by Jessica Gray
His body still hummed from the contact. Sensations pulsed everywhere she’d touched him, her silky hair tickling his neck, and her warm cheek nestling against his chest. He’d almost stopped breathing from the intensity of her presence. He’d never felt such a potent attraction to woman before. And he definitely had never before felt such a burning desire to protect a woman that wasn’t family.
He imagined how Pippa would look like in the throes of passion, screaming his name from her luscious lips. His eyes roamed her figure while she struggled to pull herself together. She’d twisted her thick hair into a haphazard knot on top of her head which allowed him to view the elegant curve of her neck. He fought the urge to place his lips there to get a taste of her skin.
Her alluring, fresh, flowery smell still lingered in his nose and he wanted, no he needed, to get more of it. To discover the flavor of her arousal. His body hardened at the mere thought of her writhing in his arms.
River’s pulse sped up, pumping blood into his groin, as he examined her white t-shirt. It ended just above the waistband of her cut off shorts, giving him a glimpse of tan, tight skin and muscle. Her jeans were cut so short, the pockets stuck out along the tops of her thighs, and he knew if she turned around, he’d be able to glimpse the curve of her butt cheeks peeking out from beneath the frayed hemline. Her long and graceful, perfectly-tanned legs completed the picture of pure sexiness in the flesh.
Pippa stared at him in absolute horror. A twitching in his shorts reminded him to calm the hell down. No wonder she’s afraid of you. She’s your employee, not your bed bunny. Get a grip, man!
River couldn’t help but glance one last time at her small feet, the vibrant deep purple toe nails, peeking out from her flimsy flip flops. A little pinky ring adorned her right foot and visions came to his mind, where he used his mouth to remove it and then lick his way up her leg…This had to stop. Like now. This woman was off-limits. Consider her one of your brother’s girlfriends. That will help. That would make her untouchable. Unfantasizeable.
River cleared his throat and then gestured toward the rest of the boat. “I really need to show you where to store your things and get back to finishing up a few chores.”
“I’m not sure I understand…” Pippa glanced at him and bit her bottom lip, worrying the pink flesh with her perfectly straight, white teeth.
“Understand what?” he asked, wishing he knew what was terrifying her.
“You hired me to bartend.”
“No. I hired you to be my assistant. I run a scuba diving company.” He watched as her brain processed what he’d said.
“You expect me to … live on the boat?” Pippa’s coarse voice and the scarcely hidden fear tugged at his heartstrings.
“That’s right. You work on the boat. We leave for Curacao today and won’t come back until next week.” River assumed she knew all that from his conversations with the clerk at the temp agency. But then, he wasn’t sure anymore what exactly he’d said to that idiot.
“Since we never actually talked about your tasks, here’s what I expect from you,” he said, giving her an encouraging smile. “I’ll need you to take care of the paperwork, answer the phone – whenever we have connection, answer business email, make reservations for upcoming cruises, help with getting the guests settled, talk to the harbor and border officials…basically, all of the administrative and hospitality type details.”
“I understand.” Pippa seemed to fight with herself, then she blurted out, “I’m sorry. I can’t do it.” She pushed past him as if he were the devil impersonate, dashed across the gangway and literally ran up the pier, leaving him staring after her.
Her sudden departure sent him completely off-kilter. He leaned back against the bulkhead, trying to process what had just happened. Women! What a fickle bunch!
Anger rose in his chest. Anger that she’d stood him up, when she’d been the one begging for a chance. But at the same time, worry tugged at his heart. Worry about her.
Why do I even care? I just met her. She’s not even my type.
His body apparently thought otherwise as he adjusted his shorts. In a foul mood, he grabbed his toolbox to finish working, giving it an annoyed shake. Now he’d have to do this whole damn tour alone. But in that moment his phone rang with the ringtone reserved for family.
“What now?” River bellowed into the phone.
“That’s a nice way to answer the phone,” his brother Chuck replied. Chuck was five years older than River and one of the most sought-after private investigators in California. He lived in Los Angeles with his girlfriend Linda Ross, the daughter of A-list Hollywood actress Evangelina Ross.
Before River had a chance to change his tone of voice, Chuck flew into inquisition mode. “What’s wrong, bro?”
“Nothing.” River wouldn’t tell his brother about the mysterious Pippa and the effects she had on him – body and soul.
“Hmm…lemme guess. A woman? You dumped her, because she got attached?”
“Wrong.” River sighed. He had to give Chuck something, or his brother would be on his tail like a hungry bloodhound. “Well, it’s about a woman, but not the way you think.” River explained how he’d come to hire Pippa and then ended with the words, “When I wanted to show her the boat, she freaked out. She took off like a bat out of hell, and I haven’t a clue as to why.”
“And you care about the why?” Chuck asked casually.
“Yeah, I do. Pippa looked so terrified. I’m worried about her.”
“Man, I never thought I’d see the day when your player days would end.” River could almost see Chuck’s grin right through the phone.
“What are you talking about?” River stared up the pier where Pippa had disappeared.
“You’re in love with this girl. That’s what I’m talking about.”
