Favorite Coffee, page 18
“Kiss me,” he ordered, and her lips ached for him. He was so close.
The bell rang and they stopped moving.
Without tasting her mouth, he stepped back, but took her hand. “Get out of the elevator. What I am going to do to you doesn’t need an audience.”
“Well we don’t have a lot of time. I’m pretty sure my period will be here tomorrow.”
“Good, but I want you even if you have my quintuplets or just one ten years from now.”
“We’ll talk about that in the future.”
“Good because I want you, right now.”
Her body trembled. When she followed orders, he reached down, pulling her dress off her body, throwing it on the floor. She pushed her head up, and played with his hair until he claimed what she wanted. His kiss set her on fire, and she’d never have enough.
When his lips descended on hers, the rest of the world disappeared.
Love mattered far more.
* * *
THE END
Favorite Coffee, Favorite Mistake
This book is dedicated to my niece Aurelia. I hope she grows up and enjoys far more than reading, but truly all of life.
37
Sandra Marshall took off her white Prada sunglasses and assessed the brand-new ship. The cruise ship heading to the Bahamas on a four-day trip that doubled as her best friend and cousin's wedding facility seemed perfect. If she ever decided to get married, perhaps she should be like her cousin, Jay, and her best friend, Penny, and choose a cruise ship too. Not that she had a boyfriend to worry about this, but her last name, Marshall, often landed her into needless talk. She turned and checked that the bags were being taken care of by the valets. If she lost the bride's wedding dress or any of the outfits, she'd lose their faith.
Satisfied, Sandy breezed past the line of passengers to board, headed toward the VIP section, and handed over her passport. At least this trip gave her time to think about the buyout and merger of her name with the House of Morgan clothing line—not that she wanted to think about work this weekend. The buyout would leave her with too much free time and not much to fill her days with.
Goosebumps grew on her arm as she stood waiting for the employee to check her in. A warmness grew inside her. She flipped her hair out of the way and saw that the person next to her at the counter with another employee was Wyatt Colburn. The little girl holding his hand and a small dog must be his daughter Charlotte. Not that she'd ever met his daughter officially. She held her breath and looked in her Versace pocketbook, like she had lost something inside.
As her face felt hot, she shoved her sunglasses on to cover her face. Hopefully he didn't see her.
Then the employee said, "Here is your passport, Miss Marshall. Please take off your sunglasses and look at the camera."
Her skin felt jumpy as she fiddled with her sunglasses. "Fine."
"Sandra."
The gravel of his voice still thrilled her, even if she didn't want it to. When they were dating, he'd cheated on her and then married the woman. She clutched her glasses tighter and pasted on a huge smile. "Wyatt."
A little girl with brown curls and brown eyes that matched her father's tugged on his arm. "Daddy, who's that?"
"No one, sweetheart."
Her face heated again as she turned and picked up her boarding pass from the counter. Her smile faltered as she said, "Thank you."
Her mind repeated what Wyatt said. No one. Right.
Their one summer together had made her want to quit college and follow him anywhere. She'd have joined the Marines to be with him, until she went to see him and another woman named Jessica claimed to be his girlfriend. A year later, Wyatt and Jessica married and had a baby. Sandy lost faith in love, though she often heard whispers from Penny that Wyatt wasn't happy. Then she'd heard his wife died in a car crash, leaving him a single father.
She straightened her necklace and fluffed her blond hair. The past shouldn't still haunt her. She was a big girl now, and learned to move on. She'd dated in the years since Wyatt, and thought about her childhood best friend and one-time boyfriend less, but she could never fully get Wyatt out of her head.
Wyatt led his daughter toward the ramp. With her head low, Sandy clutched her bag and followed. Someone took Wyatt and his daughter's picture with a photo backdrop of the ship. Unlike Sandy's father, at least Wyatt clearly loved and cared for his own, but then, she always liked that protective part of his spirit. Once they were done, she snuck through without getting her picture taken. As she turned the corner, she almost slammed into Wyatt's shoulder. She kept her head down and hoped he didn't see her. However, her phone rang. With one glance, she read it was Penny, who immediately said, "Sandy, where are you?"
