Kyle sucked in a breath. “Charley.”
She looked up the length of his stunning body and smiled before lowering her mouth and running her tongue around the ruddy head. Her other hand traced a delicate path along his inner thigh and caressed the tender skin of his balls. His cock jerked. She pressed it between her lips, swirled her tongue around one more time, and sank down until she took most of him in.
He moaned.
Charley applied suction and lifted her head before gripping the base in her hand and sucking down again. With each plunge of her lips around his full cock, her hand came up. When her jaw began to ache, she stopped sucking and licked a path along the purple vein. Up and down, her tongue worked the sensitive pulse until she thought he least expected it. She took his cock in her mouth and sucked until the head reached the back of her throat. Relaxing, she took him in a bit more, before letting him slide out again.
He gripped her thigh, pulling slightly. Then with more force, he pulled her bottom half around until she was lying on his torso. Her knees were on either side of his head.
Before she had a chance to think about her position and where it placed her pussy, his tongue lapped at her from top to bottom. If she had been an ice-cream cone he would not have missed a drop of the confection. The sensation sent a shock to every nerve ending. Her body jerked and she lowered her hips allowing him easier access to her clit.
He suckled the tight bud, sending more waves of ecstasy through her. She tried to continue working his cock, but every time he licked and sucked her clit she forgot about everything else—until finally she gave up and let the thrill of his mouth consume her.
She tried to pull herself away so that she could concentrate on giving him pleasure, but he gripped her ass and pulled her tight against his mouth. His lips and tongue were relentless and she couldn’t hold back the orgasm that started at her core. Her pussy erupted with juices and her body shook against his mouth. He held her tight and lapped up every drop until she couldn’t take the touch of his tongue. Her clit was too sensitive. She pulled away and rolled to the side. Tremors continued to rack her body in waves.
The last of them was just passing when she felt Kyle’s body shift on the bed. She didn’t open her eyes but his hands on her hips told her that he had moved behind her. He lifted her onto her knees and pressed his thick cock deep inside her soaked canal.
Charley’s flesh was so sensitive that immediately her next orgasm shook her. She pressed her face into the blanket and cried his name, while he continued to fuck her from behind. Almost immediately, another orgasm started to build. She’d never come so much in her life. How did this man, who she’d known for only a few days, have such command over her body? Why did she respond to him more completely than she had to her ex-husband?
His cock filled her to bursting and when he backed away, left her empty and wanting more. He pounded forward and shot back, again and again, until she was screaming into his mattress and her pussy clutched at his cock for release.
He grunted and thrust forward one last time. “Fuck.” He pulled his cock fully out and let his come shoot out on her back and ass in a stream of warm jets.
As if she were a piece of delicate crystal, he took her legs and lowered her onto the bed so that she lay on her stomach. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”
She felt his weight lift off the bed and then heard the water running in the bathroom. A few moments later a warm, wet cloth smoothed over her back and butt cheeks. She couldn’t help the soft sigh that escaped her lips.
He moved again and he was beside her, pulling her against his chest. “I could listen to you make that sound forever.”
Several thoughts rushed through Charley’s mind. She thought she should run as far and as fast as she could away from this man. He was going to break her heart in the very near future. On the other hand, it was so perfect to be beside him, sated from the most incredible sex of her life and nearly falling asleep.
His lips pressing against her shoulder, was the last thing she remembered.
Chapter Ten
Kyle had made a mistake. He never should have told her how he felt. How was he going to make any of this right? It was impossible. In three short days, she would get off the ship and go back to Florida, and he would sail to South America for the next cruise. She had not told him that she loved him, not that he’d expected her to. No, she had jumped on top of him and given him the greatest sex of his life. He had no idea if that indicated some depth of feeling or if she was just avoiding the subject.
Don’t think so much. Hadn’t that been what he kept telling Charley?
He had the day off in Skagway. He should have gone with her on the White Rail Pass to the summit. Now sitting in the staff dining room pushing at his breakfast, he wished he was with her. Even if it meant getting his heart ripped to pieces, he wanted to see her expression when she saw the sights of Alaska.
“Is my food that bad?”
Kyle looked up from his plate to find the smiling face of Executive Chef Steven Soldier looking down at him. “It’s excellent, as usual, Steve.”
Soldier was from some little town in upstate New York. He was well over six feet tall and still carried the heavy northeast accent that Kyle had worked so hard to slough off. He was funny and charming and had been married to the same Jamaican woman for years. His wife and her sister lived in Jamaica and he saw her rarely, but he never strayed as far as Kyle knew.
“You look as though you just ate a bad bit of salmon, buddy.”
Kyle shook his head and tried to smile. “No. Girl troubles.”
Steven sat down across from him and raised his dark eyebrows. “You? Really? I heard through the grapevine that you were having a fling with a passenger.”
“She’s a photographer sent by the corporate office.” He didn’t like that the crew was gossiping about him but he knew it was part of living in such close quarters with a large group of people for months at a time.
