Caribbean Cowboy: Under the Caribbean Sun, Book 4 (2 page)

He nodded. “If you get lonely, just give me a call.”

“I don’t even know your name.” She took a step back, drying her palms on the skirt of her floral sundress. Had she really just kissed a stranger?

He held out his hand. “I’m Nik.”

“Janny.” She slid her hand into his and tingles danced up her arm. She pulled away lest she forget herself. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Nik.”

“I hope I don’t have to wait that long.”

Nik Hansen sidled up next to his eldest brother at the bar. Holly was the first of the Hansen dozen to marry, so they’d all gathered for the event. It rated higher than birthdays, graduations or salmon tendering.

“Ice, just ice,” he said to another bartender he didn’t recognize. He hadn’t been home since Christmas of his senior year in college. Things had changed thanks to a bit of notoriety courtesy of reality television and a handful of red crab boats. There’d been an influx of new faces, making him feel even more out of place than he had growing up.

“What the hell? Ice?” Brand held up his empty shot glass. “Have another Jäger with me.”

Nik shook his head and thanked the bartender when his ice appeared, not responding until Brand’s glass was filled to the brim. “I need to take Laverne out and burn up whatever shit gas Rainier filled her up with.”

Brand downed the shot without a wince. “Rainier’s had his own wheels for years. My money is on Finn.”

Nik did a double blink. He had a hard time thinking of his youngest brother doing anything but watching SpongeBob. “Finn is fourteen. Who’s letting him ride my bike?”

“Fourteen is when they let us drive, remember?”

Yes, well, he’d been much older at fourteen, hadn’t he? He crunched an ice cube. “We could only drive if we were working.”

Brand snickered and pushed a hand through his dark hair. “You didn’t do a lick of work. You’d be puking over the rail before we even left the harbor.”

Ah, yes. Seasickness, the ultimate failure in a fishing family. “Thank goodness, I never wanted to be a fisherman.”

“Yeah, you would have been sunk for sure. You always got to go off and do your own thing, not having to worry about what anyone else thought.”

“I know what they think.” Except for Holly, everyone in his family believed he should be contributing to the family business in some way. But living on a rock and taking part in a fishing empire was never his calling. What did call to him like a siren was Janny. The girl was powerfully pretty, even when ignoring him and chatting at a table with the blonde bridesmaid. He crunched another ice cube, hoping they’d take the edge off the sexual frustration she’d left him with.

“It’s cool you found your own thing.”

He nodded, wondering how much Brand had had to drink. Introspection was not his strong suit. “When do we get to move on to the stag party? I need to make an appearance so I can get the hell out of here.”

“Word is he’s not even going to show up.”

“He who? Harm? It’s his fucking wedding.”

Brand shrugged. “Maybe he’s intimidated. He’s brawny, but there are eight of us. I know I’d planned on explaining how rare it is to find a body dumped in the Bering Sea, just in case he ever thought of hurting Holly.”

Nik clapped his brother on the back. Maybe it was a good thing no one had told Brand being a Neanderthal had gone out with VHS tapes. “There may be eight of us boys, but remember two of us still get a kiss goodnight from Mama. Besides, Harm is as big as a tree. I’m not saying we couldn’t take him and his brothers, just that it won’t make for decent wedding pictures tomorrow. And for that, Holly would kill us and Pops would dump
our
bodies without hesitation. That girl runs this show.”

“Apparently,” said Brand, “since she managed to get you to come home. It’s been years.”

He shrugged. “Y’all are welcome to come see me anytime.”

“In Podunk, Pennsylvania, or Backwoods, Oregon? Sounds tempting. Not. We’re thinking of taking a trip to Hawaii in the break before king crab season. You should come.”

“Let me guess, Geirr and Val are diving, Erik and Rainier are sport fishing, and you’ll spend the week looking at houses and boats and thinking you’re going to move to Hawaii only to get on the plane pissed off.” He may have been away from home for a while, but some things never changed.

“Listen, Old McDonald, they have your beloved cows on Hawaii. And horses and chickens. You’re buying a ranch anyway. Why not find one in paradise?”

