The Pirate Wench Page 7

  "Yes. I did.” She giggled. “So did you."

  "Yeah. Some pretty little minx was squeezing my cock. Kinda like a vise grip."

  She chuckled, then gasped when something hard pressed against her feet.

  "What? Oh my lord, it's the boat. How?"

  "I didn't let us get too far from it. I am a sea-faring man, remember? I wanted to fuck you, not drown you. I'm going to let go now. You ready?"

  She nodded and bobbed in the water as he ducked under the waves and came back up.

  He turned her toward him and clamped his lips to hers as if to claim her as his own. The kiss was demanding and oh so sensuous. Royce gently bit her lower lip.

  When he finally pulled back their gazes locked.

  "We didn't..."

  "I know. It's OK. I trust you."

  "I trust you, too. But there are other things to worry about."

  "Yes, there is. But we'll worry about it together."

  His words hit her square in the chest. Charles had never asked about birth control, or wanted to have anything to do with it. Once they'd become exclusive, he'd sworn off condoms and made Melani go on the pill, which she'd quickly dropped when they broke up.

  To hear Royce say they'd deal with something together scared her, more than just a little bit. She didn't need to get too close to him. After all, she had a life in Texas and he had one here. They would have their week together and nothing more.

  She started to open her mouth to say it, but closed it just as quickly. To bring that up would ruin the moment, take away from the fantastic lovemaking they'd just experienced together.

  "What are you thinking?” He kissed her lips gently.

  "I'm not thinking,” she lied. “How about you?"

  "I'm thinking I want you again, and again and again. But I'm getting chilly, so we'd better get back on the boat."

  Melani pouted. “I was hoping to tangle with the shark again."

  "Geeze, woman, you're going to kill me.” The words hung in the air, but the smile on his face showed that he, too, wanted the shark to reappear.

  "Let's rest. Then we'll see if the shark is talented enough to make an appearance out of the water."

  "A shark that could swim in the boat. That would make a great story."

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  Chapter Ten

  Melani woke on deck the next morning, wrapped in a blanket. The sun barely peeked over the horizon and the boat bobbed gently in the waves.

  The smell of bacon frying hit her nose and she sighed in appreciation.

  After their “nap,” she and Royce had talked for hours, exchanging information and tidbits about each other's lives. It had been fun, but she'd noticed that anytime she'd brought up his marriage, he'd changed the subject.

  After the second attempt she hadn't pushed it. Instead, she'd been content with his stories of broken bones and holiday memories.

  Then, as the stars had begun to fade, he'd made slow, sweet love to her, his tongue lavishing her body and his hands caressing every inch of her. They'd taken another quick dip, then climbed back aboard and fallen asleep in each other's arms, wrapped in a blanket he'd brought from below deck, cuddled together in the tight space.

  She sat up and propped her back against the railing, looking out at the endless expanse of ocean and wondering how she'd been so lucky to stumble across Royce. He was certainly someone she hadn't expected to meet on this trip.

  She licked her lips, then jumped when his voice shattered the silence.

  "Eek gods, it's Medusa. Look at that hair."

  Melani let out a horrified squeak and put her hands to her head. Her hair was indeed sticking out on all ends, stiff from the seawater and the fact that she'd fallen asleep with it still wet.

  "Well, I guess the blush has worn off our relationship if you tell me I look like Medusa."

  He chuckled and waved a fork at her.

  "Breakfast is ready. Bacon, eggs, toast and orange juice. Come and eat."

  She wrapped the blanket around her naked body and ducked down as she went down the steps. Royce was back in the galley, clad only in jeans, his long black hair trailing over his shoulders. He looked every inch the pirate. And he made her body bubble with need.

  "How is it that your hair is perfect?"

  "Well,” he said, looking at her sheepishly. “I took a swim this morning. You looked so beautiful that I didn't want to wake you. Before that, trust me, I looked like Medusa, too."

