by Marie Force
He was off the bike as soon as he parked it outside her door and practically lifted her off the back.
“You’re in a big rush,” she said when he’d removed her helmet.
He took hold of her hand. “You have no idea.”
Inside, they went up the first flight of stairs single file, with Alex in the back, his eyes fixed on the sway of her denim-covered ass. He decided one more flight was too far and directed her to the sofa.
“Wait,” she said. “Where are we going?”
“Right here.” His patience was officially gone, and the need for her in that moment was unlike anything he’d ever felt before. “Right now.” He began pulling at clothes—his and hers.
“Alex—”
“Now,” he said against her lips. “Right now.” He was acting like a lunatic. He knew that, but knowing it didn’t stop him from taking what he needed more than the next breath. Her soft skin and sexy curves made his mouth water with lust as he came down on top of her on the sofa. “Jenny… I can’t wait. I need you.”
Her arms encircled his neck and her knees hugged his hips, providing all the encouragement he needed to sink into her wet heat. With their bodies connected, Alex felt like he could finally breathe again. Even with desire beating through him relentlessly, a sense of calm came over him at knowing she wanted him every bit as much as he wanted her.
He looked down to find her watching him closely, probably trying to decide when he’d turned into a sex-crazed madman. “Are you okay?”
Nodding, she smoothed her hands from his shoulders, down his back to cup his ass and keep him lodged deep inside her. “More than okay.”
“You make me crazy.”
“I like you that way.”
He huffed out a harsh laugh at her unexpected comment. “I like you every way, but this way is becoming a particular favorite of mine.”
“It’s been a favorite of mine for a while now.”
After that, there were no words. There was no need for words. Their bodies did the talking for them. What started out urgent became slow and sensual, their hands linked, their eyes locked on each other, their movements perfectly choreographed, as if they’d been lovers for years rather than days.
“Jenny,” he said on a gasp when the pleasure became almost too much to bear. “I can’t…” He couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t talk, he couldn’t think of anything other than the need for completion.
And then she blew his mind when she pulled her right hand free of his grasp and reached down to help herself along. Christ alive, he’d never seen or felt anything hotter in his life.
“Now,” she whispered, her body arching into his deep stroke.
Alex didn’t need to be told twice. He gave himself over to the powerful release, losing himself in her, in her sweetness, her sexiness, her incredible kindness. As if they, too, could no longer be contained, the words poured forth. “I love you,” he uttered gruffly against her ear. “It’s too soon, and it’s too much, but it’s true.”
Jenny turned her face into his deep, searching kiss.
He wanted to show her everything he felt for her. He wanted to show her how essential she’d become to him. He wanted to offer her everything, which was when he remembered how little he actually had to give anyone at a time when his family needed him so greatly. The thought was like a pinprick to his euphoria, a deflating reminder of his reality.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “Why did you just go rigid?”
“I shouldn’t have said what I did.”
“Why? Is it not true?”
“It’s true, but it also puts a ton of pressure on you when this is so new.”
She looked up at him with incredibly expressive eyes. “Why does it put pressure on me?”
“Because… It’s just… I still have nothing much to offer you beyond that.”
“That is a lot in and of itself, and you have plenty to offer.”
“I don’t want you to feel pressured or weighted down by me.”
She pressed her hips against his, reminding him he was still lodged deep inside her—as if he needed the reminder. “I like feeling weighted down by you—in case you hadn’t noticed.”
He gave her a small smile, because he knew she was trying to make him feel better.
“I love you, too.”
As if he hadn’t heard her correctly, he stared down at her. “You don’t have to say that—”
Her fingers on his lips quieted him. “I’m not saying it because you did. I’m saying it because I feel it. I know what it feels like to be in love. It feels just like this.”
“Jenny,” he said with a sigh, his forehead dropping to her chest.
She combed her fingers through his hair. “You told me you were jealous because I was having a beer with Paul after work.”
“That was stupid. I know that.”
“Hush up and listen to me. Yesterday, I spent most of the afternoon with him and Adam, both of them exceptionally good-looking guys who also happen to be very nice, too.”
“I’ll have to take your word on the good-looking part.”
“You can trust me and all of womankind on that. Anyway, as I was saying, I was with them all afternoon and never once in all that time did I look at either of them and think, ‘Whoa, I want him.’”
“That’s very comforting,” he said sarcastically. “Thanks for sharing.”
“Will you shut up and let me finish?”
He laughed at her sauciness, delighted and amused by her. “If I must.”
“When you came in after work, the second you walked in the door, everything female in me woke up to take notice of you.”
Touched by what she’d said, he raised his head to kiss her softly. “Everything in me noticed you, too. It noticed you were alone with my brother and Adam, and I wanted to drag you out of there and claim you in the barn.”
“Oh for God’s sake,” she said with a laugh. “What am I going to do with you? You’re nothing more than a caveman in disguise.”
“Guilty as charged.”
“I feel bad about what happened with Linc before.”
“Why should you?”
