Chapter 31
H e must be living in a fever dream. That was the only possible explanation for how his boring, orderly life had become this intense, beautiful, wild adventure.
Standing next to his bed, McKenzie unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders as she nuzzled his chest hair and peppered him with little kisses that set him on fire.
“This time is all about you,” he said.
“It’s all about us .”
“First, you.” He pulled the formfitting tank top that’d been driving him wild all evening over her head and released the clasp to her bra. “I thought about you and this all day long,” he said as he cupped her breasts. “It’s a wonder I didn’t ink a picture of you on my client’s back instead of the dragon he asked for.”
Her low chuckle made him smile. “That would’ve been quite a surprise for your client.”
“Sure would, but that’d never happen because I don’t want anyone else to see you the way I do.”
He ran his hands over her back and down to tuck them inside the leggings that he pushed down, leaving her only in the tiniest pair of panties he’d ever seen. Christ have mercy, but she was the sexiest thing on two legs.
Duke eased her down to the bed and leaned over her to tease her nipples with his lips and tongue.
Her fingers tugging at his hair was like gas on an already out-of-control wildfire. He wanted to wallow in her sweetness, her soft skin, her scent, her very essence. If this was love, and he was pretty damned sure it was, he was glad he’d waited for her to come along. He knew now that no one else could’ve made him feel the way she did.
He removed her panties, dropped to his knees next to the bed and set out to drive her as wild as she’d driven him the night before. With tongue, fingers and lips, he teased her to a series of orgasms that had her crying out with abandon that had him reaching for a condom and rolling it on.
He leaned over her, kissing her until her eyes opened.
The way she looked at him…
“You’re a unicorn in every possible way.”
“Is that right?”
“Uh-huh.” He pressed against her. “How about we see if we can add one more way to the list?”
She wrapped her arms around him. “I’m here for it.”
Never before had sex felt like a homecoming, an arrival to the place he was always supposed to be, with the person who was meant to be his. The feeling of absolute rightness that came over him marked the first time he’d ever felt he was exactly where he belonged.
“God, MK. This is…”
“Amazing.”
“Yeah. Totally.” He held her close and loved her with all his heart and soul, giving her everything he had until they were clinging to each other and riding wave after wave of the most intense pleasure he’d ever experienced.
“Damn,” he whispered after a long silence punctuated by deep breaths and contented sighs.
“Damn is right.”
He rolled to his side, bringing her with him. “Are you okay?”
She rested her head on his chest. “I’m much better than okay. And the piercing… whoa .”
“Told you you’d like it.”
“I did.”
“Remember how I chose Gansett over my ex?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m so, so glad I made that decision. I can see now it was all leading me to you and this.”
“It’s funny how you can look back at something that was so awful at the time, but necessary to get where you were meant to be.”
“Yes, exactly.”
“I thought I’d never recover from what Eric did to me. The lies, the gaslighting, the deception, the abandonment. But now it just seems like a bad dream that happened to someone else, and I’m oddly thankful for what he did. It was leading me to you.”
“I’m very glad your house fell down.”
McKenzie laughed. “I guess I am, too. Not that I’d like to live through another hurricane any time soon, but we do have Ethel to thank for our current predicament.”
“You said ‘dick.’”
“I said predicament!”
He snorted. “I heard it. Both times.”
“ Now you’re going to reveal your inner twelve-year-old boy?”
His hand made a lazy path over her back. “I kept him hidden until I had you right where I wanted you.”
“I see how it is.”
“I hope you also see how gone over you I am.”
“I do see that, and I’m equally gone, even as my better judgment says, ‘Slow down! Take a breath! Don’t be crazy!’”
“Crazy ain’t never felt so good.”
“No, it hasn’t.”
His fingertips skimmed over her shoulder and down her arm, leaving goose bumps behind. “I could put the prettiest ink on this glorious skin.”
“No ink. Mama doesn’t do needles.”
“You wouldn’t feel a thing.”
“That’s a big fat lie!”
“No lie. I’ve got stuff to numb you up. You’d probably sleep through it.”
“Doubtful.”
“Keep it in mind.”
“I’ll do that.”
