Gansett Island Boxed Set Books 1-16 (Gansett Island Series) Read online

“Mmm, I want you to be happy.” Lowering her to the bed, he kissed the plump flesh that spilled from the top of the push-up bra.

  “I’m feeling very happy at the moment.” Janey squirmed under him, itchy with desire and need and something else that tightened in her chest, demanding she not ignore what he made her feel. She tugged the shirt over his head and massaged his shoulders as he worshiped her breasts through the bra. He got rid of her shorts, leaving her in just the bra and a matching thong.

  Watching his eyes darken with awareness when he saw the thong made her laugh.

  “You’re out to give me a heart attack, aren’t you?”

  She fluttered her eyelashes at him. “Would I do that to you?”

  “Uh-huh. I do believe you would.” His talented lips went to work on her belly, and as his tongue flicked into her belly button, Janey discovered a new erogenous zone.

  She clutched his hair, her heart hammering when she realized where he was heading. That he liked to do that was still a bit of a shock to her, and he seemed to really like it. Just the thought of it made her skin heat with embarrassment and nervousness. “Joe. . .”

  “Relax, honey.”

  Despite his softly spoken words, Janey trembled as he spread her legs and settled between them.

  She closed her eyes and tried to control the trembling, but it only intensified when he tongued her through the silky thong. A low moan exploded from her chest as the sensations became almost painfully intense. Keeping up the pressure with his tongue, he slid a finger into her. After just a few more strokes of his finger and tongue, a scorching orgasm stole her breath.

  “So beautiful,” he whispered as he kissed his way to her lips. “So very, very beautiful.”

  Janey focused on drawing air into her heaving lungs as aftershocks reverberated through her body.

  While she recovered, he got rid of the rest of their clothes and came back to join her, covering her body with his. Infused by his warmth, Janey floated on a cloud of satisfaction.

  “You aren’t going to sleep on me, are you?” he asked. She could hear the laughter in his voice as he throbbed against her leg, letting her know he was very much awake.

  “I wouldn’t do that to you,” she said, even though she was having trouble opening her eyes. She curled her legs around his hips, urging him to take what she offered.

  “Look at me.”

  Janey forced her eyes open to find him looking down at her, his gaze full of love and awe. Overwhelmed by everything she saw in his eyes, she put her hands on his face and drew him into a sweet kiss as he entered her in one swift stroke that made her cry out from the sheer amazement of how good he felt inside her.

  “God, Janey,” he muttered through gritted teeth. Something in him seemed to snap as he abandoned his tightly held control and hammered into her. With both hands, he clutched her bottom, holding her right where he wanted her for his fierce possession.

  Janey had never experienced anything even close to Joe out of control, crazy in love and lost in passion. She could only hold on for the ride until a second orgasm, even more powerful than the last, ripped through her, drawing an equally turbulent finish from him.

  Gasping for air, he clutched her close to him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so rough.”

  She brushed the hair back from his damp forehead. “Please don’t apologize. I loved it.”

  “I’ve never lost my mind like that before.”

  Janey loved knowing she had done that to him. “No?”

  His eyes locked on hers, he shook his head, brushing soft kisses on her lips. “Never.”

  “Did you like it?”

  “If I liked it any more, it might’ve killed me.”

  She laughed and tightened her legs around him, keeping him from shifting off her. “Stay.”

  He rested his head on her chest and continued to take deep breaths. “I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart.”

  Janey held him tight against her and closed her eyes, wallowing in the contentment of being exactly where she belonged.

  She woke up before dawn the next morning to Joe placing soft kisses on her back. Arching into his embrace, she wanted to purr like a kitten. Janey clung to the pillow as he reawakened her body, working his way down her spine. It occurred to her that if she hadn’t walked in on David with another woman, she might never have known this kind of passion existed. She would’ve married him and gone on with her life, thinking she understood desire. What she would’ve missed. . .

  Joe reached her bottom and paid homage to each cheek, kissing, licking, biting. He had her on the verge of another climax within seconds. Raising her to her knees, he entered her from behind. Whereas before he’d taken her fast and hard, this time was all about slow and sensual—and still, he hadn’t said a word.

  He kept up the slow, easy pace until Janey thought she’d go mad from the sensations storming through her body. Cupping her breasts, he tweaked her nipples, sending a jolt of shocking desire straight down to where they were joined. As he was always so in tune with her, he sensed she was close, so he reached down and stroked her to climax. They collapsed into a heap on the bed.

  “I love you,” he whispered in her ear.

  Janey clutched his hand to her chest. She loved him, too. Of course she did. But was she in love with him? She could be. Absolutely. However, until she was sure, she couldn’t say the words she knew he needed to hear.

  “Joe, I—”

  “Don’t, honey. Don’t say anything.”

  How well he understood her, and how grateful Janey was to be so in sync with him.

  “I need to go.”

  “Not yet.”

  “If we’re going to keep this just between us, I shouldn’t be seen leaving here in the morning.”

  Janey turned to face him. “Are you sure you’re okay with keeping it a secret for a while?”

  He combed his fingers through her hair. “I used to imagine sometimes how it would be if we got together. I have to admit, I never pictured having to sneak around.”

