Sail Away (10 page)

“No?” His gaze strayed from her eyes to her neck and lower still. “Playing nursemaid could be fun.”

Goose bumps appeared on her flesh. “What it would be is a disaster,” she countered, and wished her voice didn’t sound quite so breathless.

As if he caught the subtle change in her attitude, he motioned to the bottle. “Join me?”

“I don’t think liquor’s the answer. Especially not that—” she wrinkled her nose “—bottle.”

His eyes gleamed. “Liquor’s not the answer to what question?” he asked, and his voice sounded fuller from the whiskey.

“I think we should keep our wits about us.”

“Speak for yourself.” He poured himself another drink, then propped one arm on the bar and vaulted over the counter to land lithely beside her.

She felt smaller then, with him so close. His scent, earthy maleness blended with the faint muskiness of old Scotch, wafted across her face.

“Anyone ever told you you’re too uptight?”

“Thousands,” she retorted.

“Well, they’re right.” One side of his mouth lifted, exposing teeth so white they gleamed in the shadowy room. He touched her arm and she drew away, stepped back from fingers that felt warm and inviting.

He didn’t back down. “Afraid, Marnie?”

“Of what? You?” She shook her head, lying a little. She was petrified of him, but not for her life. Physical violence wasn’t his style; however, he could be devastating in other ways.

She quivered as he touched her again and saw his gaze flicker to her mouth. Without conscious thought, she licked her lips and heard him respond with a low groan.

Marnie knew she was in trouble.

“Why the hell do you have to be so damned beautiful?” he growled as he lowered his head and molded his mouth to hers. She knew she should stop him, that kissing him was madness, but the feel of his lips, warm and supple, caused a response so deep she actually shook.

Don’t let me fall for a man like this,
she thought, and willed herself to remain impassive. Though the blood in her veins heated and pulsed, she didn’t move, but trembled slightly when he drew her close. His lips moved urgently against her mouth; his tongue, prodding, sought entrance.

Every instinct told her to let go, fall against him, give in once. What would it hurt? But in the back of her mind, she heard a warning, and with all the willpower she could muster she pressed her palms against his chest and shoved. “Let me go,” she said, her voice a breathless whisper. “What do you think you’re doing?”

He yanked his head back, but still his strong arms held her firm. “So all those stories about you are true?” he asked, cocking an insolent brow over his laughing brown eyes.

“What stories?”

“The stories of the ice maiden,” he said, and she wanted to die. Her face washed with color, but she set her jaw and forced a cool smile.

“You thought you’d be different?”

A muscle bunched in his jaw, but was quickly tamed. “No, but I thought a woman whose standards were so low that she’d bed a snake like Simms, might have hotter blood than rumor had it.”

She slapped him. Without thinking, she raised her hand and smacked the palm against his cheek and he, damn his black heart, had the nerve to laugh.

“So the lady does have some passion after all.”

“Get out, Drake,” she insisted, quivering with rage. “Remember when you said you were disappointed in me, well the same goes for me! I had faith in you. I even told my father that you couldn’t possibly have stolen anything from him. I argued with the board of directors. And I was wrong, wasn’t I? You’re just as bad as everyone said.”

His dark eyes sparked, and before she could react, he grabbed her. Whirling her off her feet, he maneuvered her against the bar, cutting off her escape. This time his mouth crashed down on hers with a punishing force that ripped through her body. His hands clamped her close, and she could barely breathe as his tongue pressed hard against her teeth.

She tried to fight him. This was no way to start any kind of relationship, but she couldn’t help but yield to emotions that were tearing through her. Love or hate, she couldn’t tell, but her breathing was labored, her heart hammering in her chest, the rational side of her mind losing a battle with her war-torn emotions.

His kiss was as impatient and demanding as the man himself. His arms surrounded her waist, pressing against her spine and forcing her breasts and abdomen to flatten against the solid length of his body. Through her clothes, she felt male muscles straining, a hard, lean frame moving against hers. Her back was pressed against the bar, and he leaned over, forcing her backward, his heaving chest nearly crushing her as she half lay on the dusty counter.

“Dear, God,” she whispered, her voice rough when he pulled his mouth from hers and stared down into her eyes. “What—what are you doing?”

“Making a point.” His hand moved slowly upward, past her ribs to her breast, which was rising and falling with each of her shallow breaths.

“Don’t—”

His fingers caressed the sweet mound as his lips found hers again, and this time the kiss was more gentle, his mouth wet and hot, his tongue quietly prodding.

