In The Arms of a Donovan: A Sexy BBW Billionaire Family Series Romance (The Donovans Book 13) (6 page)

Albert shook his head. “She thanked the doctors for their help and took me home. We didn’t talk about it for weeks after that. Then one day she called me on the phone and asked me a simple question, ‘Did you break our vows?’.” 

“And what did you say?”

“So, to answer this and your question from before, I told Darla everything I remembered,” Al said looking at his son. “I told her how Roslyn had come in and that I’d fixed those drinks and that I didn’t remember anything else after that. I cried and I apologized and I swore my love to only her, but I couldn’t tell her if I did or if I didn’t. Just like I can’t tell you now.”

Brandon remembered feeling like a bomb had exploded in the center of his world that day, just like he’d felt when his mother had died. A car accident had taken Darla’s life instead of the breast cancer that she’d vowed to fight to the end. Now, Brandon was facing something just as devastating—his father may have cheated on his mother and created another child. Another Donovan.

His temples throbbed with that realization as Brandon closed out his tablet, ignoring Trent’s email for now. He needed to think about this and he wanted to talk to Brock and Bailey one more time before he agreed to do anything. Moving forward with a meeting with this Dane guy could mean they were actually going to meet with their brother. A man none of them knew a damn thing about. Trent, as promised, had done some extensive digging into Dane’s background and so far had not come up with anything on the shady side. In fact, the guy seemed to be a talented businessman building a fortune from a hostile take-over, he’d orchestrated, of a power company. He’d been the CEO of Imagine Energy Corporation for the last eight years, in that time growing the company to its current standing of the fourth largest power company in the world. He was single and owned houses in New York, San Francisco and on a Caribbean island called Grand Serenity. Dane had never been married and had no children. He was rarely seen in public and owned a fleet of black Escalades, which partially explained why Jaydon Donovan, who used to be married to Brandon’s cousin Parker, had been seen driving away from Giovanni Morelli’s house in one, the night of Giovanni’s murder.

After a shower that did nothing to calm his thoughts, Brandon dressed in khaki shorts and a white shirt. He opted for comfortable boat shoes today and picked up his room key, wallet and shades from the table before leaving the cabin. There were hundreds of people disembarking and he moved through them without incident, eager to see some tropical sights, hoping they would relax him.

If he’d been able to spend the night with Amber last night Brandon was certain he’d be more relaxed this morning. He’d thought about her for hours as he sat on his balcony, staring out to the indigo darkness. She’d kissed him, twice, and each time not only had his body reacted, but something else inside him had clicked. Brandon was a thinker, so it was natural that he’d spend quite a bit of his evening contemplating what that meant exactly—besides the fact that he was extremely attracted to this woman he’d just met. He’d told her that they weren’t on any time schedule, that there were no rules where two adults and their attraction was concerned. He actually believed that.

His parents had fallen in love the day they met each other at a political function in Houston and were married within three months. His grandparents, Isaiah and Dorethea Donovan, had fallen in love after seeing each other at a town picnic and were married within six months. Brock met Noelle as a result of Linc’s expansion of the Gramercy Casino. They’d had sex in his pool only a day after he’d picked her up from the airport. Sure, that wasn’t public knowledge, but brothers tended to share those types of things and Brock had wanted to talk before he’d finally proposed to Noelle years after they’d been living together. Conclusion—there was no timeframe for love.

Not that Brandon was in love.

No, he was fairly certain what he was feeling right now was just a significant bout of lust. So significant that he’d actually toyed with the idea of masturbating to the memory of her sexy body rubbing against him in that pool yesterday. Of course, he’d nixed the idea because he preferred the real thing to his imagination, no matter how vivid. Still, feeling out of sorts this morning, Brandon sure could have benefited from a sexual release last night.

He’d been walking on the dock when he first saw her, that hat he supposed she used to keep her identity hidden, pulled down tight on her head. Still, he would have recognized her from miles away, the seductive sway of her hips damn near calling his name. He’d picked up his steps in order to get closer to her only to be pissed off beyond measure when he saw the guy bump into and then insult her. The push and retort she gave the guy in return would have made Brandon smile with pride, had the guy not immediately gotten angry and attempted to go after her.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Brandon said the moment he grabbed the guy’s arm.

