Deadly Rivalry (Hardy Brothers Security Book 17) (6 page)

“
G
ood morning
, baby,” James said the next morning, tightening his arms around Mandy’s waist and snuggling her close. “Did you sleep okay?”

“I slept like a rock,” Mandy murmured, rubbing her nose against James’ neck. “I don’t even remember dreaming.”

James glanced down to the spot where her head rested against his chest – her ear pressed to his heart – and pushed her hair away so he could enjoy the angular planes of her face. For a moment he was overwhelmed by love. Then reality set in.

“I would like to spend the entire day naked.”

Mandy barked out a laugh as she rubbed her cheek against his chest. “Isn’t that a given on a Sunday?”

“You didn’t let me finish, wife,” James chided. “I would like to spend the entire day naked, but I really have to go to the bathroom and we need breakfast. Therefore, I would like to get dressed in the barest minimum of clothing for those two tasks and then immediately strip again.”

Mandy raised her head so her chin rested on his firm muscles and met his gaze. “That seems fair to me.”

“Good,” James said, leaning over so he could kiss her forehead. He usually preferred a lazier morning and would’ve happily spent an hour relaxing with her before greeting the day if it wasn’t for the other pressing issue. “Now get up, because your elbow is poking into my bladder.”

“Oh! I’m sorry.” Mandy rolled off of her husband so quickly she lost her balance and slipped over the edge of the mattress, falling onto the carpet and bursting into hysterical giggles. The sound was raucous and happy, and James knew he would never get enough of it.

“I would pick you up and kiss your bruised bottom, but I really need to go to the bathroom,” James said, hurrying past her. “Don’t put a lot of clothes on. I’m not kidding.”

“Yes, sir!”

“I’m going to ‘yes sir’ your ass off as soon as I’m done,” James warned. “You’d better get a running start.”

J
AMES
found
Mandy in the kitchen ten minutes later. Her honey blond hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail, and while it looked like she’d splashed water on her face, it was devoid of makeup and bare – just the way he liked it. She was dressed in short cotton sleep shorts and a tiny tank top that clung to her skin and left very little to the imagination. James sauntered over to Mandy and kissed her neck, pressing his palm against her flat abdomen and hugging her from behind.

“I’m sorry I had to cut our morning routine short,” James whispered, causing her to involuntarily shudder as he nipped at her ear. “I really had to go, though.”

“That’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever said to me,” Mandy said, sighing dramatically and causing James to grin.

“I’ll romance you later,” James said, pressing one more kiss to her soft skin before separating. “I want pancakes, by the way. I’m willing to cook them if you handle the coffee and juice.”

“Sold,” Mandy said, turning so she could kiss his chin. “I want mine in the shape of a rooster.”

“Cute, wife,” James said, tapping Mandy’s nose. “If I could figure out a way to make a rooster I would cook one just for you.”

“I bought rooster and hen griddle shape molds,” Mandy said, brightening. “They were going to be a surprise one weekend. Crap. Where did I put them?” Mandy knit her eyebrows together as she tried to remember. She had a habit of hiding things from her curious husband and then forgetting where she hid them.

“Why did you buy rooster and hen griddle shapes?” James asked, genuinely curious.

“I was going to cook them and put them in suggestive poses for your breakfast one weekend,” Mandy admitted, tapping her chin. “It’s going to bug me if I don’t remember where I put those stupid things.”

“I’m sure they’re around,” James said. “I need you to go back to the suggestive poses. Were these poses of a sexual nature?”

Mandy made a “well, duh” face. “What do you think?”

“I think you have a filthy mind and it’s only one of the reasons I love you,” James answered. “Try to remember where they are. Now I kind of want to make dirty chickens.”

Mandy snorted. “You’re the one who has a filthy mind. I ... oh, I remember where they are.” Mandy turned to look out the back window, her gaze landing on the guesthouse.

James followed her eyes and smiled. “Are they in your studio? I can get them.”

“I bought them the same day I bought a new set of paints,” Mandy said, her voice taking on a far-off quality. “I … I’ll get them.”

James studied his wife, excitement temporarily flaring before he forced himself to douse it. He didn’t want to get his hopes up in case she changed her mind. “Are you sure? I can get them.”

