PluckingthePearl (11 page)

Soft footsteps sounded and he inhaled sharply when her soft
arms went around his waist from behind. He clasped her forearms, never wanting
to let go of this incredible woman who was as dignified, kind and hardworking
as she was passionate.

Henry was right. He
was
falling in love.

He loved the way her body responded to his seductions and
how her petite breasts and ass just filled his hands. But it was more than
that, a lot more.

Let her go. Don’t mess up her life any more than you
already have.
But something stronger than his conscience surged through
him.

He lifted her arms away and turned around to face her. “Go
boating with me this Saturday.”

“What?” She shook her head. “We can’t. I have chores.”

“We have to say goodbye, Pearl.” He took her hands in his
and squeezed them. “And I’m not ready to do it now. Not in this room at the end
of the day when we’re both exhausted. My God, you just now told me the news.
I’m still in shock.”

Her voice was raspy with tears. “I understand, but—”

“We have so much to talk about, such as how our lives will
be after you marry.” He winced. Just saying the words punched him in the stomach
all over again.

“After all, we’re still going to be living on this small
island,” he continued. “We’re bound to run into each other from time to time,
especially if you and Jimmy continue working here.”

When she blinked and staggered back a step, it was clear she
hadn’t given much thought to these things. Neither had he.

“Meet me on the unloading dock an hour before sunrise. I
don’t relish sneaking around in the darkness but it can’t be helped.”

“I-I don’t know,” she said. “Won’t being alone out on a boat
tempt us?”

Electricity surged through Caleb’s cock. Oh, he’d be tempted
all right, especially in such a romantic setting. He’d never suggested such a
foolish undertaking in his life.

He was a business owner. Until now, he’d only taken
calculated risks. She’d changed all that.

“We’ll fight it,” he said, trying to convince himself as
much as her. “Haven’t I always kept my word to you?”

She nodded.

His hand shook when he reached out to touch her chin. “Let
us have that one day to say goodbye. What’s one day compared to the rest of our
lives?”

“I’ll try,” she said.

“That’s all I can ask.” Whether she agreed to see him
Saturday or not was irrelevant anyway.

He’d already lost her.

* * * * *

On Friday evening, Pearl forced a smile on her face as she
helped Wilma and Sadie bring platters of food to the temporary tables set up
outside. It had been a hot, sunny day and the summery warmth still lingered,
making the jersey fabric of her best blue dress stick to her skin. Fish breaded
in cornmeal sizzled on a large grill someone had lent them, filling the air
with the mouth-watering scent of seafood.

She couldn’t stop picturing Caleb bent over the shucking
table last night looking defeated and not terribly far from tears. If only they
hadn’t developed such strong feelings for each other. He was at the restaurant
tonight. They were living their separate lives as they always had.

While laughing children ran past her, Leroy and Jimmy played
ball with some other boys from the neighborhood. They’d been painting the
cottage and still had spots of blue on their arms.

If she’d never met Caleb, she’d probably be happy right now.

Instead, her stomach ached and her heart hammered so fast
she thought she might collapse in front of everyone. Tonight was the night—the
night Jimmy would ask her to be his wife.

To take her mind off it, she helped Sadie slice garden
tomatoes at one of the tables.

“Thank you for your help, cousin.” The girl smiled just as
she had for the past two days at work.

Pearl smiled back. “Your face must be tired.”

Sadie sighed and set down her knife. “I hate to admit it but
you were right about smiling. For some reason, it makes me feel…pretty.”

“You are pretty when you smile,” Pearl replied. “Aunt Wilma
has been in a better mood too.”

Buck Jackson, one of the young men from the neighborhood
came over and snitched a piece of tomato. Pearl suppressed a giggle as she
watched Sadie’s frown change to a smile.

“Can I sit with you, Sadie, when we eat?” he asked.

She batted her lashes. “I suppose you can, Buck.”

“He’s handsome,” Pearl said after he left. “Does this mean
you’ll stop hating me now?”

“I guess so,” Sadie replied.

Then Pearl followed Sadie’s gaze across the yard to where a
cluster of girls stood around Jimmy.