“Because I’ll be fifty before I can afford Hawaii real estate, and you won’t actually stay there, Captain Brand.” He crunched a few more cubes of ice and glanced over at Janny. Sadness darkened her fine features and her delicate shoulders slumped in defeat.

“You’re probably right, little brother. But a man has to have a dream.”

“Indeed. And a way to make dreams reality.”

Nik set his empty glass on the bar top, knowing there were two ways this evening would end. Either he’d spend the night dreaming of Janny, or spend the night with her.

“I understand, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy being brushed off.” Janny kept her voice to a whisper.

Kristen sighed, pushing her long blonde hair over a tanned shoulder. “I know. It’s just a hard place to be in. I could spend the rest of the night in pajamas watching movies with you or with Antonnis. Whom I am not going to see for ten days while we’re in Greece.”

“You haven’t spent the night without him since he came to Anguilla for Joe and Saskia’s wedding last month. He should pace himself. At this rate, he’ll explode while you’re gone.”

Kristin wrinkled her nose as she grinned. “Your concern is touching. I think you’ve found a Prinsen you like, in spite of your reservations. So maybe—”

Janny held up her hand, her skin prickling with annoyance. “Not you too. Sebastian already cornered me, wanting to make some ridiculous toast about all his children being here. The man has had twenty-seven years to be my father, and all of the sudden now he’s paternal. I couldn’t care less, but I don’t think Harm’s wedding is the place to announce he had an affair and managed to hide his secret bastard daughter on a Caribbean island.”

“Sweetie, you have every right to be angry with Sebastian.” She pursed her lips, obviously having more to say.

“Go ahead, hit me with the but.”

She traced the rim of her wine glass twice before speaking. “You have to separate him from your brothers.”

“They are not my brothers. We share DNA.”

“They have as much to do with Sebastian’s decisions as you do. And keeping this secret from Antonnis weighs on me. It’s starting to feel dishonest.”

“Try living with the lie your whole life.” Janny scanned the table for a drink, wishing the bad boy would show up and offer her another sex on the beach. She rarely drank at home, even on days she wasn’t on call. She took the responsibility of being a doctor seriously, and on a small island, there was no way to know when your skills might be needed. But here, half a world away at a wedding where she’d never felt more out of place, she figured alcohol was a great way to self-treat the anxiety scratching at her nerves.

Taking Kristin’s wine glass, she sipped the rich red, distracting herself by trying to discern the flavors of currant and black pepper. She and Kristin had taken wine appreciation classes at a resort back home, and yet she couldn’t recall much beyond what she liked and what to avoid.

“Janny, I don’t want Antonnis to think I betrayed him by not telling.”

She finished the wine before replying. “The only one with betrayal on their conscience is the louse who took advantage of a young woman, cheated on his wife, and created an elaborate story to keep from getting divorced and losing half his fortune. It’s for him to tell, not you. Not even me.”

“But you won’t let him.” Kristin’s pleading brown gaze bore into her soul, so Janny closed her eyes.

Kristin had been her best friend since she’d moved to the Caribbean island of Anguilla. All long limbs and stringy blonde hair, Kristin’s awkwardness had fit like a jigsaw with red-headed, knobby-kneed Saskia, and Janny’s own insecurities about having blue eyes and skin too brown to be one of the white kids and too light to belong with the other Caribbean natives.

She’d do anything to keep either of her friend’s from being hurt. Now that Sass had married Johannes and Kristin had rekindled her relationship with Antonnis, they both had a stake in Sebastian Prinsen’s dirty little secret. They already felt like her sisters, the bond far deeper than that she’d ever share with the brothers who didn’t know about their father’s indiscretion. Their oldest brother, Harmannus, knew. He’d approached her not long after he’d moved to Anguilla to warn her about a family history of Celiac disease. The conversation hadn’t been pleasant since Harm obviously believed his father’s telling of the events of her conception.

Sebastian had told the Anguillan authorities that he was drugged, taken advantage of by an eighteen-year-old waitress and blindsided by her paternity claim a few months later. His only involvement in her life had come from the support checks he sent her mother. Yet with his wife dead and his advancing age, he now wanted some kind of relationship. Probably to assuage his own guilt.