“I’ll get them,” Mandy repeated, stiffening her shoulders as she walked toward the sliding glass doors.

James watched her yank the door open and kept his on eyes on his wife as she padded barefoot between the main house and the guesthouse. He wanted to remind her about running around barefoot in the backyard when they had ongoing construction – he was building an arboretum for her off the back of the garage – but he knew now wasn’t the time to dampen her enthusiasm.

He leaned forward when she got to the guesthouse door, fighting the impulse to help her take the last step. She needed to do it alone, no matter how much he wanted to do it for her. He sucked in a breath when she reached out and grabbed the handle. His heart rolled when she pushed it open, and then he hurried toward the sliding glass door when he saw her step inside.

He raced out of the house, making sure to shut the sliding glass door behind him before jogging to the guesthouse. He pulled up short when he entered, his chocolate eyes landing on Mandy as she shifted and took in the new entertainment area.

James reached out to touch her arm, unsure if she liked the changes or not. When she met his gaze, her face was unreadable.

“I … do you like it?”

“You turned it into a
Jaws
area,” Mandy said, her voice cracking.

“I thought we needed a change,” James said, choosing his words carefully. “It has personality. At least, I think it does.”

Mandy moved into the room, her eyes busily bouncing from one thing to the next. The area where the previous bar stood was gone and it had been replaced with a built-in booth with leather seats and a round table at the center. A new bar area had been erected on the right, constructed out of weathered wood and featuring a porthole window in the middle of the shelves. A new leather couch and matching chairs sat on an ocean blue rug in the center of the room.

The pool and gaming table were gone, replaced with a vintage skee ball game and a
Jaws
pinball machine. The hardwood floors had been sanded down and repainted, and the walls were covered with various nautical elements – including a fake shark head. Mandy moved toward that, her fingers outstretched as she touched the replica scuba diving tank in the shark’s mouth.

“Where did you get this?” Mandy was almost breathless. “It’s supposed to be the actual
Jaws
shark with the air tank.”

“I can’t take credit for the bulk of this,” James said. “Grady did it. We spent a week in the hotel while things were being fixed around here, and he did ninety percent of it while we were out of the house.”

Mandy whipped around, her eyes widening. “He did all of this in a week?”

“He wanted to make it a place you would be happy,” James replied.

“But … why didn’t you tell me before?” Mandy asked. “You wanted me to come out here, but you never once hinted at changing things around like this. If you had told me … .”

“That’s why I didn’t tell you,” James said. “You needed to come out here on your own. You didn’t need me to make you come out here. You didn’t need me to beg you to come out here. You needed to make that decision for yourself … and you just did.”

“It’s beautiful,” Mandy said, tracing her fingers over the top of the bar. “I absolutely love it. Why is that wall empty, though?”

James smiled at the blank wall in question. It was close to the front door and completely bare. “That’s so you can paint a
Jaws
mural when you’re ready.”

Mandy pressed her lips together. “Grady thought of everything. Except … where is your pool table?”

James extended his hand and waited for Mandy to take it. “We added on another little surprise,” he said, leading her toward the door next to the bar. “Instead of a storage room we really didn’t need, we turned this into the gaming room.” James flicked on the lights and showed Mandy the spot where the pool and game tables now lived. The special light she had made with the Hardy brothers’ silhouettes hung over the pool table, and while the room wasn’t big, it was homey. “This way everyone has room to hang out in when they visit the Orca, and then the roosters can come over here to crow while the hens hang out over there and cluck.”

“I see you’ve thought of everything.”

James squeezed her hand. “I have a sign coming for the Orca next week. It’s hand carved. I think you’re going to like it.”

“You named it after Quint’s boat in the movie,” Mandy said. “You knew those were my favorite scenes.”

“That’s not all, wife,” James said, dragging Mandy back into the main room. “Look what’s on that shelf over there.”

Mandy shuffled over to study the ship replica sitting on the shelf James indicated and grinned. “It’s the Orca.”

“It is,” James acknowledged. “We also have vintage photos and a very special something I had added after Grady told me what he was doing.”

Mandy’s eyes sparkled. “What? I know you’re dying to show me.”