“Get the fuck off me! That big bitch pushed me!” the guy yelled as he looked back at Brandon and struggled to break free of his grip.

“You pushed and insulted her, first,” Brandon told him. “Now, the way I see it that’s self-defense.”

The guy took a swing at Brandon then, only to have Brandon release his arm and catch the fist that was being hurled at him before it could make contact. With a strong grip on the guy’s hand, Brandon pushed back as far as he could without the guy’s wrist breaking. In about three seconds came a sickening squeal from the guy as he fell to his knees in front of Brandon.

“And you just tried to assault me,” he told him. “You’ve got two choices here. Get up off the ground and walk your fool ass away. Or, keep being an asshole—as the lady so eloquently put it—and end up with my fist planted in your face. Take your pick.”

It only took a few seconds and a bit more pressure applied to his wrist, for the guy to beg, “Ok. Ok! Get off me, man!”

Brandon released him and watched as he ran off to the cheers and laughter of the others on deck. He looked up to see Amber with her arms once again folded over her chest.

“I didn’t need to be rescued,” she told him.

“Good,” Brandon said as he took the couple steps to close the distance between them. “Because I’m not on a rescue mission.”

He held out a hand to her then and waited for her to take it.

“Just what do you think you are doing, Mr. Donovan?” she asked without moving a muscle.

“I think I’m asking a lovely and feisty lady, who is capable of taking good care of herself, to join me for a day of sightseeing. What do think you’re doing, Ms. McNair?”

She shook her head then and smiled. “I have absolutely no idea,” she replied before putting her hand in his. “No idea at all.”

Chapter 5

They’d explored Front Street and all the local vendors there. Amber purchased a bag because she loved bags and purses. This one had terrific colors and made her feel cheerful. She also found a lovely purse for Fiona. Now, there were two necklaces that she loved but couldn’t decide on which one she would purchase for Delta.

“You take this one and I’ll take that one,” Brandon said, effectively ending the debate.

“Just like that, huh?” she asked and noticed he’d already pulled out his wallet.

“Yeah, just like that,” was his quick reply as he handed the vendor his money.

“Wait a minute,” she said when the vendor bagged up both items separately and handed hers to her. “I didn’t pay for that.”

“I know,” Brandon said and was off to another stall before she could say another word.

They continued walking through the area crowded with tourists, listening to the vendors barter and advertise their wares.  Passing colorful buildings and shops on quaint looking streets, they spotted a woman haggling over the price of a handbag. Amber looked at her with pity. The vendor wasn’t going to back down so the woman needed to either decide to pay the price and thus help the local economy with her sale, or walk away. There was going to be no middle ground.

“You hungry?” Brandon asked pulling her attention away from the sale or non-sale going on.

“Not just yet. I want to look at some real jewelry though. My mom’s birthday is coming up and I’d love to get her something special,” she told him.

“Then let’s get a taxi or something. My cousin says Le West Indies Shopping Mall has great things to buy,” he continued, grabbing her hand once again and leading her across a busy street.

He’d been holding her hand a lot today. If not holding her hand, he would touch her arm, or lean in close to whisper something in her ear. No matter where they were they were close, almost like lovers. It was a startling thought to Amber as she hadn’t walked up and down the street with a lover, in she had no idea how long. It was comfortable too, something that also should have been a bit odd. Amber decided she wasn’t going to let herself worry about the fact that it wasn’t. They were here, together, for now she was just going to go with the flow.

“What type of great things will we see at this mall?” she asked after Brandon had hailed down a vehicle that sounded much louder than it probably should.

He’d opened the back door and let her get in first. When he slid in beside her, he answered, “I don’t know. Regan is always shopping. She produces a fashion show with my other cousin’s wife, Camille. That’s why she was in Houston the week before I left. They were shooting some scenes at the factory where Camille purchases specialty materials.”

“You live in Houston?” she asked.

“Yes. My father was one of the brothers who stayed there.”

“Jenise said you have a large family,” she said.

He nodded. “My grandparents had six sons. They all married and had children,” he replied but continued to look out the window. My great-grandparents, Rowan and Adeline had four children - three sons and a daughter. My great, great-grandparents, Elias and Gertrude Donovan had two sons. Everybody had children, so yeah, we’re a pretty big family.”

