Page 55 of Beach Reads and Deadly Deeds

“ Apparently ...” Amber said, and drank half the wine, some sloshing over the sides without her noticing. “Ethan had a falling out with

Parker’s father a few years ago, which is why he bought the island, to lick his wounds. Diana knew all about it. She knows

everything. It’s because of her business.”

“Antiques?”

Amber blinked at me, then burst out laughing. “What made you think that?”

“The article in the St. John paper?” I said, trying to remember exactly what it had said.

“That’s her family’s business. She sometimes works for them—she has a great eye—but Diana doesn’t have to do anything. She’s loaded. She goes to parties and charity balls all over the country and knows everybody.”

“Which is why,” I said, “she knew secrets about so many people here on St. Claire.”

“Diana is—was—the smartest person I’ve ever known. I’m going to miss her so much.” Amber collapsed on the couch, the tears

rolling freely.

I didn’t know how smart it was to blackmail people—clearly, it hadn’t turned out well for Diana. I said, “Diana and Sherry

Morrison belong to the same sorority.”

“Delta Gamma. Me, too, though I dropped out of school when I got a recurring role on a crime show.” She beamed. “It’s how

I met Diana.”

“But Sherry and Diana didn’t go to the same college.”

“No, but we knew each other through the national office.”

“You know Sherry?” Brie said, taking a step forward.

Amber rolled her eyes. “ Scary Sherry. Keep your men far from that one.”

“Why?” Brie demanded. I winced, but Amber didn’t seem to sense the change of tone.

“Because Sherry is after one thing: marrying rich. She did it once, got a good settlement in the divorce, did it again and

the guy croaked. Now she’s getting married again! Poor guy. Idiot.”

Brie opened her mouth, and I interrupted whatever she planned to say. “Sherry has convinced Andrew Locke to move up the wedding

to tomorrow,” I said. “We’d really like to stop that. Do you have anything you can share about her? I mean, I read the book.

I know Diana was waiting for the marriage to get paid for something. What’s that something she’s keeping secret?”

Amber opened her mouth, closed it. Looked from me to Brie. “Why?”

“He’s my dad,” Brie snapped.

“Oh. Sorry.”

“Tell me,” Brie said. “You can’t let her manipulate him like this!”

“He’s a big boy. If he gets sucked into her games, that’s on him.”

“You know something! Please tell me.”

“Why? You two haven’t helped me with anything. I have no fucking idea where Diana hid the documents, and if I don’t find them

by tomorrow? Parker will ruin me.”

These people all deserved each other, I thought. But if I walked away now, Brie would be hurt. And while Andrew might be naive,

he didn’t deserve to be manipulated by Sherry.

“I have an idea where the documents might be,” I said.

Amber jumped up, then wobbled on her feet and grabbed the couch. “Tell me! Where?”

“We need to know what you have on Sherry.”

“So you can take the information and then get the documents and screw me over? No thanks.”

“You can come with us. Tomorrow morning. We can’t go in the storm anyway.”

“Are you bullshitting me?”

“No.”

I hoped she believed me.

“I’ll tell you this,” Amber said a moment later. “I have a video of Sherry five years ago with a group of us on New Year’s

Eve in New York City. She’d divorced her first husband and had set her sights on number two. She was drunk and very chatty.

All I’ll say is, any man who watches it would never marry her.”

“You have to send it to me,” Brie pleaded.

“When I get the documents. Parker is flying home Sunday. If he doesn’t have them, he’ll destroy my career.”

“Maybe you should find out what they are and destroy him,” I surprised myself by saying.

“Mutually assured destruction? No thanks. I like my career. The only reason I wasn’t here with Diana last weekend was that

I had an audition.”

“Tomorrow morning, 9:00 a.m.,” I said. “Meet us downstairs in the restaurant.”

“You’d better be there.”

Brie was near tears, but I ushered her out.

“We could have waited until she passed out and gotten the video from her phone,” Brie said.

“We’re going to find the documents at dawn, well before we meet with her. I want to know what they are and why Parker Briggs

wants them so badly before I turn them over.”

“What about my dad?”

“Diana’s phone was recovered in Georgie’s apartment. The police couldn’t get here because of the storm, so it has to be in

the security office, don’t you think?”

“We break in and get it!”

“No, I’m done breaking in—I’m still worried someone is going to find out we were in Tristan’s office. But we might be able

to access it, if we’re smart. Let me think on it, okay?”

I looked at my watch. It was already after ten. “I have to go. Six thirty tomorrow morning, we’ll get answers.”

The rain lulled me to sleep, and it wasn’t until my phone rang that I jumped up, remembering that Jason was coming by.

“Hello?” I answered groggily.

“It’s me,” Jason said. “I’m at your door. I woke you?”

“No. Yes. I mean... one sec.”

I ended the call and went to the door. Jason stood there drenched. The rain was still falling, though not as heavily as before.

“Come in.”

“Sorry I’m late. We had one small disaster—a tree came down and blocked the road from the dock to the resort. We had to get

it moved—in an emergency, we need to use that road. Everything else can wait until tomorrow to clean up.”

“Do you want a hot shower?” I asked.

He smiled slyly. “Will you join me?” He stepped forward and kissed me. His lips were cool and wet. His hair dripped on mine.

“Please?”

This guy made me feel so... desired. Special. It felt right, so right, and I had never quite felt like this before, as

if we clicked together, two mismatched pieces that fit perfectly.

Jason gently nudged me toward the bathroom, all the while kissing me, tugging at my robe until it fell to the floor, revealing the sexy sheer nightgown I’d bought just for this trip.

“Wow,” he said as he looked at me from head to toe and back again. “You’re beautiful, Mia.”

I sucked in my breath, surprised that I didn’t feel self-conscious or embarrassed.

“You’re beautiful too,” I said, then smiled and laughed. “You know what I mean.”

Jason turned on the water, then stripped out of his wet clothes and draped them on a drying rack. He pulled my nightie over

my head and placed it on the counter. “You won’t need that tonight.”

He backed me into the shower, under the jets, all the way to the wall, until our bodies were firmly pressed together as the

warm water flowed over us.

Only once in my life had I had sex in the shower. It had been awkward and unsatisfying.

This was anything but awkward, and when Jason fell to his knees to focus on my pleasure first, it was not only satisfying,

but unexpectedly wanton and hot.

I wanted him again.

Last night was romantic and sexy. Last night was about exploring and learning each other’s bodies, a little awkward, but fun

and special.

Tonight? It was as if we hadn’t seen each other in weeks and had pent-up lust that only the other could satisfy. After Jason

brought me to a sharp, unexpected orgasm, he fumbled for a condom he’d put on the counter. He made love to me up against the

wall, holding one of my legs with his right hand, and holding on to the support bar with his left. I couldn’t move, pinned

between the cool, hard tile and Jason’s hot, hard body. When I reached around to hold his ass so I didn’t slip and break the

connection, he groaned, released, and sighed into my neck.

“That was too fast,” he said. “I couldn’t help it. I’ve been thinking of you all day, thinking about this, about making love

to you, and I came like a horny teenager.”

“Are you saying you’re done for the night?” I teased.

“Absolutely not,” he said, and I felt him harden against my stomach. He looked down at me with the sexiest smile I’d ever

seen, a sparkle in his eye. “Are you?”

I shook my head.

He turned off the water, picked me up, and carried me to bed, neither of us caring that we were wet.

We both acted like horny teenagers. I didn’t realize how much fun sex could be.