In The Arms of a Donovan: A Sexy BBW Billionaire Family Series Romance (The Donovans Book 13) (7 page)

As for Tim, there was no official policy against being intoxicated while on a cruise, even if that cruise was fully funded by the employer. Still, there was definitely a moral breach and Ty suggested that Courtney may need to have a discussion with him about his conduct when he was representing the TJB name. Brandon quickly typed his reply, agreeing with Ty’s suggestion on those two matters and addressing a few compliance issues that had also come up in the last month. With that message handled, there were four more work messages that could wait until he returned to the office next week.

That left the personal messages to deal with. Brandon stared at them for a few moments, listening to the sounds of normal going on around him. The ship was still docked at St. Maarten, they would be pulling out at eight o’clock tonight. Although it was early evening now, there was still a bustle of activity as people made their way back to the ship, or for some reason were just getting off. The water was beautiful and calm, the picturesque island with its turquoise waters and lush green covered peaks. There were a few sailboats a distance away and another pier stretching further into the water which looked to be used for commercial docking.

He could live here, Brandon thought absently. He would buy a nice house, probably up on one of those hills, as he’d noticed before, where the breeze would be cooler and the view unfettered. Since his job was requiring him to travel more and more, Brandon felt like it might be beneficial to have a place to come and simply escape from it all. The work itself, crazy co-workers, crazy people with grudges, and yes, family members that kept secrets. He sighed with that final thought as his personal messages were from Brock and Trent.

Brandon squeezed the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes as that situation settled over him once again. From the moment he’d seen Amber on that dock this morning, thoughts of his father’s infidelity and the possible consequences of that act had dissipated. She’d made it almost impossible to think of anything but her. The way she laughed, shopped, walked, talked and even when she was simply looking at the sights. He’d been totally enamored by everything about her, so much so that he hadn’t thought about his family situation until she’d talked about hers. He hadn’t minded hearing the little she’d shared about her family. In fact, he wanted to know more about who she was and the things that had shaped her into the woman she was. Only in return, he suspected that would mean she’d want to know more about his background too. A year ago, no, make that six months ago, Brandon would have been proud to talk about his heritage as a Donovan. The affluent African American family with ancestors who’d started as slaves and eventually ended up owning one of the largest oil companies in the United States. The Donovan name was synonymous with unprecedented philanthropic work, as well as the various other business ventures that had proved successful for this latest generation. And they were liars, he thought with a sigh as he opened his eyes again and looked down at his computer screen.

Brandon clicked on the message from Brock first.

I pulled everything I could find about the accident. We need to talk as soon as you return.

He typed a quick “ok” reply and went to the first message from Trent.

Brynne doesn’t want to attend a meeting. Keysa’s going to try to talk to her. Haven’t heard from Bailey.

Brandon shook his head and moved to the next message from his cousin.

New financial reports in on Dane. He’s been buying stock in Donovan Oilwell.

Now, Brandon cursed, his teeth clenching so tight he would surely get lockjaw if he didn’t cease. He closed the case on his tablet and placed it on the lounge chair after standing. Quick strides took him to the railing that he gripped tightly with both hands. Stretching his arms out completely, Brandon lowered his head between them and tried to take deep breaths. What the hell was going on? His family seemed to be under siege and he wasn’t sure what, if anything, he could do about it. Especially not since he was currently on a ship thousands of miles away. Lifting his head Brandon looked out to the water once more.

Brock had always questioned their mother’s accident. He’d only been fifteen at the time but he’d never believed the idea of their mother speeding and crashing into a tree. The police seemed to think it could have been suicide but because of the Donovan name and Darla’s father’s ties to the community, the medical examiner had simply ruled her death an accident. It was years later when Brandon had gone to Maryland to visit Brock while he was in college, that his brother shared his concerns with him. Brandon had thought about Brock’s comments and agreed that Darla Donovan would have never killed herself, regardless of the cancer or her eventual prognosis. It just wasn’t part of her personality. The brothers had eventually deemed it a moot issue as neither of them wanted to dredge up old hurts for their father or for Bailey. But now, Brandon shook his head, clearly, all bets were off.

On another note, where was Bailey? She hadn’t answered Trent’s email and that wasn’t like her. His sister was diligent about communication. There were times when Brandon, Brock, his dad or his cousins, may not like what Bailey had to say, but she could always be counted on to give her opinion on any and every subject. He wondered at her silence now.

