He gave her no time to respond. His mouth covered hers while his hand raked through her hair. His other hand slid down over her ass and pulled her tight against his straining fly. Her arms wrapped around his back and shoulders.
Her mouth was sweet and warm. In fact, all of Charley was sweet and warm. She terrified him yet he couldn’t resist her. He kissed her cheek and ear before making his way back to her seductive mouth. Deep in her throat, a sound that was almost a purr filled him with desire.
When he released her mouth, she was panting. “I thought you wanted food.”
He’d actually forgotten about the huge tray of sustenance since she exited the bathroom stark naked. “How am I supposed to concentrate with you behaving so wantonly?”
She smiled and raised her eyebrows, pushed away from him and crossed the distance to the table.
As she picked up the metal cover on each remaining dish, she looked over her shoulder. “Are you going to take your clothes off or not?”
His cock struggled painfully against the fly of his jeans. That part of him agreed with her wholeheartedly. His brain began to tell him to proceed with caution. He had no doubt he was falling for this photographer from Florida. He did have trepidations about how anything good could come of it. However, with her bare ass facing him while she leaned over the table and just the hint of pussy peeking out below, he was helpless. Within seconds, he’d stripped down to skin and tossed his clothes in a heap in the corner.
Approaching her from behind, he pressed his shaft along the crease between her cheeks. She ground back into him and moaned. His hands came around and slid up her soft thighs to her abdomen, ribs and finally cupped her tits kneading them with his palms. He had to control himself from taking her right there standing over the food. He wondered what she would have done if he had slid inside her tight pussy.
She squealed with delight, distracting him from his carnal thoughts. He looked over her shoulder and saw she had uncovered the dessert platter. It was an assortment of berries, mango and melon cleverly arranged around a dark chocolate mousse.
Without warning, she turned in his arms, trapping his cock between them. She rubbed her pelvis against him. Her eyes were lit up with the smile plastered to her lips. “Can we start with dessert?”
“Baby, you keep rubbing me that way, and we can start anywhere you want.” His hands gripped her ass cheeks and pulled her in even tighter.
Charley giggled. “Why don’t you sit on the couch and I’ll show you where I want to start.”
“Are you teasing me?”
She just smiled and pointed toward the couch.
Reluctantly, he released her and made his way to the small, cushioned loveseat. He sat down and watched as she slid the table back and knelt down on the floor in front of him. His cock jumped and his heartbeat sped up.
He felt a sting of disappointment when she turned toward the table and dipped her finger in the mousse. Realizing she was going for the food and not his cock had him nearly screaming with frustration. His eyes were riveted on her as she licked the confection from her index finger. Her full lips closed around the digit, teasing his imagination.
“Mmm.”
Again, her finger dipped into the chocolate and came up with a dollop of the creamy dessert. He expected her to slip the finger inside that gorgeous mouth again but instead she turned to him smiling wickedly.
An instant later, the pudding-laden finger slid along his engorged cock. It was cool against his skin making him jerk and suck in a gasp of breath. “Charley.”
Her eyes never wavered from his rod as her lips slid over the tip, pulling him in one torturous inch at a time. He moaned.
“Mmm.” Her sounds of delight vibrated against his sensitive skin.
She sucked him deep into her mouth stopping at her throat for an instant before taking him deeper. She allowed him to slide out slowly then licked the side of his cock to gather up a bit of chocolate that she’d missed.
She looked up at him. “That’s delicious.”
“You are killing me.”
She just smiled and spread more chocolate along his shaft, then licked him as if he were an ice-cream cone until every drop of the sweet was consumed.
Watching her mouth was so erotic, he had to take special care not to come too soon. He didn’t know what else she had in mind, but he didn’t want to miss a thing, plus he was getting some notions of his own.
“Do you like mango?”
“Love it.” His voice sounded tight.
She bit into a wedge of the deep orange fruit. Juice dripped from her fingers and chin. At the point where she’d taken her bite, she pressed the fruit along the vein of his cock and slid it up and down. The silky feeling was cold and unexpectedly pleasurable. Popping the remainder in her mouth, she licked the sweet juice as it dripped down to his balls. Her mouth devoured every drop of mango, licking and sucking until his hips rose and fell with each of her ministrations.
“Charley, I’m not going to be able to take much more of that.”
She sat back on her heels and grinned up at him. The tray held two napkins. She wiped her hands, took a bottle of water from the vanity desk, wet the napkin and cleaned them of the sticky juice.
“There’s a lot more food to try,” she said.
“And here I was trying to be so good and prove to you that I want more than sex from you.”
She bit her bottom lip. It was innocent and sexy as hell. The wall behind her was mirrored. He could see her shapely back and hips. He wanted to turn her around and fuck her from behind while watching in that mirror. All his good intentions had flown out into the Alaskan night.
Kyle leaned forward and sucked that worried lip into his mouth. He tasted mango and chocolate along with the sweetness that was Charley’s own flavor. Lifting her off her knees, he pulled her so that she straddled his lap. With one hand, he reached toward the mousse, scooped a dollop onto his finger and painted it on her nipple.
