The Nauti Boys Collection Read online

  She loved the Nauti Buoy. They had spent the summers on it when she was younger. Upstairs was another larger, opulent bedroom, as well as a master bathroom and deck. Before Ray had given it to Rowdy, there had been two bedrooms downstairs. Now, the second one was a drying/changing area for the back deck with a small washer/dryer combo.

  “I wasn’t sure,” she finally answered, staring back at him, her fingers knotting in the hem of her shirt.

  “Your mother helped build the marina.” He turned to her after setting the food on the table. “I wouldn’t take it from you, no matter what happened.”

  He hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans, watching her with those eyes. Eyes that stripped her defenses, that sent butterflies crashing to and fro in the pit of her stomach.

  She licked her lips, staring back at him. The last thing on her mind now was the business. Nerves clashed as her senses became more heightened; the air in the confines of the craft became heavier, dense with the seductive, subtle scent that was unique to Rowdy.

  “I know you wouldn’t, Rowdy.” She cleared her throat, forcing herself to move to the cabinet and the kitchenware there.

  As she pulled plates and silverware from where they were held and set the table, Rowdy warmed the food in the microwave, setting it on the table before pulling a bottle of cheap wine from the fridge.

  At some point, he had turned on a CD, lowering the volume until the soft, intimate music flowed through the cabin.

  “Let’s eat.” The dark throb in his voice was so sexual that the suggestion took on a whole new meaning.

  “Eat.” She breathed in slowly. “Okay. We eat.”

  EIGHT

  As they ate, he told her about the Marines. She knew he was glossing over the harder details, the blood and death he’d seen overseas, the friends he had lost. She knew when he was talking about those friends who were no longer alive to laugh with him. His eyes would darken, his expression becoming reflective.

  He told her about the desert, made her laugh at some of the pranks he and his buddies had played on their CO or other soldiers. She saw the beauty of the sun rising over a desert landscape, or the calm tranquillity of the moon rising, with his deep voice and reverent descriptions.

  But he had missed home. She heard that in every word. How beautiful the moon glistening off the sand could be, but it didn’t compare to the early morning fog that rose from the lake or the moon slicing a path of golden light across the wet surface.

  How he would miss the guys he’d fought with, but he dreamed of slipping off into the mountains and making the homemade moonshine he, Natches, and Dawg often made.

  The silence of the desert, the symphony of the forest. He saw the beauty of the land he’d been in, but he knew the treasures to be found in the land he’d grown up in.

  “What about women?” She asked the question that plagued her most as he stacked the dishes in the tiny dishwasher and turned back to where she watched him from the table.

  She propped her elbow on the table, cupping her chin in her hands as she watched him curiously.

  “I wasn’t a saint, baby.” His lips quirked with that sexy little half smile that was trademark Rowdy. “But there was nothing serious. Hasn’t been anyone in a while, actually. What about you?”

  He was leaning against the counter, his muscular body relaxed. Well, mostly relaxed. He was hard. She could glimpse the bulge in the front of his jeans from the lower portion of her vision and was dying for a full look.

  “No one for me,” she answered with a self-mocking grimace. “I couldn’t get over you. You left and broke my young heart.”

  “Better your young heart than my neck,” he grunted. “I was twenty-two-years-old, Kelly. I should have been shot for even looking at you then.” His eyelids lowered. “But it was damned hard not to look. You filled out a pair of shorts almost as good as you fill them out now.”

  She felt the flush that rose over her face, her gaze flickering away from him for long moments as she breathed in deeply.

  “You know, those loose clothes are going to have to go,” he sighed. “One of my favorite parts of coming home was watching you run around in those snug little shorts and tank tops. Made my dick harder than hell, but it was a sight I sure as hell miss, Kelly.”

  Her gaze slammed into his. The green was darker now, his expression heavy with hunger.

  “I…” She swallowed tightly. “I’m more comfortable—”

  “Bullshit.” The whispered retort was delivered with a knowing smile. “You’re scared. I’m home now, Kelly. Trust me.”

