Dolphin's Playground

by Jaci Burton

  It was a good thing her work kept her so busy. No time to ponder the fact she was thirty-years-old and had yet to find a man who appealed to her as much as the sea and all its creatures. Perhaps she was meant to live in the ocean instead of on land.

  Maybe the man of her dreams lurked under the sea.

  She snorted. For a scientist, she sure had some foolish notions. She should have left her childish dreams in her youth, where they belonged.

  The dolphin raised its head against her hand as if seeking her touch.

  She grinned at him. “I’ll bet you have lots of things you’d like to tell me, don’t you, pal?”

  “Dr. Quinlan, what’s going on here?”

  The sound of Claude’s voice made her wish she could morph into a dolphin and swim away with the perfect bottlenose here. If only wishes could come true.

  “I’m working.” She heard his footsteps on the wet cement and hoped his expensive Italian shoes warped in the salty water.

  “Are the dolphins cured yet?”

  “No.”

  “When will they be?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “I need a timetable, now.”

  Jaz resisted the urge to tell him to shove his timetable up his ass. But the dolphins needed her more than she needed to tell off her boss. “As soon as I know something, you’ll know something.”

  It was apparent he drew closer because his cologne overpowered the air. Amazing that a hundred bucks an ounce could smell so revolting. She preferred the saltwater scent of the ocean and the creatures inhabiting it to human males like Claude.

  Apparently the dolphin felt the same way because he made a loud exhaling sound as Claude approached, his fins whipping from side to side. Clearly he was agitated at the administrator’s arrival.

  “I know exactly how you feel, pal,” she whispered to the dolphin.

  To further irritate Claude, she took out a piece of squid from the bucket at her feet and hand fed the dolphin. After he swallowed, she stroked his soft tongue.

  “Tell me that isn’t another dolphin,” Claude said, wrinkling his nose as he eyed the squid pieces.

  Well, she at least had to give him credit for recognizing that this bottlenose was slightly different in appearance than the others. “It’s not another dolphin. It’s a humpback whale.”

  She really wanted to add a duh to her answer. She didn’t. But, damn, she really wanted to.

  “And I suppose you rescued this one off the beach, too.”

  No, he swam up the beach and tossed himself into the tank, you moron. “Yes, as a matter of fact we did.”

  “Do you realize what it’s costing us to house, feed and treat these dolphins?”

  She moved her hand absently over the dolphin’s snout. “Considering they haven’t eaten and we don’t know what’s wrong with them, I’d say it hasn’t cost much.”

  “Yet.”

  She shrugged. Whatever it took.

  “You’re playing fast and loose with the aquarium’s budget, Dr. Quinlan. We’re going to have to do something about this.”

  “Like what?” Maybe he’d fire himself. That would sure save money on the budget, considering the outlandish sum of money he made. Now that idea held a great appeal to her. Probably would to the board, too. If he didn’t have family connections, Claude Morton wouldn’t be in the position he was in now. As it was, he had no earthly idea how to run an aquarium. All he wanted to do was look good in front of his daddy by saving them money. As if the aquarium wasn’t strapped for cash already because of his tightwad ways.

  He tipped his chin down so he could peer at her over his glasses, a movement designed to intimidate. Jaz tried to hide her smirk. She’d been frowned upon by better people than him.

  “They have to go. I’m going to have to discuss this with the board.”

  “You do that, Claude. In the meantime, I’ll be treating these dolphins.” She turned away but he grabbed her arm, his fingers digging into her skin. Before she could pull away, the bottlenose made a series of squeaking noises and soundly drenched Claude with a huge shot of water from his snout.

  The scathing retort she wanted to give died on her lips as she gazed at a now soaked Claude. Jaz couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her throat, just imagining the cost of Claude’s dry-clean-only suit, now ruined by salt water. She turned to the dolphin and winked. “Way to go, pal.”

  Claude sputtered, rage evident on his face. For once, though, he seemed at a loss for words.

