Brothers of Paradise Series

He closes his eyes momentarily, and when he opens them again, they burn into mine. “Yes, and then you ran from me. I’m not going to risk that happening again for a little while.”

He bends down and brushes his lips against mine. I kiss him back, our lips meeting in the softest of touches. It quickly turns heated and my fingers weave their way into the thick locks of his hair.

Hayden groans into my mouth and cradles me closer. His lips open mine softly, and I nearly come apart at the first taste of his tongue. The world centers around the two of us, and nothing else matters. Not the sound of fighting armies on the TV or the years of separation. It’s just the two of us again.

His hand cups my breast, a thumb flicking gently over my taut nipple. I can’t help the moan that escapes me and he chuckles.

“So eager…”

“Mmm.” I kiss him deeply again. “It’s been a while.”

“Since the greenhouse? It’s been three days.”

I smile against his lips. “Far, far too long.”

Hayden grips my waist and pulls me closer, kissing me thoroughly. He has a way of touching me that completely undoes me-the mixture of devotion and need. Like he’s gripping me tightly despite himself, fingers stroking my skin with adoration but body pulsing with want.

I want to feel his skin against mine, his body heaving, the both of us stretched out-

Hayden pulls away with a wry smile. The heat in his eyes is unmistakable, making my mouth dry. If the greenhouse was intense, the next time will be tortuously slow. I can see it in his eyes.

He puts two fingers under my chin and turns my face up. His lips trail slowly down my jaw, along the sensitive skin of my neck. I shiver when I feel them against my ear.

“It’s time for you to go home now, Lily, or I’m going to break my own resolution.”NôvelDrama.Org © content.

“Maybe that’s a good thing.” My voice is only a little breathless.

“I’m not going to rush things with you.”

“Where did you get so self-disciplined?” I mutter, thinking about the recklessness he often displayed as a child.

Hayden laughs and lifts me off him in one clean, strong movement, making it very clear that he is most definitely a grown man now. “The Navy is sort of big on that, Lils.”

“I suppose.” Despite myself, I’m glad we’re taking it slowly. It feels right… proper, somehow. Like he’s here to stay-like we’re starting something again. And when we kiss goodbye that night, it’s a sweet kiss filled with promise and hope.

Hayden

Gary looks familiar opposite me. There are more wrinkles on his face, true, and the hair he has left is pierced with gray. But he has the same laughing glint in his eyes.

It was my idea to take him out to lunch at the Yacht Club’s terrace. We’re by far the roughest types here, but I don’t care. The food is delicious and we’ve wiped our plates clean.

He offers me a cigarette, but I shake my head.

“When did you stop?”

“Years ago,” I say. “You haven’t seen me smoke in a long time.”

“Good lad. Do as I say and not as I do, and all that.”

“Exactly.”

He turns to look out over the waves. We’re at the table furthest out on the terrace, closest to where the waves crash against the plinths beneath us. “So,” he says. “How does it feel to be back? Really?”

“It’s good. Weird, you know.”

“I can imagine.”

“I didn’t think of this as a home when I lived here,” I say. “But coming back now… it feels like coming home.”

Gary’s smile is quick, there and gone in a flash. He nods and flicks ash off his cigarette into the tray. “This is the place you’ve been longest, so it’s not surprising.”

“Yes, I guess.”

“And seeing the Marchands again?” The way he asks it, I know he’ll be okay with whatever I say. If there is one thing Gary understands, it’s the fine line we walk between being white trash and hired help, between friends of the family and an employed charity case.

He understands the mixed feelings it brings.

“It’s been good. It’s easier now, being grown and self-sufficient myself.” I lean against the railing of the terrace and sigh. “Parker is as easygoing as always.”

“The boy missed you,” Gary says. “He would come to my garage sometimes to tinker with the cars, but I know he was just fishing for information about you.”

I sigh, not knowing what to say. Gary has never asked me why I left so abruptly after the accident. I think, of all people, he was the only one who truly understood why I had to leave. I think a part of him even respected me for it.

“I hope you told him great things.”

“Of course. You were the commander of the entire damn Navy by the time you were twenty-three, kid.”

I chuckle. “What am I now?”

“If you had waited another few years to come back, I could have promoted you to president.”

“Of the country?”

He shrugs. “Sky’s the limit.”

“Not for people like us,” I laugh. “President. Holy hell.”

Gary snuffs his cigarette out in the tray, his face taking on a pensive look. I might have been away for a while, but I know what it means. It means he’s going to say something that’s difficult for him.

“Not for you, Hay. Damn… when you told me you were promoted to lieutenant… Well done.”

I focus on the horizon and keep the sudden tightness in my chest at bay. “Thanks.”

“Yeah. Yeah, of course.” He clears his throat. “How was it, meeting Lily again? I know you were fond of her back in the day.”

I try not to let my surprise show. I had been so cautious back then to make sure he never found out, especially not after he warned me to be careful with her. I know he hadn’t wanted me to screw up our situation-the tuition, the employment.

“She’s good,” I say. “It’s been nice to see her again, too.”