Stormy Vows/Tempest at Sea (38 page)

The sobs were subsiding now, but the tears still poured from a seemingly inexhaustible fount while she watched him with feverishly intent eyes. He cared for her as gently as if she were a beloved child. His face was set and stern, his dark mocking eyes strangely serious. When he'd finished these tasks, he threw the towel on the floor beside the bed and merely sat looking at her, his eyes filled with a helpless exasperation at the tears that wouldn't cease.

“Damn it, Jane, you'll make yourself sick,” he said huskily. “Stop it!”

“Hold me,” she whispered. “Just hold me, please.” She fought to release her arms from the strictures of the gold blanket to pull him to her, but he stopped her with a swift movement.

“No, lie still, I'll come to you.”

He stretched full length on the narrow bed beside her and pulled her blanket-wrapped body into his arms, fitting her head in the curve of his shoulder. “Now, will you stop that damn crying?” he said hoarsely, his hands running soothingly over her back through the wool blanket.

She knew a dreamy contentment as he continued to stroke and caress her while she lay curled against him. She even imagined
she felt a light kiss pressed against her temple when she snuggled to get even closer to him.

“I can come back later,” Benjamin said dryly from the door.

Jake muttered an imprecation and jerked away from Jane as if he'd been burned. “She's shaking,” he said, running his hand through his hair as he swung off the bed and onto his feet. “And she can't stop crying.”

“May I suggest that a heating pad and a large handkerchief might prove to be considerably safer for the girl?” Marc offered politely, coming forward with a glass of water and two tablets in his hands.

Jake shot him a quelling glance and took the water and tablets. He sat back down on the bed and cradled Jane's shoulders in one arm while he fed her the pills and water. She took them like an obedient child, and as he laid her carefully back on the pillow he observed with anxiety the dark circles beneath her eyes and the pale, pinched cheeks. “She's too damn docile,” he said thickly. “Where's the tea?”

“She won't need it,” Benjamin answered laconically. “She'll be out in a few minutes. That sedative is fairly strong.”

Already Jane could feel the fuzziness that dulled the edges of their voices above her head and lessened the nameless urgency that drove her to keep Jake within constant reach of her hand. She could see Marc Benjamin's speculative gray gaze as if from far away.

“You know, I would never have thought that she would fall apart like this,” she heard the captain say thoughtfully. “She's really a very strong personality.”

Jake turned on him savagely. “She was almost eaten alive by a shark!” he said explosively. “How the hell do you expect her to react?”

Benjamin shook his head. “Take it easy. I'm not impugning the courage of your little lamb,” he drawled. “We both know
that she's got plenty of it. It was just a comment.” He moved forward to put a hand on Jake's shoulder. “You'd better come along and let me tend to that graze.”

“In a minute,” Jake said absently, putting the glass on the bedside table and brushing the red ringlets away from Jane's forehead. “I don't want to leave her like this.”

She could dimly see his concerned face hovering over her, before her lids closed unexpectedly and there was only the darkness.

Jane awoke several times that day, only to fall back into that cocoon of sleep. She was conscious of Jake's presence several times, and of the sound of voices reverberating as if from the bottom of a well, but she could make no sense of the words. Once Simon was there with a luncheon tray, a worried expression on his handsome young face, but she couldn't rouse herself from her lethargy enough to obey his plea to eat something. She only wanted to return to the healing darkness.

It was late afternoon when the sedative finally wore off. She was alone in the cabin when she opened her eyes and looked around sluggishly. Her mouth felt dry and sour, she had a dull, throbbing ache in her head. That sedative must have had the force of a blackjack, she thought blearily, as she struggled to her feet on legs made of rubber. She dropped the gold blanket on the bed and then snatched it up again as she remembered that she was naked and her tiny cabin had recently resembled a Cecil B. De Mille crowd scene.

She vaguely remembered Jake's removing her tiny bikini, but she felt no embarrassment at the thought. Holding the blanket around her, she stumbled to the chest of drawers and drew out the gauzy green polka-dot shorty pajamas. She put them on hurriedly and ducked into the bath to brush her teeth and wash her face.