  “You’d better change before you catch your death.” On the other hand…

  “We’re not finished, Dr. Quinlan. I’ll have you up for a board review within days.”

  “Give it your best shot, Claude.”

  He stormed off and she turned away. “Arrogant prick,” she muttered, then stroked the dolphin again. “I owe you one, pal.”

  * * * * *

  Arrogant prick was right. If Trey had his way he’d have morphed into his human form and soundly kicked that milquetoast’s ass from here to the other side of the earth.

  Dickhead. Angry welts circled Jaz’s arm where Claude had grabbed her. There was nothing worse than a male who got off on hurting females. They were the lowest of life forms, in Trey’s opinion.

  Someday, Claude Morton would pay for hurting Jaz.

  Not that Trey had any feelings for her. She was simply female and therefore needed protection.

  Okay, maybe he’d been surprised at the way he’d reacted to her touch, her soft voice, the caring way she’d examined him. If he’d been in his human form, he’d have been hard pressed not to take her in his arms and taste her.

  And that didn’t sit well with him at all. He didn’t have cravings. Not for a particular woman, anyway. If he wanted a fuck, he knew where to get one. And not once had he given a water sprite a second glance afterwards. Not that they cared, anyway, since pleasure was their primary focus, too.

  “You seem as irritated as I am,” Jaz said, petting his dolphin skin in a way that made him want to feel her touch on his human body.

  Her green eyes mesmerized him, pools the color of the deep sea. Bright, round, with dark lashes that spiked against her brow despite the fact she wore none of the makeup land females were fond of. Her skin was tanned, her body lithe and athletic, showcasing very long legs and the most perfect ass he’d ever seen.

  She was nothing like Leelia, who was dark and voluptuous, with eyes and hair like a midnight sky. And he’d loved Leelia’s body, every inch of it. Jaz was like a sleek mermaid, her red hair flying behind her in the ocean breeze.

  Her hands were perfection. Long fingers that he could well imagine wrapped around his—

  Not good. Not at all. With a quick swish of his tail, he swam to the other side of the tank, searching for some distance from the woman he had no business feeling a spark of attraction for.

  Merlin lay listless there.

  “No progress?” he asked the ancient dolphin.

  “Still about the same. How’s the good doctor doing?”

  “Can’t tell.”

  “Then you need to resume your human shape and find out. We’re getting more ill by the day, Triton.”

  “I know.” Impotent frustration raged through him. He knew they were sick, and yet no one in Oceana could help them. What made any of them think a human could?

  “She’s special, that Dr. Quinlan.”

  “Why do you say that?” Trey peered over at her, watching the way Jaz handled one of the dolphins. Her low, sultry voice drifted toward him, permeating his senses and bringing thoughts to mind he had no business thinking.

  “Because I know, Triton. I can feel her. She seems one of us.”

  “Ridiculous. She’s a land human.”

  “Which means what, exactly? That she can’t love the sea as much as you do?”

  No one who lived on land could love the sea as much as the people and creatures of Oceana. “Yes, that’s what it means.”

  “You just harbor resentment toward a

ll females because of Leelia.”

  Would everyone continually remind him about his disastrous relationship with her? “This has nothing to do with her.”

  “Every move you make has to do with Leelia. You need to let it go, Triton. Let her go. Start living in the present and looking ahead. You never know when your future will be standing right in front of you.” Merlin inclined his snout toward the other side of the tank.

  Matchmakers wherever he went. “Why is it that all of you think that unless someone is mated for life they’re not happy? I’m perfectly content with my life as it is. Which means I don’t need to add anyone to it.”

  “Yes, you do.”

  “No, I don’t.”

  Merlin coughed, ending their friendly argument.

  “I’m going to the surface, will transform. See what I can find out. Maybe give the doctor a nudge in the right direction once I figure out what she’s doing.”

  He watched her tend to the dolphins and wished he could be doing anything but what he had to do. He telepathically sent a message to Dane to come take his place as a dolphin tonight. Once the switch was made, he’d reintroduce himself to Dr. Jaz Quinlan.