  He had promised her, so long ago, as long as he was around, no one would hurt her. It was the bully, she remembered. She was terrified of staying in the park after school while her mother worked, after the bullies had started picking on her. Unless Rowdy was there. He had taken care of her. And sometimes one of the others. If Rowdy couldn’t be there, Dawg or Natches had been.

  “Remember when I promised I’d always take care of you?” he whispered. “You were the littlest bit of thing I had ever laid my young eyes on. Those tears on your face when those bullies stole that frippery in your hair made me madder than hell.”

  “You saved my hair bows.” She restrained her teasing smile. “And saved Mom a ton of extra money. I loved my hair bows.”

  “You still love your hair bows.” He grinned. “I saw them scattered all over your bathroom last night when I got up for a drink. Damned things own your sink counter.”

  The style of those pretty hair trifles had changed now. Rather than actual bows there were silver barrettes, glittering little bobby pins, and stylish little doodads he had yet to identify.

  She lifted her brows. “They’re pretty though.”

  He pushed from the counter, moving with a predatory ease, a shift of bone, muscle, and sinew that had her breath catching in her throat as he walked to the table.

  “No.” He reached out, the backs of his fingers smoothing over the side of her face. “You’re pretty. Too damned pretty for those loose clothes. Take them off for me.”

  Her eyes widened. “I didn’t bring a change—”

  “You have on a bra and panties, I presume?” His fingers wrapped around her wrist, drawing her to her feet. “I bet they cover you better than that damned bathing suit did when you were seventeen.”

  The air was suddenly too thick to breathe, her sight dazed, filled with the color of Rowdy’s eyes and the desire she could see glowing in them. Her thighs tightened as she felt the tingle of response racing through her womb, rippling through her vagina.

  “I’ll head the boat for the cove,” he whispered. “We could do some swimming, watch the moon rise over the lake. Would you like that, Kelly?”

  “A bra and panties isn’t exactly a bathing suit.” She drew in a deep breath, moving away from him as she tugged at the large shirt.

  “It’s not exactly naked, either,” he said as he moved to the wheel column. “Think about it. So do we go to the cove anyway?” He glanced back at her, lifting a black brow suggestively.

  Kelly breathed in deeply.

  “The cove sounds like fun.” She finally nodded firmly.

  “And the clothes?” His gaze dropped over her body before coming back to her eyes.

  She lifted her brow mockingly. “You haven’t done anything to deserve it yet, Rowdy,” she purred sweetly. “I guess I’ll just have to think about it.”

  She was going to have to think about it?

  As he maneuvered the Nauti Buoy toward the hidden cove, Rowdy found a smile tugging at his lips. He might not deserve to see those loose clothes coming over her perky little body, but he was going to. The long, thin, denim shirt fell to her thighs and draped over her slender shoulders. Even her jeans were loose, a protective shell to cover herself with.

  His jaw clenched at the thought. Kelly had never had a problem wearing clothes that emphasized her slender body, until now. The attack had changed that; she was nervous now, where before she had been confident of
herself as a desirable, pretty young woman.

  She didn’t tease him like she had for far too many years. She was more contained, quieter. And he realized he missed the spitfire she had been. By now, they should have been arguing loud enough to draw attention, while she drove him crazy with a combination of lust and exasperation.

  Instead, she was standing at the glass sliding doors, staring into the distance reflectively as her fingers gripped the drapes at the side.

  “I think you’re wrong, Kelly.” He leaned into the back of the barstool he was sitting in, one hand gripping the wheel as the boat plowed through the water toward the cove.

  “About what?” She turned back to him with a frown, her gray eyes twinkling with good humor.

  “I think I deserve to see you stripped down to something decent.” He scowled. “Stop letting that bastard win.”

  She rolled her eyes before turning back to the scenery outside the boat.

  “You don’t know everything, Rowdy,” she retorted, but there was no conviction in her voice.

