Chapter 14
CHAPTER 14
W ilder was having the best dream of his life. Bex was naked, rubbing her body against him, with her hand stroking him, as Wilder’s heart sped up in anticipation of release.
Only . . .
Wilder’s eyes popped open. Bex was sprawled halfway over him. His T-shirt she was sleeping in had risen up above her belly so that she was mostly naked and pressed against him.
Bex’s mouth was on his neck, the breath of her quick breathing sending heated puffs of air scintillatingly across his skin. Her hand was rubbing his chest and her leg was on his very excited morning fellow, rubbing him as her hips slightly rocked in her sleep. It was torture. And one he never wanted to end yet wished for nothing more than for Bex to wake up and do even more with him.
“Wilder,” Bex murmured against his neck.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
Bex suddenly stilled. Her hand stopped running through the smattering of chest hair and patted him as if feeling whether he was real or not. Then she froze a second before trying to pull away from him. However, that was the last thing Wilder wanted. He tightened his hold on her and looked down at her wide eyes.
“Good morning. Did you have sweet dreams?” Her eyes somehow got wider as the cutest blush stained her cheeks. “Because I had very good dreams of you.”
Wilder leaned down slowly as he loosened his hold on her. He was giving Bex the chance to stop this kiss if she wanted to. Wilder wanted to roar with victory when, instead of backing away, Bex leaned forward. Her eyes closed a moment before his lips brushed hers. He moved slowly, learning how Bex responded to him. When she made a tiny frustrated sound while pressing closer to him, he knew what she wanted and gave it to her.
Wilder’s hand moved to the top of her perfect bottom and encouraged her to press her core against him as he deepened the kiss. His tongue surged into her mouth, moving in pace with the rocking of her hips. Wilder’s world turned, shifted, and spun as the kiss heated up. He was lost when Bex shifted so that she was on top of him. Her hips ground onto him, sending sparks of desire shooting through them both. However, since she climbed on top of him, taking control of the kiss, it gave him the use of both his hands. He placed them on her thighs and, just like the kiss, made sure to move slowly. Even though this was the hottest kiss of his life, he’d stop in an instant if she wanted him to.
Wilder slipped his hands under the T-shirt, ran them up her ribcage, and stopped right below her breasts. He used his thumb to trace the soft skin of the underside of her breast. Her hips rocked faster, her kiss turned wilder, and she tried to press her breasts into his hands. Taking the hint, Wilder let go of the tight control he was maintaining. He cupped her breasts in his hands, loving the weight of them, before rolling her nipples between his fingers. Bex moaned into his mouth and he was lost.
Until the doorbell rang.
“Ignore it,” Wilder grumbled.
“Morning, y’all!” Came the sweet elderly voice from out in the hall. “I brought Bex another outfit.”
Wilder looked up into Bex’s face. They were breathing hard. Her eyes were clouded over with lust, but they slowly cleared as a smile spread across her lips. “I wonder if it’s from the Jackie Kennedy collection again.” Wilder was worried Bex might be embarrassed by the heat of the moment, but instead she winked down at him. “Coming!” she called out before dropping her voice. “Or I would have been if the doorbell didn’t ring.”
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll make sure you do. Multiple times.”
Bex rolled her eyes at him before hopping off both him and the bed. “That’s what they all say.”
Wilder was about to demand who all were when Bex opened the door. “Good morning, Miss Tibbie! Wow, what a beautiful dress.”
* * *
Bex looked out the window as they turned onto Main Street in Shadows Landing. Wilder had explained that this was the whole of downtown. Buildings were old, but the paint jobs were bright and cheery. Wilder had pointed out the bank, the library, a barbecue place called Lowcountry Smokehouse, and his sister’s law office before they’d turned onto Main Street.
“This is the courthouse and where my brother-in-law is the sheriff,” Wilder explained. “Across the street is Stomping Grounds, a diner with really good southern cooking.”
Bex leaned forward at the museum with a pirate flag and gold in the window. “Whoa, what is that place?”
“Did you hear about the shipwreck found in international waters off the Charleston coast a couple of years ago? A treasure hunter and a coast guardsman found it?”
“Oh, yeah. I read about that.” Bex’s eyes went wide. “This is it?”
