Chapter 1 #2
If Alex Martinez was looking for further proof of how totally his life had gone to shit, Exhibit A could be the sticky remnants of flying tomatoes drying on his back in the sizzling heat. He’d have full-blown spaghetti sauce ready to eat by the time he finished cutting the grass.
As he rode the biggest mower they owned over the acres of land that surrounded the Southeast Light, the sun beat down on him relentlessly.
He guzzled the last of the water he’d brought with him.
The scorching heat wasn’t doing much for his already surly disposition.
He’d gone from cultivating new breeds of orchids and other exotic plants at the U.S.
Botanic Garden in Washington, DC, to cutting grass on Gansett Island, regressing to his former life as a sixteen-year-old.
He’d left the respect of his colleagues, along with his ascending career in horticultural sciences, to come home to help his brother, Paul, run their family business on Gansett and manage their mother’s rapid plunge into dementia.
A year ago, she’d been running the business their father started on the island more than four decades earlier.
Now he and his brother were doing their best to keep the business afloat while dealing with their mother’s illness, too.
At times Alex felt like his head was going to explode from thinking too much about the staggering array of demands on his time, as well as the overwhelming challenge of trying to care for their mother within the confines of the small island they called home.
If they’d lived on the mainland, he and Paul would’ve investigated long-term residential facilities by now, especially after their mom strolled out the front door of their home recently and walked miles into town on bare feet.
That incident had scared the hell out of both brothers and brought home the very real need for more qualified medical care than they could provide, even with the amazing support of Dr. David Lawrence, the island’s doctor.
If one good thing had come from the tomato-chucking incident, he’d discovered that he was, in fact, still a man who could be moved by a sexy woman, even when she was spitting nails and hurling tomatoes at him.
That was one hot lighthouse keeper, he thought, remembering the way she’d looked in the baby-doll nightie that barely covered all her most important assets.
Too bad she was so unfriendly. He might’ve been interested in getting to know her better—as if he had time for such frivolous pursuits. Who was he kidding?
God, he was overheating, and he was only halfway done with this massive lawn.
Thinking about the way she’d looked in that barely-there nightgown wasn’t doing much for his temperature.
Filled with frustration and unable to remember the last time he’d had sex because it had been so long ago, Alex shut off the mower and crossed the wide expanse of lawn he’d already cut to the lighthouse, where a hose lay coiled on the grass.
He turned on the water, let it run until it went cold and then stood under the spray until he began to cool off.
While he knew he should get back to work, he stood there for a few extra minutes, relishing the refreshing shower.
So little about his life was enjoyable these days that he had to take pleasure where he could find it, and this cold shower was feeling pretty damned good.
Alex pushed wet hair back from his face and startled when he saw the lighthouse keeper watching him take a shower under her hose.
She’d put on a skimpy tank top and short-shorts that did awesome things for her legs.
She was staring at him as if she’d never before seen a half-naked guy take a shower under a hose.
He expected her to chew him out for helping himself to her water, but then she licked her lips and something in him snapped. He dropped the hose, and his stride ate up the space between them until he was standing right in front of her.
Big brown eyes widened with surprise, but she held her ground as she gazed up at him.
“What are you looking at?” he asked.
“Not a damned thing. What’re you looking at?”
He zeroed in on her lips, which were moist and very appealing.
The entire package was very appealing. Well, except for the tomato incident.
But he wasn’t thinking about tomatoes just then.
Strawberries came to mind as he stared at her ripe lips and wondered if they’d taste as sweet as they looked.
“Nothing.” Alex took another step that put him right in front of her.
Her lips parted with surprise as she looked up at him, probably trying to gauge his intentions. And what were his intentions, exactly? Damned if he knew.
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Alex.” Since he had absolutely nothing to offer any woman, he gave her only his first name. “Who are you?”
“Jenny.”
He’d begun to rethink his plan to steal a taste of those lips when she moistened them again and made his decision that much easier. “If you don’t want this, say no.”
“I, um…”
His hands curled around her hips, drawing a gasp from her as he tugged her against him. “That’s not no. Last chance…”
She didn’t say no. She didn’t say anything as she continued to look up at him with big, startled eyes that had him thinking about melted chocolate. And then her hands landed on his bare chest, and he realized she was bringing him closer, not pushing him away.
He lowered his head and moved slowly, giving her time to say no at any point. She didn’t. His lips landed on hers, and the impact was nothing short of incendiary. He told himself it was because it had been so long since he’d done this, but he suspected that wasn’t entirely the case.
It was her and the sweet taste of her lips and the moan that came from her throat as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Holy shit. Holy fucking shit. He pulled her even closer, not caring in the least that she’d feel his instant arousal or that he was getting her wet.
Her breasts flattened against his chest as her mouth opened to his tongue.
Oh my God. This was the hottest kiss he’d ever experienced, and he’d had his share of hot kisses. Just as he was sinking into her sweetness, though, she began to withdraw. He wanted to cry out in protest, but then she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the door to the lighthouse.
“Not out here,” she said, her voice hoarse and sexy.
As he followed her through the door, his gaze firmly planted on her ass, Alex gave thanks to the god of hot kisses that she wasn’t done with him yet.
And while he was at it, he said thank you, Jesus, too.
In the mudroom, she spun around to face him, and that was when he saw that his wet chest had soaked her thin top, making her nipples visible.
He took a good long look at that gorgeous sight.
Lust pounded through him as he reached for her at the same instant she reached for him.
The second kiss made the memory of the first one pale in comparison.
He reached down to cup her ass and lifted her in tight against his erection.
When she wrapped her arms and legs around him and gave as good as she got, Alex decided he’d truly died and gone straight to heaven.
Hello, Jesus.