"It's you I'm concerned about," she said, kneeling beside him.
Ponce didn't say anything for a moment; then, with a deep sigh he leaned back against a stack of pillows on the bed. From this half-prone position he stared at her. "It's your life I'm playing around with, too. Your future—and your fortune—depend on my expertise in guiding this mission. Perhaps you should be angry with me. If I botch this salvage job you get twenty percent of nothing."
"I'm not thinking about the money," she whispered, beginning to stroke his arm gently.
Ponce closed his eyes. "Keep doing that," he said, his voice low. "It's so relaxing."
Alix kept stroking, stroking, aware of the hum of Minorcan's engines as they started up and began to make headway, of the gentle motion of the ship on the rolling seas.
Ponce sighed once, very deeply, his eyes remaining closed. Alix kept her touch light. He didn't object when she rested her other hand on his chest.
They were alone as they hadn't been since they'd put to sea. Ponce stirred slightly, settling down among the pillows to make himself more comfortable. Her touch seemed to have calmed him.
She took in his eyelashes, feathered against his cheeks, his full lips, so sensuous in repose. Longing for the physical aspect of their relationship welled up inside her; she wanted him so much that she ached inside.
She rose on her knees, trailing her fingers upward from the waistband of his shorts to his shoulders, where she brushed aside the thin shirt he wore. He didn't object when she touched her lips tentatively to the skin over his collarbone, first on one side and then the other.
She let her lips stray to the silken mat of hair on his chest, brushing her face against it so that her cheeks were caressed by its softness. Ponce lay impassively, making no objection as she pillowed her head against his chest for a moment in exquisite pleasure. She lifted her head and looked at him, loving him, wanting him to know it.
He slipped his arms around her, pressing her close, and they cradled each other chest to chest. A comfort: that's what this was after the bitter disappointment of discovering that the shipwreck they'd found wasn't El Primero de Mayo after all.
But after a moment of lying together that way, heartbeat to heartbeat, it was more than a comfort to Alix. She turned her head sideways so that her lips moved against his neck. He felt it and adjusted his position so that his lips rested inches from hers; the warm commingling of their breaths excited her.
Without hesitation she drew him into an intimate, searching kiss. His hands felt cool and smooth, moving against her skin with deepening passion. Quickly he untied her halter, and his practiced fingers teased her swelling breasts into an anguished urgency. She was conscious of breathing heavily, of his breath in her own mouth, of returning it to his. Her nipples swelling in ripeness, she moaned and pressed herself against him, arching her back in longing.
Before she knew how it had happened Ponce had gently disengaged her tangled arms and legs from his and he was saying softly, "It's not that I don't want you, Alix, but I'd like to keep to the rule we made before coming on board. We both knew it wouldn't be easy."
He seemed not to comprehend Alix's desperate disappointment. He was so preoccupied with the problem of finding El Primero that even her love could not take his mind off the pressures he was under.
Sighing, he turned over on his back in the narrow bunk and locked his hands behind his head. "I know that I've been difficult lately, and it must be hard for you."
She sat up and groped for her halter. "It's all right," she said.
He twisted away and leaned against the wall, his fists clenched. "I'm sorry, Alix. I didn't mean for this to get out of hand."
When she had dressed, Alix leaned her head against his back for a moment. "Sure," she whispered, her voice breaking in spite of herself, "next time, Ponce."
He didn't reply, and she didn't know what else to do but leave him alone.
She spent the rest of the afternoon in her cabin, thinking. She had gone in to comfort, not seduce Ponce, and the knowledge that she hadn't succeeded only increased her own temporary frustration. Whatever had been between them before would be again, but as long as they were on Minorcan, she needed to abide by his rules. She had been foolish to think otherwise, even for such a short time.
At dinner, determined to remain cheerful in spite of everything, Alix wore the one dress she had brought on the voyage, a red print sundress.
