Alaskan Exposure (14 page)

He placed her carefully on the bed, and she scurried under
the covers. “Is that good or bad?”

He slipped under the covers next to her and laughed. “Yes to
both, but if you’re on birth control, even better.”

Charley let him pull her close. “I’m on the Pill. I haven’t
had much sex since discovering Pete’s extramarital activities. After that, I
got tested.”

He hugged her. “I’ve been tested too, but I still should
have taken the time to keep you safe. I’m sorry.”

She liked the sound of that. “I think we were equally to
blame.”

“Can I ask you something?”

She shrugged. How could she deny him after everything they’d
shared?

“Have you ever had a positive relationship?”

The familiar feeling of her heart lodging in her throat
returned. “What do you mean?”

She tried to pull away but he held her close and kissed the
top of her head. Somehow, the pressure of his lips on her hair had a very
calming effect on her. Once again, the sense of being part of something flooded
her.

“You told me a little about your marriage and your parents.
I just wondered if you have ever had a positive relationship with someone you
love.”

It sounded pretty pathetic when he said it that way. When
she gave it some thought though, she answered, “Jules.”

She could feel him smiling. “Thank god for Jules.”

She could hear the sarcasm dripping from his words. “I know
Jules seems as if she’s just a party girl, but there’s a lot more to her. She’s
been through a lot. She deserves to party.”

“Does she still think I’m bad for you?”

Charley thought about it. “She’s just protective. I don’t
know what I would have done if she hadn’t come into my life and forced me to
get back to photography. She’s the one who talked me into opening my studio. If
it wasn’t for Jules, I would never have gotten this job.”

He adjusted in the bed until she could see his face. His
blue eyes sparkled in the dim lighting. “I’m glad you have a friend like her.
She’s probably right to try to protect you from me.”

Thoughts about what would happen on Friday when she left the
ship caused her chest to tighten. She was in love with Kyle Macintyre, a man
who was completely unavailable. Maybe there was a way to make it work, but she
couldn’t see it. “Stop it,” he said.

“What?”

“Whatever you’re thinking about me and my life, stop it. I
have never felt this way, Charley. I know you think this is something I do
every cruise, but you’re wrong.”

In spite of her efforts to be optimistic, she knew her face
betrayed her skepticism.

“I’m not saying that I don’t fool around. I would never
insult your intelligence by lying to you. I’m in a unique position on this
ship. I get my fair share of room keycards passed to me during the average
cruise. While I didn’t always use them, I often did. I enjoyed my life and I
love women. I’m not going to apologize for that. This is different.”

Her heart was beating so loudly, it was a wonder she could
hear him at all. When she managed to speak, it came out just louder than a
whisper. “How? How is this different?”

His eyes shifted from side to side and he sat up. She wished
she’d kept her mouth shut and just enjoyed an affair with a gorgeous sailor and
let it go at that. She could walk off this ship and back to her own life and
never look back. Unfortunately, that was not the kind of woman Charley was, and
it was even more regrettable that she had fallen for this particular sailor.

She expected him to clam up and walk away or find some
excuse to leave his own cabin. She even imagined herself making her way back to
her own stateroom and hoping that Jules was out for the night so that she could
cry herself to sleep in peace. The tears were already trying to make their way
to her eyes. She swallowed hard and pushed them away as best she could.

Sitting up, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and
began to think about where her dress had landed. She tried to stand when
suddenly a strong arm banded around her middle. Kyle was behind her with his
legs flanking hers on both sides and his chin resting on her shoulder as he
pulled her back against his chest.

“Don’t leave, Charley. I don’t want you to leave. I want you
to stay with me.” He kissed her shoulder where it curved into her neck.

One tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. She swiped it
away, determined not to cry over a man she knew from the start would never be
hers.

When he spoke again, his voice was just above a whisper and
his lips touched her ear. “I don’t know how it happened and I don’t know what
to do about it. I’ve never felt this way before. I thought you were different
from the moment I saw you, but I had no idea that I would fall in love with
you, Charley.”

Her body physically jerked from the impact of his words. She
turned her head so fast that her nose smacked into his.

He snapped his head back and laughed. Rubbing his nose, he said,
“Not exactly the reaction I was expecting.”

“You’re in love with me?”

“I am.”

The painful tears of disappointment that she had been so
carefully holding back transformed into tears of shock and joy and spilled from
her wide eyes.

