Summer at the Shore (Seashell Bay Book 2) Read online

  She gave him a smile, pushing aside her silly second thoughts. She’d been waiting for this for a long time and firmly intended to enjoy every minute.

  “I’m just wondering what’s taking you so long,” she said. “You don’t want me to get bored, do you?”

  His gaze glittered with amusement and something much hotter. “No chance of that happening, babe. Scoot over.”

  He joined her, sliding an arm under her shoulders and cradling her. He leaned down and sealed his lips over hers in a kiss so delicious that Morgan had no choice but to collapse into his powerful embrace. And boy, did he take his time kissing her. He savored her, seducing her with hot glides of his tongue even as his hand started exploring her body. When it drifted down to caress her breast, Morgan moaned against his lips.

  Ryan moved back and gently pulled the stiff bead of a nipple, making her gasp. Sensation streaked from her breast right down to her womb. “Does that feel good?”

  “Um, better than good,” she managed as he continued to stroke and play.

  He flashed her what could only be described as a lascivious grin. “Let’s see if we can get to awesome, shall we?”

  Then he bent down and took the same nipple into his mouth, sucking it in. Morgan cried out as her back instinctively pulled into an arch. Awesome didn’t even begin to describe the pleasure pouring through her body as he lavished attention on her breasts. He went from one to the other, kneading and massaging with a pressure that both soothed and drove her wild. His mouth and tongue played over her, teasing and tormenting.

  The fact that it was Ryan—Ryan—driving her into a sexual frenzy made it all that much hotter. She grabbed his shoulders, hanging on for dear life as she went under in a storm of sensation.

  Finally, when she was all but sobbing with need, he pulled back. He gently cupped one breast, his thumb stroking softly back and forth across her nipple.

  “So, how was that?” he asked, his voice so deep it rumbled. “Good or awesome?”

  Morgan practically had to unroll her eyes from the back of her head to look at him. His gaze was smoky with desire, but his mouth was curled up in a self-satisfied, all-male smile.

  “Not bad, but I’d like to see what else you’ve got.” Of course the fact that she could barely talk made that lie plain as day.

  He huffed out a laugh as he let his hand drift down over her stomach, lightly brushing over her curls, and then gently pushing her thighs wide. When he cupped her sex, Morgan lost her breath again.

  “Babe, everything about you is just perfect.” His tone was low, serious, and surprisingly emotional.

  That was hardly true, but the words brought tears to her eyes anyway.

  When he stroked his fingers across her slick folds, it sent an erotic jolt through her body. “Ryan,” she cried, grabbing his arm.

  “You’re so ready for me,” he murmured. He was teasing her, driving her crazy.

  Driving himself crazy too, from his almost ferocious expression. Morgan clamped her fingers around his wrist. “Ryan, please. I want you now.”

  “I’m so down with that,” he rasped out. He shifted, moving between her legs and coming up on his knees. He reached for the box of condoms.

  Morgan watched him roll one on, loving the sight of the man looming over her. He was so big and so damn beautiful, and he was Ryan, the man she’d been dreaming about for so long. Feeling a little light-headed, she wondered if she would pass out.

  Don’t you dare.

  Ryan came down, bracing himself on his forearms and brushing an incredibly tender kiss across her lips. “Ready, babe?”

  She took his face between her hands, smiling up at him. “So freaking ready.”

  “Me too.” He flexed his hips and slowly pushed into her. Morgan felt her eyes go wide, while Ryan’s fluttered shut as he let out a groan.

  It felt incredible—tight, but good. Really good. She pulled her legs up around his hips as he went deep inside, filling her all the way.

  Her body and her heart.

  Ryan breathed out a shuddering sigh when he was fully inside her. “You feel fucking amazing, babe. So incredible.”

  It was a total guy thing to say, but it made her throat go tight. It was the tone of his voice that did it—hushed, almost reverent.

