Grave Destinations (23 page)

Leaning close, he kissed her brow, her cheeks, the tip of her nose. When he kissed her lips, he felt something far more potent than desire. “Isn’t it obvious?”

 

Ruby woke in the dead of night, groggy and disoriented. It took a few moments to gain her bearings and remember where she was, whose bed she currently occupied.

She’d broken her normal pattern with Jack. Up to this point she’d made a practice of never spending the night in a man’s bed. To her, the act was far too intimate and meant way too much—much more than she was willing to give.

So then why had she stayed? She honestly didn’t know, and she really didn’t want to delve too deep to find an honest answer. She’d much rather enjoy the time they had left before the ship reached its final destination.

Still sluggish with sleep, she reached for Jack but found his side of the bed empty.

“Jack?”

She rolled over, her eyes scanning the darkened cabin. It didn’t take long to find him, his broad masculine frame silhouetted against the light of the full moon, standing naked on the balcony. His hands gripped the rail as he stared out at the open ocean, stock-still and silent.

Ruby slipped out from beneath the covers and crossed the room. “What are you doing out there?” she asked, stopping short of the doorway to the balcony.

“Nothing. Just enjoying the night air.” When he turned to face her, she noticed a faint trace of silver rimming his eyes. “It seems Gilrov has an affinity for the open ocean.”

“He’s talking to you?”

“Not quite.” His voice sounded guarded, unsure. “It’s difficult to explain, but I’m becoming more . . . aware of him. Of his likes and dislikes. Aside from . . .” Now he looked downright uncomfortable. He lifted a shoulder, averted his gaze. “Well, you know.”

“I get the gist.” She didn’t comprehend the particulars—had no way of grasping the complex relationship between man and demon—so she didn’t press him for details. All that mattered was his growing sense of equilibrium, the potential for peace after so many years of chaos.

He motioned for her to join him. “The view’s spectacular tonight. You really ought to see this.”

Before she had the chance to say no, he reached for her hand and gently pulled her through the doorway to the balcony. The humid ocean air caressed her bare skin, tangled the long strands of her hair. Flooded her mind with darkness from the past.

The effect wasn’t lost on Jack. “Shit, I’m sorry.” His mouth set in a grim slash. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“No, it’s . . . it’s okay.”

She took a tentative step toward the balcony’s edge. A cold shiver raced up her spine as she stared down at the choppy waters below. “We’re moving again.”

“Yeah, Dmitri must have fixed whatever he did to the ship’s engines.”

Ruby’s heart pounded in her chest as events from the past flashed through her mind. Her left hand instinctively reached for her neck, her fingers tracing the exposed ridge of scar tissue. She hadn’t bothered to put the choker back on before going to bed, another first for her.

“After I got arrested, the sheriff wanted to hang me in my cell. Make it look like a suicide,” she said, not sure why she was dredging up bad memories, but doing it anyway. For some reason she wanted to tell him—needed to tell him—the rest of her sordid story, of how she became what she was. “But his deputy told him folks might start asking questions. It’d be better if I just disappeared. So they waited until nightfall and took me out to sea on old man Jenning’s fishing boat.”

Jack wrapped his arms around her, easing her back against his chest. He felt warm, and strong, and solid, a tangible reminder that the past could no longer inflict physical pain. He pressed a kiss against her hair. “You don’t have to tell me this.”

“I know.” And maybe that’s why she wanted to. She relaxed against his chest, her fingers still stroking the scar that marred her neck.

“Once they got the boat out far enough, Sheriff McAllister slit my throat with a chunking knife and shoved me overboard.” She swallowed hard, trying not to think about the sting of the blade or her sudden shocking inability to breathe. The cold Atlantic waters, engulfing her body and flooding her lungs. She let out a long, shuddering exhale and Jack’s grip tightened. “I broke the surface once before I lost consciousness.”

Time had faded many of the details, but the greatest hits still rang clear in her mind. The pain. The terror. The rage and regrets.

Jack didn’t say anything right away. His arms remained locked around her waist, his muscles taut and unyielding. “Thank you for sharing that with me,” he finally said, his voice a strained murmur. There was a distinct edge of anger in his words, a barely contained outrage on her behalf that she found touching. “That couldn’t have been easy.”

