Five Hearts Anthology Read online

  Instead of answering her, he played a bold card and kissed her on the temple. She smelled like spiced peaches, one of his favorite things in the whole world. On this island, any smell other than the spicy hot peppers that were grown here was unusual. The fragrant, fiery smell permeated everything, but it had made his family wealthy and had spawned a legacy that had existed since before the Civil War. Beaucoup sauce was made on Egret Island and shipped literally all over the world.

  “I love this,” she spoke softly. “You’ve single-handedly saved my reputation from being an undateable, fat frump. And you didn’t even have to take me out—you did it with one dance.” There was no bitterness; it was like Riley was just stating a fact.

  This time he shook his head before he tried to enunciate the simple word “N…N…No!” His whole body tensed up at the effort and he felt his erection subsiding. Great. And when she pulled back in his arms, he was expecting her to turn tail and run.

  But, she didn’t.

  Instead, the look on her face was one of confusion. “What was the ‘no’ for? No, this isn’t a date? Don’t worry. I realize that.” When he shook his head saying she was wrong, she gave him the sweetest smile. “If it’s about your speech, don’t be embarrassed. I have a brother that speaks as you do, and I know something that might help.” Seth narrowed his eyes, listening. She continued. “Would you mind a suggestion?”

  That’s right, he remembered, she was a nurse. But what could a small town medical worker know that the great doctors on the East Coast did not? On the other hand, what did he have to lose? Plus, he got to spend a little extra time with a beautiful woman—it seemed like a win/win to him. Taking one hand off her shoulder, he signed between them. “I’ll take all the help I can get. This affliction puts a damper on my life, especially my love life.” Lord, she was pretty. “What color are your eyes?”

  “A washed out purple color, violet, I think.” Leaning close, she whispered conspiratorially, “It worked with my brother, so let’s try it with you.”

  Seth bent down so he wouldn’t miss a word she had to say.

  “If you’ll whisper, I think you will be able to speak a little easier. I know it doesn’t work with everyone, but it might help you with your women.”

  Seth couldn’t help but chuckle, she looked so sincere. And when was the last time he had ever heard of a woman being willing to help a man attract other women? Hell, why not. He’d give it a try. Shit! He was nervous. What would he say? Putting his head right at her ear, he mouthed the words—not even attempting to engage his vocal cords beyond the barest minimum. “You sure are pretty,” he offered. The spoken word had always been his enemy. So only on occasion had he tried to whisper, mostly when he was groaning and pleasuring himself. And then he hadn’t really paid any attention to what he sounded like. Had she heard him?

  She had. But she didn’t look happy. “You don’t have to say that. I know I’m not pretty.”

  “Not pretty—beautiful,” he whispered again.

  This time it hit her. She bounced in his arms. “You did it!” When she was happy, there were two of the most intriguing dimples next to her mouth. “I’m so happy!”

  He was happy too. And right now he wanted to show her exactly how happy he was. Not caring how he sounded—he almost shouted. “Let’s go!” Oddly enough, the louder he talked, the easier the words came out. That quirk didn’t do a lot for his asshole reputation but so be it. He didn’t wait to see if she would follow, he took her by the hand and pulled.

  “Okay, okay. I’m coming,” she said breathlessly as she managed to keep up.

  Yea, she was going to come—and come soon, if he had anything to do with it. God, he hoped she felt the same way he did. He hadn’t been this attracted to a woman in a long time. Seth felt her bump into a couple of people and slowed down to gather her close. He was letting his excitement cloud his good judgment. He made his way out of the crowded bar and into the South Louisiana night. Even though it was the middle of February, you couldn’t exactly call the weather cold—it was nippy, but pleasant.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  It was dark, so signing wouldn’t work. So Seth tried his new trick. He stopped, pulled her sweet, lush body up to his and whispered in her ear. Riley wasn’t his usual type, but being with her felt right. He wasn’t ready to get serious with anybody, but he sure would like some playtime—if she was interested that is. “Island. I want to spend time with you. Okay?”

