Desire After Dark: A Gansett Island Novel (22 page)

With her head thrown back and the faint glow of the lights from outside illuminating her pale skin, she looked like a goddess come to life. She was his goddess, the love of his life, his reason for being and the only one who could make him forget his painful past, even if only for a while.

“Owen,” she whispered.

“I’m here, baby. What do you need?”

“You. Just you.”

He sat up, wrapped his arms around her and held her as she came, taking him with her into bliss. There was no other word for what they found together. “Love you, Laura. I’d be losing my mind if I didn’t have you to hold me together.”

“I love you, too, and I’ll always be here to hold you together if you do the same for
me.”

“Nothing else I’d rather do.”

A
dam danced
with Abby to “Stay With Me” by Sam Smith, singing the lyrics in her ear as she giggled from the champagne they’d consumed over the course of the unforgettable evening. The wedding they’d thrown together in just over a week’s time had come together perfectly, with everyone they loved best
in attendance, the winter wind howling outside while a huge fire burned in the fireplace in the dining room of the McCarthys’ Gansett Island Inn, which had been transformed by the hotel staff for the wedding.

“So how’d we do?” Adam asked Abby. “On a scale of one to ten, ten being the best.”

“I’d give this night a one thousand.”

“I was thinking more like one in a million.”

“One in a billion.”

He smiled down at her. “Are you happy?”

“You can’t tell?”

“Just making sure, since your happiness is my sole reason for being.”

Sighing, she rested her head on his shoulder. “Sometimes I still think I dreamt this whole thing—from that first day on the ferry and every day since then. There’s no way this can possibly be real.”

“Oh, it’s
real, sweetheart. It’s as real as it gets.”

“After what happened two weeks ago, with the doctor and the diagnosis and everything, I wanted to give up, but you wouldn’t let me. Thank you for that and a million other things.”

“Thank
you
for marrying me and giving me a whole lifetime to share with you.”

“I apologize in advance for the hard parts.”

“No apology needed. We’ll
figure it out as we go. As long as I have you and you have me, the rest is easy.”

“You really think it’ll be that simple?” she asked, looking up at him with gorgeous brown eyes gone liquid with emotion.

“Probably not, but I really believe there’s nothing we can’t handle as long as we do it together.” He kissed the top of her head and breathed in the bewitching scent of his love,
feeling the silk of her hair against his face. No matter what came their way, he would do whatever it took to protect her from hurt or disappointment. She’d already had enough of both in her life. Now was the time for happily ever after.

They were surrounded tonight and in life by the people they loved best—his parents and siblings as well as their partners, his cousins, their friends,
Abby’s family and their larger island family. That community would celebrate with them during the good times and prop them up through the tough times. Adam truly believed they would successfully weather the storm of her illness, and they would find a path to parenthood, too. Maybe it wouldn’t be the conventional path, but it would be their path.

Next to them, Dan danced with Kara, Evan
with Grace, Grant with Stephanie, Mac with Maddie, Joe with Janey, Shane with Katie, Tiffany with Blaine, Seamus with Carolina, Adam’s dad with his mom, his Uncle Frank with Betsy, his Uncle Kevin with Chelsea, and Luke with Sydney. Others had come and gone throughout the evening, but the core group remained and would be there for them through it all.

“What do you say we get out of here,
Mrs. McCarthy?”

“Ready whenever you are.”

His reply was a not-so-subtle tug on her hand, leading her in the direction of the lobby.

“Shouldn’t we say good night to everyone?”

Adam took a look around to find all the happy couples engrossed in each other. “Nah. They’ll figure out for themselves that we split.”

“That’s kind of rude.”

“I’m kind of horny for
my wife.”

“Honestly, Adam. Did I marry a man or a teenage boy?”

“I’m all man, baby. Let’s go upstairs, and I’ll show you.”

She was still giggling when he steered her through the lobby and up the stairs. His mother had assigned them the hotel’s top-floor honeymoon suite, and their bags had been delivered earlier. It’d been years since Adam had been up here, and he couldn’t
remember what the room looked like. However, with his mother managing the hotel, he knew the room would be first class.

