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“Yes, sir.”
Derek banged through the bridge door, thudded down the narrow wood stairs, attempting a smile at one of the passengers making her way to the top deck. Once on the main deck, he strode to the captain’s quarters, located in the bow of the ship.
At his door he hesitated, listening. No voices. Gene was nowhere to be found. Damn it. He shouldn’t be leaving his captain to deal with this woman alone. Unless there were witnesses, whatever happened would be her word against his.
He knocked. “Hello?”
“Yes?” The voice was strangely high, oddly false sounding. The woman last night had a low smoker’s voice. Was she trying to disguise it? “Is that Captain Derek?”
Captain Derek? “This is Captain Bates, what are you doing in my cabin?”
“Waiting for you.” The caricature of a voice took on a breathy quality, probably meant to be seductive.
“Ma’am, there are plenty of other places on the ship where we can talk privately if you need to.”
“Talking wasn’t what I had in mind.”
Derek rubbed his jaw. There was something very weird about this. Was one of his crew playing a trick on him? They knew better than to risk their jobs or the boat on a prank while their captain should be at the helm. He’d been through all the passengers in his mind, and besides the crazed smoker lady and her husband, there was a honeymooning couple and an older pair celebrating their retirement.
So who the hell was—
A thought occurred to him.
A beautiful, wonderful, fabulous thought.
He tested the brass door handle. Unlocked. He pushed it open. Went inside.
Addie.
Naked.
In his bed.
Derek was there in two steps, grabbing her to him, holding her, feeling her warmth, hearing her laugh at first, then dissolve into a couple of sobs he could tell she was struggling to control.
He kissed her. Her hair, her temple, the dimple in her cheek, then he found her mouth in a kiss that lit fires all the way through his body, and cemented her already strong hold on his heart.
He meant to talk to her, meant to discuss the situation, ask how long she was there for, whether she was really going to give their relationship a serious chance or if this was just a short visit.
But she was naked. In his bed. Kissing him as if she really, really meant it, and he was only human and definitely a man.
So in a very short time, his clothes were off and he’d joined her between the soft sheets, reveling in her skin against his, her mouth on his chest, on his neck, his hands stroking every part of her he could reach.
And when he moved over her beautiful body and entered her, they stared into each other’s eyes in awe of what was between them, then reached hungrily toward each other and kissed as if they’d never stop, while their bodies heated and mated and made sounds of satisfaction and of deep forever-after love.
He rolled to one side to touch her clitoris, loving the noises she made, the sharp breaths, the gasps, the way her head writhed on his pillow. And when he knew she was close, when a flush covered her body and cheeks, he plunged back into her, sending her over an edge he fell over himself only a few seconds later.
Eventually...very eventually, the movement of the boat reminded him who and where he was. Captain Bates. On duty.
But Addie was with him.
“I can’t believe you’re here.” He nuzzled her neck, inhaling her sweet scent.
“I can hardly believe it, either.” She stroked his hair, gazing up at him, starry-eyed, the most enchanting sight he’d ever seen. “I wasn’t going to.”
“That part I knew.” He took her hand and covered his heart. “Leaving you nearly killed me.”
“I know. I kept telling myself the pain would get better, that I’d done the right thing. And then life in New York, which I thought I needed, started to feel like a prison without you.”
He couldn’t believe he was hearing his over-and-over again fantasy, directly from her lips this time. “You quit your job? Left your apartment?”
“I didn’t quit exactly. Not yet. I took vacation, sick time and a short leave. I have a few months to see how this goes.” She wrinkled her nose self-consciously. “You know I’m not a risk taker.”
