Forbidden Lovers

Four

Matt loved driving his old, faithful Harley with Julia on the back. It felt familiar, comfortable and so damned good. Instead of winging through the curves like he used to do, he drove slowly along the coast. Sure, he was stretching out the ride, but Julia didn’t seem to mind. She put her head on his back and seemed to relax.

The night was warm with the ocean fog hanging in the distance. The sliver of moon winked at him as if it knew how hard Matt’s heart was beating. The breeze against his face smelled like the sea and Julia.

The long lane to Casa Larga came up too quickly. He drove under the lacy pepper trees and purple jacarandas. Luminaries lit up the driveway, making the normally private mansion seem strangely inviting. He idled in the driveway in front of a line of parked cars. Julia’s cousins were right—everyone was here. For an extra beat, he sat there memorizing the feel of Julia against him.

His Julia. One last time.

He cut the engine, swung his leg over and offered his hand to her. “Ready?”

She took his hand quickly and held on tight. “Yes?”

“I heard the question mark, sweetheart. It’s going to be okay. Trust me.”

She bit her lip. “I...do?”

He laughed. “Getting closer. Think the word...” Circling around, he came up behind her and whispered in her ear, “Fun.”

He couldn’t help but notice the shiver and slight roll of her shoulders. She was still ticklish. Good to know.

“Fun,” she said softly.

“What we have here is a two-part mission. Part one—” he lifted his finger “—get inside the mansion to seek intel to stop plover destruction. Part two—” another finger lifted “—have the time of our lives. We’re not leaving without having fun. Got it?”

She nodded.

“Good enough.” He led her toward the front door.

She stopped. “Oh, no. There’s a guard at the front. See him?”

“Yes, I see him. Let’s go around the side,” he said. He’d recognize his dad’s bodyguard anywhere. The man had been one of the two goons who’d escorted Matt off the property ten years earlier. It still pissed him off. The itch to bloody the man’s nose was real, but what good would that do?

She cocked her eyebrow. “You found a secret entrance since this afternoon? You’ve been busy.”

What was he supposed to say to that? If she thought hard enough, she’d remember how to get in through the side garden. This wasn’t the first time he’d snuck Julia Espinoza inside Casa Larga. He took her hand and they walked past the rose garden. Up ahead was the gazebo under the coastal oaks. He’d kissed her against the railing in the gazebo the last time they were here.

“We don’t have to go in just yet.”

“Okay,” she croaked. Her voice gave her away. That and the way she didn’t know where to put her hands. They went to her throat, by her sides, clasped.

“Don’t be nervous.”

“You’re not?”

“A little.” Hell, okay, a lot. About the party. About her. “But we’ve got this.”

“This is all foreign to me. Last week I was taking my finals in Environmental Science and Law and I was restricted from entering Casa Larga. Now I’m here with a...a...date.”

Could it be any harder for her to say the word? He didn’t want to dwell on it so he changed the subject. “Do you like your classes?”

Her eyes lit up. “I love them. I want to be a lawyer. I really do. Those poor birds can’t defend themselves against corporate monsters.”

“Like RW.”

Her eyes widened. “Um, and others who suck all the goodness out of the environment for their own personal gain. Meanwhile, species are going extinct and our air and water is becoming polluted. I want better for my son, for everyone.”

Passion for her cause lit up her expression. God, she was magnificent. He ran the backside of his knuckle over her cheek. “I agree.”

She closed her eyes, leaning into his hand. “That’s why I study so hard. Two more semesters and I can take the bar exam. Next to being Henry’s mom, it’s the one thing that gives me purpose. Something I can be good at.”

It pleased him that she had found a noble cause. She’d always been a caring person and a spitfire. It made perfect sense that this is who she would become—a strong woman who knew her mind and fought for the innocent creatures of the world.

“I like that. Julia Espinoza, Planet Saver.”

She cocked her head. “Now you’re making fun of me.”

“No, way. Your eyes light up when you talk about environmental law. Strong women are sexy. It’s great to be doing what you were born to do.”

“Yes.” Her voice was very soft.

“Setting difficult goals and flat-out going for them? In the Air Force, we call that ‘balls to the wall.’”

She laughed. “I don’t have balls.”

“Are you kidding me? A single mom raising a son while putting herself through college? Your cajones are humongous, lady. I’m jealous.”

She blushed.

Thinking about his package, was she? He dragged his thumb across her bottom lip. Silky, warm, his. No woman he’d known had a mouth like Julia’s. He bent to put his lips where they belonged.

