A Kiss in the Wind (14 page)

Marisol skimmed the surface of warm water with her fingertips as she and Sam were rowed to shore. Black reefs below stretched across the ivory sea floor and looked close enough to touch, but the crystal-clear water deceived. The depth was much farther down. Still, she could see stingrays glide along the underwater landscape. Flashes of silver reflected from the sunlight as a school of fish darted around the blooming coral.

On a breeze she caught the scent of vegetation, not fragrant but fresh. She swiveled around as the longboat neared the shore. A thin strip of beach cut across the shoreline. The frosty white sand blinded her and she couldn’t wait to dig her toes into the soft grains. It presented a beautiful contrast to the crowded green trees butting the boulders and the rising rocky terrain.

“I wanted to t’ank you, ma’am.”

Marisol turned back around to face Sam sitting on the bench across from her. Blade had ordered the hulking giant to stay with her at all times. It was his way of giving her protection in the wake of taking her weapons. Though she hurt deep inside from what he had done, from how he took advantage of her in a weak moment, she realized Blade did what he had to do. She wouldn’t have handed over her knives without a fight. But she hated him just the same.

“What are you thanking me for, Sam?”

“Yer kindness…for when I was sick.” His downcast eyes did not hide his embarrassment.

She patted his arm and smiled. “My friend needed comforting. ’Twas nothing.”

He looked upon her with a gentle smile and responded with a slight nod. Expecting no more from the man of few words, her heart filled with happiness over their amity. She liked having a friendship with him.

A rip in his trousers caught her eye. It had been crudely stitched and the thread strained against his large thigh. A rush of guilt nipped at her conscience.

“I’m sorry for stabbing you in the leg before,” she said.

Sam’s smile widened. “T’ain’t nothin’.”

The longboat slid up smoothly onto the bank. Waves rolled in, kissing the shore only to steal back to sea. Birds cast off from tree limbs and tiny crabs ducked under the cover of pitted rocks lining the beach. The crew of the
Rissa
toiled about in various activities. Some prepared holes in the sand for campfires. Others gathered timber dry enough to burn. Still others, armed with pikes and makeshift spears, waded through the shallows for supper. Marisol couldn’t help but notice Blade was nowhere in sight. Most likely, he hunkered down somewhere dulling her knives by whittling figurines of busty mermaids out of whale bone. Miscreant.

She clambered out of the boat and followed Sam to the shade of the many trees fronting a hedge of stone. “What are we to do now?”

“Wait for t’e capt’n.” Sam planted himself against a tree. Even leaning, his head nearly reached the low lying branches.

“Where is the unreasonable captain?”

“Here.”

She flinched at the sound of Blade’s detached voice, loud and hoarse. Looking around she couldn’t locate where his voice had come from. Sam offered no help. A carpet of thick vines against the rocky wall shifted and opened, revealing a cave on the other side of the leafy curtain. Blade ducked out of the darkened cavity.

Blinking her surprise, she hadn’t seen the cave there as she stood directly in front of it. It had been so well hidden; no one would ever know it was there. A perfect place to hide, or to watch. How long had Blade been observing her from the secret alcove?

“The island is riddled with caves,” Blade said. Her surprise must’ve been plastered on her face. “Some go for miles and many are underwater.”

He pulled back the vines to allow her access into the cave. “This is where we will sleep tonight.”

“We?”

“Many of the men will sleep on the beach, some on the ship. But we will stay in here where you will be safe.”

Safe? She had strong misgivings about that. Staying within a league of the infamous libertine proved hazardous. She wanted far away from him, where he couldn’t hurt her again.

Yet, her raw heart begged for his healing touch. How did he do it? How did he cause her knees to wobble and her mouth to go dry when he came near? Until she met him, she never before lost command of her feelings for a man. With Blade, she fell prey too easily to his charms. A single kiss and she was a hopeless starry-eyed lamb. Oh ’suffering catfish. When had she turned into such a milksop? She rolled her eyes and stepped through the entrance.

