Alaskan Exposure (11 page)

“Okay.” Jules smiled and shook her head.

“I’ve got to go.”

“I know. Go get some great pictures.”

“Don’t sleep through the glacier.”

Jules shook her head. “Drew is coming by to collect me
before we get that far into the fjord.”

Charley hadn’t thought her friend had been paying any
attention to the sights available on the cruise. Her surprise must have shown
on her face.

“Don’t look at me that way,” Jules whined. “I’m as
interested in seeing a glacier as the next person. It’s not as if I see one
every day in Florida.”

Charley smiled. “I’ll see you later.”

As she was going out the door, Jules called, “I’m going to
want a full description of your evening after the sexy dancing.”

An older couple was heading forward as the door was closing
behind her. The woman’s eyes opened wide, and the man leered down at her.

“Morning.” She was sure her face was bright red.

They didn’t respond. Sighing, she gave them a minute to make
their way down the corridor before she followed in the same direction.

It was still very early. The pool area was empty save for
one uniformed young man. His smile was wide as she approached.

“Miss Ballantine?”

“Yes, but please call me Charley.” She shook his hand.

“My name is Jahi. I am to take you up to the tower and keep
you safe while you photograph the fjord and the glacier. I hope we might see
some wildlife.”

It was early, but they were far enough north that the sun
was already climbing.

“That would be wonderful.”

“Shall we go?”

She nodded and followed Jahi up the steps to the jogging
track and then up another set of steps to an off-limits area. They were just
entering the fjord, the sun breached the horizon and snow-capped mountains rose
on either side of the ship. Waterfalls cascaded down the side to the sea below.
It was a photographer’s dream.

Jahi spoke in his low Egyptian accent of how the glacier had
been carving out the thirty-mile fjord since the Pleistocene epoch. He
explained that the area was part of the Tongass National Forest and that there
were guidelines in place to help preserve the wildlife, air quality and natural
systems. He chattered while Charley shot picture after picture.

After twenty minutes she sat on one of the ladders leading
up to another lookout stand and let her camera rest in her lap. “How is it that
you know so much about this place, Jahi?”

He smiled proudly. “I’ve made this cruise many times, madam.
In a few hours the onboard naturalist will begin a narration that I have heard
again and again. I recited a lot of that information to you. You can relax now
if you wish. It will be a while before we reach the glacier. We may yet see a
mountain goat or bear and the icebergs will become more plentiful as we get deeper
into the fjord.”

“I appreciate your narration very much.”

He beamed.

The color of the icebergs shocked Charley. The brilliant
blue color gleamed in the rising sun. Jahi explained that blue was the only
wavelength of color that could penetrate the ice. It was rather amazing how
much the young man knew about the area.

The Sawyer Glacier and the magnificent carving of icebergs
from its face were captured within her lenses. Jahi talked, and she clicked
away. They didn’t see any bears but a stark-white mountain goat made its way up
the seemingly sheer side of the mountain and bald eagles were in abundance.

The captain spun the enormous ship on a dime using thrusters
on either side of the vessel all the while using those same thrusters to keep
the icebergs from hitting the ship. Charley couldn’t help being impressed with
the maneuver.

She had four hours before they arrived in Juneau and the
late night and vigorous activities caught up with her. Her eyes were half
closed when Jahi walked her to the stairwell, and she thanked him.

She put up the Do Not Disturb sign on the door and collapsed
into her bed fully clothed.

Somewhere in her hazy mind, she heard knocking but it did
not penetrate enough to make her get out of bed and open the door. The phone
may have rung but even that could not motivate her to wake.

The tongue tickling the sensitive skin behind her ear was
enough to rouse her. “If that’s you Jules, I’m not that kind of girl.”

His deep rumble of laughter made her smile.

“Too bad,” he said. “I would love to see that.”

She rolled over and slapped his chest playfully. “How did
you get in here?”

He was still in uniform, lying half on top of her with his
head on her chest. “I called, I knocked and then I became concerned so I found
Jules and she let me in.”

Charley sat up. “Where is she now?”

“She checked that you were breathing and left.”

“She left you here?”

His brows narrowed over his stunning eyes. “Why is that so
surprising? I got the impression she liked me well enough.”

“She thinks you will break my heart.”

He frowned. “I think it is more likely that you will break
mine.”

His words had barely sunk in when the public announcement
voice garbled something out in the corridor. “What’s he saying?”

“That we’re coming into port and you must have your tender
tickets if you wish to get off the ship in Juneau.”

She looked at the digital clock on the bed stand. It blared
two o’clock in red relief. “Oh my god! I never got my tender ticket.”