As for what this Dane character was doing, Brandon had no idea what this guy’s plan was, but he’d rather know it up front, then wait for any more surprises. With that in mind, Brandon went back to his computer and replied to Trent that he would pull Donovan Oilwell’s financial records as soon as he returned home. Al kept all of this information on his home computer and Brandon—the son that was supposed to go into the family business—knew where it was stored.

After dealing with the last email Brandon declared there was nothing else he could do at the moment. He dressed for dinner and headed out, looking forward to spending time with Amber once more.

#

“I’m a twin,” Brandon said as he stood on the deck with Amber later that evening.

They’d enjoyed a great meal and had more wine than either of them thought was probably proper. Brandon had immediately thought of Tim as he’d finished his third glass. Then he considered that fact that he was far from being fall-down drunk the way Tim had been last night and he was nowhere near any of his co-workers. Tonight, he was just a man on a date with a lovely woman.

She’d been standing with her back leaning against the railing while he’d opted to stare right out at the dark water. It soothed him somehow to look out at the nothingness, giving him a feeling that at some point all of the bad things that were going on would be gone.

“What?” she asked, surprise clear in her voice.

He shrugged because the comment had come out of nowhere. Well, for her it had. For Brandon he’d thought about their earlier conversations and how he’d been hesitant to tell her about his family considering all that was going on. But after the emails he’d read before dinner one thought had remained clear to him—he was a Donovan and there was no shying away from that fact. His family was everything to him and he would continue to be proud of that fact, and to hopefully uphold all that was good about the name.

“I have a sister. We’re fraternal twins. Her name is Bailey,” he said. “I also have an older brother. His name is Brock.”

“All B’s,” she said with a grin and shake of her head. “You know this is a real coincidence because my younger sister and brother are fraternal twins, Fiona and Frankie. I’m in the middle between them and two older sisters and a brother.”

He nodded. “And you’re from Chicago?”

“Yep, born and raised. I already said my dad owns a couple of dry cleaners there and my mother used to be a seamstress. She’s retired now.”

She seemed totally willing to talk about her family which reinforced Brandon’s thought that he should be also.

“My father runs the family oil company. My mother used to own a book store, before she was killed in a car accident,” he said, the last words almost sticking in his throat as Brock’s email message came to mind.

“I’m sorry,” she said and touched his arm.

Brandon looked down at her hand. Her nails were polished the same shade of pink as on her toes. It made him smile because the cheery color matched her personality perfectly.

“I have a feeling you’re going to make a terrific mother someday,” he told her, again with the abrupt thoughts.

She yanked her hand away from him quickly. “Oh no, I’m so not ready for that,” she replied.

“Oh come on,” Brandon said trying to lighten his mood. “Wouldn’t you like to have your own set of twins?”

Amber was shaking her head so hard, the long earrings she wore slapped the sides of her face. Her hair was up tonight so her long neck was bare, leading down to her sun-kissed shoulders since her lavender dress was strapless.

“I don’t even want to hear that word,” she told him, with a roll of her eyes.

“Well, consider this, you, plus your twin brother and sister,” he said pointing to her. “And me, I’m a twin. That means if we get together we could be looking at quadruplets.” He had to chuckle at that himself because Brandon had never thought of having children with any woman before.

“Oh no!” she exclaimed. “Don’t even go there. That is not a possibility at all.”

Brandon continued to chuckle.

“Aside from the fact that I might lose all of my sanity trying to care for more than one baby at once, it’s hard enough staying health conscious at my weight. You add to that a multiple pregnancy and first of all you’d have to cart me around in a wheel barrel. And after delivering, who knows what I’d look like.”

Brandon sobered then, standing straight and reaching out a hand to touch her cheek.

“You’ll be just as amazing and gorgeous as you are now,” he told her.

She tilted her head and smiled at him. “You’ve got to stop doing that, Brandon Donovan.”

“Doing what?”

“Saying the right things at the right time. I would think you’re rehearsing all this, but I’m not sure.”

Brandon shook his head. “I can’t rehearse for something that I never dreamed of happening.”

“You never dreamed of having dinner with a woman?” she joked.

Brandon remained absolutely serious. “Not with a woman like you and not in a place like this.” He looked around and then returned his gaze to her, sliding his hands down her arms and clasping their fingers together. “When I found out we were taking this cruise I was just happy to be getting away for a while. I really needed a break from the reality of the world. So I simply planned to sit on the deck and stare at the water whenever I wasn’t in a meeting. I never, in a million years, would have thought I’d meet a woman that could melt those harsh realities away with her smile.”