  “I know this isn’t what you want.”

  Joe rested a finger over her lips. “I didn’t say that. I want you. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. If this is how it has to be for now, then we’ll deal with it.”

  “Do you know what I was thinking before?”

  “What’s that?”

  “I’m glad I didn’t get married without knowing it was possible to feel this way.”

  “He didn’t. . . satisfy you. . . in bed?”

  “Not like this. The sad thing is, I didn’t even know it should be different. Until you showed me. I thought I had a good thing with him, but now I see it was mediocre at best. It probably was for him, too, which is why he did what he did.”

  “Those are the things I want you to work through before you make any kind of commitment to me, Janey. I don’t want to look back and have regrets because we rushed into something before you were ready. That’s what worries me most.” He gathered her in close to him. “I waited a really long time to be able to hold you like this. I don’t want to blow it.”

  “We won’t blow it.” She pressed her lips to his chest and ran her hand over his back. “It’s too good.”

  “Yes,” he said, his voice heavy with emotion. “It is. I don’t want anything to screw it up.”

  “When will I see you again?”

  “I got a call yesterday that your car is ready to be picked up. If you want to come over with me tonight, we can get it in the morning.”

  Janey thought about that for a minute. She’d have to explain spending another night at Joe’s, but no one other than Maddie would think to question it. Except for maybe Mac.

  “Could you get someone to watch the dogs?”

  “My usual sitter is off-island. I suppose I could get Maddie to come by and let them out.”

  “I’d rather that Mac not know you’re coming with me again.”

  “I’ll ask her not to tell him.”

  “Janey,” he sighed, “you’
re playing with fire. He’s going to blow when he finds out about this.”

  “So then let’s make sure he finds out about it after his wedding, when he’ll be all dumb with happiness, wanting everyone else to be happy, too.”

  “Maybe then he’ll cut me a break and let me live.”

  Janey laughed and peppered his chest with kisses, working her way up to his scruffy chin. “We can get through ten days, right?”

  He captured her wandering mouth and devoured her once again. “I suppose if I’ve already survived years, I can get through another ten days.”

  “Mmm,” she said, encouraging more heated kisses.

  “I have to go to work.”

  “I know.” But she didn’t let him go. Rather, she straddled him and took him deep inside her.

  “Janey.”

  “You do own the company.”

  “And I am required to actually work once in a while.”

  She slid off him and flopped onto her back. “All right. Never mind. If you’ve got better things to do. . .”

  Growling, he rolled on top of her and set out to finish what she’d started. Just as she’d known he would.

  After, she unearthed a razor and toothbrush for him, and he showered while she made coffee. It all felt so domestic—waking up with him, making love, listening to him in her shower while she made coffee before sending him off for the day. This was how it could be if they were together all the time.

  After shooing the dogs into the backyard, she carried her “Doctors Make Better Lovers” coffee cup to the window to watch a cardinal foraging for seed in one of her feeders. The stained glass dream catcher David had given her for her birthday years ago sparkled in the morning sun, reminding her that just a week ago, all her dreams had been tied up in him, not the man in her shower.

  Although she’d done a quick trip through her house the night before to remove photos and other obvious mementos of David before Joe arrived, the mug and dream catcher were reminders it would take far longer to remove thirteen years of memories from her home and her heart. That didn’t mean there wasn’t room in her home and her heart for something new in the meantime, or so she told herself.

  A knock on the front door had her tying her robe tighter around her naked body. She glanced at the closed bathroom door to make sure Joe was still in the shower. Janey opened the door to David’s bruised and battered face. She suppressed a gasp. “What’re you doing here?”

  “We need to talk, Janey.” He sounded like he had a bad cold. A bandage covered his nose and both eyes were black and swollen. His dark hair was standing on end, as if he’d spent hours running his fingers through it, and exhaustion clung to him. Janey was satisfied to realize he’d been up all night while she’d slept peacefully in Joe’s arms. A few sleepless nights were the least of what he deserved.

  “I said everything I have to say yesterday,” she replied, anxious for him to be gone.

  “You said everything. I didn’t get to tell you what I need you to know.”

  “And what’s that?” she asked, even though she didn’t really care. Not anymore.

  He opened the screen door and caressed her cheek, but Janey jerked her head out of his reach and pulled the screen closed. She prayed Joe would hear their voices and stay out of sight until she got rid of David.

  “She means nothing to me, Janey. It was just sex. It has nothing to do with you and me.”

  Janey stared at him, incredulous. “You really think you can separate what does and does not involve us? Everything you do—or I should say everything you did—involved me. You were engaged to me, David. You can’t just sleep with someone else because you’re bored or stressed or lonely. It doesn’t work that way.”

  “I can’t lose you over this, Janey. We’ve been through so much, and we’re so close to having everything we’ve waited so long for. You know I love you. You know that.”

  “I thought I knew that until I saw you having sex in our bed with someone else. Let me ask you something, David.”

  “Anything.”

  “Why’d you bring her there? Why would you do that in the bed you shared with me?”

  He glanced down at his feet and then winced at the pain the movement caused him. “She works at the hospital, and she. . . she has roommates.”

