Laila's Bargain

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Laila’s Bargain ISBN 9781419914621 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Laila’s Bargain Copyright © 2008 Reese Gabriel Edited by Pamela Campbell. Photography and cover art by Les Byerley. Electronic book Publication February 2008 With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/) This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

LAILA’S BARGAIN

Reese Gabriel

Reese Gabriel

Chapter One Leave it to Matthew to answer the door half naked. Leave it to him to have no shame, either, greeting Laila like he was an old friend instead of the serial commitment-phobe who had broken her heart into itty-bitty pieces two years ago. “Laila Prescott,” he drawled, leaning his calendar-perfect body against the doorframe of his run-down beach bungalow. “You’re looking good, baby doll.” Laila did her best not to react to the pet name, not to mention the proximity of his bronzed skin, honed and muscled from his bare chest all the way to his narrow waist and strong thighs. He smelled of musk and sea salt. His sandy brown hair was longer now, curled, tousled. The way he wore those khaki shorts so low on his hips made her want to reach out and slide her trembling fingers under the waistband to grab his cock. And what a cock it was—thick and hard and pulsing—the best she had ever seen or felt inside her. Baby doll. Words whispered in her ear, making her feel safe, wanted, treasured, needed and desired. In Matthew’s arms—in his bed—she had learned what it meant to be a woman, to be swept away, comforted…taken. What nerve he had. Talking like nothing had ever happened. “Coming here is hard enough,” Laila pronounced, attempting to keep her voice steady. “Without you calling me that.” His stance remained open, relaxed. She hated how confident he was, how completely, unapologetically male.

4

Laila’s Bargain

“Not sure how to make things much easier,” he said. “You’re the one who left. You’d have to tell me.” Oh, no, he was not going to go there. “You know very well why I left, Matthew.” She trembled slightly, resisting that old pull, so strong after all this time. “You practically forced me out the door.” A part of her wanted him to fight back. He didn’t. Some things never change. “Two sides to every story.” He shrugged. “So what brings you back to Paradise Island? I don’t have your toothbrush anymore if that’s what you’re looking for.” Laila took a deep breath. The only way forward was to bury the past. She had a purpose in coming here—a life and death purpose. “I’m looking for Bobby. Have you seen him?” Matthew’s handsome brow furrowed. His full lips curled downward into a slight frown. He had been close to Leila’s younger brother, almost like a big brother. “I haven’t seen Bobby since you left. I thought he was with you on the mainland.” “He’s gone missing,” Laila explained. “No one’s heard from him in a week. He doesn’t answer his phone, he—” She broke off. She was nearer to tears than she had realized. It must be the combination of all the stress over Bobby plus seeing Matthew again. She had loved this man once, honest to god, she had thought he might be the one. The last thing she needed to do now was show weakness in front of him. “Come on in. Let’s sort this out.” Laila dared not move. It wasn’t the same place they had shared together but it was damn similar. Memories flooded back—the power he had had over her, casting a spell to make her forget her life, her responsibilities. She could have stayed on this island forever,

5

Reese Gabriel

making love to this man, playing kinky sex games, sipping margaritas, dancing on the beach. Things like that aren’t meant to last and men like Matthew never settle down. Just one of those cruel rules in life. “Laila?” The sound of her name jarred her to the present. She nodded, entering the bungalow. The new place looked much like the old, decorated in contemporary American bachelor. A torn sofa, held up by blocks, sat in the corner. He had several fishing poles and a tackle box on the kitchen counter. Empty beer and rum bottles lined the top of a single bookcase. A pack of cards and a leftover pizza box adorned the coffee table. She recognized the easy chair he had inherited from his father—the only thing the old man had left him. Laila had tried to civilize Matthew, introducing him to such rudimentary concepts as placemats and monthly refrigerator sweeps for hazardous foods. She had moved in just three weeks after their whirlwind romance had begun at a tiki bar, of all places. He had made the first move, pure Matthew—brash, completely artless…and totally devastating. “What’s it going to take…” He had approached her, looking sexy as hell in a Hawaiian shirt and white slacks. “To get you into bed?” A lesser man could never have pulled it off. “Wow,” she had replied dryly. “That was subtle.” “I see something I want, I go for it,” he had said, not in the least intimidated by her sarcasm. “So what are you drinking?” “A rum runner. Purchased for me by my fiancé.” “You don’t have a ring on.” “It’s in the hotel room.” 6

Laila’s Bargain

“You’re lying.” “What are you? Some kind of detective?” That was the first time she had seen the smile—subtle, definitely lopsided, devilmay-care. “As a matter of fact, yes.” “Police?” “Private.” “If you expect me to make some remark about private dicks…forget it.” “What I expect is a chance to kiss you.” His voice had been a rasp—rich, dark and deep. Her body had been beside itself. Screaming can we, can we, please? to her brain. “And why would I let you,” she had said. “I don’t even know your name.” He had moved in close and put his hand on her arm. “Matthew,” he had said, sealing the words with his lips on hers. “Matthew Hardin.” She had reacted in shock, the electricity quickly arcing through her body. It was a most thorough introduction, his mouth surprisingly gentle even as it thoroughly claimed her, getting to know her, letting her know what he would do. Laila had never kissed a stranger, let alone on some tourist island. She had come down here with her younger brother to get away from the stress of dealing with her family’s money. She had wanted serenity, strictly G-rated. Instead she had gotten Matthew. She had been wet when he had finally released her—panties damp, nipples primed. “What have you got to lose?” he had said, his eyes burning holes into hers. “Everything,” she had whispered back. Truer words had never been spoken. Fifteen minutes later they had made it to her hotel room, tearing at each other’s clothes, desperate to reach each other’s bodies, like long-lost lovers. And yet all of it was new, as if she had never known a man at all, never caressed a pair of biceps, never 7

Reese Gabriel

nibbled at a man’s smooth dark nipples, never curled her fingers teasingly around an erection, never elicited that moan from deep in his throat that meant you were about to be fucked—thrown down over the nearest surface and entered, plunged into because you are the madness for him and also the cure. He has to come into your hot pussy or die. Oh god, it was good—molten, borderline anonymous. Sex in every position, multiple orgasms on both sides, not a wink of sleep, the perfect one-night stand. Only the next morning, they had been still hungry…and not for breakfast. They hadn’t separated that day or the next, or the one after that. “Have a seat,” Matthew interrupted her reverie. He was gesturing to a metal folding chair that was free of debris. “It’s not much but it’s home.” “I would rather stand, thank you.” It wasn’t the decor. She just didn’t want to get too comfortable in the environment he called home. Never again. “Suit yourself. So tell me what’s going on.” She took a deep breath. Much as she hated to admit it, Laila actually felt a little better in his presence than she had been since the whole ordeal began. Yes, she was definitely drawing strength from his cool, calm demeanor. Matthew had always had that effect on her, when he wasn’t driving her insane. “The last I heard from Bobby was eight days ago. He was heading here to the island. He was vague about his plans and he didn’t mention any return date. When I quizzed him on it, he started talking about treasure hunting and a few minutes after that he said he had to go.” “What do you mean, treasure hunting? What exactly did he say?” Laila picked up on the tone of his voice. Matthew was taking note, concerned but not panicking. She couldn’t imagine Matthew ever losing his head.

8

Laila’s Bargain

“He said this guy Geronimo was going to take him on as an assistant. They had some mission coming up—looking for a sunken galleon. Does that make sense?” “Maybe. Maybe not.” As usual, he was hedging his bets, refusing to commit. It was her turn to frown. “You’re not telling me something.” “You tell me something first. Did you come here just to see if I knew where Bobby was or did you want my services as a private investigator?” “You’re the best, aren’t you?” “So I’ve been told.” Matthew never bragged but he didn’t go in for false modesty either. “Naturally you will be paid. It’s not like you would do it out of family friendship or anything.” She hadn’t intended for that to come out so bitterly. Oh, well, he had it coming, didn’t he? His gray eyes darkened instantly. She recognized it as strong emotion. How well she had learned to read the nuances, the fine gradations of shading. Many times it had been the only way to know what Matthew was really feeling, assuming he felt anything at all. “What more do you want me to do?” he had said the day before she left him. “What you see is what you get. I am what I am, baby doll.” It hadn’t been enough. What choice did she have, really? “You want a ride to the airport?” he had asked. “I’ll call a cab,” she had replied. And just like that it was over, the most torrid love affair of her life. “What I feel for Bobby as a friend,” Matthew told her now, “is something you wouldn’t understand. I have no interest in your money but I will keep this aboveboard with you, strictly professional. My fees are five hundred a day plus expenses.” 9

Reese Gabriel

“Fine.” She practically spit the word. How dare he try to take a moral high ground with her. The feeling of peace and security she had felt a few moments ago turned into raging ire, hatred for him and for herself too, for being so naïve. How could she have forgotten how harsh he could be, how quickly he could turn? A rose this perfect had to have thorns. Beauty never had a heart in real life, only in fairy tales. “I’ll need a retainer,” he said. “If that’s not a problem.” “It’s my fucking brother, Matthew, don’t insult me.” She whipped out her checkbook. “Just give me a number.” He quoted a figure and she filled in the digits, furiously stroking with the pen. She handed the check over. Without looking at it, he tucked it into the pocket of his shorts. For the millionth time since coming here, she tried not to look at his crotch. “So when do we start?” He arched a brow. “We?” “I’m in this with you, every step of the way.” He shook his head. “No, Lai, you’re not.” “You are working for me,” she snapped. “And as your boss I am telling you I go everywhere you do.” “You would only hold me back. You will make this impossible.” Laila shook out her auburn curls, defiant. “You’re so arrogant. Did it ever occur to you I might be of some help?” “How?” “I have known Bobby his whole life. I have intuition. I think like him. Show me the ropes, give me clues, I can do this.” “So why do you need me? Find him on your own.” Laila steeled herself. She would not sink to his level. “Why can’t we be a team? You’re the professional and I’m…well, I’m the one paying, that’s all.”

10

Laila’s Bargain

Matthew narrowed his gaze, indicating he had something else on his mind. “There’s something I need to know, Lai.” She hated him calling her Lai. It was almost as bad as baby doll. To everyone else she had always been Laila, before and since. “What is it, Matthew?” Funny how she had never had pet names for him. He had always been just plain Matthew. She had never thought about it before. Did it mean anything? “I need to know how long it’s been since you’ve been with a man,” he said. It took a couple of moments for the words to register. She reacted accordingly. “What fucking business is that of yours? Do you have any idea how…how inappropriate that is?” Actually it had been six months, eighteen if you counted since she’d had an orgasm. She would be damned if Matthew Hardin would find that out, though. “If we’re going to be in close proximity I’m going to have to factor in your libido,” he said, outdoing himself for unmitigated gall. “Face it, we have a history of not keeping our hands off each other, you and I.” “No, you have a history of not keeping your hands off me,” she shot back. “Tell me you don’t want to touch me now,” he challenged. “Tell me you’re not thinking of running your hands over my chest…my crotch. It’s nothing to be ashamed of—you’re a beautiful, vital female.” Out of reflex, Laila slapped him—hot, hard and fast—before the words could sink in. “How’s that for putting my hands on you, motherfucker?” Matthew had an answer. He always did. Moving in like lightning, he took hold of her wrist and pinioned it midway up her back. She was powerless to resist. The kiss was hard, punishing. He kissed as if she was 11

Reese Gabriel

still his, as if he owned not only her past but her present and future. His lips talked their own language. You can run, baby doll, but you can’t escape. You’ll always come back to me and this proves it. She squirmed but it only served to rub her breasts against his pectoral muscles, nipples chafing under the thin blouse. The fleshy buds tightened inevitably. Moisture pooled between her thighs, rapidly soaking her silk panties. A moan escaped her throat unbidden. He captured the sound, sucking it into his mouth even as his rock-hard erection pressed into her pelvis. A single masculine hand moved down her back, cupping her ass cheek, drawing her closer still. It wasn’t close enough. Too many clothes on—she wanted to be naked. Oh, fuck, we’re going to end up in bed at this rate…if we make it that far. Abruptly he pushed her away. “You see? You’re hot,” he accused. “You wouldn’t be able to keep your mind on work for ten seconds.” Laila clenched her fists. The bastard had tricked her. Well, two could play that game. “What about that dick of yours, cowboy? It damn near punched a hole in my skirt it was so hard.” Matthew scowled. He hated to be contradicted. “Speaking of skirts, Lai, why did you wear that particular one, I wonder?” “What are you talking about?” she demanded. The skirt was white and pleated, just above the knee and perfectly conservative, a very nice match with her pink blouse and sandals. She had deliberately picked these clothes so as not to send him the wrong message, letting him think she was there for anything other than business. “You look like a goddamn sex kitten, that’s what I’m talking about!” She flushed red. “Only to a sex pervert like you.”