“See,” she said, swinging their hands between them. “You’re doing it again. Saying the right things when I really expected you to be a jerk. It would have been easier that way so I could simply brush you off and get on with my last business event. But you’re not a jerk, you’re actually kind of fantastic.”

He took a step closer to her. “I’ve never been called fantastic before,” he said softly.

“Good,” she replied. “This way you’ll remember it and me, more.”

“I don’t think there’s any way I could ever forget you, Amber.”

“Ever?” she teased, he knew because she was smiling up at him.

“Never,” he replied seriously, leaning in to kiss the tip of her nose.

“This is too fast,” she said softly. “I’m getting dizzy just thinking about you and how you make me feel. I don’t know if I understand it at all.”

Brandon shook his head slightly, then he kissed both her cheeks and finally her lips. “Let’s not think or try to understand it, Amber. Let’s just go with our feelings on this one.”

He kissed her lips again, this time tracing his tongue along their seam.

“Please, can we just go with this? I want this so badly,” he admitted, his eyes closing as he touched his lips with hers once more. What Brandon didn’t say was how much he desperately needed to be with her tonight, to know and feel that there was still something good in this world.

She nodded, and then kissed his lips this time. Instead of tracing his as he’d done hers, Amber slipped her tongue slowly inside his mouth, whispering over his tongue until he acquiesced. The kiss was slow and lazy but had the effect of a fast acting drug moving through his system as if he’d been plugged up to an IV. His body responded instantly, going hot and hard.

“Let’s go with it,” she said when they’d finally been able to pull their lips apart.

“Yes. Let’s,” was Brandon’s response before he stepped back and led them off the deck towards his cabin.

Chapter 6

Amber walked into his cabin, looking around as if expecting to see something different from what was in her own. Of course there would be, she thought as she continued, noting the leather briefcase on the round table near the balcony doors. A suit jacket hung on the back of the closet door which had not been closed. And it smelled like him in here, instead of like the salty sea air or of the cleaning supplies that would have been used when his room was tidied by the staff.

The scent wasn’t heavy, just a subtle hint of masculinity and musk. Yet it engulfed her like a cloak and her body reacted instantly. She took a deep breath, letting what was undoubtedly about to happen sink in. Her nipples tingled with the thought, her center pulsating in anticipation.

“It’s been a while for me,” she said finally, her back still to him. “I was involved in a serious relationship for almost two years and then we broke up eighteen months ago. I’ve been traveling for the last eleven months, so, there’s been no time to meet or…you know…with anyone else.”

When his hands rested on her shoulders she jumped because she’d thought he was still standing across the room.

“I’m not that guy,” he said quietly.

“What guy?” she asked.

“The one that sleeps with women as soon as he meets them, every chance he gets,” he told her.  “I keep pretty busy with work and when I do have time to date, it’s not always with the immediate intention to have sex with the woman. I’m just not that type of guy.”

She wanted to sigh because he was saying the right stuff, yet again. Instead, Amber turned slowly in his arms, until she could look up in to what might just be the most sincere eyes she’d ever seen. If there was a lie or ploy there, she couldn’t see it, and she’d had plenty of experience looking into those types of eyes. Brandon’s words might just be correct, maybe he wasn’t “that type of guy”. There was only one way to find out.

“Slow or fast?” she asked.

His brow furrowed. “Excuse me?”

Amber lifted a finger to run along his bottom lip. “Do you like it slow,” she said as she moved her finger slowly from side to side, until he opened his mouth and quickly sucked it inside. “Or fast?” she finished with a gasp.

Brandon continued to suck on her finger, his eyes growing dark with desire as her breath hitched. When he lifted a hand and ran his thumb over her breast she wanted to cry out. Why oh why wasn’t the material of her dress combined with her bra, not thinner? She ached to feel his skin on hers because she knew without a doubt it was going to be magnificent. As his tongue moved around her finger, sucking the digit deeper into his mouth, then licking along her skin with heated strokes, he touched her other breast, until he was cupping them both in his hands. She was going to fall. For the first time in her years of wearing four plus inch heels, Amber felt herself wobbling.

