by Raina Wilde
"It's beautiful here," he said.
"Yeah. We used to come to Maine with my dad. Since he died my mom hasn't been back,"
"I'm sorry about your dad," Jack said quietly. "But she's back now."
"Yeah. She really loves Lawrence."
"My dad is pretty crazy about her, too," Jack replied. He sat down beside her, and Leah could feel the warmth from his body through her dress. She shivered.
"Are you cold?" he asked, taking off his suit jacket and slipping it over her shoulders before she could protest. It smelled like him, like cologne and warmth. She breathed the smell in deeply.
When she looked over she saw Jack was staring at her. He had a playful smile on his lips.
"What are you smirking at?" Leah asked.
"Nothing," he lied. He wiggled his fingers through the sand until they found hers.
They sat there for several minutes, taking in the sound of the waves, until they heard Cara calling them from the deck.
"I think my dad is about to give a speech at this fundraiser," Jack said, helping Leah to her feet. He brushed the sand off her dress, his hands lingering at the small of her back. She wanted to push him into the sand and climb on top of him, but instead she handed his jacket back. There would be plenty of time for pushing tonight. Her stomach twisted into an excited knot as she thought about how close their rooms were.
Lawrence's speech was long, and mostly boring, but Leah and Jack stood at the back of the room where there was less chance of anyone seeing their hands, still entwined. Jack slid his thumb across Leah's knuckles and then tickled the palm of her hand. His touch, and everything it implied, was tantalising.
An hour later Jack and Leah had both had a few glasses of wine. Cara and Lawrence disappeared a short time later, and as soon as they were out of sight Jack grabbed Leah's hand and led her from the room. His bow tie was undone and hanging loosely, and the first few buttons of his shirt were undone. He grabbed a bottle of champagne and two glasses as they left, holding them skilfully in one hand.
"My room, or yours?" he asked when they were standing in front of Leah's door.
"Who says I'm going to invite you in?" she asked playfully. Jack made her weak in the knees, but a part of her felt that this must be wrong. Wasn’t it? He would soon be family; that surely made him strictly off limits. Her back was against the door and he was leaning on the frame, trapping her in.
"Oh, I think you're going to invite me in," he replied quietly with his trademark grin. He bent his head low and brushed his lips against Leah's neck. She shivered, and fought the urge to moan. Momentarily forgetting her feelings of apprehension she pulled her key card out of her purse and unlocked the door. Jack followed behind her and before closing the door, slipped the DO NOT DISTURB sign over the outside handle.
Jack set the two glasses of champagne down and then expertly popped the cork of the bottle. He caught the bubbling champagne with the flutes and handed one to Leah.
"Cheers," he said, raising his glass. He never took his eyes off Leah, and she felt a warmth start growing between her thighs at his gaze. He set the glass down and stepped toward her, running his hands up her arms. She shivered at his touch.
"Did you have fun with me last night?" Jack asked, lowering his head to run his lips along Leah's collarbone.
"Yes," Leah whispered.
"Are you disappointed I'm not that guy?" he asked. She remembered how he had looked at the bar, scuffed leather jacket, ripped jeans and sunglasses. It was miles away from the man standing in front of her now. His smooth British accent was honey to her ears, and his breath tickled her skin as he spoke.
"You're definitely not a disappointment," she replied. He stepped back, slinging his grey suit jacket over a chair. His white shirt was still crisp and clean, but his bow tie was undone and hanging. He was pulling it off slowly, studying Leah.
"I thought you might like the rough all-American rather than the dapper Englishman," he said with a grin.
"The rough guy had his appeal..." she began, but lost her words as Jack started to unbutton his shirt. She was quivering with anticipation. This was so much different than he was the other night; she was a little intimidated by him now, and he knew it.
"I bet there's still a little rough left," he replied quietly. He still had the tie in one hand, and he turned Leah around so she was facing the open patio doors. A gentle breeze was moving the curtains and she could hear the ocean as well as laughter from somewhere.