12

Laila’s Bargain

She knew she shouldn’t care that he found her attractive after all this time. She ought to be upset, in fact. “If you’re accusing me of wanting to fuck you, I stand guilty as charged. I never stopped wanting to fuck you, Lai. You gave me the best sex of my life.” Laila’s breath caught in her throat. She was afraid she would start panting in reply to his lustful confession. “I shouldn’t have come here.” “But you did. And now we have to deal with the implications. All of them.” She didn’t like the sound of that. “What do you mean…all?” “I’m adding something to my fee,” he announced. “More money? Fine. You know I can afford it.” It was the trust fund provided for her by her aunt that had allowed her to extend her vacation indefinitely on the island to be with Matthew in the first place. Finances were not an issue for her or her brother. Unfortunately wealth brought other problems, such as boredom, in her brother’s case, and endless legal hassles in hers. Also loneliness. They had barely known their parents before the deadly plane crash that had taken them away ten years ago. Aunt Lucy had been as kind as possible as a surrogate parent but the Prescott family’s blue blood left little room for traditional family warmth. “It’s not your money I want,” said Matthew. “What I’ll have from you…is you.” Laila’s defenses shot up. “What do you mean, you’ll have me? If you think there’s some chance of a relationship after all this time—” She couldn’t finish the sentence. A relationship was the last thing Laila wanted. Wasn’t it? “Not a relationship, baby doll. Just your body.” Her knees went weak. “Excuse me?” “If we work together you will sleep with me, where and when I say.” She waited for a punch line. Hearing none, she laughed on her own. 13

Reese Gabriel

“You must be insane. The sun has warped your brain.” He didn’t crack a smile. “It’s the only way. We will have to relieve the tension or it will build and build and we’ll be at each other’s throats.” “I can handle my tensions just fine, thank you,” she bristled. “No, you can’t. You’re a wreck. Look at yourself. You have any idea of the circles under those eyes? You need an orgasm and you know it.” “Not from you. Sorry, it’s a deal breaker.” “You’re free to leave.” He shrugged in that totally exasperating way of his, that way that said “I’m a man and I’ll take it my way or leave it”. If only she could have figured out how to play the game, to make him want her more than she wanted him, how differently things might have gone. “I can find other PIs,” she said. “I can call the police for help.” He chuckled. “Who? Constable Akers? Come on, Lai, you were around long enough to know the score. He’s a helluva nice guy but he couldn’t find his way out of a paper bag with a map.” Matthew was right. The kindly policeman with the handlebar mustache and clipped British accent was always good for a tall tale at the local watering hole and a good showing at the island’s annual Carnival parade but not much else. As for any other PIs she might scrounge up, they would never hold a candle. Matthew was good. He was tough. He was relentless. He did not give up. Ever. Too bad he couldn’t carry that ethic into his personal relationships. A former surfer, an Army Special Forces veteran and all-around good guy he was liked by every man on the island and lusted after by every female. A lucky few like her had ended up shacked up with the man, though it was a oneway ticket to disaster. “A gentleman would never behave this way.” She tried to appeal to his sense of honor. “Using Bobby’s disappearance as a chance to leverage cheap sex.” 14

Laila’s Bargain

His laugh was rich and deep, toe-curling. Moments like this reminded her just how like a lion he was—proud, free. Untamed. “You are many things, Laila Prescott, but cheap is not one of them.” “You can fuck me,” she said, standing her ground with all the dignity she could muster. “But I won’t enjoy it.” He laughed again. “I had almost forgotten what a terrible liar you were. Your nose wrinkles every time.” She tried to hold her nose still. “And I had almost forgotten what a complete and utter bastard you are,” she shot back. Matthew ignored her. “We are going to drive over and talk to a couple of people I know…right after a shower.” “Knock yourself out.” His hands went to his hips, imperious. “You’re coming with me.” She looked at him, blinking. Up to now it hadn’t quite seemed real. “You’re serious about this, aren’t you? You intend to force me to have sex with you? An unwilling woman, one who walked out on you two years ago?” Matthew treated her to a wink. “Maybe I’m looking for a little revenge.” Her mouth opened but nothing came out. Her pussy was on fire. It felt so wicked and hot, him wanting to take her this way, claiming power and leverage, using her for nothing but sexual relief. With no strings attached and no expectation of a relationship whatsoever. “I-I need a beer first,” she said. He arched a brow. “First time I ever heard you stutter, girl. Beer is in the fridge, in the vegetable drawer.” Laila gasped. He was taking his shorts off right there in the living room. 15

Reese Gabriel

“Wh-what are you doing?” “Getting naked, Lai. It’s what you do before a shower.” The shorts slid to the floor. He was magnificent, already half erect, his testicles swollen and full. She had almost forgotten that, as good as he looked scantily clothed, he was stunning naked. As if he were born to model for some great artist—Michelangelo or Rodin. His body was a gift, requiring hardly any effort to maintain. If anything, the last two years had made him leaner, harder, more dangerously delicious. Dear lord, why hadn’t she told him she had a fiancé? Of course she had already tried that ploy at the tiki bar, for all the good it had done her. From the first time she had looked into his eyes, she had been captivated. Not only did those steely gray depths speak of how he intended to possess her, they told her how much she would love it. Matthew stepped free of the shorts, flexing his calves, displaying his cock and balls. Not one ounce of self-consciousness in his motions. That was another thing that was so maddening about him. He knew he was gorgeous and didn’t dwell on it. It was a fact, like so many others in his life—some good, some bad. “Matthew, if you care at all about Bobby, how can you want to do this while he’s missing? Every minute that goes by only puts him in more danger,” she said. “We have to make time,” he said. “I don’t know about you but there’s no way I’m gonna be able to go the rest of the day without being inside you. I’ll be no use to Bobby or anyone else.” Her stomach did a hot flip. That’s what they were talking about in its most graphic terms—Matthew’s cock being inside her, taking up its one-time place of sovereignty. With that cock and the rest of his body, he had ruled her world from that very first night, the first kiss, the first possession.

16

Laila’s Bargain

She had traveled far, sought to dethrone him, but none had taken his place. There was no question she would let him back in. The question was, could she bear to let him go again? It was he who had fled her, long before she abandoned him. She had offered him everything and he had not wanted it. “You better get a move on if you want that beer, baby doll.” He was already padding toward the bathroom. “Keep me waiting too long and I’m liable to start without you.” Laila groaned inwardly at the thought of Matthew masturbating in the shower. She had used to adore him that way—stroking that long cock covered in thick lather, the veins on his neck straining, those sweet, deep masculine sighs, that look of sheer animal pleasure, muscles flexing, touching, squeezing, moving back and forth, just the way he liked best. If she played her cards right, he would release his seed on her cheeks and lips, bathing her in his thick, white cum. Screw the beer. Hurrying after him, she moved toward her fate. Molten, tumultuous…and dangerous as hell. For Bobby, she told herself, I’m only doing this for Bobby.

Laila was right behind him in the hallway. Was she the real thing or was he hallucinating? Sure had looked real at the door. Real good, that is. Better than ever in fact. A flame of red hair, fiery green eyes and that body to die for, all the way from her incendiary lips to the tips of her sexy painted toes, which she changed twice a week, never repeating a color twice the whole time he knew her. He would complain endlessly about the smell of nail polish but, man, had he missed it afterward. To this day he associated the sharp scent with visions of Laila on

17

Reese Gabriel

the porch, sea breeze in her hair, perched on that old rickety metal chair, tongue just touching her lip as she concentrated on dabbing the polish, her long bare legs enticing. More than once he had made her interrupt in the middle and had taken her off to make love. She would complain but none too vigorously. Laila Prescott. In his house, his hallway, breathing right behind him. Didn’t that beat all? Just stay still and sooner or later everything comes back around, went the old island saying. He could smell her perfume. Sweet vanilla mixed with spring rain. He smelled her heat too—raw Laila passion, as unique as it was intoxicatingly fragrant. She wanted this as much as he did. Her initial hostility only confirmed it. The two of them had always possessed an instant combustibility factor. For someone with so little experience, she had blown him away over and over. Damn it if she hadn’t ended up being the only woman who didn’t bore him in bed after the first few times. She was constantly fresh, under his skin like an addiction, always there to meet him position for position, game for game, mind-splitting, bodyexploding orgasm for orgasm. What a time they had shared. Don’t mess with a good thing. That was his motto. Laila had felt differently. She could no longer take his loving on the terms he gave, generous and sincere as they might have been. She’d wanted more, wanted different, wanted change. It was like the business with the drapes. The palm leaves outside worked just fine to keep the light out but she wanted drapes and in order to let people see the drapes she wanted him to cut the palm fronds. If something ain’t broke, you don’t fix it. 18

Laila’s Bargain

Matthew couldn’t wait any longer. Whirling about, he grasped her at the waist. “Matthew—” They weren’t going to make it to the shower. In the back of his mind he knew this wasn’t a very good idea. It was shaky logic at best, trying to balance sex with a missing person’s investigation. According to the theory at hand, a few quickies here and there would tamp down his overall desire and hers too. Right. Like you could open Pandora’s box a crack and let the demons out one at a time, nice and safe. She grunted as he pushed her against the wall. Her ankles had already found their way around him and locked. No time to remove those pretty little panties. They shredded in his hand. She moaned, her arms around his neck. She was shaking and so goddamn vulnerable. He felt her fear, tried to assuage it. Bobby was in trouble. Maybe bad trouble. Laila’s pussy was wet, hot, ready. He sank his cock to the hilt. He nearly came on the spot. So good. They fit perfectly, her muscles clenching and unclenching almost unconsciously like she was born to accommodate him, to pleasure him. His teeth found her neck the way he knew she loved. She pushed herself up against him. Goddamn those clothes she had on. He would tear them off if he had replacements.

19

Reese Gabriel

Come to think of it, he had kept some of her things—the shorts and swimsuit she had forgotten in her haste to get away from him. No time for that now. Matthew needed to come. He bit down on her flesh. Laila screamed, spasmed. She came before him—a torrent, a wildly bucking dance of impalement. Matthew growled, grunted and roared deep and low in his throat. His semen filled her, rushing down that familiar path, spurt after spurt. Laila met him with furious response, milking his pumping cock. They were in tandem, the result of dozens and dozens of couplings—learning, feeling out each other’s bodies. Some things you never forget. Like riding a bike. Laila laid her head on his shoulder as the last orgasm passed through her. Matthew felt his heart swell with that reflex sense of protecting a helpless creature. He had had that feeling often with Laila, as often as she had let him. She had her ways of holding back too, make no mistake. “Jeezus,” she whispered. He couldn’t miss the underlying tone, the unasked question. Now what? In his mind, Matthew saw the answer as a very long tightrope over an abyss. How to keep from killing or devouring each other with lust long enough to find that damn fool brother of hers, that was the challenge. Matthew would kick Bobby’s ass when they found him. In all the time they had spent together, hadn’t he taught him to watch out for scavengers and scallywags? There

20

Laila’s Bargain

were no such things as free rides or magic carpets. If something sounded too good to be true, it sure as shit was. Treasure hunting, my ass. Geronimo was a scam artist with friends who were a hell of a lot more dangerous. All the more reason to keep Laila close…and pliant. Like he had ever gotten her to take orders before. Matthew set her down on the floor, allowing her to smooth her clothes. Passion assuaged, the awkwardness rushed in. Like rigor mortis. So much unresolved history. “I’ll take my shower first,” he decided. “You can use it after me, if you want.” “Thanks.” She didn’t make eye contact. Matthew’s stomach clenched. Had he made a mistake? He went to the bathroom, got into the shower and let the ice-cold water run over his still-sensitive skin. Even so, the heat started building again. And a strange sense of power and control. Laila was his. For as long as the case continued, she belonged to him—her voluptuous body, her fiery spirit. Working the shampoo through his hair, he felt his cock swelling. Incredible. There had been almost no recovery time. Just like the old days. No other woman had ever turned him on like that. He imagined her with him, her soft feminine hands rubbing the soap over his chest, lightly caressing his nipples. His shaft aching, his balls desperate for release. Slowly, very slowly she would lower herself to her knees, part her lips and… “Matthew, are you going to be all day?” Laila was rapping at the door impatiently. “Hold your horses, woman,” he called out.

21

Reese Gabriel

Did she know? Did she have any idea he was ready to go again? Rinsing quickly, he shut off the water. He would give himself to the time they got in the pickup truck to get his erection under control. After that he would have to get some relief. Matthew did his best not to smirk, anticipating her reaction. Half kiddingly he had told her he might go for a little revenge. Was he more malevolent than he imagined? They would find out soon enough.

22

Laila’s Bargain

Chapter Two Just when she thought things couldn’t get any more outrageous… All Laila could do was sit there in the passenger seat, stupefied. Had he really just said what she thought? She had heard the words all right and she was pretty sure she understood them. It just wasn’t registering in her brain, her reality based, normal-seeking brain. Was there some chance this was all still a dream, a bizarre and horny nightmare brought on by late-night Mexican food and naughty movies on cable? Maybe if she repeated the request back to him it would vanish like so much nonsense. “You…you want me to…” The rest caught in her throat. “Suck my cock,” he said. “I’ll see to it you get pleasure in response.” “Right here?” she clarified. “Right now, in the truck?” “You needn’t swallow,” he offered magnanimously. The mention of swallowing helped her find her tongue. “Oh, Matthew, that’s so gracious of you. May I lick your feet when I’m done?” He took her hand and put it on his lap. He had changed into a pair of jeans and a Hawaiian shirt, much like the one he had worn when they met. She knew from experience that he used it to conceal his pistol when he worked, like a lot of law enforcement types. “I’m not playing games with you, Lai,” he said, letting her feel the outline of his erection. “We need to do something about this and we sure as hell don’t have time to get a motel room.” Her palm went damp with sweat. She licked her lips. 23

Reese Gabriel

Worshipping Matthew’s cock with her mouth was something she had dearly loved—the way he had responded to her, the way he made her feel safe, wanted…controlled. She had never been so sure of her sexuality. With the possible exception of those times when he would lick her pussy, compelling her to lie perfectly still on her back while he teased her clitoris into a slowmotion frenzy. She would not be allowed to come until she was frothing with need, beside herself with silent screams. Just when she’d thought she couldn’t take more, he would go to work on her nipples, tweaking, pulling, playing, as if they were his personal toys, as she was his toy. “You should have done something in the shower,” she chided. “I don’t masturbate without a woman present,” he rasped. “Or have you forgotten?” How could she? The shows he would put on, taunting her as he touched himself in all the ways she wanted to, building the expectation until she was whimpering, practically begging to attend to him with hands and lips. “I don’t see why you can’t wait. You must have women you can call on tonight.” “They’re substitutes, Lai. Always have been.” She felt a lump in her throat. This did not fit her image of him all these months— living it up, not giving her a second thought. “You want me to feel sorry for you?” “No.” He took hold of her hair, bending back her neck. Oh, wow, this was new. “Let go of me, Matthew.” She had wanted to sound indignant and decisive, though it had come out a whole lot softer than she wished it to be, almost as if a part of her wanted his roughness, his hard male passion. 24

Laila’s Bargain

“Tell me you don’t like it and I’ll stop,” he challenged. Laila said nothing. “I want to feel your mouth. I’m out of my fucking mind needing the way you used to suck me and nibble…hmm…you would almost bite me but not quite, remember?” “Yeah.” Her voice was as husky as his. He must have sensed something in her. “You need to be told to do it?” Her eyes betrayed her. He smiled. “Unzip me,” he ordered. Laila was powerless to stop her response. Something in the feel of his hand tight on her scalp was exciting but oddly comforting. It was all so irresistible, so wonderfully domineering and…primitive. Feeling for his pants, her eyes still on his, she went to work.

