Alaskan Exposure (13 page)

“Don’t think, Charley. You always get in trouble when you
think too much. I want you. I need you. I want to see you in a hot dress and
hold you in my arms in public. Is that so much to ask?” He was making an idiot
of himself, but he couldn’t help it.

“No.” Her lips pressed against his chin.

Tilting his head down, he captured those lips with his and
plundered her mouth until they were both panting and his cock was rock hard and
pressed between them.

She smiled up at him and ground her hips forward. “Are you
sure you don’t want to stay here.”

He groaned and stepped back. “Get cleaned up and put on a
dress. I’ll see you in thirty minutes.”

Charley’s first thought after Kyle walked out of the room to
dress for dancing was,
I’m completely in love with this guy.

More tears pushed to the surface but she jumped into a hot
shower to wash them away. After drying her hair and pulling it back, she put on
a very short emerald green cocktail dress and strappy, gold sandals with
four-inch heels. They might not be terribly comfortable but they made her legs
look fantastic. A few dabs of makeup and she was out the door only ten minutes
late for their meeting. She made a conscious effort not to think about the
inevitable. It would have made her cry again, and she didn’t want to have a
swollen nose and red eyes. She wanted to have fun and entice Kyle to take her
back to his stateroom early.

In the foyer area just forward of the nightclub, she spotted
him talking to Bob. The two men looked to be having a pleasant chat about
something. Might have been sports or police work. She waited at the other end
of the open space and watched the two.

Both men were attractive, but when she looked at Kyle her
body responded as if it were a bow pulled back and notched with an arrow.
Excitement filled her up to overflowing and she thought she might snap. As if
Kyle had a homing beacon attached to her, he turned and grinned.

Bob grinned affably, and she approached. Kyle slid his arm
around her waist. He made no attempt to hide the fact that they were together.

Marking his territory, she mused. She didn’t know why he
would bother, but she loved the warmth of the touch. What did he care if a
police officer from New Jersey admired her? Still, she liked the caress of his
hand as he traced the curve of her hip and the heat of his body wherever it
came in contact with hers.

They both knew there was no way this could work out. Even if
he wasn’t a playboy merchant marine and she wasn’t damaged goods from her
divorce, she lived on the other side of the country. They couldn’t get much
further apart in geography or nature. The fact that her heart didn’t seem to
know about these obstacles was going to be a problem. She pushed the darker
thoughts away. It was good to be a part of something beyond herself, and she
wanted to enjoy it for as long as possible.

“Wow, that’s some dress.” Bob assessed her from head to toe.
“Everyone just headed over to the martini bar. You two should join us.”

Kyle smiled. “We may do that. First, we’re going dancing.”

“Have fun. Maybe I’ll see you later.”

“Maybe,” Charley said.

Bob looked at her as if he was evaluating a situation that
only he seemed privy to. Did he think that Kyle was forcing himself on her? Was
he getting all cop-like? Whatever it was, he must have gotten over it. He
smiled, shrugged and waved as he made his way toward the stairs and disappeared
around the corner.

“Would you rather go to the martini bar and hang out with
your friend?”

She wanted to be in Kyle’s arms. She knew that on the dance
floor she would get what she wanted. She wasn’t sure why he was so adamant that
they had to be seen in public, but it was obviously important to him.

“I want to go dancing,” she said.

He smiled and leaned down. “Bob was right about one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“That is some dress.” He pulled her tightly against his
side.

“Does that mean you like it?”

He frowned. “It means that you are trying to get me to give
up on my goal of taking you out dancing by enticing me with a dress that begs
to be taken off.”

Heat simmered in her belly. She felt the tug of a wicked
smile at the corners of her mouth. “I would never try to divert you from your
goals, Mr. Macintyre.”

“What happened to that cautious woman who arrived aboard
four days ago?”

She liked the way his eyes lingered on hers and then panned
down to the swell of her breasts. She didn’t know how to answer his question
without offending him. Charley’s cautious side was just below the surface,
watching for the first sign that she was in trouble. She already accepted that
she might have her heart broken. So far, the last few days had been worth the
risk.

