by Box Set
She didn’t need to ask twice. Rider yanked the button loose on her shorts and pulled them downward, rubbing against her damp panties while continuing to nibble on her collarbone.
“It’s been a long time,” she whispered. “I need this. Oh, please. Don’t leave me hanging.”
Which had to mean David was only worried about himself, and Trish didn’t get off very much. She’d never have to worry about that with him.
Tucking a finger beneath the elastic band of her panties, Rider explored her slippery folds, finding the place he knew would make her eyes roll into the back of her head and have her screaming with passion.
Her body jerked and tensed. “Oh, God. That’s so...” Her words trailed off, ending in a moan as she arched her pelvis. “Yes, yes, yes.”
Grinning, Rider knew he had her exactly where he wanted her. He yanked her panties down her thighs to give himself better access, and Trish mumbled her discontent at the pause in the movement of his fingers.
“Don’t worry,” he whispered in her ear, licking the shell of it. “I’m not stopping until you get what you need.”
He gave a half roll, landing on the deck next to her. While her pelvis continued gyrating against his hand, her boobs danced enticingly before him. He leaned down, sucking one into his mouth and rolling his tongue around the rock-hard peak.
“Oh, yes!” Trish ran her hand through his hair, pulling him down to keep him latched onto her. “So good.”
Flicking against the nub of her clit with his thumb, Rider plunged his index finger inside her tight channel, pumping and stroking, willing her to come apart in his hands.
Her moans changed to gasps and the erratic movements of her pelvis stopped to move in rhythm with him as he joined the first finger with another. Every time his thumb bumped against her, Trish’s body jolted with a shot of evident pleasure.
He knew she was close. Leaning toward her face, he kissed her deeply while focusing all other sensation below her waist.
Suddenly, Trish stopped moving, hissed out an incoherent sound into his mouth, and then a shudder took over, tightening her entire body so she lifted partially off the deck as she continued shaking. She ran her fingernails down his back with one hand and clenched the blanket in the other.
After a timeless, sweet eternity, her body relaxed and she collapsed, panting.
“That was... that was...” She shook her head, still gasping for breath.
Rider grinned down, trying to ignore the pulsations still demanding his own body find release. “You’re so damn beautiful, Trish. I don’t know how a guy like me got so lucky, but thank you.”
She giggled. “What are you thanking me for? I haven’t done anything.” She winked. “Yet.”
“Yet?”
“Lay back, Trench Coat. You made me feel weak and lightheaded, but I’m recovered enough to take care of my man.”
Trish sat up, yanking on his pants and boxer briefs.
Rider definitely wouldn’t argue with her again. He lay back, lifting his ass to help her remove his clothes. His cock sprang forth, begging to be petted.
“Hmmm... not bad.” Her eyes gleamed with mischief. “Now to see how you taste.”
When her head bobbed down, the warmth of her mouth surrounded him, and it was Rider’s turn to moan. Pleasure rushed through him as her hands and lips worked together to accommodate his entire length.
Rider clenched the blanket to keep from grabbing her hair and forcing her to go faster. When he had reached the cusp of his orgasm, she eased off the pressure.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
She glanced up, licking her lips. “I want you to beg for it. Tell me how much you want me.”
“There aren’t words. I want you so bad. So fucking bad.”
She smiled. “That’s what I like to hear.”
“You’re naughty, and it makes me so hot. I want your lips wrapped around me.”
She went back to work, and Rider let himself go, realizing Trish liked things hot and dirty. Yanking on her hair, he helped guide the tempo, all the while mumbling what a hot, dirty woman she was and how much he wanted to cum all over her.
When the explosion happened, he barely told her to move in time, every nerve in his body zinging with the feeling of completion as he emptied himself onto the blanket.
Gasping for breath and completely satisfied, he pulled her down on top of him, stroking her back as things around them slowly started taking on meaning again. Water lapped against the boat, birds cried in the distance, and the warm sun slipped him into a daze of near unconsciousness.