Matthew breathed deeply. Another step on the tightrope. Such a long way down. They had seldom played power games. It was an edge, a place Laila seldom liked to go and yet he had sensed a number of times that the idea excited her. He felt her fingers tremble now as she complied. What had seemed, a few minutes ago, an absurd, utterly self-serving request for oral sex now had its own mystique, a meaning between the two of them and an urgency that was only beginning to play itself out. “Take my cock out, play with it,” he urged. Matthew continued to hold her head, depriving her of the ability to see what she was doing. She began to caress him. The sensation was familiar but…different.

25

Reese Gabriel

He nearly came on the spot. “You know the power is really yours, right?” he said. “I’m the one who can’t hold back, the one who can’t see past…this.” “This” was her head gently but firmly lowered. She moaned eagerly, suctioning her lips, leaving no question that this was of her own free will. “That’s it, baby doll, suck my cock. Suck the hell out of it.” He felt the raunchy thrill, the illicit charge—the futility, even—of kindling a dead relationship. What were they? Not even fuck buddies because they weren’t buddies. She was the one he had thrown darts at for the better part of a year, drinking himself into a stupor over her and then picking fights. And lord knew, she hated him too. Sex with the ex. High-tension fucking. The best there is, right? “Shove your hand in your pussy,” he commanded. “Spread your thighs. Wide.” She shifted on the seat, her compliance only serving to inflame him further. “Wider!” Laila placed her knees at the sides of the seat. Her mouth was like a vacuum. Her tongue worked its way over the ridges of his shaft, multiplying his pleasure. She began to bite. “Son of a fucking bitch…” It was what he wanted. The little snaps of Laila’s teeth— tiny pinches of pain to mix with the pleasure. “Fuck your pussy,” he growled. Her hand disappeared up under the skirt. She had no panties now, thanks to her ferocious attack in the hallway. Good girl, good baby doll… She rocked her body against her hand, building, building. “No coming until I tell you.”

26

Laila’s Bargain

For his part, he intended to come on her glorious, heart-shaped face. Such a sweet beauty, an angel on Earth, with the dirtiest mind he had ever run across. And here they were kicking it up to a whole new level. She whimpered in disappointment as she pulled her head away from him. A line of saliva trailed from the corner of her pouting mouth all the way to the tip of his reddishpurple cock, glistening wet. “Touch it, take it, hold it and make me come.” Laila obeyed, grasping greedily with both hands. She rubbed his shaft quickly. Grunting, he tensed his muscles. This was it. She read his expression just right, knowing when he would release. She also guessed what he wanted or maybe it was what she wanted too. Eyes wide open, her lips between pearl-white teeth, she coaxed the drops of his emission over her face, cheeks, eyelids, even the tip of her nose. Matthew leaned over and reclined her seat, leaving her no choice but to let go. “Hands over your head,” he said. “Cross your wrists.” She did so, just as if she were tied. He made a mental note to try a little bondage on her. Once or twice they had played with fur-lined handcuffs, a novelty set really, though that was as far as it had gotten. Another of those edges they hadn’t crossed. Feeling especially wicked, he leaned over, extending his tongue. She gasped in shock as he proceeded to lick his come off her face. What was good for the goose was good for the gander. The taste was mild, surprisingly erotic. More than anything he wanted her reaction. He got it.

27

Reese Gabriel

She lifted her hips as he moved his hand in place. Another perfect fit, his fingertips along the groove, the tender, soft juncture of her labia. His throat constricted as he pressed just a little, opening her. The lips parted, dripping wet. He smelled her—clean and honey sweet. Tasting Laila’s pussy was a little challenging in their current confines, though it was more than worth the effort. Laila had resisted receiving oral sex at first but Matthew had been insistent. As far as he was concerned she was depriving him of one of the major joys of lovemaking. Put that way, it had been impossible for her to refuse. Like a lot of women, Laila had been the victim of that special brand of cretin who covers his lack of oral skill with a lot of excuses about cunnilingus being dirty or unpleasant. What could be farther from the truth? “Oh…oh…oh…” He had her bucking her hips already, reaching for his tongue. “Oh…Matthew.” He was right about her not being loved properly in a long time. Talk about a crime. A beauty like her should be pleasured night and day, her sex worshipped for the slice of heaven that it was. “I’m going to…come,” she cried out. “Go ahead,” he told her, redoubling his efforts, working his tongue over her sweet clitoris, pressing his mouth to her opening, drinking in the rich flavor. She was dripping wet, hot and as responsive as he had ever seen her. Laila’s body had obviously not forgotten its training to his touch, even if her heart had left him by the wayside. Supposedly the fault was his because he had been unable to say the words she had wanted to hear. 28

Laila’s Bargain

Hadn’t he shown her each and every day? She’d had her sights set on forever…and had cost them the bliss of the present. Was it anyone’s fault? Did it matter anymore? Laila reached for his head, unable to keep her hands out of play. He didn’t mind, in fact he welcomed her directing him, showing him what she liked. Rolling his tongue, he shoved it in and out like a small cock. Later, when their first round of inquiries was done, he would make love to her properly. Her mood would be different by then. Likely she would be standoffish, moody. He would have to win her all over again. That was her way. Reaching up, he took hold of her breasts through the blouse. The extra stimulation sent her rocketing into another climax. “Ohmyfucking…” She released a string of expletives. At last she collapsed, limp and sweat-soaked. Matthew reached into the glove compartment and retrieved a pack of cigarettes, a lighter and his .38 caliber police special with the clip-on holster. Clipping the gun onto the waistband of his jeans, he offered her a cigarette. “I quit,” she said, her chest rising and falling enticingly. “You’ll start again.” He lit one and put it to her lips. She inhaled dreamily, her soft green eyes still smoldering. “What are you doing to me, Matthew Hardin?” Matthew loved these initial post-coital moments when she was sated, philosophical. “I’m keeping the peace,” he declared. She watched him meticulously smooth down her skirt.

29

Reese Gabriel

“Do I really look like a sex kitten?” “A man would have to be dead not to want you, Laila. How can you not see that?” “I don’t know. Do you have any rum, Matthew?” “In the glove box.” Everything was there, including spare bullets, his PI and driver’s licenses and around a thousand worthless scratch-off lottery tickets. He had something else in there too, and if had to, he would use it on her, though only as a last resort. It was well concealed, wrapped in a piece of sheepskin so she was unlikely to find in on her own. Matthew started up the truck and headed up the narrow path between the bungalow and the nearby stand of palm trees. The road was gravel, winding down the coast. They would be traveling all the way to the far side of the island. Plenty of time to think about Bobby and who might be holding him. If indeed he had been kidnapped. The possibility existed. His family did have money, after all. Strange there had been no ransom note, though. “Go easy on that stuff,” Matthew said as she took a deep swig—her second. “What? Do you control what I drink now too? Why don’t I just call you Master and be done with it.” There she was—the smart-aleck Laila he knew so well. “I don’t need you drunk halfway through the day.” “Why not, I’m easier to fuck that way.” “Don’t worry about that, baby doll,” he shot back. “I will have you sober or any other way.” She shook her head. “That was the last time.” “Just save your breath. We have business to take care of.” “I mean it. Touch me again and I’ll scream rape.” Easy for her to say now, he thought. She was no longer horny. 30

Laila’s Bargain

“So where are we going?” she asked presently. “A bar,” he said, feeling far more irritable than was justifiable for a man who had just come twice with a gorgeous female. “A particularly nasty one I never took you to. You will wait in the truck for me.” She laughed, emboldened by the rum. “The hell I will.” “No more of that stuff,” he snarled. “Put the bottle back.” “What if I don’t?” “Then I will handcuff you. Look in the glove box if you think I’m bluffing.” She pulled out a pair of gleaming silver police cuffs and promptly threw them over her head and out of the truck. They landed on the road with a clatter. “Son of a bitch!” He slammed on the brakes. “What do you call that?” “Leveling the playing field.” Matthew muttered a curse and put the truck in reverse. Driving alongside the cuffs, he reached down to retrieve them. They were scratched, though that was the least of his worries. Turning back to the passenger seat, he saw it empty. Laila was gone.

“Laila, get back in this truck. Now.” Matthew continued to drive alongside her, going backward. She continued to ignore him. She needed space right now, time to think. Her whole world was upside down. She had half expected to come down here and find Bobby lounging in a hammock by the sea, laughing with Matthew or surfing some bodacious wave.

31

Reese Gabriel

Instead she had confirmed her worst fears. Not only didn’t Matthew know his whereabouts, he was obviously worried about this Geronimo character. So she had hired him to track down her brother. Matthew, typically, had demanded a steep price. Five hundred dollars a day plus expenses and…sex on demand. Like she was a frigging blow-up doll. He had some nerve. The unmitigated gall. Making her enjoy it too. Didn’t he have any idea how guilty that made her feel? How confused? It wasn’t worth it. There had to be some other way to get her brother back. “Lai! You’re acting like a child!” She whirled on him. “Don’t call me Lai. And don’t tell me how I’m behaving.” “Very well, Laila. You tell me how you’re behaving. Walking the wrong way, wasting precious time when we are supposed to be finding Bobby.” “Don’t you dare talk to me about Bobby,” she declared. “You have done nothing but paw me and critique me and harass me since I got here. You wanted revenge, you got it. I have been well and truly fucked.” “You’re being melodramatic. Christ, Laila, I am doing the best I can. You think I don’t have feelings? Am I not supposed to react at seeing you after all this time, having you show up out of the blue? And Bobby…you know how I love him.” Laila felt an unpleasant stab. Why couldn’t he have loved her? Listen to her—how petty could she be. Drinking the rum on an empty stomach had been a stupid idea. She had only sought to calm her nerves a little but now she was feeling a little woozy. Suddenly the truck was starting to spin around her and Matthew too.

32

Laila’s Bargain

“Laila, are you all right?” “I’m…” He was across the seat and out of the truck in a flash. Matthew caught her just before she hit the ground.

33

Reese Gabriel

Chapter Three Laila came to, coughing. “Easy,” Matthew murmured, kneeling beside her on the sand, his hand behind her back holding her up. “Don’t choke.” She sputtered out the water he was giving her to drink. “What? Where am I?” “You’re with me.” She reached for him, her cheek pressing against his chest. He held her tight. The contact seemed to surprise them both. She cleared her throat. “We were on our way to a bar,” she remembered. Matthew released her. He stood and helped her to her feet. His hand clasped hers firmly. She frowned, confused again. “We need to get going,” he said. “Yes.” Had it all been a dream? The wild sex? The rekindled passion? Matthew walked her to the truck and helped her inside. They drove in silence for a while. Things had calmed down. Was he right? Had the sex made the difference? “Tell me about this Geronimo,” she asked at last. “Is he a bad character?” “He’s harmless enough on his own. It’s the company he keeps.” “Is he a legitimate treasure hunter?” Matthew snorted. “He’s not a legitimate anything.” “Is Bobby really in danger?” she said, her voice nearly a whisper.

34

Laila’s Bargain

“I don’t know,” Matthew answered, taking a hard right down an unmarked road made of crushed stones. “But I aim to find out.” Laila braced herself on the dashboard as the truck began to vibrate wickedly, stones popping out from under the tires. The road ended abruptly in front of a corrugated steel building painted in three different colors—canary yellow, turquoise and red. A layer of rust showed through. A couple of old cars and a scooter were parked out front. It was overgrown with palm fronds on both sides but she could see the coast behind it, over the top of the tin roof. “Doesn’t look so bad,” Laila remarked. “Ever the cockeyed optimist,” he grumbled. I saw something good in you, she was tempted to say. They didn’t need to go there anymore, though, not today. The door was made of swollen ship’s timber—several pieces hammered together, Robinson Crusoe style. Inside, she could hear the beat of a steel drum and smell the heavy scent of rum. “Stay close to me,” Matthew ordered. “And don’t say a word.” “I know how to handle myself,” she replied irritably. One look at the patrons, though, and Laila was more than happy to stick like glue to Matthew. Better the devil you know, right? A pair of bearded men sat at a lopsided table, a bottle and two shot glasses between them. One wore a captain’s hat and the other had an eye patch. Like some kind of pirate movie. Both of them were sporting heavy-duty tattoos on their large arms. They were probably in their fifties, though they still looked tough as hell. A dark-skinned man, thin as a rail, stood in the corner smoking a cigarette. He wore a T-shirt and stained jeans. His eyes were red. He gave Laila the once-over. 35

Reese Gabriel

She shrank against Matthew, instinctively seeking male cover. “Matt, you son of a sea dog,” growled the bartender, a smooth-domed brown man with the neck of a bull. “Where ya bin hidin’ ya self?” He had the accent of a native—a mix of British and Creole. While officially an independent state, Paradise Island reflected its hodgepodge of cultural influences, from early Portuguese explorers to random Chinese sailors. It was a haven for adventurers. No wonder Bobby had been drawn to it. She only hoped he hadn’t come to this place. “Trying to keep on the straight and narrow, Leon, how about you?” The big man laughed—a hearty roar. “Ya know better than to ask me that now, don’t you?” “I should.” He put a hand on Laila’s back, guiding her to the bar. “I’ll take a whisky straight. Soda water for the lady.” Laila moved to object in favor of rum but a stern glance from Matthew caused her to hold her tongue. “Do you have something to eat back there?” Matthew asked. “Ya know I do,” the bartender chortled. Leon produced a couple of bowls, ladling some soup from a crock behind the bar. Laila inhaled the deep smell of gumbo, shrimp, corn, cayenne pepper. Her stomach growled. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was. Greedily, she skimmed off a spoonful. Delicious. “Do ya like it?” Leon asked. “It’s…heaven.” Leon laughed again. He reminded her of one of those Calypso singers spliced with a pro wrestler. Matthew didn’t touch his soup. “You seen Geronimo lately?” Leon raised a brow, indicating the man in the corner. 36

