Happily Ever After (28 page)

He
didn’t care if he had an audience—didn’t give a damn who was watching. He
didn’t care if they thought him loony... or smitten... he damned well was.

He
reached out, grasping her about the waist, and drew her into his arms. Her
hands flew up at once to clutch his shoulders and she gasped in surprise but
didn’t protest.

She
gave him a pouty face. “What do you think you are doing?”

“Kissing
you,” Jack replied with determination, and didn’t give her an instant to
protest. He took her mouth in a fierce kiss, thrusting his tongue between her
lips to silence her.

All
restraint eroded with the first touch of their lips.

Her
protest came out sounding garbled.

He
gave her waist a little jerk, urging her to kiss him back, and she suddenly
silenced, her hands moving to his neck, clinging for support.

And
then ... everything faded from his senses but the woman he held in his arms:
the jeers from his men, the sun beating down on his head, the wind in his face.

Sophie’s
heart surged into her throat as his lips pressed against her own.

His
tongue dove inside her mouth without invitation, coaxing... tasting... with the
same urgency and abandon he had shown her before.

He
held her tightly, pressing her greedily against his body, and she was grateful
for the support because she suddenly didn’t think she could stand on her own.
She was acutely aware of her breasts shoved against his chest, and her knees
went weak. Her belly fluttered with anticipation.

“What
are you doing?” she whispered against his mouth. “Jack...”

“Shut
up and kiss me!” he demanded, never breaking the contact of their lips. He
increased his ardor. “Kiss me, Sophia,” he pleaded with her.

“But...
the ring,” she tried to protest, and was vaguely aware of the shouts and
huzzahs that erupted from the crew.

“What
ring?” Jack murmured into her mouth.

Sophie
suddenly didn’t remember what she was even talking about. Her thoughts
skittered away.

“It’s
about damned time!” she heard someone yell at them, and then she was aware only
of Jack.

Everything
about them faded but the man in whose arms she was in.

She
gasped for breath, but clung to him greedily. God help her, she didn’t care
about any ring. It slipped from her grasp to the deck, though she never heard
it fall.

Her
senses were filled only with Jack... his scent, his warmth, his breath, his
taste...

She
felt his kiss in places that made no sense: The tips of her breasts burned and
her body ached for something she couldn’t quite comprehend. She clasped him
eagerly, kissing him back without shame, with complete abandon.

It
seemed she’d wanted this all her life... as though every second she had lived,
she had lived only for this moment.

As
he kissed her, clutching her against him, his knee slid shockingly between her
thighs, unhampered by her dress. His fingers closed about the waist of her
trousers, lifting them up slightly, and Sophie gasped in delight at the
scandalous sensation that flared between her thighs. She responded from some
sense of instinct that blinded her to propriety, parting her legs and wrapping
them around his hips.

He
moaned into her mouth and began to walk, holding her. Sophie hadn’t the
slightest notion where, because he kept right on kissing her. And as long as he
kept kissing her, she didn’t really care where they went.

CHAPTER 26

Somehow Jack managed to get her down to the lower
deck.

They practically stumbled down the stairs into the
mess hall. Sophie clung to him all the while, kissing him passionately, heating
the blood in his veins beyond self-control. He was grateful his men somehow had
vanished.

When he reached his cabin at last, he kicked open
the door, kissing her without giving her a chance to breathe—because he
was afraid of what she might say if he stopped—because he was terrified
she’d regain her senses.

He kissed her as though his life depended on it, because
somehow he thought it did. If he didn’t make love to her right now—this
instant—he was going to explode into a thousand miserable pieces.

He wanted her.

He loved her.

“Sophia!” he gasped.

She answered with a murmur that sent quivers down
his spine.

He didn’t want to stop kissing her, tasting her,
feeling her...

His hands cupped her bottom, pressing them fully
into his arousal, wanting her to know what it was he craved to give her.

“Jack,” she whispered into his mouth.

He broke the kiss long enough to kiss her chin,
her nose... whisper against her cheek, “Yes, flower?”

His hands caressed her bottom... firm and round
and pert... he wanted her naked beneath him. He wanted her legs wrapped around
him.

Sophie’s heartbeat pounded in her ears.

Her body craved something fiercely.

It remembered far too much, wanted something
more... something she knew instinctively only Jack could give her. “I—”

She didn’t know what to ask for, except to plead
with him never to stop... but she couldn’t speak. Her throat constricted with
emotion, and her body quivered as he kissed her throat, gently nipped her. The
sensation of his teeth pressing softly into her flesh gave her a jolt of
pleasure. Her head fell backward in rapture.

“Jack,” she whimpered.

“Tell me what you want, flower…”

His hand moved between their bodies, caressing her
breasts over her shirt, and Sophie moaned in response. “Beautiful,” he
whispered.

She couldn’t protest—didn’t want to.

Her legs slid down his, touched the floor, and she
stood a bit unsteadily. His hands gripped her shoulders, then moved to the
front of her shirt when she could stand freely. His gaze locked with hers as he
began to unbutton her shirt, and Sophie’s breath quickened. She swallowed
convulsively as he freed the first button... then moved to the next.

Her heart pounded against her ribs.

His gaze never left her as he moved down her
shirt, freeing every last button until the shirt gaped at her breast. His green
eyes were intense, filled with hunger, sparkling fiercely.

Sophie’s face flushed with heat.

She felt suddenly shy, afraid to show him more.
What if he didn’t like her? What if he found her lacking? She averted her gaze,
but he wouldn’t allow it. He reached out, lifting her chin with a finger.

“Do you know what I want?” he asked her, his voice
low and seductively soft.

