Trouble After Dark: Gansett Island Series, Book 21

by Force, Marie

  “Deacon…”

  “What, darlin’?”

  “You… That… Wow.”

  “Mmm, you’re so hot, so sexy, so sweet.” He bent to kiss her lips, cheeks and throat before he drew the tight tip of her left nipple into his mouth.

  Her inner muscles clamped down hard on his cock, making him groan as sensation flooded his entire body. The words he wanted to tell her burned to get out, but he held on to them. He wanted to be sure she was ready to hear them before he told her.

  His Julia was so strong in some ways but fragile in others. He loved her fragility as much as her strength. He loved everything about her.

  “Fuck,” he muttered. “Need a condom.”

  She kept him from withdrawing. “It’s okay. I’m protected.”

  Hearing that triggered a ferocious wave of need that took him right to the edge of complete madness. When he couldn’t hold back any longer, he pushed into her and held still, letting the incredible wave crash over him, taking him up so high, he felt invincible, especially when she came, too, her fingers digging into his back as she held on to him. He wanted her to always hold on to him, to lean on him, to let him be there for her.

  As he came down from the highest of highs, he breathed in the scent that belonged only to her. With her arms and legs wrapped around him, Deacon understood so many things that had eluded him up until then. This feeling was why people rearranged their entire lives to be together. It was why they did whatever it took to make it work so they’d never again have to be without the person who made them feel that way.

  “Am I crushing you?”

  “I love it.”

  “I do, too.” He raised his head so he could see her face and was stunned by what he saw.

  She loved him, too. He had no doubt whatsoever.

  “Julia…”

  “Hmm?” She reached up to fix his hair and then ran her fingers over his face and lips.

  That was all it took to make him hard for her again.

  She laughed and wiggled under him, letting him know she was fully on board with round two.

  “I, um…” He wanted so badly to tell her how he felt, and he’d never wanted that before. If anything, he’d gone to great lengths to avoid feeling things that would change everything. But this…

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m so much better than okay. That’s what I’m trying to tell you. This… with you… It’s just…”

  “Amazing.”

  “Yes,” he said, overcome with relief that she felt the same way he did. “It’s incredible. You are incredible.”

  “We are. We’re incredible together.”

  “I agree. Want to go steady?”

  She laughed as hard as he’d ever seen her laugh and loved every second of that joyful sound. “Does that mean we’ll be exclusive?”

  The question shocked him. “We’re not already exclusive?” The thought of her doing this with anyone but him made him crazy.

  That brought more laughter. “Of course we are, you dope. You didn’t really think…”

  “No.”

  “I hope not.”

  “So yes to being exclusive?”

  “Yes to being exclusive. Yes to everything.”

  Chapter 26

  Over the next few weeks, Julia settled into her new home, her new job and her new romance. She and Deacon fell into a routine of spending every night together, usually at his place, where they could be completely alone. They had dinner with Deacon’s parents, with Blaine, Tiffany and their girls, with her family and by themselves more often than not.

  They attended a party Adam McCarthy and his wife, Abby, had to celebrate their son Liam’s adoption being final. One night, they babysat for Ashleigh and Addie so Blaine and Tiffany could go out to dinner to celebrate their anniversary. Another night, they babysat for Laura and Owen so she could watch him play at one of his gigs.

  If they weren’t working, they were together, and with every day that passed, Julia fell more in love with her sweet, sexy harbor master.

  Deacon loved his job and sported a dark “farmer’s tan” from the long hours on the water that made Julia laugh every time he removed his shirt to reveal a dark V on his chest and tanned forearms. They laughed at everything, especially the antics of Puppy Pupwell, who’d officially become theirs when they registered him in both their names with the town after two weeks in which no one had come forward to claim him.

