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It might not make any difference to her decision. And it probably shouldn’t since they’d been like oil and water even at the best of times. But they’d ended on such a crap note four years ago. Maybe this time together could heal the mistakes he’d made with her back then and give them a happier note to end things on.
Of course, that could be one giant rationalization to touch her again.
“I was thinking about the last time you and I were out on the water together in a storm.” He tucked the rope away that he’d pulled in from the mooring.
Standing, he stalked closer as one of the bumpers slipped from her grip and fell back into the bay with a splash.
He bent to retrieve it, her tanned legs within tempting reach. She didn’t move, eyeing him as he stood, the two of them closer than they’d been since the night before.
When he’d kissed her.
“It was a lot hotter that day,” Alicia reminded him, tearing her gaze away from his to peer up at the sky. “I don’t think it would be wise to get naked in this kind of weather.”
Just hearing her say the word “naked” was a turn-on. Then again, everything about her juiced him up.
“Although we do have a built-in hot tub to take the chill off.” He pointed toward the absurd little whirlpool tucked into the foredeck of Keith’s cushy watercraft.
And as much as he’d like to pull her against him and remind her how fun it would be to tangle limbs for a while, he sidestepped her on the deck to finish untying the boat. No pressure. Judging from the way she’d moved against him in bed last night, she remembered well enough what it could be like between them. It was just a matter of getting her to see that they could indulge that attraction without all the heartache of the last time.
Pleasure only. Pure and simple.
* * *
Alicia could tell she wasn’t dealing with the same old Jack Murphy anymore.
The man she knew would have reminded her in vivid detail of that last time they’d been together in the rain. He wouldn’t have stopped the trip down memory lane until she was panting and begging for more. She had every faith he could accomplish this even without the use of his mouth, his fingers incredibly talented when necessary.
In fact, she’d had visions of him walking his fingertips up her bare leg moments ago when he’d fished the bumper she dropped out of the water. But he’d moved along like the consummate gentleman, leading her to wonder what had become of the man she once knew. Shades of the old, take-charge and I-know-what’s-best Jack were still visible in the way he’d tried to discourage her from the Bar Harbor project. Right down to investing in a bed and breakfast on the Cape for her.
But the fact that he hadn’t tried to touch her all day—even though he’d obviously been thinking about it – revealed an intriguing level of restraint that he hadn’t possessed in the past. Heck, she wasn’t sure ifshehad enough restraint to keep her hands to herself for two more days at sea.
Now, heedless of the rain, she remained above deck with him as he freed the boat and pushed away from the dock. Firing up the engine, he maneuvered carefully to avoid the next pier over, but the slip he’d taken was isolated enough to make quick work of it.
She watched the depth finder as he motored slowly away from the harbor. At 26 feet, he let the anchor out, pulling against it with the engine to ensure it set properly.
“Did the Navy teach you anything about boats you didn’t already know?” she asked once he cut the motor.
Tucked under the hardtop covering the helm, they were protected from the worst of the rain, but not the cool air. She shivered in her wet dress.
“Only the kinds with weapons.” He flipped off a few other switches, dimming the ambient light from the instrument panel. He left a white light on so other boats could see them, but the mist over the water dulled the brightness to a dull glow.
When nothing more seemed forthcoming about his time in the service – a time that remained a mystery to her since his call to duty had been so sudden – she couldn’t help a twinge of disappointment.
“Hopefully we won’t need any evasive maneuvers in Marina Bay.”
“I’ll keep you safe, Ally.” His green eyes were serious, his stare inciting a warmth that made her shiver.
He must have seen it because he gestured toward the stairs leading below deck. “You can shower first. You must be cold.”
“A little.” She rubbed the soaked arms of her simple surplice dress. “But you mentioned a hot tub?” She peered meaningfully toward the covered circle in the foredeck. “I know you must think that’s ridiculously frivolous in a boat, but when in Rome…”
“… do as my heathen brother does,” he finished her quote with a disparaging note in his voice, but she gathered it was directed toward Keith and not her. “I’ll make sure the water’s hot for you.”
Grateful he hadn’t made her feel completely hedonistic, she headed for the stairs, eager to immerse herself in bubbles. Normally, she wasn’t a bubbles kind of woman. But this hadn’t been a run-of-the-mill sort of day, either.
“I’ll grab a towel.” She could always put it under the hardtop so it stayed dry.
Padding down the stairs out of the rain, she pulled off her shoes and set them aside. Good thing she’d brought a bathing suit, even though she’d never guessed the boat would have such an amenity. After rifling through her suitcase, she pulled on the tankini top and the boy short bottoms, one of her more frivolous suits. For watersports, she favored straight forward racing tanks. But the tankini was a little showier. It was dark out, but for good measure, she wrapped the towel around her like a robe.
