Slow Hand (5 page)

As strongly as he felt the buzz, she did, too. She just didn’t know what it meant yet.

He could tell her about the MacKay family curse and how his brother and father had succumbed, but she’d think he was crazy. Or worse. She might accuse him of having some kind of obsessive stalker mentality. If Teri settled on that explanation he wouldn’t have a chance of getting through to her.

He knew a quiet cove that was hidden from most casual observers and headed for it. The
SandJack
responded the way she always did, smoothly and instantly. They’d be anchored before dusk.

Once anchored in the cove, Jared would have Teri to himself and they’d learn so much about each other that she’d never want to leave.

That was as far ahead as he could look because if this didn’t work and Teri kept to her plan to return to her life, he had a long lonely future ahead of him. There’d never be another Teri. Not for him.

He’d settled once for a woman he thought suited him well. Had waited for the love between them to grow, but instead of growing, the mild affection they’d had slipped away, ground down by the rat race of corporate life.

His decision to pursue a life on the
SandJack
had killed the last of the marriage.

If this charge he felt with Teri was the real thing, she’d be more than happy to join him aboard the
SandJack
and would see the value in living free.

All he had to do was convince his tightly wound, tightly focused, tightly built piece of woman that life could be lived loose.

Jared MacKay was more than up for the challenge.

Teri slid the hot baking pan onto the counter, pleased with how the brownies looked. She’d gone from memory with the recipe and had had her doubts about how they would turn out.

“What’s that incredible smell?” Jared’s head appeared in the rectangle of sky in the hatch.

“Fudge brownies. Would you like one?” She laughed at the speed of his descent into the galley. She’d learned some proper nautical terms in the two days she’d been onboard.

He grabbed a knife and let it hover over the cooling pan. “How soon can we cut them?”

“Do you want frosting or not?”

“Depends. If I say yes will that take longer?”

“They’ll have to cool completely before I frost them.”

“Then no. I have appetites that must be seen to.” He waggled an eyebrow and waved the knife with a pendulum’s accuracy.

She patted his behind then gave it a squeeze. “I thought we’d been doing a fine job of handling your appetites.”
And hers. They’d only taken a break from exploring their incredible sexual connection because she was sore.

Besides, she’d become increasingly interested and curious about her pirate and he seemed quite happy to share everything about himself and his life. They’d agreed it was time to find out more about each other as people.

Her nerves had jumped at the idea of sharing some of her innermost thoughts and dreams, so she’d taken refuge in baking. It was an old remedy, comforting and relaxing and one she hadn’t indulged in for far too long.

Watching Jared’s impatience for the brownies to cool brought a secret joy back to life in her chest. His eagerness to sample the brownies delighted her and silly as it was, it warmed her to see his enthusiasm for something so simple.

She waved her hand over the pan to see how much heat remained. “They’re still too warm, but we could take them upstairs.”

“On deck.”

“On deck, we could take them on deck to cool faster. Hey, at least I know it’s a head and not a bathroom now. And this is the galley.” She waved her arms to encompass the compact cooking area.

He tested the side of the pan gingerly. She passed him two potholders, picked up the knife and followed him and her pan of brownies to the deck.

He held the pan out to the breeze and sniffed appreciatively. “How long?”

“Remind me to hide the next thing I bake until it’s ready.”

“No.” He tested the side of the pan again and dropped the potholders to the deck. “It’s cooler already.”

“You, Jared MacKay, are a baby.” But she’d found another reason to like him. “I haven’t baked for someone as greedy as you in a long time.”

“I can’t believe it. Every man in my family has a soft spot for women who bake. I thought all men did. You know, all that stuff about a way to a man’s heart.”

“Let’s just say I haven’t had reason to bake for a long time.”

“Fair enough.”

“This little cove is beautiful,” she said, shading her eyes to take her first look around their private destination. A short stretch of beach beckoned but she could see even from here that the drop off immediately off shore was deep. “But the swimming looks treacherous.”

“Better to swim off the swim grid in the stern.”

She turned and looked to where she expected open sea. But there was none.
Just more land and beach.

“Where are we?”

“Seclusion Cove. Not very original, but the name says it all. You can’t see the entrance to the cove until you’re on top of it. Most large boats pass by, as do the charters.”