Jack slowly unzipped her dress and let it pool to the floor. Leah shivered as the cool air touched her skin. He turned her around to face him, and she saw his eyes were dilated with passion. He was holding the tie between his teeth. He gently pulled her wrists together and raised them above her head. Her heart was racing as he tied them and pulled the knot tight.
He held one loose end, trapping her arms above her head, and then pulled her close to his body. He kissed her, deep and hard, nibbling at her bottom lip. She gasped, and kissed him in return, suddenly wanting him more than anything.
"If you want me to stop, just tell me," he said. This was her out. She could stop this madness right now and start thinking of him as the brother he was going to become. Instead, Leah nodded, unable to say anything. Jack led her toward the bed and gently pushed her over. She started trembling with anticipation as she heard him undressing behind her.
"This is going to be so much better than last night," he said finally, his voice breaking the silence. It was husky and gloriously sexy. Leah was bent over the bed, her arms trapped above her head. She felt exposed, and a little helpless, but excited. Finally she felt Jack's hands travel up her legs, smooth over the pantyhose she had on under her dress.
"I hope you're not too attached to these," he said as his fingers brushed the area between her thighs.
She gasped, "To what?"
She felt Jack's fingers entwine in the nylon fabric, then she felt him lean in closer, his lips brushing against the small of her back. She felt him tug and finally tear the fabric away from her body. His breath was quick and he moaned a little as he felt the nylon tear away from between Leah's legs.
She gasped. She still had a thin pair of panties on but she had never felt so exposed.
"I hope you're going to buy me another pair of those," she said playfully, but her voice was husky.
Jack laughed throatily behind her. "I'll buy you anything you want," he said. His fingers pressed against the silky fabric of her panties and she moaned. He rubbed her, slowly at first, and then with more intensity. She moaned and started to move against his fingers, but he pressed her hips down against the bed.
"It's all me tonight, love," he said behind her. Her heart raced with excitement. She was completely at his mercy, and it was thrilling.
He pushed the fabric of her panties away and she moaned as she felt his fingers push inside of her. He teased her slowly, his fingers working in delicate circles until she moaned and tried to writhe underneath him. As soon as she moved he pulled his fingers away. Leah gasped in disappointment.
"What did I tell you?" he said, leaning over to whisper in her ear. "I'm in charge," he said and nibbled her neck. He turned her over and untied her hands.
"You're untying me?" she asked, and obviously couldn't hide the disappointment in her voice because he looked at her deeply, his eyes sparkling.
"You like being tied up?" he asked. Leah nodded, shyly.
Jack growled deep in his throat, "You're going to undo me," he said, then "turn over."
Leah rolled onto her stomach and Jack tied her wrists together again, this time behind her back rather than above her head. She heard him unbuckle his belt and her pulse quickened. He knelt behind her and she felt him grab the thin silk of her panties between his hands and tear it away. His hand gripped the loose end of the tie at her wrists and pulled slightly. It forced her back to arch and with a twist of excitement in her stomach she realised why he had done it.
Jack pushed inside of her and Leah moaned. He pu
lled on the tie, forcing her body up against his. His other hand slid around her hips and he used his fingers to toy with Leah as he thrust into her. Her body was being forced against his from almost every direction, and the pleasure was so intense she cried out, moaning his name. She was unable to move, and he was right, he was completely in control. Leah shook as she climaxed, gasping Jack's name.
When they were finished Jack untied her and covered her gently with a sheet. He lay behind her, kissing the back of her neck where he swept her hair to the side.
"So what happens now?" Leah asked.
"What do you mean?" Jack asked. "We're at a beautiful hotel, we'll spend the week on the beach. Or in bed."
"But after that..."
Jack rolled Leah over and kissed her, his lips were tender and his hands entwined in hers.
"Don't worry about anything but right now," he said, and he kissed her again, this time more insistent. Leah felt a familiar twisting in her stomach and she entwined her fingers in Jack's hair pulling him closer. He was right; the rest of the week didn't matter. She had no idea what the future had in store for this budding taboo romance, but if she worried about it now she would be depriving herself of the most intense pleasure she had ever known. Right now, in this moment, there was no such thing as right and wrong. She rolled on top of Jack and pretended to pin him down.