“Yup. Darcy and Wade live here. We can stop by and see the exhibit if you want. It’s really neat and full of history.” Wilder nodded across the street. “And that’s our church. Reverend Winston’s family has been leading the church for generations. That’s where the women’s group meets and practices self-defense.”
Bex laughed. “I can imagine a Bible study meets self-defense class.”
Wilder just shrugged. “I’m sure my sister will take you if you’re interested. You might learn a few new moves. Next to it is an art gallery and interior design firm. Across from that is Bless Your Scarf. You can get some clothes there. There’s Harper’s bar and Peter’s girlfriend’s restaurant is next door.”
Wilder slowed as he passed the bar and Bex had to lean almost across from him to look at the old wooden door of the bar. “Are those bullets?”
“Yeah, Skeeter, the local historian and ghost communicator, says the pirate ghosts like them so Harper hasn’t had them removed.”
“Wow, what are these two beautiful buildings across from each other?” Bex asked, looking at buildings that looked straight from the movies.
“That’s the Daughters of Shadows Landing. It’s like the Daughters of the American Revolution. They’re a charitable group here and keep a lot of historical material. Then across the street is the official public Shadows Landing Historical Society. The guy who runs it, Dr. Adkins, is kind of a snob. Now, for the best part. The Pink Pig Barbecue. Every week there’s a competition for Sunday brunch between Lowcountry Smokehouse and The Pink Pig that’s settled at church. That leads to the dash down Main Street to get a table at the winning restaurant I told you about.”
“I don’t know if you’re joking or not.”
“You’ll find out on Sunday when you almost get run over by Mr. Gann or Mr. Knoll on their scooters. And finally, this is Gil’s Grub and Gas. They have good bait here if you want to go to the marina and fish.”
Bex watched as Wilder turned onto Palmetto Drive. They drove past the marina and a park before houses began to line both sides of the road. She noticed that the houses on the right were set back from the road and were quite a bit bigger than the houses on the left. They also looked older.
“This road ends at Bell Landing. It’s a beautiful and historic estate. My sister-in-law Maggie’s family owns it. Maggie runs events there. On the left is the new neighborhood. That’s where most of my brothers live. On your right are the older riverfront properties. This one we are about to pass is where Olivia and Granger live.”
“Wow, what beautiful landscaping.”
“You should see it when the azaleas are in bloom.”
“Where do you live?” Bex asked as she kept looking around.
“I had been living in Charleston, but Ridge Faulkner, who is a luxury house builder, finished my house several months ago. His wife, Savanah, finished the interior design earlier this week. It had been pretty sparse until now. I’m up ahead on your right. I’m four houses down from my sister.”
Bex felt the truck slow as a decorative tan gravel driveway appeared ahead of them. Wilder turned into the drive and stopped at the gate. Bex felt her eyes widen in surprise at the sight of the white cottage style house with a grand staircase leading up the first livable floor. The house gave the appearance of being a little cottage until you looked beyond the entrance. To the left, a window-lined walkway led from the main house to what looked like an apartment over a two-car garage. Then when she looked to the right, she saw another two-car garage and above it a two-story living area that went back farther than she could see.
“You haven’t seen it yet?” Bex asked as he pressed a code into a gate that then swung open allowing them to drive up to the property.
“Not in person, but I worked with Savannah to make an oasis. It’s all whites, blues, and tans. I wanted someplace to unwind. A real home. I have condos in most of the cities I have clubs. I wanted a place that was all mine.”
Wilder parked in front of the stairs and hopped out. Bex had opened her door, but Wilder was there holding out his hand to help her step down from the truck. “Is that an apartment above your garage?”
“Yes,” Wilder said, nodding to the apartment. “My younger sister, Penelope, stays there a lot when she’s in town.”
“Is she there now?” Bex asked as they began to climb the stairs.
“No. Pen is staying with my brother, Rowan, as Savannah worked on my house. Rowan’s a pediatric surgeon in Charleston so Pen gets the house to herself a lot.” Wilder unlocked the door as his phone rang. “It’s my brother. I need to grab this. Feel free to explore.” Wilder answered the phone as Bex walked inside. “Hey, Damon.”