“Are you lying to me?”
“Not at all. I will keep it in mind.”
“I know a brush-off when I hear one.”
“You might be the one person in the whole world who could talk me into a tattoo.”
“Inking you would be the highlight of my entire career.”
In the morning, after breakfast with Duke, McKenzie and Jax returned to the Sand & Surf to work with Piper in the office off the lobby. With Jax content in his seat with toys and several of his stuffed animals, McKenzie forced herself to concentrate on accounts receivable and payable when all she wanted to do was relive the romantic night she’d spent with Duke.
They’d made love a second time at three in the morning, and it had been even hotter than the first. How was that even possible?
He’d woken her with kisses down her back and coffee in bed. A girl could get used to that kind of treatment.
“McKenzie?”
She realized she’d zoned out of Piper telling her about the schedule for ordering supplies for the hotel. “I’m sorry. Say that again.”
“Is everything all right?”
“Everything is great, and that’s the problem.”
“Um, okay…”
“New guy. Sleepless night. Scattered brain.”
“Ah, I see how it is,” she said with a knowing smile. “I’ve got a new guy, too, and am also suffering from sleep deprivation.”
“I’m obviously a red-hot mess without a full night of sleep.”
“You’re fine. I totally get it, and it’s for a good cause.”
McKenzie laughed. “The best kind of cause. How long have you been seeing your guy?”
“A few weeks seriously. Lots of months of subtle flirtation before that.”
“What’s his name?”
“Jack Downing. He’s the state police officer assigned to the island.”
“Oh, I see.”
“How about you?”
“Duke Sullivan, who owns the tattoo studio.”
“I know Duke. He’s a great guy.”
“I think so, too. How do you know him?”
“He hangs out at the Beachcomber across the street. It’s a fun group over there. You should come some night.”
“I have Jax.”
“It’s Gansett. You can bring a baby to a bar here. No one would think a thing of it. In fact, Kevin and Chelsea McCarthy bring their baby girl, Summer, in all the time.”
“Maybe I will some night.”
“Everyone loves Duke. He’d give you the shirt off his back, even if it was the last shirt he owned.”
“That sums him up rather nicely. He’s been so good to me and Jax, and now we’re just… I don’t know what we are, but I’m sleep-deprived and looking forward to being sleep-deprived tomorrow, too.”
“It’s the best feeling, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it is, even though I keep telling myself to slow down and not get in over my head, but it’s probably already too late for warnings.”
“I totally get that! My fiancé called off our wedding earlier this year, and I keep thinking I shouldn’t be ready for what’s happening with Jack, but that doesn’t seem to be stopping me from diving in headfirst.”
“I’m sorry about your fiancé.”
Piper shrugged. “I’ve come to realize he did me a favor. I would’ve hated to have missed out on what’s happening with Jack.”
“I’m starting to feel that way about what Jax’s dad did—leading me on for a year and getting me pregnant when he had a whole other wife and kids stashed elsewhere.”
“What? Are you serious?”
“Sadly, I am, and then he made it even better when he told me he couldn’t possibly be Jax’s father because he’d had a vasectomy years earlier. He knew full well I hadn’t been with anyone but him.”
“What an asshole. Damn. Just when I think I’ve heard everything…”
“I know, right? I’m working with Kendall James to go after him for child support.”
“Good for you.”
“He’s not too happy with me.”
“Whatever. He helped make the baby. He can help pay the expenses.”
“That’s how I feel, too. Anyway… Sorry to get sidetracked. Let’s get back to debits and credits.”
“Talking about our new guys is way more fun.”
“It sure is.”
They got back to work, but McKenzie left a while later feeling as if she’d made another new friend in Piper. Next, she was off to meet with Sydney Harris, who ran an interior design business on the island and had heard about her from Jenny Martinez. News of her business was traveling fast, and each day brought new clients and interesting challenges.
She yawned as she drove to Sydney’s, thankful to have only one more meeting before she could head home to feed Jax and put him down for a nap. Maybe she’d take one, too.
Sydney and her husband, Luke, lived on an oceanfront parcel with stunning views.
