Someone To Watch Over Her

by Margaret Watson

  He bent his head to her ear. “When we get to the door, I’m going in first. You stay close behind me.”

  She nodded, and he leaned away to look at her. There was complete trust in her face, and very little fear. His gut twisted at the sight. He wasn’t sure he wanted her to trust him completely.

  But he couldn’t think about that now. Taking her hand again, he led her to the porch. After listening at a window, he opened the door and slipped inside, Jessica right behind him.

  Nothing looked out of place in the cottage. Nothing looked disturbed. He stood in the living room and listened, then nodded. It took only a few moments to search the rest of the cottage. No one had been in the house while they were out.

  “It’s okay,” he finally said, reluctantly letting go of her hand. “No one’s been here.”

  She stood in the middle of the room, the towel wrapped around her and her wet hair hanging down her back. Her eyes glowed. “Can we do this again tomorrow night?”

  He had a feeling she was asking about more than swimming, and he scowled at her. “We’ll see what’s going on. We don’t want to make anything a habit.”

  “Fair enough.” She gripped her towel more tightly. “I’m going to put some clothes on.”

  “Why don’t you take a shower?” he said, trying not to look at her. “The salt on your skin might make you itch.”

  “Good idea. It’ll only take me a minute.” She beamed at him and hurried to the other room.

  An uneasy feeling crept over him. It didn’t sound as if she was planning on going to bed after her shower. He wondered what she was thinking. It didn’t matter, he told himself as he grabbed a pair of shorts and a shirt. He’d let a moment of madness seduce him in the water, but he wouldn’t touch her again. He knew better than that.

  But she came out of the bedroom less than fifteen minutes later, and he wanted her all over again with a wave of desire almost too strong to resist. Her face was scrubbed clean, and she wore one of his T-shirts. He refused to let his gaze wander lower than her neck. It was obvious that she wore nothing beneath the flimsy cotton shirt.

  “I borrowed one of your shirts,” she said cheerfully. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all.” His voice was sour, and he cleared his throat. “I’ll try and get you some more clothes tomorrow.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I don’t mind sharing.”

  I do, he wanted to yell at her. Seeing her in his T-shirt was the worst kind of torture. It made him remember the night before and how powerful their lovemaking had been.

  “You must be tired,” he said, trying to keep any emotion out of his voice. “Why don’t you go ahead and go to bed? I’ll sleep here on the couch.”

  The cheeriness faded from her face, and she looked at him steadily. “Is that what’s known as a brush-off?”

  “Dammit, Jessica, one of us has to have some sense here.” The words exploded from him. “I was completely out of line last night, not to mention what happened in the water just now, and you know it as well as I do. So we’ll both just forget it happened.”

  “What if I don’t want to forget about it?” She didn’t let her gaze waver from his face.

  He closed his eyes, unable to bear the longing he saw in her face. “You have no idea what you’re saying.”

  “Look at me, Marcus,” she said sharply. He reluctantly opened his eyes. “Do I look like a child? Do I look like someone who doesn’t know her own mind? Do I look like I can’t make decisions for myself?”

  “No, Jessica, you don’t, and you damn well know it,” he sighed.

  “Then why are you treating me like I am?”

  “Because I’m trying to do the right thing here. I’m trying to do what I should have done last night and stay the hell away from you.”

  “Why is that?” Her voice was soft.

  “Because it’s not fair to you. Because I can’t guard you when I’m not paying attention.” Because I don’t want to let you any closer than you’ve already gotten. You’ve already gotten too close to the barriers I need to protect myself.

  He saw the mischief lurking in her eyes. “If you’re concerned about keeping me safe, I’d say you couldn’t get much closer than sleeping in the same bed.”

  “That’s the problem. There wouldn’t be much sleeping if we were in that bed together.”

  The impish look faded from her face. “I know that,” she said quietly. “I knew that when I asked. But if you’re not interested, all you have to do is say so.”

  He saw the uncertainty on her face, the vulnerability in her eyes, and he suddenly understood. She had no experience with men, especially with men like him. She was afraid that he’d found her lacking last night. He groaned and reached for her.

  “Sweetheart, it’s not that.”

  “It’s not what?” She leaned away from him to look at his face.

  “It’s not that I don’t want you.” He closed his eyes and pulled her close. “I want you more than I can ever remember wanting anyone.” Or anything. “I’m just trying to do the right thing for you.”

  “And what gives you the right to decide what’s right for me?”

  “I’m trying to be a gentleman here.”

  She snuggled against his chest and put her hand over his heart. He was sure she could feel it pounding against her fingers. “I don’t think you’re a gentleman,” she said thoughtfully. “Am I right?”

  He groaned. “I’ve never been accused of that before. But I’m trying.”

  “I don’t think I want to make love with a gentleman.” She lifted her head, and he opened his eyes to look at her. “I want to make love with you, Marcus.” Her voice faltered and lowered to a whisper. “Did you mean it when you said you wanted me?”

  His heart kicked in his chest. He knew how hard it must have been for her to ask him that. “Yes, Jessica. More than you know.”