She tried to get up but he held her down and unbuttoned the
top button of her flannel shirt. He pressed his lips to her collarbone. “Relax.
I have once again been assigned the tedious task of playing tour guide and I
have your ticket.”

“You do?” she tugged on his hair and looked at him.

“Ow. Yes, I do.”

She smiled and released her hold on his soft curls.
“Shouldn’t we go down to the boats then?”

“We have forty minutes.” He slipped another button out of
its hole and kissed between her breasts.

“I have to shower and get my equipment ready.”

“My equipment is ready now.” To prove his point he ground
his very stiff cock against her leg.

“Aren’t you tired? You didn’t get a nap.”

“How can I be tired with you stretched out in the bed as if
you were a goddess?”

“Goddesses don’t wear jeans and long underwear.”

His eyes widened, and he immediately went for the button on
her jeans. “You have long johns on under there? Let me see.”

She giggled and pushed his hands away from her zipper. “No
you cannot see.” Still laughing she shoved him away and got out of bed.

Kyle leaned on his elbow with is cheek in the palm of his
hand and smiled at her. “Well, if you’re not going to let me ravage you, then
you’d better brush your hair and grab your stuff. I have a helicopter waiting
for us.”

She froze. She had not eaten since the night before but her
stomach still did a flip-flop. “I’ve never been in a helicopter.”

Her fear must have been readable on her face. Kyle stood up
and faced her with his hands gently pulling her shoulders toward him. “You’ll
be fine. In fact, I predict you will love it.” He touched her cheek.

She took a deep breath and nodded. When she arrived at the
bathroom, she saw why he’d made the “comb your hair” comment. Pulling the brush
through that knotted mess was not easy.

“I need to eat something. I had no breakfast or lunch.”

His gorgeous head poked inside the bathroom door. “Are you
kidding? You’re on a cruise, woman. All anyone does is eat on this ship. How is
it that you could have missed two meals?”

She turned and put her hands on her hips. “Someone kept me
up most of the night and then I had to work.” Some of the fire went out of her
speech. “Then I was so tired I just passed out.”

He shook his head. “Take a shower and get dressed. We’ll
stop by the café before we go to the tender boat.”

The ship would leave port at ten thirty. He’d given her the
opportunity to photograph the Mendenhall Glacier both from the air and from the
ice. His prediction that she would love the helicopter ride had been correct.
She laughed, smiled and took dozens of pictures.

Being from Florida, she shivered and had to really make an
effort to steady her quaking body before each shot. In spite of the warm summer
they were having in Alaska, it was still cold standing on the ancient slab of
ice.

Upon returning to town, they made the trip up the mountain
by gondola lift. The cable car was the only practical way for them to get to
the park at the top. Some people hiked the path up, but that would take far too
long. The incredible views had her clicking picture after picture of both the
ships in the harbor and the endless mountain peaks to the east.

She sat on a bench and looked out at the view. “I’m just
going to check my messages. Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” He sat down next to her.

She pulled a cell phone from her bag and poked at the screen
before holding it up to her ear. A minute later she frowned and shook her head.

“Bad news?” He took her hand.

She smiled, but the expression looked contrived. There was
none of the fire that he associated with her happiness. “No. I just had a
message from my mother.”

“Is everything all right?”

A very unpleasant laugh that was more of a scoff pushed from
her lips. “She’s fine. Just complaining about my taking this trip and leaving
her behind.”

“She didn’t want you to take this job.” He guessed his
confusion showed on his face because then she really did laugh.

“My mother can be…a bit difficult. If it’s not about her,
she’s not happy.”

He didn’t understand. “But this was a big opportunity for
you. I would think she would be proud of your success.”

She stood up and her face became unreadable. “One would
think. Ready to head back to the ship? I have everything I need.” She patted
her camera bag and walked away down the path toward the gondola lift.

Offering to take her out to dinner in Juneau had produced a
wicked smile and a shake of her pretty head. He wanted to please her, to prove
to her that he was interested in her and not just sex. The look in her eyes and
the way that she was looking at him, gave him the impression that she was not
interested in his efforts to be a gentleman.

At eight o’clock they returned to the ship.

“Do you have to work tonight?”

“I’m off duty until we make port in Skagway tomorrow.”

“Jules will be out for the evening. She may get lucky and be
gone all night long.”

“Are you flirting with me, Charley?”

She blushed as they entered the elevator. “I’m saying that
you should push the button for deck eight.”

“Are you hungry? We could sneak in for the eight thirty
service. I always have a table if I want one or we could have a setting added
at your friends’ table.”

“No,” she said. They got off the elevator hand in hand and
walked toward her stateroom.

“You’re not hungry?”

