Don't Tempt Me (20 page)

Her gaze dropped back to his arousal, so bold and unapologetic. Reaching out a hand, she closed it about the thick shaft, delighted by the feel of satiny skin over hard flesh. Needing to taste him, she took him into her mouth.

His breath hissed through his teeth and his hand tightened in her hair. She felt him straining for control and knew it had slipped when his hips began to move, his thigh muscles flexing. Soaring with a sense of feminine power, she glanced up the length of his body and found his eyes closed, his head pressed back against the pillows.

"Okay, stop," he gasped and opened his eyes. Reaching over his head, he grabbed the condom. "You're about to end things way too soon."

She laughed, feeling sexier than she ever had as he rapidly covered himself. He reached for her then, cupping her head with both hands as he pulled her to him for a wild kiss filled with need. Straddling his lap, she sank over him slowly, moaning as his hard sex pressed into her, stretching her. He dropped his hands to her hips, urging her down harder until he filled her fully, stretching her. Then he let her go, allowing her to set the pace.

Arching back, she reveled in the feel of him beneath her, inside her; the sight of him lying against the pillows. A sheen of sweat covered his taut body and his breath came as fast as hers. In the midst of that heated passion, he smiled up at her. She laughed with pure joy at the feeling of connection, then gasped as he tipped her forward and took her breast in his mouth. Pleasure stabbed through her as he suckled hard, sending her over the edge. An explosion of pleasure and light.

The next instant, she was flat on her back beneath him. She blinked up at him, startled at the sudden reversal. "What ---"

"My turn," he said, his voice rough. His eyes intent on hers, he hooked his arms under her knees. She started to protest the loss of control, but groaned instead as he drove into her with long, hard strokes. Her own hips flexed into him, thrilling to his need, his hunger, until she was lost in it.

He tensed above her as his own orgasm hit, making his body flinch. Then, with a massive shudder of satisfaction, he settled over her, her arms closing about him. She stared at the ceiling, her head still spinning as she felt his heart pounding as hard as her own.

Chapter 15

Adrian trembled from the force of his release for several long seconds before he managed to roll onto his back."Holy shit!"

"No kidding," Jackie said between gulps of air.

He turned his head and when their eyes met, they both laughed. Gathering her into his arms, he smiled as he caressed her face. "That was, without a doubt, the best mistake I ever made."

Her laughter stilled and the haze of passion slowly faded from her eyes. Realization followed, then a growing look of horror. He found each shift fascinating to watch, considering the flush of pleasure still glowed in her cheeks.

"Ohmygod." She pulled out of his arms to press a hand to her forehead. "Oh, my God!"

He propped himself up on one elbow, his other arm draped over a raised knee. "I take it this means no snuggling through the afterglow."

She stared at him, her gaze traveling up and down the length of his naked body. "Oh. My. God!"

"The way you keep saying that, is that one word or three?"

She covered her face with both hands. "What did we do?"

"Do you want the play-by-play or a brief summary?" When she scrambled from the bed, he frowned. "Where are you going?"

She turned to face him, backing away. "I just need a minute to think." She vanished into the head and closed the door with a firm click.

Okay, he thought, so Jackie liked to get a jump start on morning-after regrets. Not surprising. Less wasted time that way, and she did like efficiency.

The question was, how did he feel about what had just happened, other than incredibly sated? He did a quick mental search for regret or an urge to bolt, and oddly found none. Normally, after sex, a part of his brain went on high alert, looking for signs that his bed partner expected commitment. If she showed none, he could relax a little, but never completely. He liked women too much to ever hurt one with false expectations.

Jackie's reaction, however, went a bit beyond "That was fun, but let's not take this seriously, okay?"

He scowled at the closed door, not sure what to do when she came out. Gently extracting himself when a woman turned clingy had become second nature, but how did a man respond to a horrified "Oh, my God!"?

He heard water running in the sink and decided to clean himself up before she returned. Searching the shelf near the head of the bed, he spotted a box of tissue, a novel, a pair of earrings, and ... a gun.

Hello!
He pulled his hand back, surprised, then realized he shouldn't be. The woman lived alone on the wharf; of course she owned a gun.

Reaching past it, he grabbed some tissues and took care of the condom. He was sitting propped up against the pillows with his lower body beneath the covers when the bathroom door finally opened. She stepped out, tightening the belt of a black silk robe, her hair raked back from a face still flushed with passion. She looked tough, exotic, mysterious ... and he wanted her all over again.

She raised her head to look at him, remarkably steady after all they'd had to drink. "I think it would be best if we chalk this up to too much rum and forget it ever happened."

Her words hit him like a punch in the gut. Then he saw how tightly she held herself and knew this was just Jackie trying to regain control. He smiled at her in empathy. "I have a better idea."

"What?" She turned cautious, and he smiled.

"Let's do it again." To his surprise, panic sparked in her eyes.
Take it slow,
he warned himself and patted the mattress by his hip. "Come here."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Just come here," he sighed, then watched the battle on her face before she crossed to the bed. Taking her hand, he pulled her down so she sat facing him. "See, I was thinking." The words came out with barely a slur. "This doesn't have to be a big deal since neither of us is interested in anything serious at this point in our lives. From what I've seen, you're married to your ship, and all I want is some playtime now that my sisters are grown-up and on their own. So, if you're worried I'll try to invade your life in any way, I promise you I won't. We can just be friends."

"Who have sex."

"Exactly."

"Absolutely not."

"How come?" Fascinated by the pulse beating in her neck, he caressed it with the tip of his finger.