  “I know you.” He began unbuttoning his own shirt as he glanced at her, his cock throbbing in delight as she glanced back at him, her eyes shadowed with interest.

  Within seconds he’d stripped the shirt, tossing it back on the chair behind him as he flashed her a wicked grin.

  She turned to him then, crossing her arms over her breasts as she lifted her brow.

  “You could at least lose the jeans,” he pointed out. “That shirt is big enough to cover two of you. No one would know.”

  Four years ago she had worn that tiny little bikini all damned day, flipping around him like a wood nymph intent on driving mortal men insane. Now, he couldn’t even get her out of her pants.

  “You’re pushing,” she warned, her voice holding a subtle snap.

  “You haven’t seen me push yet, baby,” he growled in return. “Do you think I didn’t take the time to find out just how much you’ve been hiding since that bastard attacked you? You stopped dressing like the girl I knew and started dressing like your damned grandmother instead. You’re scared.”

  “Well, duh!” she mocked him. “Go figure. Maybe I should just prance around naked for you, Rowdy.” She wasn’t really angry, yet. Her eyes were sparkling though, her cheeks flushing with irritation.

  “That would work for me.” He grinned wolfishly. “Let’s try it and see if it will work for you. Take yours off and I’ll take mine off.”

  “You would take yours off anyway.” Her laughter was soft, knowing.

  “For you, baby, anytime.” He winked.

  “A far cry from your answer in the past years.” The shade of mockery in her voice wasn’t lost on him. “Why now? You come back and suddenly can’t wait to get into bed with me? It’s enough to make a girl suspicious.”

  “No doubt,” he agreed, grinning back at her. “There’s no secret there, sweetheart. I wasn’t about to take a kid to my bed. Being a virgin will be hard enough for you, I at least wanted you to be mature enough to know what the hell you were getting into. But I had no intentions of not coming back for you.”

  Surprise reflected in her eyes.

  “And if I decided I wanted someone else?” Her eyes narrowed, her lips thinning at the confidence he knew she was reading in his tone.

  “Then Dawg or Natches would have taken care of it until I made it back on leave.” He shrugged easily. “I put a claim on you a long time ago, Kelly. You just didn’t realize it.”

  “Somewhere between the little sex games that your buddies shared in?”

  Ohhh, now was that just a little shade of jealousy there? He watched her closely from the corner of his eye as he kept the teasing grin in place.

  “Sex games are for adults.” He scratched at his chin as he glanced back at her. “You couldn’t handle them.”

  “Who says I couldn’t handle them?” She frowned back at him as she straightened and placed her hands on her hips. “You never gave me the chance to try.”

  He snorted. “Don’t let your mouth write checks your body can’t cash, baby. Don’t dare me.”

  He gave her a dark, warning look, one she immediately recognized. He wasn’t playing here. Not yet. And before he started, he wanted her aware of the rules.

  “I’m not stupid.” She pushed her hands into her jeans pockets, staring back at him with an edge of anger, of arousal. “I paid attention to your reputation a long time ago.”

  She wasn’t shying away from him. That was good. He didn’t want her shying away from him; he wanted her curious, interested. He wanted her horny.

  “Did you now?” He ran his hand over his chest as he guided the houseboat into a turn that would take it off the main section of the lake and into a more narrow waterway leading to the cove. “And you still teased me every chance you had. You’ve stopped teasing me. Maybe you decided you can’t handle it.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re being a prick.”

  “I’m being honest, Kelly.” He gave his head a quick, negative jerk. “You listened to the rumors, you say. Evidently you didn’t listen close enough.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Exactly what I said,” he answered, narrowing his eyes as he glanced back at her. “I’m fine with having the princess. I’ll take you to my bed, treat you like crystal, and love you with everything I have to give you, for as long as you can put up with me. But don’t tempt the beast, sugar, because when he gets hungry, you might get more than you’ve bargained for.”

  He watched her expression go blank.

  “You love me?” She blinked back at him, so damned innocent it made his guts clench.

