Page 22 of Master Key Resort

Four weeks later . . .

After stepping out of the shower, Cordell dried himself off as he strode into the bedroom. A smile formed when he saw Tiffany clutching his pillow tightly. Fully sated after a round of morning lovemaking, she’d fallen back to sleep, not even bothering to cover her naked body with a sheet—not that he minded. Resisting the urge to crawl back in bed and take her again, he let her lay there for a few minutes longer as he got dressed.

Once he’d donned a pair of dark-gray dress pants and a lightweight, blue polo shirt, he leaned over and kissed her temple—anywhere else and they’d be running late. “Wake up, sweetheart.”

She cuddled closer to his pillow. “Mmm. Don’t wanna.”

“We’re leaving in fifteen minutes—you have to get up.”

She blinked several times, then stretched that gorgeous body of hers. “Leaving? For where?”

Tearing his gaze away from her, which was a difficult feat, he opened the closet door to retrieve a pair of canvas shoes. “Out for dinner.”

“Dinner? Sir, you do realize it’s—what time is it? Eight thirty in the morning, right?”

He slipped on the shoes. “I know that. We’re actually going to be having breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the same time. Mitch wanted us to have a taste test with a chef he found. She’s from Miami but has a friend who owns a restaurant in Key West. He’s letting her use it this morning before they open for lunch, so she can give us a sampling of her cooking for all three meals. Now, get your pretty little ass in the shower, while I go check on the contractors and track down Dante. I want to get a third person’s opinion on the food.”

While he’d been talking, she’d sat up and stretched some more. From the grin on her face, she knew exactly what she was doing to him. Not allowing her to top from the bottom, he glowered and growled at her. “No teasing, pet. Unless you want your ass to be extremely uncomfortable during our meal.”

Her eyes rounded, and a second later, she jumped up and ran for the bathroom. “I’ll be ready in ten minutes, Sir.”

Chuckling, he grabbed his gun and holster, tucking them inside the waistband of his pants at his lower back. With his law enforcement background, and a phone call or two from Ian Sawyer to the powers that be, Cordell’s concealed carry permit had come through in record time. He’d felt naked not having a firearm within reach while running errands and sightseeing. In this day and age, one never knew when they’d walk into a fucked-up situation with no warning. Better safe than sorry and all that.

Strolling to the kitchen, he found Eastwood waiting impatiently for his breakfast. Cordell filled both the water and food bowls for him and received an “it’s about time” glare from the cat. He’d settled in nicely after the first few days in Florida and was back to being the king of the castle.

After making sure he had his keys and phone, Cordell headed out the door. The construction crew was already hard at work. A quick glance at the parking lot confirmed that both Milo Brooks, the contractor, and Dante had arrived. Cordell found Milo in the crew’s trailer. Once he’d received an update and was assured everything was not only on time but ahead of schedule, Cordell went searching for his chief of security.

As he’d gotten to know the Aussie better, he agreed with the Sawyers’ decision—the man was ideal for the job. He was amicable, with a take-no-prisoners attitude if need be, and definitely not a slacker. Even though they were still in the building phase, Dante had found plenty to keep himself busy, planning out everything they would need to do to keep the future guests and members of Master Key safe. The man had sharp eyes and fast reflexes and had invited Cordell to join a local gym that a buddy of his owned. The place wasn’t your typical Planet Fitness or Gold’s Gym.Therewere no treadmills, ellipticals or foo-foo yoga classes. Instead, it catered to boxers, MMA fighters, and members of the military and law enforcement. Cordell had felt like an old man the first day he’d walked into the place until he learned there were several other members who were recovering from injuries incurred in the line of duty or in combat.

During a few workouts, he’d watched Dante climb into the boxing ring and spar with one of several different opponents. The man was damn good, and Cordell felt that much more confidence in him after watching him fight. Not that they expected any trouble at the resort, but, again, it was better to be safe than sorry.

“G’day, mate,” Dante greeted as he emerged with Cooper from a wooded area between the resort and the beach on the west side of the key. In his hand was a can of white spray paint. For the past few days, he’d been covering every inch of the island, marking the trees which were ideal spots for the outdoor security cameras. Next week, Brody Evans and Marco DeAngelis were coming down for two days to go over the plans for the entire system.

“Morning. How about taking a break for a couple of hours and coming with Tiffany and me to sample some food over in Key West?”

Dante eyed him curiously. “What kind of food?”

“The good kind. Hopefully, it’ll be good enough for the resort. Mitch wanted us to do a taste test—breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We’ll be getting a little of everything.”

“Count me in. Just need to drop Cooper off at home.”

Gesturing for the other man and dog to follow him, Cordell started for the parking lot. “No need. Since it’s such a nice day, I was told we’ll have a table at the outside seating area on the side of the restaurant. Dogs are welcome.”

“Well, then, Coop is in, too.”

They’d gone a few steps past the front door of the cottage Cordell and Tiffany had been staying in, when the little submissive came hurrying out, making sure Eastwood didn’t try to follow her. “I’m ready!”

Cooper ran back to one of his new favorite humans and sat at the bottom of the front steps, with his tail wagging furiously, while Tiffany locked the door. Cordell and Dante also stopped and waited for her to join them. When she did, it was natural to let her walk between the two of them. Dante may not be a Dom, but he was a pure alpha when it came to women, Cordell had noticed. Another reason he liked the man.

“Why don’t Cooper and I follow you?” Dante said when they neared the lot. “I might as well run a few errands after we eat, since we’re down that way. It’ll save me a trip tomorrow. Friday is Reed’s birthday, and he’s so damn hard to shop for. What the hell do you get a man who can buy everything he wants?”

“Something you can’t buy?” Tiffany answered with a shrug.

His eyebrows drew together. “Hmm. That’s a possibility, but I might just have to pick your brain for ideas over breakfast ... or lunch or whatever this is.”

“I’ll try to think of some things on the way there.”

As they reached his truck, Cordell opened the passenger side door and helped Tiffany climb in. Rounding the front bumper, he smiled. He was liking Florida more and more, but he had a feeling a lot of it had to do with the woman who was spending every night in his bed and every day making him smile.

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