“Would you have brought us here if Philip was here?”

“No. I want this to be a place you remember as ours. Just ours.” He stood behind her and looped his arms across her chest in a light hug. His broad back protected hers from the sun while he pointed out some of the flowers and plants.

“There’s sea grape,” he said, pointing out a tall, dense tree with broad leaves. “I’ve got some jam made from the grapes.”

“Can we pick some?” They didn’t look much like the grape vines she’d seen in vineyards.

“They’re too tart to eat fresh. They grow high here because the cove’s sheltered from the wind.”

The flora and fauna was interesting, but the large, rather insistent erection she felt pressing into her back was by far more enthralling. She reached behind her and cupped him, giving him a light, firm squeeze from root to tip. He bit her earlobe in response.

Shivers of anticipation ran from her ear to her loins where they settled into a burn. Jared continually surprised her with his appetite for sex. She matched him in every way, and that shocked her even more.

“I want to eat you,” he murmured against her ear.

“Me? Or my brownies?” she murmured back, feeling his hot finger explore her curls. She leaned forward and stepped wide for him, unable to quench her rising fire without his deep touch.

“Can’t I have both?”

She laughed. “The brownies should be cool enough now, but I’m getting hotter,” she said.

“You’re confusing me.” His hands went palm up as if weighing his decision. “Brownies.” His left hand moved. “Or Teri.” His right hand moved.

She laughed. “Once the brownies are gone, they’re gone. But I’ll be here for a while longer.”

He growled into her ear. “Brownies it is.”

He pulled away and she felt bereft at the change in temperature. But when she turned she had to laugh again at his silent demand for the knife she’d lain on top of the pan of brownies.

She presented the knife to him like an operating room nurse. A quick slap into his hand and a precision slice later and he had a quarter of the brownies in his hand.

“I offered you one brownie as I recall.”

“This is one.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Would you like me to cut you a piece, too?” he asked.

“A small one
please. By your standards, minuscule.”

“I remember how brownies are supposed to look,” he said, cutting a much smaller square for her. “It’s just been years since I’ve had a homemade one, so I’m not going to apologize for being greedy. You make me that way.”

She thought of the great sexual appetite he’d aroused in her and she understood. “Deprivation can release the inner glutton for many things. Sex included.”

She accepted the brownie he offered and tasted it. “Oh, this is good, I thought I’d forgotten the recipe, but I guess it’s like riding a bike.”

He gathered her into his arms again and resumed the position they’d taken at the deck railing. Quiet and secluded, the cove was a paradise where there was no evidence that man existed.

The heat of Jared at her back comforted her more than it should. The man himself comforted her more than she should allow but she couldn’t see any harm in pretending they were a couple for the time she was aboard.

“So, you were serious. You don’t bake in New York?” his voice at her ear startled her.

“No time. And my kitchen’s so tiny, it’s a hassle.”

“But the galley has to be smaller and you managed just fine.”

“It’s different here. More relaxed. Vacations are for doing all the things you enjoy but don’t have time for, right?”

“Right.”

“Besides, Philip didn’t like me to bake. Said I’d eat it all and gain weight. Being short means even a small weight gain’s a problem.”

Jared snorted. “Not for me. I like a woman who enjoys life enough to live it without guilt.”

She wondered if she’d ever be able to get completely clear of the doubts Philip had raised in her. She wasn’t sure, but Jared was certainly helping.

She felt him press against her lower back and smiled at the rising erection that prodded her. No matter that they’d agreed, reluctantly, to give themselves a few hours to recuperate from the sex marathon they’d indulged in, he was obviously ready for more.

“You looked happy when you tossed your shoes overboard at the dock. What was that about?” he asked.

“Oh, that.” She didn’t want to talk about Philip, but too much of her life had revolved around him and his demands. Maybe talking it out would exorcize the last remaining irritants he’d foisted onto her psyche.

“Yeah, that. I thought women were psychologically unable to throw away shoes.
Any shoes.”

She laughed. “It was a small rebellion. Philip thought I looked too short next to him. He likes women with long legs so I tried to, you know, emphasize them.”

“Asshole.”

