“I know what you want,” he murmured, staring at her crimson backside as he slid his fingertips down the inside of her thighs, “but I’m not sure you deserve it.”
“Probably not,” she whimpered, “but I am sorry about everything, really I am.”
“Ask nicely.”
“Please, Captain Scott, will you make love to me?”
“You may not be wet enough,” he teased, lightly touching her entrance.
She immediately bucked back at him.
“Keep still,” he said sternly, landing a hot smack on her sit spot.
“Ouch, I can’t help it. I want you so much.”
“Only good girls get what they want. Are you going to be a good girl, Elizabeth?”
“Yes, Captain, I’ll be good, I promise.”
“Remember, you’re not allowed to move.”
Placing a finger against her clit, he rubbed aggressively, and though she moaned loudly, she remained motionless.
“So you are capable of following orders,” he remarked. “Amazing what a good spanking can achieve, isn’t it, Elizabeth?”
“Yes, Captain,” she softly whimpered. “Thank you.”
Her unexpected words of gratitude touched his dominant soul.
Were they two sides of the same coin?
The tantalizing thought dancing through his head, he gripped her waist, placed himself at her slick entrance, and slowly pushed forward.
But closing his eyes he stayed completely still, buried inside her, relishing her warmth.
The image of the ancient cabin from his dreams suddenly flashed through his head. His wench was bent over his bed, her dress bunched up around her waist, rippling like the ocean as he plundered her pussy.
Abruptly tightening his grip, he began vigorously thrusting.
“Ooh, Scott… that’s amazing,” she panted breathlessly. “Don’t stop, please, please, don’t stop.”
But as the fantasy faded, he slowed his pace, gathering his wits and catching his breath.
It had been a fleeting but bizarre moment.
Carefully withdrawing, he stretched out on the bed, shifted her onto her side and pushed back into her passage. Fervently stroking, he moved his hands to her breasts to tweak her nipples, and dove his lips to her neck, sucking as he pinched. As he quickened his pace, her moans and whimpers soon became gasps and cries.
“I’m there,” she suddenly gasped.
“Who does your orgasm belong to?” he whispered, his lips pressed against her ear.
“You, Captain.”
“That’s right, and you can only come if I let you.”
“Ooh, please, Captain? I need to so badly.”
“Only when I say.”
“But I’m so close…”
Sliding his arm down her body and pressing his fingers against her clit, he rubbed as he thrust, accelerating and chasing his climax. With her urgent squirming and wails of pleasure feeding his arousal, he suddenly found himself at the brink.
“Give it to me now… right now…”
Barely getting the words out before his cock exploded, waves of shimmering sensations cascaded through his body evoking loud groans of immeasurable pleasure. He could hear her euphoric squeals, then abruptly jerking against him, she fell limp.
As the residual tingles receded, he closed his eyes and drifted off, but he couldn’t risk falling asleep. Moving his hands over his face, he forced himself off the bed and into the bathroom. Quickly washing, he dressed in sweatpants and a long-sleeved T-shirt.
“I’m going up on deck to check on things,” he said, standing at the cabin door.
When she didn’t respond, he assumed she was finally getting the sleep she so desperately needed.
Moving up to the salon, he picked up his phone.
He had important calls to make.
* * *
A minute after the cabin door closed, Elizabeth bolted from the bed, crept into her cabin, retrieved her phone from her bag, and hastily sent a text.
Hey, Jim. I’m okay. Scott’s taking me to a house on another island. I’m not sure about the cell service there, but I’ll send more info ASAP.
Turning it off, she snuck back to his cabin, slipped under the covers, and gratefully closed her eyes. Exhaustion swallowing her up, she sank into a deep sleep, but what felt like only a short time later, Scott shook her awake.
“Are we there already?” she mumbled groggily. “How long have I been asleep?”
“We’re almost at my base at Red Hook.”
“Your base? I thought we were going to another island.”
“We are.”
“I’m confused.”
“We’re switching yachts. You need to pack up your stuff.”
“Why?”
“Remember when we were on deck and I asked you to look around and tell me what you saw?”
“How could I forget?” she retorted, rolling her eyes.
“We never finished the conversation. I was noticing the other boats. If you were Dan, and discovered my yacht had sailed off, what would you do?”
“Uh, I suppose I’d look for it.”
“Exactly, and with the large Victoria School signage on the side of this catamaran, it’s way too easy to spot. I bought a mono-hull about a month ago. It’s nondescript.”
“But won’t it take time to get another boat prepared to leave?”
“I called ahead,” he replied hastily. “One of my guys has it ready to go. I let you sleep as long as I could.”
“Wow. Okay, I guess I’ll start packing.”
“Make it quick,” he ordered, heading out the door. “We’re almost there.”
“Uh, it might take me a little while.”
“All you have is a bag.”
She paused, searching for an answer.
“Yeah, you’re right, I’ll only be a few minutes.”
“See you on deck.”
Her heart racing as he left, she darted into her cabin, opened her bag, gathered up the stuffing, then frantically unzipped the cushions. Trying to control her panic, she transferred the wads of cash into the bottom of her bag, and shoved the stuffing back into place, but as she attempted to close the zippers they kept getting caught.
