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“Thanks for meeting me here. I—”
“Do you need that?” He pointed to the tote in the trunk.
“Um…do I? I mean…”
“Are you spending the night?”
“Are you inviting me onto your boat?” She hadn’t wanted to be presumptuous. For all she knew, he was taking his parents out for another spin. He hadn’t been especially talkative during their last conversation.
“If you come onto my boat, you’re spending the night. I’m not coming back tonight.”
“Well, I don’t have any plans for tomorrow, so…” She shrugged.
He grabbed the bag and shut the trunk. “Lock up.”
She did and followed him onto the pier and down to his boat’s dock.
They didn’t talk, beyond polite utterances likeexcuse meandsorry for bumping youandwatch your step.
He stowed her bag in the bedroom, gestured to the fridge as if she should help herself, and made his way to the front of the boat, likely to prepare to launch.
She stood in the galley, clutching her hands in front of her belly and staring at the moon’s reflection on the gently rolling waves. The moon reminded her of another tough conversation she’d had to have recently. She’d been at Shora near the boat ramp, talking to the Paulsens about various and sundry things, including how they sometimes entertained outdoors at night. The habit made the deck Valerie had added to their home plan that much more important to them, but it also made her think about lifestyle and habits and how Valerie had yet to develop any of her own.
She didn’t entertain because she had no life and no home. Her lifestyle—or lack thereof—had never bothered her before, but watching the Paulsen kids chatter excitedly about the next phase of their lives and their new home had broken her heart in unexpected ways.
She wasn’t usually so susceptible to sentiment. She’d trained herself not to be, but she was tired of chasing the brass ring at the expense of a gold one. She wasn’t going to give up—and that was what she wanted to tell Tim. She wasn’t going to give up on making a name for herself, but maybe he would be open to a bit a compromise. It didn’t have to be all or nothing.
She grabbed a bottle of water out of the refrigerator then rooted through Tim’s book drawer. She found the novel she hadn’t gotten a chance to finish the last time she’d been aboard and headed into the bedroom.
She curled up on the bed and let her gaze track across the lines of the story, fighting her sleepiness admirably, even if she found herself reading the same paragraphs over and over.
She probably made it down one whole page before she fell asleep.
The next thing she registered was an iron-strong grip on her ankles and being tugged down the bed.
She opened her eyes to the dark and found Tim standing at the foot of the bed, unfastening his belt.
The gentle bobbing of the boat indicated they were on open water and the near-blackness of the room that the hour was late.
Tim discarded his polo shirt and pushed down his pants, but not before pulling the belt free from the loops. He wrapped the long strip of leather around his fist and leaned onto the bed. His pale gaze held equal parts hunger and dare.
Her pussy dripped for both.
“What are you wearing for me, pretty girl?”
Her hand went reflexively to the tie at the side of her wrap dress, and she swallowed hard.
“Did you dress the way I like with easy access or are you all sewn up today?”
“I was sewn up…until I changed. I put on something else.”
“And you kept your hair down for me.”
“I hoped you’d like it.”
“Why the sudden interest in impressing me?”
Because she was desperate for his attention and wanted to make sure she got it.
