Sea Panther (Crimson Storm) (4 page)

His gaze rose to her neck, and she saw his struggle to
swallow. The unmasked expression of blatant desire within his eyes chased away
her annoyance. He stared at her as a starving man might view a well-stocked
buffet table. Consumed her with his gaze. Her insides melted.

He cleared his throat, but his steady regard remained
intense.

“Captain? I…”

His gaze jerked to her face. “Excuse me,” he mumbled as he
eased out into the passageway and shut the door.

Great way to start out, Kimberly.

Her watch displayed four o’clock. Another two hours before
she needed to start the day. She flicked the light off and squeezed her eyes
tight.

God. How awkward. She flipped over and slammed a fist into
the pillow.

She’d never fall back to sleep. Not after glimpsing the
captain’s expression of hunger.

What would it be like to make love to such a virile man?

N
ot in three
hundred years had Robert been this turned on by the sight of a pair of budded
nipples. He almost imagined the feel of those perky breasts whilst his teeth
grazed over the thin fabric covering them—imagined moans escaping her lips.
Kimberly
.
His blood blazed with unquenched desire.

Violent need throbbed with each beat of his heart. His
aching erection strained against the fabric of his trousers. He undid the
zipper in a hurry.

Damn
. He’d reacted like a green lad who’d never
bedded a lass before.

Robert clenched his jaw as the beasts attempted to rise.
They fought for supremacy. He refused to allow it. Not on this sunrise. He
dropped his pants and freed himself. With a deep breath, he wrapped a trembling
hand around his cock and rubbed the thumb over the head, massaging the moist
tip. He fantasized Kimberly was stroking him. Breath caught in his lungs as the
fire in his groin intensified. He leaned his ass against the bunk with both
feet firmly planted on the floor, and pumped until sterile seed exploded from
his body with a fierce shudder.

Despite the ferocity, the orgasm felt hollow. Nothing like
the heights he believed Kimberly could bring. He dare not think on that. Dared
not allow her close. The two beasts living within were too dangerous.

Damn Colin. What had the man been thinking to suggest—no,
insist—he hire a female for crew? And not just any lass.

“Kimberly.” The name whispered on a breath. Something about
her quickened his pulse as no other woman ever had. A growl threatened to
escape his throat. He choked it back. What emotion remained within him was too
raw…too wild.

Of any time in his eternal existence, he needed to be
careful. Vigilant. Hold a tight rein on the monsters lurking within. He dared
not contemplate what would happen to Kimberly if the beasts seized control.

* * *

Early in the morning, loud voices and the aroma of frying
bacon wafted from the galley. The time had come to make an appearance in the
salon, but Kimberly’s pulse raced with dread…with excitement…at the thought of
seeing the captain. She couldn’t get the ravenous yearning that had burned in
his eyes out of her mind. Though uncomfortable to admit, deep within her blazed
the same fire.

Great. Just great. She couldn’t afford to lust after her
employer.

Forcing aside the image of Robert’s hungry gaze, she inhaled
a deep breath and headed for the galley. Colin stood at the three-burner stove,
whipping up what smelled to be a yummy breakfast. No doubt, she’d gain ten
pounds crewing with big guys with hearty appetites.

“Ah, Kimberly. Good morn to you, lass. Go on into the salon
and get acquainted with the lads.”

She hesitated for a moment, waiting for the nervous churning
in her belly to ease, before joining the rest of the crew. Three sets of eyes
checked her out with curiosity. She’d met Davey the previous evening, but had
no idea which of the two identical, blue-eyed blonds he was.

The third young man, a tall lanky fellow with a shaved head
spoke first. “I’m Timothy and these two nut cases are Davey and John. Will take
you weeks before you can tell them apart.”

The twins gave game smiles. She relaxed a bit and responded
with a finger wave. “Hi. I’m Kimberly.”

The greeting, “Welcome aboard,” repeated three times.

One of the twins leaned forward. “Davey.” He pushed up the
left sleeve of a navy turtleneck shirt. “The one with the awesome sea maiden
tattoo.”

Sure enough, the multicolored image of a mermaid swam on his
arm.

“John,” his twin said. “I saw you on the beach the other
morning while surfing.”

“You waved to me.”

“Yeah. You looked sad.”

Thankfully, Colin carried in a tray laden with five plates,
and the guys grabbed for the food, saving Kimberly from having to respond to
John’s comment. She didn’t want to explain her depression.

