The Call Page 12

  Her nose twitches and her hand pops out of the blankets to scratch it. I repeat the act and she does the same. I grab her hand before she can pull it back under the blankets, bring it to my lips, kiss it, and then speak against her skin.

  “Reagan, I got you fresh fruit and chocolate.” Her eyes flutter open. She sits up and stretches her arms above her head, causing the sheets to pool around her bare chest. My jaw clenches and I have to stifle a growl. “Were you hot in the middle of the night?”

  “Hmm?” She looks down, and then back to me and smiles. “I guess I was. Where’s my shirt?” I scan the floor and snatch it up. “Thank you. Did you say fruit and chocolate?”

  “I did. Put that on and come join me on the balcony.”

  “For it only being seven o’clock, I feel surprisingly rested.”

  “That’s because it’s eleven o’clock our time, sweet girl. Now come, I’ve breakfast awaiting your beautiful lips.”

  She crawls to the end of the bed on her hands and knees. I can’t stifle the growl that rips from my chest. “Mm, do I need to sate your need for me first?”

  Still on all fours by the edge of the bed, she runs her tongue along the length of her lips, then pulls her bottom one between her teeth. My body flames to life and I pounce. She’s a giggling, squirming mess when I get her wrists pinned above her head while straddling her. “I’ll never say no to that.”

  “I should hope not. Let’s fuck on foreign soil for the first time together…well ever, for me.”

  Kissing her lips I whisper, “Me too.” When I’ve got her panties and my pants on the floor, I crawl back over her body. She leans up and swirls her tongue around my nipple. My hand moves to her hair and pulls. She lets out a moan that would make the gods weak in the knees.

  I do it again hoping for the same result—I’m not disappointed. “That may be my new favorite noise.”

  She digs her nails into the skin on my back as I thrust inside of her. “If it’s anything like what your growl is to me, I fully understand.” She moves her hand to the middle of my chest. “Chinese fire drill.”

  I smile and she latches herself to me as I roll onto my back. Her hair tumbles wildly around her shoulders. I grab both of her hips, sliding my thumb back and forth over her phoenix tattoo, then squeeze. She bucks in response and slaps her hands to my chest.

  When she starts to pull me in and out of her, I reach up and pinch one of her puckered nipples. Her head falls back on another moan. I sit up on a groan and pull that same nipple into my mouth—alternating between sucking, licking, and grazing my teeth over it. Reagan pulls my hair until her nipple pops from my mouth. “Now this one.” I smile as she guides my mouth to her other nipple.

  Once I’ve spent about the same amount of time on that one, I pull her chin down far enough so I can taste her lips. “I feel it, Reagan. Don’t deprive me of your beautiful voice. Let it go.” She shakes her head.

  “Not yet.”

  I smack her ass. “Now, Reagan. Give it to me. Now.” She screams my name while crashing down over me. When her insides are quivering in whispers, I throw her on her back and slam back into her. Hard.

  “Augh! Fuck! Again.” I do, over and over again. I’m close to bursting but I need to get her back up there with me again.

  “Reagan, look at me.” Her hooded eyes find my own. Fuck, I shouldn’t have told her to look at me. I’m gonna lose it. I grip her hip with one hand, applying a good portion of my body weight, and find her pulsating clit with the other.

  It works, I can feel her insides start to quake with the promise of another orgasm. Thank fuck. “Wait until I say.”

  Her brows furrow and her back arches. “I can’t, Abraham. I need to. Right now.”

  “Fuck. Let it go, Reagan.” Once again, we shatter around each other. The both of us are falling ever more in love with one another. I couldn’t breathe without this woman in my life. She is my forever. We lie there with our chests heaving up and down until our lungs calm.

  After a few minutes of the two of us lying there in silence, listening to the other breathe, I roll over to my back, taking her with me, and wrap a blanket around her. “I hope you’re hungry now.”

  She lifts her head and smiles. “Yeah, I have to pee first though.”

  “Oh you do, do you?” I start to tickle her.

  Through her laughter she says, “I will pee, Elijah Stone. Stop it!”

  I stop and smack her butt as she hauls ass into the bathroom. After I put my pajama pants back on, I head out to the terrace.

