Kiss My Sass (Primrose, Minnesota Book 5) Read online

  He chuckled, relieved her sarcasm hadn’t almost drowned with her. “You’ve seen too many movies, Miss Carpenter. Murder is against the law.”

  She looked away as she gnawed on her bottom lip and folded her arms under her breasts. Damn. She was pissed.

  “They’re gone,” she said finally.

  Ryker lifted an eyebrow. “You would’ve rather been shark bait?”

  “No.” She gave him a weak smile. “Thank you for saving me from the sharks, Ryker.”

  Unable to fight himself any longer, he reached between them for her hand and laced their fingers. “I’ll find them.”

  “The one that grabbed me was the man from the airport.”

  He nodded in agreement. “The same one we saw at dinner.”

  “Why was he following me?”

  “Hard to say.” No way would he elaborate. “The police will have more answers when they pick him up.”

  “How long do you think that will take?”

  “Depends. We have a pretty good description of one of them, but we are on an island. On one hand, there’s plenty of places for him to hide. On the other, he’s surrounded by water and there’s only a couple of ways out.”

  “I have a feeling I was on my way out.”

  He gave her frigid cold hand a squeeze. “Not on my watch.”

  Sirens squealed in the distance and soon three police cars slammed to a stop next to the truck. Officers approached with weapons drawn.

  Ryker raised his hands. “Gentlemen, you missed all the excitement. This woman was kidnapped and the perps got away.”

  ***

  He pulled off the main road, stopped the car, and rubbed his throbbing jaw. “That was close.”

  “Yeah, I wondered if you were even going to get up there for a minute.”

  “Do you even know who that guy is?”

  “No. Do you?”

  “Ever heard of Ryker Adams?”

  “Oh, hell. I don’t ever want to tangle with him.”

  “You just did.”

  “That was Adams?”

  “Yes.”

  “Damn, I thought this assignment would be a piece of cake.”

  He exited the car and began to pace. “We’ve got to come up with a new plan.”

  “We can’t leave the job unfinished.” His partner slammed the other car door. “We have to get her.”

  “We were lucky he left us alive. The only reason he didn’t kill us was because you threw her in the water.”

  “Yeah, lucky.”

  “Let’s back off for the time being. He has a house on the island. We’ll check it out before we make any decisions.”

  ***

  Assembled with his team in the conference room on the basement level of the house, Ryker took one look around the table and knew that each man was prepared for combat. The fools had made a big mistake, messing with these particular women.

  “How’s Marnie?” Jackson placed his elbows on the table and steepled his fingers.

  “Shaken, but strong. What about Alex?”

  “Angry.”

  “Every one of them is upstairs, huddled, and angry together.” Jake shook his head. “Sorry sonuvabitch better hope they don’t find him first.”

  “Might be better if they did.” Ryker silently agreed with Mace’s suggestion. “Any ID?”

  “We both recognized the one that grabbed her as the rum vendor from the airport. No ID on his accomplice.”

  “What about the police?”

  “Arrived after the action, which isn’t unusual with the traffic pattern. We gave our statements, along with a couple witnesses. Too soon to know anything else.”

  “She mentioned she saw him at the restaurant last night.” Jake raised an eyebrow. “Any significance?”

  “I don’t think it was coincidence.”

  Mace leaned back in his chair and buckled his hands behind his head. “What’s your theory?”

  “Just a guessing game at this point. The most viable reason I can come up with is prostitution. The local gangs have been known to kidnap tourists to help finance business.”

  “Do you think she’d agree to fly home?”

  “Most likely not. And honestly, I’m not sure we need to go to that extent yet. We don’t know if they targeted Marnie or if it was a random act.”

  Jackson rubbed a hand across his forehead. “By now they’ve figured out you’re involved. You have enemies?”

  “Several, but not here. I try to fly under the radar when I’m in town. She’s safe in the compound.”