“It’s not my way to go around hurting people on the way to getting what I want.”
“He’s not hurt, Jenny. His pride is wounded because a woman he’s interested in isn’t interested in him. There’s a difference between actual hurt and a damaged ego.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
“I didn’t like the way he looked at you, as if he had some sort of claim on you. The whole time we were standing there, I wanted to chant mine, mine, mine.”
“You are a caveman.”
“And judging by the heat I’m feeling down below, you like me that way.” His comment made her blush furiously, which had him laughing.
“Stop it.”
Rather than stop anything, he began to move again, wrapping his arms around her legs to open her to his fierce possession. “Mine,” he whispered. “Mine, mine, mine.”
“Yes.” She pulled so hard on his hair that it hurt, but the bite of pain only made him want her more than he already did—if that was possible. “I’m yours.”
Chapter 20
Early the next morning, Evan left Grace sleeping on the one morning off she allowed herself in the summer, and headed for the marina on the motorcycle. He hoped to catch his dad before the rush of the day began. At the picnic table outside the restaurant where Big Mac and his friends held their morning meeting, Evan found his dad and Ned enjoying a cup of coffee and a plate of sugar doughnuts.
Evan’s mouth watered at the sight of the doughnuts. “Can you spare one of those for me?” he asked when he took a seat at the table.
Though his father sent him a delighted smile, he moved the plate out of Evan’s reach. “These are all accounted for.”
“He can have one a mine,” Ned said, handing a doughnut to Evan and sending a disgusted look to his best friend.
“Thanks, Ned. Nice to know wh
ere I stand with my dear old dad.”
Ned guffawed with laughter that made Big Mac smile.
“Don’t get in the way of me and my morning sugar fix,” Big Mac said.
“My apologies.”
“What brings you out and about so early?” Big Mac asked around a huge mouthful of doughnut.
“I’m looking for a little advice, so I decided to come to the brain trust.”
“Yer a wise man,” Ned said gravely. “Right here’s where all the world’s problems get solved. What can we do fer ya this fine morning?”
And it was a fine morning indeed. The sultry heat was gone, the sky was clear and blue, the breeze warm but not oppressive. A perfect Gansett Island day.
“Did my dad tell you about the situation with the album?”
The two men exchanged guilty glances.
“Oh, come on,” Evan said, laughing. “I know he told you. You two are more married than he and my mother are.”
“Not sure how I feel ’bout that,” Ned said.
“It’s kinda true,” Big Mac said. “I told him because I knew you wouldn’t care if I did.”
“And I was comin’ to see ya today,” Ned said. “So ya saved me a trip.”
“Coming to see me about what?” Evan asked, eyeing the doughnut plate and trying to decide if he dared to steal a second one.
“I don’t wantcha ta think that just cuz I gave ya the money ta start the studio, I expect ya ta pass up a golden opportunity with Buddy Longstreet. There ain’t no strings attached ta that money. You shoulda damned well known that.”
“I do,” Evan said, moved by Ned’s impassioned speech. He’d been a beloved second dad to Evan and his siblings all their lives, and none of them had any doubt about where they stood with him. The studio had been Ned’s idea in the first place, and he’d financed the purchase of the equipment. Ensuring Ned’s investment was well protected had been foremost on Evan’s mind in the last few days. “Of course I know there were no strings, but I appreciate the reminder.”
“What’re you thinking, son?” Big Mac asked. “Air it out with us, and let’s figure this out together.”
Since there were no two men he’d rather air it out with, Evan took a deep breath and spilled his guts. “The kicker is,” he said when he had explained the situation from every angle, “I no longer want what I once would’ve given everything for.”
“Then that’s what you need to tell Buddy,” Big Mac said. “I don’t know the guy at all, but it seems to me he’d probably understand that plans change. Goals change. Dreams change. What did he expect you to do for the last year while the bankruptcy was hashed out? Twiddle your thumbs?”
“Yer daddy’s right,” Ned said. “I’ve read about this Longstreet fellow. He’s known fer being a straight-up kinda guy. I’m sure he’d appreciate ya being straight up with him, too.”
“I suppose he would,” Evan said, even though the thought of being straight up with Buddy Longstreet made his stomach hurt.
“Why don’t you give him a call right now,” Big Mac suggested. “Get this off your chest so you can get on with your life.”
“Right now as in right now?”
Big Mac leaned across the table. “Right. Now.”
Evan wasn’t sure what was more intimidating—the thought of calling Buddy, or his father when he had his mind set on something. Evan pulled his cell phone from his pocket, found the Nashville number from when Buddy had called him the other day and put through the call. Since he fully expected to leave a message with an assistant or one of the many people who worked for the superstar, Evan’s heart nearly stopped beating when he heard Buddy’s distinctive drawl.
“Longstreet.”
“Um, hi,” Evan said haltingly. “This is Evan McCarthy.”
“Oh hey, how’s it going?”
“Um, pretty well. Do you have a minute?”
“Sure thing. What’s up?”