  She pads out in her bare feet and takes a deep breath of the salty air. “I really love it here. What do you want to do today?” She sits and takes a bite of one of the fresh cherries from the bowl.

  “I thought that today, we could go diving in the reef, bike ride through the trails, and walk on the beach. We could also go shopping for souvenirs, both for us and the peanut gallery, and then I spend the night ravaging you until your eyes won’t stay open anymore.

  “Then tomorrow, if you’re up for it, I’ve booked the last half of the day with the couples’ spa at the hotel resort. In the morning, we can do whatever you want to do.”

  She has a big smile on her face. “That sounds awesome. When do we start?”

  “The diving seminar starts in about an hour.”

  “Okay, let’s get to it then.”

  »»•««

  Reagan

  Our diving instructors are a married couple from Australia. We’re in wet suits, masks, air tanks, and we have weights on our ankles—we’re decked out in the whole nine yards.

  Abraham is smiling like a school boy, pointing at one of those ‘Dory’ fish. I nod and counter with Nemo. The corners of his eyes crinkle. I love this. I couldn’t imagine sharing this moment with anyone else. This is the most relaxed I’ve ever been.

  I thump Abraham on the shoulder. When he turns to me, I point to my mask, then my heart, then I place my palm flat on his chest over his heart. He pulls me to him, signs for a big breath, removes his regulator from his mouth, and waits for me to do the same. The moment the regulator leaves my mouth, his lips are on mine.

  We pull apart and put our breathing regulators back in our mouths. I turn to see Deb, the wife, taking pictures of us. She gives me a thumbs up and I return it. Dave puts his arm around her and spins her in the water.

  Abraham taps on my shoulder and points to a sea turtle. It’s huge. Like fucking massive. We grab hands and swim closer to it. It swims in two circles around us. I touch its shell. This is the coolest damn thing I’ve ever experienced. And I get to share it with Abraham.

  »»•««

  My thighs are burning as we peddle up the third steep hill on our rented mountain bikes. Abraham is crazy fast. And crazy fucking fit. I’m going to sleep great tonight. I’m glad he planned a spa day tomorrow. I’m going to need it.

  “Keep up, angel. It’s no fun to kick your ass out right like I am.”

  He looks back and smiles at me. “I wouldn’t get too cocky up there, Adonis. Karma is a bitch.”

  “I ain’t scurrd.” He blows me a kiss. His front tire hits a huge rock, sending him flying head over heels. “Shit!” He hits the ground, ass first, with a loud “umpf.”

  I skid to a stop next to him, sending dust and dirt flying. “I told you.” I smile and he tosses a small twig at my helmet.

  “Shut it. Let’s take it slow down this next hill. We should be coming back up on the bike hut soon.”

  “Don’t lie, you’re just scared now that you fell. By the way,” I get ready to take off, “you fall like a girl.” I shoot down the hill and hear him call after me.

  “You won’t make it!”

  “I think, this time, you’re wrong!” My heart is racing as fast as the spokes on the bike are turning.

  I can hear his bike hitting the ground several times, after it’s been airborne from his speed. He’s definitely gaining on me. The bike hut comes into view and I peddle faster down the hill. I make it there fi
rst, microseconds before he squeals in behind me.

  “Yes! I win!” I’m off the bike and jumping up and down with my hands in the air like Rocky. “You were finally wrong.”

  He dismounts and pulls the bike into the rack with a huge smile on his face. “I’ve never been so happy to be wrong before in my life. If it puts this kind of joy in you, I’ll have to be wrong more often.”

  He picks me up by the waist and spins me around in a circle before sliding me down his body and planting his lips on mine. “I love you, Abraham.”

  “And I you, Reagan Nichole. Let’s go shopping. Then we’ll head back to the hotel, change, and then go for a sunset walk on the beach. Sound good?”

  I snuggle into his side. “Sounds perfect.”

  »»•««

  We’re back in the room, dropping off our purchases and changing into some comfy ‘beach’ clothes. I pick up the necklace Abraham insisted on buying for me and admire its shine. It’s a Tahitian black pearl that’s held by a white gold claw with a diamond in the center, and its chain is a black silk cord. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever owned.

