Forbidden: Ultimate Stepbrother Collection (27 page)

Chapter 17

Tommy

I shielded my face with my arm to keep the stinging spray of rain from hitting it. Palms and broken tree limbs littered the once clear path to the sand. Wind pounded me as I made my way to the beach. Between the blackened sky, the sheets of rain and the heavy mist that had now settled on the island, I couldn’t see more than three feet in front of me.

My feet hit the wet sand, and I sank down. I’d been right. The storm surge had brought the tide up onto the shore. The inflatable raft bobbed up and down on the choppy current. I waded out to it, getting pelted now, not just by rain but by an angry sea.

I stepped into a deep crevice in the sand that took me down to my knees. Waves rushed over me, holding me down until I shot back up through the surface. I got to the raft. It slammed into me, but I held onto it to keep from going under again. I reached blindly around for the rope and the stake that I’d shoved into the ground to hold the boat on the beach, a beach that had now been swallowed by the ocean. Amazingly, the stake was still holding fast. But it wouldn’t be for long.

I dove under and yanked hard to get the stake free. Then I dragged the boat to higher ground. The only access to this island was by raft or flat bottom motorboat. The shoreline was too shallow for anything more. We needed the inflatable boat to get off the island.

I dragged the boat past the water line. The wind lifted it up like a heavy balloon, and it smacked into me. I pushed it back down and moved faster toward the trees. I planned to tie it to the biggest, sturdiest palm. It would get battered to hell, but it was made of tough enough rubber to endure the storm.

As I pulled the boat up toward the trees, the air above my head whistled. A strong gust swept through the trees. The boat sprang up and flew at me. The last thing I saw before darkness was the small outboard motor flying at my head.

Chapter 18

Dani

Tommy was taking way too long. It was a short walk to the beach. I sat on the bed for a long time with my arms around my knees, jumping at every loud noise and bolt of lightning. Then something, a feeling of dread, washed over me. Something had happened.

I got up and pulled on my dress and shoes. Rain and wind still assaulted the hut like a small hurricane. I shoved the door open. It got caught by a gust of wind and flew open, smacking the house and nearly breaking off its hinges.

My dress flew up around my legs, and I badly wished I’d had something more than a cotton shift. Even a pair of panties would have helped my confidence. The surrounding foliage had been ripped and torn so badly, I had no real idea which direction to go to find the trail that led to the beach.

I followed my instincts and trudged through some fallen palm fronds. It was nearly impossible to see with the sharp wind and rain smacking my face. A long branch from a bush slapped my face hard enough to bring tears to my eyes. I reached up and felt the warm trickle of blood on my fingers. My cheek had been cut.

I stood still for a second and tried to get my bearings. “Tommy!” I called, but my voice was drowned out by the wind. One more step and my foot got sucked into a deep puddle. I pulled my leg free, but my shoe came off.

I reached down to dig it out just as another brutal gust of wind rushed through the canopy. A snapping sound behind me made me glance back. The sharp branch looked like a thin arm with claws as it arced down toward me. I moved out of its path, but as it sprang back, it went beneath my dress. It scraped painfully along my leg and hip as it jammed tightly under my dress. It had me. My dress was caught on the branch, and with the force of the bent branch holding me there, I couldn’t move. It pulled the dress so hard against me, I couldn’t even shimmy out of it. I was the tree’s captive, and I wondered how long it would be before a bolt of lightning struck me.

“Tommy!” I screamed. “Tommy!” I knew my cries for help were useless. Nothing could be heard over the clamor of the storm.

Blood dripped from my cheek onto the fabric of my dress and then spread like red ink. The scrapes on my leg and hip felt warm with blood as well. But the cold rain, coupled with the relentless wind, was chilling me to the bone.

I pulled against the grasp the tree had on me, but the branch was rubbery and wouldn’t break. The soaking wet fabric of my dress also had no give. If I hadn’t been so damn cold and worried about Tommy, I could have had a good laugh at my rather comical predicament. Only I would manage to get caught by a fucking tree.

I was shivering almost uncontrollably now, and my chin trembled so fiercely, I had to make a conscious effort not to bite my tongue. I crossed my arms over myself. The storm didn’t seem to be letting up. The sky was still a swirling, angry mass of charcoal gray.

I squinted in the direction of the beach. I couldn’t see much through the flurry of storm battered trees and plants, but I caught a glimpse of something moving through the branches.