It must be nice to marry a man and be in love. Sandy gave up hope for those things for herself, though she kept a smile on a face. Helping with weddings was the next best thing, and maybe what she might as a career do if she sold her bridal shop, if she didn't design for Victoria in the House of Morgan. She covered her head as Wyatt glanced at her, and right into her eyes. She trembled, though she wished she was stronger, as she wished to disappear into a hole in the ground.
"Almost on board." She took off her sunglasses. "Why?"
"My mother is driving me crazy."
Yes. She understood part of her job as the maid of honor and wedding planner was to keep Penny away from Geneva, her mother. Geneva had tried to trick Penny into getting pregnant to force the wedding to happen.
"Ten minutes. There is a line to get on the ship." Wyatt's daughter took her hand. Sandy's heart pumped, and she nearly dropped her cell phone as she looked into his brown eyes again. "Wyatt."
"Sandra." He nodded but didn't stop his daughter. They all walked in step for a second as the line moved slowly.
On the phone, Penny said, "Tell my half-brother I'll need him."
She lowered her phone. "Penny's mom is driving her crazy and she wants your help."
"We'll be there as soon as we can."
His words were clear and sure. If Sandy's father or brother spoke about her like that, perhaps she'd have turned out different and stronger.
She smiled as she said, "Did you hear him?"
"Yes," Penny said. "I'm going to hide in the spa. Find me."
"Of course."
Sandy hung up and then took another few steps with Wyatt in line. The silence between them grew more apparent as families and couples whispered when they saw the ship. As they turned the next corner, he said, "You and Penny still talk like high school."
Startled, she said nothing as they turned the corner. Wyatt added, "It seems like it was practically yesterday, seeing you both drinking coffee and jotting down math for mathletes while in your cheerleader gear. And now she's marrying Jay."
In high school, she'd been absolutely in love with him, and he had known it. Before she could say anything, his daughter swung their hands in the air as she said, "Dad, did you know this lady when you were in school?"
"Yes." Wyatt dropped down to one knee. "Charlotte, this is Sandra. Sandra is your aunt Penny's best friend. We were all in the math league together. I didn't think she'd want me to speak to her, though."
"I'd like for us to talk again. It would be nice." Sandy surveyed the girl. No one in Wyatt's family had those wild curls his daughter had. Sandy nodded. "Nice to meet you."
"You're very pretty." Charlotte curtsied.
"Who's this?"
"This is my dog, Candy Cane."
"She's her emotional support animal," Wyatt added.
Charlotte hugged the terrier with a big, toothy grin. Clearly she had her father's charm. Wyatt stood, and they walked a few feet. Sandy's heart melted as she winked. "So are you."
Charlotte squeezed her hand. "Do you have a husband?"
Jitters rushed through her as she fumbled to put her sunglasses into her bag. Wyatt should know this question sent her into anxiety. "No. Why?"
Good. Her words were clear. At least she hadn't dropped her pocketbook.
Charlotte's eyes narrowed. "A boyfriend?"
Sandy broke up with her last boyfriend a year ago. It hadn't been that long, but Sandy couldn't quite picture him or remember his name with Wyatt standing so close. Caleb? Colin? No. Charles. She fidgeted with her bag. "Not at the moment. I've been dealing with my business. I haven't had the time."
"Dad, I think she's perfect." Charlotte tugged their hands closer together as she held on to both of them.
Wyatt's face darkened as he led them up the ramp. "No, Charlotte."
Sandy glanced at the ship they were about to enter, once the people in front passed security. Then she stared at Wyatt as they stepped forward. Something was going on. She curled her free hand to her side as she asked, "No what?"
"My dad needs a wife."
Sandy clutched her pendant. "What?"
"Grandpa said it would keep me safe."
Those words clearly weren't Charlotte's. She stared at Wyatt, whose cheeks were red. "Charlotte"—he massaged his chin—"let's not tell Sandra everything."
