Bachelor Undone

by Brenda Jackson

  “You okay, baby?”

  His question made her glance up at him, and she saw the stars were still dotting the sky overhead. At least it was still nighttime. She hadn't been sure how much time had passed. When you were in the throes of extreme sexual pleasure, you were destined to forget about time.

  She shifted and moved her legs. If they were out in the middle of the sea, she didn't want her legs hanging over the sides. Sharks could be hungry creatures, and she didn't want to be one's meal.

  “Where are we?” she asked him

  He smiled. “Out in the water.”

  She couldn't help returning his smile. “Please tell me we're not near a cruise ship and that you can still see land.”

  He chuckled, and it was then that she realized just how large the raft was. “No cruise ship on the horizon and yes, we can still see land. I'll have us back to shore in no time.”

  She felt both relief and excitement upon hearing that. “You sure?”

  “Positive.”

  Believing him, she sat up and let out a deep sigh of relief when she saw they were probably no more than fifty feet from land. He pulled oars—that she noticed for the first time—from the sides of the raft and began using them.

  “Need help?” she asked him.

  He smiled over at her, his pupils glimmered with sensuality. “No. I got us out here, and I'll get us back. No problem. Besides, I want you to keep all your energy for later.”

  She took his words as an indication of what was yet to come. He wasn't through with her yet, and she didn't have a problem with any plans his mind was conjuring up. No small surprise there. He could create an intense yearning within her, a hunger, with just a look. She'd thought it before and still thought it now. She'd never met a man quite like York.

  As they got closer and closer to land, she could feel the quickened beat of her heart, and as she watched him handle the oars, she saw as well as felt his strength. His broad chest, belly and hips tightened with every push and pull of the oars, and he was still hard and fully erected. She was entranced with the sight before her. His naked body was a total turn-on and knowing what that body had done to her was unforgettable.

  She could tell from the way he was looking at her that he was fully aware of just how much he had satisfied her. No doubt even in the moonlight her face was basking with a heated glow that only the pleasures of lovemaking could cause.

  She blinked when the raft hit land and then he was out of it to secure it. Then he was reaching for her, carrying her into his arms toward the blanket. Moments later, he was lowering her onto it. By the time she felt the material against her back, York had spread her thighs and was settling between them. He looked down at her and their gazes held. When he entered her, stretching her again, she knew tonight would be one she would remember for a long time.

  Chapter 8

  He was a bachelor undone, York decided as he eased out of bed the next morning. And the woman who had slept beside him all night was responsible. He glanced over at her as he made his way to the bathroom. After making love to her on the blanket several times under the moonlight, he had carried her inside and they had showered together, washing sand from their bodies. Eventually they made love again.

  They had tumbled into bed too exhausted to make love in the place where most normal people did, but just like she had christened his raft he had plans for that bed. He figured she would be sleeping awhile and after washing his face, brushing his teeth and slipping into a pair of jeans he padded barefoot and bare chested out the room and down the stairs.

  He checked his phone and saw he'd missed several calls. One was from Rich, the man he had tailing Felder, and the other two were from Uriel. He quickly called Rich back, and a few moments later the man had brought him up to date. Felder and Danielle Simone were still together, and another interesting fact was that the couple had gotten a visit from someone else, a man not yet identified. But that man was now, too, being tailed as well.

  When York ended the call with Rich he called Uriel. “You called?” he asked the moment he heard his godbrother's voice.

  “Where the hell are you, Y?”

  “I'm in Jamaica working on a case.”

  “Oh.” Then Uriel said, “You probably could care less, but Ellie mentioned that Darcy went to Jamaica on vacation.”

  “You don't say,” he murmured, smiling.

  “I do say, so don't be surprised if you run into her.”

  Evidently Darcy hadn't mentioned to Ellie that she'd seen him on the island, so he wouldn't give anything away. “Thanks for the warning.”

  “No problem. I called to give you some news.”

  “What?”

  “I got a call from Donovan.”

  York nodded. Donovan Steele was one of Uriel's closest friends from college. “Yes?”

  “He told me that Eli's getting married.”

  York almost dropped the phone. Eli Steele was one of Donovan's cousins who lived in Phoenix. York and

  the rest of his godbrothers had gotten to know Eli and his five brothers when they'd traveled as a group to the NASCAR races to support Bronson Scott, Donovan's best friend who was also a mutual friend to everyone.

  “He's getting married?” York asked. Eli was the second of the Phoenix Steeles to marry in a year's time. What was surprising was that those Steeles were diehard bachelors who'd vowed never to marry.

  “Yes, he's marrying on Christmas Day. Can you believe that?”

  York was finding it hard to believe. Earlier that year, Eli's brother Galen had gotten hitched to some woman he'd known less than a month. It wouldn't be such a shocker if Eli and Galen, along with their other brothers, hadn't been known womanizers. For them to settle down with one woman was more than a surprise. It was a downright shock.

  He talked to Uriel a few more moments before finally ending the call. He then called his parents and another one of his men who was following Johnny Rush. He discovered Rush had spent the night at a bar, probably drowning in grief since he didn't know the whereabouts of Danielle Simone.