A lantern cast flickering lights to wink off the jagged walls. She choked as the thickness of newly spent oil pervaded the enclosed area. Above her, the ceiling reached higher than the tree canopy outside. Rounded boulders provided places to sit and dirty bottles littered the floor, a testament to prior nights spent inside the hideaway. Shadows lengthened deep beyond the range of the lantern, leaving her to ponder just how far in the earth the cavern extended. A large iguana ambled out from behind a rock and scurried into the depths of the far-reaching darkness. Marisol moved farther into the interior. The air there pressed cool but heavy against her skin. Her lungs filled with an aroma of dampness, though she could neither see nor hear any water.

“There are many pitfalls in the caves,” Blade said.

He moved in close. Her heart thudded in her chest, picking up thundering speed. Damn. She must stop swooning over him every time he came too near. She anticipated his touch, praying for it. She leaned back into him. How could she so easily respond to him? She was supposed to hate him. Yet, he made it hard. No, impossible. If only he would hold her again.

His breath tickled her ear like the wisps of dandelion fluff. “If you venture too far, you could get caught by the rising waters of the tides and drown.”

She swallowed hard and whispered, “I’ll stick close.”

“I know you will.”

Was he sincere or was that a warning? Either way, she held her tongue. His comment was not worth sparring over. Not while her emotions bubbled close to the surface.

“Damn woman. What have you done to me?”

Her skin prickled as he growled against her neck. “I don’t…what do you mean?”

“I thirst to taste you. I crave to feel your body against mine. I want to take you…I can’t resist you, Marisol. I try. Bloody hell, I try.”

His words weaved a soothing web, tangling her logic. She didn’t want him to stop talking. She needed to hear more of his shameless confessions. His sedate voice nourished her with sweet rapture. Yet the effort to understand what he said fractured her wits. Thoughts unraveled in a losing bid to piece together his meaning. Could he be sincere? Did he speak from the heart? Fear of being hurt by him again gave her the impetus she required to be cautious. But her body warred with her mind. She responded to his touch so wantonly. In an amorous trance, completely against her will, she craned her neck to further expose her skin for him to devour.

“I hate you,” she said. Her hand slipped down to stroke his flexed thigh. A betrayal she could no more stop than the rising sun.

“As well you should,” he replied. Blade reached around her waist and pulled her close.
Thank God.

She let her other hand rest upon his, not wanting him to let go.
Never let go.
Her back bowed to mold into his sturdy frame. Too close was not nearly close enough.

“Especially for the indecent things I want to do to you at this very moment.”

He made no attempt to veil his desire. His hard member nestled snug against her bottom. A slight shift sent a tremor of titillation to a spot rapidly coming alive.

“Give me a reason to hate you more,” she said.

“I will, if you let me.” His mouth hovered above the bend of her shoulder, moistening the curvature with his oath.

“I want to hate you more than anything. Please.” She begged him like a common whore and she didn’t care. The way Blade made her feel frayed any thread of good sense. All she knew for certain was she didn’t want this effervescent feeling he stirred in her to stop. Not even for a moment. For better or worse, he was what she wanted. Nothing else mattered.

Blade shifted again, burying himself deeper into her rear and planting a kiss on her shoulder. She moaned in kind. Their bodies fashioned together in a perfect fit. His free hand caught her wrist and ended her enjoyment of caressing his leg. Steering it away from him and onto her own thigh, he snaked his fingers with hers and put his mouth to her ear.

“Are you ready for me?”

She nodded.
More than he could ever know.

He directed her hand upward, slowly.

What did he mean to do?

Their hands meandered up to the juncture between her legs. She bit her lip and cast her gaze to the dark ceiling.
Oh, by Nick’s twisted tail, yes!

Cupping her, he set smoldering fires with his lips as he rubbed their palms in circles. The coarse fabric of her trousers provided no barrier at all from the torturous pressure he placed there and instead increased the amazing sensation. She squirmed; for relief, for more, she didn’t know which.

A reprieve came as he continued the guided tour of their hands away. Was she purring?

“You sound ready,” Blade murmured. “But are you wet with need?”

“Yes, Blade. I’m ready. I’m ready and wet.”

“I’m not entirely convinced.” He unfastened the top button on her pants and moved her hand to slide under the waistband. “Persuade me. Show me you are eager for me.”

