They didn’t go very far, just up to Nassau. Though Reno trusted Ruiz not to run the place to the ground, he had attachment issues, like a mother with her new born baby. It spoke volumes of his dedication to the resort and to Ruiz that he was even able to make it this far. It surprised her considering it was an inheritance from his father. Most begrudged children would have sold the place for a quick buck and some people she knew had done just that to piss off their dead fathers. How that worked was a wonder. But unlike those rich spoiled kids, Reno had a good reason to hold a grudge against the man.
Reno rented a one bedroom apartment unit in the heart of Nassau for them to stay in, was quiet, private, secure and spacious. Another plus was the affordable price. It made her feel ashamed for the little respect she had for money, seeing how practical he was with their spending. They dumped the bags in the unit before they went to dinner walking to Bayside Grill, a restaura
Loraine lifted her eyebrow when she realized something. “You have a type, don’t you?”“What?” he asked with a completely innocent wide eyed look.“Blonde hair, blue eyed? They probably can’t swim huh, that’s why they need the inflated balloons they carry on their chests? What’s wrong with brunettes or red heads with green eyes?” she leaned forward on the table, “Does the color of my eyes and hair make me your type, Reno?”He pulled at the collar of his shirt. “Why are we discussing this again?”Loraine smiled sweetly at him. “Oh no, it wasn’t a discussion, just an observation. You do know not every goldilocks falls in the dumb blonde category?”Reno raised his hand. “You done eating? I think it’s time to go back to the apartment.”“Aha. Coward.”Reno paid the check and they quietly walked back to their ap
Loraine was startled awake by a sharp pain in her lower back. She was having one of her very few peaceful nights and it came to an abrupt end when Reno kicked her in the back. She turned around to face him, wincing at the pain.“Jerk ass, you kicked me!” her voice heavy with sleep.“No…mama…” the words came out in a whisper but she could hear the pain in his voice loud and clear. She never thought the tables would turn and she would be on the receiving end of a bad nightmare.She reached out for him in the dark and her hand landed on his shoulder. “Reno, wake up.”He thrashed harder, his cries growing louder. Loraine quickly sat up in bed and turned on the bed side lamp, flooding the room with low light. She looked down at Reno and sucked in a startled breath.His body was wet with perspiration; even the light sheets were plastered to his belly. It was a hot night and she’d opted to sleep in t
Reno sat on the bed and watched Loraine as she slept, the guilt of what he did ripping him apart. He didn’t even know why he did what he did; he hadn’t been thinking. He needed a distraction from the guilt his nightmare had brought on and Loraine was right there.He’d taken her, fucking her hard without a care for her until the last moment when she cried out his name. He’d realized then what he was doing and with whom and brought it to a quick end, bringing her to release before he found his own. His orgasm had been better than all his encounters before put together. He knew sex with Loraine would be incredible but he never expected that.He’d held her afterwards, and once his ass started to go numb from the cold floor, he carried her to bed and held her as they both slept. And when morning came and he went to take a shower, he realized two things. He hadn’t used a condom and there was blood on his dick.When he saw t
Loraine stirred the conch chowder soup, staring at Reno from under her eyelashes, fighting a smile. He stood across from her slicing coconut bread fresh from the oven. It was funny how careful he was being, holding the bread with two fingers because he didn’t want to rub off the powdered sugar that didn’t stick as the bread cooled. If it wasn’t for her, she was sure he would have probably ripped it apart with his bare hands. They’d had a great day touring the city on scooters. They rode one together because just as she started the engine, the bike jumped forward and she almost got knocked down by a crazy driver. Well, it didn’t help that the scooter practically flew into the car’s path. The near miss shook her, but when she saw the fear in Reno’s eyes when he yanked the bike back and out of the way, how tight he hugged her, almost turning into road kill had been worth it. Worth it because she saw how much he cared about her, especially after what had happened between them the night
“I know what you are thinking but considering we had next to nothing, mac and cheese was fancy.”Loraine’s face flushed with shame. “Sorry.”He waved her embarrassment away, powdered sugar flying in the air like fairy dust. “Don’t worry about it, poor isn’t something you are familiar with. Did you really have to put powdered sugar on this? I have as much of it on me as on the bread and it’s not in the recipe!” he complained, dusting off his shirt.“Powdered sugar makes everything taste better!” she retorted.He snorted then mumbled, “Could have used that growing up.”Loraine turned off the burner to let the soup rest for a few minutes. She pulled out the bread bowl out of the cupboard, rounding the island she placed it next to the chopping board and stood beside him.“Reno?”“Mmhmm,” he responded distractedly as he arranged the
“Please tell me you didn’t confront her over it?”He sighed heavily. “I may be an asshole, but I’m not heartless. I stayed quiet as she cried, saying he wasn’t a bad person, just ambitious and misguided. Then she said two things that shocked me. One that he’d left me Albury’s Place.”Well from what Riana told her, his surprise made sense. “Because he didn’t leave it to Ruiz?”He nodded. “My mom said Ruiz and his mom left just a few months after we did. I was surprised she left it all, considering it was her money that kept the resort open.”Yeah, Loraine understood that. Ruiz would be the logical heir, not Reno. “What’s the second thing?”He shook his head laughing but there was no amusement in it. “Reno Sr. was legally married to my mother, not Ruiz’s.”“What?”“The bastard was legally married to m
Loraine stared down into the clear waters of Nassau harbor as the catamaran sliced through it. It looked so inviting and relaxing she couldn’t wait to go swimming. That morning when Reno woke her up to tell her they were going on a catamaran tour she had expected it. Not the tour but the dodging. He was going to keep them busy enough to forget their heart to heart conversation the night before. He was never one to voluntarily be vulnerable and it must have made him uncomfortable, and she knew he wasn’t going to open up to her again anytime soon. He was back to being him—confident and emotionally distant.She didn’t mind. In fact, his mask was her shield from her own horrors. But his confession, when he said he could love her still had her on her toes. She was ready to wish on stars, toss coins into a fountain, and whatever other superstitious ritual she needed to do to make that come true. When she said she could love him with all her heart, she alread
Reno swam a few laps in the crystal blue ocean hoping to work off some energy. He was getting tired but his dick was still pulsing with need. Seeing Loraine in that two piece string bikini had him at half-mast and his heart beating like a racing horse. He’d hoped teasing her and finding out what had her smiling would be distraction enough. He never thought she’d be thinking the same thing he was. It was good to see she wasn’t all that shy about sex. She may just be agreeable to a friends’ with benefits relationship. They may even start now.He swam back and stood once he got to shallow waters. He swiped water out of his face and opened his eyes just in time for the kiss that turned his feet to lead. Loraine was in the arms of another man her lips pressed to his before he picked her up and twirled her around. Reno couldn’t believe this was happening. It was Georgia all over again but this time he had front row seats.Damn! After al