“Honey, you have no idea,” she said, aiming for indifference but missing it by a mile.

“No wonder you had such a bad attitude about going on this cruise. Every time you look over the rail, you remember that moment, don’t you?” He kissed the outer curve of her ear, the wet heat from his tongue dimming her recollection of that muggy August evening. “I think we need to replace those bad memories with something a little more. . .pleasant.” His hands skimmed up her torso, cupped her breasts. A soft moan escaped her lips when his thumbs brushed against her nipples.

She tried to turn around, but he held her firmly in place.

“Not yet,” he said, his words warm against her ear. He nibbled her earlobe, and when she squirmed she found him already aroused. “Relax.” Mouth moving lower, his teeth grazed the skin just below her jaw. “Don’t think. Just feel.”

She closed her eyes, focusing on the heat of his mouth at the hollow of her throat, the light scrape of teeth against sensitive skin. His hands were still at her breasts, stroking, caressing, sparking a hunger that started low and flared like wildfire.

“Listen to the sound of the ocean,” he murmured, his voice going all deep and husky. “Feel the wind washing over that beautiful body of yours.”

Heat swelled between her legs. Her knees felt weak, like they were about to buckle, so she reached for the rail and held on for dear life.

“Don’t worry.” His mouth moved lower, pressed open-mouthed kisses against her shoulder. His jaw was rough with stubble, and she couldn’t help but think about how wonderful it would feel against other parts of her body. “I would never let you fall.”

One of his hands skimmed lower, pausing for a moment to circle her belly button before resuming its journey, not stopping until it slipped between her legs. His fingers stroked her sex and she gasped.

“You’re so wet.” The words came out in a low carnal growl. Over and around, his fingers traced invisible patterns that quickened her pulse and had her close to hyperventilating. “So wet. Just for me.”

“Just for you.” Pleasure drenched her senses when he slipped two fingers inside her and stroked. Her mouth fell open as her hips began to roll, and her entire body trembled. Then his thumb found her clit, circling in an exquisite rhythm that nearly turned her bones to jelly.

She surrendered to the barrage of overlapping sensations, her mind going blank while her body basked in the pleasures Jack offered. His mouth traced a lazy path along her spine, kissing, nipping, while those talented fingers made her feel so damn good she almost forget her own name. The need for release coiled tighter and tighter, until she thought she might disintegrate into a puddle of mush.

So lost in the moment, she barely noticed when he turned her around, propping her arms on the balcony rail.

“Give me your leg,” he said as he dropped to his knees. His eyes gleamed with lust, and yearning, and something else she couldn’t quite identify. They were also still rimmed with silver, a constant reminder that they weren’t completely alone.

“Jack?” She wanted to make sure it really was Jack staring up at her with such heated intensity it made her entire body shimmer.

“Yes?” His features shifted, his brow crinkled with concern. “Is something wrong?”

“No, darling.” She touched a hand to his hair. “Just making sure you were really you.”

He chuckled at that. “Are you kidding? There’s no way in the world I’d miss out on this.”

His fingers gently wrapped around the back of her knee, guiding her leg up and over his shoulder. He went still for a few seconds, staring, and then a low growl rumbled from deep in his throat. “Mine.” And then his mouth claimed her sex and she reveled in the wonders of lips and teeth and tongue, the feel of his hands grasping her hips, the sounds of their moans intertwined with the waves of the ocean.

He was focused, relentless, driving her to an orgasm so intense it made her dizzy. It was a good thing he kept a firm hold of her hips because her muscles had gone all loose and rubbery, and there was a pretty good chance she would have collapsed on the spot.

She was drifting high on a cloud of sensual bliss when Jack rose from his knees. Hands on her hips, he paused long enough to hook her right leg around his waist before driving deep inside her wetness.

She gasped. He groaned.

“Christ,” he said, eyes closed and teeth gritted, his head tilting forward until his brow touched hers. He stood perfectly still for so long Ruby started to get a little nervous. But then his eyes opened and his gaze smoldered with masculine desire. Voice raw with emotion, he said, “Words cannot describe how fucking incredible you feel.”

She smiled, pleased to know she could return some of the pleasure he’d already given her. “Then what are you waiting for?” Squeezing her muscles around his cock, she was rewarded with a tortured groan. “Show me, and don’t you dare think about holding back.”