  On a Saturday in late June, they were invited to a wedding at the Southeast Light. Slim Jackson, an old friend of the Taylor family, was marrying his fiancée, Erin Barton, at the place where their romance had begun while she was the lighthouse keeper. From what Julia had heard, the entire town was invited because Slim knew everyone—and somehow he’d gotten the town to approve of them having their wedding there when they’d said no to Jenny and Alex out of fear of drunken guests falling off cliffs.

  She and Deacon rode to the lighthouse with Shane and Katie, who were still glowing with newlywed bliss weeks after returning from their honeymoon.

  Julia wondered if she, too, glowed with the same happiness she saw in Katie. Probably so, because she’d never before been happy like she was with Deacon. It was a pervasive, bone-deep kind of elation that was all new to her, and she’d become addicted to the feeling.

  He gave her hand a squeeze and smiled at her, revealing that dimple she was also addicted to.

  At the lighthouse, they joined the crowd that had gathered for the happy occasion. Deacon stood behind Julia, his arms wrapped around her as they watched Slim and Erin exchange vows.

  “She lost her twin brother in the 9/11 attack in New York,” Deacon whispered in her ear. “He was engaged to Jenny, who’s the matron of honor.”

  Hearing what the two women had endured gave Julia a deeper perspective on what this day must mean to both of them and everyone who loved them. She had tears in her eyes by the time Frank McCarthy declared Slim and Erin husband and wife.

  The party that followed could be described only as epic. On a perfect summer day, friends and family of the happy couple enjoyed a traditional New England clambake under a tent that had been erected next to the lighthouse.

  Julia went to say hello to Mac and Maddie, who was seated on a padded lounge chair that had been brought in just for her. “How’re you feeling?” she asked Maddie.

  “Tired, cranky, fat and saggy,” Maddie said with a cheerful grin. “Other than that, all is well.”

  “She’s doing great.” Mac looked at his wife with such pride. “She’s a baby-making goddess.”

  “Don’t you mean elephant?”

  “I mean goddess.”

  Julia had gotten to know them quite well during the weeks she’d been working with him and had become very fond of them and their children. Per Mac’s request, she’d agreed to take on some of the management of the marina for additional salary that gave her a financial cushion she’d never had before. “It won’t be much longer until the twins arrive.”

  Maddie moaned. “I can’t believe they’re not due for another two months.”

  “The longer they stay in the oven the better,” Mac said.

  “Easy for you to say.”

  “Not easy for me, as you well know.” He winked to make his point, and his wife’s face turned bright red.

  “Shut it, Mac.”

  “Just speaking the truth, my love.”

  “Sorry, Julia. He’s unmanageable.”

  She’d found the opposite to be true, but she kept that to herself. After all, she wasn’t the one married to him.

  The other big news at the wedding came from Jenny’s husband, Alex Martinez, and his brother, Paul, who’d successfully moved their mother, Marion, back to Gansett Island. She was now living at the elder care facility that Jared and Lizzie James had started, which was run by Dr. Quinn James and his nurse fiancée, Mallory Vaughan. The Martinez brothers and their wives, Jenny and Hope, were thrilled to have Marion close by once again so they could see her more
regularly. Her battle with dementia had led them to find alternate care for her on the mainland, but they’d hated having her so far from them.

  At the wedding, Julia met Nikki Stokes’s famous twin sister, Jordan, who was on the island for the summer after the spectacular public breakup of her high-profile marriage to rocker Zane earlier in the year.

  Nikki and her fiancé, Riley McCarthy, were getting married in the fall, as were Dr. David Lawrence and his fiancée, Daisy Babson.

  At Slim and Erin’s wedding, she also got to meet celebrity lawyer Dan Torrington and his wife, Kara.

  Before she’d come back to Gansett for the summer, Julia would’ve thought life on the small island would be quiet and boring. She’d found the reality to be anything but.

  By far the best part of Erin and Slim’s wedding day for Julia was when she got to dance with Deacon, who held her the way he always did, as if she was his whole world. She’d never been anyone’s whole world before, and she rather liked being his. He’d taught her how to let go and have fun and not worry about what might happen in the future. Right now is all we have, he’d say. Let’s enjoy the hell out of it.