She sighed, and in that split second he shifted, his legs moving between hers, his tongue gaining entrance to her mouth. A warm whirlpool of desire swept her in its loving current, and all her skin tingled in anticipation. The smell of him invaded her nostrils and she tasted the tangy salt of his skin.

This is sheer madness,
she thought, but couldn’t stop the current of passion that carried her without protest as he lifted her sweater over her head and she felt the chill of the old lodge brush against her skin.

“Marnie, sweet Marnie,” he moaned, gathering her close, his face pressed into the hollow of her breasts, the air from his lungs torrid. His tongue was rough and erotic as he licked her skin, skimming the sculpted lace of her bra. Her breast grew heavy and anxious, her nipple tightening into a hard bud of anticipation.

He didn’t disappoint her. His lips surrounded her nipple, and his teeth and tongue parried and teased, causing her body to silently beg for more of this sublime torture.

He was all too willing to comply. She felt the heat of his body, the hard thrust of his hips against hers, the exquisite torment of his mouth as he moved lower, unsnapping her jeans, his tongue licking a path of liquid fire around her navel to delve even lower.

Marnie sucked in her breath as he eased the rough fabric of her jeans over her hips, past her thighs, to her knees. Only when his fingers slid upward past the elastic of her panties to caress her buttocks, did reason invade the dreamlike fog of her mind.

Self-respect grappled with passion, and she dug her fingernails into his shoulder. “Please,” she whispered, “I can’t…I just can’t do this…”

Still he perused her, his hands shifting to the warmth between her legs.

“Adam, please, no!” she cried.

His body stiffened for a second before he drew away, his face contorted as he struggled to rein in his galloping desire. “Sweet heaven,” he whispered, his hands shaking as he tried to steady himself. “So you’re not an ice maiden after all,” he muttered, his eyes still smoldering. “You’re a tease.”

“No, I—”

“You wanted me, damn it!” he thundered, before jamming his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans.

“No—I…” His expression accused her of the lie as she struggled back into her clothes. Ridiculously she felt close to tears, but she wouldn’t let him see that her emotions were frayed, her nerves strung tight. Her fingers trembled as she zipped her jeans. She could feel his gaze on her, and from the corner of her eye she saw him move to the wall, and crossing his arms over his chest, continue to stare at her. At least he was several feet from her, she thought, finally lifting her head.

“I just want the truth.”

“I don’t understand—”

“You wanted me,” he repeated, eyes blazing.

For several heartbeats she didn’t answer, couldn’t. The truth was more than she could bear. How could she want this man—the very man who had probably cheated her father? And even if he hadn’t stolen the money, he’d hidden in her boat and practically forced himself on her. And the lies. She knew that the storm that had been predicted had been fabricated, but why? So he could seduce her?

A tingle of delight skittered along her arms, and she ignored it. She was
not
the kind who enjoyed the thought of men lusting after her…

“Yes,” she finally allowed, her fingers trembling as she snapped her jeans and straightened her sweater. “I wanted you.”

“But you stopped. Why?”

“Things are too complicated between us,” she said, her voice wavering. “You’re the last man in the world I should…” She motioned with her hand frantically.

“The last man in the world you should bed?”

She sucked in her breath. “Yes. The
last
man.”

“That’s probably why you want me.”

“I don’t think—”

“Well, it’s certainly not love, is it?”

“No, but…”

He advanced slowly on her, and it took all her willpower to stand her ground. “You know what I think?” he asked, his eyes deepening to the color of dark chocolate.

“I’m not sure I want to.”

“I think you’d like to let loose, I mean really let loose. That’s what your journey into the storm was, wasn’t it? So why not take it all the way?” He touched her hair, his fingers groping beneath the pale strands to capture her neck and draw her face next to his.

She swallowed and stared into his eyes, her heart racing, her pulse throbbing all over again.

“Come on, Marnie,” he whispered, “take a chance.” He kissed her then, and this time she wound her arms around his neck. Nothing that felt this wonderful could be wrong, she told herself, kissing him back and drinking in the smell and feel of him.

His weight pushed them both to the floor, and this time there was no holding back. As he stripped off her clothes, she worked on the buttons of his shirt and shoved it off his shoulders. Her fingers explored the sinewy strength of his arms and chest, flexing in the springy hair that covered his sleek muscles. Groaning, he kicked off his jeans and rolled over her, his tense male body gleaming and naked in the growing shadows.