An indulgent smile curved his lips right before he kissed her. He took his time, feeding her long, slow, drugging kisses that curled her toes and set her body on fire. Then his hips began to move, his thrusts falling into a deep, powerful rhythm that hit just the right place at just the right angle with just the right amount of pressure. She hooked her other leg around his waist and leaned back against the rail, not caring about the coolness of the wood or the dark waters below because he felt so good and she could already feel that delicious heat building with each stroke of his hips.

“Harder,” she panted. She dragged her nails across his back, loving the sound of his sudden sharp intake of breath. Damn, if that didn’t make a woman feel good. He complied with her demand, pumping harder, faster, driving them toward the oblivion they both craved.

She was so close now, could once again feel the pressure coiling impossibly tight, building, building, building, until the climax washed over her, blanketing her senses with mindless pleasure.

Through the haze of euphoria she felt Jack stiffen, then curse, and then he lost himself in the orgasm, his face buried in the crook of her neck, his breath hot against her breast.

“Jesus,” he said almost a full minute later, his breath still coming out in long, labored pulls. Carefully, he shifted so he could carry her inside. He laid her gently on the bed and stretched out beside her.

“You’re going to be the death of me.” He didn’t sound the least bit distressed about the possibility, and that made her inexplicably happy.

“Doubtful,” she replied, her muscles loose and lax with postcoital satisfaction. “I think we’ll call it a draw.” Sated and sleepy, she snuggled against him, a hand on his chest so she could run her fingers through the light dusting of coarse dark hair.

Before she knew it, she’d fallen into a deep, restful sleep, forgetting about her troubles for the first time in nearly half a century.

D
awn crept above the horizon, the early morning rays casting a soft orange glow over Jack’s cabin. Through the open balcony door, the outline of an island sailed into view, a welcome sight after two stressful days at sea. As the fog of sleep gradually cleared from Jack’s mind, he became increasingly aware of the sexy redhead sharing his bed.

My God, she was beautiful. Ruby lay curled against his side, her arm slung across his stomach. So lush, so warm and inviting. The scent of her skin drenched his senses, sparking a fierce case of morning wood and rousing Gilrov from his slumber.

The demon stirred, a soft steady hum that buzzed through Jack’s blood. The hum grew stronger when he brushed back the hair from her face. Even stronger when she snuggled closer and made a low, contented sound. The sensation served as a constant reminder that he would never be truly alone.

Nearly a full day had passed since he’d read the demon the riot act. For the most part, Gilrov had acquiesced to his demands, but for how long would the good behavior last? Days? Weeks? Months? Not knowing the answer kept him on edge.

Jolie Duquette’s advice rolled around in his head. Aside from sex, he had no clue what the demon desired most. There had to be something outside its carnal cravings; all he had to do was figure out what it was and how to obtain it.

Several heartbeats passed while he watched Ruby sleep. A wave of tenderness washed over him, and he immediately recognized the feeling for what it was. “Damn.” It amazed him, how quickly his feelings had deepened, from lust and infatuation to something much more intense and far more meaningful.

She was sadly mistaken if she thought he was going to let her slip away once the ship returned to Port Canaveral. As far as he was concerned, he was finished with worthless nights in the arms of strangers. What he felt for her sucked the air from his lungs and made him weak at the knees. No way was he giving her up without a fight.

He watched her sleep for nearly an hour, reveling in the softness of her skin and the warmth of her breath against his chest. Finally, she woke, her eyes fluttering open as she stretched beside him.

“Morning, Beulah.” He kissed her forehead.

“Morning to you, too,” she said, her voice sleepy and soft. She stretched again and his body tightened with arousal. “What time is it?”

“A little before eight.”

“Really?” She twisted her neck to glance at the clock. “I can’t remember the last time I slept this late.”

Now that she was awake, he nudged the sheet lower, exposing the gentle swells of her breasts. Another nudge and she was bared to the thighs. She’d been right the evening before. All of her injuries had healed while she slept. The sight of all that bare, unblemished skin made his mouth water and had Gilrov chomping at the bit.