“I hope those are happy tears.” He said the words with a
hint of amusement but something in his eyes told her that he was vulnerable.
He’d splayed his heart out in front of her knowing that she could crush it with
a word.

More tears followed the first, her chest ached with emotion
and her heart pounded. In a strange twist, another part of her body also
reacted to Kyle’s declaration. Her pussy pulsed and flushed with fresh fluid. A
few moments earlier, she’d thought she was sated and now her clit throbbed with
need.

In an instant her lips were on his, stopping whatever else
he was about to say. She didn’t know if she really believed that he loved her
and she didn’t want anything he said to sway her from what she wanted at that
moment. She wanted to make love. Nothing else than to make love and believe, if
only for a while, that the man she was with loved her above all others. It was
a fantasy. She wanted it.

Kyle grabbed her, pulling her around. When he lay back, he
dragged her on top of his chest. His tongue swirled and danced with hers. The
smattering of hair on his broad chest tickled her breasts and made her nipples
tighten to hard pearls.

She cried out against his open mouth. His tongue lashed out
and licked her lip tracing a path. She closed her mouth, and he nibbled her
full bottom lip tugging it between his teeth. His hands slid from the arch
where her ass and back met, up her spine to her shoulders. Each caress fueled
the fire stirring inside Charley. Her skin was hot and sensitive to his
talented fingers.

Gripping his shoulders, she pulled herself along his body
rubbing his hard cock between them. The sound of him groaning out his pleasure
caused her clit to tighten further. Her hips rocked along his shaft and her
mouth covered his.

Desperate. It was the only way to describe her need for him.
She was desperate to have every bit of Kyle before the night was out. She
kissed his cheek, chin, neck and up to his ear, before rolling to the side and
getting up on her hands and knees so that she was perched perpendicular to his
outstretched body. From here, she had a wonderful view of his perfect cock
standing out in relief against his beautiful six-pack abs. She let her fingers
trace a light path along the bumpy plane until they reached the thick head of
his rod and tickled the very tip.

Kyle sucked in a breath. “Charley.”

She looked up the length of his stunning body and smiled
before lowering her mouth and running her tongue around the ruddy head. Her
other hand traced a delicate path along his inner thigh and caressed the tender
skin of his balls. His cock jerked. She pressed it between her lips, swirled
her tongue around one more time, and sank down until she took most of him in.

He moaned.

Charley applied suction and lifted her head before gripping
the base in her hand and sucking down again. With each plunge of her lips
around his full cock, her hand came up. When her jaw began to ache, she stopped
sucking and licked a path along the purple vein. Up and down, her tongue worked
the sensitive pulse until she thought he least expected it. She took his cock
in her mouth and sucked until the head reached the back of her throat.
Relaxing, she took him in a bit more, before letting him slide out again.

He gripped her thigh, pulling slightly. Then with more
force, he pulled her bottom half around until she was lying on his torso. Her
knees were on either side of his head.

Before she had a chance to think about her position and
where it placed her pussy, his tongue lapped at her from top to bottom. If she
had been an ice-cream cone he would not have missed a drop of the confection.
The sensation sent a shock to every nerve ending. Her body jerked and she
lowered her hips allowing him easier access to her clit.

He suckled the tight bud, sending more waves of ecstasy
through her. She tried to continue working his cock, but every time he licked
and sucked her clit she forgot about everything else—until finally she gave up
and let the thrill of his mouth consume her.

She tried to pull herself away so that she could concentrate
on giving him pleasure, but he gripped her ass and pulled her tight against his
mouth. His lips and tongue were relentless and she couldn’t hold back the
orgasm that started at her core. Her pussy erupted with juices and her body
shook against his mouth. He held her tight and lapped up every drop until she
couldn’t take the touch of his tongue. Her clit was too sensitive. She pulled
away and rolled to the side. Tremors continued to rack her body in waves.

The last of them was just passing when she felt Kyle’s body
shift on the bed. She didn’t open her eyes but his hands on her hips told her
that he had moved behind her. He lifted her onto her knees and pressed his
thick cock deep inside her soaked canal.

Charley’s flesh was so sensitive that immediately her next
orgasm shook her. She pressed her face into the blanket and cried his name,
while he continued to fuck her from behind. Almost immediately, another orgasm
started to build. She’d never come so much in her life. How did this man, who
she’d known for only a few days, have such command over her body? Why did she
respond to him more completely than she had to her ex-husband?

