by Marie Force
It was nice of her to reach out to him and to bring him dinner. While he waited for her, he answered a concerned text from Luke and took calls from his mother, Maddie’s mother and her sister, Tiffany, all of whom were looking for assurances that Maddie was okay. What was he supposed to say? No, she’s not okay. She’s traumatized and silent and nothing at all like her usual self.
But that wasn’t what he said. He told them what they needed to hear—that she was resting after a tough day and they’d be home tomorrow, barring any complications.
He’d just hung up with Tiffany when the doorbell rang. As he opened the door to Mallory, her resemblance to his father’s mother struck Mac all over again. The photo of his grandmother as a young woman had been on his father’s desk for as long as Mac could remember, and looking at Mallory with her curly dark hair and brown eyes was like looking at her.
“Come in.” Relieving her of the bag she carried, he stepped aside to admit her, his stomach growling as the aroma of pizza made his mouth water. Mac led her to the kitchen in the back of the house, took two of the beers from the six-pack and cracked them open before stashing the rest in the empty fridge. “Thanks again for this.”
“No problem at all. I hadn’t eaten yet either.” Mallory served up the pizza on the paper plates the restaurant had provided, and they ate in silence.
“Really good,” Mac said between bites.
“My favorite.”
“I can see why.” He noticed her glancing at him occasionally before refocusing on her pizza. “What? Do I have sauce on my face?”
“No,” she said with a laugh. “It’s just… You know, first time I’ve ever had pizza with my brother.” She shrugged. “It’s kind of cool.”
“For me, too.”
“So you don’t all hate me for showing up unexpectedly and staking my claim on your father?”
Mac paused with his beer bottle halfway to his mouth. “Did you stake a claim on him? I must’ve missed that part.”
“He’s the one who staked the claim. I would’ve been satisfied to meet him. He wanted more.”
“We don’t hate you, Mallory. It’s not like you set out to intentionally upend our family or cause trouble. My dad—our dad—is the best guy I know, and I’m not at all surprised that he staked a claim. He wasn’t going to let you walk away after learning you were his. That’s not who he is.”
“I’m starting to understand that. He calls me. A lot.”
Mac chuckled. “Welcome to my world. Not that I mind. When I lived in Miami, I talked to him almost every day. My business partners used to make fun of me. ‘Is that Daddy calling to check on his wittle boy?’ they’d say. I’d just laugh it off. I liked talking to him, and I know my brothers did, too, when they lived away. He’s so happy to have us all home now.” Mac took another sip of his beer and put down the bottle. “He’s probably not going to be satisfied until you live on the island, too.”
“He’s said as much! He’s even told me his buddy Ned can hook me up with a great place to live. I’ve had to remind him more than once that I have a job and already own a house.”
“He can be somewhat of a dog with a bone when he gets a big idea, so stand warned.”
“The funny thing is… He’s got me thinking about quitting my job, selling my house and moving, because it would mean I’d get to see him every day.”
“He can be rather convincing.”
“Indeed.”
A sound from the stairs had Mac on his feet when Maddie appeared in the kitchen, looking far too pale for his liking. “Hey, baby. How’re you feeling?”
“Kinda hungry, actually.”
“That’s great.” He held out his hand to her and was relieved when she took it. “Come meet my sister, Mallory. Mallory, my wife, Maddie.”
“So good to meet you,” Mallory said, shaking Maddie’s hand. “I’m sorry for the reason, though.”
“Thank you. Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Are you up for some pizza?” Mac asked.
“That sounds good. I could smell it from upstairs.”
“I hope we didn’t disturb you,” Mallory said.
“Not at all. I was awake.”
Mac put a slice of pizza on a plate and got her a glass of ice water.
She glanced at him and smiled ever so slightly. “Thanks.”
That hint of a smile unlocked the tight knot of fear that had gripped him for two long days now. She was going to be all right. It might take time for her to bounce back fully, but his Maddie, his love, was still in there.
They visited with Mallory for another hour before she took her leave, promising to catch up with them over the weekend when she came to the island. She wanted to meet their children, and Mac looked forward to introducing them to their new aunt. It was funny to think that they’d grow up knowing her as another of his siblings. They wouldn’t know there was anything “different” about her compared to his other sister or brothers.
After he locked up, Mac followed Maddie upstairs, hoping the small breakthrough he’d witnessed earlier would carry forth. “Do you need anything?” he asked when she was settled in bed.
“No, thanks.”
“Are you in any pain?”
As she shook her head, her golden eyes filled with tears.
“Maddie…”
“No, Mac. I can’t talk about it, so please don’t ask me to. Not yet.”
“Could I just hold you? Please?”
“Okay.”
He got into bed and reached for her.
She turned into his embrace, bringing the familiar scent of summer flowers with her.
Mac breathed her in as he held her close, relieved that she’d let him hold her. “I love you, Madeline. More than anything in this entire world. Don’t ever forget that.”
A soft sob was the only reply he got, but he was comforted to have her close to him. For now, for tonight, that was enough.