“To be fair, that wasn’t the only reason I use stilettos. I’m in a very competitive position and I want to get ahead. Women my height can sometimes have difficulty being seen as authoritative. When you’re
under five foot four you’re not an automatic “go to”, more of a “go-fer”. And I hate that! I hate that I have to be smarter, tougher, and faster than everyone around me just to be noticed.”

“Sounds hard on the ego.”

“The talent gets to have ego. Production assistants get coffee and muffins.”

He made a dismissive noise in his throat she read as impatience. “Enough about my career, let’s get back to our vacation.”

“Let’s get back to your legs. Your perfect legs. They’re exactly long enough to wrap around my waist, which is all you really need. And I love your toes.”

She stretched out her right leg, flexed her foot to show him her bare toes.
“Really?”

“I thought I’d already shown you.” He nuzzled her neck where it met her shoulder. She giggled. He knew she was ticklish there.

His erection was huge by now, so again, she slid her hand up behind her and clasped him. His sharp intake of breath pleased her. He was always so ready, so fun to play with and tantalize.

He turned her and they shared a kiss that tasted of fudge brownie and each other. Oh, so decadent.

When he released her she sank to her knees, wanting to put the chocolate flavor that still lingered all over his glorious cock.

When she moved in to take him into her mouth, he stepped back.

“Not yet, let’s go for a swim.” He untied her bikini bottom. It fell and she stepped out of it, lifting her hair so he could undo her bra top. The breeze raised her nipples to buds. He lingered for a moment while he rubbed his thumb across them, bringing an exquisite thrumming to life.

Moisture pooled inside her. “I can’t believe how wet you make me with just a touch.”

“I can’t get enough of you. One week won’t be enough.”

“It will have to be.” But in her heart, she agreed.

Teri saw a mischievous grin on Jared’s face just before he lifted her into his arms. She squeaked in mock fear. This was another new thing for her to discover: play, sexual and otherwise.

He carried her to the swim grid off the stern and chucked her, laughing and naked, into the water. He stripped off his swim trunks and dived in.

Skinny dipping in the Caribbean was something she would never have done before. They played together like dolphins and she made sure to keep just out of his reach. In a mood like this, she couldn’t tell what her pirate might do.

After a few minutes of splashing and water tag, she surfaced to find herself alone. Somewhere in the back of her mind she heard the heavy, thrumming tune to
Jaws
and knew Jared was probably under her right now watching her kick lazily to stay afloat.

She looked down just as Jared swam up the length of her in a rush of bubbles. He grabbed her as she screamed in delight.

The warm water made their skin slick and slippery as he held her close. His chest teased at her nipples. He raised her so her breasts bobbed on the surface between them. He reached for one with his mouth and she moved closer, letting the thrill of his mouth arrow to her sex.

His cock stirred against her thigh and she warmed immediately. She slid her legs around his hips, hoping to entice him inside.

Rivulets of water cascaded from his face to his chest where the droplets caught in the hair, like diamonds. He lifted her, pressed his face between her breasts and blew a raspberry against her chest, making her laugh.

Before she knew what he was doing, he raised her to float on the surface and began suckling her breasts again.

“Mm, salty,” he said, while rolling a nipple with his tongue. “Do you taste like this all over?”

“I have no idea, you’ll have to find that out for yourself,” she teased, feeling her moisture gather for him.

He continued his ministrations on her breasts, all the while breaking into murmurs of what he was planning for later. “Long, slow kisses,” he said, making her moan. “A little exploring with my fingers,” he added, “to see how deep you are, how wet you become.”

She sighed, trying to think of something she could add to the conversation, but he wouldn’t give her time to think. She floated under the sun of the warm Caribbean Sea listening to his deeply erotic voice, with the lap of the water at her center. She drifted, aware only of the sensation of freedom and arousal.

Fingers brushing her curls, small wavelets dancing against her, his heated voice against her ear, caused tremors of desire to run through her.

She glanced down to see his hand between her thighs, creating the little waves that crashed against her shore. “Oh, Jared, touch me,” she pleaded. “This isn’t enough.”

He brought her down to line up against him in the water and she felt his rigid erection against her belly.

“Here?” she asked, preparing to lift her legs around his waist.

