Sinful Ever After (Romance Collection)

by Vivian Wood

  She sucks in air, writhing against me. “Gabe, I… I’m close,” she whispers. “Go faster…”

  I’m not sure whether she means that I should fuck her faster or move my hand faster, so I do both. Her pussy feels so good, hot and wet and tight. She immediately responds by bucking her hips against mine and hissing.

  When she comes, she convulses against me, her pussy clenching around me tightly.

  She closes her eyes and presses her knuckles against her mouth. I take that as my cue to focus putting her calves on my arms and fucking her until I am about to come, slamming into her again and again with shallow thrusts.

  I look down at her as I come, hissing her name. “Luna! God damn it…”

  I pump my seed into her, feeling myself empty with each thrust. At the end I have to close my eyes again for a moment.

  I know that I waited too long to fuck someone, but for the life of me, I can’t be worried about it just now.

  Instead I shift onto my side, pulling out. I grab Luna and bring her to rest comfortably by my side. Her eyes are closed, a faraway smile on her mouth.

  I’m still struggling for breath, my skin still dampened with sweat. When she opens her eyes just a crack and presses close to me for kiss, I am more than happy to comply.

  “That was…” she starts, then trails off, blushing. “My trigger was a little more sensitive than normal, I think.”

  Grinning at her, I nod. “Same. Usually my control is a lot tighter. I guess we both need to fuck.”

  She puts her hand on my back, her fingers caressing my bare skin in a rhythmic way that I find pleasing. “We both definitely needed something…”

  “If you wait a few minutes, I’ll be good to go again,” I say. “I can last a lot longer than that, I swear.”

  Luna bites her lip, her gaze sliding away. “Do you think we should? I mean, if anyone gets wind of this, it probably wouldn’t look good for either of us.”

  I laugh, which startles her. “I think that the harm is done, whether we go another round now or not.”

  When she looks back at me, her gaze seems to go right fucking through me. She arches a brow. “Are you saying that you are attracted to me, then?”

  Shaking my head and rolling my eyes, I can’t help but chuckle. “Yes, I would say that’s a safe bet.”

  Her lips tip upward. “You’re in a good mood.”

  I kiss her again, slowly and with passion. When I pull away, I rest my forehead against hers. She is a little breathless from my kiss.

  “So? What do you think? I promise to make you scream into a pillow this time…”

  Before I resort to begging, she laughs and kisses me. “Just once more, then…”

  Laughing lowly, I pull her on top of my body and take her mouth with my own.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Luna

  At four am the next morning, I suddenly sit up, almost banging my head on the bunk bed above me. For a second I don’t recognize my surroundings. Looking left and right, I squint into the darkness.

  That’s when I remember what exactly happened. Why I’m here and not curled up, warm and cozy on top of Gabriel.

  Damn my big mouth. I casually, jokingly asked if he hooked up with his employees a lot…

  And he got really, really upset. Angry enough to ask me to leave.

  I was totally just kidding. I mean, if I do the math, I’m the only person he’s been with aside from his ex. It’s easy enough to figure out that he absolutely doesn’t fuck people he sails with.

  Or anyone else, pretty much.

  Since I’m already up, I slip out of my bunk and get ready for the day. Figuring I can catch Gabe alone before he starts the yacht up for another day of sailing, I stealthily head upstairs.

  But Gabe isn’t the one that I find in the pilothouse when I knock on the window. Instead, Malkia turns her head, a frown fixed on her mouth.

  She motions for me to open the door. I let myself in, sliding my gaze around.

  “Where’s your brother?” I ask, trying to keep it as casual as possible.

  Malkia shoots me a glare and then turns back to the instrument panel, flipping switches that turn on various screens.

  “He said he drank too much last night and needed to sleep in.” She shakes her head. “It is not like him. Completely out of character. I thought that it was a secret code for hooking up with an employee. But you’re here, so…”

  She shrugs, glancing at me out of the corner of her eye. “I don’t know what it means now.”