She was feeling ridiculously weak as she tottered back to the bed and slipped between the sheets. On the bedside table she
discovered a thermos of rich beef broth, but she had only a scant cup before she was overcome with the lethargy that she seemed unable to conquer. She barely managed to pull the cover up about her before she was asleep once again.

Probably because the principal effect of the drug had worn off, her sleep was much lighter and more restless. She was plagued by hideous nightmares in which she was being chased by a giant shark with horrible sharp teeth, and each time she was about to be savaged, Jake Dominic swam in front of the monster and was devoured in her place.

Over and over the dream replayed in her subconscious, until she awoke with a shrill scream of pure agony on her lips.

Jake's face was above her, his face drawn with anxiety. He was shaking her roughly. “Damn it, wake up,” he said harshly. “For God's sake, it's only a dream. Come out of it, baby!”

She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him convulsively while the silent tears flowed down her face. “You're alive!” she whispered achingly, her ear pressed to his chest. She could feel the steady throbbing of his heart through the fine material of his shirt, and it was gloriously reassuring. “I thought you were dead. I thought he'd eaten you!”

“I'm fine. It's you we've been worried about.” He pushed her away to look at her face. His hand brushed at her tear-stained cheek with a gesture of exasperation. “If you don't stop that crying, you'll drown us both.”

Jane chuckled huskily and wiped her eyes childishly with the back of her hand. “I'm sorry. I can't seem to stop. Stupid, isn't it?”

“Very,” he said succinctly, as he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. “Just the sort of thing that I would expect from an annoying brat like you.”

She smiled, thinking how handsome he looked in his navy-blue slacks and white sport coat.

“I'm all right now,” she assured him, wiping her eyes
thoroughly. “I expect it was only the nightmare. Please go on to dinner.”

“My dear girl, dinner was three hours ago. I was just stopping by to check on you before I called it a night.” A startled glance at the bedside clock verified that it was after eleven. She had slept all day and half the evening! “Ahmet sends his regards and hopes that you'll be well enough to receive a call from him tomorrow.”

“Oh, I'll be back to work tomorrow,” Jane said, surprised. “I'm fine now.”

“So fine that you wake up screaming,” Jake said grimly, his eyes fixed on the delicacy of her heart-shaped face. “We'll see how you are in the morning.”

“It was only the nightmares,” she insisted, her eyes darkening with strain. “I keep having the same dream over and over.” She shivered uncontrollably.

“I can guess what about,” he said slowly. “An experience like that may give you nightmares for some time to come.”

Jane swallowed anxiously at the thought of facing that horror every time she fell asleep. “I suppose so,” she replied nervously, moistening her lips. “Well, I'll just have to contend with them, won't I?” She smiled shakily.

“The hell you will!” Jake said abruptly, his dark eyes flaming. “I'm not about to let you shake yourself to pieces in this clothes closet of a cabin.”

“It's quite a nice cabin,” she said defensively, looking up at him in bewilderment.

“Jane, for God's sake, don't argue with me. I do not intend to spend the rest of the night in this cracker box holding your hand, after already spending the best part of the day here. There's just not enough room!” He stooped and picked her up in his arms, blanket and all, and strode swiftly from the cabin.

She looked up into his grim face and asked quietly. “I hate to be overly curious, but may I ask where you're taking me?”

“Why, to my bed, of course.” She stiffened in surprise, and he mistook her response for resistance. “Don't fight me, Jane. I'm not leaving you alone tonight. You can battle your own dragons some other night, when you're more fit.” His mouth twisted cynically. “You can't claim that one night in my bed will ruin your reputation, when everyone on the ship assumes you're already very familiar with it.”

When she merely continued to look at him with wide eyes, he went on aggressively. “Damn it, I'm not about to rape you, redhead, I just want to take care of you.” His mouth twisted wryly, as he added, “In a bed where I won't develop a displaced sacroiliac.”

She didn't answer, but her arms tightened around him nervously as he opened the door to his cabin and marched across the room to the king-sized bed and deposited her on the black velvet spread. He stepped back to look down at her still figure with wary dark eyes.

“What, no arguments?” he asked, arching an eyebrow inquiringly. “I expected you to fight me tooth and nail. You must be in worse shape than I thought.”

