Bermuda Nights - The Boxed Set (8 page)

His fingers tightened. “She knew. Somehow she knew, just from the knock, and she stared at the door, as if ignoring it would change the course of time. As if, if she didn’t go and answer it, everything would be all right. I stayed next to her, knowing something was wrong, and knowing the best I could do was be strong for her.”

He dipped his head. “They knocked again, and she finally went to open the door. And there the brass was, in their best suits, their hats in their hands.”

His voice grew tight. “My father had been shot in the line of duty. He wasn’t coming home again.”

My heart ached, and for a moment I couldn’t breathe. “Evan, I’m so sorry.”

“My mother, and my little sister, Kate, were lost without my dad. My two younger brothers went different ways. The fighter got wilder; the fisherman became even more withdrawn. It was up to me and my older brother to hold things together, to keep the family going. We never had the luxury to grieve.”

He looked down at me. “But you never move on, Amanda. You never forget it. You might find ways of coping, you might find ways of coming to terms with what happened. But it’s always a part of you. It’s always a piece of what makes you
you.
”

I nodded to him. “But how do you do that?”

He drew his fingers down my cheek. “You find a way to honor their memory. You find something to do with your life that keeps what was important to them alive. Maybe you find a way to ensure their dream continues, or that your dream for them is realized.”

I drew in a breath. “Well, I’ve always wanted to write a poem for her, but I didn’t think it would be good enough.”

He brushed back my hair. “Amanda, I’m sure that she would have loved whatever you created for her.”

An idea came to me, and I looked up at him. “If I wrote it, would you put some music to it? Tanya adored music.”

A distant look came to his eyes, and he smiled. “I would be honored to help.”

I leaned up and pressed my lips against his.

I had meant for it to be a simple thank-you. A quick brush to show my appreciation for his offer. But when my lips touched his, glowing electricity shimmered out, down my neck, through my chest, and flowing out to the tips of my fingers and toes.

I moaned with pleasure.

His hands came down to my upper arms, holding me there, and he wavered. I couldn’t tell if he was preparing to push me away or to bring me in further.

Desire welled within me, rich, hot, coursing like liquid lava, and I opened my mouth to him.

He groaned, soul-deep, and I could feel him teetering on the edge.

Our tongues met.

He pulled me in, hard, his tongue swirling against mine, and I gasped at the power of it, the force of heat which flooded through my body. He rolled with me, pressing me down into the grass with his body, and my leg slid up against his thigh of its own accord. He trailed his hand down my leg, easing my turquoise dress up to my waist, dancing his fingers along my black panties.

He groaned as he reached the middle. “God, Amanda, you are soaked.”

I could feel it, feel the hardness of my nipples pressing out against my bra, and I wanted to get out of these constrictive clothes. I sat up, and he straddled me, pulling my dress up off the top of my head. He gazed down at my black lace bra, his eyes shining in the moonlight.

“Oh, Amanda, you are gorgeous.”

He rolled, taking me with him, and then I was straddling him, rocking my pelvis against the firm outline of his cock in his jeans. He groaned with pleasure, reaching to pull his shirt loose and strip it up over his head. I bent down, squeezing my thighs together at his hips, brushing my bra-held breasts along the ripples of his chest.

His hands came up behind my back, undid the clasp, and he slid his hands around to the front, easing them beneath the fabric to cup my breasts.

I groaned with the contact of his skin against mine, then shrugged my arms out of the straps. He tossed the bra to the side, then lifted me up so my nipple dangled in front of his mouth. He drew it in, licking it, sucking it, and the cool breeze on the wet tip made it harden even more, until it was a beacon of pleasure.

I groaned, and he slid his hands along my waist, back to cup my ass, and he pulled me over so the other breast was at his mouth. His tongue made circles around the tip, and then he gave it a soft bite.

My groan was louder, deeper.

He rolled me so my back was on the grass, and then he knelt over me, his hands back at my hips, sliding down my black panties until they were off. Then he stood over me, just in his jeans, the hardness of his cock clearly outlined. He stood there, gazing down my length, soaking in the way my naked body shone in the moonlight.

His voice was hoarse. “You are amazing, Amanda.”

He put his hands to his belt, undoing the buckle, then the zipper. He gave a tug, and then the jeans slid down his muscular thighs, revealing his black briefs. I soaked in the sight of him, the glory of his muscular body outlined against the star-studded night sky.

His hands moved to the waistband of his briefs … and stopped.

His voice was tight with desire, and his eyes were shadowed. “Amanda … Amanda, are you sure you want this? I won’t be back in Boston for –”

“I’ll wait for you,” I vowed. “If we have just this one night, and then you’re gone for three more months, I can wait.” My throat closed up. “I’ve already been waiting for you for so long …”

He groaned, his briefs slid to the ground, and he stood before me in all his naked glory. My body vibrated with desire, with need for him.

He dropped to one knee by his pants, taking out a foil pouch, slipping on the condom. Then he had rolled to straddle me, an arm on either side, and his gaze was deeper than I’d ever experienced in my life.