She sensed the boat slowing down.
Glancing out the window, she discovered they were at the dock.
She’d only managed to close one of the four cushions.
As she anxiously returned to her fight with the second, Scott knocked on her door.
“Elizabeth? It’s time to go.”
“I’ll be right there.”
With no time to continue the battle, she positioned the decorative pillows upside down to hide the gaping opening, threw her clothes into her bag and hurriedly dressed. She was about to dash into the bathroom to retrieve the rolls of bills from the toilet tissue when he knocked again.
“Elizabeth, are you okay? What’s taking so long?”
“I want to make sure I don’t forget anything.”
“You don’t have much to forget,” he remarked, opening the door and poking his head in. “What’s going on?”
“Sorry, I’m seriously sleep deprived.”
“Ah, right, of course.”
“I’m all set. I just need to use the bathroom.”
“Use the one on the mono-hull.”
“But—”
“It will only take a minute to get off this boat and on to the other one,” he declared, taking her bag and turning to leave.
Frozen to the spot, she was feverishly trying to figure out a way to grab the rolls of cash and take them with her, when he suddenly stopped and looked back at her.
“What’s wrong with you?” he asked testily.
“You said it’s a mono-hull. They make me nervous,” she replied, hoping she sounded believable.
“Do you trust me?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then believe me when I say you’ll love this yacht. Or would you rather stick around and wait for Dan
to show up?”
“We don’t even know if he’s chasing us.”
“We do know he’s chasing you, and he’s got it in his head you’re with me. Once he realizes I’ve left you can bet he’ll be paying this base a visit,” Scott exclaimed, then pausing, he narrowed his eyes. “Is there something else going on here?”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know, you tell me.”
“Sorry,” she said softly, her heart sinking. “I’m just so tired I can’t think straight.”
His expression abruptly changed. “I know you are,” he said, his voice softening. “I didn’t mean to yell at you, but we really do need to leave. You’ll love the yacht. It’s great, and if you don’t, you can jump off and swim back,” he finished with a grin.
“Thanks, Scott,” she murmured, managing a smile.
“Are you ready to go now?”
“Yes, Captain.”
But as she followed him, she glanced over her shoulder and stared at the bathroom, praying no one would find the rolls of cash. It would be impossible to explain.
* * *
By the time Dan Miller had gone through the rigmarole of hiring a boat, the sun had set and the light was fading fast.
But that wasn’t his only problem.
He’d been forced to rent a larger, slower boat.
Moving through the bay, his binoculars in one hand and the wheel in the other, he searched out the catamarans.
None sported the big blue letters.
Knowing Scott could have sailed in any direction, he headed to the Victoria Sailing School base at Red Hook on the other side of the island, hoping one of Scott’s employees might be able to shed some light on his whereabouts.
Dan pursed his lips in grim determination.
Elizabeth had to be found.
Deciding to dock as close to the sailing school as he could, and resume his hunt in the morning, he cruised toward the marina, but as he neared, he couldn’t believe his luck. The catamaran was there.
Spotting a guy on the deck, Dan’s pulse ticked up.
A moment later, he cursed under his breath.
It wasn’t Scott Specter.
“Excuse me,” Dan called, getting as close as he dared.
The young man raised his head and looked around.
“Over here,” Dan yelled. “Is Captain Scott on board?”
“No, sorry, you just missed him.”
Seething, the detective tried to control the tone in his voice.
“Did he go into town? Maybe I can catch him there.”
“He left on another boat.”
“Where’s he headed?”
“Sorry, he didn’t say, but he told me not to expect him back for a few days.”
Fury coursing through his body and desperately trying to think of a Plan B, the only thing that came to mind was spending the evening at the Shady Shack. With Scott and the owner on such good terms, Scott probably spent time there, and a few drinks loosened tongues.
Turning his lumbering boat, he started back.
The hunt wasn’t over.
Not by a long shot.
Chapter 6
The emerging night sky could not have been more perfect. An almost full moon in a clear sky kissed the dark ocean with its silver glow, and myriad stars twinkled overhead, arching down to the horizon. Slowly gliding through the bay, Scott set the auto pilot and left to sit with Elizabeth at the back of the boat.
“Still nervous?” he asked as he approached.
“Not at all, and I love the name Hi Ho Silver.”
“Classics live forever,” he remarked with a grin. “Where’s your phone?”
“In my purse.”
“Give it to me.”
“Why?”
“Just do it!”
“Okay, jeez,” she mumbled, pulling it from her handbag and handing it to him. “We don’t want our tenacious detective tracking you through this,” he declared, quickly removing the sim card and throwing it overboard.
“Scott! I could’ve just turned it off.”
“Yeah, but now I don’t have to worry about you turning it back on,” he retorted. “Are you ready to see the cabin now?”
“Absolutely.”
The salon was smaller than the one on the catamaran, but the layout gave it an airy spaciousness, and when he opened the door to the cabin, she caught her breath.
“I told you it was nice,” he declared. “Why are you so surprised?”
