Key West Wild (The Florida Keys Series) (22 page)

“Thank you for showing up,” she whispered and kissed his cheek. She knew he wanted to kill Josh several times during their undercover time, but by showing up here meant he accepted them. He took her hand and placed it over Josh’s.

“I’ll always be here for you, sis,” he said and bowed out, leaving the two to finish the ceremony. The crowd roared when the preacher said to kiss the bride.

Josh gathered her in his arms. “I love you, baby.”

She held his gaze. “I love you, Joshua Eden. Let’s go home.”

“Ah, there’s where you’re wrong. I have more planned for our honeymoon.”

“What? More? I have all I need right here in front of me,” she whispered.

“I made my own itinerary.” He reached in his back pocket and handed her a folded sheet of paper. “When I was in the hospital, I made this.”

She took the list and reached around him, stuffing it back in his pocket. “Ah, that can be another adventure. First, I want to get Key West wild, with my husband.”

He kissed her again, a long, lingering kiss, one that she had waited for since he went missing.

“I found the perfect spot for us,” Josh said, nuzzling her neck. They walked, arms wrapped around each other, to the pier and he helped her into the waiting speedboat, the one with a just married sign tied to the back, streamers and balloons floating on top of the water.

“Where are we going?” she asked, but didn’t care. As long as she could wake up in his arms, nothing else mattered.

<><>

A gentle gulf breeze blew across Sara’s skin. She yawned and stretched. “This is heaven but without you, these Egyptian sheets are cold.” She turned her head to see a panoramic view of blue sky and white clouds, so close she could almost touch them. The French doors were wide open and her husband stood at the balcony, his face solemn, looking out over the sea.

She slipped out of bed, picked up the closest piece of clothing she could find and slipped it over her head, taking in his scent that still lingered on the white tshirt. A secret smile crossed her face as she stepped over clothing strewn across the hardwood floor, memories of one of the hottest nights ever playing in her mind.

Josh had sped across the water in the scarab in the darkness, the sea surrounding them with the moon light to guide their journey. Soon, tiny torches lit up a private island and he pulled up to the dock where a beautiful, dark haired woman stood waiting for them. Her waist-long hair blew in the night breeze and she wore a long white gown that rippled over her sun-kissed skin down to her bare feet. It eerily reminded Sara of an angel of mercy. A tray with two glasses of champagne was in her hands and she held it out for them.

Josh and Sara took the crystal goblets and followed her from the dock, down a long path and past mangrove trees until they came to the beautiful landscaped path leading to their honeymoon quarters. After that, Sara remembered Josh picking her up and carrying her over the threshold and they spent a night of bliss loving each other until the morning hours.

Sara hugged herself, smiling, dreaming of how she would spend the rest of her day with her man.

“Penny for your thoughts,” he said. He turned from the balcony, his eyes filled with a need so strong Sara almost stepped back. He reached out to take her hand and pull her to him. She leaned in to him and he wrapped his arms around her.

“You’re so intense at times,” she whispered, looking up in to dark eyes. “It scares me and yet it’s what makes me want to love you more.”

“I hope I can be the man you need, Sara. I promise I’ll always love you and take care of you. As long as I have a breath inside of me, you’ll never have to fear anything, ever.”

His words drew a tear that slipped down her cheek and he brushed it away. “My only wish is to make you happy, my love, and I’ll do my best to give you the normal life you dreamed of since forever,” she promised.

Their kiss sealed the promises made to each other and Sara knew life with a secret agent would be trying, but she didn’t want it any other way.

“Let’s have breakfast,” he said, his voice full of emotion. He led her to a table covered in white linen, along with two covered plates and a vase with a beautiful single, red rose. He pulled a chair out and she sat, gazing at her husband with love.

He raised a brow. “What?” she asked, then followed his gaze to a small folded paper beside her covered plate.

Delicate fingers picked it up, curious, realizing it was his itinerary.

“Read it,” he urged her.

She did and blushed. “Josh, this is so naughty. You can’t put this stuff on an itinerary!”

He took her hand and brought it to his cheek. “Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong, love. If you can put boinking the hottest guy in Key West, I thought perhaps -”

She got up and crawled in his lap, their breakfast forgotten. “Oh Josh, you’ve made me so happy. I can’t wait to start on the list.”

They heard a loud splash in the water by the docks. Standing by the railing, arms around each other, Sara and Josh watched in wonder at the three dolphins swimming in the water, close to a houseboat tied to the dock. “Who’s boat?” Sara asked.

Josh gathered her closer. “The caretaker. Remember the woman who met us at the pier last night?”

“Barely.”

He grinned. “She lives on the houseboat and takes care of this private retreat. We won’t even notice her while we’re here. She shows up to restock the food and wine and if a guest calls her.”

Sara gathered his face in her hands. “If I weren’t so sure of you, I’d be a bit jealous. She’s stunning. Look at her.”

They both turned to see her dive off the sun deck of the houseboat, a perfect tanned body hitting the water. She swam with the dolphins and Sara looked on in wonder as the fish swam around her, splashing their tails.

“You have nothing to worry about, baby.” He nuzzled her neck, trailing light kisses across her skin.

“Who owns this piece of heaven,” Sara wondered out loud, between gasps of joy as he nibbled on her.

“Ah, let’s say it’s a company perk. Let’s forget about her and this island and concentrate on us, Mrs. Eden. This may be the first and last time we’re here on company time.”

Sara looked in to his eyes searching for the truth. “Are you telling me you’d give up the agency?”