Adam used the key card she had given him to open the door. “Wait a second,” he said to Abby when she would’ve gone in ahead of him. He could tell he surprised her when he swept her off her feet to carry her across the threshold, making her giggle some more.

He loved
that champagne made her giggle, and he loved the lighthearted sound of her laughter, especially in light of the trauma of her diagnosis. He’d worried for a while that she might never laugh again, but his resilient Abby had bounced back after a few rough days, determined to battle her illness and fight for the life they both desperately wanted.

Adam swung her around in a big circle before
setting her down in the middle of the sitting area, in front of another fireplace that had been lit for them. When he was certain she was steady on her feet, he went to open the glass doors to let the heat and scent of the fire into the candlelit room.

Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to ensure a romantic setting for the newlyweds. Adam fervently hoped it was Daisy and not his mother.
It was Daisy. That was his story, and he was sticking to it. Then he looked down at Abby, saw tears in her eyes and was instantly on alert. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong. Everything is absolutely perfect. This is beautiful.” Her gaze took in the fire, the candles, the four-poster bed with the crisp white linens that had been turned down for them, the red rose petals scattered over the
bed and the champagne chilling in a bucket next to the bed.

“So are you,” he said, running his fingers through her dark silky hair. He’d been so glad she left it down the way he liked it best. It might be safe to say he was obsessed with her hair, constantly touching it, burying his face in it, breathing in the scent he’d know anywhere as hers. “How do you like being married so far?”

“Best thing ever, but only because I married you.”

“That’s a good answer.”

“What about you?”

“I’m actually relieved.”

Her brows knitted adorably. “How come?”

“I was afraid you might run away from me before we could make it official.”

“I thought about it.”

“I know you did. Why do you think I’ve spent every waking minute with you for the last
two weeks?”

“It wasn’t because of the holidays?”

Adam shook his head. “I was afraid to give you too much time to yourself to think about how much better off I’d be without you when that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

“I still feel guilty about marrying you, knowing I might not be able to—”

He silenced her with a deep, passionate kiss that he hoped removed all
doubt from her mind that he’d gotten exactly what—and who—he wanted most tonight. “No more of that. No more guilt or thoughts of running away or anything other than happily ever after. You hear me?”

She slipped her arms around his neck and went up on tiptoes to kiss him. “I hear you.”

“Do you really? Do you know I mean every word I said to you tonight? That I love you no matter what
happens? That I love you even if we can never have children the old-fashioned way? Even if you gain weight or lose some of your gorgeous hair?”

Her big eyes were shiny with unshed tears. “I believe you, Adam. And I’m so very thankful that you feel that way about me. It makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.”

“We’re both lucky to have been on that ferry together last summer.
That was fate bringing us together at our lowest point and showing us a whole new path forward together. I honestly believe that.” He kissed her neck and nibbled on her earlobe. “I don’t want you to spend one more second worrying about what
might
happen. I want you to stay completely focused on right here and right now.” He cupped her breasts and ran his thumbs over her nipples, which tightened
into hard points under her dress. “Can you do that?”

“Mmm, if you keep that up, I certainly won’t be thinking about anything else but you.”

“I plan to keep this up forever,” he said, lightly pinching her nipples to make his point.

She gasped and leaned into him, pressing her body against his erection.

Adam reached around to her back, found the zipper and lowered it
slowly, dragging his fingers over her heated skin as he went. Her face was flushed with excitement, her eyes bright with desire and her lips swollen from their kisses.

“Why are you staring at me?”

“Because I’ve never seen anyone look more beautiful than you do right now.”

“You don’t look too bad yourself, Mr. McCarthy, but then again, I’ve always thought you were hot, even
when I was dating your brother.”

“We’ve agreed to never speak of that.”

“With him,” she said, giggling again. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Besides, he’s not too shabby to look at either.”

Adam scowled playfully as he helped her out of the dress, his eyes boggling at the sight of the sexy getup he found underneath. “Don’t remind me that you used to sleep with my brother.”

“That was a lifetime ago. It has no bearing on us.”

