Chapter Twenty-Four
Jack
Taylor’s hand in mine, we walk through the town on the island, taking in the shops and enjoying the perfect weather. We’ve managed to escape for a few hours alone. For the last day and a half, we’ve been with my family.
The first night, Rainey arranged for a catered lobster dinner to be brought in for us to eat, making sure to have chicken and pasta for Taylor. She seems to be past the constantly nauseous phase of pregnancy, so she was able to enjoy the meal despite the smell of lobster around her.
The next day, we spent the daylight hours on the beach and had another family dinner in town. Today, we already ate lunch in a small restaurant on the water, and now we’re down to our last couple of hours on the island before we head home.
“I like the aura of this place,” she says, pausing by a gift shop. “Oh, look!” She points to island-themed baby clothes in the window. “Let’s go in.” She pulls me inside and when we walk out, we have an adorable baby onesie with a palm tree on the front in a small bag.
“The baby is about the size of a lime, right?” I ask, as we continue to window-shop.
“How do you know that?” she asks.
“I downloaded a book about pregnancy on my phone and I’ve been learning about what you’re going through, along with the growth of the baby each week.”
“You did that?” she asks, pulling me to a stop.
I ease us out of the way of pedestrian traffic and meet her gaze. “Why wouldn’t I want to understand everything happening with our baby?”
“That’s so sweet.” She sniffs and brushes a tear off her cheek. “I’m extra emotional right now, sorry.” She laughs and a cute blush stains her cheeks.
“No apologies necessary. I read about that, too,” I assure her.
She places a hand on her chest. “I’m touched. Really. It’s nice to know I’m not alone with this.”
“You’re not. I’m right here.” There’s nowhere else I want to be but by her side.
She slides her hand into mine, a genuine smile on her face. I don’t think I’ve seen her this relaxed since we met. “When’s your next doctor’s appointment?” I ask.
“The week I get home.” I nod, knowing I want to go with her, but there’s a lot to figure out before then.
“Let’s keep walking,” she says. “And tell me more about your family’s connection to the island.”
I incline my head and we continue. “The big house is Asher’s home away from home, but he’s generous with all of his cousins, letting us use it if his immediately family isn’t already here.”
“Are you two close?” she asks.
I shrug. “We keep in touch. He’s older than me, so it’s more sporadic.
Plus, Asher’s a workaholic. He owns and operates Dirty Dare Spirits.
His siblings all own shares. As for this island, many of my relatives have spent time with their significant others here.
In fact, the place is so romantic it’s where Asher fell in love with his wife, Nikki. ”
I tell her the details of how my grumpy cousin took his best friend’s sister, a model running from scandal, to this island to get her out of the public spotlight, and they ended up falling in love.
“I knew this place felt special from the moment we landed,” Taylor says.
I pause again and pull her into my arms. “You’re special,” I tell her, dipping my head and kissing her, ignoring the people who have to walk around us. Too soon, I lift my head and smile. “Ready to walk back?”
She nods and together, we walk back to where I left the car. Although I made a promise that we wouldn’t discuss the senator, I spent an hour last night talking to Lucas, Tristan, and my father about her situation, and Dad asked questions that I didn’t have answers to.
I wait until we’re back at the estate and in our bedroom. Before I put the suitcase on the bed so we can pack, I sit down and pat the space beside me. “Can we talk?”
“Sure.” She lowers herself beside me, smoothing her dress beneath her before sitting. “What’s wrong?”
I take her hand in mine. “I know I said no senator talk, but I have some questions. If you don’t mind.”
She nods, but her hazel eyes cloud over at the mention of the man making her life miserable. “Sure. What do you want to know?”
“You told me he’s holding things over you that make it look like you were complicit in campaign fraud, right?”
“Right.” She nibbles on her lower lip, and I’m determined to make this quick.
“Explain to me exactly what happened?”
She draws a deep breath and lets it out before explaining in more detail than the first time.
“So the donor, Victor Hale, was furious that a reporter had somehow gotten wind that his donation was done to grease palms for a state contract Chandler had promised him. They both denied it, claiming it was a normal donation. Chandler had me email Victor to calm him down.”
“And he told you exactly what to say?” I ask.
She twists her hands in her lap. “Yes. I promised Hale we’d take care of things. I told him not to talk to anyone about it, especially the press. Not until we’d looked into the matter. I said this was something we had to investigate discreetly and we’d get back to him.”
“That’s it? That’s all you did?” I knew this, but until I’d spoken to the people closest to me, I’d been running on adrenaline, anger, and frustration, just like Taylor.