"I'm not going to have an affair with you right in front of my crew," she whispered, then glanced at the wall, as if wondering if they'd been overheard. "Or your sisters, for that matter."

"We can be discreet." He ran his finger downward, following the vee of black silk between her breasts.

"Adrian." She grabbed his hand to get his attention. "Your sisters aren't stupid. If we start sleeping together, they'll know."

"You're right," he sighed, thinking close families could be a pain at times. "I can already hear what Allison will say after the hard time I gave her about Scott. Although" ---he wiggled his brows ---"a little squabble will be worth it."

"For you it will be a little sisterly ribbing, but how do you think they'll treat me six months from now if you and I have a big blowup?" Her eyes pleaded for understanding. "Adrian, I meant what I said earlier. I need this venture to pay off. Which means I need to be able to work with Aurora and Allison, as well as have the respect of my crew. So no, I'm not interested in repeating what just happened. It was great. You were great, but it's not worth it."

"I see." She didn't think he was worth it?

"My business has to come first," she insisted, then rubbed her head as if a hangover had already set in. "Which is why I really think you should leave."

He stared at her, absorbing the fact that she was kicking him out of her bed. They'd just shared the best sex of his entire life, which was saying a lot, and she was kicking him out?

"Okay ..." he said slowly. "Fine." She wanted him to leave, he'd leave. He rose and retrieved his blue jeans, jerking them on with such force, he nearly lost his balance.

"Well, you don't have to go away mad," she said.

"No, just go away, right?" Scooping up his shoes, he sat and pulled them on.

"I didn't say it like that."

"Didn't you?" He looked for his shirt, but didn't see it, so he retrieved his leather jacket from the peg by the door.

"Oh, so now you're going to go somewhere and pout?" She flopped back against the pillows, crossing her arms.

"No, I'm going to go sleep in my cabin so your crew doesn't get any ideas, like you're a flesh-and-blood woman who might prefer a man over a boat and a bank account." He came back to the bed, planted his hands to either side of her hips, and leaned in close to her face. "There's more to life than work, Jackie. Maybe you should lighten up and enjoy it a little."

Her gaze flicked over his loose hair, the gaping leather jacket, his bare chest. Swallowing hard, she brought her eyes back to his and he saw a shimmer of banked desire. "There's also more to life than fun and games."

"Yeah, but without the fun, what's the point?" Shoving himself upright, he looked at her for a long moment, wanting to crawl back in bed, hold her in his arms, and tell her to stop being so scared all the time. Her expression warned him not to even try. With a silent curse, he strode from the cabin, barely resisting the urge to slam the door behind him. Damned stubborn woman!

~ ~ ~

Jackie punched the pillow the minute he left. Impossible, arrogant man!

"Let's be friends who have sex."
As if that would work long-term. And when it stopped working, she'd be the loser all the way around, while his life would continue with hardly a bleep.

How could he be so selfish and insensitive?

Wrapping her arms around the pillow, she caught his scent on the sheets and regret filled her. She longed to call him back, to tell him she wanted to be with him again and again, for as long as he wanted it to last. But if she gave in to that impulse, how long before her liking him as a friend turned to something deeper? And when it ended, how would she stand seeing him at all? The Pearl Island cruises would have to end.

Sliding under the covers, she hugged the pillow, yearning for things she knew she couldn't have.

~ ~ ~

Achy from lack of sleep, Jackie climbed the steps to the bridge just as dawn brushed the horizon with the first hint of color. The wind whipped beneath her foul-weather jacket, sending a chill across her skin. Joining Ti at the wheel, she held out one of the cups of coffee she'd brought from the galley.

"Thanks." He eyed her over the rim as he took a sip. "You up early."

"Couldn't sleep." Her watch wouldn't start for another hour, but she'd needed the reassurance of standing on deck, seeing for herself how the ship was handling. "How'd we do last night?"

"Da wind light until oh four hundred, but steady off port since."

Sipping coffee, she glanced through the open hatch of the pilot house at the instruments, her ears alert to the sounds of the sails. She'd forgotten how much she'd loved the early morning watch aboard the
Sea Star
, when the world was quiet enough for her to hear every creak and flutter. If the passengers followed form, they'd be drifting up soon to sit quietly and watch the sunrise.

The faint sound of canvas rippling drew her gaze upward. "The main tops'l's luffing."

"Adjust course?"

She glanced back at the instruments showing their position, wind direction, and speed. "No, hold steady but trim the sails."

Ti turned and relayed the order, his voice hushed in the morning stillness.

As Jackie watched the sailor on deck adjust the sheets, Adrian appeared through the main hatch. Her stomach tightened at the sight of him. He looked as relaxed and confident as ever in a pair of jeans and a dark turtleneck. When he glanced toward the bridge, she knew the moment he spotted her. He went still, but no expression showed on his face.

Was he still angry?

The question made her chest hurt as he continued looking at her. This was exactly what she hadn't wanted: to have remembered intimacy and harsh words sitting between them tike a living creature, a beast that could stay quiet or rise up and snarl right in her face. Or worse, attack and destroy her plans for the future.

His words echoed back to her from the night before.
There's more to life than work.

I know that,
she wanted to tell him. Unfortunately, work was all she'd had for so long, she'd forgotten how to relax and enjoy herself ---if she'd ever known. But she wanted to know. Oh how she wanted ...

Finally, he turned away and headed toward the bow. The minute his back was to her, she pulled a roll of antacids from her pocket.

"Dose not candy, ya know," Ti said, frowning at her.

She grinned to cover up her nervousness. "Caffeine and Rolaids, the breakfast of champions."