Shattered Dreams (20 page)

Sensation after sensation slammed into her as he entered her again.

She moaned into his mouth, fighting the feelings. This wasn’t happening. Though she wanted to give in and lose herself in the moment, she couldn’t forget the past or how he’d hurt her.

“I don’t think so,” she whispered after finally managing to break the kiss.

“No thinking,” he ordered softly, finding her lips again.

This time Jimbo plundered and pillaged, giving her no room to back down, and forcing her to heed his tender command. His full arousal stroked her insides.

Moaning because she couldn’t contain the pleasure, Crystal caved again and lost herself in the sensations.

Later. Regrets would come later. Much, much later.

Chapter 24

Jason jumped on board the
Seawind
and turned to help Claire.

“I wish I knew we were going sailing,” she said. “I’m not really dressed for this.”

“I’ve got something to change into if you want.” Jason nodded at the stairs. “I’m changing.”

She followed him below decks.

He came out of the V-berth, holding out an oversized T-shirt. “It’s mine, but it’ll be more comfortable than what you’re wearing. And Elise left these. You’re welcome to them.”

“Won’t she mind that I’m wearing her shorts?”

“No. They’ve been here forever.” As he handed her the clothes, he added, “Elise isn’t much of a sailor, and hasn’t been on the boat in a couple of years.”

After changing, she stepped onto the deck and stopped short, her gaze raking his body. A tad self-conscious, he glanced down at his shirt and back at her expectantly.

“You shouldn’t be allowed to wear shorts and a T-shirt,” she said.

“Why?”

“If you don’t know, I’m not going to tell you.”

He ignored the suggestive look in her eyes, along with the sexual overtones he picked up on, and moved to untie the lines. He also ignored the rush of sensation surging through his blood, one that ended directly in his groin.

Get your mind off sex, Roberts.
Following his mental edict, he started the diesel engine, backed out of the slip, and focused on guiding the sailboat out of the marina.

With her flowery scent wafting over his nose every few breaths, the feat was easier to think than to implement, he realized as the boat glided up the Intracoastal Waterway under full power.

“Tell me about your marriage,” she said above the engine noise.

“Why would you want to know about that?” He eyed her with speculation. In a heartbeat, all thoughts of tackling her and kissing that smart mouth vanished.

“Curiosity. You know all about mine.”

“I’m not sure it’s worth talking about,” he said evasively, shifting his gaze back to the water.

“So, what went wrong?”

By this point, they headed out of the inlet toward the markers and deeper waters.

“Go up and work the jib,” he ordered, handing her the jib sheets and nodding to the bow, “and maybe I’ll fill you in once we hoist the sails.”

Jason lifted the mainsail while Claire unfurled the jib. He shut off the engine and tacked southeast to take advantage of the brisk winds coming out of the southwest.

Once the boat heeled over, she made her way to the stern. She staggered slightly and grasped a steadying hand along the railing.

“You look comfortable.” Claire plopped onto a seat cushion across from him and took in a deep breath.

“I am,” he replied, noting the smile she offered reached her eyes. “You look pretty comfortable yourself.”

“This is perfect. The warm sun feels good after being in air-conditioning all day.”

Nodding, he had to agree. It was a perfect evening to be out. The sky was still a crystal-clear blue, not yet darkened by sunset. A few white clouds floated past, pushed along by strong air currents.

Another spectacular performance of nature spilled from the west, a common sight most evenings about this time, complete with fading sunshine mixed with clouds and interspersed with bursts of light from heat flashes.

Jason engaged the autopilot before heading below, and returned a few minutes later with an opened bottle of wine.

“More lessons?” she asked, watching as he poured a glass and handed it to her.

“Uh-huh. You have to acquire a taste for the finer things in life,” he murmured, holding her gaze while taking a sip. “I’ve been saving this for a special occasion. Try it and tell me what you think.”

Her soft laughter sent ripples of awareness through his system. She put her nose in the bowl of the glass and swirled the mixture. Then she sipped a small amount, raised her chin, and smacked her lips together.

