“Jackson,” she whispered, but she didn’t stop moving her softness against his hard cock. He felt the tension build in her. “Mmm,” she said again and he intensified the motion of his fingers. “Oh, my—” A low groan came from deep within her, and then a shuddering release. Her body relaxed and he had a feeling she would have slid into the ocean had she not been holding on to his neck.
She was languid in his arms, but his body was tense and aching for release. Turning so that she faced him, she pulled him toward her and kissed him hard. Sliding one of her hands down, she began pumping his swollen cock.
“Mar,” he growled and deepened their kiss.
“Did you see how fast you made me come? Do the same thing. Come for me, baby,” she whispered against his lips. The friction of her hand, along with the slickness of the seawater, sent Jackson reeling. It wasn’t long before his cock exploded with a force that almost knocked him off his feet and into the depths of the ocean.
Taking a cleansing breath, he steadied them both and kissed her again. Teasing her with his tongue and relishing the taste of her.
Mar wrapped her legs around him. “I’m a pirate, and I’ve captured you. I thought you should know,” she warned him.
He smiled and nipped at her ear. “Are you going to keep me in your quarters and have your way with me?”
“Oh, yes.” Her voice had dipped low again as her finger teased his neck. “I’m going to keep you naked and make you pleasure me over and over again. I’ll only allow you to stop for the occasional meal, and maybe a few hours’ rest. I’m insatiable, you know. I’m going to wear you out in a big way.”
Jackson couldn’t keep from laughing. “I see. Well, I guess I’m resigned to my fate. Do with me what you wish, fair maiden.”
She lifted an eyebrow.
“I mean, very scary pirate woman.” He corrected himself and tried to give her a serious look, which failed miserably.
Mar moved her body against his crotch. “Oh, I will do exactly what I wish, don’t worry about that.”
Jackson decided right then that he very much liked being a pirate woman’s booty call.
9
SOMETHING PRICKED HIS SENSES, and Jackson reluctantly pulled his mouth from Mar’s. Still in the water, he scanned the area, searching for the intrusion. Even with the distraction of the woman wrapped around him, his training always kicked in.
There was movement outside their villa and his eyes narrowed.
He relaxed when he realized their breakfast had arrived. A waiter dressed in a white coat and black pants had set the table.
“Time to eat,” he whispered in her ear.
“Um, suddenly I’m not so hungry for food.” She gave him a saucy wink.
He kissed her neck. “Trust me, you’re going to need tons of protein. I have such plans for you.”
He delighted in her soft laugh as she pushed away from him. Jackson straightened and was surprised that his cock was already missing her touch. The back side of her provided one luscious view as she bounced on to the beach.
Yes, he’d feed her and then he was going to make love to her on a bed where he could see her face as he drove into her. His mission for the next twenty-four hours was to make her scream with pleasure as many times as possible.
It’s a tough task, but I’m ready for the challenge.
After running on to the beach, he grabbed a towel. A king’s feast had been set up on a teak table. Fruit, pancakes, bacon, eggs, muffins and toast.
Mariska was already biting into a strawberry. She looked so carefree, wrapped in a towel and sitting cross-legged in her chair. She’d pulled her long hair into a clip and even with no makeup she was a stunner.
She caught him staring and brought a napkin to her chin to wipe her red and oh-so-kissable lips. “Do I have juice on my face? I can’t help it. This fruit is so fresh. It’s been so long since I’ve had a meal, I feel like I could eat everything here.”
Jackson wrapped his towel around his waist and sat down. Stabbing a fork into a couple of pancakes, he put them on his plate. “Hope you don’t mind if I take a couple of these before you inhale the rest.” He grinned at her, taking the bite out of his words.
The smile she gave him made his heart do funny things. “Probably a good idea,” she said. “I happen to be a pancake freak. In college those poor waitresses at IHOP cringed when I came in to study on Endless Pancake Day. You have to try the bacon. It’s from heaven. I don’t know why I love fried pig so much, but I do.”
This time he was the one who laughed. “Fried pig?”
She shrugged. “We couldn’t say the word bacon in our house. We had this old retriever, Terry the Terrible, who would knock you down if you said it. The dog loved him some bacon. While his ears were great, his sense of smell wasn’t. If you called it fried pig you could usually make it to the table with the plate.”
Jackson leaned forward. “You had a dog named Terry the Terrible?”
Rolling her eyes, she set down her fork. “You have no idea. He was an awful dog to everyone but the family. He was my grand protector. When people came over I had to keep him in the backyard or he’d sit and growl at them the whole time. He never bit anyone but he’d bark and make this low guttural sound, and basically scare the heck out of them.”
Jackson enjoyed listening to her talk. He could imagine a mean old dog determined to protect her. Hell, he’d known her less than a day, and he wanted to take care of her, even though she seemed perfectly capable of doing that for herself.
“My mom and dad traveled a lot when I was little, and Terry was my best friend.” She snorted. “Now, that sounds pathetic—a dog as a best friend. Bring out the violins. Did you have pets?” she asked as she poured syrup on her pancakes.