  * * * *

  Okay? Was he kidding? “Spending time with you sounds good to me.” Frankly, Riley couldn’t believe how the evening was turning out. She had gone to trivia night with the others, just so they’d win a few rounds of drinks. It had been her original plan to ask a few men to dance, and if they had all turned her down, she would have taken that as a sign it was time to venture out of Egret Island and see what the rest of the world had to offer a former fat girl with no self-confidence to speak of. Instead, she was running off into the night with the most handsome man she had ever laid eyes on, and he seemed happy to be with her. Perhaps, he even desired her. God! That was a wild thought! Tomorrow was Valentine’s Day, usually the saddest and most lonely day of the year for her. But not this year—maybe.

  “Car?” he asked bluntly and loudly. Riley knew from dealing with Bucky most people who stuttered could talk more plainly the louder they spoke. Winston Churchill was a prime example of that. Most of the world never knew he had struggled with a speech problem. Now, what had he said? Car? She hesitated a moment until she realized he was enquiring whether she had come in her own vehicle.

  “No, I rode with Dorothy.” Seth led her to a big, black truck. She smiled; it looked like him—commanding, mysterious and powerful. Opening the passenger door, he picked her up and she moaned a bit, not because it hurt, but because she couldn’t ever remember being picked up, at least not since she was a toddler. “I’m too heavy.”

  At her declaration, he stepped close, his big form blocking the light of the moon. Cupping her face, he whispered, “Stop. You are delectable.” Chills surged through her as she felt his breath and then his lips on her neck, causing every nerve ending in her body to tingle, especially the ones between her legs. Riley felt her clit swell and her pussy began to pulse with anticipation. Would he want to make love to her? Would she let him? Saying she was attracted to him was a huge understatement. And a chance like this had never come before, and Lord knows how long it would be before it happened again. So, yeah, she hoped to high heaven he wanted her enough to introduce her to the magic of sex. Riley wanted to ask for it—to beg—but she couldn’t. She did have some pride. But if he offered she would be on him like white on rice.

  Riley sat perfectly still and let Seth do exactly as he pleased. She was afraid to breathe; afraid he would stop kissing her neck. She closed her eyes and tilted her head up, offering him full access. Her nipples were so hard and achy, she wished she were brave enough to play with them herself or ask him to do it for her. He kissed a hot path up her neck, taking little nibbles and sucks as he went along. Once, she even felt the scrape of his teeth as he made his way to her mouth. “Please…” she found herself whispering. A second before he reached her mouth, she relented and turned—just enough—to meet his kiss.

  “Mmmmmm,” he groaned, capturing her lips. Her hands crept around his neck. She didn’t have to think or worry, all she had to do was feel. Seth took control. He sucked at her bottom lip and ran his tongue around the edge in sweet little licks. She couldn’t resist, she let her tongue find his. She wanted to play too.

  “Yeah,” he growled as he sealed their lips, thrusting his tongue deep, eating at her mouth with a hunger Riley completely understood. When his hand slipped between them and cupped a breast, she thought she was going to orgasm right then and there. Pushing her tit into his hand, Riley let him know—wordlessly—that she welcomed his touch.

  “You like that?” he murmured, seemingly with ease. She took that as a compliment, he was into her
and enjoying it, so his stress level was lower and he stuttered less.

  Riley stopped trying to analyze his speech patterns, and just enjoyed the experience. “God, yes. More, please.” And when Seth pinched her nipple, she jerked and felt a rush of cream flow from her hot core.

  A loud whistle broke through the haze of their passion and Riley heard Seth’s frustrated “Fuck!” She smiled a secret smile. He had no trouble with that word, and she would bet her life that he had no trouble with the act itself. In fact, she had no doubt Seth was a master at pleasuring a woman.

  His obvious frustration at having their petting session cut short gave Riley a form of courage she had not known she possessed. “Let’s go to my place. We’ll be more comfortable there. If you’d like to that is,” she offered tentatively.