A cry of relief bubbled from my mouth as Tommy stepped through the trees.

“Tommy!” I screamed. “Over here!”

He heard me and turned the direction of my voice. That was when I saw the gash on his forehead. Blood dripped down the side of his face as he stumbled toward me.

“Tommy, you’re hurt.”

“No, I’m fine. Just a little dazed. The boat motor smacked me in the head.” He circled behind me to see why I was standing so rigidly next to a tree. “Shit,
Twiggy
, you got caught by a
twig
.”

“Yeah, a really nasty, grabby one. Just don’t tell anyone. It’s really embarrassing.”

He snapped the branch off and pulled it out from under my dress. I turned to him. I could tell he was not himself. I reached up, and he winced as I lightly fingered the gash. “We need to get you to a doctor. You need stitches, and I’m sure you have a concussion.”

“Let’s just get back to the hut for now,” he said. “I’m tired of being pelted by this rain, and I’ve got one hell of a headache.”

Tommy was a little unsteady on his feet as we made the trek back to the hut. By the time we stumbled inside, Mother Nature had downgraded her tantrum to a mild fit. Rain still spit at the window panes, but the wind seemed to have found a new job. Instead of ripping apart the island, it had taken on the task of pushing the storm clouds out to the horizon.

More light seeped into the room. Tommy sat on the bed holding my white shirt, the one he’d packed for me, against the gash on his head. As hard as the wound was trying to clot, every movement of his facial muscles seemed to start the steady stream of blood again.

“You know, I had much better plans for this shirt than sopping up my blood.”

“Is that right? Can’t imagine how much fun a trashy wife beater shirt could be. But it sure did come in handy. It was the only piece of cloth that was still dry and clean.” I knelt down in front of him. His grin kicked up beneath the white shirt curtaining his face.

“You are a good nurse. My head is killing me, which means first aid should be applied directly to my cock. And there’s nothing like a good, nurturing blow job to make a patient feel better.”

“Sorry, buddy, but I’m down here so I can get a better look at your pupils. I need to make sure they look normal. A blow like that to the head is never a good thing.”

I lifted his eyelids. The pupils reacted to the light, and they were the same size. I checked his ears for blood seepage. “Everything looks normal.”

He reached up and fingered the thin cut on my cheek. “In my haze, I hadn’t noticed this.”

“It’s just a surface cut. Nothing compared to the one you’re wearing.”

“Hmm, questions to check for mental clearness,” I said to myself, mentally going over my concussion checklist. “What are the names of the people on your yacht?” I asked.

“Let’s see, there’s Max, Olivia and Whiny Mc Poop Shoes.”

I laughed. “I wonder if she made it through the day without medical care.”

“Maybe Max and Olivia got sick of her and ditched her in Antigua.” With his free hand he reached for the buttons on my dress. “Now, about that blow job.”

“Tommy, no. As a medical professional, I’m going to insist you rest. Head wounds tend to bleed a lot.” I lifted the shirt on his face. The ugly, gaping gash smiled back at me. “We need to get you some stitches. Looks like you’re going to have a scar.”

He scooted back, and I propped the pillow up behind him. “Women like scars, don’t they?” he asked, sounding more groggy than I would have like to have heard. I needed to keep his mind going. I didn’t want him to drift off to sleep.

I sat next to him on the small bed. “Yes, they do. Although, I think you’ll need to revise your story to something more gallant like saving a woman from a chainsaw wielding maniac. Getting slammed in the head with a boat motor just doesn’t leave a heroic impression. Not that you need any more help with the ladies.”

“I like the chainsaw idea. I think that’ll do the trick.”

“Listen, Tommy, the storm is almost over. When should we get the boat back on the water? We can ride over to the main island to get you to a clinic for stitching.”

“We’ll have to wait a few hours for the storm surge to flatten. Otherwise, we might get tossed right out of the boat. There should still be a little daylight left by then.”

I rested back against the wall next to him.

“Hey, do you want to hear about my visions for this shirt other than blotting blood from my head?” His eyes drifted shut as he spoke.

“Sure do. Especially if it will keep you awake.”

“It’s pretty simple. You, this shirt stretched tight over your amazing tits and your sweet little pussy peering out beneath the hem.” He stopped. I waited a few seconds for him to continue.

“And—”

“And, that’s it. You just don’t need anything else when you’ve got Twiggy with her beautiful new tits and tempting pussy. Shit.” He took my hand and placed it over his shorts. His cock pressed urgently against my palm. “Look what you and your cheap little men’s undershirt have done to me.”