“Don’t fall asleep,” Trish chided, kissing him deeply before pulling back. “If we miss the boat, we’ll be stranded here.”
“Would that be so bad?” He held her closer, never wanting this moment to end.
“I think I’d be happy stuck with you anywhere.”
It was music to Rider’s ears. “Does this mean we really do get to celebrate Christmas together when we get home?”
She laughed but then nodded. “I tried to tell myself not to get involved with anyone right now, but I can’t let this be a one-time thing.”
“That’s good. I’ll never find anyone like you, no matter how long I search. I’m tired of being alone.”
And Rider knew he could no longer think about Stacy Baker at all. He meant what he said to Trish. He could easily fall for her, and he didn’t want to stop himself from doing so.
Chapter 15
Trish smiled as she held onto Rider’s arm while they boarded the cruise ship, waiting to have their cards scanned to prove they were back on board. She felt as though they now shared a secret. A wonderful, mind-blowing secret. It was no wonder so many people on this ship were crazy for quick sex. If Trish had realized how great things would feel with Rider, she would have taken him to bed the first night when he saved her from the mugger on the street!
“Better tone it down a little.” Rider smiled. “People will take one look at your face and know what we did.”
She shrugged. “I don’t really care. It’s not like everyone else isn’t doing, or trying to do, the same thing. Hey, maybe my obvious satisfaction will help you score with the other ladies.”
Rider’s face stiffened, turning impassive and unreadable.
Trish cursed herself, wondering why she’d said that. There was no reason for her to keep pushing Rider away. If things fell apart and they weren’t compatible, fine. They’d likely discover that before returning to Sayle.
However, she didn’t want to rush to end what was happening. Being with Rider made her happier than she’d ever been. A true happiness, not a smile pasted on because it was expected.
Pulling Rider to the edge of the walkway, she wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him deeply. “I don’t want you with another woman,” she clarified. “I’m going to stake my claim and let everyone know you’re mine.”
Unfortunately, Rider’s gaze remained impassive and his smile didn’t return. “Because you think that’s what I want you to say, or because that’s truly what you feel?”
“I’m done making everyone else happy while ignoring my needs,” she said. “That includes you. I honestly want to keep spending time with you, and I don’t want you looking for anyone else as long as you want the same thing.”
The tightness around his eyes relaxed, and he wrapped her in his embrace. “From the second we met, all I’ve wanted is to spend time with you. I’m drawn to you, Trish, in a way I’ve never felt with another woman.”
She squeezed his hand as they resumed their march onto the ship. “I hate that I wasted an entire week by ignoring you back home. We’re rushing to the deep end of the pool now, and that frightens me.”
“I’m not expecting any promises from you,” he said, easing her anxiety. “Don’t get me wrong, I want this to turn into something. If it doesn’t, we’ll have spent a nice vacation together that we can look back on fondly.”
She snorted. “Nice
except for the man overboard.”
“Except for that,” he agreed.
When they entered the ship, Rider headed for the elevators. “We should probably change our clothes for dinner tonight. I thought we could go to the formal dining room with most of the other singles.”
Trish hissed as she spotted the crowd waiting for the elevator, especially when an acne-scared face caught her attention. It was Tyson, the man who had grabbed her ass on the elevator the first night. He seemed like the sort of creep who’d throw a man overboard. Trish didn’t want to be anywhere near him.
“Let’s take the stairs.” She veered off that direction without waiting for Rider to reply.
He looked around, searching the crowd. “Did you see your boss?”
Thomas? Crap. In the middle of everything else going on, Trish had forgotten to worry about him. He was the creepiest of everyone here, although Trish couldn’t imagine him having the strength to push anyone from the ship.
“It’s someone else,” she said. “A man who came on way too strong and then groped me in the elevator. I don’t want to get caught near him again.”