"You look marvelous," Kip told her, his eyes lighting up as she entered the wardroom for the first sitting. "Doesn't she, fellas?" There was a long wolf whistle from Troll, and compliments from the others. Soon, due to Alix's attempt at lightheartedness, a lively conversation was going on around the table, and Alix was pleased to see that even though the crew's mood was not the most elated she'd ever seen, neither was it the most melancholy.
It was with a heavy heart, however, that she noted Ponce's absence from the table. Even though she hung around the wardroom until the second sitting for dinner, Ponce didn't appear.
At dusk, deep in thought, she was strolling the deck along the port side when she heard voices coming from the afterdeck. She paused, not wanting to interrupt anything, when she recognized Daniel's voice. She realized that she had been about to interrupt a meeting of some of the crew members.
"Listen, men, we don't have to put up with this," Daniel was saying. "We'll insist that Ponce put us ashore. There's still time for us to sign on with Stallingrath in the quest for Santa Catalina."
Alix recognized Zack's voice. "Ponce won't give up this search for El Primero. Believe me, I know him. He's a determined—"
"He'll call it off if he doesn't have divers," Daniel cut in quickly.
There was an uneasy stir among the men.
"Ponce is no fool," said Joe Mendez. "He wouldn't be wasting his time if he didn't think he knew the location of El Primero."
"I agree," Daniel said. That was one of Daniel's tactics. He always agreed and then proceeded to point out all the ways in which he disagreed. "Ponce may think he knows the location of El Primero. But you have to remember, he's already made his bundle, and so have the members of the board. What do they care about you? Why, they could keep you out here all summer long looking for nonexistent shipwrecks."
"Ponce wouldn't do that," said Zack, but Alix could tell that he was weakening.
Daniel laughed. "Well, guys, you've got to remember that Ponce has never been under the influence of a beautiful woman before."
Alix fought to control her anger. How dare he! As if she had influenced Ponce! Why, all Ponce's decisions had been made thoughtfully and rationally, with full approval of the board, plenty of objection from Jessica, and with little "influence" from her!
"Daniel might be right," said Mike slowly. "I hate to think of wasting my whole summer cruising around the Atlantic Ocean. If that's all we're going to do, I'd rather be working for Luke."
"So how should we approach Ponce?" asked another man.
Alix had heard enough. She fled along the deck to the bow, where she gripped the cool railing and tried to think. Ponce was right. The crew was talking about his competence.
Still, she didn't think the topic would command so much attention if it weren't for Daniel. He was the one who kept fanning flames of discontent, and he was the key to putting out this particular fire. As much as she dreaded it, perhaps she'd be able to reason with him, get him to stop stirring up the crew. She was probably the only one onboard who could talk to Daniel, and if it would help Ponce, she'd gladly do it.
Soon it was totally dark. The men descended to their quarters, and Daniel broke away from the group.
"Coming, Dan?" called Zack.
"Later. I want to check some things in the diving locker."
Alix waited a decent interval before she picked her way aft to the small room that held the diving equipment. Daniel had propped open the door, and she stood for a moment, watching him repair the buckle on a pair of swim fins before.
He looked up.
"Hello, Alix. You look very pretty tonight."
"Daniel—"
"Remember the endearments we used? You didn't call me Daniel in the old days."
She forced a smile. This wasn't the time to anger or antagonize him, not if she hoped to reason with him about the effect his rabble-rousing was having on the crew. "This is now. That was then. No matter how much we regret what's happened, we have to deal with the present."
Daniel lifted his eyebrows. "Sounds as though you've been reminiscing about old times."
"I was thinking how people change and how our perceptions of them alter."
"Serious business," Daniel said. For a moment she softened toward him, seeing evidence of the man with whom she had once fallen in love. Daniel had been charming then. He had loved her, or so she'd thought.
"Would you like to sit down?" he said.
She sat gingerly beside him on the bench. "Daniel, it's time we talked."
"About us?" he said quickly.
