CHAPTER 11
KEVIN

“Gianni, thank you for meeting me on such short notice,” I said.

“Not a problem. Is everything all right?”

“My business partner, Owen. He contacted you regarding your financials, correct?” I asked.

“He did, yes. I told him I would get him whatever he needed.”

“Because you know this is the standard procedure for my business with an order of this magnitude and price?”

“I understand. Is something wrong?”

“We’ve come across some issues, yes. With the payment plan you’ve chosen, my company asks for financial data for the past twelve months, so we can determine if the investment is safe for my investors.”

“I’m aware of your procedures, Mr. Spencer.”

“I just want to make sure, because you’ve only turned in data for seven months.”

“I informed Owen that we would be handing the information over in batches.”

“It has to all be together as one formal document. With the way it looks now, it seems as if you’re covering something up, and that doesn’t sit well with the investors,” I said.

“Are you accusing me of something, Mr. Spencer?”

“On the contrary, Mr. Russo. You know how this works. We’ve known one another for years with our mutual contacts. We have your best interests in mind. But if we do things any differently with you, it looks like I’m favoring you because of our friendship. You know how this goes. You’re a businessman. Be reasonable, Gianni.”

“I’ve already talked you through my financials, Kevin. What more do you want?”

“The proof on paper. I was able to contact my investors to settle them down enough to buy you until the end of the day. But we need the other five months of your financial statistics, otherwise, we can’t proceed with the deal.”

“I’m giving you a foot in the door when it comes to the banking industry. Doesn’t that mean anything?”

“Not when we’re talking about a possible ten-million-dollar contract, Gianni.”

I wanted to hear the man out and take pity on him. Hell, I wanted to help the guy. I wanted to be able to bypass these logistics, but I couldn't do anything differently simply because it was Gianni. I knew some businessmen worked that way, but I wasn’t one of them.

And I wasn’t going to start with him.

“You have until the end of the day to get Owen the rest of the financials. You can contact him if you have any questions,” I said.

“So now I can’t even call my friend?” Gianni asked.

“Right now, you’re not dealing with a friend. You’re dealing with a businessman. Owen is the one that handles the upfront financial transactions. Until this matter is settled, it’s in his hands. When you're ready to sign the contract and talk about production and shipment schedules, then it’s back to me,” I said.

I stood up from the table and buttoned my coat.

“So that’s it? You brought me out here to strong-arm me?”

“I’m not strong-arming you, Gianni. I’m not sure what you think I’m trying to do, honestly. We require financial data for twelve months if you want to do a monthly payment plan. Simple as that. It was right there in the contract I handed you, and while you highlighted many things you took issue with, that wasn’t one of them.”

I watched the man grit his teeth as I pushed in my chair.

“The end of the day, Gianni. And if you can’t deliver, I can refer you to someone who can help you out with your needs,” I said.

I left Gianni sitting in the restaurant and headed back to the house. This deal was getting a little ridiculous. I’d never known Gianni to be an unreasonable man, but he was quickly beginning to be a pain in my ass. I hopped into the cab and rode back to the house where I found my kids and Brooke playing in the water. The storms had cleared up and the sky was blue once again. I strode into the house and quickly traded my business suit, for a bathing suit, then walked out onto the porch.

“Cannonball!”

The kids were squealing with delight as I jumped off the porch and into the water. I felt them swimming up to me and wrapping themselves around me as I came shooting out of the water. They were hugging and kissing me as Brooke was standing there smiling, in her bikini with the slope of her breasts swaying against her lightly-tanned skin.

The ocean suited her.

“Are you done working?” Daniel asked.

“Are you gonna swim with us?” Sydney asked.

“Will you be home for dinner?” Brooke asked.

I looked up at her and watched a grin spread across her cheeks.

“Yes, yes, and, most certainly, yes,” I said with a smile.

“Yeah! Daddy’s home!” Daniel said.

The kids and I splashed around and I roped Brooke into the fun. I pulled her underwater before insisting we all play a game of Marco Polo. We were swimming around and bodysurfing on the waves into the shoreline. I started building a sandcastle with the kids while Brooke laid out in the sun. My eyes raked down the curves of her legs and the way they fell open so she could tan the insides of her thighs. I licked my lips as my kids ran into the ocean, kicking at the waves and giggling their heads off.

I couldn't take my eyes off her. The slope of her breasts, and the way her toned stomach glistened in the sunlight. Her hair fluttered around her head like an angelic halo and her arms spread out to her sides. She was ready for the taking. Ready for my body to sink between her legs and make love to her on the beach. Her pouty lower lip was jutted out slightly and her eyes were closed.

I wanted to settle down beside her and dance my fingers up the length of her thighs.

But the kids beat me to her, splashing her with a bucket full of water.

