by Marie Force
“I’m not yet fully convinced.”
“In that case…” He began at her neck, kissing her until she squirmed under him, aroused as always by any attention he paid to that area. Moving down, he focused next on her breasts with gentle strokes of his tongue to her nipples that had her moaning and arching her hips. “So sensitive when you’re pregnant. I love it.”
“I honestly think I could come from that alone.”
“Want to try?”
“Not this time, but maybe next time.”
“Ah, something to look forward to.”
Her fingers combed through his hair, always trying to bring order to shaggy locks that refused to be tamed.
Owen kissed the small bump protruding from her belly. Their babies were in there, getting bigger and stronger every day, and he was counting down the days until they got to meet them. He settled between her legs, propping them on his shoulders and ensuring her comfort before he opened her to his tongue.
Her sharp gasp of pleasure was nearly his undoing. She was always so responsive to him, so willing, so loving. And she wondered why he felt incredibly lucky to have earned her love. How could he not feel lucky to be married to such an amazing woman who was beautiful inside and out, not to mention strong, resilient and incredibly joyful? Her infectious joy had filled his life with the kind of happiness that had eluded him before her.
He stroked her with his tongue and slid his fingers into her, aided by the flood of moisture between her legs.
“Owen,” she said, panting, “come up here. I want you.”
“Not yet.” He redoubled his efforts, not letting up until she came with the sharp cry of pleasure he lived for. Then he moved up, kissing her as he went.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him into a deep, passionate kiss. He never broke the kiss when he took himself in hand and began to push into her, moving slowly to give her time to accommodate him. Going slow when she was hot and wet and tight around him was the purest, sweetest form of torture he’d ever experienced.
Laura broke the kiss and drew in a deep breath. “So much more than your share.”
“There it is! Every time.”
She smiled up at him. “It’s tradition now.”
Owen hooked his arm under her leg and bent it toward her chest, mindful of the babies who rested between them. The new position opened her and eased his entry. “Ah, God, Laura… So good. Always so good.”
“Owen…”
“What, honey?”
“I need you to move.”
“Are you sure? Are you sore from last night?”
“A little. Doesn’t hurt, though.” She cupped his ass and pulled him deeper into her, a move that made him see stars.
“Christ,” he whispered. “You almost finished me off with that maneuver.”
She giggled softly, and he melted on the inside. He loved the way they laughed all the time, even when making love. “Give me what I want. I’m your wife, and you have to obey me.”
“Oh damn, what’ve I signed on for?”
“A lifetime as my sex slave.”
“I can live with that.” He picked up the pace but kept a tight rein on the desire pounding through him as he lived in mortal fear of ever hurting her. He’d rather die than do anything to cause her pain of any kind.
“Yes.” She moaned and arched into him. “Like that.”
She brought him right to the brink with the way she moved and the way she sighed and moaned and gripped him from the inside. This was going to be fast, and he wanted to make sure she was with him, so he reached down to where they were joined, pressed his fingers to her clit and watched her ignite under him. That was all it took to finish him off, too.
Because he was so much bigger than she was, he didn’t dare flop down on top of her. Rather, he used the last of his strength to turn them so she was sprawled on top of him, still impaled on him, still quivering from the force of her orgasm. Her hair was all over him, her hand resting on his heart and her legs tangled with his.
This, right here, was all he needed to be happy for the rest of his life. As long as he had her, he could get through anything that came his way. “I love you more than life itself, Laura Lawry.”
“Love you just as much, Owen. I always will.”
Sarah came awake slowly, uncertain at first where she was or why she was naked. And then the memories of the night before came flooding back to remind her that she was in Charlie’s bed, where they’d made love for the first time. And the second time… Which was why her body ached in a few places where it hadn’t ached in longer than she cared to remember.
Her skin flushed and tingled with heat as she recalled the passion she’d experienced in Charlie’s arms. Sarah’s quiet, sweet fiancé had shown her a side of himself she hadn’t known existed until he got her in his bed.
Thinking about the discoveries she’d made not only about him but also about herself had her blushing from head to toe, her eyes squeezed tightly closed in embarrassment. How would she ever face him in the bright light of day after the way she’d behaved?
The brush of his lips over her forehead let her know she was no longer alone with her salacious thoughts.
“Good morning.”
“Mmm, morning.” She couldn’t bring herself to look at him, so she kept her eyes tightly closed.
“I come bearing gifts.”
“Is that coffee I smell?”
“It is indeed, but you have to actually look at me before you can have it.”
“I can’t look at you. I might never be able to look at you again.”
His bark of laughter rang through the room.
Sarah raised the covers up and over her head.
“Now you’re just begging me to come in there to find you.” His hand sneaked under the covers, and naturally, the first thing he encountered was her bare breast.
Sarah gasped from the painful pleasure when he rolled her sore nipple between his fingers, sparking a throb between her legs. How was it possible that she could want more already? “Charlie…”
“Hmm?”
“I can’t…”
“Yes, you can.”
“No, I really can’t.”