  The tightness in her face eased and changed to a brilliant smile. “Then let’s go to bed together.”

  She turned toward the bedroom, but Marcus tugged at her hand until she turned and faced him. “I want you to know, Jessica, that if you want me to stop, all you have to do is say so. I swear it.”

  “I know that.” Her smile faltered, and he could see the nerves behind her bravado.

  “I know this is all new for you.” He reached out and brushed a damp tendril of hair off her face. He wanted to tell her that it was new for him, too, that he felt things for her that he’d never felt before. But he couldn’t find the words, so instead he bent and kissed her.

  Chapter 7

  Marcus pulled her close, the need that was never far from the surface when he was with Jessica spiraling dangerously out of control. He’d never felt such urgency, never wanted a woman the way he wanted her. And she was kissing him as if she felt the same way.

  “Are you sure?” he whispered. He had to give her every chance to make the wise choice.

  “What do you think?” She opened her eyes to look at him, and their amber depths were drugged with passion. “Believe me, Marcus, I’m not usually this forward.”

  She had taken a chance, made herself completely vulnerable, because of him. His heart kicked again, and he tightened his arms around her. “I won’t hurt you, Jessica.”

  “I know,” she whispered.

  Whatever else happened, she would be safe with him, he vowed. And when the moment came to return to their own worlds, as he knew it would, he would let her go and wish her only the best.

  But for now, she was his. He bent to kiss her again, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and opened her mouth to him. Tenderness washed over him, and he scooped her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.

  He smoothed his hands down the T-shirt she wore, absorbing the heat from her skin, feeling her tremble as he touched her. Need for her raged inside him, but he refused to let it control him. Jessica had been a virgin until last night, and he was determined to be gentle and patient.

  But when she turned
into his caresses, her arms reaching for him, his good intentions evaporated. He had to see her, to touch her. When he slipped his hands beneath the thin cotton, she murmured his name and blindly reached for him.

  “Jessica,” he groaned, burying his face in her neck, breathing in her scent. “I need you.”

  “I need you, too,” she whispered, and when he looked down at her, he saw that her cheeks were stained a delicate pink. His heart surged in his chest. He knew damn well she’d never said those words to another man, and a fierce sense of possession gripped him.

  “I want to see you,” he murmured.

  She started to pull the T-shirt over her head, but he could see her hands trembling. He reached down and kissed her hands, then covered them with his. “Let me.”

  Slowly he pulled the shirt up and over her head, then he dropped it on the floor. She was completely naked on the bed, the moonlight dappling her body with mysterious light. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered, then realized that she wasn’t quite meeting his eyes. His heart melted at the sign of her nerves. He sat up to peel off his clothes. “It’s only fair if you get to look, too.”

  She gave a shaky laugh. “You must think I’m an idiot.”

  “I think you’re wonderful.” He tossed his clothes on the floor. “Look all you want.”

  She let her gaze wander over him, then reached out and touched the fresh scar on his arm. “What happened?”

  “I had an accident.”

  “A car accident?”

  “It doesn’t matter now. It’s almost completely healed.”

  Her fingers brushed over the scar, lingering for a moment, then she bent her head and kissed it. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” he said, his body tightening with desire. “Just touch me again.”

  She smoothed her hand over his chest, then brushed against the tense muscles of his abdomen. He sucked in a breath, but didn’t move. When she hesitated at his heavy arousal, he had to close his eyes to keep from reaching for her. “Marcus,” she breathed, “may I touch you?”

  “Touch all you want. Please.”

  They had come together in an explosion of need and desire the previous night. Tonight, he vowed, he was going to give her all the time she needed.

  Instead of moving below his waist, she brushed his chest with a butterfly-light caress. Her hand slowly moved toward one of his nipples, and he felt himself tense. When she touched him lightly, a bolt of lightning sizzled to his groin. He grabbed the sheet to keep himself from reaching for her, and she bent down to touch him again. Her hair tickled his chest, then he felt her tongue gently touching his nipple.

  “Jessica,” he groaned, and she raised her head.

  “Does that feel as good as when you do it to me?”

  He was trembling all over with the struggle to control himself. “I don’t know. Let’s find out.”

  If he didn’t touch her, he would die. It was as simple as that. He raised himself onto his elbow and eased her onto the bed. When he took her nipple into his mouth and suckled, she cried out and clutched at him.

  “Marcus,” she panted as he slid his hand down her belly and cupped her. “I wasn’t finished exploring you.”

  “I wouldn’t have been able to take another moment,” he said grimly. “You have no idea what you do to me.”

  “Tell me.” She opened her eyes, and he saw they were two dark pools of need and hot desire. “Tell me, Marcus.”

  “I want to show you.”

  The need to join with her was pounding in his head, firing his blood, blocking out everything else. And when he moved between her legs, she welcomed him with a tiny murmur of happiness deep in her throat. He barely had time to protect her before he surged into her.

  She moved with him, wrapping her legs around him, murmuring his name. And when her movements became more frantic, he buried his face in the fragrant mass of her hair and allowed his control to slip.