“That’s better,” he whispered as she twined her hands in the thick strands of his hair, kissing him with all the passion that ripped away her pretenses. He moved, slowly at first, letting her feel the length of him against her sensitive skin.

Instinctively, she dragged him closer, and he kissed first her lips, then her closed eyes and then her breasts. Her nipples ached until he suckled, and a molten heat swirled deep in her core, causing an ache to burn between her legs.

A final protest deep in a dark corner of her mind told her that she was dancing with the devil, that only heartache would come of this, but she was past the point of caring, teetering on the brink of sensual fulfillment. His knees wedged her legs apart. She moaned low in her throat, waiting, wanting and feeling every inch of him as, with one swift thrust, he entered her and a blinding light flashed behind her eyes.

“Adam,” she cried, her voice as raw as the sea.

“I’m right here,” he whispered against her ear.

She moved with him, feeling each glorious stroke as he claimed her for his own with ever-increasing tempo. Her body fused with his, his skin sliding against hers, as the explosion rocked them both, sending her over the edge of desire and into the sweet oblivion of afterglow.

“Marnie,” he whispered over and over again, as his breath slowed and the beating of his heart echoed her own. “Oh, Marnie.” Strong arms surrounded her, and again she felt tears prick her eyelids, but she fought them back. She’d have no regrets, she told herself, not ever. This one moment of passion, be it forever or fleeting, she would treasure. Nothing could destroy it.

A
dam spent a good part of the night making love to Marnie. In the hours between their passionate bouts of lovemaking, he lay on his back, listening to her breathing, and wondered if he was losing his mind. Though physically he wanted her as he’d never wanted another woman, he knew that loving her so intensely was a mistake. But he couldn’t stop himself. Her luscious body called out to his baser instincts, and her soft blue eyes touched his intellect.

He’d known more than his share of women in the past. Hell, he was no saint. But no woman had confused him so.

Marnie was different. Sometimes utterly naive, other times fiercely self-sufficient, she was a sensual enigma that, had he more time, he might be inclined to unravel.

But she’s Montgomery’s daughter,
he kept reminding himself as he stared down at her. Sunlight was streaming through the windows of the lodge, and Marnie, curled next to him, looked almost angelic.

A very sexy angel. After her initial reluctance, Marnie had turned out to be a willing and responsive lover, as insatiable as he was.

He rubbed his chin impatiently. What the hell was he going to do with Victor’s willful daughter? Make love to her until he was satisfied and had his fill of her? Or lie to her and use her in his quest for absolving himself of all blame in the embezzlement? Or let himself get involved with her and see just how far it would go?

Seeing her sleeping peacefully, her pale hair falling over her cheek, her dark blond lashes lying against her creamy white skin, his gut reaction was to stretch out beside her and start kissing every inch of that perfect, delicious body. Let the future bring what it would. Right now, all that mattered was Marnie.

“God help me,” he muttered, knowing that she was bound to get hurt, as he overcame the urge to slowly drag the sheet from her shoulders and see the morning light against the perfect skin of her breasts. Just thinking about her rosy nipples, hidden coyly by the sheet, caused a hardening in his loins all over again.

You’re the bastard,
she’d accused him yesterday, and damn it, she’d been right. He couldn’t get enough of her, and yet that’s exactly what he would have to do, get his fill of her before he dropped the bomb: he was only using her to get back at Victor. Inside he winced at his own cruel calculations, but he overcame his squeamishness where Marnie was concerned. After all, using her had been part of his plan—hadn’t it? And maybe some small part of him had thought that by bedding Montgomery’s daughter, he would gain some sort of convoluted revenge against Victor, a man who had scorned his loyalty.

Adam had been the fool, of course. The military had instilled in him a sense of loyalty, and he, upon joining Montgomery Inns, had transferred that loyalty to Victor Montgomery. Talk about misplaced faith!

So he’d planned to use Marnie, and maybe even had started his sexual advances with thoughts of revenge. His strategy had backfired, of course. Now he didn’t want to hurt Marnie, and yet he saw no other alternative. She was in the way. Again he glanced at her, and it was all he could do not to touch her hair and smooth her cheek with his palm.

When she’d challenged him yesterday, he’d planned to prove to her that she was no better than other women, that she, too, had emotions and feelings and passion, that just because she was Victor Montgomery’s daughter didn’t make her any different.

