Last Resort (The Grayton Series Book 1) (9 page)

“
I’m struggling, we all are, because the shuttles stopped,” she said as she scooped up some sauce with her calamari. The rich flavors hit her tongue, causing her a moment of pure pleasure.
 

“
Shuttles?” He looked at her, a frown on his lips. “No, they didn’t.”
 

Her eyebrows shot up. “Of course they did. About two months ago, just after the busy season.” She watched as he took some calamari and sampled.

“
I’m pretty sure they didn’t. At least not from
Crystal Shores.” He frowned as he sampled the shrimp next. “This is wonderful.” He took another bite.
 

“
I was lucky to get Sam.” She nodded and grabbed one of the larger shrimp and allowed the bite to melt on her tongue. The juices, the spices—everything about it was perfection. Closing her eyes for a split second, she sighed and enjoyed the tastes. When she opened her eyes, Luke was looking at her funny. His eyes heated, watching her mouth as her tongue darted out to lick some of the tangy sauce from her lips. She knew that look but wasn’t prepared for the heat that spread throughout her body by just seeing his reaction to her.
 

The spell was broken when the waitress walked up and interrupted. After they had placed their lunch orders, Luke looked over at her and frowned a little.

“
You said something about the shuttles stopping?”
 

She sighed. She really didn’t want to talk business, not when the looks he was giving her were causing her insides to boil. But she could tell the mood had passed and he was all business now.

She nodded and took another sip of her drink.

“
That just doesn’t make sense. It’s not the hotels that run the service, but the counties.” He frowned a little more and took a drink of his beer. “After all, it benefits everyone.” She could tell he
was deep in thought, so instead of commenting, she watched as his mind whirled, working it out. She knew the conclusion he’d come to; she’d come to the same conclusion a few weeks back. It took him almost five minutes to work it all out in his head before he said anything more to her.
 

“
You know, there are several hotel owners that sit on high places on the county board. Some are appointed, others voted in.” He frowned a little more and she smiled. “My father is one of those.” He stopped talking when the waitress dropped off their lunch.
 

She took a bite of her po’ boy and watched him absentmindedly take a bite of his burger. “You know,” he said, setting down the burger, “if I wanted to buy out business land for cheap, first thing I’d do is find a way to make sure the land wasn’t worth much.” He picked up a fry and dipped it in catchup.

“
Great minds think alike,” she said, under her breath.
 

“
What?” He set down his burger and looked at her.
 

She shook her head and took another bite of her sandwich.

“
You think that’s what my father is doing?” he asked, looking a little hurt.
 

She shrugged her shoulders. “You tell me. You’re the one walking into my place with an offer that’s three times lower than what this place is worth.”

She saw the shock on his face and recognized the second realization hit him. He looked hurt, genuinely hurt, and for the first time, she thought that maybe she’d misjudged him.

L
uke took another sip of his beer, but it tasted sour now. He should have known that his father would stoop to a low like this. After all, his great-grandfather had won the hotel in a card game over eighty years ago.
 

His family was full of bottom-of-the-barrel scum. He had an uncle who just couldn’t keep his hands to himself and was on his seventh wife, one that was under half his own age.

When he looked across the table at Cassey, his blood began to boil. How could his family have done something so terrible to someone so sweet? He reached for her hand and felt it shake in his own. “Cassey, I know coming from me it’s probably not much, but I’m sorry.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “You’re sorry? Why are you sorry?”

He looked down at their joined hands and shrugged his shoulders. “For my father. For my family. For what they’ve done to you, to your business.” He shook his head in disgust.

“
Luke…” She waited until he looked up into those gray eyes of hers before continuing. “You had nothing to do with this. I can see that clearly. You have nothing to apologize for.”
 

He dropped her hand, feeling disgusted with himself. There was more he had to tell her, but looking around, he knew this wasn’t the time or the place.

Picking up his burger, he took another bite and starting talking about the food and how wonderful it was. He could see that she knew he was trying to change the conversation and after a few minutes, she gave up on trying to convince him of his lack of guilt.

“
So…” He leaned a little closer to her, picking up her hand again in his. Her hands were small and soft, and he wanted to hold on to them as long as he could. “Tell me a little more about yourself. What do you like to do in your off time?”
 

She looked at him funny and then smiled. “I thought you would already know most everything about me.” She nodded towards the bar. “I know Wendy can be quite the talker, and,” she sighed, “I figured you would have a thick file on me from your father.”

He shrugged. “You can’t learn everything about someone from a file and word of mouth.”

She smiled at that. He was getting used to those quick little turns of her lips. He had the feeling she didn’t do it very often, so he enjoyed each little twitch.

“
Well, I’m twenty-five this spring. I have three brothers and a sister. I was raised by the most caring people on the planet who occasionally acted like they still lived in the sixties.” She smiled a full smile at this, and her eyes sparkled in the dim light of the dining room. “Their daughters were more like my sisters who helped raise us all. Even when my brothers drove us all nuts, they showed us nothing but love and patience.” She blinked a few times and her smile dropped. “I worked myself through a few years of night school, got my degree, and opened this place.” She reached for her drink.
 

“
What about your sister?” He watched her eyes go misty and saw her whole body tense.
 

“
She left us shortly after her seventeenth birthday.” She looked down at her hands. “We haven’t heard from her since.”
 