He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “My head feels like a train slammed into it, and my nurse won’t even give me comfort.”

I sighed. “Fine, but it’s completely against my professional opinion. But I’m going easy on you, just in case.”

I turned to face him and opened the button on his shorts. I reached my hand in and withdrew his cock. It was hard and the tip was slick with moisture. His chest lifted and fell as I traced my thumb around it, smearing the cream over the fleshy tip. I leaned over his lap and my mouth slid down the long, thick shaft. I took hold of the base with one hand as I lifted my mouth up and down over him.

“Fuck yeah, baby, your mouth feels so good.” He tangled the fingers of his free hand in my hair and helped me moved up and down over him, taking in a little more of him each time. “Best fucking nurse ever,” he groaned.

I lifted my mouth for a second. “Nurse practitioner to you, sir.”

“Whatever. I still can’t think of playing doctor with anyone but you.”

I moved my mouth faster, and my hand pumped him hard. His fingers tightened in my hair as his hot seed flowed into my mouth. His groans rained down on my head, and I took pleasure in knowing that he was enjoying this even with the pain he was in.

I straightened and wiped the cum from the side of my mouth. “And that is what I call therapy.”

“Fuck yeah. My head’s feeling better already.”

“Really?”

“Fuck no. But my cock is happy.”

Chapter 19

Tommy

Six stitches and some good painkillers and I was feeling like I could start the entire island adventure again. Of course, that was mostly because I wanted to be alone with Dani instead of stuck on the yacht with all the other annoying people onboard.

I hadn’t felt much like eating, but I was sure it was more because the day had come to an end than the stinging pain in my forehead. I had sat out on the deck to feel the fresh night air. I heard Dani inside giving instructions to Crystal to wake me every three hours. I could also hear Crystal’s disgusted sigh.

I walked inside, and Dani looked at me. Things were decidedly different now. These were no longer just flirtatious glances across the room. A connection had grown strong between us, and the thought of severing it when we left the Sea Queen was hard to bear.

“How are you feeling?” Dani asked.

“Drugged and happy to be so.”

Crystal turned around with a sneer. “I guess now that you’re feeling better you can explain why the two of you were on some remote island alone?”

Max walked in right then. “Do you want me to draw you a picture, Crystal?” He stopped between us and shot each of us satisfied smirk. “About fucking time, you two. It’s been a long time coming, but I’m sure, like a good wine, it was worth the wait.”

Dani walked quickly from the room.

“Shut up, Max,” I said.

“Well, I’m not waking you every three hours,” Crystal sneered. “You can slip right into a fucking coma.”

“Yep, sounds good to me too,” I said.

Crystal stormed out of the room.

I looked at Max. “Don’t know about you, but I’m ready to head back home.”

He nodded. “Figured we’d be cutting the vacation short after your little tussle with a—” He looked at me. “Was it really the boat motor?”

“Yep.” I headed to the kitchen for some cold water to relieve the cotton mouth left behind by the painkillers. Max followed me. I grabbed a glass of water and took several long swallows. “But if anyone asks, I fought off a chainsaw killer.”

He laughed. “Yeah. All right.” Max reached into the bowl of nuts on the counter. “So— you and Twiggy.”

I nodded.

“I always knew you had a thing for her, but I wasn’t sure you’d ever act on it. What with her being family and all.”

“She’s only family on a marriage certificate,” I added quickly.

“Uh huh, so you’ve been rationalizing the whole thing. Must be serious.”

I shook my head and stared out the galley window. The clear night sky was a carpet of glittering stars. “She’s engaged. We just decided to have a day of fun.” I stared down at the glass of water in my hand. A day of fun, that was my justification for the whole thing. And right up to the moment when the boat motor had crowned me, it had been fucking perfect. But it hadn’t slaked my desire for Dani at all. The opposite, in fact. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. But she belonged to someone else, and I didn’t need to be tied to one woman. Life was easier without the commitment.

Robert walked in. “Mr. Hawkson, there’s a phone call for you in the pilot house. It’s Mrs. Hawkson.”

“I’m coming right now.” I walked into the pilot house and picked up the phone. “Hey, Nana.”

“How is the trip going? I haven’t heard from you.”

“It’s fine, Nana.” I had no intention of telling her about the head injury. It would only worry her. “But I think we might be heading back early. I’ve got some business back home.”

