Nailed (Marked For Love #1) (20 page)

"Do you?" He ran his fingers through her hair, pulling out the scrunchie that held it on her head. Combing the thick mass out with his fingers before burying his nose in it.

"I want one more go at that shower before I leave." Grinning, she took him by the hand and dragged him to the stall, flipping the lever as she went.

Wynn closed the door and the glass immediately steamed up. So did things between them, neither of them bothering with soap as they touched each other.

He knelt between her legs and she pushed her hips toward him as he parted the lips of her pussy, exposing her clit. Water ran down her abdomen, streaming perilously close to her already swollen clit before changing it's path and sliding across his fingers to the tile below.

He leaned in and pulled it between his lips, enjoying the swell of tender flesh in his mouth as he caressed it, swirling his tongue around it. Julie rode his tongue faster and faster until her cries bounced off the tile and glass.

She pushed him away, sagging against the shower wall, a satisfied smile on her face. "Fuck me."

She said it so softly, he almost didn't hear her above the shower jets. Happy to fulfill her request, he stood up, hoisting one of her legs over his arm. He guided his aching cock into her warm wetness. Her nails dug into his back while the shower beat a tattoo against his skin. He grabbed her other leg, lifting it, and her, pinning her to the shower wall. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and locked arms around his neck. He pistoned his cock into her, reveling in the feel of her silky walls tightening on every thrust, until he felt a surge of cum spill over with a few short thrusts. Finally, he sagged against her, her lips warm and sweet against his neck, working their way upward and sucking at his earlobe.

"Don't worry, baby. You'll get your round two," he laughed, gently setting her down.

He silently washed every inch of her, neither of them feeling like they needed to waste words saying things that would get them nowhere. Or worse, saying things that could ruin their last night together.

They stopped again in the middle of dinner, then finished off the cold Tetrazzini and the chardonnay, cuddled up under a blanket in the back yard.

Chapter Thirty-One

More than anything I didn't want to take Wynn's money, but he'd insisted and he was right. I'd need it.

We cooked breakfast together, bacon and eggs, but both of us ended up just picking at our food. Clyde stood only a few feet away, munching on his kitty kibble, happily ignorant of the fact I was leaving.

"You really shouldn't let him do that."

"This isn't right." Wynn threw his fork down, letting it clatter against his plate.

"Yes it is, Wynn. It's for the best, and we both know it." I'd packed last night, not that I actually had much packing to do, and my bags sat next to the back door.

"That doesn't mean I have to like it."

***

Wynn pulled to a stop at the doors leading to my gate. "Your ticket is at the counter under the name Bonnie James."

"Okay." I didn't know what else to say, or even where to look, and my throat was too thick with tears to work out long flowery speeches of thanks.

"You have your passport?"

"Yeah." I patted my purse where I'd stuck it earlier along with the iPod he'd pressed into my hand after breakfast.

He'd loaded it with Portuguese lessons and some music he thought I'd like.

There was no sense making this the long, drawn out good-bye I knew it could be. Sighing, I forced myself to grab the handle and open the door. "Take good care of Clyde for me."

"Take care of yourself," was the last thing I heard him say before I climbed out.

The double doors swished open, and one more time, I girded myself to meet an unknown destiny.

Inside, I headed for the ticket counter, practically squealing with glee when I found out there was a layover in Miami. I briefly wondered if it had been deliberate on Wynn's part, but the attendant assured me most flights to Sao Paulo had the same layover.

So much for my plan to ditch Bonnie James and get a new ticket, in another city, for a flight to Miami as
Julie James.

Walking through the airport to my gate, I stopped at a newsstand to check the USA Today headlines even though I knew it was too soon for anything to show up in the press. Then again, if they couldn't find me to confirm the information I'd given them, they could very well dismiss me as a crackpot. Hopefully, the FDA wouldn't feel the same sense of trepidation.

Everything went off without a hitch and the first thing I did when I got to Miami Beach was buy a prepaid cell phone number and call Lisa's friend, Candy.

"Candy, it's Julie. Have you heard from my sister recently?"

"How do I even know it's safe to tell you where Lisa is? She said you were in cahoots with some goon."

