Isle of Waves (4 page)

“Don’t talk rot,” Paul snapped. “You’re not bloody finished.”

With a triumphant grin on his face, Sam led the hapless customers up the stairs. They looked shell-shocked. Wig knew how they felt.

Paul smiled and guided them into the restaurant, and Sam went off in search of more victims, willing or otherwise, leaving Nibs and Wig on the deck by themselves.

“Are you alright?” Wig asked.

Nibs avoided Wig’s eyes. He ran his hand over his close-cropped hair and sighed. “No.”

“Our friends are only trying to help us.”

“I know they mean well, babe, but what can they do? We’re finished here. I wish they’d just leave us to deal with the fallout in peace.”

Wig pulled him to sit down at a table just as Colin came out with two cooked breakfasts. He placed them on the table and handed them the silverware wrapped in a paper serviette.

“Sorry for the delay, boys. Chrissie is still getting the hang of cooking plain food and not her foreign muck.”

“Don’t let her hear you say that,” Nibs warned.

“What makes you think I don’t say it to her face? She’s a tough old bird; she can take it.”

“You mean, she’s an Owens.”

“And that,” Colin agreed. “I’m here until Fiona arrives, and then she’s going to take over. Now eat your food,” he said as Nibs opened his mouth.

Nibs shut his mouth with an audible snap of his teeth.

Colin pointed at the plate. “Eat.” He turned on his heel and walked away before Nibs could rally an argument.

“For heaven’s sake eat the damn food. I wouldn’t put it past them to force-feed us if we don’t eat.” Wig stabbed one of the sausages and cut off a bite. Usually he wouldn’t eat a cooked breakfast, he didn’t eat that much, but today he felt he needed it, and Louis, his personal trainer, didn’t need to know.

Colin placed two more drinks in front of them and rushed back inside.

They ate in silence for a few minutes. If it hadn’t been for the knot of tension in his stomach, Wig would have enjoyed the chance to sit outside in the sunshine watching the comings and goings of the people on the beach. Normally he was too busy to get more than a glimpse of this life.

As if he were reading Wig’s mind, Nibs said, “If we sold up we could take some time off, decide what we want to do next. Maybe have a holiday and take time to watch the world go by.”

“That’s true,” Wig allowed. “And how long before you’d be going insane with boredom?”

“I know that I’d find it difficult, but, dammit, I’ve been working hard for so long now. I deserve a break.”

Wig placed his hand over Nibs. “I agree with all that, babe, but it’s a decision we should be able to make for ourselves, when
we’re
ready. Do we really want our decisions forced upon us by arseholes playing their own vindictive game?” Okay, so maybe Sam was right.

“I am surprised to see you open, Mr. Tyler.”

Wig snatched his hand away when he heard the snide tone of the person he was convinced was behind their current problems.

“What do you want?” Nibs glared at the man on the next terrace. Ghuram Sawar scowled at them from under deep bushy eyebrows. In Wig’s weaker moments, he had dreams of shaving his enemy’s eyebrows or smothering them in Nair.

“I hear you had some problems last night.”

“And how would you know that unless you had something to do with it?”

Sawar raised one of the hated eyebrows. “Are you accusing me of breaking into your restaurant?”

Nibs snorted. “The fact you know what happened gives you away. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to tell the police of your concern.”

“If you are having these problems, perhaps you ought to reconsider my offer.”

Nibs leaned back in the chair. If Sawar had known Nibs as well as Wig did, he would have known this was Nibs at his most dangerous.

“Why don’t you come here, and we’ll discuss your offer?”

Sawar looked surprised, but he nodded and walked down his steps.

Wig turned on Nibs. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Get Skandik out here to listen. Not Paul or Sam; he’ll know them. And get drinks for everyone.”

“I should be here,” Wig hissed.

“Just get the tea and come back out. I need another pair of ears here. Do you want tea or coffee?” Nibs said louder, for the benefit of his guest.

Sawar stomped up the stairs. “Green tea would be acceptable.”