Chapter 25
Sitting next to Shane at an outdoor table at her mother’s new home, Katie tried to relax and enjoy the lovely evening her mother and Charlie had put together for her, Shane, Owen, Laura and Holden, as well as Charlie’s daughter, Stephanie, and her fiancé, Grant, who was also Shane’s cousin.
In addition to the candles her mother had placed on the long table, Charlie had strung lights through the trees overhead, creating a magical atmosphere in their small yard.
Talk turned to Grant and Stephanie’s upcoming Labor Day wedding.
“As much as I’m looking forward to the wedding, I can’t believe the summer is already almost over,” Grant said mournfully.
“Thank God,” Stephanie said. “I can’t take much more.”
“I take that to mean the restaurant had a great season,” Charlie said.
“A tremendous season. Thirty percent better than last year, which about killed me.”
“Perhaps it’s time to acknowledge you can’t do two jobs in the summer,” Charlie said with an indulgent smile for his daughter.
“I can’t quit the marina,” Stephanie said. “I’m marrying their son!”
Grant laughed as he took hold of her hand and kissed the back of it. “Running the restaurant is not part of the prenup, honey.”
“You have a prenup?” Shane asked.
“He won’t hear of it,” Stephanie said, rolling her eyes at Grant.
“Nothing more romantic than planning for the end of a marriage that hasn’t even started yet,” Grant said.
“It’s not about the romance,” Stephanie argued. “It’s about protecting what’s yours.”
“What’s mine is yours,” Grant said, shrugging off her concerns.
“Maybe you should get him to sign one,” Charlie said. “After all, we’re coming into some money, and you’ll be an heiress.”
“An heiress,” Stephanie said. “Whatever that is.”
“An heiress is you after I die and leave you millions,” Charlie said.
“And where are these
so-called millions coming from?” she asked, seeming amused.
“You want to tell her?” he asked Sarah.
“I’d love to. The state is compensating your dad for the years he was wrongfully imprisoned. To the tune of five hundred thousand dollars per year.”
“Holy cow,” Stephanie said. “Even I can do that math!”
“And a chunk of it will be going directly to you,” Charlie said to Stephanie.
“Oh, I, um… wow,” Stephanie said on a long exhale that made everyone laugh.
“Congratulations, Charlie,” Shane said. “That’s the least of what they owe you.”
“They could’ve given me nothing, and I’d still have everything I want.” This was said with his gaze firmly fixed on Sarah, who smiled even as she blushed.
Watching them, Katie was filled with yearning. What would it be like, she wondered, to know exactly who you were going to love—and who loved you—for the rest of your life? She’d never expected to be so envious of her own mother, but there it was. And all this time she’d thought she didn’t want love and romance and forever with a man. How wrong she’d been.
“Everything okay?” Shane asked in a low tone intended for her ears only. When he wasn’t taking a turn with Holden, his arm had been stretched behind her chair, his fingers brushing against the back of her shoulder. Each touch sent a tingle of sensation rippling through her body, reminding her of their plans for later.
“Everything is great.”
“You ready to go?”
“Whenever you are.”
They’d eaten a delicious dinner of grilled steak and chicken, salad and potatoes with strawberry shortcake for dessert. As they toasted Katie’s new job and decision to remain on Gansett Island for the winter, the champagne had flowed as freely as the conversation. When she stood up, Katie realized she was a little tipsy.
Shane’s hands on her shoulders steadied her. “Thank you for a lovely evening, Sarah and Charlie,” Shane said.
“It was our pleasure.” Sarah hugged and kissed them both, as well as Laura, Owen and Holden, who were also leaving. “Let’s do it again soon.” She walked them to the driveway and eyed Shane’s motorcycle with trepidation. “You’re careful with my daughter on that thing, right?”
“Always,” Shane said. “She’s precious cargo.”
“You’re darned right she is.”
With only the moon to light their way, Shane navigated the twisting island roads as Katie held on tight to him. She loved being tucked up against him as the bike roared beneath them. She loved the play of his muscles under her hands and the scent of his cologne filling her senses. Knowing he was as eager to be alone with her as she was to be with him kept her on the razor’s edge of arousal all the way home.
The hotel was dark and quiet when they arrived ahead of Laura and Owen. Shane stashed their helmets in the sitting room and led her upstairs to his room, slowing his pace to match hers on the stairs.
Inside his room, he kept the lights off as he pressed her against the back of the door and kissed her with what felt like desperation. His tongue sought out hers, teasing and tempting her until she was just as desperate. Breaking the kiss, he set her on fire with a series of kisses to her neck.
“Such a nice time tonight with your mom and Charlie and the others,” he said as he continued to devastate her with his lips and tongue. “But the whole time I was burning up from having you sitting so close to me.”
“I was, too. I kept thinking about last night…”
“What about it?”
“Everything about it. It’s all I’ve thought about today.”
“Was it everything you’d hoped it would be?”
“It was so much more,” she said with a laugh. “I accused you of a lack of imagination earlier. Well, that was me before last night. I had no idea it would be like that.”
