Alaskan Exposure

by A. S. Fenichel

  “At the moment you and I are having a drink, Charley. Why do you have to make it more complicated than that?”

  She shrugged. The movement lifted her chest and the fabric of her dress slipped to one side revealing the swell of full round breast and no bra. He had to adjust his seat to stay comfortable and keep her from seeing his condition. Since he was trying to convince Charley he wasn’t a dog, it wouldn’t bode well to have her see that everything about her gave him a boner.

  “It’s always more complicated.”

  He smiled at the truth of her statement. “Why don’t we talk about something else.”

  “Okay.”

  “When did you start taking pictures?”

  Her eyes got a faraway look. “I can’t remember my childhood without a camera in my hands.”

  “Really, that young?”

  “I had an Aunt Marva, actually she was my father’s aunt. She gave me a little 35mm camera when I was seven. I think she felt sorry for me.”

  “Why?”

  Her gaze fell on him for a long, silent moment. “Why am I telling you any of this?”

  “Because I asked and I really want to know.”

  Slowly, she sipped her wine. He thought she was going to change the subject or stop talking entirely. The moments dragged and he was tempted to pressure her to say more. But she was like a skittish cat, spook her too much and she’d run under the furniture and never come out.

  “My parents fought a lot. I think she hoped that taking pictures would be an escape for me. She was right. I took that little camera everywhere and photographed the most mundane things. Every couple of weeks Aunt Marva would come by and bring me more film and take my photos to get developed. She was really encouraging about the good shots. By the time I was nine or ten, I started to be more discerning about what I took pictures of and how the light hit things. I longed for her approval.”

  “Did your parents look at your stuff?” He had a knot in the middle of his chest, imagining a small red-haired child working so hard to get approval.

  A deep sigh lifted her chest. “Once in a while.”

  “And your aunt, did she continue to process your pictures?”

  Charley nodded and a sad smile curled her lips. “Until I was twelve. That’s when Aunt Marva died. After that, I had to find ways to make money. I had a paper route. When I was a little older, I babysat. I even made enough to buy a decent camera and take a few courses. It was the perfect world for me, inside the lens.”

  “And you’ve been taking beautiful pictures ever since?”

  Those shapely shoulders lifted and fell. He itched to touch those curves and see if they were as soft and warm as they looked.

  “I took a long break from photography when I was married. I just started again last year.”

  “Why was that?”

  The sorrow he saw in those eyes and the way her bottom lip puffed out in a pout made him want to kiss away whatever memories haunted her.

  She looked around the bar and then at him. Uncomfortable was the best way to describe the way she shifted in the soft chair. “I’m sure you have an early morning tomorrow and I have to figure out where I need to be and when to get the best shots.”

  She was uncurling from the chair. He put his hand over her forearm, delaying her sprint. “Why are you running away from me? What did I say? I thought we were having a nice conversation and getting to know each other.”

  Charley settled back into her seat and placed her other hand over his, giving it a squeeze. Her expression softened and her lips turned up. “We were. I really appreciate the drink and the chat. You’ve made me feel very comfortable. I don’t think I’ve ever told anyone about my first camera. It’s been nice. But sooner or later you’ll want to have sex and I…”

  “You what?”

  “I’m undecided.” Her blush and smile were all it took to keep him firmly planted in the chair. Her response of undecided was not the “never happen” he’d been expecting.

  He felt the corners of his mouth pull up in spite of the fact that his plan was to convince her that he wanted more than just sex. His gut tightened. When had wanting more than sex become a fact and not a line? Suddenly her opinion of him mattered more than anything. “Because you think I’m the kind of man who hooks up with a new woman on every cruise.”

  She touched his arm again and heat shot directly to his groin in spite of his good intentions.

  She kept the contact. “Why wouldn’t you? You’re good-looking, single and at sea. I get it. I’m just not sure I want to be part of a long list of women.”

  Once again, she’d managed to spark his temper. What was it about her opinion, why did it matter? “Don’t go. Stay. We’ll talk about other things. I’ll tell you about me.”

  Her head cocked to one side and she squeezed his arm before removing her hand and sipping her wine. Settling back into her chair, she asked. “What are your parents like?”

  He wondered what it would take to get her to touch him again. Even the innocent gesture of her hand on his arm had turned him on, and he instantly missed the connection. “My father owns a marketing firm and my mother is a real estate agent. They are both past retirement age but have no intentions of slowing down. They take two months off every year to travel. Usually they book on one of my cruises for a week or two. My sister comes along sometimes too. It’s a family vacation.”

  “But you’re the only one who has to work.”

  “I don’t mind. I love what I do.”

  “How long will you be on this ship?”

  “I’m about halfway through a six month contract.”

  “But this is the last trip to Alaska this year. Where does it go after this?”

  “The Panama Canal.”

  Her eyes lit up with excitement. “That must be a fun trip.”

  “It is. Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Columbia. It’s a beautiful cruise. You should come along.”

  He knew he’d made a mistake as soon as he said it. God only knew what that fertile mind of hers was conjuring.