“Janny, I don’t want this to be part of my wedding.” Kristin slipped her hand over Janny’s and squeezed. “Let the secret come out so we can all let it go.”

She just wanted this to go back under the rug Sebastian had swept her under twenty years ago. But he was stirring it all back up again. He couldn’t leave well enough alone. Today, he’d had insisted she sit with the family at the wedding, but when it had come time for family wedding photos, she’d been excluded. Not that she wanted to be in the Prinsen family portrait. She just hated that they could get to her like this.

She opened her eyes and faked a smile. “I’ll think about it. But you have to promise me something.”

“I am afraid to ask.” Kristin smiled and Janny joined in.

“No Tonnis showing up in Greece. I’ve practically been living with him for the last month and I need a Prinsen-free zone.”

Kristin nodded. “I can do that. He’s going to be in Amsterdam anyway, helping Sebastian close out some deals. I’m going to meet him there after Greece and tilt at some windmills for a few weeks.”

Janny arched a brow. “Will you be home before I get back from the neonatology rotation in Boston?”

“I should be. I’ll be back the week before school starts back up to get my classroom ready. If Tonnis finishes up early, we’ll be back sooner. Speaking of—” Kristen tilted her head to the corner where he stood. “If I don’t join him, he’s going to tap the face of his watch off.”

“How can you tell?” From where she sat, Kristin could at best see him out of the corner of her eye.

“I know him.” Her grin spread across her face, her eyes crinkling at the corners.

Love looked a lot like happiness on her best friend’s face. Janny hadn’t known it could fill someone up that way. Kristin squeezed her hand once more, then got up to join Tonnis in a clutch worthy of a romance-novel cover.

“I wouldn’t get between that girl and the bouquet tomorrow.” Holly slipped into the seat beside her and twisted her long dark hair over one bare shoulder.

“I never get between Kristin and a plan.” She smiled over at the bride-to-be. “You sure you don’t want a girls’ night before you get stuck with Harm permanently?”

Holly nodded. “I’m actually exhausted, and he can tell. Even though we were just going to stay in and beautify, I’d rather sleep. You understand, though I’m not sure all my friends do.”

Yes, as her OB, Janny understood better than anyone. “Speaking of friends, I met Nik. He said he’s your best friend. I think he’s upset he didn’t get a bridesmaid invite.”

Holly laughed as she scanned the room. “Now I’m tempted to find him and offer to have Sass alter a dress. Though they are strapless and he doesn’t have the boobs to pull it off.”

Nope, his chest had been like steel beneath her hands. “He’ll have to deal with the disappointment.”

“He’ll manage.”

Harm appeared next to Holly like a shadow and lifted his chin in acknowledgement. “Jannis. Sebastian is looking for you.”

“Thanks for the warning.” She stood, anxiety fizzing like soda in her veins.

“He doesn’t give up,” Harm warned as she walked past.

That sealed it. She had to clear the clutter from her mind. She doubted more alcohol would do the trick. But she didn’t know if she dared try the one thing guaranteed to require all her attention.

As soon as Janny’s friend stood, Nik escaped to the coat-check area to grab his leather jacket. He needed a ride to clear his head, preferably with the lovely Janny, but if she wasn’t interested, he wasn’t hanging around.

He smelled the soft lavender of her perfume as he shrugged on his jacket, awareness and expectation tightening every muscle. A soothing heat filled him, but he didn’t turn around. He walked down the hallway, planning to let her get her own coat and wait for her at the elevators. Only the click of her high heels seemed to be right behind him.

He stopped short and smiled as she crashed into him. He turned, taking her arm to help her steady herself. She blushed and cast her gaze down and he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Going somewhere, babe?” He took her elbow, led her to the elevators and stabbed the call button.

“I’m considering running away, but since we’re marooned on this island, I’m thinking it would be more work than a prison break.” She sidled closer to him, keeping her voice low, intimate.

“I’m willing to help you escape, on the condition you actually go to the wedding tomorrow. I fear the wrath of Holly.” The doors opened and he hoped he hid the wince when he counted the five people already inside. They faced the front and she reached down to hook her pinky with his. The pitch and roll of his stomach had to be the drop of the elevator.