  So that was what she’d done. While enjoying the hell out of life with Deacon, she continued to see Kevin each week, and she took care of herself by attending yoga classes, practicing meditation and playing the piano at Stephanie’s every chance she got. Her weight had stabilized, and Victoria had cut her back to monthly check-ins rather than weekly.

  Life was good, as good as it had ever been, and yet… In the back of her mind remained the nagging worry of how it would blow up in her face. It always did, so why should this time be different? As much as she tried to tell herself that everything was fine, the nagging fear lingered.

  She was preconditioned to expect the worst-case scenario. There was no reason to believe she had anything to be concerned about, but still, she worried.

  Evan McCarthy had repeatedly asked her to come by the studio, but Julia hadn’t taken him up on the offer. She’d thought about it and had decided that as long as she could play at the hotel any time she wanted, that was more than enough for her. She had no desire to pursue a career in music.

  Maybe in a previous life that career might’ve interested her, but now she wanted the easy, stress-free life she’d found on Gansett. She was self-aware enough to know that the fast-paced, high-drama life of a professional musician wouldn’t be healthy for her.

  After another long day of work at the job she loved, she snuggled on her bed with Puppy while she waited for Deacon to arrive. He’d been working longer hours than usual for reasons he hadn’t fully shared with her. Something about a boat he was keeping an eye on and a case he’d been building. Puppy was full of energy, so she decided to take him for a walk to meet Daddy at the dock.

  The second Puppy saw her with the leash in her hand, he went bonkers, the way he always did. He’d grown so much in recent weeks and was full of energy.

  “You have to hold still for one second.” She finally got the leash on, and they headed out toward the town dock. Puppy peed at least four times before they got there, which amused her. Everything he did amused her. They passed Deacon’s bike in the parking lot. What did it say about her that seeing his motorcycle was enough to make her body hum with desire for the man who owned it? One of her favorite things to do was ride on the back of his bike, wrapped around his muscular body as the powerful bike hummed beneath them. It was almost as good as foreplay.

  She’d have to tell him that when she saw him. He’d like that.

  Puppy pulled hard on the leash, leading the way to Daddy’s dock. They’d met him at the end of the day before, so Puppy knew where to go. She and Deacon had discussed finding a better name for him than Puppy Pupwell, but that name had stuck, and he answered to Puppy and Pupwell, so it was probably too late now.

  Deacon joked that they’d name their future children Baby and Kid.

  Whenever he talked about their future children, it was all Julia could do not to tell him she was madly in love with him and couldn’t wait to have his children. But she hadn’t said that yet. Neither of them had used the L word, but she knew he felt it every bit as much as she did. Maybe tonight, she’d tell him how she felt. Why was she bothering to hold back when she loved him more than anything?

  As she went down the ramp, she couldn’t think of a single good reason not to tell him. She was on the floating dock where he tied up when she noticed another woman sitting on the equipment box where Julia usually sat to wait for him. Julia didn’t recognize her.

  “Hey.” The woman smiled at Julia. She had long blonde hair and intricate sleeve tattoos. “Adorable dog.”

  “Thanks.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Puppy Pupwell.”

  “That’s cute. Is he friendly?”

  “Very.”

  She slid off the box and bent to pet Puppy. “What a sweet boy you are.”

  Since Puppy had never met a stranger, he leaned into her, seeking as much attention as he could get. The woman laughed at his antics.

  “Do you live here, or are you visiting?” Julia asked, scanning the horizon for Deacon’s boat.

  “I wish I lived here. It’s so beautiful. But I’m only here for a couple of days to see my boyfriend.”

  “Oh, are you seeing Colby?” She seemed quite a bit older than the young man who worked with Deacon, but Julia wasn’t one to judge.

  “No, Deacon. Do you know him?”