As they reached the door, she grabbed his collar and pulled
his lips down to meet hers. “Starved. Lucky for us, one can obtain food at any
time day or night in my room.”

His cock, which had been at half-mast since entering the
elevator, jumped to attention.

Her passion darkened those green eyes, and he thought he
could get lost in them for the rest of his life. What the hell was wrong with
him?

She opened the door and backed in, put her camera bag down
and started stripping out of clothes.

He closed the distance between them and stayed her hand at
the top button of her plaid shirt. “I thought you were going to order some
food.”

She cocked her head to one side.

His chest tightened. She was adorable.

He walked to the phone, picked it up and dialed room
service. “Hello, this is stateroom 8088. I’d like to have dinner sent up.”

“Yes, Sir. You understand it might take a short while. We
are in the middle of dinner service.”

“Yes. Of course.”

“What would you like, Sir?”

“Caviar, olives and a cheese assortment, filet minion and
lobster and fruit and chocolate for desert. And can you send a nice bottle of
Pinot Noir with that?”

“Of course, Sir. It will be sent up directly.”

“Thank you.” He hung up the phone.

She had kicked off her shoes and sat on the end of one of
the two beds. “That sounds as if it’s going to be a lot of food.”

He opened the sliding door that led to the veranda, allowing
the cool air to alleviate the stuffiness of the room but slid the curtain to
nearly closed for privacy. “Do you eat everything I ordered?”

She stretched her feet out in front of her and wiggled them.
She winced as she pointed and flexed her toes. “Yes.”

He knelt down in front of her. “Do your feet hurt?”

Her eyes were wide with surprise as he took her right foot
in his hand. “Um, yes and cold. I’m not used to wearing heels every night and
I’m sure not used to standing and walking on ice. I hadn’t expected it to be
such a rough surface. It’s stupid, but I thought the top of the glacier would
be smooth.”

He pulled off her thick wool sock and started to rub his
thumbs along her arch. “It’s not stupid at all. How could you know until you’ve
seen it?”

She moaned. “God, that feels good.”

He rubbed the ball of her foot and her heel for several
minutes. Charley leaned back on the bed. Tiny satisfied moans escaped her
mouth. Her feet were smooth and her nails polished. He removed the sock from
the other foot and gave it the same treatment. As he rubbed, he saw that hint
of long underwear poking out below her jeans.

“I have to see them.” Before she could react, he reached up
and popped the button of her jeans, slid the zipper down and started to tug the
denim over her hips.

She gave a yelp and tried to sit up. He already had the
jeans halfway over her ass, making it difficult for her to adjust. “What are
you doing? I thought you said we had to wait for the food to arrive.”

“I have to see these long johns. It can’t wait.”

She laughed and made a futile effort to stop his hands. The
denim clung to the waffle style thermals all the way down. After much effort,
Kyle succeeded in removing the garment and exposing her long underwear. He
stood up and looked down at the cream-colored old-fashioned thermals that clung
to her legs and hips.

She was still laughing and he couldn’t help his own mirth.
“You know they have made new styles of these in recent years.”

She rose to her elbows and look down at herself. “I like
these. They’re nostalgic and very warm.”

He straddled her lap and pushed her back on the mattress.
“Do you have the matching top on?”

He started unbuttoning her shirt. She slapped at his hands,
but not with much assertion. Soon he exposed the matching V-neck.

“Are you happy now? You have proven how ridiculous I am.”
She continued to giggle.

He leaned down and kissed her neck. “You are adorable.”

“You must be crazy.”

He rose on his hands and hovered over her. Laughing with
Charley, he felt happier than he had in a long time. His cheeks started to ache
from smiling. “Do you know what the best part of these old-fashioned long johns
is?”

“You get to make fun of me for the rest of the cruise?”

“No, but that is a bonus.”

She laughed so hard she barely got out her question between
giggles. “What then?”

He moved so that he was stretched out alongside her then
reached his hand down between her legs. “They are equipped with a very
convenient button front.”

The crotch had three tiny buttons, which he manipulated
easily. He slid his finger through the opening of the underwear and found the
soft, bare skin of her pussy beneath.

He was sure his surprise registered in his face. He looked
down at her, and she smiled.

“Nothing underneath?”

She shrugged and raised her eyebrows.

“Charley, everything about you is a surprise.” He teased the
outer lips of her soft, shaved pussy.

Her earlier giggling stopped and she closed her eyes as his
fingers slipped between her folds.

Within seconds her nectar began to flow. He rubbed the
wetness along her slit.

