CRUISE TO ROMANCE (4 page)

“Thank you for such a nice
evening,” he said, then kissed the tip of her nose.  “I’m sorry that I stood
you up tonight.  The Captain rescheduled our business dinner and I didn’t find
out until late.  I didn’t know your name or how to find you.”

“I waited for you,” she murmured,
lulled into submission by his tender touch and masculine voice.

“I’m sorry.  I wasn’t sure that
you would even show and I had no idea what you looked like.”  His hand caressed
her cheek.  “My company’s future was at stake.  I’m really a pretty decent
guy.”

Ryan tilted her head up and
kissed her lips, her face, her eyes.  Everywhere his dangerous lips touched,
her body burned.  His sweet caress made her want to beg for more.  Over the
incessant pounding of her heart, Jennifer struggled to make some sense of what
he was saying.  “Your company?”

“My company---I own
Exercisetech.”  Ryan smiled down at her.  “I’m the slave driver boss that your
friend, Sheila, told you about.”

Jennifer shook her head and
smiled back.  “She didn’t.”  Was he going to continue kissing her or not? 
Hopefully, he would stop talking and take her into his arms.  She wanted more
of him---and she wanted it now.

“Forgive me?” he asked, then
rained a trail of kisses down her neck, over her collar bone, to the soft
indentation at the bottom of her throat.  “Jennifer, you haven’t answered,” he
teased over her muffled groan.

“What?” she managed.  Why was he
talking?  Sensations were rioting through her body at warp speed.  She pressed
herself against him and pulled his beautiful face down to hers.

“Forgive me?” he persisted.

“Yes.  Oh, yes,” she breathed. 
“Now kiss me!”

This time when his mouth covered
hers, there was no talking.  Only the pressure of his full lips upon hers.  His
tongue began a journey of its own, teasing her lips, finding the hot depths of
her mouth, tasting the moistness of her kiss, and tempting her beyond reason. 
When he finally pulled away, she felt lost.  Lost in a sea of sensation and
delight.  “Please,” she whispered, “please . . .”

Ryan groaned and dropped his
arms.  “It’s time to say goodnight, Jennifer,” he whispered as he pushed the
cabin door open for her.  “Sleep well.  I’ll see you some time tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, then,” she answered,
then turned and stepped inside the cabin.

Ryan paused at the doorway,
wishing he could follow her inside.  He hated to leave, but he knew it was for
the best.  He needed to work off the excess energy and he needed some space. 
Jennifer was devastating.  His brain was mush and his emotions were in turmoil
. . . and to think he’d only wanted a goodnight kiss.

Ryan Treymont was in a mood.  The
more he thought about his behavior last night, the angrier he got.  Just what
did he think he was doing romancing a nice, sweet, and ever so slightly
intoxicated woman?  So what if she was sexy?  And funny?  And loving?  And
completely irresistible?  He had no excuse.  He had absolutely no intention of
becoming emotionally involved with anyone.  A woman like her would want more
than just a brief love affair while that was all he was willing to offer.

Four years ago he’d learned
first-hand just how devastating broken romances could be.  Young and full of
dreams, Ryan had been in love with Diane, his beautiful, cool, sophisticated
fiancée, his prize for grabbing the brass ring.  With coal black hair, dark
brown eyes, and a voluptuous body, no one had twisted his arm to propose to the
daughter of his largest and wealthiest client.  Proposed, he had.  Marriage to
a woman like Diane came along with the territory, the territory of the
professional and prosperous.  She would make the perfect hostess, with her
impeccable manners, flawless speech, and her knowledge of how to succeed in
society.  During their courtship, she seemed to satisfy his physical needs as
well.  Now he wondered.  He couldn’t remember ever seeing her ignite in his
arms as Jennifer had.

Getting over Diane and getting
his life back on track hadn’t been easy.  Determined to succeed, he had focused
on building Exercisetech and slowly repressed his desire for her.  Did he still
have feelings for Diane?  The thought niggled at him.

After his mother died, his dad
had remarried, hoping to create a loving, stable environment for his six sons. 
But after one year, the sweet young woman became restless and called it quits,
leaving his father and his hungry brood.  But his Dad had stayed, wrapping them
in his warmth and strength, keeping them a family despite hard times.

Ryan’s experiences with Diane had
reinforced what he had already learned about women.  Too often they were in
love with love, but when life became difficult, they had no staying power.  As
soon as the going got rough, they bailed out.

Diane had been the perfect
fiancée, loving, agreeable, and charismatic, even though Ryan’s company was in
its infancy and money was tight.  As long as Exercisetech aimed its sights for
merger with a larger well-known company, Diane seemed content in their
engagement.  When Ryan made the decision not to go through with the merger,
Diane became restless.  After finding her in the arms of a wealthy competitor, Ryan
realized he’d made a mistake.

