And Sophie was just plain trouble without the least bit of malice.
He blinked at her, feeling lighter than he had in weeks.
She was waiting for some sort of explanation from him and Jack suddenly wanted to kiss her. He smiled at her, his mood vastly improved. He handed the ring back to her.
“I don’t see what’s so blessed funny!’’ she railed at him, her delicate fingers seizing the ring from his hand.
Jack’s grin widened.
He didn’t care if he had an audience—didn’t give a damn who was watching. He didn’t care if they thought him loony... or smitten... he damned well was.
He reached out, grasping her about the waist, and drew her into his arms. Her hands flew up at once to clutch his shoulders and she gasped in surprise but didn’t protest.
She gave him a pouty face. “What do you think you are doing?”
“Kissing you,” Jack replied with determination, and didn’t give her an instant to protest. He took her mouth in a fierce kiss, thrusting his tongue between her lips to silence her.
All restraint eroded with the first touch of their lips.
Her protest came out sounding garbled.
He gave her waist a little jerk, urging her to kiss him back, and she suddenly silenced, her hands moving to his neck, clinging for support.
And then ... everything faded from his senses but the woman he held in his arms: the jeers from his men, the sun beating down on his head, the wind in his face.
Sophie’s heart surged into her throat as his lips pressed against her own.
His tongue dove inside her mouth without invitation, coaxing... tasting... with the same urgency and abandon he had shown her before.
He held her tightly, pressing her greedily against his body, and she was grateful for the support because she suddenly didn’t think she could stand on her own. She was acutely aware of her breasts shoved against his chest, and her knees went weak. Her belly fluttered with anticipation.
“What are you doing?” she whispered against his mouth. “Jack...”
“Shut up and kiss me!” he demanded, never breaking the contact of their lips. He increased his ardor. “Kiss me, Sophia,” he pleaded with her.
“But... the ring,” she tried to protest, and was vaguely aware of the shouts and huzzahs that erupted from the crew.
“What ring?” Jack murmured into her mouth.
Sophie suddenly didn’t remember what she was even talking about. Her thoughts skittered away.
“It’s about damned time!” she heard someone yell at them, and then she was aware only of Jack.
Everything about them faded but the man in whose arms she was in.
She gasped for breath, but clung to him greedily. God help her, she didn’t care about any ring. It slipped from her grasp to the deck, though she never heard it fall.
Her senses were filled only with Jack... his scent, his warmth, his breath, his taste...
She felt his kiss in places that made no sense: The tips of her breasts burned and her body ached for something she couldn’t quite comprehend. She clasped him eagerly, kissing him back without shame, with complete abandon.
It seemed she’d wanted this all her life... as though every second she had lived, she had lived only for this moment.
As he kissed her, clutching her against him, his knee slid shockingly between her thighs, unhampered by her dress. His fingers closed about the waist of her trousers, lifting them up slightly, and Sophie gasped in delight at the scandalous sensation that flared between her thighs. She responded from some sense of instinct that blinded her to propriety, parting her legs and wrapping them around his hips.
He moaned into her mouth and began to walk, holding her. Sophie hadn’t the slightest notion where, because he kept right on kissing her. And as long as he kept kissing her, she didn’t really care where they went.
CHAPTER 26
Somehow Jack managed to get her down to the lower deck.
They practically stumbled down the stairs into the mess hall. Sophie clung to him all the while, kissing him passionately, heating the blood in his veins beyond self-control. He was grateful his men somehow had vanished.
When he reached his cabin at last, he kicked open the door, kissing her without giving her a chance to breathe—because he was afraid of what she might say if he stopped—because he was terrified she’d regain her senses.
He kissed her as though his life depended on it, because somehow he thought it did. If he didn’t make love to her right now—this instant—he was going to explode into a thousand miserable pieces.
He wanted her.
He loved her.
“Sophia!” he gasped.
She answered with a murmur that sent quivers down his spine.
He didn’t want to stop kissing her, tasting her, feeling her...
His hands cupped her bottom, pressing them fully into his arousal, wanting her to know what it was he craved to give her.
“Jack,” she whispered into his mouth.
He broke the kiss long enough to kiss her chin, her nose... whisper against her cheek, “Yes, flower?”
His hands caressed her bottom... firm and round and pert... he wanted her naked beneath him. He wanted her legs wrapped around him.
Sophie’s heartbeat pounded in her ears.
Her body craved something fiercely.
It remembered far too much, wanted something more... something she knew instinctively only Jack could give her. “I—”
She didn’t know what to ask for, except to plead with him never to stop... but she couldn’t speak. Her throat constricted with emotion, and her body quivered as he kissed her throat, gently nipped her. The sensation of his teeth pressing softly into her flesh gave her a jolt of pleasure. Her head fell backward in rapture.
“Jack,” she whimpered.
“Tell me what you want, flower…”
His hand moved between their bodies, caressing her breasts over her shirt, and Sophie moaned in response. “Beautiful,” he whispered.
She couldn’t protest—didn’t want to.