“I know, baby. I feel like my whole life began all over again that day I found you on the ferry when you were swearing off men, and I was prepared to never have sex again if it meant I had to get involved with another woman.”

“That vow didn’t last long,” she said, flashing the saucy smile he adored.

“Let’s talk about
what you’re wearing.”

She took a step back from him so he could get the full impact. “This old thing?”

It was almost too much for his brain to process—a bustier that showcased her full breasts, trim waist and curvy hips, a garter belt, sheer thigh-high stockings and three-inch heels. She was a sexy vision in virginal white, and she was all his for the rest of his life. “Someone pinch
me, please. I can’t possibly be married to the sexiest woman to ever draw a breath.”

“Stop,” she said, her chest and face flushing in embarrassment.

“Never.” He closed the small space between them and ran his hands down her back to cup her cheeks, which had been left bare by a thong. “Do I have Tiffany Taylor to thank for this heart-stopping moment?”

“Perhaps,” she said with
a coy smile.

“She’s very, very good at what she does. So good, in fact, that all my plans for a slow, sexy seduction of my wife have gone right out the window in favor of a quick, hard, urgent fuck.”

“Yes, please.”

“Mmmm, such lovely manners from a woman wearing a getup intended to make her husband insane.”

She removed his tie and unbuttoned his shirt, pushing it off
his shoulders. “Are you insane?”

“Absolutely, positively, out of my mind crazy about you.”

“We can go slow the next time,” she said, going to work on his belt and the button to his pants, which dropped into a pile at his feet. Her hands inside the back of his boxers, squeezing his ass, was nearly the end of him.

Adam helped her along by removing the shorts himself and walking
her backward to the bed. “What’s about to happen here is all your fault, Mrs. McCarthy.”

“I can live with that.”

He came down on top of her, devouring her mouth with deep, passionate kisses.

She wrapped her arms and legs around him, pressing her heat against his cock and making him crazy with need.

Adam moved her thong to the side and thrust into her, groaning at the
tight fit, the heat and the squeeze of her internal muscles. Nothing in his life could compare to the singular experience of being inside her, wrapped up in her, in love with her.

Abby made it even more intense when she clutched his ass and pulled him deeper into her.

He looked down at her, his eyes meeting hers in a moment of perfect unity. “Love you forever, Mrs. McCarthy.”

“Love you, too, Mr. McCarthy.”

Smiling, he hammered into her until they were coming—loudly—together.

“Holy wow,” she whispered, running her fingers through the sweaty strands of his hair.

“Holy loud sex.”

She laughed. “At least our families will know this marriage has been well and truly consummated.”

“Indeed.” He raised his head to kiss her softly. “No escaping
now.”

“You’re stuck with me.”

“Good, because you’re all I need.”

A
lone in his
room on the third floor, Slim was unbearably lonely for Erin, especially after hearing signs of marital bliss from the room down the hall. He who had slept alone for most of his life was suddenly tossing and turning without her to hold on to.

He wondered if she was feeling the
same way, so he texted her, hoping she was still awake.

Favorite ice cream?

The message immediately showed as read, and he could see that she was replying. That was all it took to make him feel less lonely and breathless with anticipation as he waited to see what she had to say.

Depends on the season. Sherbet in the summer, and cookie dough the rest of the year. What about
you?

Rocky road all year long, baby
.

What’re you doing awake?

Missing you. How did you ruin a successful career of sleeping alone for me in just one week?

The same way you ruined it for me. Does that mean you didn’t pick up a single girl to take home from the wedding?

Slim knew she was joking, but the idea of her thinking he would do that had him calling her.
“None of the single girls at the wedding were you,” he said when she answered. “So no pickups for me.”

“That’s nice to hear.” Her voice sounded sexy and husky and way too far away.

“I hope you know I mean that. We’ve started something here, and I’m not going to run out and get laid the second you’re somewhere else.”

“Also good to know.”

“What about you? Do I need to
be worried?”

“Seeing as how I hadn’t gotten
laid
, as you put it, in two years before last week, I think you’re safe with me.”

“
Two years?
That’s a federal crime. A woman as hot and sexy as you needs regular care and servicing.”

