“Allyson and I have a spa date this afternoon, so how about we meet up this evening? We can have dinner together in private and start planning,” Summer said, moving back as one of the staff placed her breakfast before her.
“Sounds like… fun.” I pushed my chair back. I couldn’t get away from the table, and Summer, fast enough. “I should probably take my headache medicine with me. I can feel the pressure building already.”
We’d planned that out as well. If I had a migraine, no one would come in search of us while I rested in our room. A few hours were all we’d need to set up whatever gadgets we picked up while shopping.
“Meet back here at say… seven?” Summer said, stalling us from our escape.
“We’ll be here,” Josh answered.
I gave Summer a brief smile, and then allowed Josh to sweep me out of the dining room.
“We could probably ask Oliver to send a few things to us at the next port,” Josh said, perusing the small electronic section at the last store we’d walked into.
“Something tells me that we aren’t going to find anything better,” I added, lifting a demented-looking stuffed animal up and examining it. “Might look a little creepy if these things were planted all over the place.
Josh chuckled. “We could always buy them and pull the electronics out.”
“Yeah, but where would we put the bodies?” I asked as a woman walked past us. She gasped, crossed herself, and then fled the store. “Oops,” I said, watching her make a quick escape.
“Could do a burial at sea,” Josh added, one eyebrow lifted.
I returned the look. “A twenty-one-bear salute?”
He laughed, the sound filling the air around me. “It’s scary sometimes, the way your thoughts blend into my own.”
“Don’t you mean the way your thoughts blend into mine? I am older than you,” I teased, bumping him with my shoulder.
He rolled his eyes, but the grin on his face spoke volumes. “I can’t help it that you’re a cradle robber.”
“As much as I can’t help it that you want a cougar.”
He snorted, picking up one of the souvenir shot glasses. “You’re not that much older than me.”
It had to have been a trick of the light. Or maybe the likeness that some people share, but for the briefest of moments, I could have sworn I saw Trent pass by the front of the store.
Everything inside of me stilled to an alarming halt. My stomach clenched and my heart began to pound as an icy feeling of dread filled my veins.
“Ella?” Josh waved his hand in front of my face.
“Hmm?” I blinked, eyes scanning the front of the store. There was an elderly woman holding up a straw hat, but definitely no Trent.
Damn it… I’m seeing him now?
Forcing a smile on my face, I turned back to Josh. “Sorry. I was just picturing a sea of bobbing bears like breadcrumbs.”
It at least sounded believable. The last thing I wanted him to think was that I not only was an emotional wreck, losing it in the bathroom over my not-so-dead husband, but that I was also delusional and seeing Trent now.
“At least there wouldn’t be a witch ready to cook us up and eat us,” he said, grabbing a second bear from the shelf, and then a few bulkier pieces that we could try taking apart. “It’s a start. With any luck, they’ll work until we can come up with something else.”
“A witch?” I prodded, following him to the cash register as my nerves began to settle.
He thanked the cashier, stuffed his change into his wallet, and as we left the store he answered, “Hansel and Gretel?”
“That creepy kids’ story?” I asked, continuing, “What does that have to do with tossing stuffed bears over the side?”
He shrugged, mumbling, “About as much sense as a wedding at sea.”
Once we were back on the boat, loaded with an assortment of bags as a cover to our shopping excursion, I waited until we passed by a group of people before whining about my head aching. Josh played along, saying he’d get me settled in so I could rest. Our cover was, for the most part, set.
I put the bags on the bed, and then tossed one of the bears to Josh.
“Here goes nothing,” he joked, pressing his newly purchased knife against the seam around the neck of the bear.
An hour later, we were surrounded by fluff. “It looks like we’ve had some sort of sacrifice in here,” I said, adding, “The maid is gonna wonder what the hell we were up to.”
“She’ll probably think we’ve watched Breaking Dawn too many times,” he said, shaking his head.
“What do you mean?”
He shrugged not meeting my gaze. “Movie reference. Nothing important.”
“Oh, now you have to tell me,” I urged, wondering what kind of movie would make him look so squirmy to talk about.
“You’ve never watched Breaking Dawn?” he asked, the tone of his voice sounded like he was hoping I knew what he was talking about so that he wouldn’t have to explain.
“Sounds like a horror movie,” I said, eyeing the carpet. “So why would all this look like we’ve been watching Breaking Dawn?”
He tried to sound off handed about it as he answered, “Oh, because of all the feathers in one scene.”
I plucked up a handful of fluff and transferred it to an empty shopping bag. “Oh, so it was like a sci-fi angel and demon’s movie?” I wasn’t giving up since he’d piqued my interest.
“No, it’s vampires. There’s a scene in the movie where the vampire loses control and bites a pillow and there are feathers everywhere.”
“You’re actually blushing,” I said, watching his cheeks turn a bright shade of pink. “Must have been a good scene.”
He snorted. “Actually, it was kind of funny. Anyway, that’s why I picked this up,” he said, holding up a roll of tape.
Peeling back a long strip and looping it sticky side up, he then gestured for my hand. When I held it out for him, he slid the loop over my fingers and then did the same for his own.
