Secret Obsession

eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work. This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. Samhain Publishing, Ltd. 577 Mulberry Street, Suite 1520 Macon GA 31201 Secret Obsession Copyright © 2008 by Leigh Wyndfield ISBN: 1-59998-104-1 Edited by Sasha Knight Cover by Dawn Seewer All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: February 2008 www.samhainpublishing.com

Secret Obsession Leigh Wyndfield

Dedication To Jennifer Skully and TL Schaefer, two of the best critique partners and friends a gal can have. To my sister, who kept saying I should write for a living. Thank you for all that early encouragement. To Tracy Dunham, who read this book when I was in the mood to toss it out and told me it was worth it. And finally, to my husband Chip, who has always believed in me. I love you.

Secret Obsession

Chapter One Clemant Taylor thought for the millionth time how nice it would be to engage in a hot, blazing affair. She longed to run her fingers down a man’s skin, smell the masculine scent of his body, have him fill her up and relieve the growing tension in her belly. Instead, she was on her way to her boss’s office, summoned from a meeting where she’d been trying to solve a snag in a multimillion dollar computer rollout. Computer programmers were an introverted and gloomy lot by their very nature. She’d worked with this same team for over two years now and had come to the conclusion they loved the word impossible, loved saying things couldn’t be done, loved throwing up their hands and proclaiming impending doom. As someone who lived for forward momentum even if it was in the wrong direction, this tendency to talk instead of act drove her crazy. She needed to be there, holding the reins, running the show, not dealing with whatever nonsense her boss had come up with now. Her cell phone, which had been ringing all day, buzzed at her hip, but she hit the key to send the call to voicemail. This project would tank if she didn’t keep her hands firmly at the controls. She needed to deal with her boss and get back to her meeting, instead of letting her mind wander to sex yet again. Lately that seemed to be all she thought about. Maybe she should break down and have an affair with her lead developer, Steve Hurt. Just a brief fling. They were compatible, she knew. Opposites, but not so far in the extremes that they had nothing in common. Unfortunately, it would be unfair for her to use him for one or two nights of relief from the dull ache riding inside her. He wasn’t Wade Tawes and never would be. She’d given up on finding a replacement. At the thought of Wade, a memory of him hit her so strongly, she sagged against the wall outside of Randy’s office. Flashes of Wade’s scent, sea salt and the spicy mix of pure male that rode on his skin at the hollow between his neck and shoulder, invaded her nostrils as if he stood before her. She could feel the shadow of his calloused palm pass www.samhainpublishing.com

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down her stomach, feel the sharp stab of the grass on her bare back as he lowered her onto the ground up on Tompkin’s Bluff. It had been years since she’d last been there with him, but the intense sensory-rich memory hit her like a freight train, leaving her gasping. “Are you okay?” someone asked as they passed her in the hall. “Forgot a slide deck at home,” she said, forcing a smile to her lips, unable to come up with a better lie on the spur of the moment. Her mind whirled with memories that cut into her like intimate shards of glass. Running a trembling hand through her bob-length hair, she realized it had been a long time since she’d had a physical remembrance of him like this. She hadn’t notice the absence of them as she concentrated on moving forward with her life. Pushing off the wall, she straightened her shoulders and banished the memory. She’d become convinced her dealings with Wade had ruined her for all time. Her exhusband’s parting shot a year ago outside the divorce attorney’s office skittered through her mind. John had told her she cared more about her career than she had him, but that hadn’t been true. Her career wasn’t the issue. The secret pact she’d made with Wade had sat in her stomach like a weight between them, turning her into a liar by its very presence. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t seen Wade since the day she’d met John. Wade had been living inside her, constantly draining her energy as she fought to forget him. Maybe telling John about her affair with Wade before they’d married would have solved it all. Her gut had warned her it would eventually destroy them, but they’d crashed and burned before their first wedding anniversary anyway. She pushed away her failures and desires, rounding the corner into Randy’s office. “What’s up?” Randy wasn’t the best boss she’d ever had, but he wasn’t a total asshole either. Her problems with him were on a personal level. Though she’d tried to get over it, she wasn’t woman enough to deal with his hobby. Even now, the pictures of him and his wife performing in numerous national roller-skating dance competitions pulled at her like a car wreck. She found herself constantly wanting to stare at them, to open her mouth and vent

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some of the thoughts that flickered through her mind. Where she came from, men didn’t roller-skate. Period. Looking up from the one document on his desk, Randy put on what she called his sympathetic face. “We had a call from your cousin.” “My cousin?” she asked, ignoring the picture that loomed above his right shoulder of Randy in sequined, pale-blue polyester throwing his hands wide and grinning at the camera. She had at least seventeen cousins, probably more since she last talked to her clan. From the time she’d met John three years ago, she hadn’t been back to Blue Island and had lost touch with their daily lives. “Your cousin Tabitha?” Randy glanced down at a pink phone message slip. “She said your great-aunt had a heart attack and you need to call her immediately.” Clem ripped the slip from his hand, forgetting her project with the news that the most influential person in her life could be dying. “Oh God. No.” Aunt Liv, the guiding light, the matriarch of her family, had had a heart attack. Without even thinking about Randy or his roller skates again, she pivoted and left his office at a run.

Y “I’m sorry to have called you at work, but you didn’t answer at home or on your cell,” Tabitha said. “I’ve been in the middle of a system rollout. How is she?” Clem could hear the strain threading through the words. Aunt Liv was her grandmother’s sister. Of the five Taylor women born to Xavier Taylor, only Aunt Liv remained alive. She’d been a spinster, too busy running the clan to have children of her own, although she always had Taylor family members living in her home. It never occurred to Clem that she wouldn’t live forever, but she was eighty-six years old and people had to die sometime. The thought shook her. “As fine as anyone who had a heart attack can be. You know not much keeps her down. She’s still in the hospital.” Her cousin’s voice held a hesitancy, as if she had more bad news she was reluctant to share. www.samhainpublishing.com

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“She’s in Baltimore?” “At Johns Hopkins Medical Center.” Clem paused, trying to read Tabitha’s strange vibes over the phone. “Does she want me to come there?” “No.” Tabby took a deep breath. “She wants you here, on Blue Island, by seven o’clock tonight.” “What? Tabby, I’m running a huge project. I can’t just leave.” But she would have, actually, if Aunt Liv had needed her at the hospital. “Aunt Liv said you have to come tonight.” Tabby sounded exasperated and a bit panicked. She had a good head on her shoulders, though, like the rest of the females in the Taylor clan. “She wants you to represent her in the Heads meeting.” The Heads were the four leaders of the main clans that inhabited Blue Island—Taylor, Marshal, Tawes and Evans. “Tabby, that makes absolutely no sense. I haven’t been back on the island in three years. I wasn’t even born there.” For a reason Clem had never fully understood, her grandmother had left the island before the outbreak of World War II and had never returned. Clem had been born in Raleigh, North Carolina, although she’d spent every summer of her childhood in Aunt Liv’s home. Even now, she would spend all her vacation on Blue if she could return without starting the whole thing over with Wade. But she knew even stepping foot upon the sandy soil of the island would bring about her downfall. If she was within a square mile of Wade Tawes, she’d break every promise she’d made to herself, give up every bit of pride she had, beg, borrow or steal if it meant she would be in his arms again. The only thing that made her feel remotely better about it was that he suffered from the same insanity she did. One summer day when they were both seventeen years old, they’d given each other their virginity and sworn an oath to keep secret what had rapidly turned into a sexual obsession. Since that day, she hadn’t been on the island without having him, which is why she’d stopped going. She’d met John and had seen a way to escape.

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The whole thing disgusted her, because she and Wade were completely incompatible. Not only was he a Tawes, the sworn enemy of the Taylor clan, but he was chosen to replace his father as Head. Besides adding to the impossible situation, it meant he would never be able to leave Blue Island. She didn’t plan to give up her career aspirations and live on an island in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay. Maybe, just maybe they could have gotten around all of that, if it hadn’t been for the fact that Wade Tawes was the biggest overbearing, egotistical asshole she’d ever met. He didn’t even try to end this madness between them. Oh no. He knew her weaknesses and exploited them. But the thing that pissed her off most, shooting her blood pressure through the roof, was his attitude. He never asked, he demanded, embroiling them in battles for control like two captains at the helm of a ship. She couldn’t stop her body’s need when she was near him, so she’d finally insisted that he just shut up. It was silence or murder. Or escape. She’d tried the first, but ended up taking the last. Tabby interrupted her trip down memory lane. “I’m telling you, Clemant, she wants you here tonight. Mike will pick you up at the dock in Crisfield. You’d better leave now or you won’t make it.” “Tabby, think. Please. I can’t represent Aunt Liv if I don’t even know the basics of what’s been happening on the island for the last few years.” “She’s sending Jenny with you to help you make the right decisions.” Jenny was Aunt Liv’s chosen successor. The daughter of Clem’s Uncle Raymond Taylor, she not only bore the Taylor last name, a prerequisite for being the Taylor Head, but she had shown early in her life that she was almost as bright and sharp-witted as Liv herself. The Taylors always passed on leadership through the women’s line. They were the only matriarch on an island populated with testosterone-filled males. “Jenny is just sixteen,” Clem said, but knew she’d lost. What Aunt Liv wanted, Aunt Liv got. “She’s smart, though. She’ll keep you from making a mistake.” Tabitha paused. “Clemant, come home. We need you.” And with that, her fate was sealed.

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Chapter Two Clem drove like a bat out of hell, speeding over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, not even bothering to enjoy the view or the nesting seagulls as she had in the past. Her body had gone into overdrive, the lack of sleep and stress of the coming Head’s meeting building inside her. As his father’s successor, Wade might very well be there. She’d have to sit through the meeting, attempting to use her brain when already her body wept for him, turning her panties into a sodden mess. Just the thought, the idea he’d be near had her pressing at the top of her thighs trying to stop the ache throbbing there. It was so pathetic. She hated this, hated how he made her feel. It took four hours to reach the docks where Mike waited in Crisfield to take her across the bay, but she needed the time to get her head together. She could do this. She could do anything, she reminded herself, parking down by Waterman’s Inn, a restaurant known for crab cakes and fresh fish served on the nicest plastic tablecloths around. Grabbing her bag, she jogged to the dock, cursing her favorite high heels for slowing her down. Mike stood surrounded by three elderly crabbers, talking no doubt about tides and the latest legislation restricting fishing on the bay. It was either slow down the depletion of the sea or the bay would die, but the watermen were lost in the environmental struggles, unable to make their living the way they had for generations. Mike was an Evans by birth, but he’d married Tabby and moved into Aunt Liv’s house. As far as the Taylors were concerned, this made him one of them, even though he still carried the Evans last name. At thirty, he was already weatherworn, his skin tanned leather, his blue eyes faded by the sun to the washed-out color of the deep sea. Aunt Liv said he loved Tabby, though, and that made up for any imperfections as far as Clem was concerned.

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“There you are, girl,” he said, his accent turning the “there” into “thur” and the “girl” into “gul”. Clem knew within a few hours, she wouldn’t notice the waterman’s lilt. “Thanks for coming for me.” He’d had to cross to the mainland from the island, a thirty-minute boat ride which had allowed Blue to become a haven from the world to some extent, although TV kept the kids talking about the hottest shows and the adults using the latest home-care products they bought at the Wal-Mart in Salisbury. “You know it’s my pleasure.” He waved to the others, then led the way to his boat, the Macy Grey. She stumbled climbing aboard, but his strong hands caught her. “Whoa now, you need to get your sea legs back, after being gone so long.” There was censure there, under the friendly tones. Her family hadn’t been happy with her desertion, although unbeknownst to them, she’d sent as much of her salary to Aunt Liv as she could to pay for their boat insurance, mortgages and the plethora of little emergencies that constantly hit the Taylor clan. They made good time crossing the Bay, and she was glad it was the beginning of summer, when the weather ran in the mid-sixties. At twenty knots, though, the chill picked up and she shrugged into her windbreaker, turning her face into the wind. Peace settled over her body as the taste of the sea filled her lungs and the boat leveled off to cruising speed. She’d worked on the boats several summers, hauling in crab pots in the dim light of the early morning, then spending the day fixing nets and laughing with her extensive passel of cousins. To the west, the sun dropped low enough so that the water sparkled. Dusk on the Chesapeake was pure beauty. Sudden joy stuttered through her. She’d missed it, more than she’d thought. Jenny met them at the dock, her sun-bleached blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, her glasses too big to be in style on the mainland. She was dressed in a pair of lime-green shorts with a matching flowered shirt, the outfit highlighting just how young she was. “Clemant,” she said, formal and serious as ever.

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“Jenny,” Clem said back, smiling at her. “I’m supposed to catch you up on things for the meeting.” She pushed her glasses up her nose, although Clem didn’t think they’d been sliding. “Okay. What do I need to know?” She hopped onto the dock without toppling in her high heels. Good for her. This morning, she’d dressed in her usual business casual uniform—black pants and a button-down that hugged her waist and flared out around her hips. She’d been born with a woman’s figure, which had made her self-conscious in college when rail-thin was in style. Lately, she’d come to embrace it, wearing outfits that showed off her tiny waist and nice breasts. The turquoise shirt brought out the blue in her green eyes and gave a slight hint of cleavage. She kept the weight that wanted to creep on at bay by running every morning without fail. “There’s been trouble.” Jenny set off up the hill to Aunt Liv’s house. For a moment, Clem stayed where she was, taking in the view of the place she’d always considered home. The three-story house sat high and proud, even though it badly needed a coat of paint. Only one room wide and two rooms long in the main house, it stared across the water toward the mainland. The roof consisted of four peaks, one facing each direction. Every summer, she’d lived way up on the third floor under the slanted ceiling, sharing the space with any of the other cousins in residence at the time. The back of the house jutted out with an addition of a kitchen. She’d paid for the work out of her own pocket. Until then, the kitchen had been in an outbuilding. Jenny paused and looked back at her. “I’ve missed it,” Clem murmured, smiling. “And it’s missed you.” Jenny turned to climb the steps to the house. “Aunt Liv said you’re to have her room on the second floor.” Clem caught her halfway up. “Do you live here now?” “No.” Jenny’s skinny body jumped the steps two at a time. “I’m still living with mama.”

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Clem suppressed the sigh at having this child as her guide through tonight’s meeting and circled back around to her cousin’s earlier statement. “What kind of trouble?” “Someone’s been sabotaging the boats the past four weeks. At first only little stuff the men found the next morning, sliced nets and spray-painted hulls.” Jenny pushed at her glasses again, and Clem realized it was a nervous habit. “But then they started emptying crab pots and two nights ago someone put sand in Trent’s boat motor.” The last was said in a whisper, too terrible to say out loud. Trent was Jenny’s oldest brother. Things were bad then. The feud between the Taylors and the Tawes clan had started three generations ago over less. “Do they know who?” “Not for sure, but…” Her cousin paused, watching her feet climb the last steps. “But?” “They say it’s Wade Tawes.” Jenny pulled the front door open. “Wade?” A laugh escaped Clem before she could stop it. “You don’t think so?” The expression in her cousin’s too-wise eyes made Clem step lightly. Jenny looked two years younger than her actual age, but her mind seemed double her years. Young in this case didn’t mean dumb. “I could see Wade Tawes doing any of those things, but he’d do them staring you straight in the eye, not behind your back.” She thought about the time he’d beaten up Bob Leef one night at Littleton’s Bar. He’d gone in swinging, after giving Bob one warning. She supposed part of that had to do with being a twenty-year-old male, but Bob had been in shreds by the end of it all. Brash and over-confident, Wade was many things, but he wasn’t a thief in the night. He was in your face, throwing down his opinions like a gauntlet at your feet. “Mike and them all seem pretty sure it was him.” Clem shrugged. It wasn’t an argument she could win. She’d moved away, she’d become Mainland, she’d lost touch with her clan. Her word wouldn’t save Wade, not that he’d thank her for it anyway. “I’ve been gone. People change.” But she knew he hadn’t. Not Wade.

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“Aunt Liv planned to discuss it with the Heads, although I don’t quite understand her reasoning, since Wade will be there and all.” Clem’s heart skipped a beat, even though she’d already known it would be a possibility. “He’s going as his father’s second?” Jenny led the way up the narrow staircase to the bedrooms. They’d both need to change into formal clothes. Her ponytail bobbed as she turned. “No, Clem, Wade’s father died last year. He’s the Tawes Head now. I’m surprised you hadn’t heard.” Clem stumbled, catching herself on the banister railing. She supposed it wasn’t the kind of thing Aunt Liv would write in her Christmas card or mention during their brief phone calls. “Damn shoes,” she muttered, but used the excuse of studying her heels to stop the sob that suddenly threatened to rise up her throat. She’d never liked Millard Tawes, but he’d been Wade’s father and they’d been close. A vision flashed through her mind, one where Wade stood in the cemetery, the above-ground crypts surrounding him, the strong sea breeze blowing his short, dark brown hair from his eyes. His face held classic features, full lips and brown eyes with hints of green and gold when a person looked close. His brows were drawn in bleak lines, the muscle in his jaw working as he stared at the foot of the crypt. In her mind, she stepped around the concrete box and saw his knuckles gone white holding a Central Shore League baseball cap against brown khaki workpants. He read the engraving in the foot of the crypt—Millard Tawes—A father, A family man, A waterman. Pain and an emotion she couldn’t define, something dark and troubled, emanated from his very pores, filling Clem’s body and tugging at her heart. She blinked, returning from her daydream, to see Jenny staring at her in concern. “This changes my strategy a bit,” she told her truthfully. “How did he die?” “Cancer,” Jenny said. “Did you like him?” There was a warning in her cousin’s tone. Millard Tawes was the nephew and heir of the man who started the Taylor/Tawes feud back in 1939. As a rule, the Taylor clan hated him. “No.” Clem waved her up the stairs.

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Y Wade had known the exact moment Clemant Taylor stepped onto the island, the invisible line between them tightening with a sharp snap. He wondered if she felt it too, or if he was the only one cursed. He’d tried to ask her once, but as usual, she stopped him from speaking, a hand over his lips to keep him silent. He could close his eyes and feel where she was right now, the link between them was so strong. But then that would prove nothing, since he knew she was on her way here. He glanced at the other two men sitting at the bare card table in the middle of an old crab-shedding shack they used as a meeting place. He was younger than both by twenty years. Jim Marshal and Don Evans were the Heads of their families and powerful men here on Blue. While only the Marshal clan claimed to have been on the island since it was first settled in 1657, sometime in the early 1800s the four clans had formed an unusual quadrumvirate of power. They performed the jobs of sheriff, mayor and local government, reaching decisions by a simple vote. It took three votes to pass any legislation. Being a Head took smarts, savvy and compromise. The process was painful at times, but it had worked well for almost two hundred years. Livvy Taylor beat them all in the intelligence department. If she’d been here, rather than in the hospital, she would be oldest by a generation, addressing Wade as young man in a tone designed to burrow under his skin. Instead, Clem would be attending in her place, returning after three years of staying away. Damn her black soul. She’d known she could run and he couldn’t follow her, although every night for the last few months he’d lain awake in his apartment above his store and wondered why in the hell he hadn’t just jumped in his boat and gone to confront her. He’d wanted to force her into dealing with their strange obsession, instead of hiding away in Richmond. He’d gotten to the point he cared less and less about his pride as years slipped by, lost to them forever. Lately, the desire had become a screeching rage he couldn’t ignore, but trouble had come to the island and if ever he needed to be here, now was it.

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The odd pulling sensation in his chest increased, and he glanced at the door, knowing she stood on the other side. Mike came in first, moving to the right and crossing his beefy arms as if he could stop Wade from traversing the room and slamming Clemant against the wall if he had a mind to, which he did. Emotions long repressed swirled to the surface, threatening to erupt from his body with a violence he hadn’t felt since he was twenty. Wade stood, the other two men at the table rising with him, as Clem strode into the room. The first thing he thought was she’d changed. The young woman he made love to in his dreams was softer, passion filling her face and lighting it from within. Instead of rounded curves, Clem had thinned down, although muscles shaped calves encased in flesh-colored pantyhose. Her face had lost its sparkle and now held reserve. Her business suit added to the barrier, the dark blue a classic cut hugging her waist, the skirt ending right above her knees. High heels added to her small height, but it was the way she carried herself that he noticed. Like a businesswoman walking into the boardroom. Not Clem, but yet it was. He suddenly felt bereft, saddened by the loss of that girl she’d once been. The changes made him pause and dampened the violence, allowing him to grasp control of himself again. Behind her, the heir to the Taylor Head entered, looking serious and young in her Sunday dress. Jenny had gotten all the intelligence in her immediate family, leaving little remaining for her siblings. Livvy had made a wise choice in her replacement. Don Evans stepped forward to greet them. “Clemant.” He shook her hand once, then again. “It’s good you’ve come home.” Don wasn’t overly affectionate, but from him, it showed his feelings for Clem were positive and respectful.

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If anyone in the room knew that Clem had been Wade’s lover off and on for sixteen years, the reception she’d receive would be icy cold. Women in this world were Madonnas or whores. There was no in between. It had been one of the reasons he’d agreed to her bargain when they’d been seventeen, stumbling headfirst into each other’s arms. That was when they’d still been friends, before they’d fallen at odds and she’d imposed a strict code of silence. Literally. They hadn’t exchanged twenty sentences in the last ten years, making love without words, forcing him to show her his feelings through his touch. In the three years she’d been off the island, he hadn’t even been able to do that. Tonight, they would have to have a whole conversation. She’d returned to the island, where he could touch her again. He couldn’t wait. Jim Marshal shook her hand and nodded, never one to waste words. It was his turn. Wade had no doubt she’d heard the rumors that he’d been behind the sabotage. He wondered if she’d cut him dead, refusing to shake his hand. It would be like her or, more accurately, it would be like the Clemant he’d known before. He steeled himself for her setdown. “Clemant,” he said, nodding, holding his hand carefully at his side. She paused, her green gaze turning to him. And there it was. All the passion he’d remembered, shimmering in her eyes, held in check by her tremendous will. Hidden like a crouching tiger waiting to spring. He almost smiled, then realized her hand rested in midair, waiting for his, so now it appeared that it was he who might cut her. Before she could withdraw, he captured her fingers, the sting of desire at their touch not lessening even though he’d been expecting it. “You look tired,” she said, the first words spoken to him in three years. Before that, he was pretty sure she’d only said something to the effect of, “Shut up, damn you,” before pulling him down to the ground wherever they happened to be at that moment. “You do, too.” He hadn’t meant to say it, but it was true. Now that she was closer, he could see dark circles under her stormy green eyes.

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“I’m in the middle of rolling out new computer software.” She tipped her head, and he knew she was about to say something outrageous and Clem-like. “I hear you’ve been sneaking around nights putting sand in boat motors.” He felt his eyes go wide, heard Jenny gasp in shock, saw Mike’s mouth drop open. The whole room went still. A smile bloomed full on his lips, but better that than the laughter that wanted to pour out of him. God, this was Clem, no matter how she carried herself now in her conservative suit. “I’ve heard that, too,” he managed, but his amusement rode in the words. She studied him, her own eyes sparkling, then drew out her chair. “Since I’m a little out of the loop”—she sat, forcing the rest of the Heads to sit with her—“why don’t you catch me up on what’s going on around here?” A briefcase he hadn’t even seen her carrying appeared, and she pulled out a notebook, flipping it to a fresh page. She looked to Don for the accounting. Wade belatedly realized she’d just sent him a clear signal that she, at least, didn’t believe he’d done what the Taylor clan had accused him of. Warmth spread through his chest, turning the cold burn of need he constantly had for her into something softer, but much more potent. He slid his chair closer to the table so he could adjust the erection in his pants to a comfortable position. These meetings usually lasted for hours. It would be a desire-drenched hell. Don started to recite the incidents, carefully covering every one. Jenny broke in twice to add detail when Clem asked for it. Names, dates, places. All went down into her notebook, her complete concentration on the data surprising him. It had started with spray paint blacking out the name of The Taylor, a shrimp trawler which bore their clan name. Four weeks ago, someone had smashed the running lights on a couple of Taylor crab boats. Then two incidents of cut nets. Last week, someone had emptied crab pots, damaging the traps beyond repair.

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He waited until they got all the way through the list of five incidents, before adding one of his own. “Friday night, all of Otis’s nets were cut to shreds.” Otis Tawes was Wade’s cousin. “So the Tawes clan has had problems, too.” Clem narrowed her eyes. “Mike, we do this?” she asked, her gaze not leaving Wade’s. “No.” There was a finality in his words. If he was lying, he was good at it. She wrote it down on her pad. “Did your people do any of this, Wade?” “We did not.” He made sure he sounded as positive as he was. He was the Tawes Head. He’d know if his people were guilty, or at least suspect. Few things happened within his family without his knowledge. When the trouble continued week after week, he’d made the rounds, interviewing his relatives one by one, staring them in the face, watching their eyes. All he’d seen had been puzzlement and worry. “Interesting.” She leaned back in her chair, the movement opening her jacket and showing the hint of a white bra under her white shirt. Wade’s whole body tightened and Clem’s gaze darted to his, as if she’d felt the sudden jump in the level of his desire. Blowing out a breath, Clem shook her head, the action bemoaning their inevitable fall back into the pattern they’d been in all their adult lives. “Okay, gentlemen, so what are we going to do about this before it blows up in our faces and starts the blood feud again?” “I’m not sure there is anything we can do.” Don spread his fingers to show how little control they had. “I mean, if it’s kids playing pranks, we’d have to catch them at it.” Clem pursed her lips, obviously not pleased at his response, but her emotions were held in check. “We could call in the police.” Don and Jim both pulled back. “We handle our own dealings here on Blue.” Don’s voice was filled with outrage. “The police could dust for fingerprints and then we’d know who did it,” she said calmly. The Clem of old would have lost her temper by now, would have smacked her hand on the table or shaken her fist in anger at their lack of action.

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“Anything short of murder, we handle on our own.” Jim’s voice held no room to negotiate. “So what do you want to do? Have everyone post guards on their boats at night?” Clem’s voice was devoid of the sarcasm Wade had always found amusing. It wasn’t like her and it made him lean forward on his elbows to study this new creature who sat before him. “I’ll conduct an investigation,” Don said. “Look into matters and report back.” Wade almost snorted, but didn’t release the sound of disgust. Don would do nothing, and Wade knew it. The Evans and Marshal clans would stay low, trying their best to keep out of the Tawes/Taylor feud just like they’d done back in 1939. Certainty hit him then. He could feel the weight of his responsibilities crashing down on him, and he only saw one way of stopping a full-blown feud before it started. He’d need to work directly with Clemant to find out who was doing this before it was too late. Together, they had a chance. Divided, everything would spiral out of control. Whoever was doing this counted on their lack of cooperation. A more unorthodox and unpopular plan he’d never had. His clan would go crazy at the very mention of something like this. Joining forces with the Taylors. Never. But sitting here, he knew it was the only way. Of course, he had to convince Clem before telling his family anything. That was easier said than done. “Okay. We’ll meet back here in four days to discuss your findings.” Clem closed her notebook. “I think we should also rotate a family member to patrol the docks. We can each take a night, Taylor, Evans, Marshal, Tawes. If we’re watching, we may get lucky and catch them in the act.” “Fine with me,” Don said. Jim nodded. Wade met her gaze and raised an eyebrow as he agreed, wondering at her composure. Before she could move, Jim shifted, drawing their attention. “Wade and I spoke about selling the land on the western side of the island to them Japanese investors. While

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he’s still debating, you all know my clan wants to sell.” His gaze met Don’s, the long speech alone telling the whole room he felt strongly about this issue. “I’m willing to repeat myself over and over if you’d like, Jim, but I oppose anything that brings strangers here.” Don’s voice was full of righteous anger. “I would think you would be, too.” They’d argued about this, going round and round. The Japanese couldn’t buy unless they all agreed to sell. Jim was chomping at the bit to put the deal together. Wade and Liv were in the middle of the issue, albeit Wade was leaning toward selling while Liv was leaning toward keeping her land in the family. Only Don was dead set against it. “I’ve got debts we need to pay. You of all families should understand that.” Jim said the words with a mild inflection, but they made Don flinch. Still, the Evans Head straightened. “It’s worth living poor if we can live free of outside interference.” “I can’t comment about this issue until I speak with Liv.” Clem stood, effectively stopping the fight before it started. “We’ll talk more about this when I see you gentlemen on Saturday night at seven.” Everyone rose to leave, Jim stalking from the room, his back stiff. Don followed, speeding up as if he wanted to catch him. Clem jammed her notebook into her briefcase, her actions jerky as she tried to escape. Wade climbed to his feet, every fiber of his body coming alive and alert. He wasn’t about to let her get away.

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Chapter Three “I need to talk to you in private,” Wade announced, making his voice loud enough to travel around the room. “I’m quite certain we have nothing to say to one another.” Clem closed the latches on her case with a snap. Skirting the table, he leaned down and murmured, “Give in or regret it.” He hated to be a hard ass, but Clemant’s strong personality would crush him if he gave her an inch. She wasn’t getting away, no matter what he had to do to be alone with her. Clem’s eyes narrowed, and he could see she’d fight him. Bring it on, he thought, his body tensing. He would have her or blow the island into chaos by fighting her in front of witnesses. Mike stepped forward, his hands fisting, and with that aggressive action, Wade knew he’d won. Clem would acquiesce rather than risk a fight between them. “Give us five minutes, Mike,” she said, holding up a hand to stop her cousin’s husband from escalating the situation. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Clem.” Thank you, Mike. You just said the magic words. The old Clem would have roared for Mike not to tell her what to do. This Clem didn’t. Instead she smiled. “Give me five. Both of you.” Don and Jim were already gone. Mike and Jenny left, throwing worried glances Clem’s way. Wade followed them, closing the door, wishing there was a lock. Not that it mattered. Feeling dangerous and volatile, he knew he’d risk the whole island walking in on them to have her. He turned and for a moment, they faced off, sixteen years of obsession between them layered on top of a seventy-year-old family feud Wade wasn’t even sure he understood anymore. 22

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Right now none of that mattered. All that mattered was driving his cock deep inside her, tasting her mouth, relieving the fierce pressure in his soul. She stood by the table, her expression unreadable. Then she placed the briefcase on the floor and stepped out of her heels, as if she’d made up her mind. Joy and intense satisfaction raced through him. “There’s no fighting it,” he said, crossing the room. “No,” she agreed. There was no use in fighting it. Her mind shut down, leaving only her burning body behind, her last rational thought that she was glad she’d stayed on birth control even though it had been over a year since she’d last had sex. He caught her by the shoulders, his fingers digging into her flesh, his mouth descending onto hers as if he thought she might try to get away. Immediately, he rubbed across her shoulders in an apology, but the kiss went deeper even as his hands lightened. Once, when she was home from college, they’d lain in Old Man Willard’s abandoned boathouse and he’d told her he loved the taste of her. His kisses had always been more about tongue than lips, an exploration of her mouth that never failed to leave her panting. For a moment, she stood still, allowing him to lead, letting his smell curl around inside her head. His scent had changed. It was less about salt and spice and the open sea. Now it had the tint of responsibility, the tang of Jim’s and Don’s cigars, and the dusty flavor of his store—all woven in with the masculine taste of Old Bay spice she realized made up the core of him. Something inside her body that had been locked in a dark corner of her soul snapped its moorings. Her passion leapt out, grabbing her best intentions, tossing them down onto the ground and stomping them into bits. Her hands scored his chest, digging into the skin beneath his shirt. The gold and green in Wade’s brown eyes sparkled around his irises as he gazed at her. He’d filled out, his shoulders wider than the last time she’d touched him, his muscles bulking as if he’d

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been working the boats, instead of just running his store. Worry lines that hadn’t been there three years ago streaked his face. He’d aged, although it only made him that much more handsome. They were utterly silent, years of stolen moments training them not to make a sound. Her ex-husband had thought it was unnatural, had tried to get her to moan and talk during sex, but she’d learned this way and it was impossible to change. She wanted to rip his clothes, send buttons flying to the floor. Rend and tear. But she’d never been able to fully let go of her control, always fearing that they’d be discovered by their torn clothing. Instead, she tugged his shirttail from his pants, her hands burrowing beneath the fabric to run across flat abs and up his chest, brushing the mat of soft hair growing there. She smoothed her fingers across his nipples, wanting desperately to taste before their five minutes were up. Wade pulled back to gasp for breath, the chugging of his lungs barely audible in the silence of the room. They were so used to being utterly soundless. His body shuddered, and she knew he fought for the restraint they’d need to keep her cousins on the other side of the door. His face was strained with desire, grinding his back molars, eyes narrowed. It was a look she knew well. What Clem had realized one day, sitting in a project status meeting at CreditOne, was that by keeping silent, it had been harder to lie to each other about their feelings. The painful desire had nowhere to go but onto their faces. They never shut their eyes, either, but kept their gazes locked on one another, drinking in the other’s pleasure. Rising up on tiptoes and pushing aside his shirt, she ran her mouth lightly along his collarbone. She knew he liked it, knew it was one of his many secret places that drove him higher. Blinking, she stared at what she’d uncovered. Deep tan overlaid with windburn covered his neck, made apparent by the juxtaposition of his untouched skin under his shirt. It meant he’d been working the boats. Crab season, which ran from April to December, was in full swing. Wade had a store to run from seven in the morning until

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seven at night, six days a week. Yet he’d been out on the boats. No wonder he looked like he hadn’t slept for a month. And it explained the layers of muscle on his chest and arms. She met his gaze, running a finger along the line where tanned and white skin met to ask a question. He tipped his chin up a quarter inch, and the muscle in his jaw clenched. Defiant and bull-headed as always. Even if he could talk she knew he wouldn’t tell her. A small part of her brain filed the information away to take out later and inspect. Pressing her lips to the line, she wished she could help him with whatever he wrestled with, take the burdens from his shoulders. For these next few minutes, she would. One of his hands slipped from her shoulder, petted across her breast, then raced to the bottom of her skirt. Sliding underneath, he caught the top of her pantyhose and underwear, then pulled them down, dropping to a crouch as he followed their descent. She lifted one leg so he could ease them off. His touch was as worshipful as it had always been, cupping her foot in a brief massage on the way by. Being with John, she’d finally learned how another man’s hands could caress her body. Until then, she’d never been with another and hadn’t appreciated Wade. She hadn’t understood just what he’d given her. His hands traveled up the outside of her legs, tracing the muscles in her calves and thighs as he stood. She realized she wasn’t the only one comparing changes. Fingers trailed lightly over her breasts, thumbs pressing gently at her nipples. Her hands fumbled at the top of his pants, jerking at his belt, lowering the zipper, undoing the button at the top. Like a crack addict, her fingers shook and lost motor skills. Three years. Too long. He fell to his knees and pushed up her skirt. His breath caressed her mound. He’d use his mouth on her, if she needed it, but she shook her head. She was more than ready. He nudged her thighs apart and ran his thumb from her clit to her channel, sliding on an hour’s worth of moisture. Silently, she rocked back on her heels and closed her eyes to keep from screaming.

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Opening her eyes and staring at the exposed beams running across the ceiling, she fought to control her breathing, control her mind. She’d remembered him as a good lover, but she’d forgotten how amazing he really made her feel. Meeting his gaze, she caught his satisfaction. It would have made her angry, but she couldn’t have any other emotion at this moment but desire. Then he stood, dragging his pants down his hips, letting his huge cock spring free. Pre-come spilled over his head, begging for her mouth. Would he still taste the same? He guided her hand to his erection instead, then let a sigh escape his lips at her touch. “Heaven,” he lip-mouthed, then picked her up and whirled to put her back against a nearby rough wooden wall. Her stomach flipped over and she blinked away sudden tears. Why couldn’t it have been this way with her husband? With any other man but Wade Tawes? He bent his knees and grabbed her hips, his thighs muscled and dusted with hair. She pressed his cock to her channel, sliding his head in her wet desire, her momentary sadness replaced instantly with need. For the count of five, she teased him, caressing his shaft with her hand. In one thrust, he entered her, ramming to the hilt. She was so tight, she had to fight the urge to cry out at the sensation, dropping her forehead onto his shoulder to pant softly. The feel of him inside her after all this time almost had her choking on a sob. He felt like heaven, stretching her to the limit. He tipped her chin up so she met his gaze, then adjusted his thrust to touch her somewhere deep inside, a secret place only he seemed to know about. His pupils dilated as he observed something on her face that turned him on even more. Bumping her core, using all his knowledge of her body against her, he made her shake uncontrollably. In three thrusts, she came, unable to do anything but ride the emotions he alone dragged from her. He followed her over the edge, pumping into her body, the bond between them fierce, and strong, and unwanted.

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Wade stood frozen, trying to rein in his emotions, one hand braced against the wall, the other still supporting Clem under her rear. She’d firmed there too, he thought, burying his face in her hair. He took in a lungful of her scent. Her shampoo had herbs in it, maybe sage or thyme. She no longer smelled like flowers. He wondered if she still loved Black Eyed Susans. This Clem was one he couldn’t be sure of anymore, this Clem was so much more complex. In the past, they’d always tried to have a recovery period after they’d had sex, to catch their breaths and return themselves to the here and now. He’d been surprised when he’d found himself missing that time between them most, missing the lazy contentment that came with having her. More and more, he’d woken up from dreams of Clem as she lay cuddled on his bed. He’d never spent the night with her, not even once, but his dreams were filled with her in morning sunlight. Tonight, they didn’t have the luxury of lying entwined up on Tompkin’s Bluff for hours. His watch told him they’d gone past their five minutes. He met her gaze and found confusion there. She’d never been able to hide her feelings from him. Even those rare times her face had been blank, he’d known what she’d been feeling. He’d just never known what to do about it. Reaching into his back pocket, he dragged out a handkerchief. He’d been carrying them since the first time they’d been together, unable to shake the habit when she’d stopped coming to the island. Silently, he pulled his still-hard cock from her body, but almost rammed back in when Clem closed her eyes and hissed. He wanted her again. Over and over. Slowly, not rushed, not hidden, a whole night together with a bed under their backs and cool sheets whispering across their skin. He could have her now, just slide back inside her warm pussy. If she protested, he would roll her nipples in a way he knew made her mind shut down and her body give itself into his keeping. No. Control, Wade. Her family is outside the door.

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He pressed the handkerchief between her thighs, feeling satisfaction as it immediately soaked through. She’d always been wet for him, always been ready, but the hour-long meeting had been as torturous for her as it had been for him. “Briefcase,” she mouthed. He simply picked her up and brought her to it, unwilling to part them yet. She fumbled with a pack of Kleenex and they both tried their best to clean up. Watching her place everything in her bag, he knew his handkerchief would reappear sometime soon, cleaned and tucked where he’d find it. He never saw her do it, but they had turned up beside the cash register in his store, in his raingear pocket in the middle of a storm, or his family’s box at the post office when he’d gone to get the mail. As they’d grown up from teenagers to adults, they’d learned how to hide the signs of desire, to hide what they’d done, and they fell back into their pattern. Balancing her shaky body, he supported her while she put on her underwear and pantyhose. He carefully ran his thumb below her lip, wiping away her smeared lipstick, while she removed any trace from his face. Her fingers combed through his hair, setting it back in place. He almost purred, but stopped the sound before it escaped. With lingering fingers, they straightened each other’s clothes, adjusted fabric, rebuttoned anything that had come loose. He tucked her hair behind her ears, smoothing the back where it had snarled against the rough wood wall. Finally, Wade dropped to one knee, pushing her into a chair. Picking up one of her high heels, he ran his hand down her hose-clad leg, lifting her foot so he could slip on one shoe, pausing to press a kiss on her instep. In the other room, someone bumped the door. Wade slipped on the other shoe, determined to finish even though he knew their time was up. Throwing himself into Don’s chair, he saw the door handle turn, right as Mike said, “The blood feud has started, Jenny, and the Tawes clan threw the first punch. There’s nothing for them to talk about in private now.”

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Chapter Four Clem closed her eyes, trying with every fiber of her being to wipe the passion from her face. There was no way what had just happened between her and Wade wasn’t flashing like a neon sign above her head. “There’s a fight in Littleton’s Bar and the Tawes family started it.” Mike’s righteous anger breathed through the room, taking away the pleasure with the sweep of a single set of words. “Clemant, are you okay?” Jenny asked, her voice showing her worry at Clem’s lack of movement and closed eyes. Clem met her cousin’s gaze and smiled, sadness filling her, replacing the lazy contentment being with Wade always brought. “I’d been hoping we had more time before things got worse.” She stood, the weight of her responsibility making her feel twice her age. Wade twitched beside her as if he wanted to help her rise. She shook her head, not meeting his eyes. “We should go.” But she didn’t want to. She wanted to have sex with Wade again, forget all about the clans and the fighting. Madness. “Clemant, they’re fighting,” Mike reminded her, his eyes narrowing at her lack of movement. Blowing out a breath, she engaged her brain. With the vandalism, it had only been a matter of time before things escalated into violence. It wasn’t her fault or Wade’s that this had happened, but it would be their responsibility to clean up. She glanced over to where Wade sat silently watching her. “Are you coming?” He nodded and climbed to his feet, towering over her, even in her highest heels. They filed out, picking up speed as they went. Littleton’s was only two blocks down. Without speaking, they broke into a run, Mike and Jenny outpacing them quickly. www.samhainpublishing.com

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“We didn’t do the vandalism.” Wade’s voice filtered through the darkness without a hitch, telling her he purposely held back to run at her side. The heels made her wobble, and his arm shot out to steady her. Damn shoes. They were beautiful, but impractical. “I don’t think we did either, but I’ll have to check. I’ve been gone too long to know if I can take Mike’s word. He might not know what’s really happening.” It occurred to her that while Aunt Liv counted Mike as family, some of her cousins might still think of him as an Evans. He’d only been married to Tabby for a year. “We have to talk.” They reached the door, raised voices and chaos filtering from the screened-in windows. “I think I know of a way to get to the bottom of this.” Inside, someone yelled something about “trash talking Taweses” and “make you eat those words.” If things went beyond a few punches and someone was really hurt or even killed, there would be no going back for any of them. “Later, Wade. We’ve got more important things to do right now.” “Listen—” Anger and frustration overwhelmed her, and she fell back into her old bad habits. “No, you listen. You had your chance to talk and you chose to do other things.” He threw up his hands and gazed heavenward as if for help. “Don’t even try to tell me you weren’t right there with me for that.” The muscle worked on his jaw. “I won’t buy it.” They didn’t have time for this. “I don’t care what you buy, Tawes.” She stormed into Littleton’s, enjoying the screen door’s satisfying whack on the side of the building. She stumbled to a halt, her eyes adjusting to the press of bodies and the flicker of shadows in the gloomy room. Tables had been pushed out of the way and a ring of broadchested watermen had formed. Shouts filled the small space, amplified by the low ceiling and the many slim columns supporting the roof. Cigarette smoke and dim lighting gave the bar a sinister appearance, while classic rock blared from the speakers, adding to the chaos. She felt Wade enter behind her and stop within a handbreadth.

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The ring of men shifted to reveal Jenny’s brother Trent and Otis Tawes grappling in the middle of the circle. Jenny danced at the edge of the insanity beside Mike, her hands covering her mouth as if to cage a whimper of panic. “Beat his ass, Trent,” her cousin Will cheered, surprising Clem with the bloodthirsty tone to his words. “Damn,” Wade growled, pushing past her. Two men on the far side of the ring shoved at each other, and she knew this fight was about to explode into a riot. She needed to do something now, before these men did more than cheer. Before Wade got hurt. Turning on one heel, she marched over and pulled the plug to the sound system, cutting off the music from Littleton’s stereo, then flipped on the overhead lights. Everyone spun as one to face her, Trent and Otis stumbling away, blinking in the sudden harsh light of the bar. She climbed onto a chair, cursing her high heels again. “Okay, listen up.” She met Littleton’s gaze across the room and went silent when she saw he had a shotgun in his hands. Littleton’s grizzly, weatherworn face showed just how pissed off he was. She’d always been scared of him. Always. Littleton nodded to her, as if he thanked her for getting everyone’s attention. “I want the lot of you out of my bar,” he crowed. “Now!” “Look here, the Taylor clan didn’t start it, Littleton,” Trent said, twenty-two years of wisdom held in his voice. “The Taweses should be kicked out, not us. Otis threw the first punch.” Otis drew himself up. “You asshole liar. You bumped me on purpose.” All this over a bump in a crowded bar. Clem could have screamed with the stupidity of it all. Littleton pumped the shotgun. “I’m giving you all to the count of five before I start shooting.” He meant it. Every single person in the bar had no doubt. “One.” The crowd wheeled and stampeded for the door, the crush of bodies banging into Clem’s chair. In her heels, she toppled, trying to catch her balance on the way down.