“Nice? Nice is my grandmother’s sweater,” she exclaimed. “This is gorgeous. It’s like something out of a magazine.”
“The trip should be smooth. Why don’t you lie down and get some rest?”
“Can I have a hug before you go?” she asked, leaning against his hard, muscled body. “I’m still freaked out with everything that’s happening.”
“I’m sure you are, and I bet I only know the tip of the iceberg.”
“I’m sorry, Scott. It’s complicated.”
“I’m sure about that as well,” he murmured, moving his arms around her, “but you need to get some sleep.”
“I do, desperately, and I know I keep saying this, but thank you.”
Holding her for a long minute, he abruptly clutched her hair, jerked back her head, and pressed his mouth on hers in a long, devouring kiss.
“Mmm,” she mumbled as they broke apart. “That was heavenly.”
He smiled, then turned and left the cabin.
As the door closed behind him, she leaned back against it and ran her fingers over her lips.
A chill rippled through her body.
His lingering kiss had carried a message.
She just wasn’t sure what it was.
* * *
Motoring the yacht out of the bay and into the open ocean, Scott was met by a swift trade wind. He loved working with the sails and being at one with the sea. It cleared his head and soothed his soul, but returning to the cockpit, he couldn’t shake the anxiety rippling through his veins.
It was likely Elizabeth seemed familiar because she was his type. An auburn-haired spitfire with a smart mouth, a hot body, and mischief in her eyes. But it was obvious she was in trouble up to her neck, and with his highly tuned commando instincts, Scott sensed Dan Miller wasn’t a man to give up easily.
Moving into the salon and grabbing a bottle of iced tea, he popped the top, took a swig, then checked his phone for messages. He’d been trained to be patient, but when the blank screen stared back at him, his restraint took a back seat. It was time to do his own digging.
Moving to the cabin in which Elizabeth was sleeping, he gently opened the door and crept inside. Standing at the foot of the bed, he listened to her deep, even breathing. She was fast asleep. Carefully lifting her bag, he carried it into the adjacent cabin and locked the door behind him.
Unbuckling the straps and opening it up, he unzipped the inside pocket. A California driver’s license confirmed her name as Elizabeth McKay. It was two years old. Continuing to search her wallet, he found nothing of particular note.
Grateful her clothes weren’t neatly packed, he quickly rummaged through them. Almost at the bottom, his fingers touched something he couldn’t discern.
He lifted it out.
Staring at the fat wad of bills, a dark frown creased his forehead.
Diving back in, he found another, then another, and so it continued, until he had a dozen on the bed in front of him. The bills were used, and enveloped in clear plastic film. His hands on his hips as he stared at the cash, the likelihood he was looking at dirty money loomed large.
Questions rattled through his head.
Was it possible she was guilty of murder after all?
He highly doubted it, but she could be guilty of stealing the large sum of money in front of him.
Was the scowling detective just after the cash?
It seemed likely.
Scott had no doubt the crooked cop would love to get his hands on it.
The famous adage
danced through his head.
A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.
It epitomized Elizabeth and her situation.
A cold chill suddenly pricked his skin.
Lifting up the package nearest to him, he pressed his fingers against the wad. Feeling nothing, he continued to the second, then the third. On the fourth he felt the bump. Tearing off the cling film and looking between the notes, he found what he’d feared.
A tiny black box.
Putting the wad aside, he checked the rest of the money, then returned it to the bottom of her bag. Carrying it back to the cabin, he set it down quietly, and stood staring at the sleeping beauty wondering if he should confront her. Remaining undecided, he walked quickly up to the salon, picked up his phone, and sent an urgent text.
I need that info on LAPD Detective Daniel Miller and Elizabeth McKay now. What’s the holdup?
Elizabeth wasn’t the only one with secrets, and the island paradise wasn’t all palm trees, aqua waters, and sunshine. The dark underbelly of the beautiful tropics hosted money laundering, drug smuggling, and human trafficking.
Recruited from the Special Ops SEAL team he’d once commanded, Scott was a covert agent for the CIA. Trained in sophisticated espionage techniques, he had led several operations, but this was the first time the suspected criminal enterprise had stumbled on his boat in the form of a gorgeous girl seeking his help.
A girl to whom he was annoyingly, deeply attracted.
Moving onto the deck, he turned the yacht back toward St. Thomas, eliciting as much speed as he could muster. Once in the bay, he moved to a sheltered area and dropped anchor. Leaving a quick note on the table in the event Elizabeth woke up, he hurried to the back of the boat, climbed down to the dinghy, unhooked the line, and set off into the night.
* * *
Two hours later
Stirring from a deep sleep, Elizabeth became aware of Scott climbing into the bed. Letting out a heavy yawn, she couldn’t recall the last time she’d slept so deeply. For months she’d spent her nights with one eye open. Sleepily staring at the large windows, though the shades had been pulled down, she could see it was still dark. Moving closer to her hero and snuggling against him, she felt his hardness touch her leg. As waves of longing moved through her body, she slid her hand down his torso.
Her Very Strict Captain Page 5