In an excruciating long moment, he drew their hands down to her mound. Her fingers, his fingers, grazed through her curly, smooth tuft of hair. Primal lechery bloomed in a crazy rush and the instant he pressed her finger to her vibrating nub, the cave came to life with her carnal cry. Her legs knotted with tension. Her vision was but an echo of shadows and light. Touching herself under his power sent her swimming in a muddle of desire.

She let her head fall back to his shoulder and lolled with the tiny loops they rubbed. Her moans crested on each roll over her nubbin. Like a seagull riding a current of wind, she flew higher and higher. Higher and faster. Yes, soon she would burst through the clouds skimming the sky and reach the heavens. Higher. Higher.
Al…most…there.

“Mmm. You are drenched.” Blade removed his hand.

No, damn it!

“Don’t stop, dove. Bring yourself to come off for me.”

Could she? The trembling of her body prompted her to continue petting herself to abandon. Her manipulations felt so good. Blazes! How had she not known she would react to depraved manual stimulation? Her hand let go of his and she threw it up to latch into his hair.

“That’s it, Marisol. A little more.”

Blade nibbled the skin behind her ear, amplifying her wild need. Dipping and swirling, her fingers moved rapidly, hastily reaching for surrender. All too soon she burst into an outbreak of tremors and her legs clamped together over her hand.

His chest provided the support she needed to stay upright whilst she caught her breath.

“I’d say you are more than ready,” he said, not breaking the stride of kisses across her shoulder.

Of course she was ready. What was this torment he insisted on bringing her? The steel rod pressed against her backside hinted his readiness, as well.

He found his way to her chest; he squeezed and plied each breast. Every spot he touched ignited hot and sensitive. With the all the grace of a marauding cat, he spun her to face a large boulder.

“Now is the time to stop me, dove. If you want no more of me, now is the time.”

Strain sifted in his voice, as if he were afraid she would refuse him. Telling him to stop would certainly prove far more painful for her. The loss of his touch would cool her to ash. She would dissolve like cinders in the rain if he pulled away now. This was insane.

“I need you, Blade.”

“And I, you.”

He made quick work of her trousers and, taking her by the shoulder, bent her over the rock. Cool air blasted her buttocks, but her cheeks warmed instantly as Blade’s hand pawed across each one.

“I’ve never seen a more beautiful arse.” He stroked her as if appreciating a work of art. “I’ve never seen a more beautiful woman.”

Her heart spurred with a smile. But how could she know he wasn’t just speaking in the raptures of lust? No matter, she would believe anything he professed as long as he touched her.

His sword thudded against the sandy ground. Bottles clanked against one another as he kicked them aside to move in close behind her.

“You mustn’t deny me.”

“No. I will not.”

His tip pressed against her and she arched her back. He found her wet spot and brushed himself bit by bit across her shuddering folds. She towered with need, need to have him. If he didn’t take her soon, she would surely expire.

Oh God, hurry.
“Please, Blade, no more taunting.”

“I would ask the same of you, dove. You’ve had me caught in your eddy of temptation from the moment we met.”

He grabbed her by the hips and eased himself into her. With her trousers at her ankles, access was limited and, in the tight position, he filled her completely. He slid back and forth in a measured pace, creating a friction that lit her like a slow match. His palm pressed comfortably into the small of her back, governing the tempo. The fuse of her flared body already ran dangerously low but he picked up speed. Marisol thrust back to meet him at every plunge. Bucking, rocking, she raced up to the heights to which he had brought her before.

The cave, once cooled by the dank darkness, flooded with suffocating heat emanating from their wet bodies and heated breaths. Even the boulder she grasped for support became slippery with sweat.

“Do you hate me,” he ground out. “Or do you desire me?”

How…how could he not know? The words she wanted to say lodged into her throat, unable to break through her moans.

“Marisol.” He drove into her harder. “Do…you…desire me?”

Marisol seized, reaching her zenith. She cried out with the waves of exquisite pleasure. The cave walls sparkled in the flickering light as her vision cleared. Blade placed a chaste kiss to the base of her neck. He began to glide in again, skimming against the gradual decrease of sensuous ripples. Already, her muscles clenched with a crescendo of exalted indulgence.