  Janey released a harsh laugh. “Ahh, I see. And you couldn’t let the people at work find out that the honorable Dr. Lawrence is really a cheating pig.”

  “I’m sorry, Janey. What can I do to make this up to you?” He took a step forward, but Janey pulled on the handle to the screen door to keep him out. “I’ll do anything.”

  “There’s nothing you can do or say that will ever scrub that image from my memory. I saw you, David.” She hated how her throat closed and her eyes burned with tears. “I saw you.”

  “I’d give everything I have to take back what happened that night. If only I’d known you were coming—”

  “What? You wouldn’t have screwed someone else because your oh-so-willing fiancée was coming to town? You make me sick!”

  “That’s not what I meant! I would’ve been thrilled you were coming! I miss you all the time, Janey. I hate living like this. I can’t wait for our wedding.”

  “There isn’t going to be a wedding. It’s over.”

  “It’s not over. You can’t just walk away from thirteen years like they never happened over one mistake. That’s all it was. One mistake.”

  “Go back to Boston, David.”

  “I can’t go back there looking like this. I told them I was in an accident, so I’ll be sticking around for a few more days.”

  “Great. Have a nice visit with your mother. Just leave me alone.” She started to close the inside door, but he moved quickly to push open the screen door to stop her.

  “Janey, honey, please. Let me come in. Let’s talk about this. There’s nothing we can’t get through. Look at all we’ve already survived to get to this point.”

  A low growl came from behind her. “It’s okay, Riley. David was just leaving.” With a hand to his chest, she pushed him out of the way, closed the door, flipped the lock into place and rested her forehead against the cool wood.

  “Janey!” David called from outside. “Come on! You can’t do this!”

  “Please go or I’ll call the police, David. I mean it.”

  “Fine. I’ll go. But I’ll be back. This is not over. Far from it.”

  Janey didn’t breathe until she heard him stomp down the front stairs and slam the gate behind him.

  Whimpering, Riley nudged at her leg, and she reached down to stroke his silky ears. “He’s gone now, boy.”

  “Everything all right?” Joe asked.

  Chapter 12

  Janey spun around to find Joe standing outside the bathroom door, a towel wrapped around his waist. Just the sight of his sculpted chest and abs and the light dusting of blond hair that trailed into the towel was enough to stir the hum of desire she was coming to expect in his presence.

  Tipping his head, he urged her over to him.

  Janey crossed the room and let him envelope her in his warm, welcoming embrace. “How much did you hear?”

  “Enough to get that he’s not planning to go quietly.”

  “No,” she sighed.

  Joe smoothed a hand over her hair. “You’re shaking, baby.”

  “He caught me off guard.” Janey looked up at him. “I hope you understand why I asked him about bringing her to his house.”

  “That’s exactly the kind of stuff I was talking about when I said you need to work your way through it all. Naturally, you have questions. Anyone would.”

  Janey returned her head to his chest. “I don’t know if I’d be able to deal with this quite so well without you to lean on.”

  “I’m here.”

  She nuzzled her lips into curve of his neck. “I’m glad for that, Joe. I really am.”

  “I need to get to work. Will you be okay today?”

  Reluctantly, Janey let him go, foll
owed him into the bedroom and sat on the bed. “I have a few things I need to do. Keeping busy will help.” When he dropped the towel, she let her eyes take a leisurely stroll from muscular shoulders to sculpted chest to belly and below. Licking her lips, she took her gaze back up to find him watching her, his own eyes blazing.

  He pulled on his shirt. “What?”

  “I’m just wondering how I never noticed the supreme hotness you’ve got going on over there.”

  He stopped in the midst of buttoning his shorts. “Is that so?”

  “Uh huh.”

  Keeping his eyes fixed on her, he came over to the bed, bending at the waist to bring his face level with hers.

  Janey smiled, looped her arms around his neck and dragged him down on top of her.

  “Listen you sex-crazed vixen, I have to go or I’ll get fired.”

  She rubbed her lips back and forth over his, reveling in the moan that rumbled from deep inside him. “You can’t get fired. You own the place.” Her hands traveled over his back to cup his ass.

  “Could you hold that thought for twelve or so hours?”

  “That long?”

  He pressed hot, open-mouth kisses to her neck and trailed his tongue over her collarbone. “Mmm, I’ll make it well worth the wait. I promise.”

  Janey ran her fingers through his hair. “Is this real, Joe? Is it really happening?”

  “It’s real and it’s happening and it’s magic. Do you feel it, too? Even just a little?”

  “I feel a lot of magic, and that’s what I can’t believe. We’ve been friends forever. And now this.”

  “And now this.” Holding her gaze, he linked their fingers and stretched her arms over her head, aligning their bodies.

  Janey wrapped her legs around his, marveling at the emotion, the desire, the overwhelming passion. “You have to go.”

  “I know.” But he made no move to leave. Rather, he devastated her with wet, open-mouthed kisses that quickly had her craving more.

  She ran her tongue over his bottom lip, and he pulled away.

  “No,” he said, once again capturing mouth with just soft lips on lips.

  Janey groaned with frustration. “You’re being mean!”