed their bottles and purses, and rushed for the front entrance. The kitchen and waitering staff hurried to process the bills before the patrons rushed out without paying.
"Over here!" Casa hissed. He stood in the far back corner and held open a hatch that led to some stairs.
"I owe you one!" Ken quipped as he led me down the steps.
"Don't mention it. Really. I don't want anyone else finding this thing," Casa called behind us. "And try to stay out of trouble for a night, Murphy!"
CHAPTER 5
The stairs led to the rocks on which the shack stood. There was a short tunnel at the bottom that had been blasted, leaving rough walls and scarring. Our feet clapped against wet, hard stone and the sound echoed off the walls. The way was lit with oil lamps that hung from the ceiling.
"What is this place?" I spoke up.
"Casa's attempts at making a wine cellar," Ken explained.
"And where exactly are we going ?" I asked him.
"Here." The tunnel dipped down into a narrow pool of water. There was two feet of room between the top of the water and the ceiling. Ken jumped into the water and spun around to face me. I noticed he treaded water with his feet. "Follow me. We have to swim out of here."
I cringed away from the edge of the water. "But I can't swim," I told him.
"Then jump and I'll teach you," he insisted.
"Learning to swim doesn't work that fast!" I hissed.
Voices behind us told us that Casa's secret tunnel was no longer a secret.
"Hurry!" Ken yelled at me.
"And drowned myself? How bad can these guys be?" I argued.
I heard a bullet whiz by my head and ping off the tunnel walls. "Move aside!" I yelled before I propelled myself over the water.
I landed beyond Ken and sank like a rock to the six-foot bottom of the submerged tunnel. My arms and feet flailed and kicked, but not in unison. Ken's strong pair of arms wrapped around my waist and I was propelled back to the surface. We broke into the open and I gasped for air.
"Kick and keep your head above the water!" he yelled.
I kicked with all my might while he kicked and held me up. We moved away from the dry part of the tunnel just as Mundo and his goons made their appearance. Mundo held a gun in his hand and fired off another shot. He had terrible aim and the bullet shot into our wake.
Mundo howled with rage and jumped in after us. Unfortunately, he forgot about his jewelry. His chains and metal spikes pulled him down into the water.
"Help!" he screamed.
His men grabbed his flailing arms and dragged him out. I noticed the gun was gone, probably to a watery grave.
"Good luck next time!" Ken yelled to our former pursuers.
"Don't you dare come back, Murphy!" Mundo screamed.
We swam deeper into the tunnel. My legs grew tired and I had trouble keeping my head up. Water splashed into my face and I sputtered.
"Easy there," Ken whispered to me.
"Are we almost there yet?" I gasped.
"Almost."
I noticed a light at the end of the tunnel, and soon I felt my tired feet hit land. Soon we were able to stand. We tromped through the few-inch deep water and out through a small, round opening. The stars shone brightly above us, and a soft breeze blew over our soaked bodies. A small beach with a boat lay in front of us, and the shore was fifty feet off. I glanced behind us. We stood in front of a large pile of rocks.
"Where are we?" I wondered.
"The other side of the lagoon. The far side," Ken told me. "That tunnel goes under the water for three hundred feet and pops out here. We can borrow his boat. He won't mind, so long as I return it sometime."
Ken laughed and shook his head. "Casa won't let that happen, at least not as long as I pay him well. Our portly host may look innocent enough, but Mundo's going to have his hands full of trouble when he gets out of that tunnel. I wouldn't be surprised if Mundo disappeared." The color drained from my tired face, and Ken wrapped an arm around my waist. "Not forever, just until he's learned his lesson about trespassing. Now how about we get back to the bungalow and get on some dry clothes? I'm a little wet after our swim."
Ken helped me into the little boat and puttered out to sea. We gave Casa Paradiso a wide birth and arrived at the dock thirty minutes later. One more long trek down the beach and we were at the bungalow.
I fell exhausted onto the couch, but Ken pulled me up and pushed me towards the bathroom. "Ladies first," he insisted.
"For once can't it be a guy?" I pleaded.
He shook his head. "Nope. Out of those clothes and into something more comfortable."
He shoved me into the bathroom and shut the door. I spun around and glared at the closed entrance. Ken had forgotten that I needed my bag full of clothes to change. That's when a sly thought slipped into my mind. If he wanted me to be comfortable, I'd be comfortable.
A few minutes later I emerged from the bathroom. Ken sat on the couch with his back to the bathroom door. He turned around and smiled at me, but the smile slid off his face when he looked me over. All I wore was a towel.
"Forgetting something?" he asked me.