  York placed his phone back on the table and headed for the kitchen, deciding Darcy deserved breakfast in bed.

  A police siren sounded in the distance and woke Darcy. She opened her eyes to the glare of the bright sunlight shining into the bedroom window and glanced around, immediately remembering where she was and whose bed she was in.

  She shifted and immediately felt the tenderness between her legs, which was a blatant reminder of all the lovemaking she'd participated in the night before. Had she really made love on a raft in the sea? And on the beach? Jeez.

  And she couldn't forget how they'd come inside later to shower together and ended up doing that and a whole lot more. She recalled how they'd slept during the night with his body spooning hers.

  She lay on her side to glance out the window, and all she could see was the beautiful blue-green water. Waking up to such a sight was simply awesome.

  She heard movement downstairs and immediately felt the quickened beats of her heart. What had brought her and York to this? Why even now she had to admit that he had to be the most generous of lovers … and the most skilled. The man didn't miss beat when it came to pleasuring a woman. He had mastered the skills. It was certainly an ingrained talent that some men never gained. After making love with him she doubted she could ever turn to the likes of Bruce again for anything.

  And now that she'd apologized for her behavior of two years ago, they were getting along. At least they were when neither of them mentioned Damien Felder. She knew York suspected the man of wrongdoing, but she was of the mind that a man was innocent until proven guilty. All it took was to remember what had happened to her father years ago when Darcy had been in her early teens.

  Her father was a high school teacher, and one of his female students had accused him of inappropriate behavior toward her. Matlock Owens was about to lose his job as well as the respect of the community before the young girl tearfully admitted she had lied just to ge
t attention from her parents. The girl and her family, totally embarrassed by what they'd done, had eventually moved away, but it had taken years before the Owens family had gotten over what had been done to them. Darcy, who'd always been a “daddy's girl,” had seen firsthand what the false accusations had done to her father and didn't want the same thing to happen to Damien.

  She knew York assumed she was defensive of Damien because she was interested in him, but that was not the case. And in a way she shouldn't really care what York thought. But for some reason she did.

  “You're awake.”

  She turned to the sound of York's voice. He was standing in the doorway with a breakfast tray in his hand. She couldn't help but smile. No man had ever treated her to breakfast in bed before. She pulled up into a sitting position, realizing she was completely naked under the covers. Where were her clothes? She recalled racing into the house naked last night, then remembered they'd left their clothes in a heap near the blanket. They'd probably gotten washed away by now.

  As if reading her thoughts, York came into the room and placed the tray on the nightstand. “I got our clothes. I just shook the sand from your dress because I didn't know if it was washable. But everything else I tossed into the washing machine.”

  She nodded. The thought of him handling her un-derthings sent flutters all through her. “Thanks.”

  He then glanced down at the tray. “I wasn't sure what you liked, so I brought you a little bit of everything.”

  He was right. It was loaded with pancakes, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, a bowl of fresh fruit and toast. She felt she gained five pounds just looking at all the food he'd prepared. “Thanks, and I hope you know there's no way I can eat this all by myself. You are planning to join me, right?”

  He chuckled. “Right. But I need to go back for the coffee.”

  It was only after York had left the room that Darcy was able to breathe normally. He needed a shave but that I-could-use-a-shave look made him appear even sexier and more rugged. She shook her head. Ellie would never believe that she and York had called a truce long enough to toss between the sheets.

  “I'm back.”

  Darcy glanced over at him as he entered the room. He was wearing a pair of jeans that rode low on his hips, and he was bare chested. She recalled licking every inch of that broad chest last night. She also remembered licking other parts of him as well. The scorching sensuality of her actions, as well as her risqué behavior, almost entrapped her into a deep-rooted desire that could overtake her if she wasn't careful.

  She watched as he placed two cups of coffee beside the breakfast tray. He then proceeded to remove his jeans before crawling back into bed with her. She quickly scooted over and made room for him. But he didn't let her go too far before pulling her close for a kiss.

  Dang. No man should be able to kiss that good in the mornings. Such a thing should be outlawed. It was a kiss so arousing that her body tingled.

  She was the one who finally pulled back from the kiss knowing if she didn't she would be spread eagle beneath him in no time. And as much as she didn't want to admit it, being with York could be habit-forming, and she'd never wanted to find herself addicted to any man. She was deeply attracted to him; that in itself could make her vulnerable, and she didn't want that.

  “I think you need to feed me,” she said lifting a finger to his jaw and rubbing the stubble there as she gazed at his mouth. He had such a beautiful pair of lips, and he definitely knew how to use them to his advantage. She would always have to be a few steps ahead of him, otherwise she would risk getting in too deep. This was a man who—if she wasn't careful and on her toes—would make her want the one thing she swore she would never want with a man again. An exclusive relationship.

  He reached for the coffee and handed her a cup. “Be careful, it's hot,” he said.

  And so are you, she wanted to counter and decided to keep that thought to herself.