"No," she said firmly. Get to the point, she told herself , wishing now that she had taken a more aggressive stance. She should have established right away that this was a confrontation, but it had been a long and difficult day, enough to sap anyone's energy.
"Why can't we talk about us?" Daniel demanded. "Alix, you're still attractive to me. I don't see why we couldn't get together occasionally. It used to be damned good between us."
Alix stared at him in disgust. "If it was so 'damned good between us,' why did you leave?"
"That's neither here nor there."
"Oh, it is. I could never feel anything for you after what you did." She couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice.
"Stop hashing over old business. We don't have much privacy on this ship, so we should take advantage of being alone and—" He pulled her to him, and she was so surprised that she was perfectly still until his lips descended on hers.
His mouth ground against hers, teeth on teeth. Her chest heaved as she tried to push him away, but all she achieved was to incite him to greater strength.
Alix was no match for Daniel. She tried to gain leverage on the floor with one foot. Her sandal slid to the other end of the room as her bare toes scrabbled desperately for a hold.
Daniel released her lips and rasped his chin across her soft cheek. His beard stubble stung. "You see, babe, it's still good," he said.
"Daniel, are you crazy? Stop it!"
"You don't mean that. Be nice."
The long length of his body held hers captive beneath him so that she was imprisoned between bench and wall. She panicked and pushed against his sheer strength, but her struggle only seemed to drive him to new heights of passion.
His body, its hard outlines revealing his excitement, now weighed her down. He lifted the edge of her skirt and wrapped his fingers around the smooth flesh of her thigh.
She heard footsteps on the deck.
"Someone's coming!"
Her words and the desperation behind them seemed to bring Daniel to his senses. He heaved himself off her and hurled himself out the door in retreat.
Alix barely had time to rearrange her skirt around her knees before she looked up at the figure in the doorway.
"Ponce!" she gasped.
"To your disappointment, I'm sure," he said, sounding angry.
"No, I—"
"I heard you warn him."
"We weren't—I wasn't—." She swallowed, unsure whether she should tell Ponce that Daniel had forced himself on her.
"Never mind. I can guess. You went back to your old boyfriend because it didn't work out with me this afternoon."
His words punctured her heart. She longed to level with him, but if she did, she'd stir up a wasp's nest of problems between Ponce and Daniel. She stood up, which only emphasized her disarray.
"Ponce, please! That isn't how it was."
"Save your explanations. I don't need any more problems." Ponce whirled and stalked angrily out the door, leaving her alone and wondering what she could have done to save the situation.
Chapter 10
How could she have let this happen to her?
Tears coursed down Alix's face as she pulled off the rumpled sundress. The attack by Daniel was bad enough, but Ponce's accusation devastated her.
When Daniel had left her in Spain, she'd promised herself that never again would a man mean so much that his rejection could affect her. Yet here she was, in love with Ponce Cabrera, her emotions totally at his mercy. And he had turned out to be not the gentle and considerate soulmate she had thought him to be, but a ruthless, self-serving master who apparently thought only of himself.
He should have rushed to her, comforted her, confronted Daniel. She should have been able to tell him what had really happened, but there had been no chance for that.
It was especially galling that he'd accused her earlier of using her influence to persuade him to take up the search for El Primero when they both knew that he had been as eager as she was. She had made allowances for him because of the pressure he was under, had suffered his rejection, had squelched her response, had vowed to herself never to bring it up—all so that Ponce wouldn't be under even more pressure.
And what had he done when she needed him? Abandoned her, that's what! Given her no benefit of a doubt! She lay on her bed, reviewing Ponce's expressions one by one. Surprise, anger, and finally disgust with her. She tried to erase him from her mind so she could go to sleep. But sleep did not come for a long time, and when it did she slept fitfully.