“Oh, yes, I met Miss Ballantine when she came to my dining room to take pictures. Very nice. I’m guessing it’s not a fling.”
“How can it not be? She’ll be gone in a few days.” His chest tightened at the sound of those words coming out of his mouth.
Steven scooted his chair around so that he was closer. “Look, it’s not easy but it is possible. It’s how Tawni and I met. I was on a six-month contract in the Caribbean. I’m not saying that it’s easy, but it’s possible. You don’t have to let her walk out of your life on Friday.”
“I can’t imagine that is the kind of life she’d want, Steve. No offense but you and Tawni are unique. Why would Charley want to get involved with a man who’s never home?” His stomach clutched and he pushed the plate of food away.
“If you don’t ask her, you’ll never know. And if you love her, you’ll be making a big mistake to let her walk away.”
“What if it’s a mistake to make her go through what Tawni does while you’re at sea? Maybe letting her go would be a kindness.”
Steven frowned and stood up. “You can try to convince yourself of that if you want, Kyle. I have to get to the kitchens. If you need anything, let me know.”
“Thanks, Steve, I’m fine.”
“I can see that.” The chef walked away shaking his head.
Charley had been surprised when Kyle had declined to go with her on the hour and a half tour to the summit where the United States and Canada met at the gateway to the Yukon. Of course, he’d probably been on the train ride dozens of times and had other things to do with his day off. She walked through Skagway’s one main street and looked in a few shop windows. Mostly it was tourist shops with jewelry and souvenirs.
He’d said he loved her. Just thinking about those words and how they sounded coming from his mouth made her smile. She probably looked nuts walking down the street grinning.
Trying to remember she had a job to do, she pulled her outdoor rig from her bag and took a few quick pictures of Skagway.
At the ap
pointed time, she returned to the rail stop by the ship and got onboard the old-style train. It boasted three green-and-yellow engines at one end and just one at the other. She guessed the three were needed to pull the twenty or more cars up the steep mountains.
Once the train left town she stepped out onto the platform between the cars. She couldn’t hear the running monologue describing what she was seeing, but she was able to take some stunning pictures of the sheer rock, river, waterfalls, mountain goats and even a glacier in the distance.
Five flags marked the summit, United States, Canada, Alaska, British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. All five colorful banners waved in the breeze that had started to blow in from the north.
She caught a few bits and pieces of the narrator talking about men climbing these mountains with mules packed with gold-digging equipment. Shuddering at the idea of navigating those passes on foot with a heavily burdened pack and beast, she snapped more shots of the terrain.
By the time the train returned her to the ship, clouds were starting to roll in and the temperature was dropping.
She found Jules standing near the gangplank. “Are you going up or just coming down?”
“I’ve been shopping in town. I’m heading up to stash my treasures and then I’m going to see if I can get in for a massage. Care to join me?”
The ship would not be leaving port for another four hours. She could go and find Kyle, but he seemed to want some time for himself and she had not spent any time with Jules since they arrived onboard. “I would love that.”
Three hours later, she’d been massaged, wrapped in some kind of seaweed and had some kind of beauty treatment for puffy eyes. All she wanted to do was go to sleep after all that pampering. She and Jules made their way back to their stateroom. She walked lethargically until she collapsed on her bed.
Jules flopped down as well. “Now, tell me what happened.”
Charley had thought she’d hid her worry from her friend. She hadn’t said one word about Kyle or their affair since meeting outside the ship. “What are you talking about?”
Jules rolled onto her side facing Charley. Her dark hair was sticking out in every direction. Charley was sure that her own hair looked the same. Between the oil from the massage and the creams and lotions from the facial, they both needed to take showers and wash their hair.
“I’m talking about whatever has you so upset.”
“I’m not upset,” Charley lied.
Jules raised her eyebrows. “I’ve never seen anyone make so much effort to pretend that nothing is wrong. Clearly something is bothering you. I know you to well, my friend. You have not mentioned anything about your first officer, a clear sign something has happened. So spill.”
“He told me that he loves me.”
“He did?” Jules sat up.
She expected surprised from her friend but her tone was thoughtful, which made Charley roll over toward her and give her full attention. “Why do you say it that way?”
“I pegged him for a player. Players don’t declare their love. They have a good time and go on their merry way. Was it during sex?”
Charley gave that some thought. “We’d already had sex. We were talking in bed.”
“But not actually screwing?”
“No. I hate that word.”
“Fucking, banging, making love.” She drew out the last word and rolled her eyes then started laughing.
Charley giggled. “No. We were not in the process of doing any of those things.”
“Wow, he must have meant it. What did you say?”
She felt a bit ashamed. “Nothing. I just jumped his bones.”
Jules burst out laughing. Not just a giggle or a chuckle, a full laugh, and she didn’t stop. She kept right on rolling back on her bed with mirth.
“Stop it. Why is that so funny?” Her words sounded harsh but she couldn’t help smiling in the face of such amusement.
She gasped for air. “I’m sorry. It’s just so out of character. How was it?”
“What?”
“The sex. How was the sex?”