  I flush. “Do you happen to know when he’s supposed to be up here?”

  Malkia starts the engines then sighs. “I am not in charge of anything, if that much is not obvious. Please, leave me to start the boat in peace, okay?”

  “Of course.” I bow, feeling awkward.

  Turning and letting myself out of the pilothouse, I curse silently. I had planned to apologize to Gabe for putting my foot in my mouth… but now is not the time, I guess.

  I get sucked into the daily flow of life on the boat. Luke, who is technically the second mate, has a bunch of stuff for me to do. Iron what feels like a metric ton of bedsheets, help Sam prepare breakfast, tidy the linen closet downstairs.

  That’s what I need, I guess. I have plenty to think about.

  The way Gabe made me feel for hours the day before. Cherished, protected… but also naked and raw and very vulnerable before him.

  How angry I made him last night.

  God, if that pissed him off, just wait until he finds out that I’ve been bribed to steal his regatta map. Because I have no doubt that he will find out…

  Once I make myself man up and actually steal the plans, that is.

  I am so busy folding and thinking that I’m a little startled when the boat’s motors cut off. I look at Emma, who is neck deep in the linen closet right alongside me.

  She gives me a comforting smile. “Don’t worry. We are just stopped here for the afternoon. I think that you will want to head upstairs, though. The medical attendant follows the clients, right?”

  I puff out my cheeks and exhale. “Yeah. That’s the idea.”

  Hurrying down the hall to grab my medical bag from my room, I hurry toward the stairs.

  “Luna!” Gabe’s voice calls from the top of the stairwell. “Come on! Get moving!”

  I step into the stair landing. For a second, I see Gabe. Dark, brooding, handsome as ever. He shoots me a glare and then turns away.

  God, I don’t want to be trapped with Gabe when he’s angry, I know that.

  “Come on, everyone!” he yells, clapping his hands a few times.

  As I hustle up the stairs and pull my uniform jacket on, I’m surprised to see that the yacht is stopped in a small marina. Following the slope of the land up from the docks, I see a small town splayed out, the buildings reminiscent of those in an Old English village. The buildings are all different sizes but each has white walls and brown support beams.

  “Luna,” Gabe says, gesturing for me to hurry. “Seriously, this is the last time I’ll ask.”

  I pale and scurry down the gangplank, trying to catch up with the handful of guests that are just ahead. Malkia is leading the march toward the village. It’s actually pretty nice today. The sun is high is the early morning sky, and it’s probably almost seventy degrees outside.

  Behind me, Luke and Carlos are tossing bundles of laundry to the dock.

  Gabe is right behind me, but every time I glance at him, the brooding look on his face makes me sweat a little. I swallow and haul my medical bag up to the spot where the guests pool in the middle of an open town square area.

  “Okay, everyone!” Malkia calls. “There are three different activities to do here. The first is there is a nice little tea shop to our right. There is also a tavern for those that might be thirsty. And then there is my favorite thing here… we can go pet some reindeer.”

  The guests break out into chatter about who wants to do which event. After a minute, Gabe calls out instruction
s.

  “Anybody who wants to go to the tea shop or the tavern, Mal is going to lead you over there. For everybody else, follow me around the side on these buildings here…”

  Which way should I go? I watch as a few of the older people follow Mal. The bulk of the group follow Gabe though, so I follow them.

  We walk around the right side of the village, following a small wood chip path. I see a dark building of what I would guess are stables and several areas that are fenced in. A few reindeer pause, chewing. The children squeal and run ahead to the fence, which makes the reindeer back away suspiciously.

  A reindeer petting zoo. It’s novel, I guess… Wrinkling my nose, I find a spot to relax against the stables as a young man lets the clients inside the fence. Gabe joins me silently, standing a few feet away from me and leaning against the wall.

  He is silent as we watch the clients petting the reindeer. His big frame is tensed even when he’s resting.