“See?” he said as he pressed the sticky tape to a spot covered with bear guts. When he pulled it up, the rug was clean.
“Impressive,” I told him, moving to another spot of the carpet and doing the same. It only took a couple of swipes to fill the tape, so I reached for a new strip. “We’ll just put everything in one bag and bring it on shore with us tomorrow.”
Silence, but for the sound of tape against carpet, settled over us. The room had been built with a soundproof barrier that made it great for us to be able to talk freely, but not so great being able to hear anything going on outside our room.
I focused on the task at hand, and with the two of us working, it didn’t take long to get it cleaned up.
“Where should we put these?” he asked, holding up the tiny lens with trailing wires.
“I wish we could put one outside of our door, but there’s no place for it. Maybe here?” I pointed at the smoke detector. “Can you get it down for me and I’ll work on it while you set up the other one?”
“I think one might work in here. It would catch anyone coming and going from our room since it would see the door and the balcony,” Josh said, titling his head as if in thought.
“Good idea. But where would the best place be for the other ones? Outside of Allyson and Alex’s room would work, but we don’t know if there’s any place to put it. Maybe we can get them to invite us for drinks in their room?”
“And then what? Ask them to leave so we can install a camera? I don’t think I want to see what happens behind closed doors with them. Do you?” Josh asked, flushing slightly.
“Good point. Somewhere right outside of their room would work,” I said.
“Okay, where else?” he asked.
“No idea, but we can decide tonight once we’ve walked the boat.”
“Yacht,” Josh corrected.
I rolled my eyes. “Whatever.”
A moment later, Josh rubbed his hand against his stomach “Wonder what’s for dinner.
I’m getting hungry.”
I rolled my eyes. “Is food all you ever think about?” I asked, handing him the smoke detector to put back in place. Once it was up, I moved around the room, looking at it from every vantage point to be sure the camera couldn’t be seen.
His hands came down on my shoulders, holding me in place with the slightest of pressure as he answered, “Not always.”
I could have leaned back against his chest and closed my eyes, but denied myself that small luxury of pretending, for just a moment, we weren’t on a mission.
Instead, I moved away from him and said, “I’m glad Allyson had something to do today so we could get this done. I’ll feel a whole lot better once we have a camera up in front of her door. Although we have no idea what the hell we should be keeping an eye out for, or who.”
CHAPTER 15
JOSH
Hours later, bored with sitting around our room, doing nothing, I grabbed ahold of Ella from behind when she came out of the bathroom.
She gasped as I spun her around in a few dizzying circles. And when I set her on her feet, she swayed, staggering as she said, “What the heck is wrong with you? Have you gone stir crazy already?”
I’d gone well beyond that. Shut away for a few hours pacing the floors because I couldn’t settle had left my mind wide open to all sorts of things. From Ella in the bathing suit she’d tortured me with to the pretend marriage trap we’d fallen into. From there my thoughts skipped over to the phone call from Oliver and his warning about the possibility of being boarded at sea. All of it had circled around my head like a demented merry-go-round. People with over-active imaginations should never be left to their own thoughts for too long. All sorts of things played out in my head when I had too much time to think. Or maybe it was daydreaming. Either case, thinking or daydreaming had built a scene in my head that begged to be set free or I’d burst.
“Pirates,” I said, circling her, allowing my imagination to come to life as I came to a stop in front of her and looked deep into her eyes.
She shook her head and went to brush past me, but I grabbed her arms and hauled her against my chest.
“Josh…” she warned as I bent down, mouth close to her ear.
Her skin was warm, her scent invading my senses. “First, the captain has all the women rounded up for inspection and then claims the most beautiful of them all as his prize.”
“He sounds like a real bastard. Let me go,” She tugged against my hold, but I refused to let her go.
“She’ll fight him, but the captain holds the beautiful woman close, hand clamped on her wrist as he drags her to the side of the ship.”
She groaned, though there wasn’t much weight behind the sound. “Okay, fine, I’ll play your silly little game, but stop yanking on me.”
““Silence, woman,” the pirate captain says as he stands over her. Watching her. Mentally taking each piece of her clothing off until he can see nothing but the naked flush of her skin. He’s burning from the inside out, this pirate captain, knowing she’ll give him pleasure beyond his wildest dreams.
“When he reaches the rail of the ship, he pushes her in front of him. His body pinning her. His arms caging her as he grasps the rail.”
Ella obliged me by opening the sliding door that led to the balcony. The salty air swept over us, catching her hair and lifting it as we moved to the railing. Our view of the horizon was painted in shades of pinks and oranges and it caught her silhouette as if she were a painting before me. But she wasn’t a painting. She was flesh and blood and I was drawn to her like the moon pulls the tide. Time could easily stop and I’d be the happiest man in the world knowing it was just her and me on a balcony drenched in the light of the sunset backdrop before us.
“And then?” Ella asked, bringing me back to the moment.
I cleared my throat and stepped closer, needing to feel her skin touch mine. Wanting to have her in my possession even if it was make believe. My hands came down on the metal rail on either side of her, putting her back flush with my chest. I knew she could feel the way my heart beat madly. Knew she could feel what she did to me. And it took every bit of rational thought to continue what I’d started.
