Bermuda Nights - The Boxed Set (27 page)

She nodded, and then she was lost in the darkness.

Evan came up to stand beside me, his hand resting over mine on the railing. “Is she all right?”

I looked over at him. “She caught Sven with another woman.”

Evan sighed. “The man is not exactly known for his loyalty,” he murmured. “In a way I’m surprised he lasted as long as he did with Kayla.”

“Well, I think it was an eye-opener for her. She wants to disembark in Boston with me.”

A smile eased on Evan’s face. “That’s the best news I’ve heard in a while. So you two can go home together, and we don’t have to worry about her being involved when all of this goes down. It’s the best possible solution.”

“I just wish she didn’t have to be hurt in the process.”

He raised an eyebrow. “And just what scenario would have allowed her to joyfully live her heroin-soaked dream?”

I laid my head against his shoulder. “You’re right, of course. This is probably the easiest way she could have gotten out of this whole mess.”

He was quiet for a moment, and when he spoke again his voice was rough. “That was how I found you, a week ago. Leaning against that railing, crying as if your life was over.”

I pressed a kiss against his cheek. “My life
was
over,” I responded. “Just not in the way I thought. My old life was ending, a life of isolation and uncertainty. You’ve given me a new life – one of hope.” My eyes drew to his. “One of love.”

His gaze grew smoky, and he leaned forward, kissing me gently at first, then with deeper passion. I melted into him, and his arms came up around me as if they’d always belonged there. I became lost in the sensation, in the strength of his arms around me, and when he stepped back I gasped at the sense of loss.

He swept me up in his arms. In a few steps he had walked around to the side of the ship, ascending the stairs there.

Another two flights, and we had reached a small, private deck, high over all else, shielded on all sides by canvas panels. The only thing visible, besides the high smokestack behind us, was a glimpse of the pointed bow of the ship, sticking out just beyond the structure of the bridge.

I looked around the area. A closed cupboard was against the forward panel, and several deck loungers sat to one side.

He put me on my feet and opened the cupboard, drawing out several towels. He tossed them onto one of the loungers, then came to stand before me. His eyes drew down my length, going smoky with desire. “Have I told you that you look stunning?”

I smiled. “That’s the kind of thing I could hear as often as you wish to say it.”

He brought his gaze back to my eyes. “Take off the dress.”

A shiver of nervous delight eased through me. We hadn’t seen anybody at all during our walk – most people were undoubtedly glued to the countless TV sets glowing throughout the ship – but still! What if someone came up?

His grin grew. “I’ll be listening for footsteps on the stairs; don’t you worry. Those metal stairs echo like a cathedral.” He nudged his head. “Off.”

I swallowed, then put my arm behind my back to the zipper. I could barely reach it by tilting my wrist up. Slowly, carefully, I eased the zipper down my back until it reached my waist. The dress came free, falling off my shoulders, and I caught it at my chest.

He nodded, licking his lips absently. “Slowly.”

I scrunched the dress at my chest, bringing my breasts high and together with the same motion. He let out a low groan, his eyes caught by my motion. I slid my hands up onto my breasts, allowing the dress to fall free beneath them. It cascaded down to my feet, leaving me in a black bra, matching panties, and the red high heels.

Evan’s voice was hoarse. “You are magnificent.” He drew in a breath. “Turn around.”

I carefully maneuvered in the puddle of red fabric surrounding me, drawing my eyes around the curtain of navy-blue panels which surrounded us. Then I was back again to the man I loved. His black tuxedo glistened in the starlight, and the evidence of his need for me pressed hard against his pants.

He nudged his head. “The bra. I want to see your beautiful breasts.”

I put my hands to my back, releasing the clasp. I brought my hands to the front, cupping my breasts, shrugging my shoulders to free the straps. I slid my hands to cover the nipples, then let the bra fall free.

His eyes shone, and he walked toward me. He bent so his head was at my right breast. His lips kissed my fingers, sliding along them, and then they pushed through, insistent, encompassing my nipple. I moaned at the sensation, as his hands came around to hold onto my ass, to lift me up. His mouth sucked my nipple in, and I could feel it harden against his tongue, bursting with sensation and need. Liquid heat seared from it straight through my core and down to my sex.

He drew his head back, and the cold air on my wet nipple made it peak even further. His lips moved to the other one, drawing it in, and I wrapped my hands behind his head, holding it in place against me. The stars danced above us, eternal in the ebony sky, as my body came alive with passion and desire.

He moved around behind me, the crisp fabric sending delicious signals wherever it touched me. He brought one hand around to fondle my breast, and the other traced a path slowly, lingeringly, down my stomach. His voice was a gentle murmur in my ear. “Did you ever see Titanic?”

I chuckled. “Don’t tell me this is the part where we both go into the frigid water.”

He shook his head with a smile. “That water temperature is probably a balmy 60F,” he corrected, “And I was thinking about a different scene.” He gave a squeeze to my nipple, and I gasped.

He kissed along my neck. “Put your arms out to the side, and look ahead.”