"Now, I'm in control," she said playfully and reached across the bed for the tie.
THE END
Flip the page for Bonus 3, SEALed Hearts!
Adventure novelist Emily Parker finds herself trapped in a dangerous world of terror and intrigue when she discovers that her long time boyfriend is actually a high profile, international drug lord.
In an attempt to escape with her life, Emily devises a plan to deliver concrete evidence to authorities that will take down the drug ring once and for all. And when she discovers that the plots in her books are much less frightening than reality, Emily is lucky to find that the well-muscled and strikingly handsome Ben Portman, alongside his team of Navy SEALs, is there to help her escape from the extensive reach of the drug lord’s mercenaries.
When Emily and Ben find themselves trapped on an isolated cruise ship that is being patrolled by the enemy, can they learn to trust each other enough to work as a team, or will they both end up at the bottom of the Atlantic?
SEALed Hearts
Emily Parker rinsed her toothbrush in the sink of the immaculate restroom. The quaint space was attached to the port side cabin that she had rented aboard an opulent intercontinental cruise liner. On short notice, it had been the only mode of transportation in which she could maintain a small level of anonymity.
The ship swayed with a soothing rhythm as it trudged along beneath the ebony sky. Emily checked the thin silver watch on her wrist. It was nearly two o’clock in the morning. She’d had difficulty sleeping in the nighttime over the past months. If anything were to happen, she told herself, it would occur under the cover of darkness.
She was about to chastise herself for the crippling paranoia that had recently become an active part of her personality when the deep rumble of male voices outside her door captured Emily’s attention.
With silent footsteps she slunk across the main cabin to press her ear against the door. Her heart hammered in her chest and she raised her fingertips to her mouth to conceal the sound of her breathing.
“When did you see her?” demanded a brusque male voice that sent chills to Emily’s core.
One of the other passengers was about to blow her cover. Emily quickly evaluated the cabin. She could pack in under two minutes but there was no alternative exit from the cabin. She chewed her lower lip; if the men remained at her door she would be trapped.
“Oh man. They were up on the top deck, in bikinis, yesterday. That lady and the chick staying in the room next to her.” the drunken male laughter sounded vaguely familiar to Emily’s ears but she couldn’t quite place the voice.
“Do you know where on the ship she is staying?” asked the first voice, clearly annoyed with the passenger.
“Well, yeah I know. I mean, I really hit it off with her neighbor, if you know what I mean.” There was a long pause as the drunken man chuckled to himself. “She went back to her room early and we walked her to her door because, you know, it was right next to where we were headed.”
Emily’s brow furrowed in confusion as she listened to the man’s story. Maybe they weren’t talking about her. She’d made a point not to interact too closely with any of the other passengers and she certainly hadn’t been walked to her door by any of them, as this man had so assuredly claimed.
She had almost convinced herself that her worry was irrational, when a third voice spoke. It was the unmistakable, smooth drawl of Casper Lorenz.
“Which cabin?” Two words, Emily thought. It only took two words for Casper to send her into full hyperventilation. Her palms started to sweat as Emily realized that this was the end. The running was over. Casper had found her and tonight he would exact his revenge. A dozen dark scenarios of slow painful death flashed before her eyes. All that stood between Emily and Casper was a thin wooden door and an inebriated tourist.
“It was…” the man’s slur turned into a hiccup, “way up on the ninth deck. Ninety-seven.” Emily could hear Casper conferring quietly with his men as the passenger prattled to himself. “No. Ninety-ninety-seven…” the man let out a loud expletive, “Nine-ninety-seven. Yup, that’s it. Nine-hundred-ninety-seven, on the ninth floor, with a blue door.” He repeated the rhyme as if thoroughly proud of himself.