  “I should go.” She started to stand.

  He pressed her thigh back down in the upholstered chair. Touching her so intimately had him hard in an instant. “Don’t. I didn’t mean it the way you took it. I’m just passionate about seeing the world. I think you would love the sights and sounds of Latin America.”

  She finished her glass of wine. “Look, you’re a nice guy, Kyle. I can see that you are trying to be charming and put me at ease. You’re doing a great job. I like you. I may even want to have sex with you. The problem is, if I did, I would wake up tomorrow with nothing but regrets. I’m not a good candidate for this.” She pointed to the space between the two of them. “You’re wasting your time with me.”

  Kyle tried his best to hear everything she’d said. But once she admitted that she wanted to have sex with him, his cock started to do his thinking for him. That made his next words even harder to say. “Then don’t have sex with me.”

  The expression on her face told him that she knew he was bluffing. “No? What, are we just going to be friends then?”

  Leaning in very close he spoke directly into her ear. “If that’s what you want, Charley, I can be a very good friend.”

  Chapter Three

  Her nipples pressed against the fabric of her dress. His breath on the sensitive skin of her earlobe and neck sent a shiver of excitement through her. At that moment she wished she could be bolder, like Jules. Her friend would have had no problem going to bed with the gorgeous first officer.

  “I don’t believe you.” Her voice was breathy and when she turned to look at him, his mouth was only a centimeter from hers.

  He didn’t move away. His bright blue eyes seemed to get smoky and she wondered if it was desire brewing within him that made them darken. She couldn’t take her gaze away from him.

  “I think we would make very good friends, Charley. You can tell me everything that’s happening in your life and I will listen and give my o
pinion. I’ll share my stories too and we will spend time together.” His fingers traced the line of her jaw. “I’m not saying that I will stop wanting to fuck you, just that we will be friends.”

  Her heart drummed loudly and when he said “fuck” all she could think about was his hard body pressed against hers. Her imagination had gone wild. She squeezed her legs together, hoping to relieve some of her arousal, but it only made it more acute. “Friends don’t fuck.”

  The smile that spread across his face sent a quiver to every nerve in her body. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt that alive.

  “Of course they do, but if that’s not what you want, we won’t.” He paused for an exaggerated moment. “Though, I do love to hear you say that word. It makes me wonder how other dirty words would sound coming out of that pretty mouth.”

  It was inevitable that when he said it, she started thinking of dirty words and the circumstances of when she might say them to Kyle. That in turn, made her nipples ache to be touched and other places too. “I don’t think you are capable of being just my friend.”

  His handsome face remained only a fraction of an inch from hers. “Of course I am, Charley. The question is, are you?”

  “Why do you say it that way?”

  The bartender delivered two more glasses of wine. She’d been so nervous about meeting Kyle that she’d eaten very little at dinner. Then Jules had talked her into a martini before she decided to go to the Constellation Lounge. She was already starting to feel the effects but she used taking a large gulp of wine as an excuse to move further away from him.

  He leaned back. “Because I think you very much want to make love with me. I think you have some moral code that you believe I don’t fit in to and that’s why you keep insulting me. Then, when I get angry and leave you alone, you can pretend it was me who backed off and not you pushing me away over some bit of nonsense.”

  “Morality is nonsense?” She’d inadvertently leaned over the arms of the two chairs.

  Kyle slid his hand through her hair and gripped the back of her head firmly but gently. “I don’t have any issues with morality that keeps people from hurting or disrespecting each other.”

  She could clearly see the passion burning in his eyes. She tried to say something but he was so close and so intimately holding her gaze that she only opened her mouth and closed it again.

  His eyes lowered to her lips for a moment before returning. He ran the index finger of his other hand along her jaw to her chin. “This misguided morality that keeps you from letting me worship you in bed, I take little stock in. I want you, Charley. I even like you and I think you want me too. Why do you have to make it about morals? Have you ever just lived for the moment?”

  “I… No.”

  He lowered his eyes again but released his grip on her, allowing her hair to slide through his fingers. “Maybe you should try it sometime.”

  He didn’t move away and neither did she. It was as if she was attached to him by a tether and couldn’t escape his allure. “I don’t want to get hurt.”

  “If you never take any risks then nothing extraordinary will ever happen to you.”

  She couldn’t argue with that. Her entire life up until a year ago was a testament to that. She wouldn’t even be on the ship if she hadn’t risked everything and opened her studio. “And you think you’re a risk worth taking?”

  He gave a half smile and leaned so close that his mouth touched her ear. “I want to make you come so hard you scream my name and then I want to do it again.”

  Her breath caught in her throat. She should slap his face and tell him to go to hell, but all she wanted to do was tear his clothes off and touch him and let him touch her. Her body betrayed her. His words shot directly to her pussy. She was wet. She wanted to touch herself, have him touch her. A woman cackled several tables over, reminding her they were in public.

  His lips lightly grazed her lobe, and she sucked in a breath and held it. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  He pulled back so that she could see his eyes again. “Yes, I did.”

  Breathing had become difficult with him so close and so sexually charged. “Okay.”

