Meant to Be (35 page)

After sleeping for twelve hours, Beth awoke feeling almost human again, and toyed with the idea that Lucas’s visit had been a dream. But the glasses he’d packed proved he’d really been there. With less snot on the brain, she replayed the encounter over and over all afternoon, coming to some interesting conclusions.

Conclusion one was that Lucas would be fine. He was still the sweetest guy she’d ever met, and she looked forward to the day he’d find the right girl. Not that she’d be around to meet her.

Conclusion two took longer to process. Joe was as miserable as she was. But Beth rationalized that most of his misery, if not all, had to be over the widening chasm between himself and Lucas. He couldn’t be miserable because of Beth. After all, he hadn’t come after her. Even after he knew she was still on the island. He didn’t come pounding on Sid’s door.

Like she’d hoped.

He hadn’t fought for her. Didn’t even defend them against Cassandra’s sordid accusations. He’d let her speak for herself. Stand up for herself. Tell Lucas how she felt.

Then the truth hit like a head butt from Dozer.

Joe hadn’t defended her because he knew she could defend herself. He’d given her that. Joe taught her to think for herself and, when the real test came, stood silent while she passed with flying colors. Stayed behind while she found her wings and soared off without him.

Beth’s head hit the kitchen table then lolled from side to side. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She hadn’t found herself. Joe had pointed her out with big neon signs and a freaking road map. And she hadn’t even thanked him.

“I’m such an idiot,” she said, the words echoing off the empty walls. “And now it’s too late.”

As her head hit the table again, a knock sounded at her front door. If this was her cab to the airport, he was an hour early. Kicking newspapers out of her path, she charged to the door and ripped it open. “I’m not ready yet,” she said, the words dying on her lips when Dozer stepped back and whimpered. “What the…” she trailed off, looking into intense blue eyes. “Joe?”

“H
i,” he said, as if him showing up on her doorstep was a natural thing. “We were in the neighborhood. Are you busy?”

“No…I…” She pulled the door wide, indicating for them to come in. Thirty million thoughts raced through her mind at once. She wanted to throw her arms around him and punch him at the same time. She wanted to cry and laugh, scream and dance. Instead, she swept the bathroom towels and stack of picture frames onto the floor so Joe could sit on the couch. He followed her, but remained standing.

“I’ve been an idiot,” he said, then held up a hand when she tried to speak. “Let me get this out, and we’ll be on our way.”

On his way? The man was six hours from home.

“I’ve been an idiot, expecting life to always go my way. Expecting others to follow my choices, live on my terms. But I’ve learned something. Sometimes you have to give something up to get what really matters.”

He took a deep breath while Beth held hers. She watched his mouth as he talked, longing to run her tongue along his full lips. A heat started in her belly. Lower actually.

“You’re what matters, Beth. Not an island or a boat or anything else. As long as I have you, I have everything I need.”

Why was he still talking? Why wasn’t he touching her?

“I know you’re moving to Boston, and I’m good with that. I’ll sell the boat and rent out the cabin. Boston has a harbor, right? They should have boats in the harbor. I’ll find work up there.”

“Wait.” His words broke through her fog of lust. “What? Leave the island? You can’t leave the island.”

Joe stepped closer, cupping her cheeks. “Yes, I can. For you, I can do anything.”

He tilted his head, lowering his mouth to hers, but Beth stepped away. “You’re not listening to me. I don’t want to live anywhere but the island. I want you and Dozer and Anchor. Why would we live anywhere else?”

Blue eyes blinked before her. “You want to live on the island?”

She punched him in the chest. “Of course I do. I love that island. Almost as much as I love you.”

Joe looked stunned, and Dozer barked. Bending to rub beneath his chin, she cooed, “I love you, too, Dozer.”

Standing, she slipped her hands over Joe’s shoulders. “I don’t want you to leave the island for me. I want to live there with you. For the rest of my life. If you’ll have me.”

A grin spread across his face, revealing one sexy dimple. “How did I get so lucky as to find you?” he asked.

