Destiny Of A Donovan (The Donovans Book 15) Read online

  Wade’s hands moved to her shoulders and down her back. He gripped her bottom and pulled her closer to him. Brynne moaned and opened her mouth wider to the kiss. So when Wade gathered up the hem of her nightshirt and began moving it higher until she knew her underwear were now visible, she only startled momentarily.

  “I want to see you,” he whispered over her lips. “I want to see everything that I’ve dreamed about for longer than I care to admit.”

  Nervous still, but beyond the point of considering vanity over pleasure, Brynne let her hands fall from his chest and said, “Okay.”

  He smiled, that really cute half smile that never failed to arouse and amuse her. To his credit, Wade did not go slowly here. He pulled the nightshirt up and over her head in a matter of seconds, dropping it onto the floor beside the bed. Brynne wore no bra and black hipster underwear. It was suddenly chilly and she shivered the moment Wade’s fingers lightly moved from the line of her shoulders down her chest to the sensitive skin between her breasts. She stared at his chest, refusing to look at his face and possibly being impacted by his reaction to seeing her naked, or partially so.

  She thought she heard a moan just seconds before both his hands cupped her breasts. He held the globes in his hands as if he were weighing them, letting his thumb graze repeatedly over her puckered nipples.

  “Bellisima,” he whispered. “That means beautiful in Italian.”

  Brynne sighed and licked her now dry lips. “I didn’t know you spoke Italian.”

  “Yes,” he said and she wasn’t sure if it were in response to her comment or the fact that he’d ducked his head and touched his tongue to one nipple and then the other.

  “I speak Italian and Spanish,” he said, going down further until he was kneeling in front of her.

  His hands were now moving down her sides and over her torso, the spot where there was more skin and stretch marks. Wade kissed her there, laying his cheek against her stomach as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

  “Sei tutto. Qualunque cosa,” he whispered as he held her close. “Everything to me.”

  “Wade,” Brynne whispered, her heart swelling at the words spoken so beautifully in another language.

  Her fingers were immediately in his hair, raking through the silky strands and holding him close to her. After seconds of simply staying in that position, marveling in the intensity of the emotion in that moment, Wade grabbed the rim of her panties and began pushing them down her legs. Brynne braced her hands on his shoulders and stepped each leg out of them. He stood then and pushed the shorts he’d been wearing down his long legs so that he was now naked like her.

  He had a beautiful body, all muscles, tightened contours and more sprinkles of dark hair on his legs and at his groin. She almost moaned but managed to restrain herself as she sat on the bed and moved to its center, lying back against the pillows. Wade moved to the nightstand where Brynne watched him retrieve a condom from the top drawer. He sheathed himself and then—thankfully—turned off the lamp before climbing onto the bed.

  When he was beside her he touched a finger to her chin and kissed her again. This time with more heat, the hunger in both of them having grown.

  “Lights on or off, it’s you and me, Brynne. That’s all, just you and me.”

  She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him until he was on top of her and her legs were spread. “Just you and me,” she repeated and kissed him again.

  He slid into her as seamlessly as a melody, moving with a practiced rhythm that had them both moaning in ecstasy. It was slow and delicious, easy and comfortable, as if from day one they were always meant to meet at this place. He lifted her legs, holding them up and open wide as he continued to thrust deeply inside of her. She gripped the sheets in her hands and watched him over her, marveling at this sexy strong man who was hitting every erogenous spot she possessed with the thrust of his hips.

  When he reached between them to rub his thumb over her clit, Brynne bucked up off the bed. He continued that motion with his thumb while moving in and out of her. It was pure ecstasy, her eyes closing of their own will, mouth open as she moaned louder until her body trembled.

  He moved then, easing out of her and moving to the edge of the bed where he sat. For a moment Brynne was confused, until he turned and wrapping an arm around her waist pulled her over his lap. He held her by the hips and as if it were as easy as lifting the pillow off this bed, lowered her until his length was once again deeply inside her. Wrapping her legs behind him Wade pumped into her. Brynne adjusted to the new position and followed his lead. She twinned her arms around his neck and rode him with every ounce of desire she’d been feeling tonight.