“Subtle fruity texture with a hint of raspberries. Bold oak scent.” She held the glass in the air, studied it, and nodded. “Excellent color.”

“Make fun if you want,” he said, chuckling. “Just remember, it has a way of sneaking up on you.”

“It is good,” she agreed, flashing him a quick grin.

He sighed with contentment, observing her while she sipped. It was a perfect night. Life didn’t get much better. To be out on the water with flat seas, a golden sunset, and a beautiful woman who happened to enjoy sailing as much as he did—it was his idea of heaven.

She leaned back and met his gaze. “You were telling me about your marriage. I gather I resemble your ex?”

“Same build; same height,” he said with a shrug. “She’s a redhead. Similar shade as yours.”

Although Elise was born a brunette, she preferred her auburn color and so did he. Jason chuckled again, and his gaze went to the glass he was bringing to his lips.

After taking a drink, he added while looking back at Claire, “Seems I’m partial to redheads.”

He watched the bit of pink steal up her face, and his groin tightened. Ignoring the sexual tug, he smiled inwardly. The slight blush only added to her beauty. The T-shirt did little to hide her lush figure, but at least she was wearing a bra.

The blue-green color of the shirt brought out her complexion, while at the same time highlighting those rich auburn tresses. Her unruly hair, blowing freely in the wind, had him clenching the wineglass, stilling an urge to plow his hands through it.

“You were married a long time. What went wrong?”

Her soft voice broke into his thoughts, and it took him a minute to comprehend the question before he could answer it, mulling it over for an adequate response.

“I don’t know. Everything happened like that.” He snapped his fingers. “One day we were in love, and the next we were total strangers engaged in battle. I’ve since learned it’s a process and happens over time. I own my part in our failure. I wrapped myself in work and pretended not to notice the distance.”

He stopped talking and his focus moved to a point past her on the horizon while the last twelve years ran through his mind.

“For the first eight years, we lived the good life,” he said a moment later. “My career was taking off, thanks to a case that made headlines and brought a huge boost to business when my client was found not guilty. I had a beautiful wife, two beautiful children. Everything we ever dreamed of. But she wanted more. More prestige, more things. A bigger house, designer clothes. So I worked harder to provide those things.”

“And?”

He heard the prodding in her voice and smiled wistfully. “And I got too wrapped up in work and making money. I forgot that you work to live, not the other way around. Living to work is an empty life. Money doesn’t buy happily-ever-after.” He sighed and shook his head, remembering. “It all came tumbling down when I found out she cheated with my partner at the time. I was working my ass off while he was reaping the benefits, helping himself to my wife in the process.”

Jason broke off abruptly. Why he revealed all those details to Claire, he had no idea. He only knew that once he started talking, the words just flowed, and he couldn’t halt them.

He cleared his throat and took a sip of wine. “I must be tipsy. I’ve said more than I intended.”

“Weren’t you the one who told me talking helps?” she reminded him, meeting his gaze with amusement in hers. “Besides. Makes you more human. It’s nice to know you’re not as perfect as I thought you were.”

Her stare moved to the water, where it stayed for quite a while.

“What happened when you found out?”

Jason shrugged. “Worked to fix things. Tried to make up for my mistakes. What else could I do? Right or wrong, Elise was my wife and I meant my vows. Except by that point, the damage was done on both sides. We never dealt with the anger or the bitterness, so eventually our marriage turned into one angry, bitter battleground. She screwed around to get back at me, and I ignored her. Divorce will be final in two weeks.”

He broke off and his attention shifted to the knot meter. They were cutting through the water at a good clip, traveling at about six knots.

“It’s not your fault. You can’t control the actions of others,” Claire murmured as she set the stem of her wineglass inside the cup holder and moved to sit next to him.

“What are you? My champion?” When she shrugged, he snorted. “Takes two to make a marriage, and it takes two to make a divorce. She had plenty of help.”

“Still, cheating doesn’t solve any problems.”

He felt her touch on his arm and heard the compassion in her voice.