Beth couldn’t resist the poke. “Technically, Lucas found me.” One eyebrow shot up and she quickly added, “But you were smart enough to see the real me.” She grew serious. “How can I ever thank you for that?”

Sliding his arms around her and pulling her against his chest, he whispered in her ear. “I have some ideas. And now seems like a good time to start.” Joe drew his head back, and the look in his eyes made her breath hitch. Long lashes lowered over dark blue eyes as his focus shifted to her mouth. Beth’s heart swelled. This man was really hers.

Joe leaned in, and Beth’s own eyes slid closed. What came next was sensory overload. Wet tongue sliding between parted lips. Hot breath mingling with her own. Hard edges fitting against her softer curves. The kiss started as something gentle, and Beth knew this is what she’d been searching for her whole life. This was coming home.

But her body grew impatient, and with a tug on his sleeve and a moan of pleading from somewhere deep and desperate, Beth made Joe understand she wanted more.

So much more.

Joe’s hands slid up to cup her face, a calloused thumb sliding over heated cheeks. God he tasted so good. Minty and crisp. Hot and heady. He burned like tequila and soothed like whiskey, making her feel drunk with desire and raw lust. When he broke the kiss, they were both panting, clinging to each other as if neither could stand alone. His tongue slid along her jawline to suckle her earlobe. Beth shivered.

One hand held firm on the small of her back while the other cupped her bottom. Heat permeated the denim, and she pressed her lips to his neck. “I thought I could never have this,” she whispered, savoring the taste of salt and heat and man. “I may never get enough.”

“I hope not,” he said, lifting her off the ground until her legs circled his waist. “Which way to the bedroom?” He
nuzzled her neck and she tilted her head to give him better access. “The doorway to your left. But the bed’s a mess.”

“We’ll clean it off.”

As if she weighed no more than a feather, Joe carried her the short distance to the bedroom, stopping long enough to prop her against the doorjamb and take her lips with his once more. Heat coiled in her belly, sensations overloading her system. Breaking the kiss, he started moving again.

Beth glanced over Joe’s shoulder and saw Dozer following them into the room. “Joe,” she said, tapping him on the shoulder.

He was busy dropping bites along her chin but gave a low growl in response. “It’s Dozer.” She tapped again.

Lifting his head, he looked behind him. “Sorry, bud, this is a twosome only.” Joe kicked the door shut, leaving the orange mutt on the other side.

“Is he going to be all right out there?”

“If you’re worried about my dog, I’m not doing a very good job.” With that Joe put his work ethic to the task at hand, lowering them both to the daisy-covered comforter. “You’re supposed to be showing your gratitude.”

The giggle escaped before she could stop it. “Oh, I’m feeling very grateful right now.” Running a hand through his hair, she took his mouth, sliding her tongue along the curve of his bottom lip. “I love your mouth.”

Panting, he pulled his T-shirt over his head. “You’re going to love it more before this night is over.”

Beth purred and tangled her fingers in the dark hair sprinkled across solid muscle. His skin burned her fingertips,
and she wanted to feel the connection in other places. “You need to get those boots off while I work on other things.”

Joe leaned up on one elbow and ran his thumb across her lips. “You’re so beautiful. I don’t deserve you.”

The love in his eyes moved her to tears. Happy ones this time. Desperate to lighten the mood, she said, “Too bad. You’re stuck with me now.” Joe smiled and her heart did a somersault in her chest. He sat up and started working on his boots, so she seized the opportunity to pull her own shirt over her head.

Sliding her hands over his shoulders and down his chest, she reveled in the feel of his hot skin against her breasts. With every kiss she pressed along his shoulders, the muscles bunched and jumped in response. Like stoking a banked fire, her fingers floated down his abs to the button of his jeans.

“You need to get those boots off faster,” she said, biting his earlobe.

With one shift of his weight, he turned around and pinned her to the bed. “I’ll go barefoot from now on.” Swooping down like an eagle after prey, Joe took her mouth in a vicious, panty-melting kiss, sending her body up in flames.