  His only answer was a hard kiss and him turning her, tenderly, arranging her in the seat and fastening the seat belt. Riley had never felt like this, so taken care of. No man had ever taken time with her, or touched her or made her feel desired. Seth stole one more kiss before he shut the truck door and climbed into the driver’s seat.

  It was too dark to see him sign and the engine was too loud to hear him whisper, so Riley decided to do the talking just to fill any awkward, empty silence. If they were going to spend some time together, she wanted him to feel as comfortable as possible. “I’m sure there have been a lot of changes here since you’ve been gone.” She wasn’t sure how often he had visited—or even if he had. Not waiting for him to answer, she went on. “My office is in the factory and sometimes I help with the tours. This year, we’re—you’re, I guess—giving big baskets of food for Valentine’s Day. Most companies give at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but Beaucoup decided to add this to their list of benevolent acts. And I’m in charge of that, I add homemade cookies and crafts to the packages. I love helping out where I can, it makes me feel like I have a purpose.”

  She could tell he was glancing over at her, but she didn’t allow any lulls in the conversation that would make him feel like he had to respond. “People love to come and visit your home. I know you are aware that almost every worker at Beaucoup was born on Egret Island. Last week an erotic romance writer came to tour the whole island. Her boyfriend, I guess, came with her and they brought their dog. Dorothy was really nice to her and gathered up a lot of history of the island and your great grandfather to give her. When Dorothy asked her what she wrote, she said she’s writing a romance set on Egret Island and that it will be as hot and spicy as our peppers. Isn’t that funny?” She giggled. “An erotic romance, yes, that I want to read.” Hesitating, she fanned herself. Just thinking about a sexy book reminded her how much she would love to have sex with Seth.

  To take her mind off of her creaming girly parts, she talked more about the writer. “They stayed and ate with us and Dorothy even gave the little dog—his name was Mojo—a wiener.” Riley laughed. “Can you imagine—a wiener for a wiener dog?” It was too dark to see his face, so she didn’t know if was enjoying her banter or not. “I love to go down in the jungle gardens. I walk down there almost every day. I know that you know we’re not supposed to feed the alligators, but I swear one of them is almost tame. I call him Elvis, because I love Elvis and that’s what Don Johnson named his alligator on his TV show,” she paused. “I can’t remember the name of the show.”

  Riley almost jumped when Seth placed a big hand on her knee and began massaging her leg, causing ripples of arousal to weave their way up to her vagina. “Sw-Sw-Sweet,” he said, slowly. “Know what…doing.” She understood that he appreciated her efforts to make their journey easier on them both.

  New Iberia was only seven miles from Egret Island, so they really didn’t have that far to go. When they crossed the bridge over the Petit Chene Bayou, Riley got really, really excited. Would he make love to her? “I live at the end of White Heron Lane.” She didn’t have to tell him where that was; after all, he grew up here. Seth was several years older than Riley, so she had to admit she had no real memories of him at all. He had left the island and went to boarding school at an early age, while she had stayed here and been the girl everybody picked on. There was a child like that in every school, and she had been Egret Island’s unfortunate one.

  Actually, she was relieved Seth hadn’t gone to school with her—at least he had no memory of her when she was really fat, she hoped. Growing up, her mom had equated food with happiness, love and celebration. Riley had been well loved and had done a lot of celebrating, but she had never been truly happy. It was only when she had moved out of her parent’s house that the weight had melted off, but by then her image as the chubby girl was so engrained in everyone’s mind that no one saw her as anything else. All of the guys were afraid to date her, afraid they would be ridiculed for dating Round Riley. At times she caught some of them looking at her with heat in their eyes, but they never approached her. And that was why Mrs. Boone had suggested she leave the island. Now, she was glad she had waited, at least for a little while.

  As the truck eased to a stop in her driveway, Riley was shaking like a leaf. She started to open her door, but a hand to a shoulder and a whispered, “Wait,” caused her to stop. What for? He gestured to the door and Riley understood he wanted to help her exit the vehicle. She couldn’t help but smile. This was going to be so good. Whatever the night had to offer, she was going to be grateful because it was so much more than she had ever hoped for.