Her legs slid down his, touched the floor, and she stood a bit unsteadily. His hands gripped her shoulders, then moved to the front of her shirt when she could stand freely. His gaze locked with hers as he began to unbutton her shirt, and Sophie’s breath quickened. She swallowed convulsively as he freed the first button... then moved to the next.
Her heart pounded against her ribs.
His gaze never left her as he moved down her shirt, freeing every last button until the shirt gaped at her breast. His green eyes were intense, filled with hunger, sparkling fiercely.
Sophie’s face flushed with heat.
She felt suddenly shy, afraid to show him more. What if he didn’t like her? What if he found her lacking? She averted her gaze, but he wouldn’t allow it. He reached out, lifting her chin with a finger.
“Do you know what I want?” he asked her, his voice low and seductively soft.
She tried to speak past the knot that formed in her throat. “Yes,” she said with a gasp, and her heart thumped in answer.
He cocked his head, smiling slowly, seeming wickedly pleased with her response, and Sophie could do nothing but stand before him as he undressed her.
He stopped short of opening her blouse, and Sophie was afraid... afraid he would go on... afraid he would stop.
Sucking in a breath, she made up her mind and shrugged out of the blouse, letting it fall down her arms.
“God!” he exclaimed, and closed his eyes for the briefest instant. His nostrils flared slightly, his expression intense. He opened his eyes then, and his gaze fell fully on her breast.
Sophie held her breath as he looked at her.
“You… are... so beautiful,” he told her, and his hands reached out to touch her, tentatively. His palms cupped her, his fingers caressed her ... his thumb gently flicked across her nipple, and it was Sophie’s turn to lose herself in the satisfaction of his touch.
Her eyes closed.
She didn’t want him to stop.
Her hands covered his, pressing them gently against her heart. She wanted this desperately. There was no longer anyone to save herself for. Harlan was no longer a part of her life. She would likely never marry now, and she’d be a fool to turn away the one man who had ever made her feel so... much.
She never wanted anyone else.
If this moment was all she would ever have with Jack, then it would still be worth it. She would savor the sweet memory in her most private moments.
With a groan of pleasure, Jack fell to his knees before Sophie, embracing her. His fingers clutched her bottom, pulling her against him.
To hell with the hammock!
They didn’t need a bed.
His hands caressed her. With a hungry moan, he pressed his mouth against her, biting through the material of her trousers. His nostrils flared and his tongue stroked the rough material. She gasped softly and stiffened.
He didn’t want to stop touching her.
“I need you, Sophia,’ he said, his voice raw.
Silence rang in his ears.
She was afraid, and he didn’t want her to be.
“Let me,” he begged her. “Let me make love to you, Sophia ..
For answer, her fingers tangled in his hair, caressing his scalp, and the feel of them made him dizzy with longing. His heart jolted, and he began at once to unbutton her pants. She whimpered softly, and he cooed to her, soothing her.
“Beautiful,” he assured her. “You are so beautiful!”
He bared her, tugging her pants down. Her nails pressed gently into his scalp, and his body hardened.
Sophie moaned softly.
She looked down at him, and her heart fluttered within her breast at the sight of him... the feel of him... his face pressed boldly against her, buried in her dark curls. And then his tongue delved softly within, forcing its velvety way between her legs... warm and wet. With the delicious feel of it, Sophie lost any inhibitions she’d clung to.
Gulping in a breath, she parted her legs for him, begging him with her body to take what he wished. She wanted this desperately... but wanted to please him as well...
He pulled her down to the floor, and Sophie didn’t resist. He removed her pants, planting sweet kisses along her thighs... calves. She swallowed convulsively as he returned to kiss her intimately once more... and then he lifted himself to her lips.
For the merest instant, he stared into her eyes, his green eyes smoldering, and then he kissed her. Sophie’s heart jolted violently. She kissed him back, tasting what he had tasted. Her heartbeat quickened as he deepened the kiss, and her fingers at once sought the buttons of his pants.
She wanted to see him, too.
He moaned, his own fingers moving to assist her.
When his pants were undone, Sophie embraced him, pulling him down atop her. She wanted to feel him, experience him, love him.
Somehow, Jack managed to shrug out of his pants without breaking their kiss. He wanted more than anything to be inside her just now, but he wanted to please her more. And he wanted her to want this as much as he did. He wanted no regrets afterward. His hands sought and found her wetness, and the feel of it set his pulse to pounding.
“I love the taste of you,” he murmured, and felt her quiver beneath him. He pressed a finger into her body. “This is where I want to be, Sophia.”
She gasped softly, her body shuddering as he pushed his finger deeper.
“Can you feel that?” he asked, but knew she did. Her body arched to accept him. Her eyes closed in pleasure, and she gasped softly.
“Yes,” she whimpered, and peered up at him, her eyes fevered with desire. The knowledge pleased him. She was as passionate as she was beautiful.
He pushed higher, more firmly. “I want to be inside you,” he told her a bit desperately, leaving no mistake as to his intent. “Here.”
She nodded, but seemed unable to speak, and he pushed deeper, stopping at the barrier deep within her body. His heart leaped at the feel of it, and his emotions warred.
She had told him the truth: Penn was not her lover.