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Instead, she landed on Josh Tawes. “Get off me, Taylor bitch,” he snarled, shoving her hard. She reeled backwards. The sea of people rushing for the door parted as if by magic, and she tumbled into the stereo system with a crash. She hissed in a breath as one of the metal shelf supports stabbed into her skin. Suddenly, Wade appeared, heading not toward her, but to Josh. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He grabbed his cousin, towering over him by half a head. Muscles bulged in his arms, and his face was a mask of twisted fury. “Wade, I—” “I don’t give a damn how mad you are, you don’t hit a woman.” His growl prowled through the room above the panic, even though he hadn’t raised his voice. Clem had never seen him this mad, and judging by Josh’s face, he hadn’t either. The younger man actually trembled in Wade’s huge hands. “Times up!” Littleton yelled, the blast of the shotgun exploding into the small space. The remaining men spilled out the door. Wade tossed Josh after them with unneeded force, the younger man catching himself from falling with his hands, before scrambling into the night. For a moment, the silence rang in the room, extra loud with the damage to their eardrums caused by the shotgun blast in the small space. She and Wade spent the moment staring at each other. Clem could tell he was still angry, the line of his body stiff and unmoving. She wanted to go to him, give him comfort, but Littleton watched them from across the room. “Are you hurt?” He relaxed his balled fists, and she could feel him trying to control his temper. She shook her head, unwilling to tell him about her back and have his anger return full blast. Littleton pointed a shaking finger at them. “It’s a sorry day when the island’s two biggest clans are led by children.” He waved an angry hand at the shotgun blast through

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the side of the bar. “You two better figure out who’s fixing this hole. If I get one drop of rain in here, I’ll hold you both personally responsible.” Wade nodded. “I’ll cover it tonight with plastic, then send Otis to fix it after the catch is in.” His voice had returned to normal, his face devoid of any expression she could read. “Clem?” Jenny’s voice filtered through the screen door, which had somehow closed after the stampede. “Are you in there?” “I’m here,” she yelled. “Give me a minute.” She glanced at Littleton. “I’ll send some people tomorrow to give you a couple hours’ help putting this place to rights.” Her back was on fire, but with her dark suit jacket, she didn’t think Wade would see the blood that snaked down her back. Turning on her ruined heels, she left without a glance in his direction. The clans were feuding now. She needed to talk to Aunt Liv tomorrow. If her aunt didn’t have an idea how to stop this, both clans would launch into a bloody fight the likes of which the island hadn’t seen in over seventy years. About the only thing she knew was that being with Wade again was no longer an option. If they got caught, their affair would ruin any chance of peace.

Y The next day, Wade stood outside of Rose Evans’s house, his hands on his hips. This was going to be painful. He and Rose had been dating for six months now, and while he’d told her he hadn’t wanted anything serious, he knew she hadn’t believed him. Staring at his shoes, he let out a half laugh. Jesus, what a mess, but he’d had a rule since he was seventeen years old. If Clem was on the island, he was with her and only her. Even if no one but them knew it. “Wade Tawes,” Rose purred from the porch. “You going to come inside, or stand out on the sidewalk all day?” He glanced up to find Rose curled around one of the big white columns supporting her porch. She had been the homecoming queen her senior year, the first islander ever to www.samhainpublishing.com

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hold that honor. Everyone went to high school in Crisfield, since the island only had an elementary school. The Crisfielders outnumbered them ten to one, so the fact they voted Rose as queen showed just how beautiful and popular she’d been. Black, curly hair hung down to her hips, her raven eyes sparkling with good humor. In her twenty-two years, nothing had ever been denied to her. Wade felt a pang of anger at himself. He’d used her years’ old attraction to him to slake off his loneliness as he waited for Clem to return. It hadn’t been fair to Rose. Letting out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding, he started toward the porch. “You look serious, Wade. What’s got you all worked up?” She tried to put her arm around him as he crested the top step, but he slid by her. “We need to talk.” He leaned against the other column, just catching the flash of anger in her gaze before she hid it with questioning eyes. She smiled, her red lips perfect as usual. “About what?” she asked, but a little wobble in the last word told him she had a bad feeling. He sighed, not wanting to hurt her. “I realized last night that this wasn’t working.” “Not working?” She stopped him before he could explain. “Look, Rose, I told you in the beginning I didn’t want anything steady, but things seem to have become more serious than I’d like them to be. I don’t want to date you.” There was nothing he could do to soften the words. His oath made it impossible for him to tell about his affair with Clem, and he absolutely would not play a game where he kept Rose around while sneaking to Clem every chance he could. It wouldn’t be fair to any of them. He had to bite this bullet and make a clean break. “Why not?” Rose’s eyes sparkled with wrath, but her brow puckered in confusion. Her youth showed on her face as she struggled with what he told her. “We were getting along perfectly, Wade. I don’t understand.” He leaned his head against the column, unsure what else to say. They did get along, had never fought, and he enjoyed her easy company. But she wasn’t Clem. “I thought we’d be engaged soon.” Her bottom lip trembled.

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He winced. How had he let this go so far out of control? Their relationship had been shallow, more a friendship than anything else. They went to the mainland for a movie or to dances at the Elk’s Club, but he had thought he’d been clear. He’d have to be now. He met her gaze and said, “I don’t love you. I’m sorry, Rose, but it would be unfair to both of us if I didn’t break things off.” Her chin came up. “If this is because I wouldn’t have sex with you, well then I will.” He held up both hands to stop her from saying more. Long ago he’d figured out that anyone but Clem just didn’t compare. He’d slept around in his early twenties when she’d gone back to the mainland and found that sex with another partner had only intensified the pain of missing her. “No.” Backing away, he forgot about the steps and stumbled down them, barely catching himself before he landed on his ass in her front bushes. “Look, Rose, I’m sorry if I led you on. Really I am, but I’m not marrying a woman I don’t love.” She followed him into the yard. “I don’t understand any of this, Wade.” “I’m sorry. That’s all I can say.” Rose watched Wade Tawes practically run from her yard, her insides seething with rage. How dare he just break things off with no explanation? The bastard! She’d spent too much time and effort snagging him to let him get off this easy. He launched himself into his pickup truck and slammed the door with a metallic rattle every vehicle on the island eventually had from rusting out in the salt air. Wade wasn’t the richest man on the island, or the most handsome, but he was the most powerful man within a generation of her age and she’d wanted him for five years, ever since she’d been told she couldn’t marry the man she loved. The truck roared to life. She knew she was the most beautiful woman on Blue hands down. Men dropped at her feet and wrapped themselves around her little fingers. Except for Wade. He’d always held himself apart. No matter what she did, there was a piece of him she’d never seen.

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Not sleeping with him had been her mother’s idea. “He might be one of those men who wants his wife to be a virgin, Rose,” she’d warned. It had been too late for that, but when he’d finally asked her out, she’d let him kiss her and nothing more. For a moment, she thought he might have been relieved that she’d stopped them, but then she realized that was ridiculous. What man wouldn’t want her? Rose tapped her lips with a perfectly manicured nail. “I’ll give him a chance to come to his senses.” And if he didn’t? Well, then she’d make him very, very sorry. Besides being every man’s dream, she was the daughter of the Head of the Evans clan. No one dumped her and got away with it. No one.

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Chapter Five Clem drove to Johns Hopkins, spending the entire time on her cell phone with Steve, since her service didn’t work on the island and she couldn’t tie up her aunt’s phone for long stretches. “This is not the time to go on a trip, Clemant.” The stress was clear in Steve’s voice, even with the static. “My aunt may die, Steve. This isn’t exactly a vacation I’m on here.” Her own frustration had long ago surfaced. “I understand that, but you’re supposed to be the one who deals with Randy and the other divisions. I need you here to negotiate with them. The meeting is set up for Friday at one. If we don’t get buy-in, we’ll have to roll back.” It would be nice to slam her head against the steering wheel, but she was coming into Baltimore and needed both eyes on the road to dodge and weave through traffic. “I’m going to speak with my aunt now and see how she’s doing. If she looks better, then I’ll talk to her about leaving, but I have responsibilities here that I just can’t ignore.” This was a mess. A freaking mess she didn’t want to deal with. “I hate to be the one to point this out, but if this project goes south, we’re both going to have to kiss a promotion away, probably forever.” Steve sighed, his voice turning gloomy. “Rolling back is going to be the nail in our coffins.” “I’m doing the best I can.” Her knuckles had turned white against the steering wheel, and her arms shook with tension. She tried to relax them. “Well, I suggest you try harder.” A click sounded in her ear. She couldn’t believe he hung up on her. Steve had never lost his cool in the time she’d known him. That alone told her things were going massively downhill. She had to be there for the meeting on Friday or she could kiss her career goodbye.

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Dragging a potted lily out of the car with her, she bumped the door closed with her hip and went inside to find her aunt, the weight of the world bearing down on her shoulders. She had to return to Richmond. Out of her team, she was the only one strong enough to win the other departments over to their plans for the server upgrade. Her presence at the meeting would make or break them. The whole boat ride from the island to the mainland, she’d gotten an earful about what had happened last night at Littleton’s. Her cousins were in serious outrage mode. They wanted blood. Her lack of sleep wasn’t helping. Last night, she’d tossed and turned, her skin on fire for Wade’s touch, except for the gash on her shoulder and bruises on her back, which burned with a different type of pain. This had turned into a five-star mess. When she found her aunt, her problems became exponentially worse. Aunt Liv looked like a shadow of herself. Pale, thin skin stretched over the bones in her face. Shaky hands lifted to hers in greeting. Her aunt had aged twenty years in the three years since Clem had last seen her. Worry churned in Clem’s belly along with the three cups of coffee and the diet coke she’d had for breakfast. “Do I look that bad?” Aunt Liv asked, raising one eyebrow, humor in her words. Truth was the only thing her aunt respected. Clem had grown up with that, but had learned to lie once she got to CreditOne. They didn’t want the truth in corporate America. They only wanted shades of it. “You don’t look great.” Liv laughed and Clem leaned over to kiss her in relief. At least her aunt’s mind was as sharp as ever. They were going to need it. “How do you feel?” The room had been filled with flowers, balloons, teddy bears and cards, attesting to the fact Liv had an island full of people who loved her. Liv waited until Clem sat beside the bed in the room’s only chair. It was still warm from the last visitor. “They’re taking me in for balloon surgery tomorrow.”

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“What?” Clem couldn’t keep the panic from her voice. How many times had she heard about people going in for a routine surgery and coming out a corpse? So many she couldn’t count. Liv patted her hand. “Don’t worry so much, Clem. You always were a worrier, girl. Even as a child, you never truly let yourself enjoy the moment. Besides, they say it’s noninvasive.” “Noninvasive? What on earth does that mean?” “The doctor said he’ll run a catheter through my veins and inflate a balloon to widen the artery where it’s blocked.” “I want to be here for the surgery,” she said, unable to stop the request before it slid from her mouth. She had no choice but to push on. “I think I should stay. Just in case you need me.” Liv’s faded green eyes sharpened. “Where I need you is on the island. Especially after what happened last night at Littleton’s.” “You know already?” Clem shouldn’t have been surprised, but she was. It was barely past eleven, plenty of time for early rising watermen to tattle. “Of course I do.” Liv cackled, pleased with herself. “You really had Trent hot when you told him he had to clean up Littleton’s this afternoon.” Clem sat up straighter. “If he had used his head last night, there wouldn’t have been a mess in the first place.” She fisted her hands to vent some of her irritation. “They’re all so angry, they won’t stop and use their minds. Whoever did this is going to get exactly what he wants.” Liv settled back into her pillows. “You don’t think it’s the Tawes clan behind it?” “Not the clan, no.” If it had been the clan, Wade would have known about it and he didn’t. “What motive would they have? It doesn’t make any sense.” “Maybe something happened that we don’t know about to set the feud running again.” “I find it hard to believe you wouldn’t know, Aunt Liv. Nothing has ever escaped you.” It was something Clem had worried about over the years. How could her aunt know

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everything, but not even seem to suspect things between Wade and her? And yet she never had. Clem had no doubt her aunt would have a lot to say on the subject if she so much as imagined something between them. Her aunt nodded her agreement, but kept playing Devil’s advocate. “But I’ve been here.” “It started long before you had your heart attack.” It occurred to her that the motive could be personal. Ruining Trent’s boat motor smacked of a personal vendetta. She should speak with him again. No, actually she shouldn’t. Her replacement should. She rested a hand on her aunt’s bed. “I know you’re counting on me to work through this, but I’m afraid I’m not as good a choice as you might have thought.” Her aunt’s gaze searched her face, intelligent eyes narrowing. “Oh?” That one sound held a wealth of different meanings. Clem’s stomach rolled. Her aunt couldn’t read her mind, she reminded herself, but she still got the feeling Liv saw through her. She changed tactics before she blurted out her whole affair with Wade. They’d exchanged a vow. She wouldn’t break it. “My project at work isn’t going well. I need to return to Richmond or my career is basically over.” Liv leaned over to pat her hand again, the veins showing through her too-thin skin. “I’ve always loved you as if you were my own, Clem. Always.” Clem had a creepy-crawly feeling her aunt was about to bring out the big guns. Liv leaned into the pillows again, and her eyes hardened. “But you have an obligation to this family which runs deep.” She paused. “Do you know what started the feud in 1939?” Clem opened her mouth to say she did, but then she paused. Did she know? “One of the Tawes clan burned down a house?” Her voice ended in a question, because she honestly couldn’t remember. “Yes.” Her aunt nodded, then smiled a sad smile. “But only in retaliation. One of our clan burned down their church first. Or so they claimed. No one could prove it.”

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“But we didn’t, did we?” And with that question, Clem realized she’d always thought of herself as one of them, even when she was in her self-imposed exile. “Oh yes, we did.” She gasped, her mind grappling to give up a truth she’d been taught since she was an infant. Like the sun coming up every day or the way she believed in God. The Tawes clan had started it, and they were blackguards at heart. Their blood was tainted with something close to evil. “No one knows that outside this room. Only two people back then knew the church had burned on purpose. The Tawes clan only suspected it.” “You—” Her voice failed at the outrageous thought. “You didn’t burn it, did you, Aunt Liv?” “Of course not,” her aunt snapped, insulted that she would think such a thing. “Oh thank God.” Clem put her hand to her chest. She didn’t need another major shock. “Your Grandmother Virginia did.” Clem’s mouth dropped open, but no sound came out. Sweet Grandmother Virginia. She had always been so loving and kind. She’d died when Clem was young, but she still remembered. “I don’t believe it,” she whispered. “Well, believe it. I caught my sister with motor oil on her hands myself.” Her aunt shook her head. “The idiot. She couldn’t believe Dickie Tawes was going to marry LeeAnn Linton. That woman came from pure trash, but he’d chosen her instead of Virginia.” Liv poked herself in the chest. “I told her good riddance. A man who doesn’t want you isn’t worth fighting for, but she was inconsolable. Wanted revenge in the worst way.” “Why burn a church?” Clem’s mind wheeled in circles. It didn’t make sense. Her grandmother was the kind of person who cuddled you close and read you stories, not burned down churches. “Dickie and LeeAnn were going to be married there the next morning.”

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She tried to understand, but she couldn’t stop thinking about her grandmother’s gentle face. “I don’t believe it.” Her aunt blinked as if she couldn’t imagine Clem wouldn’t take her word. “Your grandmother was pregnant with your mother.” She said the words in a flat tone, as if it pained her to say them. “Dickie knew and was going to marry LeeAnn anyway.” In 1939, it must have been a brutal time to be pregnant out of wedlock. Clem rested her head in her hands. But still. Her grandmother had burned down a house of God. “I think afterwards she was horrified at what she’d done, but by then it was too late. I took her to the mainland.” She pulled in a steadying breath. “I let time go by before bringing your mother here. Enough time that memories faded and no one saw Virginia in her daughter. By the time you came along, you were just one of the children who had grown up on the mainland. We had so many leave after World War II and then in the sixties. It was easy to bring you back into the fold.” “But why did you even want to?” Hadn’t the feud ended in deaths? Hadn’t boats been sunk and houses burned? Her aunt banged her fist onto her plastic bedrail, making Clem jump. “Because you are a Taylor and always will be, Clemant.” She pointed a gnarled finger at her. “You belong on the island. I knew the first time you stepped onto Blue your home was there.” Clem found herself nodding. She had always thought so too. “It was your grandmother who started this feud and it will be you who sets it to rights. Figure out a way to make that happen. I’m counting on you.” Clem shut her eyes and took a deep breath. She owed it to her family to right her grandmother’s wrong. No matter how hard it would be, she wouldn’t let Aunt Liv down.

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Chapter Six Clemant lay awake, listening to Mike and Tabby fighting upstairs. Rain splattered the windows, but didn’t drown out the sound, only the words. She’d called Steve on the way back to the island and explained that she was needed here. His voice had become painfully clipped, but lightened when she promised to be at the meeting on Friday. Since it would take her four hours to reach the office Friday morning, she’d only have tomorrow to accomplish the things she needed to do for her family. Her aunt had tasked her with an almost impossible mission that would require her full attention, but she’d just have to figure out a way to balance her life on Blue and her life in Richmond. The afternoon had been spent putting together the slide deck for the meeting, then emailing it to Steve and the rest of the team for comment. Finally, she’d been able to start the long process of speaking with all the members of her clan. Tomorrow, she’d finish questioning them. She’d found communication worked best when you were face-to-face with someone, and she knew she hadn’t done enough to find out the identity of the vandals since she’d arrived here. Part of her hoped the person assigned to patrol the docks each night would stumble on some kids playing pranks, but her gut told her it wasn’t going to be that simple. The voices upstairs rose a notch, like a bad tide before a big storm. Obviously Aunt Liv had been wrong when she told Clem that Tabby and Mike’s relationship was picture perfect. This might have been a rare fight between them, but there was a cadence of practice to their battle which spoke of repetition. Ignoring the argument, she added talking to Wade to her list. Without his agreement, there was no way she could stop the madness between them. He could get through her defenses in a red-hot second. One wrong look, one wrong tumble into each other’s arms, and their cover would be blown. And that would end up throwing the island into even www.samhainpublishing.com

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more turmoil. She would have to step down as acting Head, and she wouldn’t be able to right a seventy-year-old wrong. Although Dickie Tawes certainly had earned his name. What bastard got a woman pregnant back then and didn’t do the right thing? The jerk. Poor Grandmother Virginia. “Damn you, Mike!” Tabby screamed, and something crashed. Could this get any worse? She supposed it could. She could have her arm chopped off, or have a glass eyeball. “Don’t do this, Tabby. Listen to me,” Mike pleaded, which calmed Clem somewhat. If he kept his cool, then she didn’t have to worry about things becoming physical. Suddenly, she couldn’t take it anymore. After throwing back the bedclothes, she tiptoed on bare feet down the stairs. She had to escape. At least for a couple hours. Wade stood in the shelter of the toolshed, watching Livvy Taylor’s house. He’d been there for an hour, maybe more. Clem had been off island all morning, the connection between them drawing taut before he actually felt a physical snap telling him she’d left Blue. When she’d returned after lunch, he’d been stocking shelves, barely keeping his mind on his task since he’d spent the time she’d been gone worrying about where she was and if she’d return. The purr of their bond reconnecting drew him to the store window to watch her go straight from the main dock toward Livvy’s house. She’d gone out again around suppertime, but then returned. He had been focusing enough on their bond to feel her as she moved closer and then away from him. He had to see her. “Come out,” he murmured, the words caught by the wind and whipped away into the bay. His blood was on fire, rushing through his veins in double time. He needed her, but he wanted to talk to her about what was happening between the clans more. Big trouble was brewing, and he couldn’t hold the younger hotheads in check if the Taylors made the first move. “Come on, Clem.” As if he summoned her, she stepped into the yard, her hand following the motion of the screen door so it wouldn’t bang shut, telling him people were still awake inside the

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house. The moon sat half full in the sky and up on the third floor someone’s light spilled into the yard. A gust of wind shuddered over the island, making her hunch into her short white nightgown. It wasn’t frilly, but that didn’t surprise him. She wasn’t a frilly woman. He could see her outline through the cloth for an instant before the thin fabric soaked through and melded to her body. She tipped her face skyward, raising her arms into the rain, as if washing herself clean. Then her arms dropped to cover her head and she turned a circle, not in joy, but in distress. She looked like the weight of the world sat upon her shoulders. When she faced the house, she backed up several steps to stare at the third floor light. Wade slipped from his hiding place and shadowed her. “They’re fighting,” she said, closing her eyes and letting her face fall back into the rain again. She’d known he was behind her. It surprised him, but it shouldn’t. They had always been hyperaware of one another. For so long he’d wanted to ask her if she felt their connection too, but he’d been reluctant to do so. It would sadden him if she couldn’t. Dropping his hands on her shoulders, he provided the small measure of support he could. “Who? Mike and Tabby?” She nodded, leaning so her head rested on his chest. Her eyes blinked open. He rocked forward to block the rain from her face, sheltering her. “What’s wrong?” “What’s right?” She smiled, then sighed and rolled her head forward. He closed the gap to cradle her. “Where did you go off the island today?” “To see Aunt Liv.” Her hands fastened around his arms, bringing them tighter to her body. He almost didn’t want to ask, since he knew it would only make her more upset. “She okay?”

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“They’re going to take her into surgery tomorrow.” The wind whipped through the yard and she shivered. It was late spring, but with too much rain, the muggy heat would wash away, leaving only the cool air racing over the island. In the light from the house, he could see something dark on her shoulder and ran a finger along it. She hissed in a breath and tried to step away. “What is it?” “A scratch, that’s all.” Her voice was close and tight, and he knew while she didn’t lie, she withheld something from him. It wasn’t hard to guess what. “You were hurt last night.” He didn’t ask, he told her. She turned and smiled. “Don’t get angry again. He didn’t mean to push me so hard.” He took a deep breath and let it out. He’d deal with his cousin later. His time with Clem was too short to fill it with other things. “I’m not sure he didn’t. Everyone seems to have lost their minds.” The rain picked up, blowing across the yard and swaying trees. “Come out of the rain.” He pulled her two steps toward the toolshed before she dug in and resisted him. Her head tipped and her eyes said plainly in the half light that she didn’t trust the new location, didn’t trust either of them in it. He waited, keeping a gentle tug on her arm. She would come or she wouldn’t. He wasn’t going to let her claim later that he forced her. Besides, forcing Clem was like trying to force a sailboat forward into the wind. It was best with her to tack back and forth until he got her where he wanted her to go. The rain lightened as they stood there in a face-off, but the cold wind raised the peaks of her nipples hard and tight against the now see-through white gown, drawing his notice. Her dark areolas were visible to him as if she stood naked. He raked his gaze over her, resisting the urge to yank her into his arms. Her body was still rounded, but she’d added muscles. Muscles he’d enjoy exploring leisurely with his mouth. Her feet were planted in the soil, like she was in a tug of war, even though he barely pulled on her arm.

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Choose, Clem. Choose me. He wanted to shout the words, but he swallowed them instead. Her body needed his as badly as his needed hers. It was like a good knot in a rope. The more she struggled against it, the tighter the need became. He’d learned long ago to just give in and slake his thirst. “Damn. Damn,” she said and stumbled from her stance. He swung her into his arms and crossed to the shed, ducking beneath the roof before she changed her mind. In the shadows, his mouth found hers, slipping along her lips, his relief coming as a low growl. Her hands twined around his neck and he let her slide down his hard, full body to her feet. God, she felt good. She always did. He tried to slow the kiss. They had more time than the other night, so they should enjoy it. But it was hard, so hard to slow when they usually had fast relief. “What are we doing, Wade?” she broke away to ask, the pain and confusion in her voice making him draw her even closer. He gave her the only answer he knew to be the truth. “What we must to survive.” He nuzzled her neck, enjoying the hitch in her breathing with the simple motion. Running his tongue up to her ear, he lightly circled the delicate shell, drawing a shiver. He nipped her earlobe, the action rough after the soft lick and he was rewarded by another shudder. Her fingers buried in his shirt as if she tried to stop herself from being tossed overboard in a storm. Or as if she tried to halt her need to rip the fabric in two. She’d made this motion time and time again, for years now, and she’d made it last night. Perhaps she did want to tear his shirt. The idea had chill bumps rising on his arms. Whatever the reason, he didn’t want her passive, but a total participant. For a moment, her old request for silence stopped him from speaking, but she’d asked her own question earlier, which earned him at least a small request. “Rip it off,” he growled low into her ear.

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“What?” she asked, blinking up at him in the dim light. He couldn’t see the beautiful green of her eyes but he knew they held confusion. He’d thrown her off track by speaking. Good. He had never liked that rule anyway. “Rip off my shirt.” Sliding his hands along her arms, he brushed the sides of her breasts. She gasped and he saw secret desire in her eyes. She had wanted to do this before, but never had. Maybe all this time he’d known, maybe that’s how he knew to suggest it. Or maybe this new Clem didn’t carry as much anger and hatred for him so he was able to see more of her under the surface. When she trailed her hands up his chest only to stop at his collar, he knew he’d have to encourage her to take what she wanted. “No one will hear us over the storm. It’s just you and me and the rain, Clem. Just us here tonight.” She took hold of the collar points in each hand. He’d dressed special for her, in one of his best button-down shirts, and he couldn’t wait for her to destroy it. Instead of ripping, she used her leverage to pull him down for a kiss that ate at his mouth. She worked him around to the wall so he leaned against it while her lips crushed his, fire curling into his belly and replacing the disappointment of her not following through on what he knew they both wanted. She wasn’t sure she had the strength to rip his shirt. Oh, she wanted to, but that level of violence had never been between them and if she took that step, would they ever be able to go back? What was she doing, anyway? She’d sworn him off, dammit. Just earlier today. Frustration leaped up to mingle with the vicious need that clawed her insides. She wanted him with a desire so great she couldn’t control it, didn’t want to. Her grandmother had nearly destroyed this island, and Clem would follow right in her ancestor’s footsteps if anyone found out she had a secret obsession for the Head of the Tawes family. Anger added to the already heady brew simmering in her belly. Damn them for hemming her in like this, caging her in all their past sins. If their clans had behaved admirably in the first place, she and Wade could have dated in high school and then they

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would be over this. Nothing this good could last. Not unless you put it into a pressure cooker that baked it into madness. Years of frustration and anger and desire boiled in her veins and she stepped back, ripping his shirt in one motion. Buttons popped free and flew through the shed in every direction. In the dim light, Wade’s eyes glittered dangerously, his chest heaving with his effort to breathe. Blood pounded through her, filled with elation from earning the look on his face. She petted up hard abs, up white skin to his shoulders. Then she leaned in to capture his nipple in her mouth, sucking lightly. Hard, calloused fingers slipped below her nightgown and peeled the wet fabric from her body. She ducked under his hands so he could lift it free. She had never been self-conscious with him. Never once thought he didn’t want her or found her lacking in any way. She hadn’t learned that kind of shame until she slept with another man. The risk they took every time they were together told her he thought she was worth her weight in gold to him. Wade left the ripped shirt on his back, unbuckling his jeans instead. He dropped to a knee to unlace his heavy work boots, shedding them and his pants as he stood. His erection was already full and ready, bobbing tall and proud against his stomach. She started to slide her white panties off, but he stopped her with a shake of his head. Stepping forward, he murmured, “Fair is fair.” Then he ripped the seam on her left hip as if he tore a sheet of paper in his hands. He’d gotten stronger, that was for sure. “When are you working the boats? When do you have time?” The words slipped from her lips before she could stop them. Their vow of silence had somehow been broken. She was pretty sure she’d been the one to break it. He dropped the ruined panties and pulled her into his body. Heat and soft skin over hard muscle greeted her. His scent combined with the clean, crisp smell of the spring rain. “Sundays and three times a week in the mornings.”

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“But the store.” Her hands stroked his hips, and she shifted to tuck his erection more comfortably against her stomach. He sucked in a breath. “Have one of the cousins opening for me,” he said against her ear, making her shiver. Worry faded as she realized she had him exactly where she wanted him. Dropping to her knees, she captured his cock in her hands. “Clem.” His head snapped against the boards of the shed. She took that to mean he wanted this. Would he taste the same? One way to find out. Bringing her hands down to the base of his erection, she stroked one around the edge of the delicate sack, while ringing the stiff flesh with the other. She blew lightly on him before slipping her mouth over his head. Using her own desire to set the pace, she sucked strongly on his flesh as she moved closer to his body. His hands fisted in her hair. “Don’t bring me. Please, Clem.” She held the power to honor that request or not in her hands and mouth. Would she? Dragging her mouth up, she curled her tongue into the sensitive crease of his head, wringing a shudder from him. He did taste the same, salty and complex. She swirled her tongue under his head just because she could. Glancing up the line of his body, she reveled in the agony of his desire. It was only fair, since she was as trapped as he. Trapped in this heavenly hell. His eyes fluttered open and he met her gaze. Tugging lightly downward on his testicles, she sucked on his head again. His gaze narrowed and she knew the moment his brain fought past the pleasure. She’d lost her absolute control. Damn. He dropped to his knees, pushing her onto her back, the dirt floor cushioning her fall. “You got a taste. I get a taste.” He caught her hips in his hands. “All this talking.” Suddenly she felt like she’d given up a huge amount of control with that one thing. “Get used to it, Clem. I’m done being silent.”

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Chapter Seven Wade swiped his tongue between the lips of her sex before she could argue, before she could take back the large step forward he’d gained. Anger ruled his actions as he buried his tongue under her clitoris and dragged up. She bowed beneath him, but only a sharp pant escaped her lips. He wanted more, savagely. He wanted her screaming his name, all her precious control unraveling and breaking free. Suddenly he had to be inside her, had to bind their bodies together. He crawled up and dropped to his elbows. “Say you want me.” Framing her face, he let his cock slip between her legs but kept himself from entering her. “I’m tired of having to guess all the time, tired of only knowing that I want you, but never knowing how much you want me in return.” Her eyes were wide and her need was a tangible thing between them. “Say it, or I’ll walk away.” He’d never threatened that, never threatened her at all. Because he was terrified she’d call his bluff. This time he meant it. He needed the words as much as he needed her. She closed her eyes tight and her body shook as if she fought some internal battle. Finally, she whispered, “I want you.” Relief flooded through him, making him lightheaded. For a moment there, he’d thought she wouldn’t say it. If she hadn’t, he’d have been screwed. Totally screwed. He wished with all his heart she’d said it with her eyes open, but he wasn’t about to push his luck. With one thrust, he entered her, sliding on her desire, all the way to the top of her passage. As one, they set a grueling pace, the sharing they’d just had too much for them both. They wanted pleasure and release, escape from anything else but this.

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She still had her eyes squeezed shut. He wanted her to look at him, needed her to, but he’d gotten farther today than he had in ten years. He had to give her a little space or she’d run again. Clem arched and her fingers spasmed on his shoulders. His whole body tightened in response and he increased his speed, adjusting the depth of his thrust, tilting his hips forward to brush that secret place inside her. Her orgasm raced through her, sweeping through him as well, leaving them in a heap on the toolshed floor. Dazed, he dragged in air, remembering himself enough to support some of his weight off her. “I should go,” she gasped, rubbing her hands down her face. “No.” The word was too sharp. He softened his tone. “Need to talk.” He caught his breath enough to say, “We have to talk,” but he loosened his hold on her. Something told him he’d lose everything if he didn’t handle this exchange with all the savvy his poor, sated mind could muster. “About the clans.” She searched his gaze in the dim light. “Okay. Talk.” He slid from her channel, rolling to her side, carefully keeping the line of his body pressed against hers. “Do you believe me when I tell you that the Tawes clan isn’t doing the vandalism?” He had to convince her quickly, sweep her away in a discussion about the violence on the island, so she wouldn’t start to regret the ground she’d given him. She tipped her head. “I believe you when you say you don’t know of anyone who did it.” He had no doubt that once she heard what he had to say, her intelligent mind would take them places he hadn’t even considered. He knew in his gut they had to work together to figure this out. “If my clan isn’t doing the damage and neither is yours, who’s behind it?” She blinked, opened her mouth, then closed it and shook her head. “I’ve been gone too long to guess.” He’d thought about it long and hard. Some of the vandalism had taken more than one person to accomplish. Secrets like that weren’t kept easily on Blue. Everyone knew

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everyone else’s business. It would take an order from a clan Head or an outsider to keep something this big quiet. “You may not know the whole story yet, but a Japanese corporation has been trying to buy the west end of the island.” Her brows pulled down. “That’s what Don and Jim were arguing about in the meeting?” He nodded. “We’re pretty much divided on the sale, half the clans needing the money, the other half voting against allowing outsiders on the island.” He paused to frame his thoughts. “What if it isn’t about the old feud at all? What if it’s about plain, old-fashioned greed?” “You mean the Japanese company knows enough about us to start the feuding again?” Her tone was doubtful. “Money makes a great motive, but I don’t think outsiders could do repeated damage like this without us noticing.” “It’s the only thing that has changed in the last few months. Why would the feud start again all by itself? We haven’t had this kind of fighting since we were kids, Clem.” “Who owns the land they’re trying to buy?” “All of us. Every clan has at least a small portion, but the buyer can’t purchase it unless we’ve all agreed to sell.” “It still seems off. Maybe we should go to Salisbury and pull the records to see who owns the lion’s share out there.” She glanced at him. “Or do you know already?” “Very little of that land has people living on it, since it’s so far from town. I only know for certain what my family owns.” “I need to spend tomorrow talking to my cousins to see what they’re thinking. I’ll find out then what land is ours.” “If we don’t do something before the weekend, we’re going to have trouble once they all start drinking in Littleton’s together.” He’d been worrying about this when he’d shown up tonight, but he’d forgotten the moment she’d stepped into the rain. “I have a meeting in Richmond on Friday afternoon. I’ll go early and drive to Salisbury to pull the records.”

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His whole body went still. “You’re going off island?” He didn’t want her to leave. If she left, she might not return. She nodded. “My project is going to hell in a handbasket.” Closing her eyes, she took a deep, calming breath. “I’ll stop by the store when I get back on Saturday and show you what I’ve found.” A chill spread up his spine, even though he still wore his ripped shirt. “You’re spending the night on the mainland?” She nodded and sat up. “I should go. There’s a chance Tabby might come looking for me.” He sat with her and casually picked up her nightgown as hostage to keep her with him. “We have one last thing we need to talk about.” She raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?” “What we’re going to do about this thing between us.” She drew away from him. “And what are we going to do?” He steeled himself for her reaction, knowing this was the only way. “Feed it. Every night, we’re going to have sex.” She laughed, only a small thread of panic peeking from the sound. “You’re insane.” “Am I?” He leaned in to deliver the blow. “And what do you suggest? Keeping apart?” She raised her chin. “That’s exactly what I suggest.” Now he laughed. “I’ll tell you what that will bring us. We’ll fight it and fight it and struggle against the desire that consumes us until we can’t fight it a minute more.” To make his point, he trailed a finger down her breast, peaking the nipple and making her tremble. “Then we’ll hurl ourselves together, unable to control the time, the place or the situation and we’ll be caught.” Her eyes widened and he knew he had her. Sometime in the near past, she’d been worrying about the same thing. He went in for the kill. “You don’t want that, do you?” “No.” The word wrenched free from her lips on a sob of frustration.

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He almost felt sorry for her, but he crushed the weakness down. He needed her too badly to let her go. “If we control the fire, we control the time, the place and the location.” She dropped her head into her hands. “I can’t believe I’m even thinking about doing this. I must be mad.” “You know I’m right.” He touched her shoulder in sympathy, feeling a spark of anger when his hand brushed the gash his cousin had put there. “This will bring us back some control, Clem.” Control. She was obsessed with it, always had been. Groaning, she raised her head again. “How often do you think we’ll have to meet?” He tried to stop the slow, predatory smile that stretched across his lips. “Every night.”

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Chapter Eight Clem looked around for her nightgown while she thought over his words. Her mind urged her to run screaming from the shed, but that wouldn’t bring her the control essential for her survival. She’d always thought keeping away from him was the way to go, but she’d been here for less than three full days and she knew that was impossible. Until she escaped the island, what if she went the other way? They could control this fire between them if they slaked the thirst of their bodies. If their meetings were preplanned, she could make it through the day without obsessing about him. It would allow her to use her head and solve their problems. “Not every night,” she said, sure of that one thing. Every night would be way too much. And too much of Wade would only lead to trouble. Where was her nightgown? She had to leave before she sold her soul to him. They’d been together and talking for too long already. “Every other night, then.” One of his hands sat behind his back at an odd angle. She narrowed her eyes. He was acting so out of the ordinary, so un-Wade, so very talkative and demanding. Surely he wasn’t hiding her clothes from her? “Do you have my nightgown, Wade?” “Every other night, Clem.” Or what? Or he wouldn’t return her nightgown? Had he gone insane? Probably. They both had. She met his gaze and nodded once. “We’ll try it and see how it goes.” A white scrap of fabric materialized from behind his back, so she supposed he had been holding it hostage. She held up a hand so they were very clear. “But I’m not convinced it’s wise. We could only be making the hunger worse.”

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Wade laughed, a puff of air that had a strangely self-deprecating sound to it. “I don’t think it can get worse, Clem.” He tried to shake the dirt from her sopping wet nightie, but gave up the impossible task and handed it over. “Probably not,” she agreed, but part of her wondered. She’d always assumed their attraction was based on the forbidden, combined with some bizarre fetish on her part for risky sex. The danger of being caught was a powerful aphrodisiac to some people and she had realized she must be one of them, as much as it disgusted her. But if it turned out she was wrong, they were playing a dangerous game. Any increase of desire between them would make their obsession so great, she could lose herself forever. With that terrifying thought, she wiggled into the nightgown, sucking her breath at the freezing cold wetness. Warm hands brushed her breasts as Wade helped her pull it into place. Her nipples pebbled tightly, her whole body aching with the simple caress. She was so damn pathetic. “So we meet Friday night.” He continued to ease the fabric all the way down to her waist, then caught up his pants. In fascination, she watched him wiggle a bit to get on his damp jeans, wishing she could see him in the light. She wanted to see the flex of his muscles while he put on his clothes. In the past, she’d never been so caught up in his looks. She wondered why she was now. She almost nodded, but then caught herself. “No, I’ll be off the island.” “That’s not the bargain.” Brushing her hair back from her face, he dropped a sweet kiss onto her cheek. “We’ll have to start Saturday.” “A kiss, then, to seal the deal, since we’re already deviating from the plan.” After slipping on his boots, he tied them, then glanced at her expectantly. He was being so nice, acting so very different from the Wade she’d remembered. What was he up to?

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She turned her head, wishing again that it was lighter in the shed so she could see his face, read the expression in his eyes. He would devour her mouth, smash his lips to hers. Just as he did every time he kissed her, leaving her with a terrible ache in her core. He didn’t move. For a moment, she was confused, then she realized what he expected. So he wanted her to do the kissing then. Fine. Raising her chin, she pressed her lips to his. His mouth molded to hers, but gave her only the pressure she gave him. The kiss didn’t deepen. They stayed completely still for a long moment, then she rotated her head to the right and opened her mouth. Their tongues touched, just a feather brush of sensation. She drew back, the tingle in her lips overwhelming and extreme, even if it had been soft and sweet. Why did everything have to be this way with him? “Stop by the store on your way off the island,” he said, then stood and walked away, leaving her choking on what felt suspiciously like a sob.

Y “Did you go out last night?” Tabby asked as Clem walked into the kitchen the next morning. Her heart did a two-step, but Clem’s policy was to be as honest as she could the few times anyone had questioned her about her actions when she’d been with Wade. The closer she stuck to the truth, the less people suspected her. “Yes.” She dragged down a mug for coffee, feeling both wonderfully sated from Wade’s lovemaking and oddly off-center. She’d made a deal with the devil last night and now she couldn’t wait to have him, even though she dreaded it at the same time. “There was dirt on the floor, so I thought maybe you had.” Tabby didn’t seem suspicious. Her voice was distracted as she stared out the window at the bay. Clem had carefully wiped her feet before she went inside, but her gown had been covered in dirt from the shed, which must have left a trail to her room. At this point she

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didn’t care. Her cousin wouldn’t guess who she’d been with in a million years. Let Tabby think she was a total freak. After all, it wouldn’t be that far from the truth. She poured a cup of coffee, suddenly remembering that she hadn’t collected the buttons from Wade’s shirt off the toolshed floor. Which reminded her she’d ripped it in the first place. Coffee splashed onto the counter as a shiver of pleasure jerked through her. “I’m sorry.” Tabby paused and crossed to rinse out her mug. Wiping up the mess, Clem raised an eyebrow at the concern on her cousin’s face. With her own internal whirlwind, she hadn’t looked closely until now and she wondered what was up. “You heard Mike and me fighting?” Her cousin’s tone of voice said she had a small hope Clem had slept through it. Blowing on her coffee, Clem nodded, not adding that without the storm, the whole island would have been able to hear them. “I’m sorry if we chased you out.” Tabby’s guilt showed in the grimace on her face. “It’s not a big deal. I’ve got a lot on my mind and needed a walk anyway.” She was the last person to stand as a judge against anyone’s behavior. Inside her glass house, she wasn’t about to throw balls of paper, let alone stones. Tabby bit her lip, then met Clem’s gaze. “Mike’s having an affair,” she said in a rush, shaking her head. “Or at least I think he is. I’m pretty sure of it.” Clem’s mouth dropped open in surprise and she had to drag it shut. Mike, have an affair? “What makes you think he’s cheating?” She almost didn’t want to know. Mike was the last man she’d guess would do this. She, Tabby and Mike had played together every summer. They were all close to the same age and had run free across the island as a posse along with an ever-changing handful of cousins. Mike had a simple honesty that made him seem like a guy who would never stray once he’d said, “I do.” It depressed her to know that nothing was as it seemed.

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“He’s been preoccupied lately, not wanting to have sex.” Tabby’s face filled with heat and she stared at her feet, obviously embarrassed. “He comes and goes at odd hours and won’t tell me where he’s been.” Clem could have sworn she read someplace that men tended to have sex more with their spouses when they were cheating, but really what did she know? She’d only been in two relationships, both of which were complete failures. Of course that was only if she counted her obsession with Wade. Otherwise, she’d only been in one. Tabby took a shuddering breath. “His clothes smell like perfume.” She lowered her voice. “And there was lipstick on his collar one time.” Clem knew Tabby had confessed to her partially because she was acting Head. They’d drifted apart in high school and even farther apart when she went to college. An odd brittleness developed in their relationship, as if perhaps Tabby had thought Clem’s education made them too different to be friends any longer. Hell, Clem hadn’t even come to Tabby’s wedding, only hearing from Aunt Liv about it afterwards in one of their rare phone conversations. So the fact Tabby opened up to her now had a flash of guilt running through Clem. She should have been here for Tabby all along, instead of letting their friendship die over the last fifteen years. For the first time, she realized leading the clan made her not only part financial advisor, part policewoman, and part family ruler, but part priest as well. The responsibility made her glad she wasn’t going to be Head for long. But even once her Head duties were over, she needed to reconnect with her cousin. They’d been close friends once. They could be close again. What could she say that would help? “Tabby, you know I’m about the last person to ask about relationships, since my own marriage didn’t last a year, but I think your best bet is to talk to him.” It was “do as I say not as I do” advice, since she’d never communicated well with either John or Wade. They’d both complained about her inability to express her emotions.

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“I’ve tried. He just says I’m being hysterical and we start fighting.” Tabby wrung her hands. “I don’t know what to do to save my marriage.” The phone rang and Clem resisted the urge to launch herself across the room to grab it. “I’m not sure I can give you any wise advice, but you know I’ll help any way I can.” Her cousin sighed in relief. “I was hoping you’d say that. I need someone to come with me Saturday night.” “Come where?” Crossing the room, Clem placed her hand on the phone, hoping it wasn’t the hospital calling. “To see who Mike’s meeting.” Clem resisted the urge to wince in horror. She owed it to Tabby to help, though. “What time?” The vision of her and Tabby crawling around in some other woman’s bushes filled her mind, making her doubly tired. “Seven.” “I have a Heads meeting then. How about nine?” Surely people had affairs after dark? It seemed like a nighttime activity, although she and Wade had been together whenever they had five minutes free at the same time. Tabby frowned but nodded. “I’ll meet you here at the house, then.” She picked up the phone. “Taylor residence.” “Clemant.” Steve sounded like he had a mouthful of marbles, but it was him. She could hear the stress she’d begun to associate with him in his voice. “What’s wrong?” She had no doubt there was something wrong. Her life was a mass of problems, what was one more? “You’re not going to believe it,” he rasped. “Oh, I don’t know. I probably will.” The way her luck was running, she was starting to believe just about anything was possible. “I’ve come down with chickenpox.” She nodded to herself. “You’re right. I don’t believe it. This is a joke, right?” “Sorry, it isn’t,” he mumbled. “How old are you, Steve? Thirty?” Did adults even get chickenpox?

