by Lindy Corbin
As he loosened his hold and leaned back, she looked up. With one hand, he brushed back the hair from her forehead as he stared down into her face. She watched him mutely, suddenly aware that she must look a mess. He drew a deep breath that pressed her chest against his and let it out slowly. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared.”
She wondered at the rough edge to his voice, so unlike his normal honeyed tones. “You didn’t seem scared. The other men almost seemed to enjoy it,” she said with a touch of accusation.
“They didn’t have as much to lose.”
Kara frowned, pulling back slightly. His embrace relaxed to allow it. “Eduardo told me the Black Magic is worth millions of dollars. I can see you wouldn’t want it stolen.”
He was silent for a moment, his lashes falling over his eyes as his face set in rigid lines. “No,” he agreed finally. “I wouldn’t want to lose her.”
Bending, he dropped a quick, hard kiss on her forehead then stepped back. His fingertips drifted down her arm to her hand and he linked their fingers lightly together. “Come. There should be a tarp in the hold. Help me seal up the hole where the glass is broken. Then we will go back to bed.”
“We?” There was something about the way he said the word that sent alarm skittering across her nerves.
Releasing her fingers, he stepped closer. Lifting his hands to clasp both palms against her cheeks, he held her still while his head descended toward her. The touch of his lips was unexpectedly gentle. With unhurried movements, he stroked each corner of her mouth with his own, then her forehead, her cheeks and chin before feathering his lips across hers tenderly.
Kara’s face was sensitive where his lips had touched. Her lips swelled with the need to have his pressed harder against hers. She was playing with fire, but couldn’t seem to stop herself. Her nerves were raw and only Niko’s touch could soothe them. As she felt the knot of tension inside her start to slowly unwind, she didn’t want this closeness to end.
“We.” His voice was gruff, his breath hot against her cheek as he shifted his hands so he could kiss the sensitive spot below her ear. “We will go to bed. Soon.” The word was a promise whispered in her ear. “Our time is short and we have a great deal to learn about each other. I don’t want to waste a minute more.”
When she didn’t respond, he prodded gently, “Don’t you agree?”
Oh yes, she definitely did.
She wasn’t sure if the words actually surfaced as he moved again. One hand cupped her head as he pulled the band from her hair so that it tumbled across her shoulders. The knuckles of his other hand brushed lightly against the skin on her chest, following the outline of her shirt, leaving a trail of awareness in their path. Her breasts felt like they were swelling to meet his touch. As his fingers drifted lower to find the peaks of her nipples through her shirt, he caught her mouth with his.
She opened to him, wanting the intimate contact, needing to feel the soft graze of his tongue against hers. He tasted of whiskey and his own indefinable male essence. In seconds, she was lost in sensation. There was only Niko. The heat of his hands on her and the scent of his body filled her mind, replacing any lingering fear. He deepened the kiss, drawing her into his mouth, his taste enticing her into response.
His warm hands were everywhere, along the curve of her thigh, sliding under the edge of her shirt to caress the skin of her stomach. Her muscles clenched in response and her breath almost stopped as he broke the kiss and leaned back to push the shirt up further, baring her breasts to his gaze. Embarrassment flooded her, only to be stopped by his soft words.
“You’re beautiful,” he whispered. “Perfect.”
His head dipped and he fastened his mouth over one erect peak, wetting it then blowing across it so that it hardened even further. She moaned in protest when he moved away, but he only switched his focus to the other one, giving it the same attention. Taking her mouth in a hard kiss, he flicked the pads of his thumbs across her damp nipples. Pleasure rocked her, taking her exactly where she wanted to go, into a state of forgetfulness.
