Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Tucker
As the sun lowers in the sky, dimming the natural light in the room, I continue to watch Kate as she sleeps off our earlier activities. She’s so beautiful like this, her face slack as she rests, her mane of hair curling with untamed wildness after drying against the pillow.
Today has been the best day in every possible way. Being with Kate like this…
It’s just…amazing.
But it won’t last. It can’t. I’m leaving in a few days, and all of this will be over.
And no matter how on-board Kate was, how adamant she was that I be her first, and that she was fine with the temporariness of our situation, there’s no fucking way the intimacy we’ve shared hasn’t formed a few emotional strings for her.
I’m going to hurt her when I leave.
There’s no getting around it .
Even as mentally prepared for my departure as she was before we fell into bed together, it’s going to sting. I wonder if she’ll regret the choices she made today.
I know I won’t. Shit, does that make me an asshole?
I don’t know, but it changes nothing. I could never regret Kate. She’s perfect in every way, and even now, after three orgasms in just a few hours’ time, I’m still hungry for more.
I don’t know if I’ll ever get enough. That…scares me. Maybe Kate isn’t the one who’s formed an attachment today. Maybe I’m projecting.
Fuck.
I still don’t regret it. I can’t.
Not only has the sex been mind-blowing, but I genuinely like Kate. It’s not that I haven’t liked my previous sexual partners, but it was more of a superficial thing with them. Kate is different. She’s more. In just a handful of days, she’s crawled under my skin and lodged herself in my chest.
Hell, what’s it going to do to me when I leave?
My rambling thoughts cut short when Kate stirs, and I quickly lower my head to my pillow so she won’t catch me watching her sleep. I scoot closer, tugging her against me as she yawns. Her eyes flutter open, meeting mine, and there’s no stopping the smile that curves my lips.
Everything she does makes me happy .
“Hi,” she whispers, and I repeat the same greeting.
I lean in to press my lips to hers, but freeze an inch away when her stomach growls. Loudly.
“Oh, God,” she mumbles, pulling back as her face flushes red .
I follow, not letting her get away that easy, and give her a single, hard kiss before sitting up and smacking her on the ass.
“Come on. Get up so I can feed you.”
Her eyes fly wide, and she sits up in a rush, not noticing as the sheet drops to reveal her gorgeous breasts. My mouth pools with saliva at the sight of them, but I swallow and force my gaze back up to hers as she shakes her head erratically.
“You mean let Miss Ginny feed me? No way. That woman is the biggest gossip on the island. Everyone in town will know what happened between us by tonight.”
“Is that such a bad thing?” I tease, tucking a lock of her wild hair behind her ear. She stutters out a denial, intent on sparing my feelings, but I just laugh, saying, “I was joking. How about this? I’ll go down first and distract Miss Ginny while you make your escape. Then we can meet at the Grill for some dinner.”
“Really?” she asks, her voice timid. “You don’t mind?”
“Of course, not,” I say firmly. “You deserve your privacy, and honestly, it’s kind of hot, being your dirty little secret.”
I end the sentence with a smirk, and a laugh bursts out of her as she shoves at my shoulder. She seems to notice her lack of modesty in that instant, and her eyes widen as she grabs the end of the sheet. She stills then, and I can see her wheels spinning as she internally debates her choices. Then, much to my surprise, she releases the sheet, deciding not to cover her chest, and clears her throat .
That’s my girl.
Unable to stop myself, I lean over and kiss her again. This new confidence has my cock swelling–– again ––but I jerk back when her stomach grumbles even louder than before. With a long, drawn-out sigh, I climb off the bed to find my shorts. Kate follows suit, her skin pink as she walks around naked, looking for her own clothes.
I close my eyes and groan, and when I reopen them, Kate’s staring at me with confusion. I let my gaze roam over her body, then meet her eyes again with an arched brow.
“If you keep tempting me, we’re never leaving this room,” I say quietly as I step closer and pull her into my arms.
“How will we get food?” she asks, her expression contemplative like she’s actually considering it.
“I’ll order delivery, and you can hide when the food shows up.”
“And no one would be suspicious about the amount of food you’d order for ‘one’ person?”
“Nope. I’m a growing boy. I can eat a lot,” I say, then let my eyes drop downward before adding, “Well, at least one part of me is growing.”
“Oh, my God,” she says on a laugh. “You’re so cheesy.”
“And you love it,” I say, then kiss her before she can snap back with a response.