I dutifully raised my arms, looking forward to the bow of the ship, and the breeze blew my hair back again. I could almost feel it, almost feel the pounding of the surf beneath me, the sense of motion as we plowed through the deep waves.

His voice was a murmur. “That part of the ship is off limits, for security reasons, but this will be close enough.” His hand traced lower, sending fiery waves through me. He was just at the top of my panties now. “Lean into it.”

I leant forward, and he held me, one hand on my breast, the other now sliding into my panties. His fingers eased into my moist folds, and I groaned with desire. His cock throbbed in response, and I arched back against him.

His voice was hoarse. “Not yet,” he scolded. “This is all about you. This is all about –”

His fingers delved in, and if he hadn’t been holding me up, I would have collapsed in a puddle at his feet.

His voice was hoarser now. “Feel the ship. Feel it surging through the waves.” His fingers thrummed, and my groan deepened. My arms stretched out to the side as if I could go aloft and reach the moon, buoyed on the waves of intense pleasure, of star-drenched desire which filled every part of me.

“You’re mine,” growled Evan, his arms pressing me back into him, holding me up, his fingers working their magic which overwhelmed all my senses. “I am what you need. I am
all
you need. With me, you feel …”

The sensation grew, doubled, quadrupled, and then it was everything. My world was awash in color and sound, in the pounding of the surf and the blowing of the breeze. I gave myself fully to it, throwing my head back, and the shudders of pleasure became my entire world.

The stars twinkled in their eternal course.

It seemed centuries before I eased back to earth, before my hands returned to my side and I turned to face him. My kiss was deep, full, and left nothing behind.

I was his.

At last I released his lips, looking up into his eyes. They were smoky with desire, and I could see the effort it took him to remain still.

I slid my hands inside his tuxedo jacket, laying them along the white shirt. “Now it’s my turn.”

He began to say “Oh?” but as I eased my hand down over the bulge in his pants it turned into a strangled cough.

He began to shrug off his jacket, but I shook my head at him. “Uh-uh,” I scolded. “You look far too nice to disturb. Let’s just leave you like this.”

I lowered myself to my knees before him, and his cock pressed even harder against the fabric, straining. I danced my fingers along its edge, and his groan vibrated through his body. “You should stop that or –”

I pressed more firmly against it, and he staggered. I pitched my voice to hold sweetness. “I trust in you completely, sweetheart. I know your control is absolute.”

A shuddering breath was his only reply.

I undid the buckle of his belt, slipping the leather free and dropping it on the ground next to me. Then the buttons, one by one. By the time I eased his cock out of his pants, it was rock hard. I danced my fingers along its length.

One of his hands came down toward my head.

I looked up to him with innocent eyes. “Hands out. To the side.”

He looked as if he might refuse, and grab my head to drive my mouth hard against his throbbing cock. Then, with a small nod, he raised them into the air. I could see the ripple of his arm muscles as he held them in place.

“Much better,” I agreed. I opened my lips and licked them to wet them. My hands moved around to cup his perfectly firm ass.

The groan seemed to come from his very soul, and pre-cum eased from the tip of his cock. “Oh, Amanda …”

I tipped my head forward and softly licked his head.

It seemed to take all his strength to keep his arms in the air, to allow me to continue at my slow, tantalizing pace.

I swirled my tongue around the head, working my way down, down, my mouth sliding wetly against his length. When I reached his base I gave his ass a squeeze, and by his shudder I thought he might have reached his limit right there. But he held on, his breath coming in long draws.

I slid back out, darting with my tongue as I came free. “You are mine,” I reminded him. “Because I can make you feel like …”

My mouth was in motion again, sliding down more quickly this time, and his groan shuddered, his breath catching as I reached the end and his head pressed into my tight throat. Then I was out, and the rhythm increased …

“Yes,” he begged, his arms trembling. “Please, give me … give me …”

I was one with his need, with his pent-up desire, and I slid faster, harder, taking him deep within my mouth, my lips wet and warm and tight. Then we were moving together, hard, sharp, and his legs trembled before he arched back and exploded down my throat. For a long, shimmering moment, he was my figurehead. He was my guiding symbol, my protective spirit, and he was completely vulnerable to me.

And then, at last, he descended from the heights and I released him, drawing to my feet. He drew me hard into his arms, wrapping me in an embrace which encompassed my soul. His lips pressed against my neck, sucking gently, as if he somehow wanted to merge us wholly.

His voice was a whisper.

“Mine.”

Chapter 9

Evan’s fingers had barely finished settling my zipper into place at my back when we heard the hollow sound of multiple people coming up the stairs. I flushed with heat, even though we were both fully dressed again. If they had been only a few minutes earlier …

I turned with a smile, curious who else was seeking out this private oasis during our final hours at sea.

The shadows came up and moved into the moonlight. Sven, Hank, and Tom blinked in surprise at finding us there, then Sven’s eyes shone with amusement as he looked between us. “Enjoying your last night together, eh?”