The next day she awoke and admitted sadly to herself that it was over between her and Ponce. With his rejection of her attempt at explanation, he'd ensured it. For the mission's sake, maybe it was best that this particular can of worms remained unopened. After all, if Ponce had cared enough about her to demand to know what had happened last night, he would have had to fire Daniel. That could cause more serious problems in morale, not to mention an increased work load for everyone else when they finally did find El Primero. Although, Alix reminded herself, finding the wreck seemed like less of a possibility with only days to go until the period allotted for the search was over.
All practical matters aside, the hardest thing to accept about the present situation was the fact that she had loved and trusted Ponce enough to give her heart away, only to have it flung back into her face.
The sea was anything but calm that day, and when she didn't appear for breakfast or lunch, Vince stopped by her stateroom and knocked softly on the door. Alix opened it a crack.
"Is everything all right?" asked Vince hesitantly. He was a quiet, taciturn man, his brown face mazed with wrinkles from exposure to sun and sea.
"I'm just feeling a bit under the weather," said Alix, hoping he would assume she was seasick.
Vince took in her red eyes, her puffy eyelids. She knew he wasn't fooled; she'd mentioned often that she wasn't subject to bouts of seasickness.
He nodded in understanding. "I'll have dinner sent to you, if you like," he said. "You can save it to eat when you're feeling better."
"Thanks," she said in relief. She was glad it wasn't Troll, who would have insisted on talking with her.
She was still too upset about her situation to eat. It didn't help that she felt guilty about her role in provoking Daniel. If he had somehow gotten the wrong idea about her late-night visit to the diving locker, perhaps it was her fault. She knew how Daniel was and should have anticipated his reaction. Still, no matter how sexy she looked, it gave no man the right to take advantage.
Well, eventually she'd have to face Ponce—and Daniel, of course. Who would ever have thought that this whole mission could become so complicated?
Late that night when the sea had calmed—really, it was early the next morning—she slipped on some clothes and went on deck. Minorcan rode at anchor. As she'd hoped, the deck was deserted. She inhaled the fresh salt air. Somewhere in the distance a school of fish broke water, their sides slapping against the ocean surface as they fell.
As always on M
inorcan, two people had to keep watch. Tonight one of them was Troll. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw her. "Alix! Feeling better? I heard you were seasick. Awful, isn't it?" Troll was regarding her with sympathy.
"I'm feeling better," she lied. And then, hoping that he wouldn't raise the subject she preferred to avoid, she asked, "What are you up to?"
"Trying to get the radio to work—it's broken again." Troll made a face.
"Have you talked with Mary lately?"
"Yes, a few days ago. She's doing fine." He gestured with his head. "Come on in the chart room," he said, holding the door for her. "I want your opinion about something."
She entered the room. "You're the navigator," she said. "I probably can't help."
"Alix, I'm puzzling over coordinates. Either there's a mistake on the charts—which I doubt—or the coordinates given by Captain Daré to Hoyo Solozano are wrong. Do you think that's possible?"
Alix thought. "There's something..." and her words drifted off into nothingness. "I had a hunch at the beginning of this voyage," she said finally, slowly. "I thought El Primero was exactly where Daré said it was. Obviously I was wrong, and yet..."
"Ponce acknowledged for the first time tonight that we may have to abandon the search," Troll said quietly. "I thought you should know."
The words stunned her, although she shouldn't have been surprised. Time was running out. Desperately she tried to think.
With a start, she thought of Fray Miguel's biography of Captain Daré. What was it that she had said to Ponce when she had told him about the existence of the biography? That with time, knowing what she knew from the correspondence between Daré and Hoyo Solórzano, she could probably find even more evidence of the existence of El Primero in the manuscript. If that were true there might be clues about the ship's location as well.
"I have an idea!" she exclaimed as she suddenly wheeled and left the chart room at a run. She knew that Troll was staring after her, his mouth hanging open. But she didn't care. There was a chance—a slim one, but still a chance—that she was on the verge of discovering new information, but she didn't want to commit herself until she was sure.
The Beach Bachelors Boxset (Three Complete Contemporary Romance Novels in One) (The Beach Bachelors Series) Page 11