His hand skimmed down the length of her torso, settling on the soft swell of her hip. “No piercings,” he murmured.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m sorry, I was thinking out loud.” He gave her hip a light squeeze. “It just hit me that you don’t have anything inked or pierced. You don’t see much of that nowadays.”

“Well, it’s not for lack of trying. I wanted to pierce my ears when I was sixteen, but my daddy wouldn’t allow it. He said only loose women with low morals did stuff like that.” She grinned, her laughter low and rich. “I never should have listened to him. Now it’s too late.”

“Why too late?”

“Because of the way reapers heal.” Her mouth turned up in a wistful smile. “I got my ears pierced once, back in the early seventies. The holes sealed up as soon as I took the damn things out to put in a different pair. You should have seen what happened when I went in for a tattoo.”

Now he was intrigued. “So how far do these regenerative powers go?”

“Beats me.” Ruby’s fingers toyed with the hairs on his chest, her touch light yet arousing. If she noticed the hard-on she was giving him, she didn’t let it show. “In general, I avoid testing my threshold for pain. Besides, I think the folks in charge prefer it if we walk on the side of caution. There’s less risk of exposure to the mortal world that way, and pain works as a powerful motivator.”

“Makes sense.” Giving in to temptation, he rolled her onto her back. He dipped his head to nuzzle her neck and the taste of her skin made him want more, now. “It’s a damn good thing you can’t mark up your body with any of that stuff.”

“It is?”

A guttural sound rose up from her throat when he sucked on a sensitive spot. Good thing the choker was finally out of the way, or he never would have found it.

“Oh, yes.” His teeth grazed her earlobe as his hand cupped her breast. The sound she made this time left him aching with need. In the periphery of his mind he sensed Gilrov’s presence, eager to feed but remaining submissive. “It would be such a shame to miss out on all this beautiful, unblemished skin.”

To prove his point, he took a leisurely tour of her body, exploring every swell, every curve, learning all of the wonderful places that made her squirm, and whimper, and call out his name. By the time he finished, they were both panting, and sweaty, and thoroughly sated.

“Christ, you’re flexible,” he panted, still floating high on a cloud of afterglow.

“It’s the Pilates.”

“Whatever it is, don’t ever stop.”

She laughed, draped an arm over his heaving chest. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

“Bet you say that to all the boys.”

“Pretty much.”

He gave her ass a playful swat. With a grunt, he rolled out of bed. “I need a shower. Care to join me? There’s plenty of room for two.”

“Sounds fun, but I don’t think I’m ready to stand just yet.” She rolled over and reached for the room service menu on the nightstand. “I’ll order us some breakfast while you’re in there.”

“How can you be hungry after everything you ate last night?” When she shot him a look, he said, “Oh yeah. Right. Fast metabolism.”

“Anything in particular you want to eat?” she asked as she flipped the menu open.

He grinned, waggled his eyebrows.

“For breakfast, you deviant.”

The grin widened to a smile. He ducked the pillow she tossed at his head. “Better save your strength. I have plans for you this afternoon.”

 

Ruby held back a smile until the bathroom door clicked shut. Then it slowly crept across her face, her body rejuvenated by a good night’s sleep and a delightful bout of morning sex.

She felt good. Hell, she felt fantastic.

Outside, the ship’s horn bellowed. From where she lay, she saw clear blue waters and the outline of a sandy shore. Densely covered mountains rose in the distance, with the space in between crowded with colorful buildings. She had no idea which island it was, but was grateful for the sight of dry land.

Stomach growling, she dialed room service and ordered enough food to feed a family of six. She needed the calories to make up for what she’d burned the night before, and for whatever Jack had in mind for later.

Thoughts of the future gave her pause. How far was she willing to take things with Jack? What would happen once the cruise came to an end? Until last night, she’d treated their time together as she had any other casual fling. She’d never entertained the notion of happily ever after, never wanted anything more than a temporary distraction from the drudgery of her everyday life.

And yet she couldn’t deny the fact that somewhere along the line, her feelings for Jack had ventured beyond her carefully constructed boundaries. Now the idea of entanglement held a certain appeal, while the possibility of hurting him hurt her as well. The realization shook her soul and knocked her world right off its axis.

A knock at the door jarred her thoughts.

Wow, that had to be some kind of record. Less than five minutes had passed since she’d called for breakfast. She slipped on Jack’s robe, fastened the choker around her neck, and started toward the door.

