Red Tide (Siren Publishing Classic) (21 page)

The bedroom faced west over the saw grass flats. The windows were open, allowing the late-summer sea breeze to cool them. Ed pulled the covers off the bed and they lay down, the crisp sheets and soft mattress obviously feeling good against her black-and-blue skin from the noises she made as she settled in. She nestled against him, his arm curled protectively around her. She closed her eyes and he enjoyed the wonderful mix of her particular scent, the vague hint of her cologne, the bath soap, the musky scent of her passion, all striving to freeze the moment in his mind.

Ed softly, gently stroked his fingers against her skin, bringing quiet sighs of pleasure from her. Her hand drifted down between his legs and slowly stroked his cock, which immediately stiffened. By turning his head slightly, he could watch her face and her closed eyes. The minutes passed and her strokes grew fainter and fainter, her breathing deep and steady.

Then a soft snore escaped her, confirming what he suspected, that the painkillers, rum and Coke, and hot bath combined with the day’s events had put her to sleep.

Ed struggled to stifle his amused chuckles even though he couldn’t ignore the throbbing ache between his legs where her hand now limply rested. The bed felt soft, the breeze refreshing, and although it wasn’t exactly how he would have imagined their first encounter, it wasn’t a bad one even if it did leave him a little frustrated. He let his head fall back against the pillow and closed his eyes as he relished the feel of her warm skin against his.

The sun dipped lower in the sky, painting the bedroom walls a bright orange as it descended below the ceiling of steely grey clouds still hovering over the Gulf. Crickets began their evening song, and out in the living room, Ed heard Margarita cry, “Mommy-bird! Mommy-bird!” Ed willed the bird to shut up and held his breath as Mitch muttered something in her sleep and shifted her position slightly, but didn’t wake up.

Three hours after they went to bed, the sun finally sank below the horizon. Ed suppressed an amused laugh when Mitch’s eyes flew open and she struggled to remember where she was and how she got there. The disorientation was brief. She relaxed against his shoulder and closed her eyes again.

“Oh, no. I’m so sorry. I guess I fell asleep.”

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. His urgency had passed in the first hour, after he dozed for a while. But he still wanted her. “It’s okay, hon. You were tired.”

She snuggled closer against him. He felt his desire return with a vengeance when his stomach suddenly decided to announce its need, gurgling loudly in the quiet of the darkened room.

They both laughed and he hugged her tightly to him. “Oh, Mitch. I love you. And as horny as I am, it’s hard to make love on an empty stomach.”

She paused, stifling her giggles. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to hear those words.”

“What? That I’m hungry, horny, or hopelessly in love?” He cocked his eyebrow at her and that did it. She collapsed against him, giggling.

A sudden wetness against his shoulder made him look down. He saw the tears slipping from her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and held her while she sobbed. The stress of day finally spilled out of her, and ten minutes later he handed her a couple of tissues out of a box on the nightstand.

She sat up, still sniffling, and blew her nose. “Thanks.”

Ed propped himself up on one elbow. “What do you say I go out to the kitchen and make us something to eat, and we turn on the TV in here and chow down under the covers? I’ll close the windows, turn up the AC, and we’ll cuddle.”

She started to protest, offered to help, then surrendered with a smile. “You win.”

“How does an omelet sound?”

Her own stomach grumbled at the thought of food. “Wonderful!”

* * * *

He got up and slipped on a pair of shorts—sans underwear, she noticed—and kissed her before heading to the kitchen.

Mitch swung her legs over the side of the bed. Waves of pain assaulted her battered muscles and she involuntarily groaned. It took her a minute to get to her feet. She stiffly moved around the room and pulled on one of Ed’s T-shirts. She found the TV remote and slowly stretched before climbing back into bed.

She was disappointed with herself, unable to believe that she actually fell asleep on Ed. Not a reflection of his skills by any means, but slightly embarrassing nevertheless. The network sitcoms failed to hold her interest and she finally turned on CNN.

“Mitch? Dinner’s ready.”

She started, then looked up at Ed’s beaming face. He carried a tray with their dinners and she realized that she’d dozed off again.

“How long did I sleep?” she asked.

He handed her the tray and sat down beside her. “Oh, only a couple of minutes. This time,” he added with a playful grin.

“I’m so sorry—”

“Hey,” he cut her off, “you had a helluva day. You’re lucky you’re even alive.” He took her hand and kissed it. “
I’m
lucky you’re alive. I’m surprised you were even in the mood.”

She grinned. “Wait’ll I get some food in me and see what happens.”

“You’ll fall asleep on a full stomach?” Laughing, he ducked the pillow she tossed at him.

* * * *

The simple dinner tasted delicious. When she shifted position in bed, she involuntarily groaned.

“You okay, hon?” he asked.

“Just really stiff.”

He cleared the dishes. “Lie down and I’ll give you a back rub.”

“That sounds wonderful.” It took her a moment to change positions, and even though she now
did
want to fall asleep, the heat from his hands set her desire ablaze again. Ten minutes into it, she rolled over and sat up.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Mitch smiled. “Not a thing.” She leaned in, covering his mouth with hers. His lips felt warm and tender on hers, and she savored the feel of her fingers sliding through his hair. This was what she’d wanted, dreamed about, for years.

Ignoring her aching muscles, she pushed Ed down to the bed and straddled his legs. His rigid cock, unrestrained by briefs, tented the fabric of his shorts. She teased him through the fabric, using her fingernails to trace every ridge. Then she hooked her fingers in the waistband and pulled them down and off his hips. She sat up so he could kick his legs free of them, and she tossed them off the bed.