“You’d better leave these tomatoes to me and go claim your
man before someone else does.”

Although Pearl didn’t feel jealous, uneasiness walked down
her spine. If she wasn’t careful, her chance at a secure future could disappear
right before her eyes. When she walked over, the other girls scattered. Jimmy
took her by the hand and walked with her to the creek’s edge. The tide was
high, hiding the smelly marsh mud.

“Couldn’t be a better night for a party,” Jimmy said. “I
like these gatherings, don’t you?”

She nodded even though she’d rather be alone with Caleb tonight.

He frowned and scratched his head. “Pearl, something’s been
on my mind.”

Her stomach dropped to her feet. Was he going to ask her
now, before they even ate? Or was he about to tell her he’d changed his mind?

“What is it?” she asked quickly.

Jimmy gazed at a spot across the creek while children
laughed in the background. “Well, sometimes I’m not sure how you feel about
me.”

Pearl opened her mouth. She hadn’t expected this last chance
to dissuade him or encourage him. Pushing Caleb out of her mind, she looked
back at the party. This was her family, her life and her future. She couldn’t
have Caleb. There really wasn’t a choice.

“My feelings confuse even me sometimes,” she said, “but I do
know they’ll grow with time.”

“That’s all I need to hear,” he replied.

Wilma banged a metal spoon against a pan to announce it was
time to eat. Jimmy took Pearl by the hand and led her to her family’s table
where he sat beside her. The fish, corn and tomatoes were delicious but Pearl
barely tasted any of it.

When the meal was almost over, Jimmy stood up. “I have an
announcement to make.”

Pearl gripped the edge of the table, her head swimming with
nausea.
Not now, Jimmy. Not in front of everyone!
She watched without
breathing as he bent down on one knee and took her hand, which had gone numb.

“Pearl Wilson, will you do me the honor of becoming my
wife?”

Her jaws worked but she’d either lost her voice or forgotten
how to talk.

Wilma glared at her from across the table. “Well?”

“Yes!” she yelled loud enough for everyone to hear.

It was a good thing she was sitting or her legs would have
given out. The sounds of clapping and whoops of joy surrounded her and echoed
across the creek.

Aunt Wilma raised both arms in the air. “Hallelujah!”

Uncle Charlie beamed at them. “Congratulations, you two.”

Even Sadie was smiling.

“My older brother got grandma’s ring,” Jimmy admitted, “but
I plan to buy you a real nice one.”

It was done, Pearl thought. Now that it was, she almost felt
relieved. No more indecision and feeling torn to shreds. She’d made the right
choice. From now on, her life would be easy and good.

So why did she feel so hollow inside? And why did she keep
seeing Caleb’s face out on that yacht?

The boat, she suddenly remembered. He wanted her to go
boating with him early tomorrow morning. To say goodbye. She owed him that
much, didn’t she? But what would all these people think of her if she snuck off
with a white man after getting engaged?

Engaged. She was engaged to marry Jimmy Clark. None of this
could be real. She would wake up and see Caleb’s face…

The next thing she remembered was lying on her back on the
ground. A dozen concerned faces hovered over her.

“She’s comin’ around. Give her some air,” Wilma grumbled.

“Pearl, are you all right?” Jimmy asked.

Pearl sat up, realizing she’d fainted. “I’m so embarrassed.
It must be the heat.”

“You sure gave us a scare,” Jimmy said.

Wilma clapped. “She’s so happy to be gettin’ married it
knocked her over like a feather.”

Pearl sat at the table, feeling as weak as a kitten. After
assuring Jimmy she would be fine without him, he went off to play more ball
with Leroy and the other men.

Wilma glared at her after he’d gone. “You ain’t with child,
are you?”

Blood rushed to Pearl’s cheeks. “Of course not.”

Thank goodness she and Caleb hadn’t made love. That would
have complicated her life beyond belief. She’d saved herself for marriage and
could marry Jimmy with a clean conscience.

“Now we got to make you a dress. We’ll have to find some
flowers for the church.” Wilma ticked off her fingers one by one as she made
wedding plans. “Sadie, who’s that lady who makes real good cakes?”