James smirked. “Sit on the couch in the middle of the room.”

Mandy obediently did as she was told while James flicked the lights off. When he joined her on the couch she was mildly tense and James didn’t blame her. She’d been through a lot in this room and the darkness left her uneasy.

“Put your head on my shoulder,” James instructed.

Mandy rested her head against his shoulder as he slipped his arm around hers.

“Look at the ceiling,” James whispered.

Mandy expectantly lifted her eyes.

“Put your hand in my boxer shorts,” James said, taking Mandy by surprise.

“What?”

“I had to try, baby. It was too good of a chance to pass up.” James laughed as Mandy squirmed and then hit a button on the remote control he held and smiled as the room lit up.

Mandy gasped when the room came to life, her eyes bouncing back and forth as the underwater scene floated lazily around the room. “It’s like we’re swimming with sharks,” Mandy said, exhaling heavily. “It’s … magical.”

“You’re magical, my baby,” James said, rubbing his thumb over her cheek. “Do you like it?”

“Of course I like it,” Mandy said, swiveling so she faced him. “How could you think I wouldn’t like it?”

“I don’t know,” James answered. “I was worried. I almost had Grady tear it all down twice because I thought you might be angry I changed it without consulting you.”

“James, I know I’ve been hard to deal with, but what you’ve done here is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me,” Mandy said, her eyes brimming with tears. “Well, I mean after marrying me and loving me, of course.”

“I want you to be happy, baby,” James said. “I’m so proud of you. You have no idea how happy you make me.”

Mandy grabbed the remote from James and tossed it on the end table next to the couch. “You’re about to show me.”

James lifted his eyebrows, amused. “I see. What about breakfast?”

“Breakfast can wait,” Mandy said. “Have you ever had sex with sharks flying around you?”

“No. I can’t say I have.”

“You’re about to.” Mandy grabbed the back of James’ head and slammed her mouth to his, moving her body so she was straddling his lap. James didn’t put up a fight, instead softly caressing her back as he slipped his tongue into her mouth.

Mandy ran her hands up and down James’ bare chest and then broke the kiss so she could tug her tank top over her head. James caught her breasts, palming them as he flicked the hardened nubs with his thumbs.

Mandy growled, making the same noise she did when they played shark in the pool, and James couldn’t help but laugh as he grabbed her around the waist and twisted their bodies so he could press her back against the couch. He returned his mouth to hers, sinking into the kiss as he shifted out of his boxer shorts and climbed on top of her.

He moved his mouth to her neck as she tangled her fingers in his hair, whimpering as he nipped at the soft flesh there and lowered his lips to her nipple. He sucked the turgid bud into his warm mouth, flicking his tongue against it and taking joy in the way she writhed beneath him.

After a few minutes of laving attention on her breasts, James moved lower, tugging on her flimsy sleep shorts until she was completely bare. He ran his thumb over her sensitive mound, smirking when he realized she was ready for him. The sharks, as always, were the perfect aphrodisiac. He had another plan first.

James parted Mandy’s thighs and buried his face between her folds, causing her to cry out as he attacked her hot core. The sharks had done their duty, and it didn’t take Mandy long to fly over the edge of bliss. James held her thighs so she couldn’t buck him off and he kept his tongue flat and refused to give her a break between waves.

“James,” Mandy gasped, reaching to push him away from her. “It’s too much.”

“It’s never too much,” James said, attacking her with gusto and pushing her into a second orgasm before she managed to adjust to the first.

Mandy was panting when James crawled up her body and slid inside of her, both of them groaning in united passion as they joined.

“James,” Mandy whispered, burying her face into the hollow between his neck and shoulder. “James. My James.”

“My baby,” James murmured, slipping his hands under her rounded rear end so he could tip her pelvis up and rub his thumb against her as he began to rock himself between her legs. “I love you, baby.”

James swallowed Mandy’s response with his mouth as he increased his pace. The only sounds in the room consisted of their muted grunts and groans as James dug his fingers into her soft flesh and exploded inside of her. Mandy orgasmed at the same time, wrapping her legs around his waist and refusing to let him roll off of her as they floated back to Earth.