Yield to Me (18 page)

“Is it? I almost had heart failure
when I heard Sophie’s voice. How the hell did she get the phone away from you?”

Brent chose to ignore that question.
“Don’t worry, she’s alive and kicking. Have any news for me?”

“Not yet. Whatever Lord has he had
to dig deep. Sophie let it slip she’s on a boat somewhere. Would that be
yours?”

“Yep.”
Brent thought about her fear when she first realized where he’d
brought her. He was beginning to hate what they were doing to her. She wasn’t
exactly terrified of her situation, as she had been in the beginning, and he
was very curious as to why.

“Dear God, Brent. It didn’t occur to
me that you would ever take her out on your boat. Sophie’s been terrified of
the water ever since she was a kid. She witnessed a shark attack on her
brother…”

Brent vaguely listened to the
senator, his gaze falling to the folder resting on the edge of the small table.
It contained a snapshot of her, which the senator had included, in a dossier
he’d given him of her scheduled whereabouts for the current week. His lips
twitched when he recalled how close she’d been to finding out the truth. He
would have been hard pressed explaining how he came to have a personal picture
of her and the senator in his possession.

He shook his head and forced himself
to focus on what the senator was saying.

“I’ll call you again tomorrow. With
a little luck, I’ll have something concrete so we can put an end to this. I
want Sophie home again, where she belongs.”

“Tomorrow, then.”
With a quick flick of his wrist, the phone snapped closed and Brent
laid it down on the counter next to him.

He took a deep breath, thinking
about the lady in question. He was going to hurt Sophie, before she hurt him.
After Connie, he’d made a promise to himself not to let another woman get too
close. No matter how well packaged she came, or how much he wanted her. Over
the years, more than one had taught him to guard his heart and watch his
wallet. Hell, maybe he just got involved with the wrong women, but being burned
by one he actually had feelings for had hardened his heart and fortified his
decision that other than a good romp in bed, he didn’t need them.

Something about Sophie warned him he
was already too involved with her. He must be if he was worrying about her
feelings. He couldn’t get the thought of fucking her out of his head, couldn’t
get her warm, sensual scent off him. He glanced down, and realized he was
wearing the shirt he’d given her back at the apartment. She had mistakenly
grabbed the wrong one before leaving the bedroom earlier.

His mouth quirked
with wry humor as he poured himself a cup of lukewarm coffee.
He sipped at it, and pulled the curtain aside to glance out at the
dock. It was quiet for a Saturday morning. The gray clouds gathering in the sky
told him why. A storm was brewing. Brent could hear an occasional noise from
the combination restaurant/bait shop located next to the pier, but it was the
noise he didn’t hear coming from the bedroom that worried him the most.

He wondered what Sophie was up to,
deciding he’d better check on her. He found her curled up on the bed, hugging a
pillow to her breast as though it were a cherished stuffed toy. His heart
constricted at the vulnerability etched on her beautiful face. He examined her
appearance, taking in the deep shadows beneath her eyes and the paleness of her
skin. Her breathing was shallow, little puffs of air passing through her
slightly parted lips, as she rested peacefully.

Her
shirt was creased badly and stained with coffee. Her hair looked
like rats had been nesting in it. Then right before his eyes, she reached up
and combed her fingers through it, twisting her body as though looking for a
more comfortable position, exposing more of her long, shapely legs to his
searching eyes. He couldn’t help recalling how silky and soft they’d felt
beneath his caresses. Then her soft mewling sounds caused his gaze to shift to
her mouth.

It seemed like a lifetime ago since
he’d kissed that defiant mouth, the impact throwing him for a loop he still
hadn’t fully recovered from. The visible softness about her belied the fact she
was full of spirit. There was nothing innocent about her. Even in sleep, she
managed to entice and tease his senses until he wanted to lie down beside her
and hold her.

Who am I kidding? I want to fuck her again until we’re both so
exhausted
we can’t move.

