Jewel of Solana

by Susan Sheehey

  “You shouldn’t,” she shot back. “I don’t want it. Not from you.”

  Jaime gave a lazy one-shoulder shrug, and retreated into the sky lounge with his plate.

  “I’m so sorry about your family, my dear,” Marie chimed in. “They sounded like wonderful people. I don’t know what I’d do without mine.”

  Alanna took a deep, calming breath. Focusing on her family had been the foundation of her pain and fear. Every time she heard more news about them, the wounds opened again. But they had also bolstered her resolve. “I miss them…terribly. But I know I’m not alone. I have their memory. I have their legacy. I have me.”

  “And me,” Flynn announced from behind.

  Alanna looked up and gasped. Her savior was soaked to the bone in sweat, a little pale, and clearly drained. But his eyes were the same determined green she fell in love with.

  “And to those who intend to hurt you,” he continued. “You are fearsome.”

  I’m not entirely invincible. There is one who can consistently flatten me.

  Everyone stood. Their flurry of questions about the boat, its functionality, the air conditioning, their journey, all seemed to roll over him like an invisible wave. Their gaze never disconnected.

  As she stood, he made his way over to her seat. In a single moment, his arms wrapped around her, and he nuzzled her neck. Everything about him was hard, tense even. Harder than the jewels pressing into her under her shirt.

  “Are you all right?” he whispered.

  She nodded into his shoulder, and dug her fingers into his hair, also damp. “You?”

  “I am now.” He pulled back, but held onto her arms, as if trying to confirm she was real. Everyone else had gone inside to check the boat’s status, and a few of them cheered or hollered when they felt the air conditioning.

  “Did you fix the boat?”

  He swallowed hard and nodded, but didn’t look happy about it.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  A noise from below deck dragged her attention aft. Liang Wen was checking the anchor line as it started to rise from the sea. He glanced up at them, his expression hard and unforgiving.

  “You really are brill!” Alfred slapped Flynn on the shoulder. “Just fantastic! A genius, you are!”

  “Thanks, Al,” he answered, without taking his eyes off Alanna. “But if you don’t mind, I need some sleep. Just wanted to make sure she was okay.”

  “Why don’t the two of you both retire for the afternoon?” Marie patted Alanna on the shoulder, a small glint in her eye. “Rest up. We’ll see you both for dinna’.”

  The corner of Alfred’s mouth lifted. “Take the master suite. No clients for the rest of the trip, so why not?”

  Neither of them protested.

  They retreated to the master suite, through the nearly empty main lounge despite the few holes in the walls. Flynn still didn’t say anything. His silence was unsettling, and his defeated posture made her fidget.

  The master suite was expansive, luxurious, and clean. Lush, lavender carpeting greeted her bare feet, and the plum shades matched the comforter set on the king-sized bed covered by designer throw pillows. The bed sat on a carpeted platform, with a satin, cream chaise flush against the foot. Windows spanned the front of the room, curving up into the ceiling and down into the floor, giving the breathtaking illusion of falling off the edge into the ocean. Flynn stood on the other side of the room, looking at the view, hands on his hips.

  She walked up, wrapped her arms around his middle and pressed herself against his firm back. Full of strength. But completely walled off. He had to open to her. Trust her. He crossed his arm over hers, and squeezed her hand.

  The engines on the mega yacht hummed, the minimal vibration purring through the floor. They’d be on their way out of the cove in a few minutes. They were both still alive. Still together. Headed to Singapore, all because of him. My Flynn.

  “Eat or shower first?” she asked quietly.

  “Shower.” He turned, and locked the cabin door. When he turned to her, everything about him was intense. The stare, the posture, the very air around him. It was as if the last seven hours only made their situation worse somehow, instead of saving them.

  “I’ll be out in a few minutes.” He retreated into the owner’s bathroom.

  But didn’t close the door.

  She wanted to follow, to make him feel better, to watch him undress, but the finality in his voice sounded as though he needed time to himself. The showerhead turned on, and Alanna sighed.

