His Bahamas Affair (The Albury Affairs) (7 page)

“Hey, you. Why didn’t
you tell me you moved out of your apartment?”

Loraine chuckled with
relief, settling back down.
God I’m
losing my mind!

She blew out a breath
before she responded. “I didn’t know I’d moved out either. Thanks, Carla.”

Carla nodded,
disappearing back into the house. Melody moved toward her and settled into the
wicker chair across from her.

“Is everything okay?”

Far
from it.
“Why do you ask?”

Melody’s brow creased
with worry. “Your security is tight. I had to tell them I’m
that
Sinclair before they opened the
main gates for me. Has there been a kidnapping threat?”

Loraine laughed
outright. Kidnapping was the only threat rich kids were taught to prepare for,
never a stalking psychopath.

“That would make things
a little normal, but tell me, how’s the outside world?”

Melody watched her for
a long while and Loraine knew she was analyzing the bags under her eyes, her
pale practically see through skin and her exposed cheek bones. She’d lost a lot
of weight and she was beginning to resemble a terminally ill patient with each
passing day. Loraine fought to not raise her knees to her chest or cross her
arms over her chest.

“You would tell me if
something was wrong, right?”

Loraine smiled at her new
friend. “I’ll tell you, just not now.”

Melody nodded. “Then
this must mean you can’t leave the house.”

Loraine felt her mood
rise then plummet at the prospect of going outside. “No I can’t.”

“Even if it’s to a
different country?”

Loraine felt her mood rise
again. “France?” she asked cautiously, praying the answer was no.

Melody shook her head.
“No. We already have a Red Roses hotel in Paris. Since the franchise is doing
well, I figured we should open another one in a totally different location. And
I decided to make it a girls’ trip too—.”

Loraine stood up
cutting her off. “Doesn’t matter. Let’s go pack.”

Melody laughed. “Love
the enthusiasm but I’d planned to leave next week.”

No way. This was her
only chance! “Is there something important you’re doing between now and then?”

Her dark shapely brows
drew together. “Well no—”

That was all Loraine
needed to hear. She grabbed Melody’s arm and pulled her off the chair, dragging
her behind her. “Good. If there aren’t any flights tonight, we’ll just ask
Allan for the jet. He did buy you a chain of hotels, what’s a little
ol
’ jet? Who does that anyway?”

Melody laughed behind
her. “My brother. He’s buying Riana a school and a gallery. He’s just that kind
of guy. We should probably have Riana ask for the jet.”

“Yeah, you are probably
right. I wonder if he’d buy me an island if I ask for one for my birthday.”

Melody snorted. “You
wish! You have to earn a gift that big.”

When they reached her
room, Loraine pulled two large suitcases and two small ones. “Come on, let’s start
packing. We still have to go by your place to pack your stuff.” Loraine pulled
clothes from the closet, tossing them into her open suitcases. “You should
probably call Riana first. I am so ready to blow this joint.”

* * * *

Reno stood at the beach
shore, his feet sinking in the white sand as the tide washed in, lapping at his
ankles. This was his favorite time of day, when the sky was orange-red as the
sun set in the horizon, the blue ocean sparkling with the final rays of sun
light. Even the cool evening air smelled sweeter and he loved the feel of it
against his skin. Like the gentle caress of a lover, blowing into his clothes
and touching every inch of his skin with its cool soft touch as a loving
mistress would.

He closed his eyes,
leaned his head back and spread his arms wide. He always felt free in the arms
of his mistress. The one female in his life he loved without reserve. She was
always there for him, never leaving, always ready and willing to help ease his
heavy mind and strangled heart.

And right at that
moment, the one thing weighing on him was Loraine Larson.

Everything had gone so
well until that moment…

They had danced till
the wee hours of the morning, closing the restaurant. Allan and Riana had left
hours before when Riana began to nod off, exhausted not only by the long
celebration but by her pregnancy. Amy and Matthew left with them, taking the
kids who were fast asleep on their shoulders. Melody and Ruiz who had been
flirting with each other the entire evening left around two hours later.

Reno had been worried
that Ruiz was going to do something foolish like seducing Melody to bed, but
when Amy called Melody to babysit and Ruiz offered to help, Reno was glad they
would have chaperones, even though said chaperones were toddlers.

And once they’d all
left, Reno felt free to put the moves on Loraine. They slow danced, pressed
against each other, so tight not even a whisper of air could squeeze between
them, as they gently kissed and touched. It had been wonderful and easy… desire
didn’t explode inside him when he was with her like it did with other women. It
was like a slow burn, slowing rising with each kiss of her soft pink lips and
with every light petting touch of her wandering fingers until it grew into an
inferno.

He had been ready to
take her there on the spot, in the middle of the dance floor but the restaurant
owner politely threw them out before he did exactly that. He’d thought the
interruption had broken the spell until he looked into her eyes. It wasn’t a
subtle invitation that she gave him; it was an explosive fireworks display and
the writing in the sky with lights kind of invitation.

She took his hand and
pulled him out of the restaurant and into the waiting limo. Immediately the
door closed, sealing them in partial darkness, Loraine straddled him devouring
his lips with her own.

Any self-restraint he
would have shown before then, was gone. Reno was glad her dress wasn’t tight
and long around her legs and hips. He pushed his hands up the dress, caressing
the soft flesh of her thighs as he made his way up to her hips. She’d moaned,
pressing her core down on his huge erection and making soft gasps as she rocked
against him, while pushing her supple breasts into his hard chest.

Completely run over by
desire, he pulled at the band of her panties, snapping it in two and ripping
the scrap of fabric off her to expose her hidden treasures to his fingers.
She’d gasped, stopped her rocking and kissing to look at him for a moment then
began to laugh.