  And he’d bet all the treasures in the Afrendi shipwreck that she wouldn’t be happy about meeting him.

  Chapter Three

  “Excuse me, but who are you again?” Jaz asked, eyeing the tall stranger who’d just stepped into Claude’s office. Bad enough she had to be summoned away from her work so late in the evening, but then Claude quickly rattled off the guy’s credentials and she barely heard a word of what he said.

  Probably because she was busy picking her tongue up off the floor where it had dropped when she’d gazed into eyes the color of the Caribbean Sea. And those stunning eyes were framed by raven hair that fell across his forehead in a way that was sexy as hell.

  Okay, maybe every damn thing about him was sexy, from the way his worn jeans fit snugly against his lean, muscled body, to the T-shirt that hugged his chest and shoulders.

  Only one thought rolled through her mind then.

  Sex. Hot, sweaty sex that went on for hours. She never had thoughts like that about men. Well, she did, but not lately. There were reasons she owned a dozen vibrators of varying shapes and textures. One was her complete lack of a social life, the other was the corresponding lack of a sex life.

  Oh shit, and now he was talking and she hadn’t heard a word he said.

  “Sorry. My mind is elsewhere. Run that by me again?”

  Claude interrupted with a heavy sigh. “Really, Dr. Quinlan, couldn’t you at least try to pay attention?”

  She shot Claude a scathing look and turned her attention to the dark hunk of gorgeous man before her. “My apologies. I’m working out some complex formulas in my head and they pull at my concentration.”

  His skin crinkled at the corners of his eyes when he offered her a half grin. “No problem. I do the same thing.”

  She arched a brow. “You do?”

  “Yeah. I’m Triton Sanders.” He extended his hand and she slid her fingers into his palm, instantly feeling the shock of sexual awareness. Her body warmed and flooded with desire, her panties dampening and her mind whirling with visions of the two of them tangled together in an intimate kiss.

  Holy shit. She was way past the point of teenage fantasies, but man did she just have a humdinger of one.

  “Triton?” she said, clearing her throat and hoping for some moisture on her dry-as-a-desert tongue. She looked around for water, anything.

  “Most people call me Trey.”

  Claude had no trouble clearing his throat. Loudly. Jaz turned, her body flushing with embarrassment. Great. She did not need to be caught ogling a strange man in front of her idiot boss.

  “As I was saying, Dr. Quinlan, Dr. Sanders here has been retained by the board of directors to…ah…assist you in your research.”

  “Assist me?” The warmth left her body in an instant, replaced by cold dread.

  “Yes.” The smirk on Claude’s face told her she wasn’t going to like what he had to say.

  “Care to enlighten me as to what kind of assisting the board thinks I need?”

  “Dr. Sanders is a marine mammalian specialist. His forte is the diseases prevalent in marine mammals. He’s going to help you find a cure for the poor, sick dolphins.”

  Poor, sick dolphins her ass. If Claude had his way, they’d be rotting carcasses on the beach right now.

  “I don’t need any help, Claude, and you know that.” She tried to keep her tone polite and professional, but she knew it came out sounding tight and irritated.

  “Doesn’t really concern me whether you think you need help or not, Dr. Quinlan. Dr. Sanders is here and he’s staying until the dolphins are cured.”

  Claude stood, his way of dismissing her from his office. Jaz refused to budge, wanting to get Dr. Trey Sanders out of her hair before she left. “No offense to Dr. Sanders, but I work better alone.”

  “I’ll try not to get in your way,” Trey said, forcing her to look over at him again.

  Would it appear unseemly if she both groaned and drooled over him? Really, she’d never get any work done with him underfoot Or under anything. Or over anything. Or next to—

  Good God, she was experiencing some kind of libido-gone-wild episode! What was wrong with her, anyway? “I appreciate you making the trip from…where exactly are you from, Dr. Sanders?”

  “It’s Trey, and I’m from Philadelphia.”