  “You know not one of those women will agree to stay behind the locked gate.”

  “Even to protect Marnie?” He knew his question was weak but it was worth a shot.

  “Hell, no.” His friend remained adamant. “If we don’t come up with a plan, they’ll hunt him down just to take him out themselves.”

  “So how do we keep them sequestered?”

  “We don’t.”

  Jake frowned. “We don’t?”

  He shook his head in denial. “We accompany them at all times. They don’t go anywhere alone.”

  “Think that’s enough?”

  “For now. She was alone outside the store when he grabbed her, but now he knows she’s under my protection. One of three things will happen. Best case scenario, the police will find him first. If it was a random act, he’ll move on. If he’s targeted her, he’ll have to get through me.”

  “It’s a feasible solution,” Jackson agreed, “So who goes tomorrow?”

  “What’s tomorrow?”

  “The girls are meeting the wedding planner in Charlotte Amalie to finalize details.”

  “Easy.” He shrugged. “Jake goes by default – he’s the groom. And, we might as well throw in Mace since he’s the best man.”

  “Hell, yeah,” Jackson mumbled.

  “I’ll drive,” Mace said, “but I can’t stay.”

  Jackson frowned. “Why not?”

  “I’ve got something to do.”

  “For the wedding?”

  “No.”

  Ryker took a full second to analyze Mace’s comment and then released a hard breath. “Aww hell, not you too.” He gave the other two men a sideways smirk. “He’s going to jewelry row.”

  “Jewelry row?” Jake shrugged. “Never heard of it.”

  “A string of jewelry stores in Charlotte Amalie.” He looked back at Mace. “Have you let Dara in on the secret?”

  “No, and I’d appreciate it if you guys don’t. I’ll handle it.”

  Ryker chuckled, thankful when a light tap on the door stopped any more discussion on the matter.

  “Hey,” Marnie said as he opened it.

  “Hey.”

  “I’m going down to the beach behind the house. I just thought you should know.”

  Although her confession damn near knocked him over, he kept his cool. He gave her a slight nod. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

  “I wasn’t implying you need to come with me.”

  “You didn’t. I’ll be right there.”

  Although he expected an argument, what he witnessed next swelled his chest - somewhere in the depths of her sexy blue eyes, he saw a glimmer of relief. As if the earlier fear had finally dissipated and she had accepted the fact that he was now in charge.

  “I’ll see you in a few.” She turned to leave and then stopped and looked back over one shoulder. “Oh, and don’t forget sunscreen.”

  Twenty minutes later, Ryker lay beneath the baking hot sun, severely questioning his decision to become her shadow. He shifted on the lounger as he watched her stand and walk out of the water, insanely jealous of the sand particles that clung to her body. Holy hell, the woman was put together better than most jigsaw puzzles and ten times as complicated.

  Miss Carpenter has two certain attributes that called him to attention: guts and attitude. The woman didn’t hesitate to meet a challenge head-on and she did it with confidence in spades. She dug in with her two-inch do-me heels and didn�
��t waver until she resolved the issue – mostly in her favor, but that was beside the point. She had the guts of several Army Rangers and for that, she had his utmost respect. Yet, she also had a secret weapon, one that caused the enemy to shake in his boots.

  Miss Marnie Carpenter possessed a highly intellectual brain. The incredibly-beautiful woman was as sharp as his field knife and used the combination of beauty and brains with extreme skill. With one bat of her long, thick eyelashes and several words of wisdom, a man was pretty must DRT. Dead. Right. There.

  Behind his shades, he enjoyed the sway of her hips as she neared his chair and finally stopped beside him.

  “You going in?”

  She bent to retrieve her towel, granting him an exceptionally personal view of the girls in the process. His easily-distracted cock stood at full mast. Hell.

  He released a hard sigh and stood. “Yes.”

  He pulled his t-shirt over his head, careful to leave his glasses in place, and then tossed it to the chair, hopeful that the water was on the chilly side.