  His eyes opened, and he stared down at her. His gaze was open, honest, and blazing with raw emotion. He’d finally dropped his barriers, and that simple, earth-shattering fact brought tears to her eyes. She’d held everything in for so many long months since she’d come home—grief, anger, frustration, and fear—and it felt like it had all been washed away in this moment with Ryan.

  He brushed another tender kiss across her lips. “Don’t cry, beautiful. Let me make you feel good.”

  She smiled through her tears and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Promise?”

  “Oh, yeah,” he said. “Right now.”

  And then he started to move, and her body came alive in his arms. It took only a few minutes before he sent her flying—over the edge and farther than she’d ever been.

  If only they could stay there, forever.

  Morgan raised her glass in a toast. “Here’s to you, Ryan. Honestly, I’ll never be able to thank you enough for what you’ve done for Sabrina and me.”

  Ryan touched his glass to hers and took a drink, then reached for the champagne bottle in the wine bucket next to their table in a quiet corner of the restaurant. He topped up their glasses. “Thanks, but you know that folks would have rallied around you anyway, don’t you?”

  “But you were the one to take charge.” She cast him what was no doubt a totally sappy look. “Just like you took charge this afternoon. At the beach and . . . after.”

  “Well, you weren’t exactly Miss Shrinking Violet, as I recall. Some of those audibles you called, man . . .” He gave her a comic leer.

  She pretended to toss her half-eaten roll at him. “I told you I was sex starved.”

  “Not anymore?”

  “Let’s say not for the moment. If you think I’m through with you, mister . . .”

  He gave her what could only be described as a shit-eating grin. “It went pretty well, didn’t it?”

  “You know exactly how well it went, dude. I’m surprised my eyes didn’t roll permanently back into my head.”

  “In the immortal words of Karen Carpenter, we’ve only just begun, babe.”

  She laughed. “Really? Karen Carpenter? That was the song my parents danced to the first time they went out. Which seriously dates you, my friend, at least in terms of your taste in music.”

  According to her mother, it had only taken one date and one dance. Her parents had never gone out with anyone else after that. They’d had a great love and a happy marriage but never got the chance to grow old together, to see their children settled and happy. Possibly to one day see their grandchildren.

  The knowledge that she would never share that future with her parents totally sucked.

  Ryan reached across and took her hand. “Why don’t I flag down the waiter so we can order?”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, wrinkling her nose at him. “It just hits me sometimes all over again, that they’re both gone.”

  He nodded. “I get it, and you never have to apologize. Grief has a way of sneaking up on you at weird moments.”

  He would know that of course, having lost friends while overseas.

  Morgan squeezed his hand back. “I’m okay. Really. And very glad to be here with you.”

  At Ryan’s suggestion, they’d crawled out of her thoroughly mussed bed not long before dusk and hurried to catch the ferry into Portland so they could have dinner at a bistro on Exchange Street—to celebrate the B&B’s new beginning, he’d said. She’d agreed, but not before extracting a promise that they’d return to the inn and her bed for another bout of lovemaking before going their separate ways—to Lily’s and his folks’ house.

  He’d been more than down with that plan.

  �
�I’m glad too,” he said. “But I can tell you’re still stewing about everything. This is supposed to be a treat for you, remember?”

  Morgan nodded. “I know.” Then she let out a soulful sigh. “And I’m truly worried that I might lapse into a terrible funk if you don’t keep me . . . fully occupied. I know it’s a lot of pressure, but I expect you not to let me down.”

  His lips were curved in a smile, but his dark eyes sparked with heat. “Man, how am I going to get all that work done if you keep dragging me off to your bed and making me your sex slave?”

  “Prioritize, Butler. Beside, you’ll rise to the occasion, I’m sure.”

  Ryan rolled his eyes. “That was really bad, Merrifield, even for you. So bad I might just have to spank you when we get back to the island.”

  Morgan ran her tongue across her glossy lips. “Oh, good. More treats in store.”

  He looked torn between laughter and genuine interest in her mocking comment. “Let’s put a pin in that, shall we? I want to talk about something else first.”