She gasped and then moaned as his mouth followed the chocolate, sucking every last sweet drop from her taut peak. He sucked harder, tugging with his teeth until she cried out and threw her head back. Reaching forward to the table, he plucked a strawberry from the plate. The juicy red berry was cut in half. He rubbed the red nectar around her other nipple. Her breath was coming in short gasps as he sucked the sweet away and offered the fruit up to her lips. She devoured the berry, moaning and gasping as he sucked and pulled on her hard bud.
“I can’t wait, Kyle.”
He loved to hear her say that. “What do you want, baby. Tell me.”
“I want you to fuck me.”
His cock actually flinched at her words. He could think of a dozen other things he wanted to do with the food and Charley’s body, but they would have to wait. He lifted her off of his lap and stood her on wobbly legs. “Put your hands on the mirror, Charley.”
Her eyes were wide with either surprise or excitement. Either way, she did as he told her. He reached for his jeans and the condoms he’d tucked in his pocket just in case. When he was ready, he grabbed her hips and sank his cock into her tight pussy in one long drive.
All of his senses opened up. Her body clung to him. The room was scented with food, sex and the sea air. Her soft skin beneath his fingers felt as if it were made of satin. He loosened his grip as he pulled out and pressed back inside.
She cried his name, and their eyes met in the mirror. The green of her irises was so vibrant with desire. Her pussy clutched at his hard cock practically sucking him in with each thrust. Cries tumbled from her full lips, which he knew would taste of strawberries. Again and again he drove deep inside her. He tried to slow his pace, but he was too far gone. Her mouth and sensual seduction had nearly had him coming on the couch.
He reached around her hip and slipped his fingers between her folds. God, she was so wet. He rubbed her clit and she screamed. He had a fleeting prayer that the people in the next stateroom were still at dinner or out for the night. He couldn’t hol
d the thought. His rapture was fast approaching. Rubbing faster, he held on until he felt her pussy clench around him. She gasped and cried his name against the mirrored glass. His legs nearly failed him as he pounded out his last bit of seed. Driving one last time, he pressed his finger against her pussy, holding her tightly. His other hand thrust against the glass to keep himself upright.
“Are you all right,” he whispered against her neck and ear.
“That was amazing.”
Finding his feet again, he pushed up and pulled her with him, clutching her around the waist and breasts. He kissed her neck. “I’m glad you thought so. I was afraid I was too rough.”
She tilted her head giving him better access. “It was wonderful. You were just right,” she said. Her voice was breathy.
With her eyes closed, he could watch her reflection. She felt so right in his arms. To the world, she was this sweet, perfectly pure woman, but in private with him she was sexy and wanton. Dammit, he was falling for her. He knew it and there wasn’t anything he could do about it. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to stop the flow of emotions he felt whenever he was with Charley. She had him so twisted up in knots.
He ran his hand along her flat abdomen and down the side of her hip to her thigh. When he looked up she was watching in the mirror.
He smiled, and she grinned back at him. “I’m starved.”
He laughed and kissed her cheek before excusing himself to the bathroom.
He felt a touch of regret when he exited the bathroom, and she was wrapped in one of the robes provided by the cruise line. Though, he had to admit he would have had a hard time getting through a meal with her beautiful body exposed.
Grabbing his jeans from the floor, he pulled them on. Charley dipped a bite of lobster into melted butter and closed her eyes as she placed the morsel on her tongue.
“I guess it’s good,” he said.
She opened her eyes and watched him as if he were the next morsel she was going to devour. “Delicious. Have some.”
He sat down next to her and picked at the fruit and cheese while watching her devour the lobster tail. “We can still go down and have dinner in one of the restaurants if you want.”
She shook her head. “I’d rather stay here.”
“Okay. Do you want some wine?” He wanted to please her. For years, all he’d wanted was mutual satisfaction from his lovers. It was different with Charley. He wanted to satisfy her beyond the bedroom. He hungered to see her eyes light up in delight, to make her smile, to make her happy. A trickle of fear pushed to the surface, but he battled it back down.
“Love some.” She watched him carefully and offered him a bit of lobster from her fork.
He opened his mouth, taking in the sweet delicious meat. “Thank you.”
Reaching over, he grabbed the bottle of wine, removed the already pulled cork and poured two glasses.
She sat back against the cushion and took one glass from him, sipped it and looked down into the dark red liquid. “What does more than sex mean?” she asked. Her eyes remained focused on the wine.
“What?”
“You said a few times now that you wanted more than sex from me.” A droplet of wine remained on her lower lip. Her tongue darted out and swiped it away.
His groin tightened at the sight, at the same time his stomach tightened thinking about how to respond. “I like you, Charley.”
She nodded but didn’t look up at him.
It was the easy answer; he knew it and she did too. It didn’t mean anything. He was a coward. In four days, she would get off the ship, and he could leave it at that. He could relegate Charley Ballantine to a pleasant memory. Everything they’d shared was damn pleasant. They would never see each other again and his statement about wanting to prove that he was after more than sex could be relegated to a “good line” he’d once used.