  “Hold on a sec.”

  At her request, he squeezed his eyes closed and willed the savage beast between his legs to relax even though he knew that was a longshot; the smooth, sultry tone of her voice made that damn near impossible. He forced open his eyes, grateful to see her gaze trained on his upper body. He stood morbidly still in an attempt to keep everything in check, his reserve blown right to hell when she closed the distance between them and grasped his right arm.

  “Tell me about this.”

  His skin tingled as she traced the dark lines inked around his biceps with one index finger.

  “Not much to tell.”

  “Really? I figured there was some testosterone-driven, action-packed story behind the design.”

  He had to smile at her assumption. “Sorry, only the rebellion of an eighteen-year-old male on his way to the Army.”

  “Does it symbolize something?”

  Her thumb continued to caress his skin, causing things between his legs to stir. So much for relaxation.

  “No. Just something I drew on a napkin about an hour before it was inked.”

  “I like it.”

  For some reason, her confession tied his libido in knots. Sweat droplets gathered on his brow and he was one hundred percent sure the sun did not cause them.

  “Why?”

  “It suits you. All dark and mysterious. It’s downright sexy, Ryker.”

  Well, hell. Her pretty pink lips wrapped around those particular four letters hardened his dick impossibly further. Sexy. The woman had no idea how close she was to discovering just how dark and mysterious he could be.

  He glanced at her hand, still closed around his arm, and then back at her. “You flirting with me, Miss Carpenter?”

  Her mouth formed a perfect O and she abruptly lifted her hand.

  “No,” she snapped. “Can’t you take a compliment?”

  “Sure.” He grinned and peered over the top of his shades. “I’m just suspicious of your motives.”

  “Why on Earth would you be suspicious?”

  “Asks the woman who hustled me out of two hundred bucks in a friendly game of pool.”

  Her mischievous grin damn near took him to his knees. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

  “No you’re not.”

  “Okay, I’m not.” She tossed her towel back to the chair.

  “Anything else you’d like to know before I get into the water?”

  “Actually, there is.”

  His already over-stimulated nerves tightened. He felt like twelve-year-old Ryker Michael Adams again, explaining to Sister Mary Frances how the stapler had been glued to her desk.

  He folded his arms across his chest, took a deep breath in through his nose, and then released it from his mouth. “Lay it on me.”

  “Why do you call me Miss Carpenter?”

  The aforementioned nerves began a solid quiver. Although he refused to admit it, her question caught him off guard; never did he expect to have to explain. In fact, he didn’t think she’d even paid attention to how he addressed her. How in the hell would he dig himself out of this one? If she knew the reasoning, she’d risk the wrath of both sharks and barracudas trying to swim out of his reach.

  Or would she?

  He gave his tattoo a quick glance and then lifted his gaze to hers with a grin. “I think it’s sexy.”

  When she didn’t immediately respond, he mentally clicked his armor into place and prepared for battle. No sense going down without a fight.

  And then she yielded her own sword and took a totally unexpected stab. “I like it.”

  He swallowed hard at her response, his attention momentarily distracted by a lone water droplet blazing a wet trail from the base of her neck to the valley of cleavage showcased by her bathing suit top. He quelled the urge to chase the water from her top lower down her abdomen until it pooled in her belly button. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind that sucking the moisture from her body would give both of them great pleasure. Sonuvabitch, his dick ached. At least his trucks were baggy – and dry.

  “I’m going in now,” he said finally. “Don’t leave the beach without me.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

  He turned and damn near sprinted to the water, wasting no time in swimming far enough until he was waist deep in the water. Once the warm waves provided some semblance of a disguise, he allowed himself to relax.

  It was going to be a really, really long afternoon.

  ***

  From a fishing boat several miles away in the middle of the ocean, he lifted a set of binoculars to his face and watched the big brute wade out into the water.