“You know how to make a guy feel good, Katie Lawry.” He cupped her breasts and ran his thumbs over her nipples until they tightened in response to him. Then he was reaching for the hem of her dress and lifting it up and over her head. The matching bra and panties she wore landed in a pile on the floor that soon included his shirt, shorts and boxers. Twenty-four hours ago, she’d never been naked with a man and now she couldn’t get naked fast enough.
He took her hands and walked backward to the bed, pulled the covers back and stretched out on the bed, bringing her down on top of him.
Katie wasn’t sure what to do with her arms or legs until he arranged her legs on either side of his hips and drew her down to him, taking her lips in another incendiary kiss. His hands seemed to be everywhere, on her back, cupping her breasts, squeezing her bottom. Katie couldn’t keep up with the array of emotions and sensations that zinged through her body.
Last night he had been all about slow seduction. Tonight he was about fast and furious, or so it seemed to her. “God, Katie,” he said in a gruff, sexy tone. “I want you.”
“I want you, too.”
“Are you still sore?”
“Not like I was.”
He reached for a condom on the bedside table and rolled it on while she sat back and watched, the room illuminated by the faint beams from outdoor security lights. “You take the lead, honey. If it hurts, you stop. Okay?”
“Show me how.”
With his hands on her hips, he lifted her until she was poised above his erection. He released her slowly, bringing her down on him in tiny increments.
Katie gasped from the stretch and burn of her tender flesh.
“Does it hurt?”
She shook her head. It didn’t hurt badly enough to stop.
Shane didn’t move until she did, accepting him deeper with the slight swivel of her hips.
His protracted groan startled her. “Don’t stop,” he said through gritted teeth. “Please don’t stop.”
Knowing he wanted her so badly was a powerful incentive. Katie forced herself to relax and accept more of him.
“So hot and so tight,” he whispered. “Incredible.”
“Show me how you like it.”
“I’m afraid I’ll lose it if you move.”
“I need to move.”
“Give me a second, baby.” While he summoned control, his hands continued to move, making her shiver from the waves of desire that rolled through her, settling into an insistent throb between her legs.
Shane sat up and wrapped his arms around her, bringing her breasts in tight against his chest and wrapping her legs around his waist. With his hands on her bottom, he eased her up and down his hard shaft, each movement setting off new sparks of pleasure.
Katie held on tightly to him and tried to remember to breathe. Last night had been amazing, but this…
“Feel okay?” he asked.
“Yes, yes.”
Hearing her affirmation, he picked up the pace, and Katie forgot how to breathe or think or feel anything other than the orgasm that washed over her.
“Ah Christ,” he muttered as he pressed hard into her and held her there while he came, too. “Katie…”
She continued to hold on to him, her heart beating in time with the pulsating sensation between her legs. In that moment of utter perfection, it became clear to her that she was falling in love with him. It didn’t matter that she’d known him for only a short time. When he held her this way and made such sweet love to her, she felt like she’d known him forever.
Without losing their connection, he turned them so he was on top, looking down at her with those piercing blue eyes that saw her in a way no one else ever had. “Are you okay?”
“I’m great. You?”
“Never been better.”
“You don’t have to say that, Shane.”
“I’m not saying anything I don’t mean. I’ve had great sex before. But that was something else altogether.”
“It was? Really?”
“It really was. You’ve got me totally hooked on what it feels like to be inside you, Katie.”
“You’v
e got me pretty hooked, too. On the whole package.”
“Good,” he said with a lingering kiss. “That’s how I want you. Is this moving too fast for you?”
“No, not really.”
“You’re not overwhelming me with your conviction.”
“It’s moving fast, maybe too fast, but it feels good, you know?”
He pressed his hips against hers, reminding her he was still lodged deep inside her—as if she needed the reminder. “I know.”
Katie smiled at his enthusiastic reply. “This has been a truly remarkable week in more ways than one. My whole life has turned upside down, but I’m finding I like the view from down here.” She flattened her hands on his chest and felt his heart beating fast under her palms. “I like that I can touch you this way any time I want to.”
“You can touch me that way or any other way whenever you want to.”
“I like that. I like being here and having some of my family nearby and the new job and everything. I heard something sad today that reminded me of how lucky I am, despite what I endured to get here.”
“What did you hear?”
“While I was at the clinic, David got some bad news about one of his patients. A young single mother who has end-stage lung cancer. It was sad.”
Shane went still above her. “Did you meet her? The mother?”
“I saw her briefly. She had dark hair and a bad cough.”
“Oh my God. No…”
“Shane? Do you know her?”
With his hand wrapped around the condom, he withdrew from her and turned onto his back. “Yeah, I know her. I’m building a house for her and her kids. I’ve gotten to know them really well.”
“Oh, Shane. I’m so sorry.”
“Those poor kids. They’re so excited about the house. Shit.”
“I feel so bad for dropping that on you the way I did. I forgot this is such a small place, and of course you would know her. Not very professional of me.”
“It’s okay, honey. I had a feeling she was really sick, but end-stage lung cancer… She’s so young.”