  “Here.” He takes it from my hands, “Turn around and lift your hair.” I do as he asks, and he locks the clasp in place. I stare at it in the mirror with him behind me.

  “It’s so pretty and perfect.”

  “Then it’s perfect for you.” His lips connect with the skin on my neck, making me hum with pleasure. “Let’s go take that walk so I can get back here and spend the entire night ravaging your body, with you wearing nothing but that necklace.”

  “Mm. Then we better leave the room this instant.” He throws a sheer white shirt on but doesn’t button it closed. It’s fucking hot. He’s got a white pair of loose fitting pants on and a tan pair of flip flops. With his tattoos on display, I’m drooling.

  I went with a white and blue floral maxi dress and a pair of white sandals. I leave my hair loose, and we leave the room headed for the beach.

  The sand is like silk between my toes. We take our shoes off when we get to the shore and start walking in it. My hand is in his, and we’re among very few couples on the beach. “I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you.”

  I look at him and smile. “Well I should hope not. You’ve ruined me for other men, Abraham. It would be pretty shitty of you to leave me high and dry after showing me what it’s like to ‘swim in the stars.’”

  He bumps his hip into mine. “I could never leave you. I would die without my heart. You’re my heart, Reagan Winters. Forever ever.”

  I laugh a little. “Forever ever?”

  “Yes ma’am. Forever ever.”

  “Okay, forever ever.” He squeezes my hand twice.

  He pulls me to a stop. “Let’s head back. I don’t think I can contain the sex beast within for very much longer.”

  “I wouldn’t want to starve that sex beast. Let’s go make a mess of our hotel room.” We start in the other direction.

  The wind blows a comfortable warm breeze over us as our feet sink into the sand. “It’s a shame that we don’t live closer. I really like seeing you this carefree. Knowing it’s not going to be shattered at any moment.”

  His brow furrows and he frowns. “What do you mean ‘shattered?’ ”

  “It seems like…it just seems like, whenever we get happy, like really happy and we get used to it, Chris does something to ruin it. The look on your face, your body language, the darkness in your eyes when he makes himself known? It scares me a little. Not that Chris doesn’t scare me.

  “He’s shown what he’s capable of. But it’s like some sick and twisted game of chess between the two of you. At least that’s what he’s turned it into. Whenever we make a move forward, we’re kicked back and to the side.”

  “Well you ruined the moment this time. Bringing him up and all.” He smiles and my mouth drops open.

  I remove my hand from his and shove him. “Smartass.”

  He stays put and I look at him through squinted eyes. I’ve seen this look before and my heart is already racing in anticipation. “You’ve got four seconds left.”

  “Shit.” I take off. Fuck. Do you have any idea how hard it is to run in sand? It sucks. I can only hope it sucks for him too. I get as far as the pavement path leading to the back lobby entrance to the hotel. I’m lifted by my hips, spun, and thrown over his shoulder.

  “You better hurry, stud. Looks like the sex beast has broken through the chains.”

  “Let’s get to that bedroom before it breaks through the cage then.” His hand connects with my ass, causing me to yelp. “Mm, I love your ass.”

  “Forever ever?”

  He smacks it again. “Yes, smartass, forever ever.”

  »»•««

  “You’re so tan! Ugh I’m so jealous.” Kate says it as soon as Abraham, Devon, and I walk through the door.

  “What? Is my house hangout central even when I’m on vacation?” Abraham picks the bag up from the floor that I’ve just set down by the stairs so that I can embrace my preggers wife.

  “It’s like a hundred degrees outside right now, I’m a friggin’ planet, and Mickey doesn’t have a pool. Deal with it.” He looks at me all wide-eyed, and then takes our bags to the bedroom. “So? How was Tahiti? Was it as awesome as it looked on the brochure?”

  I laugh at her enthusiasm. “It was better.” I tell her all about our adventures with the diving, biking, shopping, and how awesome our spa day was. My skin and muscles have never felt this good.

  “Mickey, after we have this baby and he’s like four, can we go?”

