Gansett Island Boxed Set Books 1-16 (Gansett Island Series)

by Marie Force

  Mac folded up the letter and put it back in the envelope. “Are you okay, honey?”

  Even though she nodded, tears slid down her cheeks, breaking his heart. “I wasn’t expecting him to say all that.”

  “It must be nice to hear how he feels after all this time, to know he regrets what he did.”

  “I guess. It doesn’t change anything, though.”

  “Maybe not,” Mac said, choosing his words carefully, “but at least he owns it.”

  “Yeah. There is that.”

  “Come here, baby.” He held out his arms to her and waited for her to settle into his embrace before closing his arms around her. Brushing the hair off her face, he kissed her forehead and then her lips. “What can I do for you?”

  She slid an arm around his waist. “This is good. Really good.”

  “Will you respond to him?”

  “I was just thinking about that. I should thank him for the money, I suppose, but how do I address the thank-you note? Do I say, ‘Dear Dad’ or ‘Dear Bobby’ or ‘Dear Mr. Chester’?”

  Mac couldn’t imagine what it might be like to not know how to address his own father. “I suppose you could call him whatever feels comfortable for you.”

  “I don’t know what that is.”

  “You can think about it for a few days and see what seems right.”

  She shifted in his arms, raising her head to press her lips to his. “I don’t want to think about it anymore tonight.”

  “Oh no? What do you want to think about?”

  Her smile lit up her caramel-colored eyes. “What do you think? It’s been a while.”

  “Sorry about that.”

  “No need to be sorry, but I’m all for you making it up to me.”

  Mac could tell she was making an effort to be lighthearted when her heart had to be burdened by what her father’s note had said. Determined to take her mind off her worries, he moved so he was on top of her. He was never more at home anywhere than he was in her welcoming embrace. Tonight was no different. Her arms came around him, her fingers combed through his hair, and her legs hugged his hips.

  After more than a week since he’d last made love to her, it didn’t take long for the desperate need she inspired in him to override his plans for a slow seduction.

  “Mac,” she gasped. “Don’t wait. I need you.”

  That was all he needed to hear. Their coupling was fast and furious and deeply sensual, as always. For a long time after they were married, he’d expected their ardor to cool, but rather, it had only intensified. This time was no different.

  Maddie arched her back and dug her fingers into his backside, trying to keep him inside her while she climaxed.

  Her orgasm triggered his, and he cried out from the power of it. “Holy moly,” he whispered into her ear, sending a shiver through her.

  “Mmm,” she said, holding him close. “Just what I needed.”

  “Happy to be of service, my love. Any time.”

  Her laughter reassured him that she’d get through this latest trial. They’d get through it together.

  Tiffany read and reread the letter from her father, absorbing the words she’d waited forever to hear. He loved her. He’d always loved her. He regretting leaving, wished he had it to do over. This changed everything. All her life, she’d been influenced by the bitterness of her mother and sister. Before she met her father as an adult, she’d had no memory of him. It was like he’d never existed to her. She knew that wasn’t the case for her mother and Maddie, and had tried to be empathetic toward their feelings even as she yearned for something, anything of the man who’d fathered her.

  Now she had that and so much more.

  Blaine came into the bedroom and pulled off his shirt, drawing Tiffany’s attention to his muscular chest and six-pack abs.

  “How many stories did she talk you into?” Tiffany asked.

  “Four.”

  “You are way too easy.”

  “What can I say? I’m putty in her hands—and yours.” He dropped his shirt, pants and boxers into a pile on the floor that would still be there after he left for work in the morning.

  No man was perfect, she thought as she held out her arms to him, but hers was as close to perfect as any man got. She’d expected him to lie beside her, but he came down on top of her, making her squeal when he nibbled on her neck.

  “What’re you up to, Chief Taylor?” Tiffany closed her eyes and sighed with pleasure, as she did every time he was near. She kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the whole thing to go bad, but it only got better.

  “About nine inches and growing,” he said as he always did, making her giggle—like always.

  She slapped his rear, drawing a groan from him. “You’re so fresh.”

  “You love me.”

  “Yes, I do. I love you so much.”

  “I never get tired of hearing that, baby.”

  Before she knew what hit her, he was inside her, making tender sweet love to her. How did he do that? How did he walk in the room, strip out of his clothes and rev her up so easily? In the past, it had taken a lot more effort to get her in the mood. “I don’t know how you do this to me every time.”

  “Do what? What am I doing?”

  “Making me crazy without lifting a finger.”

  He withdrew from her suddenly, making her wish she’d kept her mouth shut. “I skipped over all the preliminaries, didn’t I?”

  “I don’t care. Come back.”

  “In a minute.” He set out to kiss her everywhere, or so it seemed to Tiffany. By the time he entered her again, she was hovering on the brink of an explosive release, which detonated the second he pushed into her. “God, that’s hot. You make me pretty crazy, too. You know that?”

  She looked up at him, so sexy and amazing, so devoted to her and her daughter, and the words tumbled out of her mouth before she took even a second to contemplate what she was saying. “When are you going to move in with us?”

  He stopped moving and stared down at her, his expression unreadable. “I…ah… I didn’t know you want me to.”