Shoving her doubt aside, she squeezed his arm and smiled.

He looked down at her. Strains of The Weather Girls’ “It’s
Raining Men” were making their way out into the vestibule. “I’ve changed my
mind.”

Surprise must have shown on her face. He was laughing, but
she was thinking about what he could have changed his mind about. Her? Dancing?
What?”

“This is a very big ship and this is not the only place to
dance tonight.” He tugged her toward the elevator and pushed the up arrow.

“Where are we going?”

“Constellation Lounge.”

She had not forgotten the location of their first date. Something
about that location felt forbidden. She didn’t know why the dark-blue hues and
dim lighting excited her. Her pulse already tripped when they arrived on deck
ten. Smooth jazz notes trilled together to set a sultry mood.

They didn’t look for a place to sit, but walked directly
onto the wooden dance floor. The room rang with jazz and the low din of
whispered voices. It was crowded, with most of the low chairs filled and
grouped around the scattered coffee tables.

Kyle pulled her into his arms. Her body fit against his
perfectly. Charley’s heart was in her throat. She felt safe. There was no such
thing as safe. Her marriage had taught her that. Still, she loved the feel of
his arms around her, especially the one at her back guiding her around the floor
with ease. Many other couples packed the dance floor. She barely noticed them.
Everyone and everything faded into nothing and it was just the two of them on
the dance floor.

His cheek touched hers and his breath tickled her ear. “I
wonder what is going on in that pretty head of yours.”

“Do you?”

“Are you thinking about the band and how good the music is?”

She giggled. “No.”

“Are you wondering how the ship turned so smoothly in the
fjord the other day?”

“It’s a good question, but no.”

His lips touched the sensitive skin just in front of her
ear. “What then?”

“I was thinking about how nice it is to dance with you.”

“Mmm. It is very nice. Where did you learn to dance?” His
arm tightened around her and they moved sharply to the left to avoid another
couple who were not paying attention.

He’d avoided the collision with ease.

The false feeling of safety returned. “My mother insisted on
dance lessons. I took them until I was seventeen.”

“Wow. I’m impressed. Most kids give up on those things at
ten or eleven.”

“Along with the photography, it was a good escape from what
was happening at home.”

Kyle moved them toward the side of the floor. “You mean your
parents fighting?”

She was impressed that he’d remembered. “They liked to use
me as a pawn in their miserable marriage.”

“I’m sorry.”

She smiled against his cheek. “Don’t be. I’ve moved far
enough away that it’s not too bad anymore.”

He pulled away suddenly and looked down at her. “You mean
they’re still married and behaving the same way?”

She felt the need to laugh and cry at the same time. His
expression was comical but the situation with her parents was terribly sad. “Oh
yes, they will likely be making each other miserable for the rest of their
lives.”

“That’s insane. Sorry. I know they’re your parents, but
staying in a bad marriage for countless years seems nuts to me.”

“It is nuts.” Her stomach clutched the way it always did
when she thought of her parents.

“Have you told them so?”

The music changed to a very low sultry tune. The lights
dimmed further. “Only about a hundred times. I live on one side of Florida and
they live on the other side. It’s far enough that I don’t have to deal with
them daily but close enough to get to them if I need to. So far they have been
healthy and I just see them on holidays.”

“That’s sad. I enjoy my parents. They’re wonderful and my
sister too. I long for the time we spend together.”

“Yet you have a job that keeps you away most of the time.”

He laughed. “We are quite a pair, you and I.”

“Maybe we should just dance, Kyle.”

“Good idea.” He drew her slightly tighter and tucked her
hand inside his, before pulling it close to his chest.

Charley’s other hand toyed with the hair at the back of his
neck. His leg fit nicely between hers as they moved slowly, rhythmically. The
music felt as if it was poured rather than played. The guitar player sang in a
low, bluesy voice. Kyle’s breathing and hers flowed in synchrony. They moved as
one, smooth as silk on skin.

His leg pressed to her pussy with each forward move and she
in turn stepped back. Moisture pooled between her legs. Her heart raced. They
may as well have been naked in the crowded Constellation Lounge. The entire
dance was foreplay.