Bex could hear Wilder talking to his brother as she walked into the entrance. The house was full of light. The walls were white with blue and tan accent pieces. There was white shiplap on some of the walls to give it texture and family photographs hung on those walls. From the front door, Bex could see straight through the house and out the backdoor. The house was nothing but windows and the view was stunning. She walked by a staircase leading upstairs and through a comfortable living room and looked out the back window. The house was L-shaped and along the far length of the house was a pool and outdoor living area. Beyond that was a huge yard with a clear view of the river.
To her left was the walkway to the apartment. To her right was an open kitchen and down the long hall of the L was a formal dining room, an office, and then at the end of the hall was a huge room with a wall of windows looking out back. There was a bar, several tan leather couches, one of the biggest televisions she’d ever seen, and a pool table.
Bex was looking out the window when she heard Wilder approaching. It was so strange. All this wealth and she’d never guess it just talking to him. Wilder was one of the most low-maintenance, down-to-earth guys she’d ever met.
“Damon asked if we wanted to meet for breakfast at the diner. Olivia has filled them all in and they want to meet you.”
“Why did you just grimace?” Bex asked, suddenly a little nervous about meeting his family after their morning make-out session. She’d crossed a professional line, maybe, since she technically wasn’t on the job right now. But now it was different from meeting a suspect’s family to meeting the family of a man who’d had his hands up her shirt.
“My family can be a bit . . . much.”
Bex laughed. “That’s all? You had me worried. Believe me, I know a thing or two about families who are a bit much. It’ll be fine. Should we go now?”
“I’ll show you the upstairs and then we can go. Wilder walked over to what looked like a bookshelf in the far corner of the room and pulled a book out. The bookcase swung open to reveal a tight circular iron staircase. “I have a couple of hidden rooms and staircases for fun.”
Bex looked up and laughed. “This is so cool.”
She followed Wilder up the stairs and watched as he opened what looked to be a door handle. The door opened into a closet filled with masculine clothes. When he closed the door, she realized on this side it was a wall filled with shoes.
“This is my bedroom,” Wilder said as he walked out of the closet. His bedroom was larger than her apartment over her brother’s garage at home. The bed was a huge king and was positioned to look out the solid wall of sliding glass doors that led to a screened-in deck overlooking the backyard and river. “Bathroom through there and down this hall are the guest rooms.”
Bex followed Wilder down the hall. On the right of the hall were windows overlooking the pool. On the left were three guest rooms. “Which one is mine?”
Wilder paused and glanced back at his room. “You can take any room you want.”
“Even yours?” Bex teased.
“Especially mine since that would mean I was in bed with you.”
Okay, the teasing died in her throat as she instantly remembered waking up with her body pressed against Wilder’s. She could get used to doing that every morning.
“There’s another hidden staircase in the gym that’s above the kitchen. That staircase leads to the pantry. There’s also a hidden speakeasy-type room accessible from the loft area,” he said, pointing to the open area next to the gym that was above the front entrance and overlooked the living room.
Wilder walked by the grand staircase, over to another bookcase and pulled a book. The bookcase swung open and she entered a room with cedar plank on the wall a full bourbon bar and four leather club chairs around a poker table. It was a tight fit, but Wilder still had a small television in the room and a thick maroon rug on the floor.
“This is so neat. I love this room.”
“I’m glad. We’ll relax here tonight if you want. But for now, my family is waiting. Damon also said the sheriff’s deputies want to meet you too.”
Bex looked down at her dress which was only missing a matching pill box hat from the sixties and shrugged. “Let’s go. Then maybe I can borrow a couple of bucks and get some jeans at Bless Your Scarf.”
They took the main stairs down and then out the front door to the truck. “Wait here. Let me grab my car and park Max’s truck in the garage.”
Bex nodded. As he swapped out cars, people were walking along the road. As they passed by, they all waved. Bex turned to see who they were waving to. There was no one but her. She hesitantly raised her hand and waved.
Wilder pulled around with a sports car that had its convertible top up for the “chilly” sixty-degree day. Bex hopped in before Wilder had a chance to open the door. “Okay, let’s do this. I’m excited to see what your family is like after hearing all about them.”
Luckily, she missed Wilder’s grimace as he took off down his driveway.