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“I babysat my nephew for a couple hours last weekend and it turns out I’ve never had them before.” She sighed and leaned her head against the cabinets. Her gut instinct was to talk about the impact on the project, but she forced herself to think of his feelings first. “Is it painful?” “Itchy as hell, but I can’t go into work. I’m contagious.” “For how long?” she couldn’t resist asking. “Another couple days at least. Until my fever breaks, they said, but I’m running things from here as best as I can.” He paused. “It would help if you were in the office.” “I’m coming tomorrow,” she said, but she knew it wasn’t enough. She took a deep breath and let it out to relieve some of the pressure building in her chest. Steve was quiet on the other end of the line. If she went on an abbreviated tour of her cousins’ homes this morning, she could leave on the eleven o’clock mailboat and make it by midafternoon to the office. Then she could stay through to Saturday morning, working all day on Friday. That should fill in the gap a little. “I’ll be there this afternoon,” she said, feeling like she was eighty years old, she was so tired. “You always come through,” Steve said, the relief in his voice loud and clear across the line. Maybe she did, but she couldn’t keep this many balls in the air forever. It was only a matter of time before something crashed down on her head.

Y “I’ve told you never to call here, Melinda,” Wade said, hoping he didn’t sound as pissed as he really was. His father’s whore never failed to bring out the worst in him. “You honestly don’t think I’m going to just sit here in silence, grateful for the few pennies you’re throwing my way, do you?” Her voice was hard. That had changed over the last year since his father had died. When Wade had first met her after the funeral, she 62

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was a soft bit of coddled fluff, crying for the man she loved. “I have two children I’m trying to feed.” She was in her twenties, almost forty years younger than his dad. That fact alone had Wade’s blood pressure zooming through the roof. His father hadn’t been working part time in Salisbury as he’d told the family either, but had been spending that time with Melinda instead. Wade could barely think around his fury. “Then I suggest you consider getting a job like the rest of us.” He tried to rein in his temper, but it was impossible. Paying her to keep quiet without dipping into the family funds meant he had to work the boats four days a week. He knew he couldn’t keep the pace forever, but it had been the best option he could come up with when his father died. Now he wasn’t so sure his father’s memory deserved his sacrifice. The cheating, lying, stealing bastard. Wade had begun to hate him right after his death. How could Wade have spent his life not knowing the core of his own flesh and blood? He ignored the small, niggling comparison to his own affair with Clem. At least he knew where his ability to keep a secret came from. “I have two small children,” she started. “Listen to me,” Wade snarled, then felt the tug in his gut that signaled Clem was close. Instantly, his emotions calmed, just knowing she was near bringing him peace. He made his voice firm without being cruel. “If you think you can bleed me indefinitely, then you’re dead wrong. I’m paying you everything I can. Get a job if you need more.” The bells jingled on his store door, right as he placed the phone back onto the cradle as gently as he could. The time was rapidly approaching when he’d have to deal with this head-on. If Melinda started making trouble by telling others about his father’s affair, he owed it to his mother to tell her before she found out from someone else. Lucky for him, only the Head had access to the family’s financial data. Otherwise everyone would know of his father’s betrayal. The fact was, he couldn’t pay Melinda any more than he already was. He was completely tapped out financially. And the clan wasn’t in much better shape, even after

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he’d repaid most of what his father had stolen. They’d had too many emergencies lately, with too little coming in since the depletion of the sea life in the bay. He pressed on his temples to try to stop the headache growing there. “Are you okay?” Wade glanced up from the small desk he kept in the back of his store, taking in green eyes circled with worry and fatigue. They were both dealing with a lot. For a single moment, he wished he could just stand up, take Clem’s hand, jump on his boat and leave this place. Let their families sort out their own problems while he made love to Clem in sunbeams. But he knew he’d never do it. Responsibility had always ridden him hard. He leaned back in his chair, waving at the seat across the desk. “As okay as I’m going to be. What’s up?” “I’m heading off-island today instead of tomorrow.” She dropped into a rickety wooden slat-backed chair he’d repaired several times over. He resisted the urge to surge forward and snarl at her in frustration. If she was running again, he couldn’t control his actions. Then he realized she didn’t look happy about it. In fact, she looked worried. “What’s wrong?” “At this point, what’s right?” She shook her head. “My lead developer has the chickenpox. I need to go fill in for a bit or I won’t have a job to go back to when this is over.” She rubbed her eyes. “I’m going to be gone until Saturday. That should give me time to get things somewhat stable at work before I come back.” Wade wanted to tell her that family was more important than some job on the mainland, but he could see she was already torn enough. He knew part of the burn to keep her on the island was a combination of his own desire to have her and his fear that once she left, she wouldn’t return. As much as it pained him, he had to trust that this was the right thing for her to do. “You’re taking the mailboat?” He glanced at the clock. She had twenty minutes until the eleven o’clock departure. She nodded. “I spoke with some of my cousins last night and this morning. They claim they don’t know who is vandalizing the boats and I believe them.” Straightening,

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she met his gaze. “That doesn’t mean one of us isn’t responsible, just that whoever it is can keep a secret or is a particularly good liar.” Wade forced himself to match her honesty, even though his instinct was to deny his own clan’s involvement. “You’re right. Whoever it is could be a member of either of our families. If it’s financially motivated, then it could be anyone who has land on the western side of the island.” He picked up a pencil and tapped the end on his desk. “I find it hard to believe someone has kept this quiet, though. No one can keep a secret on Blue.” Clem raised an eyebrow. “No one?” she asked, her voice dropping an octave, coming out with a purr that had him meeting her gaze as his groin tightened in automatic response. He kicked up one side of his mouth in a small smile. “The discipline it takes to keep a secret like this would be impossible for most people to maintain over a long period of time.” He let the silence ring between them and then did something that he hadn’t guessed he wanted to do—he spoke about their pact. “The weight of it building in their stomachs, shouting to escape every second of every day must be eating them alive.” Her mouth dropped open, her red lips quivering with her need to stop him from going down this path, but he wasn’t finished. “The pressure to tell someone, anyone at all. The need to just let it out of them. Normal people can’t take that kind of hell, Clem.” He dropped his hands on his desk to bring them closer, lowering his voice even more. “How did you live with it? Or have you told someone on the mainland?” The thought that she might have broken their pact pissed him off, although he didn’t know why. Just because he hadn’t allowed himself that respite didn’t mean he should be angry that she had. If she told someone off the island, what difference would it make? Only if the other islanders knew would they lose each other. She shook her head, her eyes huge in her face. “I’ve never told anyone.” Relief and satisfaction poured through him. “Neither have I and there have been times that it almost killed me, I’ve wanted to tell someone so damn bad.” “Then why didn’t you?”

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“Why didn’t you?” She swallowed. “Because I gave you my word that I wouldn’t.” He laughed, shoving back from the desk, her answer infuriating him on so many levels, he couldn’t count. He hadn’t told because he knew if he did, he would never have his body inside hers again. She’d been right when she said in the beginning that anyone either of them confided in couldn’t keep this big a secret. Not that he planned to tell her any of that, the little control freak. She’d use it against him in a heartbeat. “Because you said you wouldn’t. That’s one hell of a reason to keep a secret that has eaten you alive for sixteen years, don’t you think, Clem?” The front bell jingled, making them both jump. “Hey, Wade,” Tom Sharpton yelled. “Delivery for you.” He ducked back out. “Stay here, okay? I need to sign for it.” He strode from the store. When he got back, she was gone.

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Chapter Nine Clem marched to the dock and jumped onto the mailboat, her mind in a whirl. “Hey, girl,” Charlie Banks said as he boarded behind her. He’d had this mail route for as long as she could remember. “Mr. Charlie.” She made herself smile and act normal when her whole body rebelled. Part of her wanted to stalk back onto the island and start asking some hard questions. The need burned her up, but she had to get to Richmond. Her two lives were pulling her apart, ripping her metaphysically in two. Her emotions had been in a tumble before she’d read through Wade’s ledger, but now her thoughts twirled in circles, her mind unable to sort out anything at all. She’d had no idea Wade felt that way about their pact. He’d said the pressure to tell had eaten him alive. Or maybe he hadn’t. Maybe he’d just been summarizing her own feelings about their secret. God knows, it had lived like a tumor inside her at times. She dropped her head in her hands and forced herself to think about the ledger instead, to save herself from going in a direction that would only leave her with more questions that she’d never be able to ask. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe she’d misread Wade’s ledger, but even as she thought that, she knew her eyes hadn’t been playing tricks on her. About an eighth of the island owed Wade serious money. He’d been acting essentially as a bank, letting people have groceries on credit for months without payment. She couldn’t believe it. The Wade Tawes she’d known all her life wouldn’t let anyone take advantage of him. No wonder he was working on the boats four days a week. He had tens of thousands of dollars in outstanding accounts payable. Stifling a moan, she was vaguely aware of Charlie untying the boat from the dock. She’d been putting Wade’s handkerchief back on his desk, figuring the ledger was the perfect place since it sat on top and was obviously something he used every day. www.samhainpublishing.com

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Continuing the game they’d played since they first started having sex with each other, she’d grabbed the leather-bound book, ignoring the inner turmoil she’d had over Wade’s potent words about their pact. On a lark, she’d flipped to the T’s, not expecting to see her family name, intending to tuck the scrap of cloth there. It hadn’t occurred to her that her cousins would ask for credit from the Head of their greatest enemy. But she’d been wrong, completely wrong. There must have been twenty Taylors there, more if you counted the members of her clan who didn’t carry her last name. She’d flipped to page after page after page of them. Nearly the whole island owed him something. Her cousin Carrie owed Wade nearly a thousand dollars, a staggering amount to someone who only earned around twenty thousand a year picking crabs and baking cakes for the restaurants on the mainland. She pressed her fingers into her eye sockets, the burst of stars telling her she’d dug too far. Her salary topped just into six figures. She’d been sending about a third of it home every year. Where the hell had that money been going? Aunt Liv was going into surgery, so there was no way she’d bother her with something like this. Although for sure Liv would know. But what if she didn’t? Clem hummed and dismissed the thought. Liv knew, but this wasn’t a big enough issue for her to tell her aunt in her present condition. She could handle it on her own. She hadn’t seen Carrie since she’d been home, but when she came back to Blue on Saturday, she would pay her cousin a call. Every blasted one of them who owed Wade would be facing some tough questions. She needed to understand her family’s financial position as soon as possible. How could things have gone so downhill? Not that she could tell them how she knew. “Crap,” she whispered, ignoring her hair whipping in the air as Charlie accelerated across the bay. She’d have to come up with some reason that didn’t implicate Wade, but this kind of financial behavior had to stop. If Wade was too softhearted to demand payment, she wasn’t. Wade softhearted? She stared back at Blue, wondering if she’d see pigs flying.

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Emotions flew through her body at a rate that had her near panic. She had to do something, anything that would make her feel more in control. An idea popped into her mind and before she could even think it through twice, she decided to act on it. Standing, she made her way to the cockpit, tapping on the plastic barrier that kept the pilot separate from the passengers. Charlie waved her in. “You seemed to be in your own world, girl, so I left you alone.” He grinned, the smile boyish in his sixty-year-old face. Or was he that old? Clem tried to remember. Working on the water aged a person fast. He could be younger. “You heard about the trouble on the island?” she asked. Charlie lived in Crisfield, but came six days a week to Blue. He squinted washed-out eyes, rolling a toothpick from one side to the other in his mouth. She almost missed it hidden in the thick, white beard. “Heard the feud had started again.” She cocked a hip against the captain’s chair Charlie wasn’t sitting in. “What are they saying about it?” “Well, now, I’d think you’d know more than me.” “I’m not so sure about that,” she muttered, watching the town of Crisfield filter into view in the distance. “You getting a hard time standing in for Liv?” She rolled one shoulder in a shrug. “No more than I deserve.” Hitching herself onto the tall chair, she let her legs swing like she had as a child. “I don’t think the Tawes clan is doing the damage, at least not the clan as a whole.” One bushy white eyebrow shot up and the toothpick made another lap in Charlie’s mouth. He was a gossip, but respected by the men on Blue. If Clem could convince Charlie of her suspicions, it stood to reason that he would convince others. This sudden strategy could blow up in her face, but she pressed on, feeling more in control by the second. Action always calmed her. “I think…” She paused, gathered a deep breath, then plunged. “I think someone’s starting the feud to force the sale of the western side of the island.”

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Charlie’s eyebrows flew downwards and he stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. She held up her hands. “Okay, it sounds wacky, but ride with me here. We’re in the middle of crab season. What happens if the Taylors and Taweses spend all their time destroying each others’ boats instead of working on the water?” He hummed. “It’d be a lean winter.” Maybe she could pull this off. It occurred to her she should have asked Wade before she spoke up, but she needed to control one damn thing in her life. “Unless we sold the land. We’d almost have to, no matter how much Aunt Liv would rather we didn’t.” She’d had brief words with Liv on the way out of the hospital. Liv would sell if she had to, which left only Don firmly against the deal. Charlie’s toothpick paused as he studied the problem. “So who’s behind it?” Shrugging again, she pursed her lips. “I have some ideas, but Don Evans is conducting the official investigation.” The way she said that, it made it sound like all the Heads agreed with her. Which wasn’t true, but she didn’t correct herself. “You don’t think it’s Wade?” She snorted. “Please. Wade Tawes never did one thing in his life that was a secret.” The words slid from her mouth without a hitch, but her stomach tumbled at the lie. He had done one thing, and it was a big one thing at that. “If he wanted to start a feud, he’d walk straight up and punch one of the boys in the face.” Charlie laughed, a low chugging sound. “You got that right.” He slowed the boat as they entered the No Wake Zone in the marina. “Still, if it ain’t him, who is it?” “I guess that’s the million-dollar question, huh? If I find out, I’ll let you know.” She jumped off the seat. “I’ll grab the line for you.” Jogging out onto the deck, she knew within hours all of Crisfield would be speculating as to who might be starting the feud for financial gain. It might take until Friday for the news to make it onto Blue, but Clem doubted it. This should stir people up. Maybe, just maybe, something would break free. She could only cross her fingers and hope for the best.

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Y Wade shook his head at Carrie Taylor. “I can’t go on extending you credit forever, Carrie,” he said as gently as he could. He’d known Carrie all his life. She’d been in his class at school and he hated doing this, but the time had come for a serious discussion. With Melinda hounding him for more cash, he had nothing to spare. He’d already dipped into his own savings. “I know, Wade.” She swallowed, and he figured the lump in her throat had to be her pride. “I’ve figured out a way to earn some money. Then I’ll be able to pay you back, I swear.” “I don’t doubt you’ll pay me.” And he didn’t, but she’d been carrying a balance with him of one amount or another since her rotten husband had left her over a year ago. For the last six months, she hadn’t even paid part of the balance when he sent her the bill. The hardest thing about owning the store for him was the fact that if he cut someone off, they wouldn’t eat. As much as he tried to be a businessman, he couldn’t bring himself to go that far. She blew out a breath, her lifeless hair not moving from her forehead. She’d been a cute girl growing up, but now she looked washed out and haggard. “This will be the last time, I promise.” He pulled his account book from the top drawer in his desk. “You need to talk to Clem about this, Carrie. She’ll help you.” Her face turned stubborn, her mouth thinning. “I don’t need any help.” As much as he didn’t want to say it, he had to. “You realize you’re not taking help from your family, but you’re taking it from me?” He gave her an ironic smile to soften the words. She blinked as if she hadn’t thought about it before. “I, well, I guess you’re right.” The words came out in a strangled rush. She’d been too busy surviving to notice what she’d been doing. He flipped the book open, feeling the lump just in time to tilt it forward so Carrie couldn’t see. His handkerchief sat folded flat right on Carrie’s page. Oh shit. Clem’s been www.samhainpublishing.com

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in the account book. She’d at least seen Carrie’s debt, but knowing her, it had been more than that. There was no way she’d stop at just one page. “How much do I owe you?” Carrie winced before she even heard the total. He tucked the handkerchief into his back pocket in a move he hoped was casual enough not to raise suspicion. “A little over a thousand with today’s charge.” She nodded and turned in a daze. “Thanks, Wade,” she mumbled. “I promise I’ve got a way to get you the money, it will just take a few weeks.” Then the bells on the door chimed and she was gone, leaving Wade to obsess about one of his favorite subjects. Clem’s departure earlier had been abrupt. He knew now that she’d seen the accounts and left. What did that mean? He debated as he wrote Carrie’s latest expense into the book, then scrawled charged in full across her receipt and threw it into the lock box in the bottom drawer to be filed later. Could Clem be upset at him about this? He didn’t think so. So why’d she leave without saying goodbye? She had a lot to deal with right now and knowing her family was in debt wouldn’t make that any easier. But a slow burn of anger heated him. He absolutely hated when she ran from her problems instead of facing them head on. The bells rang again and Rose sashayed in, one glance at her face showing him she had something on her mind he didn’t want to hear. Clem wasn’t the only person with more problems on her plate than she could handle. He regretted not closing up on time tonight.

Y Clem threw her mail onto her coffee table as she told Steve the latest update over the phone. It might be eight at night, but she still had hours of work to do. CreditOne expected long days and nights in times of crisis. The sad thing was that crisis seemed to dog Clem’s heels everywhere she went. “So they signed it?” Steve asked.

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“Yeah, but not without serious drama.” The minute she’d walked into work, she’d found out that the emergency change request hadn’t been approved. Their fix to manually kick off the batch update load hadn’t been okayed by senior management. The oversight could have led to a complete rollback. It had taken three hours of fast talking on Clem’s part to get a simple piece of paper signed. She sighed, kicking off her heels with extra force. “What’s wrong? You seem more upset than you usually do when you deal with the red tape.” Without meaning to, the thoughts that had been running around her head since she’d reached the mainland fell from her lips. “I have family who needs me, Steve. And here I am, jacking around with a computer system that doesn’t do anything constructive in people’s lives.” Steve laughed. “Come on, you know this system will save ten seconds per customer service call. Saving millions of dollars isn’t something to thumb your nose at. Just think of all those phone representatives who will benefit from this.” She grabbed a beer from her fridge and twisted off the cap without bothering to protect her hand. “Benefit, my ass.” “This will save them call time.” His tone said plainly that he was amused by her sudden concern for her fellow man. She certainly hadn’t ever thought like this before, but damn it, she had people who depended on her. If she figured out who was behind the vandalism on the island she could save lives, not something as inconsequential as the time someone spent on the phone dealing with lost credit cards. “Yeah, and Senior Management will lower the metrics within days of the system launch. No one is going to be better off with this upgrade but CreditOne, but my family needs me.” She stood in her kitchen, shaken by the revelation, even though she’d been skating around it all day. Steve sighed. “Don’t go squirrelly on me, Taylor. We’re in the middle of a launch here.”

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“I need this job, Steve. I do. But I’m just wondering if not being there when my family’s in trouble is worth it.” “You are being paid a shitload for what you do.” He had a point and God knows her family needed the money, more than she’d suspected. She decided during the status meeting a few hours ago that she’d pay off the debt to Wade with her own money when she returned to the island, then try to figure out why everyone wasn’t paying their bills. “Hello?” Steve didn’t sound amused anymore. He sounded worried. “You’re right.” Clem gave him a silent salute with her beer that he couldn’t see and changed the subject. “How are you feeling?” “Good. Fever’s almost gone. I figure I can be back at work Monday morning.” “I know you’re not feeling well. Thanks for calling in to tomorrow’s meeting.” “You know, that’s the first time you’ve ever thanked me for doing my job.” Steve cleared his throat. “I really hope whatever’s gotten into you goes away as soon as possible.” She had a feeling she might never be the same after this trip to Blue Island, but she didn’t tell Steve. He’d had enough shocks as it was for one night.

Y Rose put extra sway in her hips as she crossed the store. She’d dressed special tonight, knowing Wade needed a little bump to come to his senses. Over the last day, she’d decided her mother had been wrong. Sex with Wade was something she should have made happen a long time ago. It would have tied him tighter to her, allowed her to have more control over him. So the clothes she’d picked were extra sexy. Light green, high-heeled sandals added to her height, making her long legs longer. The short green skirt flirted with her skin at mid-thigh. The matching tank top cupped her small, but perfect breasts. Any man would become putty at the sight of her.

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He stood and rounded his desk to meet her halfway. “Hi, Rose. I was just closing up,” he said, his voice deep and sexy, even if he wasn’t as cute as Trent Taylor. She smiled, letting her lips become sultry in a way she’d never done before when she thought Wade was one of those men who wanted a chaste, straight-laced woman. “Well, hi to you, too.” His only response was a raised eyebrow. “I thought we could talk now that you’d had a bit of time to calm down.” She kept her shoulders back so her breasts were shown to their best perfection. Wade sighed. “Rose, I really wish I didn’t have to hurt you. I made a mistake and I’m sorry, but the relationship between us is over.” She was sure he’d change his mind if he had a chance to touch her body. Men melted at her feet, begging to have her. Wade would be no different. Taking two quick steps to close the gap, she twined her hands around his neck. Only they didn’t make it there. He caught them before she completed the motion, holding her wrists firmly in an iron grip. “Wh-what are you doing?” she sputtered, unable to keep cool with his unexpected action. “I’m stopping you before we both end up embarrassed.” His face was downright hard, nothing in his body showing any interest in her. She snatched back her arms. “So it’s really over?” Even though she tried to fight the words, she couldn’t leave without setting him in his place. “You aren’t the best-looking man on this island, Wade. Tons of other men would kill to have me as their wife.” “You’re right, Rose. They would. If I had a heart to give you, things might have been different, but you will never be my wife.” He steered her around with a hand to her back, deftly pushing her out of the store. “You may not believe this, but I wish the best for you.” Then he shut the door in her face and turned the lock. For several moments, Rose stood looking at her reflection in the glass, before it sunk in that he really had rejected her.

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A feeling of complete panic washed through her body, making her question everything she’d known was true. How could he have rejected her so easily? How could he walk away, when she knew, knew, that other men wanted her so badly, they’d give away their very souls to have her? Revenge was in order here, although who the victim ended up being made little difference. She burned inside to regain the power Wade had stripped from her. Nothing was more important than reacquiring what she’d just lost. And she knew exactly the person who would help her. Not her father, of course. He’d only tell her Wade wasn’t good enough for her, like he always did. But Mike would help her. He was there when she needed him, always helped her find the balance she had to have in her life.

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Chapter Ten The meeting had ended two hours ago, but Clem still sat at her desk, even though she really wanted to be at home in bed. The lack of sleep had caught up to her and she was dragging serious tail. The few hours of rest she’d gotten last night had been filled with dreams of Wade, the kind that left her shaking in sexual frustration the next morning. Visions of silk sheets sliding over their naked bodies mixed with the image of them curled up in each other’s arms while watching the sunrise. This relationship was about sex, not romance, purely about some chemical need. So the fact she dreamed of them together this way had her grinding her teeth in annoyance. Besides, there was absolutely no way she could ever spend the night with him. They would be caught for sure and that couldn’t happen. Sadly, her subconscious didn’t have a brain. She wanted him with a dull ache that throbbed harder with each passing hour she’d been off the island. It was as if something had snapped when she’d left yesterday. The hum inside her body that strengthened whenever he came near was missing since she’d been off the island. The loss of it had become almost painful. Tomorrow, she’d come back into the office for two hours in the morning, then return to Blue. With a quick stop in Salisbury to check the records on who owned the western end of the island, she would be back by midday. The pressure to return had her stomach in a constant twist. Her phone rang, the caller ID flashing the switchboard, then a number from Maryland. Her heart seized when she realized she’d forgotten to call to check up on Aunt Liv this morning. “Clemant Taylor,” she said as crisply as she could around her panic. Aunt Liv had to be all right. www.samhainpublishing.com

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“Clem,” Wade said, his voice smooth and sure, sounding way too good to her ears. “Wade,” she sighed in relief. “What’s wrong?” “I just realized I haven’t checked up on Aunt Liv today.” She felt so guilty, but once she’d stepped through the door of CreditOne, her mind had been on one goal—getting the server upgrade approved. Without that approval, she’d be pulled even more to Richmond. “They brought her home a couple of hours ago.” “She’s home already? She just had major surgery!” Clem couldn’t believe it, but knew hospitals were releasing people as quickly as possible in hopes of keeping costs down. “Tabby said it’s standard procedure.” “But she had bypass surgery. That means they had her whole body cut open!” “You’re welcome to call her doctor if you have concerns.” Dry humor slipped through his serious tone. “I might,” she said, thinking of a few choice things she’d like to tell whoever released her aunt after a single day of recovery. “I went to see her before I called you.” She supposed as a Head he’d be expected to make those kinds of visits, but she had a strange feeling he’d done it for her. “She’s okay?” “Not as feisty as usual, but she still gave me hell about this latest round of vandalism. She seems to agree with you that I’m not running around putting sand in boat motors, but she wasted no time in telling me I’m still responsible for the damage.” His amusement was clear through the line. “How are you responsible?” She had to talk to her aunt. Liv would guide her in the right direction, help her figure out how to fulfill her obligation to the clan. So far she’d been doing a miserable job of it. “The upshot seems to be that as Heads, you and I are both equally in charge of this mess.”

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If Aunt Liv was feeling well enough to give a speech, things were looking up. “I’m glad she’s better.” She would call Tabby and check in when she got off the phone with Wade. Wade paused, pulling Clem from her musings. She waited him out, worried about what he was about to say. If Wade was hesitating, it couldn’t be good. “I want you to try to remain silent until I finish telling you my plan, okay?” “Okay,” she agreed cautiously, knowing she wasn’t going to like it if he had to give her a warning up front. “I want you to drive to Urbanna and spend tonight at the Pines Motor Lodge with me.” “Have you lost your mind?” she asked, unable to keep the words inside her mouth. She and Wade would be caught, or worse yet would end up even more emotionally entwined than they already were. It was one thing to slake the desire that built unbearably between them, but quite another thing to spend more time together than they had to. “Listen for a second.” He took a breath deep enough for her to hear it across the line. “No one will ever know.” “They will.” Although maybe if they spent the night together they would cool this thing between them, not become closer. She’d always thought the only reason they had this attraction was because it was forbidden. If they were in a normal situation, like two lovers spending the night together, the flames might burn down to nothing. “Urbanna is on the Virginia side of the bay, a tourist backwater. Who in the hell will see us there?” Wade’s annoyance came out as a growl beneath the argument. “Someone will.” But she clicked open a browser on her PC and typed in MapQuest.com to figure out where Urbanna, Virginia was. She’d never even heard of it. “Think of it, Clem,” he said, his voice now soft velvet as he changed tactics on her lightning fast as always. “We’ll get a whole night together. In a bed.” She shivered at the thought of having him over and over again. Then the computer search returned Urbanna. It was on her way, since she had to drop down south to take the Bay Bridge Tunnel. Blinking at her monitor, she couldn’t believe she was actually

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considering this. She tried to weigh the pros and cons, but her mind kept whispering to her about sheets and a mattress and a whole night alone without fear of interruption. “We’ll be able to sleep together,” he whispered, his words smooth honey over her skin. “Wake up to our first sunrise.” A tremor raced through her body as he echoed her dream. Now that he’d said the words, the lure was so strong she could barely remain seated in her chair. All her earlier arguments flew out the window at the thought of having him tonight. Just the fact she wanted it so badly was dangerous and she knew it. “I shouldn’t leave work this early. I have a ton I need to take care of before I drive back to Blue.” Really, the only thing she had to do here was check in with Randy. If she timed it right, she could drop in when he was in the restroom, or wherever he always seemed to disappear to. Then all she’d have to do was leave him a note and the rest she could take care of tomorrow on Blue through email. After the meeting had ended earlier, everyone had scattered to the winds, hoping to catch a quiet weekend before testing started in earnest on Monday. She could hear the tap-tap-tap of only a handful of developers in their cubes. “I have someone coming to watch the store for me.” He paused and she pictured him standing by the phone, his eyes closed, all those wonderful muscles straining under his shirt. “We may not get another shot at this. It may be our one chance.” She hummed, fighting herself for a moment. It was futile. She was as trapped as a fly in the web he wove for her. “I know this will come back to haunt us.” “Clem.” That one word held a million meanings, a million visions passing from him to her of tangled limbs and straining bodies. It was the bed that drew her, the bed that lured her with sharp talons, digging into her skin and not letting her go. “I can be there in two hours.” “I’ll be waiting,” he said and hung up the phone without another word. He was probably afraid she’d change her mind, but once Clem decided a course, she didn’t deviate. Even when it was the completely wrong thing to do.

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Y Wade forced himself to sit on the wall outside the room he’d rented instead of pacing the cracked sidewalk. The Pines Motor Lodge was worn down on every level, but clean at least. That meant a lot and quite frankly would have to do. He wasn’t giving up his only night with Clem because of frayed carpet or peeling wallpaper. At the moment, he was still missing the other half of this plan. Clem had been late in the past, but he’d always known she’d show. She kept her promises, but spending the night together was a huge step for them. After he’d hung up the phone she may have reconsidered. When he turned twenty, he’d been late one night to meet her, hours past the chosen time. She’d already left when he’d arrived at Old Man Willard’s boathouse. Wade had gone crazy. It was Thanksgiving break and she’d finally come home after being off the island at school for months. His mother had caught him on the way out and shanghaied him into a chore he’d forgotten to do. It was his fault, all of it, but he’d still been in a rage. Slamming out of the boathouse, he’d left on a mission, searching everywhere on the island people their age hung out until he’d found her on the front stoop of the store. That was two years before his Uncle Bart had died and left the business to him. There she sat outside on a rocker with two of her friends, drinking a coke and laughing. When four guys his age joined them, he did too. Her eyes had widened when he stepped into the light but she hadn’t been angry. That didn’t happen until later that night, when he’d pulled her behind the store and told her he didn’t want any other man’s hands on her. He still couldn’t believe he’d done it. His only excuse was that he’d lost his mind when he couldn’t have her in the boathouse, he’d missed her so much. She’d told him it was over between them, told him he had no right to tell her to do anything when he couldn’t even speak to her in public without causing an island scandal. How dare he?

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Then he did something he was still ashamed of, although he wasn’t sure what else he could have done since losing her wasn’t an option. He’d slammed her up against the wall of the store and used her desire for him against her. She couldn’t fight the raging obsession between them, not when he had his palm pressing on her sex and his tongue in her mouth. Then he’d made things worse by using the tactic every chance he could since, forcing her again and again into his arms. It had finally led to her running from the island for good. Dammit. He shouldn’t have behaved that way, but Jesus, what other choice did he have? Clem was harder to pin down than an eel and a hundred times more intelligent. The only way he could win with her was to use her desire against her. “She’s going to run again, the minute she can.” Sadness and frustration ran through his body. Staring at the sun setting on the bay, he came to a decision he never thought he’d make. “If she runs, I’m following her this time. She’s not getting away from me. I’m tired of letting her make the decisions for both of us.” But he better find a way to make sure she didn’t leave, because his whole family depended on him. He’d given her his word that he wouldn’t tell anyone about their affair, but as he leaned against the peeling paint on the old motel, he figured it would solve a hell of a lot of their issues if everyone knew. Yes, some people would hate them for it, but some would understand. And the longer they stayed together, the less people would care about the fact she was a Taylor and he a Tawes. Staring at the water that had supported his family for hundreds of years, a realization hit him. His clansmen would be more forgiving if they were married. Islanders respected that sacred institution and would never suggest they split if they had given vows before God. He turned that thought around in his mind, then put it aside. Clem would chop off her fingers before she’d marry him. She’d made that clear over the years.

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One thing he knew for sure, it was time to change tactics, time to stop being passive in their relationship. No future he could envision would be right without Clem in it. She might be smarter book-wise than he was, but he had their connection on his side. If his family rejected him for loving her, well then they could get along just fine without him. The clouds that had been hiding the obvious suddenly parted before him and he knew that love her he did and had for almost all his life. The sudden realization had his hands trembling with adrenaline, but it strengthened his resolve a hundredfold. Tires bumped over the pothole-filled driveway and he watched her drive around the corner into view. He waited to feel the connection spring between them, but strangely, it did not. Perhaps the island itself created the tie, because he knew without a doubt the moment they were both on Blue again, it would return. He didn’t know why he was so sure, he just was. She stepped out of the car, slamming the door, then crossed to him. The business suit she wore like a second skin made him wince. It took years to look that comfortable, to give off the aura of power and command like the captain of a trawler who’d been to sea his whole adult life. If they stayed on Blue together, she’d be giving up her career. Doubt swirled through him, overriding the earlier certainty. He wanted her, but not at the cost of her happiness. “Don’t,” she said, when he started to stand. “We need to talk first.” He raised an eyebrow, wondering where she’d take them now. Her chin went up and he knew it was going to be someplace interesting. The motion meant she planned to dig in and fight him, but he was willing to let her do just about anything as long as she didn’t run. Not that he’d give her power over him by telling her that. “I want to know how much the Taylors have outstanding at your store.” Ah, so that’s where the wind blew. “I really don’t think it’s something I can discuss with you in good conscience.”

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“I’m the acting Taylor Head if you haven’t forgotten.” Her irritation swirled in the air between them, the words tight and clipped. “Besides, I know who most of them are already.” “I found my handkerchief. Nosy, nosy,” he said, trying to keep the smile off his face. “Ask them, if you know who they are.” That pissed her off. He could tell from the narrowed eyes and the thinning of her mouth. “You want to play that game, fine, but I’m making a down payment on the balance.” She stalked to her car and dragged out her purse, showing off her fine ass when she climbed into the front seat to reach it. The business suit didn’t hide her body, but somehow accented it. His cock hardened at the sight. When she turned, the question slid out before he could catch it. “How many men have you slept with besides me?” She blinked and shook her head, her mouth dropping open in surprise. He didn’t apologize for asking. All of a sudden he was mighty tired of tiptoeing around her. There were large chunks of their lives they’d never shared. He wanted to know what they were, who they were. “Do you think that’s any of your business?” He stood. “Yes. I think it’s my business.” She slung the purse over her shoulder and crossed her arms, not backing down. “How many women have you slept with, Wade?” “Besides you? Three.” He didn’t justify it, didn’t tell her they were his lame attempt to free himself of their curse. Pain flashed across her face, but then was buried under anger. “Well, you beat me by two.” She pasted something that passed for a smile on her face. “Happy now?” She’d only been with her husband. He’d seen their wedding picture once when he’d visited Livvy’s house. The sight of her smiling, snuggled against the handsome blondhaired, blue-eyed bastard had him almost foaming at the mouth with jealous rage. He’d been unable to stop the video playing in his mind of her husband fucking her, putting his body inside hers, where only Wade’s should be.

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It was a struggle, but he stuffed the old jealousy away. He’d done the same thing to her, only three times over. He had no right to be angry. “You think I’m happy we had sex with other people?” He moved up tight into her space, but didn’t touch her. “No. I’m not happy about it. It makes me want to punch holes in the walls that we both felt so trapped and desperate, we turned to others. But I know that having sex with them was the only way I could see how special this thing is between us.” And how much he would fight for it, he realized. Before, he’d let their relationship go on its own course. Clem led because it was just so much easier to follow her than fight all the confusing emotions he’d had inside. She dropped her head to rub her eyes. “We are so screwed up. You realize that, don’t you?” He found it interesting that she didn’t deny his statement. He’d bet she’d already thought about it the same way and he wondered what else she’d considered. There was power in agreeing to things together. The more they were on the same page, the more he could reel her closer to him. “I realize we have some sort of crazy connection. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to break it and so have you. I’m not sure that was wise on either of our parts.” He changed the topic fast, before she could dig in and resist him again. He’d planted the seed in her mind and would let it grow. “So how much money are you going to pay me?” “Thank you for the much-needed subject change.” Her face relaxed immediately. He grinned, but she didn’t see him as her trembling hands scrambled in her purse. “Five thousand to start.” Her checkbook appeared. “I didn’t have enough time to add up what everyone owed, but I know it’s more than that.” He wanted to argue with her about the money. Five grand was a lot of cash, but he had more important goals here to think about. “If you can get them to agree to it, I’ll give you an accounting.” Taking money from her didn’t feel right. “Why don’t we wait a bit?” “Because I need to do this, Wade. I need to fix at least one thing in the long list of what’s wrong.” Her green eyes were vulnerable above the fierce set of her mouth.

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He knew he needed to do a better job of balancing both their needs than he’d done in the past. One way to do that would be to relent about the money. “Fine, then. Write the check. I don’t like it, though.” Besides, as acting Head, it was her job to handle these kinds of problems. “You’ve been helping them out financially before this, haven’t you?” he guessed. She dug out a pen and began writing. “Sure. That’s one of the reasons I’ve been working at CreditOne. I make a lot of money doing what I do.” Her tone was off-hand, as if her actions meant nothing. He took the check, folded it without even a glance and shoved it into the back pocket of his jeans. “It’s time.” “Time for what?” She capped the pen and tossed it into her purse. He caught her arm in one hand and fished for his room key with the other. “Time to get you out of that suit.” “Thank God the talking part is over.” Her eyes danced with relief and the same anticipation he felt in his own chest. Clem was finally giving herself to him without a fight. Excitement and anticipation rode so hard through his body, he had to resist the urge to throw her over his shoulder and haul her into the room like a pirate with his prize. Instead he opened the door and bowed her in.

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Chapter Eleven The room was worn down by the passing of many people over the years, but it was clean and smelled like the salty wind of the bay. The owner had tried to liven it up with pictures of flowers, which made the sad room even sadder. Happy Black-Eyed Susans looked down on peeling rose-covered wallpaper. Wade had opened all the windows and taken the comforter from the shabby bed. It wasn’t like the place they’d gone in her dreams when they’d made love all night. That place had been satin sheets and plush carpet. But this would do. He locked the door behind them with a snap. Suddenly she felt strange. Nervous and unsure, not like she usually did with him. She dropped her purse onto the old dresser and wiped her sweaty hands on her suit skirt. “Feels weird, doesn’t it?” he asked, leaning against the door. “To have all night to ourselves like this without worrying about discovery?” She nodded, glad she wasn’t the only one who felt off balance. For the life of her, she had no idea how to begin. What did normal people do in these situations? He strode to the bed, snagging her arm on the way by, gently pulling her with him. “Let’s sit and talk for a bit.” They’d already done more talking in the last few days than they had in years. She was sick of talking, sick of all the difficult words they constantly exchanged. Nothing had ever been easy between them. She had to do something fast, or they’d end up talking all night, end up fighting, end up not finding the relief they both needed so damn bad. When they reached the bed, she shrugged off her suit jacket and tumbled him backwards onto the bed. Before he could speak, she kissed him hard, the press of their lips making heat pool low.

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He rolled her onto her back and softened his mouth on hers. Fine. As long as they could just fall into their own secret world for a few precious hours, she’d let him lead. His tongue caressed hers, the pace so slow and methodical, she knew he wanted to make this last. When she opened her eyes, his gaze caught hers, his eyes so intense, the golden flecks in his brown depths sparkled, capturing her. She tried to increase the pressure between them, but his hand fisted in her hair, pinning her to the bed. It had been a long time since he’d taken charge. Oh, he always started it, using her body against her, but then he sat back and let her do what she wanted. Fire sizzled through her veins, making her arch and stroke her body against his hard cock. She hadn’t thought aggression from him could be a turn on, but her clitoris throbbed with need. He rubbed her belly for a brief moment with his erection, then slid to the side. Still pinning her to the bed, he kept kissing her, until her lips felt swollen and her skin burned. She wasn’t used to waiting. Her sex life had consisted of fast relief, except when she’d married John, then she’d often left their bed without orgasming. Unless she’d closed her eyes and imagined he was Wade and that had seemed like such a betrayal. Cheating in her mind was still cheating. Wade captured her ear between his teeth almost lazily, scraping the lobe, then running his tongue down the shell in a patient lap that had her squirming. He pinned her with his leg to keep her flat. Nuzzling her neck, he breathed, “I’m not going to be rushed, so lie still.” She didn’t take orders from him. Just as he knew her body, she knew his so very well. She hadn’t used her knowledge against him like he had with her, but there was always a first time. Sliding a hand up his thigh, she was briefly distracted by the feel of corded muscles under his jeans. He shouldn’t be working himself into the ground on the boats, but it had done some good things to his body. While she was distracted, he caught her other wrist in one powerful hand and stretched her arm above her head. She barely noticed, winding the fingers upwards to his hip.

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Before she could reach her destination, he snagged that hand too and stretched it up to join the other. Her mouth dropped open in surprise as he easily held both her hands in his right one. What did he think he was doing? “I’m done with the silence rule.” His gaze popped and sizzled with passion, but he had that stubborn pull to his mouth he only ever got when she tried to stay away from him. “Do you understand what I’m saying here, Clemant? I’m not agreeing to that insanity anymore.” She narrowed her eyes but didn’t say anything. Just to annoy him, because she knew he’d speed up. Any strong emotion between them ended up turning into desire. Part of her wanted to tell him to shut up and fuck her, but then it would seem as if she was following orders. He smiled, true humor lighting his eyes. Then, keeping her gaze locked with his, he lowered his head in half-time to her tightly beaded nipple. She gasped in frustration as he hovered there. “Talk and I’ll give you what we both want.” Bastard. She could outlast him forever if she wanted to, but why try? The need rode her so hard, she pressed her thighs together in agony. “What? No sassy comebacks?” The breath he expelled with the words teased her nipple through the thin silk of her blouse. “I think you’d be more successful at this if you didn’t have your shirt on.” Not the best comeback, but certainly holding her own. He’d have to give up something to win with her. His eyes flashed wide almost comically and she waited to see what he’d do. “You think so? Why is that? You think I look good without my shirt on?” Was he fishing for a compliment? No, probably trying to annoy her. She pretended to ponder it. “I’m not sure. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you naked in the light.” He laughed, a bark of disbelief and amusement. “All right, I’ll make a deal with you.”

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Her stomach twisted with excitement. Hoo-boy, she loved a good negotiation. She was quite sure she was better at it. “Oh, now, that expression on your face is one that makes a man circle the wagons.” He grinned at her, looking like a pirate in the dim light of the room. Sometime during all their kissing, the sun had set and she hadn’t noticed. “What’s going on in that head of yours I wonder?” His free hand stroked her cheek and he seemed to actually think about it. “What’s the deal, Tawes,” she prodded. His grin widened a bit. “I never realized how impatient you were.” “It would be hard to notice, since you never slowed down enough to see.” “True.” The smile fell from his lips. “But not tonight. Tonight I’m going to have you slow and deep.” He traced her lips with one calloused finger. “Okay, the deal.” His gaze hardened, sending a shiver down her body. He was in a mood. “I’ll let go of one of your hands so you can unbutton my shirt, but once you’re done, you return it to my grip without a tussle.” She debated, then decided she could get a little revenge this way. It would be easy to break free again. Wade wouldn’t hurt her physically and that gave her a serious advantage. “Okay, it’s a deal.” He didn’t move for a moment, and she fought the smile that wanted to creep onto her mouth and tried to look innocent. “I’ve been had, I’m just not sure how yet.” His fingers unraveled from one wrist while keeping the other cleverly pinned. “You made the deal,” she reminded him helpfully. He watched her like a hawk. It was harder than it looked not to rush, but she kept her pace as painfully methodical as his had been. Dragging his shirttail free in careful increments, she knew the fabric brushed along his cock, teasing him, building his anticipation. He helped her by rising up from the bed, and she took the opportunity to run her hand under his jeans to give his hip a quick caress on one of his hot spots. “Clem, you’re cheating.”

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“Of course I’m not cheating. You said absolutely nothing about the method of disrobing.” She grinned then, all teeth and triumph. “Payback will be gory,” he warned. She responded by sweeping the other side of his shirt free, giving that special place he liked in the hollow of his hip an extra brush as light as she could make it. He hissed in a breath. Lord, she loved that, loved that she knew his body so well. Unable to delay longer for fear he’d take the power back, she unbuttoned his shirt from the bottom up, pressing her wrist onto the lump of his cock through his jeans as she went. “Cheating, cheating,” he hummed, capturing her earlobe with his lips and giving it a tiny pull. “I’m unbuttoning,” she whispered back and released another to prove it. “I’m just taking my time like you were taking yours.” “Time’s about to expire on your fun and then you’ll pay,” he said in a calm, deep voice. She had to pause and shut her eyes against the streak of desire that went through her at his warning. In a million years she wouldn’t guess he could be this kind of lover. Blinking to clear the lust that had narrowed her gaze to just his body, she smiled. “Then I’ll have to enjoy myself while I can.” She flicked another button open. “Oh, you’ll enjoy yourself either way. I promise you.” His breathing had turned harsh and it was all he could do to hold still, but the torture was sweet for all the pain of wanting her so badly. She’d forgotten not to talk, caught up in the game. The roar of victory built inside him, even as she pressed her current power by lightly pinching his left nipple. Her eyes danced as she slowly dragged her nails across his chest for another round. “Buttons or the shirt stays on, Clemant,” he warned.