His breath quickened painfully and his hunger intensified. His body ached. He wanted to be the first and the last to spill his seed inside her.
He wanted her to carry his babies, wanted her for himself... always.
He buried his face against her throat, kissing her as he whispered, “Last chance to run, flower... no turning back after this... tell me you’re sure...”
He felt her nod, but it wasn’t enough.
His fingers caressed her maidenhead, waiting to breach it. “Tell me yes,” he urged her.
She gasped, her hands going about his neck. Her fingers dug into the back of his neck, but he wanted her to speak the words.
“Say it, Sophia,” he demanded of her.
Sophie shuddered beneath him. Her body tightened about his finger, hungry for what he would give her. He caressed her body, pleasuring her until she cried out.
“Yes!” she exclaimed, and tilted to urge him deeper.
His fingers pressed harder, deeper, and she whimpered softly.
Wetness, warm and wonderful filled her.
Bliss.
And then suddenly he was atop her, his body pressing into hers.
Sophie opened her eyes and looked into his, her breath coming labored.
“First and last,” he whispered enigmatically, and closed his eyes, forcing himself within her.
Sophie arched to receive him fully, crying out in delight at the silky feel of him as he entered her. He filled her deliciously.
She wanted him deeper and clutched his buttocks, pulling him inside her... inside her heart.
Forever.
I love you, Jack, she tried to say. But his name was the only word to emerge.
And then she was lost to the sensations his every thrust evoked. She gasped softly with every stroke, and cried out in ecstasy as her body sought that expanding thread of pleasure. It uncoiled within her, teasing her and teasing her until suddenly her body found completion.
The world exploded behind her lids.
Jack felt her release in the intense shuddering of her body. Her tremors and her cry of passion thrust him over the edge. He cried out with his own release and clutched her against him, feeling in that moment an intense satisfaction he had never experienced before now.
If he lived a thousand lifetimes, this instant would be imprinted on his brain... if he died tomorrow he would die fulfilled.
This moment was what he had lived for.
This instant he had discovered what he had searched for all his life—he knew that now, because for the first time, joined with the woman in his arms, he felt complete.
He had searched a lifetime, and others as well through his studies of bygone eras and peoples... devoting his entire life to discovering the purpose of his existence and that of mankind itself... and all the while the answer had lain within Sophie Vanderwahl’s arms.
He’d be damned if he’d lose her now.
CHAPTER 27
The weather was perfect the next morning when they sailed into port: The sky was blue, the water was bluer, and the sun shone crisply.
Sophie’s mood was buoyant and filled with anticipation.
She had no regrets over the decisions she had made and even fewer reservations over the task left before her. She had no idea how long it would be before she faced Harlan at last, but she no longer felt the least bit of fear or sorrow over it. Harlan was a burden she was eager to have lifted off her shoulders.
If she was saddened by anything at all, it was the simple fact that her journey was nearly over, and at the journey’s end she would be forced to make new decisions... decisions that could take her far from Jack.
She didn’t want to leave him, and the very thought of it wrenched at her heart.
But maybe she wouldn’t have to.
She eyed the papers she had placed on his desk. He had yet t
o see them; he’d been so preoccupied.
Sophie wasn’t such a fool to believe that simply because of what they had shared she could have a life as his wife, but she did hope that perhaps he would allow her to stay on and assist him in his work. She didn’t want to go back to Boston, back to social engagements that bored her out of her wits, back to her mother’s home where she was expected to be perfect at all times, back to her restrictive dresses that sucked the breath and life and joy from her.
The thought of having to answer the first question about Harlan made her physically ill. No matter what he had done to her, she would never tell anyone the truth—except, of course, her mother and father, and they would likely try to talk her out of her decision. She could hear her mother now as though she were standing before her this instant, her expression dour.
Sophie, my dear, all men stray at some time or another. It bears no reflection on their ability to be a proper husband. Harlan is a favorable match. What will people say if you simply discard him to live your life as a spinster!
Well, by damn, Sophie didn’t care what people would say!
No one would understand, of course, but she didn’t need them to. She was beginning to like wearing men’s pants and shirts and was looking forward to getting dirt under her nails. The very idea left her as titillated as did Jack’s very presence—Sophie had never felt so breathless. It excited her beyond her wildest dreams. In her entire life she had never felt so alive and vigorous and full of energy and expectation. She couldn’t wait to begin their journey!
Every day would be an adventure!
She couldn’t wait to cook Jack and his crew breakfast!
It was silly perhaps, but she wanted to prove she could do it. She refused to give in. Practice made perfect. She knew that much from her drawings.
“Sophia!” she heard Jack call, and hurriedly finished packing the few items she intended to take. She’d discarded her dresses completely—no reason to take them at all. They were dirty and far too unwieldy besides. Instead, she’d borrowed a few more of Shorty’s trousers and shirts, stuffing as many as she could into the backpack Jack had let her borrow. She wore a pair of Shorty’s boots and socks as well, though the boots were at least three sizes too large for her feet. It couldn’t be helped. Jack had advised her they would be far more suitable to the remainder of the journey than were her slippers. So she’d stuffed the toes with socks, and could scarce tell except by looking at them that they were much too big.
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