  Her casual shrug belied the pounding of her heart and the fear that he might say no. “You sleep here every night that you’re not working.”

  “True.” Though he kept up the movement of his hips, she could tell she’d taken him out of the moment with her offer.

  Determined to keep his mind on the task at hand, she ran her tongue over his nipple and bit down gently, drawing a sharp inhale that regained his attention.

  He captured her mouth in a passionate kiss as he gathered her in tight against him and came hard without breaking the kiss. For a long time afterward, he held her close. Steeped in his familiar scent and the scratch of his late-day whiskers against her neck, Tiffany was certain she’d never been happier or more content in her life.

  He’d very quickly become essential to her, and she could no longer imagine a day without him in it. Best of all, her daughter was equally smitten with their handsome cop.

  “I didn’t mean to throw that out there the way I did,” she said after a long period of silence.

  “You knocked the wind out of me for a second.”

  She ran her hands over his back and down to cup his lovely rear. “You recovered rather nicely.”

  He chuckled and raised his head to kiss her. “I did, didn’t I?”

  Though she was on pins and needles waiting for his answer, she nodded and gave him a playful smile.

  “The thing is…”

  Tiffany’s stomach clenched the way it used to when she was with her ex-husband. His explosive temper was something she’d never gotten used to, and her stomach had been in a constant state of upset. She told herself Blaine was nothing like him, but she wanted it to work with him so badly. Sometimes she wondered if she wanted it too badly.

  “I’d sort of hoped we might get married,” he said.

  It was Tiffany’s turn to stare at him in shock. “Married.”

  “That’s what I
said.” He kissed both cheeks and then her lips. “Not that this counts as an official proposal, but what would you think if I did propose?”

  “I…um…I just got divorced.”

  “So? Are you planning to play the field now that you’re free?”

  “Of course not. You know I’m not.”

  “Then why not make it official?”

  “I thought we’d take baby steps.”

  Blaine withdrew from her and turned onto his back, reaching for her hand and bringing it to his lips. “I understand that you’ve been through a lot, and the last thing I want is to pressure you for something you’re not ready for. But you should know I’m all in, Tiff. With you and with Ashleigh.”

  Her eyes filled with tears that she blinked back because she refused to ruin this special moment by bawling. She’d done enough of that when she was married. “I love you so much. You know that, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m not ready to talk about getting married again. That has nothing at all to do with you, though.”

  “Okay.”

  “So what do you think about baby steps?”

  He turned on his side and rested his hand on her belly. “I think, besotted bastard that I am, I’ll take whatever you’re willing to give and be very, very grateful for every minute I can get with you.”

  Releasing a sigh of relief, Tiffany turned into his embrace and kissed his chest. “This has been a really nice day.”

  “You’ve waited a long time for the men in your life to love you the way you deserve to be loved.”

  “Yes.” As much as she didn’t want to cry, she couldn’t help the tears. These were happy tears, however. They’d been a very long time coming.

  Chapter 13

  After Abby confessed to feeling self-conscious about walking into the Beachcomber with wet hair and clothes, Adam put his arm around her and kept her engaged in back-and-forth banter about how foolish she’d been to swim alone at night as they cut through the lobby to the stairs. They’d almost made a clean getaway when he heard his name coming from an all-too-familiar voice. His arm immediately dropped from Abby’s shoulders.

  He turned and let out a gasp of surprise when he saw his parents, dressed up for a night out. They looked at him and then at Abby, seeming shocked to see them together.

  “Abby,” Linda said, kissing Abby’s cheek. “I hadn’t heard you were back on the island.”

  Adam couldn’t believe his well-connected mother had missed that tidbit.

  “Will Cal be joining you?”

  Abby ran a hand over her wet hair. “He… I…”

  “Abby and Cal have broken off their engagement,” Adam said, trying not to squirm under the heat of his father’s steely stare.

  His parents took a moment to absorb that piece of information. He could almost hear their wheels turning as they wondered what he was doing in a questionable embrace with his brother’s ex-girlfriend.

  “How’d you get all wet?” Linda asked.

  “We went for a walk on the beach and Abby tripped.”

  Linda eyed him shrewdly, no doubt picking over his every word and seeing his story for the lie that it was.

  “We were about to have a drink in the bar,” Big Mac said. “Join us.”

  When was the last time his father had ordered him to do anything? And when was the last time Adam had refused a direct order from his dad? Um, never?

  “I need to grab a quick shower,” Abby said, gesturing to her wet hair.

  “We’ll save you a seat,” Big Mac said.

  Adam smiled encouragingly at Abby, noting the heated flush of her cheeks. She was clearly mortified and probably dying for a moment alone. “Meet you in the bar?”

  “Sure,” she said hesitantly. “I’ll be fast.” She scurried up the stairs and disappeared.

  Adam followed his parents into the bar, where they found a table in the back where they were almost certain to be undisturbed. Great…

  Chelsea waved to them from the bar. “I’ll be right with you.”

  “What in the world are you doing with Abby?” Linda asked, cutting right to the chase.

  “Hanging out. Having some fun. Nursing our broken hearts.”

  “Broken hearts?”