Used to belong.

A woman screamed in the distance.

“What was that?” Julia asked.

Another woman yelled, followed by a slew of Spanish words. Julia ran toward the sounds and Matt was quickly in pursuit. They raced across the aggregate pathway and stopped in front of a large dolphin fountain where two elderly ladies had climbed in. They splashed each other like kids at a public pool.

“Tía Alana! Tía Flora! What are you doing?” Julia asked. “Get out of there before anyone sees you.” Julia looked at Matt. “They’ve fallen off their rockers.”

“Watch it or you and guapo will be next,” Alana threatened, lifting her arm to splash them.

Flora laughed, hiking up her dress and exposing her thick legs. “Señor Harper said to enjoy ourselves. He’s the boss.”

“You’ll have restraining orders on you, too, if you don’t get out of there.”

“Nope. We have to take our fun where we can get it. We don’t have hot hombres,” Alana said in a teasing voice.

Julia slapped her hand over her mouth in the cutest version of horror he’d ever seen. She hooked her arm in his and started pulling. “I don’t want to be here when the guards show up.” As they walked the lantern-lit pathway, she added, “I have a big family and they’re all a little crazy.” She smiled. “But I love them.”

“You’re lucky to have a family who cares for you.”

They’d made it to the house. “You don’t have a family?”

He looked at her with his uncovered eye. “I don’t have anyone.”

What in the hell? He hadn’t meant to say that. He ignored his feelings 99 percent of the time. Julia could pull his inner thoughts out of him in a way no one could.

“Really?” The mix of compassion, sorrow and longing on her face made him want to demand answers.

I did have someone, but you gave up on us. Why’d you stop loving me?

He ground his teeth. She wasn’t going to see him fall apart. They were past that now. Instead, he opened the side door and stepped into his favorite place in the mansion—the kitchen. As a kid, he’d sought solace here when his parents were fighting. The kitchen ladies had made growing up a Harper bearable.

“Evening, ladies,” he called out.

Donna, his favorite chef of all time, was using a scary-looking knife to slice large barbecued tri-tips. “Busy here.”

The other staff members were plating appetizers and refreshing the cheese and fruit displays.

“Just passing through.” He snagged a chunk of hard cheese and two glasses of champagne. “Sustenance.” Breaking off a piece of cheese, he fed it to Julia. “Need your strength to keep up with me on the dance floor.”

She chewed, and swallowed a sip of champagne. “You said dancing was for women.”

“That’s what I was taught, but I picked up some moves.”

“I’d like to see them.”

“You will.” He laced his fingers with her empty hand and led her down the hall toward the music. “I’m going to use them all tonight, sweetheart.”

* * *

Oh, mama.

She wanted to learn a few moves from this smoking hot man. Okay, all the moves.

She’d only slept with one man—Matt Harper. And calling him a man was laughable. He’d been seventeen and she’d started to wonder if she’d ever have hot sex with a grown man. At this time in her life she didn’t need a husband, or anything long-term. Where would a man squeeze in between her son, her family, school, animal activism and her budding career? No one should feel like he was the last priority on her list.

But, heaven help her, she missed passion. And being touched. Sheesh, when Captain whispered in her ear and touched her cheek, she’d all but combusted. When he’d fed her and laced his fingers with hers, she felt...cherished.

Which was a big batch of crazy mole. A man she’d just met couldn’t adore her like Matt had.

Captain was a hot pilot who’d happened to land on her doorstep. For tonight only. He was a good choice for a few hours of passion, no doubt about it. As long as she kept her memories from jumping out right and left to attack her heart. The bike, the garden where they used to walk hand in hand, the gazebo where she’d received her first kiss... Matt was everywhere.

The first year after he’d died, she’d seen him in every guy’s face, every swagger. She’d heard him calling her at night and would run outside in her pajamas to find an empty yard. It had taken a long time to get control of her desperate imagination and yet here it was bringing Matt along on the first real date she’d had in years. It wasn’t fair to her date or to her.

How could she tell Captain he walked like her old boyfriend? Sort of smelled like him. And his voice, although deeper, had the same cadence. When he touched her cheek, she’d closed her eyes and Captain was Matt. Gah! She couldn’t tell him that.

The only difference was the way he drove the motorcycle. Matt would’ve taken those curves faster and leaned in like he was one with the machine. This guy was far too safe on the bike for her liking.