His cock filled her to bursting and when he backed away,
left her empty and wanting more. He pounded forward and shot back, again and
again, until she was screaming into his mattress and her pussy clutched at his
cock for release.

He grunted and thrust forward one last time. “Fuck.” He
pulled his cock fully out and let his come shoot out on her back and ass in a
stream of warm jets.

As if she were a piece of delicate crystal, he took her legs
and lowered her onto the bed so that she lay on her stomach. “Don’t move. I’ll
be right back.”

She felt his weight lift off the bed and then heard the
water running in the bathroom. A few moments later a warm, wet cloth smoothed
over her back and butt cheeks. She couldn’t help the soft sigh that escaped her
lips.

He moved again and he was beside her, pulling her against
his chest. “I could listen to you make that sound forever.”

Several thoughts rushed through Charley’s mind. She thought
she should run as far and as fast as she could away from this man. He was going
to break her heart in the very near future. On the other hand, it was so
perfect to be beside him, sated from the most incredible sex of her life and
nearly falling asleep.

His lips pressing against her shoulder, was the last thing
she remembered.

Kyle had made a mistake. He never should have told her how
he felt. How was he going to make any of this right? It was impossible. In
three short days, she would get off the ship and go back to Florida, and he
would sail to South America for the next cruise. She had not told him that she
loved him, not that he’d expected her to. No, she had jumped on top of him and
given him the greatest sex of his life. He had no idea if that indicated some
depth of feeling or if she was just avoiding the subject.

Don’t think so much.
Hadn’t that been what he kept
telling Charley?

He had the day off in Skagway. He should have gone with her
on the White Rail Pass to the summit. Now sitting in the staff dining room
pushing at his breakfast, he wished he was with her. Even if it meant getting
his heart ripped to pieces, he wanted to see her expression when she saw the
sights of Alaska.

“Is my food that bad?”

Kyle looked up from his plate to find the smiling face of
Executive Chef Steven Soldier looking down at him. “It’s excellent, as usual,
Steve.”

Soldier was from some little town in upstate New York. He
was well over six feet tall and still carried the heavy northeast accent that
Kyle had worked so hard to slough off. He was funny and charming and had been
married to the same Jamaican woman for years. His wife and her sister lived in
Jamaica and he saw her rarely, but he never strayed as far as Kyle knew.

“You look as though you just ate a bad bit of salmon,
buddy.”

Kyle shook his head and tried to smile. “No. Girl troubles.”

Steven sat down across from him and raised his dark
eyebrows. “You? Really? I heard through the grapevine that you were having a
fling with a passenger.”

“She’s a photographer sent by the corporate office.” He
didn’t like that the crew was gossiping about him but he knew it was part of
living in such close quarters with a large group of people for months at a
time.

“Oh, yes, I met Miss Ballantine when she came to my dining
room to take pictures. Very nice. I’m guessing it’s not a fling.”

“How can it not be? She’ll be gone in a few days.” His chest
tightened at the sound of those words coming out of his mouth.

Steven scooted his chair around so that he was closer.
“Look, it’s not easy but it is possible. It’s how Tawni and I met. I was on a
six-month contract in the Caribbean. I’m not saying that it’s easy, but it’s
possible. You don’t have to let her walk out of your life on Friday.”

“I can’t imagine that is the kind of life she’d want, Steve.
No offense but you and Tawni are unique. Why would Charley want to get involved
with a man who’s never home?” His stomach clutched and he pushed the plate of
food away.

“If you don’t ask her, you’ll never know. And if you love
her, you’ll be making a big mistake to let her walk away.”

“What if it’s a mistake to make her go through what Tawni
does while you’re at sea? Maybe letting her go would be a kindness.”

Steven frowned and stood up. “You can try to convince
yourself of that if you want, Kyle. I have to get to the kitchens. If you need
anything, let me know.”

“Thanks, Steve, I’m fine.”

“I can see that.” The chef walked away shaking his head.

Charley had been surprised when Kyle had declined to go with
her on the hour and a half tour to the summit where the United States and
Canada met at the gateway to the Yukon. Of course, he’d probably been on the
train ride dozens of times and had other things to do with his day off. She
walked through Skagway’s one main street and looked in a few shop windows.
Mostly it was tourist shops with jewelry and souvenirs.