“Hope you lads are being nice to Fast Jimmy Scot’s
daughter,” Colin said.

“You didn’t tell us your father was Fast Jimmy.” John stared
with renewed interest.

Kimberly shrugged. She’d rather Colin hadn’t mentioned her
father. Guilt mixed with the other anxieties swamping her. She hated having
resorted to using his name to get the job.

Quiet ruled while the group chowed down, the only sound the
scrape of forks across plastic dishes. When the men finished, she still had
half a plate of food.

“You didn’t like my cooking,” Colin accused.

“It was great, but I’m afraid my appetite isn’t as big as
the rest of yours.” Kimberly swept her gaze over the group of muscular men at
the table.

Colin chuckled. “Will be after you’ve sailed with us for a
time.”

“Doesn’t the captain dine with the crew?” she asked,
relieved he hadn’t joined them yet curious about his absence.

Timothy and Davey exchanged glances.

“Sometimes for the evening meal,” Colin said easily enough.

Still, an uncomfortable tension filled the air. What had she
said to put the men on guard?

Colin rose and gathered up the plates. She reached for an
emptied coffee mug, but he waved her off. “Spend the next hour getting
acquainted with the lads and learning about
Sea Panther
. When we set
sail will be soon enough to lend a hand.”

John laughed. “Timothy will introduce you to
Robert’s
lady
.”

“Lady?” So much for inappropriate interest in the captain.
The man had either a wife or a girlfriend.

“
Sea Panther
,” John said with a wink.

“Oh.” Heat burned Kimberly’s cheeks. She hoped the boys
didn’t notice, but Davey’s shrewd smile proved he caught her heightened color.

“
Sea Panther
is a fast, hi-tech, Italian racing
sloop,” Timothy said. “The captain had her custom built in 2001. Her hull is
carbon fiber. She has a seventeen-foot draft. We need to be extra careful to
stay away from the shoals along the coast.”

Kimberly panicked, doubting her rusty skills. “Colin didn’t
tell me we’d be racing.”

After all, it had been a long time since she last sailed.

“We won’t be,” Timothy said. “The captain doesn’t enter
Sea
Panther
into races.”

This time John and Davey exchanged glances.

What did all the sideways looks mean? She shrugged off the
question. Might be a guy thing. Until she proved herself, they wouldn’t give
their trust.

“Her length overall is ninety feet, with a beam of
twenty-one feet.” Timothy continued with the lecture, and she listened
attentively.

“You’re wrong, Tim.” Davey smiled devilishly. “
Sea
Panther’s
beam is only twenty feet, six inches.”

“They’re major geeks,” John chimed in.

“Let me finish.” Timothy leaned forward over the table,
getting into the topic. “We run a single diesel, 325 horsepower engine. The
boat carries 434 gallons fuel and 647 gallons water. Her cruising speed is ten
knots, but we’ve gotten her to twelve knots with favorable winds.”

“Nerds!” John said.

“Tell Kimberly about the electronics,” Davey said, voice
rising with excitement.

She laughed at the interplay. “What else do I need to know?”

* * *

Kimberly assisted with the sails when Colin set the yacht on
a southerly course a couple of hours later. While they cruised, she hung in the
cockpit and listened to the boys trade friendly insults. Captain MacLachlan
didn’t appear on deck until dusk.

The arrogant man swaggered to the wheel and claimed control
of the helm. Unusual for a sailor, he dressed in black jeans and shirt. If his
stature and clothing didn’t set him apart from the rest of the crew, the heavy
biker boots he wore certainly did.

He looked damn sexy though, with the top three buttons of
his black silk shirt open at the throat. Kimberly would have to be dead not to
notice. She couldn’t stop staring at the man. Whereas, he didn’t so much as
acknowledge her existence.

Maybe she misjudged his interest when he came to her room.

When he ordered everyone below except Colin, she made a
point of stopping in front of him. He ignored her and spoke quietly to his
first mate. She gritted her teeth ready to interrupt, but thought better of it
and stepped through the companionway into the salon.

It wasn’t a surprise that as soon as they secured the anchor
in the small harbor near Chesapeake City, Colin and the captain left in the
inflatable dinghy. She had a hunch the captain avoided her. He hadn’t said
anything since their nocturnal encounter after the nightmare. Could he be
embarrassed too?

“Come on. John drew the short straw and has watch. Me and
Davey are taking you to the best place in the world for garlic crabs.” Timothy
extended a hand and helped her into the hard-sided launch.

“Absolute best.” Davey pulled the cord to start the motor.