  She laughed and sat down, snatching a piece of bacon from the counter.

  "So did you sleep at all?” She crunched on her treat.

  "A little. Mostly I just sat and watched this absolutely beautiful woman who was sleeping next to me.” He sat the food down on the table, then squeezed in across from her.

  "You watched me sleep?"

  "Yes. You snore."

  "I do not."

  "Yes, you do. It's a light little snore, but a snore just the same."

  He took his own bacon and began to chew in contentment.

  "Man, you're not very charming this morning. First you say I look like Medusa. Then you tell me I snore."

  "They weren't complaints. Just observations."

  "Yeah, well they sounded like complaints to me. You should never tell a woman she snores."

  She poured herself a glass of orange juice and sipped from it daintily.

  He smiled at her and didn't respond. They watched each other for a few minutes and then Royce cleared his throat.

  "We need to get back."

  "Right, you've got a ship to try and take over, and I've got a heist to plan."

  He nodded, a smile absent from his face. His expression made her stomach churn.

  "Is something wrong? Did I do something wrong last night?"

  "Oh, no.” He stood and gathered her in his arms. “Last night was perfect."

  He caressed her cheeks and kissed her gently.

  "I agree. If it's not last night, then what's wrong with you?"

  "Nothing."

  "Liar. Reporters can read people as well as lawyers can. Something's up."

  He separated from her and looked down. “Not yet, but there's a possibility.” He gave her a sheepish grin.

  "That's not what I meant.” She frowned at him, examining his face with care. “Something's wrong."

  "Nothing's wrong. I just didn't get enough sleep. I'm sorry."

  "Right."

  He sighed and took a step back, keeping his hands on her forearms.

  "We have to go to work."

  "True. You have a pirate ship to try and take over."

  "And you have a heist to plan."

  "That's a new one for me. We'll see how it goes. We're all meeting for dinner around nine, right?"

  "That's right. At Ellie and Russell's place.” He brought her hands up to his mouth and kissed each knuckle.

  "I thought we had to work."

  "We do. I just wanted one last taste before the day started."

  He kissed her lips, breaking off quickly and going back on deck.

  Melani stared after him. No matter what he said, she could tell that something was wrong. He'd changed since last night. She wasn't sure exactly what was different but she knew that something was up. Tonight at dinner, she'd have to watch him again to see if he acted differently.

  Whatever it was, she was sure she would figure it out.

  * * * *

  Royce stepped out of the lagoon and shook his head, drops of water flying everywhere.

  He stepped into the main room to find a scowling Russell staring at him.

  "Crap, Royce. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

  "Excuse me?"

  "You heard me. Geeze, you thinking with your little head again? Melani on the brain? You've missed cues and hit the water twice today. I mean, this isn't Broadway, true, but it would be nice if things went according to plan for a while."

  Royce brushed passed him. “Sorry to disappoint you."

  "Hey man, don't w
alk out on me. Tell me what the—"

  "—fuck is going on? It was the last show of the day. I'm tired. I'm sorry, I didn't get much sleep last night."

  "Bullshit. You may be tired, but you're always right on the money, tired or not. Did something bad happen between you and Melani?"

  "No. She's perfect. Absolutely perfect."

  The room grew quiet, and then Royce shook his head, looking toward the open doorway, or toward the wall. Anywhere but at his friend.

  "Oh holy fuck. You're in love with her.” Russell's voice was teasing, and he broke into laughter. “Good job. Ellie will love it! And so do I. She's perfect for you."

  "Is she? Because she's made it clear that she doesn't want anything from me but what we have right now."

  "Oh really? Have you said, ‘Melani I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you?’”

  "No. Listen, Russell, don't say anything to Ellie, or Melani. This is my business, not yours and I, well, shit—I don't know."

  "OK, OK, tell me why you've come to this decision to keep your feelings secret."

  Russell moved to a bench and sat down. “Last night was great. We made love in the ocean and we talked. Did you know the two of them got picked up for toilet papering a teacher's house?"