  Julia was stunned speechless. Deacon had a girlfriend? How was that possible when he spent every available second he had with her? She had to force herself to remain calm, not to overreact, to wait and give him a chance to explain. Surely there had to be some explanation.

  The woman stood to her full height. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. And yes, I know Deacon.” I know him as well as I know myself, Julia thought, or at least I thought I did. Stay calm, keep breathing… Easier said than done when your heart is about to explode in your chest. This could not happen again. It just couldn’t.

  “He’s the best. I’ve missed him so much since he’s been gone, and I couldn’t wait another day to see him.”

  Breathe. Just breathe.

  Julia wasn’t capable of making conversation while they waited for him, so she focused on the puppy and keeping him entertained so she wouldn’t lose her composure and break down in front of this stranger who’d staked a claim on Deacon.

  She thought about how Finn McCarthy’s ex had shown up on the island a month or so ago, determined to get him back, and how she’d stabbed him and his new girlfriend, Chloe. Maybe this woman was like that one had been—a delusional ex who didn’t know how to accept when something was over.

  It had to be something like that. There was simply no other explanation. He’d known how big of a deal it’d been for Julia to go all in with him, especially after everything that’d happened with Mike. He wouldn’t hurt her this way. Would he?

  No. Not Deacon. He wouldn’t do that.

  Remaining calm and continuing to breathe in the ten minutes it took for his boat to appear at the entrance to South Harbor was one of the more difficult things she’d done in quite some time. But she’d done it, and she credited her new coping skills with getting her through the challenge.

  When Deacon got close enough to see her and Puppy waiting for him, his face lit up with the smile that had become so familiar to her, complete with that damned dimple that got to her every time it appeared. She was watching him so closely, she was able to see the exact moment when he saw who else was waiting for him.

  He couldn’t hide the shock or the nervous reaction he had to seeing both women waiting for him. Time seemed to stand still as he brought the boat into the dock and tied one line at the center of the boat. “Julia,” he said, looking at her with fierce determination. “Do not move. Stay right there. Do. Not. Move.”

  Only because she didn’t trust her legs to carry her up the ramp and away from that
dock, she did what he asked her to and stayed put.

  He got off the boat and approached the other woman, who’d lit up with delight at the sight of him. Julia wanted to claw her eyes out. “Sherri, what’re you doing here?”

  “I came to see you, silly.” She threw herself at him, but Deacon didn’t react. He kept his hands by his sides. “I missed you so much!” She kissed his cheek. “Say something, will you?”

  He took a step back from her and moved toward Julia. “Sherri, this is my girlfriend, Julia. Julia, this is my friend Sherri from Harwich.”

  Sherri looked from him to Julia and then back to him again. “You… You have…”

  Deacon put his arm around Julia. “A girlfriend. A very serious girlfriend who I love more than anything.”

  While Julia tried not to swoon from hearing him say the L word for the first time, Sherri stared at him in disbelief.

  “You love her? You were with me two months ago.”

  “We hooked up, Sherri. We had some fun. I was never ‘with’ you. I’m sorry if that hurts your feelings, but it’s the truth, and you know it as much as I do.”

  “You… You fought with Roger.”

  “I did, and I’d do it again if I saw another woman about to get beat up by a man. Please don’t make that into more than it was. You and I are friends. That’s all we’re ever going to be.”

  “You gave me money.”

  “Because I felt bad about you losing your job after the fight. I’m sorry if you came here expecting something else, but the fact is I’m crazy in love with Julia, and I plan to spend the rest of my life with her. If she’ll have me, that is.”

  Julia wanted to say something cute and witty and profound, but words escaped her as she wallowed in the realization that nothing was going to go wrong, not even an ex-lover, or whatever she was, showing up to stake a claim on him. He was as true blue as he’d seemed from the beginning. For once, she’d gotten it just right.

  Sherri broke down into sobs. “I feel so stupid. I thought, when you gave me the money, I thought that meant you were, like, you know… into me.”