  She pouted. “Must we?”

  “Nice try, but you won’t distract me with your sultry ways, woman. I have an idea that’s been kicking around in the back of my mind for the past few days.”

  “Okay, Soldier Boy, fire away.”

  “I’ve been wondering about repositioning Golden Sunset in the tourist market. Reconstruction might be an opportunity to do something like that. To rebuild and reopen with some added focus.”

  “Added focus?” Morgan echoed. “Translate to English, please.”

  “My guess is that Aiden’s new resort is going to be a game changer for the island. It’s obviously got its area of specialization with the emphasis on environmental tourism. So it makes sense that Golden Sunset should have a specialty too. I have a hunch you might need to be more than small and homey to attract new clients once the new resort opens.”

  Morgan had always worried about that, in spite of her conviction that the kind of people who patronized the B&B were unlikely to prefer an upscale ecoresort. As long as the inn was living on a knife-edge though, that worry would remain. At the very least, Aiden and Lily’s resort would add a whole new element of uncertainty to Golden Sunset’s prospects.

  “I don’t disagree,” she said.

  He plucked the champagne bottle from its ice bucket and topped up both Morgan’s glass and his own.

  “You’re killing me with all this suspense,” Morgan said.

  “Sorry. Anyway, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking as I’ve been paddling all over the islands these past few days. And giving Christian those lessons gave me the idea too. This part of the world is beautiful, and it’s really cool to be able to kayak so easily from one island to the other. Morgan, I really think you could position Golden Sunset as a center for people who want to explore the islands in a kayak or canoe.”

  Morgan stared across the table at him, dumbfounded.

  He took her hand and started playing with her fingers. “Look, you’ve seen for yourself how fantastic it is to explore the bay in a kayak. I’ve never been anywhere more peaceful, and I’ve been just about everywhere in the world.”

  She couldn’t disagree with any of that, so she nodded.

  “I figure you could offer all sorts of services out of the B&B,” he continued, obviously getting into it. “Like lessons, rentals, tandem rides, tours. It could become a destination both for kayakers who want a base and for folks looking for a relaxing introduction to the sport.”

  He stopped, waiting for some kind of response from her.

  “Yeah, I hear you,” she said. “It feels a little out there right now, with everything that’s going on. I think you’ll have to give me a minute to catch my breath.”

  Ryan picked up his glass. “Sure. Just let it roll around in your mind for a while.”

  Unlike her father, Morgan didn’t know that much about the hospitality industry. Still, she was pretty sure that any kind of hotel, resort, or B&B that offered a specialized set of services had an advantage over one that didn’t. That was the whole idea behind Aiden’s resort. While that kind of specialization could obviously be risky, it could bring big rewards too.

  But a kayaking destination? Not only would that take some investment in facilities and equipment at the outset, it would require expertise to operate it on an ongoing basis.

  Morgan took a couple of sips of champagne to give her more time to think. Since Ryan was the kayak expert, was it possible that he was trying to tell her something about his own plans and how she fit into them?

  Get a grip, Merrifield.

  “In theory, it makes a lot of sense,” she finally said. “I see some problems though. One big one, in particular.”

  His gaze narrowed. “Which is?”

  “I’d obviously need to hire someone to run that part of the operation since I barely have a clue about kayaking. You know I still can hardly keep from capsizing.” She managed a little chuckle. “And even if I could find someone with expertise who was willing to take it on, how could I afford his salary? Or hers?”

  Ryan shook his head. “There are lots of college students around the area who have enough experience to do it. I think a student would gladly take it on as a summer job, and probably work part-time during the school year too. Especially if you were able to offer free accommodations.”

  She nodded, even though it felt like he’d just given her a jab to the throat. Ryan’s grand plan clearly didn’t include him sticking around.

  Which only made sense, as she should have known. Why would he be interested in working as a part-time kayaking instructor at her little B&B? Really, wasn’t that a laughable notion for a man like him? Ryan wasn’t even interested in staying in Seashell Bay, much less carving out that sort of small-time career. Apparently, her sex-addled brain had decided to leap over that little fact.