“That’s insane. I just met her yesterday. You can’t fall in love with someone the first time you meet them. That’s a myth women made up…charming prince finding Cinderella and all that…”
“Or not. What’s her name?” Chuck asked.
“You’re not going to check her out,” River warned.
“Hey, if you’re hiring her, it’s only good business practice to run a background check.”
“I’m not hiring her, idiot. She ran away, remember?” Chuck’s big-brotherly behavior didn’t help to brighten River’s mood.
“Come on. Just give me her name, in case she returns,” Chuck insisted.
“Pippa Kensington.”
“Kensington? The Philippa Kensington? Waist-length brown hair, blue eyes?”
“Yeah. That’s her.” River had no idea where this was going.
“If I were you, I’d keep my hands off of her. She just came out of the ugliest divorce case of the decade. Even you, living in the rosy bubble of your Caribbean paradise must have heard of it. Notorious society playboy, Daniel Larue against Philippa Kensington, only child to Ralph Kensington, investment banker and financial advisor to the President?”
“No, I don’t. I’ve got better things to do than follow trashy celebrity gossip. Like finding a new assistant,” River said, but Chuck had piqued his curiosity. Now he wanted to learn more about her.
“Sorry, can’t help you with that, bro. You leaving Aruba today?”
“Yeah. I’ll have to pick up new guests in Curacao and will be back here in a week from now. Hopefully, by then I’ll have a new assistant, doing the tour alone is hell.” River turned to pick up his toolbox with his free hand and froze in his tracks.
“Take care,” Chuck said.
“You, too. Say hello to everyone.” River hurried to disconnect the call and then picked up the heavy backpack. Pippa’s backpack.
If she played in the big leagues, why was she on Aruba, looking for a job at a beach bar? His curiosity bounced around inside his head.
River weighed her backpack in his hand, wondering about Pippa’s story. Then he set out to find her.
Chapter 8
Pippa rushed for the exi
t to the marina, but her legs shook so badly, she turned toward a bench and collapsed onto it. She buried her face against her knees, hugging her legs to her chest in an attempt to stop trembling.
She concentrated on her breathing. In. Out. Again. The sound of another boat’s horn, indicating it was leaving the harbor, had her head jerking up, terrified all over again. God, I can’t do this. Not on a boat. Ever.
Pippa had grown up around boats and at one time had loved sailing, yachting, and even scuba diving. She’d lived to be on the water, soaking up the sunshine and the waves, but all of that had changed after her mother’s tragic accident six years ago. Since then she’d steered clear of deep water.
The first year after her mother’s death, she’d suffered from horrible nightmares every single night. Her father had taken her to a plethora of counselors and she’d undergone every therapy under the sky from hypnosis to disassociation. It had worked…somewhat.
She’d stopped having the horrific nightmares and she could handle being in the pool or around the ocean. But not on a boat. The terror of deep water and what it could do had never left her.
As she regained control over her breathing and her emotions again, she sat up straight and looked at the bobbing white boats in the marina. This time her vision didn’t blur. She’d set foot on a boat and nothing bad had happened.
With one hand she reached for her backpack, just to realize it wasn’t there. After a few moments of panic, she remembered that it must still be on the Moana. In her rush to get off the boat, she’d forgotten her backpack with all of her belongings.
There was no way around it, she had to return. She was halfway to where River’s boat was tethered when she saw him coming toward her, holding her backpack in his strong hand.
Her feet stalled, as her eyes remained glued to his shirtless torso, awakening the butterflies in her stomach. How was she supposed to deal with her intense attraction to him and her fear of water? She wasn’t sure she could fight two intense emotions at the same time.
But the moment he came within a few feet of where she stood and looked at her with his impossibly blue eyes, the fear vanished. On his boat, she’d been effected the same way by just his presence. It was if being with him protected her from all evil, even the monsters created by her own imagination.
“Thanks,” Pippa murmured as he handed her the backpack. An awkward silence ensued, and the little voice in her head screamed at her to beg his forgiveness. Tell him you really want the job.
With a tiny gasp, she let herself fall into the safety of his eyes, his concern for her so evident there, he could have voiced it. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth. One day she would have to face her fears, why not today? With the man by her side who made her feel safe. Of course, he didn’t have to know, because while she appreciated the way he made her feel, she wouldn’t allow herself to fall in love with him.
She wouldn’t allow herself to fall in love with anyone.
“I’m sorry I took off. Please if you can forgive me, I…if you still need help, I’d still like the job.” Pippa had a hard time holding his gaze, but she managed, not missing the indecision flashing through his eyes. He’s having second thoughts. Great.
“I really could use some help. Can I show you my boat now?” he finally said.
Relief flooded her system, but was washed away by a gnawing discomfort. She nodded and dug her fingernails into her palms for courage. River took the backpack from her other hand, where it indented her palm, and hefted it to one shoulder. “Let’s go.”
She followed on his heels like a well-trained puppy, her eyes trained on his muscled back that so effortlessly shouldered her heavy bag. As long as she was near him, she’d be fine. Everything else would find itself.
For a moment she stared at the gurgling black water beneath the dreaded gangway, but seconds later his hand reached out for hers and the feeling of security returned. Thankful for the soothing effect his presence had on her, Pippa didn’t bother to dig deeper into her emotions. One step at a time. One moment at a time.