And he’d proved his point—very well. Too well.

He felt like the proverbial heel, but there was nothing he could do to rectify things. What would the next step be? Offer to marry her out of some misguided sense of duty? No, that was too Victorian. Besides, Victor would only claim that he was a fortune hunter, bent on ruining everything he cared about. And truth to tell, Victor would be right. Because he didn’t love Marnie. He couldn’t. And she didn’t love him. Oh, sure, they cared about each other…at least a little. But what had transpired between them was pure animal lust.

They were trapped, forced into intimacy, and they found each other darkly alluring. All that sexual tension had exploded into unbridled passion, and there was nothing more to it—no complicated emotions, no need to make promises for a future that didn’t exist.

He buttoned up his shirt and stared down at Marnie—the princess. What he was planning to do to her was brutal, but he had no choice.

Swearing under his breath, he finished dressing and walked outside. Victor hadn’t taken the bait yesterday, so Adam would have to make sure that this time Marnie’s old man had no options.

Victor Montgomery didn’t like being manipulated. Not by anyone and especially not by Adam Drake. Nonetheless, that’s exactly what had happened, he thought angrily. So here he was, feeling totally helpless, about to jeopardize his daughter’s trust by playing into Adam Drake’s hands. He strapped himself into his seat in the company’s helicopter and noticed his companion, Kent Simms, doing the same. The pilot was already checking gauges and flicking switches, and the chopper’s huge rotating blades picked up speed.

“I told you we shouldn’t have just sat on our butts,” Kent complained over the noise of whirring blades as the chopper lifted off.

The pilot steered the craft upward before heading north, flying over tall skyscrapers and the vast waters of the sound. “The minute I heard Drake was involved, I knew there would be trouble,” Kent continued, fiddling with his seat strap and trying to get comfortable.”

“I only did what Marnie wanted.” Even to his own ears, the excuse sounded lame.

“The only way to deal with a man like Drake is to take the offensive. Once he’s got the upper hand, it’s all over.”

“Marnie doesn’t want my interference.”

“You don’t know that. We haven’t heard from her, have we?” When Victor shook his head, Kent rubbed his chin nervously. “Yeah, right. For all we know, she’s being held hostage by Drake—”

“He wouldn’t go that far,” Victor intervened. “There are laws—”

“He got off scot-free once before, didn’t he? A viper like Drake always slithers out of the trap. As for Marnie, she’s a woman. And I don’t have to tell you that sometimes she doesn’t make the right decision.”

“Amen,” Victor said under his breath. He didn’t want Kent to know how upset he was, so he held his tongue. But when he’d spoken to Drake, he could barely talk. Claiming that the phones on the
Marnie Lee
were inoperable, Drake had mustered the gall to have the Coast Guard patch a call through to Victor. The conversation had been short but to the point. The
Marnie Lee
was still anchored near the beach at Deception Lodge, but Drake didn’t know when they’d put up for repairs. It had been all Victor could do to respond civilly to Drake, but he’d had no choice. Marnie was with the bastard.

That situation had to change. Especially given Marnie’s emotional state right now. The breakup with Kent, this ludicrous bid for independence, and her own ambivalent feelings for Drake all added up to trouble—deep trouble.

Victor sighed. When Kate had told him of the embezzlement, Victor had informed the board members. It had been Marnie, alone, who had tried to convince Victor and the rest of the board that Adam Drake had been innocent. At the time Victor had assumed that she was just being her normal, trusting-the-underdog self. Now he wasn’t so sure. Was it possible that his straitlaced daughter could fall for the sensual much-touted charms of Adam Drake?

Disaster! That’s what it was. Pure, unadulterated disaster! Victor should never have let her leave the other night! He should have put his foot down.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Kent squirm. Kent’s tanned face was unnaturally pale, his usual smile missing. He was agitated and tense and had tried to talk Victor out of flying north with him. “I’ll take care of this,” he’d said, when Victor had explained about Drake’s phone call. “Marnie’s my responsibility.”

“She doesn’t think so,” Victor had pointed out, as he’d grabbed his jacket and punched the intercom button to have Kate request a pilot for the chopper. Kate, too, had voiced her concerns, but that was because she’d felt a little like Marnie’s mother. Well, she wasn’t. And Victor was still president of the corporation, and no one, including Kent Simms, Kate Delany or Adam Drake, for that matter, was going to tell him how to handle his corporation or his daughter. He watched Kent nervously scratch his arm. The boy was sweating bullets over Marnie.