Working to ignore the warmth spreading through him caused by both, he swirled his wine, watching the red liquid inside the bowl. He sighed and brought the glass to his lips.

“I hate dwelling on failure,” he said before taking a sip. Elise Roberts had been a failure. One big failure. “Let’s talk about something else.”

“We don’t need to talk at all.” She stretched her legs out in front of her. “I love watching the sun go down. I could sit for hours just watching. Makes me believe in something greater.”

Jason eyed her deliberately and had to agree. He loved nothing better than watching spectacular scenery, especially if she happened to be an auburn-haired beauty.

While the sun disappeared, they drank wine and sat in comfortable silence, neither needing inane chatter to mar the breathtaking experience.

“Time to come about,” he said, and his voice boomed into the quiet night.

Claire jumped, clearly startled out of deep thoughts, and nodded before moving to do her part. When the boom slid around, she released one jib sheet and winched the other as Jason maneuvered the boat toward shore, heading southwest.

Dusk had settled in, that moment in time when it’s not quite dark nor light enough to see much.

Pwaphft!

Jason heard the first puff of air, the distinctive sound a dolphin made when the mammal breached the surface to take a breath.

A few seconds later,
pwaphft
. . .
pwaphft
was followed by a third, then a fourth. In a matter of minutes, the noise of puffing air became constant, almost a symphony of sound. Dolphins of all shapes and sizes swam along with the boat.

Claire laughed and ran to the bow. Leaning over, she counted.

“There are at least thirty, all breaching within seconds of each other.” Her tone held awe.

He came up behind her. A dolphin sighting was nothing out of the ordinary. He’d seen too many to count over the years, but seeing the flood of mammals all at once within five miles of land was uncommon, and something he’d never experienced before.

Together they leaned over, trying to get closer to the magnificent creatures. Several came to within inches of their reaching hands, yet none came close enough to touch. If he or Claire stretched further, the mammal would swim that much farther away, remaining a certain distance from contact.

They sailed this way for too long, heading much nearer to land than he normally would, simply because he didn’t want the movement of coming about to disturb the performance. Somehow he sensed once the boat changed course, they’d lose their traveling companions.

He sighed while coming to his feet. “Will you get the jib? We need to come about.”

She complied. In seconds the boat responded, and as he’d predicted, the dolphins didn’t turn with them.

“We’ve lost them.” Her words were laced with disappointment as she came to sit next to him.

“Yeah. But what a sight while they were with us.”

“I’ll remember this for the rest of my life. Thank you, Jason, for bringing me tonight. It was incredible.”

“Incredible,” he agreed.

Jason turned to watch her and could barely make out her features. But in the dimness, he saw eyes alight with pleasure. The sight had him sucking in a deep breath. Lust slammed into him and his groin stirred, sending unwanted signals to his brain.

“This was a bad idea,” he whispered, willing himself not to do something stupid. Sex with her would happen in due time, but not tonight.

“What was a bad idea?” Her sparkling, animated gaze became questioning.

“Being out here, alone with you.”

The sound of Claire’s soft laughter didn’t ease his struggle.

“You mean your strategy wasn’t to bring me out to the desolate ocean under the darkness of night and ply me with wine to have your way with me?” She laughed again. “The dolphins added a nice touch. Very clever.”

“I thought so.” He eyed her thoughtfully while his smile faded.

Suddenly, all the teasing went out of her expression. She licked her lips, seeming ill at ease. Then a siren’s smile replaced the nervousness of the earlier gesture. She leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him.

“Claire—”

“Don’t lie, Jason. I can see it in your eyes. Even if you didn’t plan it, you still want this to happen as much as I do.” Her lips brushed his for the slightest kiss, but she kept herself from actually kissing him.

He closed his eyes and willed himself not to move, staying perfectly still, except for that part of him that came alive all of a sudden as her tongue softly tasted. It was the most erotic thing he’d ever experienced, and he was dying to respond.

He groaned inwardly as her mouth moved across his face, barely touching him until she got to his ear. This time, her tongue plunged.

She whispered, “Admit it! You have seduction on your mind.”