  Seth helped her out, took her hand, and walked with her to the small Louisiana cottage she called home. He stood aside while she let them in, but all the while he was scratching her back—up and down—long slow strokes that had every part of her reacting. Both nipples were swelling and puffing out, her clit was getting hard and beginning to throb. Riley was so turned on, she was afraid she was going to combust.

  Opening the door, she walked in ahead of him, welcoming him into her home. Wow, she thought—he was the first man, other than her dad, who had ever been here. This was virgin territory. At that Riley almost choked. Virgin territory, there was a lot of that around—namely her. She turned on the lights and revealed to Seth a glimpse into her personality.

  There were several telling factors if he picked up on them. First, she loved the color blue—all shades. Blues mixed with fern greens and earth tones, the colors of the island were everywhere. And second, Riley loved animals and she collected prints and statues, not cheap knockoffs but pieces local artists from South Louisiana had created. They weren’t costly, but they were precious. There were full-sized wooden carvings of birds, cats and even a small alligator sitting on her table and hearth. And the walls were covered with prints depicting area swamp scenes and plantations. Lastly—it was comfortable—there was no put-on in her house.

  Riley had decorated her home, not for friends or company, she had decorated it for herself and hoped Seth would feel at home with her. Whoa! She pulled herself back, mentally. This was—couldn’t be—anything but a one-night stand. After all, she was Riley Jacobs, fat little nobody. And Seth was South Louisiana royalty—rich, handsome as sin and so far out of her league they weren’t even playing the same game. Irregardless. “Welcome.”

  “Your home looks like you,” he signed with a smile. He meant it as a compliment, she could tell, so she took it that way.

  “Do you want something to drink?” she asked. Wasn’t that what people said in situations like this?

  “No.” Seth didn’t say the word out loud, he mouthed it as he stalked her, literally stalked her, across the room.

  She had never seen that kind of look on a man’s face before, not directed at her anyway. She backed up a step, he was damned intimidating. And then she stopped. Was she crazy? He was magnificent.

  No one could look at him and tell he had money, but they sure could tell he was all male. A starched white Western shirt caressed every single, delineated muscle. The shirt wasn’t skin-tight, but it did showcase the goods, just right. And those jeans—Riley had never felt the need to genuflect to a pair of
blue jeans before, but these pants were covering holy ground. And she had a sudden urge to visit the Promised Land. Holy Shit! All of her Catholic Bible stories were coming out in smutty blue prose. Next she would be waiting on the ‘rapture’ to come.

  “Would you like to get more comfortable?” Shoot! That wasn’t what she was supposed to say. He smiled, and her heart melted. What was she supposed to say? “Should I put on something more comfortable?” Yep, this was a bad idea. Riley watched his face change until he looked more amused than aroused. Damn, time to tell the truth. “You do realize I’m not any good at this don’t you?”

  * * * *

  She had no idea how adorable she was. How he wished he could say everything he was thinking. Riley looked like the sweetest cotton candy. She wore light pink jeans, a pink lace camisole, pink tennis shoes and a pink sparkly ribbon was braided in her hip length dark hair. Seth had no idea he was so fond of pink. He wondered if her nipples and pussy were that same luscious shade. Walking right up to her, he was surprised she stood her ground. Much preferring the whispering to the signing, he just did what it took to make himself happy, he picked her up and walked off with her. “Where’s the bed?” he whispered in her ear.

  “Up the stairs and to the right.”

  So, he took off. About a half second later, she stiffened up in his arms like a young goat he had raised when he was a boy. That goat had hated to be picked up and would become like a wooden statue in protest.

  “Put me down, Seth. I’m too heavy to tote up the stairs.”

  “Shhhh,” he soothed her as he found her bedroom. This time he didn’t look at décor, he had better things to look at. Laying her on her bed, he turned on the bedside lamp so there would be light enough. He wanted there to be no mistaking what he said. And he wanted to see her curvy little body more than he wanted to see the sun rise.