The Garrisons: Cassie, Adam & Brooke: Stranded with the Tempting Stranger

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She loved him. That was a gimme. But she knew he didn’t love her. He was attracted to her and he enjoyed making love to her. For him it had nothing to do with feelings and emotions. Her heart turned in her chest at the realization, but she couldn’t blame him for lacking those things. He hadn’t made her any promises. He hadn’t offered her a commitment. She was okay with that. She had no choice.

Moments later when she discovered she couldn’t get to sleep, she knew the reason why. She quietly eased out of bed, put on a robe to cover her naked body and slipped down the stairs. She entered the room where her parents’ huge portrait hung on the wall and turned on the light. Whenever she had problems and issues weighing her down, she would come in here where she would feel their presence and remember happier times.

A few moments later she went to the aquarium, sat on a love seat and observed the many species of marine life in the tanks all around her. The sight and sound created a relaxing atmosphere and she sat there with her legs tucked beneath her and enjoyed the peaceful moments.

She left the aquarium a short while later and when she eased back in the bed, Brandon tightened his arm around her, pulled her closer to his warmth and whispered in her ear, “Where were you? I missed you.”

She cuddled closer to him. “Umm, I went downstairs to think about some things.”

“About what?”

“Whether I should go to Miami with you to meet my sisters and brothers and resolve the issue between me and Parker.” She cupped Brandon’s face in her hand. “I’ve decided to go, Brandon.”

And then she leaned up and kissed him, believing in her heart that she had made the right decision.

Eight

Cassie glanced over at Brandon, who was sitting across from her in his private plane. They had boarded just seconds ago and already his pilot was announcing they were ready for take off from the Nassau International Airport.

The last week had been spent preparing for this trip, both mentally and physically. As strange as it seemed, she was a twenty-seven-year-old woman who would be meeting her siblings, all five of them, for the first time. And surprisingly enough, once Brandon had told them of her decision to visit, she had heard from each of them … except for Parker. However, his wife Anna had contacted her and had seemed genuinely sincere when she’d said that she was looking forward to meeting her.

After remnants of Melissa’s presence had left the island and the sun had reappeared, it was business as usual. Cassie had gone to the hotel that first day to check on things, and her other days she had spent with Brandon.

They had gotten the trees taken care of that had fallen on her property and then the rest of the time had been used taking care of each other. She’d given him a tour of the island and had introduced him to some of her mother’s family. They had shopped together in the marketplace, had gone out to dinner together several times and had taken her parents’ boat out for a cruise on the ocean. But her favorite had been the times she had spent in his arms, whether she was making love with him or just plain snuggling up close.

She would be spending two weeks in Miami as a guest in his home. After that, she would return to the Bahamas and resume her life as it had been before he’d entered it. She tried not to think about the day they would part, when he would go his way and she would go hers. In reality, they lived different lives. He had his life in America and she had hers in the islands.

And even now, she still wasn’t sure of Brandon’s feelings for her, but she was very certain of her feelings for him. She loved him and would carry that love to the grave with her. Like her mother, she was destined to love just one man for the rest of her life.

She continued to stare at Brandon, and as if he felt her eyes on him, he glanced up from the document he was reading and met her gaze. “You okay?” he asked, with concern in his voice, as he put the papers aside.

“Yes. I’m fine.” And she truly was, because no matter how things ended between them, he had given her some of the best days of her life and she would always appreciate him for it.

“How about coming over here and sit with me.”

She took a perusal of his seat. It couldn’t fit two people. “It won’t work.”

He crooked his finger at her. “Come here. We’ll make it work.”

The raspy sound of his voice got to her and she unsnapped her seat belt and eased toward him. He unsnapped his own and pulled her down into his lap. “Don’t be concerned with Gil,” he said of his pilot. “His job is to get us to our destination and not be concerned with what’s going on in here.”

She snuggled into his lap, thinking this was what she would miss the most when he left—the closeness, the chance to be held tight in a man’s arms, to be able to feel every muscle in his body, especially the weight of that body on hers. Not to mention the feel of him inside of her. Then there was his scent … it was one she would never forget. It was a manly aroma that reminded her of rain, sunshine and lots of sex.

“I spoke with Parker before we left.”

She’d heard what he said but didn’t respond. She was still thinking of lots of sex.

He tightened his arms around her as he glanced down. “Cassie?”