At that moment, Jimmy came back and put a possessive hand on
her shoulder as he stood behind her.

“Am I missing the wedding plans?”

Pearl held up her hands.
Stop! Just make it all stop.
“We don’t need a big, fancy wedding. It would cost too much.”

When Wilma’s face sobered, Pearl realized she’s said the
magic words.

Jimmy sat beside her. “Whatever you want is all right with
me, sweetheart.”

Guilt hovered over her like a rain cloud. Jimmy was such a
nice person. He deserved a bride who was excited to marry him.

The way she would feel if she were about to marry Caleb.

“Let’s have the ceremony in a week. Two at the most,” Pearl
said.

Jimmy raised his eyebrows. “That’s awfully fast but I’m not
complaining.” Then he whispered in her ear, “I’m looking forward to the wedding
night.”

Something painful squeezed Pearl’s belly so hard she nearly
fainted again. She’d forgotten about the wedding night. Jimmy would touch her
body as Caleb had and he’d go further, making love to her.

How could she bear having another man touch her?

“We could have a small ceremony here a week from Saturday,”
Wilma suggested.

“That sounds just fine, Aunt Wilma,” Pearl said.

Quick, set the date before I change my mind.

* * * * *

After wrestling with sleep all night, Pearl awoke in
darkness. It was Saturday morning, about an hour and a half before sunrise. In
half an hour Caleb would be at Rockfield’s unloading dock waiting for her.

Dare she show up?

When she’d gone to sleep last night, exhausted from an
evening that had drained every bit of emotion from her soul, she’d decided she
wouldn’t. She planned to sleep late. So why was she wide awake and needing to
see him more than life itself?

We’ll just say goodbye
, she told herself as she
washed up and put on her yellow dress quietly so as not to wake Sadie. She
couldn’t move on with her life until she said goodbye to the old one.

The wrenching sadness filling her chest reminded her of the
day she’d left Annapolis after her mother died. Why was her life filled with so
many endings?

She went into the other room and shook Leroy awake.

“I need you to take me to Oyster Island,” she whispered.

He yawned and pushed his pillow aside. “What? Why?”

“I’ll explain later. Come on or I’ll take the boat myself.”

“No you won’t. I-I’ll meet you outside in a few minutes.”

Minutes later, he appeared holding a lantern, his plaid cap
askew, and she all but dragged him to the tied boat.

“You’re going to see
him
, aren’t you?”

Pearl looked up at the sky that wouldn’t stay dark for long.
There wasn’t enough time to invent excuses.

“I have to say goodbye to him. We’re just going for a boat
ride.”

“You are engaged to marry my friend.”

“I know that.” She reached for the tree, untying the knot
herself.

Leroy’s face looked cold and disgusted in the lantern light.
“Jimmy’s a good man. He deserves better.”

Pearl bit her lip. “I know.”

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Leroy said as he grabbed
the line from her hands and pushed the boat toward the water, “but I won’t have
you goin’ off by yourself and getting drowned.”

She got into the boat. “Thank you.”

He started rowing. “When will you be back?”

She blinked, wondering why she’d never thought to ask Caleb
something so important. The shorter their goodbye, the better. Being alone with
him would be too tempting to risk for very long.

“I don’t know,” she finally answered, “but I’ll figure out
how to get home myself.”

“And just what am I supposed to tell the others?”

So many questions and Pearl didn’t have any answers. She put
her hands to her head and shook it.

“I don’t know. Tell them I’m making secret wedding
preparations.”

Leroy snorted in disgust and rowed harder than he ever had
before to fight the waves knocking the small rowboat around. Or maybe he just
couldn’t wait to be rid of her.

“Stormy weather’s coming,” he said. “You be careful on that
boat.”

When he pulled in to the dock behind Rockfield’s, she got
out of the boat but didn’t see anyone. Had Caleb changed his mind? The thought
sent disappointment and relief flooding through her.

Within moments, a familiar figure emerged from the darkness.

“You came.”