“Wow,” was Amber’s response. She only remembered as far back as her grandparents, as her mother was adopted and had been an only child, and her father’s family were from the West Indies so they didn’t visit with them often.

“Yeah, wow,” he said, but didn’t seem like he wanted to elaborate any further.

She decided to change the subject to work instead as they continued on the drive.

“So your company gives great rewards,” she told him. “Is this cruise all work or do you get mostly relax time?”

“I oversee the compliance division of a hedge fund firm, so I’m used to traveling a lot anyway. As for this trip, there are some mandatory workshops and meetings, but mostly it’s meant to give everyone a much needed break. Sometimes people aren’t good at taking one on their own.”

Amber could definitely relate to that. “My father owns a chain of dry cleaners. He hates to take a day off, but my mother insists on two weeks every summer. One week they used to spend with us and the other they would go off somewhere on their own. Now that we’re all grown, they just take those two weeks together.”

“It’s all about being together,” he said and again sounded as if that were a subject he did not want to discuss.

Amber took the hint and remained silent after that. She sat back and enjoyed the sights as they traveled through the island. Every now and then the driver would tell them something about a building they passed, or a monumental structure of some sort. Brandon had perked up when they’d passed the houses that seemed to be tucked into the sides of the grassy hills. He’d asked several questions about land availability, taxes and such. Amber thought it was interesting to hear about another culture. All of the places she’d traveled to in the last year had been a first for her, so she’d counted herself doubly blessed for this opportunity.

Lunch was at La Belle Epoque, a waterfront restaurant with international cuisine. They shared Coq au Vin, a version of margarita pizza, and a delicious apple Marzipan Galette. A bottle of red wine topped off their meal as they sat on the deck staring out to the water.

“Did you always want to model?” he asked her and then added, “I googled you last night.”

Was that weird, she thought? Did men always google women they’d just met? Well, she figured, if that woman was the spokesperson for a national foundation, they might.

“No,” she answered honestly. “I didn’t. But when the opportunity came, I couldn’t turn it down because I completely empathized with the cause.”

He nodded. “They seem to be making great strides, even with FLOTUS’s campaign for healthier lifestyles.”

“We’re not against a healthy lifestyle, we just want to also promote a state of acceptance and happiness for the plus-size individual. Not all obese persons are suffering from diseases related to being overweight, nor are they all obese because of poor health choices. There are some health conditions and medications that cause dramatic weight gain. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is one that a very popular reality star suffers from. It caused her to gain over two hundred pounds in the course of two years. A famous R&B singer, Charlene Quinn, suffers from hypothyroidism that also causes her to have sporadic weight gain. So, you see, it’s not all about people sitting around eating whole pizzas and stuffing their face with donuts.”

She clapped her mouth shut after that diatribe, knowing she’d just gone off on a rant and annoyed that she’d done so with him. It wasn’t like he’d insulted her or her job.

“Sorry,” she said afterward and shrugged.

“No. Don’t apologize. I hear what you’re saying and I’d never heard of any of those diseases. I guess they’re not as prominent as cancer and such, so the world tends not to focus on them,” he said.

“Sometimes I think people only want to focus on the negative. As for the world as a whole, it’s definitely the most negative diseases or occurrences, or what they perceive as the most negative appearances that gets the most attention, especially in the media. But they don’t want to see fat people any more than they want to see LGBT people in today’s society. The intolerance is shameful.”

“I agree,” he said and continued to stare out to the sea.

“Let’s go for a walk before we have to return to the ship,” he suggested and then stood after signing the slip to pay the lunch bill with his credit card.

“That sounds good,” she told him and stood to once again take his hand.

A short distance away from the restaurant they walked along the beach.

“Take your shoes off,” she’d said to him as soon as they stepped onto the sand.

“What? Why?”

She couldn’t see his eyes because they’d both put their shades on again after they finished eating. However, she figured he was looking at her like she was crazy.

“Come on, you’re on a Caribbean beach. Take your shoes off and experience every nuance of that,” she continued and removed her shoes, hooking the straps on her finger to carry them.

“I’ve been to a Caribbean beach before and I kept my shoes on,” he told her, still not game for her idea.