The doors parted and, manners be damned, they were the first one’s off.

Chapter Two

“Wait,” Janny said as they walked out the front doors of the hotel, his motorcycle black and ominous on the cement walkway. A single spotlight shone down, making it seem like a game-show prize. He’d left it right there, as if he couldn’t be bothered with the parking lot.

Nik turned to face her but didn’t release his grip on her hand. “If we wait, we’ll miss the end of the sunset. The sun sets differently in Alaska.”

How many times had she heard men back home tell tourists the sun sets differently at the equator, and then lead them straight into temptation? She knew better. Yet the idea of spending the evening alone, trapped with the dilemma of how to deal with her father’s version of the truth was something even the smartest woman would try to run from.

“Janny,” he said as he stepped closer. “I want to take you for a ride.”

“I bet you do.” She smirked, loving the way the gold flecks in his eyes shone in the dimming light. If she hadn’t been raised watching her mother be drawn to every handsome stranger who sailed up, she might be able to let go. “I don’t know how to do this.”

“I’ve never taken a spill. Not once.” He released her hand and circled round the bike, unhooked two helmets from the back and handed her the smaller, a bright blue edged with a series of white symbols. He secured his helmet, shiny black with a flaming-yellow sun on the back and then reached for her. “This will be fun, Janny. I promise.”

“I don’t fare well with men’s promises.” The words escaped before she had a chance to think them through. He shrugged out of his leather jacket and draped it over her shoulders. His warm, masculine scent wrapped around her like an embrace.

“Good thing there’s no room for baggage on a bike.” He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ears before taking the helmet and settling it on her head.

Her hair crinkled, the sounds of her curls deflating, and for a minute she cared. Then he snapped her chin strap and turned to mount the beast. The snug denim of his jeans hugged his body and her mouth watered with the desire to kiss him. To be the one he kissed. To be that girl in a moment that would be her secret forever.

Her stomach pitched as her last reservation surfaced. “What about the girl you came here with?” She tapped the helmet, recalling how she’d first seen him. She’d been waiting on Kristin in the lobby of the hotel, distracting herself with the quiet ambiance of the lodge décor when he’s thundered up to the door on his bike. He’d barely stopped when his long-legged passenger climbed off and tossed her helmet at him as she shook out a sheet of blonde hair. She’d stormed into the hotel, on a mission to ruin someone’s day. When Janny had looked back, Nik had disappeared, leaving the bike under the light.

“Delivering Britt was my job. After that, she’s everyone else’s problem. She didn’t take it as well as I did that she’s not a bridesmaid.” He shrugged. “It seems she thought this wedding was about her.”

God help her, she believed him. It was easier than the alternative. She slipped her arms into his jacket and frowned. “I’m not exactly dressed for taking a turn as a biker chick.”

“You’ll never touch the ground, so it won’t matter a bit. Climb on, Princess.”

She glanced down at the dress and heels and decided practicality played no part in fantasy. In for a penny. She stepped toward him and placed her hand on his shoulder. His lean thighs gripped the bike so it held steady as she climbed on. She gathered her skirt between them and inched forward until the sensitive flesh of her inner thighs pressed so close she felt the seam of his jeans. She leaned forward, her body very aware as she pressed herself against his back.

“That’s it. Now hold tight.” He took her hands and pulled her arms around his torso, hugging him closer than she would have dared on her own. His nipple peaked beneath her right palm, the ridges of his abs teasing the left.

Exhilaration shot through her, lifting her high above her usual caution. She lifted her feet off the ground and hooked her heels onto the pegs beneath her legs. He lifted the kickstand and turned back to her.

“Think of it like dancing to a song you’ve never heard, Princess. Lean in and let me lead. You’ll get the hang of it soon enough.”

And just like that, he touched the throttle and the bike roared to life and rolled forward. Gentle at first, until they’d made it off the pathway and onto the paved ground of the parking lot. In that minute, she found herself thinking she could do this, be the chick who ran off with the motorcycle rebel, the one who snagged the eye of the baddest boy in town.