Alarms went off in her brain, and her only coherent thought was,
What a way to die
.

Nails clawed at his back, willing him closer. Demanding more. She couldn’t get enough but feared one more second would be too much. Joe moved down to her breasts, taking a nipple between his teeth, and her hands pushed into his hair. “Oh good God.”

Joe tugged, and her hips jerked off the bed. “You like that?” he asked.

What a time for stupid questions. “Mmmmm…” was all she managed.

His deep chuckle vibrated through her body. She moved the leg pinned beneath his, finding the part of him she wanted most. He pressed solid against her thigh and grew harder with each brush across his fly. “We need to get these off,” she said, pushing down on his waistband.

To her surprise, Joe climbed off the bed, sending cool air rushing over her skin. Standing tall before her, he reached for his zipper and Beth stopped breathing. Stopped thinking. His shoulders were wide and tapered to a narrow waist. The dark hair she’d run her fingers through narrowed and then disappeared several inches below his navel.

Her mouth went dry. With the zipper down, he slid his hands around to the side, then stopped. “I’ll take off mine if you’ll take off yours.”

Any attempt to look seductive went out the window when she saw the gleam in his eye. She needed those pants off of him, and if removing her own was the way to achieve that, then remove them she would. Fast.

Shimmying the tight denim down her legs, she grabbed the hems and extricated her feet with two tugs. The pants hit the floor. Scooting onto the pillow, she stretched one leg out while pulling the other up and flattened her hands on the bed. “There. Your turn.”

He struggled to hold back a laugh but fulfilled his promise. Though she was wearing light purple panties with lace around the top, he wore nothing under his jeans. Kicking
the pants to land on top of his boots, he strolled back to the bed and Beth grew light-headed from lack of blood flow. In her brain.

As he leaned over her, one hand pinned on either side of her head, she stared into intense blue eyes dark with desire. She’d never seen anything hotter. “Are you really all mine?” she asked, afraid of waking up and finding this a dream.

“All yours. To do whatever you want.” He stretched out next to her, and she understood the true meaning of the phrase
died and gone to heaven
. She trailed a finger from his shoulder to his neck, then up the pulsing vein along his tan skin and the stubble that covered his jawline.

She wanted to explore him. Memorize him. Drive him wild. Taking his mouth once more, she slid a hand down between them until she reached her prize. He gasped against her mouth, his body jolting at her touch. Toying with his tongue, showing him what she wanted, she explored the length of him, enjoying the power she held in her hand.

With gritted teeth, he reached to the nightstand to draw back a small blue packet. When had he put that there? For a second she thought of the arrogance of showing up prepared, but was too thankful he’d thought ahead to mention it.

Sheathed, he tugged the panties down her body, devouring an appreciative nipple as he leaned lower to clear them of her toes. When Joe covered her, she pulled up her knees, straddling him against her center. The kiss went deeper, leaving Beth panting with need, pressing her heels into the mattress.

Breaking the kiss, Joe lifted off the bed and pinned her with his gaze. Reading the question in his eyes, she nodded. “Please. I can’t take any more.”

Joe didn’t have to be told twice. He entered her in one stroke, and the whole world began to fall away. Beth drew her nails down his back, feeling the muscles bunch and give, dancing beneath her touch. When she reached his bottom, she tugged and pulled, urging him on. They fell into a rhythm, and she drew on his tongue. Bit his top lip.

He picked up the pace, dropping his forehead to her shoulder. A high-pitched moan floated around them and Beth realized the sound was coming from her. She’d never made that sound before. When her teeth started to tingle, she hooked her ankles around Joe’s hips and met his strong thrusts.

What could have been minutes or hours later, her body sailed over the edge with a triumphant “Oh yes!” and Joe went with her, the growl from low in his chest sounding primal and satisfying. As she drifted back to the bed, a thought danced through her mind.

We have to try this on the water.

And she started to laugh.