"I'm in Miami Beach,
alone
, and I kind of need to get lost, ya know?"

"Can I call you back at this number?"

"Sure."

The second thing I did was cut off my hair and dye it red. I was in the middle of admiring the new me in the hairstylists mirror when my cell phone rang.

"Meet me at the Starbucks on Lincoln Road in thirty minutes, and if you're not alone, I'm walking away." She hung up before I could ask how I'd know her. I guess she'd just have to find me.

Turns out there were three, count them
three
, Starbucks on Lincoln, all within blocks of each other. And of course it was the third one I went to that I found Candy at. Or rather, where she found me.

I was standing in line, waiting to get a bottle of water and trying to discretely figure out which of the assorted women might be Candy, when a tiny young woman slid into line behind me. She had gorgeous pale skin and blue (and not that pale, old-lady blue, but oh-my-God-look-at-her neon blue) hair. "Julie?"

"Yeah." I turned to look at her and just as quickly turned around when she snapped at me not to.

"Your family's in Puerto Rico."

Then I did look at her, with my jaw hanging on the ground. "Puerto Rico?"

She nodded, a silent confirmation, and disappeared into the thick afternoon crowd.

I blew out a heavy breath, wondering how in the hell I was going to find them.

Epilogue

Hot and sweaty, I bent over to stretch my leg muscles and blew out a breath. Then stood, stretching my arms over my head and admiring the sunset. I walked slowly, watching the tide creep up the beach, and the feel of my shoes digging in the sand while I waited for Karen to catch up.

Even though there was no Darcy to watch and no Tara to annoy me, I'd come to love Puerto Rico in the months I'd been here, and even gotten fairly fluent at Spanish. It was about as far as you could get from the deserts of Arizona and West Texas, but jogging on the beach in February with temperatures hovering at a balmy seventy-five degrees was absolute heaven.

We'd settled in Luquillo, just outside of San Juan. Karen and Kevin leased a condo within walking distance of the place I shared with Lisa. She'd immersed herself in San Juan's nightlife, like the old pro party-girl that she was. Karen and I just rolled our eyes, happy all three of us were together, and safe, and content to live at a much slower, much quieter pace.

I'd had enough excitement with Wynn and John to last me a lifetime, but that didn't stop me from occasionally looking over my shoulder, or the hairs on my neck from standing on end for no apparent reason. I didn't doubt that if Sunset could find us they'd put bullets in all of us, but they were too busy fending off an investigation from the FDA, not to mention the lawsuits—lots of them. So many, in fact, they'd been forced to file for bankruptcy. Kevin said they'd be tied up for years, and way too busy to worry about us.

Thank God for small favors. If anyone came after me, it wouldn't be Wynn. I reached up to rub away the slight ache in the vicinity of my heart.

"You're thinking about him again," Karen said.

I snapped back to the present just in time to stumble in the sand. "So what's your point?" I panted.

"I just wish things could have worked out differently for you two is all."

"Maybe in the next lifetime." I gave her a smile that seemed to make my whole face tighten with the effort. "Come on. We better get you home before Kevin comes looking for us."

***

The condo was dark when I got home, a sure sign that Lisa was either at work, as a bartender, or out partying. And despite many requests to leave a light on when she left, the entire place was dark.

I dropped my keys on the entry hall table and flicked a switch, groaning when nothing happened. I tried again in the living room, flicking the wall switch, but no light came on. I'd begged Lisa to leave the damn blinds shut when she left, but she didn't do that either. I couldn't bitch too much though, since the full moon shone through the sliding glass door, allowing me to see where I was going as I made a path to my bedroom. I was ready for a hot shower and a glass of wine.

The bedroom light didn't work either, and I was beginning to get concerned. I knew the lights in the building were on. I'd seen them coming in.

Being the oldest, I'd called dibs on the ocean view and also had a sliding glass door. Moonlight spilled across the bed, illuminating a ribbon-wrapped eight by ten box sitting near the end. My hands shook and my legs turned to jelly as I scanned the bedroom, staring extra hard at the darkened corners for any shape resembling a man. Peering at the door to my walk-in closet and debating if it looked like it had when I went for my run. Glancing into the bathroom and meeting only my own startled expression. Listening extra hard for the sound of someone else breathing. Checking over my shoulder to see if someone was in the living room.