“So, like all of the others, your cabin is downstairs.” River pointed to the deck, “I’ve had the Moana specially outfitted for diving. The oxygen tanks are stored in that metal cage. We can take up to ten scuba divers on each trip.”
Pippa was more than a bit curious about her new boss. “Do you live on the boat even when it’s not out on a trip?”
“Yeah. This is my home.” His eyes shone when he talked about his boat. “My cabin is at the end of the main hallway, behind the salon. It’s absolute taboo territory for guests and crew.” His blue eyes bored into her and something passed through them, which she couldn’t quite decipher. With all the emotions roiling through her, she didn’t want to. Deciphering her crazy attraction to him could be dealt with later.
“Moana. That’s an unusual name,” Pippa said. Below deck the gnawing feeling in her stomach had dampened down. In the salon with wooden walls, panoramic windows and comfortable looking leather couches, she could pretend this was just another hotel. One of the many hotels she’d stayed with her parents or Daniel.
“Moana is Hawaiian and means Ocean or Open Sea,” River explained and the gnawing intensified again. But he seemed to sense her distress and took a step closer, smiling. “No need to worry, as long as you’re with me you’re safe.”
Pippa stared at him wide-eyed. How did he know?
“Come on down and you can stow your gear.” He motioned for her to follow him down the stairs. Her breathing became shallow again, but at least her pulse stayed within a normal level.
“You’ll be the only one using this cabin, so feel free to spread out.” River unlatched the door and showed her inside the small double cabin.
“I’ll unpack later.” Pippa tossed her backpack onto the lower bunk.
“Great. I’ll give you the grand tour now, then.” She followed him around and listened as he spoke with pride about his baby. “She has two engines and two generators. I didn’t want to worry about having to take on fresh water, so I had her equipped with two desalination units, each one can put out a ton of fresh water daily, and there is a seven-ton storage compartment onboard as well.”
He led her to the cabin housing the controls and pointed out the various equipment. “We have state of the art radar, VHF and a GPS plotter, as well as a variety of other gadgets I like to play with.”
“Boys toys?” Pippa remembered well how her father had always bought the newest, shiniest tech gadget for their yacht under the disguise of security equipment, but in fact it had been to show off.
“That’s what my sister says.” He gave her another one of his panty-melting smiles and her body temperature rose. “Let’s go to the main deck now.”
Pippa swallowed, but nodded. She resisted the urge to grasp his hand for the comfort he provided.
“Life vests are stored in that box over there. Fire extinguishers, the first aid kit, oxygen and additional masks in that box above.” River led her up to the sundeck. “Now for the fun parts of the ship. I showed you where the cabins are located. The master suite is at the end of the hall and I have a safe inside there as well as a private bathroom. All of the double cabins have their own bathroom.”
“Isn’t that a little bit unusual?” Pippa asked.
“Yes, but I have a total of eight double cabins onboard. Sharing bathroom facilities didn’t seem a smart thing to ask paying guests to tolerate. The main deck houses the salon, which includes the dining area and bar. There is an ice maker installed behind the bar counter, as well as a full suite of electronics for entertainment purposes.”
Pippa looked around, liking the polished wooden floors and clean lines of the décor. Each cabin was air conditioned and separately controlled for individual comfort. It seemed that River had thought of just about everything his guests could need to fully appreciate paying his fees.
“The boat is wonderful,” she said, sincerity in every word. At one time, it was the kind of boat she would have b
een thrilled to be on. Now, she just hoped she could forget it floated on a watery demon.
“Feeling more comfortable now?” he asked as they climbed up to visit the sun decks.
Pippa gave him a small smile and nodded. With him right beside her, the fear melted away.
Chapter 9
River left Pippa in the tiny space he called an office, reading over the paperwork his guests were required to sign, and returned onto the deck to finish cast off preparations.
Employing her was crazy on so many different levels, he couldn’t even begin to think about it. Despite being clearly terrified…of him, the boat or God knows what, she’d been desperate enough to come back and face it. He admired her determination.
Pippa had trouble written all over her and the wise decision would have been to run as fast as he could and never look back. But that brunette had already cast a magic spell on him. As soon as her person came into his vision, his rational thinking clouded over and he felt this strange need to protect her, to erase all her sorrows. That…and the desire to rip her clothes off of her and make her scream with pleasure.
Which of course would never happen. The Moana was too small to give someone a wide berth, and one week could stretch into a painfully long time…he knew that from experience. Since learning that lesson, he had a hard and fast rule to never bang or date employees or guests.
This rule had saved him a lot of headaches over the years and he had no intention of breaking it – ever. So why did he willingly bring temptation on his boat?
River sighed and climbed down the stairs to his office, where she sat, at his desk, amidst piles of paper. Her pert nose looked even cuter in profile and for a moment he forgot what he wanted and gave himself permission to look his fill.
Deep in concentration, her forehead crinkled as she scrutinized the scattered papers on his disorganized desk. She had already neatly piled papers onto several stacks. Now she picked up a printed form with her fingertips and tried to decipher his messy handwriting.