“I wanted to talk to you about the album and the tour and…everything.”
“What about it?”
Evan looked up to find his father and Ned hanging on his every word. His father nodded in encouragement. Evan took a deep breath and dove in. “When the whole thing happened with Starlight, it forced me to make some changes to my plans.”
“I imagine it did.”
“A close friend of my family’s put up the cash for me to start my own recording studio. We’ve recently opened our doors, and we’ve got artists booked through October. I’m also engaged to a woman who owns a business here on the island where I live, so she’s unable to move right now. I guess what I’m saying is…”
“You’re saying you don’t want the same things you wanted a year ago.”
“Yes. Exactly.”
“Well, this puts me in a bit of a bind. I shelled out a hefty sum to free your album from the bankruptcy proceedings.”
Evan winced. “I know. That’s been keeping me awake at night.”
Buddy was silent for a long time, and Evan could almost hear him thinking.
“Could you give me six weeks spread out over the next year?”
Six weeks… Evan’s mind spun with the implications of six full weeks away from Grace. At least they wouldn’t be all at the same time… “I think I could make that work.” As miserable as it would be, they could do it. Couldn’t they?
“Excellent.”
“I’m sorry about this, Buddy.”
“Don’t be sorry. I think you have an incredible talent, which is why I pursued the project. But if you don’t have the drive to go along with the talent, then there’s no point in putting us all through the paces.”
“It’s not that I don’t have the drive. It’s more that my drive was forced to go in a different direction, and I’m too far along with the studio to abandon it now.”
“Believe it or not, I understand that. I’ll get with Jack, and we’ll figure out a plan. I’d like to recoup my investment, and I think we can make that happen with a smaller time commitment from you.”
“I really appreciate that.”
“When’s the wedding?” Buddy asked, surprising Evan with the personal question in the midst of business.
“January eighteenth in Turks and Caicos.”
“Congratulations. Married life is the best thing to ever happen to me. I hope it will be for you, too.”
“I have no doubt whatsoever that it will be.”
“We’ll be in touch. Don’t lose any more sleep, Evan. It’s business. It works itself out.”
If he hadn’t already respected Buddy Longstreet more than just about anyone in the music industry, he would now. “Thanks, Buddy.”
“Everything okay?” Big Mac asked when Evan had stashed the phone in his pocket.
“I think it’s going to be.”
“Excellent. Now have another doughnut.”
Evan laughed and snagged the doughnut while his dad was feeling generous. He felt like a hundred tons had been lifted off his chest with one phone call. It was going to be okay. He could survive six separate weeks away from Grace. Sure he could. If he kept telling himself that, maybe he’d actually believe it by the time he had to go.
At noon, Jenny left two of the college students in charge of the store and walked up the driveway to the Martinez house for the interview Alex had asked her to attend. All morning, Jenny had walked around in a stunned state of disbelief over the amazing events of the previous evening.
I love you. You’re mine. Mine, mine, mine.
She shivered, thinking about the way he’d looked at her, their intense lovemaking and sleeping in his arms after they finally wore each other out and went upstairs to bed.
Alex must’ve been watching for her, because he came out to the porch to meet her. He wore a black polo shirt with plaid shorts and looked serious and sexy and thrilled to see her.
I love you. You’re mine. Mine, mine, mine.
As she recalled his words from the night before, her heart gave a happy leap of joy at the sight of him,
and she walked a little faster up the stairs and right into his outstretched arms.
“I just saw you a couple of hours ago.” His lips against her ear and his nearness sent a shiver down her spine, as did the memory of him pressing her against the wall of the shower earlier as he thrust into her. “And it seems like forever.”
She held on tight to him, amazed and overwhelmed by how strongly she felt in such a short amount of time. If she hadn’t experienced similarly powerful emotions once before, she never would’ve trusted them now. But like she’d told him the night before, she knew what this was, and she wasn’t about to deny it.
“I missed you, too.”
“Thanks for doing this.”
“No problem. How does she seem so far?”
“Pretty cool. She’s talking to Mom right now, and she seems to have the sort of patience required for the position.”
The door opened behind them, and a dark-haired boy shot past them, down the stairs toward the tire swing hanging from a large maple tree in the yard.
“That’d be Ethan, Hope’s son. He’s seven and apparently full of energy.”
“He’s cute.”
“I suppose he is if you can get past the incessant talking and endless questions. My mom took an instant shine to him. She said he reminded her of us when we were that age.”
“Awww, I bet you were so cute.”
Before he could respond to that, David and Daisy arrived. Alex had told her David would attend the interview while Daisy took Marion for a drive and out to lunch.
A short time later, they had sent Marion and Daisy off in David’s car. Paul suggested they sit outside on the porch since it was such a nice day. When they were all settled, Jenny took a closer look at Hope, who was probably in her late twenties. She had long brown hair with red highlights, a creamy white complexion and brown eyes. Alex had introduced her to Hope as his girlfriend, which had given Jenny another reason to glow from the inside. He was racking up the points.