She wanted Niko’s hands on her, branding her with his sizzling touch, making her forget every kiss and every touch that she’d ever felt before. There had never been a man like him in her life and somehow she knew there never would be again. He’d used his intelligence and strength to defeat the attackers, to give them both another chance. To live life. To learn from each other. To please each other. It was not an opportunity she was willing to throw away.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him in, deepening the kiss. The graze of his tongue against hers was a heady thrill. She grasped the fabric of his tee-shirt in her hands and tugged upward. Her palms slid along the bare skin of his chest and she smiled as he dragged his mouth from hers, his breath hot and fast against her cheek. He placed a scorching trail of kisses across her jaw and down her neck, edging closer to her ultra-sensitive breasts. When he took her nipple in his mouth again, she responded to his wordless commands without hesitation, wanting what only he could give her. Shivers of pleasure cascaded over her as desire swelled. She shifted restlessly, wanting him nearer.
He lifted his head to slowly pull her shirt down across her chest, the back of his hands sweeping against her skin. “Privacy.”
The one word seemed to be all he could manage. Kara gasped as he bent to place one arm under her knees and swung her up easily. Suddenly, the reality of what she was doing hit her. She swallowed as he carried her out of the galley and headed to the master cabin. Once they reached the cabin, there would be no turning back. If she had any doubts, she had to act now.
“Niko, the glass door,” she reminded him, the words uneven. “The tarp.”
He chuckled, a warm sound that vibrated against her ribs. “I’ll take care of it later.” Shifting her weight, he turned the knob that led into the cabin and stepped inside, kicking the door closed with one foot. “I have a more urgent need to tend.”
Setting her on her feet, he flipped on a switch that lit a set of recessed bulbs in the headboard, their faint light echoing in the gold-toned mirrors on both sides of the enormous bed.
Her gaze fastened on the expanse of the blue bedcovering. Desire twisted inside her like a tightly wound top, ready to whirl into action. Her mind filled with mental pictures of wrapping herself around the remarkable width of his rib cage and holding on while he made passionate love to her. She wanted to absorb his essence into her and use it to tape the pieces of her broken heart back together. He could make her whole again. She knew it. But the fact that he was so obviously capable made her hesitate.
He reached to wrap warm hands across her shoulders, pulling her toward him, but she resisted with both palms centered in his chest.
“What is it?” His voice was gentle, concerned.
“This cabin. I would have been here…”
A grim smile tilted his mouth. “With Frank?” His hands on her softened, massaging in slow, erotic circles across her shoulder blades, then moving up to cup her neck. “The Fates have a way of stepping in when things go wrong. You belong right here, right now. With me.” He bent to kiss her.
Kara leaned away when all she really wanted was to push into the mesmerizing motions of his hands. Her jaw was clenched so tight that she could barely force out words. “How many others?”
He glanced toward the bed, then back at her, understanding dawning in his gaze. “None, I swear. The ship is fairly new to the fleet and I have been living in Greece for years.”
She bit her lip as she stared at him. While she believed him, the question that revolved in her mind was about women in general, not just how many he’d shared this particular cabin with.
A smile slid slowly across his lips, taking her breath as his eyes darkened to the navy of storm-tossed seas. “This yacht is regularly leased out, so I can’t vouch for those who have stayed on board before. Perhaps they have left a good vibe in the room.” He stepped back toward the bed, tugging her along with him, somehow pulling her
closer at the same time. His breath brushed her cheek as he grazed a kiss along her temple and down her hairline to the turn of her jaw.
“It is tempting, yes?” he growled out a low whisper against her ear. “Such a big comfortable space on which to play.”
With one hand, he reached behind him and dragged the covers down the bed, pillows flying to the floor. Unexpectedly, he let her go, removing his support so quickly that she swayed. With one deft movement, he stripped off his shirt, throwing it toward the sofa. Her gaze fastened on that expanse of tanned skin, yet still she hesitated.
He was a grown man capable of making his own decisions as was she. He knew her mental condition. She’d warned him that her attraction to him was nothing more than a natural attempt to get back at Frank. Rebound. Not real emotion. Not real attraction.
Niko kicked off his shoes and slowly slid his slacks down the length of thickly muscled thighs. He was magnificent. She barely noticed when the slacks sailed across the room to join the shirt.