Wig stalked into the restaurant. “Where’s Skandik?” he said to Liam.

“He’s in the kitchen talking to Paul. Is everything all right?”

“Please, can you get a green tea? See the man talking to Nibs? He’s one of the enemy.”

Liam looked alarmed. “Do you want me to go out there?”

“No, don’t worry. Just make the tea.”

“Do you want me to poison it?”

“You don’t know how close I am to saying yes.” Wig pushed through the double doors into the kitchen to find Skandik.

Chrissie, Mattie, and Jim were cooking and plating; Paul and Skandik were talking in one corner, standing close together.

Mattie smiled at him. “Morning, Wig.”

He kissed her on the cheek. “Morning, Mattie, darling. Thank you for helping us.”

“No worries. Are you and Nibs okay?”

“Just fine,” he said absently. “I need to talk to Skandik.”

Skandik dragged his attention away from Paul. “What can I do for you?”

“One of the men responsible for the break-in is talking to Nibs on the decking. He wants an unknown pair of ears out there.”

“I’ll go now.”

“I’ll bring you out some food,” Paul said. He reached up to kiss Skandik and pushed him out the door.

Skandik settled in one of the outside tables before Wig returned to Nibs with the pot of green tea that Liam had prepared, plus two cups of tea for them. He could see by the dark, flashing look in his eyes that Nibs was furious.

Sawar curled his lip. “If that’s the speed of your service, no wonder your restaurant is failing.”

“If I’d had my way, you’d be wearing the tea, not drinking it,” Wig said sweetly and sat down next to Nibs who gave his thigh a warning squeeze.

Sawar muttered something Wig was sure wasn’t complimentary.

Nibs took a long sip of tea, then said, “Mr. Sawar was laying out his business plan to buy us out. He feels as we’ve had so many problems with ‘unknown’ criminals, it’s worth half of what he originally offered.”

Wig’s smile got more saccharine. “Looks like Mr. Sawar has an excellent sense of humor. First of all, we’re not thinking of selling, and secondly, the place is worth double what he offered last time.”

“Triple,” Nibs said.

“I suggest you take this seriously. I might not be so generous next time.” Sawar was not impressed by the byplay.

Wig caught sight of the worried look on Skandik’s face and decided not to snap back with a smart reply.

Sawar left soon after with another veiled threat, and Wig, Nibs, and Skandik retreated to the restaurant. The morning rush disappeared along with Colin, who’d hung up his apron with relief and left to find his girlfriend. Chrissie had to get back to her pub, but she’d promised to call later to discuss a long-term solution to their problems. Mattie and Jim offered to clear up but Wig could see Nibs wanted his kitchen back. Sam had promised to come back later on to work his magic with the crowd again, but Liam needed a sleep, and Sam didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to sleep with him.

Nibs and Skandik disappeared into the kitchen to prepare for lunch, and Wig tidied the restaurant, with the assistance of Paul. Wig’s OCD winced at the mismatched crockery on the table, even as he thanked God for his friends’ support.

They worked in silence for a few minutes, and then Paul said, “I spoke to Sergeant Biggs this morning. No news, but he was interested in Sawar’s little visit. Do you get many of those?”

“A few.” Wig threw cutlery onto the table and watched it skid across and fall off the other side. He walked around to pick up the spoon and fork, then placed them to one side for cleaning. “He drops in to threaten us on a regular basis. Either him or one of his cousins who work for him.”

Paul hummed and carried on bussing the tables. “Have they ever threatened you with physical harm?”

Wig thought back for a few minutes. “Not actual physical harm. It’s more threats to the business. When they first moved in they were very friendly, but it changed when we refused to sell up. I wish we’d said yes when they first asked.”

“Do you?”

Wig looked up to see Nibs come out of the kitchen. “Sometimes. Anything not to have the business destroyed under us. I don’t think the man is joking when he says the value of the Lagoon is going down the longer we hang on.”

“We could go next door and say yes.”

“What? Now?”

“Yes.” Nibs held out his hand. “Let’s do it.”