“No, here,” he said and hoisted her onto the swim grid. Lifting her legs over his shoulders, he buried his head between her thighs and set to work opening her with his lips and tongue. “Mm, you’re delicious this way,” he said.

She braced her hands behind her and spread her thighs giving him everything he sought. He sucked her clit into his mouth and she thought she would die with the ecstasy, tumble into the water and give in to the wild feel of him. But she held on, not wanting to miss one iota of what he was doing. His
tongue entered her over and over while his fingers, oh, his fingers did marvelous things.

She shuddered again and again until she cried out, “Enough! I can’t take anymore.”

She managed to peek at him and was stunned by the beauty of his expression. He was enjoying himself as much as she was and she realized that for him, sex was a give-give thing.

And that was unfair.

“Please, you’ve got to let me taste you now. Right now,” she said firmly, scrambling to the side so he could climb aboard.

“I like it when you’re bossy,” he said with a wicked grin. He hoisted himself onto the swim grid and settled himself on the open hatchway, displaying his cock like a flag. It was long and thick and darkly veined. But the head was magnificent and powerful looking. It looked exactly the way it felt inside her.

Swiping her tongue across his tip, she found him briny and hotter than the warm Caribbean seawater. His cock rose even further when she wrapped her fingers around it. Taking the fully engorged tip into her mouth, she licked him.

She played and teased and explored him. His reactions as she lapped and nipped and sucked made her feel powerful. She felt free, unrestricted.

She’d never had so much fun giving head. Jared was a relaxed playful lover who let her indulge her every whim. She could do whatever she wanted and play in whatever way she pleased.

She traced the veins to their base and sucked each of his balls into her mouth until he groaned. She could tell he was trying to hold back and it was fun to drive him to the brink over and over again.

She felt more in control than she ever had and it was a heady experience to know she could bring a powerful man to his knees just with her mouth. She loved the experience, wanted it again and again. Wanted Jared again and again.

Finally giving him one more surging suck, she turned around and straddled his thighs, placing him at her entrance.

“Watch,” she said. She opened herself and took the tip of him inside. Raising herself again, she released him. Again, she took him, a little farther in this time and spread her cheeks so he could see the penetration. He bucked against her.

“No. You can’t move. Not until I say so.” Again, she rose, denying him the soft wetness he so obviously craved.

He grabbed her cheeks and spread them himself this time. “More,” he said hoarsely. “I want to see you take all of me.”

First, she slid along the length of him, and then pressed his tip against her, nearly coming right then. But she had to hang on, had to do for him what he’d done for her. Shaking with need she finally, slowly reached down and guided him into her, spreading herself as wide as she could
to take him completely inside. Oh so slowly she slid down to his root and sat for a quiet moment so they could both catch their breath.

Squeezing her inner muscles, she began to milk him, her own slickness easing the way. She glanced over her shoulder at him. His eyes were closed, his teeth gritted and his jaw locked in his fight to control his flexing. 

Taking pity on him, Teri began to move up and down his shaft, moistening herself and him until the slide became slick and hot and easy. Deeper and deeper he thrust as he could control himself no more. He drove into her with a power that took her breath away. Pumping like a piston, Teri cried out her own release as he plunged ever higher into her and exploded inside her.

Exhausted and drained, they stumbled into the cabin together and collapsed on the bed, entwined like longtime lovers.

A great sense of peace flowed through Teri every time they made love. She was happier right now, in the arms of this virtual stranger than she had ever been before in her life. It was scary to have come so close to hooking up with a man who never made her feel this way. She’d had a frighteningly close call, and it had taken Jared almost no time to help her see it.

For that, she would be forever grateful. She slid her leg up and over his, luxuriating in the feel of his crisp leg hair and the hard feel of his shin bones under his flesh. His knees were knobby and masculine, his thighs long and ropy with strength.

Content to twirl a curl of his chest hair with a fingertip, she snuggled, secure in her place with him.

This was what sex was supposed to be, she realized. Loving should be relaxed, joyful, not a series of instructions or comments about everything she was doing wrong. It should not be squeezed in between meetings and late night phone calls to stressed-out
, demanding Hollywood PR people.

Jared tucked Teri’s head under his chin. She nestled there, content as they watched the sun dip below the treetops of their private cove.