He watched her take another sip of wine. She would let the subject die. He was off the hook, so why did he feel as if he was a horrible shit? Worse, why did his chest feel tight to the point of pain? He was losing her. A few moments ago she looked at him as if he were her entire world and now her eyes would not meet his. She was separating herself from him, protecting herself. Did she need protection from him?
“Charley, I…”
She looked up with those green eyes, and the pain in his chest worsened. He had a fleeting thought that he might be having a heart attack. Don’t be an ass, Kyle.
One side of her pretty mouth lifted in a half smile. She shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. We’ve had a good time. I needed a good time. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”
She was letting him off the hook again. So why did everything she said to make him feel better only succeed in making him feel worse?
He took the wineglass out of her hand and put both of them on the table. Then he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “I’m crazy about you. I hate that you will be leaving this ship in a few days. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I’m still trying to figure out why in the world you are bothering with me.”
“You don’t have to say that.”
An unpleasant sounding laugh pushed up from his chest. “Tell me how we make this work beyond Friday?”
“I don’t know.” Her voice sounded small.
He kissed her temple. “I’m not giving up hope, Charley. I really do want more from you. I want more than a week and I haven’t wanted that in a very long time.”
He felt a drop of moisture on his hand where it was wrapped around her shoulders and chest. Looking around to her cheek, he saw she was crying. He couldn’t blame her, he wanted to cry himself. “Let’s go dancing.”
“What?”
He pulled her around to look at him and gave her his biggest smile. “I don’t want you to be sad. It would be a crime to waste whatever time we have together on remorse. Let’s go and have some fun. They are dancing down on deck five. Let’s get dressed and join them. Then we’ll go to my cabin and make love until we have to go to work tomorrow.”
“It’s not a bad plan,” she said.
He kissed the top of her head as he rose from the couch. “I’m going back to my room. I’ll meet you at the forward entrance to the nightclub in a half an hour.”
“Kyle…”
He took her hands and pulled her to her feet. With one tug, her robe fell opened and he slid his hands around her naked body. She stepped into his embrace.
“Don’t think, Charley. You always get in trouble when you think too much. I want you. I need you. I want to see you in a hot dress and hold you in my arms in public. Is that so much to ask?” He was making an idiot of himself, but he couldn’t help it.
“No.” Her lips pressed against his chin.
Tilting his head down, he captured those lips with his and plundered her mouth until they were both panting and his cock was rock hard and pressed between them.
She smiled up at him and ground her hips forward. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay here.”
He groaned and stepped back. “Get cleaned up and put on a dress. I’ll see you in thirty minutes.”
Chapter Nine
Charley’s first thought after Kyle walked out of the room to dress for dancing was, I’m completely in love with this guy.
More tears pushed to the surface but she jumped into a hot shower to wash them away. After drying her hair and pulling it back, she put on a very short emerald green cocktail dress and strappy, gold sandals with four-inch heels. They might not be terribly comfortable but they made her legs look fantastic. A few dabs of makeup and she was out the door only ten minutes late for their meeting. She made a conscious effort not to think about the inevitable. It would have made her cry again, and she didn’t want to have a swollen nose and red eyes. She wanted to have fun and entice Kyle to take her back to his stateroom early.
In the foyer area just forward of the nightclub, she spotted him talking to Bob. The two men looked to be having a pleasant chat abo
ut something. Might have been sports or police work. She waited at the other end of the open space and watched the two.
Both men were attractive, but when she looked at Kyle her body responded as if it were a bow pulled back and notched with an arrow. Excitement filled her up to overflowing and she thought she might snap. As if Kyle had a homing beacon attached to her, he turned and grinned.
Bob grinned affably, and she approached. Kyle slid his arm around her waist. He made no attempt to hide the fact that they were together.
Marking his territory, she mused. She didn’t know why he would bother, but she loved the warmth of the touch. What did he care if a police officer from New Jersey admired her? Still, she liked the caress of his hand as he traced the curve of her hip and the heat of his body wherever it came in contact with hers.
They both knew there was no way this could work out. Even if he wasn’t a playboy merchant marine and she wasn’t damaged goods from her divorce, she lived on the other side of the country. They couldn’t get much further apart in geography or nature. The fact that her heart didn’t seem to know about these obstacles was going to be a problem. She pushed the darker thoughts away. It was good to be a part of something beyond herself, and she wanted to enjoy it for as long as possible.
“Wow, that’s some dress.” Bob assessed her from head to toe. “Everyone just headed over to the martini bar. You two should join us.”
Kyle smiled. “We may do that. First, we’re going dancing.”
“Have fun. Maybe I’ll see you later.”
“Maybe,” Charley said.
Bob looked at her as if he was evaluating a situation that only he seemed privy to. Did he think that Kyle was forcing himself on her? Was he getting all cop-like? Whatever it was, he must have gotten over it. He smiled, shrugged and waved as he made his way toward the stairs and disappeared around the corner.
“Would you rather go to the martini bar and hang out with your friend?”
She wanted to be in Kyle’s arms. She knew that on the dance floor she would get what she wanted. She wasn’t sure why he was so adamant that they had to be seen in public, but it was obviously important to him.
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