Page 33 of Hooked on a Feeling

She slid her fingers back inside and began touching herself. John’s dirty words of encouragement were all she needed to push herself over the edge. Sweat coated her chest, and she closed her eyes, letting her orgasm rip through her.

“Damn.” John brought her back to reality. “That was the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen. Can you come again?”

“Again?” She knew she was red on her cheeks and chest. It wasn’t that she was embarrassed; it was that she was happy. She was thrilled with the attention he was giving her. It felt good to have him call her beautiful. It wasn’t like she needed a man to tell her that, but jeez, after not hearing it for so long, it felt pretty damn good.

“Hell yes, again. Look at that pretty thing glistening in the light. She wants more. Don’t disappoint her.”

Starr laughed and started the journey all over again. A minute or two passed, and this time when her orgasm hit, she kept her eyes focused on John. It was the moment she realized she was falling for this man, and damn it, she was falling hard.

* * *

John’s cock throbbed watching Starr twist and turn on that damn bed. He was jealous of her fingers. Jealous of those fucking bedsheets. Hell, he was jealous of those pillows that got to hold her up. Lucky bastards.

“Just come over,” she said. “You know you want to.”

“Get some sleep. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He ended the call before she swayed him into going over. He was feeling friendly. Tonight was about her. Not the two of them. He was perfectly content watching her do her thing and reveling in the pleasure.

His mind was all over the place after what had happened at dinner when his dad seemed willing to announce his official retirement. Raven was putting together a company-wide email for their father to approve and send out. According to Judge, he was helping Mom find the best places in Africa to travel.

The small thing that had been bothering John for the past week was Starr. Not in a bad way—fuck no, she was bothering him in all the good ways. But every now and then, if he let his guard down a little bit, it was clear that she was starting to make an impression on his heart. And he couldn’t allow that.

Not when she was going to leave Emerald Port soon. It wasn’t just Starr—it was everything associated with her. The marina. The tumultuous relationship between their grandfathers. John wanted to ask his parents so badly what the hell had happened, but in the past when John had brought it up, his dad had brushed it off and said it was in the past. Maybe his mom could shed some light.

The marina could still be a good investment as well as an asset to Emerald Port. It had everything it needed to succeed. It was a matter of putting it all together and finding the right people to run it.

So come Monday morning, when he was sitting in his office watching the early-morning runners on the boardwalk, he started researching local hiring firms—just to get a perspective on whether there were people around who were qualified to run the marina. Because it was going to take a hell of a lot of love and attention to get that place operating in the black.

“Can I come in?”

John glanced up from his computer at his brother’s voice, noting it was already midmorning. He hadn’t realized until Jersey was standing at his door that the office had been quiet all morning.

“What’s wrong with you?” John sat back in his chair. “When have you ever asked permission to come into my office?”

“If you’re going to be the president, I decided to give you the benefit of respect and not just barge in like a brother would.”

“Fuck that shit. Get in here.”

Jersey strolled into the office wearing an ugly mustard-colored polo shirt. His arms were covered in tattoos, which always surprised John. For being such a computer nerd and spending practically all his free time playing video games, Jersey wasn’t as easy to pigeonhole as one might think. When Jersey sat down, John could see the red-rimmed scarring along his forearm. “New tattoo?”

“This morning. Look, I’m in the process of creating a compelling-as-fuck presentation on why we need to upgrade the yacht software. I’m here to see where you stand on the matter. I know you support me, but I need to know if it’s worth my efforts to continue to pursue.”

“The current management software is okay,” John said. Clunky, but it got the job done.

“You and I both know that. But Oceans Deep has the leading, cutting-edge technology for yacht management. It’s the best of its breed.”

“Tell me about it. I know you’re well versed.”

“It has a seamless interface and is designed to allow crew members, management companies, and family offices to collaborate and know what is going on with their vessels.”

“I know you know all about it in your head, but I need more details.”

Jersey brushed a hand over his face. “Sure. So, it’s able to fully communicate security measures and technical aspects of the yacht and alert the crew when something is amiss. I’ve seen it in beta testing, and it’s kickass. It’s not as messy as what we’re currently installing. It has class.” Jersey’s eyes lit up. “It’s the shit, as far as that goes.”

John chuckled. He wasn’t the sibling who was blessed with computer tech savvy, but he understood its value, and that was all that mattered. He trusted Jersey to know whether upgrading the yacht software was a good decision for Blue. “What are the risks? I feel like there is a ‘but’ coming.”

Jersey nodded. “Oceans Deep is risky because it’s new. It came out three years ago and has only been installed in a few hundred yachts around the world. But the numbers don’t lie. Oceans Deep is on its way to the top.” He snorted and looked like he was embarrassed. “We want to be there when it rises. Trust me, we want Blue to partner with them.”

“You’ve already invested in this company?”

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