Jared pleased himself by running his fingers through her drying hair. Teri was everything he wanted. She was funny, playful and loved to experiment. And she was brave.

He chuckled.

She lifted her face to look at him. “What?”

“You should have seen the wild look on your face when you threw your shoes overboard. What a rebel.” He’d bet a month’s worth of charters that she’d never done anything so rebellious before in her life.

“I’ve never thought of myself as a rebel. But it felt good. Those shoes cost a small fortune, and I ran all over Manhattan before I found them.”

He chuckled and tucked her head under his chin. He cuddled her close.

“Do you feel the hum? It’s still here, but softer.” She ran her hand down his chest, trailing sparks under his skin.

“Yes, softer, like a gentle current through my veins. Strangest damn thing.”

“But I like it. It’s warm and comfortable.”

“Now it is because we just came. But after a while it seems to build up to a higher charge.” He wasn’t sure if this thing ever fully went away. He made a mental note to check with his brother. Maybe after a decade or so things would calm down.

She nodded. “You make me feel alive in a way I’ve never experienced.”

The MacKay curse affected the women in the same way, then. He ran his thumb from her wrist to her elbow. “Feel the trail?”

“Yes.” She sighed, flung a leg over his. He felt the curls at the apex of her thighs against his hip. She was snugged in tight.

“I’m trying to process this whole thing,” she said softly. “I’ve never even had a one night stand and here I am, fucking my brains out with a man I’ll never see again.”

“Feeling guilty?” He tilted her head with a fingertip so he could see her eyes.

“That’s why I’m processing. I don’t feel guilty and that surprises me.” She looked away again but he’d already seen what he wanted to see. She was being more open and more giving of herself all the time.

“I’m a small town girl,” she said, “solid, mid-west roots. So it’s weird that instead of feeling guilt, I feel as if this is exactly right.”

“So if you’re not originally from New York, where did you grow up?”

“Kansas, definitely small town.
I went to New York after college and fell into a great job, but it’s really high pressure. I work for a morning show as a production assistant. There’s a promotion looming and I’ve been working my butt off to get it. I think I’m in the lead. That’s why I only booked a week off work for the wedding.”

“And if you get the promotion, will you have more time to bake?”

“No.” She frowned. “And now that I’m single again, I won’t be able to move into a bigger place, either. My life’s going to be even more frantic than before. Frantic but better.”

“Better how?”

She tilted her head, gave him an odd expression and said, “Obviously you haven’t spent a lot of time with someone who makes you feel inadequate.”

“Why choose him?”

She shrugged. “He had all the qualifications. My family approved the marriage, almost making up for my decision to desert them. He’s a lawyer, automatically putting him in the ‘good catch’ category.”

Jared wondered what category a Caribbean gypsy would fall into and decided it would be “worst catch”.

“So throwing your shoes into the drink wasn’t your first rebellion.”

She went still. “For the most part, I’ve lived quietly. Never wanted to make waves or worry people. Except for the move to New York, I’ve pretty much gone along with what everyone thinks is best for me.”

“So when this lawyer showed up, the family felt you’d been saved from your own foolishness?”

“Ah! You know my parents.”

“Most folks want their daughters secure rather than free. A big time New York lawyer could provide a measure of security.”

“I have four locks on my apartment door and they were my choice, not his. From now on I plan to be free rather than safe. This time with you has changed the way I see things. When I get home, my life will be different.
I
will be different.”

“But you’ll keep the locks?”

“Of course.” She smiled. “Don’t look so worried. I’m always careful.” She seemed excited about returning to her hectic life, so he bided his time about asking her to stay. She wasn’t ready to think about sharing her life with anyone yet.

“I appreciate your kindness in allowin
g me free use of the galley and, ah, how do I put this so it’ll sound right?” Her hesitation said a lot about the direction of her thoughts.

He sat up and tugged her to sit in his lap. “You’re not going to thank me for the sex are you?” Her weak smile made him shake his head. “I’m not offering pity sex. I wanted you even before I knew you’d be here alone.”

“Really?”

“Don’t know how I would have handled things if you were married. I don’t hustle married women but, I’d have been tempted.”

She laughed. “Do tell.” She looped her arms around his neck, her weight on his lap feather-light.