“Have I ever told you how much I love a challenge?”
Before she could begin to formulate a reply to that, he was under the covers with her, drawing her nipple into the heat of his mouth with gentle tugs and soft strokes of his tongue.
Sarah wrapped her arms around his head, holding him to her chest even when she knew she ought to be pushing him away. Her body couldn’t take any more of his brand of passion. But even as she had the thought, her legs were wrapping around his narrow hips as he pressed his erection against her aching core.
As the mother of seven, she’d certainly had her share of sex. But there was no comparison whatsoever to what she’d done with her ex-husband and what she was apparently about to do again with Charlie.
“I won’t be able to walk for a week,” she said in a protest that sounded less than convincing even to her.
“Yes, you will. I’ll go easy.”
“You don’t know how to go easy.”
“It’s you… You make me crazy.”
“How do I make you crazy?”
“The way you look at me and the things you say to me and the way you want to take care of me. And then you get naked with me, and I can’t help that I want to devour you.”
Sarah finally opened her eyes and looked up at him in amazement. “Did you really ask me to marry you last night?”
“I really did, and you said yes, so you can’t take it back now.”
“I would never take it back.”
As he rocked his pelvis against hers, he cradled her head in his big hands and kissed her softly. “Your lips are swollen.”
“Gee, I wonder why?”
His face lifted into a grin full of male satisfaction.
“Don’t look so smug. You nearly broke me in half.”
He laughed
again at the grimace she directed his way, but that didn’t stop him from pressing ever so gently into her. “I showed you hard and fast last night. Let me show you slow and sweet this morning.”
“I’m never going to survive you. Don’t you know I’m an old lady with seven grown children? I can’t be carrying on this way.”
“Yes,” he said with a low chuckle, “you can. And there’s nothing old about you. You’re beautiful and all mine.”
Sarah was mortified all over again when her eyes flooded with tears. Her emotions were hovering close to the surface after her son’s beautiful wedding and the life-changing night she’d spent with Charlie.
At the sight of her tears, Charlie froze. “Does it hurt, honey?”
“No. Well, sort of, but in a good way. Don’t stop.”
He kissed away the tear that rolled down her cheek. “Why the tears?”
“I’m so happy, Charlie. I had no idea that something like this, like you, even existed.”
“Aw, baby, hearing you’re happy is all I need.” He continued to move slowly and carefully as he made love to her.
Sarah reached up for him and brought him down for another kiss. She’d waited a long time to kiss him, and now she was addicted to his kisses. Her fingers dug into the taut muscles on his back.
“That’s it,” he whispered gruffly against her lips. “Scratch my back like you did last night. I love that.”
“God, you turned me into a madwoman.”
“I love that, too.”
“You’re out to embarrass me to death, aren’t you?”
“No way. I’m out to love you until death do us part, starting right now.”
He picked up the pace, stealing the words from her lips, the thoughts from her brain and the breath from her lungs.
As an innkeeper for most of her adult life, Adele Kincaid was an early riser. Even years after she and her husband had retired to Florida, she was still, as Russ would say, “up with the roosters” every day.
Being here, back at the Sand & Surf Hotel she and Russ had owned for more than five decades, felt like being home. She’d forgotten how much she loved the old hotel, which had been brought lovingly back to life by Laura and Owen over the last year. Adele was so proud of what the two of them had accomplished here, and deeply thrilled to see the boy she’d loved so much all his life settled with a woman who not only loved him passionately but also suited him perfectly.
If anyone deserved that kind of love more than Owen, she’d be hard-pressed to name him or her. Well, except maybe for his mother, Sarah. Her daughter was happily in love with a wonderful man after living through a nightmare with her abusive ex-husband who was now going to jail, where he belonged.
When Adele thought about what Mark Lawry had put his family through… She was a peaceful woman, but left alone in a room with that monster, she might be tempted to commit murder. Each of the seven Lawry kids bore scars from their upbringing. Owen was the only one of them to find love and settle down. Adele hoped he would be the first of them to take a chance on love, not the last.
Sitting on the hotel’s back deck with a cup of coffee, looking out over the wide expanse of water, she watched for the first ferry from the mainland that was due to arrive in South Harbor in twenty minutes. The routine of island life was one that had suited her for many years, and she’d missed it during their time in Florida. They’d moved there when their grandson Jeff had needed them after his suicide attempt. There they’d been able to get him the medical attention he needed, the kind of help that wasn’t available on a small island like Gansett.
It had been the right thing to do at the time, but she was tiring of the incessant sun and the heat. She missed the New England seasons and the variety of weather that came with them. Perhaps it was time to speak to Russ about moving home.
She glanced at the cream vellum envelope sitting on a table next to her and smiled from the anticipation of presenting their wedding gift to Owen and Laura. They were going to do it at brunch, and Adele was excited to see how they reacted. She and Russ had talked it over and agreed it was the perfect gift for the happy couple.