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“Ooh, this bossy side of you makes me totally hot,” she teased, but finished unbuttoning the shirt. It amazed him that she wanted it off so badly. He wasn’t the only one who desired this slow exploration. He held up his wrist so she could take care of the button there as well, then shrugged off the shirt while she petted across his chest in an excuse to help him. She twisted in his grasp to kiss his shoulder. “Back you go.” He wanted her to play her part and give up the control he’d lent her. She slumped with extra drama, then raised her hand above her head. He carefully added it to his grip, watching for her to go unpredictable on him, then he transferred his hold and slithered the rest of the way from his shirt. Since he was already in that direction, he suckled her nipple through the white shirt. It was beaded so tightly for him, he couldn’t resist. “Wade,” she moaned, arching. “What do you want, Clem?” Words. It all came back again and again to his need for words. But he couldn’t stop the ache to force her to admit she wanted him, to admit she felt that terrible craving that consumed him whenever she was near. It was more than the simple love he’d proclaimed it earlier. It was obsession, the need for possession, the need to bind her heart to his with bands of steel and never let her go. She twisted in his grasp, but didn’t answer. He responded by suckling the other nipple and nestling one leg between hers. She immediately bowed into him, looking for relief, her desire so great, he could smell her musk. He pressed his thigh into her core, letting her have some harder teasing since her body begged for it. “Tell me,” he murmured into her breast, then moved his leg away. The skirt impeded her attempt to capture him. Her gaze met his and she said clearly, “I want you, Wade Tawes.” The words snapped his fragile control and he tore open the button at the top of his jeans, ripped down the zipper and pulled himself free.

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“Oh please,” she whispered. He didn’t bother to comment, balling her skirt around her waist, dragging her hose from her legs and pushing her sopping underwear aside without taking them off. Capturing the hands she’d left above her head, he fitted his cock to her opening, then found the discipline to hold off despite her wiggling. “Again.” He chugged for air. “Beg again.” “Please, please.” Her words were frantic. He speared into her, gliding on her wet passage. She tried to wrestle her arms free, but he increased his hold just shy of pain. Setting the pace fast and deep, he bit her neck with a hard nip that he knew would leave a mark. He didn’t care. He wanted people to see it, wanted them to know she had a lover, even if they didn’t know it was him. Deeper, he had to be deeper. She whimpered, the first sound of passion he’d ever gotten from her. “Come, damn you,” he ordered, unable to do anything to stop the orgasm that raced over him. Vaguely, he felt her peak race through her, but his own pleasure was so intense, he could only lie there and jerk as he emptied everything he had into her body.

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Chapter Twelve With a rather large effort, Clem turned her wrist and read her watch. Ten o’clock. Lethargy crawled through her body. Her suit was in shambles and she needed to go to the restroom badly, but she really just wanted to lie there and enjoy the feeling of being totally complete. Wade lay curled behind her, still in his jeans. “So much for going slow,” he said in a husky voice, then brought up her wrist to read her watch too. “Damn, I bruised you.” She pulled her hand back down into view, bringing him with her since he didn’t let go. “Hmmm,” she agreed. What could be making her float like this? They’d had sex a million times before and it had never been this good. He leaned over her and placed a kiss on her wrist. “I’m sorry.” She rolled onto her back. “Why do you think it was better this time? The foreplay?” She hadn’t meant to ask him, but she really wondered. His calloused thumb brushed her bruised pulse-point. “Maybe it was being somewhere we won’t be discovered.” “I thought the risk of being caught was the aphrodisiac?” It had to be what made them so explosive together. But hadn’t this disproved that theory? “We’ve never had sex where there wasn’t a risk of being seen.” He peeled back her shirt collar and grimaced. “I was too rough with you.” She flapped a hand, still focused on the revelation that they might be better with one another without the thrill of discovery goading them on. Maybe it was only the newness of their situation. Maybe she just needed to have sex with him a few more times in this room and she’d be able to walk away. For the first time, the thought of escape didn’t bring her joy.

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Throwing her legs over the side of the bed, she pulled down her skirt and smoothed her shirt. They still hadn’t been completely naked with one another yet, but she’d change that soon. Wade had a fantastic ability to rebound quickly. “Where are you going?” “I need to grab my bag from the car.” She looked around for her purse, finding it on the dresser. Right where she left it. She was losing basic memory capabilities. He rolled to his feet with her. “I’ll grab it for you.” He took the keys she fished up. “It’s the small blue one on the backseat.” He slid a hand around her waist, dragging her close for a nice deep kiss that had her stomach turning over. “Thanks,” she said, wincing at her breathy voice. When he was gone, she threw off her clothes, used the restroom and turned on the shower. Surprisingly, the water warmed fast and she climbed in, letting the remains of their lovemaking wash away. What had attracted her to Wade so long ago? What was the thing that caught her eye when she first met him? The thing that started it all? She let the water cascade down her body as she dragged out memories long buried. Her mind stretched back to the first summer she’d spent on Blue. He must have been playing baseball because he’d been carrying a bat, tossing a ball up and catching it when he’d come into view. She was sitting up on Tompkin’s Bluff, watching the seagulls whirling in the air, happy to be back on the island, this time for the whole summer. Her mother hadn’t been doing well, losing another job after yet another man had left her. Which always led to the crying jags, although the fake happy smiles and pretend normalcy when everything was far from normal had been worse. Wade had come straight up, dropped down next to her and grinned that lopsided smile she hadn’t seen in years. “Whatcha doing up here?” She didn’t smile back. He wasn’t one of her family or she’d have met him before. “Watching the seagulls.” The words were prim and standoffish even to her own ears.

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He blinked, as if he wasn’t used to people treating him like that and he probably wasn’t. Everyone had liked Wade when he was young. “Are you the new Taylor cousin?” he asked, turning the ball around in his hands. She nodded, hoping he’d just go away. All she needed were the Taylors. There were enough family members here on the island so she’d never be lonely again. “If you want to see seagulls, you should come with me.” He grinned again. She suspected he was trying hard to win her over just because he couldn’t imagine anyone not liking him. He stood. “Come on. You’ll be glad you did.” She’d gone, after she realized he wasn’t leaving without showing her, no matter how much she tried to ignore him. Part of her wanted to be mean to get him to leave, but she couldn’t do it. There had been something in his face that kept her from being cruel. They’d hiked forever, ruining her new shoes in the process, but it had been worth it. The seagull nests dotted the cliffs below them, filled with chicks. The noise was unbelievable, the cries of mothers and babies swirling on the wind. They’d stood there, side by side, him grinning at her. “Thank you,” she said, meaning it, swallowing past her tears. Blue Island was her salvation, a place filled with strangers who showed you hatching chicks, and where you ran free, playing once the chores were done, secure that people loved you and you weren’t a burden. They’d been twelve years old, his birthday coming only two months before hers. Neither of them had ever told anyone about that day and maybe it was this first secret between them which started it all. Very few people could keep a secret, but the simple joy they’d both felt had been preserved because no one had ever been able to tell them it hadn’t been magical. Dragging herself back into the present, she tipped her head into the shower’s spray, realizing Wade had been watching her for awhile. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel him standing outside the tub. She opened her eyes and met his gaze. “Remember the first day I met you?”

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He stood barefoot, shirtless, with the top snap of his jeans undone, leaning against the wall so he could see around the pitiful shower curtain. “The seagulls,” he said, his face softening into a smile, making his handsome features even more handsome. His short hair was tousled, just long enough so it started to curl on the ends in the moist air. The urge to cry welled up and she turned into the spray so she wouldn’t have to look at him. Why did he always have to make her feel like this? Wonderful and horrible at the same time? “Hey,” he said, and then he stood behind her, his naked thighs telling her he’d taken off his jeans before joining her. “What’s wrong?” “I don’t know.” She sighed, letting him turn her into his chest, taking comfort from the person in her life who had created the confusion in the first place. It would be funny if it wasn’t so damn sad. “This just seems so pointless, Wade.” He brushed her hair back to see her face, his other hand held behind his body. “It’s not easy, that’s for sure.” Propping his shoulder against the wall, he studied her face. “There have been times I’d do just about anything to end this.” “So why didn’t you?” she interrupted him, frustration filling the words. He raised a brow. “Because you’d walk onto the island and every promise I’d made to myself flew out the door.” Catching her chin with the edge of his hand, he held her face when she wanted to look away. “Why didn’t you?” “I want to.” She turned a circle under the water. “I do. I just don’t know how.” The muscles in his chest rippled, underscoring the tightening of his body, and she knew whatever was about to come out of his mouth would make her mad. “Running won’t work this time, Clem.” “What?” “You run and I’ll follow you.” “You can’t leave the island.” What was he talking about? He’d never chase her. “This time I will.” His eyes became deep brown wells of promise. “This time I’ll chase you around the world if I have to.”

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Then he was moving, sealing his words with a kiss before she could tell him to go jump off a cliff. She let her hands slip down his chest, wishing they’d done less talking so she wouldn’t be so furious. How dare he say he’d chase her when they both knew he couldn’t leave the island? They’d always had truth between them, so maybe he believed the words, but if push came to shove, he’d choose his family over her. He’d have to. But the anger fueled her desire and made her want him fast and hard. Her hands brushed down the solid planes of his body. “I’ve always wanted this,” he said when he came up for air. “What?” She tried to focus. “Sex in the shower.” The hand he’d been holding behind him this whole time came up. “No more foreplay. This will keep you slick enough to take me.” Blinking, she leaned in to read the label. “Lubricant?” “I stock it at the store. I won’t tell you who buys it.” He put her back to the wall. “God, please don’t.” He grinned. “Up. Put your feet on the other side of the tub and brace yourself against the wall.” She realized he wanted to put her into a strange position, one where she’d be precariously perched and at his mercy once more. Lifting her before she could obey, she scrambled to hold on to his shoulders, keeping her backside off the cold tile. “Hey!” “Lean back and put your legs on either side of me on the rim of the tub. You’ll be able to brace better that way.” “It’s cold,” she hissed. “Take one for the team.” He handed her the lubricant. “I’ll hold you while you work me in.” She narrowed her eyes. “You seem to have a lot of plans lately of the sexual nature.” “You’ve been gone three years. I’ve had time to plot.” He grinned and as always it made her want to smile back.

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She was angry at him, true, but as usual the anger fed her desire. Squeezing the lubricant onto her palm, she carefully brought the liquid to his cock, wondering how much she’d need to cover him. Not much, it turned out. He was slick in seconds, hissing in a breath at the feel of her hands sliding over him so easily. “Open your legs farther apart and brace them more.” She’d end up falling. “I don’t think this is going to work.” Seriousness fought through the lust in his gaze. “Do you think I would drop you? Honestly. Would I let you fall?” She blinked. “No, but—” “No buts, Clem. Do you think I’d let you fall?” He would never cause her physical harm. “No.” “Well then, for once”—he brushed her face in a feather caress—“please fucking trust me. At least that far.” Her breath shuddered as she dragged it in. That wasn’t fair of him. “I trusted you with our secret. I knew you’d never tell.” He opened his mouth, then shook his head. “You don’t talk for years and now you won’t stop.” “First you tell me to talk, then you tell me to be quiet,” she growled, widening her legs. “Come closer.” His cock swelled under her hands as she slid him over her wetness. Once she had his head inside her channel, she caught his shoulders. He worked his way inside with short thrusts, the lubricant allowing them to stand under the spray. Even still, she was tighter than usual, the water washing away her natural moisture, leaving only the lubricant he had provided between them. He’d switched it up again, made it new and exciting. Her widened legs had her relying on his pace. “Don’t play with me or you won’t like my retaliation.”

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His hands bit into her naked flesh, swirling pain with pleasure. “We’ve rushed all our lives, why not make it last?” “Because I don’t want to.” “You want it hard, Clem?” She held his gaze and gave him what she knew he needed. Words. “I want you inside me so hard, I’ll feel you forever.” “Then that’s what you’ll get,” he said and slammed into her. She’d wanted it, but hadn’t been prepared for what she got. The impact of his thrust wrenched a moan from her body. “Yes.” He kissed along her throat. “Louder.” His body pulled back, all the way until just the tip of his head connected them and then he dug himself into her. She screamed, unable to keep the sounds inside any longer. His finger pinned her clitoris as he kept the pace deep and furious. She fought back her peak, enjoying the friction of their bodies, the rush of the water against her breasts, the now-warm tile at her back. Using her leverage on the other side of the tub, she matched his rhythm as best she could. His arms shook as he held her up and she snatched the shower curtain away so she could watch the other side of him in the small mirror above the sink. He looked like a god, muscles cording through his butt, up his back, along his arms as he strained to give her the thrusts she’d demanded and keep them both upright at the same time. The sight of him brought her orgasm rushing like a full-out gale, the pleasure whipping through her, not lessened by their privacy or the fact they had hours yet to go.

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Chapter Thirteen Wade had left all the curtains open and the morning sunlight woke him, his body so relaxed that he wasn’t sure if he was dreaming. Clem lay beside him, curled up with her back to his front, her body warm and pliant. The sun hit her face, bathing it in red and orange light, showing off her thick lashes fanning across her cheeks. Beyond her, the water in the bay lapped the shore as the tide came in, the sound as soothing and right as the woman in his arms. He figured it was about six in the morning, the red haze coming off the water bringing to mind the old adage “Red sky in morning, sailors take warning.” Not that he’d found it always to be true, but there was probably rain in their future. Propping himself up on an elbow, he stared at Clem. She lay with one hand tucked under her cheek, the sheet barely covering her breasts. Her blonde-streaked brown hair would turn almost completely blonde if she stayed in the sun all summer. He’d watched the transformation often enough growing up. She’d arrive on the first of June, looking like she hadn’t been outside since the last time she’d been on the island. And maybe she hadn’t. Even the first day he’d met her, she’d had sad eyes filled with shadows. But he didn’t know why, because they’d never once talked about her life off Blue in anything but sweeping generalizations. By the end of each summer, she’d transform into a tanned, blonde, laughing nymph. He loved her laughing, even if he hadn’t seen it in years. She blinked awake and he had a moment to wonder what she’d really be like in the morning. He’d always imagined her sexy, but really she looked young, sweet and kind of vulnerable. “What are you thinking?” She rubbed her eyes like a child. “That your hair turns blonde in the summer sun,” he admitted, grinning when she dropped her hand to raise her eyebrows at him. www.samhainpublishing.com

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“I can tell you’re not teasing me.” She searched his gaze, a little smile playing around her mouth. “What brought you there?” He tightened his arm around her stomach, knowing her time off the island had been a topic that was strictly off limits in the past. “I was thinking how you always arrived in June looking like you’d never gone outside since you left the island last.” Her mouth opened in surprise, but it didn’t stop him from pushing. “Why was that, Clem?” he asked, but didn’t expect an answer. “Wow, you know how to charm a gal first thing in the morning.” She rolled onto her stomach and he simply followed her, laying his body over hers. No more running, even if he had to physically pin her down. Biting her shoulder gently, he said, “Tell me. Just something about your life off the island. Throw me a bone, Clem.” “You don’t want to know. Not really.” She sounded certain. “I do.” She peered back at him over her shoulder, her gaze turning hard. “My mother was a horrible alcoholic who never met a man who didn’t treat her like dirt.” Her voice was totally devoid of emotion. “That didn’t chase her away, though. She loved being abused.” Wade tried to keep his face impassive. He’d never guessed what had been wrong, but looking back on it, there had been something below the surface of her, small glimpses he caught, but hadn’t pursued. In his defense, it was hard to ask her about it when he’d been banned from speech. Guilt still filled his gut. His own childhood had been perfect, or so he’d thought. Now he knew that was a lie. “I’m sorry.” He brushed a piece of her hair out of her eyes, wondering how he could get her back from wherever she’d just gone in her head. “I’m sorry I was never there for you if you needed me. I didn’t mean to upset you, love.” He’d never called her an endearment before, but he couldn’t help the one that slipped out. She sighed, her body going soft below his. “It’s okay. It’s the past. She died the year I graduated from college.”

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He kissed her, knowing it wasn’t enough. God, no wonder she wanted total control in their relationship. She must feel as if she had to guard against becoming her mother every day of her life. “I bet the island seemed like heaven.” “I wanted to stay, never go back to live with her, but Aunt Liv said I had to go. She said my mother had threatened to keep me off the island forever if Liv tried to take me from her.” Tightening his arm, he hugged her to his body. “I guess there wasn’t a lot Liv could have done except take you in every chance she could get.” “Aunt Liv was my salvation. I owe her and I’m not going to fail this family when they need me, after everything they’ve done for me.” Her fists balled and she said it like a promise, then she narrowed her eyes. “Okay, now you.” He hummed, humor running through him. It hadn’t occurred to him that he’d have to give her something back, but it should have. He liked that she wanted to know. “I guess it’s fair.” She nodded. “Tit for tat.” He gathered himself to say the words he’d never said to anyone. Under him, Clem pushed his chest so she could roll over. Meeting her gaze, he bit the bullet. “After my father died, I found out he’d been cheating on my mother.” Her mouth dropped open. “Really?” “Oh yeah, and that wasn’t the worst part of it. He’d been using clan money to support her in high style on the mainland.” Clem’s eyes went big as saucers. “No,” she breathed and he knew in that moment just how serious she took her family. He’d been surprised as hell that Livvy had picked her to act as her replacement, but now he saw what her aunt did. Clem would sooner die than betray her clan, and with her childhood, she had even more reasons to be loyal. He gave her the rest of it. “He’d been supporting her and the two young children he’d had with her, stealing the money from the clan’s communal funds.”

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“Oh my God, Wade.” She fought her way up into a sitting position. “I don’t know what I would have done in your place. What did your mother say?” He sat, too, running his hands through his hair. “She doesn’t know. I’ve been paying Melinda off to keep quiet.” Clem grabbed him into a hug, and he was surprised at how good it felt. His father’s betrayal had hit him harder than he thought possible, making a lie out of a childhood which had been damn near perfect. “You must have been a mess when you found out. Wade, I’m so sorry.” She rocked him a little, and he closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of her naked flesh on his. Not in a sexual way, more in a comfort way. He rubbed her back in slow circles. “I’m going to have to tell my mother soon,” he murmured, glad to have all of it off his chest. “Melinda’s been demanding more money.” “Don’t give it to her,” she said fiercely. He let out a dry chuckle. “I don’t have it to give. Although I guess I could give her your five thousand.” She leaned back and took his chin in her hand. “I think it’s admirable that you’re helping her, Wade, and I’d be upset if you didn’t. Those kids are Tawes flesh and blood, no matter how they came into being, and as Head and their half brother, you better damn help support them. But you shouldn’t have to pay for your father’s sins. You shouldn’t be working two jobs, killing yourself like this.” She shook her head. “Three jobs if you count the work you do as Head.” “It would be easier to give her money if I wasn’t so pissed that my father did this.” He hadn’t spent too much time thinking of the two boys as Taweses, either, and no time thinking of them as his brothers. He needed to see the good as well as the bad in this situation and hold the children blameless for their father’s actions. “Melinda said my father wanted more children, but my mom couldn’t have them.” That part had hurt the worst, that his father had found him and his mother lacking. “Wade, you can’t spend your life beating yourself up for the sins of your father.” She gave him a sad smile. “I tell myself that about my mom too.”

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He turned and scooted back against the headboard. “Come here and hug me.” Dragging the sheet with her, she snuggled close. It felt like heaven, to finally have his secret off his chest and be comforted by the woman he loved. It was such an odd thought but it warmed him inside. For a second, he envisioned having this kind of support for the rest of his life, but then he pushed the thoughts away. One day at a time. Just having this moment with her meant a lot to him. “You know something odd.” Her fingers filtered through the hair on his chest, causing a low hum of pleasure to vibrate through his body. “Hmm?” he asked, tracing the line of her back down to her bottom. “It seems like a lot more people have secrets than we’d thought. I mean, we honestly believed we were the only people to keep one, but the island is full of them.” “You mean my father?” She nodded. “And us. Tabby and Mike. And whoever is vandalizing the boats.” “What about Tabby and Mike?” They’d had a whirlwind romance last year, getting married and moving into Livvy’s house. At their wedding, Wade thought Mike appeared ecstatically happy. Some people said Don Evans was considering Mike for his successor as the Evans Head, but Wade knew Don would choose someone with more brains and savvy. Living in Livvy’s home was as close to the seat of power as Mike would ever come. “Tabby thinks he’s cheating on her.” Her head lifted and she frowned. “Damn. That wasn’t my secret to tell.” “I’m a vault, you know that.” He couldn’t help but drag her closer, enjoying the press of their naked bodies. “And something’s going on with my cousin Carrie if she owes you that much money.” He nodded. “Something might be. She came in yesterday swearing to pay me back.” “Did she say how?”

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“No and I didn’t ask.” The moment between them turned bittersweet when he realized this might be their only one. He didn’t want it to be. Maybe he could figure out a way for them to be alone again next week in his apartment, at least for a couple hours. “I need to go see her today and ask what’s going on.” Pulling gently on her hair, he thought about Mike and Tabby. “I just can’t see him cheating on her. They seemed so happy.” “Mike?” At his nod, she gave him a small hug. “I know. It’s really sad. Tabby’s recruited me for spying duty tonight after the Heads meeting.” “What?” The laugh slipped out before he could control it, then more followed as he pictured the two of them following Mike to Littleton’s. “What’s so funny?” she asked, tapping his shoulder. “The thought of you two following him to the bar, nothing more serious than too many beers ending up being the problem. I just can’t see him cheating.” But he hadn’t thought his father would either. She raised herself up enough to press her nose to his. “Well, we’ll see tonight.” He only had to tilt his head to catch her mouth with his. The kiss took all their innocent banter away and he forgot about everyone’s secrets. “Is this how you want to spend the last hour together?” Her eyes sparkled with a teasing light. “Having sex one last time?” “Oh yeah,” he said, rolling her under him. They kissed, lazy and slow, with Wade’s sexy lips nibbling at hers. “This will be our last time for two days,” he murmured. “Two days isn’t that long,” she reminded him. “It is for me.” He grinned. “I want you to do something for me.” “Uh-oh. I don’t like the sound of this.” His brown eyes swirled with gold. “When we’re not together, do you masturbate?” She blinked, embarrassment running through her. Because she did and she always thought of him.

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“Don’t get upset. We’ve got too much between us for that.” He brushed her hair out of her eyes. “I’m asking for a reason.” She swallowed and admitted it. “Yes.” “I do too,” he said before she could ask. “Just about every night. And sometimes I think about you touching yourself in your bed while I’m in mine.” He was lying across her, propped up on one elbow, one leg nestled in between hers. Stroking a finger over her naked breast, he hummed in satisfaction when the nipple peaked for him. “I want you to get yourself off for me.” His gaze met hers. “So the next time, I’ll have a memory to remember, instead of something I just made up in my head.” Clem closed her eyes and debated if she had it in her to do something so personal, something that would reveal her so intimately. It took a lot of trust to show someone your pleasure. She didn’t know if she had that kind of courage. He petted her nipple with his rough fingertip, not saying anything, letting her decide without further pressure. How many times had she touched herself with his face in her mind’s eye? A million. She knew why he wanted this, because she knew she desired a similar memory of her own. She cleared her throat and made herself ask for what she wanted. “I’m willing to do this but I want you to as well, at the same time.” “Do what?” His tone was both teasing and serious. She had no doubt he wanted to hear her say the words, wanted the memory of her saying them. She took a deep breath. Words were so hard for her, this set particularly so. “I want to watch you stroke your cock while I touch myself.” He rolled his leg from hers, then climbed over her so he lay on his left side. She raised an eyebrow. “I need my right hand for his.” He grinned, not embarrassed at all. “I always use my right. How about you?”

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She nodded. Weird, she’d never thought of it before, but this kind of delicate work needed her dominate hand. Then she took the plunge, escalating their play. “I sometimes put my left fingers inside myself while I rub my clitoris with my right.” The gold in his eyes swirled even stronger and he brushed his hand lightly up his hard erection. “Do you? Show me.” She trailed her palm down her stomach, widening her legs. “Not at first. I always wait until near the end.” His fingers were strong, the muscles in his forearm tightening and releasing as his hand went up and down his shaft. “Join me.” His gaze riveted on her as she combed through the hair on her sex. She touched her clitoris, arching a bit because it felt so good, so much better with Wade close than when she did it alone. His presence changed the experience, heightened it, intensified it. Then she dipped below to gather moisture and slick the ball of nerves that was the center of her pleasure. “Mmmm,” he purred, his hand increasing speed. He had an odd rhythm, his fingers going all the way up to his head, then partway down, then up again, then down to his root. Then he’d repeat the whole thing over again. She matched his pace, letting his desire fuel hers. Her mind filled with watching him, she made sure she didn’t miss a moment. These were the memories that would sustain her in her lonely bed for the rest of her life. Her orgasm shimmered just out of reach and she grasped for it, sliding a finger inside herself as she increased the speed of the circles on her clitoris with the other hand. A quick glance at Wade’s face showed him to be totally turned on, desire sharpening his features, pulling his lips almost into a snarl. “I’m close, Clem,” he warned. “Slow down.” She didn’t want him to outdistance her, but she wasn’t quite there yet. “Can’t. I’m coming.” He moaned, his hand fisting on his cock, then he came, his body jerking. At the last second, he rolled against her stomach, letting his come land on her belly.

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She was distracted from her own pleasure, engrossed in watching him, her hands stilling. He ran his hand down her stomach, rubbing his come into her skin. “I’ll do this,” he whispered, pulling her finger from her channel. Then he slid two of his own inside, making her hiss and squirm at the raw sensation. He followed her, not letting her move away from the pressure. God, it felt so different when it was his hand instead of her own. She panted, turning fast circles on her clit. He pumped into her, talking the whole time. “Come on, Clem, bring yourself.” His voice was warm honey, running through her veins. “You can do it, baby. Peak for me.” The assault was too much. She couldn’t do anything but come, his name on her lips. “You’re so sexy, Clem. I’m hard just watching you.” And with those words, he slid his already stiff cock where his fingers had just been and rode her until she felt the rush of another orgasm burn through her.

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Chapter Fourteen Wade grabbed her as she dashed out the door, swinging her with a thump into his chest. “Whoa now, love. A kiss first.” She was running late, even though she’d dashed through a quick shower and thrown on her clothes at the speed of light. The courthouse closed at noon on Saturdays and Salisbury was four and a half hours away. But she couldn’t pass up a kiss. Twining her arms around his neck, she stood on her tiptoes to offer up her lips. The kiss hit her all the way deep inside, wringing a moan from her as the zing of desire hit her in her still throbbing core. They’d just had sex, but she could easily have him again and forget the courthouse all together. He made it one step to the bed before her brain clicked into place and she grasped the doorway with one hand. “Wade,” she said, her tone both a warning and a plea. “The courthouse closes at noon.” “Damn.” He dropped her arm, letting her go with a sigh. “You better run for your car. I’m not sure I can stop if I touch you again.” He was serious. She could see it in the intense set of his shoulders, the opening and closing of his fists as if he wanted to smash her to him and never let her leave. With shaking hands, she seized her bag and jogged to her car, slamming the door and roaring the engine to life. Her hands still trembled hours later, just fine tremors that came from the feeling of being so completely sated and yet turned on at the same time. Panic had been creeping up on her for awhile, sneaking in as she cruised over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, nagging at her as she passed the small towns along Highway 13. It had been much easier to control her obsession when she thought of Wade as her enemy. But with something like dread washing over her, she realized she liked him as a 110

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person now. He had so many qualities she admired. Compassion for those who couldn’t pay their bills at his store. Loyalty to his family. He’d been protecting them all by hiding his father’s betrayal. And he made her feel so much, both physically and mentally. It was hard to qualify exactly what those emotions were. Certainly desire and want and need. Those were easy. It was the others that worried her. Like the joy she had when they exchanged secrets in the hotel room. Cruising through Salisbury, she could barely concentrate on the directions she’d printed from MapQuest. Finding the courthouse, she parked and dashed in the door right before they closed. She’d had to beg the tight-lipped, blue-haired lady behind the counter for help, but there was no way she could find what she needed before they threw her out. The owners of the land confused her. She quickly scribbled down the list, which included all four clans but no major owners. In fact, Wade himself owned the most land there. Did he even know? She was pretty sure he didn’t. Walking slowly back to her car, she tried to puzzle through the names, but it was hard to think about anything but Wade. Even as she drove to Crisfield, she kept circling around to what a big mistake she’d made spending the night with him. Because now she wanted to do it again, over and over. Every single night if she could. Madness. This whole thing had always been insane between them. She wished she smoked, so she could puff through a pack of cigarettes, giving herself something to do besides obsess. Instead, she drove through McDonald’s and bought a McFlurry. By the time she’d finished it, she felt sick, high on too much sugar and worry. How she’d thought one night would burn out the fire between them, she had no idea. It proved how stupid she could be when it came to Wade. Her whole body ached for his already and it hadn’t even been half a day since she’d left.

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It also worried her that her first thought when she had the list of owners was to show them to him, so they could discuss what they might mean. She’d always been a loner, always made her own decisions without consulting others. But now she wanted to hear Wade’s thoughts, his opinions, as if he influenced her day-to-day life. “He does,” she whispered as she drove into Crisfield. “He’s impacting everything I do.” Physically, she tried to argue. Only physically. A memory of his bare back in the bathroom mirror made her shudder and blow out a breath. Damn. She’d carry that one forever. Slick muscles standing in perfection. Yes, physically, but she’d be a liar if she tried to say that was his only point of influence over her. Instead of the situation between them calming, it was escalating. It had happened before, only not to this extent. When she was home for the summers, she and Wade would pick up speed as the months progressed, seeing each other more and more frequently until she was gone again. But this time was different. This time was more intense, more a bonding than mere sex, and it worried her. What in the hell was she going to do? Avoid him? How could she? She already wanted him again five hours after she’d last had him. Parking by the marina, she dragged her bag from the car, throwing it over her shoulder. She could still feel Wade’s hands on her body, feel him inside her like he’d left a piece of himself there. Walking slowly to the dock, she turned that idea around in her head. What if he had left something she could never get out? Some piece of his soul? The thought made her shiver in the heat of the May day. She hoped it was just the clouds rolling up over the bay. In her panic, she hadn’t noticed the darkening sky. When Aunt Liv was back to her old self and Clem left the island, she’d have to cleanse the taint of him from her system.

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Sleep with a million men maybe. The thought churned her stomach and made her physically ill. Okay, so not that. But she better think of something, because the time to leave would be here soon. She had a flash of herself balled up on her bathroom floor in Richmond, her whole body convulsing from sheer need for him. “Oh God,” she moaned, walking down to the slip. “I guess you heard,” Mike said from the Macy Grey. She glanced up to see him standing on his boat, clear rage written on his face. He was almost snarling, his teeth bared, eyes snapping in anger. “Heard what?” Her conversations with Tabby had been brief when she’d called earlier, her cell phone sizzling with static. She threw her bag onto the deck and stepped on board with sudden reluctance. Her magical time with Wade was over and the real world was back in full force. “Trent was attacked last night.” He turned, ducking under the doorway to start the boat. “What?” She stifled a moan. With both Wade and her off the island, she should have known something would happen. Mike started the engine and Clem automatically untied them from the dock. She joined him in the small cabin as they pushed off. “What happened?” “Trent was hit from behind with a baseball bat on his way home from Littleton’s last night.” Mike’s knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel too tightly. “We didn’t find him until this morning.” Oh God. “Is he okay?” “He’s shook up and has a hell of a bump on his head, but otherwise he’s all right.” Clem hoped her decision to have someone patrolling the docks hadn’t escalated things. What if the person trying to stir up trouble had decided to up the ante when he no longer had access to the boats? And why Trent? He’d gotten sand in his boat motor as well. If not for the other vandalisms, she’d think this was personal.

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“I just don’t understand who would do this,” she said, staring across the bay where she knew Blue Island would soon appear. If this was all over selling off the west end of the island, she had a bad feeling whoever was behind it had just increased the pressure. She’d told Charlie only a few days ago about her theory. What if the seed she’d planted had grown into this act? Her stomach turned over at the growing realization her manipulation of the events could have led to Trent’s assault. Mike increased speed as they passed from the No Wake Zone. “We know who did it. The same guy who’s been doing it all along.” Dread snuck up her spine, twisting her stomach, but she had to ask on the off chance she was wrong. “Who?” “Wade Tawes, that’s who. We found his baseball cap beside Trent.” His Island Shore League cap. He hadn’t been wearing it, even though he’d come over on the boat, which is usually when he had it on. Someone had left it beside Trent. What in the hell was happening here? She opened her mouth to defend Wade, then shut it, unsure what to say that wouldn’t expose them. One thing was for certain—she wasn’t going to let Wade take the blame for something he couldn’t have done. Clem fought the sudden urge to be sick.

Y Wade raised his hands for quiet. “Listen, I was off-island. I didn’t hit Trent. And why in the hell would I even want to anyway?” The men in the room were all his family, except for Don Evans and Jim Marshal. Wade hadn’t had a single Taylor in his store all day, so he had no doubt Clem’s clan was getting just as whipped up at Livvy’s house. “We’re not accusing you, Wade, but we need to know where you were.” Don held up his hands for peace when Wade’s cousins grumbled at his question. Jim, as usual, stood silent by his side.

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“I was visiting someone in Virginia.” He skated close to the edge of his pact with Clem, but he couldn’t very well tell his family nothing. “Otis saw me come in this morning.” “I saw him,” Otis confirmed. “He docked right before nine.” Don shook his head. “That’s not going to calm the Taylors since you could have left yesterday, then come back to hit Trent, then left again. As much as I hate to say it, I really think the best thing would be to have your friend vouch for your whereabouts.” Wade dropped his hands onto his hips. “Wait a second, Don. Since when is a man’s word not good enough?” “Yeah,” several of his cousins muttered. Something in Don’s eyes made Wade suspect he wasn’t too upset that Wade was being accused. “It’s good enough for me, but I was just over at Livvy’s and the Taylors are wound up.” The muttering grew louder. Jim seemed concerned, his bushy eyebrows pulled low on his brow. “Okay,” Wade said, holding up his hands for silence. He had to balance his pact with Clem and keep his family from rushing to defend his honor. “Let’s not get too upset. I can talk to Livvy. She’s not about to go off half-cocked.” Jim shifted, looking worried. “Livvy’s not feeling well. She’s white as a sheet. You’ll have to deal with Clem when she returns to the island.” Wade controlled the urge to say she’d already come home. He’d felt her arrival a few minutes before when the link between them clicked in place. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he wondered what earful she was hearing right now and what she was doing about it. “I’ll talk to Clemant then.” “About your friend—” Wade interrupted, knowing he was about to say something that would piss Don off but it was the best of his bad choices. “I’ll need to speak with her and make sure she’s all right with me mentioning her name.”

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Don’s eyes narrowed, the Head of the family being replaced by the angry father. “So you’ve only just broken my Rose’s heart and already you have another woman, do you?” The whole room went still. Wade figured most people knew he and Rose had broken things off, although he certainly hadn’t told anyone. News like that traveled fast. “Like I said, I need to ask my friend if she minds having her name announced on the island.” Wade kept his cool. He was between a rock and a hard place, but his night with Clem had been worth it. There was no way Clem would okay her name becoming known, since that would make her into an instant whore and her whole life would blow apart. He didn’t even plan to ask her, the protectiveness he felt for her blooming into something intense and extreme. Instead, he’d just have to make sure they solved who was doing all this fast. Tonight if they could. He’d spend the night prowling the docks himself to see if he could catch someone in the act. Don took two strides to close the distance between them. “You’re an asshole, Wade. I have half a mind to give you the ass kicking you deserve for treating my girl this way.” “I think you’re making an awful lot of assumptions here, Evans,” Wade said, keeping his tone soft. “But I will say I’m sorry about Rose. I didn’t want to hurt her.” For a moment, Wade thought Don was going to take a swing at him. But he only snarled and pivoted on his boot to slam out of the store. Jim trailed behind him after a single shake of his head. “Wow, you’re in deep shit, Wade,” Otis said, helpfully pointing out the obvious. Things were seriously fucked up right now. He debated the wisdom of going to Livvy’s house. He needed to talk to Clem before things spiraled out of control.

Y An hour later, Clem and her aunt were finally alone. The pallor of Liv’s face had a worrisome shade of pale to it. White, but more than that. Shadows in the hollows of her cheeks made her look not only gaunt, but ghostly. Not for the first time, Clem questioned why the hospital had sent her home so quickly. 116

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She’d talked herself into telling her aunt everything by the time she reached the island. If Mike was so wound up, her cousins would be too and she had to step in before things went even farther out of control. She’d planned to just lay it on the table and admit she’d been with Wade last night, but one look at Liv made that impossible. Such a huge shock might kill her. “I’m almost afraid to talk to you,” she blurted. Aunt Liv chuckled. “I look that bad, do I?” They’d converted the living room into a makeshift bedroom until Liv could climb the stairs to her own room again. Her aunt reclined on a daybed they’d brought over from a cousin’s house, propped up on pillows. “You aren’t going to be able to take over as Head for awhile, are you?” Clem asked instead of answering. “The doctors said I need to rest for at least two months before resuming even basic activities. I suspect I won’t be returning to my Head duties for another month at least.” Clem nodded, not bothering to acknowledge her aunt’s unspoken challenge. It was clear Liv wasn’t going to let her out of her duties until she made up for her grandmother’s actions. So she better do just that. “About Trent.” She met Liv’s gaze. “Wade didn’t do it.” Her aunt’s eyes narrowed. “You sound sure about that.” “I am.” Clem raised her chin. “I don’t know why someone is targeting Wade, but I suspect it has something to do with Trent as well. The two biggest acts of violence happened to him, when there are plenty of other people in our family they could have gone after.” “True. So you plan to trust Wade’s innocence blindly, without proof?” She seemed curious, not angry or outraged as Clem anticipated. “Yes.” Clem realized that if she had to, she’d break the pact to defend Wade. And she very well might have to. But she’d promised Aunt Liv she’d right her grandmother’s wrong. She couldn’t do that if her whole family shunned her for sleeping with the enemy.

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Her aunt settled into the pillows. “I think you’re probably right that Wade didn’t do it, but you need to figure this out quickly, before the rest of your cousins take action into their own hands.” Clem blinked, shocked that her aunt thought she should believe Wade. “I’ll talk to Trent. I think there is something there.” She shook her head. “I just don’t know what it could be.” Maybe Wade would help her figure it out. She felt a flash of guilt that they hadn’t talked about the feud at all the whole time they’d been together. Tabby popped her head into the room. “Clem, the phone’s for you.” When Clem went into the kitchen to take the call, Tabby stopped her with a hand on her arm. “You’re still going with me tonight, right?” Clem nodded, picking up the receiver. “I’ll meet you outside of Littleton’s and we can go from there.” Might as well check the bar for Mike. Hopefully Wade was right, and Tabby could just go home. Tabby blew out a relieved breath. “Thanks, Clem.” “No problem.” She turned her attention to the phone. “Clemant Taylor.” If it was work, she was going to scream. “We need to talk,” Wade said, sounding like he was about to eat nails. Even with the gruffness in his tone, she felt a flutter in her stomach knowing they were connected by a phone line. “Yes, but first I need to speak with Trent.” She made sure her voice didn’t get all breathy, but it was a battle. “When can you meet me?” People spoke behind him, someone saying something about meat tenderizer. Wade’s response was muffled as if he covered the receiver with one hand. “In an hour?” She didn’t ask where. If another place wasn’t specified, they met at Old Man Willard’s abandoned boathouse. “Fine.” He paused for a second and she knew he had something else to say. Instead, he hung up the phone with a gentle snick. She experienced the loss of him immediately, a sharp twist of need in her belly making her wince. Resting her head against the cabinets, she felt their secret pact sitting

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like a rock inside her, the pressure of it painful and overwhelming, like an evil burden draining energy from her soul.

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Chapter Fifteen Trent still lived in his parents’ house, so Clem wasn’t surprised to find Jenny swinging on the porch swing reading a book when she arrived. Without a word, she dropped next to her, pushing them off into a glide. The simple joys were the ones she forgot about on a daily basis, things like reading on a lazy summer day. The storm clouds swirled on the horizon, mimicking her own internal tempest, but for a moment, she enjoyed her cousin’s quiet company, letting her mind rest from the drama of the day. “Do you think Wade hit my brother?” Jenny asked, turning to face her on the swing, her eyes old in her young face. Clem respected that she asked the question without beating around the bush. But maybe that was a skill you learned when you grew older. “No.” Clem pushed the swing again with one foot. Jenny nodded. “Okay, then who did?” “I don’t know.” “Charlie told Daddy you thought it was all about money. Someone trying to start the feud to get us to sell the land on the western side of the island.” So the rumor had made it to Blue. “That’s what I think.” “But Wade’s ball cap was there on the ground.” “If you were going to hit someone with a bat, would you leave your hat there? You know Wade. Do you think he’d be that stupid?” Clem felt like she was fighting a losing battle. She didn’t even know where to start looking for the person behind all this. It could be anyone. And if they were smart, they’d just lie low now and let things take their course. The two families seemed bound and determined to fight.

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Jenny closed her book and tossed it onto the porch. “I thought of that and tried to tell Daddy and Trent, but they’re all stirred up.” Clem faced Jenny, tucking a leg under her, deciding it couldn’t hurt to ask her cousin’s opinion. “Trent has gotten the worst of this. Both his boat motor and the attack. Is there anything he’s been up to that might have gotten him in trouble? Anything he’s done that I should know about?” Her cousin stilled and Clem knew she had information. Placing her hand on Jenny’s arm, she stopped the swing. “If we don’t end this fast, the whole island will become embroiled in this feud. More people will be hurt, or even killed.” “I know. And I know when I become Head, my job will be to put the good of the whole clan over any one member.” She stared deep into Clem’s gaze before she pushed her glasses up her nose. “Trent has been hanging around with Rose Evans.” Clem tried to figure out why that would matter. She hadn’t seen Rose since she’d been back on the island, but she had a vague memory of a beautiful sixteen-year-old with raven black hair. “So?” “Well, with Rose and Wade dating and all, I thought for sure he’d been behind the sand in Trent’s boat motor.” Her cousin kept talking, but Clem could barely hear her. Jealousy, hot and black, stirred in her stomach. How dare Wade sleep with Rose Evans. How dare he date someone when he was sleeping with her. She couldn’t wait to get her hands on him. It was all she could do not to stand up and march to his store to kick his ass right that second. A small voice inside her head argued he had a right to see other people when she’d run off and gotten married to another man. She hadn’t ever thought he’d sit waiting for her to come back, but part of her wished he had. Her feelings whirled so hard, she dug her fingers into her eyes to try to stop them. Jenny had fallen silent beside her, but Clem didn’t care.

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She’d opened up to him, told him about her hellish childhood, yet he was dating Rose Evans at the same time he slept with her every chance he could get. Taking a deep breath, she tried to think rationally, fighting through the wild emotional storm. Wade was an honorable man. She’d just thought that this morning. Instead of getting all freaked out, she would ask him. She had enough respect for him to give him that. What was wrong with her, anyway? Besides being insanely jealous? Jenny touched her shoulder. “Are you okay?” She shook her head. No, she wasn’t okay. “I haven’t been sleeping, and it made me dizzy for a moment.” With every ounce of energy she had, she pulled herself together and pushed the green monster of jealousy off her shoulder to concentrate on the here and now. “So Wade and Rose are dating?” Jenny stared, her eyes narrowed, and Clem knew she didn’t buy her excuse. “They used to be. He broke up with her on Wednesday, so it wouldn’t make sense that he would hurt Trent over someone he wasn’t even dating anymore.” Wednesday, the day after she’d arrived on the island. Weird chills raced along her skin, making her want to shiver in the hot, muggy air. Now instead of jealousy, she felt guilt that she’d broken them up when she knew her relationship with Wade was destined to be nothing more than stolen moments and heartache in the end. She needed to concentrate on solving her clan’s problems, not her doomed relationship with Wade. “So Rose and Trent were sneaking around on Wade?” Why would anyone cheat on him? He was everything a woman could want in her bed. “Yes, but I don’t know what difference that makes if Wade didn’t hurt Trent.” “Me, either. But there is something here, something I think we’re missing.” She looked at her watch. She had just enough time to make a quick stop before she met Wade at the boathouse. There was no way Trent was going to confess to his affair with Rose if she asked him about it, and she couldn’t very well tell him Jenny had ratted him out. “I need to talk with Carrie, I think.” “Carrie Taylor?” Jenny looked as confused as Clem felt.

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“When her father died, he left her the largest amount of land owned by a Taylor on the western side of the island.” “You don’t think Carrie hit Trent, do you?” “Of course not.” She sighed in frustration, not knowing what to think. “I’m just trying to sift through the pieces until something shakes free.” “Nothing makes sense here,” Jenny murmured. Clem nodded. Jenny was right. None of this made any sense at all.

Y Wade stepped out of his store ten minutes too early to meet Clem, but the heavy, black clouds told him they were in for a drenching, and he figured he’d get to the boathouse before it came down. The radio had been warning them of thunderstorms in the area for most of the day now. He winced when he saw his mother walking across the street and resisted the urge to duck back into the store. She’d seen him. His mother always saw him when he didn’t want her to. “Mother.” He descended the steps and took her arm. “I’m actually going out for a meeting. Let me walk you home before this storm soaks you.” As if to underscore his words, thunder rolled in the distance. “That’s fine.” She allowed him to propel her down the sidewalk to her house a block away. Her body was stiff, and she didn’t bother to enlighten him as to why she’d come to talk. Helping her up the front steps, he could see the strain lines around her eyes and mouth. He hadn’t stopped in to see her in a long time, since he’d been so preoccupied. He felt bad that she’d been forced to seek him out. “I’m sorry I haven’t come by in awhile.” She sat on one of the two rockers that took up her small porch. “I’ve just had a call from a woman named Melinda,” she announced without preamble.