Breaking off the engagement had
been one of the most difficult choices of his life, and a painful one.  Perhaps
Diane had been too young to be happy with one man, but he suspected that
Exercisetech’s future success had been a driving force in her goals.

Ryan had been so sure of Diane’s
love and devotion for him.  It was still hard for him to look at the past
objectively.  Even now, Diane wanted him back.  She had called him several
times before the cruise telling him that they both had made a mistake in
walking away from their engagement.  Ryan listened to her enticing arguments
and protestations of love, but still suspected her motives.  Her timing
couldn’t have been better now that Exercisetech was becoming a nationally known
company.

Ryan still questioned his
feelings for Diane.  Did he still love her?  Was that why he was so unwilling to
look for a lasting relationship?  It was a foregone conclusion that he didn’t
want to go through the pain again or subject someone else to it.  Maybe love
wasn’t as enduring as everyone wanted to believe.  Hell, he still enjoyed women
and he wasn’t going to give them up. Besides, he truly believed he had plenty
to offer them, just not commitment.  Brief affairs satisfied his needs just
fine.  The women he dated knew what they were getting into and nobody got
hurt. 

Ryan finished his set of sit-ups
and walked over to the treadmill.  If he worked hard enough, maybe he could
subdue the overwhelming need he felt.  He could still feel Jennifer’s hot sexy
body against him; he could still taste her unique flavor; he could still smell
her exotic scent.  Never had a woman affected him so quickly, so deeply, so
completely.  She was relatively inexperienced, no matter how wild she had
turned in his arms.  With that thought, he became aroused all over again.  He
adjusted the dial on the treadmill, slipped on a cuff that monitored his pulse,
and began walking.

What was he going to do?  She
would be expecting to see him again.  She would be wanting him again, in her
arms.  After last night she would be wanting to kiss him just as passionately
as he wanted to kiss her.  No doubt about it.  It was there in her eyes.  Now
that was a thought guaranteed to get him overheated in a hurry.  He increased
the speed of his walk as his blood pressure soared.  Glancing out the window to
the distant horizon, he noticed a delicate pink glow.  Daybreak.   Maybe, he
thought sardonically, if he wore himself out, his mind and his body would be
able to forget her for just a few minutes.

*    
*     *

Jennifer Mitchell was in a snit. 
She’d slept well—too well.  Awakened from her sleep when she heard the knock on
the door this morning, she’d assumed it was Sheila—her former friend who hadn’t
bothered to make it back to their cabin last night.  Then, half awake and still
groggy, she’d opened the door and accidently let in the smiling steward from
room service.  She didn’t mean to be unappreciative that her breakfast was
delivered on time.  It was just that she would have preferred to have been
fully clothed, rather than in a skimpy chemise.  Thankfully, the man had rushed
out before she realized her dilemma.

Never before had she slept so
soundly.  Never before had she suffered from a hangover.  With a moan, she
rummaged through her toiletries for some aspirin.  Grabbing a bottle, she
headed for the balcony where her breakfast waited.  Sighing with relief, she
took the aspirin and sipped some orange juice.  Coffee.  She wanted—no—needed,
coffee.  Her hand trembled as she began pouring the fragrant coffee into a
white porcelain cup.  Coffee had never tasted so good.

Ah, relief!  She leaned back into
the lounge chair and stretched, feeling the warm morning sun shining on her
delicate skin.  Looking down at her body, she frowned.  Good grief!  What was
she doing still lying here on the balcony in her delicate chemise?  After one
night with a man and one long, one very long, good night kiss, she was coming
completely unglued.

This would never do, she scolded
herself, it would never, never do.  But she didn’t get up to find her robe. 
Instead she sipped her coffee and wondered at her madness.  Did she really lose
her self-control the instant his mouth met hers or was it the romantic island
music that hypnotized her?  Did her body really crave his touch or was it the
romantic dancing that lured her into believing she needed his touch as much as
she needed her next breath?  Had she lost control in his arms because of his
overwhelming masculinity or because she had one margarita too many?  Were his
kisses as tender as she remembered or was she deluding herself?

Even though she was still a
virgin, she certainly didn’t feel like one now.  Last night every part of her
had burned for him.  There was no getting around it.  With him, she was easy. 
Margaritas or no Margaritas, she had wanted him, pure and simple.  She still
did and that bothered her immensely.  What had happened to her independent, “I
don’t need any man” streak?  She was just an easy conquest for him, Mr.
Gorgeous, Mr. Sophisticated Man-of-the-World.  He was probably laughing his
head off this morning, telling his friends about the accommodating little cook
with the big appetite.

Then too, she was peeved at
Sheila.  Why didn’t Sheila tell her that Ryan Treymont would be at dinner?  Was
she hiding the fact so that she could have him all to herself or did she really
not know the name of Mike’s brother?  If she was keeping his identity secret,
why was Sheila so set on having Jennifer join her at dinner?  Thankfully Sheila
didn’t know the man Jennifer was supposed to meet was Ryan.  That was one
secret she intended to keep.