But she did like him. He was sexy, strong, gentle...and did she say sexy? Plus, when he’d admitted he didn’t have anyone, her heart had puddled in her chest. Her instincts were to reach out and pull him under her wing like she did all strays. She sensed a deep sadness in him. Maybe because she was sad, too.

If she had a hot man to heat up her sheets for a while, maybe she could forget about the deep chasm in her heart that refused to heal. Captain was just here for a few days. She couldn’t keep him. No, this connection with him was about one hot night.

I’m definitely going to learn his moves.

“Ready to be blown away?” he asked, his hand on a door handle.

The sounds of music and people were coming from the other side of that door. She knew what she’d see when he opened it—the grand hall. The last time she’d been in there she’d danced with Matt during his seventeenth birthday party. Well, she was dancing and he was crunching her toes. She’d had to throw her sandals away after the party. Bruised toes and broken shoes hadn’t mattered one bit because that night he’d told her he loved her.

Pressure built behind her eyes. No. Stop. Matt is gone.

“Julia?”

She let out a deep breath and fixed her harlot blouse. “Show me what you’ve got, Captain.”

“That’s my girl.” He threw the doors open wide.

Five

“The music’s getting loud downstairs.” RW poured champagne into a crystal flute and handed it to Angel. “To you, my darling.”

She clinked her glass with his water bottle. “To second chances.”

He’d toast to that. She was his second chance, even if she didn’t want to be. Couldn’t be because she was his therapist. He’d never known what it felt like for someone to understand him, to see his inner demons and not run away.

Angel had saved his life, plain and simple, and now she pushed him toward the final phase of his therapy. Together they had hatched up an intricate plan designed to heal all the wounds created by his illness. He didn’t think the plan would work, but for her, he would try.

After her first sip she asked, “Did they all come?”

“Chloe and Jeffrey arrived this morning. I haven’t seen Matthew yet, but the staff tells me he’s around. I’m waiting for him to make his presence known.” RW tried to relax his fist. He was holding his bottle too tightly. The veins in his neck were pounding. “I’m sure however he chooses to arrive, it will be a showstopper.”

“Give him time. He’ll come around.”

“Maybe. He’s a Harper, after all. We’re all a bit bullheaded.”

“Don’t I know it.” She winked at him. Playful and sweet. He’d be lost without this woman.

“You’ve changed me. You see that now, don’t you?”

She eyed him. “Well, you do look as handsome as a pirate.”

Not what he meant. He wanted to press her, ask if she’d thought about his offer again. But his instincts said to wait and give her time to consider it. Consider them.

She drank the last of her champagne and put the glass on the marble table. “All right, pirate. Go down to your party. Just remember the plan. It’ll work.”

“What if it happens again?” He swallowed hard, not wanting to remember how he used to be, unable to stop.

She put a cool hand on his. “It won’t.”

When she smiled up at him, the gnawing, twisting thing in his gut eased. She was the only one who could calm him. With her by his side, he dared to believe he was ready to put the plan in motion and call his children home. He touched her bare shoulder with the back of his knuckle. God, she was so soft, so perfect. “Will you stay?”

“I shouldn’t.”

“Why? I invited the whole town. No one will put two and two together. Plus, I bought the pirate costume for you. You’ll be unrecognizable.”

She rose up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Can’t take the chance.”

The darkness swirled inside, yanking on him, trying to drag him under. His voice came out broken and raw. “I can’t do this without you, Angel. Please.”

RW Harper didn’t beg but everything had changed when Angel came into his life.

Her gaze met his. He could only assume she saw his demons, the ones that had nearly killed him and all he loved. The ones she was fighting to destroy. That had to be the reason she dipped her head in affirmation. Because she didn’t love him, couldn’t love him. And soon, after the plan was complete, she’d leave.

If he didn’t get stronger, that thought alone would end him.

Six

Julia gasped when Captain pulled her into the crowded hall. It looked the same as it had for Matt’s birthday party ten years ago. Her chest squeezed so hard that breathing hurt. Everything ached. She felt small, ragged.

She pulled her hand from his. “I have to go.”

He faced her and probably saw full-fledged anguish in her eyes. Instead of letting her go, he stepped into her space. He put his hands on her shoulders and said, “No one will hurt you here. I promise. Please stay.”

He lied. She was already hurting, big-time. “You don’t understand.”

A trumpet blast made her jump. The band struck up a beat and the singers started in on one of her favorite songs.

“Think of the birds you want to save. Plus...” Captain crooked his finger at her. “I can’t show you my moves if you won’t step onto the dance floor with me.”