A flashback of their earlier
encounter forced him to reach for the blanket and cover her, before he turned
to leave the room without a backward glance. As he made his way back toward the
galley, the boat rocked wildly, a sign the storm had finally broken through.
All at once, the rain began pounding down on them like machine gun fire, and
Brent realized it was hail. A particular loud boom of thunder was followed by a
loud, frightened shriek from the bedroom.

Brent pivoted sharply, and nearly
collided with Sophie. “What’s wrong?” Seeing her pale expression and wild eyes,
he glanced behind her, expecting to see demons chasing her.

She halted briefly, as though
undecided what to do before throwing herself at him. “I’m scared!” The boat
slammed against the dock and she lost her balance and her tenuous grip on him.
She bounced back and forth between the walls in the narrow passageway, before
Brent drew her safely into his arms. “Are we safe here?”

“Safe enough.
Come on; let’s get you off your feet. You obviously didn’t bring
your sea legs with you,” he teased, guiding her toward the kitchen.

Brent didn’t have any trouble with
his sea legs. He balanced himself easily against the swaying boat.
Only once was he caught unaware, but only because he was trying to
keep them both from flying around.

“Would we be safer in bed?”

The boat tipped slightly and Brent
slammed back against the wall. Since his arms were around Sophie, she slammed
into him. Suddenly they were flush against each other and looking into each
other’s eyes. “Is that an invitation?” he asked; his mouth slanting into a
grin.
God, she makes me hungry.

In the gloom, he could see the
mixture of fright and mild amusement swimming in her eyes. It was obvious she
was trying not to give in and smile in return. But the longer they stared at
each other, the more it didn’t seem funny anymore. The swaying boat only served
to make them roll against each other, heightening their growing awareness of
one another. The recently banked fires sprang to life.

Building the
desire.

Lust surged through Brent’s blood,
heading straight to his loins. The breath hissed from his lungs. He was very
much aware of Sophie’s breasts against his chest, swelling as he was against
the lower half of her body. The boat sank to one side on a rolling wave and he
spread his legs to steady himself against the wall. The action caused Sophie to
roll further into the intimate cradle of his hips, against the hardness pushing
against his zipper. She had to know how badly he wanted her at that moment.

The boat continued to dance wildly,
beating mercilessly against the dock. “Brent, I’m scared!” she whispered, as
the storm grew fiercer.

The frightened appeal in her eyes
was very real and unnerved Brent. She was beyond scared. Wide-eyed with fright,
she was shaking like a wet kitten. Maybe the safest place was in bed. He swore
harshly when a violent wave sent him flying to the other side of the hall. His
hands braced against the wall just in time to keep from crushing her. Her cry
of alarm tore at his heart. When there was a brief lull, he grabbed her and
turned her toward the bedroom.

He didn’t need to tell her to get
into bed. She practically fell upon it, rolling to the side to make room for
him. Brent hadn’t planned on joining her, grinning. He’d been on a boat in a
storm before, and knew how to handle himself. Yet the frightened look on
Sophie’s pale face persuaded him to do her silent pleading.

What harm was there in offering her
a little bit of comfort? He fell in next to her, and the next thing Brent knew
she was curled up against him, holding on for dear life. It was then he
recalled what the senator had said about her fear of the water. His arms
automatically encircled her slender, trembling form, holding her tightly while
wishing he could make her fears go away.

“You’re safe,” he murmured into her
ear, tenderly brushing the hair back from her face. His belly did a somersault
when she glanced up at him, her eyes brimming softly with gratitude, in a face
the color of white chalk. “You’re not going to be sick, are you?” he asked,
trying to lighten the mood.

“You’re just worried about your
shirt.”

His brows rose with surprise at her
humor. He wished he could focus on that, and forget about her as a woman. Having
Sophie plastered against him wasn’t doing much for his hard-on or his
self-control. The steady rocking of the boat only added to the situation,
keeping them moving constantly into each other no matter how hard he tried to
instill distance.