Rebound? Who was she kidding? Every cell in her body screamed to connect with his.
He sat on the edge of the bed and swung his legs up onto the mattress. Scooting back a few inches, he patted the pale blue sheets invitingly. “Don’t you want to see how wonderful it feels?”
Yes, she did, as soon as she regained her breath. Clad only in a pair of tight, black briefs, he was pure temptation. No amount of material could hide the impressive width of his shoulders, but to see the golden light sliding over the flex of muscles as he moved stirred something inside her that couldn’t be denied.
He watched her, his gaze warm and inviting, at direct odds with the aura of tension that held him still. He was waiting for her to decide. Not pushing her. Not enveloping her in his arms or overwhelming her with sensation that she could later claim had befuddled her mind. Simply letting her choose.
She knew instinctively that he would not stop her if she turned and walked out of the cabin. The strain of it was there in the rigidity of his jaw line as the smile slowly faded from his lips.
She stood there for a second too long.
“Kara.”
The one word held a low, insistent appeal. Unable to bear the need that blazed, raw and sincere on his face, her gaze drifted down his chest to the dusting of dark hair that shadowed between the pectoral muscles. He was a beautiful man, in so many ways. Caring. Honest. Physically attractive. She’d be a fool to deny herself the pleasure of touching him just because she wasn’t the first to do so. As much of a fool as the woman who had tied him to her in marriage then let him go. The need to soothe that hurt, to stroke him, to feel the soft curls under her fingertips, rose like a tidal wave, pushing her toward the bed.
Following his lead, she slid off her jacket then pulled her tank top over her head, exposing her bare breasts to his sight once more. The hiss of his indrawn breath was her reward. Sliding out of her tennis shoes and her shorts, she put one knee up on the mattress, fully expecting him to pull her down hard against him. That he remained still, unmoving, made her hesitate. He rolled to his back, his hands splayed out flat against the cool sheets.
“Touch me,” he said simply.
The freedom to do as she wanted was a gift she hadn’t expected. He watched her face as she explored his chest and upper arms with light, soft movements, skimming her fingers across his hot skin. He was hard and smooth at the same time, a delight to her senses. She increased the pressure of her hands against his shoulders then lightened it again to move lower. He groaned, his eyes darkening to a navy blue. Reaching to grasp her arms, he pulled her against him for a long, hard kiss then released her, his breath raspy in the quiet of the room.
“Sorry,” he said with a quick grin. “I had to help for a minute.”
“S’ok,” she managed to murmur. Now that she was across him, her bare breasts against the solidity of his chest, she didn’t want to break the contact. Sliding down, she let her lips trail along his jaw and down the thick column of his neck. When she flicked her tongue across the sensitive skin in the dip of his collar bone, he spoke in Greek, obviously in encouragement.
The words were unimportant, murmured nothings. The tone was what struck her. Assurance. Reverence. His eyes were open and he looked at her with such awe, as if he couldn’t believe that she was here with him. She wasn’t some faceless body that could satisfy his physical craving. She was the one he wanted. They needed each other. This was right.
She turned her cheek to brush her face down the ridges of his ribs. Touching him was pure delight. He reached with his large hands, clasping them across her back, his fingers tracing up and down her spine with slowly increasing urgency. Her breasts were on fire, the sensitive nipples scraping across his skin as she moved lower on his body, feeling the muscles ripple in his abdomen as she caressed him.
At the black underwear, she hesitated. His erection was there under the stretching of fabric, large and a bit daunting. Frank had hidden under cover of darkness and sheets. She wanted to explore Niko, to touch him everywhere, but wasn’t sure if he was comfortable with that. With one hand, he guided her there, pushing the fabric aside and closing her fingers around his length.
“It’s all for you,” he said as he pushed the briefs the rest of the way down his legs and tossed them to the floor. “Do as you wish with it.”