Sipping her coffee, Adele breathed in the fragrant sea air and let the sun shine warm upon her face. The back deck of the Sand & Surf Hotel was, without a doubt in her mind, the most beautiful spot on the face of the earth.
On the beach below, Adele noticed her granddaughter Katie walking along the shoreline and was forced to relive the horror she’d witnessed the day before when Katie had nearly drowned after being caught in a riptide. Adele had seen the whole thing unfold from her perch on the deck. Before she could move to call for help, Shane had been there to save the day.
Watching both young people go down together had been one of the most heart-stopping moments of her life. Again, they’d rallied while she’d remained frozen with fear and panic—a reaction she wasn’t proud of with hindsight. The thought of that kind of tragedy befalling Owen and Laura on their wedding day, not to mention the rest of their family, reduced Adele to tears all over again.
Watching Katie walk on the beach, her blonde hair billowing in the summer breeze, Adele recalled the way Shane had carried her onto the beach, breathed life into her lungs and then held her while she sobbed in the aftermath of the frightening incident.
Adele didn’t know Shane all that well, but Laura had shared some of what he’d been through with his ex-wife. She’d watched him during the wedding and had been impressed with his obvious devotion to Laura and his nephew, Holden, who’d spent most of the wedding snuggled up to his Uncle Shane.
He was quiet and reserved compared to his far more boisterous McCarthy cousins. Shane sat back and took it all in, participating, but not leading the charge. Although, in that animated group, it was a challenge to get a word in edgewise. He was handsome as could be with sun-streaked hair and a dark tan from working outside during the summer.
Adele had also tuned in to the way he watched Katie during the wedding. He’d probably be surprised that anyone had noticed, as he’d been so subtle about it. But every time she looked at him, he was looking at Katie. As far as she knew, Katie had never had a boyfriend. According to her twin, Julia, Katie had never been on a date. Adele didn’t need a PhD in psychology to deduce it was because of her violent upbringing. At some point, Katie must’ve decided it was easier to avoid men altogether than to encounter someone like her father.
Although Adele wasn’t one to meddle in the lives of her precious grandchildren, seeing Owen happy and settled with Laura had her wanting that for the others, too. While Shane certainly had his own scars on his soul, perhaps the two of them would be good for each other. Adele tapped her finger against her lip as she contemplated the possibility of them as a couple.
In light of what he’d been through with his wife, Adele wasn’t entirely convinced he’d be good for her Katie. But she planned to keep an eye on them for what remained of the weekend, and she also planned to talk to Russ about the possibility of moving home. It was time.
Chapter 3
Katie walked along the shoreline with her feet in the water, trying to ignore the panic that tugged at her when she thought about being nearly swept out to sea. She’d always loved this beach and swimming in the surf and couldn’t imagine never doing it again.
When she and her siblings had been kids, they’d spent their summers here with their grandparents, which had been the only respite they’d gotten from their violent, unpredictable father. The thought of being afraid of this beach was inconceivable to Katie. It was her happy place. It was the place she’d gone to in her mind any time the violence erupted at home, which was often. Thinking of this beach and the endless blue ocean would take her away from it all.
She’d have to go back in the water at some point. Maybe not today, but someday soon. Today she had another challenge to confront—telling her sister she wouldn’t be returning home to Texas with her. Not wanting to spoil the wedding festivities, she hadn’t told anyone, even her twin and closest con
fidant, that she had quit her job before coming to the wedding.
The doctor she worked with, a family practitioner, had been coming on to her for years. It had started with teasing comments about her clothes, her hair and her smile and had progressed to more pointed remarks in recent months. On Thursday, she’d had the rare misfortune of being the last one in the office, which left her alone with him—something she went out of her way to avoid.
The office manager had to leave early to pick up her son at camp, which had left Katie alone with the randy doctor. While he’d often been inappropriate with her, he’d never scared her until that night after their last patient had left, and he’d blocked the doorway to keep her from leaving the office.
It’d been years since Katie had experienced that kind of fear, and it had taken her right back to the darkness of her childhood.
“You’ve been teasing me for a long time now,” Dr. Marcus Gould had said as he advanced toward her, forcing Katie to back away from him until she encountered her desk.
With nowhere to run and no way out, she’d begun to tremble violently. “I… I haven’t teased you.” She rarely talked to him except when she absolutely had to. How did that translate into teasing?
“We both know better.” Other women found him attractive. Katie knew that from the way her coworkers and even some of the patients speculated endlessly about his personal life. Katie had never participated in those conversations because he made her sick with his lecherous looks and inappropriate comments.
Carmen, the office manager, told Katie she was “lucky” he liked her so much and that she was jealous of the attention the doctor paid to Katie. For her part, Katie wished he’d leave her alone and let her do her job in peace.
“What’re we to do about this attraction between us?” he asked as he advanced even closer to her.
“What attraction?” If he touched her, Katie was quite certain she would throw up all over him.
“I love how you play hard to get. It’s a huge turn-on.”
“I’m not playing anything.” She hated how her voice wavered. “I’m here to work, and that’s it.”