She bit her lip. The plovers needed her. She did love this song.

And she wanted this man.

Julia gave him her hand and let him lead her in. “This song is really good for—”

He spun her under his arm. “Salsa. Relax, I’ve got this.” And just like that she was dancing with a pirate.

Barely twenty seconds into the song, she realized she’d met her match. Everyone was watching, but Captain hadn’t stopped watching her. It gave her a zing up her spine to be the focus of his attention.

“You dance well.” She meant it as a compliment. So why did her voice dip with sorrow?

Because part of her wanted to believe that somehow Captain was Matt reincarnate. The way he danced destroyed all hope. Matt could barely move his feet to a beat while her date danced salsa like he’d had years of practice. He wasn’t her boy. It was time to let Matt go for good and enjoy this hot man who’d dropped in for a night.

“You’re not bad, either.” He pulled her closer so her breasts pressed into his hard chest. “For a girl.”

He grinned and she forgot about the past. She lost her mind. Those lips! She couldn’t stop gazing at them.

Placing her hand on his jaw, she enjoyed the feel of his beard under her palm. He stopped dancing. He studied her intensely. Had the music slowed or had the world stopped moving? She didn’t know. All she could focus on was the way he looked like he could make love to her right there on the dance floor.

And she wanted him, the past be damned.

She wrapped her arm around his neck and pulled his lips to hers. The kiss she gave him wasn’t small or sweet. Her lips had been lonely for so long that they just took over.

Fire licked through her core and her heart pounded hard. She was overcome with need. For this man. Right now.

He held her cheeks and gave back as good as he got.

It wasn’t enough. More, more, more! everything in her cried. She ran her tongue inside his mouth, tasting, exploring. The groan he made told her she was doing something right. One of his hands released her face and pressed into the small of her back, holding her to him, keeping her right where he wanted. She was breathing fast and burning up.

People around her disappeared. She completely forgot where she was, who she was, but she knew exactly what she wanted. More!

The taste of him, the way he kissed, made her head spin. His lips were perfect. They fit as if they were made for her. A fever of desire engulfed her.

Heaven help her, she wanted that hand on her back to move lower, to squeeze. More, Matt!

Matt?

She pulled back and blinked at Captain. What in the world? For just a second there she’d thought...but that wasn’t possible.

When would her stupid head get it?

Captain’s grin was gone, replaced by an intense expression that spoke volumes. He was as worked up by the kiss as she was. They were fully clothed and in public.

What moves would he show her when they were alone?

A slow, sensuous song started playing and he spun her around until her back was against his chest. He pressed one hand to her belly and they rocked together to the beat. Slowly, he ran his other hand up her arm, down, petting her skin. Every nerve cell she owned sizzled. He moved the hair of her wig and kissed her neck.

She gasped and closed her eyes.

He nibbled on her ear and pressed himself against her. “Feel how much I want you.”

There was no doubt about what she was feeling. She swallowed hard and simply nodded.

While they rocked from side to side, his knees bumped her legs and he nibbled her ear. Waves of shivers rolled over her body. It felt so good. He made circles with the hand on her belly, dipping lower, lower...stopping too soon. She rolled her hips, trying to get those fingers where she needed them. She wanted him to cup her through the skirt, to hold her nice and tight. He was pushing all her buttons and there was no way to go back now. She wanted to cry out for more.

“Miss Espinoza, you have defied the restraining order,” an authoritarian voice said behind her. “You need to come with us.”

Julia’s eyes flew open to see two guards surrounding them.

Captain growled, “Like hell she will.”

“Sir, this is official business. Step back so no one gets hurt,” the second guard said.

“Take her,” the head guard said. Obeying, the other man grabbed her arm.

“Back the hell off!” Captain gave him a shove and stepped in front of Julia, shielding her with his body. “Touch her again and someone will get hurt. I’ve waited a long time to settle a score with you two.”

The first guard frowned and the second pulled out his gun. Several women screamed. Most of them were Julia’s relatives and she couldn’t let anyone get hurt.

“No!” Julia yelled. “Stop. I’ll go with you. Just put that thing away.”

Captain shook his head. “You’re not going with these goons.”

The head guard stepped forward. “Stay out of this or we’ll have you both arrested.”

“On what grounds?” Captain growled.

“Trespassing.”

Captain laughed and then looked around the room, searching for...who? His gaze settled on someone Julia couldn’t see behind Captain’s big frame.

“Why didn’t you fire these two jackasses already?” he asked.

The room went still. All eyes were on Captain.