Peering through the peephole, she was shocked to find Dmitri standing on the other side. Even more shocked to see him carrying her suitcases.

“What are you doing here?” she asked when she opened the door. “And what are you doing with all my stuff?”

He strode past her without giving a reply, dumping her bags by the side of the bed. The suitcases hit the floor with a heavy thud, a testament to the mountain of clothing she’d packed for the cruise.

“I thought you would like your things, since it seems you packed your entire wardrobe.” When he turned to face her, his expression showed less emotion than a poker player in the middle of a tournament. “Is it safe to assume you will be staying here for the remainder of the voyage?”

“Yes, but . . .” But what? He was absolutely correct in his assumption, so why did his actions take her so totally by surprise?

She glanced down at her bulging luggage, not sure how she felt about the whole situation. In the past couple of days, the dynamic of their relationship had irrevocably shifted to accommodate her feelings for Jack. One intimacy giving way to another. They’d never be as close as they were before, and a part of her mourned the loss. Obviously, Dmitri recognized the change as well, or he wouldn’t be delivering her luggage to Jack’s cabin.

“I have known you for a very long time,
milashka
. And in that time, I have never seen you look at a man the way you look at him.” Funny, how the corners of his mouth pulled down whenever he referred to Jack, like he’d just swallowed a teaspoonful of castor oil. “He means a great deal to you, does he not?”

The denial was perched on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t bring herself to say the words. He knew her as well as she knew herself, so what was the point in lying? So instead she nodded, her heart pounding against her ribs. “I—yes. He does.”

Something flashed in Dmitri’s eyes, but it was gone so quickly she wasn’t sure what it meant.

“Then your door is no longer open to me.” There it was again, and this time she registered the slash of pain. Not the pain of lost love, but the pain associated with unwelcome change. It was the closest he ever came to tender emotions, and she was touched with the knowledge that he carried them for her.

“My door’s always open for you, Dmitri.” Reaching up, she cupped his face with her hand. He’d shaved that morning, his skin smooth beneath her palm. “Just not in that particular capacity.”

“Just friends?” His mouth hitched up on one side.

“You got it, sugar.” She rose on the balls of her feet and pressed a light kiss to his lips. “Just friends.”

Another surprise as he jerked her into his arms and covered her mouth with his own. There was nothing gentle about the kiss, his mouth moving over hers with enough passion and skill to make her toes curl into the carpet.

“To remember me by,” he said when his lips left hers. A self-satisfied smirk warmed his mouth as he stepped back toward the door. “Be happy, Ruby. You’ve earned it.”

“And what about you?” She could count on one hand the number of times she’d seen him truly happy. If anyone deserved a break, it was him.

The smirk vanished. “I may have escaped damnation, but I will never escape who I am.” His face lost all expression, the way it always did when he shuttered his thoughts from the outside world. “I’m leaving once the ship docks at St. Maarten. Samuel said you could stay on board for the duration of the cruise. I assume that is what you want?”

She nodded. Funny, a day or two ago her answer would have been totally different. She wasn’t exactly thrilled with the prospect of being on board, but she’d deal with the discomfort if it meant extending her time with Jack. “Thanks for taking care of business with the boss man.”

“You’re welcome. It’s all part of the service.” He scowled when the water cut off in the shower. “I better get moving. If you need anything, just give me a call.”

Eager to escape the confines of the ship, Ruby insisted on disembarking immediately after breakfast. Once on shore, she dragged Jack on a tour of Fort Amsterdam and a walk through St. Maarten Park. Not that he actually minded. If it made her happy, he’d accompany her on a tour of the local sewer system.

Afterward, they enjoyed a late lunch of callaloo soup, stuffed crabs, and johnnycakes at one of the local seaside restaurants. Add a few rounds of guavaberry liqueur, and Ruby didn’t seem to mind too much when they got back on board the
Sunshine of the Caribbean
.

With another ocean liner scheduled to dock, the ship had no choice but to leave port by six. Clouds darkened the early-evening sky, blocking out what was left of the sun. They were heading northeast this time around, cruising in a wide arc to steer clear of the hurricane. If they moved fast enough, they’d reach Port Canaveral in a day and a half.