She tried to speak past the knot that formed in
her throat. “Yes,” she said with a gasp, and her heart thumped in answer.

He cocked his head, smiling slowly, seeming
wickedly pleased with her response, and Sophie could do nothing but stand
before him as he undressed her.

He stopped short of opening her blouse, and Sophie
was afraid... afraid he would go on... afraid he would stop.

Sucking in a breath, she made up her mind and
shrugged out of the blouse, letting it fall down her arms.

“God!” he exclaimed, and closed his eyes for the
briefest instant. His nostrils flared slightly, his expression intense. He
opened his eyes then, and his gaze fell fully on her breast.

Sophie held her breath as he looked at her.

“You… are... so beautiful,” he told her, and his
hands reached out to touch her, tentatively. His palms cupped her, his fingers
caressed her ... his thumb gently flicked across her nipple, and it was
Sophie’s turn to lose herself in the satisfaction of his touch.

Her eyes closed.

She didn’t want him to stop.

Her hands covered his, pressing them gently
against her heart. She wanted this desperately. There was no longer anyone to
save herself for. Harlan was no longer a part of her life. She would likely never
marry now, and she’d be a fool to turn away the one man who had ever made her
feel so... much.

She never wanted anyone else.

If this moment was all she would ever have with
Jack, then it would still be worth it. She would savor the sweet memory in her
most private moments.

With a groan of pleasure, Jack fell to his knees
before Sophie, embracing her. His fingers clutched her bottom, pulling her
against him.

To hell with the hammock!

They didn’t need a bed.

His hands caressed her. With a hungry moan, he
pressed his mouth against her, biting through the material of her trousers. His
nostrils flared and his tongue stroked the rough material. She gasped softly
and stiffened.

He didn’t want to stop touching her.

“I need you, Sophia,’ he said, his voice raw.

Silence rang in his ears.

She was afraid, and he didn’t want her to be.

“Let me,” he begged her. “Let me make love to you,
Sophia ..

For answer, her fingers tangled in his hair,
caressing his scalp, and the feel of them made him dizzy with longing. His heart
jolted, and he began at once to unbutton her pants. She whimpered softly, and
he cooed to her, soothing her.

“Beautiful,” he assured her. “You are so
beautiful!”

He bared her, tugging her pants down. Her nails
pressed gently into his scalp, and his body hardened.

Sophie moaned softly.

She looked down at him, and her heart fluttered
within her breast at the sight of him... the feel of him... his face pressed
boldly against her, buried in her dark curls. And then his tongue delved softly
within, forcing its velvety way between her legs... warm and wet. With the
delicious feel of it, Sophie lost any inhibitions she’d clung to.

Gulping in a breath, she parted her legs for him,
begging him with her body to take what he wished. She wanted this
desperately... but wanted to please him as well...

He pulled her down to the floor, and Sophie didn’t
resist. He removed her pants, planting sweet kisses along her thighs... calves.
She swallowed convulsively as he returned to kiss her intimately once more...
and then he lifted himself to her lips.

For the merest instant, he stared into her eyes,
his green eyes smoldering, and then he kissed her. Sophie’s heart jolted
violently. She kissed him back, tasting what he had tasted. Her heartbeat
quickened as he deepened the kiss, and her fingers at once sought the buttons
of his pants.

She wanted to see him, too.

He moaned, his own fingers moving to assist her.

When his pants were undone, Sophie embraced him,
pulling him down atop her. She wanted to feel him, experience him, love him.

Somehow, Jack managed to shrug out of his pants
without breaking their kiss. He wanted more than anything to be inside her just
now, but he wanted to please her more. And he wanted her to want this as much
as he did. He wanted no regrets afterward. His hands sought and found her
wetness, and the feel of it set his pulse to pounding.

“I love the taste of you,” he murmured, and felt
her quiver beneath him. He pressed a finger into her body. “This is where I
want to be, Sophia.”

She gasped softly, her body shuddering as he
pushed his finger deeper.

“Can you feel that?” he asked, but knew she did.
Her body arched to accept him. Her eyes closed in pleasure, and she gasped
softly.

“Yes,” she whimpered, and peered up at him, her
eyes fevered with desire. The knowledge pleased him. She was as passionate as
she was beautiful.

He pushed higher, more firmly. “I want to be
inside you,” he told her a bit desperately, leaving no mistake as to his
intent. “Here.”

She nodded, but seemed unable to speak, and he pushed
deeper, stopping at the barrier deep within her body. His heart leaped at the
feel of it, and his emotions warred.

She had told him the truth: Penn was not her
lover.

His breath quickened painfully and his hunger
intensified. His body ached. He wanted to be the first and the last to spill
his seed inside her.

He wanted her to carry his babies, wanted her for
himself... always.

He buried his face against her throat, kissing her
as he whispered, “Last chance to run, flower... no turning back after this...
tell me you’re sure...”

He felt her nod, but it wasn’t enough.

His fingers caressed her maidenhead, waiting to
breach it. “Tell me yes,” he urged her.

She gasped, her hands going about his neck. Her
fingers dug into the back of his neck, but he wanted her to speak the words.

“Say it, Sophia,” he demanded of her.

Sophie shuddered beneath him. Her body tightened
about his finger, hungry for what he would give her. He caressed her body,
pleasuring her until she cried out.

“Yes!” she exclaimed, and tilted to urge him
deeper.

His fingers pressed harder, deeper, and she
whimpered softly.

Wetness, warm and wonderful filled her.

Bliss.

And then suddenly he was atop her, his body
pressing into hers.

Sophie opened her eyes and looked into his, her
breath coming labored.