Laila’s Bargain

Laila wanted to look. Matthew squeezed her arm, signaling for her to keep her eyes straight ahead. “Can’t say as I have…” Leon’s answer suggested otherwise. Matthew nodded tersely. “So how’s the fishing these days?” he said, moving to a seemingly unrelated subject. “Always fishin’ around here somewhere. Heard tell a man, him caught a monstrous huge one by Smuggler’s Cay.” Leon’s ham-like hands were stretched wide to indicate the size, though Laila had a feeling he wasn’t talking about fish at all. “Interesting,” said Matthew. He swallowed his whisky. “Laila, finish your soup.” Brother, was he taking advantage of this being-in-charge stuff. She would give him a piece of her mind when the time came. “Yes, sir,” she said, unable to keep the sarcasm entirely from her voice. “She’s a feisty one, mon,” said Leon, approvingly. “Where ya bin keepin’ her locked away?” “She’s just a friend,” Matthew dismissed. Laila could feel the tension in his body. Did it have to do strictly with the danger of this place or was there more to his answer? Talk about keeping things locked away. “Duz yer friend have a name?” “I’m Laila.” She put out her hand. She could certainly be courteous if Matthew wouldn’t. “Pleased to know ya,” said Leon. “Though I think ya might want a warning before ya get in too deep with this one here.” “No warning necessary,” she said dryly. “So you and Matthew go back a long way, do you?” “Far enough,” said Leon with a twinkle in his eye. 37

Reese Gabriel

Laila definitely liked the man. In fact, she liked him a whole lot more than Matthew, right now. Not only was Matthew treating her like a bimbo, he was making no headway that she could see in finding out about Geronimo or Bobby. “Leon, can I ask you something? I’m here looking for my—” “Laila, that’s enough,” Matthew interrupted. “The man doesn’t need to hear your life story.” And she didn’t need to hear any more of his condescending bullshit. “Don’t you tell me what’s enough,” she protested. Matthew took her by the arm. “We’re done here,” he told Leon. Leaving a twenty-dollar bill on the bar, he promptly escorted her out. All business, he took her back to the truck. She had never seen him so purposeful, so completely, commandingly masculine. Unfortunately, in the middle of everything else, it was a big turn-on. “What was the meaning of that little stunt you pulled, missy?” he demanded, turning the truck around. She folded her arms, shielding her breasts. The pressure on her nipples was agonizing. So much for sexual relief. Was this ever going to end? “It wasn’t a stunt,” she said petulantly. “I was trying to get information, something you obviously didn’t care about.” “Open the glove box,” he said, his voice hard as steel. Her heart pounded like a rabbit’s. “You’re not going to handcuff me.” “No,” he agreed. “I’m not. There is a sex toy in there. Take it out. Use it.” She flushed crimson, though she tried to keep her composure. “And why would I do such an obscene thing?” “Because you need a good hard fucking and I’m not up to delivering it yet.”

38

Laila’s Bargain

“Screw you,” she shot back. “Screw you and the fucking horse you rode in on.” “This isn’t open for debate, baby doll. You’re going to pleasure yourself, right here where I can see.” “Do you have any idea what a sick man you are?” she demanded. “So I’ve been told.” Laila opened the glove box, glaring inside. “It’s wrapped in that piece of sheepskin in the back,” he said. She couldn’t reach for it quite yet. “You planned this all along, didn’t you?” “It was a contingency, depending on how ornery you got.” “I’m not ornery. I’m trying to be your partner.” “You’re doing a great job so far, Laila. You nearly got us killed back there.” “How?” “That man standing in the corner? He works for Graham Tolliver, one of the smugglers Geronimo deals with. Leon was letting me know it wasn’t safe to talk openly, so he used code, telling me where to find Geronimo. But you knew that, didn’t you? You just had to do it your way.” “It’s my brother,” she exploded. “You don’t even have to be in this mess, if I’m too much of a damn nuisance for you.” “You aren’t a nuisance,” he replied, his voice steady, a rudder in the storm that was her emotions. “You’re just wound too tight right now. Which is why you are going to let go of everything for a few minutes.” “I won’t fuck myself in public, Matthew.” “You’ve fantasized about it, though.” Shit. Why had she opened up to him like that, sharing her sexual desires, all the things she had never had the guts to do in reality, not even with him. “That doesn’t mean I really want it.”

39

Reese Gabriel

“It means you haven’t been able to give yourself permission. Lucky for you, you don’t have to. It’s my call.” “I already told you, no more sex stuff.” “You want Bobby back or not?” “Filthy blackmailer,” she accused. “I’m doing what’s best for all concerned.” “Your way or the highway. I know all about it. Ever think about sharing for once, instead? Maybe you could have an honest relationship with someone. I might be scared to play with my pussy in public but you’re scared to live a real life, Matthew Hardin.” “I can have you do it naked, Laila…it’s your call.” His voice was hard, unyielding. In spite of herself, she softened. Breath quick in her chest. Moving toward the edge. “No…” “Then get on with it,” he said as they pulled back onto the main road. “And don’t tell me you aren’t ready for it. I know you better than that.” Heat raced through her, a kind of excited embarrassment. He had known she would be wet, ready to accommodate his toy. Laila pulled out the sheepskin. It was soft and rough at the same time. “It’s never been used,” he told her. She couldn’t resist a quip. “You been saving it up for me?” He shrugged. “Maybe. Subconsciously.” The depth of his answer surprised her. It wasn’t like Matthew to take chances, admit vulnerability. Laila gasped as she unwrapped it. It was made of fleshy pink gel, almost identical to the one she had brought with her when she moved in with him. She had taken it back when she’d left, thereby driving home the point that she could satisfy herself just fine. And she could, mechanically speaking. There was a lot more, though, even to sex. 40

Laila’s Bargain

“Spread wide,” he rasped. “I want to see it. I want to see it all.” You and anyone else they might encounter on the road, she thought. “We’ll use this blanket,” he said, reading her mind again. He pulled a green army surplus blanket from the backseat. “If anyone comes along you can cover up.” “Maybe I won’t,” she replied, her voice thick and husky, lost in that twilight between dream and reality. Her pussy was dripping wet, throbbing. Seldom, if ever, had she been this aroused. “Tell me, Matthew…tell me you’re in control.” “I am, baby doll,” he obliged. “You gave me control. It’s part of the bargain.” “And now I have to pleasure myself.” She breathed the words, fingering the dildo. “Kiss it,” he said. “Give it a lick.” She closed her eyes. The gel was cool, pliant, exciting. She inhaled the slight rubbery smell. “That’s it, baby doll.” Her pussy clenched. He was using the name, again and again. He wouldn’t stop. She couldn’t make him…and maybe she didn’t even want him to. “Suck it,” he ordered. She pushed the dildo between her lips, working her tongue, drawing it deep. “Your legs,” he reminded. She opened herself. “Lift,” he said, eyes divided between her and the road. “Pull your skirt up to your waist.” Laila bared herself. “Your pussy is gorgeous,” he approved. “A goddamn work of art.” She pulled the dildo out, making a popping sound with her mouth. “It’s dripping,” she said. “It’s so hot. Please, can I play with myself?”

41

Reese Gabriel

“Yes. Start with your clit.” Laila shuddered as she touched the dildo to the tiny, swollen bud of flesh. “Oh god,” she moaned. “Slow,” he ordered. “Lift your ass, tease yourself.” Laila whimpered. She had no power to resist him, his will, his desire. “Yes, that’s what I want.” Laila trembled, forcing herself to make only tiny contacts, keeping the dildo back, just out of range of penetration. “Matthew…” She was on the verge of sobbing. “You know what it does to me, seeing you out of your mind like this?” She could guess. “Need to…get off,” she hissed. “Go on,” he said, almost a taunt. “Fuck your pussy. Jam it in…take it, baby doll.” Laila nearly screamed as she thrust the dildo between her waiting lips. The truck hit a bump and she felt like she would launch into orbit. If he intended to make her hold on any longer he was out of luck. She grabbed hold of his arm, digging her nails in, all the while continuing to thrust, thrust, thrust. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Another near blackout, like a million bottles of rum poured into her system at once and lit on fire. Pouring out sex fluids, writhing, contorting. Was anyone watching? Who cared? She hoped so…the more the merrier. Somewhere in the midst she heard a horn. A taxi sputtered by or some kind of tour bus. There was cheering, hooting, hollering. Obviously they were not uptight Americans. Eventually, the dildo slipped from her hand. Dimly she was aware of the still-dripping fluids, the sound of birds overhead, the warm afternoon breeze. 42

Laila’s Bargain

“You can let go of my arm now,” Matthew said. “I think you’ve drawn enough blood.” She looked over at him. Oh, god, she had broken the skin. “Matthew, are you all right?” He was grinning ear to ear. “I’m more than all right. That was some show. How come you never showed me any of that when we were together?” The remark stung, though he hadn’t meant it as a dig. Curse men for being so oblivious sometimes. “I wasn’t around to be your personal whore, Matthew. There were a lot of other things I tried to be with you, not that you noticed.” Matthew exhaled, muttering—male-style, dismissive. “What was that for?” she demanded. “It’s the same old story, isn’t it? Always gotta be Little Miss Killjoy. Can’t take a compliment, can’t let things be.” She gathered the blanket, covering herself. “You can’t let everything be, Matto,” she said, putting special emphasis on the nickname. “Some things need tending, attention.” “What’s going on?” He turned to face her full on. “Just talk to me straight up.” He had picked up on her tone, not that she was being subtle. “Why didn’t you ever take me to that place?” “The Lost Parrot? It’s a total dive.” “You have a friend there, Leon. A woman likes to know these things.” “You think I was cheating on you? Is that it?” The veins were sticking out on his neck. His eyes were deep and stormy. “You think Leon got me girls, maybe? Christ, Laila, why can’t you trust anyone?” “I trust people just fine. When they earn it. And for your information this isn’t about other women. Don’t you see how it hurts that you didn’t even want to share your friends? It makes me feel like I was…an embarrassment or something.” 43

Reese Gabriel

Matthew threw up his hands, momentarily allowing the truck to steer itself. “Okay, Laila, I give. You’re right, it was all my fault. I was a worthless boyfriend. I broke us up. Why on god’s green earth that matters now I have no fucking idea but you were right, one hundred percent, totally right. Are you satisfied now?” Laila could spit nails. “You’re just patronizing me.” “Goddamn right I am.” He was as close to losing it as she had ever seen. Maybe they were getting somewhere…at last. “I am saying whatever I have to say to end this insane conversation.” “Don’t bother, Matthew. I’ll end it for you. From this point on we talk about Bobby and nothing else.” “Fine.” “Fine,” she shot back, making sure to outdo his bitter tone. He offered no response. They drove a while and finally she said, “So I guess you’re going to give up on your theory?” “What theory?” “That having sex will keep us civil.” He shook his head. “Is that all you think about?” “I am not thinking about sex,” she insisted. “I’m thinking about the opposite.” “That doesn’t even make sense, Laila. What is the opposite of sex?” “I have no clue,” she admitted. “But we are going to find out in a hurry.”

44

Laila’s Bargain

Chapter Four Smugglers’ Cay. A thin finger of water protected by a warren of caves and rocks and sand-rooted trees. The perfect cover for illicit activities for well-nigh four centuries. Once upon a time it had been treasure chests, barrels of rum and piles of stolen muskets destined for far-off ports and far-off battles. Today it was high-tech. Men in sneakers and boat shoes monitoring radios, darkeyed killers with automatic rifles and surprisingly mild-looking go-betweens, yacht captains and dilettante drug runners. Today, Matthew had only one objective. Locate Geronimo. Hunt him down if need be, browbeat him, nail his feet to the fire until he revealed what he knew about Bobby. Among his many obstacles, probably the worst one of all, was his self-appointed partner and one-time girlfriend. It was damn tempting to handcuff her to the truck until he got back, though that would put her at risk. She was safer with him. The question was, how safe was he with her? “Laila, I have no idea what we will find down there.” “Don’t worry. I’ll behave. For now.” He had no doubt she would start causing trouble again at the first available opportunity. Hopefully that would come soon. Along with a reunion with Bobby. Matthew had her follow him down to the beach. They crouched behind a row of coconut trees, concealing themselves as best they could. He looked through binoculars, checking the horizon. There were no ships in the area. The beach looked deserted.

45

Reese Gabriel

“We’ll have to take a closer look,” he said. She nodded, treading onto the softer sand. “My sandals,” she complained after just a few steps. “Hold me up, will you?” He took her hand so she could take them off. Damn, she had great legs. He had always preferred her in bare feet—free and natural. He also liked her nude, something which could not be arranged at the moment. “I can’t believe you never took me here either,” she said. Matthew rolled his eyes. “You try my patience, woman.” “At least you aren’t calling me baby doll anymore,” she approved. He gave her a light swat on the ass. “Less talking, more walking.” She gasped lightly. “That’s the last warning I’m giving you about touching me,” she said. He had a feeling she wasn’t as upset as she was letting on. “And that is the last warning I’m giving you about—” Matthew caught sight of a gleaming object at the entrance to one of the caves. “What is it?” she asked. “Come on, we’ll find out.” They ran hand in hand. He had the police special out just in case. He didn’t expect trouble, though, not with no boats about. With any luck they would find Geronimo all by his lonesome. Sure enough, there he was, dragging a crate toward the cave entrance. Matthew did not want to know what was inside. Geronimo looked up, startled. “Before you run, you might want to think twice,” said Matthew, aiming the pistol.