“Sounds great,” she yelled over the engine buzz. She watched
the inflatable heading for shore in front of them until a large motor yacht
crossed their path and blocked the view. By the time the boat got out of the
way, Colin and the captain had disappeared into the shadows.

Chesapeake City turned out to be a cutesy tourist town on
the Chesapeake Canal with small, multi-colored Victorian buildings. At this
time of year, the place seemed empty.

The bar restaurant they went to smelled of Old Bay
seasoning. Brown paper covered the table and a roll of cheap paper towels sat
on top. They ordered pitchers of beer, which they drank from clear plastic
tumblers. To her amazement, she got into the spirit and shared in the
consumption of three dozen large crabs. As Timothy predicted, the blue-claws
tasted excellent.

Two hours later, the three of them swayed, arm in arm,
strolling through the dimly lit streets toward the dock. As they passed a dark
alley between two shops, the crash of a garbage can banging the ground stopped
them. A shadow moved away from the light, and fear raced across Kimberly’s
nerves.

“I think someone is there.” She made a move to run, but
Timothy tugged on their linked arms and stopped her.

“Probably a raccoon picking through the trash. No harm will
come to you, darlin’, while you’re with us.” He gave a cocky grin.

She rolled her eyes, and he chuckled.

Suddenly, a man dressed in all black—pants, sweater and ski
mask—darted toward them, knocking her from the boys’ hold. She fell backward
onto a winter-brown grassy patch in front of a novelty store.

“What the…” Davey watched the guy race away before turning
back. “You okay?”

“I think so.” A shudder shook her body. Had the hit man
found her?

“Here, let me help you.” Davey reached out a hand and
assisted her to her feet. He leaned close and picked a piece of grass from the
sleeve of her sweater.

Kimberly brushed loose dirt off her slacks. She’d swear the
man had called her
Satan’s whore
as he ran by. A hired hit man wouldn’t
run off without finishing the job. And she doubted one would call her names.

It wasn’t as if they filed a sail plan with the harbormaster
in New Jersey anyone could follow. Only Sarah knew she crewed on
Sea Panther
.
She’d remain safe as long as they kept sailing south. She had to believe that.

“You sure you’re okay?” Timothy’s face flushed and his gaze
darted to where the man ran. With fingers curled into tight fists, he seemed
torn between wanting to chase after the guy and wanting to stay and be her
protector.

“Yeah. I’m good.” She glanced in the direction the man ran.
He had vanished into the dark night. “What do you think the guy was doing?”

“More than likely planned to rob one of the stores.” Timothy
took a firm hold of her arm. “Let’s get back to the boat.”

“Shouldn’t we call the police?” she asked.

“The captain wouldn’t want us to get involved.” Timothy
pulled her forward.

Davey grasped her other arm, and they made a beeline for
Sea
Panther
.

No point in arguing. She wanted to get to the safety of the
yacht as fast as possible and try to make sense out of what had just happened.

Satan’s whore?
Why had the guy called her Satan’s
whore?

* * *

After a night and day revisiting the episode in Chesapeake
City, Kimberly doubted a connection to the rumored hit man, or to the break-in
at the B&B. The incident had been nothing more than a case of mistaken
identity. She’d been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Redirecting thoughts to the present, she braced her feet on
the deck while Colin steered
Sea Panther
toward a berth at the city dock
in Annapolis. The chill wind blew loose hair from her face, and the first stars
of the evening twinkled overhead, yet the captain hadn’t made an appearance. He
kept strange hours for a sailor.

There wasn’t time to ponder his peculiarities though. She
needed to concentrate on the task at hand. She eyed the entrance pilings with
apprehension. When the yacht pulled clear, she relaxed and released the breath
she’d held.

As much as she tried, it was impossible to stop thinking
about the captain. Recalling his hot gaze when he barged into her cabin the
other night made her ache with need.

“Hey! Pay attention.” John jumped over the side onto the
floating dock.

Kimberly wrinkled her nose and held the line ready to throw.
When
Sea Panther
swung into position, she hurled the end of the rope.
John snatched it out of the air and tied it to the nearest cleat.

After the crew secured the rest of the lines, he jumped
onboard and gave her hair a playful tug. “Can’t be gathering wool when we’re
docking.”

“Sorry. I’ll pay better attention next time.”

“It’s okay. The bay’s calm tonight, but you’ll need all your
concentration on the task when the water is rough.” He smiled and left her to
her own thoughts.