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“Son of a bitch!” The words exploded from his mouth. He’d assumed that his father’s other woman would threaten him a few more times before she’d actually follow through. His mother stared at him. Her hair had turned white, but she was still a good-looking woman. Her face had strong, even features, offset by pretty brown eyes and an easy laugh. He’d heard a rumor she’d been dating again, but hadn’t asked. It wasn’t his business, and God knows she had a right to do whatever she wanted after his father’s betrayal. “She asked me for money for her children.” Wade took her hand and squeezed. “I’ll take care of it. Just hang up on her whenever she calls.” His mother sat back in her chair. “So you knew and didn’t tell me.” Wade wasn’t sure what to say, settling on the truth. “I didn’t want you to be hurt.” “I knew your father had another woman in his life.” Her voice was so smooth and cool that Wade almost didn’t hear the actual words. “You what?” She laughed, but it was a dry, bitter chuckle he’d never heard from her before. “No man can keep another woman from his wife, Wade. I knew your father had someone else, I just didn’t want to upset our life by confronting him.” He sat in a rocker, utter disbelief rolling through him. He was shocked his mother would feel this way. “You knew?” Her eyes narrowed. “She’s been getting money from you, hasn’t she?” Wade could barely sit in his chair as he nodded. He’d been protecting his mother all this time when she already knew. His sweet, saintly mother had been all right with his father being with another woman. He wanted to howl in denial. “Well, I know, so you can stop.” “She said she’s really struggling, since one of the boys is still in diapers.” His father’s last child had been born two months after he died. “I’m sure she’ll be just fine without bleeding you dry.”

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His head spinning, he tried to sort out what his mother had just revealed to him. He would never stay in a marriage where his wife had another lover, and he wouldn’t marry someone who would allow that behavior from him, either. He wanted a woman by his side who was strong enough to stand up for herself, to fight for what she wanted. A woman like Clemant Taylor. Clem would have him for breakfast if he dared to treat her with less respect than she deserved. He cleared his throat. “You don’t want to give her money, even though she has two children who have Tawes blood in them?” he asked carefully. He’d been thinking about his conversation with Clem on his way back to the island. She’d been right when she said he had an obligation to these children, just like as Head he had an obligation to any other Tawes family member. His mother pulled back as if he’d slapped her. “They’re bastards!” she gasped. He shrugged, the easy motion belying his true feelings. “We’ve never turned our back on a Tawes before.” He was pissed, plain and simple. His dad was an asshole for cheating, but his mother hadn’t done anything about it. The urge to stand and throw the chair he sat on into his mother’s prize rose bushes had him rocking forward to plant his elbows on his knees. “I’m disappointed you feel this way, Wade.” His mother gave him a look that had always left him hanging his head in shame. But not this time. He was fed up with the behavior of his parents. He stood, unable to take another moment in her company. “Yeah, well, I’m disappointed that you and my father had a shitty marriage. I guess we’ll both have to learn to live with it.” He left before he gave in and started throwing things.

Y Carrie lived in a tiny house on the outskirts of town. Clem cast a nervous eye at the quickly approaching storm clouds while she banged on the door. “Who is it?” a voice asked on the other side. www.samhainpublishing.com

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“Clemant. Let me in.” Carrie opened the door. “I guess Wade told you,” she said, waving her in. Clem stepped inside, the odor hitting her before she crossed the threshold. Cigarettes and mildew and cooking grease. Smells that had taken years to soak into the cheap furniture and carpet. She felt queasy before she took her second breath. “Actually, he didn’t.” For all the smell, everything was neat, if shabby. This was where Carrie had been forced to move after her husband left her, but a struggling potted plant on the coffee table showed that she was trying to make the best of it. She met her cousin’s gaze. “I was talking to him the other day in the store and when he left to take a delivery, I went through his desk.” Carrie’s mouth dropped open. “You didn’t,” she breathed, the words filled with admiration as well as disbelief. They’d been friends once, playmates each summer. Clem should have come to see her sooner. “I did,” she said, letting the grin bloom across her face. “I’ve already put a down payment on the balance, but I need you to okay him handing over the exact amount you owe.” Hope swam in Carrie’s shadowed gaze for a second, before she shook her head. “I can’t take charity.” Clem kept her tone all business. “First off, it’s not charity if it comes from family. Second, how else are you going to pay it?” “I’ll figure some way.” Clem closed the distance between them and placed a hand on Carrie’s arm. “If you’re planning to sell your land on the western side of the island, I’d like you to reconsider.” Carrie gasped. “How did you know about that?” She jerked away and threw herself onto her sofa. “Did Mike tell you?” What did Mike have to do with it? “I’m supposed to know things, Carrie. I’m acting Head,” she said, trying to sound like she knew the whole story.

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“I told him no one would want it. We all know they’ll never get that deal together to sell to the resort people, but he said he’d buy it from me anyway.” She really hoped Mike was just trying to get money to Carrie, since her cousin was refusing charity. But a bad feeling stuck in Clem’s stomach and didn’t go away. “The Japanese group is offering a lot of money,” she started, but Carrie cut her off. “All the owners have to agree and that’s never going to happen.” Her cousin lit a cigarette, taking a deep drag as if her life depended on getting as much smoke inside her as possible. “You never know when people will change their minds.” The patter of ran started on the tin roof of the house. “Mike says Don Evans will never sell. He’s not letting outsiders on the island.” It made sense, since Don was against outside interference, but his clan had been the poorest of all of them for the last few generations. He could reverse that if he sold his land. “Do me a favor.” Clem made sure she had Carrie’s full attention. “Promise me you won’t sell until we’ve talked one more time, okay?” She needed to get to Wade before the rain started in earnest. When her cousin hesitated, Clem tried one more plea. “I’m being serious, Carrie. There’s something going on here that I don’t understand. I won’t protest again if you want to sell, but let me make sure you know all the facts first.” With obvious reluctance, Carrie agreed.

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Chapter Sixteen Wade prowled the boathouse, careful not to step on the weak spots he’d found when he’d first arrived. In the three years since he’d been here, the rickety structure had gone massively downhill. He and Clem had always brought a blanket and stretched out, but the floor was no longer sound enough to hold them unless they were careful. The few spots that looked solid were warped and full of splinters. The swirling wind outside had the building moaning ominously, mimicking his bad mood. He couldn’t believe his mother, couldn’t believe his father. In fact, he found himself hoping the last week had been a nightmare he’d soon wake up from—except that meant his time with Clem would have only been a dream. Would he trade all the terrible things for their night together? He didn’t even have to debate that. He would in a heartbeat. He wanted to slam his fists through the rotting wood of the walls in frustration, until he saw Clemant come in the door. She stopped, her gaze scanning the murky darkness, her mainland clothes wet from the rain. “I’m sorry I’m late,” she said, pushing her hair from her face. Without speaking, he strode toward her, watching her eyes grow larger as he closed the distance between them. “Wade? What’s wrong?” She raised one hand as if she wanted to touch him. He grabbed her, pulling her against his chest with a thump, his mouth descending on hers. Everything was worth it if he could have her. He could live in hell for the rest of his life if his body could have hers once a day. Her hands circled his neck, her easy acquiescence making possessive satisfaction swell through his chest. He wanted her hard and fast, right here, right now, the way he’d had her all of his adult life.

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Eating at her mouth, he quickly unbuttoned her pants, wishing she hadn’t stopped wearing dresses. Her slacks were going to get dirty, but he didn’t care. Jerking the fabric from her body, he almost carried her to the wall, but then realized it might not hold them. Clem’s eyes still asked the question of what was wrong, but she didn’t fight him. She seemed to understand what he needed, sucking on his tongue when he stabbed it into her mouth. Dragging her pants from her legs, he flipped off her shoes in the process, but couldn’t stop even though he didn’t want her barefoot on the rough floor. He tested her, finding her not as ready as he wanted. He liked her so wet her desire covered his hand when he touched her sex. Unable to control the raging need inside him, he unzipped his pants and dragged out his cock. Pushing her to her knees, he made sure he didn’t stab her onto a rusty nail. This was ridiculous. They were too old for this, too old to be sneaking around and damn sure too old to be without a soft bed for him to bend her over and take her from behind like he wanted to. Clem licked the head of his cock, scattering his thoughts with the force of his pleasure. She teased him, lightly running down his shaft with her tongue to nip at his balls. He buried his hand in her hair and pulled her face back so she could meet his gaze and see just how serious he was about this. Taking his cock in his hand, he guided it to her lips, running it along the seam, watching her decide if she was going to let him have his way or not. Green eyes glinted at him, but she opened her mouth. She could deep throat him if she was in the mood, although he’d never demanded it before. But he needed the added wetness her mouth could provide to ease his way inside her. Oral sex wasn’t what he had in mind today. Her eyes widened as he kept pushing, all the way to her throat, then her lids went half mast and he could feel her relaxing herself into it. As he withdrew, she licked down the length of him, making him squeeze his eyes shut and pant through the need to moan.

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He wanted to pound into her, but the floor was a wreck and he didn’t want her hurt. Testing the nearest pole and finding it strong enough, he pulled her to her feet, guiding her hands to brace there as he bent her over. Dipping into her with two fingers, he found her wetter now and had enough brains left to marvel that they both seemed to be turned on by giving oral sex to the other. God knows, it made him hot to taste her desire. Then he pushed his cock inside her channel, slowly working his way to the hilt. He wanted her hard, but pain wasn’t in his game plan. Coming out just as slow, he pulled until his head was the only thing inside her, then slammed back. She hissed at the sudden move, arching so much he tightened his hold on her to keep her still. Working a hand to her stomach, he slid down to circle her clitoris once, then thrust into her again. He widened her legs a little more, picking up his pace, enjoying the tightening of her core around him as her desire rose. Deep inside her sheath was a small place that drove her higher if he hit the spot, but this angle wasn’t the best way to reach it. He tilted his hips so he could brush the tip of his cock over it every time he pulled out, making sure she felt the intense pleasure. She peaked so quickly, he was taken by surprise. He hadn’t had the chance to prepare himself to resist the temptation. Her orgasm dragged him over the edge, even though he wanted to hang back. He wanted to continue loving her for the rest of the day and night and maybe the rest of his life the way he felt right at that second. Her body went limp, and he had just enough time to catch them both before they ended up on the floor—or more likely through it, since any jarring movement might bust them straight into the water below. His cock slipped from her channel as he grabbed the rough wood beam she’d been holding. “Stand on my shoes before you end up stepping on a nail,” he ordered, scared for her bare feet now that he’d regained his mind.

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Turning to cuddle into him, she did as he asked, trusting him to keep her standing. “What’s wrong?” “I’m pissed that we’re stuck in this deathtrap, when I have a perfectly good bed not ten minutes from here. This is ridiculous, Clemant.” Clem took a restoring breath, her whole body still thrumming from Wade’s lovemaking. He’d come after her, looking like he was going to either kill her or fuck her senseless. “You’re in a mood,” she murmured, trying to soothe him. She could see the swirl of emotion underneath his skin, waiting to erupt. He tightened his arm around her, then kissed her fiercely, a hard smack of lips. “This is the last time we can meet here. It’s gotten too dangerous.” She knew it was more than their location that had him upset, but he wouldn’t talk about it until he was ready. “Okay. We can meet up on Tompkin’s Bluff.” Thunder rolled, and she realized it was raining hard now. “Unless it’s raining.” Water streamed from holes in the roof forming pools around the room, although the little section where they stood was dry. She hadn’t seen them before now since she’d been so focused on Wade. “What’s really wrong?” she asked, brushing her hand down his cheek, leaning back upon the pole. With both their weight against it, something gave. The building let out a loud, terrible screech. “Oh shit!” Wade yelled, then suddenly ducked his body into her stomach, throwing her over his shoulder. She heard the splinter of wood, felt the whole boathouse shake as Wade ducked down to grab her pants and dashed for the door. When they exploded from the building, a sound filled the air like a hundred nails digging into a chalkboard. Wade’s whole body tensed, but he kept running up the embankment to higher ground as if their lives depended on it. Looking back, she stared upside down at the boathouse.

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The building slid sideways into the bay, the terrible screeching coming from the slow shift of the left wall as it was dragged over by the collapsing roof. As soon as she realized they were out of danger, nausea from being slung over Wade’s shoulder reared its ugly head. “Wade, stop!” She beat on his back with her fists when he didn’t immediately heed her. “Stop!” He did, stumbling as he tried to comply. “Put me down, or I’m going to be sick.” Swinging her over to her feet, he lost his balance on the steep path. For a moment, she thought he’d right them, but then they fell, sliding in mud for several feet before he managed to drag them to a halt. Rain beat on her face, the storm swirling hard around them. Clem closed her eyes and took stock. She was scratched up for sure, her bare backside covered in mud, her shirt balled around her shoulders. Wade had grabbed her pants, but not her shoes when they’d run from the boathouse. She felt beaten and abused, but still in one piece. “Are you all right?” he asked, pulling up enough to block the rain from her face. “Not really, no.” She tried to blow her bangs from her eyes, but they were plastered to her forehead. Then she realized they were outside in the open. Anyone could find them. Although it was unlikely since this part of the shoreline had been empty for years. She shifted, trying to sit up, but Wade kept her pinned below him. She was too tired to fight him. “What had you all wound up earlier?” He planted an elbow beside her to lever himself so he could zip up his pants, brief amusement flashing over his features. “Why do we always get into these situations, do you suppose?” “We’re in places where we shouldn’t be, doing things we shouldn’t be doing.” She tapped his shoulder. “Answer my question.” “My mother knew my father had another woman.” He took a deep breath. “I couldn’t believe it.” “How did you find out?”

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“Melinda called her for money.” “Oh no.” Poor Wade. He’d been protecting someone who didn’t need it, working himself into the ground. His earlier anger returned in full force, narrowing his eyes and thinning his lips. “My mother said a wife always knows when there is someone else.” She caught his chin, spreading mud across his skin. “Speaking of which, I’m sorry you and Rose broke up.” His eyebrows went up. “If you’re on the island, I’m with you and only you, Clem.” Her heart tumbled. God, their relationship was so messed up. “Sometimes you can be really sweet, Wade.” He let out a disgusted laugh. “Yeah, except when I’m not.” He’d proved that to her in the boathouse, although she’d enjoyed the hell out of it. “I think I might be a sexual deviant,” she confided, shifting to ease away from a sharp rock biting into her bare back. “Deviant how?” he asked, sitting up and pulling her with him. She pulled her pants from Wade’s hands and covered herself half-heartedly. She should put them on, but she wasn’t sure she had the energy. “We don’t have sex normally.” Peering over her shoulder, she studied the mud smeared across her back. “Who says we don’t?” He leaned her forward and whistled. “You’re covered in muck.” Pulling up her shirt, he hummed, the sound filled with irritation. “And bleeding.” “I’m having a bad day.” She tried to reach around to wipe her backside. “I’ve got it.” He shook his head. “At least the rain will clean us up a bit.” Leaning her over his lap, he began to rub away the filth, letting the downpour wash it clean. “You know I don’t mind touching you.” She rested her head on his thighs. “This is so embarrassing. What if someone came along right now?” He laughed, big, hearty belly laughs that made her smile. She hadn’t heard him laugh like that since they were kids. Her discomfort was worth his amusement. She leaned into

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him, putting a liberal amount of mud on his jeans for revenge. Not that it mattered. They were both a mess. His laughter died down to snickers. “You know what this island would do if they saw us right now?” “At least you’re dressed,” she pointed out, unable to stop smiling at the amusement dancing in his eyes. “True, but let’s face it, we’d both be damned.” He caught her face in both hands and smashed his lips to hers in pure joy. “Fuck ’em.” She shook her head. “Lord, you’ve lost your mind.” “I lost my mind the first day I met you,” he informed her as if he’d already accepted it. Her smile faded, and she sat up so she could drop her forehead to his, shivering suddenly in the cool rain. “I think we both did.” He hugged her close. “Some people are never lucky enough to find someone they feel this way about, Clem. Don’t ever forget that.” She inhaled his scent, taking rain, man and Old Bay spice into her lungs. He thought they were lucky. The whole idea that he didn’t think they were cursed left her mind spinning. It was time to change the subject, before she ended up doing something stupid like cry. She leaned over again so he could finish cleaning her back. “Carrie told me Mike is trying to buy her land on the west end of the island.” His hands paused as they circled her hip. “It’s only worth something if we all sell.” “I know. He already owns a small piece out there, but nothing substantial.” She paused, just enjoying being with Wade for once. “That doesn’t mean he’s behind the trouble. He’d need to change Don and Liv’s minds before the deal would go through.” “Still, it’s a lead.” He squeezed her butt cheek before helping her to her feet. “I think we need to talk to him.” “We?”

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“Whoever’s behind this attacked Trent,” he reminded her. “I don’t want you confronting the wrong person and ending up getting hurt.” Shaking her slacks, she wrung them out but the rain was falling so fast now, it was useless. “Speaking of Rose,” she started. “Oh Lord, let’s not.” He cupped her chin and the dirt on his hand scraped her skin. “I never slept with her,” he said, his voice filled with irritation, as if discussing it made him angry. She shrugged like it didn’t matter, but she couldn’t help the bolt of relief that shot through her. “Okay. Not that you weren’t allowed to, since we weren’t together. I have no right to ask you not to be with others, especially after I married John.” “The blond-haired, blue-eyed asshole.” That made her pause. “How do you know what he looked like?” “I saw your wedding picture on Livvy’s mantel.” He pointed to the pants. “Need help putting those on?” “Sure.” She let him balance her while she shimmied the cold, soaking fabric over her wet legs. It was unpleasant, to put it mildly. “I find it interesting you married the exact opposite of me physically.” He kept the words casual. “He wasn’t the exact opposite of you,” she said defensively. But Wade was right. He was. She hadn’t thought about it like that, but John even had a different body build from his. Her ex had been wiry to the point of being too thin. Wade had always had wide shoulders and tended to run high on muscles even before he’d started working the boats. “Please. You couldn’t get any different.” He straightened her clothes, pushing back her hair and squinting at her critically. “You look like you’ve been mud wrestling at a wet T-shirt contest.” She shut her eyes and sighed. “You know Aunt Liv probably has about twenty visitors over there right now.” “Probably.” He turned and crouched down. “Jump on.” “What?”

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“I’m giving you a piggyback ride as far as I can.” He pointed at her bare feet. “You’ll be cut to shreds if you try to walk back without shoes.” She shook her head, but climbed on. “We’re going to be seen one day.” “Eventually,” he agreed, standing and adjusting her weight. “If our luck is so bad we’re standing in a boathouse that collapses from old age, I figure it’s only a matter of time before we end up caught with our pants down.” Clem closed her eyes and tightened her arms around him. Sadly, she knew he was right. She only hoped she could right her grandmother’s wrong before it happened.

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Chapter Seventeen Clem groaned as she hobbled up her aunt’s driveway, seeing the stack of cars filling the front yard. Her cousins were over in full force and there was absolutely no way to get to her room without them seeing her. She felt like a drowned rat, a particularly muddy one at that. Stepping on a sharp oyster shell, she hissed a breath and sat on the bumper of one of the cars. Wade had carried her all the way to the edge of her aunt’s land, and now she silently thanked him for it. He seemed to be her knight in shining armor more and more often these days, helping her in ways that seemed so easy and natural that half the time she didn’t even notice. Using her fingernails, she carefully pulled a piece of shell from her heel. Their sex in the boathouse had been rough and impersonal, as if they’d gone back to their old ways. They hadn’t spoken, hadn’t had any foreplay. Except maybe it wasn’t like that at all. For her part, she had known what he needed and had given it to him. He had turned to her and found relief. Isn’t that what friends did for one another, on a nonsexual level? She rubbed the cut, wiping away the small spot of blood. Tipping her face into the rain, she pushed her hair back, running her fingers in the tangled strands to try to straighten it a little. Could she and Wade even become friends? She’d been thinking of him in those terms today, but had that really happened? In the past, she’d thought it impossible. She closed her eyes, and felt inside herself. Yes, they had become friends since she’d come back to Blue. Close friends at that. Sighing, she stood, knowing she couldn’t put off going in any longer. She had the Heads meeting tonight and then had to sneak around with Tabby in some woman’s bushes. www.samhainpublishing.com

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Limping to the back door, she took a deep breath, then entered the house. She found herself the center of attention the instant she stepped into the kitchen. Five of her female cousins stared at her with open mouths. She was lucky, since she really thought there would be more. Jenny and Tabby at least wouldn’t pressure her too much for answers. “What happened to you?” her cousin Beverly gasped. Clem grinned, unable to resist being amused by the shock on their faces. “If I told you, you’d never believe me.” That was true. She studied the pool of water gathering at her feet, finding it not as muddy as she’d expected. “Let me get you a towel.” Tabby scrambled from the room, trying to save her clean kitchen from Clem’s destruction. “Are you okay?” Sandy came closer, but the wince on her face showed plainly that she was afraid to touch. “Just scratched up some.” Tabby returned with the towels, placing one at her feet to soak up the pool gathering there, then handed her the other. “I’m going to need to shower before the Heads meeting.” Clem started to edge from the room, but Sandy shifted to block her retreat. “Don’t even think about escaping without telling us what happened,” she warned. “You look like you’ve fallen into a mudhole.” Clem didn’t want to lie so she picked her words carefully. “I fell, lost my shoes, skidded down the trail with my shirt pulled up so my whole back is scratched to pieces, then I had to walk barefoot, which cut up the soles of my feet.” Tabby gasped. “Are you okay? You’re lucky you didn’t break something.” “Where did you fall down?” someone else asked. Trent came in from the living room, saving Clem from answering. “I’m going to have Wade’s head on a pike,” he informed her, his rage so strong, he didn’t even seem to notice her appearance.

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The amusement at her own discomfort rapidly drained from her body, replaced by sheer frustration. “Trent, don’t be stupid. You know Wade didn’t hit you.” Shock ran through the room, surprising her. She hadn’t realized how many of her cousins believed Wade was guilty until she saw their faces. “You think he’s innocent?” Trent invaded her personal space, crowding her, trying to get her to back down. She straightened to her full height, wishing she had her shoes for the extra inches. “Do I think Wade Tawes hit you on the head with a baseball bat, then took off his hat and left it beside your body? No, Trent, I don’t.” Trent balled his fists as if he wanted to plant one in her stomach, and Clem felt an eerie warning run along her skin. She noticed then that he had blood on his shirt. Had he been fighting again? “You have something for Wade, Clem?” She searched Trent’s face, seeing nothing logical in his zealous gaze. He really did want Wade’s head on a pike and wouldn’t listen to reason, no matter how basic her arguments might be. Tabby smacked her hand on the kitchen counter. “Trent Taylor! Have you lost your mind? Clemant would never have anything to do with Wade Tawes.” Clem mentally sighed. Crap. Things were out of hand. If her family ever found out about her secret obsession, they were not only going to think she was a complete slut, but they were going to feel betrayed as well. “Listen, I just don’t think Wade is that dumb. Someone else is trying to get us all stirred up and start the feud again.” “What in the hell do you know about any of this? You don’t even live here.” He shoved her roughly out of the way and banged from the house. Dread rolled in her stomach. She couldn’t let Wade get blamed for something he didn’t do. Hadn’t she just decided he was her friend? Would a friend keep their head down to avoid blame? No. But she had promised Liv she would help her family when they needed her. Her head pounded with indecision.

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Turning on her wet, bleeding heel, she strode from the room. “What are you doing?” Tabby asked behind her. “Going to grab a shower before I talk to Aunt Liv,” she said, taking the stairs two at a time.

Y Wade jogged home, fighting a slight smile at the thought of Clem walking into Livvy’s house soaked to the skin and covered in mud. She looked so hot with her nipples tight beneath her thin shirt, it had been all he could do to stop at just a parting kiss. He probably shouldn’t have grabbed her like he had in the boathouse, but the sex had allowed him to turn his anger into desire and now he could step back from his mother and father’s fucked-up marriage. His parents had both chosen to live like that, so why was he upset? Just because a relationship like theirs would make him immensely unhappy didn’t mean he had a right to judge them for their own choices. He’d had a good childhood. This knowledge didn’t change the fact they’d been good parents to him, it simply showed him they weren’t perfect like he’d thought they were. He could live with knowing that, couldn’t he? He didn’t have to like it. He had to accept it and move on with his life. The money his father had stolen still chewed at his gut, but what could he do about it? Digging his father up to confront him wasn’t an option. Wade had returned the money to the family account in full. He’d done the best he could and now he had to let it go before it chewed him up inside. As he entered town, he decided he wasn’t going to stop sending Melinda money. His mother would have to deal with the truth. As Head, it was his responsibility to look after every Tawes, not only the ones who had perfect parentage. And since his mother knew about the two kids, he planned to tell Melinda his money would come at the price of visiting with the two boys. They needed to understand their roots. No matter what, they were both Taweses. 140

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Pushing into his store, he realized that for all the last week had been hell, there had been some real high points. Not just Clem, but dealing with the terrible weight he’d been carrying from his father’s behavior as well. He hadn’t forgiven his father, but he could see the good now, as well as the bad. A shiver of apprehension had him glancing up to find a silent throng of his family waiting for him. “What now?” he asked, unable to soften the words. He had two hours before the Heads meeting and one look at their tight, angry faces meant another catastrophe had occurred. Otis crossed his arms. “Trent Taylor attacked Josh.” “Jesus Christ,” Wade snarled, feeling his mood shift from upbeat to pissed in four words. With more blood spilled, the time he and Clem had to save the clans from feuding was at an end. He felt like kicking his foot through the frozen food case just to relieve some of his frustration. Every time he took a step closer to Clem, something dragged them apart. “We’re tired of this, Wade.” His Uncle Pete wore the same mask of anger they all did. “You keep telling us not to retaliate, but the Taylors have gone too far this time.” Wade tried to center himself, to see past the anger and use his brain. “I understand you’re mad, Pete, but do you really want to start the feud again?” He met every one of his relatives’ gazes. “If someone gets killed, you can be sure the government is going to send the police onto the island to investigate. Once they’re here, they’ll never leave. Do you really want to lose our way of life?” He appealed to their biggest fear, waiting until the tension in the room subsided a bit before asking, “How is Josh?” “Black eye, maybe a broken rib,” Harlen said from the corner, his mild voice indicating he, at least, wasn’t going to rampage around the island in retaliation. “It could have been worse, I guess.” He sighed. “I don’t want anyone doing anything rash.”

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“You keep saying that, but are we supposed to stand back while they beat us one by one?” Uncle Pete’s tone said clearly that he wasn’t completely swayed by Wade’s argument. Everyone murmured their agreement. “There is a Heads meeting tonight. Before we run off to exact revenge, why don’t you let me at least try to talk to the other leaders of the island?” “None of us want the feud to start again, but I’m not sure how long we can keep turning the other cheek.” Pete tipped up his baseball cap and set his hands on his hips. “We have the rest of our lives to feud, but only one chance to stop this before it’s too late.” The phone rang and Wade wondered what new emergency had arisen. “We can wait until you come back from the meeting, at least.” Otis shrugged, meeting Pete’s gaze. At Pete’s nod, Wade let out the breath he’d been holding. The men in the store were the family leaders. The others would listen to them. He hoped. He had a two or three hour reprieve. The Heads better come up with something earth shattering or they were up the creek without a paddle. He picked up the phone. “Yes.” “Wade?” His gut tightened just hearing Clem’s voice. God, he wished he could hold her right now, take her scent deep into his lungs and escape for awhile. “Yes?” He kept his voice even, careful not to give away that there was someone he loved on the line. “I know you’re busy, but things are bad here.” “Yes.” “There too, huh?” The way she said it, he knew she hadn’t heard about the fight. “Trent attacked Josh.” He rubbed his eyes, suddenly so very tired. “Oh crap,” she breathed. “Wade, I’ve got to tell people you were with me. It’s the only way to stop this.” His heart clenched. She’d break the pact to clear his name. She might not love him as he did her, but she cared that much.

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She pulled in a deep breath of air. “This has gotten so out of control, I’m not sure we can stop it. I just had a confrontation with Trent, and it’s apparent all the Taylors think you did it, but Jenny, Liv and me.” Her words rushed as if she couldn’t get them out fast enough. “I’d rather you not do that at this time,” he said, careful of his audience. He didn’t want her driven from the island in shame because then he’d have to follow her. “I’ve told my people we’ll talk at the Heads meeting tonight.” The line hummed as she digested that. “I think we should call an all-family meeting tomorrow after church. Aunt Liv said they did that to stop the feud the first time. Maybe if we can explain all the ramifications to them, talk it out, we can stop this slide into madness.” “I’m not sure putting all of them in the same room would be a good thing.” He didn’t know what else to do, though, and it would buy them time at least. “If they ended the feud the last time with one, why couldn’t it stop a feud before it starts?” She sounded as desperate as he felt. They were grasping at straws and they both knew it. “We can just put everything out in the open and appeal to people’s decency.” She paused. “And I want to see who fights us. We need a lead here, Wade. We need one badly.” “You talk to the other Heads yet?” They couldn’t call a meeting without everyone’s approval. “No. I can do that now.” “You call Don and I’ll call Jim.” He closed his eyes. “Maybe this will work, but I’m not hopeful.” “Let’s just try.” It was over. He knew in his gut this didn’t have a hope in hell of working. People had already been hurt and things were going to get a lot worse before they got better.

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The Heads meeting had been cancelled. Don Evans told her without softening the blow he thought calling an all-family meeting was the dumbest thing she could do right now. But Aunt Liv had backed her, so he’d said it was her funeral and hung up. He’d be there to see her fail, she had no doubt. So tomorrow would be the make or break moment and what was she doing? Going out to spy on Mike of all people. But Mike was up to something, she could feel it, so she didn’t think going with Tabby was completely worthless. She’d tried to find him earlier to talk to him about buying Carrie’s land, but he’d been out. His boat had been gone from the docks and Tabby said he’d left early that morning. “So how do you know where he is?” she asked, stumbling over something in the dark. “Shhh,” Tabby whispered. “Milly Burns saw him and called me.” “Where is he?” “In one of these houses.” They were creeping along a back alley in town about two blocks from Wade’s store. Clem straightened. “Wait a second, are you telling me you don’t know which one?” She hadn’t realized she was on a wild-goose chase. “Shhh! He’ll hear you and run before we see him.” “Tabby,” she said, keeping a firm hold on her temper. Her cousin peeked over someone’s shrub into their window. “What? You said you’d come help me.” “This whole island is about to blow up and start killing each other and you don’t even know where he is? I have other things I should be doing right now.” Like figuring out what the hell she was going to say at tomorrow’s meeting. Tabby hissed like a cat about to claw someone’s eyes out. “Oh yes I do.” She pointed into the window of the house next door. “There he is, the bastard.”

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Chapter Eighteen Nothing was right. Wade had dumped her. Actually dumped her, and Rose needed a fix to make it through another day. Sometimes she got like this, desperate and needy. She hated it, but had come to accept this weakness, learning how to ease the ache. Holding power over others helped restore the balance, and she’d figured out when she was younger that the best way to do that was through sex. The person who made her feel the biggest rush had always been Mike Evans. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t good-looking or that he tended to follow her father’s orders to the letter without an original thought in his head. He still made her feel wonderful about herself. He’d tried to escape her when she’d told him they could never marry. Tried, but he never stayed away for long. When she’d sent him a note earlier today, he’d come running. Just like he always did. Her aunt wouldn’t be returning for a whole week, visiting her grandchildren on the mainland. Rose had plans for her house while she was gone. Plans that included regaining what Wade’s rejection took from her. With skill, she pouted at Mike, plumping her lips, then trailed a hand over one breast. Only a brush of fingertips on the way up to clasp her necklace. Nothing too obvious, but a rush of energy flared through her when his eyes followed. “I need your help, Mike. This whole thing with Wade has been horrible. He hurt me.” Mike shook his head as if to clear his mind of her spell. “Why did he leave you in the first place? What did you do, Rose?” She spread a hand over her heart, really hurt that Mike would accuse her of doing something to chase Wade away. He should know she would never sabotage the plans

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they’d made so carefully. “I didn’t do anything. I swear it. One minute we were fine, the next he said he didn’t love me and he couldn’t be with me.” “You were supposed to marry him.” Mike dragged a hand through his hair in obvious frustration. Well, she was frustrated too, and didn’t like the accusatory tone to his voice. “I don’t understand why it was okay for me to be with Wade, but it’s never been okay with anyone else. You’re obsessed with me marrying him.” Mike stopped his pacing. “Because you deserve to be the wife of a Head. You aren’t going to end up married to a fisherman. You’re too special for that. Wade’s about the only man on this island good enough for you.” Her eyes filled with tears she quickly blinked away before her makeup ran. It touched her just like it always did when Mike said these kinds of things. He was the only man in her life who’d wanted the best for her. God had made a mistake when He made them cousins. Rose knew everything in her life would have been picket fences and happiness if Mike Evans hadn’t been her second cousin. Then she’d have married him, the man she loved. She’d told her mother how she felt back in high school, but Mama hadn’t been happy for her. She’d slapped Rose’s face and said, “Rose Evans, you are not going to marry your cousin like some inbred piece of white trash.” Rose had tried to argue that he was her second cousin and even the government on the mainland let second cousins marry, but her mother hadn’t budged. She’d forbidden Rose to have anything to do with Mike. If she couldn’t marry someone on the mainland, then she would marry someone in one of the other families. Soon after, Rose had felt the need rise up inside her for the first time and she’d had sex with one of the Crisfield boys. The sex had been bad, but the power had felt like heaven. A couple months later, she’d discovered that same feeling with Mike. Only with him, it had been ten times greater.

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Recently he’d been fighting her, though, which is why she’d turned to Trent to get her fix. One night of sex hadn’t been enough to sustain her, no matter how many times he’d met her to talk and comfort her when she needed it. “I don’t think Wade will reconsider.” She ducked her head as if she fought tears. “I think he doesn’t want me for some reason.” Mike was immediately by her side. “I’m so sorry, Rose.” He folded her into his arms, and energy zinged inside her. “I wanted you to marry Wade and be the wife of a Head. Then when I’m the Head of the Evans family, we would both be in our rightful places.” Rose rolled her eyes, but pressed into Mike’s shirt, he didn’t see her. He’d been obsessed with being the Evans Head since they were kids. Daddy thought Mike was dumb, so he would never make Mike Head of the clan. Maybe Daddy was right, but she’d always seen the good in him. She hadn’t set him straight, though. She didn’t like hurting him if she could help it. “I know you’ll find someone like I did with Tabby.” Brushing a hand gently down the back of her hair, he cradled her as if she was the most precious thing on earth. He’d succumbed to her lure so easily, she snuggled her face in his chest to hide her smile. “I’m so sad.” She wound her arms around him, bringing his groin into her stomach. “I need you, Mike.” Pushing her breasts into his chest, she changed their hold into something sexual. For a moment, he held her, his cock growing just from the press of her body. Then he disentangled her arms and stumbled away. “No, Rose. I’m married.” She forced the anger to stay off her face. Having two men reject her within days of each other wasn’t going to happen. She pulled out her ace in the hole. “You hurt Trent because you didn’t want him with me.” Mike winced, his face filling with guilt. “That was a mistake. You had me so mad. It was wrong of me. I don’t know why I did it.”

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He paced her aunt’s living room, and she almost felt sorry for him. But his attack on Trent had brought her such pleasure. It was the ultimate display of her power over him. “If you don’t want me with Trent, then you’re going to have to fill in for him,” she said, using his guilt against him. “Rose, I’m married.” “That hasn’t stopped you before,” she reminded him. Although it had. She’d lost her grip on him when he’d started dating Tabby, but in the last month she’d found a way to control him again. “I messed up that time. I love her.” She stopped him on his way by with a hand on his arm. “And what about me, Mike?” Putting her heart in her eyes, she let her bottom lip quiver. “Do you know how much I miss you?” That wasn’t a lie. She did miss him. He brushed a finger down her cheek. “And I miss you. But I can’t cheat on her again, Rose. If I can’t have you, then I need to move on with my life.” “I need you, Mike.” She was going to have to really push to get what she wanted, she could tell. “Please. Just this once, help me.” “I can’t,” he said, but he was wavering. She could see it in his eyes. No matter what he said, he still wanted her. “You know I have needs, Mike. If you don’t want me with Trent, then I’m going to have to turn to someone.” She made the threat as gently as possible. She’d learned that Mike responded best to soft pleas and wounded looks. He ground his teeth. “Dammit, Rose. Can’t you control yourself until you find someone you want to marry?” No, she couldn’t. Because she didn’t want to. The power of making a man do exactly what she wanted was too amazing, too addicting for her to ever stop. She stroked a hand down his chest, making the action sexual. “You know what I need, Mike. Please, please help me.” He dropped his head back and stared at the ceiling for a moment.

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Cupping her breasts, she flicked her fingers over her nipples, drawing his gaze. “I’ll let you have it any way you want it,” she tempted, knowing his weakness. His wife wouldn’t have anal sex with him, but to get what she needed, she would do whatever he wanted. He groaned, and she knew she’d won. “This isn’t right,” he said, but the words were weak, weak, weak. Power flooded her bloodstream, as she searched through her purse for the two things she needed. “I’m not going to wear the cock ring.” Anger rang in his words as he hated himself for giving in to her. That made it even more sweet. To have someone do something because they couldn’t control themselves left her giddy. He was risking his marriage with his precious wife because he wanted her so badly. It turned her on like the greatest of aphrodisiacs. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, running her tongue inside his mouth, tasting his desire. “Yes, you will.” Brushing the thick rubber of the ring down his chest like a caress, she looked up at him from under her lashes. “I need you hard for a long time, Mike. It’s been too long since I’ve had you for us to be quick.” She’d keep the ring on for hours, until he begged and pleaded for her to let him take it off, until he was so horny, he’d give her every bit of power he possessed in order to find relief. “No.” He’d used that word too much with her since he’d married Tabby. She didn’t like it, but controlled her temper. Moving the side table from the end of the couch, she set the lubricant and the ring within reach. Then she leaned over the high arm of the sofa and pulled up her skirt so he could see her perfect ass. “It’s all yours, Mike. But I don’t want you coming too soon, baby.” They’d tried to have sex without the ring, since he’d never liked it, but he’d come within seconds of hilting inside her. Especially if he was in her ass. He loved it too much to control himself, but she wouldn’t get her fix if he came too quickly. Plus the minute he came, she knew he’d leave her.

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“Damn you,” he said, the words almost sounding as if he hated her. But he unzipped his pants and dragged out his cock, which was all that mattered. She turned around and sat on the couch arm, shimmying her top down so her breasts were unveiled. Her nipples were hard as rocks as she tweaked them. “Lick.” She cupped them like an offering. He groaned and came to her, unable to resist. She’d taught him how she liked it. Nice strong sucks of his mouth on her nipples, as if he couldn’t get enough. His lips devoured her. She stroked his cock in time with his mouth while he suckled. He had to be as hard as possible when she put the ring on. His hands on her thighs spasmed and he pulled back, sanity fighting for supremacy in his eyes. “I love my wife,” he said, misery in the words. She kissed his troubled lips, feeling the wonderful sizzle in her veins. “I know you do.” Then she pulled up her skirt and brushed her sex. “Taste me,” she ordered. “I need you, Mike. I need you so bad.” And he was lost again. Just like that. She lay back on the sofa, her hips propped on the sofa arm high in the air as he knelt to lick her sex with a moan. She let him go for a bit, building the sweet pressure inside. But she wouldn’t come until she had him inside her. That’s when she’d have the most power. Sitting up, she pulled him to his feet. His cock was strong and full. She kissed it in a reward, sucking in the head because she knew he loved the sight of her lips around his shaft. Then she picked up the cock ring and slid it down around his erection, carefully ratcheting the catch to bring it tighter so he couldn’t come. A flash of strength hit her and she tightened the cock ring another notch in retaliation for him fighting her earlier. “Not so tight,” he begged. He was hers. She owned him now. And she wasn’t letting him out of the torture. Instead of responding, she turned, presenting her ass to him. Slapping one cheek, she hummed. “Oh, Mike, I can’t wait.”

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He grabbed the lubricant with shaking hands, spreading it liberally on his fingers and her nether hole. She didn’t particularly like anal sex, but she knew it would be better for her if she relaxed completely instead of fighting it. Closing her eyes, she buried her head in the couch pillows as he slid one finger inside her. She relaxed all her muscles, concentrating on maintaining her high. When he pulled out for a moment, she raised herself so she could put a hand between her legs and rub her clit. Her sex was soaking wet. He entered her with two fingers, carefully opening her for his cock. “God, you’re always so tight back here. You have the sweetest ass ever, Rose.” “I know, baby,” she said, moaning for him. Then he was working his way inside. “Just a little more and the head is in,” he soothed, the pressure almost unbearable. “Wait, not so hard,” she said, unable to keep quiet. Some of the high she’d gained drained from her when he didn’t let up. He was supposed to respond immediately to anything she said. “You wanted this, remember, Rose?” It almost sounded like hatred rang in the words, but the relief was instantaneous the moment the head was fully sitting inside her and he pressed all the way into her ass. For a moment, they both panted for breath. “What the hell am I doing?” Mike asked himself behind her. It wasn’t time for him to wake up and realize he’d broken his marriage vows again. She turned her head sideways so he could hear her voice and tightened her internal muscles around his cock. “You love this, Mike. You know you do.” He thrust as if he couldn’t help himself. “This is the last time, Rose. The last time.” Her high was draining away. She wanted to scream in frustration. Something caught her eye in the window and she saw Tabby’s face pressed to the glass. Suddenly, the rush returned, only ten times stronger now. They were having sex right in front of his wife. Mike was risking everything to have her. Rose wondered just how

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long Tabby had been watching and hoped she’d seen Rose put the cock ring on him. That had always been her favorite part, controlling the exact moment when he could come. She’d taught every one of her lovers to never take it off until she told them to. She closed her eyes on the rush of it all and moaned with pure excitement. Her fingers danced on her clit, bringing her even higher. Mike slowed, his fingers clutching the fabric of the couch arm. “God, this is sick. I must have lost my mind to risk my marriage for you.” “I’m worth it,” she purred, glad Tabby couldn’t hear his words on the other side of the closed window. “You’ve used me all along, haven’t you, Rose?” Mike thrust into her again. “Just like you’re using me now to make up for the fact Wade had enough sense to dump you. I’m a fool.” He paused and she heard the snick of the ring as he released himself, but she didn’t care. The power thrummed through her and she reached her peak, screaming loud enough for the whole island to hear. Mike came too. She could feel him pumping inside her body. He’d barely finished before he drew out. A glance at the window showed Tabby had gone. Rose turned to see Mike zipping up his pants. “I hate myself.” He stepped away, a look of total disgust on his face. “And I hate you. I’m done with this.” “No, you aren’t, Mike.” She stood to face him, pulling down her skirt and tucking in her breasts. “You’ll be back.” “No. I won’t. I love my wife.” He marched across the room, then stopped to meet her eyes. “Fuck whoever you want, Rose. I just don’t care anymore.” Then he was gone, slamming the door behind him. For a moment, Rose thought he might mean it.

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Then she realized he’d never be able to resist her. “You’ll be back,” she said to the empty room. “You always come back because you love me, Mike. You’ve always loved me and you always will.”

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Chapter Nineteen Clem walked through the rain after leaving a still sobbing Tabby at a friend’s house. She was wet and cold, but didn’t care. Seeing Mike inside another woman’s body like that had her freaking out, and he wasn’t even her husband. And with Rose Evans. “Oh God,” she whispered, thinking of Wade for the first time. She couldn’t begin to guess what he’d feel about all this. Rose had been cheating on him with two men. It boggled her mind that any woman could find him lacking, that Rose would even want another man. Of course, he and Rose had never had sex. If they had, Clem knew Rose wouldn’t have strayed. She stopped when she realized she’d walked on autopilot to the back of Wade’s store. The entrance to his apartment upstairs beckoned her like a lighthouse in a storm. She shouldn’t be here. It was after three in the morning. Early rising watermen were all in bed, but would be on the way to their boats in two hours. He was probably in bed as well. A light winked from a window in his apartment, making her wonder. All at once, she had to see him, needed to touch him to right her wildly flailing world. She wanted to bury her head against his shoulder and cry in sympathy for Tabby’s heartache, rid herself of some of her frustration that she had no idea how to end the feud between their families. She’d knock softly so she wouldn’t wake him in case he was asleep. Opening the screen door, she paused again. This was dumb. She should go back to Aunt Liv’s. To spend years without their secret obsession being discovered, only to be caught just because she needed a hug was ludicrous. And she had the biggest meeting of her life tomorrow. Being tired was not an option.