He squeezed her breasts, pushing them up until they almost spilled over the top of her dress, moaning as his gaze dropped to watch them. Amber’s finger had begun to shake and finally slipped from his lips as both her hands moved to grasp his shoulders. She held tight as Brandon leaned forward, dragging his tongue over the heaving mounds of her breasts. Her head fell back and she sighed, her nails digging into the material of his shirt she squeezed him so tightly. In seconds the dress and her bra were moving, giving way to Brandon’s persistence. His strong hands were gripping her once more, this time skin-on-skin, his tongue moving to one already hardened nipple.

“Shit!” she hissed through clenched teeth, one foot tapping against the floor as the quick and potent bolts of pleasure soared through her body from that connection.

After a time that didn’t seem long enough, he reached behind her to grab the zipper of her dress. As soon as the zipper was undone, he was pushing the dress down her body. She helped him by moving her hips wishing like hell that she hadn’t worn her body shaper tonight. The undergarment had become second nature to her as she possessed so many of them now in different colors. Brandon didn’t seem to mind as he helped her step out of the dress, his hands immediately going around her waist and down to cup her ample bottom. He pulled her up close against him, grinding his rigid arousal between her legs.

Amber wrapped her arms around his neck then, pulling him down for a kiss that she hoped seared through his soul the way his touch had been doing hers. She worked her tongue over his, pressing her breasts into his muscled chest.  When he gripped her butt so hard she wanted to moan in pleasure and pain, she knew he was feeling the same way she was. They both heaved as he tore his mouth away from hers and he took a step back from her. She watched his hands as they splayed down and over the ribbing of her body shaper, his complexion much lighter than the black material. He undid the eyehooks with what looked like practiced ease, although Amber wasn’t certain she believed Brandon Donovan had removed a number of body shapers in his past.

But he did the job with the snaps on this one, then proceeded to push the ribbed material down her bottom until she was stepping out of it. The strapless bra that he’d already pushed below her breasts went next and when she thought he would remove the sheer white thong she wore, he did not. Nor did he remove her shoes. Instead he stood there staring at her as if he’d never seen a just about naked woman before in his life.

“I’ve been thinking about you,” he said, his voice gruff.

Holding his bottom lip between his teeth as he touched her nipples with the tips of his fingers, he shook his head. “All night long I thought about you.”

Amber swallowed, hard, because she didn’t know what to say or do at this moment. There was a huge part of her that was feeling self-conscious. Sure, she could stand in a room with hundreds of people and tell them how they should respect plus-size women and that these women had nothing to be ashamed of, for hours on end. She could certainly push and insult a man who thought his skinny frame earned him the right to call her “fat ass”. But standing here, under a future lover’s scrutiny for the first time, was nerve-wracking.

His hands went from her breasts down to her sides, touching every inch of her skin.

“I knew you would be soft,” he continued. “Your skin was so golden and alluring when you were wearing that bathing suit. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on you.”

Continuing their exploration, his hands moved from her sides to her front. Should she suck in her stomach? No, it wouldn’t matter, at some point during their intimate interaction she wouldn’t be able to hold it in anymore. Down further, his hands and his gaze moved.

“I want to taste you,” he said touching a finger lightly over the V of her juncture.

Amber did move then. She shifted from one foot to another as if to allow him deeper access between her legs, because she was well aware of how thick her thighs were.

“Oh no, baby, this is my time,” he said. “I want to do this my way.”

Touching a finger to her chin now, he tilted her head up and kissed her lips softly. “I knew you were beautiful, every part of you that I could see. Now, like this,” he moaned and kissed her again. “I want more.”

He walked her back into the bedroom, staying behind her, his hands brushing slowly over her bottom as she moved. It was strange to be walking in front of a man with no clothes on. She’d known that he’d watched her walk away that day she retreated to the pool and it had turned her on. But not like this. Nothing, Amber thought as she stopped at the end of the king sized bed, had felt like this.

Gently he pushed her back onto the mattress and continued his perusal of her body while standing at the foot of the bed. When he lifted her leg and kissed her thigh, Amber trembled. Those sweet little kisses continued down the length of her leg until he paused at her ankles.

“I can totally relate to a woman who has a shoe fetish,” Brandon said as he used one hand to hold her leg up and the other to unfasten the buckle of her nude sandals.

“You see, the shoe is like the dressing for the main attraction,” he told her as he slipped the shoe off slowly.

Then he was cupping her foot, massaging it from the toes to the heel. “This right here,” he continued. “It’s the first thing I saw on you. The first thing that reached out and grabbed me by the throat.”

