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

by Marie Force

  “You are so full of shit it’s not even funny,” Kevin said.

  “Now that just hurts my feelings,” Big Mac said to his younger brother.

  “Sure it does,” Frank said. He handed out cans of beer to everyone on board as they headed back to the marina after a fantastic afternoon on the water.

  With the others heading up to the bridge for the ride, Shane found himself alone with his father on the back deck.

  Frank raised his can in tribute to his son. “That was one hell of a battle.”

  “My arms hurt like a mo-fo.”

  Frank laughed. “You won’t be able to move tomorrow.”

  “So much for thinking I’m in pretty good shape.”

  “You’re in great shape, and unless my eyes deceive me, getting better all the time. Am I right?”

  Shane knew his father meant more than physical shape. “I’m better.” He was tired of mourning for what he’d lost. Almost against his will, his broken heart had begun to heal. Life had gone on, whether he’d wanted it to or not.

  “I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear that. I’ve spent a lot of time worrying about you the last couple of years and wondering if you’d ever be the same again.”

  “Sorry to have worried you.”

  “Not your fault. What happened to you… Well, suffice to say, it still boggles my mind.”

  “Mine, too.”

  “You got dealt a shitty hand, son. One you didn’t deserve. It pains me to think of you spending the rest of your life alone because you think all women are like her. They’re not.”

  “I know.” Shane glanced at his dad, who’d been the most important person in his life until the day he married Courtney. Since she left him, his father and sister had propped him up in every way they could. “I’m going out with Katie tonight.”

  A smile stretched across Frank’s face. “Are you now?”

  “Don’t make a big thing of it—and don’t tell Uncle Mac.” Big Mac would definitely make a big thing of it. Everything was a big deal where he was concerned, which was one reason his nickname suited him so well.

  Frank laughed. “Don’t worry. I won’t. I gotta say, though, hearing about what happened with you two yesterday about stopped my heart.”

  “Adele didn’t tell the whole story.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I saw Katie was in trouble, and I swam after her, but she panicked and dragged us both down. For a minute there…”

  “Oh my God, son.” Frank rested his hand on his heart, his face slack with shock.

  “I had to fight her off so I could save us both. It was pretty hairy.”

  “You truly are a hero. I’m so proud of you.”

  Shane shrugged off the praise. “I did what anyone would’ve done.”

  “Regardless, I’m still proud—and incredibly thankful you’re all right. And just think, if something comes of this thing with Katie, you’ll have a hell of a story to tell the grandchildren.”

  Shane laughed. “Jeez, Dad! We’re going out for the first time tonight, and you’ve already got us married with grandchildren?”

  “I was watching you two during brunch. Call me crazy, but I see a spark there.”

  Shane couldn’t deny he’d felt the spark his father had seen, but he didn’t dare encourage him. “She’s really nice and sweet.”

  “And beautiful.”

  “Is she?” Shane said, teasing. “I hadn’t noticed.”

  “Sure you haven’t.”

  “Do me a favor? Don’t say anything about me going out with her. She’s… hesitant. I wouldn’t want the McCarthy mob scene to scare her off before I get the chance to know her.”

  “She’s hesitant, no doubt, because of the monster who raised her.”

  “Which would make anyone hesitant.”

  “I want to say something here, but I don’t want you to take it the wrong way...”

  His father’s unusual hesitancy made Shane curious. “What?”

  “After everything you’ve already been through, I’d hate to see you get hurt again. I know more than I probably should about how Mark Lawry treated his wife and children. Their scars run deep.”

  “We’re just going to dinner, Dad. You’re the one who has us married with grandchildren.”

  “Touché,” Frank said with a laugh. “Just please be careful. I never again want to see you flattened the way you were after everything with Courtney.”

  “Believe me, I have no desire whatsoever to go through anything like that again.”

  “Moving forward… It’s a risk, but one worth taking.”

  “Are we talking about me now or you?”

  “Both, I suppose.”

  “Things are good with Betsy?”

  “Things are great. We’re taking it slowly, but it gets better all the time.”

  “I’m glad for you. You were alone for a long time.”

  “I was never alone. I had you and your sister and this great big family around me. I was okay.”

  “But this is better, right?”

  “Yeah,” Frank said with a small smile. “This is much better.”

  Chapter 7

  When they returned to port around three o’clock, Frank left the marina with promises to be back later for tuna and headed straight for Betsy’s cottage. They had plans to get together that night, but after the conversation with his son on the boat, he wanted to see her now. Her car was in the driveway, so he knocked on the door and waited for her to answer.

  She smiled at the sight of him standing on her doorstep, sunburned and salty after a day on the water. “This is a nice surprise.”

  “I hope I’m not interrupting your work.” Since moving to the island for the summer, she’d been exploring her interests in painting and photography. Judging by the paint-splattered smock she wore, today was a painting day. Her dark curls were tied up in a messy bun that he found adorable.

  “I was about to take a break. Come in.”