46

Laila’s Bargain

“You wouldn’t shoot an old pal, would you?” Geronimo grinned, a gapped, goldtooth smile. His beard was rattier than ever and he looked like he hadn’t run into a bath in a month. “No, I wouldn’t,” said Matthew. “You on the other hand, I would pump full of lead in a minute. And I will too, if you don’t help us find the man we’re looking for.” “Easy, big boy.” Geronimo put his hands in the air, cheap rings on nearly every finger. He wore short trousers and a long jacket—a leftover tuxedo coat with tails or maybe it was something he had stolen from a circus ringmaster. Around his neck he wore a medallion—a glitzy costume dollar sign inside a heart. “Pretty lady, tell your boy here not to shoot me.” “He’s not my boy,” said Laila. “And if you don’t tell me where my brother Bobby is, I will shoot you myself.” Matthew sighed. Keeping her out of the interrogation was obviously going to be impossible. He couldn’t blame her. He just didn’t want her making a mess of things. Personally, he enjoyed her sexual participation in the mission, masturbating for his visual enjoyment as well as offering him some creative but quick sexual relief. At times she had called him male chauvinistic, though he just happened to like sexy women doing sexy things. Was that so wrong? Fine, she had a brain. Had he ever told her otherwise? “I think you had better listen to the lady,” Matthew advised. “Bobby, Bobby, Bobby…hmm.” He licked parched lips and closed one eye, thinking. Laila had had enough. Moving in quickly, she delivered a blow to the solar plexus of the gangly smuggler wannabe. He doubled over, groaning as she stood over him, bare feet planted in a fighting stance. “You’ve taken some karate,” Matthew observed. “Didn’t want to be caught off guard anymore.”

47

Reese Gabriel

He grinned. “You imagine me much, when you’re kicking those dummies in the dojo?” “I tape your picture on it,” she said. “Works better.” Laila had Geronimo by the hair, yanking him upright. He had to give her credit for stomaching such proximity to the man’s ripe odor. If there was one thing that guaranteed the man would not be arrested it was the fact that no cop in his right mind would ever want to go near him. “I’m not going to play with you,” she told him. “I came a long way to find my brother.” “I don’t know where he is, I swear.” “Yours is the last name he mentioned,” she said. “That makes you responsible in my book.” “Mine too,” Matthew concurred. Geronimo still wasn’t talking. “Does he know how to swim?” Laila asked. He suppressed a smile. “I doubt it.” “Let’s find out,” she said, dragging him toward the ocean. “Wait, wait, something is coming back to me,” he cried. “I hope so,” Matthew said. “Because I would really hate for Tolliver to find you’ve been messing with his stash. I assume this stuff is his, right?” Geronimo groaned. “Man, there’s a boat coming in half an hour, I’ll split the profit.” “You’ll tell us what we want to know and then you’ll get lost,” Matthew corrected. “These crates are going to the police, whatever’s in them.” “Sounds like a plan,” Laila said, pulling him outside the cave. “Wait, wait.” His feet were dragging in the sand. “I can help you. I know someone who might know where Bobby is.”

48

Laila’s Bargain

Laila took hold of his ear, twisting it. “You’re wasting our fucking time, asshole.” Matthew was rock-hard watching her manhandle Geronimo. Another new side to Laila. The tough-as-nails interrogator. Maybe they could be a business team after all. If there wasn’t that little problem of her hating him. “C-Captain Spider,” he blurted. “He’s with Captain Spider.” Laila frowned. “Who the fuck is Captain Spider? What are we in, some comic book?” “Tell him,” moaned Geronimo. “For the love of the sea.” “Captain Spider is a real person,” Matthew acknowledged. “He’s a treasure hunter, to be precise.” Laila did not relent on her grip. “Where do we find him, Geronimo?” “You don’t,” Matthew answered for him. “He finds you.” Laila glared. “What the fuck does that mean?” “The lady got a tongue,” commented Geronimo unwisely. She practically brought tears to his eyes in response. “Sure do and I will have yours next.” “Geronimo, you are going to help us,” said Matthew, determining their reasonable course of action. “Why…why would I do that?” Laila gave him a prompt smack to the back of the head. “Does that give you an answer?” “You will help us in order to avoid being skinned alive by Tolliver,” Matthew said, offering an alternate incentive. “What do you mean?” “When Tolliver gets here and finds his stash is gone, he will expect you to get it back and you’ll need us for that.”

49

Reese Gabriel

“I don’t follow.” “You’re going to load all this into my truck,” Matthew explained. “Where we will keep it safe and sound. Then you will tell Captain Spider we need to see him ASAP. Once we have met him and found Bobby, we’ll put everything back in the cave. What is it, by the way? Guns?” “Gold,” Geronimo said miserably. “Fresh, shiny bars of it.” Matthew shook his head. “Too bad, gold is heavy. You better get going. My truck is a ways off.” Laila thrust him forward. “You heard the man.” Matthew handed her the gun. She seemed surprised. “You’re trusting me?” “You’ve got things under control. You keep an eye on Geronimo. I want to have a look around the cave, see if there’s anything else we can use.” “Thanks,” she said. “For what?” She pursed her lips. “I don’t know. Just…thanks.” “Sure.” He watched her leave the cave, her pert bottom moving under her skirt. He wished to god he could have her again. Doing a double take, he considered his words. Had he meant that as in having her for another round of phenomenal lovemaking or had he meant something else? As in having her…forever? Matthew wouldn’t want something like that. Would he?

*****

50

Laila’s Bargain

Laila walked over the sand, refreshed, purposeful, alive. She had never been here before and she didn’t mean Smuggler’s Cay. Matthew Hardin trusted her with something. A gun and a prisoner, no less. Would wonders never cease? Laila tried not to let it go to her head. Or her pussy. What was it about the situation that excited her so? She felt so…free. Matthew actually wanted her here, at least for the present. If he touched her now, her logic raged, wouldn’t it have to be more than lust? Wasn’t this the proof she had always sought that she was something special and not just a convenient lay? All the praise of her beauty and sexiness did nothing, not when this central question was unresolved. It was bad enough having men want her for her family’s money. That much she was sure of, wealth held no interest for Matthew. The night they had met in the bar, she had told him, almost apologetically, or maybe as a kind of test. “I’m not like other women you might have known,” she had said as she sipped the rum he had bought her. “You seem pretty standard to me,” he had replied with a wink. “As your gardenvariety sex goddesses go.” “You don’t understand.” She had felt obligated to tell him. She just couldn’t bear to go on under false pretenses. What if the money changed his view of her? Worse still, what if he already knew? “Don’t understand what?” “I’m not average. I’m a Prescott. One of the Prescotts.” 51

Reese Gabriel

“And?” He had picked up her hand by then and was kissing it and then up the length of her arm. “Well, I’m rich, damn it,” she had blurted. “Good.” He hadn’t been the least bit fazed. “You can spring for breakfast in the morning.” How could a woman refuse an offer like that, especially when the guy was so handsome and charming? “Lady, I need a break.” Geronimo was huffing and puffing, carrying the box of gold bars like it was, well, a box of gold bars. “You get thirty seconds’ rest. And I will have my eye on you the whole time.” Geronimo dropped the crate and collapsed onto it, landing his bony butt hard. Pulling the tail of his jacket up, he mopped his forehead. “Who are you, anyway?” He regarded her. “Laila Prescott,” she said, seeing no reason to conceal her identity. He scrunched his brow. “Laila? The Laila?” She cocked her head. “Yes?” Since when was she known around here? Geronimo chuckled. “Should have figured you would be back.” “Why is that?” she asked. “The way that man talks about you? Shoot, never seen a man so head over heels.” “What man? Who?” “Matthew…who else?” “He doesn’t talk about me,” she said. Geronimo wiped some more sweat. His thirty seconds was up but she had to hear the rest. “Does he?” she prodded. “I’ll say this much. Quickest way to start a bar fight around here? Mention your name while Matthew’s around. Don’t even matter if you’re not even talking to him.”

52

Laila’s Bargain

Laila lowered the pistol, temporarily lost in a haze. “I had no idea. I didn’t think I meant anything to him.” “He doesn’t say much sober. And nobody brings it up if they know what’s good for them.” “What about Leon?” she wondered aloud. “He didn’t seem aware of anything. He told me not to get in too deep with Matthew, like I was brand-new.” “Leon never lets people know what he knows. Not at the bar. Walls have ears.” Geronimo cleared his throat. “You’re supposed to be aiming that thing, aren’t you?” “Hmm? Oh.” She raised the pistol again. Geronimo stood and lifted the crate. “You owe me one. I could have escaped.” “Don’t push your luck,” she said. Was it true? Did he really have feelings for her? Why was she the last to know, on this whole frigging island? Matthew was poking around in the cave, looking through a box of flares when she and Geronimo got back. She gave him a look. He stared right back, blank. “What?” “There’s no point in getting into it,” she said. Matthew shrugged, further infuriating her. “Whatever you say.” “Don’t think you’re getting off that easy,” she snapped. “We’re talking about this later.” Laila turned, steely-eyed, back to Geronimo, who was already picking up another crate. “I don’t want any trouble,” he told her. Matthew was chuckling. “I believe she’s got your number.” Geronimo snorted. “She’s got yours too, you just don’t know it yet.”

53

Reese Gabriel

***** Matthew bided his time, waiting until they were alone again, driving the gold to a secret hiding place at the other side of the island. “Out with it, woman. You’ve been giving me the silent treatment ever since you talked to Geronimo. I have no clue what he could have said. He’s a notorious liar, you know that.” “No, I don’t know that.” She whirled on him, looking more beautiful than ever in her anger. She had tied her hair back in a ponytail. He would love to kiss along her neck right now, all the way down to her cleavage to those heaving breasts he knew so well. “I don’t know anything,” she continued. “That’s how you like it, as usual.” “You’re not making sense, Lai.” “Lai, Lai, Lai,” she repeated. “You’re the lie.” “I already told you,” he said evenly. “I’ve never lied to you.” “You let me think Leon didn’t know who I was. That’s not exactly honest. And you hardly kept our trust. Geronimo knows all about us and how we broke up.” “Geronimo knows a lot of things,” he said tensely. “Or thinks he does.” “Did you talk to everyone about us? It would have been nice if you had shared anything with me, instead of crying in your beer when I was gone.” Damn Geronimo and his big mouth. “I didn’t cry in any beer, baby doll, let’s not get carried away.” “You loved me, didn’t you?” She made it sound like an accusation. “I think you were right before,” he said evenly. “We talk business and nothing else.” “Sure, until you want to talk dirty to me again. ‘Baby doll, spread your legs, shove that dildo in there, make it good.’”

54

Laila’s Bargain

His face hardened to stone. Laila was going to kill any warmth he had left for her, any affinity at all. “You know it’s not just about sex.” “Could have fooled me.” “You don’t give me a chance. You never did.” She swore at him and that was the end of the conversation. The sun was setting by the time they reached the shack on the edge of town. Old men rode by on bicycles. Children were playing barefoot, chanting a melodic song. Something was cooking across the dirt road—jerk chicken and rice from the smell of it. Matthew loved the rhythms here. He didn’t miss the mainland at all. Was that it? Was Laila homesick for her lifestyle, the money? He hated to think so little of her. This was Bobby’s fault—forcing them together again. Opening an old wound that had never healed right in the first place. No one paid any attention as he unloaded the crates as Laila waited in the truck. Leon held sway in this neighborhood and Matthew was his trusted friend. They would keep an eye on the stash, no questions asked. With any luck they would hand it back over tomorrow and Bobby would be safe and sound. Matthew’s cell phone rang just as he was covering the last of the crates with the tarp. The stack took up most of the interior of the shack. It was Geronimo. “It’s all set,” he said. “The Captain will meet us at eight in the morning.” “And what about Bobby? Is he with him?” “The Captain says he was.” “Was? What does that mean?” “It means he ain’t with him no more.” 55

Reese Gabriel

Matthew clenched his fist. “Don’t play with me. Where’s Bobby?” Laila would be devastated. Her brother was everything to her. Lord, let him be all right. Laila doesn’t deserve this. She’s pure angel, she has suffered enough. “It means the treasure party split up. Bobby’s with one part, he’s with the other.” “He has until morning to find him,” said Matthew, not bothering to conceal the threat in his voice. “If not, you will both answer to me.” Matthew broke the connection. He wanted no more arguments, no explanations. Laila had worn him very, very thin. “Bobby will be coming back in the morning,” he told her, back at the truck. Her pretty brow furrowed. “Why do we have to wait that long?” “He’s out to sea with the Captain. They are coming back as fast as they can.” More or less. “The best thing you can do is get something to eat and get a good night’s sleep,” he advised. “You don’t know what’s best for me.” He started the engine, wearier than he had ever felt in his life. “You want something to eat or not?” “Not hungry.” “I’ll take you to your motel, then. You can pick up your rental car at my place tomorrow. You staying at the Sea Winds?” “You’d like that,” she said icily. “Wouldn’t you?” The Sea Winds was the first place they had made love. The little hotel beside the tiki bar. Laila had been like one of those rare plants, lovely enough on the outside but shy as hell, opening once a lifetime with a spectacular blossom. Had he killed that in her, taken from her the one chance to bloom?

56

Laila’s Bargain

“I was just asking, Laila, goddamn it, give me an address, okay?” She named another motel nearby. He couldn’t get there fast enough. “I’ll pick you up at seven,” he told her. “Fine,” she said. He didn’t bother saying fine back. Sand spun out from his wheels as he took off. This was a rum night. And there sure as hell had better not be any Clapton on the jukebox.

***** Laila called her cousin in New York so he could spread the word. Bobby would be back in the morning. A nagging doubt filled her mind. Was Matthew just telling her what she wanted to hear? Was he being macho, planning on making the thing happen even if he wasn’t sure how? She knew him too well. Sighing, she stopped to consider everything from the day. She felt like she was doing right by her brother. It felt like ages had passed since she had gotten to the island. Was it only this morning? She had dropped her luggage off here in her room and headed straight for Matthew, not daring to give herself time to think twice. Maybe she should still go to the police. Part of her was afraid in case Bobby was mixed up in something illegal. Matthew really was the best, though. In more ways than one. She shouldn’t have let his cock back inside her, shouldn’t have let him taste her again, drive her to madness. 57

Reese Gabriel

She had turned into some kind of passion slave for him. Playing with herself, coming in the truck. What was that all about? Fighting with him was old hat too. Toward the end of their time together, it had seemed as if that was all they did. That and fuck. She wished he was here now. Not the mouth, the brain, just the body. She would take it into bed with her, hold it, squeeze it—a giant man toy. More than a toy—an explosive, magic world unto itself. Oh, god, she needed to be loved. Long and deep and hard. He might have relieved his own tensions but he had only served to wind up hers. Typical man, centering things on one or two orgasms. She needed about a thousand more. Why couldn’t she have some nice boyfriend waiting for her back home? She had had all manner of opportunities and she had bedded a couple of men. It just wasn’t the same. She was like a widow who had never remarried. Never even had the chance for a decent engagement or a full profession of love. How hard would it have been for that man to say three fucking words? He said she was making things too complex. He was the one over thinking everything. Laila was starved. She called room service and asked about food. The kindly desk clerk offered to bring her a plate of food that had been cooked by his grandmother. You had to love the islands. She wanted to pay him. He refused to take a nickel for the hot plate of rice and vegetables and yellow bread. She would make a point of complimenting him to the motel’s owner.