  “Her breakup with Cal was messy, and I… I recently ended something that was equally messy. Maybe even more so.”

  “Tell her, son,” Big Mac said.

  The last thing Adam felt like doing was reliving Sasha’s betrayal again, but he couldn’t exactly refuse to tell his mother what had happened in New York. When he was done, she stared at him agog.

  “You never said a word about her. When did you hear about this?” she asked her husband.

  “Only last night.”

  “You were with her for how long?” Linda said to Adam.

  “A couple of years.”

  “A couple of years? Why would you keep that from us, Adam?”

  “I don’t know. It just seemed easier that way.”

  “And she wasn’t at all curious about your family? Your home?”

  “She was. We’d talked about coming here together this summer. I’d even thought, fleetingly, about asking her to marry me. But none of that is happening now.”

  Chelsea arrived with beers for him and his dad and a glass of white wine for his mom. How comforting was it to be in a place where the bartender knew exactly what they wanted?

  “Thanks, sweetheart,” Big Mac said to Chelsea. “You can start us a tab. We’re going to be here awhile.”

  Adam bit back a groan when he realized his dad was taking a certain pleasure in watching him squirm.

  “Sure thing, Mr. McCarthy. Let me know if you need anything.”

  “What about your company?” Linda continued when they were alone. “Surely, you’re not going to let her steal it from you?”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Is that right?” Big Mac said. “You’ve changed your tune since last night.”

  “I did some thinking, talked to my lawyer and made a plan. It’s all in the works as we speak.”

  “Good,” Big Mac said. “You’ve saved me from having a big, fat come-to-Jesus conversation with you about that.”

  “Thank you, Jesus, for small favors,” Adam said, drawing a grunt of laughter from his dad.

  “So let’s have a come-to-Jesus conversation about what you’re doing hanging all over your brother’s ex-girlfriend,” Linda said.

  “I told you. We’re hanging out. Having fun. Helping each other through a rough time.”

  “Have you given any thought at all to what Grant will think of this? He’s fragile enough right now after the accident—”

  “I talked to Grant about it earlier today.”

  “You…you talked to him about dating his ex-girlfriend?” Linda said.

  “Yes.”

  “And?”

  “What can he say, exactly, Mother? It’s been over between them for a very long time. He’s engaged to Stephanie now. What’s it to him?”

  “Adam… My goodness! I’ve always thought of you as positively brilliant, but can’t you see the potential for real trouble with your brother over this?”

  “No, I can’t. He’s happy with Stephanie. Things between him and Abby were over years ago because he treated her like a piece of furniture in his life. He’d tell you that himself. I like her. She likes me. We make each other laugh. How is that wrong?”

  “One of the things I’m most proud of,” Big Mac said, “is how close the five of you are to each other. I’m going to tell you right now that I won’t stand for you doing anything to risk a falling-out with your brother. Especially now when things with him are so unsettled. You’ll find me right smack in the middle of that.”

  “So I’m supposed to put my life on hold while he works out his shit? He won’t tell anyone what’s bothering him. How are we supposed to help him if we don’t know what’s wrong?”

  “We wait and we remain patient and we don’t do anything to make it wors
e,” Big Mac said.

  “There’re a lot of single women on this island,” Linda said. “Take Chelsea, for example. You’ve always been friends. And then there’s our friend Jenny, the lighthouse keeper. She lived in New York for years. You two probably have a lot in common. And then—”

  “Mom! Stop. Don’t even think about playing matchmaker for me. I’m enjoying the time I’m spending with Abby. Being with her makes me feel better after what happened with Sasha. I’m not giving that up just because it might give Grant a few minutes of disquiet. He had his chance with her, and he totally blew it. He’s said as much himself.”

  “Is this where you were last night when you didn’t come home? With her?”

  “We were talking and fell asleep. Nothing to get wound up about.”

  “You’re playing with fire, son,” Big Mac said, his expression grave.

  “I’m thirty-five years old, Dad. You know I love you both, and I love Grant, too. But this really has nothing at all to do with him—or with you. I’m sorry if that sounds disrespectful, because I don’t mean it that way. I’m asking you not to make it into something it isn’t. We’re hanging out together. That’s all it is so far. She’s not looking for anything serious, and neither am I.”

  “If that’s the case, you’d be a fool to let it come between you and your brother,” Linda said. “I can see risking your relationship with him if it were serious between the two of you, but to just ‘hang out,’ it doesn’t seem worth the risk.”

  “Let me decide that. I’m asking you to stay out of it and let me figure this out for myself. And please, give me a little credit where Grant is concerned. I’d never do anything to intentionally hurt him, and I’d never let anything come between us. Ever.”

  A flash of red caught his eye, and Adam turned to see Abby come into the bar in a formfitting red dress with a neckline that left very little to the imagination. Her dark hair was shiny under the lights, her lips glossy and red, her smile wide as she recognized one of the men she’d flirted with the night before and accepted a hug from him.

  Adam gripped the back of his chair tighter to keep from getting up and making another scene that she wouldn’t appreciate. He knew a tiny bit of relief when she pointed at the table where he sat with his parents and disentangled from the octopus.