  They moved fast, breathed hard. He nibbled on her shoulder, she scraped her blunt tipped nails over his back. He squeezed the cheeks of her bottom, she murmured his name. And they came together in a rush of exquisite sensations that left Brynne breathless and complete.

  And maybe just a little bit in love.

  Good sex could make a person tired.

  Great sex could send two people into a coma-like sleep and then have them running around to get to their early morning appointments.

  Brynne was back in her room a little after eight the morning after. She’d had a quick shower and had pulled on the first sundress she’d spotted hanging in her closet. Luckily for her it was a material that did not wrinkle easily, if at all, and the blue maxi dress was stylish and casual enough for her to wear to her therapy appointment. The appointment that was scheduled for ten o’clock and was located in a building downtown San Francisco. That meant she needed to be leaving the house in the next five minutes in order to make that hour long drive and get there on time.

  She grabbed her purse, which was still the yellow one from yesterday and in the effort to look halfway put together went back to her closet where she found a yellow scarf hanging on a rack. Brynne draped the scarf around her neck and then went to her dresser to find accessories that would pull the entire outfit together, one of which was a silver cuff bracelet with two yellow flowers in the center. When she was satisfied with the look and assured that she’d been able to pull all the wayward strands of her hair up into the neat bun on top of her head, Brynne headed for the door. She’d just pulled it open when Wade raised his hand to knock.

  “Hi,” she said.

  “Hi, yourself,” he spoke as he stepped quickly inside and pulled her close for a kiss. “I have meetings all day today. With the auction coming up next week and the new promotional plan debuting at the same time, there’s a lot going on. That usually means a lot of fires to put out.”

  Brynne nodded. “I know. Lauren’s on edge too, running around trying to make sure all the last minute preparations are made.”

  “Sixty years in operation, the last ten of them as one of the top three vineyards in Napa Valley, is a big deal.”

  “You’re right about that and I’m happy for you and Lauren. You’ve both worked really hard for this,” she told him.

  “We’ve been working way too hard,” he said as he toyed with her scarf. “I’m thinking about a vacation later this summer. How would you feel about a couple of weeks in Corfu? It’s beautiful there and we can spend our days laying by the pool.”

  Brynne didn’t know what to say. Was he inviting her to spend his vacation with him? It certainly sounded like it.

  “Um, I thought you were working on something in Tuscany,” she replied simply for the sake of having something to say. Her silence and confusion made her feel silly.

  He lifted a brow and said, “Would you rather go to Tuscany? We’d have a fabulous time there as well. Whatever you want, Brynne. Think about where you’d like to go and we can talk about it at dinner tonight. I doubt I’ll be back before then.”

  She was nodding her agreement before he finished. Brynne was okay with having the day to herself. She needed to think about what last night had meant. Apparently, to Wade it meant they were moving forward…to vacations in Corfu, to be exa
ct.

  “Yes. Dinner. Definitely,” she said and managed a smile.

  “Ok. Well I have to get going. What do you have planned for the day?” he asked as he looked down at her dress.

  “I have an appointment with my therapist.” Brynne said it bluntly because she wanted to get Wade’s reaction.

  She’d begun seeing this particular therapist a few weeks before her surgery last May. Her surgeon had advised that it was necessary, if Brynne wanted to be successful in the weight loss journey, for her to talk to someone about the things that had caused her pain or worry, or whatever emotion that lead her to seek solace in food. It had taken Brynne a long time to accept that was what she was doing. She knew that some people simply enjoyed food and thus they ate, but overeating is a sickness, one that like any other diagnosis should be treated.

  “What time is the appointment? Do you need a ride? I can hire a car to take you wherever you need to go,” Wade said. “Especially since it’s my fault you weren’t able to run your errands yesterday.”