  “I see.” Philadelphia. Old money. Probably a friend of Claude’s family. “And you know the Morton family?”

  “Indirectly. My family is connected to theirs in many philanthropic ventures.”

  Ugh. Another preppie, rich-boy know-it-all. Just what she needed. Too bad her knowledge of his background didn’t douse the flame burning hot and tight inside her right now. He’d opened some kind of portal to her sleeping sexuality and there’d be no closing it until she got a release. Which she planned to do as soon as she finished here.

  Seeing that she clearly had no choice about working with him, she nodded. “Fine. Meet me in the lab in the morning and we’ll get started. Just remember to stay the hell out of my way. The more you interfere,” she said, making sure to cast a pointed look in Claude’s direction, “the longer it’ll take to figure out what’s ailing the dolphins.”

  On her way out of Claude’s office, she glanced at her watch. The realization struck that she hadn’t had a break or any food yet today. She hurried back to her apartment and slammed the door with a resounding thud.

  Her heart pounded against her ribs, her body bathed in sweat despite the cool weather outside.

  Never in her life had she experienced such a fast and furious physical reaction to a man. And never had her body fired, moistened and practically sent her into the throes of orgasm just by standing next to a man.

  But she was nearly there right now. Irritated, shaky, and craving a climax like she’d been denied far too long. She had to get back to work, she had no time for this.

  Then again, she’d never be able to concentrate on her work until she released the tension inside. Ignoring the fact that she should get something to eat, she bypassed the kitchen and headed straight to her bedroom. Satisfying her libido seemed much more important than her hunger right now.

  Rummaging quickly through her nightstand, she found the small bullet vibrator and turned it on, the whirring sound heightening her anticipation. She lay on the bed and slipped her sweats and panties down to her knees, spreading her legs as wide as she could.

  The mere thought of Trey Sanders sent her spiraling into arousal. She closed her eyes, settling the egg against her throbbing clit. It slid easily against her skin, mixing with the juices of her desire.

  He struck her as someone who spent a great deal of time in the sun. No tanning bed gave his skin that sun-kissed look. His jet-black hair and sea-blue eyes lent him a movie star appearance. The laid-back kind of star, the one that drove women crazy with his sultry looks. His body was perfectly shaped, wide at the shoulders, narrow at the waist and hips, his thighs muscular but not too beefy. She hated beefy.

  A whimper escaped as she moved the bullet against a particularly sensitive area along her slit.

  Was his cock as big as he was? He had to stand six three or four, easy. She wasn’t short, either, and he was a giant next to her.

  Big, tanned, gorgeous, sexy. “Oh, yes,” she whispered, sliding the bullet into her pussy, teasing herself by withdrawing it, holding the whirring egg over her throbbing clit before slipping it down and over the folds again.

  She raised her hips and shoved the bullet inside, thrumming her clit with the fingers of her other hand while she fucked herself with the vibrator.

  It built up inside her, the heightened tension, the excitement, the anticipation of a much needed release. Her mind conjured up wicked images of what she and Trey could have done together if Claude hadn’t been standing there.

  What would Trey taste like? Sweet or salty? And would his cock fit in her mouth? Would he want to lick her pussy, suck on her clit until she flooded his tongue and face with her come? Would he jettison his own inside her eager mouth, letting her suck him until he had nothing left to give?

  Oh, yes, there. She imagined him climbing on top of her, slipping his heavy cock deep into her pussy, then ramming it hard and fast until she screamed in ecstasy.

  The sensations intensified. Soon, very soon. Jaz squeezed her legs together, letting the magical vibrator do its thing, feeling the waves crash over her as it built to a frenzied pace. She reached between her legs and circled her clit, rubbing fast and furious until the sudden rush of her orgasm flooded her pussy.

  She bit her lip to keep from screaming out loud, but couldn’t help the whimpers that escaped. Her hips bucked off the bed as her orgasm poured through every pore, every muscle and organ until she was drenched in sweat and her own juices. When the waves subsided, she reached inside her still-quivering body and pulled the bullet out.

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