She looked up at him serenely, her hair a brilliant flame on the black spread. “Why should I fight you?” she asked quietly. “You're quite right. I don't have any reputation to lose and I don't want to be alone tonight.”

The wariness was still in his eyes. “That's very sensible of you,” he said skeptically. “Not at all what one would expect from a frightened virgin.”

“Really?” Jane sat up and threw off the gold blanket. “I'll try to act more in character next time.”

His dark eyes were fixed compulsively on the bodice of the shorty nightgown. Her high firm breasts were clearly outlined beneath the gauzy material, even to the shadowy pink of her nipples.

“Not on my account,” he drawled softly as he came toward
her. His hand reached out to stroke her cheek with a gentle hand. “You look like a baby fresh from its bath,” he said lightly. His hand rubbed her cheekbone with the sensual pleasure of a man stroking his favorite kitten.

Her breath caught in her throat, and she looked up into his dark eyes and saw a flicker in the hidden depths that caused her heart to increase its tempo. Then the flicker was gone and he had turned and walked toward the bathroom.

The usual mockery was in his voice as he said over his shoulder. “If you want to spare me your girlish blushes, I'd turn out the light.” He disappeared into the bathroom.

Jane dove into the black velvet bed as if a nude Jake Dominic were going to appear the next instant. Then she had to jump out again to flick out the light by the door, and scrambled back under the covers again. It seemed an incredibly short time until the light in the bathroom was off and the door opened. She stiffened involuntarily as the bed sank under Dominic's weight when he slipped beneath the covers. She could feel the mattress shift while he stretched out like a cat, then turned over to rest on his back.

There was a moment of strained silence that stretched on interminably before he suddenly spoke. “For God's sake, relax!” he said with exasperation. “I'm not going to pounce on you. I can feel you trembling clear over here.”

“I'm sorry,” she whispered shakily, “I guess I'm nervous. I've never done anything like this before.”

“That makes two of us,” he said wryly, turning his shadowy face to where she lay. “I think I can safely say that I've never occupied a bed with a woman without intending to reap the full benefit.”

“It must be difficult for you,” she said huskily. “I never meant to be such a bother.”

“Be quiet,” he said impatiently. “And for pity's sake stop that trembling.”

There was a moment of tension that was as fine as a stretched violin string. “Jake.” Her voice was a hesitant whisper. “Will you hold me?”

She heard him inhale sharply and felt the sudden tension that tautened his body. “You can't be that innocent,” he said roughly. “Don't try to play games with me, Jane. I'm finding this situation difficult enough.”

She too was finding it difficult enough, she thought wildly. It had taken all her courage to voice that whispered plea, and she had only impressed him as being a tease. She took a deep breath, and before she could change her mind, she scooted over suddenly to press against the warmth of his naked body with trembling urgency.

“Please, Jake,” she said huskily, pressing her soft lips to the throbbing pulse in his throat. “I'm not playing any games.”

His body stiffened as if electrified, and his arms automatically went around her. “My God,” he said raggedly. His arms tightened ruthlessly. “Damn it, how much do you think I can take?”

His hands began a feverish sensual symphony over her shoulders and back while his lips touched hotly on her ears and throat. Then his lips found hers, and it was like no kiss she had ever known. It was as if he were famished for the taste and texture of her. His mouth rubbed and caressed her own with frantic hunger before parting her lips to probe intimately with his tongue, and his hands moved down to cup her bottom and lift her to his aroused loins with heated urgency. His lips ravished her with breathless need while he rubbed her softness against his muscular body with frenzied movements.

He buried his lips in her throat, his voice muffled as he said hoarsely, “God, I want you! I've been going insane for weeks. Open your mouth, love, I want every bit of you.” His lips covered hers again, and she felt as if she were writhing in a flame of need. She moaned deep in her throat, and he chuckled huskily.
“What a lovely sound,” he groaned, his chest heaving. “I'm going to enjoy making you cry out for me, sweetheart.”

Her hands slipped around his neck to become entangled in the crisp darkness of his hair, while his hand slipped under the loose gauze top to cup her small breasts in his hands, his thumbs teasing the nipples while his tongue invaded her mouth in numerous maddening forays.