Risking the Crown (The Crown 2)

He withdrew a piece of carbon paper and a metal rectangular device. I watched as he affixed the paper, placed my card on top, and then swiped a lever across my card.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

He stared at me. “It’s a credit card machine.”

“Are you serious?” I think I had seen something like it in an eighties movie.

“Yes. I’m serious. Here you go.” He handed the card back to me and pointed to the bottom of the slip. “Sign here.”

I scribbled my name along the line, being careful not to press too hard with my knuckles. They were tender. He handed me a brass key attached to a palm tree key chain.

“You’re in room twenty-three, which is all the way down this side.” He pointed out the window. “You’re the last room on the right. Ocean side.”

Ocean side? At least there was something redeeming about the Dune Scape. The palm tree was heavy in my hand.

“Thanks. Is there somewhere around here I could get dinner and maybe some clothes?”

I was worried the airline still hadn’t called me and I would have to face the morning with my alcohol-stained jeans.

“There’s a local hang out a few blocks down and across the road on the sound side called Peabody’s. It’s not a party scene. You’ll have to head back to the resorts if you want music and dancing. About a block down is a surf shop and general store. I’m sure they’ll have something you can wear.” I caught him eyeing the dip in my shirt with his smoldering eyes. Eyes like that were hard to ignore.

“I’m not here for the party scene. Dinner sounds good.” I wanted Cole to know I was older. He didn’t know this version of me. I was more than Ryan Sinclair’s little sister.

I turned to pull the inside frame of the door. I wasn’t sure why I had told him that. “Thanks.”

“Oh, and, Rocky, there’s an ice machine on the way to your room. You might want to put some on that hand before it gets much worse.” He grinned.

6

Cole

The door closed and I took a step back. Kaitlyn Sinclair wasn’t a skinny girl in glasses anymore. When had that happened? How did I miss it? And why the hell did I have to fight the instinct to greet her with the kind of kiss that would leave her moaning for me to take her to bed?

Fuck. I was glad there had been a desk in between us. It was the only thing that kept my hands off her.

I couldn’t go there. I couldn’t think about it. She was my best friend’s little sister. I should be worried about her. Watching after her while Ryan was overseas. Not picturing her in my bed, tangled in my sheets.

There was a guy code. A Marine code.

Fucking her was not an option, no matter how gorgeous and plump her lips were. Or how innocently and sweetly she looked at me with those green eyes. She wasn’t the cute kid sister anymore. She was a sexy knockout that blew me away.

I rubbed the back of my head and looked around the office. She probably thought this place was a shit hole. I know I did. But it paid the bills, and right now I needed to give Grayson stability.

Amber was all over the place. This might be the only thing I could give my son and I was going to work my ass off to make it perfect. It was going to take time. But I wasn’t going anywhere. He needed me.

When I found out Amber was pregnant I knew I had to leave the Marine Corps. Ryan had tried to convince me to stay in. But he didn’t know Amber the way I did. I couldn’t leave my son with half a parent while I fought a war on the other side of the world.

He said he understood, but I always wondered if he’d forgive me. I left my brothers for my son. I didn’t regret it, but it didn’t mean the guilt didn’t keep me up at night.

I tried to remember if Kaitlyn’s room had everything it should. Did I put enough towels in there for her? I imagined her curvy body undressing in the pink-tiled bathroom. Damn, she had perky round breasts. I knew she caught me checking her out.

I thought about stopping by her room. But just the idea made my cock twitch and I knew I needed to head in the complete opposite direction.

I needed a cold beer and a cold shower.

7

Kaitlyn