  He then placed the tray of food between them and began eating off of it. Several times he actually fed pieces of bacon to her. And when he leaned in to nibble a piece of bacon off her lip she thought she would come in a full-blown orgasm then and there.

  There was something she needed to ask him about, something that still bothered her although it shouldn't. “York?”

  “Yes?”

  “That morning after we made love in my hotel room. You left before I woke up. Why?”

  He held her gaze. “Had I not left then, Darcy, I might not have left. You had a tendency to make me forget I was on the island for a reason. I had a job to do. My team needed me in place, although I wanted more than anything to stay right in your bed.”

  She inwardly smiled and didn't want to think how his words had her floating on a cloud of contentment. He had wanted to stay with her.

  “Any more questions, Darcy?”

  She shook her head. “No, not right now.”

  “Good. What do you want to do today?” he then asked her.

  She took a sip of her coffee, surprised by his question. She had assumed he would be taking her back to the hotel after breakfast. She'd figured taking up his time was not an option.

  “What do you suggest?” she asked him.

  That I-can-think-of-a-number-of-things smile tempted her to lean over and kiss it off his lips, but she decided to refrain from doing so. “We can go back rafting today,” he suggested, reminding her of what they'd done last night. “Or we can stay in, naked, and watch movies,” he added.

  She chuckled as she took another sip of her coffee. “Sounds interesting.”

  “Trust me, I can make it as interesting as you want.”

  She could believe that. “Don't you have work to do today? Need I remind you that you're working on a case?”

  He grinned. “Need I remind you that it's the weekend? No filming today and the cast and crew have scattered. I have several men assisting me, and they are keeping dibs on those I need to keep up with.”

  She couldn't help but wonder if Damien was one of those. She couldn't imagine having her privacy invaded in such a way and pushed the thought to the back of her mind. Otherwise, she would speak her mind and she and York would end up arguing again. “Watching movies sounds good, but I'm not doing so in the nude. The first thing I plan on doing is washing my dress.”

  “You're a spoilsport, Darcy Owens,” he said chuckling, a pretended pout on his lips.

  They continued to eat breakfast, and he mentioned the call he'd gotten from Uriel with the news about Eli Steele. She knew Eli and his brothers through her association with Ellie and Uriel. She glanced over at York after taking another sip of her coffee. “Did you mention to Uriel that we were together?”

  He met her gaze and shook his head. “No. I didn't feel it was my place, especially since he didn't mention it, which to me meant you hadn't said anything to Ellie.”

  She paused in chewing of a piece of sausage. “I haven't talked to Ellie since arriving. I'm due to give her a call, but I prefer not saying anything about us being together. At least not yet. El gets carried away with certain things,” she said. Especially when it's about me and a man.

  “No problem. We will handle our involvement whatever way you prefer.”

  Our involvement. Were they actually involved? Did their actions on two separate occasions account for an involvement? She couldn't help wondering if an involvement and a fling were basically the same thing. She considered a fling as short term and an involvement as something a little longer.

  She continued to eat wondering just how he really saw their affair.

  York sipped on his coffee in thoughtful silence. He couldn't get the vision out of his mind of him making love to Darcy last night—first on a raft and then later on the blanket he'd spread on the sand. Both times had been simply incredible. And he couldn't forget that night in her hotel room.

  While he'd been downstairs preparing breakfast, he had found himself watching the clock, anticipating the moment she would awake. He had never felt possessive
when it came to a woman, but he did so with her. He could even recall the exact moment he felt he had made her his.

  He wondered how he was going to break the news to her. He'd told her at the time, while they'd been making love, but he doubted she remembered.

  He had a gut feeling that Darcy was a woman that didn't want to belong to anyone. But he wanted to prove her wrong. York shook his head thinking something was wrong with him. Here he was on the island and working an important case, and the only thing he wanted to think about was making love to Darcy again. He'd thought that calling for a truce had been a good idea. He hadn't known doing so would entice him to build a relationship with a woman who had built a wall around herself. What he'd told her earlier was true. They were involved, and it was an involvement that he intended to explore to the fullest.

  “This is delicious, York.”

  “Thanks. I enjoy being in the kitchen when I have the time. Usually I don't.”

  “You travel a lot?”

  He glanced over at her and nodded. “Not as much as I used to when I was getting the business off the ground. Now I have people who travel for me. This case was different, though, and I wanted to be in the thick of things. One of the men who invested a lot of money into the movie production is a close friend of my father's. He's been losing a lot of money lately.”

  When he told her just how much, her eyes widened as if she'd found it hard to believe. “That's a lot of money for anyone to lose on a business deal,” she said.

  “Yes, it is, and it bothers me to think that it's an inside job.”

  Darcy didn't say anything, and York knew she was thinking of Felder and whether his accusations about the man could be true. She wouldn't bring him up and neither would he. The man was a touchy subject between them, and it was best his name remained out of their conversation.

  And speaking of conversation, he decided to switch things. “Have you ever ridden a Jet Ski?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  He smiled. “Then that's what we'll do today. I'll teach you how it's done.”