A high-pitched cry escaped her lips as his fingers swirled
over her clit. Her hips lifted off the bed. His lips covered hers and his
tongue dove into her mouth. He dipped one finger inside her, and she nipped his
lip gently. His touch was light as he slid up and down along her crease, each
pass he made over her clit causing a tiny cry that was muffled by his mouth.

One of her hands wrapped around his neck while the other
clutched his arm. Her hips lifted and fell with each pass.

“Are you going to come, Charley?”

“Yes,” she breathed.

“Come for me, baby. I could watch you come a thousand
times.”

He rubbed her clit faster but not harder. Her hips bounced
up and down in time and her cries increased. His cock pressed hard against his
jeans. Watching her ecstasy was so erotic, he wanted to plunge deep inside her
immediately. He wished he hadn’t ordered the food. He would have to keep his
clothes on until the room service was delivered. In the meantime, he would
revel in making Charley come.

He lightened his touch and her hips settled. Her breath was
ragged and her pussy gushed with fresh moisture. He didn’t waste any of that
glorious liquid heat as he slid two fingers deep inside her feeling the soft
tightness of her passage. Lifting up the cotton top, his mouth closed over her
nipple, sucking it through the thin lace bra and soaking the material. He
nipped the bud between his teeth, and she moaned lifting her hips. He pulled
his fingers out and pushed them deep inside again while still tugging on her
distended nipple.

Once again his fingers found her clit and rubbed the now
swollen bud. She panted and cried. His mouth covered hers, muffling the noise.
Increasing the pressure, he felt her tighten and plunged his fingers back
inside her just in time to experience her canal clutching and pulsing around
him.

He stilled, letting her orgasm crescendo and then subside.
His lips trailed kisses along her jaw. “You really are spectacular when you
come. I’ve never seen anything so gorgeous in my life.”

She moaned and he felt her pussy tighten again just from his
words. She liked to be watched, and he could not have been more turned on. His
entire body pulsed with need.

A loud knock at the cabin door broke the spell.

She gasped and practically jumped from the bed. “What’s
that? Oh god, it’s Jules.”

The knock repeated. “Room service.”

Her face was the color of a lobster.

He couldn’t help laughing. “Why don’t you go into the
bathroom for a minute? I’ll take care of the food.”

She practically sprinted for the bathroom door, ran in and
pulled it shut. “Stop laughing at me.”

The demand through the wall of the bathroom made him laugh
even harder as he opened the door.

“Hello, Eduardo. How are things in the kitchen?” Kyle asked.
He stepped aside and allowed the waiter to place the large tray of food on the
table near the sliding door.

“Very busy, sir. How are you today?”

“I’m fine. Would you mind terribly changing the billing on
this meal to my account?”

“No problem at all, sir.” The waiter headed for the door.

“Thank you, Eduardo.”

“Good evening, sir. Enjoy your meal.”

As the waiter left, Kyle took the Do Not Disturb tag from
the inside knob and moved it to the outside. If Jules came back to the room,
the sign might prompt her to knock before entering.

“You can come out now, Charley. The coast is clear.” He
walked over and sat on the couch next to the small table where the food created
delightful scents in the stateroom.

He heard the door to the bathroom open and close but didn’t
look up. He took the cover off of the appetizer tray that had been delivered.
Small crusts of toasted baguette were arranged around the platter with caviar,
brie and olives. He popped an olive in his mouth and savored the briny flavor.

“You appear to be overdressed, sailor.”

The shy woman he’d made love to was nowhere to be found.
This version of Charley stood completely naked with her hands on her slim,
rounded hips. Her eyes dark with passion. He had to make an effort not to knock
the entire tray of food onto the floor.

“So it would seem,” he said. “What happened to your charming
underwear?”

“I didn’t realize how much you liked them. Shall I put them
back on?” She made a move back toward the bathroom.

Kyle practically leaped over the table to stop her by
wrapping one arm around her waist and pulling her close. “Oh no you don’t. I
like this look much better.”

In spite of her efforts to be seductive, she blushed. He
touched her cheek and she looked up into his eyes. “God dammit, Charley. Why do
you have to be so irresistible?”

He gave her no time to respond. His mouth covered hers while
his hand raked through her hair. His other hand slid down over her ass and
pulled her tight against his straining fly. Her arms wrapped around his back
and shoulders.

Her mouth was sweet and warm. In fact, all of Charley was
sweet and warm. She terrified him yet he couldn’t resist her. He kissed her
cheek and ear before making his way back to her seductive mouth. Deep in her
throat, a sound that was almost a purr filled him with desire.

When he released her mouth, she was panting. “I thought you
wanted food.”

He’d actually forgotten about the huge tray of sustenance
since she exited the bathroom stark naked. “How am I supposed to concentrate
with you behaving so wantonly?”