  He doesn’t trust me yet.

  He still thinks I’m afraid of him. After seeing the meltdown.

  She approached the dresser on the other side of the room and pressed a button on the unit. A plasma television rose from an opening in the back. The girls had demanded their rooms be turned down every night with the television playing some high definition movie from the yacht’s massive collection. Alanna found a selection of classical music, primarily piano and string instruments that reminded her of home. She reached into the drawer for the remote. Then stopped.

  The clients had forgotten several items in their rush off-ship, including a few negligees and a bottle of lotion. What caught her eye was underneath all those items: a box of condoms.

  Alanna held her breath. She turned and the bed filled her view. It was too inviting. Too many ideas in her mind. She wasn’t crazy. Any woman with semi-decent vision would want Flynn.

  She moved to the chaise and laid down, pressing her face into the cool fabric. The yacht moved, and her weight compressed into the seat. She opened an eye as the passage out of the cove widened, the palm trees gliding by as if on a cloud.

  She rolled onto her back and watched the rest of the island retreat into open water. Her body calmed to the gentle rocking. Eventually she closed her eyes.

  A moment later she opened them. It wasn’t the view outside she saw. But Flynn, standing in front of her wearing nothing but a towel wrapped low around his waist. His hair was slicked back. The bruise on his abdomen did nothing to distract her from his toned, glistening muscles. She opened her mouth to ask how long he’d been standing there, but nothing came out. Everything had gone dry. Except between her thighs.

  “I changed my mind,” he rasped.

  “You want to eat first?”

  He nodded.

  The breath she’d been holding let out in a whoosh. She sat up. “The plate is on the tab—”

  In half a heartbeat, he moved to the chaise, and swallowed the rest of her words with his lips. He braced his arms on the sides of the chaise, trapping her in the seat. His tongue swept into her mouth like a tidal wave, the minty, savory taste better than any appetizer from a five-star chef. She grabbed his hips, and the towel slipped free. Leaving him completely bare on top of her. She squeezed his bottom, pressing his raging erection into her thigh.

  He growled and deepened his kiss, stealing the remaining air in her lungs. She had to break away to breathe, her gasps filling the tiny space between their faces. Even her mind throbbed.

  “If you need me to stop, you have to tell me now.” His arms shook gripping the chaise. “Cuz after we start, I don’t think I’ll be able to.”

  Her brain barely registered what he said, but she didn’t have the air to respond. Whatever he said sounded like he was going to stop, but she didn’t want that. She shook her head.

  His brow furrowed. “Does that mean stop, or keep going?”

  Keep going. But a little red flag stopped the words from coming out.

  Protection. Be safe.

  “There’s a box of condoms in the dresser.

  “Good.” He pushed himself up and hurried across the room, his glorious, toned ass filling her view. Finding the box, he pulled out the condoms in a long stream of foil wrappers. He faced her full-on, well-endowed and completely erect, staring at her like a lion on a gazelle. “One won’t be nearly enough.”

  ALANNA STOOD BEFORE FLYNN IN all his marvelous nudity. The first time sh
e’d seen any man completely naked.

  She was hooked. Only if it was Flynn.

  In one fluid motion, she pulled her shirt over her head. Flynn watched, his wild gaze igniting her confidence. She shimmied out of her deck shorts and kicked off her shoes. He sauntered toward her, ripped a foil packet apart with his teeth, and dropped the rest to the floor.

  Standing there in nothing but her underwear and the brilliant gems made her courage stagger. There was nothing to hide behind in the large room. She drew her hands across her stomach.

  “Don’t hide yourself from me. You’re beautiful.”

  His hot gaze swept up her body, a trail of goose bumps forming in its wake along her skin. He stood in front of her, a mass of muscle and testosterone. He freed her hair from the ponytail holder, teasing his fingers through the strands draped over her frame. A feathery touch from his thumb trailed down her face.

  She covered his hand with her own, and kissed his palm. He cupped the nape of her neck entwining his fingers in her hair.