Who was he?

After a few beats of silence, the head guard spoke up again. “I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, mister. But enough is enough.” He reached for Julia, yanking her sleeve off her shoulder. She had to scramble to keep “her treasures” from popping out of the blouse, just as Tía Nona had predicted.

Captain took a swing and cold-cocked the guard. He was out before he hit the floor.

The other guard’s eyes went wide. “Don’t move!” He stepped forward with his gun aimed at Captain’s chest.

“No!” Julia cried out.

But Captain didn’t flinch. He actually said, “Drop it.”

Julia was terrified his bravado was going to get him shot.

“Please, Captain. Let’s just go,” she begged.

He didn’t move. “Stay behind me, sweetheart.”

RW Harper’s voice boomed. “What in the hell is going on here?”

Captain didn’t turn or take his eye off the gun. “About time.”

Julia’s heart sank. Was Captain RW’s partner or a friend? Whatever the case, he wasn’t on her side if he was buddies with that monster.

“Speak!” RW demanded.

“You tell me, Dad. Why are you trying to have my ex-fiancée arrested?”

There was a collective gasp in the room.

Julia couldn’t make a sound because she couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t see straight. Or think.

Dad? My ex-fiancée? The words didn’t make sense. Her heart beat in her ears and her vision tunneled.

Air, I need air.

“Put the gun away,” RW ordered. He turned his attention to Captain and, to Julia’s utter surprise, he clapped the man on the back. RW was smiling so big that he looked like a different man. She’d never seen Mr. Harper when he was not angry. “Matthew! So glad you came home.”

Matthew? She was weak; her legs wobbled.

Someone behind her clapped. Another followed suit. Applause, whistles and hoots filled the room, along with prayers of “¡Gracias a Dios!” and “It’s a miracle!”

Julia couldn’t speak. Her head pounded. Her throat closed.

After all these years, Matt is alive. Matt is...here.

Emotions, all of them, roared over her in a crashing wave. Debilitating. Short-circuiting her brain. It was more than she could take. She shoved her way through the crowd, through the kitchen, out the side door and into the night.

* * *

“Julia!” Matt yelled.

He wanted to go after her, but before he could register what was happening, RW hugged him. Matt didn’t know what to do. The only form of touching he could remember his dad using was with fists. He stood dumbfounded, his hands at his sides as his dad squeezed.

“Thanks for coming home, son,” RW said with genuine emotion as he released him.

No yelling. No slamming doors. This was a new world for Matt. He wasn’t sure how to negotiate it. He started to run his hand through his hair but touched Henry’s bandana instead. He pulled it off his head and tucked it in his pocket. “I have to talk to Julia.”

RW nodded, more stiffly now. “Of course.”

People blocked him, circling, all talking at once. Everyone tried to touch him as if he were a long-lost prince. Screw that, he had to find Julia. He lifted his eye patch so he could see better over their heads. Where did she go?

Mumbling his apologies, he strode around the group and was about to open the door to the kitchen when Maria, Julia’s cousin, stepped into his path.

“You’re Matt Harper?” Her hands were on her hips. Fury radiated off her frame. Her boyfriend stood behind her, looking menacing.

“Yep. I need to find—”

Maria took a swing and punched him in the eye. “That’s for breaking Julia’s heart. Do it again and it’ll be your balls. Come on, Jaime.”

With his eye pouring water, he tried to make sense of the last five minutes. Breaking Julia’s heart? How was he the bad guy here? Julia had gotten married and started a family without him. She’d chosen to block him from her memory. Hell, he’d never forget how the color had drained from her face when his dad had said his name.

Apparently, she’d really thought he was some stranger she’d picked up at Juanita’s. That thought didn’t sit well with him, since she was clearly turned on. By a stranger. The realization twisted in his gut while the rest of him still burned for her.

He couldn’t think straight when she touched him. When she kissed him? Hell, he’d almost lost it. She’d never explored his mouth like that before. Little Julia had become a sexy, passionate woman. He’d wanted to take her home and kiss every inch of her body. Slowly. The way she’d pressed her sweet ass up against him had made him think she’d be up for the idea.

So why had she run?

He shoved his hands in his pockets and pulled out Henry’s bandana. Only one thing left to do. He’d return what belonged to the kid and maybe get one last chance to clear the air with Henry’s mother before flying away.

He didn’t belong in Plunder Cove. Julia Espinoza had made that painfully obvious. He was no long-lost prince. He was a regular pilot who was wanted on the other side of the world.

Not here.