  Frank followed her into the tiny but cozy cottage she had rented from Ned Saunders. She hadn’t made any decisions about whether she planned to stay for the winter, and Frank was trying not to pressure her. She knew he wanted her to stay, and she’d promised to think about it. For now, they were enjoying the time they got to spend together.

  “How was the fishing?”

  “Fantastic. Shane bagged an eighty-pound tuna.”

  Betsy retrieved a pitcher of lemonade from the fridge and poured two glasses over ice. “Wow, good for him.”

  “He had a great time. Nice to see him smiling and happy.”

  “I’m sure it is.”

  Frank wanted to shoot himself for being so insensitive. “I’m sorry. That was thoughtless of me.”

  “What was?”

  “Talking about my happy, smiling son.”

  “Frank, please don’t worry about that. Of course you’re happy that your son, who’s been through such an awful ordeal, seems to be doing better. I don’t want you to feel you can’t talk about your kids just because I lost mine. That wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. It was a tragic accident, and I miss him terribly. But being around your family and your kids makes me feel better.”

  “I’m glad.” Needing to be closer to her, he moved across the kitchen until he was standing right in front of her. “Being around you makes me feel better, too. In fact, you make me feel better than I have in more than twenty years.”

  “Is that right?” she asked with the warm smile he’d come to adore, especially when it was directed at him.

  “Yep.” He put down his glass and placed his hands on the counter on either side of her hips. “You’ve got paint on your cheek.”

  “I do? Where?”

  He ran his finger over the spot where a dot of navy blue paint had landed. “Here.”

  She leaned into his touch, her eyes closing and her lips parting.

  Frank couldn’t resist the powerful need to kiss her, and her enthusiastic response made him groan with
desire for more of her. He’d kissed her for the first time after their friends Seamus and Carolina’s wedding, and their physical relationship had been confined to kissing thus far. But he couldn’t deny he wanted much more of her. “Betsy…”

  “Hmm?”

  “I really like kissing you.”

  “I really like when you kiss me.”

  He shifted to her neck, breathing in the earthy, feminine scent of her. Taking a chance, he moved his hands from the counter to her hips, bringing her in closer to him. There’d been other women, here and there, since his wife died, but never anything serious. Until now. Until her. And this was starting to feel awfully serious to him.

  When her arms encircled his neck and her body molded to his, there was no hiding his reaction to her.

  He found her mouth again in another kiss, his tongue tangling with hers as her fingers combed through his hair. “It’s been,” he said between kisses, “a very long time since I’ve wanted a woman the way I want you.”

  “How do you want me?”

  The question as well as the sexy tone in which it was asked only added to his desire for her. “Naked in a bed, under me.”

  “Well…” Her nervous laugh had him wondering if he’d been too blunt. “Tell me how you really feel.”

  “I think I just did.” He kissed her again, softly this time, but that packed no less of a wallop than their earlier, frantic kisses had. “I’m sorry if that’s too much too soon.”

  “It’s not. It feels like just enough at the perfect time.”

  Frank raised his head to meet her gaze. “It does? Really?”

  She nodded and then shocked him when she took hold of his hand to lead him into her bedroom.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “Where you said you wanted to go.”

  “Is it what you want, too?”

  “It’s what I’ve wanted for a while now.”

  “You might’ve clued me in,” he said with a chuckle.

  “You figured it out—eventually.”

  He put his arms around her and drew her into his embrace, gazing down into her beautiful, smiling face.

  “What’re you thinking?” she asked.

  “That it’s been such a long time since I felt this way.”

  “How do you feel?”

  “Happy, content, excited about the future, intrigued, curious, eager…”

  “Eager for what?” she asked with a coy smile.

  “To hold you and make love to you.”

  She kissed him. “Mmm, I’m eager for that, too.”

  “I should take a shower. I’ve been out in the sun all day.”

  “I could use a shower, too.”

  “How about we conserve on water and take one together?”

  “I’m all for conservation.” She gestured for him to follow her to the bathroom across the hall from her bedroom. After she started the water, she turned to him, her smile suddenly shy and uncertain.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “I’m not twenty anymore. I hope you aren’t disappointed.”

  Frank couldn’t believe she would say such a thing. Disappointed? In her? Never. “Betsy, honey, I think you’re gorgeous and vivacious and amazing. And speaking of not being twenty anymore, how do you think I feel? I’m fourteen years older than you—an official senior citizen cavorting with a youngster.”

  “Cavorting? Is that what we’re doing?”

  “Call it what you will.”

  She pulled the smock up and over her head, revealing a black lace bra that barely contained her full breasts.

  Frank knew it wasn’t polite to stare, but damn, she was sexy.

  She tugged at his polo shirt. “Your turn.”

  Frank whipped it up and over his head, hoping she liked what she saw as much as he did. He’d taken care of himself over the years, spending a lot of his free time in the gym, and if her heated gaze was any indication, those hours had paid off. “Your turn.”

  She unbuttoned and unzipped her shorts, letting them drop to the floor, leaving her wearing only the bra and a matching pair of barely there panties.