“His captive fights his hold, but he isn’t willing to let her get away so easily,” I said, letting go of the rail, wrapping one arm around her waist, and turning her. “He forces her to watch his men plunder the deck, throwing stupidly courageous men over the side as he shouts orders. He wants things wrapped up so that he can carry his beautiful captive to his quarters. But he’s underestimated her, she’s stronger than he would have thought a woman could be, and she twists out of his hold, slips free and runs.”
I dropped my arm from around her, giving her room to get away.
She stepped to the side, snorting as she said, “Are you done yet?”
“The pirate captain was enraptured by the stubborn wench—”
“Wench? This wench is about to kick your ass,” Ella snapped, leaving me on the balcony as she walked back into the living room. Her tone had been harsh, but there was a smile underneath her forced aggravation.
The blood fired in my veins, watching Ella play along with me. “She was a feisty one, this woman he’d claimed. She wasn’t going to be taken captive again so easily, but what she failed to understand was there was no place for her to go except overboard. She spun in a circle, looking for a way out of the madness she found herself in. The truth donning on her. He saw it reflected in her eyes as she darted to the other side of the vessel, hair streaming behind her like a silken banner.
“Run while you can, I enjoy the chase as much as I enjoy the plunder, he called out to her. And before she could gather up the nerve to toss herself overboard, he’d crossed the deck, stalking her like the predator he was.”
I moved across the room with slow and deliberate steps, watching Ella’s eyes widen. Her breathing changed, becoming a little more rapid as she backed into the TV stand.
I didn’t stop until I stood looming over her. Her hand splayed against my chest, pushing weakly against me as she said, “Please.”
Reality and fantasy blurred as I hauled her against me and said, “I enjoy the chase, as much as you’ve enjoyed being caught.”
Her heart hammered against her chest, banging against my own. It sucked me even further into what had started out as nothing more than a distraction. “I should carry you off to bed and damn the consequences,” I said, fighting the urge to kiss her as I stepped back, putting a little room between us.
“Isn’t that what pirates do? They take what they want and never give back,” she asked, slowly following the wall at her back, making her way to the door of the bedroom.
“Contrary to rumors, we’re lovers and fighters. We take what we want and give back to those we deem worthy,” I answered, taking a step closer to her.
Need flashed in her eyes as she said, “And am I worthy?”
I wasn’t sure who moved first, or if we’d moved at the same time as her legs wrapped around me. I carried her, fingers digging into her backside until my legs hit the edge of the bed.
When I let her go, she scrambled backward, saying, “And what if I don’t want to be plundered?”
I caught her by the ankles, dragged her down the bed, and then lowered myself on top of her. When her legs parted, my hips settled in against hers as I asked, “And what if you do?”
Her hand found its way under my shirt, nails digging into my back as she hooked her heel around my thigh and said, “I don’t care if this is real of fake. I need you.”
She nipped at my lips, hips urging my own to move.
“If I start, Ella, I won’t be able to stop,” I said, panting against her mouth as she rubbed her body against mine.
“Good,” she answered, fingers digging into my hips.
I grabbed her wrists, raising them above her head, and then leaned down, lips hovering close enough to touch, but not enough to kiss. Instead, I nipped a path along her jaw, moving down the side of her
neck. Her back arched and I let go of her hands, pushing myself up until I was on my knees.
She watched me with hooded eyes as I trailed my hands down the center of her chest until I reached the flare of her hips, pausing for a moment as I willed myself to slow down.
My hands shook with a need so intense I was scared to unleash it. Scared I’d lose myself and come to at the end, not remembering anything but blind lust and a sense of completion.
Ella reached for me, taking my hand in hers, and guided it under her dress. The material bunched over my arms as she moved my hands to her breasts. She lifted herself enough to take the dress off over her head, and then unfastened her bra and peeled that away too.
I grabbed the bottom of my shirt and discarded it as she guided me down until our skin met.
Fingers trailed over heated flesh. Lips hovered touching lightly without kissing. It was as if we both knew once our lips met, our bodies would follow.
I was past the point of waiting. Past the point of caring whether it was right or wrong. It didn’t matter anymore. Nothing but that moment mattered.
I dug my fingers into her hip as she arched against me. My control snapped. I fisted the band of her underwear in one hand and then the other and she drew her knees back allowing me to drag them down her legs.
Once removed, they sailed over my shoulder. Ella came up on her knees grabbed the waist of my shorts and popped the button free. I stood, letting them fall to the floor and then knelt back on the bed. Her arms went around my neck as I spread my knees and then pulled her onto my lap. Her legs wrapped around my waist as I reached up for her hands. She let go of my neck and arched her back until her shoulders rested against the bed. Her legs slipped down past my hips, feet resting beside my knees she reached for me.
I lowered myself, catching her lips with a kiss that promised to ignite us both. Teasing her and torturing myself as she rubbed her body against mine. I wanted her to enjoy every moment of it. Wanted her to remember how I made her feel, because as long as I lived, I’d remember everything—up to the way her skin was shadowed from my own body.
All We Are (The Six Series Book 5) Page 8