Charlotte shook her head and said, "My dad is staring at you, a lot. You should marry him!"
Wyatt's cheeks turned red. "Stop. We're here for your aunt's wedding to Sandra's cousin."
Sandy's heart was still racing. If Wyatt looked at her in any special way, then maybe he regretted how they broke up years ago. The whisper in her heart had to be wrong, that there might ever be anything else. He'd cheated on her, and Charlotte was the evidence.
Charlotte had no idea of Sandy's dark thoughts as she said, "Jay's your cousin? I don't have any cousins."
"Family is always good." Charlotte let her hand go. Their handholding must be done. Wyatt led Charlotte to slide her identity card through the machine and helped her pass security. Sandy followed behind them. Once all three of them were through, Wyatt said, "Charlotte, we're on board. Say goodbye to Sandra so we can get to our room."
"Bye," Charlotte said with a huge smile, leading her dog. "I'd like you for a new mom."
Sandy stared after the girl and her father. Other passengers brushed past her, but she didn't move. She should never speak to Wyatt, but if he asked her to marry her, then it might be a chance to prove to herself and everyone else that she could lead a normal life.
38
"Daddy, marry Sandra so I have a mom."
Out of the mouths of innocents. Whatever spark Charlotte saw when Wyatt glanced at Sandy couldn't be helped. She was his past, but there was no way he could explain to his daughter that Sandy Marshall thought he was the worst sort of devil. He changed his shirt to a light blue button-down that contrasted with his dark hair and eyes, and then figured out how to answer. "It's not that easy."
Charlotte rummaged through her bag and found a coloring book as Candy Cane sat beside her, calm and peaceful. She plopped onto the bed and kicked her feet in the air. "Why not? She likes you."
"Like" was probably more like "despise," or even worse, "forgotten." There was no way Sandy Marshall had thought about him for more than a second these past few years. He was the one that ruined his chances with her. He shook his head as he buttoned his shirt. "That's not possible."
Charlotte's head popped up from the coloring book. "Why not?"
Too much water under the bridge—not that he needed to explain that to his five-year-old. He combed his hair and avoided her direct stare. "The last time we saw each other, I hurt her."
"How?"
She found another woman in my apartment when she came to visit me. That wasn't something he could explain to Charlotte. He picked up a paisley tie and held it to his neck. "I never said I was sorry."
Charlotte petted her dog. "So say sorry and then ask her to marry you."
He tossed his tie into the closet. He'd do without it. He might be giving Penny away, but he didn't need to be confined yet. "Right now, I need to go help your aunt Penny. We'll talk about us when I get back."
His parents were coming to watch Charlotte. He paced.
Then he flexed his muscles in the mirror and wondered if he had melted from being near Sandy Marshall earlier. He'd avoided the vanilla with colorful sprinkles scent since he returned to Miami a few weeks ago. Now he couldn't. His half-sister's wedding meant he'd be in close quarters with her.
A knock sounded on the door, and he went to open it. He stepped out of the way to let his father inside. "Dad, I'm sure Penny is glad you're here."
His father waved at Charlotte as he said, "Your mom came to babysit Charlotte, but at least we get to be united for once."
"Penny's mom is giving her a hard time." His mother wouldn't want any of them involved, but Penny was both a friend and his sister. Penny's mom had tried to break up his parents years ago when she tricked his father with her pregnancy, but his mother was also pregnant. His father had begged his mother to forgive him, and they were still together. However, Penny was still his half-sister, and they'd gone to school together. He'd not trade his sister for anything.
"We'll do what we can for your sister. Any solution to the lawsuit?"
After Jessica died, the man Jessica feared might be Charlotte's father, whom she had run from years ago, had threatened to take his daughter. It was clearly a money suit, but his parents never had to know all the details about his "marriage." "No. But Jessica was my wife, and I won't let a stranger take Charlotte from me now."