“
Servicing?
Is that what they’re calling it these days?”

“I miss you.”

“So you said.”

“I mean I
really
miss you.”

“I really
miss you, too.”

“I can’t wait months to see you again. You have to come with me to Evan’s wedding.”

“I hope you know I’d love to go. It’s just going to depend on how my dad is doing.”

“Of course. I don’t mean to pressure you.”

“Yes, you do,” she said, laughing.

“Maybe just a little. Can’t blame a guy for trying.” After a long pause, he said, “Tonight was incredible.
I’ve never seen Adam so happy.”

“They’re a great couple.”

“So are we.”

“Are we a couple?”

“Why must you tease me? Didn’t we just say we aren’t planning to be with anyone else?”

“I think we did.”

“So doesn’t that make us a couple?”

“I suppose maybe it does.”

“Are you screwing with me, Erin?”

“Would I do that to you?”

“Yes, I
believe you would,” he said, amused by her even if she was most definitely screwing with him.

“Who’s your favorite president?” she asked.

Though he realized she was steering the conversation away from serious stuff, he was okay with that. There’d be time to figure it all out later. “Ohh, that’s a tough one.” He took a long moment to consider his answer. “I’m going with Millard Fillmore.”

“Seriously?”

“Very seriously.”

“Why him?”

“I feel kind of bad for the guy. He was a lifelong public servant and the last of the Whigs to be president, but he never makes anyone’s top-ten presidents list.”

“So he’s your favorite because you feel sorry for him? That’s not a good reason.”

“Is he like the semicolons of presidents?”

Sputtering with laughter,
she said, “Something like that.”

“Who’s your favorite?”

“Reagan.”

“So you’re a Reagan Republican, then?”

“Not really. I vote for people rather than parties, and I always thought he seemed like a nice guy. He was crazy about his wife, too. He wrote her the most amazing love letters.”

Note to self—look up the letters Reagan wrote to his wife. “They say she wore
the pants in the White House.”

“I love that! Imagine all the West Wing suits back in the ’80s afraid of a ninety-pound woman. That’s the way it ought to be.”

So his girl was a card-carrying feminist, too. He liked that.

“Is Millard Fillmore really your favorite president?”

“Nah,” he said with a low chuckle. “I always liked to read about Kennedy.”

“I liked to
read about his family. Imagine having
nine
kids!”

“Um, no, thank you very much.”

They talked for another hour about nothing in particular, but that was okay. He loved the sound of her voice and was interested in everything she had to say.

“You should get some sleep,” she said as the clock edged closer to two. “You’ve got a long day in the air tomorrow.”

“You’re right.
I should get some Z’s, and so should you.”

“I’m glad you called.”

“I’m glad I called, too, but I still miss you.”

“Me, too.”

“Does this mean you’ll be my girlfriend?”

“Is that what you want?”

“I believe it is.”

“Okay.”

“
Yes?
”

“Okay generally means yes,” she said, laughing.

“And I’m your boyfriend?”

“Aren’t we kind of
old for these titles?”

“Not at all. My eighty-six-year-old grandfather had ‘girlfriends’ until the day he died.”

“Something tells me you’re going to be just like him.”

“My gramps was a bit of a hound dog with the ladies at his nursing home, whereas I’m more of a one-girl-at-a-time kind of guy.”

“That’s good to know.”

“So that’s a
yes
on the boyfriend thing?”

“I haven’t had a boyfriend in a long, long time. I might need a refresher course on what’s involved.”

“You’re in luck. I’m a certified instructor.”

“Certified in
what
exactly?”

“Well, technically pilot training, but a lot of the skills are transferable to this situation.”

She laughed so hard, she couldn’t talk, which put a huge smile on his face.

“I’ll
be calling my new girlfriend tomorrow. Will she take my call?”

“Yes, Slim,” she said with a sigh of what sounded like pleasure. God, he hoped so. “She’ll take your call.”

T
he next afternoon
, Erin rolled her dad in his wheelchair to physical therapy, giving her mother a much-needed break from the hospital. They’d insisted she keep an annual New Year’s lunch date with friends
and enjoy the time away. As they went, she was careful to step on each new floor tile with her left foot first. God only knew what would happen if she didn’t do that, and she certainly didn’t want to find out.