Amber had come up to rest on her elbows by then and was looking at him. Was he saying he’d checked her feet out first?

“Simply beautiful,” he said with a shake of his head, before lowering it once more and kissing the tip of her big toe.

Amber’s fingers clenched in the sheet.

He kissed the next toe and the next and…wait, was she trembling?

His magical fingers continued massaging the ball of her foot, while his tongue moved slowly over the top of her foot, creating mini circles of pleasure that shot straight up her leg and hitting her center like a bullseye.

He was going to do the same thing to the next foot, Amber knew without even considering the possibilities. The second that shoe was off, she braced herself, all but pulling the thin comforter off that bed. When he was finished and Amber thought she would never breathe normally again, Brandon continued to stand at the end of the bed and undressed.

Inch after inch of skin was revealed, mound after mound of muscle. He wasn’t a small framed man, she’d known that from the stretch of his shirt over his broad shoulders and chest, but now she was seeing it firsthand. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him, but his thighs were huge flanks of muscle, his arms almost like the proverbial cannons. His waist was toned, buttocks round and firm. Yeah, she’d missed a part, but really, there were no words to describe it. None. At. All.

“I told you this would happen,” he said as he moved closer, using his knee to push her legs further apart.

“I knew,” she spoke finally. “I knew from that first moment.”

Just like she knew without him sinking an inch inside of her that this was going to be the best sexual experience she’d ever had.

He ripped that thong away and had her thighs up on his shoulders in even less time. The quick lick of his tongue through her slit was like striking a match and Amber immediately exploded. He didn’t spend a lot of time there, licking and sucking, feasting, but it didn’t matter, the time he did was electrifying. When he pulled back the next thing Amber felt was his thick length. Unable to resist she came up on her elbows once more, staring down at the thick crest of his erection separating her vulva lips. How erotic was it to watch him sinking inch by inch into her, not nearly as blissful as it felt to have him easing so slowly and surely into her waiting cove.

He moved like he didn’t want it to end, which was just fine because Amber didn’t want that either. She loved the feel of him deep inside of her, his hands reaching up to cup her breasts and squeeze. Her head moved from side to side as she lifted her hips to meet his thrusts. When he pulled back and grasped her ankles, spreading her legs into a wide V, Amber wanted to scream out his name, but she refrained. How was she supposed to act when what she thought would be great sex was quickly turning into mind-blowing sex?

“Come for me,” he said through gritted teeth. “Let me know this is what we both expected, baby. Come for me, please.”

Amber touched her breasts then, squeezing them the same way Brandon had, tweaking the nipples and moaning with the sensations that filled her from his ministrations. He pumped into her fiercely now and she couldn’t help it, she did, whisper his name. Well, maybe not quite whisper. “Brandon!” she yelled when her thighs began to tremble.

He continued to thrust. Pulling almost all the way out and then sinking so fast and deep in once again. She was wet and he was hard. He’d begun to sweat and she was about to come.

“Brandon, please,” she moaned. “Please.”

“Thank you, baby,” he whispered, licking his tongue over his lips. “Thank you.”

One hand slid down her leg to touch the tightened bud of her clit and he rubbed as rhythmically as he pumped, until she couldn’t see, couldn’t think, could barely form coherent words.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” would just have to do.

Brandon slowed down, releasing her legs until they rested on the bed as he stroked the inside of her thighs with his hands. He still moved inside of her, but with measured strokes that seemed to stir the thick cream she’d released. Amber wanted to get up, she wanted to give him something in return, but damn, her bones felt like jelly. That is, until he shifted pulling his length from her and moving her off the bed. He had her bent over and was thrusting inside her from the back with a quick motion. Amber took a deep breath and grabbed hold of that comforter once more.

She backed up against each of his thrusts this time, tossing her ass back until the sounds of her skin smacking against him echoed throughout the room. He moaned and she gasped as she could swear they were rocking this room harder than the actual cruising ever could. He smacked her ass and the sound echoed loudly throughout the room. Amber bit her bottom lip, feeling the delicious build-up of another climax coming soon. Brandon came first this time, holding her hips tightly in his hands as his release ripped through him. Mere seconds later she was trembling and coming right along with him, her heart thumping wildly in her chest as she thought she’d been so wrong about how this sexual encounter was going to go.

It wasn’t great. It wasn’t magnificent. It wasn’t, even as she’d declared a bit earlier, mind-blowing.