  “You are so beautiful, I don’t deserve you,” he whispered, his voice strained. Reaching behind her, his warm fingers skimmed her back and unclasped her bra. The straps loosened, and they fell away.

  This is going to happen. Finally going to happen.

  He stepped back, taking in her naked body, save for the jewels draped around her collarbone.

  “Angelic,” he whispered.

  Pulling him forward, she trailed her mouth across his, wanting to savor the taste of the man who’d saved her.

  The man I love.

  Their lips locked. Then he devoured her. A fall like Geronimo into the depths of him. His ravenous hunger claimed her, raw and possessive. She was lost in him, and never cared to be found again. His fingers traced over her body, on the sides of her breasts and down to her hips. He slipped her panties over her hips, letting gravity finish the rest.

  Her heart nearly stopped when he scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the bathroom. He set her down outside the shower, and unclasped the necklace, setting it on the counter behind her.

  She stepped into the stream, nearly scalding. Her skin took a moment to adjust. Bracing her hands on the sides left her handprints in the fogged glass. Before he came in behind her, he slipped the condom over his shaft.

  A fiery twinge sparked between her thighs as he rolled the latex over his thickness. She bit her lip, watching as his delicate tip shifted and stretched under the material.

  Will it hurt as much as they say?

  She backed into a small shelf, the tile cool against her waist. His massive form filled the shower stall. Sliding his hands beneath her bottom, he lifted her onto the shelf. His eyes darkened with his wet hair. Water streamed down his chest, the trails channeling toward his stiff cock.

  “Open for me.”

  With his gaze locked solely on hers, he nudged her knees apart. Skimming his fingers up her inner thigh, he didn’t waste time in finding her center, and rubbed her clit. The merciless circling of the little nub made her heartbeat erratic, her whimpers the only sound outside of the endless waterfall of the shower. Electric shocks rocketed through her body, escalating her internal heat to a supernova.

  “Flynn.” She closed her eyes, letting the pleasure filter through every muscle. His cock pushed against her hot skin, lengthening with each caress between her thighs. Every time she moaned, he moved faster and pressed harder against her. She slapped her hand against the wall, bracing herself from the dizzy spells invoked by the sweet circles of his thumb.

  He groaned with hazy eyes, and positioned his cock at her entrance. “If you need me to stop,” he rasped, “cover my ears.”

  Her eyes opened to his desperate expression. Everything in her body ached, her breasts heavy, the need to have him deep inside her overwhelming.

  “It’s the only way I know I’ll stop,” he added, his pupils wide.

  She nodded and grabbed his shoulder. “I need you. Now.”

  The head of his dick spread her entrance, slowly easing her open to his girth. Her body involuntarily rocked forward, squealing for release. Achingly slow, he pushed in, inch by inch stretching her.

  She strained through the splinters of pain, and dug her nails into his muscles. Everything winced and tightened. As he filled her to the hilt, he growled. The carnal sound vibrated through her whole body. His eyebrows drew together, and he stilled, his legs trembling.

  The pressure inside was so intense, she cried out and dug her nails deeper into his shoulder.

  “I’m sorry, love,” he breathed. “Let me know when you want me to move.” He kissed her forehead, and caressed her cheek with his.

  But the pain radiated from her epicenter until it almost burned. Alanna reached to cover his ears, but stopped.

  I can do this.

  She wrapped her arm around his neck instead.

  “I need you to move. Slowly.”

  “I’ll try.” The creases on his forehead deepened. With hands on her waist, he gently eased out of her, stopping just at her entrance.

  The splinters tapered into a dull ache as her body gradually opened for him. The muscles in his arms flexed, his voice straining as he held himself back.

  “Again?” he whispered.

  He read my mind.

  She nodded. “Go a little faster.”

  Another steady plunge, and her sheath slowly relaxed. Shocks of pleasure rippled through her core. With each drive and recede, she yielded, giving in to inexplicable warmth captivating her senses.

  Every slip in and out of her channel became easier. Wetter. Hotter. Her hips moved in time with his thrusts, and she grabbed his ass to rock him in closer.

