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But she didn’t want to hurt this man, she didn’t want to gloss over her distress regarding Fabrice and Kenzy. She had wanted life to be a bowl of cherries, but now she had to admit, those cherries came with pits.
He grinned at her, and for one electric moment their eyes held. In that instant, Maddy had the overpowering sensation that some incomplete part of her had just connected with something in him, and she felt a kind of closeness, a kind of harmony she’d never experienced with anybody else. The effect made her both ecstatic and nervous.
Shark drew in a ragged breath and his gaze slid to her mouth, his touch on her arm almost a caress as he said unevenly, “Babe, I’d strain anything for you.” His voice was even more husky as he put pressure on her arm, prompting her to move. “And it might be a hell of a lot more interesting.”
She resisted the pressure on her arm to head toward the house in a sheer gut-punch feeling delivered right to her libido. She understood his meaning immediately. The man was packing some powerful heat between his legs, and she ached to have every inch of that hard heat straining beneath her hands, in her mouth, against her tongue. The man drove her absolutely crazy.
The thought of an afternoon in bed with this sexy devil was so enticing, she shivered. “Too bad we have a houseful of nosy people.” She really had to fight to gather the strength and willpower to move, and she didn’t want to sever the connection with Shark, either physically or emotionally. The man might brood, but damn, his attempts to make her swoon were all natural and oh-so-sweet. She didn’t think she’d met a more unpretentious alpha male in her life.
“Yeah, especially your dad. Not exactly my idea of a leisurely afternoon, kitten.”
She hit him on the arm. “Don’t call me that…it’s weird,” she hissed as she started to move toward the house. She might think the nickname inappropriate, but damn if she didn’t love the husk in his voice when he called her that. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs. “And, no, definitely not a good idea to lie in bed with you when my dad is right downstairs.”
He set his hand on the small of her back, urging her to climb the stairs. “Okay, a trip downtown then?”
She nodded and gave in to the pressure. “Give me a minute to change but pack your bathing suit. I know a secluded little cove that would be good for swimming. The water is like crystal blue glass.”
“Secluded? I like the sound of that,” he said. When she reached for her door, he stayed her arm, his gaze thoughtful and a bit wicked. “Hey, how about we lose track of time and stay in Port-au-Prince overnight? Get a hotel room?”
“Ooh, I like the way you think. We wouldn’t have to sneak around, and we could make all the noise we want. I’ll pack a toothbrush. I always keep a bag in my trunk when I’m out in the field in case I need to change. That should work.”
“Or I’ll buy you a pretty sundress in that shop you like.”
She smiled and turned toward him and got lost in those beautiful gray eyes, then she looked at his mouth, those full, clever lips.
“Maddy,” he said fiercely.
She wanted to say his name, she wanted him, but in this messed up…full-body-and-soul kind of way.
“You do such things…” She had no voice. The words were barely formed. Her thoughts went to jelly. She was trying to come back to her senses.
“Shh,” he told her, then pulled her against him, right where she wanted to be. He put her arms around his neck. His big, calloused palms felt good against her skin. He tipped her chin up and kissed her.
She was like putty in his arms, thankful for his strength, his guidance, his support of her, as she was simply overcome at the moment. Any moment now, she’d regroup. She’d be her peppy self. Any minute, now… Then his mouth was drugging her, and she was swimming away, floating on waves of pleasure. Nothing had ever felt this good. He was both gentle and urgent, making her wish they were in that hotel now. He tucked his hips against hers, still kissing her deeply, twining his tongue along hers as he slid his hands down her back.
She buried her fingers in his hair as he pinned her to the wall. He lifted his head, looked her in the eyes. They were so very dark and intense, as usual, and it was all because he wanted her. A heady rush raced through her.
“Maddy,” he whispered, softer this time.
She wanted—no, needed—him to know she was present, completely in here. In every way. And this was only the beginning of how she wanted to show him. That feeling, that need, was as thrilling as it was intimidating.
“You’re killing me, tiger,” he said, then took a breath. “To continue our conversation that you interrupted so thoroughly—” When she opened her mouth to say something tart, he interrupted her. “No complaints here,” he murmured. “I always have a contingency bag. We’re in business.” He slapped her on the butt. “Hurry up.”
She giggled, quickly changed in her room, and grabbed a beach tote, stuffing her cute string bikini, a coverup, several rolled towels, a blanket, sunscreen, and her toothbrush inside. She hadn’t forgotten about Fabrice. Maddy was determined to get to the bottom of what was going on. But an outing with Shark was too tantalizing to resist, and truly, Maddy just wasn’t the type of person to mope.
8
Maddy directed Shark to her favorite parking spot downtown. It was central to the area, including the markets and some of the shops she enjoyed browsing when she was here. She was content that she had most of her research article done and felt that she could now take a break. After he parked, they walked to her favorite boutique. Once inside, she tried on a lot of pretty sundresses, picking out two. One was a bright orange sleeveless dress with cheery linen woven fabric that came to mid-thigh. The breezy open back was accented with a multi-striped, green, blue, turquoise, and navy satin sash. The other one was a multi-geometric print midi dress in shades of white, yellow, orange, and pink with a racer-back design. She decided to wear the geometric one to lunch, her bikini underneath.
She loved them both. It helped her to take her mind off Fabrice, but ever since she started realizing that she glossed over uncomfortable situations, she couldn’t fully get her and her son out of her mind. What was really going on with the president? Was he actually sick or, as her gut was telling her, was his absence pointing to something more sinister?
They found a cute little café where they ordered one of her favorites, griyo, a braised pork dish served with a tangy coleslaw. The meat was cooked to perfection with a strong orange taste. For dessert, she talked Shark into bonbon siwo, a Haitian gingerbread cake to die for, tantalizing the taste buds, but sweet enough to be satisfying.
When they were finished with lunch, she navigated them over to her secluded beach area. The weather was gorgeous, perfect for an afternoon on the water. The temperature was sizzling, but the turquoise water looked so inviting. The breeze blew off the ocean, caught in her hair, feathering it across her face, and Maddy absently tucked the strand behind her ear as she led the way down an obscured path sheltered by trees and brush.
Shark tried to take her bag, but she stubbornly refused. She was handling her own burdens right now. Maybe later she’d relinquish some of it, but now she needed to feel the weight of it.
Her tote firmly over her shoulder, she forged ahead, and when the path narrowed and the land just melted away, she pressed her back against the rocks and shimmied along until it opened up again, the path taking a pronounced downslope.