I grinned and shook my head. "Nope." I waltzed over to the couch and leaned over the back. The top of my ample breasts were visible. "You told me to get comfortable, so I did."
He raised an eyebrow. "Very comfortable, but you're making things uncomfortable for me."
"Really? What a shame," I teased. I walked around the couch and plopped down beside him.
His eyes swept down my bare legs and barely covered thighs. "Miss Duncan, I do believe you're trying to seduce me."
"Maybe," I purred. I scooted over so I leaned against him. "You know, for all your attempts at getting me killed I kind of had fun today," I admitted.
He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
A sly smile slipped onto my lips and I nodded. "Really, and-" I let the towel slip down my body. Ken's gaze traveled southward and his eyes bulged. I pulled my legs onto the couch and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I think I just might have a really nice, warm way to end it."
A sly smile slipped onto his face. "You do?" he he wondered.
I leaned towards him and my lips ghosted over his. I dropped my voice to a low, sultry whisper. "Yep, but I'm going to need your help."
Our lips pressed against each other in a slow, sensual kiss. Heat raced down my body and sent tingles of pleasure across my skin. Ken's hands reached behind me and massaged my plump rear. He rubbed himself against me and I could feel the bulge in his pants.
He pulled us apart and his eyes shone with his desire. "You sure you want to be with a guy who lives such a boring life?"
"I think I can live with that, just so long as it stays at the 'almost' part," I quipped.
We kissed again. Our lips meshed together in a heated desire for more physical contact. I crawled onto his lap and straddled him. Ken grunted and pushed my hips into him. He broke our kiss and panted.
"You're a devious creature," he mused.
"You would know," I retorted.
He grinned and one of his hands reached between my legs. I gasped when his fingers brushed against my sensitive nub.
"Yes, I would know," he teased.
He stroked my tingling nerves and sent ripples of pleasure through my body. I leaned my head back and moaned. I gripped his shoulders and my hips rocked with his finger. He paused only long enough to pull off his shirt and unbutton his pants. His need bulged from his briefs. I licked my lips at the size of him. This was going to be fun.
He grinned and resumed his stroking. "Like what you see?" he teased.
"Yes," I hoarsely whispered.
I whimpered when he pulled his hand away. He set my back on the couch and pulled off his pants. He was as naked as I, and he covered my body with his. His hand snaked between my wet, hot folds and pleasured me with his smooth, long strokes. He planted kisses down my chest and caught one of my tingling buds in his mouth. He suckled me like a half-starved babe. I reveled in the attention, the sheer adoration he gave to me. My hot body tensed. I pressed myself against his body. My only thought was to become one with him, to let him take me again and again.
He grunted and lifted his head. His shining eyes told me everything. He wanted me as badly as I wanted him.
"Ready?" he whispered.
"Yes," I moaned.
He positioned himself at my center and pushed inside me. I groaned as he deliciously stretched my walls and a sank deep into my heated center. He grunted and looked down at me with such intense lust that I shivered.
"So. . .tight. . ." he growled.
"Slow and steady," I whispered.
He took me with the care of a lover. His strokes were long and firm. I clung to him and nibbled on his ear.
"Yes, that's it. More," I moaned.
He grunted and thrust harder. I matched his speed with my hips. Our quiet sighs and groans grew louder. My body tingled with the agonizingly delicious feel of orgasm. I wanted only to be one with him, to let him take me again and again. I was his, only his. I called his name, chanting it as a form of worship.
"Ken! Ken!" I cried to my lover.
He growled and pushed and faster deeper inside me. Our sweat-soaked bodies slid against each other in a heated friction that was almost unbearable. I strained to achieve bliss, but dreaded the end to this wondrous union. My lover pushed on, urging me to completion. I pressed my swollen breasts against his chest and reveled in the feel of my pert nubs rubbing against his hard, warm chest.
"Yes! More! Faster! Oh god, yes!" I screamed.
I fell into the oblivion of bliss. My orgasm swept over me in rolling waves of pleasure that swept thought from my mind. There was only my lover and I. Nothing else mattered, nor even existed. My body writhed and shook from the powerful feeling my lover had unleashed in me. He penetrated me again and again, furthering my joy until he, too, came.
Ken collapsed atop me panting and gasping. Those were the only noises in the room until I felt and heard him chuckle. He raised himself and looked into my quizzical face.
"Do you want more?" he asked me
I grinned. "One teaspoon or two?" I returned.
He blinked at me until I pecked a light, teasing kiss on his lips. His smile returned and he pressed me into the couch. "Two, please."
For all books by Mac Flynn visit her author's page or visit Mac Flynn's website.
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