“I’d never let him touch you,” Rider said. “But if I knew who he was, I’d probably punch him and get thrown into the brig. How could I protect you then? We’d better stick to the stairway.”
It was a nice knowing Rider would defend her honor. She doubted her ex had even thought about her honor, much less considered protecting it.
When they stepped off the stairwell onto their deck, many of the singles were returning to their rooms as well.
“Hey, there you are!” Carrie hurried toward them, dodging people walking her direction. “I’ve been looking for you all day.”
Trish released Rider’s hand to rush toward the other woman, wrapping her in a warm hug, surprised that she was honestly glad to see Carrie was okay. “I’m so glad you’re safe. We worried about you, but Barry said he’d protect you.”
“Protect me?” Carrie shook her head. “Some protection. They escorted me to my room, refused to tell me what was going on, and posted a guard outside my door so I couldn’t leave. I had to threaten to sue them if they didn’t let me off the ship today to enjoy our stop here.”
“Did they tell you whether they found Carl?” Trish asked, remembering to play stupid about Carl’s attack even though it annoyed her to do so.
Carrie shook her head. “And now I can’t find Bill either.”
Rider looked around, waiting until the hallway cleared out further. “I’m going to assume Bill followed directions and stayed in his room today.”
He gave Trish a hard stare, a clear warning not to let anything slip.
They probably had Bill locked away somewhere, which actually made Trish feel a lot safer. She’d wavered about who she thought took Carl out, but the best suspect was still Bill. As far as why Bill did it, Trish knew there could be thousands of reasons. The likeliest one being her initial hunch, that it was a fight over Carrie’s affection.
“Maybe it’s time to find you a different date?” Trish suggested. “Rider and I had planned to go to dinner in a bit. Do you want to join us again?”
Carrie shook her head and smiled. “No thanks. I actually found a date.” She glanced at Rider. “Remember, Patrick, the guy at our table last night?”
Rider nodded, though his lip slightly curled.
“He’s not at all like he seemed yesterday. We ended up on the same hiking trip today and really hit it off.” Her grin grew wider, and Trish figured Carrie would have another guy in her bed tonight.
Not that Trish had any room to judge. It wasn’t as though she’d known Rider long enough to have sex with a sense of moral rightness. They’d blown right past second base to third, and if Trish had her way, they’d hit a homerun tonight.
“Have fun,” Trish said, “and be careful.”
Carrie gave them both hugs. “It’s so nice to have you for friends. Tomorrow, we should go on a trip together in Saint Thomas. Find me in the morning.” With a wave, she disappeared toward her room.
Trish glanced at Rider. “What do you think—”
“Shhhh...” He glanced around the hall. “Too crowded. Let’s go to your room.”
Knowing he was right, Trish reversed course. “Maybe I should pack a few things while we’re there,” she said, trying to keep her voice casual.
“Pack?”
“Well, with the screaming wonder next door, I didn’t think we wanted to stay in my room.”
Trish held her breath, wondering what his response would be. He said all the right things to set her heart fluttering, but did he actually want to spend twenty-four/seven with her?
“I’ll let you stay in my room,” he said, his voice having a lilting quality to it as though he tried not to smile. “Just so long as I don’t have to sleep on the floor again.”
“No way, Trench Coat. Tonight, I’m snoring right in your ear.”
He chuckled. “And drooling on my chest instead of your pillow?”
Trish’s face burned but she nodded, trying to act as though it didn’t embarrass her. “If you’re lucky.”
A low yell followed by the sound of pounding pulled Trish from her afterglow-induced haze of happiness. She stared down the hallway, and the crowd parted to show Malcolm standing outside Sara’s doorway, slamming his fist into the wood repeatedly.
“Come on,” Rider said, hurrying his steps. When they reached Malcolm, Rider stepped in front of Trish, likely to protect her in case Malcolm had gone as crazy as it appeared he had. “What’s going on?”
Malcolm turned to them, grabbing onto Rider’s shirt. “Have you seen Sara? She’s missing!”