She’d just said ‘you
are buying me new panties’ when the limo came to a slow stop. She’d scrambled
off him, pulling her dress down while he stuffed her ruined panties into his
trouser pockets. They’d barely gotten themselves in order when the door swung
open. Loraine jumped out and he quickly followed. They half ran, half walked to
the elevator. They got into the car and she stopped another couple from
joining, telling them to wait for the next one.

Reno laughed
remembering the surprised look on their faces. He suspected they didn’t
understand a word she said, but her actions—escorting them off the car and
waving at them until the doors closed—was loud and clear.

They’d made out like
horny teenagers all the way up to his floor because Melody, the kids, and Ruiz
were using her two roomed suite. He’d carried her out of the elevator, her legs
wrapped around his waist as she sucked sinfully on the skin above his pulse.
The desire that shot through him when she did that almost brought him to his
knees several times. It made walking an even more difficult task because his
cock was so swollen thick with want he’d had to walk with his legs apart to
make room for it. He kept chanting ‘just a few more steps’, fighting the yen
that told him to take her in the hallway against the wall. She wasn’t wearing
any panties and all he had to do was unzip his fly, free his cock and quickly
sheath himself in her soft hot little passage. Take her hard and fast until his
legs were too weak to hold them both up.

But he waited, making
it into his room. He pressed her against the wall, ready to take her but then
he wanted to feel her naked skin against his own when they gave into their
desires. She whined at the delay but he made quick work of their clothes,
throwing her onto the bed and climbing over her. Poised at her entrance, ready
to put them both out of their misery, she suddenly went stiff and he noticed
her breathing wasn’t heavy with desire but panic.

When she let out a
desperate scream and began sobbing, he launched himself off her, moving as far
away as possible, and watched as she pulled her knees to her chest and rocked
herself, murmuring so quietly he didn’t catch a word of what she was saying.
Fear, then shock, then embarrassment played on her face before she began to cry
again. He slowly pulled on his briefs, careful not to make any sudden movement
to avoid freaking her out. Then he picked up his shirt and approached her,
carefully placing it over her shoulders. When she didn’t jump away from him, he
then slowly slide her arms into the shirt, his eyes set steadily on her face as
she gazed up at him, tears swelling and falling from her sad eyes down her red
cheeks, her lips tightly pressed together but trembling. When he was done
buttoning the shirt, covering her nakedness, he moved to sit at the foot of the
bed, her eyes following his every move.

He tried to deny the
thought that persisted in his mind but the tortured, defeated look in her eyes
made it scream louder in his head. He wanted to shout, throw something and
punch, no, pummel the man responsible for her pain until he was nothing but a
bloody pulp. He wanted to tear him apart and cause him more pain than he’d
caused Loraine. Hell, he too was in pain just watching her suffer.

“What do you need from
me?” he’d asked, hoping there was some way he could take her pain away, even if
it was for the night.

She’d crawled toward
him and he’d tensed, watching her, keeping his body still. She climbed into his
lap and wrapped her arms around his torso. All she wanted was to be held and so
he did, holding her tight against him. When she barreled into him, he held her
tighter rocking from side to side until he felt her go limp and her breathing
became shallow. He put her in bed, intending to sleep on the chaise beside the
window but she moved into him when he laid her down, holding tightly to his
arm.

He laid down next to
her, cradling her against him and watched her sleep, her face soft and peaceful
even with the tearstains on her cheeks. She was beautiful and looked even more
vulnerable. He’d watched her until he too fell asleep, but when he woke up a
few hours later, she was gone and he knew she’d gone back to the States.

He was sad she was gone
but he knew it was for the best. She had been through a lot and she didn’t need
him or his screwed up life to add onto her problems.

“Hey Reno!” The voice
snapped him out of his musing.

Reno sighed at the
intrusion. He was hoping for a few more minutes on his own before he had to go
back to work. Lowering his arms he asked, “What is it Ruiz?”

“You’ll never guess
who’s here!”

He turned around to ask
him who when he spotted them behind him, standing a few yards away—Melody and
Loraine.

Melody looked the same
as she did when he last saw her weeks ago but Loraine…she looked thinner,
paler, her arms wrapped around her middle as she hunched into herself like she
was trying to protect herself or hide.

Reno clenched his jaw,
all the calm he’d worked on the past few minutes disappeared, replaced by rage
he hadn’t felt since the day Georgia ran off with a guest, making a fool out of
him.

Ruiz slapped his
shoulder, pulling his attention from Loraine’s pitiful image. “Melody says she
needs to speak to you about something.”

Reno was surprised by
that. What did he and Melody have to talk about? Yes they were family now but
they hadn’t spent that much time together to warrant a visit, unless something
bad happened to Riana? But it couldn’t be that because she was smiling.

“What about?” he asked
cautiously.

Ruiz shrugged his
massive shoulders. “No idea, but she did say it’s about the resort.”

Reno shifted his weight
to his right leg and pocketed his hands in his khaki shorts. “Why couldn’t she
just tell you?”

Ruiz’s dark brows
pulled together. “Why would she tell me? I don’t own this place.”

Reno snorted. “Half of
it would be yours if you weren’t so bull headed.”

His expression
hardened, a muscle in his jaw twitched. “We’ve talked about this, Reno. If he
wanted me to have a piece of
La
Paraiso
, he would have bequeathed some of it to me. It
just goes to show how right my mom was; he preferred your family to mine though
he married my mother and we all know why. Hey, I’m not blaming you for anything
but I’d rather forget about that man,” he snorted. “If it wasn’t for you and
Riana, I would have changed my last name already!”