Pearl’s heart pounded in tune to the thumping of Leroy’s
oars as he rowed away. In the dim light, she could barely make out the words
Rockfield
II
on the stern of Caleb’s boat. It was a good thing he took her hand and
helped her into his boat because she couldn’t seem to move by herself.

I shouldn’t be here.

The boat engine started, churning the water and vibrating
the wooden seat she sat on near the stern. Caleb manned the wheel behind the
windshield and they eased down the tributary, slowly and quietly like thieves
in the night.

Although they had so much to say to each other, neither
spoke. All that seemed to matter was getting away from Oyster Island. As she
squeezed her hands in her lap, she wondered how their final goodbye would be
said. Would there be strength or tears?

The dim green lights from Rockfield’s slipped farther away
until she could no longer see them. When they reached the inlet to the Patuxent
River, Caleb opened up the motor, kicking it from a purr to a roar as it ate up
the waves. Pearl gripped the side of the boat, shivering from the cool spray
kissing her fingers.

It was too late to turn back now.

Dawn arrived with a luminous gray glow that made Caleb’s
face look as pale as an oyster shell.

“Where are you taking me?” she finally asked.

She was afraid the wind from their speed would blow her
words away, but he lifted his chin in acknowledgment.

“Away from everything and everybody,” he called out.

“We can’t go too far,” she called back. “I told Leroy I’d
only be gone for a few hours.”

He didn’t answer. As they hit deeper water, waves thudded
against the hull, reminding Pearl of riding a car over a bumpy road.

“I hope you’re not prone to seasickness,” Caleb yelled.

She shook her head. Something had her stomach in knots but
it wasn’t the rough sea. It was Caleb. What if he’d planned all along to seduce
her out here to convince her to change her mind about marrying Jimmy?

She shouldn’t have come!

“You look beautiful,” he said. “I’m glad the color of your
dress is cheerful even if this occasion isn’t.”

A gust of wind blew her hat off. Before she could catch it,
it landed in the water, growing farther and farther behind the speeding boat.

“Caleb, my hat,” she called out. “We have to retrieve it.”

He looked behind him and shook his head. “The water has
ruined it by now anyway. I’ll buy you another.”

When sunlight finally streaked across the sky, Caleb cut the
engine and dropped anchor. Pearl gasped as she stood and looked around her.
They were so far out Oyster Island was just a speck of green. The rest was all
water. They were a long way from their small shucking room.

The only sounds here were those of water and wind. No oyster
shells tossed to the floor. No family squabbling. Just isolation.

“Is this your boat?” she asked to fill the void.

He nodded as he hovered near the wheel, rubbing a spot off
the windshield. “It’s not the mayor’s yacht but it’ll do.”

Although she’d expected a man in his position to have
something more elaborate, she was glad his choice was practical and
unpretentious.

She ran her hand along the smooth wooden edge of the high
white side. Halfway down, the color changed to dark green. Examining it gave
her an excuse not to look at Caleb’s pale eyes, which were more brilliant today
than the dawn sky. Or to his warm scent, which drifted to her now and then in
the fresh sea breeze.

“Do you fish in it?” she asked.

“Sure. That’s what workboats like this are made for. It’s
called a deadrise.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Dead?”

Caleb laughed. “It’s called that because it has a V-shaped
hull. In fact, they’re built upside down at first…”

She nodded with enthusiastic interest.

He stood beside her and winked as he held out his hands. “Do
you really want to talk about my boat all day?”

“It’s easier than discussing why we’re here.” She slid her
hands into his, which were cool and damp from sea spray. “I shouldn’t be here
and you know it.”

He stepped closer. “You owe me a goodbye.”

The light in his eyes penetrated straight to her soul. She
thought of the day she’d met him and all the little things she’d first noticed
about him—his waterman’s accent, sun-kissed chest and quiet magnetism.

“You’re shaking,” he noted. “Are you cold?”

She let go of his hands to clutch her shawl more tightly
around her and shook her head. How had they become such strangers? If they were
at Rockfield’s, they’d be sharing their ceremonial oysters and plying each
other’s bodies with pleasure right now.