  “Okay?” There was no doubt that he was surprised maybe confused. He stared into her eyes as if looking for some clue to her meaning other than the obvious.

  “Yes.” The word came out on a breath. She couldn’t believe what she was saying and yet she didn’t want to take it back. Her body was rigid with need. She wanted to be touched and worshiped. If it was all an illusion then she was willing to kid herself for a few hours.

  He took her hand and stood while helping her up. He might have waved to the bartender as they walked toward the exit, but she was too surprised by the fact that she’d just agreed to have sex with Kyle to really pay attention.

  Pulling her into the elevator, he punched the button for deck nine.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  He slid behind her and tugged her until she was pressed fully against him. “To see the stateroom you’ve been so curious about.”

  She could feel his hard cock nestled between the cheeks of her ass. She couldn’t help pushing tighter to feel him more fully. His big hands gripped her hips. The elevator stopped. He moved her slightly away and dropped his hands. A couple got on and smiled politely. The doors closed again, they climbed one more deck and the doors opened. They all stepped out. The couple moved off to the left, Kyle took her hand and led her to the right, down a long hall and to a door where he used a keycard to gain access.

  The room was just slightly bigger than the one she and Jules shared. It was neat with a large king-sized bed in the middle. “You don’t have a roommate?” She hated the slight shake in her voice.

  He pointed to his uniform, neatly hanging on the outside of the closet door. “Four stripes and above get private quarters.”

  She looked at the epaulettes on the shoulder of his uniform and at the large bed. What was she doing here? She must have lost her mind. Yet she wanted him, there was no doubt about that. Every time she looked at his broad shoulders she wanted to touch him. Her heart pounded and blood rushed through her ears.

  He stayed close, but as soon as they entered the room, he dropped her hand. Watching her, he slipped the top button on his shirt out of the buttonhole. She detected just a hint of dark hair on his chest.

  He walked a step closer. She took a step back and found herself trapped between the end of the bed and Kyle’s body. “Do you want to leave?” he asked.

  The question surprised her. His voice was soft and sweet. She expected him to jump on top of her as soon as they entered his room, but he ran is fingers lightly up and down her arms. He watched her, and she wondered what he was looking for. She could barely breathe but she managed to squeak out a question. “Do you want me to go?”

  “No, Charley. I told you what I want, but you look terrified.”

  “I’m sorry. I haven’t done this in a while.” She tried to relax, putting her stiff arms on his narrow hips.

  His touch tightened and brought her imperceptibly closer, but it was enough to press her body to his.

  She tried to keep from trembling in his arms. His body heat infused her skin and her nipples pressed uncomfortably against the fabric of her dress. Even in her arousal, she questioned the wisdom of an affair. Kyle being a man who likely had women begging to go to bed with him daily was compounded by all the things her ex-husband had drilled into her head. She didn’t want to embarrass herself.

  It was a mistake. She knew it before she’d come, yet she was here in the stateroom of a merchant marine who’d probably fucked a thousand different women and never had a regret in his life.

  “You don’t have to be here.”

  “Damn.” Pushing him slightly away, she sat down on the end of the bed.

  Kyle sat down next to her. Taking her hand in his, he kissed the knuckles. “I’m sorry. I bullied you. Of course you don’t want to be here.”

&nb
sp; Why did he have to be so sweet? If he’d gotten angry or offended, she could get up and walk away knowing she’d made the right choice.

  His lips, even on that innocent part of her skin, were a torch that sent heat to her entire body and settled deliciously between her legs. “Oh, I want to, I’m just too much of a coward to go through with it. I should never have come. I’ve made you uncomfortable and embarrassed myself.”

  Charley leaned over and put her head in her hands. She wished she could crawl under the bed and away from his beautiful blue eyes. Once again, she wished she were more like Jules.

  “Look at me.”

  Sitting up, she did as he said.

  One side of his mouth turned up in that sexy half smile. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

  “Maybe my friend Jules can make it up to you. She wouldn’t have any problems with this kind of an affair.”

  His eyebrows rose. “Would she have a problem with you selling her as compensation?”

  Her face burned with a renewed blush. “Oh shit. Yes. Well, maybe not, but it’s still not the nicest idea I’ve ever had.”

  They both laughed.

  He touched her cheek. “She is very pretty, but I don’t want Jules. I want you, Charley.”

  When he leaned forward and his lips touched hers, she melted into his kiss. Instead of escalating her fears, his mouth wiped them from her mind. His lips were soft and firm at the same time. The kiss was sweet and demanding. His tongue traced a path along the seam of her lips begging entry. Charley softened her mouth and let him in.

  She couldn’t stop the moan that ground out of her chest as their tongues met. He swirled playfully inside her mouth and she responded edging closer. His arms slipped around her pulling her tight. One caressed her back while the other combed through her hair and gripped her skull.

  Her pussy ached for relief. “Kyle…” She wanted to tell him what she needed but the words stuck in her throat.

  He kissed her chin, cheek and jaw, each time sliding back to make love to her lips. “Charley?”

  “Hmm?”