  "Yeah, I heard about that. Ellie thought it was a hoot. I gather she was the only one who did, though."

  Royce laughed. “Yeah."

  "So, continue about last night."

  "I woke up while she was sleeping, and I sat up and watched her. The moon was just light enough that I could see her face. She looked so beautiful, so soft and vulnerable. And I realized that in the six years since my divorce was final from Sarah, Melani was the first woman I'd slept with, actually slept with, as in same bed."

  "That's a big step for you. It means that..."

  "It means that once again, I've chosen a woman who doesn't want me."

  "Bullshit. I agree about Sarah. All she wanted was the prestige of being married to a lawyer and being able to spend his money. But Melani's not like that."

  "You're right, she's not. But she's made no bones about the fact that her life is in Texas. She has a home and a job there."

  "She has an apartment and a cat,” Russell said. “She can get a job anywhere. And I'm sure Kidd will learn to love the cat."

  Royce stretched out, pulling at the wet clothes he wore. “That job is important to her."

  "She threw herself into that job when her relationship with Charles ended. She wanted a home and she wanted a family. Trust me. You two are perfect together because you want the same thing. You just don't want the house and the picket fence. You want a house boat, and a dog that delivers treasure maps."

  "I don't know, Russ. It just seems so..."

  "Listen. You're my best friend. You've been my best friend for years. So do me a favor. Don't act like an idiot and make me beat the crap out of you. Tell her how you feel. Tonight."

  "You think you could beat me up? Without a script, I could best you any day of the week."

  "Not acting like an idiot you can't. And that's what you've been doing all day."

  "Fuck you.” Royce stood up and stalked across the room. “You have no fucking idea how I feel."

  "Listen to me. When Sarah left you turned into a basket case. I don't want that to happen again. You let Melani go, and you're making the biggest mistake you've ever made in your life."

  Royce wheeled toward his friend, who was now bounding up the stairs of the ship. Royce knew he was right. Sarah's betrayal had hit him hard. It was a year before he could talk about it, and a year more before he allowed himself to become close to a woman again.

  Oh he was a terrible flirt, true. But he used that flirting to keep from getting too close to women. He'd only had two lovers since Sarah had left. Both of them fun, lively women who loved the sea. But they hadn't been right for him. He hadn't found anyone right for him.

  Until now.

  He'd never, ever had feelings for a woman like those he'd felt toward Melani. As he'd watched her sleep this morning, her vulnerability and creamy skin had made him itch to wake her and take her again and again.

  He loved everything about her. From the way she bit her lip when she talked to the way she moaned his name when she came. She was, without a doubt, a woman he could live with forever.

  The only thing that held him back was the knowledge she was going back to Texas. And he was sure, no matter what Russell said, Melani wouldn't stay here. Royce just couldn't be that lucky.

  * * * *

  Melani took a sip of her soft drink and looked over the layout of Jaynie's former house. At first, her new friend had been very, very reluctant to participate in the event, saying that she didn't want to put anyone in danger because of her.

  "No, no way. Listen, The Creep is tricky. It won't work.” She'd shook her head emphatically with each word and Melani had finally given up. There was no way she was going to talk her into it.

  She'd left the booth and thought that was that. She'd have to tell her friends that it was over.

  But, several hours later, when Melani was selling souvenirs and interviewing a couple from Kansas, she'd been surprised to see Jaynie standing near the store entrance, an anxious look on her face.

  Melani had frowned at her and Jaynie had nodded forcefully.

  When the couple had exited the store, Melani had taken Jaynie's arm and led her to the back room.

  "What's up?"

  "Let's do it."

  "What changed your mind?” Melani had been taken aback, but happy that Jaynie wanted to follow through instead of giving in to her lousy ex.

  "The ex's new girlfriend, the one he left me for? Well, she just called me. He's left her, too. Dumped her for someone even younger than she is. She's royally pissed."

