Justice Is Always Ready (A Graham Family Story, 1) (8 page)

He remained silent but the heat in his
eyes told her so much. Lucy’s advice flitted through her mind
before she focused totally on the man slipping his arm around her
waist.

“
Let’s get this show on
the road.”

He guided her toward what
she assumed to be his boat, a beautiful white vessel with the
words
The Dinah Rose
painted in an elegant black writing.

“
She’s beautiful,
The Dinah Rose
.”

Justice smiled down at her as he
helped her onboard. “Yes, ma’am, thank you. My father dreamed of
having his own boat to take us out fishing on. His dream boat had
the same name. Dinah after the love of his life, my mom, and Rose
after grandma. I never forgot the days we’d spend overlooking the
water and watching the boats go. When he was KIA I vowed to fulfill
his dream, since he wouldn’t be able to. So, here she
is.”

Kassidy could hear the mixture of
pride and sorrow in his voice as he spoke. Squeezing his hand, she
said, “I’m sure he’s very proud of you.”

He returned the squeeze. “Let me give
you the tour, then we’ll head out.”

“
What kind of boat is
this?”

“
A Catalina
28mkII.”

She nodded even though she hadn’t a
clue what that really meant. Eyes large, she took it all in. The
deck was open and wide, giving her the impression of easy
maneuverability. He led the way down into the interior.

“
Oh my,” she gasped. It
was beautiful and spotless, with a stunning blend of blues and wood
finishes. Natural light was abundant. “The wood work is gorgeous.”
She reached out and trailed her fingers along some.

“
Teak and ash finishes.”
He gestured with his hand. “The galley and the head are
aft.”

She looked behind where they’d come
down in and saw a very tidy and compact cooking area, past which
laid a bed, neatly made. Seeing it took her mind down an entirely
different path. A closed door stood to the right, which she assumed
to be the head.

“
Looks like you brought a
feast,” he said, sending her a grin that shot up her core
temperature quite a few degrees.

She glanced around the main cabin
area. Naval images and décor were up on the walls. Over one of the
seats hung a collage of photos. Moving closer, she stared at them.
The centre picture was of a handsome black man in an Army
uniform.

“
That’s my
father.”

The resemblance was uncanny. She
listened as he pointed out the others in the shots.

“
What a wonderful group of
photos. Your mom and sister are very beautiful.”

He smiled and walked by her, his hand
trailing along the small of her back before he ascended to the
deck. She turned to follow and noticed a phrase written in blue
near where she took the steps.

Semper
Paratus
.

A question on her lips, she stepped up
into the warm sun. Justice had already begun to cast off. She stood
by and watched as he steered them with ease and what looked to be
minimal effort on his part. He pointed out boats that belonged to
his friends as well as waving and talking to people they passed on
their way out.

Excitement began to sink in. While in
the harbor, it was different. Now they were headed out. The warm
wind drifted through her hair and brought a smile to her
face.

“
Justice?”

“
Yes,
beautiful?”

“
The phrase on either side
of the steps. What’s it mean?”

He turned the wheel and pointed the
bow toward open water. “Semper Paratus.”

“
Yes, that.”

“
Always Ready. Motto of
the US Coast Guard.”

Always Ready. Two words that, based on
what she’d seen of Justice Graham, fit him perfectly.

He winked at her, slow, seductive and
yet totally enticing. “Let’s sail.” With a few motions, he released
the sails. The boat fairly leapt forward, propelled by the wind.
The pristine white sails billowed out. “Come here, Kassidy. Take
the wheel.”

Although uncertain, she
did as told and listened to him give her a brief lesson on
steering
The Dinah Rose
. It was not easy to concentrate with his strong body pressed
up against her back, his hands covering hers where they rested on
the silver wheel. A contented sigh left her and she relaxed back
into the wall of strength behind her.

* * * *

Justice couldn’t keep his stare off
Kassidy. Or it seemed his hands. When he’d first spotted her
walking up the pier, he could easily read the nervousness on her
face. She was entirely adorable in her red t-shirt and white
shorts. Her hair was loose and blowing around her face. He couldn’t
see her eyes because of her sunglasses, but it didn’t
matter.

Now, Kassidy lay on a towel up on the
deck before him. She’d removed her shirt—as had he, which left her
in a bikini top and those short white shorts, which hugged the
globes of her ass in a way he longed to. Her bikini top was jade
green, the color sliced through the nut-brown hue of her
skin.

He groaned and forced his nails out of
his palm. With his other hand he had the lunch she’d brought. He
was hungry, but the deepest craving he had wasn’t for the food he
carried, no it was for the stunning woman stretched out on a towel
in the sun.

“
Here’s lunch.”

Kassidy turned her head and watched
him approach, a smile on her face, the wind moving her curls.
“Great, I’m starved.”

He clenched his jaw when she sat up
fully and stretched out her legs. Crouching beside her, he pulled
out the containers of food and spread it out between them. Once
everything was out, he withdrew a bottle of wine and two
glasses.

“
Trying to get me drunk?”
Her question teasingly fell.

“
Nope, not yet,” he
replied with a wink.

Over the meal, Kassidy asked about his
boat and he took great pride in answering each and every question
she posed. Her interest seemed genuine. After lunch and a slice of
delicious peach pie, they cleaned up. Justice lay beside her. He’d
dropped the anchor before lunch, so for the moment the only
movement came from the gentle rolling motion of the ocean herself.
He lay propped up on one elbow, his free hand running up and down
her arm, her skin silken and supple beneath his questing
fingers.