When we finally let go of each other long enough to get dressed, we agree to meet at the Grill in half an hour. That’ll give Kate time to get home, change, and tame her wild locks. I balk at the delay––we skipped lunch, and she needs to eat––but even I can admit she looks thoroughly fucked in her oversized hoodie, yoga pants, and with her hair standing up all over her head. She plops the bucket hat over the mass of hair, but it does little to hide its crazy state.
“Half an hour,” I say, kissing her lips gently before taking a step back.
“Half an hour,” she repeats, then takes a deep breath and nods.
Repeating the gesture, I step toward the door. Cracking it open, I stick my head out and look both ways before pulling back inside. “The coast is clear. Wait for my text that I’ve got her occupied before you leave, okay?”
“Okay, I will,” she murmurs with another nod.
“I’ll see you soon,” I say, then slip out into the hall and pull the door closed behind me.
I make my steps heavy as I jog down the stairs, hoping the noise will draw Miss Ginny out of whatever corner of the house she’s hiding in. It would be obvious something is up if I were to go looking for her , so I need her to find me .
Do I feel a bit silly with all this subterfuge? Sure. But the ploy makes Kate feel better––safer––and I’ll do whatever it takes to ensure she doesn’t end up regretting what we’ve been up to today.
Because I sure as hell don’t, and won’t , regret it.
“Tucker, is that you?”
My lips turn up as I head toward the direction of Miss Ginny’s voice. I find her in the dining room, sitting at the table with her back toward the door, and my grin widens with that little stroke of luck. Stepping into the room, I greet her as I move around the table and take the chair opposite her.
“Good evening, Miss Ginny,” I say as I pull my phone from my pocket and hold it beneath the table. “How are you doing?”
“I’m doing just fine,” she says as I surreptitiously send Kate a thumbs-up emoji and tuck the device back into my pocket. “How are you doing?”
Something in her voice, a hint of humor, perhaps, has my eyes darting up to meet hers. Sure enough, there’s a twinkle in her gaze, so I clear my throat and nod.
“Doing well. Penny’s under the weather today, unfortunately, so I took the free day to catch up on some work in my room.”
She tsks, giving me a little shake of her head. “You’re supposed to be on vacation. Enjoying yourself and enjoying the island.”
My eyes narrow slightly. There’s something in her tone, something knowing that puts me on edge. I blink, but manage not to move my gaze as I see Kate dart by the doorway in my peripheral vision.
Damn. That woman can be ghost-like in her silence when she wants to be. I didn’t hear a single squeak of her shoes or pop of wood when she came down the stairs, and just because I’m focusing, I barely register the soft whoosh of air when she opens and closes the front door.
“I am enjoying myself,” I say, picking our conversation back up before Miss Ginny gets suspicious.
“I’m sure you are,” she says, and the sparkle in her eyes grows even brighter. “And now that Kate’s slipped out, you shouldn’t keep her waiting. Go on. Get out of here.”
My mouth falls open, denials burning the tip of my tongue, but what’s the point? Miss Ginny is obviously as sharp as a tack and knows everything that goes on inside the Errant Heart. I snap my jaw shut, and a melodic chuckle slips from her lips.
Shaking my head, I push myself to my feet. I start to go, then I pause and look back at her. But before I can speak, she mimes zipping her lips with a shake of her head.
“I saw nothing. I heard nothing. I know nothing,” she says, and I find myself smiling again.
“Thank you,” I murmur, giving her a single, meaningful nod.
“Go on,” she says, jerking her head toward the exit before shooting me a wink.
I laugh and shake my head as I round the table. Taking her hand, I brush my lips over her thin, translucent skin before releasing her and bowing as I back my way out.
Miss Ginny laughs, mumbling something that sounds like “charming bastard” as I disappear around the corner. When I step out onto the front porch, I inhale the warm, briny air and exhale audibly as I survey the area around the B&B.
When I first arrived on Bush Monkey Isle, I thought, at the very least, I’d be an uncomfortable outsider in such a small, tight-knit community. I assumed that by the time the wedding week ended, I’d be champing at the bit to get home, back to San Francisco. Where I belong .
But that feeling ended the second a certain beautiful brunette schooled me at Jeopardy! and offered to share her coveted chili-cheese fries with me.
But it isn’t just Kate that charmed me. It’s the entire island, it’s inhabitants, and the small-town atmosphere of this place. With very few exceptions, the people have been welcoming and kind. They’ve created a wonderful, caring community, a place reminiscent of what you’d see in old black-and-white shows or in those low-budget, sappy romance movies you can watch ad nauseum on cable television.
It doesn’t feel real.
But it is real, and I’m really going to miss this place when I go.