Then the engine revved, vibrating up her body. Before she could breathe, the bike leapt forward, exploding every nerve. She held on to Nik for all she was worth, praying as they sped down a lonely street. Her heart beat as fast as the tires spun and then they were falling.

She clutched him and closed her eyes, feeling the ground get closer and closer. The scream escaped just as he righted them, heading up a hill. She opened her eyes to realize they’d turned. A turn, and she’d thought disaster loomed. Goodnight, she didn’t have the stomach for this bad-girl business.

Releasing her death grip would be best, but she didn’t dare. Who knew when the ground would surge up at them again? The warmth of his body beside hers, the steady vibration of the bike beneath her and the cool breeze against her skin eased her panic. The heightened awareness felt good, the air clearer with the scent of warm earth and the sea.

The grass grew taller as they climbed the hill. The paved road became one lane and then a dirt path as they ventured on. No trees blocked the landscape, just hill after hill carpeted in the thick, waving grass. In the waning light, the colors hushed, muting the green of the grass and gray of the Bering Sea below.

The sky overhead blended the clear blue with warm shades of pink and bright yellow as the sun kissed the horizon. The combination of the hot man in front of her, the thrill of the moment and the engine rumbling between her legs had her hoping they would stop soon and enjoy more than just the breathtaking view.

Nik pulled up along the ridge, bringing the bike to a reluctant stop. Janny felt amazing wrapped so tightly around him. He wanted to go on riding forever, but on an island this small, there wasn’t anywhere to go but up, and this was as high as land could take them. He dropped the kickstand and set his feet on the ground.

The sun danced with the white-capped sea before them, casting colors everywhere the light touched. With the weather this clear, neighboring islands were visible, as well as the town bustling at the base of Mount Ballyhoo. Not that it would be considered a mountain anywhere but here. Things were always held to a different standard in the middle of the sea.

He climbed off the bike with as much grace as he could muster and stretched, willing the raging hard-on in his jeans to behave. If Janny thought he’d brought her up here for a quickie, it would never happen. Not that he would mind that in the slightest, but he’d taken her here on the strange notion that it was something she needed to see. He needed to recall it as well. Everything about growing up here hadn’t been awful. Just stifling.

He removed his helmet and ran his hand through his hair, glad he hadn’t bothered with it in months. It was long enough not to stick to his head or stick out at strange angles. Some women even found long hair sexy. Maybe Janny did. He turned and swallowed hard at the sight of her bare thighs stretched across his bike, her hands clutching her bunched-up skirt. Her dazed expression and crooked smile had him leaning in for a quick peck as he undid her helmet and hooked it to the back of the bike.

He held out a hand, noting how soft her skin felt beneath his calloused palms. He’d have to keep a gentle touch. She climbed off, leaning on him as she dropped her skirt.

“It’s like the ground is still moving.” She took a deep breath but didn’t move away. The cooling engine ticked behind her, grounding him in a moment so still he thought he could hear the waves surge against the rocks at the shore.

He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. His hands had chilled from the ride, so he slipped them between her and his jacket to warm them. He rested his chin atop her mass of dark curls and relaxed for the first time in a week.

Nothing mattered up here, away from the expectations of family, the stress of trying to wrap his head around his very together sister’s shotgun wedding, or the pressures of having to take a week away when the ranch needed him.

She crossed her arms over his and leaned against him. Just a man and a woman, the wonder of a Bering Sea sunset and the possibility of pleasure. They watched the sun fall into the ocean, shades of reds and orange bleeding into a lavender sky. Like an overprotective parent, the sun never drifted too far in the Alaskan summer, the sky barely darkening enough for the moon to appear.

“Where are we?” Janny asked, her voice quiet in the stillness.

“Bunker Hill. Unalaska tourism consists of Dutch Harbor, birding and this.” He motioned toward a round Quonset hut half buried in the ground. “The island was an artillery battery for the US Army in World War II. Most everything is gone or housed in the museum down by the airport, but galvanized steel has a way of staying put.”

She spun in his arms, her pale eyes shimmering in the twilight. “So this is your battle of Bunker Hill?”