  I have to know what he’s thinking… because there is a ninety percent chance it’s about me.

  “Gabe,” I say, trying to keep my voice down.

  He swings his head my way, spearing me with his blue-green gaze. He doesn’t look happy.

  “What?”

  I look past him to the clients, then motion for him to move further down the wall with me. I see him look at the clients. He’s making some sort of decision. He follows me a few feet away, crossing his arms over his wide chest.

  Then he just stares down at me, his gaze so direct that it makes me squirm a little.

  “Listen,” I say, coloring. “About last night…”

  Gabe shakes his head and glances away. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “Listen, I was trying to be playful. I definitely didn’t mean to imply that you— “

  He grimaces. “Stop talking.”

  I blow out a breath. “I’m sorry. That’s what I’m trying to say.”

  “There’s nothing to be sorry for. It was… it was a mistake to involve myself with an employee.” His expression grows pained. “It’s my fault for getting sucked into the situation.”

  His mouth settles in a scowl. I bite my lip.

  “Do you really mean that? I enjoyed our time together, to say the least…”

  A huff of laughter leaves him. “It was weakness, okay? I made a promise to myself that I would mourn my fiancée for a full year. And I broke that promise three months in, when we were in Vegas.”

  I freeze for a second, trying to add that to what I know about his situation. That’s surprising, to say the least. “But no one is holding you to that, Gabe.”

  He looks at me as if I were a poisonous snake. “I am, Luna. Me. If I can’t even hold myself to that period of time…” He trails off, his expression bitter. “No one thought that Michelle was any good for me. And when she… she passed…”

  He clamps his mouth shut, swallowing hard.

  I can’t help it. Reaching out a hand to touch his arm, I try to comfort him. “Gabe…”

  He jerks away from my fingers with a hiss. “Don’t touch me, Luna. Just don’t. Can’t you see that I’m all mixed up already without adding you to the brew? I’m bad news. And not just for you… I don’t want to bring anyone else into this fucking mess right now. Got it?”

  Gabe looks up at me, rage and self-hatred and a thousand other nameless things in his eyes.

  I try again, without attempting to touch him this time. “It’s just that— “

  He cuts me off by pushing off the stables wall and walking away. I sigh, crossing my arms.

  Am I really longing for some guy who is all tangled up in his past?

  The rest of the morning goes by pretty fast. I follow the clients around from the petting zoo into the tea shop, eventually finding a seat by the window with a cup of matcha. When Mal comes over I smile up at her.

  She nods to the seat across from me. “Do you mind?”

  “Not at all,” I say.

  She sits down, looking at me with a tight smile. After checking to make sure that no one is listening, she fixes me with her gaze.

  “What exactly did you do to make my brother so mad?” She drums her fingers on the chipped wooden table, arching a brow.

  My eyebrows draw up. My cheeks color. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. Why is Gabriel being such a whiny little baby after talking to you?”

  I look at her, taking a moment to sip my tea. “Did you ask him?”

  “Yep.” She leans back in her chair. “And he was no help. That’s why I’m talking to you now.”

  Frowning, I set my teacup down. “I think he deserves some privacy, don’t you?”

  “Do I?” Malkia gives a dry laugh. “I am not about to stop poking into his affairs, Luna. I am worried about him. I have been worried about him for a long time. But I am his sister, so if I have to, I will gladly be worried about him every minute of every day for the rest of our lives.”

  I make a face at her. “I’m trying to maintain some decorum, I guess.”

  She looks to the front, blowing out a slow breath. “And I am just trying to warn you, Luna. Gabriel is just coming off of a relationship that ended very, very badly. If you play around with his heart and hurt him any more than he already hurts, you are going to have to answer to me.”

  My heart jumps into my throat. “I know, Malkia. I know that your intentions are pure.”

  Mal shoots a skeptical look my way then waves her hand dismissively. “I have to go. I should start getting everyone together, to head back to the ship.”

  I bow my head. “Of course.”