  “I could ask around in Portland,” Ryan said when she didn’t respond to his reassurance. “Check out some people who might be available for the last few weeks of the season after we reopen.”

  Morgan reached for her glass again. “That would be good,” she said.

  Ryan gave her a questioning look. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but I really think we could make this work, Morgan.”

  There’s the problem. There is no “we.”

  Which, she reminded herself for the umpteenth time, she’d known going into this. She refused to start acting like a baby about that now.

  Ryan was right—his idea was well worth exploring. And how lucky was she to have him around to do some of the groundwork? She should be darn grateful that he cared enough to come up with yet another idea to help her and Sabrina save the B&B.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I am excited about the idea, really I am. I guess I’ve just been so mugged by life lately that my optimism has taken a bit of a dive.”

  Ryan’s lips curved into a smile. “Nah, you’re just keeping your powder dry until you can get better organized. You’re killer smart and determined, Morgan. I know that.” He paused to exhale a long breath. “Not to mention so damn beautiful and sexy that I’m thinking I should get a hotel room here instead of killing myself to keep my hands off you until we get back to the island. I’m already so hard I probably won’t be able to walk.”

  She choked back a laugh. From the heated look in his eyes, he was definitely ready for action. And the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. A lot.

  “You’re serious?” she asked. Her girl parts were starting to feel enthusiastic about his suggestion, so she hoped he said yes.

  “Hell, yeah, I am.”

  “I’ll have to call Sabrina or she’ll worry.”

  “She’ll be able to guess what happened,” Ryan said. “You told her we were going to dinner in the city tonight. I doubt she’d think you’ve been accosted or something.”

  Not with a former Special Ops guy at my side, that’s for sure.

  Ryan was right—Morgan didn’t need to have that conv
ersation tonight. There would be time enough for Sabrina to weigh in on the dangers of sleeping with Ryan Butler. Still, she’d text her later. Her sister worried about everything, and Morgan wouldn’t put her through any more than she had to.

  “How about we order some appetizers to go and then get out of here?” she said.

  Ryan’s gaze devoured her. “You got it, babe. Because what I’m hungry for right now, they sure don’t have on this menu.”

  Chapter 20

  Morgan poked her head inside her sister’s bedroom. “I’m home,” she said, not quite sure what to expect. She’d spent the night in Portland with Ryan, which would certainly make it clear to Sabrina what was going on.

  Her sister, who was stuffing her backpack with clothes, glanced up. “Hi. I was just getting a few more things to take to Lily’s.”

  Morgan gave her a quick hug and then sat on her bed. “I’ve got some really good news. The power guys just told me that we should have electricity in the annex later this morning, so we can move back here right away.”

  Ryan was still outside talking to the crew from Central Maine Power, getting all the details. But when Morgan found out they could move back in, she felt like jumping into his arms and celebrating all over again. In bed, preferably, and she was hoping there would be plenty of time for that later.

  Sabrina blew out a relieved sigh. “Oh, thank heavens. I really love Lily, but I felt kind of edgy without all my own stuff.” She glanced around her room, smiling at her neatly arranged desk with its computer, widescreen monitor, and Xbox game console. Luckily, none of it had been ruined in the fire. “This is the only place I ever feel comfortable.”

  And safe, Morgan said to herself.

  “I know. It will be good to be back home.” She paused, but decided to face it head-on. “Honey, are you okay about last night, my staying in Portland? You really don’t have to worry about anything, I promise.”

  Sabrina shook her head. “Morgan, I’ve got bigger things to worry about than your sex life.” Her face scrunched up, and she looked like she was about to cry. “Golden Sunset was on its last legs before the fire, and by the time it’s fixed up and ready to reopen, the season will be over and we won’t be able to make the mortgage payments. I might not know that much about our finances, but I know what’ll happen then.”