“Jennifer, what in the world are
you doing?”  Sheila’s voice broke through Jennifer’s reverie.

“I’m in a snit and it’s a really
good one, so leave me be,” Jennifer’s petulant voice warned.

“You’re practically naked.”

“So?”

“So, how is breakfast?”  Sheila
asked, holding back a laugh.

“You’re late.”  Jennifer looked
up at Sheila’s smiling face.  “I guess you could have a pastry, if you want.”

Sheila lowered herself into a
chair and reached for a cherry Danish.  “Thanks.  Care to tell me about it? 
What did Mr. Gorgeous do to get you into this really good snit?”

“It’s not him, Sheila.  He was
wonderful.  It’s me.”  She sighed.  “I’m easy.”

“As in horizontally accessible?”

“Humph.  Very funny,” she
sniffed.

“Oh, sweetie, don’t think that. 
It’s just chemistry.  It hummed around the two of you at the table all through
dinner.  I was sure the table would go up any minute in flames.”

“Really?”

“Really.”  Sheila stood up and
went back into the cabin, returning with Jennifer’s robe.  “Here, Jenn.  Put
this on before you burn.”

Jennifer ignored the robe and
looked up at Sheila.  “Why didn’t you tell me that Ryan would be at dinner? 
That seems like a rather large omission for a friend to make.”

“Because I didn’t want to spoil
your evening with a man you wanted to be with.  I thought you had found a man
that you really liked and I wanted you to enjoy yourself.  It seems to me your
life has been short on fun since you came to Ft. Lauderdale.”  Sheila sat back
down and reached for her unfinished Danish.  “Why did you join us for dinner? 
I thought you had other plans?”

She really is a good friend,
Jennifer thought.  It would be so easy to confide in Sheila, but she still felt
embarrassed that Ryan stood her up last night.  Even though he apologized, she
wasn’t sure she should give him the benefit of the doubt.  Her experience with
men was truly limited while his experience with women was painfully broad. 
Jennifer glanced over at Sheila.  She was her best friend and had always
treated her with respect and kindness.  She deserved an answer.  Sheila was a
caring woman, always giving freely her time and advice.  They shared a
closeness between them that boarded on family.

“Truthfully, Sheila,” Jennifer
sighed, staring at the robe lying across her legs, “the man stood me up.”

“Then he did you a favor.”  Sheila
licked the sugar off her fingers and smiled at Jennifer.  “Did you like Mike?”

Jennifer nodded.  “He seems to be
full of fun.”

“Oh, he is.  We danced at the
disco until they closed.”  Sheila closed her eyes and tilted her face to absorb
the warmth of the early morning sun.  “While we walked the pool deck, he told
me more about himself and his family.  Their mom died shortly after he was
born.  Can you imagine being raised by a Dad and five older brothers?  I bet it
was hard to get away with anything growing up.”

“I doubt that.  If anything he
was probably spoiled rotten.”

“Think so?”

“From that wicked grin of his, I
definitely think so.”

“Well, he does seem a little
spoiled when it comes to women, but he can’t hold a candle to his brother Ryan.” 
Sheila gave Jennifer a speculative look.  “But he is a good lover.”

“Hold on.”  Jennifer ordered. 
“Go back.  What’s this about Ryan?  Are you insinuating that Ryan has been
spoiled by women?”

“According to Mike, they fall at Ryan’s
feet from his sheer magnetism alone.  Of course, he’s probably exaggerating
just a little.”

“Humph.”  Jennifer’s snit took a
nose dive into deeper water.  She stood up and stretched.  So there was plenty
of reason behind that macho arrogance.  Women probably begged for his attention
if last night was any indication of his ability as a lover.  She was sure it
was.  After all, she definitely remembered begging.  As she slipped into her
robe, Jennifer wondered how she would ever face Ryan again.  She just couldn’t
bear to be laughed at.  What would Mr. Gorgeous want with one slightly plump,
unsophisticated cook who loved to eat?  She dropped back down on the lounge
and, for a moment, studied her feet.

“You spent all night with Mike, a
man that you don’t love.  Yet you feel secure in starting a relationship.  What
if he doesn’t want a relationship with you?  How do you do it, Sheila?  How do
you face him the morning after?”

“Come on, Jenn.”  Sheila grabbed
her hand and pulled her up from the lounge.  “You need a shower and a new
outlook.”  She paused for a moment at the sight of the uncertainty in
Jennifer’s expression.  “You’re missing an important point.  It isn’t about
what he wants, it’s about what I want.  If he appears uninterested today, then
I will assume that he isn’t capable of filling my needs or he isn’t man enough
to, and consider myself lucky.”

Jennifer shook her head in
disbelief.  How could any woman not feel rejected?

“It’s all in the attitude,”
Sheila said, guiding Jennifer to the shower.