With hands and lips, she stroked and tasted, reveling in his moans of pleasure. As he rocked against her mouth, desire spiked, tightening the muscles of her abdomen, leaving her aching and restless. She moved against the sheets, sliding upward across him, her breasts pressing against his erection.
He reached to drag her up his body, his movements hard, imperative. “Enough,” he said, his voice strained. “Your turn.”
His hands cupped her bottom as his lips found her mouth. They kissed, a furious meeting of the tongues that ramped up the need that spiraled within her.
Dragging her mouth from his, she said, “I need to feel you on top of me.”
“You’re sure? I weigh a lot and you’re so small.”
“Niko!”
He laughed softly as he complied. As he draped one powerful thigh across her lower abdomen, she reached to tug behind his knee, urging him more fully on top of her. She sighed in satisfaction as he settled over her, the weight of his upper body supported on his arms and the delicious heaviness of his lower body bearing her down into the soft mattress. It had never been like this with a man before, the elemental need to have him against her, his weight and warmth pushing her over the edge.
When he shifted to catch one nipple in his mouth and then the other, she moaned, her fingers digging into his hair, holding him there. He resisted, inching further down, along the softness of her abdomen to dip his tongue into her belly button, then lower.
He slid her panties down her legs, sending them to join his briefs on the floor. When his mouth closed on her, all conscious thought evaporated. It was hot, searing, a sensory explosion so close to pain that it took her breath. Within minutes, she was writhing on the sheets, so close to the edge of completion, yet so far from it.
“Niko, I can’t – I need-” She couldn’t say the words, but he understood her urgent demand.
Rolling away for a moment, she heard the rip of a foil package and the sharp snap of latex then he was back. He propped on one elbow, leaning over her, tangling his legs with hers as he closed one palm over her breast. She turned her head toward him, blindly seeking the delight of his lips on hers.
“You’re an amazing woman,” he breathed against her lips. “Responsive to my every touch.” His hand on her breast lightened and he rolled her hardened nipple against the palm of his hand.
She shifted restlessly, her legs sliding against his, seeking the pressure of his arousal against her swollen flesh. His hand skimmed lower until the heel of his hand slid across soft curls. She gasped as his fingers slipped inside her dampness, questing, finding that special spot. She arched against his touch. “Niko.”
He ignored her
soft entreaty. “I’ve never craved a woman as I do you,” he whispered against her mouth. “I’ve wanted this since we first danced together. Show me you want me too.” Suckling her bottom lip, he drew her into his kiss, moving his tongue gently against hers at first then harder, more demanding as his fingers moved in her, drawing out the exquisite torture of longing that engulfed her.
She couldn’t speak, could only show him by her actions. Reaching with one hand, she tugged at his wrist to pull his fingers from her. She wrapped her other arm around his ribs, drawing him down on top of her as she pulled her knees up to enclose his hips in the cocoon of her legs, mutely pleading. With a smooth glide of his hips, he was in her, large and hard, filling her to capacity.
She cried out, the orgasm taking her immediately, her internal muscles convulsing against him. He stilled, waiting for her to surface from the pleasure, murmuring soft words she didn’t understand as his hands cupped her face and his lips followed the curve of her cheek.
When he began to move again, she rose to meet him, matching him, amazed at the intensity of desire that still gripped her. Their breathing increased and words were no longer needed. He braced his arms on either side of her, taking his weight while his lower body met hers with hard, powerful strokes. She grasped his arms then trailed her fingers across his chest, grinning to herself slightly as she grazed his skin with her nails and he bit out a curse.
An answering smile crossed his face as he shifted his angle of penetration. She gasped at the increase in pressure as rational thought dissolved into sensation. Her hands moved over him, following the bunched muscles in his arms until she found his hands on either side of her head. She wrapped her fingers around his wrists, clinging, anchoring herself in the only reality that she could comprehend.
Lowering his head, he took her mouth, smothering her cry and his own as they peaked together, joined on a different level for this one moment in time. She shifted her hands to his back, pulling him down into the bed with her, reveling in the shudders of sensation that continued to jolt through her.