My eyebrows rose to my hairline as I stifled a laugh. Her mouth was hanging open in shock before she playfully eyed the twins. She stood up and took off after them, her breasts bouncing and her ass flexing with every stride she took.

She chased them right into the waves before picking them up and tossing them into the water.

I walked up behind her before a wave came and knocked her off balance. She fell backwards and braced herself to be submerged, but my arms darted out and caught her. She looked back at me and I watched her cheeks tint with the faintest blush.

Her skin was electric against mine.

“You okay?” I asked. “The kids got you good back there.”

“It’s fine. I think I fell asleep anyway. I’m not much use as a babysitter if I’m sleeping on the job.”

“You’re not on the job when I’m here,” I said.

“You're practically a kid when you want to be,” she said, with a grin.

I steadied her on her feet and watched as her eyes fell to the shoreline up the beach. I followed her line of sight and saw her staring at a man. He was standing in the ocean, up to his knees in water. He was looking out over the horizon, studying something off in the distance.

“Do you know him?” I asked.

“I don’t think so,” Brooke said.

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“Yesterday, when the kids and I were at the museums, there was a man there. He kept— popping up everywhere we were. He even watched us get a cab to come home. I think that’s the guy.”

“Do you think he was following you?” I asked, something spiking in my gut.

“I don’t know. He sort of gives me the creeps.”

And he did. I could see the goosebumps crawling all over Brooke’s skin.

“I’m sure you’re just being protective of the kids. It’s a small island and with all the rain yesterday, there were probably a lot of people at the museums. It makes sense that you’d run into the same person twice. There isn’t much else to do when it rains all day. Did he say anything to you?” I asked.

She folded her arms over her chest and shook her head. “No.”

“Then I’m sure it was just a coincidence,” I assured her. But I could tell she still wasn’t convinced.

Her body was more relaxed, but her eyes were still filled with worry.

“Okay,” she said. “Then I won’t stress about it.”

“Good. Because another storm’s coming in and we need to get the kids in the house.”

We dragged the kids into the house, kicking and whining, but when the storm started to rage again, they seemed to get the picture. I had given my chef the evening off, so I was the one cooking for the night. Brooke got the kids cleaned up and ready for dinner, then we all sat down and enjoyed the steaks and mashed potatoes I’d been able to whip up.

It wasn’t a five-star chef meal, but it was edible.

The kids were practically nodding off at the table. Brooke kept eyeing me with amusement in her stare and I shook my head. She was wearing my children out, which was funny, because I was convinced it would be the other way around. She finished her steak and started cleaning up while I got the kids tucked into bed, then returned to the kitchen where a glass of wine was waiting for me.

“This mine?”

“Mhm,” Brooke said. “If I remember correctly, you’re a fan of storms.”

“I am indeed.”

“Figured we could sit and enjoy this one,” she said.

She was standing at the doors that led onto the porch. I went and stood behind her, watching the fury of the ocean kick up against the shore. The sky was black with clouds that hung low, pregnant with the water it was going to drop on us all night. I sipped my glass of wine, feeling the heat radiating from Brooke’s skin.

She still smelled like the ocean, and I felt my mouth beginning to water.

“Are the kids scared of storms?” Brooke asked.

“Why do you ask?”

“I just wondered if I should brace for two little people clambering into my bed in a couple of hours.”

“Nope. If anything, Sydney will climb into Daniel’s bed and sleep there.”

“What a treasure those two are,” she said.

“They’re my guiding light.”

She looked up at me with those round doe eyes and I felt myself cave. I set my wine glass down behind me and wrapped my arm around her body. She gasped, her cheeks tinting once again as my lips pulsed air against her face.

“You’re a hard woman to resist, Brooke Shaw.”

“Then don’t,” she said, breathlessly.

Her wine glass fell to the floor, spilling its contents as I captured her lips. Her hands flew to my hair as I backed her into the door, pressing her against the cool glass. The storm raged outside, providing a perfect backdrop for our passion, with distant rolls of thunder for sound effects. The flashing lightning illuminated her curves, drenching them in sparks as my fingertips danced along her sides.

Our tongues battled. Her head tipped off to the side as her leg came up and hooked around my body. I pressed harder and ground my cock against her. I felt the veins in my groin pulsing as my hand slid up her bare thigh. She was wearing nothing but a shirt and a flimsy pair of shorts, giving my fingers easy access. Her hands pulled at my shirt and I raised my hands above my head. Lightning pierced the sky and it cast a light on the lust building behind her eyes. I watched her stare at my bare chest as her engorged tits pressed against the fabric of her shirt. She ran her fingers down the swell of my muscles, rippling them over my abs before her fingertips settled on the hem of my swim trunks.

Then she pulled the drawstring that held them to my body and they fell to the floor before she hit her knees.