“That’s because you didn’t have someone as smart as me with you,” she told him before nudging him. “Take them off. You’ll still look GQ in your Ray Ban sunglasses and Tag Heuer watch.”

He didn’t react immediately to her declaration, but eventually did what she asked, holding his shoes, one in each hand.

“See, doesn’t that feel wonderful. Dig your toes deep down in the warm sand,” she said closing her eyes as she did what she instructed.

“It feels like my feet are in dirt,” he said blandly.  “When I was a kid I used to get in big trouble for being outside with no shoes on.”

Making a playful swat at his arm, Amber started walking. “Not when you were at the beach, I bet.”

He chuckled from behind her. “That’s why they make water shoes.”

“You’re so ridiculous,” she said and continued walking.

There was a light breeze, it wasn’t very cooling, but it was still nice to have something to break a little of the humidity.

“But I’m cute,” he said as he’d run up beside her and now circled in front of her, showing off by continuing to move.

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, I’ll give you that one.”

“And I’m fun to be with,” he continued.

“What? I just had to force you to take your shoes off in the sand. So how are you fun again?”

He shook his head. “Who played water tag with you yesterday? And who tried on every new floppy and colorful hat you considered buying today?”

Again, Amber was smiling. He had tried on all those hats, even posing in the mirror with a few of them. Her hands had itched to pull out her phone and snap a picture. She’d been thoroughly shocked when Brandon did just that, pulling her close so that they could take numerous goofy-faced selfies together. He’d asked for her number so he could send them to her phone and she’d readily obliged. He
was
fun to be with, she thought begrudgingly.

“Whatever,” was her response. “You’ll do, I guess.”

“You guess?” he asked stopping.

He was standing right in front of her now, so she stopped walking as well.

“I can prove that I’m the best guy to be with on this cruise,” Brandon told her.

She propped one hand on her hip. “How do you propose to prove that?”

When he stepped to her, dropped his shoes to the sand, and cupped her face in his hands, Amber’s breath caught.

“Like this,” he said before lowering his head to hers, taking her lips in a hotter than the temperature outside kiss.

Amber loved every second of it. She moved closer to him, touching her hands to his arms and tilting her head. His tongue moved hungrily over hers and she moaned against his mouth. He felt so good up against her, strong and steady, intoxicating. She kept her eyes closed to this pleasure, refusing to second guess or deny it. She wanted this and so much more with him, no matter how strange it seemed.

“I want you,” he whispered when he finally broke the kiss, but still held her face in his hands.

“I know,” was her breathy response.

“This is definitely going to happen,” Brandon said, his hands slipping down her waist to cup her ample bottom.

Amber trembled at his touch, her center already pulsating with ready desire. All she could say, all she could think was, “I know,” she sighed, resting her forehead against his. “I know.”

#

There were three personal email messages when Brandon returned from his day on the island with Amber. They were meeting at Today’s Italiano, one of the many restaurants the ship offered in lieu of eating in the main dining room each night, at seven thirty.

Brandon had walked Amber to her cabin and then traveled down a floor to where his sleeping quarters were located. They both had suites with private oceanfront balconies, courtesy of their employers. It had been a long but enjoyable day and they were both ready for a shower and a few moments to rest before heading out again. So it was with a slight pep in his step that Brandon returned to his room. The first thing he did was strip off the shirt that had, in the last hour, begun to stick uncomfortably to his skin as the humidity and heat on the island had begun to get to him. He’d headed straight for the shower at that point, standing under the spray of water until it had run cool.

Now, he sat on his balcony wearing only shorts, tablet on and a list of emails on the screen staring back at him expectantly. He’d tackled the work messages first. This morning before he’d left the ship, Brandon sent an email to Ty discussing his concerns about Margaret Whithers. Ty had responded, saying that Brandon should first speak with Courtney about both Margaret and Tim and then they would have another meeting when they all returned from the cruise. They needed to review their termination policy once more and possibly interview some of the previous employees that had complained about Margaret to see if there had been any more issues with her. Coming from an African American family that had scraped their way to the top, in a world that in general did nothing to help black people succeed, Ty was not about to employ a racist. Still, Brandon recognized that they all needed to make sure that when they did fire her, it would be a legally sound act.