  Mickey laughs. “I’ll take you wherever you want, baby. Maybe for our honeymoon…if I can get you away from the baby that long.”

  My eyes bulge when I catch sight of the rock on her left hand. “Holy shit!”

  Abraham comes barreling down the stairs. “What? What’s wrong?” I hold up Kate’s hand to show him the ring. His body relaxes and he smiles at Mickey. “See? I told you she’d say yes.”

  I launch one of the couch pillows at his face and it hits dead on. “You knew! You knew and you didn’t tell me? The hell, Stone?”

  He picks the pillow up off the floor. “I helped him pick out the ring. If I would have told you, and you would have seen her before we left, you would have given it away with your excitement. You can’t tell me that I’m wrong. Now that you do know, they also moved in together while we were away.”

  “Ugh, fine.” Devon laughs beside him. “Nobody asked you, peanut gallery.” His smile widens.

  Kate turns to me. “So I know this goes without asking, but you’ll be my maid of honor right?”

  “What kind of wife would I be if I said no? Of course I will.” We hug it out, and Abraham and Mickey both grunt when Devon’s hand connects with the back of their heads.

  “Sister.” I laugh, because I know full well they were just exchanging guy smirks at their women getting all close. Kate takes full advantage and plants a kiss on my lips.

  I start laughing and Devon cringes. Abraham laughs and grabs two beers from the fridge. “So, anything exciting happen over the weekend while we were gone?”

  The look on Devon’s face has a pit forming in my stomach. “Dev? What happened?”

  He exchanges glances with Mickey and his jaw clenches a few times before he answers. “Nobody got hurt. But someone set fire to Aunt Kathy’s farmhouse and barn in the middle of the night that you guys left.” My hand goes to my mouth and I race up the stairs into the guest bathroom. My stomach is getting really touchy whenever Chris is involved.

  I slam the door shut with my foot and the second my knees touch the cool floor, the contents of my stomach are emptied. There’s a small rap on the door. “Give me a—” I heave into the toilet again. “Minute.”

  Abraham walks in and shuts the door behind himself. He sits on the side of the tub and pulls my hair up and away from my face. I vomit three more times before there’s nothing left for my body to reject.

  I wipe my mouth wit
h the back of my hand and lean against Abraham’s leg. He strokes my hair and kisses the top of my head. “Here.” He hands me my toothbrush and our toothpaste.

  Once I have my teeth brushed and the rest of myself sorted out, we head back to the gaming room for the rest of the story. “You good?”

  “Just talk, Devon.”

  “I got a call around midnight. It was Peter. He was so pissed, it took him three tries to tell me to get my ass to Aunt Kathy’s, that something had happened.

  “When I got there, the house was black and half gone. The barn was just a pile of ash. Aunt Kathy and the horses all got out unscathed. She was on the phone with Peter when she smelled the smoke. She looked out of her bedroom window in time to see flames catch the back corner of the barn on fire.

  “She ran outside and got everybody out of the barn, and anything that she could get out of it and the house before it got too bad. Peter called the fire department on his house phone. Like I said, Reagan, no one got hurt.”

  “What if they had?” My fists clench as I fight off tears. “What if she had been asleep? What if she hadn’t been home, and the horses and calves had perished in that fire? She would have been devastated. She’s the only family we have left, Devon. Fuck!”

  Abraham wraps his arms around me. I let him engulf me. The smell of him and cinnamon calms me a little.

  “You’re not going to crush yourself with ‘what ifs’, Reagan. Everybody got out alive. Someone was looking out. Aunt Kathy, all of her animals, and what was saved of her earthly possessions, are all at Peter’s. He’s letting her crash until she wants to leave. She’s closer to us now, and everyone is fine. Stop it. Now.” He finishes with a demanding tone.

  I feel Abraham’s head snap up at him. “Don’t.” Devon doesn’t say a word. I feel the couch dip.

  “It’s okay, Reagan. Look at me.” I pull my face from Abraham’s chest. Devon wipes the stray tear that’s fallen from my cheek. “It’s going to be okay.”

  I don’t feel like arguing with him. It’s nine o’clock at night and Abraham and I go back to work tomorrow. “Okay.”