  “No,” Brynne said, this time her smile genuine because Wade’s response to her announcement had been perfect. “I’m going to drive. I have to pick up my dress for the auction and I already promised Lauren I’d meet her for a late lunch.”

  “Ok, then I’ll see you later, sweetheart.”

  He kissed her again and this time, Brynne held on to his arms, pressing herself eagerly into the kiss. She was afraid this wasn’t real and needed to feel him to be sure.

  “Mmmmm,” he moaned and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. “I’m gonna miss you all day.”

  “I’ll miss you too,” Brynne replied sincerely.

  Minutes later when she was in the car and putting on her seatbelt she realized how true those words were. She’d been seeing him every day for weeks and she’d spent the entire night wrapped in his arms, enjoying the aftermath of the greatest orgasm she’d received in all her life. Hell yeah, she was going to miss him, even if it was just for a few hours.

  By the time Brynne had driven into the city, found a parking space and made it up to the fourth floor of the Breeston Medical Building, she was five minutes late for her appointment. The receptionist insured her that was fine because the therapist was running late with her last patient. Brynne sat down and pulled out her phone. She had text messages from Keysa and Bailey. One just asking how she was doing and the other telling her to check her inbox. After sending a quick reply to Keysa, Brynne logged into her email and found the one from Bailey.

  Her cousin wanted to update her on Cade’s investigation into Roslyn. Bailey had been sending these updates to the cousins for the past few weeks saying that it was important for all of them to be on the same page. Bailey and some of the other cousins were very big on communication and openness now that they’d been plagued by secrets that had actually ended up killing people.

  That’s right, Brynne thought, people were dying because of something her uncles had done years ago and the son her father had created. She shook her head and sat back heavily in the chair. How could one night or one sexual escapade have turned into this? Of course Brynne knew the scientific answer to that question, she was thinking on a much more philosophical level. At what point did any of them—Uncle Henry, Uncle Al, her father, or this woman, Roslyn—think that almost forty years later they would be in this situation? And what the hell was wrong with Roslyn Ausby that she could not let go? Damn, Brynne thought, she loved her Uncle Henry, but she was almost certain he wasn’t worth all the trouble this woman was going through. Roslyn had lost her daughter and with each person she killed, or was killed as a result of her reckless antics, she was giving up her freedom. There was nothing or no one, Brynne thought, that she would ever do that for.

  “Hi Brynne. You can come on in.”

  She looked up quickly to see a man rushing past her and then her therapist standing in the doorway of her office. Sybil was a tall woman, just about six feet, Brynne had guessed. She was probably in her late forties with not a speck of gray in her flaming red hair. Sybil always wore pantsuits. Today’s was a sage green color with an ivory shell beneath the jacket that worked surprisingly well with her skin and hair color.

  “Hi Sybil,” Brynne said as she stood. “Sorry I’m late.”

  Sybil touched Brynne’s shoulder as she walked into her office. “I should be saying the same thing.”

  The door closed and Brynne’s weekly forty-five minute appointment began.

  Afterwards, with her mind on the challenges Sybil had given Brynne regarding her relationship with Wade, Brynne walked out of Sybil’s office. She’d put her phone on vibrate while she was in the room but she’d still heard it humming from within her purse. Now, she pulled it out to see who had been trying to reach her. Two calls from an unknown number and one text message. Brynne was just about to open the text when she heard someone clearing their throat.

  She immediately looked to the receptionist’s desk, but Marielle wasn’t sitting in her usual spot. So Brynne looked in the other direction where a woman was sitting. Her long legs were crossed, her hair straight and covering most of her face. She wore wide framed black sunglasses.

  Brynne thought about speaking but something inside had her refraining. The woman didn’t say anything, simply stared at her until Brynne continued to walk toward the door.

  “Nice shoes,” the woman said finally.