“Missing?” Trish ducked under Rider’s arm, deciding Malcolm wasn’t crazy—he was worried. “What do you mean missing? Did you get separated while off the boat today?”
“She never came off the boat. At least, not that I know of.” Malcolm ran a hand through his curly black hair, a look of devastation on his pinched face. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but something must have happened to her. She wouldn’t stand me up. I know she wouldn’t do that.”
Trish shook her head, confused. “You didn’t leave her room together this morning?”
“I didn’t stay here last night,” he replied. “At dinner she got sick, and we came back here. I took care of her while she vomited like crazy. Maybe she had bad seafood or something. After a while, she said she was okay and wanted to sleep. She urged me to go to the casino gathering for the singles since she knew I’d been looking forward to that.”
“But you came back around one in the morning, right?” Trish asked, hoping that was what happened, and not what she’d started to suspect.
The puzzlement in Malcolm’s narrowed eyes proved it wasn’t him in the room.
“Damn.” Rider clapped his hand against Malcolm’s shoulder. “I’m sorry to tell you this, man, but she had someone in there last night.”
Trish hated seeing the comprehension dawn on the other man. She rushed forward to pat his arm in a reassuring manner. “It sucks that she let you find out this way. I assumed it was you with her, but I guess Sara met someone new.”
“No.” Malcolm turned back toward the door, knocking on it again. “Sara! Sara are you okay?”
Trish grabbed Malcolm’s hand to stop him from knocking more. “She’s probably off with whoever had her screaming last night. I’m so sorry.”
He yanked his hand from her grasp. “She wouldn’t do that. Sara was too sick to find someone else. She might be in there suffering, too ill to come to the door. I have to get inside and help her.”
Trish looked at Rider, hoping he could help. Sara definitely wasn’t screaming last night due to frustration over an illness. Maybe she only pretended to be sick because she found a new man and wanted to get Malcolm away from her.
“Why don’t we ask housekeeping to check the room?” Rider suggested. “We’ll go call from Trish’s room. For now, you need to stop yelling like a m
adman and pounding on her door. She’s obviously not answering.”
Malcolm nodded, yet again running his hand through his hair. “Housekeeping. Yeah, that’s a good idea. They can get in, and if she needs help we’ll call a doctor.”
Rider ducked into Trish’s room behind her, thoughts racing as he wondered what happened to Sara. “Are you sure she was having sex?” he asked as soon as the door latched closed.
She wrinkled her nose. “Well, I didn’t knock on the door and demand they let me watch if that’s what you’re asking.”
He paused, momentarily distracted from his worry about Sara. “Is that something you’d like to do?”
She swatted his arm. “Get serious. What were you thinking?”
“What if she wasn’t having sex?”
“She certainly screamed loud enough to wake me.” Trish paused, her eyes growing wide. “You think the killer had her last night, and I just left?”
Rider gathered her into his arms. “If that’s what happened, it wasn’t your fault. She’s a screamer during sex, just like she said. You can’t help but assume she screamed for the same reason two nights in a row. I only worry because if she truly became ill at dinner, maybe someone did something to her food to get Malcolm to go away and leave Sara weak and vulnerable.”
“I’m an awful person.” Trish pressed her forehead against his chest. “If she was poisoned and murdered last night while I was over here banging on the wall, yelling for her to shut up...”
“No sense speculating,” Rider said. “I think we should call Barry, though, not housekeeping. If something happened in that room other than loud sex, I don’t want a bunch of people trampling through and destroying evidence.”
Trish nodded and pulled away. “Didn’t we decide the killer was Bill, and he’s been locked up? I really don’t want to have to start worrying all over again.”
“Then let’s find out if there’s something to worry about.”
Rider crossed the room to the phone mounted on the cabin wall, dialing for the operator and asking to be connected.
“Security.”
“Hey, Barry. This is Rider Stone, from the singles’ cruise.”