"Is there any woman you can marry fast to show the court your traveling around the world for the Marines is over and that you can provide a stable home?"
This conversation should not be happening near her Charlotte, and they needed to not let her hear any more of this conversation. He walked out onto the balcony, waited for his father, and then closed the door. "I've already had one loveless marriage, Dad. Can't I want what Penny and Jay seem to have for once?"
"First make an alliance, but have the lawyer ensure you have an 'out' clause. Then, once your family is secure, and no one can take our Charlotte, you can look for love."
"Dad, I get it." He didn't expect the type of love that caused fireworks to go off inside his stomach from one touch of her skin. He had that that summer after high school, with Sandy. Then he ruined everything.
He tugged his shirt. "Penny's getting married. We'll talk about this later."
He slid the balcony door open and kissed his daughter on her cheek. "Charlotte, stay with your grandpa. He's taking you to Grandma's, and I'm going to meet your aunt Penny to see if she needs me."
"Okay, Daddy," Charlotte said without worry. Candy Cane barked, like she was there for his daughter too.
She was the best part of his short-lived marriage. Even if she wasn't his genetically, he'd proposed to Jessica to protect his daughter. Before she died, she had admitted she set him up to be her father's child, knowing he would provide Charlotte with security and protection from her abusive ex. He promised her he'd guard Charlotte with his life, and no one was going to take her away.
As he walked through the corridor of the ship and headed up the stairs for the spa, he focused on his surroundings. The ship rocked gently in the Caribbean Sea as they sailed toward Cozumel. The blue waters would be soothing to see. Soon the ocean would surround them, and for the next few days, he had no worries. Penny was marrying Jay, whom he also knew from high school, and they made a sweet pair.
As he rounded the last flight of stairs to the door of the spa and gym, he held his breath. Wyatt wondered if he'd see Sandy inside, and if she had any idea that his hands had a pins-and-needles sensation from his "not touching her" fight. She should hate him. Opening the door, he made his way to his sister, who was alone in one of those cone dryers reading a magazine. She stood, and he hugged her. "Penny, I got your text."
"My mother is driving me crazy," she said. She frowned, clearly unhappy with something as she checked her makeup in the mirror, though she looked great.
Geneva, Penny's mom, was now happily married, from what he understood. "What's going on?"
"She keeps insisting I'm pregnant, when, thankfully, I'm not."
Pregnant? "Why would she do that?"
Penny gave the attendant who'd walked in to check her hair a tip, and then returned to his side. "She thinks it will keep Jay close to me so he won't cheat."
Jay wouldn't cheat on Penny when he'd clearly spent years in love with just the idea of her. But if he did, Wyatt would have to threaten him. "If you think Jay will cheat on you, then don't marry him."
"I don't think that at all."
Her calmness relaxed his muscles, though he'd still find Jay later and have a man-to-man. Penny went to the cashier and pointed at something on her face, and the cashier nodded as Penny paid. Once she returned, he asked, "Why would Geneva say that?"
"Because she couldn't get everything she wanted in life, so she uses me to live the life she wanted."
"I know the feeling." Jessica had done the same to him. She hadn't loved him, but she had loved the life he could provide for her. It was why his own wishes were thrown out the window of a speeding car. He put his hand in his pocket. "What do you need me to do?"
"Why the sudden…" Penny arched her eyebrows at him, but then stopped. Her eyes widened as she glanced over his shoulder. "You're here, Sandy."
He turned and stared at her.
Sandy blushed as she looked away. "Am I interrupting? I got your frantic texts to meet you here."
Penny took his hand and then reached out to take hers. "No, I'm glad you're both here. I'm hoping for two things from you both."
Sandy avoided eye contact with him, but nodded. "What do you need, Pen?"
Penny took a deep breath and sucked in her bottom lip. Once she was ready, she said, "One, I want you both to work together to ensure Geneva keeps her distance from both Jay and myself."
He hadn't missed the drama of family relations while he was serving. He could recruit his own father to help. It was the least they could do. He nodded and asked, "Second?"