  Brynne looked down at the Marc Jacobs studded flat sandals she wore. They were cute, but nothing spectacular and she wasn’t even sure how much of them the woman could have seen since her dress was so long. Still, Brynne looked over her shoulder and said a quick, “Thank you.”

  But the woman was already gone.

  With a shrug and a clear intention to dismiss how weird that scene just was, Brynne pushed through the glass doors and headed for the elevator. The bell signaling the elevator’s arrival had just sounded when Brynne remembered to look at her text message:

  Time is still ticking by

  Chapter 8

  A week later and Brynne was still thinking about that woman in the doctor’s office. The minute she’d left the building and was safely in her car, she’d called Bailey.

  “Nobody knows where I am,” she told her cousin after she’d explained what had happened. “How could it be her?”

  “I don’t know, Brynne, but I’m telling you that it sounds like some freaky crap Roslyn would do,” Bailey had said.

  “She didn’t look like that picture Trent circulated,” Brynne said. After receiving the clock charm she’d pulled up the picture Trent had sent all the cousins of Roslyn Ausby. It had been saved on her tablet.

  “She could be disguising herself,” Bailey replied. “Although she’s never gone through that trouble before. Whatever Roslyn does she usually wants to make sure you know she’s the one doing it.”

  Brynne had shaken her head at that possibility. “You’re the only one who knows where I am, Bailey. Well, you and Keysa. I told her when I was visiting with them because I could see the worry on her face.”

  “Well I’m sure she had lots of questions. Some of which were answered just by seeing you, right?” Bailey had asked.

  Brynne went quiet then. Bailey was right. Keysa had immediately noticed Brynne’s weight loss when she saw her. And Brynne had been happy about her sister’s reaction to hearing that she’d had weight loss surgery. There’d been no judgment, just understanding and sincere happiness at Brynne’s success.

  “Yes. Keysa and I talked about a lot of things,” she admitted, because this had been something that she and Sybil had also discussed this afternoon.

  When was the right time for Brynne to return home to her family and to tell them all she’d gone through? Sybil thought the time was now. Brynne wasn’t so sure.

  “As for what’s going on right now,” Brynne had said to Bailey, changing the subject. “I still don’t know how this woman could have found out where I am and get my cell phone number.”

  “Roslyn
is resourceful,” Bailey told her. “She’s also manipulative. Orin approached her about helping her get back at Trent, but in the end she pumped him for more information about Uncle Henry and Aunt Beverly.”

  “How would this guy who was in the Navy with Trent know so much about the family? Trent’s not exactly the open and sharing type of guy,” Brynne had said.

  Bailey had agreed. “I don’t know, but Cade says that’s how she knew about Uncle Henry’s house, the security code and when they were going to be at church. Look, she’s good at finding out what she needs to know.”

  “Why me?” Brynne asked. “Why bother with me?”

  “I can’t begin to explain what’s in her mind, but it’ll probably be safer if you go back home,” Bailey had said. “At least then you won’t be alone.”

  “I’m not alone here,” Brynne had said.

  “Right, you’re staying with your friend. Okay, does she know what’s going on? Is there a way you can get some private security there?”

  “No!” Brynne had replied immediately. “No. I’m not going to do that. It wasn’t her.”

  Bailey was quiet for a moment. “Even if it wasn’t Roslyn at your doctor’s office, she’s sent you a package and a text message. That means she knows where you are and how to contact you.”

  That phone call had unnerved her. Now, Brynne walked faster on the treadmill. Her arms moved and her chest heaved. She’d been going at it for about an hour and wasn’t ready to stop. The more she moved, the clearer her mind became. Or at least that was the plan.

  She’d gotten away from them. Left it all behind. For the last year she’d been happy here even if she’d been working her butt off for results. She’d been able to focus on her own problems, her own goals. Sure, she’d thought about her family at what was going on, but Brynne had continuously told herself that she had nothing to do with any of that. Dane was her father’s issue and the rest was for the Seniors to deal with. She wasn’t the one who had started this situation and she’d refused to let her plans be touched by it.