He’d said he loved her. Just thinking about those words and
how they sounded coming from his mouth made her smile. She probably looked nuts
walking down the street grinning.

Trying to remember she had a job to do, she pulled her
outdoor rig from her bag and took a few quick pictures of Skagway.

At the appointed time, she returned to the rail stop by the
ship and got onboard the old-style train. It boasted three green-and-yellow
engines at one end and just one at the other. She guessed the three were needed
to pull the twenty or more cars up the steep mountains.

Once the train left town she stepped out onto the platform
between the cars. She couldn’t hear the running monologue describing what she
was seeing, but she was able to take some stunning pictures of the sheer rock,
river, waterfalls, mountain goats and even a glacier in the distance.

Five flags marked the summit, United States, Canada, Alaska,
British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. All five colorful banners waved in
the breeze that had started to blow in from the north.

She caught a few bits and pieces of the narrator talking
about men climbing these mountains with mules packed with gold-digging equipment.
Shuddering at the idea of navigating those passes on foot with a heavily
burdened pack and beast, she snapped more shots of the terrain.

By the time the train returned her to the ship, clouds were
starting to roll in and the temperature was dropping.

She found Jules standing near the gangplank. “Are you going
up or just coming down?”

“I’ve been shopping in town. I’m heading up to stash my
treasures and then I’m going to see if I can get in for a massage. Care to join
me?”

The ship would not be leaving port for another four hours.
She could go and find Kyle, but he seemed to want some time for himself and she
had not spent any time with Jules since they arrived onboard. “I would love
that.”

Three hours later, she’d been massaged, wrapped in some kind
of seaweed and had some kind of beauty treatment for puffy eyes. All she wanted
to do was go to sleep after all that pampering. She and Jules made their way
back to their stateroom. She walked lethargically until she collapsed on her
bed.

Jules flopped down as well. “Now, tell me what happened.”

Charley had thought she’d hid her worry from her friend. She
hadn’t said one word about Kyle or their affair since meeting outside the ship.
“What are you talking about?”

Jules rolled onto her side facing Charley. Her dark hair was
sticking out in every direction. Charley was sure that her own hair looked the
same. Between the oil from the massage and the creams and lotions from the
facial, they both needed to take showers and wash their hair.

“I’m talking about whatever has you so upset.”

“I’m not upset,” Charley lied.

Jules raised her eyebrows. “I’ve never seen anyone make so
much effort to pretend that nothing is wrong. Clearly something is bothering
you. I know you to well, my friend. You have not mentioned anything about your
first officer, a clear sign something has happened. So spill.”

“He told me that he loves me.”

“He did?” Jules sat up.

She expected surprised from her friend but her tone was
thoughtful, which made Charley roll over toward her and give her full attention.
“Why do you say it that way?”

“I pegged him for a player. Players don’t declare their
love. They have a good time and go on their merry way. Was it during sex?”

Charley gave that some thought. “We’d already had sex. We
were talking in bed.”

“But not actually screwing?”

“No. I hate that word.”

“Fucking, banging, making love.” She drew out the last word
and rolled her eyes then started laughing.

Charley giggled. “No. We were not in the process of doing
any of those things.”

“Wow, he must have meant it. What did you say?”

She felt a bit ashamed. “Nothing. I just jumped his bones.”

Jules burst out laughing. Not just a giggle or a chuckle, a
full laugh, and she didn’t stop. She kept right on rolling back on her bed with
mirth.

“Stop it. Why is that so funny?” Her words sounded harsh but
she couldn’t help smiling in the face of such amusement.

She gasped for air. “I’m sorry. It’s just so out of
character. How was it?”

“What?”

“The sex. How was the sex?”

“Best of my life.” Charley sighed and lay back so she was
facing the ceiling.

“Well then…” Jules left the sentence unfinished.

Charley wanted to ask what that meant but someone knocked on
the door. Jules made no move to get up and continued to giggle as she rolled
over and scooted under the covers.

The knocking sounded again. Reluctantly, Charley got up and
pulled the door open.

“What the hell happened to you?” Kyle asked, his eyes wide
and his mouth hanging open.

Charley looked down at the large white robe that she had
walked back to her room in. She touched her matted greasy hair. Her face became
warm and she was sure she was bright red. “I went to the spa.”

“Oh. G…good for you,” he stammered.

“I was going to take a little nap now.” Her tone clearly
indicated
alone
.