Mitch let out a sigh. “Perfect.” She leaned in and engulfed the head with her lips, her pussy clenching and growing wet at the sound of his moan. He grabbed two fistfuls of her hair.

“More, baby. Please.”

With one hand, she grabbed the base of his cock, slowly pumping it with her hand as she teased him with her tongue.

His back arched and he let out a soft groan. She resisted his efforts to take him in deeper. Instead, she cupped his sac with her other hand. His musky scent filled her nose as drops of salty pre-cum rewarded her efforts.

“That’s it,” he whispered.

His husky tone spurred her on, and she slid her mouth farther down his rigid shaft. His cock felt hard, hot, like silky steel between her lips and in her hand. His balls drew up tight in her other hand as his shaft stiffened even more.

“I’m gonna come, baby!”

She went deep, swallowing, fisting his shaft faster and harder until she felt his juices explode in her mouth. Only after she knew he was completely spent did she release him. He softly stroked her hair while she nestled her cheek on his stomach and waited for him to recover.

“How was that?” she softly asked.

He let out a laugh she knew all too well. “You really have to ask?”

She tipped her head back to look up at him, still uncertain. “Just making sure.”

Carefully, he slipped out from under her and rolled her onto her back. He pushed the shirt open and bent his head to her left breast. She closed her eyes and moaned at the feel of his warm mouth teasing her. Every flick of his tongue sent more pulses of need straight to her pussy, which clenched in time with his ministrations.

He resisted her attempts to hurry him and teased her nipples with his lips, back and forth, until she shook with passion. She felt her juices flowing, her labia and clit slick with them. When he finally moved and settled between her legs, her fingers entwined in his hair.

“You’re so wet, baby,” he murmured, his breath brushing against her swollen clit and making her moan again. He flicked his tongue against her nub, making her moan.

“Please!” she begged.

“I’ve waited a long time for this,” he hoarsely said. “I’m not rushing.” He buried his face between her legs, his tongue exploring every inch of her slit, his nose brushing against her clit in a deliciously teasing way.

She lost track of time. The first explosion rolled out of her, and she grabbed at the sheets as it felt like a supernova had gone off inside her. No one, not even the skilled John Tyne, had ever made her come like that.

Ed wasn’t done. When she tried to push him away, he grabbed her hands and laced his fingers through hers, pinning her arms to the bed. She lifted her head to look at him. His playful blue gaze peered up at her over the swell of her mound before a smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. Then he closed them again and sucked on her clit, pulling another orgasm from her just as powerful as the first.

She clamped down on his hands and held on through wave after wave of pleasure. It wasn’t until he finally released her with a gentle kiss to her navel that she could finally catch her breath.

She grabbed him and pulled his mouth down to hers. The taste of her juices on his lips thrilled her. She was his, now. As long as he’d have her.

Grabbing his cock, she tried to line it up with her slit when he stopped her and sat up. “Condoms?”

Fuck!
She shook her head. “I’m on the Pill. Plus, I got tested after I left John.”

He grinned and bent down to kiss her again. This time when she found and wrapped her fingers around his cock, he let her position him, rubbing the once again engorged head up and down along her wet slit.

Bracing his hands on the mattress on either side of her, his gaze never left hers as he slowly sank his cock deep inside her.

“I love you, Mitch,” he whispered.

She nodded. “I love you, too.” Tears of happiness welled up, unbidden. Mitch knew in her heart that she loved Ed, had loved him for years, and in the shadow of the terror from earlier in the day she finally felt a peace that had eluded her for years.

With her arms wrapped around him, she kissed him and met him, thrust for thrust. She loved the way he stretched her, the feel of him sliding deep inside her body. His thrusts quickened, deepened, and she knew from the tensing of his face that his release was near. He groaned, cried out, and finally collapsed on her as she hugged him tightly to her, her fingers stroking his back.

Later, he lay down beside her, their legs and fingers entwined, and talked for a while. They made love once more before falling into deep, satisfied sleep, their bodies pressed together like spoons.

Jenna sat on her darkened balcony, drink in hand, deeply bothered and silently contemplating her situation. John appeared to be telling her the truth, but her conversation with Donna had sown the seeds of doubt in her mind. How much
did
she really know about the mysterious John Tyne?

He had left a few minutes earlier. In the morning he would return and they would go to a car show in Kissimmee.

He was a man she really felt she could eventually fall totally in love with. Perhaps she’d already started doing just that. Nevertheless, she didn’t want to make a mistake. She wanted to talk to his friends, get to know him through their eyes, but he’d rarely mentioned them much less invited her to meet them.

Jenna tipped back her glass and drained the rest of her cocktail. It was late, and she needed to get to sleep. She went into the bedroom, turning the TV to the eleven o’clock news as she prepared for bed. She was undressing when the announcer caught her attention.

“And the sleepy little Gulf coastal community of Aripeka, on the Pasco-Hernando county boarder, was rocked by a car bomb explosion today. For the second time in less than a week, charter boat captain Mitch Jackson is embroiled in an adventure right out of a crime novel.”

Stunned, Jenna sat on the end of the bed and watched the report.
“As you’ll recall, Ms. Jackson and her business partner, Ed Grey, recently discovered the body of suspected drug smuggler Julio Barres on the wreck of the fishing vessel,
Emmerand
. Also discovered on board were eighty kilos of cocaine.

“Police will not comment on whether or not the bomb placed in Ms. Jackson’s Ford Bronco was related to the discovery last week, but an anonymous source at the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office did mention Ms. Jackson is in the process of filing for divorce from her estranged husband, John Tyne, a Tampa advertising executive. When asked for an official comment on this, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office spokesman replied that any connection between the bombing and Mr. Tyne would be pure speculation at this time, but that they are following all possible leads.”