  “Why do I feel like you knew this was going to happen when I had no clue?”

  Betsy laughed at his distress. “I like nice underwear. I always have.”

  “I like your nice underwear, too, but I think it would look better on the floor.”

  “Your turn.”

  Holding her challenging gaze, Frank removed his shorts and kicked them out of his way. Standing before her wearing only a pair of boxers that didn’t do much to hide what her striptease had done to him, he reached for her. “I’d be happy to help with the next phase.”

  “By all means.”

  He reached around her to unfasten her bra, pushed the straps off her shoulders and sighed with pleasure as her lush breasts sprang free into his waiting hands. “Beautiful,” he whispered as he kissed her.

  “We’re wasting water,” she reminded him as she very casually divested him of his boxers and then allowed him to remove her panties.

  Frank expected to feel awkward or self-conscious, but all he felt was desire beating through him in a steady thrum that heated his blood as it zipped through his veins. And then she turned toward the shower, showing him her gorgeous ass, and it was all he could do not to drool. How had he managed to attract such an amazing woman?

  This was no time for such questions, he told himself as he followed her into the shower. This was the time to show her what she’d come to mean to him, and he planned to fully enjoy every second of what was about to happen. He’d waited a long, lonely time to feel this way again, and as he wrapped his arms around her from behind, he was grateful for this second chance with her.

  “You feel so good,” he whispered as the warm water beat down upon them.

  “So do you.” She reached for a bottle of shampoo and handed it to him. “Would you like to do the honors?”

  “I’d love to.”

  Betsy turned to face him, wetting her hair under the spray.

  Frank took advantage of the opportunity to kiss her before he got to work shampooing her long dark hair.

  She laid her hands flat against his chest as she leaned forward, giving him access to her hair.

  He took his time, massaging her scalp and spreading the shampoo liberally through the strands.

  “Feels so good,” she said. When he was finished, she rinsed the suds and added conditioner. “My turn.”

  “Am I going to smell all fruity and girly after this?”

  “Possibly.”

  “I’m cool with that.”

  Her laughter took his desire to a whole new level as he bent his head so she could reach his hair. When his hair was washed and rinsed, he found a bottle of citrus-scented body wash and filled his hands and took great pleasure in spreading it all over her soft, warm skin. He gave extra special attention to her breasts, sliding his soapy hands over the nipples that tightened against his palms.

  “Frank…”

  “Hmm?”

  “You’re making me crazy.”

  “Am I?”

  “You know you are!”

  She grabbed the bottle of body wash and returned the favor, her hands sliding from his shoulders to his chest and then down to his stomach. As her soapy hand encircled his erection, he had to remind himself he wasn’t a boy doing this for the first time. But, damn, she made him feel like an unseasoned virgin.

  “Christ, Betsy,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “Something wrong?”

  “No. For once, everything is just right.”

  She smiled up at him, her eyes aglow with pleasure and anticipation and desire.

  Ready to move things along, Frank reached behind her and killed the water. They dried each other with the same towel, their movements hasty and jerky. “Bed,” he said, biting down on her shoulder and making her gasp. “Now.”

  He followed her across the hall and into her bed, where she reached for him, wrapping him in h
er arms as their legs intertwined and their lips came together in a combustible kiss. With her soft, fragrant, welcoming body pressed against his, Frank needed to be inside her.

  “Do we need protection?” he asked as he kissed her neck.

  “I don’t. Do you?”

  He shook his head. “I’m clean, and I can prove it.”

  “So am I.”

  “And no chance of later-in-life offspring?” he asked teasingly but seriously, too.

  “No. I had a procedure to stop my horrible periods that also ended any chance of more babies.”

  Looking down at her, he kissed her softly as he began to enter her, slowly, giving her time to adjust. “God, you feel so good.”

  “You do, too. You don’t have to go slow.”

  “I do unless you want this to be over before it starts.”

  She laughed at his distress, which caused her muscles to clamp down on him, nearly triggering his release.

  “You’re out to wreck me, aren’t you?”

  “Nah. I like you exactly the way you are.” She drew him down for a kiss that started softly and escalated quickly to tongues and teeth and moans of pleasure.

  He broke the kiss and bent his head to give her nipple some attention, sucking and teasing it with his teeth while she squirmed under him. Though he’d planned to take his time, his plans were shot straight to hell by the incredible pleasure he found in her arms, and he couldn’t hold off.

  Determined to take her with him, he reached down to where they were joined to coax her and was gratified by her sharp cries of pleasure. He gave up on trying to hold off and picked up the pace, hammering into her until his release was upon him, intense and consuming.

  He came down from the incredible high to find her blissed out and smiling, her eyes closed and her arms around him. That little smile made his heart ache with emotions he hadn’t experienced in so long he’d forgotten what they felt like. “Am I crushing you?”

  “Not at all.” She wrapped her legs around his hips, encouraging him to stay where he was, which was more than fine with him.

  “That was…”

  “Mmm,” she said, her eyes still closed. “For me, too.”