“
This is perfect, thank
you.” She turned toward him. “I can’t imagine not loving being out
like this.”

He grinned. “There is nothing like
being out on the water. The feeling it creates within is
unbelievable. Haven’t you gone sailing before? You said you grew up
here in Quiet Harbor.”

“
Nope. Never. Kinda wish I
had though, now that I know what I was missing.”

He traced the outline of her sensual
mouth. “I must say, I’m glad this is your first time. Kinda nice to
know it was with me.”

She swallowed and her tongue traced
the path his finger had travelled seconds earlier. Where he found
his control, he hadn’t any clue.

“
Yes,” she said, her voice
slightly strained. “It does make it a bit more special.”

He gave in to the urge riding him and
pressed their mouths together. Her sigh pounded into the thin hold
of control he had. Slipping one arm under her, he rolled them so
they were chest to chest. Kassidy’s small hands moved up his back,
her touch blazing a path of fire along his skin. She purred and
molded her body tighter to him.

With a low growl of surrender, he gave
in to the desire washing over him. Adjusting so she was beneath
him, he trailed one hand up and down her side as the kiss deepened.
His fingers caressed the curve of her ass and squeezed. Her nipples
could be felt through the cloth of her bikini. The ocean rocked
them together in the most intimate of ways.

Tearing his mouth off hers, he removed
her sunglasses and stared in her eyes. The gray orbs were dark as
were the green flecks within them.

“
Kassidy,” he rasped,
doing his best to give her a way to say no.

“
Justice.” Her tone was as
deep and husky as his had been.

“
I didn’t bring you out
here for this.”

Her fingers dug into his shoulder
blades. “You keep pushing me away. I’m wondering if you’re even
attracted to me.”

The words were whispered but he had no
trouble hearing them. Putting them nose to nose, he held her gaze
while he took one of her hands in his.

Guiding it between them,
he growled, “Does it
feel
like I’m not attracted to you or that I don’t
want you, Kassidy?”

Her fingers clasped around his shaft
and he could feel the sweat begin to bead on his brow.

“
Then why stop?” she
asked.

“
I don’t want you to think
that’s why I asked you out here with me.”

She lightly licked his lips and
removed her hand from where it sat against his hardness. Cupping
his face in her hands, she sighed. “I tell you what. When you’re
confident I won’t think that, you let me know. Because I want you,
Jamal ‘Justice’ Graham. But if you want to wait until we’re off
your boat, that’s fine too.” She kissed him and rolled to her feet.
“I’m going to get a drink.”

He followed her with his gaze and when
she vanished down into the cabin, he cursed a blue streak. How
could she even fathom the idea he didn’t want her? He’d never been
so hard in his entire life. The time it took him to count to ten
was the time it took him to stand and gather the towel she’d been
lying on, her glasses, and head for the steps.

Licking his lips, he headed into the
main cabin. At the bottom he turned and saw Kassidy putting ice
into a cup and pouring some water in as well. She stopped and
stared at him, her eyes wide.

Justice moved toward her, dropping the
towel and her glasses to the floor. Silent, he plucked the glass
from her hand and placed it in the sink. Wrapping his arms around
her, he cupped her butt and lifted. Without direction, she hooked
her legs around his waist and her hands caressed the back of his
head.

He backed them into the double berth
and laid her back upon the made bed. Lips grazing hers, he reached
around to one knot holding up her top and pulled. He mimicked the
action for the second one.

Pushing up, he pulled the jade
material away and found himself staring at her breasts. Full and
firm with pebbled tips the color of dark chocolate, they made his
mouth water.

“
Perfect,” he whispered,
lowering his mouth to cover one point.

As he laved his attention on the
bounty before him, Kassidy writhed and moaned beneath him. Her tone
became higher and higher the longer he suckled her.

“
Justice!” she cried, her
hands against the back of his head.

Rolling a tip in his mouth, he undid
the button of her shorts and somehow managed to shed them from her
body. Despite the hold she had on him, he sat up and stared down at
her near-naked state. Her bikini bottoms were the same color as the
top had been.

Seconds later, they were sailing
through the air to land somewhere of little consequence. With a
growl of pure male satisfaction, he smiled at the vixen watching
him with hooded pleasure and lowered his head back down. He trailed
his tongue down her body until he reached her thighs. Nudging them
wider to accommodate his shoulders, her quivering reverberated
through him as he dipped closer.

Chapter
Six

Kassidy screamed as the world around
her shattered. Her fingers dug into Justice’s skin as she floated
down from her cloud of bliss. He moved up her body, kissing his way
along her skin. The moment his mouth covered hers she shifted
beneath him, wanting more, wanting the feeling of completion she
knew he would bring her. His tongue stroked deep and brought her a
taste of herself intermixed with his addicting flavor.

“
Kassidy,” he
murmured.

He rubbed against her before pushing
up and reaching to the side. Her body grew wetter when she heard
the rip of the foil packet. Keeping her eyes on his, she bit her
lower lip when he shed his shorts and boxer-briefs.

His shaft jutted out, the tip leaking
a drop of moisture. She sat up and reached out to wrap her hand
around the warm length. With her other hand, she took the opened
packet and with great pleasure sheathed him. She offered no
resistance when he guided her back to the bed. With a single
unhurried motion, he slid fully inside her. Her gasps of pleasure
couldn’t be contained.

“
Justice.”

“
Right here, beautiful,”
he uttered.

Biting the inside of her cheek, she
nearly came apart again when he began to move. He buried his face
in the side of her neck, muttering things which made her skin
prickle and toes curl with their heated descriptions.

Back and forth.

In and out.