“Sorry to drag you away from your island,” Tom said, his speech halting but improving every day. In an ironic twist of OCD fate, his left side had been left impaired by the aneurism,
but the physical and occupational therapists had assured them he’d regain functionality eventually.

“Where else would I be when you’re in here? It’s no bother at all.”

“When will you see your pilot friend again?”

“I’m not sure yet. Maybe in a couple of weeks.” She wanted to go to the wedding in Anguilla more than she’d wanted anything in a very long time. The thought of a
week in paradise with Slim was almost enough to make her drool.

“You should go be with him. I’m fine. The doctors said so.”

“I know, Dad, but I’m not going anywhere just yet.”

“I like him.”

Erin smiled. “I’m glad you do.”

“I like the way he looks at you.”

“I do, too.”

“You might want to think about keeping this one, Er Bear.”

The childhood
nickname, which he hadn’t used in years, brought tears to her eyes. “You think so?” she asked, her voice hushed.

“Yeah.” When they arrived at the physical therapy department, Tom raised his right arm slowly, waggling his fingers in her direction.

Curious, Erin stepped around to the front of the chair and squatted down so she could see him, noting the slight sag on the left side of
his mouth.

“Don’t do what you do with this guy.”

“What do I do?” Erin asked, genuinely baffled.

“Sabotage.” He held out his hand to her. “Remember that nice guy Dave? We liked him. You liked him. He liked you—a lot. But what did you do when it started getting serious? Took a job two hours away, which put a damper on the relationship. Then there was Miles. He was a good guy,
too, until he invited you to meet his family. Remember what happened then?”

Astounded by his recall and the point he was trying to make, Erin nodded. She remembered all too well. For a guy who was recovering from brain surgery, he was awfully sharp.

“You broke up with him because you weren’t looking for anything serious—and meeting his family smacked of serious. Don’t do that this
time, Er Bear. Mom and I aren’t going to live forever. I don’t want you to be alone in this world when we’re gone.”

“Don’t say that. You’re not going anywhere.”

“Not any time soon, but eventually we are. You’ve got a wonderful guy who’s crazy about you. Take a chance. Your brother wouldn’t want you hiding out in fear of losing someone else. He’d want you to live as fully as you possibly
can.”

“I’m not doing that. I’m not hiding out.”

He raised a brow. “No? Sure seems that way to me sometimes.”

“How long have you been wanting to say these things?”

“Long time. Something about having your head nearly explode puts things into perspective. No time like the present to see my little girl happy. No one deserves it more than she does.”

Erin laughed and
wiped away tears. “I’m so glad you didn’t die, Dad.”

“Me, too. I still want to walk my daughter down the aisle someday. It’s on my bucket list.”

She stood to hug him, holding on tight to one of her anchors. They’d been through the hell of losing Toby together and had survived, somehow.

The door to PT swung open. “Mr. Barton? We’re ready whenever you are.”

“Two hours
of torture,” Tom whispered to Erin.

“Do what they tell you so we can get you out of here.” He was making such great progress that they were now thinking he’d be able to go right home rather than to rehab, which had been huge news earlier in the day.

“Don’t wait around,” Tom said. “Go take a walk or have something to eat. They’ll get me back to my room, and I’ll need a nap after they
wear me out.”

“Okay. I’ll check on you later.” She kissed his cheek and watched the therapist roll him through the double doors. For a long time after he went in, she stood outside the doors, watching through the windows as the therapist transferred him from the chair to a table, where she put him through a series of exercises, focusing on his left side.

Erin thought about what he’d
said, and couldn’t hide from the truth he’d exposed. Though it hadn’t been intentional, she was guilty of running away from relationships that got too serious for her to handle. Life was easier on the surface. No one got hurt. No one’s existence was shattered if they lost the one they loved.

While avoidance had kept her safe from hurt, it had also made for a rather lonely existence. It
had taken Slim Jackson less than a week to show her how much more fun it would be to have him around, rather than spending every day by herself.