  She moaned, the hedonistic sound surprising her.

  “More. Go,” she panted.

  Water poured over his torso, pooled at their joined bodies, and slid down their hips. Every plunge felt deeper, euphoric, yet not nearly enough. She opened her legs wider, desperate to take more of him.

  He ducked his head, sucked her nipple in his mouth and nibbled. A whip of electricity surged through her.

  “Flynn!” she gasped.

  His tongue flicked over her sensitive nub, laved and suckled. When he nipped the tip, her body twitched.

  “You taste so good,” he hummed. Moving to other breast, he gave it the same treatment, her right one more sensitive. The sensation zinged straight to her center, an aching fire pooled at the deepest point of his thrust.

  “Así, just like that. Mi amor, así.” She raked her hand through his hair, the scorching spray nothing compared to his tongue on her skin.

  With the next lunge, he howled, deep and primal. His head tipped back, filling his mouth with water. When he raised his head, something propelled him harder into her tight tunnel. A coil tightened around her spine, almost painful. With every drive, the slow burn built into a raging fire until her gasps turned to little squeals.

  “Am I hurting you?”

  She shook her head. “Don’t you dare stop.”

  He grinned, his divine face almost devilish, and wholly erotic. “Never. I’ll never stop.”

  He circled his hips, grinding deeper into her sex, faster in and out. He smothered her lips with his own. Consuming her. Devastating her beyond return.

  Oh God, this is too much. Too much heat. I’m going to fall off the edge of the world.

  He rammed into her, over and over, harder and harder. The fractals of pain weren’t nearly enough to overcome her appetite for him. She welcomed them, relished them, as this coil of raw heat kept burning. She clutched to the back of his head. Anything to keep from falling. She let out something akin to a sob.

  The coil finally burst. She screamed through it, clinging to him.

  “Yes! Feel it, Alanna. Feel me.”

  He pistoned into her, her channel squeezing and throbbing in toe-curling spasms. Under her fingertips, his muscles tightened. His thrusts grew jerky, erratic. A deep rumble came from his chest, long and guttural.

  The s
ound was so erotic she covered his mouth with hers, savoring his orgasm.

  Eventually he slowed, their tongues swirling until they couldn’t breathe. He panted into her neck, keeping his hands firmly gripped on her waist preventing her from falling off the ledge.

  Finally, he gazed into her eyes. Everything tingled, and her muscles felt like jelly. She stared into the face of her angel—an angel capable of deliciously dirty things.

  “Damn, that was incredible.” A smile split across his cheeks that made her stomach twirl. “I’ll never get enough of you.”

  “You took the words right out of my mouth.”

  “I’ll take a lot more from your mouth.” He seared his lips to hers, licking her teeth with a small nip on her tongue.

  I’ll never get enough of you.

  Achingly slow, he eased out of her, holding her on the ledge.

  A red streak trickled down in her inner thigh. Her feet slid to the tile floor, and her legs wobbled.

  “Shit. I did hurt you.”

  She thumbed his chin, making him look into her eyes. “If I wanted you to stop, I would’ve grabbed your ears like you asked. Did I do that?”

  He shook his head.

  “Then I never wanted you to stop.” She sealed the declaration with a firm, wet kiss. “We’ll clean up in here, and then I’ll take you again on the bed. This time with me on top.”

  Flynn shook, his muscles tensing beneath the relentless storm riding his body.

  Hurricane Alanna.

  He never would’ve anticipated this little fireball would have such an insatiable appetite for sex. He’d opened Pandora’s box of guilty pleasures, and though his body started to protest, he would never ask her to stop.

  The mattress swallowed their weight, their lovemaking battling in quicksand. She gripped the headboard for leverage, giving him easy access to massage her nipple with one hand and suckle on the other. A relentless teasing that drove them both further to climax. That was his favorite part—seeing them harden into tiny mountains until they turned a deep crimson. That meant she was close. Next, she’d start whimpering, which would turn into little cries right before she’d scream through the orgasm.