  As I watch her get up and gather people together, I have to wonder. Is Malkia right? Do I need to be extra cautious with Gabe just now?

  Furrowing my brow, I head down to the main deck.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Gabe

  A knock on my door rouses me from my nap. I’m not usually the sort for an afternoon nap but today I just feel so tired. Not to mention achy… and a little nauseated.

  I sit up in my bed, a little sweaty. My head is roaring. When Malkia knocks again and calls my name, I answer. “Come in!”

  Mal slides my door open, staying in the doorway. She eyes me with concern. “My shift is over. Luke is at the helm right now.”

  I nod, swinging my legs over the side of my bed. As I try to stand, I realize that I’m actually really cold.

  “I’ll come up,” I say, looking around for my jacket.

  A line of worry etched in Mal’s brow only deepens. “I don’t think so, Gabe. Let me feel your head and see if you have a temperature.”

  Standing suddenly seems very difficult. I collapse backwards but manage to hit the bed.

  “Okay,” Mal says, backing up a couple steps. “That’s it. You are staying in bed. I’ll send Luna down to check you over.”

  I try to argue, but instead I cough raggedly. Mal gives me a skeptical look and slides my door shut.

  Do I chase after her and tell her that I’m okay? I should. But it just seems so hard…

  I rest for a few moments, closing my eyes. Then I stand up again, feeling a little lightheaded. Grabbing my jacket from where it is draped across the bottom of my bed, I start trying to put it on.

  I lose my balance for a second, stumbling. I can feel the ship moving.

  What is happening?

  The door slides open and Luna comes in. She takes one look at me, damp from sweat and wearing one arm of my jacket, and points to the bed.

  “Nope. Get back in bed.”

  I scowl at her. “I’m the captain. I don’t take orders from you.”

  Normally Luna is sort of soft and accommodating, but just now she looks at me firmly. “Lie down, Gabe. Let me take your temperature. I’m pretty sure you’re sick.”

  I scoff. “No, there’s no way. I haven’t been sick in years.”

  She steps forward, her hands landing on my chest. Easing me down to the bed, Luna removes my jacket.

  “That’s better,” s
he says. She puts the back of her hand against my forehead, her brows lowering after a second. “God, you’re burning up.”

  “I’m fine…” I try to protest, but her face is all business.

  “You aren’t fine, Gabe. You’re sick. And you are probably contagious, which means you’re quarantined to this room until whatever you have passes.” She quirks a brow. “Now take your shoes off and get under the blankets.”

  “But I have to work!”

  She narrows her eyes at me. “Don’t make me tell you stories about ships spreading the Black Plague, captain.”

  Muttering, I unlace my boots and slide under the cotton comforter. Luna takes my temperature, frowning at the thermometer reading.

  “One hundred two point three,” she reads. “All right. You stay put. I’ll get you some water to drink. Then we’ll dose you up with some acetaminophen.”

  I want to shoot her a glare, but my eyelids are too heavy. They slip closed.

  When she nudges me again, I start and open my eyes. She holds a glass of water and presses some white tablets into my hand.

  “Here you go. Just take this and try to drink as much water as you can.”

  I take the glass of water and drown the pills with a long gulp. It tastes funny. I wrinkle my nose.

  “What’s in the water?”

  Luna frowns, tucking a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. “It’s just normal water. I think your sense of taste is a little out of whack.”

  I shove the water back at her, my eyelids already drooping. “Here.”

  I feel her cool fingers taking the glass from my hand. Then nothing.

  When I wake again, it’s mid-afternoon. I can tell by the light that pours in through the port hole above my bed. I lurch to my feet.

  I’ve never had to urinate quite as badly as I do right now.

  After shoving my feet into my boots and relieving myself, I stand in the dimly lit corridor for a moment. I still feel damp, as if I’ve been sweating for ages, but at least I can think.

  I press my head against the cool, dark wood paneling of the hallway near my room. Luna appears at the end of the stairwell, her eyebrows raised.