Emily breathed a tentative sigh of relief. This was the second deck. Her cabin number was 204. The passenger was sending Casper to the opposite end of the ship and even the wrong level.
“Let’s go.” came Casper’s sharp command.
“Sir, should I take care of this?” the first brusque voice asked of his boss. Now that he had spoken again Emily thought that the voice might belong to Val Marquez, Casper’s go-to muscle.
“Don’t bother,” the voices began to fade as footsteps shuffled away from her doorway, “he won’t remember a thing in the morning.”
Thirty seconds later Emily was haphazardly shoving toiletries into her duffel when there was a quiet knock on the door. She froze and stared toward the wooden frame as if it were about to implode at any moment.
With caution, she approached the nearby window and lifted the corner of the curtain to peer out at the visitor.
Standing patiently outside her cabin was a man that Emily recognized as a solitary passenger whose path she had crossed numerous times during the past week. She had only noticed him for two reasons. The first was that he appeared to be the only other guest aboard the cruise ship who was traveling alone and, like Emily, clearly determined not to be bothered. The other reason had to do with the fact that he was, quite possibly, the most attractive man that Emily had ever seen in person.
She recalled seeing him at the pool on the top deck all chiseled muscles, tanned skin and rugged masculinity. Her eyes narrowed as she wondered what he was doing knocking on her door at this time of night. He appeared to be in complete control of himself, leaning forward to knock once more upon her door. Clearly, he had not been the fool who had spoken to Casper only moments before.
She dropped the floral curtain and moved to unlock the door. She had only eased it open a few inches when the man had brushed past her, spun around and shut the door behind him.
“What are you doing checking the curtains?” he lectured. “Fabric has too much motion for you to risk touching it.” He ran a rough hand over his face as he paced the floor of her cabin. Emily stood rooted to the floor unsure of what was happening. “If you had done that while they were out there you could have gotten us both killed.”
It suddenly occurred to her that the sober man standing in front of her was the same man who had been slurring his words less than a minute before. Now, his deep voice was recognizable from the few times that he had offered polite gre
etings as they had passed aboard the ship.
“Who are you?” she snapped, “What were you doing out there? What are you doing in my cabin?”
He held his hands up to slow her down.
“We really don’t have time for this. Tell me what those guys want from you and I might be able to get you off this ship before they kill us both.” He was canvassing the room as he spoke, checking drawers and looking underneath the bed that stood in the middle of the room.
“Are you kidding me? For all I know this is some kind of trick and you work for Casper. Get out! I don’t need your help, just go away.” She approached the man and attempted to push him toward the doorway. With her hands firmly planted on his chest, Emily put the full force of her five-foot-six frame behind the effort only to realize that the man had not budged an inch. She doubted that she had even caused his body to sway.
Emily craned her neck to look up into the steely gray eyes that were evaluating her with what, unfortunately, appeared to be amusement.
With a sigh she removed her hands and, crossing her arms beneath her breasts, tapped one foot as she waited for an explanation.
With a groan of annoyance the dark haired man began to pace back and forth across the cabin. He was taller, and much more broad, than Emily had realized from her distant evaluations.
“I woke up to a noise outside of my cabin. It’s only five rooms down from here.” He clarified. “When I went to investigate, I saw a speed boat, with all of its lights turned off, dock with the ship. Nine men boarded, three remained on the getaway boat. They have an arsenal of weapons and one of the men, Lorenz, is an international fugitive. So, I figured these are some bad guys. I pretended to be drunk, thinking that maybe I could get some answers, when they showed me your photo and asked where to find you. I lied, and off they went.” He turned toward her and began to walk a slow circle around Emily as if examining every detail about her. “I asked myself, what would men like this want with the quiet woman staying in 204? I figure, it couldn’t be anything good and maybe I need to check it out. Also, I’m fairly certain the cruise line doesn’t want armed thugs messing with their passengers so we should probably try to draw them away from the ship. If we move fast enough, I can take down the three on the boat and we can get away on that.” He summed up the situation with an eerie nonchalance that gave the impression that this was a normal day for him.