  "So?"

  "She said he talked about stealing the pearls, about how he could use them to get the boat back."

  "That asshole."

  "Yeah, but the best part is ... are you ready for this? She has the key to his house, and the alarm code. She's bringing them to me this afternoon.” Jaynie was so excited, Melani thought she would scream loud enough for the whole room to hear.

  "You've got to be kidding? Can you trust her?"

  "Well, she has been a bitch to me. But now that she's been screwed, I think she'll play nice. They only broke up a few days ago, and she doesn't think he's changed the lock, or the code."

  They'd laughed, and now, sitting in Ellie's dining room, Melani wondered about her sense of right and wrong. Was she really planning to break into someone's house and steal something? And would it be stealing if they were only taking back what was already stolen?

  Of course the semantics of it didn't matter. If they were caught in someone else's home, the cops would only see it one way. As a theft. If that happened, Melani would take a ride in a police car for the second time in her life.

  Only this time, she was pretty sure she'd be wearing handcuffs.

  She took another sip and glanced at her watch. So far, it was just her and Ellie, who was busy in the kitchen. Even though Ellie had ordered in food from the restaurant, she had to get “just the right bowls” to serve it in.

  Royce, Russell and Jaynie would be along soon. Melani stared at the plans and let her mind wonder.

  Her body still tingled from last night. Making love to Royce in the ocean had been a dream come true. Actually, it had been more than that. It had been something she'd never even dreamed about.

  She closed her eyes and could still feel him pulsing inside her as the waves washed over them. Her nipples tightened and she sighed.

  "That good, huh?"

  Melani's eyes popped open to find Ellie staring at her, a huge grin on her face.

  "Yeah, that good."

  "Oh, I'm jealous. I'm fixing to be relegated to old-fashioned married sex."

  "Oh please. I'm sure there will be nothing old-fashioned about your sex life after Saturday night. You'll still be tying each other
to the bed."

  "You peeked!” Ellie threw her head back and laughed and Melani blushed.

  "So, can I have details?” Ellie sat down and batted her eyes.

  "No."

  "He loves you, you know."

  Melani turned to her, her lip captured between her teeth.

  "He does not."

  "He does. I saw it the first time he talked about you. Do me a favor. Don't break his heart."

  "What do you mean? He knows I'm only here for a week.” Melani looked at the table and suddenly Royce's actions that morning made sense. The remark about Medusa, and her snoring. He was trying to find faults with her; something that would make it easier for him to let her go.

  "He may know it in his mind, but his heart doesn't."

  "Does this have something to do with Sarah?"

  Ellie's eyes widened. “He told you about Sarah?"

  "Well, sort of. He told me that he'd been married. But he didn't say anything about why the marriage broke up. Will you tell me?"

  "No. That's for Royce to do, not me."

  "Was it bad?"

  "Yes."

  "Please tell me.” Melani stared at her friend, her eyes pleading.

  "No. Royce is my friend, too. To tell you that would be to break his trust. I can't do that. I hope you understand."

  Melani sighed deeply and nodded.

  "I just want him to trust me enough to tell me."

  "That's a two-way street, you know. You need to trust him with your feelings, too."

  Melani smiled. “Yeah, but I'm leaving. We both know that."

  "Yes, but...” A knock at the door made them both jump.

  "Come in,” Ellie yelled. Seconds later, Jaynie bustled into the room.

  "I'm so excited.” She took a seat next to Ellie and dropped a key onto the table. “And here it is, nine-one-three-eight. Then press star."

  "Where's the...” Melani closed her mouth when Ellie held up her hand.

  "Let's wait until the guys get here. That way we're all on the same page."

  They nodded in agreement and talked about business at the park that day.

  "I'm going to have to go and take pictures tomorrow,” Melani said. “It's Wednesday already, and I only have three more days. My plane leaves Sunday morning."

  Ellie nodded, her eyes sad.