  His partner whistled low under his breath. “She’s a looker. And she’s alone.”

  “Are you crazy?” He lowered the binoculars. “He’s not more than several feet from her. He’d see us coming and take us out.”

  “What about another entry?”

  “None. The cliffs around his compound are rugged and steep. Impassable, in my book.”

  “Do you think she recognized us?”

  He nodded. “She recognized me. Not you.”

  “Now what?”

  “We wait.”

  “Wait for what?”

  “Opportunity.” He grabbed an oar and handed his partner another.

  “We have an engine.”

  “Yes, we do.” He began to paddle as his arms protested. “But unless you want Adams to kiss your ass again, I suggest you row.”

  The other man followed suit. “You really think we can pull this off?”

  He shrugged. “We’ll follow them. The girls won’t always have muscle with them and that’s when we’ll grab her.”

  “Odds are she won’t be alone.”

  “You scared of girls?”

  “Not girls. That crazy dude knocked out two of my teeth.”

  “Yeah. Some of mine are loose.” He gingerly rubbed his swollen jaw. “But if he stays behind, we can nab all of the girls.”

  “But the boss only wants the blonde.”

  “We’ll keep the others for ourselves.”

  “I like the sound of that.”

  “We just have to be patient and stay out of sight.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Although the morning sunlight warmed her skin, Marnie couldn’t help the shiver that climbed her spine as she sat between Alex and Bri, a little nervous about being away from the safety of Ryker’s house. There was really no reason for concern, she told herself. The Laughing Chameleon, an open-air café where they’d agreed to meet the wedding planner, was located right in the middle of Charlotte Amalie amidst crowds of boutiques and bustling traffic. And, with her friends not more than an inch away on each side and Jake and Jackson seated just two tables behind them, she was more than secure. Besides, there was no doubt in her mind that Ryker never would have agreed to the outing if he felt it was dangerous.

  She inhaled a deep breath of clean, morning air and concent
rated on the petite brunette with sun-kissed skin who sat opposite Bri, her fingers wrapped around a wine glass filled with champagne and orange juice. That had been her first task when she arrived, ordering one for each of them - to calm the nervous bride, she claimed. Marnie bit back a grin. Julia Martin had obviously been bride-sitting for awhile.

  “The stylist will meet you at the house at ten o’clock a.m. to do hair, nails, and make-up,” she told them. “I would recommend you pin your hair off your face or clip it up. The wind can be a nuisance.”

  Dara grinned. “A nice, relaxing spa day.”

  “The boat captain will pick you up at the marina right across the street at two o’clock p.m. and deliver you to Water Island for the ceremony,” Julia continued. “Don’t bother with shoes, there isn’t a dock so you’ll have to wade to shore. Honeymoon beach is sandy and your heels will only sink.”

  “I don’t know if I can convince Jake to leave his shoes behind.” Bri grinned. “He’s not exactly a beach bum.”

  “He’ll do whatever you tell him,” Alex drawled. “He’d follow you naked, Bri.”

  Marnie found her thoughts wandering. Ryker seemed totally at ease on the beach. Dressed only in swim trunks with the sun spotlighting his breathtaking physique, he was just as smooth and domineering as behind his clothing. She drew her tongue along her bottom lip. And that tattoo – sweet Heaven, the scripted letters just screamed for her touch. Although she’d indulged, electricity tingling her fingertips as she traced the smooth lines, her tongue begged to participate, to taste the salt on his skin. In all reality, his height probably stopped her. It had been quite a stretch just to grasp his arm; she was just simply too short for a sneak attack. Before she could stop it, a small moan snuck from her lips.

  Bri glanced at her and raised an eyebrow. “Fond memories?”

  “Sorry,” she mumbled while her cheeks heated. Now was a good time to join the conversation. “What about your bouquet?”

  “I’ll pick it up at the florist,” Julia answered. “She’s adding the final touches as we speak.”