She tilted her head and looked up at him. “I heard you.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment, just reached out and softly caressed the cleft in her chin. She swallowed with his every slow, sensuous stroke. He was trying to get next to her. And it was working.

“What did he want?” she asked, forcing the words out from her constricted throat. His hand had moved from her chin and was now stroking the side of her face, the area right below her ear.

He pretended not to hear as he continued to trace a path from her ear to her neck. “Brandon?” she said, to get his attention.

“I heard you,” he answered, meeting her gaze and grinning.

She grinned back. “What did Parker want?”

“He has summoned you to the compound for Sunday dinner.”

She raised up and glanced at him with a perturbed look on her face. “He did what!”

He laughed. “I was joking. I knew you wouldn’t like the word summoned. I like getting a rise out of you.”

She eased her hands between his legs to his crotch. “I like getting a rise out of you, too. Now stop teasing and tell me what Parker wanted.”

He pulled her hand back and drew her closer into his arms. “He wants to invite you to Sunday dinner at the Garrison Estate. It’s a weekly affair for the Garrison family.”

She nodded as she thought about what he’d said. “And what about Bonita Garrison? The woman who wouldn’t care if I dropped off the face of the earth.”

Brandon inhaled deeply. “I wondered about that myself, but knowing Parker he’ll have everything under control.”

Cassie glanced up at him. “You don’t sound too convincing.”

He lowered his head. “Maybe this will help,” he breathed against her lips while his hand lifted her skirt to stroke her thigh. He then stroked his tongue across her lips the same way his hand was massaging her thigh, gently, pleasurably and methodically. And if that wasn’t enough, he inserted his tongue into her mouth and the impact shattered her nerve endings. Her lips parted on a sigh, which gave him deeper penetration, something he was good at taking advantage of. And he was doing so in a way that had her moaning from the sensations escalating through her. His exquisite tongue was doing wild and wonderful things to hers. Devouring her mouth. Deepening her desire.

“Buckle up for landing.”

He lifted his head when his pilot’s command came across the speaker. And then as if he couldn’t resist, he lowered his head and kissed her again. This time it was Cassie who pulled back and whispered against his moist lips. “I think I need to go back to my own seat.”

“Yes, you do,” he agreed, tracing his tongue around her mouth before finally releasing her from his lap.

She eased back to her seat and quickly buckled in. She lifted her head. Their gazes met. She smiled. So did he.

The thought that suddenly ran though her mind was that they hadn’t missed making love one single time since that first experience and they hadn’t gone a day without sharing a kiss, either. Those would be memories that would have to sustain her. Memories she would forever cherish.

“Cassie?”

She glanced over at him. “Yes?”

“Welcome to Miami.”

“Do you mind if I make a quick stop by my office to check on things?” Brandon asked Cassie as he drove his car down Ocean Drive. Her attention was on the happenings outside the car’s window. During this time of the day, it wasn’t unusual to spot models, vintage cars, Harleys and people on Rollerblades mixing in with the many tourists that visited South Beach.

She turned to him, smiling. The sun coming through the window seemed to place golden highlights in her hair. “No, not at all. I’m sure you want to check to make sure nothing was damaged during the storm, although from the looks of things, all this city got was plenty of rain.”

“Which seem to have grown more people,” Brandon said, chuckling. “This area gets more popular every day. Daytime is bad enough but wait until darkness falls and all the nightclubs open. South Beach becomes one big party land.”

“Umm, sounds like fun.”

He chuckled. “It is, and Adam’s nightclub is right there in the thick of things. It’s doing very well. Before you return to the Bahamas, I plan to make sure I take you out on the town one night, and Adam’s club is just one of the many places we’ll visit.”

Cassie slanted a smile over at him. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those party animals.”

He laughed. “Not anymore, but I used to be. Adam and I have a history of spending many a nights out partying and having a good time. We were intent on experiencing as much of the wilder side of life as we could. But after Dad’s death I had to buckle down and get serious when everything fell on my shoulders. I will always appreciate your father for having faith in my abilities and retaining our firm after Dad died. John didn’t have to do that, but by doing so, he gave me a chance to prove my worth.”

Cassie nodded as her smile deepened. “So you settled down, but is Adam still the party animal?”

“Not to the degree he used to be,” he said. “He’s become a very serious businessman. You’re going to like him.”