A particularly loud rumble of
thunder drew a muffled cry from her. She buried her face against him,
tightening her hands in his loose shirt. He wished he had the power to make the
storm go away. Another crash followed a crack of angry lightning. “Brent!” she
cried, moving against him as though willing his body to absorb hers. “Do
something!”

Do something? He actually thought
about it for a moment before realizing it was stupid. He tightened his arms
around her before doing the only thing he could think of that might take her
mind off the raging elements outside. Tangling his fingers in her hair, he
pulled her head back, and slammed his mouth down on hers.

At first, she stiffened, until
Brent’s kiss coaxed her into relaxing. As she opened her mouth beneath his, he
purposely softened his kiss into a sensual attack, slipping his tongue inside
to mate with hers. Over the thunder, he heard her low moan of hunger. She
brought her arms up to encircle his neck, straining closer to his body. His hand
slowly unclenched from her hair, and glided down her throat to her breast, a
growl escaping him when Sophie arched into his caress.

He shuddered with arousal as her
breasts swelled within the palms of his hands. In less than a heartbeat, he
grew weak, willingly accepting the ruthless passion spiraling through him.
Knowing it was wrong but feeling it was so right. Sophie made him want too
much, too fast. She made him forget about everything but her. In a mindless
moment, Brent pushed her shirt out of the way and put his mouth on her breast,
rolling her turgid nipple around the tip of his tongue.

Sophie arched wildly and cried out,
offering him whatever he wanted. Her hands roamed over him at will, moving beneath
his shirt with reckless abandon. They lost control, giving in to a need too
strong to resist. This time Brent was going to do it up right. He wanted them
both naked and straining against each other.

He rolled from the bed and quickly
removed his shirt
and jeans, never taking his gaze off of
Sophie’s
flushed loveliness.
Desire looked good on her. When he rejoined her, he didn’t waste any time
removing her shirt. Then it was flesh on flesh and they were kissing and
twisting against each other lustfully. Their hands were all over one another, exploring
and pleasuring each other until they were breathless.

Mouths kissing, and nipping, tongues
soothing. Sophie was holding nothing back and gave as
good
as Brent gave. Her hunger fueled his and he knew he had to fuck her soon. His
hand traveled down her silky smooth body to her pussy. She was wet and dripping
and her clit was the size of a large pea. When he flicked his finger over the
nub, she cried out and dug her nails into his back.

“Brent!” She covered his hand with
hers and held him against her. Her other hand circled his cock. Then unexpectedly
Sophie moved until she was on top and he was on his back.

Her passion surprised him. And for a
moment all he could do was lay there while she ran her open mouth over his
chest and abdomen to his cock. Brent wondered what she would do when she
reached it and wasn’t disappointed when her warm mouth closed over his
blood-engorged flesh. Ecstasy gripped his senses and his hips left the bed. As
his head hit the pillow, his gaze automatically went to the ceiling.

“Oh fuck!” The combination of seeing
Sophie’s sweet mouth swallowing his cock and her hand caressing his balls made
him lose control. Groaning low, he climaxed hard, filling her mouth with a
stream of milky semen.

Long before Brent’s body stopped
convulsing Sophie moved up his torso and planted her mouth on his. He hadn’t
caught his breath yet but he welcomed her lips against his. His arms went
around her and he crushed her against his chest, enjoying the feel of her warm,
luscious breasts. Her soft moans complimented his when their tongues meshed in
a sensuous dance. As the kiss continued, his hands began to roam down her
backside, over the enticing curve of her rump and down the backs of her thighs.

He marveled at how silky soft her
flesh was beneath his palms, and how pliable her sweet ass was as he caressed
and shaped it. Exploring the crack between the fleshy mounds, the change in
Sophie was tangible and abrupt. Her kiss turned wild, her tongue battled
against his and there was no restraint when she bit down on his bottom lip. The
minuscule flash of pain brought pleasure that urged Brent’s cock into
hardening.