“I’m a lover, not a fighter.” He winked because it played right along with the corny-as-hell line.

“Good.” She rose up on her toes and he met her halfway, tasting her full lips. He held her tight with one hand and moved the other up, glancing the side of her breast as he trailed up to the nape of her neck. He pulled her closer, threading his hand into her tangle of wild curls so he could feast on her mouth.

She tasted like expensive, exotic places, feminine wiles and whispers. Like a drug that heated him from the inside out until he burned from it, for it. He let the kiss slide to her ear and down her neck as he tried to figure out a way to take off her dress so she’d be wearing nothing but her heels and his jacket. The vision blinded him and his cock strained urgently against his jeans.

“I have this fantasy,” her voice slipped over him like silk.

“Yes.” He slid a hand behind her, tracing the seam of her one-shoulder dress and praying he’d find a zipper soon.

“I haven’t told you what it is yet.”

He released her and grabbed the globes of her toned ass in both hands, pressing his cock against her belly. “You can ask me to paint your damned house right now and the answer is yes.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. But I was thinking about the bike.” She tilted her head toward the motorcycle.

He shook his head. “I’ll knock it over.”

Her kiss-swollen lips tilted in a smirk. “Feeling out of control, Nik?”

He growled without warning, which he knew did nothing to plead his case. As soon as she started to laugh, he gripped her ass tighter and lifted her off the damned ground. She squealed, wrapping her arms around his neck and leveraging one leg around his waist.

“It wasn’t a dare,” she whispered against his ear before nipping at the lobe.

The girl was lucky he’d taken them to a hut with makeshift furniture he and his brothers had crafted out of pallets. They’d all come up here yesterday and he’d been pleasantly surprised to see it still served as an out-of-the-way clubhouse.

He walked toward the open entrance of the hut with long strides, making up the ground as quickly as humanly possible. As soon as the wooden floorboards creaked beneath his feet, he released his hold and she slid down his body until she found her feet again. Her silly grin warred with the desire he saw shining from her crystal-blue eyes.

“That was a little—”

“Take off the jacket.” He did the job before she had a chance to respond.

“What the—”

“Ever felt leather against your bare ass?” He snagged a condom from the inside pocket and then spread the coat over a table he’d built at fifteen. He prayed the nails would hold.

“No, but—” She gave an excited yelp as he swept her off her feet, lifting the skirt of her dress as he sat her on the table. She gasped and stared up at him as he nudged his body between her legs. “God, you move faster than that bike.”

“I thought you had a fantasy.” He pushed her rioting curls behind her ears and framed her face in his hands. With his back to the doorway, everything was darkened to outlines and shadows.

“Yes,” she whispered, her voice softening.

“Wouldn’t you like to make it real instead of always making believe?”

She fisted her hand in his hair, pulled him to her and kissed him with equal parts hunger and excitement. He slid one hand over her bare shoulder, remembering his problem from earlier. He cursed himself and broke the kiss.

“I can’t find the damn zipper.”

“This one?” She snuck her hand between them and squeezed his cock. He wasn’t proud of the sound that came from the back of his throat, but there was no helping it. She tightened her hold and he fought to breathe. “I can help you if you’ve forgotten how.”

He shook his head and squeezed her shoulders in each of his hands. She could keep doing that forever and he’d be fine with it, but he knew she needed more. Deserved better.

He cleared his throat and fisted his hands at his sides. “Your dress. I need it off.”

“Need?” The teasing tone in her voice deserved retaliation, but he didn’t have the brain power to come up with any. Especially after she released him and stretched both arms overhead, clasping her hands together in a submissive pose that rocked him back on his heels.

“Damn,” he said, wiping the sweat from the back of his neck. She tilted her head to the side and he noticed the slightest glint of metal just below her arm. He slid the zipper down her ribs, taking pleasure in the way her arms started to tremble. The zipper stopped at her waist and he peeled the material back to reveal one perfect breast.

The dress had some kind of cage holding her breasts, but he didn’t care to examine how it worked. No, he couldn’t think, could only feel the curve beneath his palm, the pearled nipple under his thumb. He’d thought her hands soft, but this was velvet. Warm and smooth and amazing.