He rocked his hips so his head pressed, ever so gently, against my opening.

His voice was barely a whisper, it was so tight with restraint. “Amanda, you’re sure?”

I slid my legs up his, hooking them behind his ass, and squeezed, drawing him into me. I groaned at the feeling of him pressing into me, expanding me, filling me.

A ragged sigh rolled out of him, and he finished the plunge, pushing himself fully into me, deeply, his pelvis coming up against me, sensation billowing to every corner of my body.

I lifted my head to meet his, and his mouth opened on mine. Our tongues, hot, wet, mingled, and the cool island breeze brought every inch of my skin to life.

He bit at my neck, and I groaned, arching up harder into him. He brought a hand down to squeeze my nipple, twisting it, and the sensation ratcheted me up higher.

His voice was low against my ear, a growl. “Let me hear you, baby.” He drove into me again, harder, and my cry was primal, guttural.

“There you go”, he praised with deep satisfaction. “Our harmony.” He thrust deeper, my breath groaned out of me, and he let his voice join mine, echoing in my ears. My clit buzzed with sensation and I wrapped my body around his, pulling him in faster, deeper, arching into him. My voice rose high out of me, merging with his groans. Our bodies slammed harder, slick with sweat, salty, and the world was falling away, far beneath me, and I was soaring … soaring …

Silver moonlight burst around me, my body arched hard, and a wordless cry echoed across the beach as I lost all sense of self. There were just waves of soul-deep pleasure, rocking me, making every cell glow with brilliance. Evan was within me, intertwined, comingled, and I couldn’t tell where I ended and he began.

Then, at long last, I floated down, like an autumn leaf shaking loose from the highest point on an oak and swirling, spinning, easing through countless thermals before finally settling to rest on a soft bed of pine needles.

His weight settled down against my chest, and I soaked it in, nestling my head against his. I could lie like this for an eternity.

At last he rolled to the side, his eyes shining in the moonlight. He reached out a hand to gently brush my hair away from my face. His voice was a low vow.

“I’ll come for you, Amanda. When this is all over and behind us, I swear I’ll come for you.”

Chapter 8

The campfire’s soft glow grew larger as we approached it, and I steeled myself to not be affected by the drug usage. Those two were living their own lives, and I was far from perfect. I shouldn’t be judging others on where they were in their own struggles.

Thank God.

My shoulders eased with relief as we approached the glowing embers. There were only a trio of older men talking quietly at one side of the remains of the fire. Apparently we’d been gone longer than I’d thought.

The men looked up as we approached. One of them scratched at his neck before speaking. “Hey, you Evan? Your friend said he’d take your guitar back to your room for you.” His eyes lit up with amusement. “Guess you and that girl of yours were … occupied.”

I blushed, but Evan just nodded to them. “Thanks, guys. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

He put his hand on my back, and we moved on. The Bermuda night was quiet around us as we made our way through the narrow alleys, wending our way back to the larger dockyard buildings.

I slipped my arm around his waist as we moved into the shadows of one of the run-down larger buildings. He drew me in close, pressing a kiss on my forehead. His voice was rough. “Amanda, you know we will need to stay distant once we get back on the ship. Starting tomorrow afternoon, we need to keep at arm’s length. Like Catholic kids at a school dance.”

“I know,” I insisted, although saying the words twisted within me. It was going to be a test of my endurance, to be near him and not able to touch him, to kiss him, to …

He slowed, and I glanced up at him in curiosity. I could feel it viscerally, how his body sharpened, how his muscles rippled into steeled readiness.

Tension shafted through me, and I turned to look ahead. My breath caught in my throat.

A trio of well-built men were striding toward us, laughing, beer bottles in hand. The swaggering motion in their strides indicated that this was probably not their first drink of the night.

Jeff was at the center, his orange polo shirt glowing out like a warning sign.
Danger Ahead.

My stomach roiled with sick dread.

The men on either side of Jeff were about his height and build, dressed in dark t-shirts and jeans. I wondered if they were who Jeff had come on the cruise with.

Jeff glanced up as we drew closer, his eyes narrowed, and he staggered to a stop. His grip closed in on his bottle.

“Jesus Christ, Amanda! Do you know what time it is? And you’re out with this bastard again?” His eyes narrowed as he looked between us. “Don’t tell me you really are fucking him? Good God, Amanda, he’s gonna use you up, then move on to the next spread-legs whore in the morning! Don’t you get it?”

Evan took a step in front of me, shielding me with his body, his voice low and steady. “I’m taking her back to the ship, Jeff. You just head on wherever it is you’re going.”

Jeff took a step in front of his two friends, his face darkening. “You don’t fucking tell me what to do, you asshole. Amanda is mine.” His neck went taut. “I’m going to make sure she doesn’t forget it again.”

Evan’s fingers flexed. His voice steeled. “You’re not going to lay a hand on Amanda.”

Jeff snapped his wrist to the side, and the bottle in his hand exploded against the stone wall with a sharp burst of liquid and glass. He settled the neck firmly into his right hand, his eyes gleaming with fury.