“When I got hurt, all I wanted to do was hold you in my arms. When they found me, I lost all feeling in my legs, even though it was temporary. I would never put a burden like that on someone else. That’s why I made Morgan promise not to tell you. But he sucker-punched me in the gut, more or less, with some harsh words. Between my sister and Morgan, they made me realize I’m not complete without you.”

“I love you.”

Josh kissed her soft lips. “This job has been my life for many years. It’s been intense and crazy and it was all I ever wanted. But now I found you. I’m officially retired at the end of the month.”

“We have the bed and breakfast to fall back on.”

He laughed. “We’ll see. I am thinking we’re lousy at running it though. Let’s just take one day at a time and meanwhile, we can get Key West wild, wife.”

“Whatever you wish, I’m at your command, husband.”

Josh gathered her closer, his soft, yet intense kisses making her gasp again. “That, my love, is on the itinerary.”

She laughed out loud, followed by a giggle, ending with a tiny gasp. “I know. We may never get done with the list.”

He picked her up in his arms as she shrieked. “We may as well get started.”

The End

A Note From The Author

Thank you for reading the Florida Keys Series, book three. If you enjoyed Josh and Sara’s adventures, please follow this link to
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Have you read the first book of the series, What Tomorrow Brings? It’s the story of Maggie McCoy and Jake Hatfield. She is a best selling author who jets to the Florida Keys for a much needed get-a-way. She thinks she’s all alone only to find Jake living on the property.

What’s a girl to do when she’s on a deadline? Here’s an excerpt from
What Tomorrow Brings
:

Chapter One

Maggie yawned and shook her head. She felt a wet tongue on her cheek and warm air creep up her nose. As she forced her eyelids open, she already knew who would be staring her in the face!

“Doggie, get! Go on!” Her hand instinctively reached out and rubbed the long haired setter’s shiny coat. Like clockwork, every morning when the sun came up, Maggie tried to do a bit of work on the lounger outside her rental unit and this dog without a name would give her a kiss just as she was about to doze. Each time without fail she tried to discipline the pup but it never worked. There was just something about a big, soft-haired animal licking your face that made her cave in to his sweetness.

“I’m sorry,” a deep voice cut through the air behind her. “Jax, come here.”

The pup jumped off Maggie and ran over to the deep voice, it’s tail wagging back and forth. It was about time the owner showed up, she thought. Maggie was starting to wonder if the dog wasn’t a stray and yet the fenced in yard was proof that the hairy dog belonged right here.

She turned her head slightly then slid dark shades down her nose. Wow, wow! A wet man stood by the patio where he had just come around the corner, droplets of water cascading from every inch of rock hard ripped flesh. The sun shone in her eyes, but she could plainly see he wore very little except a low cut pair of shorts and a towel carelessly flung around his neck. Dark hair, a bit long and plastered against his head and a stubble along his chin made him appear very rugged and sexy.

A slow smile crept across Maggie’s face.

“I know. That’s usually the reaction I get.”

“Are you serious? You just said that?” She stared at him. He was not only a hunk as her Mother would say, but a bit haughty as well. Weren’t those kind of men a thing from the past, like back in the sixties?

He grinned, “I’m talking about Jax. He knows how to charm the hearts of pretty women.” His deep smile caught her off guard and the compliment didn’t hurt a bit. She blinked and tried to focus. Did he just wink at her?

Maggie really didn’t have time for this charmer right now and was about to tell him so. She opened her mouth, then clamped down on her bottom lip, remembering her Mothers famous words. Don’t give the devil his do, Kate McCoy always said. Instead, she was thinking that this man, who was tall and dark with droplets of wet dripping from a well maintained body was just like one of her self proclaimed heroes in her best selling romance novels. Were the gurus right, she wondered, when they said if you keep thinking and believing something that it would actually happen right before your eyes? Did that whole ‘secret’ thing actually work? Had she conjured up a man from the waters of the sea?

Maggie sighed. Being captivated by any man was not on the agenda today. This was not the reason she was in the Florida Keys.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “I must apologize for Jax jumping on you. I’m pretty certain this wasn’t the first time it happened. I try to keep him from doing that, but he’s pretty quick the minute the door opens. He knows when someone is on the property and makes it his purpose in life to lick anyone who’s out here.”

Maggie grinned and shaded her eyes with her hand, then realized her sunglasses were still hanging on the tip of her nose. She pushed them back up and tipped her head. “Apology accepted. I really don’t mind, to tell you the truth. The last few days he actually saved me from falling asleep out here and getting burned. It’s very easy to do.”

“The lure of the water and scenery tends to do that,” the man muttered. He strolled over to where Maggie was lounging in her chair and held out his hand. “I’m Jake Hatfield and you’ve already met Jax.” At the sound of his name, the pup wandered over and sat by his owner. “You must be Maggie McCoy.”

She stretched out her hand, laughing in delight.

Jake laughed too, a rich, deep sound that made him seem way too sexy and she was sure he knew it. “ My company rep did comment on that,” he replied. “It didn’t seem so funny then.” He bent down beside the lounge chair, his eyes level to hers. “I understand you want privacy to work and you have no worries here. This is one place where you will have it, except for Jax there.”

Maggie squirmed in her seat. “I was under the impression that I was going to be alone,” she told him. She looked down at her hand and realized he had encased it into both of his now, holding on to her a bit longer than usual. She nodded to their hands and shook herself loose from his grip, then cocked her head and stared at him. “Was that appropriate?”