So much had changed. She belonged to another man…almost.

“We could hug and say farewell,” she said. “Is that what you
came for?”

He stepped closer. “I came for whatever you choose to give
me, Pearl.”

The boat swayed beneath their feet to a steady rhythm,
loosening the grip she had on her common sense. Unable to help herself, she
reached up and traced her fingers along his jaw.

“You’re a very special man, Caleb Rockfield. I’ll never
forget you.”

He captured her hand and bent to kiss the tips of her
fingers, sending a sweet shiver through her. “And I’ll remember our time
together for the rest of my life.”

“You don’t plan to marry?” She wasn’t sure why she asked.
The thought had never occurred to her before.

“I can’t now.” His usually warm, vibrant voice was as hard
and lifeless as a discarded oyster shell.

Emotions built inside Pearl with alarming pressure that
threatened to spill the banks of her control. She could see by the tightness in
his jaw Caleb was fighting it too. With no warning, her arms flew around his waist
and she held him so tightly she cut off her own breath.

“Oh, Caleb!” she cried out. “Why did you bring me out here?
Why prolong our parting? It’s already painful enough.”

And I already miss you so much I could die! Is that what
you want to hear, Caleb?

He gripped her shoulder hard as if fighting an inner battle.
“We have to talk about how things are going to be from now on.”

Feeling shaky from her outburst, she forced a slow,
steadying breath into her lungs. She let go of him and stepped back. “Then let’s
get it over with.”

“We’ll have breakfast first.” He opened a storage bin in the
middle-back part of the boat and brought out a basket of biscuits, peach
preserves and ham. “Are you hungry?”

“Not especially,” she replied, “but I’ll eat.”

They sat at the stern with the basket of food between them.

“I think it would be best if you don’t work at the plant
after…after the wedding,” he began.

She nodded. “It would be awkward between us. Can you suggest
where I might find another job?”

He waved away the notion. “I’m Jimmy’s boss, remember? I’ll
make sure he’s so well compensated you won’t have to work.”

“That’s kind of you, Caleb,” she said quietly.

“I want to make sure you’re taken care of. It’s the only
thing left I can do.”

A piece of ham stuck in her throat as she struggled to
swallow it. “What if we should happen to run into each other on the street?”

Caleb looked down at the biscuit he spread preserves on as
if considering it. “Then I’ll say
good day, Mrs. Clark
and you’ll say
good
day, Mr. Rockfield
.”

“It sounds so formal.”

“It’s the way it has to be,” he said firmly.

Her food formed a cold lump in her stomach. “I don’t think I
could bear talking to you like a stranger. It would be easier if we don’t run
into each other at all.”

He gazed at the water, looking more serious than she’d ever
seen him. “Then let’s hope it doesn’t happen too often.”

When they finished eating, Caleb put the basket back in the
storage bin and sat next to her again. The sun was high enough now to light the
rippling water around them with hundreds of tiny jewels.

“It’s beautiful here,” she said. “The rest of our lives seem
so far away.”

His voice was husky as he spoke. “I was thinking the same
thing.”

He took off his hat and laid it on the seat. She frowned
when he reached behind her head and pulled out her hairpins, one by one. Her
nipples tightened with each one he tucked into his shirt pocket.

“Caleb, what are you doing?”

“Something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.”

Her breath caught when he released her hair and let it fall
to her shoulders. Her scalp tingled with freedom.

She grabbed at it. “Don’t. You shouldn’t see me this way.”

“So soft,” he whispered as he rubbed his finger up and down
a hank of it. “Just like your eyes and your mouth.”

A hundred knots untied inside her stomach as his fingers
tangled in her hair. He used the leverage to pull her face toward his. A moment
later, his familiar mouth, sweet and hot, claimed hers. His moustache caressed
her upper lip while his tongue recaptured the cavern of her mouth.

Stop him
, her inner voice told her as searing heat
emanated from her core and consumed her entire body.
Stop him before it’s
too late
. But it was already too late and had been ever since she’d set
foot on this boat.