McKenzie couldn’t imagine what it would be like to look out at such a beautiful view every day.
“It still dazzles me, too.”
McKenzie turned to find Sydney standing at the door with a baby in her arms. Both mom and daughter had strawberry-blonde hair. “It’s stunning.”
“You ought to see the sunsets. I’m Syd, by the way. And this is Lily.”
“McKenzie and Jax.”
“Pleasure to meet you both.”
“You, too.”
“Come in.” Sydney stepped aside to welcome McKenzie and Jax into her home.
“This is lovely.”
“Thank you. My first island decorating project. I say this to everyone, but can you believe there were walls where those windows are?”
“That must’ve been a crying shame.”
“It was, but I fixed that and many other things around here.”
She gestured for McKenzie to have a seat on the sofa. “Does Jax want to play with Lily?”
“He’d love to, although he’s not very good at playing with other kids quite yet.”
“That’ll come. He’ll be surrounded by a million kids here.”
“Which is just another thing to love about Gansett.”
“It’s the best place ever to live and work, especially now that McKenzie has come to town, bringing her accounting know-how. It’s all everyone is talking about.”
McKenzie laughed. “I believe it, based on the way my phone is ringing nonstop.”
While their little ones played on a blanket full of toys on the floor, Sydney explained how her business worked, showed her some of the jobs she’d completed, covered how she sourced and procured items for clients and went over the balance sheet.
“Are you sure you need me? Your books are already in great shape.”
“We haven’t told too many people yet, but I’m expecting another baby, so I’ll need some help with the business. I want to be able to focus on the part that’s fun for me while someone else makes sure the taxes get paid.”
“I can certainly help with that, and congrats on the new baby.”
“It’s a very special time for me. I’m sure you’ll hear this from someone before too long, but I lost my first husband and our two children in a drunk-driving accident several years ago.”
“Oh my God, Sydney. I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you.” She reached for a framed photo on a side table. “That’s Seth, Malena and Max.”
“They were beautiful.”
“Yes, they were, and it took me a long time to be able to even consider moving on with a new life, but then I came here, reunited with my first love, and now we’ve got our precious Lily with another on the way.” She retrieved a second photo of a handsome dark-haired man holding Lily. “That’s my Luke.”
“I give you so much credit for what you’ve overcome.”
“I survived the accident that took them from me. I had no choice but to figure out a new life for myself.”
“A lot of people wouldn’t have made the effort. I don’t know that I could’ve.” The thought of losing Jax was too big for her to even consider.
“It’s amazing what you can do when life gives you no choice.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
“Did Jax’s dad come out to the island with you?”
“No, he’s not in the picture.” She shared the details of what’d happened with Eric.
“Come on,” Sydney said. “What is wrong with people?”
McKenzie laughed. “So many things. But we’re doing okay. My grandmother left me her cottage here, which is how we ended up coming to Gansett in the first place. Then the storm hit, the cottage collapsed, Blaine Taylor rescued me, and then Duke Sullivan offered me a place to stay in his garage apartment. And now I seem to be falling in love with him… So yeah, things happen for a reason, I guess.”
“That’s quite a story, and for what it’s worth, I love hearing you’re with Duke. He’s the best.”
“That’s what everyone says. My grandmother adored him.”
“Who was your grandmother?”
“Rosemary Enders.”
“Oh, no way! I knew her back in the day when I scooped ice cream in town. She came in almost every day.”
“That sounds about right. She used to say if only she could figure out which of her teeth was the sweet one, she’d have it pulled.”
“Yes! I remember that. She used to say that all the time when she was justifying her ‘daily scoop,’ as she called it. She was a lovely lady.”
“I miss her.”
Sydney insisted she stay for lunch, which was a delicious salad with grilled chicken. She had cereal and baby food for Jax and fed Lily with cheese, crackers and apple slices while Jax ate in Lily’s high chair.
“This was so nice. Thank you for feeding us. You didn’t have to do that.”
“We enjoyed it very much, didn’t we, Lily?”
“Jax.”
“Yes, that’s your new friend Jax.”
“We’ve made so many friends here. More than I’ve ever had in my life.”
“Welcome to Gansett.”