Jackson considered his answer. There was the one time that he had tried to hide a kitten. When his mom’s boyfriend found it he’d gone ballistic, and had beaten Jackson for ten minutes with a belt. Screaming that the last thing they needed was another mouth to feed.
The next day Jackson rode the bus two hours to the shelter and then begged the woman at the desk to promise she’d find a good home for the kitten.
A week later he went back to check to make sure the animal had been adopted and not killed. The woman at the desk had taken pity on him and explained that a nice family had taken in the animal and named him Hal. She promised that the family loved the kitten very much. She even showed him the file with a picture of the family with the kitten so he could see she told the truth.
Sitting on the back of the bus, he cried all the way home. He was seven, and after that he made it a point to never care too much about anything. “No. I never had pets. We moved too much.”
He never liked discussing himself, especially anything to do with the past, and decided to steer the conversation in a new direction.
“How long have you had your investigative agency?” Jackson knew the answer, but it was the first thing that came to his mind.
“Wow. Um, it’s been about eighteen months, I guess.” Her voice faltered for an instant. “My mom was killed in a plane crash, and she willed the place to me. They do a lot of good work there, from finding missing children to consulting with law enforcement agencies around the world. They make a difference, and I planned to be a part of it some day. I never expected it to happen so soon.”
“That must have been rough on you with your mom. I’m sorry.”
She sighed. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be up to her standards. She was incredible at what she did. People tell me her instincts were legendary. I didn’t spend much time with her when I was a kid, but in my teen years. Well, she made sure I could protect myself, and made me take martial arts even if I’d rather be practicing with makeup. I’m grateful now. But at the time, all we did was fight. When I went away to college most of our communication was through my dad. It’s always been easier for me to connect with him. I’d always planned on getting to know my mom better, and then the crash.”
She adjusted
the ponytail on top of her head, and rolled her shoulders as if to loosen tension that had built there. “Can I tell you a secret?”
Jackson was intrigued. “Of course, you can tell me anything.”
Staring down at the table, she twisted the napkin in her hand. He had a hard time reading her face and was more curious than ever.
“Whatever it is, Mar, really,” he encouraged her.
“This case, in Bangkok, was my first one. Well, technically, that is. I solved one in Texas, but that was a complete accident. Something I happened to walk in on, but this was my first one to actually take on and solve.” She pointed at him. “With your help, of course. I really don’t think I could have done it without you.”
His assumption from his earlier reading was correct. While she seemed to have some of the basics down, that she’d missed the tail and hadn’t caught on that he wasn’t who he said he was had clued him in.
“Really?” He pretended surprise. “Huh. You’re pretty good for a newbie, and I bet you would have found him on your own. Though, you might have taken a different approach.”
This time her grin went from one side of her face to the other, and he knew he’d said the right thing.
“Thank you. One thing is for sure, I would have never thought to go to a massage parlor to get intel.” She laughed.
“Well, none of us is perfect, and to be honest, I was following what little trail we had on him,” Jackson told her. “The best way to find people is usually to retrace their steps. That’s all we did. When you’re investigating it’s about following the clues you have and using those to your advantage. I could help you, you know?”
“What?” She folded her napkin and put it on the table.
“Well, the only time you really slipped up was after we dropped Gladstone off at the airport. We picked up a tail. Were you aware of that?”
Her brow furrowed. “I had no idea. That’s why you drove pretty crazy on the bike.”
“Right.” Jackson leaned back in the chair. “When you’re on a case you have to be hyperaware of your surroundings. I’ve noticed you’re good at reading people, but you lack the basics in observation techniques. I tell you what, let’s practice right now. Look straight at me, and tell me what you’ve observed on the beach since we’ve been sitting here.”
She bit her lip again, but did as he said. “I can hear someone talking, but it seems really far away. Um, and the waves are really loud. That’s about it.”
He hadn’t lied. This was something he could teach her in the little time they had together.
“Okay, now look around.”
She did as he asked.
“To your right there’s a couple about a hundred yards down the beach. She’s wearing a dark blue bikini. His suit is yellow. The man does not have the physique to wear a banana hammock, but there you go.”
“And he’s kind of furry. Ick,” she added and then laughed.
He grinned at her. “They have a basket of muffins and juice,” Jackson continued. “She’s mad at him because he passed out from drinking too much last night. He’s ignoring her.
“Beyond them to the right, there’s a bodyguard hidden in the trees. He’s watching the couple, and he’s carrying a gun on his right hip. You can tell that by the way he stands. He’s wearing a white shirt over the top of khakis trying to blend in as a tourist, but he’s not. He doesn’t fit into the crowd that stays here, and it’s apparent by the scowl on his face.”
Glancing around, Mariska held up a hand. “This is kind of freaky, Jackson. Your back is to all of them. How could you possibly know that?”
“I’ve had years of training. But I always stay aware of my surroundings.”
She stood. “You have to teach me that. I mean it, that’s friggin’ incredible what you did.”
“It’s a matter of learning to see between the lines and paying attention at all times. It’s hard work at first, but soon it will become second nature. First you focus on the people and memorize what they’re wearing, approximate height, and anything that might help you distinguish them in a crowd.”