“But….” Wig trailed off.

“What do you
want
to do, Nibs?” Paul asked. “And I don’t mean what you think you’re being forced into.”

“You’re a policeman. I can’t tell you,” Nibs growled.

Paul smirked. “Well, then, we just have to find other means of helping you.”

“This is your holiday, darling,” Wig said. “You should be
spending it in bed with Skandik, not poking your nose in our
problems.”

“There’s plenty of time to fuck his brains out
and
be nosy. Who better to help you than two cops? Anyway, you’re family, and an Owens never leaves family behind.” Paul seemed excited by the idea.

Wig was amused to see the color heat in Skandik’s cheeks as he came out of the kitchen and heard Paul’s words. Paul’s new lover was still struggling with the openness with which Liam and Sam, and Wig and Nibs lived their lives. He watched as Skandik wrapped his arms around Paul. The man was obviously learning fast.

“They might not want our help,” Skandik said. “They might think you’re interfering.”

Paul tilted his head to kiss Skandik’s jaw. “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course they need our help.”

“That wasn’t quite what I said.”

“Don’t worry, Skandik, we’ve had years of the Owenses. Your best bet is to say yes and ignore them later,” Nibs said.

Paul ignored them all. “I’m going to talk to a friend or two this afternoon. They can meet Skandik at the same time.”

“Do I get a say in this?” Skandik asked.

“Of course you do. You get to say yes.”

Nibs barked out a laugh. “Skandik, start running now, mate. Because otherwise you’ll be lost forever.”

“I think it’s too late,” Skandik murmured. “He’s got his hooks into me.”

Wig sighed. “Young love. How sweet.”

“Makes me want to puke,” Nibs said, but he winked at Wig because underneath the gruff exterior Nibs was the soppiest man on the planet.

W
IG
TOOK
advantage of Paul holding the fort to go upstairs for a shower in his own bedroom, rather than the guest bathroom. He got the water running and looked at himself in the mirror, seeing every stress of the last twenty-four hours was etched in his face. He was over forty now, forty-two to be precise—nearly a decade older than Nibs—although most of the time he didn’t look much older than thirty. He’d been blessed with excellent bone structure and a young face. If he’d been a vain man, getting old would have been an issue. He looked after what he’d been given and accepted that time was going to take its toll. The overnight drama had added a decade to his face. Maybe Wig was vainer than he admitted, because he was pretty pissed about that. He stretched his skin around his eyes to smooth out the wrinkles.

“You’re still gorgeous to me.” Nibs stood in the doorway,
watching Wig fret.

“Am I?”

“Always. I’ve been besotted by you since we met.”

Wig knew that. They’d been monogamous from the moment Nibs had declared Wig was his, and if he touched another man Nibs would kill them both. “I feel the same way about you.”

“Kiss me.”

Forgetting about the shower draining away, Wig stepped into Nibs’s arms and let himself be drawn into a kiss. He was naked, with Nibs’s hand cupping his arse and the other arm around his back, and Nibs’s chef’s tunic and checks rubbed against his bare skin, but he didn’t care. Nibs’s tongue thrust into his mouth demanding his full attention. Wig sucked on his tongue, accepting it, submitting to it, both of them moaning from the need.

Nibs pressed him up against the counter and thrust a leg between Wig’s to give him something to work his hard dick against. It leaked precome against Wig’s belly as he pressed against Nibs, desperate to get off before he had his shower. Nibs wrapped his hand around Wig’s dick, rubbing his thumb over the head.

“Come on, baby, you can come now.”

Wig came with a choked cry, spilling messy and hot over Nibs’s fingers.

“Fuck, baby, you’re so gorgeous,” Nibs crooned.

Come-drunk and wobbly, Wig managed to open his eyes to see Nibs’s bright blue eyes staring at him with love and pride. “Don’t let go.”

“Never. You know that I’ll never let you down.”

Wig was about to offer the return favor for Nibs, but before he could open his mouth, Paul yelled, “Oy, chef, you’ve got work to do. Put him down.”