  “Kelly, I’ve always loved you,” he told her, meaning it. Knowing he meant it. “In one way or the other, you’ve always been a part of me. You’re old enough to decide if you want to settle in with one man, forever, or not. I figure I can give you this summer to decide for sure if I’m that man. If not, then I’ll let you go. It wouldn’t be easy, but I’d do it—”

  “But, Rowdy, I’ve always loved you.” She watched him in confusion now, hope and fear in equal parts shadowing her eyes.

  He tapped his fingers against the wheel, turning it until it swung into another waterway leading to the private cove. Natches’s family owned the small property that bordered the bay. It was on the back side of undeveloped land, and completely private.

  “Yeah, I know you have,” he finally answered as he pulled along the tree-shaded bank and cut the engine.

  He didn’t say anything more as he moved beyond the sliding doors, throwing out the heavy front anchor weight before moving to the back and doing the same. As he returned to the living area, he paused by the table.

  “I came back for you,” he said, leaning against the small bar, forcing himself to stand away from her. “That’s why Dad was so worried. He knew I came back for you. And the rumors are fact, baby. So don’t push me where the games are concerned.”

  “I don’t need you or your dad making decisions for me,” she snapped, her gray eyes flaring in defiance. “If we’re going to try for a relationship, then we’ll meet in the middle. Somehow. But not if you think you can plan my life for me.”

  His lips twitched. She was a bundle of fire, that was for damned sure.

  “Take off the pants,” he whispered. “Let’s go one step at a time, Kelly. See what your limits are together.”

  “Our limits,” she retorted. “Not just mine.”

  His lips curled into a frankly sexual, wicked smile.

  Kelly licked her lips nervously. The action had the head of his erection pounding with need. Damn, he wanted that little tongue there laving the thick crest, licking around it as though it were a favorite treat.

  She bit her lower lip and glanced away before breathing in deeply. Her hands moved, pulling out of the jeans pockets before moving beneath the shirt to unsnap the pants. She kicked off her sandals then pushed the jeans over her hips and down her legs.

  Within seconds she was laying them ov
er the chair with his shirt before turning back to him.

  “You used to tease me like a brazen little hussy,” he whispered, staring at her legs, dying to feel them around his hips. “It was one of the things I looked forward to most when I thought of coming home.” He watched her move toward him, her eyes becoming cloudy with passion as he kept his voice low, carefully teasing.

  “You didn’t act as though you enjoyed it,” she murmured as she drew up to him. He jerked as she placed her small hand on his bare chest and ran it slowly down to his tight abdomen. “You stayed away from me.”

  He lifted his hand, moving it to her arm, feeling the softness of her skin as he ran his fingers to her elbow and back again.

  “If you knew the things I wanted to do to you over the years, you would have run screaming.” He stared down at her uplifted face, his gaze on her lips. The soft, candy pink perfection of those full curves had him aching. “You’re still too damned young for the things I want to do to you. With you.”

  “What did you want to do to me, Rowdy?” Her hand slid from his abdomen to his chest again as she stared at him, her eyes reflecting the same hungry need she had shown for years, but it also showed a shadow of fear, of hesitation.

  “Everything.” He wasn’t going to lie to her. Now wasn’t the time to hide any part of who or what he was, or the hungers he could unleash on her. If there was a time to be honest with her, it was now. Before the emotional connection that had bonded them for so many years deepened, before there was a chance she could be hurt.

  Arousal flashed in her eyes as her breathing became heavier, jerkier. “Give me an example.”

  He ran his fingers down her arm until he found her hand, lifted it, pulling her fingers to his lips as he watched her through narrowed eyes. Her gaze flickered to his lips as he licked over the pad of two fingers, her eyelids drooping, pleasure rather than fear filling her gaze.

  “You know what I want,” he whispered. “Exactly what I suspect you’re most frightened of now.” He lifted his other hand, smoothing back her hair from her face, his thumb caressing her cheek. “I want to strip you down, love you from head to toe as often as possible, and sometimes…we might not be alone.”