“I just hope she’s okay,” Kent said, wiping an unsteady hand across his lips.

“She will be.” Victor’s gaze moved to the bubblelike windshield and beyond to the restless green-gray water. “It won’t be long.”

“I can’t get there fast enough,” Kent said, nervously biting his lip.

Victor silently agreed, but they would just have to hang on for a couple of hours. A quick copter ride to Deer Harbor and a rental car to Deception Lodge. He and Kent would see Marnie by nightfall. And then, by God, she was going to listen to reason!

As for Adam Drake, if he’d so much as laid one finger on Marnie, Victor would personally skin him alive!

Marnie was getting used to Adam’s long absences. In the few days they’d been on the island, he’d been out as much as he’d been in the lodge. Both mornings, she’d awoken to find him gone. But their relationship had altered since yesterday, and she didn’t know if the changes were for the better or the worse.

For all of her twenty-four years she’d lived her life on a single track, a track carefully laid by her father. And now, in the span of forty-eight hours, she’d jumped rail and headed off in new directions that were both frightening and exhilarating.

She changed clothes and folded the sleeping bags, still smelling of sex, and her mind was filled with blistering memories of passion she’d never known existed, passion hidden deep within her. Blushing at the vivid thoughts, she poured herself a cup of coffee and headed outside, where she balanced one hip on the porch rail, sipped from her cracked cup and waited for Adam to return. The morning was brilliant and warm. A vibrant sun climbed steadily in a clear blue sky, and a breath of sea wind stirred the fir branches and fluttered the new leaves in the oak trees. Birds skimmed the surface of the calm sea. Either Adam had lied about the storm or the weather service had been badly mistaken. All trace of clouds had disappeared, and the sunshine was warm against her face.

She tucked her chin on her hand. Adam Drake was a complication she hadn’t anticipated, a wrinkle in her life she wasn’t prepared to deal with. They’d become lovers, but she could hardly call them friends. Their lovemaking had been so explosive, so fierce and savage, that she felt drained afterward, as if she’d been in an emotional battle in which both sides were victorious.

“Silly girl,” she chided herself, and brushed a pebble off the rail and onto the damp earth surrounding the porch. She’d never been a romantic and she wasn’t about to start having idle fantasies now. She couldn’t stay up here with Adam forever, and yet, as anxious as she’d been to leave Montgomery Inns behind, she now felt ready to settle in for a while, let this love affair run its natural course…But that was impossible. They hadn’t talked much, though he had asked her questions about the company, questions she wouldn’t answer. He’d brought up the embezzlement, but she wouldn’t speculate about what had happened, not with the man her father presumed to be the thief.

She heard the sound of footsteps and trained her eyes on the stone-strewn path, which cut through the thick stands of trees and lush ferns. Within seconds Adam appeared and her stupid heart did a quick little flip at the sight of him. This wasn’t supposed to happen, this lust, but she couldn’t seem to control her emotions.

“Did you go back to the
Marnie Lee?
” she asked, dusting off the seat of her jeans as he stepped onto the porch and shifted the bag he’d slung over his back from one shoulder to the other.

He sent a quasi-smile her direction. “Yep.”

“And?”

“And she’s still above water,” he answered. For a millisecond a hint of reluctance glimmered in his eyes.

“But everything was okay?” Marnie pursued, sensing he was holding back on her, that he was hiding something from her, protecting her from bad news.

“Everything’s fine,” was his gruff reply. Shoving open the door, he hauled his bag of supplies into the lobby and dropped the heavy bundle on the floor. Without another word, he walked into the dining room, and Marnie had the odd sensation that something was terribly wrong. Suddenly Adam had grown sullen and distant.

Because of last night? she wondered. Did he think she’d expect some sort of commitment from him now? Nothing could be further from the truth. She was her own woman, able to make decisions regarding her body on her own.

But still his glum mood bothered her. And he was now in the dining room, where their first explosive encounter had occurred. Marnie struggled to keep her breathing even.

Knowing that he was avoiding her, but unable to leave well enough alone, she followed him and found him seated on an old bar stool near the window, the opened bottle of liquor in one hand, a half-full glass in the other.

“Something happened,” she stated, boldly pulling up a stool next to his and straddling it.

He flicked a glance her way, then drained his glass.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he muttered, and she noticed that his expression was as hard-edged as ever, any sign of tenderness wiped away.