58

Laila’s Bargain

Finishing her dinner, she considered sleep. On the one hand, she was exhausted. On the other hand, sleep would put her in bed and bed would make her think of Matthew and the things he could do to her. Tomorrow she would be gone from here. He would be out of her life forever. The way he was supposed to have been the first time around. Funny he didn’t seem to have a woman right now. He wasn’t the type to be alone. There was always some eager and willing woman for a man like that. She didn’t want him miserable, really she didn’t. She could even wish for his happiness, if she had any clue what would make him happy. That was the bottom line, wasn’t it? At the end of the day, she hadn’t felt like she could make him happy. But she could put a whole lot of smiles on his face along the way. Laila opened her suitcase. With a lump in her throat she took a long, hard look at the contents. All silk and lace, down to the garter belt and the sexy little nightie—the one that barely covered her thighs. This was one of those times when she wished she wasn’t such a girly girl. Why she dressed like that when she had no one to dress for was a mystery. One of many in her life. A woman with so much money, so much going for her and so little to look forward to. Had her brother felt the same? Was that why he had made this crazy trip? She would ask him tomorrow. First she would sleep. If she could manage it.

***** Matthew would not think about her, no matter what.

59

Reese Gabriel

He had a bottle of rum in front of him but it wasn’t working. The nighttime regulars at The Lost Parrot were giving him a wide berth. He had that certain look in his eye. That Laila-is-back look. Would he ever get over her? Psychologists called it closure. Psychologists were full of shit. Let them try having a woman like Laila in their beds only to lose her. Let them try to live with her scent, her touch—ghostlike at every turn. It was scary crazy to feel that way, as if he was incomplete without her. What sense did it make? He was fine before she came along and he had been plugging away since she left. So he got drunk now and again. So he was a miserable son of a bitch most of the time. His old man had been the same way. Jacob Hardin, hard-boiled sailor and drinker. He would as soon knock a man to the ground—even his own son—than admit to any kind of human emotion. His mother had put up with a hell of a lot. She had been a saint in Matthew’s book. Laila was just as strong in her own way. Though she had a tenderness about her, a childlike quality. She could be so much fun. When she wasn’t stacking the deck toward marriage. Face it, that’s where they had been headed. First you tell a woman you love her, than you pick out drapes and china and before you know it, you are five years in, changing diapers and miserable. His father had been miserable. He had taken every chance to go out to sea. A hand clamped hard on Matthew’s shoulder. He tensed instantly. There was no mistaking the grip of Graham Tolliver. Keeping his back to the man, he reached for the neck of the bottle.

60

Laila’s Bargain

“I wouldn’t do that.” Matthew felt the distinct poke of metal—a pistol—between his shoulder blades. “We need to have a talk,” said Tolliver. “Out front. Move nice and slow.” “First things first.” Matthew drained his shot glass, taking his time before turning around. This man might think he was tough but Matthew had dealt with men ten times tougher. Tolliver stood grinning, his long white hair tied back in a ponytail, his large beefy body stylishly attired in a blue silk shirt and black pants. He held the pistol comfortably, a man with no compunction about killing. Two of his sidekicks were with him. Mojo, the thin man who had been in the bar earlier, and an Asian man wearing a leather jacket. “I got a thing about people pointing guns at me, Tolliver.” “And I got a thing about people stealing from me. Now move it.” Matthew shrugged. “What the hell, I’m due to stretch my legs anyhow.” The bodyguards flanked him while Tolliver brought up the rear. Had Geronimo already ratted him out? What about Laila? Was she safe? He would kill to protect her. There was Bobby to consider too. Everyone needed to come out alive—the good guys, that is. Matthew eyed Tolliver as soon as they were outside. Always let the bad guys talk first. “I must admit, Matthew,” Tolliver said in his vaguely French accent, a contradiction to his very English name. “You never fail to amaze me. And just when I think I have you figured out. You’ve been a perpetual thorn in my side with your annoying concern for justice and now look, you have actually turned into a thief.” “I assume you refer to the gold.”

61

Reese Gabriel

“Oui.” “You’ll have it back when I have Bobby. Consider it collateral.” “I know of no such person,” Tolliver declared. He was lying. He might not know directly but he would surely have talked to Geronimo by now, thereby learning that Bobby was to come in with Captain Spider in the morning. “Then I guess I don’t know about any gold.” The Asian took a menacing step forward. “You should stay where you are,” said Matthew. “Unless you want missing teeth and broken ribs.” Tolliver laughed. “And this while I am holding the gun! You see, boys, this is bravery. This is a man after my own heart.” “For once we aren’t on opposite sides, Tolliver. All I want is Bobby. You’ll get all that’s due you.” “You mean I will get back what you so unjustly robbed from me?” Tolliver accused. “You stole it first,” said Matthew. “And it will catch up to you, my friend.” Tolliver laughed. “You see,” he said to the others. “That is balls, eh?” “Let us kill him,” said Mojo. It was Matthew’s turn to laugh low and deep. “You’ll be the first to go, Ace.” “There will be no killing, unless I say.” Tolliver aimed the gun at Matthew’s head. “Where is my gold? Tell me or die.” “If I die the gold will go to the police. I have it arranged.” Through Leon’s contacts in the neighborhood, to be precise. Tolliver frowned. “I could torture you.” “You wouldn’t be the first.” His eyes flashed. “What about the woman?”

62

Laila’s Bargain

Matthew’s lips thinned. “Mention her again and I will kill you where you stand.” Tolliver cocked his head. “Outnumbered three to one, with me getting off a half dozen shots before you could reach me?” “I would die with my hands around your throat, choking the life out of you, Tolliver. Your call.” “Maybe we should go find his girl,” said the Asian, licking his lips. “What’s her name? Laila?” Matthew delivered a high round kick, knocking him to the ground. Tolliver laughed. “Get up,” warned Matthew. “And I’ll take you down for good.” The Asian man remained on his buttocks. “You’ve made your point,” said Tolliver, pocketing the pistol. “And I’ve made mine. You get Bobby and I get my gold or your life is forfeit…and Laila’s too.” “Don’t worry, you’ll get your gold. You just keep your end up and pray I don’t come after you when this is all over.” If he did make that choice, Matthew would wait until he had Laila and Bobby safely off the island. “You have a nice night,” said Tolliver. “Never know what tomorrow will bring.” “That’s true for all of us.” “So it is,” said Tolliver. Matthew watched them get into a classic white sports car. The Asian got behind the wheel and peeled out. Have a nice night, Tolliver had told him. There was only one way to give this night a happy ending. And it lay behind the door of a certain nearby motel room.

63

Reese Gabriel

Chapter Five Laila startled at the urgent, insistent rapping sound on the door. She rose from bed, damp with sweat despite the air-conditioning. Who in the world could be disturbing her at this time of night? As if she didn’t know. “Just a minute.” She rummaged in her suitcase for her silk robe. It was a short kimono style. There was no way Matthew would come here to her room, not after the day they had had. Would he? Laila belted the robe protectively over her negligee. More than ever, she wished she had normal pajamas. Or maybe a suit of armor. “Who is it?” she called, opening the door as far as the chain would allow. “You know who it is.” Her pulse raced. She could smell rum on his breath. “What are you doing here?” “I don’t have to explain myself to you, Lai, just let me in.” She would just as soon let in a wolf. Let him stay out there and growl all night if he liked. “It’s too late,” she declared. “It’s over between us and you know it.” The words caught in her throat. The idea of not talking to him anymore, not even to fight with him, was inexpressibly depressing. “I’m not playing with you, Laila. Open this door,” he said. His voice, masculine and no nonsense, sent hot chills down her spine.

64

Laila’s Bargain

“I’m not playing with you, either. I still have rights and I am exercising them.” “I’ll count to three,” he said. “Then I’m kicking it in.” She slid the chain free. Matthew was not a bluffer. Pushing his way past her, he surveyed the room. “You have anything to drink in here?” “Sorry, I wasn’t planning on entertaining,” she said hotly. “You should have. We have an agreement, remember?” She crossed her arms defensively over her breasts. “You more than got your pay, mister.” Matthew leered at her, his eyebrows moving in time to the sheer lust in his voice. “I’m ready for a bonus, baby doll. You can’t say I haven’t earned it.” “Is that what I am?” she accused. “Some kind of cheap prize?” Matthew moved in front of her, close enough for her to feel his heat. “You’re a prize but you’re hardly cheap.” Laila refused to back down, just as she refused to yield to him. “You can’t just come over here and expect to be serviced.” She could see in his eyes he was far gone. Drunk, not on rum, but on the need for her body. Her pussy could not help but liquefy in response, her nipples tightening into a cruel ache. It was like some kind of stupid conditioning. “That’s exactly what I expect,” he said huskily. “And you’re going to deliver.” “I’ll scream rape,” she threatened. Matthew seized her mouth. Compared to this, his kiss earlier in the day had been a chaste peck on the cheek. He slaughtered her defenses. His tongue pushed open her teeth, his lips pressed hard,

65

Reese Gabriel

branding her with his white-hot lust. Her silk-covered breasts had nowhere to go but against his chest, nipples chafing. His knee parted her thighs. Her resistance was pathetic. He continued to hold her arms down at her sides—his erotic prisoner. She vowed not to move, not to writhe. She did anyway. “That’s it, baby doll.” His breath was hot on her neck. “Matthew, no.” He released her, though she did not take it as a sign of surrender on his part. “I want to tie you,” he said. She took a step backward, a prelude to running. “No fucking way.” Her heart beat as fast as a rabbit’s. He was being so dominant right now, so alpha male. So completely, totally focused…on her. She stood no chance as he untied her belt and pulled it free from the loops of her robe. “Let go of me,” she cried. It was child’s play for him to yank off the robe and whirl her about. She kicked and flailed at him, squirming as he gathered her wrists. The knot was efficient, strong. He let her loose, enjoying the sight. She struggled, teeth bared. “Motherfucking, cock-sucking asshole!” Her attempt to regain freedom only served to excite him. His eyes focused on her heaving breasts. “I hate you,” she hissed.

66

Laila’s Bargain

He began to stroke his cock through his jeans. “But you want me even more because you are helpless.” “No, that’s a lie.” “I can smell you, baby doll.” She clamped her thighs together. “Get on the bed,” he ordered. “On your knees.” “Go to hell!” “You want me to make you do it, is that it? You want to play like we did on St. Martin’s that time?” Laila fought the wave of weakness. They hadn’t left their hotel for three days. The only clothes she had worn was a tiny sarong, which he had put on her a hundred times, just so he could have the pleasure of taking it off her again and again. She had been his possession, his ravished love slave. She had moved and breathed by his will, writhing beneath him, moving only as commanded, kneeling humbly at his feet. And she had nearly died from the pleasure. “It can’t be like that,” she declared. “Ever again.” “Why not?” he challenged. “You think your body is any less mine for the taking now than it was then?” “My body isn’t in charge anymore,” she protested. “I’ve overruled it.” “Is that thing you’re wearing expensive?” he asked. “Yes. Why?” she asked warily. “Because I am going to rip it off you. You can deduct it from my fee.” “Forget it, you’re fired,” she declared. “You can get your severance by mail.” He pulled something from his pocket. Her heart skipped a beat. It was the check she had written him.

67

Reese Gabriel

He tore it up in front of her eyes. “What did you do that for?” “I’ll take my pay in trade. All of it.” “I’m not worth that much.” “You are to me.” Damn it, why did he have to sweet-talk her? He could sound so convincing. If only… “Your sweet little ass is not yet on the bed,” he observed, his voice a rasp that cut through her like a hot knife of pleasure. “Does my baby doll want to be treated like a bad girl?” Her knees buckled, her body quaked. “N-no,” she offered, her protest so soft it sounded more like a come-on. “You’ve stopped fighting,” he said, pulling her close. “You know I can’t win,” she breathed. “That’s right.” His hand moved down her back and cupped her ass cheek. “You can’t.” She clenched her bound fists, helpless. “I’ll do what I want, Laila, because it’s what we both want,” he said, his breath hot on her cheek and neck. “Now about you being a bad girl…” Laila cried out as he smacked her bottom, delivering a stinging, erotic spank. “Matthew,” she groaned. “No.” He replaced his hand on her ass, massaging. “I’ve always wanted to do that.” “Well, you shouldn’t have, you can’t—” “It seems to suit you,” he said. She threw back her head as he played with her tight nipples through the silk. “They’re hard as I’ve ever felt them.”

68

Laila’s Bargain

“It’s…it’s the cold air in the room,” she said. He punished her lie with another firm smack. She pushed herself against him in reply, grinding her pelvis. She couldn’t help herself. “What do you want?” he asked. He used to do that—make her say what she needed, giving him the advantage. “For you to go home,” she said bravely. He chuckled. “You’re adorable, baby doll, you know that?” Held in his arms, unable to gain leverage, she stamped her foot on his, her bare toes having no impact on his shoes. “That’s what I think of you right now.” “I think you have other thoughts…don’t you?” His hand moved over her thigh, up under the hem of her nightie. “M-Matthew…” “What will I find?” he rasped, nibbling at her earlobe. She shuddered, knowing what he meant, how his fingers were poised to touch her sex, to discover her dripping-wet readiness. “Nothing,” she defied with clenched teeth. “Really?” She could not prevent him from reaching her labia, fingertips grazing the swollen ridge of flesh. Her sex lips parted eagerly, easily at his touch. “So that must be the cold air too, huh?” “F-fuck you,” she hissed. Matthew inserted two of his fingers all the way to the second knuckle. “What do you want, baby doll?” She tried to get away with showing him, rocking her body against him, simulating deeper insertion. He stopped her with his voice. “No, girl.”