When Kyle stepped back and she moved forward, his cock was
evident against her hip.

The music stopped and they were forced to stand still while
the musicians made some change in instrument and tuning.

She looked up and his desire was clearly evident within
those bright-blue eyes. “Where did you learn to dance?”

A wicked smile curled one side of his mouth.

She couldn’t help smiling in return. “Uh oh.”

“On one of my early cruises, I dated the dance instructor
onboard the ship. She was an excellent teacher.”

Charley didn’t know whether to be jealous or amused. She
couldn’t help laughing. “She certainly was.”

The music started again. Couples packed the dance floor that
Charley and Kyle had never left. Immediately his arms came around her, pulling
her close. They moved around the floor with the sultry strains of jazz. His
shaft was rigid between them and she was dripping with desire.

“Charley?”

“Yes.”

“If we keep this up, I’m afraid I may embarrass myself on
the dance floor.”

She burst out laughing. “We can’t have that.”

He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.
“Would you mind if we went back to my stateroom sooner rather than later?”

“I’ve noticed that our attempts at dancing never seem to
last very long.”

He leaned down until his lips were next to her ear. “It’s
because you are so hot, I can’t resist you. I want to be inside you making you
come over and over.”

She gasped. Her clit pulsed at his words and the tickle of
his breath on her ear. “Let’s go.”

They exited the lounge the same way they had entered, never
having spoken to another person in the room. If anyone he knew had been in
there, he’d ignored them as far as she could tell. His only interest seemed to
be her.

They practically ran to the elevator bank. Then they waited.
Kyle tapped his foot.

“Do you think you can manage a few steps down in those
shoes?”

She didn’t even bother to answer before turning and heading
down the steps toward deck nine and Kyle’s room.

Neither one of them said anything on the mad dash down the
steps and then a short hallway. Luckily, both the Constellation Lounge and
Kyle’s quarters were at the forward end of the ship. Within minutes, he was
sliding his keycard in the door and she heard the click of the lock releasing
with relief.

She practically pushed him inside and began tugging his
jacket off his shoulders. His lips devoured hers and his fingers made quick
work of the zipper clasping her dress in the back. It slid down to the floor
leaving her standing in strappy gold sandals and black thong panties.

It was warm in the room but a shiver ran down her spine. Her
entire body drummed with excitement. “I want you inside me.”

He looked down at her nearly naked body. “Charley, dear god,
you are going to be the end of me.”

His mouth covered hers again. His tongue pressed inside her
mouth, warring with hers and leaving her gasping for air.

He lifted her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He
pressed her against the mirrored wall with more force than she would have
thought she’d like. She was wrong. His inability to control his passion fueled
hers, and her pussy soaked the tiny triangle of satin that still covered it.

His mouth moved to her neck sending shock waves to her
nipples and clit. She was gasping and calling his name. The woman in Kyle’s
arms was a stranger to her.

With her pressed tightly between his hard body and the wall,
he held her with only one arm. She heard the unzipping of his fly. His fingers
pulled her thong to one side, lingering in her wet folds. He concentrated on
her clit making her scream and tighten her grip with her legs. She needed more
of him. An instant later, he was inside her with one smooth thrust. They both
moaned loudly and he didn’t move for a moment as her pussy adjusted to fit him.

She was close to coming before he’d even entered her. The
dancing had made her pussy hum with desire. His desperation for her and the way
he looked at her nearly sent her over the edge. She relaxed her legs only
enough so that he could move back a few inches and drive into her again and
again. Every thrust caused sensations to crash around her. Her body pulsed and
throbbed.

Kyle held her ass in place. His fingers slid closer to her
anus. When one reached the sensitive puckered hole and traced a path around it,
she erupted. Her body quaked and her sheath convulsed around his thick cock.

He moaned and thrust quickly several times. “No condom,” he
mumbled and then cursed.

She felt hollow when he pulled out of her and pressed his
cock between their bodies while he spilled his seed against her abdomen.

Her feet slid to the floor but only for an instant before
Kyle lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed. “You make me lose my
mind,” he said.