“
It must have been wonderful having such a large family.” He knew she was grateful for the change of the subject.
 

She nodded. “Tell me about your brother.”

Now it was his turn for his eyes to turn a little sad. “Calvin was my complete opposite.” He sighed and leaned back. The only way to gain her trust was to give her a little in return. “He was everything my father wanted in a son. My mother, too. He was helping my father run the hotel by the age of eighteen. After a few years of college, he shocked us all by joining the Navy.” He smiled a little, remembering how his brother had stood up to his father to fight for his country. “He served two years before the accident. He worked in the engine room. The accident killed four people.”

She reached over and took his hand, again. He could see the sadness in her eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

He smiled and nodded. “So, after Calvin was gone, my father turned his eyes for the first time in my direction. I was pulled out of my college and sent to a more prestigious college for a business degree so I could one day take over the empire.” He dropped her hand and took a swallow of his warm beer.

“
I’m sure your parents are proud of you.”
 

He laughed. “Sure they are. I’m told constantly what a joy I am to them both.”

Just then, the waitress walked up and cleared the empty plates. After she left, Luke looked at Cassey. Her hair was tied back in a loose braid. Her shirt and slacks looked comfortable, and he realized it was the first time he’d seen her in everyday clothes. He liked seeing the more relaxed look on her; it suited her, somehow, just as the tight dress and killer heels had.

He leaned closer to her, getting a good whiff of her perfume. The sweet scent flooded his mind with images of her lying naked underneath him. “How much time do we have before you need to be on shift again?”

Her gray eyes turned a little darker. “I guess that depends on what you had in mind,” she purred.

He grabbed her hand, tossed a handful of bills on the table for the waitress, and pulled her towards the back stairs.

She laughed as he pulled her up the stairs. “Luke, slow down.” He felt her breathing hard as they reached the back door, and she pulled out her keys.

He pinned her against the wall next to the door and kissed her until he was breathless as well. Her hands went into his hair, holding him to her as they quickly explored each other. Finally, he pulled away and grabbed the keys from her. “Hurry,” she said as he slid the key into the lock and opened her front door.

Then she was pushing him against the wall, using her hands to pull off his shirt and loosen his jeans. His fingers wouldn’t work fast enough as he fumbled and pulled off her clothes. When their clothes were on the floor, she pulled him down the hall towards her bedroom.

They made it to the room just as the last piece of clothing hit the floor. She laughed and pulled away, walking slowly over to the bed. Her hair was a mess from his hands, her eyes looked heated, and he’d never seen her look more beautiful than right now.

She lifted a finger and wiggled it towards him. “Come and get me.” Her tongue darted out to lick her bottom lip and he couldn’t stop himself from moving towards her.

When he reached her, she pulled his hands together in one of hers, holding them away from her body. “Oh, no. This time, I want complete control.” She motioned for him to step closer, still lightly holding his hands.

“
Anything you want.” He looked into her eyes, and part of him believed he would give her just that. Anything.
 

A smile flashed on her lips quickly and then was gone as her eyes heated even more. “Lie back.” She motioned towards the bed. He positioned himself with his hands resting behind his head.

“
I’m ready.” He smiled, watching her eyes zero in on his erection. He was, indeed, ready. Her tongue darted out and licked her lips again, causing him to moan.
 

Then she was sliding up on the bed, her thighs wrapped around his hips as she hovered above him, looking down at his face.

“
Stay still.” She leaned down and placed a kiss along his collarbone. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feel of her exploring him. Her fingers ran over his arms and chest, followed closely by her mouth and tongue. When she reached his navel, he held his breath as her fingers lowered and grasped him lightly. He moaned as she explored his length slowly. When her head dipped down, and she took him fully into her mouth, his hands went into her hair, holding her.
 

“
Utt, utt.” She tsked and shook her head, pulling back until she looked at him. “Hands behind your head.” She smiled.
 

“
Yes, ma’am.” He moved his hands back, knowing it was going to kill him not to touch her. She waited until he was settled again before dipping her head back down to finish her task. He’d never been dominated so wonderfully before. She used her mouth and fingers to guide him to the brink of losing control. She must have felt him on the edge, because she sat up, quickly pulled a condom from her nightstand, and rolled it on him. Then she climbed up, her knees on either side of his hips as she sank down slowly onto him. His hands went to her hips, holding her still as he felt her inner muscles clamp around his arousal.
 

When he looked up at her, her eyes were closed. Her head was thrown back as she moaned with pleasure.

“
More,” he said, digging his fingers into her
soft skin to get her to move on him. Her hips moved slightly, rotating with her pleasure as she began to move over him.
 

His mind, his body, every part of him focused on not losing control, giving her pleasure before taking his own. He reached up and ran his fingertips down her sensitive skin until he felt her speed pick up. When he reached the sensitive spot between her legs, he felt her stiffen around him as she cried out his name.

She melted down on top of him. Using his hips, he twisted until she was underneath him. He looked down at her face; her eyes were closed and her sweet mouth was slightly opened. Remembering how it felt wrapped around his cock, he flexed his back, sliding deeper into her wetness.

“
Again,” he growled. “I’ll have that again.”
 

Her eyes blinked open, and he saw that they were clouded with desire. When his speed picked up, he watched her face flush and her eyes heat as her nails bit into his shoulders. Their breath was labored as they lost themselves together.