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Suddenly a warm body pressed to her back as Wade reached around her to open the door. She jumped, not expecting him to be outside, but then realized he must have been checking up on the patrols at the dock. “You don’t ever need to knock, Clem.” He steered her inside before she could say a word. Relief flooded over her that the decision had been taken from her hands. “It’s late.” The words came out strangled, and she realized she was on the edge of breaking down. “I didn’t want to wake you.” “What’s wrong, love?” he asked as he closed the door, then herded her up the stairs with a warm hand on her back. “Nothing,” she said, the word hitching in the middle as emotions tangled themselves together inside her. He didn’t press her for more as he guided her inside his apartment, stripping off her jacket. Then he held her for a long moment. “Whatever it is, Clem, we can deal with it. I promise,” he murmured. She nodded, gathering herself together, hiccupping back the tears. “I’m okay. Really.” He swept her into a chair. “I’m getting you a cup of coffee. You look white as a sheet.” Clem buried her head in her hands and fought back the tears threatening another round now that he wasn’t touching her anymore. She would not cry. It wasn’t even her husband who had cheated. But Tabby had transferred some of her pain onto Clem’s shoulders and it ate at her like a plague. Her cousin had stood in shock at the window. Clem had tried to talk her away, unable to watch the scene herself. Her brief glance had shown her clearly that Mike might be in Rose’s body, but he appeared to hate every second of what he was doing. Clem had seen what true desire looked like on someone’s features when she stared into Wade’s

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eyes as they made love, and it never had panic and self-hate mixed in like it had on Mike’s face. It was the look Rose gave Tabby when she saw her standing at the window that finally forced her cousin to run away. Tabby said it had been pure triumph. Rose didn’t care that Tabby watched. That alone confused Clem to no end. The whole thing had been so sick, she felt nauseous. Wade set a mug in front of her, then sat down across the table. “You should see your face right now.” He shook his head. “I can’t tell what’s going on, but my stomach is in knots just looking at you.” He paused, fiddling with his cup. “I want to pull you into my lap, but I’m afraid you might break if I do. What’s wrong, Clem?” His voice was gentle and soft, as if she might run screaming if he spoke any louder, and maybe she would. Before she could open her mouth, someone knocked hard on the door downstairs, then shouted, “Hello? Anyone home?” “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Wade sat back in his chair. “We’re up here, Don.” This was about the last thing Clem needed, but there wasn’t anything Wade could do about it. Don must have seen them come in and decided to investigate what they were doing. He was going to be disappointed when he found them sitting at the table after he ran up the stairs. One thing was for sure—Don was obviously suspicious of him and now of Clem as well. Breaking up with Rose had led to more consequences than he’d already suspected. He took a sip from the coffee he’d brewed before he’d gone out to try to catch whoever was vandalizing the boats. “Drink your coffee,” he urged Clem. She nodded and circled the mug with both hands, hunching over a bit. But shadows danced in her eyes and she seemed even more upset now than she had been a moment ago. He hoped she could keep it together a little while longer. “Nasty night out,” Don said, but his gaze took in the two of them sitting at the table.

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As far as Wade was concerned, it had taken people long enough to start to suspect he and Clem’s relationship. It had been inevitable. More and more, the idea had grown on Wade that maybe it might be easier to just tell everyone and deal with the consequences as a united front. It had to be better than living in the shadows, always waiting for the moment they were caught. “Need a cup of coffee?” he asked as politely as he could, when what he really wanted to do was toss the nosey bastard out in the rain. Don nodded. “I’ll get it.” “Mugs are above the coffeepot.” While Don’s back was to them, he caught Clem’s eyes and tried to send her strength and love. She smiled a small smile and mouthed, “Thank you.” Worry for her ate at his gut. He tried to guess what might be wrong but their problems were so many, it was a toss up. He supposed it could be that she and Tabby had caught Mike with another woman, but it felt much more serious than that. Don sat at the table. “So what are you two doing up so late together?” Yep, definitely suspicious. Wade met his gaze, wondering what he could say that wouldn’t make things worse. “I came to give Wade an update,” Clem said, saving him from responding. “An update on what?” Don’s eyes narrowed. “When I saw you two outside, I thought you’d been out together somewhere.” Don would watch them now, keeping an eye on every move they made. Let him watch. Wade was coming to the end of his patience with hidden meetings and quick sex against walls. Jumping in, he tried to buy Clem some time to think through what she wanted to reveal to Don, since he could tell she’d spoken without a plan in place. “I’ve spent the night patrolling the docks, trying to catch someone vandalizing the boats.” “I wouldn’t think anyone would be about with all this rain.”

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“They weren’t.” Wade shrugged, resisting the urge to look at Clem. It was so hard sometimes not to stare at her, although they’d had plenty of practice in the past. But for some reason, it was more difficult now than it had been before. He’d looked his fill when they’d spent the night together and found he was addicted to watching her. “But I figured the rain would be a good cover for them. It would keep everyone else inside so they could have access to the boats without fearing they’d be discovered.” “Huh, well that’s one way to look at it, I guess.” Don didn’t sound like he bought it, but Wade suspected it was just a general suspicion. This was a fishing expedition, because Don was pissed that he’d dumped Rose. Wade placed his elbows on his table with deliberate ease. He didn’t give a damn if Don hated him, but if Clem was hurt, Don would regret it. Wade would make sure of it. “Is that why you stopped in, Don? To check on why Clem and I were together?” Clem’s head popped up, and she blinked in concern. He knew his words held a challenge in them. He didn’t care. “You’ve got to admit this is an odd time for visitors.” Don wasn’t worried. He’d been a Head long enough not to be intimidated. “Hold on here.” Clem held up both hands. “Time out. You two look like you’re going to start fighting. Please, let’s all calm down.” He and Don eyed each other, neither of them denying it. Clem sighed. “I stopped by to try to formulate a plan for tomorrow. I’m not totally convinced the Tawes family did the damage to Trent’s boat or that they were the ones who attacked him.” That got both their attention. “You’re not convinced? Or you know for sure they didn’t do it?” Don leaned toward her. “I’m not sure, but there is a chance they may not have.” She stared at him, straightening in her chair, Don’s aggression taking some of the haunted look from Clem’s eyes. It wasn’t in her to let someone try to intimidate her, even when she was obviously

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upset about something else. “I need to talk to my own family first before I can tell you more, but I suspect the vandalism and the incidents with Trent are unrelated.” Don’s eyes narrowed. “You think they’ve been done by two different people.” “I’m starting to suspect that.” “Why?” “Some bad behavior on my family’s part has come to my attention.” Wade realized she’d revealed more than she’d wanted to because she’d been trying to stop him from starting a fight with Don. In that moment, he knew he wasn’t the only one who felt protective of the other. He had to suppress the smile that wanted to slide onto his face. “I need to talk to Aunt Liv before I can tell you more.” She met Wade’s gaze. “I’m not sure what we’ll do about Josh, but we’ll have to make reparations if Trent was out of line when he attacked him.” Wade nodded slowly, trying to think past her startling announcement. If a Taylor attacked Trent, then set Wade up to take the blame, his family was going to want blood. Lots of it. He needed a plan to keep them all calm. “I can’t talk to Aunt Liv before tomorrow morning, since I don’t want to wake her, but I promise we’ll do the right thing, whatever that is.” “I know you will,” he said, wishing he could hug her, give her comfort of some kind. But Don’s visit made that impossible. Don jerked in his chair. “That’s it? Your families have been beating each other up and you plan to just try to smooth it over? My God, Wade, the Taylors beat Josh bloody.” “And if it turns out what I suspect is right, we’ll pay for it. I promise.” Clem rushed on as if she thought he’d interrupt her. “Please, Wade, just give me until the meeting to work a strategy out with Aunt Liv.” He nodded. “That sounds reasonable.” Don snorted. “Reasonable? Have you lost your mind?” “What do you want me to do, Don? Let the feud continue until someone loses their life? Do you want that?”

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Don stared at him, anger in his eyes. “This can’t be solved so easily.” “No, it can’t,” Clem agreed. “But we’ve got to find a solution we can all live with. It’s what is best for our clans.” “We also need to figure out who did the vandalism if it’s a separate person,” Wade added. He’d never even considered it could be more than one person or sets of people doing the damage. If Don wasn’t in the room, he and Clem could spend time trying to figure out exactly what pieces of this puzzle they were missing, but having an audience made that impossible. His gut told him not to clue Don in until they knew who all the players were. “I really think it might be two different people at work here. One person who started it, then another person who went after Trent, but honestly I’m not completely sure.” She looked so tired and upset, it was all he could do not to take her hand in his. “At this point, it’s really just a hunch I have.” Don glanced at his watch. “It’s going on three thirty in the morning. If you’re going to talk to your aunt before church, you should get home, Clem.” He shot Wade a speaking look. “I’ll walk you to Livvy’s house.” She nodded, looking exhausted. “You’re right. I should go.” Climbing to her feet, she moved as if she didn’t want to leave. Wade knew just how she felt. He had a bad feeling that time was speeding up and their lives were about to change irrevocably. It wasn’t until he shut the door behind them that a thought struck him. He’d been searching for the vandal down on the docks all night. Tabby and Clem had been out to catch Mike in an affair. But what was Don doing at three in the morning outside his store?

Y “Clem,” Don said, breaking their silence. He’d been working up to something the whole walk home, starting to speak, then closing his mouth several times already. “I’m

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not your father, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you that visiting a man at his home in the middle of the night will start rumors if you’re not careful.” Clem ground her teeth on the sarcasm that wanted to escape from her mouth. Don really was just trying to be helpful. Even if she was thirty-three, had already been married once and had a right to be anywhere she wanted, any time she wanted, thank you very much. “I appreciate your concern, Don,” she said, purposely using his first name to remind him of her age. “I’m more concerned about ending the fighting before someone gets killed than about my reputation.” Don stopped her on her aunt’s front steps. “Your reputation is extremely important, Clemant. You are the Taylor Head now. Please don’t underestimate the impact something like this might have on you.” She was suddenly tired of hiding her affair with Wade. “Are you saying I can’t date any man on this island, or just Wade Tawes?” Don jerked back in surprise. “You shouldn’t be in any man’s house late at night.” He paused as if searching for the right words. “But you and I both know that you shouldn’t be anywhere near a Tawes, unless you want even more trouble.” She tried to control herself, but she couldn’t do it. Maybe it was a sign of just how tired she really was or maybe she was sliding back into old habits. “Don, I’m thirty-three, not a child. I think my behavior isn’t really the business of others.” He blinked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “But it is. Everyone is responsible for respectable behavior on this island, but you are held to a higher standard. You’re a Head, Clem, and with that comes great responsibility.” Wade’s father flashed in her mind and Clem thought cynically that the great responsibility wasn’t that she couldn’t do anything wrong, but to make sure no one found out about it if she did. He put a fatherly hand on her arm. “I know you’ve got some mainland ideas, Clem, but don’t make the mistake of trying to apply their loose standards here on Blue.”

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She sighed and shook her head as she opened the front door. “Don, one of these days Blue is going to have to come into the twenty-first century.” His face hardened. “Not any time soon, we won’t.” Clem shut the door on Don, an odd pull in the center of her body making her pause. It felt like the same tug she had when she left the island, that odd connection between Wade and her snapping in two. Only this time it wasn’t breaking, it was filling her body with need. Heat built inside her with every step as she climbed the stairs. Desire the likes of which she hadn’t felt ever before when she’d been alone crawled up her insides. A vision flashed through her mind of Wade lying on a big, old four-poster bed. Naked. Breaking into a run, Clem took the stairs two at a time. She didn’t know what was happening to her, but she knew she needed to be behind a closed door as fast as she could. In her mind, Wade’s hand brushed down his stomach, making her groan. Her clothes became too tight, too scratchy. They had to go. Shutting her bedroom door, she shrugged out of her windbreaker, out of her T-shirt. Wade fisted his hand around his cock and gave a slow pump. Stumbling, she managed to wiggle her way out of her jeans before falling across the bed. Fire raced in her veins, the desire so great, she knew it wasn’t just her own, but Wade’s too. With shaking hands, she stroked her clit in time to his hand in her vision. Her orgasm shimmered and built, the need raging so high, she buried her face in the pillow. Inside her mind, she imagined Wade’s fingers entering her channel. “Come, Clem,” her vision-Wade murmured. “Come with me.” She peaked, tumbling over the edge with him, her body spasming on the bed. Trying to catch her breath, Clem let her hand drop to the cover. “I’ve lost my mind.” Her body turned cold as her temperature returned to normal.

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Don’s words rang in her head as she climbed under the covers. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, he was right when he said that her behavior had to be above reproach while she was Head. She was supposed to be righting a seventy-year-old wrong, but what had she been doing? Going back to Richmond the moment work called and tumbling into Wade’s arms every free second she had. Instead of working to solve who was vandalizing the boats, she’d been focusing everywhere else but on her family’s problems. Hell, she’d just masturbated to an image of Wade doing the same. It showed how screwed up she was inside. This had to stop. She had to put her family first. Wade had told her to quit running away when things got hard. This time she wouldn’t run. This time she wouldn’t take the easy way out. And the easy way was giving in to her desire for Wade. She may have lied to herself and said in the past that she had tried to fight their attraction, but she hadn’t. The moment she came near him, she’d fallen willingly into his arms. She hadn’t tried to stop the madness until she’d left Blue three years ago. But oh God she wanted him. Not only now, but forever. Meeting in the hotel for the night had been stupid, idiotic, and plain dumb. Why hadn’t she considered the consequences? Because now she knew what it felt like. The joy of it, not only sexually, but the wonder of having someone she could trust to tell her secrets to, who would wrap his arms around her and hold her close when she needed him. And she wanted it like she’d never wanted anything else. Every day. Going to sleep in Wade’s arms and waking up to his head next to hers on the pillow. He would always keep her secrets, always be there when she needed him, always be in her heart. She dashed the tears away from her face and stared at the moon slanting across her ceiling. When she was a child, the Taylors had given her everything. Selflessly they’d taken her in, provided a home when her own had been a living nightmare. They’d never asked her for anything until now. Not a single thing. They’d even welcomed her back after she’d deserted them for three years without an explanation.

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She owed them so much, owed them the loyalty that they deserved. Aunt Liv asked her to make right her grandmother’s wrong and she would do that. She’d been lucky so far that she and Wade hadn’t been caught. Beyond lucky, since Don could have waited longer to barge in, and most likely would have caught them in bed. Taking those risks was no longer an option. She had to stop their relationship until her duties as acting Head were finished. Clutching the sheets into her fists, she steeled herself and made a promise out loud. “This family means everything to me. I will not let them down. And if that means giving up Wade, then so be it.” As the echo of her words died away in the quiet room, the church bells in town tolled four a.m., sounding like a death knell.

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Chapter Twenty “Aunt Liv? You awake?” Clem peeked into the living room, seeing her aunt not only awake but already dressed for church even though they wouldn’t leave for a couple hours yet. “Clem, come in. I’ve been waiting for you.” She finished brushing her hair, staring into a mirror someone had propped up for her on a card table. “We have a lot to do today.” “Yes, ma’am.” Clem wandered in, feeling like an empty shell. Crying over losing Wade hadn’t been such a hot idea. She had used up all her emotions and had nothing left inside. Stopping at an old black and white photo of her great-grandfather on his boat, she stared at the grainy, faded face, wondering vaguely what he’d looked like in person. He stood with one foot cocked up on the boat, the other on the dock, as if staking his territory. The stance screamed possession and pride. Had she ever felt that way about anything? Not her job, although she’d had pride in her accomplishments, it was true. But if the right job offer had been extended, with the right promotion, she’d have left CreditOne in a snap. The closest she’d ever come had been with this family, but even then she hadn’t felt possessive of them. It had been more a feeling of gratefulness that they’d let her be a part of their world. She sighed out the breath she hadn’t even known she’d been holding. “You look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders,” her aunt said, clipping on a pair of earrings that matched her Sunday dress. Liv had always respected honesty, so Clem gave it to her. “I’m not sure I can stop the feud.” She met her aunt’s gaze. “I’m not sure I know how.”

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Liv hummed. “Ah, so that’s what’s got that sad look on your face. The answer is in your heart, Clem. It’s been there all along. You just have to be still long enough to hear it.” Clem tucked her hair behind one ear, wondering at her aunt’s advice. “I’m not sure I understand.” “Then you’re not ready for the answer.” Liv crossed to her. “You’ve been like the child I’ve never had.” She cupped Clem’s face, the skin of her hand dry and paper thin. “I have loved you as if you were my own. And whether you succeed or fail, I’ll always love you, Clemant.” Clem swallowed around the tears that suddenly welled up. She thought she’d cried them all out last night, but obviously she hadn’t. “I don’t want to let you down.” “You won’t.” She patted her cheek, then moved slowly to the overstuffed chair and sat. “Now tell me what had you out until three thirty in the morning with Don Evans.” Clem laughed, a quick burst of surprise. Aunt Liv must have heard them talking on the front stoop. Then she sobered. She hadn’t thought about what she’d tell her aunt about Mike and Rose. Liv was a Head and had lived eighty-six years. Clem was sure she knew a lot about the birds and the bees, but the idea of telling her the graphic details had her wincing. To buy herself some time, she crossed the room and dropped into the chair next to Liv’s. “It’s bad, then?” Wise, faded green eyes studied her. “Pretty bad, yes.” Clem took a deep breath and plunged. “Tabby asked me to come with her to check on Mike last night. She thought he was having an affair.” Smoothing her flowered, knee-length skirt, she thought longingly about her dress slacks upstairs. She’d chosen the skirt because the islanders expected women to dress this way for church, but she felt much more self-assured in pants. Maybe she should change. She needed all the confidence she could muster for this meeting. At her long pause, her aunt prompted her. “And you found him?” She nodded. “With Rose Evans.”

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“Rose?” Her aunt’s eyebrows went up. “Interesting. Pretty thing, isn’t she?” “Um,” Clem said, thinking about the position she’d seen Rose in. It hadn’t been pretty. She shook her head, and told her aunt what she’d thought at the time. “He didn’t look like he was enjoying himself, Aunt Liv. He looked”—she searched for the right word—“angry and bitter.” “But he was still cheating with another woman,” Aunt Liv murmured. “I really wouldn’t have guessed it of him.” “Me, either. What if Rose offered him something he couldn’t turn down? She was having an affair with Trent, too. She’s really dangerous if she can juggle this many men without getting caught.” Clem shuddered as she reviewed the scene in her mind. “I’m surprised Wade broke up with her then, if she’s so good at manipulating people.” Clem met her aunt’s gaze in surprise. “Is there anything you don’t hear about?” “Very little, I’m sure.” Carefully avoiding the reference to Wade, she continued. “But the one thing that has bothered me all along is that the sand in Trent’s boat motor and the attack on him were personal. I just wonder if maybe Mike might have done them, since they were both sleeping with Rose.” “My, my,” her aunt said, staring into space. “Wouldn’t that be terrible? A Taylor attacking another Taylor over the woman who was dating the Tawes Head.” “Maybe that’s been our mistake all along. He’s an Evans by birth. Perhaps he’s never been a Taylor at all.” Her aunt nodded slowly as if it hadn’t occurred to her before. “Do you think Wade knew any of this? Is that why he broke up with Rose, perhaps?” “I don’t think he knew.” The words were out, sounding as if she believed them, before she considered the implication of her knowing such an intimate thing. “So you think it’s just coincidence, then?” Her aunt watched her like a hawk. Clem forced herself to sit still when she wanted to wiggle in her seat. It was a logical conclusion that Wade broke up with Rose over her infidelity, but she knew that wasn’t

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why he’d done it. “I don’t think he knew, but anything is possible. I stopped by his apartment last night to talk to him about it, but Don saw me go in and followed before I could even tell Wade what happened, so I don’t know for sure.” “You were going to tell Wade about his ex-girlfriend’s behavior? Do you think that was wise?” “Wade and I made a pact the first night I took over as Head that we would share information.” She met her aunt’s gaze and prepared herself for her aunt’s anger at her unusual agreement. “He thought that the only way we could stop the feud before it started was to be completely honest, since he suspected that someone was trying to restart the feud.” Her aunt settled into her chair, her face considering. “That’s a novel approach, but a good idea if it’s an outside person causing the damage.” Clem sucked in a breath in surprise. She hadn’t thought Liv would agree with them. “I thought it had merit. But the rule was we shared all information that might have an impact, even if that information was negative about our own clans. Certainly if Mike attacked Trent, then as embarrassing as that is for us, Wade needs to know. I can’t tell him the why of it without telling about Rose. It was my thought to have it all out in the open before he finds out from someone else.” “Although we don’t know for sure if Mike did this.” “No. But the attack was so personal and Trent’s boat was the only one with major damage. I think we’d be naïve not to consider it at least.” Her aunt nodded. “It’s certainly a possibility we need to explore. But we still don’t know who did the original vandalism?” “I guess it could have been Mike as well, but really I don’t think so. The vandalisms seem to be just a tactic to stir us up and get us fighting again.” “So Trent could have attacked Josh Tawes for no reason?” Clem nodded. “If that’s the case, what do we do about it?” Aunt Liv pursed her lips. “Go call Trent and his father. I think it’s time for a chat with them.”

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Clem rose. “I had Tabby stay over at a friend’s house, just in case Mike was here.” “I never heard him come in last night.” Clem had checked this morning before she came down. Tabby and Mike’s bed had been empty. Sadness for Tabby rained over her once more. They had seemed so happy and now their marriage was in shambles. No matter how angry Mike had been with Rose, what Tabby had witnessed him doing would be insurmountable for their marriage. Clem knew if she’d seen her man doing a fraction of Mike’s actions, she would have gone through the window after him. The thought of Wade with another woman had her digging her fingernails into her palms. When she realized what she was doing, she immediately stopped, a bit shaken that she felt so violently about the subject. She had no right to feel possessive about Wade. She brushed off the thoughts, taking comfort in the fact that at least calling Trent’s house was action, something she could control. “It should be interesting to hear what Trent has to say about his relationship with Rose. We should speak to him before church. And, Clem?” She paused at the door, looking back at her aunt. “Let’s have some of your cousins out looking for Mike. I’d like to speak with him as well.”

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Actually, that was a lie. He wanted to run his hands all over her body and reestablish their bond. They’d met at the boathouse only yesterday afternoon, so he shouldn’t want her again, but he did. It wasn’t only a physical need, either. His gut told him his vision had been true, that something had happened to cause her to pull away again and he needed to reaffirm what was between them. People parted for him, moving away as if they could sense he was in a dangerous mood. When he passed the last row of chairs, he saw her speaking to Livvy. Don called to him, but he just nodded and crossed to where she stood before her aunt. “Livvy,” he said in greeting, then turned to Clem and narrowed his eyes. “Clem.” “Wade.” She nodded, but didn’t meet his gaze, staring over his shoulder. So. His gut had been right. A storm of anger swirled inside him, and he fisted his hands to keep from grabbing her and hauling her from the room. Her eyes flared wide and she looked at him then. “Is something wrong?” “May I speak to you in private for a moment, please?” he asked in a controlled voice. He was acting oddly and knew he shouldn’t be doing it in front of Livvy. Her sharp eyes missed little, but dammit, he needed to be rock solid with Clem if they were going to pull this off. “Of course,” she said coolly. The room was so packed, going out would be too hard and too suspicious, so he simply led her into the corner by the American flag and turned his back to everyone so they couldn’t see his face. “If this is personal, now is not the time, Wade.” “You better damn believe it’s the time,” he ground out between clenched teeth, her effort to evade him driving his mood lower. “Something happened last night and I want to know what the hell it was. You show up at my place looking like you’ve been beaten to a pulp emotionally and now you’re not making eye contact. Spill it, Clem.” She rocked back on her high heels and sighed. “You aren’t going to like any of it, even though I need to tell you.”

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He didn’t care if he liked it or not. “Just say it.” She studied her hands for a moment before her chin came up. “Tabby and I saw Mike having sex with Rose Evans last night.” He narrowed his eyes. That didn’t explain why she’d pulled away from him. “Okay.” He resisted the urge to tell her to get to it, trying his best to be patient. She blinked. “Okay? That’s all you have to say about your ex-girlfriend sleeping around on you?” He shrugged. “We went on dates, but girlfriend implies something more than we had.” “She thought you were dating.” “Stop stalling, Clem. There’s more here.” He made a winding motion with his hand. “Spill it all.” Somewhere in this would be the part he cared about, the part where she told him why she wasn’t going to be with him any longer. That was what he needed to hear. He couldn’t fight her without full disclosure on her part. Clem clasped her hands together and grimaced. “She slept with Trent as well.” For a second, he was distracted. “Holy smokes. No wonder she didn’t want to sleep with me. She already had more people in her bed than she could handle.” He couldn’t help but grin. Here he’d been beating himself up for being such an asshole, thinking he’d broken her heart. That was far, far from the truth. Clem threw up her hands. “This isn’t funny, Wade.” Then she lowered her voice. “Don’t you think that Mike and Trent sleeping with the same woman could have something to do with Trent’s recent spurt of bad luck?” He hummed, seeing her point. “Which is why you said last night that you thought two different people were responsible?” “Yes. Which means my family caused both Trent and Josh to be hurt.” “If Mike was responsible.” “Yes.” “Which you don’t know for sure.” “Correct.”

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“What does Mike say about all this?” “We can’t find him.” She rubbed her eyes. “What does Trent say?” “He admitted to the affair, but he doesn’t know who hit him. He claims he didn’t know Mike was sleeping with her too.” Her face lost some of its color. “I hated to tell Trent about Mike’s affair, but I didn’t see any way around it.” “You had to have answers,” he reassured her. “I know. It just sucks that I aired Tabby’s dirty laundry.” Wade crossed his arms, only feeling a little bit of guilt for going in for the kill when she was obviously so upset. “What does all this have to do with the reason you’ve returned to fighting us?” Her mouth dropped open in surprise. “You think I can’t take one glance at you and see that glint in your eyes?” He couldn’t bring himself to tell her about the crazy vision he’d had. “It’s that same look you get every time right before you run.” Someone approached him from behind, but he didn’t let her off the hook. “I have an obligation to my family that I must fulfill,” she said, her voice steady. Then her eyes flicked to the person nearing them. “And I’m not running,” she hissed. “Goddammit, Clem. This is ridiculous,” he snarled, venting some of his frustration before they were interrupted. “I agree. It’s always been ridiculous.” Then she pasted a fake smile on her face and stepped around him. “Is something wrong, Don?”

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Chapter Twenty-One He shouldn’t have been surprised when things went downhill from there. It didn’t help that he was pissed at her. Here they were, in front of the whole island and he wanted nothing more than to have a rip-roaring fight. Wade took a deep breath and let it out, while he watched Clem try to explain why everyone needed to be patient and resist the urge to retaliate against each other, since they didn’t know who was doing the damage. “That’s fine for you Taylors,” his Uncle Pete said in a voice which carried around the room. “But then you’re the ones who threw the last punch.” “Only because Wade beat up Trent,” someone yelled from across the room. Seeing Clem lose control of the room, Wade climbed to his feet. “Hold on now,” he said, raising his hands. “Let’s keep ourselves civilized here.” “Like you kept yourself civilized?” someone called back. “Time out,” Clem said, holding her hands in a T, her voice ringing through the loudspeaker over the rising tide of discontent from the audience. “If we don’t keep our tempers in check, there’s a large chance the feud will escalate to the point the government is going to have to step in.” Wade could tell that argument wasn’t working as well as it had a few days ago. People grumbled, angry and frustrated. “Wade was off the island when Trent was attacked anyway.” Otis was probably trying to be helpful, but it just stirred everyone up more. “If he has an alibi, why won’t he tell us who he was with?” one of Clem’s cousins shouted. “Because a man don’t kiss and tell,” Otis shot back. A couple of his male family members snickered.

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Wade sighed. He was caught between a rock and a hard place here, but no matter how bad the pressure became, he wasn’t telling anyone he had been with Clem. Beside him, she rubbed her eyes again. “Listen.” She dropped her hands. “Do you really think Wade would be dumb enough to leave his baseball cap there? Has it not occurred to you that perhaps someone is setting him up?” Her cousin Shirley stood up, looking like she was shaking mad. “Why wouldn’t Wade beat Trent up? You know as well as I do that his girlfriend and Trent were sleeping together!” “Oh shit.” What little color Clem had left drained from her face. “Like hell,” Don sputtered, his shoes smacking the floor as he rocked forward in his chair behind them. The whole room exploded into chatter. Wade leaned against the podium, flipping off the microphone. “Keep it together,” he told Clem. She looked like she was going to faint. “We haven’t lost yet. Now’s the time to sway them.” She nodded shakily and took a deep breath. Don jumped to his feet. “That’s a damn lie, Shirley Taylor!” Clem’s mouth dropped open at this new turn. “Slide over,” Wade ordered Clem when she stood there in shock. It was time to act or lose all control. He flipped back on the microphone. “Quiet please,” he ordered and was surprised when everyone settled down. “I understand some things happened last night which brought new information to light. Clemant told me some of it a few moments before the meeting started, one of which was the possibility of Trent and Rose having a relationship of some sort. I was unaware of this until Clem told me.” More shouting ensued. “Islanders,” Wade barked, forcing quiet again, feeling like he was dealing with a bunch of squabbling children. “Clem and I want to hear your concerns but we can’t if everyone is going to speak at once. Just raise your hands if you have something to say and I promise we’ll get around to everyone.” Half the people in the room raised their hands. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

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“Raymond,” he said, figuring he’d better start on Clem’s side of the family or there would be more hard feelings. “So you’re saying you just found out about Rose and Trent this morning?” “That’s what I’m saying.” Wade kept his tone even. “You don’t seem too upset about it.” “I’m not.” Raymond suddenly looked triumphant. “Because you’ve started dating this mysterious Mainlander you won’t tell us the name of even though she’s supposedly your alibi?” The crowd held its collective breath to see how he’d respond. “That’s right.” He wasn’t giving Clem up. That wasn’t up for debate. “From where I’m sitting, it seems that it would clear a whole lot of things up if you just told us her name. So I guess that means this woman, if there even is one, is more important than your family? Since you won’t protect yourself and your family by giving us her name. Is that what you’re saying, Wade Tawes?” Wade looked out over the entire population of the island, meeting people’s gazes as he went. “No. Wade,” Clem whispered beside him, her voice breaking. “Don’t.” “If protecting her means I’m putting her above my family, then I guess that’s what I’m doing,” he said. “Oh my God.” Clem watched Wade in horror. He was staring down the whole island, his shoulders back, head held high, feet planted firmly on the floor. Everyone spoke at once, but she couldn’t hear them, couldn’t focus. All she could do was gape at him in shock. He’d just told the whole island he put her before his family. Before his family. The words swirled around her head, making her so dizzy, she clutched the side of the podium for support.

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“Are you okay, Clem?” her aunt asked from the front row, the only voice she caught in the din. She nodded, forcing herself to breathe. Then she heard what they were all saying. Her own family was demanding justice, accusing Wade of lying about the woman he was with on the mainland, calling for blood. Oh God, he’s never going to tell because of our pact. He’ll let them judge him guilty because of me, let them convict him in their minds rather than betray me. He’ll allow the whole island to be embroiled in a blood feud rather than say my name. She couldn’t believe it and in that moment, she knew he loved her. Her own heart stuttered with both joy and dread as she admitted to herself that she loved him, too. Maybe she’d always loved him. Staring out at her family, she studied the faces of the people she treasured for giving her the home she’d never had, and knew the time to confess was now. As much as she wished she could hide her secret forever, in that moment she realized she couldn’t repay Wade’s loyalty and love with anything but the truth. Even when she knew it would cost her the only place she’d ever called home. Because once they knew, her clan would hate her. “I’m sorry,” she said to her aunt, who gave her a puzzled frown in return. Then she placed her hand on Wade’s arm. “Excuse me for a moment.” She didn’t meet his gaze, but felt him trying to read her. The important thing was he moved when she pushed on him. If he had tried to block her, there wasn’t much she could have done to stop him. He was as strong as an ox and almost double her weight. A small twinge went through her as a vision of his muscled backside in the hotel mirror flashed into her mind, the thought inappropriate but there all the same. She stepped before the microphone. “Could I have silence, please?” Everyone ignored her as she repeated it several times, until she realized she was going to have to do something drastic to get their attention. She bent the mic backwards until it went beyond the speakers, creating a hideous squeal.

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Silence fell over the room in a snap. “Thank you for your attention.” She paused, took a deep breath and plunged. “Off and on for the last sixteen years—” “Clem,” Wade said, suddenly knowing what she was going to do and trying to stop her. She spoke over him easily with the microphone. “Wade and I have been lovers. I was with him Friday night on the mainland. So you see why I was so sure he hadn’t hurt Trent.” Silence filled the room as everyone watched what amounted to her own personal train wreck. “I understand this makes me unfit to be Head of the Taylor clan in most of your eyes, but I couldn’t stand up here and watch you convict an innocent man of something he couldn’t have done. He was with me from about eight the previous night until eight that morning.” Taking a deep breath, she kept going, even though she didn’t want to. “Last night, Don Evans told me that as Head, it was my duty to make sure my actions are above reproach. Obviously I didn’t do that. I’m only human and have made a lot of mistakes in my life, but please believe me when I tell you I love you all and never meant to hurt you.” She’d also never meant to hurt Wade. Her heart ached at the realization she’d lost him forever too. He’d said he’d chase her if she left, but as much as she’d like to believe the words, he had to put his family first. It suddenly occurred to her that he had put her first, before his family. She wouldn’t let him do it again, though. She couldn’t ask him to do that, no matter how much it touched her deep down in her soul. She met Aunt Liv’s gaze and smiled sadly, before simply walking around the podium and down the aisle. Wade stopped her before she took two steps. “Clem,” he said again, his brown eyes filled with so many emotions she couldn’t read them. It seemed so appropriate, that at this moment, when they had lost everything, they both had essentially admitted their love for one another to the whole island.

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“I think you’ve done quite enough, Wade Tawes,” her aunt said, cutting him off. “Come along, Clemant Taylor. You’re going home.” She stared at him, memorizing his face since she might very well be escorted from the island forever, and as Head, his place would always be here. Something tickled her cheeks and she realized it was tears. Yet she felt oddly detached, floating in shock. How dumb they’d both been, to not realize sooner what had been between them. It seemed strange that everything was so clear, looking back on it, yet in the moments they’d been together, their feelings had been like pools of opaque, brackish water. She opened her mouth to tell him this revelation, but her aunt’s hand clamped down on her arm, and she was whisked away, surrounded by her family.

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Chapter Twenty-Two Wade watched as Clem was escorted from the room by her aunt, no one moving an inch. She’d told. She’d finally broken their pact and told the world of their secret obsession. He propped an elbow on the podium, trying to fit his mind around what had just happened. She hadn’t only told their secret, she’d confessed to sixteen years of it before both their families. And she’d done it to save him. A stab of love so rich it felt like pain lanced through his body, making him stagger. The room around him exploded into conversation, but he ignored it. Clem’s relatives filed out in silence. It had been glorious, except for the part where she apologized for her actions. She owed no one an apology, dammit. What they had between them was special, once in a lifetime. Hell, once in several lifetimes. He’d be damned if he’d apologize to anyone for it. But he knew guilt must be eating her alive. “What the hell were you thinking, Wade?” someone yelled from the crowd. “Can’t you keep your damn pecker in your pocket?” He searched the crowd, wanting to confront the offender by name, but he couldn’t see who said it. “I’ll tell you what I was thinking,” he said, bringing immediate silence to the room. “I was thinking I love her.” His mind started firing on all cylinders again. He’d go to Livvy’s house and stand by her. He wouldn’t stay here while she took the heat. Because now he knew he wasn’t the only one willing to risk everything for the other. The tight feeling inside his chest had him fighting for air. www.samhainpublishing.com

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A hand gripped his arm. “You bastard,” Don sputtered. “You’re no better than your father, being with my Rose and another woman.” Wade pressed the pulse point in Don’s wrist hard enough so the Evans Head dropped his forearm fast. “Actually, Don, I never had sex with Rose. There has never been another woman for me but Clem. I’ve just been waiting for her to realize it too.” The door to the auditorium banged open. “The docks are on fire!” a woman yelled. Breaking into a run, he beat the stampede from the gym. The elementary school had been built on high ground, doubling as a shelter from hurricanes and the storms that occasionally caused the bay to rise up onto the land. The gym had been built like a fortress without windows. Wade stumbled as the glare of the setting sun hit him full in the face. Someone grabbed his shirt from behind to steady him. He glanced back at his cousin Harlen. “Sixteen years is a long time,” he said. “Anyone says a word against her, they’ll end up dealing with me,” Wade told him, ready to fight. Hell, he’d welcome ramming his fists into something right now. Harlen was anything but a hothead. They’d been friends for a long time. Best friends when they were in high school, but that had faded over the years. “Hell of a secret to keep all that time.” Harlen’s voice was mild. People flooded around them to the docks, but Harlen kept them standing there. Wade knew his cousin had something he wanted to say and only hoped the whole island wouldn’t burn before he got to it. “We were best friends growing up and then I felt like you clammed up on me, kept yourself apart from everything and everyone.” Harlen glanced down at the chaos below them, then squinted back at him. “Now I know why.” Wade shrugged, unable to deny it. “I love her.” “I guess you do, but now that you’ve told, you won’t have to hold yourself apart anymore.” He gripped Wade’s shoulders. “Do you understand what I’m saying here?”

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Wade nodded slowly. He’d never realized how much his and Clem’s secret had kept him from other relationships. It was hard to be close to someone when you couldn’t tell them the core of yourself. “Good. I’ve missed you.” Harlen smacked him on the back. “Let’s go fight the fire.” Then they were running to the docks, Wade’s mind going numb from the events of the day. If they didn’t save the boats, the crab season would be over by the time the insurance people settled. At this point, one missed season might be the death of them all financially, ending hundreds of years of tradition, forcing even more islanders to move to the mainland. He had to push Clem from his mind until they put out the blaze, even if his heart screamed for him to be by her side. They were silent on the short drive back to Aunt Liv’s house. What was there to say, anyway? She’d let everyone down. She’d never heal the feud her grandmother had started, never solve who had been vandalizing the boats. In fact, she’d done little to repay the people who had done so much for her. But God, all she could think about was no more Wade, no more touching, no more of his Old Bay scent filling her head, or the brush of his skin against hers. This time she wouldn’t be running from the island, though. She’d stay until they made her leave. She might not be able to have Wade, but she’d have her family. She sat up straighter, staring out the window at the small town as they drove by on the way to Liv’s. She’d take the punishment the clan doled out to her and come back on holidays and vacations. Which brought her back to Wade. A pain stabbed her in the gut as they pulled into the driveway, the crunch of oyster shells under the tires the only sound in the car. Her whole body shook with the thought of never seeing him again. She thought she’d cried all she was going to cry early this morning, but as the tears ran unchecked down her face, she realized she had only just begun to vent the emotions inside her. Her soul felt

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like it was ripped in two and she wanted to curl herself in a ball, huddle around the gaping hole she knew was in her chest. Sliding from the car, she pictured Wade’s fierce expression as he faced a gym full of angry islanders. He would have stood up there for the rest of his life without saying her name. Then he revealed in front of everyone that he put her before his family. Love, ferocious and complete, threatened to shatter her. She tripped on the front steps. One of the cousins who drove Liv home steadied her, but she didn’t even look to see who it was. “Sit down in the kitchen, Clemant,” Aunt Liv said, maybe even a little gently, bringing back the tears again. Had it just been this morning that her aunt had said she loved Clem like the child she’d never had? And Clem had repaid her by acting like a whore in the eyes of the islanders. She dashed away the tears with a shaking hand. She didn’t feel like a whore, though. Let everyone think what they wanted about her. She would hold her memories with Wade tight and close to her heart. A moan from the living room had them all freezing in place, shaking Clem from her personal hell. Tabby lay on her stomach, as if she’d been crawling across the floor. Clem ran to Tabby’s side, beating the two cousins who’d driven them to the house. “Tabby, Tabby! Are you okay?” She dropped to her knees and carefully rolled her over. The hiss of pain told Clem she probably should have left her still. Her cousin was hurt, but Clem couldn’t see anything wrong. “What happened?” Tabby took a shallow breath and whispered, “Tried to reach the phone.” “It’s okay now. We’re here.” Clem brushed back her hair from her face. “Where are you hurt?” They had a clinic on the island, but if she had broken bones or anything serious, they’d have to call in a helicopter or take her to the mainland by boat. She glanced up, finally comprehending that Shirley’s brothers Will and Jack were the ones

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who had driven them home. “Will, call Dr. Matthews. Tell him to come as fast as he can.” “Tabby.” Her aunt’s voice shook. God, between she and Tabby, they were going to drive Aunt Liv into an early grave if they weren’t careful. “Aunt Liv, please sit down,” she said as gently as she could. While Jack helped her into a nearby chair, Clem turned back to Tabby. “Can you tell me what happened?” “I—I was going through Mike’s things.” She swallowed. “It’s okay, everything is going to be okay,” she soothed, unsure how to comfort someone when the man she loved betrayed her so completely. Because everything was most definitely not okay. But Clem didn’t know how to make things right. In a way, she and Tabby were in similar straits, because the outcome of their relationships would be the same. Tabby would end up without Mike and Clem would end up without Wade. There wasn’t any other option for either of them. “I’m so sorry,” she said, meaning it. “I went through all his things, looking to see how long he’d been with her.” Her cousin shut her eyes, the pause filled only with Will on the phone to the doctor in the kitchen. “And I found a baseball bat, with blood on it, Clem. Under our bed that we’ve slept together in for a year of our lives.” She shook her head. “I didn’t want it to be true. It couldn’t have been true. I begged him for it not to be true.” “Wait, Tabby, is Mike here?” She met Jack’s gaze. He nodded and left the room to check. Mike’s world was crumbling around him. And after beating up Trent, he’d proven he could be violent. “Y—Yes he was here. Came in when I found the bat. He said he loved me, but we— all of us—treated him like a lackey around here, like a slave.” Tears spilled over her cheeks. “I had no idea he felt that way, Clem. No idea at all.” “If he never told you, how were you supposed to know?” She clasped her cousin’s hand.

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“He said he was going to be Head of the Evans clan some day. That he had a surefire plan, that he’d been buying up pieces of the western side of the island from his family and ours, and since Wade and Jim Marshal were planning on selling, the feud would force the few holdouts to join. That they’d need the money if we were all fighting.” Aunt Liv snorted behind them, but Clem didn’t turn to meet her gaze. Jack came back into the room and shook his head, telling her Mike was gone. “Check to see if his boat is still tied up at the dock,” she ordered. If he left by boat, then he was in the wind. They’d never catch him without bringing in the police on the mainland. She wasn’t Head anymore, she lost that honor when she betrayed her family, but if she had been, she’d have pushed hard right now to bring in the sheriff. It was time to let experts handle this. Time to utilize the resources modern law enforcement had at their disposal. Even if it meant they had to change the way they lived. Mike needed to be behind bars for the assault on Trent before he hurt anyone else. “How did you get hurt, Tabby?” Where was the doctor? Town was only a short drive away. He should be here. “I told him I loved him and he pushed me out of the way. I ran after him and fell down the stairs.” “Oh, Tabby.” “I think my ribs are broken.” The doctor arrived and Clem moved over to her aunt to check on her. She was white as a sheet and sweat beaded her upper lip. “Are you okay?” Kneeling beside her chair, she took her hand. “Mike,” her aunt said, shaking her head. “I’d given him my loyalty, but he returned it like this.” “I know.” There was still something missing. “I don’t understand how all the pieces fit together. Mike only owns a piece of land on the other side of the island. He’s offered to buy Carrie’s acres. But even still.” Clem paused, trying to put together all the facts. “I

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just don’t know if Wade’s theory is correct that the sale of the land on the western side of the island is behind all of the vandalism.” “The Evans clan owns a lot of land there,” Aunt Liv said softly. “How bad are they doing financially?” “They’re the worst off of all of us. Before Wade became Head, his father had been questioning their presence in the quadrumvirate. He’d been lobbying to get them off.” “Wow.” She added that piece of knowledge to her puzzle. She stared at her greatgrandfather on his boat, the picture drawing her notice again. Her mind whirled through the data, trying to figure out what was going on. She didn’t think Don would approve the sale. He hated outsiders. But if he was trying to save his clan, wouldn’t he do whatever it took? “They’ve been sending clan members to the mainland for awhile now, unable to support them. Jim was already pushing for the deal. With Wade’s agreement to sell, then our loss of income would force us to join them. Don would be the only holdout.” “So Mike might add his and Carrie’s land to his family’s, saving them from being cast out of the Heads and being turned into essentially no one. Losing their rightful place of power must be eating Don alive.” But would Don, the one who fought outside interference the most, want a resort on the island? It didn’t fit. “Yes.” Her aunt sighed. “I had hoped Wade was wrong and this wasn’t about something as sad as money.” Clem patted Liv’s hand. “On the mainland, everything is about money.” Jack leaned into the room. “Mike’s boat is still tied to the dock, the keys in the starter. You want me to call the family together for an all-out hunt for him?” “No,” Tabby wailed from the floor, then cried out in pain. Clem rushed to her side. “Your ribs are broken. You need to lie still,” the doctor ordered. “Tabby, we need to find him and ask him what he’s been doing. Just relax. No one will hurt him.” That was the sorry thing about love. It just didn’t leave you when you needed it to.