  Their cries blended together in the silence of the room, and they lay together for a long time, holding each other and murmuring soft words. When he tried to shift to the side, to take some of his weight off her, she tightened her hands around him. “No, don’t,” she said, and her voice was sleepy and drugged with pleasure. “Don’t move.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” he said. He rolled to the side and pulled her close. “I won’t let you go.”

  She gave a murmur of satisfaction and snuggled against him. “Now I know what all the girls in my classes in college were talking about,” she said in a sleepy voice. “I always thought they were silly to talk about sex all the time. I don’t anymore.”

  “Didn’t you ever want to find out for yourself?” He idly stroked her hip and breathed in her fragrance.

  “I was too busy. And I never met anyone I was seriously interested in.”

  He lifted onto his elbow and stared at her. “Why was that? I thought that meeting members of the opposite sex was part of the college experience.”

  “Maybe for you, but not me.” She was silent for a moment, then turned to face him. “I was the youngest in all my classes, and I was very insecure, at least socially. It was a lot easier to concentrate on my studies than take a chance on dating. So I stuck with what I knew I was good at.”

  “You never dated in college?” he asked, staring at her.

  “I graduated when I was eighteen,” she said. “For most of the time I was there I was way too young to date, anyway.”

  “What were your parents thinking of?” he demanded. “Why did they send you off to college when you were so young?”

  “It was my choice. I told you, I was smart and I wanted to play to my strengths.” She looked away. “I guess maybe it was a way to avoid social situations, too. Since my father had money, dating was hard. My parents always warned me that men would be after me for my money. So it was difficult to trust a guy’s motives.”

  “Jessica, look at yourself in the mirror sometime. There’s your motive right there.”

  She gave him an odd little smile. “You don’t care at all about my money, do you, Marcus?”

  “Why should I? I have all the money I need.”

  “That’s what I thought.” She smiled again and closed her eyes. “Your motives are pure.”

  “My motives are as impure as they can get.” He pulled her against him so she could feel that he was hard again. “Should I prove it to you?”

  “Not yet.” She gave him a slow, simmering look. “I was exploring you, and I never got a chance to finish.”

  “Be my guest.” His heart began pounding again, and desire tore through him. “I promise I’ll be more patient this time.”

  “I think I like it when you’re impatient,” she murmured. Then she touched him and drove all thoughts of patience out of his head.

  Jessica woke up to feel the sun pouring through the window at the top of the room. Marcus was sleeping beside her, one arm curled around her, and she closed her eyes and allowed herself to revel in the happiness of the moment.

  “We’re both lazy this morning,” he said into her ear.

  She turned to him as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “I blame it on lack of sleep. We were too busy with scientific experiments last night.”

  “Is that what you call what we were doing?” He lifted himself onto one elbow and looked at her with a lazy grin.

  Her heart swelled in her chest. “I had certain gaps in my knowledge, and we worked together to fill them,” she said, trying to sound dignified.

  “I think I just found another gap,” he said, reaching for her. “Come on over here while I take care of it.”

  He kissed her thoroughly, and she felt herself melting into his embrace once again. But when she whispered an endearment, he froze, then moved away and sat on the edge of the bed. “I’m going to take a shower,” he said abruptly, and vanished into the bathroom.

  When he emerged ten minutes later, he didn’t look over at her. “I’ll get some coffee started.”

 
; “Okay.” She watched him as he left the room, wondering at his abrupt change of mood. She might not be a virgin anymore, she thought as she walked into the bathroom, but she sure didn’t know a lot about men. As she stood under the hot water, she tried not to feel hurt. He was right to focus on their problems. Marcus was trying to help her, she told herself. He was trying to help catch her kidnappers so she could go back to her life.

  But suddenly that life didn’t seem nearly as attractive as it had two days ago. As soon as it was safe for her to return to her family’s island, Marcus would take her home and disappear. And she would never see him again.

  She’d worry about that later, she told herself firmly. Right now, she had to worry about more important things. And she had to make sure Marcus wasn’t suffering from an attack of guilt over the night before.

  She finished her shower, put her clothes on and wandered into the living room. Marcus had made a pot of coffee, and he was standing next to a window, drinking from a mug and staring outside.

  “See anything?” she asked lightly.

  He turned to face her. “Not a thing. We’re safe so far, and I want to keep it that way. Would you mind if a couple of people came to the cottage today? I’d like you to work with an artist and see if we can come up with sketches of the two kidnappers.”

  “That would be fine,” she said. “How soon can they be here?”

  His eyes softened. “Thank you,” he said softly. “I’ll call them now.”

  He picked up the cell phone and dialed a number. “It’s me. Any time is fine.” He listened for a moment, then said, “Good.”

  After he closed the phone, he said, “They’ll be here in about a half hour.”

  “Then I guess I’d better have something to eat,” she said. “It sounds as if I’ll be busy for a while.”

  An expression she found hard to read chased across his face. “You’re being a real trouper about this, Jessica.”

  “What were my other options?” she asked. “Throw a fit and demand to be taken home? What good would that have done?”

  He gave her what looked like a reluctant smile. “It’s what a lot of people would have done.”