“You amaze me. How long have you been a detective?” she asked.
Damn. Caught. The first thing an operative learned was to stick as close to the truth as possible. “I’ve been in the business, one way or another, for about eight years, but not always as a detective. I did some time in the military.” Close enough.
He steered the conversation back to safer territory. “While we’re here, we’ll work on some of the basics. You’ll begin to feel more comfortable. You’ve got good instincts, so you’re well on your way.”
Mar leaned over and kissed the top of his head. “You’re such a sweet man. I don’t know about my instincts, but I definitely appreciate the help.”
After spreading her towel down on the large two-person lounger, she sat down on the right side of it and brushed the sand from her feet. “I think my eyes were way bigger than my stomach. I shouldn’t have eaten that fifth pancake. I’m going to finish drying off and start on my tan.” She laughed.
Jackson followed her actions and stretched out beside her. After a few seconds he sat up, and reached over and kissed her long and hard.
“Mmm,” she said against his lips. “I’m so glad you’re here with me.”
Jackson stretched out again. “Me, too.” He meant it. Though he still worried that spending time together wasn’t the best idea for either of them, he couldn’t bring himself to leave.
Besides, the pirate wench had captured his heart, and he wasn’t quite ready to leave it with her yet.
10
MARISKA SAT STRAIGHT up in bed, panicked in the unfamiliar surroundings. It took her a few seconds to remember she was in the villa at the resort. Only a tiny bit of light filtered through the filmy curtains. The room was dark otherwise.
Jackson wasn’t in the bed with her, and uneasiness skittered across her skin. “Jackson?” He didn’t answer. She listened for the running water, but he wasn’t in the shower. She fumbled on the side table until she found a lamp. Blinking a few times, her eyes eventually focused. She glanced down to see she was still in her bikini.
Sliding her feet off the side, she went in search of the man. There was a small desk in the corner where she found a note.
Checking out the grounds and amenities. Will be back in time for dinner. I made reservations at the restaurant for nine to give you time to rest. There’s also a snack for you inside the fridge.
“I love that he always thinks of everything.” Mariska smiled and stretched. Her skin was tight and smelled like the ocean. She must have passed out on the lounger and Jackson put her to bed. The jet lag and their adventures the last twenty-four hours had finally caught up with her.
“Idiot. You wasted a whole afternoon sleeping.” She chided herself. Recalling their time in the water, her body shivered with pleasure. There were so many things she wanted to do with him, and to him.
Remembering how his hand had slipped over her nipple, her body tingled. She gave a happy sigh. She’d never come so fast in her life as she did in that ocean. Knowing she could bring him to orgasm equally as fast made her feel powerful.
At the time she thought it funny that they could be so passionate and then be friendly sitting on the beach eating breakfast. In some ways he seemed so dark and mysterious, and in others he was accessible and kind.
As good as she was at reading people, she never could quite get a fix on him. The man was restless, and she could tell he never stayed in one place too long, which meant the most she could expect out of him was a couple of days. Something told her that he’d been more worried about those men being after him than her. That meant he might be in some kind of trouble.
They might part ways soon but that made her even more determined to make the hours, and if she was lucky, days, she had with him memorable.
A small grumble in her stomach sent her to the fridge where she found a tiny bottle of champagne and some chocolate-covered strawberries. Th
e man absolutely nailed the way to her heart. Popping the cork on the champagne, she filled one of the glasses he left on the counter. Biting down on the strawberry, she savored the mix of chocolate sweetness and the tart juice as they slid across her tongue.
Finding her watch in her bag, she saw that it was nearing seven. That gave her plenty of time to get ready.
Jackson’s bag was under the counter near the fridge and she was tempted to snoop. Her nosy disposition was the one thing she had inherited from her mother. As she was about to reach down, she made herself stop; whatever she found wouldn’t change how she felt about him. And how much did she really need to know other than he was gorgeous and seemed intent on pleasing her?
Nothing.
Maybe he was dangerous, but he wouldn’t hurt her—at least physically. Emotionally, she wasn’t so sure. Their short time together already left her with a craving for the man’s kisses.
“You knew going into this that it was short-term, so don’t go getting any crazy ideas.” She said the words out loud as if that would make her more accepting of the statement.
While he might think she wasn’t the most perceptive woman in the world, she had deduced he was much more than a detective who traveled the world on cases. He’d mentioned the military and he had that air about him. Then there were the scars. She’d noticed the bullet wounds on his shoulder and back. There was what seemed like a knife wound near his heart, and he had a multitude of scars on his thighs.
Yes, he’d most definitely led a dangerous life, but he had only treated her with kindness. Normally, Mariska didn’t go for the protective type, but she liked that he wanted to take care of her. And she honestly wanted to take care of him.
Every time she asked about his past, a haunted look came over his face. More than anything she wanted to clear away those cobwebs of sadness. She’d noticed it when he talked to Gladstone about his father, and then again when she’d mentioned the pets.
She wouldn’t make the mistake of delving back into his childhood. He masked the pain well, but she could tell the memories hurt.
Take Me If You Dare Page 7