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“Oh shit,” Jack said behind her. “Aunt Liv, are you okay?” Her aunt gasped for breath, grasping her heart. The doctor crossed to her, loosening the collar of her shirt. “Let’s lay her down.” He fumbled for the phone. “I’m calling in the Medivac. She needs to be taken by helicopter to the mainland, in case she’s having another heart attack.” The front door opened with a bang and Shirley ran in, followed by a group of cousins. “Someone lit the docks in town on fire!”

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Chapter Twenty-Three “Everyone be calm!” Clem yelled into the growing chaos. The response was immediate. She might not be the Head much longer, but Aunt Liv had yet to name someone as her replacement, so in the meantime, she’d have to stand in. “The doctor is calling in the Medivac to take Aunt Liv to the hospital on the mainland, since she’s not feeling well.” She held up her hands for silence. “It’s crucial the boats are saved, so I need everyone but Will and Jack to go help fight the fire.” They had insurance, but how long would it take to buy new boats? Possibly months if the insurance company fought them, right during the middle of crabbing season. “Go now,” she ordered, and was massively relieved when they did. “There is a major pileup in Salisbury and Medivac is unable to come for another forty-five minutes,” the doctor said, slamming down the phone. “You can make it across the bay in that time. I have an ambulance standing by at the marina waiting for you.” They couldn’t catch a break. It didn’t matter. Clem functioned best in the middle of intense action. It was the calm, thinking periods that tended to get her into trouble. “Will and Jack, carry Aunt Liv to Mike’s boat.” Thank God Liv had her own dock, or with the fire they might not have access to a boat to get her off the island. She caught the doctor’s gaze. “Can you help me with Tabby?” He nodded. Her purse. She’d need insurance cards and identification to get her aunt through the hospital’s intake process. “I’ll be right back.” When she returned, they limped Tabby down to the dock and onto Mike’s boat. The sun was setting and for a moment, Clem almost changed her plan and put Will or Jack in charge of her aunt. It had been years since she’d driven a boat, let alone in the dark. But they needed every able body fighting the fire. She could do this. She could do anything, she reminded herself. www.samhainpublishing.com

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“Will, I’ll call with a status later tonight. Tabby has my cell phone number written on a piece of paper above the kitchen phone. Call me if you need me.” Then she started Mike’s boat, thanking him silently for not using it to run. She hoped like hell she could get them within sight of Crisfield before the sun went down all the way, or they might be in even worse straits than they were now.

Y Wade dropped three flats of bottled water onto the runner of the island’s only fire truck, completely exhausted and covered in soot. Dragging out his pocket knife, he split the cases open and stepped back to let everyone at it. Despite the current feuding, the islanders had banded together to fight the blaze. Luckily Harlen had his boat tied at his own dock, so they were able to circle around and cut free the boats that hadn’t caught on fire yet, hauling them out of danger. But the dock and four of the trawlers were destroyed, two belonging to the Taylors and two from his own family. It had been obvious to Wade that the fires had been started on those boats. Luckily Jill Sanders had slipped out of the meeting to call her mother, who was home sitting her kids, to tell the gossip about Clem and Wade’s affair, or the whole dock would have gone up. Wade guzzled water, staring down at the ruined dock, wondering how long it would take to get the insurance people to hand over the money so he could get two new boats back into the water. He found the fact that the Taylors were the only other family to take a loss telling, although the destruction of the dock itself would impact everyone. In the east, the sky suddenly lightened, another day starting. He turned to find most of his clan staring at him, waiting for guidance, his affair with Clem all but forgotten in the face of disaster. “We’ve got our remaining boats anchored in the harbor,” he said and tried to assess just how tired they all were. “Any of you able to work the water today?” His throat constricted when everyone said they could. The Tawes family wasn’t perfect by a long shot, but they were there for each other when they were needed. 188

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“Cappy?” he said, turning to his great uncle. “If you could open the store for me, I’d appreciate it.” The islanders would need supplies today. “I’ll ride with you, Otis.” He met all their gazes in turn. “I wish I could tell you we don’t need to do this today, but the fact is we need the money. It will take time to get the insurance on the two boats we lost, so we’ll just have to do the best we can.” “Wade, about your affair with the Taylor woman,” his Uncle Pete began. He cut him off. “Anyone says one word against Clem and I’ll knock their head from their shoulders.” Taking a breath to keep his temper, he lifted a hand to the rising sun. “Let’s get onto the water before we lose the morning.”

Y Surprisingly, Clem had slept as she waited for Aunt Liv to come out of emergency bypass surgery. They’d taped Tabby’s ribs and checked her for a concussion, but otherwise her cousin was fine. When the nurse woke her to tell her Aunt Liv had made it through all right, she had a moment of reckoning with herself. Staring out the hospital window, she watched the sun rise and knew that not only was she not going to run away, but she wasn’t going to leave without a fight. Her family needed her, whether they wanted her or not. What she was going to do about Wade, she wasn’t sure. But wracking her brain, she couldn’t see an outcome that had her family and Wade in it. She turned to find Tabby watching her from her chair nearby. “I’m going back to the island. We’ve got a lot to do there,” Clem said, keeping her voice steady. This would be her first test to see how her family would treat her from now on. Tabby was probably the only person on the island who didn’t know about her affair, since she’d been at Liv’s during the island meeting. Tabby’s eyes looked haunted, but she stood and crossed to the window. “You need to go back,” she agreed. “Tabby, after this morning everyone else knows it, so you need to as well,” Clem started, then halted, worried what her cousin would think of her. But better she find out www.samhainpublishing.com

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from Clem than someone else. “I’ve been having an affair with Wade Tawes.” Affair was such a mild word, Clem had to stifle the groan that welled up inside her. Obsession, fascination, passion, true love—all would have been more accurate. Tabby’s mouth flipped open. “Oh my God.” Clem touched her arm. “I’ve tried over and over to stop it. I even swore three years ago I’d never return to Blue and married someone else to put an end to the madness, but Aunt Liv needed me back on the island.” She took a deep breath and admitted it all. “The minute I was back, we started seeing each other again.” She’d never have stolen moments with Wade from now on. The pain of that hit her like a jab to the gut. A small hum of agony escaped her. It wasn’t fair or right, but she saw no way to keep him and her family too. Unable to face the horror on her cousin’s face, she stared out the window at the lapping water. The view of the surrounding salt marsh was beautiful in the rising sun, but she could barely see it. They were in Crisfield’s tiny hospital, unable to move her aunt to Johns Hopkins because her condition had deteriorated by the time they’d made it to the mainland. Instead, the helicopter had brought a lead surgeon from Baltimore to perform the surgery. “I always wondered why you never came back,” Tabby whispered. “I knew you loved the island, yet you wouldn’t even return home for holidays.” “I know what I did was wrong, but I’m not sorry I did it. Even if I should be.” She watched a white egret land in the shallow water and tilt its head back and forth, scouting out fish. How could she be sorry for loving him? She couldn’t. She met Tabby’s gaze. “I can’t leave him alone, as much as I’ve fought it, as much as I’ve always wished it wasn’t so.” Nothing had kept her from being with him but sheer distance. If Wade had ever shown up on her doorstep in Richmond, she would have fallen into his arms, she had no doubt. “This time around, I didn’t even try to keep away from him.” Tabby shook her head. “Clem, he’s a Tawes.” “I know.” “You have to stop.”

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Clem nodded. “I know.” She sighed at the futility of it all, and felt a stirring of anger. It wasn’t fair. None of this was fair. “Look, I need to get back onto the island and see what happened. There’s a lot to do today. Watch after Aunt Liv for me. It will be awhile before she wakes up, but tell her I love her when she does.” Clem wondered if her aunt would return that love or if she’d lost her place in Liv’s heart permanently. With that, she caught a ride to the marina with a staff member who’d just finished the night shift and drove Mike’s boat back to Blue. The ride felt much longer than the thirty minutes it usually took. Her mind whirled with possibilities for her future. If Aunt Liv asked her to leave forever, she would have to go. If she was allowed to remain a part of the family, even if it meant living in disgrace, she’d do it. Wade entered her thoughts and the throb of his loss pulsed through her again. He was his family’s Head and no matter what, that wouldn’t change. Since he was a man, he might be chastised for his behavior, but the double standard on the island would allow him to survive with his place intact. He was an amazing person, born to lead, and his family was lucky to have him at their helm. He’d told her at the hotel that if she ran, he would follow her. She wasn’t running. But if she was asked to leave, she wouldn’t let him come with her. He had been born on Blue and would never be happy any place else. And if she was still welcome on the island? What then? For a moment, she wished with all her heart that they could continue their affair. But now everyone would be watching. Now the whole island knew their secret. If she was caught with him again, she’d lose her family for sure. And it would only be a matter of time before Wade’s clan could no longer pass his behavior off, either. They would put tremendous pressure on him if he didn’t stop seeing her. She couldn’t let that happen, not to Wade and not to herself. But God, being close to him and not touching would kill her. It hadn’t been like this when she left three years ago. There’d been anger and pain. But not this total devastation,

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as if her still-beating heart had been ripped from her chest. How would she survive this time? Pushing her own troubles from her mind, she circled around to the small cove Blue used as its marina to view the damage. All the boats were gone, but she could see the masts of at least four sunken trawlers, and the dock was damaged beyond repair. Where had everyone gone? Driving back to Aunt Liv’s house, she found Shirley, Jenny and Carrie in the kitchen arranging food on platters. There was a weird silence when she stepped inside the house. “Was anyone hurt in the fire?” she asked, breaking it. “No, thank God,” Jenny said. “How is Aunt Liv?” “She made it through surgery with flying colors. I left her with Tabby, since I need to call the insurance company right away.” Jenny nodded. “We lost both Trent’s and Will’s boats. Aunt Liv kept the insurance paperwork in her desk.” “I’ll get it. Where is everyone?” “On the water,” Carrie said. “Wade told the Tawes clan that it might be awhile before the insurance money came, so they all needed to get in the catch. Uncle Raymond figured if the Taweses could go out and work after fighting the fire all night, we could, too. So they left at daybreak.” Clem sighed at the competition, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “They’re coming here after they get in?” “Yes.” Jenny paused, as if searching for the right words. “I’ve spoken with most of the clan and they agree that even under the present circumstances, you’ll remain Head until Aunt Liv names another to take your place.” Clem could tell there wasn’t a question in their minds as to if that would happen, it was only a question of when. She didn’t care. She may have let them down in the past, but she wasn’t going to let them down again.

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Chapter Twenty-Four It was noon and already it had been a long day when Wade entered his store. Seeing the sheriff of Somerset County standing by his cash register meant the day was about to get even longer. About the only thing that had gone right in the last twenty-four hours was the bond he and Clem shared had reconnected, telling him Clem was back on the island. When he felt her leave last night, he thought for sure she’d gone for good, but stepping onto Blue a few moments ago after hauling in the catch, he knew she’d returned. He planned to talk to her the first chance he got. “Wade,” Sheriff Christopher N. Jones said, nodding in a way that always had Wade grinding his teeth. Jones had the attitude that the islanders shouldn’t govern themselves, that they were too ignorant and stupid to be trusted with the responsibility. Wade hadn’t showered since the fire and still wore his smoke-laden clothes, which now had the tang of crab on them. In a flash of childishness, he enjoyed forcing Jones into shaking his hand. “Sheriff Jones. What brings you out?” “Clemant Taylor called me.” Wade managed to keep his features blank at the mention of Clem’s name, wondering why she had called in the mainland law. “Oh?” Jones grabbed his belt and rocked back on his heels. “Yep. Can’t file the insurance claim on her boats without a police report,” he said gleefully. Smart Clem. He hadn’t even thought of it, so intent on getting the catch in. He wondered at the fact she was still filling in as Head, but couldn’t ask Cappy what had happened until he got rid of the grinning asshole in front of him. “Figured you needed a copy, too, so I thought I’d drop one by.” Obsessively, he rearranged his nightstick on his belt, then checked the fifteen other things he had strapped there. www.samhainpublishing.com

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Now Wade had to say thank you, which normally would have galled him, but surprisingly, he found he was thankful. “I appreciate that, Sheriff.” Jones raised his eyebrows at the sincerity in Wade’s voice and flipped pages on his clipboard until he pulled out a sheet of paper. “Sure thing,” he said, handing it over, squinting suspiciously at him. It occurred to Wade that perhaps rather than antagonizing Jones, he should try to overcome his dislike and work with him. Times were changing and the way the feud was going, the law might very well come to Blue permanently. He didn’t want too much of a good thing, though, so he said, “Thanks for coming out,” and walked the sheriff across the store. “Any time,” Jones said, giving him a funny look as Wade stuffed him out the door. “What in the hell was that?” Cappy asked, after a few moments of silence. “You were acting like his best friend.” “Doesn’t hurt to be nice, since the way this island is headed, we might be dealing with Jones on a daily basis soon.” Cappy winced, but Wade figured it was time they started accepting the fact that not settling the feud now meant the mainland law would be coming in soon. He spent the rest of the day dealing with a flurry of issues and problems. The whole time, he spread the word through his clan that he was fine if they didn’t want to stop the feud, but they better be ready for the sheriff to be on the island from now on. Wade’s patience was at an end. If they wanted to fight, they could jump to it. He’d pick up what pieces he could when they were done, but he was tired of telling them to use their heads at every turn. Interestingly, no one said a word to him about Clem. Not a single, solitary word. Which was good for them, because he was more than willing to work out some of his rapidly building frustration and anger on someone else’s body. This past week, he’d thought more about violence than he had since he was twenty. Of course, it had been a hell of a week.

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Finally, things settled down and he was able to shower. After peeling off his clothes, he put them into a garbage bag and tossed them down the stairs, knowing he wouldn’t be able to wash the smoke out. Padding naked to the bathroom, he turned on the water as hot as he could stand it and ducked under the spray. He soaped quickly, then decided he’d stay until the water went cold. All day, he’d wanted to see Clem. The urge ate at him until he’d picked up the phone twice to call her. But each time he’d set it down when he realized he might make things worse for her with her family by calling. As sad as it was, when he finished his shower, he was going to have to stand outside her aunt’s house. Being close to her might help ease the ache inside him. The thought should have made him feel pathetic, but instead he accepted it. His emotions when it came to Clem were complex and rich and unstoppable. Why fight them? He loved her like a fool. But it was easier to take now that he knew she loved him just as much. She’d risked everything yesterday to keep the island from convicting him of a crime he hadn’t committed. Everything. She’d protected him as surely as he’d been protecting her. The only pathetic thing between them was that they couldn’t seem to communicate their feelings to each other. Hell, they’d spent a large chunk of their lives not even speaking. Well, the next time he saw her, they were going to talk. They both were going to express how they felt about the other, he’d make sure of it. Nothing would scare Clemant more. And if he was honest, he wasn’t all that comfortable with it either. But someone had to lead, so he supposed he would have to be the bigger person. He’d long ago accepted the inevitability of their situation. God had predestined them to be together. He believed that with all his heart. It explained perfectly why the pull of their bodies was so very strong. Clem’s mother had been a slave to other men who abused her and Clem had decided she wasn’t going to let herself follow down her path.

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What she didn’t understand was that they were equally enslaved. They both had power over the other. He was just as ensnared as she. Pain inflicted on one led to pain for the other. It was time to stop hurting themselves and to start living the life they always could have had. If that meant leaving their families to fend for themselves, then so be it. But he didn’t think it would. He planned to turn all the energy they’d been using to fight their obsession onto their families. God knows, they’d expended enough effort to win a thousand battles. Their clans didn’t stand a chance against them if they joined forces. He just had to convince Clem it was true. It might be the hardest thing he’d have to do in his life, but he wasn’t going to fail. The hot water turned into cool, then right before it went icy, he shut it off. Reaching blindly, he grabbed the towel and wiped his face. An odd warmth built inside him and he knew she was there before he even looked up. How long she’d been watching, he didn’t know. Raising his head in slow motion, he stared at her, wondering if she was a figment of his imagination, an image he’d conjured because he needed her so much. She had on jeans and a red T-shirt, her short hair pulled back into something like a ponytail. She looked tired, but perfect. They studied each other, neither moving, although for his part, he thought he might have fallen asleep in the shower and didn’t want to wake for fear she’d fade away. Finally giving in to his need to hear her voice, he broke the silence. “I’m sorry about your aunt.” She nodded. “Thanks.” Her voice was a husky alto, as if she’d been using it too much. “She came through bypass surgery okay. Tabby just called to say she was awake and had agreed that I’ll remain Head for now.” He searched her face, trying to see how she felt about that, but she seemed distant, her eyes remote and wary. Absently, he dried the water from his chest. Her gaze dipped down for only a brief glance, but he felt desire from her flicker along the invisible line that had always been between them.

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It didn’t surprise him that she was fighting so hard to keep her distance. She’d just been judged a whore by half the island, condemned for loving him. He kept his temper. It wasn’t her fault that history and the sins of their families had kept them apart, or that the islanders were fifty years behind the times when it came to relationships. “I’m glad Livvy’s okay,” he said softly. “And I’m glad that even though you thought they’d hate you, your family still respects you enough to leave you as Head.” Sparks crackled in her green eyes. “I would hardly say they respect me. They’re desperate.” He didn’t like the bitter tone to her voice. This wasn’t Clem. “Do you think they would leave you as Head if they really hated you or thought you were a bad person?” He stepped out of the shower to get closer to her. “Think, Clem. They may be desperate, but you have forty other family members they could choose from to fill in if they didn’t think you were capable of doing the job.” She closed her eyes as if she were exhausted. She probably was, but she needed support more than she needed sleep right now and the only person who could give it to her was him. Winding the towel around his hips, he caught her arm and guided her to his bedroom. “Sit,” he said, pointing to his bed. “We need to talk.” “I came to ask you if you’d agree to start the dock work tomorrow after the catch is in?” She leaned her head against one of the hundred-year-old posts on his grandmother’s prized bed. “I know everyone is tired, but we need to start as soon as possible.” Pulling out a pair of clean jeans, he drew them on without bothering with underwear. Then he dropped onto the bed and leaned against the other post, not too close to scare her, but close enough to enjoy the scent of her beside him. “Yes,” he said, not caring about the damn dock. He returned the subject to where it needed to go. “Clem, listen to me.” He slid closer and cupped her chin lightly in his palm. They both hissed as the desire between them slapped through their bodies.

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She jerked her head away and would have bolted if he hadn’t held up his hands and said, “Stop. Don’t run. That wasn’t what I meant to do.” “I’m not running anywhere.” The statement was said so strongly, he found himself holding out his hands for another reason. “Okay. You’re not running. I apologize for accusing you and won’t touch you again during this discussion.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, noticing she followed his lead. They’d fallen into sync and hadn’t even noticed it. “You need to realize things aren’t as bad as you feared they would be when people found out about us.” “Only because they need me right now.” The words held anguish. “Yes, and you stayed to help them, which is what you should have done.” He was proud she’d had the courage to come back. Joy had leapt through him when their bond reconnected this afternoon. It meant she’d returned to Blue to fight. “I’m not leaving for good again, unless they ask me to.” “Good.” It would make it easier on him, since he wouldn’t have to chase her. “But I can’t make things worse by being with you, no matter how much I want you.” She’d repeated those words so many times they carried the cadence of a mantra. He casually steered her away from that, stretching out one foot along the bed so she sat between his legs, or almost so, if she’d been just a bit closer. “Has anyone asked you about our relationship?” She raised her chin. “I told Tabby.” He wanted her to tell people, wanted her to practice his name on her lips linked with her own. “What did she say?” “To stop seeing you.” He laughed, true humor filling the sound. “Well, hell, why didn’t we think of that?” Suddenly, her face softened, the bitterness dropping away, leaving her lips curving in a smile that showed dimples he hadn’t seen in years. “You’re right. We should have tried that.” He sobered. “Clem, no one can possibly give us advice on what to do, because no one on this island has ever felt anything like what we have between us.” He forced

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himself to relax against the post when he wanted to lean forward and pounce on her to make his point. “We’re special.” “Special needs, you mean,” she said with a grin. “Yeah, well, that too.” He had to keep her smiling, had to keep drawing her in, because he wasn’t going to let her leave his apartment without having two things from her. First, he wanted her to tell him she loved him. Say the actual words, not just leave him guessing it was true. He’d say them first, of course. It wasn’t like they weren’t true on his end. He’d loved her for a long time now and hadn’t been able to see it around the frustration of their relationship. He’d say them right now, if he didn’t think she’d freak out and run. Then when he finally had the declaration he wanted, he was going to drive his body so far into hers, she’d feel him inside her for the rest of her life.

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Chapter Twenty-Five Clem knew she was playing with fire, but she couldn’t leave, so drawn into his words she found herself breathing in time with the rise and fall of his chest. His naked chest. He hadn’t dressed and she knew he purposely left himself half clothed because she couldn’t resist his naked body. She wanted to run her hands down his abs, follow the line of hair into his jeans. No, no, she didn’t. She should leave. “Clem,” he said, drawing her notice. Raising an eyebrow, he gave her that half-smile she always loved to see on his face. “Besides Tabby, has anyone said anything to you about us?” She shook her head. “Has anyone said anything to you?” He shrugged and glanced away, and she knew from the gesture that he hadn’t expected her to ask. Which made her curiosity leap up. “What did they say?” She had to know, even if it meant staying when she should go. “My cousin Harlen and I used to be close.” He met her gaze, brown eyes considering. “He said in high school I started hiding something and it created a wedge between us. He hopes we’ll become friends again, now that it’s out in the open.” “Oh, Wade,” she said, her mouth dropping open, her heart tightening for him. “I hadn’t even realized the impact our secret had on the people around us.” His eyes were filled with sorrow. “Had you?” She thought back on the fact she’d never had a best friend, never had anyone that was too close, except for her family. Could what had always held her apart have been their secret? It would be hard to be best friends with someone when she kept such a large piece of herself hidden.

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Another thought occurred to her. “When I came back to Blue this time, and we started talking”—she paused, the idea so weird, she wasn’t sure it could be true—“we became friends. Faster than we should have. Almost instantly.” He drew up one leg and rested his arm on it, but something told her he did it to resist reaching for her. “Because we know each other’s secrets.” “You’ve already thought about it.” “Today, on the boat. Hell, Clem, think about it. For the last sixteen years, we’ve given each other the ultimate display of trust. We’ve kept a secret, even when it had a huge impact on our lives. Do you know how many people could actually do what we’ve done?” He was right. She’d never thought about it in those terms, but it was true. “Of course we became friends once we started talking to each other. I’ve always trusted you, always wanted you, always missed you when you’re gone.” He gave her a sad smile. “I’ve been your friend all this time.” His hand opened and closed, but he didn’t touch her. He said he wouldn’t, so he wouldn’t, even if it cost him to sit there. The revelation washed over her like a slow tide. Wade Tawes was a good man, an honorable man, someone worthy of her trust and friendship. And her love. Tears slid from her eyes, and she pressed the heels of her hands onto her face to try to stop them. She couldn’t remember why she shouldn’t be with him, couldn’t think of a single reason why she couldn’t spend the rest of her life waking up beside him every day. “Our families,” she said, the words so weak, she barely heard them. That was why. Their clans. He bent forward until his mouth was beside her ear. “If they can’t see why we have to be together, fuck them.” She hissed in a breath at the outrageous words and jerked away from him. “You’re insane,” she breathed. Her family was everything. They’d saved her. She owed them.

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He sat back and studied her face. “I think they will understand. I think they’re already taking it about a hundred times better than we’ve always feared they would. No one’s gone on a rampage. Hell, Clem, they haven’t even talked to us about it yet.” “I—” He cut her off. “We thought it would be such a big deal.” “You think this isn’t a big deal? Have you seen their faces?” “Of course I have. They’re shocked and appalled and disappointed in us. But, Clem, they don’t hate us and we haven’t started them feuding. The worst of what we thought hasn’t happened.” “When Aunt Liv gets back on the island, it will.” Her family waited to see what Aunt Liv would do. She could feel it in her gut. “Don’t let it,” he said, his tone filled with command. “What?” “Fight them.” His eyes were so intense, she winced when she met his gaze. “I love you and I’m done with this crap, Clem. I’m not going to let anyone try to take you away from me again.” Her breath caught in her throat. He’d just told her he loved her. He was going to fight his family for her. He was going to make a stand. She buried her face in her hands, reeling with joy and trepidation. Could she ever be happy if her family rejected her? Could she? “If you leave the island, I’ll follow you. You hold the fate of both our lives in your hands,” he murmured. “I’m thirty-three years old, Clemant. I’m not fucking around with this anymore.” His breath fanned her ear, he was so close. She didn’t want to deal with this. She didn’t want to make these decisions. It was too much, too overwhelming. What she wanted to do was lose herself inside him. All she had to do was turn her head to catch his lips with hers. So she did.

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He hadn’t been expecting it, she could tell by the second of hesitancy before he responded, slipping his tongue past her lips. His kisses had always been so good, just right. She gave herself up to the sensation, wrapping her arms around his neck. Suddenly, he flipped her below him on the bed, pinning her hands onto the mattress. “So that’s how you’re going to play this, is it?” “What?” What was he talking about? She needed him, needed to touch his body. “I give you my heart and you run again.” He was pissed, but his erection rode hard and thick on her inner thigh. “I’m not running.” Now she was mad. Did it look like she was running? She was right here on his bed. “You’re running mentally.” He dipped down to catch her nipple in his mouth through her T-shirt. His lips were gentle as he drew on her. She moaned, her body searching for relief as her desire heightened exponentially, all her fears, worries and emotion from the last day turning into need. “Wade.” He pulled away from her breast. “I can sit here all night and all tomorrow licking your body and teasing your breasts. Hell, I can torture you for the rest of our lives, but I swear you’re not going to orgasm until you admit your feelings for me.” Her mouth flopped open. “You wouldn’t.” The gold deep in his eyes glittered dangerously. “Oh, yes, my love, I would.” He lapped across her other nipple, the soft brush tightening it painfully. “And I will.” How dare he! How dare he use her body against her like this? She hated when he did that. Then she realized that she’d started it this time, not him. “You can’t hold out. You’re as trapped as I am.” “To hear you come clean, I’m willing to tease you for the rest of my life.” The words were a promise. “I deserve the truth. And I’m going to get it.” Then he was stripping off her jeans. She let him. There was no way he could hold himself back once he started touching her.

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Vaguely she wondered why she was fighting so hard, but his mouth was on her clitoris and she suddenly wasn’t thinking at all. He built her almost to orgasm, then pulled back. Gasping for air, she met his gaze, seeing him carefully holding his engorged shaft from her body. He’d taken off his jeans sometime along the way and she hadn’t even noticed. Why was he stopping? “Wade?” “No one comes until you say it,” he reminded her, the words strained. He stripped off her T-shirt and bra. She used the motion to slide her bare breasts across his chest. “Damn,” he groaned, nipping at her neck. “You feel so good.” “I’m soaking wet,” she murmured, on one level shocked that she’d said something so crass, but on another level, she found she loved tempting him. “You know how good we’ll both feel if you’re inside me?” “Yes, I know. And I hope you choose to put us both out of our miseries sometime soon.” He pushed her gently back on the bed. “This is too important to me to be distracted by my need for your body.” She huffed out a breath, trying to stop the shaking that had started all over her body. It was as if she stood in the middle of a desire-soaked snowstorm. He started slowly licking around one nipple and it was clear he wasn’t going to give in. She could feel a patience in him he’d never had before. Why was she even withholding the words he needed? It wasn’t like her love was a big secret. She’d basically announced it to the whole entire island the day before. Framing his face in her hands, she pulled him away from her breast. His eyes were glazed with desire so intense, she knew it had cost him to play this wicked game. If she was going to say the words, she might as well say them right. “I’m not sure why I’m fighting you right now, except that maybe we’ve fought this for so long, I’m not sure how not to fight it. You are my friend and lover, and I love you with all of my heart.”

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“Thank God,” he said, kissing her hard on the mouth. “Because I had about three minutes left in me to resist you.” She laughed, but it turned into a moan as he worked himself inside her. When he hilted, he held himself above her, his face a mask of desire. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve laid in this bed at night, wishing you were in it.” He rocked, the motion slow, but the teasing had added up and Clem knew she wasn’t going to be able to hold off for long. “Wade. I just wish things were different.” Kissing her deep, he increased the speed of his thrusts. “We’ll make them different.” And with that promise, the desire they both had pent up between them spilled together, pushing them into climax. Clem held on to him with everything she had, their love mingling freely to change the sex into something so right, tears spilled from her eyes and traveled onto the bed below them. “Don’t cry, Clem,” he whispered, holding her close, their bodies joined together, small tremors still wracking their limbs. “We’ll make it work, I swear it.” But doubt and worry climbed inside her. No matter how much they wanted it to work, she had a bad feeling it was going to be harder than Wade anticipated.

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Chapter Twenty-Six Wade showed up at Livvy’s house before nine the next morning, feeling vaguely guilty, like a boy who’d been caught doing something his mother had expressly forbidden him to do. He knew Clem was going to have a heart attack that he was here, but she needed to get used to him being around. He wasn’t hiding any longer and they had work to do that required their coordination. Tabby answered the door, her eyes narrowing when she saw him there. “Did you need something, Wade?” she asked icily. “Actually, I did, Tabby.” He stepped forward, forcing her into the hallway or risk having him walk over her. “Just what do you think you’re doing?” She placed her hands on her hips and dug in to resist if he tried to push further into the house. “Coming to see Clem.” Tabby lowered her voice, glancing back toward the kitchen, telling Wade exactly where to find his woman. “I don’t think this is appropriate.” “What isn’t? The fact I’m here to talk strategy with the Taylor Head?” Her eyes widened as she realized he might be here for just that reason, but Wade wasn’t about to go down the easy path. “Or the fact that I’m about to be in the same room with the woman I’ve been having a secret affair with for sixteen years?” Tabby gasped. “Wade,” Clem said from the kitchen doorway. “Stop torturing her.” He grinned, taking in Clem’s black dress slacks and button-down shirt. “I see we’re dressed for the office.” The pang of worry he experienced didn’t reach his face.

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After he’d walked her home last night, Wade had remembered what he’d chosen to forget when he’d pressured her to confess her feelings. Clem had a career on the mainland that she obviously loved. How in the hell could he ask her to move to Blue and give that up? That being said, how could he leave Blue and everything he’d ever known? He’d promised to chase her if she ran, but a small piece of him knew he’d be a fish out of water if he had to live permanently on the mainland. Clem rolled her eyes at his teasing about her clothes. “I have to talk to the insurance adjusters today.” “Thanks for taking care of the sheriff and getting me a copy of the police report.” He’d forgotten all about Jones during her visit last night. “I faxed the claim to our insurance company this morning.” “I’m going to try to push them into releasing the money early, at least some of the loss-of-income piece.” Tabby still stood between them, but he shut the door and settled back against it, ignoring her. “Loss of income?” “They’ll pay for the loss of money the boat could have made if it was in the water.” “Really?” He’d tried to read the policies, but every time he pulled them out, something had distracted him. His father had set them up years ago and he’d renewed them without ever reading the fine print. “Come in the kitchen and have some coffee.” She looked at her cousin. “You can let him in, just keep an eye on him in case he runs off with the good china.” Tabby made a choking sound that had Wade grinning, but they all trooped into the kitchen. “I’m not sure we have loss of income on our policies,” he said, more to keep Clem talking about things that Tabby would approve of than anything else. “If you’d like, I can look them over for you.” The offer caused Tabby’s mouth to fall open.

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It must be strange, seeing the two of them acting more like partners than enemies. Wade decided he liked it. “Sure thing. I’ll grab them when we go out.” Clem pulled another mug from the cabinet. “Are we going out?” “I’m thinking we better.” He settled at the table, bringing Tabby into the conversation. “Have you seen Mike?” She shook her head, pain flashing across her face. He didn’t want to hurt her, but they had to deal with her husband. Questions needed answers sooner rather than later. Clem set his coffee down, then cream and sugar, before going to Tabby to give her a hug. Wade took his coffee black. He lined up the pitcher and sugar jar with a sigh. The woman he loved didn’t know how he liked his coffee, and he didn’t know how she fixed hers. It wasn’t something he planned to leave a mystery much longer. He wanted to know every little facet of her life, every detail. He wanted to spend the rest of his life figuring her out. With Clem, it would probably take that long. “We’ve had people looking for him, but he’s missing.” She sat beside him, making him want to take her hand. “His boat is still down on the dock. I took the keys.” “His clothes are still here,” Tabby said, dropping into a chair as well. “So most likely he’s still on the island.” Which meant the Evans family was probably trying to hide him. Wade knew his first instinct would be to turn to his family for help if he was in this kind of trouble. After all, neither he nor Mike knew how to survive in the real world. “Or someone could have given him a lift to the mainland.” Clem sipped her coffee, her face considering. “I don’t think he’ll run off the island, at least not yet. He’ll be in a panic, his instinct to stay close to his family.” Clem tipped her head. “Okay, so let’s say you’re right. Then most likely Don knows where he is.” “You’re right. He would.” “If Mike is still here.”

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“He’s here.” Wade felt it in his gut. And Don had been up to something two nights ago. Hiding Mike could very well be it. “So what do we do to force Don to give him up?” “Don won’t tell us where Mike is unless he has no other choice. He’s from the old school.” Like Wade’s father. His father had been ruthless and unfaithful, but he’d never hand over a family member unless there was no other option. Secretly Wade thought it was one of the reasons the feud between the two clans had never healed. If those who had been responsible had been properly punished, then people might have been able to move on. “There is one thing I can think of that means more to Don than his family.” She gave him a look filled with meaning. God, he loved Clem’s sharp mind. “You’re right,” he said, saluting her brilliance with his coffee mug. “You know,” Tabby broke in, startling them both. The sheepish look on Clem’s face told him he wasn’t the only one who had forgotten her. “Watching you two, I don’t know how any of us missed this. You two are”—she made a winding motion with her hands as if searching for the right words—“so in sync, as if you’re reading each other’s minds or something. Like”—she swallowed—“like an old married couple.” Her voice held both dread and awe. Clem patted her on the back. “Tabby, it’s okay.” Wade didn’t think it was okay at all. “These things tend to happen when you’ve loved someone as long as we’ve loved each other.” Clem shot him a warning look, but when Tabby choked on her coffee, she gave her cousin a few healthy whacks on the back. “Are you all right?” “Please don’t tell me you love him,” Tabby said on a sob. “I won’t,” Clem promised. Wade sipped his coffee without comment, unrepentant. “But do you?” Tabby stared at Clem with a gaze that begged her not to let it be true.

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Wade held his breath. Would she run again? Would she deny them? “Yes, I do,” she answered, her gaze not wavering from Tabby’s. “Oh no, Clemant. That’s impossible.” “Obviously not impossible.” The words slipped out before he could stop himself. “Wade,” Clem snapped, her eyes narrowing. “Clemant,” he said as innocently as he could. Then he grinned. He couldn’t help it. She looked beautiful when she was annoyed with him. “You’re riding my last nerve at the moment,” she warned, but amusement pulled at her lips. He’d noticed that she had a hard time not smiling when he did. He tucked the information away for later use against her. “Oh God, I think it’s true.” Tabby sat there, looking like someone had run over her new puppy. “That’s why you didn’t love John. You were in love with Wade Tawes.” Clem blinked, opened her mouth, then shut it. Wade almost let out a whoop of joy at the news she hadn’t loved her ex-husband. But Clem’s concerned face and haunted eyes told him that she hadn’t realized how obvious it was that she had married a man she didn’t have a soul bond with. Unable to control his urge, he rubbed his hand down her arm and clasped her hand. She squeezed his fingers, then shook her head. “Enough. We have work to do.” She took a steadying breath. “We need to go talk to Jim.” He nodded. “Why?” Tabby asked, staring at their clasped hands with a frown. But she wasn’t outraged anymore, didn’t demand they stop or try to throw him out. Wade knew that was the first step to acceptance. “Because Clem cleverly came up with a strategy to force Don’s hand.” Wade knew his pride in her was written across his face. “You may not know this, Tabby, but Clem is a complete mastermind when it comes to this kind of stuff.”

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Clem began to doubt Wade’s faith in her when she, Wade and Jim drove up to Don’s house. First of all, Jim was a nervous wreck. He’d agreed to their plan but bucking Don this way obviously didn’t sit well with him. He hadn’t said two words the whole drive. Second, Don had lived twice as many years as she’d been alive, and had been Head of his clan since she’d been in diapers. The idea of trying to outfox him was overambitious at best, and stupidity at its worst. But what drove it home to her that her plan was doomed to fail was seeing Rose answer the front door. She stifled the “Oh shit” that wanted to race out of her mouth, but only by a fraction of a second. “Rose,” Wade said, his tone mild and impersonal. “We’ve come to see your father.” “Well, well, look who’s come to visit.” She smirked, her body curving around the door. “I heard why you dumped me, Wade. And here I was thinking you loved me and we were going to get married,” she purred. Wade’s lids went down to half mast in an odd, lazy look that belied the fact his whole body went on alert. “It’s a good thing we didn’t marry, Rose. I’m not real keen on being juggled with two other men.” Jim made a choking noise and Clem clutched her stomach, seeing Rose and Mike having sex in her mind. Mike’s face was so disgusted, so angry, and Rose’s had been just…just ecstatic, as if she was getting something she had to have to live. The juxtaposition of the two of them had been frightening. Rose’s eyes narrowed. “I guess we both have problems with being faithful, since you’ve been sneaking around with Clem for sixteen years.” Her gaze swept Clem, the kind of once-over which said that she couldn’t see what Wade saw in her. Clem wondered how to handle what was rapidly turning into a confrontation. While she wasn’t happy with Rose for being the catalyst for the end of Mike and Tabby’s marriage, they were here to talk to Don about bigger things. “Is your father here?” she asked politely.

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Rose cocked a hip, leaning harder into the door. “How does it feel to be called a whore by most of the island behind your back?” A shot of anger went through Clem, but she had a feeling it was more Wade’s reaction than her own. She stepped between them to cut Wade from the conversation until he calmed down. “I’m sure you know how it feels as well as I do,” she said, making her tone dry. Behind her Wade coughed in surprise and Jim moaned. Clem could tell when they’d showed up at his house that Jim planned to take the tact that he would ignore their affair, letting their clans deal with their behavior. Rose bringing it up made ignorance impossible. “You bitch,” Rose seethed. Clem sighed. “Come on, Rose, stop amusing yourself with us. We have more important matters we need to talk to your father about and can’t jack around with you right now. If you want to have a catfight, find another time to do it.” Rose stared at her like she’d grown five heads. Clem could tell from her confused expression that she had no idea what to do. It was hard to argue with someone who didn’t take you seriously. “Fine,” she said, throwing open the door and flouncing up the stairs, dismissing them. “What’s going on here?” Don asked, coming around the corner. Clem felt her confidence melt away in the face of Don’s judgmental gaze. One look at his face told her he had changed his mind about her, now that he knew about her affair. At her pause, Wade walked around her into Don’s living room without being invited. “We need to talk.” She and Jim followed him at a distance. “I’m not sure what we have to talk about.” Don’s attention rested on Jim for a moment, and his displeasure breathed through the room. Jim being here annoyed him more than Clem thought it should. She wondered why.

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“We’ve come for Mike Evans,” Wade said, lounging into a wing-back chair, which Clem had a sneaking suspicion was Don’s. It was bigger than any other in the room, more regal, with a seat that would place the sitter slightly above anyone else in the room. Don’s sharp frown confirmed it, but he lowered himself onto the other, smaller one that matched it. “I don’t know where he is.” Jim slid onto the sofa like a wraith. Clem sat beside him for moral support. “Now, I find that hard to believe, since you’re his Head.” Wade crossed his legs in a motion so casual, Clem would have believed he was totally relaxed if she didn’t feel the backwash of his emotions through the mysterious link between them. “I have no idea where he is,” Don repeated. “Then let me jar your memory.” Wade’s eyes narrowed as he delivered their ultimatum. “The rest of the quadrumvirate has decided that we will be forced to vote the Evans clan out if you do not agree to hand over Mike.” Don rocked forward. “What? What the hell are you talking about?” He looked at Jim. “I’m sorry, Don,” Jim said in a surprisingly calm voice after his earlier nerves. “But what Mike did must be dealt with. We can’t let people hurt others on Blue. The four of us have been charged with keeping the peace here. If we allow people to act like this without consequences, we no longer fulfill the duties we’ve been charged to uphold.” Don’s face fell, as if he saw that he was in a corner, but he wasn’t finished fighting yet. “She,” he said, pointing at Clem, “isn’t even Head of her clan anymore. She cannot vote.” “Actually, I am. Aunt Liv has kept me as acting Head until she returns from the hospital.” Clem met his gaze and forced herself to be strong in the face of his censure. “That might not be for another week or two.” Don ground his teeth so hard, the room was filled with an unpleasant scraping noise. “Then I see no choice but to agree to your demand.” He stood. “As the Head of the Evans Clan, I agree to hand over Mike tomorrow morning at nine o’clock.” The words were formal and ritualized, one Head committing to the others, giving his word of honor.

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“We’d like him to turn himself in right now for questioning.” Wade’s voice was cool and firm. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.” Don sat and studied his nails. “It will take me several hours to travel to where he’s staying.” Clem watched Don’s face, but saw nothing there but anger. He’d agreed a little too quickly, caving in long before she’d expected him to. If they pushed him, they would question his word. The fact was, if he broke his commitment to the other Heads, it would result in him losing his position as Head for sure and she didn’t think he’d risk that. It made no sense that he would lie, but she had a niggling feeling in the back of her mind that Mike wouldn’t be there in the morning as Don had promised.

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Chapter Twenty-Seven Wade followed Clem to Livvy’s dock, knowing he couldn’t come with her to the mainland. Dealing with Liv was one battle she had to fight on her own, no matter how much he wished he could do it for her. She hopped onto Mike’s boat, her flawless execution showing she’d found her sea legs again. He put his foot on the boat, squinting at her in the sunlight. “I wish I could come with you to help explain.” “I have to face Aunt Liv alone.” The words sounded bold, but she spoiled the statement by chewing on her lower lip. His gut clenched. If there was one person on the planet who could steal back the progress that he’d made last night, it was her aunt. “Come here,” he said, forcing his worries to the far recesses of his mind. “A kiss for luck.” Their first kiss in the open. As his lips slanted onto hers, he tried to pass her his strength, his love, his hope for their future. He found he liked kissing her right out in the open, liked how right and wonderful it made him feel inside. He pulled away with reluctance, brushing her cheek with the side of his hand. No matter how much he wanted to tell her to fight for them, he stepped away instead. She would have to do this on her own, or they’d never make it. They were worth sacrifice or they were not. He would give up everything, put her above everyone, but unless Clem felt the same, they weren’t going to be the rock-solid force needed to face down the rest of the island. She smiled, her lips wobbling, then he released the dock ropes and she started the engine. He stood watching her, knowing he had so many things to do, but unable to walk away until she was out of sight. www.samhainpublishing.com

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For the last week, he had barely worked in his store or on the boats. He’d been distracted, totally focused on Clem and the struggle between their families. He should go take care of the million things that needed doing. But instead, he waited for that moment when the tie between them snapped, signaling that she’d left the island. He wanted to be watching her when it happened this time, see how far the break occurred away from the island. As she navigated from the small cove, he suddenly wanted to call her back, tell her she better damn well fight for them. That he loved her and wasn’t going to lose her because of a seventy-year-old fight that wasn’t even their fault. Instead, when he felt their bond snap free as she cleared the shallows around the island, he raised a hand to wave goodbye. She turned at that moment, and waved in return. “Fight for us, Clem. Don’t make me be the only one who’s willing to give up everything for our love.” And with those words, he returned to town, his heart in his throat. Clem gasped as something inside her broke. It hurt worse this time than it had the last, as if Blue didn’t want her to leave. It was like she’d been tethered to the island by an invisible string that had stretched tight before it snapped. She turned and saw Wade waving from the shore. She raised a hand, fighting the urge to change course and return to him. This is where she belonged, this island that had been the only home she’d ever known. Aunt Liv might ban her from Blue for her behavior with Wade and she would never be able to come back. The thought had her catching her breath on a sob. Well, she wouldn’t let that happen. She’d do anything to keep her home. “Anything?” a little voice inside her asked. “Give up Wade?”