He looked at his feet and then back at her. “I have to work
at midnight. Would you and Jules like to have dinner with me tonight?”

“Can Drew come?” Jules called from behind her.

“Of course. I already made reservations for seven thirty at
Sea Blue. If you want, we can see the show at nine. I can’t drink, but I’d be
happy to escort you anywhere you wish to go.”

He looked vulnerable. It was so strange to see him worried
that she might reject him. God, she was in trouble. Her heart broke in a
million pieces just looking at him. She stepped into the hall, let the door
nearly close behind her and wrapped her arms around his neck. His arms banded
around her waist and his lips pressed to her collarbone.

“Dinner would be wonderful. I missed you today.” As she said
it, she realized it was true. Every new thing that she saw, she’d wanted to
share with him. She had a job to do and she did it but she wished he had shared
the day with her.

“I missed you too.” He trailed kisses up her neck to her
cheek and then devoured her mouth.

Someone cleared their throat and Kyle broke the kiss. The
same older couple who she’d encountered in the hall and had heard Jules bawdy
remark days before, walked toward the aft section of the ship.

“Pardon us, madam, sir,” Kyle said.

The tall old man leered down at Charley in the exact same
way he had before. The woman harrumphed before squeezing past in the narrow
corridor and continuing on without a word.

She was sure that her face was bright red with
embarrassment.

Kyle laughed once the couple was out of sight. “Go take your
nap. I’ll see you later.”

She gave him a quick kiss and backed into her room.

* * * * *

Leaving Skagway meant that they were heading south again.
The ship would take the inside passage out to open sea and the next forty-eight
hours would be spent sailing. Kyle loved being at sea but there was some bad
weather expected and it would take him away from Charley. Perhaps that was for
the best. So why didn’t it feel that way?

He had a sinking feeling in his gut and he didn’t like it
one bit. The hours until she disembarked were slipping by and he still had no
solution to how he could continue to keep her in his life. His declaration had
only complicated things. Originally, he’d believed it was a mistake, but after
thinking about it, he’d decided he would do it again. She should know how he
felt regardless of the outcome at the end of the week.

He liked the Sea Blue restaurant. It was a healthier fare
and a distinctly elegant setting. It was in the port, aft section of deck five
with large round windows lining the outside wall and another wall with a white
rose carved out of plaster. There were no straight lines as every table, chair
back and kitchen pass-through was round. It gave the dining room a sense of
flow and movement.

Charley showed up at precisely seven thirty wearing cream
trousers that flared at the bottom and an orange blouse that was cut low enough
to enjoy a view of her full cleavage. She looked delicious and he almost
suggested they skip dinner and rush back to his stateroom. Her hair was tousled
wildly and she gripped a backpack that he knew was her camera bag in her right
hand. He took the heavy bag from her as she leaned in to kiss his cheek.

The scent of the sea mixed with her perfume. To him it was
the perfect combination. To have both of the things he loved in one place was
too good to be true. Of course it was. It was a short-term situation, and he’d
thought of little else for days. How could he make this work?

He placed the bag on the floor and held her seat out for
her. “You were on deck?”

“I wanted to get a few pictures of the inside passage. It’s
beautiful out there.” Her voice was breathless.

“You look beautiful, windblown and rosy.”

Her eyes widened and she combed her fingers through her hair
in an attempt to tame it. “I’ll just run into the ladies’ room and fix it.”

He wanted to tell her not to change a thing, but she was
already up and he saw Drew and Jules entering the restaurant. Jules headed for
the restroom with Charley and Drew continued to the table and shook his hand.

As soon as they were sitting, Drew said, “You look like a
man with a problem.”

“Is it that obvious?”

Drew shrugged. “I’m a trained observer, but yes, it is.”

“It’s impossible.”

The man across the table frowned and looked him directly in
the eye. “Nothing is impossible. If you want more, you are going to have to
find a way to make it happen. Just because it’s not easy doesn’t mean it’s not
possible.”

Kyle nodded. “You are probably right, but for the life of
me, I don’t know how one or both of us doesn’t get hurt.”

Drew smiled. “Maybe you will get hurt. Maybe it will be
worth a little pain.” He accepted the menu from the waiter. Opening it, he
changed the subject. “What’s good here?”

Kyle took the not-so-subtle hint. “Everything is good, but
I’d start with the quail. You won’t be sorry.”