“Best of my life.” Charley sighed and lay back so she was facing the ceiling.
“Well then…” Jules left the sentence unfinished.
Charley wanted to ask what that meant but someone knocked on the door. Jules made no move to get up and continued to giggle as she rolled over and scooted under the covers.
The knocking sounded again. Reluctantly, Charley got up and pulled the door open.
“What the hell happened to you?” Kyle asked, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open.
Charley looked down at the large white robe that she had walked back to her room in. She touched her matted greasy hair. Her face became warm and she was sure she was bright red. “I went to the spa.”
“Oh. G…good for you,” he stammered.
“I was going to take a little nap now.” Her tone clearly indicated alone.
He looked at his feet and then back at her. “I have to work at midnight. Would you and Jules like to have dinner with me tonight?”
“Can Drew come?” Jules called from behind her.
“Of course. I already made reservations for seven thirty at Sea Blue. If you want, we can see the show at nine. I can’t drink, but I’d be happy to escort you anywhere you wish to go.”
He looked vulnerable. It was so strange to see him worried that she might reject him. God, she was in trouble. Her heart broke in a million pieces just looking at him. She stepped into the hall, let the door nearly close behind her and wrapped her arms around his neck. His arms banded around her waist and his lips pressed to her collarbone.
“Dinner would be wonderful. I missed you today.” As she said it, she realized it was true. Every new thing that she saw, she’d wanted to share with him. She had a job to do and she did it but she wished he had shared the day with her.
“I missed you too.” He trailed kisses up her neck to her cheek and then devoured her mouth.
Someone cleared their throat and Kyle broke the kiss. The same older couple who she’d encountered in the hall and had heard Jules bawdy remark days before, walked toward the aft section of the ship.
“Pardon us, madam, sir,” Kyle said.
The tall old man leered down at Charley in the exact same way he had before. The woman harrumphed before squeezing past in the narrow corridor and continuing on without a word.
She was sure that her face was bright red with embarrassment.
Kyle laughed once the couple was out of sight. “Go take your nap. I’ll see you later.”
She gave him a quick kiss and backed into her room.
* * * * *
Leaving Skagway meant that they were heading south again. The ship would take the inside passage out to open sea and the next forty-eight hours would be spent sailing. Kyle loved being at sea but there was some bad weather expected and it would take him away from Charley. Perhaps that was for the best. So why didn’t it feel that way?
He had a sinking feeling in his gut and he didn’t like it one bit. The hours until she disembarked were slipping by and he still had no solution to how he could continue to keep her in his life. His declaration had only complicated things. Originally, he’d believed it was a mistake, but after thinking about it, he’d decided he would do it again. She should know how he felt regardless of the outcome at the end of the week.
He liked the Sea Blue restaurant. It was a healthier fare and a distinctly elegant setting. It was in the port, aft section of deck five with large round windows lining the outside wall and another wall with a white rose carved out of plaster. There were no straight lines as every table, chair back and kitchen pass-through was round. It gave the dining room a sense of flow and movement.
Charley showed up at precisely seven thirty wearing cream trousers that flared at the bottom and an orange blouse that was cut low enough to enjoy a view of her full cleavage. She looked delicious and he almost suggested they skip dinner and rush back to his stateroom. Her h
air was tousled wildly and she gripped a backpack that he knew was her camera bag in her right hand. He took the heavy bag from her as she leaned in to kiss his cheek.
The scent of the sea mixed with her perfume. To him it was the perfect combination. To have both of the things he loved in one place was too good to be true. Of course it was. It was a short-term situation, and he’d thought of little else for days. How could he make this work?
He placed the bag on the floor and held her seat out for her. “You were on deck?”
“I wanted to get a few pictures of the inside passage. It’s beautiful out there.” Her voice was breathless.
“You look beautiful, windblown and rosy.”
Her eyes widened and she combed her fingers through her hair in an attempt to tame it. “I’ll just run into the ladies’ room and fix it.”
He wanted to tell her not to change a thing, but she was already up and he saw Drew and Jules entering the restaurant. Jules headed for the restroom with Charley and Drew continued to the table and shook his hand.
As soon as they were sitting, Drew said, “You look like a man with a problem.”
“Is it that obvious?”
Drew shrugged. “I’m a trained observer, but yes, it is.”
“It’s impossible.”
The man across the table frowned and looked him directly in the eye. “Nothing is impossible. If you want more, you are going to have to find a way to make it happen. Just because it’s not easy doesn’t mean it’s not possible.”
Kyle nodded. “You are probably right, but for the life of me, I don’t know how one or both of us doesn’t get hurt.”
Drew smiled. “Maybe you will get hurt. Maybe it will be worth a little pain.” He accepted the menu from the waiter. Opening it, he changed the subject. “What’s good here?”
Kyle took the not-so-subtle hint. “Everything is good, but I’d start with the quail. You won’t be sorry.”
“Mmm, quail sounds good.”
“We’re in for some bad weather tonight and tomorrow morning.”
Alaskan Exposure Page 14