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She clutched the steering wheel in both her hands. “Be realistic, Clem, you could no sooner be on Blue without having Wade than you could live without food.” Shaking her head, she tried to figure out what that meant. “So what am I saying? That I can’t live without him?” Seagulls whirled on the airstreams above her. She watched them as the question reverberated in her mind. Could she? Could she live without him in her life? Probably. She could exist. She’d been existing for the last three years, getting up in the morning, going to work, coming home again. No joy, no sadness, just a walking vessel of nothingness inside her. Did she want to return to that? “No. God, no,” she whispered into the wind. “I can convince Aunt Liv that I have to have him in my life. I can do anything if I set my mind to it.” In a haze of determination, she docked the boat, her mind made up. Driving her car to the hospital, she parked and said out loud, “She’ll understand that I love him and want to live my life with him. I have to make her understand. I will convince her we must be together.” Now that she was back on the mainland, she should call Steve and check in at work, see how testing was going, make plans for her next trip to the office, see where she could pitch in from a distance. She couldn’t put talking to Liv off anymore, though. It was already getting hard to breathe, she was so nervous. She found her way to Aunt Liv’s room as if she was in a dream, everything around her faded at the edges, only her goal clear in her mind. Knocking instead of just entering uninvited, she had a moment of self-doubt, but quickly squashed it. Her cousin Shirley opened the door, her eyes narrowing and her mouth screwing up when she saw who it was. “We were just talking about you,” she said, her tone saying plainly that it hadn’t been pleasant.

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Clem had always gotten along with Shirley, but they hadn’t been close. She’d known people would react like this. Tabby hadn’t, but Tabby had probably been in shock. Pulling herself to her full height, she stepped around her. “Hello, Shirley.” She nodded to her aunt, afraid to try to hug her and end up rebuffed. “Aunt Liv.” Growing dread sizzled in her veins. “Thanks for visiting, Shirley,” her aunt said, clearly dismissing her. Shirley didn’t want to leave, holding on to the door for several telling seconds, before saying, “Fine, then,” and marching out. “I’ve had quite a few visitors come to express their opinions on your affair with Wade.” Her aunt’s voice was mild, but Clem knew there was censure there. “I’m sure you have,” she said, not bothering to sit. “Have you broken things off with him, then?” Clem tried not to start hyperventilating. She was thirty-three years old, a woman in charge of her own destiny. She’d convinced CreditOne management to invest millions of dollars in systems upgrades. Convincing her aunt would be hard, but she could do it. But part of her wanted to say she had ended things and beg her aunt’s forgiveness. “No, I haven’t,” she said instead. Her aunt hummed. “I see. You’re going to continue to see him?” “Yes.” The one word answers were rude, but she couldn’t seem to force more out. Liv’s gaze became considering. “I’m afraid this latest round of heart trouble means I can no longer be Head of the family. What if I offered you Head until Jenny reaches twenty? Would you reconsider your affair with Wade to stay in power?” Words, how many times had Wade told her to communicate her emotions? To tell him, and the rest of the island, how she felt. She drew down and found some. “I’m not ending things with Wade for any reason.” “Why not, Clemant?” She pulled in much-needed oxygen. “Because I love him.” Faded green eyes narrowed. “And do you think he loves you in return?” “Yes.”

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“I don’t hear any doubts there. How can you be so sure? How can any woman be sure of a man’s heart?” How could she? Her mind whirled, but all she could say was, “Because he’s fought for sixteen years, we both have, to end things between us. We’ve tried everything to stop, Aunt Liv. But deep inside us both is a bond so rich and deep, it turned into love somewhere along the way.” She took a breath and added, “And friendship. We’re willing to stand up to everyone on the island and fight for acceptance, since living this way won’t work anymore. That seems like proof enough to me.” She felt the rightness of her words well up inside her and straightened her shoulders. A silence stretched between them. Then her aunt settled further into the pillows. “I suppose it does. You’re marrying him?” Clem flinched. Marriage. “I—” Her aunt laughed, but it wasn’t mean or condescending. Liv was genuinely amused. “You haven’t spoken with him about this topic?” She shook her head. No. “I don’t want to get married again.” She’d tried that once and it had been a catastrophe. One step at a time. They’d try dating like normal people and see what happened. “You young people today.” Liv stared off through the window at the salt marsh. The sun caught the waves, sparkling in the tide like a wash of diamonds, but Clem didn’t think her aunt saw any of it. The water was smooth in the afternoon light, the surface barely rippling, the birds off to rest after spending the morning fishing in the shallow depths. Liv met Clem’s gaze again. “I had a dream the night Virginia burned the church.” Clem locked her knees, ready for the next wave of arguments against them continuing their affair. “I dreamed that God would tie a male from Dickie Tawes’s line to a female Taylor in their mothers’ wombs.” She seemed to lose focus, staring inside herself. “And from this bond, they would be fated from birth to love one another. Through their love, the feud would end, uniting the two families.”

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Thoughts of the tie between her and Wade pinwheeled inside her stomach. Could the weird connection they shared be a seventy-year-old destiny? “Except no one seemed to have this bond. Time went by and still none of the girls in our family showed interest in a Tawes boy.” She rearranged the blanket even though it lay perfectly straight. “Then one day, when you were visiting for the summer, one of the crabbers saw you and Wade laughing together up on Tompkin’s Bluff.” She met Clem’s gaze. “He was concerned, you see, that the two of you might be going down the wrong path. And I had hope, such great hope that this was it.” “Someone saw us,” Clem whispered. “But you didn’t tell us to stop.” Her aunt not only hadn’t stopped them, but had wanted them to be together. The idea was so foreign to her, Clem had a hard time accepting it as true. “Nothing came of it. I watched you two so closely, but there didn’t seem to be a flicker of interest.” A smile broke out across her face. “Until you announced to the whole island that the two of you had been having an affair for the last sixteen years.” “You’re not angry.” The shock of it zipped through her system. Her aunt shook her head. “I did everything I could to put the two of you together when you came back to Blue this time, thinking to rekindle old interest.” “So you offered for me to stay in as Head just to test me? To see if I’d give up Wade?” Clem was so confused. Why wasn’t her aunt angry? Why wasn’t she raging and protesting their love? “I had to make sure you loved one another enough to give up the things you cherished most. The feud can only be mended by true love, Clemant. Nothing else will heal the island.” “You told me to heal the rift Grandmother put between the clans.” “And you will. It will be hard for the Taweses to attack members of their own family, will it not? If you and Wade marry, we will finally be related to them, our lines connected.” She sighed, the breath a sound of contentment. “But when I offered you Head until Jenny is old enough to step in, I meant that. You’d be perfect in the position.” “Me?”

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“Who else? Your time at CreditOne has honed you, made you business savvy. You understand the outside world like none of us do. We’ve been sheltered, kept safe from dealing with the mainland. That’s the way we want to live, but now we need someone who comprehends the way things are done, who has the skills needed to negotiate with the outside world.” She paused, her hands spasming on the blanket. “The water supply on Blue is failing.” Clem gasped at the news. “I had no idea.” “The Heads decided to keep it quiet. We didn’t want to cause a panic. But we need a businessperson who knows how to deal with bureaucracy, who has the skills to lobby the government to allocate the millions of dollars we need to fix it. You’d be perfect for that job.” She would be, especially since everyone else on the island was more comfortable on a boat than in a government office. Being in a boardroom was something she had plenty of experience with. A thought occurred to her. “I—I’ve found out that a lot of the family is in debt. We need my salary.” Liv laughed. “Ah, Clemant, you’ll soon find out that no matter how much money we have, there are some who will always overspend. I love every member of the Taylor clan, but there are a handful who are like children with their money. You can work your whole life and you’ll never be able to keep them permanently out of money trouble.” Liv patted the bed beside her for Clem to sit. “It’s a valuable lesson you need to learn as Head.” Clem settled next to her aunt, her mind reeling from all the revelations of the last few days. “You can’t save them from themselves, Clem. You can only help them when they ask.” Liv raised her arms and Clem hugged her as tight as she dared. “The money you brought to the family was wonderful, don’t get me wrong. Each year, we’ve used it to put on new roofs and update the family’s houses to bring them modern conveniences. We appreciated the sacrifices you’ve made for us. But we need you here more than we need money.”

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For a moment, Clem stared at her hands, wondering at this turn of events. Could she give up her career on the mainland to live permanently on Blue? She hadn’t considered this as an option, her only hope being that she’d be allowed to return for vacations and holidays. She’d spent her whole adult life defining herself in terms of her career. It had been a huge part of her. Could she just walk away? Did she even want to? It would be strange not to get up to go to work each day, but perhaps she could finally start her own business. Blue had three hundred and seventy-four people. Maybe she could become her own boss like she’d always dreamed. A restaurant where everyone could meet and eat simple, but delicious food. A family place where people could spend time together, meeting friends and celebrating their life accomplishments. Not that she cooked, but Tabby did. This could be just the thing her cousin needed to take her mind off her problems. In the last week, she’d realized her work at CreditOne didn’t bring her satisfaction. She wanted to do something that impacted people’s lives and gave back to her family. This was a way she could do that. And to top it all, she could keep Wade in her life. “I’ll need to finish this project,” Clem murmured, shifting her focus back to CreditOne. “How long will that take you?” “A month, maybe two. I’ll call Randy before I leave the mainland.” She checked her watch, realizing she needed to let Randy know as soon as possible so he could start recruiting her replacement. There was no time to resign like the present.

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Chapter Twenty-Eight Wade looked up from his order forms when the bells jingled, hoping it was Clem, but knowing she hadn’t returned yet to the island. His mother’s face told him a storm had blown up and he had the urge to duck for cover. Instead, he stood to meet her. “Wade,” she said, the word clipped from lips held tight. “Mother,” he replied, wondering what had happened to set her off. “I’ve come to ask you if you’re still going to give your father’s whore money.” There was an ultimatum here, he just didn’t know what it was yet. But no matter what she threatened, he would hold firm. “I am.” He’d called Melinda earlier and laid it out for her. In exchange for visitation with his brothers, he’d give her money each month. It hadn’t been enough for her and when he suggested she move to Blue where the rest of the family could support her, she’d made a harsh choking sound. They hadn’t come to an agreement by a long shot, but they were on their way. His mother’s lips tightened to the point lines ran out in a star around her mouth. “That’s what I thought. You are so like your father.” He leaned over his desk. “Don’t say things you’ll later regret, Mother. I will never cheat on my wife.” “I suppose you’re going to marry her then. A Taylor.” The name flew from her mouth like a curse. “If she’ll have me.” “I don’t even know who you are anymore, Wade.” Her emotions shifted into a whine of misery. “I’m sorry you feel that way, but I have to do what I think is right when it comes to my half-brothers.” He hoped some day she’d understand, but today was obviously not

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that day. “And I love Clem, Mother. I really wish you could understand that I can’t live without her.” “Oh, honestly, Wade, what puppy-love drivel. You’ll wake up one day and realize this wasn’t love at all, but temporary insanity.” Wade stiffened, but resisted the urge to tell her that he’d been waking up for sixteen years waiting for that revelation and it hadn’t happened. He’d finally realized it wasn’t going to. “Temporary insanity or not, I’m going to marry her if she’ll have me.” Easier said than done with Clem. “Well, I won’t be here to see any of this.” She tossed down a set of keys on his desk. “Charlie Banks has asked me to travel with him.” “The mailman?” Wade choked out in surprise before he could squash it. He had suspected she was dating someone, but Charlie’s name hadn’t entered his mind. His mother raised her chin high enough to tip her nose into the air. “He’s retiring and has done quite well with his investments. We’re going to travel down the Intracoastal Waterway to Key West, then maybe sail down into the Caribbean to island-hop this winter.” He couldn’t believe his mother was about to live in sin with the island mailboat captain. Well, well. “I’m happy for you,” he said, meaning it. “I won’t be returning to Blue. The house and everything left in it are yours.” She spun on her heel. “Mother,” he said, stopping her at the door. “I love you and wish you happy. Please call when you can.” She nodded, the movement jerky, then she left. Maybe she’d never call. That would hurt, but Wade had a feeling that once she’d settled down, she wouldn’t be able to help herself. His only regret was that she wouldn’t be here to see him marry Clem. He sprawled into his chair. He’d need a plan of attack for that one. Although it might be a little premature, since he still didn’t know what had happened with Clem’s aunt. His

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stomach tightened painfully. Well, if she went back to fighting him, he’d just start over with convincing her. And if she ran? He’d have to chase her. A shiver of connection went through him as Clem returned to the island. Climbing to his feet, Wade called up to Cappy in the stockroom. “Can you cover the store for me?” Cappy’s head emerged from around the stairway. “Son, I hope you’re planning to actually do some work next week.” He grinned. “Come on now. You love being in charge.” Cappy snorted. Taking that as consent, Wade went for his boat. It was time to make a stand. Clem was still tying down Mike’s boat when Wade showed up, coming around the bend in his twenty-two-foot Island Traveler. The boat was too old for him to have bought it new, but as he pulled into Aunt Liv’s dock, sliding perfectly into place with a skill she’d never been able to master, she knew he loved it like only an islander could. “How did it go?” he asked, tossing her a line. She knelt to tie it to the cleat, then grinned at him. “Better than I’d hoped.” He leapt from the boat and tied the other line. “Really?” Before she could answer, he swept her into his arms for a kiss. The moment their lips touched, desire spiraled inside her, grabbing a hold of her insides and squeezing tight. They broke apart for air, their chests heaving with the effort to breathe. “Oh,” she said. It wasn’t very intelligent, but the desire hadn’t subsided like she’d anticipated. She’d thought things would settle if they were able to have a relationship in the open. As she chugged in air, trying to think through the haze caused by a simple kiss, she realized their attraction might never fade. It pleased her in more ways than she could count. Wade grinned, dimples appearing in his cheeks, his face filled with a simple joy. “That answers that question.”

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“I guess it does.” She took a deep breath. “I’m moving to Blue, to fill in for Aunt Liv until Jenny comes of age.” The words rushed from her, happiness filling her up with the declaration. Soon, she would be able to see him every day for the rest of her life. He rested a foot on his boat, the action reminding her of her great-grandfather. But unlike the old photo, Wade wasn’t demonstrating his possessive love for his ship. He was caging her on two sides instead. Her heart rate sped up as warmth from his body soaked into hers. “You can move in with me, then.” Her mouth dropped open, as she fought to control her surprise. “Oh, no, I am not. I’m not moving in with you.” One eyebrow shot up, telling her he planned to make her eat those words. Mentally, she dug in for a fight. Wade bent his head close to hers, wrapping her in his scent. “I think from our kiss, you know that you still need to make love to me every day.” She winced. He was going for the jugular, but he was right. “You need it, too.” “I’m not the one putting on the boxing gloves here,” he said mildly. “Because you showed up with yours already on.” He grinned again, not denying it, telling her she was in trouble. While she’d been talking to her aunt, he’d been plotting her downfall. She could tell by the pirate’s gleam in his eyes. “We both need each other every day or our lives will go to hell again.” He shifted an inch closer, possessiveness in the action. “I don’t plan to live like that, Clem. I promise you, I’ll do everything in my power to have you if you don’t agree to move in with me.” Clem narrowed her eyes. “That’s blackmail!” “Oh yes. Everywhere you go on this island, I’ll be there.” His voice dropped to a purr. “Touching you every chance I get, stealing kisses, making love to you with my words.” Desire flooded her veins and she knew she’d last about ten minutes against him. Before, he’d been held in check by their pact, but now Wade was free to rampage against her defenses right out in front of everyone.

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“I want you in my bed, Clem. Every night, not just stolen moments. I want it and I’ll fight you for it.” He circled her wrist and brought her palm up for a kiss that left her whole hand on fire. “And you’ll lose, because inside, you want this too.” She yanked on her hand, noting he released her without a fight. He was like that. Anticipating her and letting her have her way in everything but the hard stuff. Fighting him would not only be futile, but would end up costing her what she really wanted. Aunt Liv had asked about marriage as if it was a forgone conclusion. What would she think if they moved in together instead? She hoped she wasn’t pushing her aunt beyond her ability to cope. “Wade,” she said, defeated. He grinned again. “We’ll move you into my place in two days.” She blinked. “Why two days?” “Because that’s the waiting period for a marriage license.” “Oh no, we are not.” She stumbled back a step and would have toppled into his boat if he hadn’t caught her. “Whoa, now.” He gave her the dimple smile again. “There is no way you can live with me if we’re not married. Your reputation is already in shambles. I’m not letting anyone question that what we have is real.” “This isn’t going to happen.” He held up both hands. “Before you fight me, think. Are you ever going to marry someone else?” She flopped her hands on her thighs in frustration. “Of course not, but, Wade—” He interrupted her. “Don’t you want children?” “Yes, but what does that—?” “With me?” The gold in his eyes intensified and the question came out a bit fiercely. She opened her mouth, then closed it. “I know what you’re doing. You’re winding me all around until I agree with you.” “Of course I am, but I’d still like an answer to that question.”

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Sighing, she dropped her head in her hands. She’d never let herself imagine having children with Wade, because until the last few days, she’d never even imagined being with him in any sort of permanent way. But if she moved in with him, if she married him, she wanted his children. And at thirty-three, her biological clock was ticking. Not that she had to rush, but— “Clem,” he said, interrupting her from her thoughts. “If we’re going to make it in time to apply for a license, we need to leave now.” “I have to think about this. I’m not rushing a decision that’s this important.” There. That sounded very adult to her. He swooped her in his arms and stepped onto his boat. “There’s a two-day waiting period. You’ll have plenty of time to think about it.” “Shouldn’t you be asking me, instead of just strong-arming me into this?” He slid her down his body, making her hiss with need. “I plan to,” he murmured. “Tonight up on Tompkin’s Bluff.” “Oh.” That was where he should ask her, at the place where it all began. She shook her head to clear it, fighting for her common sense. “But why are we rushing?” He kissed her quick and hard, then started his boat. “Because two days is about two days longer than I want to wait for you to spend the night with me again.”

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Chapter Twenty-Nine Wade couldn’t believe he’d pulled it off, but the piece of paper in his jacket said he’d done it. He touched the outside of his pocket again, the crinkle telling him he hadn’t dreamed the whole thing. “Don’t look so smug. I still have two days.” He grinned, because he couldn’t help it. “Try to back out and I’ll carry you into the Justice of the Peace bound and gagged on Wednesday.” She rolled her eyes. “Please. This isn’t the middle ages.” Catching the back of her head, he kissed her hard on the lips. “You make me so happy, Clem.” She smiled back. “I love you, Wade.” “And I you.” He glanced up to steer them into the small cove that held Aunt Liv’s dock. “Damn,” he whispered, watching as someone moved in the fading light onto Mike’s boat. “Who’s that?” Clem asked. “Is that Mike?” “So much for Don handing him over in the morning. Word of honor, my ass.” Wade should have known Don would try to pull something like this. “Hold on.” He put the throttle down, making his boat jump in the water. The big engine might be old, but it would eat up the distance in no time. “He’s started the boat.” Beside him, Clem hummed. “I took the keys.” “He’d have another set hidden somewhere.” He stepped back. “Take over.” She automatically slid below his arms. “Wade, I’m not very good at docking at this kind of speed.” “Just pull up alongside him. We’ll worry about docking later.” He’d have to jump onto the Macy Grey before Mike could escape. Mike started backing from the dock when they pulled alongside him. www.samhainpublishing.com

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With a surge of adrenaline cruising through his veins, Wade jumped onto the other boat. Clem lost control and smashed the Macy Grey against the dock. “What the hell?” Mike screamed in surprise at Clem’s terrible driving. Wade landed, but immediately lost his balance in the crash, tumbling to the ground with an ungraceful thud. Coming to rest against the far side of the deck, he shook his head to clear his sight. He scrambled to his feet to find Mike wrestling with a stalled engine. Grabbing Mike’s shirt just as he started the boat again, Wade used his body weight to spin Mike from the console. Mike ducked his shoulder and tried to roll Wade past him. The muscles Wade had gained from working the boats would only put him even with the other man. Mike had been a crabber all his life, gaining bulk that went well beyond Wade’s own. Keeping his grip on Mike’s shirt, he staggered past him, pulling the fabric up Mike’s shoulders. Tabby’s husband reversed directions, bringing them both to the deck with a crash. He got in two fast, short jabs, before Wade found the leverage with his feet and tossed him off. It was imperative Wade win this. He had to bring justice to the island so people could have the closure they needed to heal. Rolling away from him, Wade gained his feet and caught Mike’s chin with an uppercut that had him staggering back into the console, jamming the throttle forward. The boat roared into the dock, throwing both Wade and Mike to the deck with a crash. For a moment the engine sputtered, then died completely. Hauling himself to his feet, Wade found the Macy Grey firmly lodged in the dock.

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Wiping the blood from his nose and the cut on his cheek, he shook his head at the destruction of another of the island’s docks. “This boat isn’t going anywhere any time soon. You’ve got nowhere to run, Mike.” Mike pulled himself to sitting, his shoulders sagging forward in defeat. “Fuck you, Wade.” Wade stood over him, taking in the soot and the smell of gasoline on Mike’s clothes. “Why? Why did you start all of this?” He actually had no idea if Mike had done the original vandalism, but it was clear he’d had something to do with the four boats which had burned. Mike rubbed his head as if he’d knocked it. “I wanted to be Head, Wade.” He met Wade’s gaze. “And this was the only way to gain Don’s approval.” “Don told you to start the feud again?” “No. He didn’t need to. I knew if I could restore the Evans family to its former position that would be enough.” “By vandalizing the boats and setting fire to them?” Mike nodded. “All I had to do was restart the feud and everything else would fall into place. With you and the Taylors feuding, both families would deplete their wealth. They’d have to sell their holdings on the western side of the island and would be too busy to even notice how much land I was buying. Don would have come around. He’d have to in order to keep our clan in the quadrumvirate.” Wade had to admit, it wasn’t as crazy as it sounded. “But why start the fires?” “Because Don told me he wouldn’t hand me over to the law. There was still a chance for my plan to come together.” “Not anymore,” Wade told him, wondering how Mike could deceive himself like this. It had only been a matter of time before they would have tracked him down. Setting fire to the docks had just added another charge against him. The worst part of it all was it could have worked. Hell, it almost did. If he and Clem hadn’t worked together, Mike’s plan would have become a reality. “I didn’t want to lose Tabby, though.” Mike stared at his hands. “I love her.”

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Wade resisted the urge to shake him. “If you love her, then why the hell did you sleep with Rose?” “I couldn’t help myself.” He wiped his face as if he might be struggling with tears. “She’s leaving the island. Marrying a Mainlander.” Wade thought Mike’s voice held both agony and anger in it. Maybe he both loved and hated Rose at the same time. “I’m glad to see the last of her.” It wasn’t the justice Rose deserved, but it was better that she leave the island than stay on to make more trouble. “She’s poison,” Mike agreed, rising to his knees. “She started all of this with her talk of both of us having power on the island, but she’s leaving without even a hitch in her day.” “Sometimes life isn’t fair. Things like this have a way of catching up to a person, though. That’s the only solace we have, I guess.” “You’re lucky you escaped her in one piece.” Wade helped him to his feet, seeing Clem dock his boat further up. Wincing as she smacked into the planking, he added docking lessons to his list of things to practice with her in the future. Docking lessons and lots of slow, intense sex in morning sunlight. “So what happens now?” Clem tied off and turned to them. “Trent wants to press formal charges against you. We need to call the sheriff.” Mike’s face collapsed and he stumbled from his boat onto the creaking dock, to land on his knees. “I don’t want to go to some mainland prison.” Helping him to his feet, Wade felt truly sorry for him. It would be hell for a waterman to spend years on dry land, let alone behind stone walls. He supported him up the stairs to Aunt Liv’s house, where he called some of his cousins to take Mike to the storeroom in the post office they used as a jail. Phoning Sheriff Jones annoyed him, but he did it, thanking the sheriff for coming in the morning to take statements and haul Mike from the island. Finally, he dropped into a chair at the table with Tabby and Clem.

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“So Clem says you two are getting married?” He could tell she’d been crying about Mike, but he didn’t know how to comfort her. “In two days,” he said firmly, in case Clem thought she could change his plans. The phone rang and Clem escaped to answer it. Tabby nodded. “Welcome to our family, Wade.” He let out a breath he hadn’t even known he’d been holding. One by one, he’d win the Taylors over. He had to. “Thank you.” “I hear you and Wade got a marriage license today,” her aunt said, clear irritation riding her voice, even over the phone line. “Um,” Clem said. It was the most intelligent thing she could find to say. Wade should have asked Aunt Liv for her hand, or they should have told Liv together what they planned before they did it. “Imagine how silly I felt acting like I knew when half of Crisfield trooped into my hospital room to tell me.” “I’m sorry we didn’t warn you. I kind of was caught off guard myself.” She wanted to throw Wade under the bus and save herself from her aunt’s wrath, but the truth was, she hadn’t thought of anyone else when she agreed to Wade’s proposal. She’d just done what her heart wanted, the consequences be damned. “I’ve informed everyone you’ll be getting married on Saturday in our church.” “What?” Clem blinked at the phone in surprise. Tabby and Wade stopped talking behind her. “I’ve already spoken to the pastor, so you won’t have to bother with that.” Clem turned to stare at Wade, her eyes widening. “You’ve spoken to the pastor?” she repeated. Wade’s eyebrows went up. “And I’ve taken care of putting Jenny in charge of the food, so you won’t have to worry about that, either. We’ll have the reception at the house, of course.” Her aunt had a

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smile in her voice as she cheerfully forced them into doing what she wanted. “You can wear one of your cousins’ dresses. There are enough around for you to choose from.” “Thank you. We’d love to have the reception here Saturday.” Clem accepted the inevitable. Wade’s pirate grin was back in place. This took care of her possible defection. Between him and her aunt, she was neatly boxed in. Granted, she’d already decided to marry him, but she found their methods a bit archaic. “I’d like to speak with your fiancé, if I could,” Aunt Liv said pleasantly. Clem let a smile grow on her face that had Wade’s grin fading. “He’s right here.” She held out the phone, figuring a little payback would serve him right. “Aunt Liv would like to speak with my fiancé.” He stood with obvious reluctance. “Livvy,” he said into the phone, catching Clem around the waist when she tried to slide away. “Yes, ma’am,” he said, hugging Clem close. “I understand.” Clem wondered what Liv was ordering him to do. “I give you my word.” Then he clicked down the receiver. “What was that all about?” Clem studied his face, trying to pick up Wade’s emotions. “Your aunt informed me that we were not to spend the night together without gold bands on our left hands.” He leaned down so he could whisper into her ear. “So we better get to your room fast, because she told me I have to be out of here in ten minutes.” Clem felt the hard flash of desire ride through her. She wanted him more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life and suspected the desire and love between them would only intensify and grow as time went by. “Ten minutes is more than enough time,” she said, taking him by the hand. She led him from the room, but turned when he stopped her on the stairs. “Clemant Taylor, it’s not Tompkin’s Bluff, but will you marry me?”

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He stood at her height, since she was two stairs up, more handsome than she’d ever seen him, even with his battered nose and the scratch on his cheek. “I will,” she said, and sealed her promise with a kiss.

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About the Author To learn more about Leigh Wyndfield, please visit www.leighwyndfield.com. Send an email to Leigh Wyndfield at [email protected] or join her newsletter loop for

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Hot summer nights make people do crazy things.

Spontaneous © 2007 Karen Erickson Sophie Kincaid doesn’t want to be attracted to her boss but she is. Sick and tired of being used by men, she’s sworn them off. But her hot and now slightly drunk boss just became too hard to resist. His girlfriend dumped him and now Ian Grey is drowning his sorrows in alcohol, something he never does. Flirting with Sophie the sexy bartender inspires him to do even more things he’d never consider. Like have hot sex with her in the storage room. They can’t deny their attraction for each other but Sophie’s afraid she doesn’t measure up. And what does Ian want from her anyway? She’ll have a naked good time figuring it out… Warning this title contains the following: Hot, steamy, explicit sex and graphic language. Enjoy the following excerpt for Spontaneous: Ian watched her approach, appreciating the shift of her hips in her tight black miniskirt, the swell of her breasts beneath the fitted sleeveless shirt. He could see her bra through the thin white fabric of the shirt. He could make out the white lace cups that hugged her rounded curves too. God help him but the idea of unbuttoning her shirt, revealing her lace-covered breasts to his gaze turned him on, made his dick hard. Hell, everything about the sexy bartender made his dick hard. He hadn’t been this hard since… He didn’t know when. Certainly not in the last few years with Nadia. Their sex life had gotten so stale he could count on a roll in the sheets once a week, usually on a Saturday, at approximately ten o’clock. His life had turned boring in a blink of an eye. And he desperately wanted to do something about it. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

He glanced up, found Sophie watching him with an amused gleam in her blue-green eyes, her full lips pursed. He shrugged. “Depends on how personal you want to get.” Shit, did that come out sounding sexual? Because he didn’t mean for it to sound sexual. Okay, maybe he did mean it to just a little bit. “It’s not too personal, don’t worry. I just wanted to know something.” She leaned across the bar, resting her arms on it. A daring look shone in her eyes. “Have you ever done anything spontaneous?” Ian sat up straighter. What kind of question was that? Of course he’d never done anything spontaneous. He planned his life down to the letter. He’d worked hard his entire life to get what he had, and barely had time to even think about being spontaneous, let alone actually do anything spontaneous. Yet another thing to add to the list of what made him feel really, really boring. “I can be spontaneous.” He knew he sounded defensive, but he didn’t care. “I just never have time.” She shook her head, a tiny smile curving her sexy lips. “That last sentence says it all. No one makes time to be spontaneous—you just are.” She shifted, her forearms still resting on the counter. He swore she did it on purpose, to give him a better view of her delectable cleavage. He couldn’t help himself, he tipped his head and looked down her shirt and actually saw the white lacy cups of her bra. Fuck. Her breasts looked plump and full, and he imagined them filling his hands. Pink nipples hard and begging to be touched and sucked. He could almost hear her little gasps and sighs when he put his mouth on her… “Haven’t you ever done something crazy? Without any thought? Like buy fivehundred-dollar sheets even though you’re broke, or go on an unplanned vacation without any luggage? Or maybe have a hot one-night stand with someone you’re attracted to but know you’ll never see again?” Sophie paused, her eyes meeting his. “Have you ever done anything like that, Ian?”

This was not the kind of conversation he should be having with an employee, even though she wasn’t under him directly. Still, it was completely inappropriate. And he was all about appropriate. “Have you done any of those things?” She smirked. The sight of it made him want to kiss it right off her face. “Guess which ones. I’ve done two out of the three.” He needed to walk out of the bar right now. Really. Things were happening that he hadn’t planned. First of all, there was the drinking. He was so unused to consuming alcohol he could feel the buzz coming on. Hell, it was already on. Second, the flirtatious conversation with a woman he’d secretly lusted for since she walked onto the hotel premises and applied for a job. Third, the fact that he was now a single man and contemplating making a play for his lusty sex object. All of this equaled…spontaneous actions. Well, hell. “Okay.” He sighed, dragging his index finger through the water ring his sweating glass left on the counter. “I’m pretty sure you’ve paid five hundred dollars for sheets when you were broke.” “Yep.” Sophie nodded, a giant grin on her face. “They are the softest sheets I’ve ever slept on. Well worth the money.” His head was suddenly filled with images of soft cotton sheets sliding against naked bodies, long legs tangling with his. Blonde hair spilled across a plump pillow, blue-green eyes cloudy with passion staring into his… Then he remembered the last time he had sex with Nadia, and how crappy it had been. How disconnected she had seemed. He didn’t know what was worse, remembering how bad his last sexual encounter was or torturing himself with an overactive imagination about a sexual encounter he was never going to experience. At least, that’s what he told himself. Her expression was naughty, as if she knew what he was thinking and he swore she pressed her breasts together with her arms to make deeper cleavage. “So tell me, what’s your other guess?” “The one-night stand?” Just saying it made his forehead break out in a faint sweat. His imagination filled with thoughts of having a one-night stand with her. Doing

whatever he wanted with her, to her. Letting her do whatever she wanted with him, to him. Sophie laughed triumphantly and slapped her hands down on the counter directly in front of him. “Wrong! Wish I would’ve made a bet with you, I could’ve made some easy money.” “So you’ve gone on vacation without any luggage?” That surprised him. Who the hell went on vacation and didn’t take anything with them? She stood a little straighter, his cleavage view now gone. He didn’t know whether to sigh in relief or cry with disappointment. He had a distinct feeling he was drunker than he realized.

Who said “sexy” isn’t a science?

Test Me © 2007 Dee Tenorio When wealthy scientist Vetta St. Claire begins a news experiment polling the male libido, she unexpectedly locks horns with long-time scientific rival Travis Carmichael. She never meant to test Travis’s libido…but sometimes a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. Down on his luck and on the verge of giving up his dream to make a real contribution to cancer research, the last thing Travis wants—or needs—is a fling with the prickly Vetta. Travis doesn’t like her. In fact, he hates her. But when the sex is this good… “Hard science” doesn’t begin to cover it. Enjoy the following excerpt for Test Me: “So where do you sleep?” He pointed at the chair. Vetta stared at it. It had once been leather, she decided. Maybe pleather. It had long ago lost any texture…or comfort, if she didn’t miss her guess. The arms were worn and torn in places. The armadillo design of pillows overlapping pillows for the upper portion of the seat was flattened like pancakes. If she looked hard, she could probably see Travis’s exact imprint from his feet to his big, stubborn head. He circled the arm of the chair, dropping into it. He smiled up at her and patted his thigh. Vetta eyed the denim over his leg for any kind of irritation. There didn’t seem to be any insects. Maybe a flea? “Vetta?” He patted again. Her neck tightened. She brought her hand to her throat, feeling around it with the tips of her fingers. Travis tilted his head. “What are you doing?”

“Feeling for a collar. Or some fur. There’s got to be something here if you think I’m going to come running because of a hand pat.” She gave him a glare that should melt steel. “Don’t confuse me with one of your Pavlovian lab monkeys. Especially not the redhead who couldn’t stop screaming.” His brow creased. “Pamela?” “Whatever!” Great. Now she had a name for her auditory trauma. “Vetta.” “What?” she all but growled, wishing she could get that woman out of her memory. Get all the women out. It wasn’t that she thought she had any real claim to him. Just that they were a testament to his need to be free. He never slept with women who mattered. Logically, it was smart to remind herself of that not-so-subtle fact. For the first time in her life, she hated logic. “Shut up and get your ass over here already.” The moment didn’t last long. “Gee, when you put it that way… No.” He looked as mutinous as she felt. They’d planned to have uncomplicated sex and from the second she saw him in the hall it had been anything but. Why wasn’t it uncomplicated? Note number eighty-five: Men claim to be simple creatures, yet they manage to make everything simple into an argument. “You’re forgetting the deal, Vetts. We’re supposed to be honest at all times. I’m supposed to tell you what I want, remember? What I want is for you to come over here and sit with me.” “Oh, I remember. But you should remember that wanting and getting are completely separate things. One does not ensure the other.” “Especially where you’re concerned,” he grumbled. She thought he muttered something that sounded like “twenty-two to seventeen”, but couldn’t be sure, since that made no sense at all. When she leaned forward suspiciously, his hand shot out and grabbed hers. A solid yank had her spinning into his lap in a sprawl. She used her elbows to sit up, caring little when he shifted rapidly to avoid the hard points. “What lesson is this supposed to be? Never take no for an answer?”

He grinned. “Don’t be afraid to take what you want.” His hands began tugging on her lab coat. “I’ve got to get you to stop wearing so damn many clothes.” The jacket came off, but he still had three sweatshirts and two T-shirts to get through. “Consider it my way of requesting foreplay.” He stopped moving, narrowing one eye at her. “Is that supposed to be a dig at my technique?” It was nice to be wanted so much a man that he was tearing to get at her. Plus he deserved it for dragging her into her current position. She lowered her lashes the way she’d seen her mother do countless times. “What technique would that be?” “If you don’t watch it, it’ll be Paddleball.” She grinned at him. His lap really was pretty comfortable. She wriggled closer to him. Travis’s gaze turned accusing. “You’re enjoying this.” “Didn’t you want me to?” “I wanted you undressed first.” Should she tell him he was almost pouting? Vetta leaned back and decided not to fill him in. Teasing was a lot more fun. She swung her feet on the other side of the chair arm a few times. “Who’s stopping you from undressing me?” He tugged at her sweaters. “That would be you.” “Haven’t you ever heard that saying, anything worth having is worth working for?” “No, I’m more your anything worth doing is worth doing well guy.” Yes, he was, the smug schmuck. “Well, I’m waiting. Do something well.” “Always did like a challenge.” He started with a sweater, pulling it from the others and getting it over her breasts before she started laughing and pulling it back down. He gave it another few tugs before he was laughing with her. “Damn, Vetta, you could get an easy-unlock zipper or something. I’m gonna need a hacksaw to get you out of these things.” “You’re the one planning to have sex on this godforsaken chair. If either of us is demanding the impossible, it’s you.” “I thought you wanted to try everything.”

She tried to get a little of her sarcasm back, but she was feeling too light. Too happy. “Are you claiming that my experiences won’t be complete unless we do it on a beat-up recliner?” “No, but I’ll be able to check it off my fantasy list.” She stilled his hands with her own. “Since when have you fantasized about me?” He didn’t want to answer that one, she could tell. But she wanted to know. When he moved his head to look away, she touched his chin and drew his gaze back to her own. “Tell me.” “I just know I’m going to regret this, but it won’t hurt anything to tell you now, I guess.” He brought a fingertip to her lips, tracing the shape and parting the bottom from the top. “I had my first fantasy about…ten seconds after I met you. You were passing my seat on the step in the lecture hall and snagged your foot on my bag. You didn’t fall but your mouth… It made this perfect ‘O’. I’ve never forgotten it.” Vetta forced herself not to purse her lips for him now, the flesh of her lips tingling beneath his touch. “Why didn’t you say anything?” “You were twelve.” She rolled her eyes. “I was eighteen.” “Barely. Believe me, the last thing I had time for was a virgin with stars in her eyes.” Vetta started, the sensual spell around them breaking. “You say that like being a virgin is a bad thing.” “No, virginity is fine. But virgins generally get it in their heads that the first man they sleep with is their one true love or some other kind of bullshit.” He had no trouble rediscovering his dry sarcasm. “I’m no one’s Prince Charming.” Note number eighty-six: Virginity is a turn-off. Vetta nodded, more to herself than in understanding. “Is this a common thinking among men?” “I can’t speak for all of mankind or anything.” He chuckled, then seemed to realize he’s said something wrong because he sobered fast. “Anyone committed to their goals who isn’t a selfish bastard would avoid a virgin as best he can. It’s only common sense.” He turned his head to study her. “Are you making mental notes?”

Uh oh. “Why would I do that?” “’Cause you have that look. The one that says you’re filing something away for later.” That made her smile. “You’ve catalogued my expressions?” “Know thine enemy. I figured out a lot about reading body language on the football field. Saved my ass more than a few times, let me tell you.” He smiled, seemingly to himself, probably over all kinds of situations. Well, that explained plenty. He’d escaped most of her traps by reading her physical cues. Did that mean he’d always know when she was keeping something from him? The last thing she wanted was to fill him in on her sexual status. If virginity was a turn-off, deflowering was probably a complete ball-breaker. He refocused on her, as if something just occurred to him. “What do you care about virgins, anyway?” Nope. Definitely not telling him. Luckily, she knew Travis probably as well as he seemed to know her. He’d caught the scent of her thoughts. He needed distracting. His thumb was still poised just beneath her bottom lip. She pulled back only far enough to purse her lips around the tip. “Was it like this?” His gaze flickered, interest in the chocolaty depths. “Was what like this?” She let her lips soften, inverting the caress. “My mouth. In your fantasies. Was it anything like this?” She smiled around his thumb. Remembering a scenario from one of her erotic books, she flicked out her tongue to touch him. “I never did get around to saying please.” His eyes narrowed and the hint of a flush reddened his cheekbones. She looked again, raising her lashes slowly. The corner of his mouth rose at the same pace. Distraction complete.

Once the hunter catches her scent, there’s no turning back.

Desert Heat © 2007 Leigh Wyndfield While trying to deliver life-saving medicine to her village, Tannar runs afoul of a party of slavers. The women of her race, the Morjan, are mercilessly hunted for their highly prized sexual prowess. Never mind that once enslaved, Morjans soon die. Wealthy men from far and wide will stop at nothing to possess one. Complicating matters, as Tannar runs for her life she unexpectedly comes into heat. She takes refuge in a cave, desperate to escape yet frantic to mate. Nicolas Rentard is forced by Prince Dante to use his uncanny hunting skills to capture a Morjan woman. He follows Tannar’s enticing scent and runs her to ground. But once he enters the cave, she’s not the only one ensnared. Warning: This title contains hot wicked scenes, explicit sex, graphic language and a yummy hero! Enjoy the following excerpt for Desert Heat: He could smell her vague scent on the air. Twice he’d corrected himself using that alone, since she hadn’t left much of a physical trail to follow. Her spicy, womanly fragrance had gotten stronger through the day, especially once he’d scented, then seen, her blood on the rocks. The deep metallic tang pulled him along as if by a string. As the hours rolled by, her choices of terrain became so familiar, he found himself anticipating her. An evil wind whipped up from the west as the sun set, lowering his vision and whisking her trail away. He watched helplessly as the tracks he’d been following were erased forever, blowing her scent from his nostrils. A growl rose in his throat. The Trilec piece of him drove him on. Marking the place where he stood with two rocks, he began a slow sweep of the surrounding area. Exhaustion tugged at him, but he shoved it away. He’d find her or die

trying. Going back to the prince without her in tow would mean the end of everything he’d ever wanted. Failure wasn’t an option. That being said, there were other reasons, personal reasons, he wanted to find this woman. He knew a lot about her, even though he’d never seen her. Her intelligence showed in every choice she’d made on the path. She had strength and stamina that rivaled his own, although over the last few kilometers, he’d sensed something wrong. She wasn’t limping exactly, it was just a subtle change in her stride, as if she was injured in some way. Perhaps she’d been hurt more than he’d thought when he’d found her blood. But even injured, she still whispered over terrain without leaving a scratch, ghosting along with nerve and cunning. With every passing hour, his respect for her had grown and he wondered again how he could turn her over to the prince only to die. It nagged at him with every step, but the thought of losing everything he’d spent his life working to gain, for a woman he’d never met, spurred him forward. He had to admit that if he hadn’t been able to track her with his Trilec powers, she would have escaped him completely. He stumbled back onto her scent as he approached a jumble of rocks. She’d been here. He could almost feel the shadow of her. He’d been tracking her quickly since he began hunting alone and as she’d slowed down, he sped up. He stopped when he saw the cave entrance. Silently, he worked his way to the opening. The ground trembled, just a small shift, making him pause. Had he really felt it move or was he imagining things? Desert birds chirped in the distance, signaling everything was okay. He held still, scenting the air and waiting for it to happen again. After a few minutes, he shook his head and turned back to the cavern. It could be a trap, but the cave lured him, a siren’s song he couldn’t resist. Trap or not, he crawled through the low entrance. Pausing, he inhaled the scent of her, which now surrounded him completely. The more her essence filled his lungs, the harder his cock became. This woman called to the beast in him on a visceral level and as dangerous as that thought was, he wanted her. Now.

He paused, lying still while his eyes adjusted to the dim light. A sound echoed in the small space. The low moan ran along his skin like a caress. He knew it wasn’t from pain. “Oh.” The sound bumped off the walls and his body. Working his way forward once more, he saw her. A single candle splashed weak light against the craggy rock walls, catching the sweat on her naked body as she arched her hips from the floor. She was tall, but thin, covered in lean muscle which corded as she bowed upward. Her hips rocked against the hand between her legs. Faster, harder, until she rolled to her stomach to get more leverage, moaning the word, “please” with agony and desperation. The growing desire inside him exploded, forcing a groan from his lips. She turned so slowly to look at him he suspected she’d already known he’d arrived, but she didn’t stop the buck of her hips against her hand. Her haunted gaze tracked him as he crawled across the room. The cave danced in shadows, the low ceilings making the small space appear even smaller. He didn’t bother to stand, knowing the ceiling wouldn’t allow his height. The scent of her was overwhelming, filling his lungs and hazing his mind. The musk of pure woman swirled with a spicy aroma that enticed him to taste. He had to put his mouth on her as soon as possible. Instead, he ran one finger down her sweat-soaked back, watching the track he left along her skin. She cried out, her hips never ceasing the ride against her hand. Rolling her face into the blanket, she didn’t look at him when she said, “Help me. Please.” Without understanding how he could be so sure, he knew she hadn’t wanted to ask. Something had been wrong with her for miles as he tracked her, something that was causing her to turn to a stranger to relieve the pressure of her desire. The heat Dante had bragged about was on her and it now impacted him as well. Sympathy and protectiveness washed through him. He flattened his hand on her back and smoothed across her buttocks, then down her long legs as far as he could reach. “Widen your legs, Shadowbloom,” he murmured, liking the jump of surprise on her face when he named her flower.

She complied and he ran his hand back up the inside of her thigh. Her face hid again in the thin blanket, partially muffling her moan of need. “Hurts,” he thought she whispered. It wasn’t time to give her slow loving. She needed relief and she needed it fast.

Samhain Publishing, Ltd. It’s all about the story… Action/Adventure Fantasy Historical Horror Mainstream Mystery/Suspense Non-Fiction Paranormal Red Hots! Romance Science Fiction Western Young Adult www.samhainpublishing.com