69

Reese Gabriel

He had called her girl, so affectionate, proprietary…scandalous. “I’m not your girl.” “Right now you are. Until dawn. Until I let you go.” How could she argue? “Are you going to tell me what you want?” he persisted. “I can keep this up all night, you know.” He could too, teasing her unmercifully. “Sex,” she exhaled, putting her head on his shoulder. “I want…sex.” “We can be raunchier than that, Laila. It’s my cock you want. Say it.” “Yes,” she hissed. “I want…your cock.” He bit her lower lip. She was drawn so close she was breathing him in. She could feel his heart, the surging of blood, an exchange of primal energy. The floodgates opened. Resistance was futile, as much for her soul as her body. “Tell me you’ve thought of this…thought of me.” He was beyond arrogance, knowing the answer, banking on it, owning it. “Yes,” she yielded the answer she knew he must have…because it was true. “Give me a number.” She swooned. He must not get that far into her head. “It’s been two years,” she said, as if time entered into things one way or the other. “How many times?” His eyes compelled her. “I don’t know…a hundred…a thousand.” He grinned, satisfied. Why, oh why, did she have to give him such a weapon to use against her? His hand went between her legs. Her garments offered no protection as he began to explore. She shuddered as he found her clitoris, playing, taking, giving. “You’re soaking wet.” He stated the obvious. “Yes.”

70

Laila’s Bargain

“You’re hot and wet and ready for my cock.” Laila sighed, conceding his mastery over her desires. “You know how hard I’m going to fuck you?” She shook her head. She could certainly imagine. “We won’t get much sleep tonight, Lai.” It was a statement of fact. She let herself go—bound, held…devoured. “I…I don’t want to sleep,” she confessed. Matthew stepped back, his eyes wild, consumed. He used both hands at the plunging neckline of her nightie. Effortlessly he shredded the garment, ripping it in half. He stood staring at her, his breathing slow, controlled, intense. “So beautiful.” A blush spread from her cheeks downward to her breasts. She could not cover them, could not keep them from his gaze, his touch. “What do you want?” he asked again. She knew he wanted a different answer this time—something broader. “You,” she said, scandalized. What was she letting herself in for? Not again. He took her left nipple between his thumb and forefinger, rolling it back and forth, sending waves of almost painful pleasure through her body—slow motion and under his command. “I’ve imagined you too, Laila Prescott. I don’t know if you ever left my mind at all. You ruled my dreams, baby doll.” She regarded him, open-mouthed. This was new, all new. So much admission on his part.

71

Reese Gabriel

“What now?” she said in a whisper, though she was saying it as much to herself as him. “You get on the bed,” he said with a wink. “You kneel like you were supposed to in the first place.” “Yes…” “Wait, Laila.” “Yes?” He kissed her soul deep—smooth, gentle, inexpressibly beautiful. Before she could name it, file it in memory or take anything from it, he ended it. “To bed,” he said, his voice firm and deep and decisive. She went, her pussy flaming, liquefied—a woman, wanted by a man enough to have been stripped and tied and commanded. Laila could barely walk. The steps to the bed seemed interminable, expectation slamming in her heart. “Face the wall,” he commanded as she climbed up on the mattress, her knees pressing into the springy material. “And wait.” Her response was as erotic as it was instinctual. “Yes…sir.” The nightgown hung loosely from her shoulders, ruined. She lowered her head, her damp curls spilling forward…waiting. “Spread your knees.” She did so, exposing herself, surrendering. Seconds ticked like hours, her senses strained to hear him, to smell him, to sense where he was moving, what he was doing. She definitely felt his eyes on her, burning her. She sucked at her lower lip and evaluated. Lusted.

72

Laila’s Bargain

“Wider.” Laila opened her thighs, as far as she could stretch. The position made her feel powerful, for she knew the effect she was having. “Hear that, baby doll?” She shivered at the tiny metallic sound, engrained in memory. Matthew’s zipper. “That’s right, I am going to masturbate while I’m watching you but you won’t be able to turn around.” Laila moaned. He knew full well how she loved to watch him stroke himself, taking pleasure from caressing his powerful shaft. That look on his face, the way his veins popped out on his neck, the grinding of his teeth had been nearly enough to send her into orgasm in days past. Matthew groaned, indicating he had begun. “Oh, yeah, that’s it.” Laila pulled futilely at her bonds. “Matthew, please?” “Only good girls get to watch their men play with themselves.” “I’ll be good, I promise.” “Will you?” “Yes.” “Show me. On your belly.” Laila lowered herself onto the bed. She reveled in the feel of the cool, soft material against her stomach and breasts and thighs. Matthew ran his fingers through her hair, trailing them down her back. She shivered at his touch. No man had ever known how to work her body so well. “Did you really think you could come back to me and not have us be together?” “Yes…no…I don’t know.”

73

Reese Gabriel

His hand reached the curve of her ass. He urged her legs slightly apart, finding her sopping-wet sex. “This is all the answer we both need. Once Bobby’s safe, we will have to deal with things, you know that.” “No. It’s over.” He kissed her neck, his body aligned alongside hers. She couldn’t help moving, slowly writhing, sliding her flesh along the sheets. She had never wanted to come so much in her life. “On your back, he ordered abruptly, curtailing her imminent orgasm. “Wait…just one…moment.” A sudden smack to her bottom convinced her otherwise. Laila flipped over to see him looming, holding his cock. Hands still behind her back, she was at his mercy. “You’re mine,” he said. “Take me,” she confirmed. Matthew lowered himself between her parted legs. His cock slid deep, to the hilt, in her honeyed heat. “You’ll come when I tell you to—not before.” She gazed in hot wonder, dominated by his will, transfixed by his eyes. “Yes, sir,” she said for the second time. Matthew clamped a nipple with his teeth. She could not resist, only arch her back, bowing herself into the explosion of pleasure, mingled with the tiniest bit of pain. Her sweet scream lodged deep in her throat. She was at the edge, way too close. He pulled her back, just for a moment.

74

Laila’s Bargain

“When you came to my door today, Laila, it was all I could do to not throw you down on my couch and shove my cock so far into you, come so hard inside you— breath you, smell you, kiss you, lose my mind in you all over again.” “You…could have…said,” she managed a mild complaint. Matthew had played with her long enough. He chewed playfully on the captured nipple, igniting unstoppable sensations in her belly and pussy. “G-gonna come,” she said, shivering in molten heat. “Yes.” It was a growled command, an acknowledgement of a force they had both unleashed. Laila’s climax hit her on all fronts, every part of her body surging with the sensation, from her toes all the way up. Her pussy spasmed, clenching and unclenching, spurring him on to his own orgasm. Wave after wave of pleasure surged, intermixed, entangled between them. Matthew released his semen deep inside her, warm and thick, spurt after spurt. His buttocks were tightly clenched, his muscles hard and straining. She reveled in his power and in her ability to give him release. Her body pushed up against him, he held her close. At some point he rolled them over so that she was on top. Somehow he managed to stay hard as she began moving up and down, her pussy clenching at his upright, throbbing cock—the perfect rhythm of well-practiced lovers. He reached behind her and untied her hands. Grinning, free, she seized her opportunity. It was her turn to rip his clothes. Laila tore at his T-shirt, exposing his chest. She ran her nails over his skin, making him moan. She squeezed his pectorals and pressed hard on his nipples. His eyes slid closed for a moment as he enjoyed the rough stimulation.

75

Reese Gabriel

All too quickly, however, he wanted control. She cut him off. “No,” she chided. “Hands over your head.” He complied, looking both amused and eager. She took her role as would-be dominatrix seriously, employing her tongue and sharp nails to torment him. Lifting her body, depriving him of her sex, she moved to give him something else in its place. Laila tasted her own liquids on his cock as she licked the wet, glistening length of it. He let out a soft groan as she blew on the reddish-purple skin. His balls were still full, despite the sexual activity. Wickedly, she kissed the underside of his cock, touching her lips to the center vein, the ridge of male pleasure. This time he arched his back, muscles tensing. She could feel his raw power and strength. She wouldn’t be keeping him under control for long. Widening her lips, she took him inside her mouth, gently sliding him deep. “Yes,” he sighed. “That’s it.” His hands moved to her hair, to stroke the reddish locks. She didn’t object to his failure to keep them in place. How could she? “Baby doll, that’s so wonderful.” Her heart heated. She wanted him to come in her mouth, she wanted him to— She stopped herself short of thinking the next words. She wanted Matthew to love her. An impossibility. “From behind,” he said. Laila retreated, abandoning her prize. If he wanted her on all fours, who was she to complain?

76

Laila’s Bargain

“Yes,” he sighed, taking up a position behind her. His hand took hold of her hair. She was growing to like that feeling. Almost as good as his other hand clamped on her waist, making her feel solid, stable. Grounded. How long since she had felt that way? Not since the last time with Matthew. Except it never lasted outside bed. The good sexual feelings started to feel like a drug, a quick fix with no link to reality. Reality was leaving him on a gray island morning, the lonesome song of the seagulls overhead, the ocean sighing its timeless, ancient regrets. He had told her he couldn’t give her more and that he was sorry. She was sorry too, because more was what she needed. “Isn’t part of what you want better than nothing?” he had asked her. She hadn’t been angry. His question wasn’t cynical or manipulative. He had genuinely believed a person should settle for bits and pieces of happiness. She was not that way. She was all or nothing. She had taken the nothing. What if he had bothered to fight, though? What if he had given her all that emotion he’d saved for the bar and the jukebox? What if he had worked it out without the rum and the anger? Why was he closed down emotionally like his father before him? She could hear him, his deep sighs over her shoulder as his thick cock readied for release. “Yes, come inside me,” she encouraged. Her words led him to frenzy—a few powerful thrusts followed by explosive ejaculation. She did not come but savored the feel of his climax, wanting to memorize it perhaps. 77

Reese Gabriel

It was the last she would know with him, after all. Bobby would be returned to her tomorrow and she would leave the island. This time for good. She would never again come to Matthew’s doorstep. Never again stir up the ghosts. It hurt too much. She had tears in her eyes. He lay down next to her, allowing her to put her head on his chest. “Bobby will be just fine,” he said softly, misunderstanding her emotions. “I know,” she said. Strangely, she was not worried. As long as she was here with Matthew she could believe and trust. He would protect her and her brother too. He had never betrayed her, not really. He was who he was. Always had been. Did she owe him an apology? For leaving? For doubting? “You’re cold,” he said. “It’s the air.” Again she was lying. He held her all the tighter. Bittersweet. Dawn came, agonizing ages later.

78

Laila’s Bargain

Chapter Six Matthew did not sleep a wink after the lovemaking was done. He wanted to revel in every second of having Laila beside him, her small body curled so trustingly in sleep, her head on his chest, softly breathing. It was as if she had never left him. He thought he had gotten over her but he had been kidding himself. As strong as he was, as much as he’d had to fight in his life, nothing had taught him more about being a man than loving this one woman. Yeah, they had had a good run but nothing good lasts forever, right? He was a fighter—he liked the edge. Laila was about comfort and commitment. Not a match made in heaven. There was that thing about opposites attracting, though. And they sure had kept their compatibility in bed. He woke her with a kiss. She moaned softly, her lips parting. Eyes still closed, she arched her back. Damn, he was going to have to take her one more time. His hand found its place on her breast, molding and caressing. She sucked in her breath as his knee moved between her legs. Hard as a rock, he pressed his cock home. Laila was tight and wet and hot. She felt like home. His cock sank to the hilt. “Matthew,” she groaned. He sank his teeth into her nipple. His hands pinned her wrists above her head. For now—for this instant—she was his. “That’s it, baby doll, don’t hold back.”

79

Reese Gabriel

Laila’s sweet scent filled the air. With short, measured strokes, he worked her body. Just like riding a bike, every part of lovemaking with this woman was etched in his brain. She came like a gentle storm, pelting rain over the heat of their mutual passion. He exploded into her, giving her everything he had. For a while they were silent, fingers interlaced, sweat commingling. It was as if they both knew that a single word, the tiniest motion, would break the spell. Laila cracked first. “Should we get going?” “Yeah.” He rolled off her and onto his back. She rose to her feet. He watched her pad to the bathroom. She didn’t bother putting on clothes. Interesting. His cock throbbed. He would be hard again soon. It had always been that way with Laila. He had never been able to get enough. She was different when she came back out. More distant, preoccupied. She would be thinking of Bobby, of course. Then again she was probably also reconciling herself to leaving him again. You shouldn’t have come back, Laila. You should have found someone else to find Bobby. “I’ll be out in a minute,” he said instead. She nodded, doing her best not to look at his naked body as he walked past. Closing the bathroom door, he muttered a curse. What the hell did Laila want? Her body screamed yes every time he touched her. But she was going to leave again. It was written all over her face.

*****

80

Laila’s Bargain

They rode in silence to the meeting place along the shore. Geronimo was already there, waiting. Matthew brought his binoculars from under the seat. They stood watching the waves, Laila beside him, too damn close for comfort. He sensed her anxiety. “It will be all right.” He leaned into her. “I promise.” She nodded and he sensed that she relaxed. “There.” Matthew pointed out the small boat as it came into view. “That’s the one.” “Can I see?” asked Laila. He handed her the binoculars. “What do you see?” Geronimo asked Laila impatiently. “There are two men,” she replied. “One of them has a beard. The other is…” Laila gasped, grasping Matthew’s arm. “The other one is Bobby!” Matthew grinned. Seeing her happy was the best feeling of his life. “Told you we would get him back, baby doll.” She threw her arms around his neck. “Thank you.” He let her hug him, trying to shut off his emotions, not to mention his libido. More than anything he would like to rip off her clothes, make love to her in the sand, kiss away all her worries. Laila was complicated and he had always liked that. He was complicated too. Most would call that being a son of a bitch and impossible to live with. “Thank god this nightmare is going to end,” said Geronimo. “You will get me my gold, right?” “Tolliver’s gold,” Matthew reminded. “Of course.” Geronimo cleared his throat. “If a few bars should happen to slip through your fingers, I might be persuaded to split the proceeds.” “Do I look like I’m in the market for stolen gold?” Matthew asked menacingly.