“Sweetheart, did you ever accept money from Victor Hale or any other donor on Chandler’s behalf?”
“No!” She sounds outraged by the possibility.
“Did you lie to anyone? Do anything illegal on his behalf?” I ask, already knowing the answers.
She shakes her head. “Of course not.”
“So basically, you sent emails, used the word we, and those notes can be interpreted as if you knew about campaign fraud.”
She looks at me, wide-eyed. “Yes.”
“He’s been gaslighting you. Making you think he has something on you that’s illegal, and you felt so alone and scared, you believed him.” Fury sizzles through my veins. I wish I’d had this detailed conversation with her earlier, but she led me to think what the senator wanted her to believe.
“No. You don’t understand. He will make sure I look guilty.”
I take her hand. “Then we outmaneuver him.” Ideally, she’ll go to the Federal Election Commission and tell them what she knows about Senator Chandler Cross.
But she isn’t ready to hear that yet, and it’s too soon to take that step.
I need to make sure she’s protected first. “You have more on him than he has on you. But you need to trust that we’ll figure a way out of this. Do you trust me?”
She nods. “Of course I do.”
“Now, how about we make the most of our last couple of hours here?” I ask, reaching for the hem of her dress.
Her eyes darken as she lifts herself up so I can peel the dress up and over her head. Hooking her thumbs into her panties, she slides them down her legs and kicks them aside. She reaches behind her for the hooks on her bra, but I stop her, pull her to a standing position, and turn her around.
I trail my lips down the silken skin of her back, then up the other side. She shivers and I know if I spin her back so I can face her, her nipples would be hard and ready for me to take into my mouth. So I unhook the bra and wait for her to shake the garment off her arms.
I turn her toward me, bend my head, and pull one distended nipple into my mouth, licking and sucking the tip.
“Jack,” she moans, her hips arching toward me.
“Right here,” I assure her, as I slide my hand over her wet pussy, dipping my finger inside and pulling it out, before rubbing her wetness over her clit.
Her legs tremble, so I stand, pick her up, and lay her down on the bed. Her hazy, desire-filled eyes on mine, she’s a feast for my greedy gaze. My cock is hard and I’m dying to fill her, to feel her inner walls squeeze me tight.
I strip off my shirt. My shorts go next, and I shuck them off along with my boxer briefs. Then, I place one knee on the bed, spread her legs, and give myself a taste, enjoying how she cries out my name when I swipe my tongue through her sex.
“I can’t wait to be inside you, but I want you to come first.”
“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” she says as her lower body bucks upward, and she grinds herself against my mouth.
I’m sucking and nipping, swiping my tongue until I’m doing a thorough job.
Her hands grip my hair, and she holds me in place.
I thrust one finger inside her, then add a second, and she grips me in her tight, wet heat.
My cock has had enough. I’m painfully hard but still determined to hear her cry out before I bury myself inside her.
I slide my tongue over her clit, then draw circles around the tight bud, teasing her. She arches her hips and I pull her clit into my mouth. I suck, she stiffens, and suddenly she’s coming, grinding against me and screaming my name.
I bring her down slowly, then wipe my face on her thigh and look up. Her soft eyes meet mine. “That was incredible,” she tells me.
“That’s us.” I smile as I climb back on the bed and settle my cock at her entrance. “Ready, sweetheart?”
“For you? Always. But I can’t promise I’ll come again. That first time was … fireworks.”
I let out a chuckle. “Now you had to go and throw down a challenge, didn’t you?” I ask, as I push my way inside her, hearing her suck in a deep breath. Instead of thrusting hard and fast, I take her slow, inching my way in, slowly pulling out. “Eyes on me,” I tell her.
Because I want her to see how I feel about her. I want her to know that she’s captured me completely. I love her. But I know she isn’t ready to hear it. Not until she’s released from that damned agreement. But she can feel it.
My gaze on hers, I rock into her, pulling out and sliding back in, grinding myself against her clit. The rhythm damn near kills me but I’m feeling everything, too. A slow glide in, a circle of my hips to give her friction, and a long slide out, and repeat.
She arches her hips and locks her long legs behind my back, holding me against her, so we’re intimately connected, and I’m lost in her golden green eyes, my body ready to detonate.
But I grind my teeth and hold on, waiting for her to tip and fall.
It isn’t long before she stiffens, rocking her body upward, moaning and whispering my name.
She clenches around me and I know she’s still in the throes of her climax, so I let go.
I thrust into her over and over, taking what I need and feeling the sweet clasp of her pussy around my cock. My balls draw up and I’m so fucking close, and suddenly I’m there, pleasure racking my body as I lose myself inside her.