Her hands slid around his neck, memorizing the texture of
his skin and hair for the rest of her life. She ran her fingers across the
crisp, short hairs above his ears up to the longer, glossy locks she’d touched
so many times before. When the kiss finally stopped, she clung to him as if he
were the only solid thing out in this constantly shifting sea. His gaze held
hers, waiting for her to jump in those blue depths all the way.

She bolted upright and faced the stern, making the boat sway
under the sudden shift in weight. “Take me back. Right now.”

The wooden seat creaked as Caleb got up slowly and stood
behind her. She stared up at the sky and gasped when he molded his body behind
hers as he had the day he’d given her the shucking lesson. Just as it had then,
the hard ridge of his erect penis pressed into her, making her panties flood
with need. A need no man could fill but him.

Why did he fit her so completely in every way? His warm lips
nuzzled her ear and then her neck as the wind tossed her loose hair around her
face.

“I mean it,” she said, sounding weaker now. “Take me back.”

His tongue flicked her earlobe as he pinned an arm around
her waist. “Is that what you really want, Pearl?”

“What I want and what I should want are two different
things,” she said.

“Jimmy gets you for the rest of his life,” he said with a
growl. “I’m just asking for this one day.”

She turned in his arms. “What do you want from me, Caleb?”

“Pleasure. The kind of pleasure we shared the nights you
worked for me.”

“You’re asking for the one thing I can’t give.”

To her surprise, he didn’t answer. Instead, he went to the
side of the boat to untie a rolled brown tarp, spread it out, and attach it to
the windshield at one end and loops on the boat’s sides at the other. Caleb’s
common sense must have finally returned. Relief and disappointment pulled her
in half as she watched. Within minutes, they had a roof.

“Is that to block the sun?” she asked.

“Privacy.”

She held out her hands. “Privacy? There’s no one else here.”

“When you’re naked, you’re going to want some privacy.”

Before she could answer, he pulled her under the tarp and
clamped his mouth to her neck as they fell together in a sitting position. Her
hands scratched at his while he unbuttoned the bodice of her dress.

“I’ll stop any time you want me to.” He reached inside her
bra and teased her nipple with his finger. “I mean it. Just say the word and
we’ll head back immediately.”

Streaks of fire shot from his touch and fueled the heat
building in the rest of her body. She moaned aloud, glad for once that they
didn’t have to worry about being heard.

“Don’t.” She grabbed the sides of his face and kissed him
hard. “Don’t leave the choice with me. Damn you, Caleb. You know I can’t
control myself around you.”

“Then why did you come?”

She gasped, realizing he was right. All along, she’d trusted
him to make the decisions and look out for her. Neither of them had been
sensible when they’d come out in this boat and Caleb was obviously just as
vulnerable to temptation as she was. It was about time she started thinking for
herself. But not today…

His scent, mixing with the salty air, wrapped around her
under the tarp, carrying her hesitation away with the wind. With a will of
their own, her hands clawed at his suspenders and pulled them over his arms.
Next, she grabbed handfuls of soft, cotton shirt and helped him unbutton it.
She needed to see him, all of him.

Her fingers splayed across the hot skin of his chest,
needing to feel every inch of him too. He tossed the shirt aside while helping
her out of her dress and stockings. As the boat danced on the waves, their
limbs tangled with each other’s clothes. If the urgency of their bodies hadn’t
pushed them so hard, she would have laughed at the spectacle they made.

Caleb grabbed a thick quilt she hadn’t noticed before and
spread it beneath them. At last, they lay side by side in each other’s arms
with nothing between them and their bare skin. Having his erect cock just
inches from her body made her cunt wetter than the water around them. Pearl’s
gaze traveled the length of him, from the sun-darkened patch of chest to the
dark hairs that led to his waist and below.

“I still won’t take your virginity if you don’t want me to,”
he said huskily as he toyed with her hair.

“Thank you, Caleb.” She caressed his shoulder and arm. “It’s
enough just to see and feel all of you like this.”

He glanced up at the wind-rippled roof of the tarp as he
caressed her upturned hip. “Privacy does have its advantages. Do you remember
my telling you what I fantasized about on the mayor’s yacht?”