“Oh.” She paused. “How is Dani?”

“Dani’s good. You neglected to mention that she’d be onboard with us.”

“Did I?”

“What are you up to, Nana?”

“Me? Nothing. She is wonderful though, isn’t she? She’s bloomed into such a beauty.”

“An engaged beauty.”

She puffed some air into the phone. “Big deal. She’s not even terribly happy with the relationship.”

I stopped. My first intuition had been right. “My god, woman, you planned this whole damn thing in hopes of getting the two of us together.”

“No, not at all. Why? Has something happened?” she asked hopefully.

I was silent, which for my grandmother, who knew me better than anyone, was enough.

“Nana, I don’t need you setting me up. I’ve told you I’m not looking for anything permanent right now. You’ll have to send your visions of great grandchildren Kenneth’s direction.”

She sighed in disappointment. “I’m going to my grave without ever knowing my great grandchildren, I just know it.”

“I’ve got to go, Nana. Sorry to disappoint you and your little, secretive matchmaking scheme.”

“All right. Come visit when you get back home. Oh, and Tommy—”

“Yes?”

“True love is hard to find, but you’ll know when it happens. And if you do find it, don’t let it go or you will never forgive yourself.”

“Yeah, Nana, all right. Love you.” I hung up and stared out at the black night. My grandmother always had the uncanny ability to look at my face and know exactly what I was thinking and feeling. Now she could even do it through the fucking phone.

I headed out of the pilot house and down to the infirmary. We’d only been back onboard for two hours, but already, I longed for the solitude of the island. There was only one person on the whole damn boat I wanted to see and that was Dani.

I could sense something was different the second I walked inside the infirmary. Dani busied herself putting back the supplies from the first aid kits. She seemed distant and her shoulders were stiff with tension. “Just talked to Nana,” I said.

“Oh?” She didn’t turn away from her task, and I was stuck talking to her back. “Did you tell her about your injury?”

“No, so don’t mention it if you talk to her. Stuff like that always makes her worry.” I leaned against the counter directly next to her. She continued to be too busy to give me her attention. I stared at her perfectly adorable profile. Her small white teeth had caught hold of her bottom lip as if she was concentrating. But the only thing she was really concentrating on was not looking at me.

“She set us up,” I finally said, after some back and forth in my mind. “Nana had one of her little matchmaking schemes in action just like I thought.”

“You mean the scheme you thought I had a part in?” She dropped the box of cotton and small white balls rolled onto the counter. “Shoot, those are ruined now.” She hastily picked them up. I took hold of her hand.

She stared down at the counter and seemed to be blinking back tears.

“Dani?”

She shook her head, and the tears flowed free. She threw the few cotton balls she had in her fist on the ground. “I’ve made some really stupid decisions in my life, but this last one was a fucking doozy.”

“So, spending the day with me was a stupid mistake?”

“Yes, because we didn’t just spend the day together.” She wiped at the tears on her cheeks. “Spending the day is a lunch out, a day at the mall, a damn bike ride in the park.” She could no longer keep up with the flow of tears.

I tried to pull her into my arms, but she pushed away and reached for the tissue box behind her. “What the hell was I thinking? Just a day of fun. Shit, I’m engaged.” She held up her ringed finger as if it was necessary to remind me.

“You’re overthinking this, baby.”

“No.” She pointed at me. “Don’t call me baby. You don’t get to call me baby, especially when you know damn well that it makes me turn to fucking mush inside. That storm, me getting stuck on the tree branch, those stitches in your head— that’s what they call bad karma.”

“No, that’s what they call getting stuck in a tropical storm.”

“Don’t try and reason me out of this, Tommy. For you, this was just another one of your many trysts. A good afternoon fuck and nothing more, but I’m not you. I’m not just some callous playboy, who has no feelings except the sensations coming from his erection.”

I stared at her, trying my hardest not to look hurt by her words, but my head was throbbing and I knew the whole damn day had been much more than a tryst. The second we got back onboard, I’d missed her.

“I’m sorry, Tommy. I’m not pissed at you. I’m angry at myself.”

“The truth is, Dani, I’m not as callous as you think.” I was going to just blurt it the fuck out there. I needed to let her know how much she meant to me. “I—”

My confession was cut off by a knock on the door. Robert poked his head inside and seemed, immediately, to regret having intruded. “Uh, excuse me, but there’s a phone call for Dani. It’s your fiancé.”

Dani hurried past me and out the door.