81

Reese Gabriel

“No,” admitted Geronimo. The Captain pulled into the dock to their left. He looked spry in a white shirt and jeans. Bobby looked older and a lot taller. He had picked up several inches and he was more muscular too. He looked every bit the man, save for the sheepish expression on his face at the sight of his indignant sister. “You have a lot of explaining to do,” she declared. “I hope you realize that. Do you know how much effort people went through to find you?” “But I was just fine.” He used the universal excuse of irresponsible young people. “Until you came along.” Laila unleashed her full temper. “You might be fine, Bobby but I’m not. I’ve been worried sick. You could have been killed, eaten by sharks, carried off by pirates.” “Hey, man,” Bobby said to Matthew with considerably more enthusiasm than he had had for his sister. “What’s up?” “What’s up is you’re a damn fool,” Matthew growled. “What do you mean?” Bobby looked hurt. “What did I do?” “I shouldn’t even have to tell you.” “But you need to tell me,” said Captain Spider. “I lost me half a day on this little joyride and an able-bodied man besides.” “You’ll be rewarded,” said Geronimo. “He’ll take care of you like I promised.” Matthew grabbed him by the collar. “Who’s going to take care of him?” “I will, it will be me,” Geronimo replied, cowering. “Matthew, I was on a real treasure hunter’s ship,” Bobby started to tell him. “And I—” “Never mind all that,” dismissed Laila. “Are you hurt?” “No.” “Let me see.” She proceeded to examine his forehead and both his arms. 82

Laila’s Bargain

“He’s fine.” Matthew cut in. “You should get going.” “What’s the rush?” Bobby asked. “I haven’t seen you in ages.” “You could have seen me before you went out to sea,” Matthew pointed out. Bobby frowned. He had his sister’s eyes and copper hair. “You would have tried to stop me.” “I would have done more than try.” “I don’t suppose you brought any luggage?” asked Laila. He held out his arms. “Do I look like I have luggage, Sis?” Matthew was harsh. “Don’t smart-mouth your sister.” “What are you, my father?” Bobby turned on him. Matthew knew it was just strong emotion talking, nothing personal. “I’m not,” he replied. “But if I were, I would deal with you.” “Screw you,” said Bobby. “Don’t talk to him like that!” This from Laila, surprisingly coming to his defense. “He damn near saved your life, you know.” “I don’t need saving,” he groused. “What about me, then?” asked Geronimo. “Somebody save me. Tolliver will kill me if he doesn’t get his gold back pronto. You see them down the beach? Those are two of his goons watching us.” “I know who they are and they’re my problem, not yours. If I were you, I would concentrate on not pissing me off because I could kill you a lot faster than them.” Geronimo shut up fast. “So…I guess this is it for us. Can you drive Bobby and me to my rental car so we can get to the airport?” asked Laila. Matthew licked his lips. Seeing her out here on the beach like this, the wind in her hair and another goodbye in the air was making him see things in a different light.

83

Reese Gabriel

“Not quite yet.” He handed his keys to Bobby. “I want you to drive your sister to her hotel. You’ll both wait for me there. Laila, you and I have unfinished business but I have a little surprise for Tolliver first.” “Sure thing,” said Bobby, puffing out his chest. “I’ll keep her safe.” “Just keep out of trouble,” said Matthew. “Geronimo, get the shotgun from my truck, we’re going to need it.”

***** Laila stormed about the motel room. “He has no right to imprison us like this. Who does he think he is?” Bobby rolled his eyes. “You love it and you know it,” he muttered. “What did you say?” “Face it, Sis. You’ve been totally miserable without Matthew. If he really wanted to marry you or something, you’d accept in a heartbeat.” Her pulse quickened. “He doesn’t want to marry me. Does he?” Who cares, she thought. I don’t want him. Sure, he was still the only one who could make her body sing, the only one who could make her feel safe. Last night was the best sleep she’d had since leaving Matthew. And also the best sex. But she would never let herself be hurt again. “I have no interest in Matthew,” she snapped. “And I am not miserable.” “Whatever.” “I’m angry because of you,” she said defensively. “You worried me half to death.” Bobby ignored her. “Women,” he muttered. “I heard that.”

***** Matthew arrived at the motel to find his truck parked in front of Laila’s room. Excellent. 84

Laila’s Bargain

Bobby opened the door as soon as he knocked. “Thanks, pal,” said Matthew. “This should buy you a couple of beers.” “Wow.” Bobby’s eyes bugged at the hundred-dollar bill. “It sure will.” “Bobby, you are not leaving this room…do you hear me?” Laila demanded. “It’s not safe.” Matthew gave Bobby a wink. “Don’t worry about the bad guys, I took a little of the starch out of them. You’re safe enough. Just don’t run off with any pirates and be home before two.” “Matthew Hardin, you have no authority over him,” Laila fumed. “He’s a man, baby doll, let him be.” He locked the door behind him. “What the hell are you doing?” she demanded. “I don’t recall saying you could come in here.” “And I don’t recall asking.” Her gaze narrowed. He regarded her—mercurial, beautiful…perfect. “Fine, if you have something on your mind, out with it. Like I really care.” “You took my toothpaste when you left,” he said. “It’s time to settle up.” “And you took my toothbrush, along with my heart. I think that makes us even.” Matthew pursed his lips. “Not quite.” “Oh?” Her hands moved to her hips. “And why is that?” “You owe me another kiss.” She frowned slightly. “I think I’ve given you quite enough in that regard.” “It’s not a matter of you giving,” he countered. “It’s a matter of my taking.” Her voice turned husky, though it was not without irony, even a stinging bit of sarcasm. “You want me again? For old time’s sake, is that it? There’s probably time. You could do me in my car or in the ditch.” “I would never turn down sex with you anywhere but this isn’t about sex.”

85

Reese Gabriel

“Then what the hell is it about?” “It’s about me not being all right with you leaving.” “Fuck you being all right with it,” she said. “I’m all right and that’s what I care about.” “You don’t mean that.” “Don’t tell me what I mean.” “I love you,” he said. “I mean it, baby doll, I love you.” “You said you didn’t know what love meant.” “Maybe I’ve evolved.” “In a half-hour?” She shook her head in disgust. “This is over, Matthew. This conversation, this…all of it.” “No.” “No, what?” He took her arm. “No, it’s not over. I love you and it’s not over.” Her gaze homed in on the cut on his arm. The bleeding had stopped but there was a nasty wound there. “What happened?” “I was having a conversation with some of Tolliver’s men. Don’t worry, it wasn’t that dangerous and they got the short end of the stick.” She frowned. “You should clean it up.” “Later. First we talk about us.” Laila shook her head, her suspicions overcoming her momentary rush of concern. “No. I don’t care if you love me.” She tried to shake him off. “It’s too late for that now.” “Only if you make it too late.” His grip was steel. “I made the biggest mistake of my life two years ago. Don’t you make one now.”

86

Laila’s Bargain

“It’s over, motherfucker, just accept it.” “I was a coward to let you go. I had all kinds of reasons—thought I was slick—but in the end I was afraid, just like my old man was afraid. He faced the sea his whole life, saw it swallow friend and enemy alike. Storms, lightning, killer fatigue and none of it was half as hard as having a family. That’s the real challenge—communicating, building, day by day. “The truth is, I saw you hurting over your parents—losing them without knowing who they were, trying to make something of your own emotions in the process and I was scared. I couldn’t be enough, do enough.” “All you had to do was be yourself. If you had only seen that.” “Is it really too late?” He asked as much for himself as for her. “For what we had? Yes. For what we might still have…no.” “And what can we still have, Laila?” “I won’t answer that. You tell me.” He took a breath. “In that case, Laila Prescott, will you marry me?” Her eyes flooded with emotion, shock, hope and a justifiable amount of nervousness. “I have never been more serious in my life,” he spoke to her doubts. “I will kneel, if that helps.” “No.” She kept him on his feet. “That would not help.” “What then?” “Enlighten me. Where is this coming from?” He shrugged. “I liked how your hair looked on the beach.” “That is not an answer,” she said. “I’m not a poet, Laila, but I’ll spell it out, just how it came to me this morning, when it came time to say goodbye again. I saw it so clearly. When I was with you, I was happy. You left and I was miserable. It basically stayed that way and now you’re back 87

Reese Gabriel

and it’s like I can breathe. The world has color. When I think of you going, it’s like the darkness closing in worse than ever. Laila, I have no fancy words, not even a ring and I sure as hell know nothing about a real relationship, but if I don’t try with you, then what’s the fucking point of my life?” Her brow furrowed. “It’s too fast. This is my life here…and your life.” “Too fast? Hell, it’s been years too slow. I should have figured this out the moment I met you. If I wasn’t such a stubborn bastard… Take it from me—it’s better to face destiny. You in or out?” “Yes. No…maybe.” She shook her head. “Oh, Matthew, you’re not the only one who has felt lost. I never replaced you, never wanted to, never will. I think sometimes I will just be an old maid.” He took her hands in his. “You don’t have to be. I don’t want that. I couldn’t bear it, really.” “I’m not sure,” she whispered. “I understand.” He looked deep into her eyes. “You need time to think.” She swallowed. “Actually…I need that kiss.” He smiled. And then he took her—lips against lips—picking up where words left off. Not a substitute for a relationship but still the glue that held them. The spark that ignited them. They held each other, still kissing, as the sun went down. Body to body, lost in the future, lost in each other. And so a bargain was struck—mutual, unspoken. Eternal.

88

Laila’s Bargain

Epilogue Laila was painting a seascape. Or attempting to at least. Her husband was behind her, his hands on her shoulders, insistent, even as they delicately worked her loose shirt down over her shoulders. “Honey, I am trying to concentrate.” “So am I, baby doll.” “Honey, please…” “I like when you say please.” He bent to nibble at her neck. “I like when you call me honey too.” “I have other names I can use,” she offered a complaint, none too sincere. How could she mind her gorgeous, attentive man being unable to keep his hands off her even after six months of marriage? Giving up on the painting, she put down her brush and turned around. He was ready to take her in his arms. “You really sure you don’t mind living here with me?” he asked. “Instead of some big mansion?” “Do you even have to ask?” She nibbled his lips, pressing her chest against him. Her nipples were full and hard. “We’ll eventually need more space than this bungalow affords, though,” he said. “Yes,” she agreed, giving the nod to the old place over his shoulder. “And when the time comes, I am sure you’ll add on a spare room.” She kissed him, full and deep, infinitely appreciative. Their bodies entwined. They were so perfect together—in bed and out. 89

Reese Gabriel

They fought on occasion, but that was a sure sign they had moved past mere infatuation to a real relationship. “I want you,” he rasped. “I want you too,” she said. “Shall we go to bed?” He promptly lifted her in his arms. “I was thinking the beach.” She nuzzled against him. “You’re the boss.” Actually they were evenly matched, an excellent team. Matthew laid her on a blanket they had left out earlier. Everything was as good as it could get. The sun was shining brightly, the waves were rolling vigorously, a breeze was blowing in the chalky blue sky. Kneeling beside her, he helped with her clothes. She lifted her arms and the shirt came off. The bikini bottoms had strings which made them easy to remove. Once she was naked he set about kissing her, everywhere his tongue and lips could reach. He had her moaning as he worked across her breasts, sucking her nipples, licking her smooth belly. He teased her inner thighs, having her open her legs. She kept her knees bent and her heels flat on the blanket. He moved his head up and down, breathing her scent, tasting her sweet, honeyed desire. Manipulating her clit, he helped her to a series of mind-numbing orgasms—wave after wave—an internal ocean to match the world around her. He continued to enjoy her writhing—keeping connected—then he rose above her, smoothly mounting her. He slid his cock in and out, thrusting in an easy rhythm, completely intriguing and captivating. When the time came, he took her hands in his, held them over her head and released his semen, coming strong and deep, filling her. She never tired of that feeling or of hearing him take his pleasure to the utmost. “Thank you, baby doll,” he whispered.

90

Laila’s Bargain

“Thank you, my love,” she said in reply, pleased that she had a slew of pet names for him now. He gave her a hug and rolled over to lie beside her. They watched the clouds in the sky, talked about them, named them. Eager as children, in a world the two of them had created, first and foremost for each other. A world of love, of bargains. Of second chances.

91

About the Author Reese Gabriel is a born romantic with a taste for the edgier side of love. Having traveled the world and sampled many of the finer things, Reese now enjoys the greater simplicities; barefoot walks by the ocean, kisses under moonlight and whispers of passion in the darkness with that one special person. Preferring to remain behind the scenes, cherished by a precious few, Reese hopes to awaken in the lives of many the possibilities of true love through stories of far off places and enchanted lives. For the sake of love and hope and imagination, these stories are told. May they be enjoyed as much in the reading of them as in the writing.

Reese welcomes comments from readers. You can find Reese’s website and email address on the author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

Tell Us What You Think We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email us at [email protected].

Also by Reese Gabriel A Centaur for Libby A Filly for Doug Chaining His Heart Come and Get Me Dance of Submission His Sahvria His Submissive Holiday Reflections anthology Kimberlee’s Keeper More Than Male 1: Nyssa’s Guardian More Than Male 2: Seria’s Star Warrior More Than Male 3: Azar’s Prize More Than Male 4: Jaxey’s Master More Than Male 5: A Dominant for Desela More Than Male 6: Vandar’s War My Carina Prisoner of Shera-Sa Roping His Filly Soul Master Taming Delaney Temporary Slave Tying Tempest

Discover for yourself why readers can’t get enough of the multiple award-winning publisher Ellora’s Cave. Whether you prefer e-books or paperbacks, be sure to visit EC on the web at www.ellorascave.com for an erotic reading experience that will leave you breathless.

www.ellorascave.com