Nothing, no one, nowhere.

As I crossed the bedroom and picked up the box, I didn't for a minute think Lisa'd gone shopping for me. Shaking the box made me wish I hadn't as an image of my remains scattered all over Luquillo filled my head.

Whatever it was rattled slightly and I gave into temptation, slowly tugging at the ribbon and tossing it aside. Blood beat a pulse in my ears, but that didn't stop me from lifting the lid and folding back the tissue. Inside was a silver framed photo of Clyde, wearing what looked to be a diamond collar no less.

"Hmmpf." I smiled to myself, thinking he looked fat and happy...and did I mention fat?

"What do you think?"

I shrieked and spun around, the photo flying through the air and landing a few feet away on the carpet. "Goddamnitall, Wynn!"

The sound of his laughter filled my ears as he flicked on the bathroom light. "Scare ya?"

"Fuck yeah!" I took a step toward him, ready to throw myself at him, then stopped, shuffling backwards as excitement was replaced with fear. "Why are you here?"

"For you?"

My fists tightened, my nails biting into tender flesh of the palms of my hands. "You mean for your dad?"

"I told you, honey, I'm a lover not a fighter." His lips twitched and he started laughing again. "He wasn't too happy with you, but I made him see the light, with a little help from Mom."

"What...light?"

"As Mom pointed out, you are a very clever young lady.  You followed his demands, and our agreement, to the letter. The chip for your freedom."

The jangle of nerves in my belly still hadn't completely subsided though. "And?"

"And—" he slowly began to move toward me, "—I convinced him you'd be a hell of an asset to the family business."

Now my lips were twitching as I sank down on the bed, my knees weak with relief. "An asset, huh?"

He pushed me back on the chenille bedspread, straddling my hips and lifting my shirt over my head. "Well, yeah, and he can't very well put out a hit on his future daughter-in-law, now can he?"

I laid there staring up at him, his face in my hands while I remembered everything I'd missed about him. "You're crazy."

"Maybe, but what do you say?"

"I know a great place in West Texas we can honeymoon." Yanking his shirt over his head, I added. "It's very secluded."

Wynn leaned down and gave me a long lingering kiss. Proof he'd missed me as much as I'd missed him. "Only if they take cats."

"Tell me you didn't!"

Wynn just grinned and slipped a ring on my left-hand ring finger. "Guess you have to marry me to find out."

Turn the page for an excerpt of another Amie Stuart novel!

THE COWGIRL RIDES AWAY

ON SALE SPRING 2015

"So. . . you finally decided to wake up?"

I looked up into eyes the same pale blue as mine, my brother’s eyes, and blinked, trying to push past the drug and pain induced fog. I inhaled through my nose then winced, groaning deep in my throat.

"Yeah, that’s broke too."

"Hurt," I croaked. My nose was broken. 

"What the hell did you expect, Jessa?" Jace frowned at me, then moved out of my line of vision. I blinked again and slowly turned my head, watching him pour water into a small plastic cup. Suddenly I realized just how thirsty I was. Jace held the straw to my lips and I drank. A gasp of air set more pain radiating through my chest to all extremities. 

"What happened?"

"
Duster’s Twister
 kicked your ass."

Talk about a bad draw. I sighed and sifted through my thoughts a minute, trying to remember, filter and take stock. Trying to orient my new reality with memories and impressions, but the last thing I could remember was me in the chute on
Duster’s Twister’s
back, adrenaline coursing through my veins as I raised my free arm and gave the ready nod.

"How long ago? How long have I been out, Jace?" I rasped, after taking another painful sip of water.

"You’ve been in and out, mostly out, for a couple of days."

"Daddy?"

"Gone. Mama was raising hell about getting home for Christmas, so they took off. There were...snowstorms coming."

And that was way more important than me. My brother’s announcement coincided with a twinge of pain in my chest. Surely it was from my injuries and had nothing to do with Daddy leaving me. I pushed it away, locked it up tight, and wet my lips with a tongue that finally decided to work. "How bad?"