The charge of adrenaline from this new worry washed away his previous nerves. All he wanted was to be with her, to have the visual and physical reassurance that she and Aiden were well. It didn’t take long for him to get to the master stateroom.
He could see Kara through the open door to the deck. The curtains billowed in the breeze, obscuring his ability to see much of her, however. Before going to her, he went to the crib that had been set up in the corner and saw that Aiden was sound asleep with his pacifier falling out of his mouth. Warren moved it carefully out of the way and then walked softly past him to the closet. Closing the door behind him, he changed quickly into a pair of dark-red swim trunks, and then headed to the deck.
Pushing the curtains apart, he joined Kara on the deck. She wore a straw sun hat and a loose, gauzy cover-up.
“Are the dolphins still with us?” he asked.
“No. I keep hoping to see them again, but I haven’t.”
He smiled, forcing himself to resist the impulse to pull her into his arms. “We’ll see others. Are you ready to go?”
“Almost.” To his surprise, she looked shyly down. “So, my skin burns easily, and I’ve already got pink cheeks just from standing on the deck for a bit earlier. I’ve got sunscreen on everywhere but my back. Would you mind helping me?”
Put sunscreen on her back? He could handle that, right? “Sure. Of course.”
She nodded and went back inside and brought a tube from the bathroom. “This is zinc oxide sunscreen, which works great for me, but you’ll have to work harder to rub it in. Sorry.”
Yeah, that wouldn’t be a problem. “No worries.”
He took the tube from her and squeezed some into his hand while she took off her hat and cover up and put them somewhere the wind couldn’t reach. When he looked up, she was coming toward him in a navy swimsuit with widely spaced horizontal stripes and a zipper that ran down the front of the bodice. His eyes fixed onto the zipper with a mind of their own, especially since it was open the top inch or so. If it hadn’t been for the zipper, the suit would have been demure. With it, it was way more provocative than any skimpy bikini he’d ever seen.
When she was less than a foot away from him, she turned and lifted her hair off her neck. It jolted him back into remembering what he was doing. He tossed the tube onto the bed and rubbed his hands together to spread the cream out, then he ran his hands over her smooth skin. The suit dipped halfway down her back, making it necessary to move his hands over more skin than he had anticipated. And just as she’d warned, the sunscreen left a white film until it was rubbed in enough.
Trying to focus on anything besides the way his insides were igniting, he started counting the freckles on her back. They were sparse in the center of her back, but were more densely clustered across her shoulders, so the counting tactic soon lost its effectiveness.
“Can you push the straps aside and get beneath them? Otherwise, I’ll end up with weird burns when they shift.”
“Sure.” Man, his voice sounded tight and rough. Did she notice?
Clenching his jaw tightly, he pushed the thin straps down off her shoulders. This was surely going to be his undoing.
Needing more sunscreen, he reached for the tube and accidentally squeezed too much out. As he tried to work it into her shoulders, he quickly realized that he needed to spread it further to use it all up. He ran his fingers up the nape of her neck and down the side, cupped his palms over the top of her shoulders and worked it into her skin there, then smoothed the rest of it down over her arms. When he was done, he gripped her arms and held still for a moment—not wanting to break contact with her, but knowing he had to. Was it just his imagination, or was she breathing as quickly as he was?
“How’s that?” He forced himself to ask.
“Perfect,” she said softly. She let her hair fall down and stepped away, pulling her straps back up over her shoulders. “Okay, let’s go before Aiden wakes up.” Her voice was cheerful now, almost forcefully so. “He’ll definitely want to nurse when he wakes up.”
He stood still, trying to sort his feelings out and collect himself. He didn’t have it in him to answer her yet.
After an awkward pause, she leaned forward and slipped back into the cover-up. “This swimming suit is awesome though because the zipper will make things so much easier. Really, your staff did an amazing job picking out clothes for me. They fit, they’re beautiful, and best of all, they have such ingenious ways of providing easy access…”
Warren needed her to stop talking. He held a finger to his lips and said, “Shhhh…” He nodded his head toward the crib.
“Oh, right. I think I’m talking because I’m nervous. Let’s go.”
She closed her lips tightly and practically ran out the door. It was a good thing she did, because his next strategy was going to be kissing her. And it was not the time for that—as much as he wished it was.
Chapter Fifteen
The next two days flew by, no matter how Kara tried to just slow down and savor them. Whether they swam in the surprisingly big pool, or sipped cold drinks and shared old memories, or lingered over world-class cuisine with stunning views of brilliant sunsets over the ocean, every moment she spent with Warren was like water running through her fingers—refreshing and vital but impossible to hold onto. And every moment in his company tugged her ever more into his gravity.
She loved watching Warren bond with Aiden. He carried him around all the time now and talked to him constantly—always in a regular voice, which seemed to captivate Aiden. Maybe because it was so much deeper than hers. He helped with diaper changes, and if Aiden got fussy, Warren would walk with him around the deck, which always settled him down. It was impossible not to adore a man who seemed to adore her baby.
But beyond even that, the intimacy that had begun with his touch on her back as he’d put sunscreen on had grown into a tantalizing game—and she wasn’t sure who was winning and losing. In fact, she was pretty sure it was her on both counts. The bubble of space between them grew smaller and smaller until they sat closer, allowed their hands and arms and legs to brush against one another, and it seemed to her that Warren kept finding excuses to touch her on purpose—to brush her hair out of her face, give her a hand out of the hot tub, or rest his hands briefly on her shoulders when helping her into her seat at dinner. And he was always very attentive when she needed sunscreen.
She found herself waiting and hoping for each opportunity to touch him too, whether it was tweaking the collar of his shirt or leaning across him to get a towel…she was sure it was obvious to him what she was doing. But what was he doing? Surely at some point they would have to talk about what was clearly building between them—at least to acknowledge it.
The evening of the third day, the rocky terrain of the peninsula came into view. She stood on the deck at the rail after dinner, watching the coming and going of smaller vessels in the marina. They were still too far away for her to see anything of the beaches, but from the lights coming on in all the buildings there, she had no doubt that Cabo had quite the night life.
She was about to turn away when she heard unfamiliar voices on the deck above her—members of the staff. Except for the constant availability of two stewardesses at any given time, she was amazed at how seldom she saw the rest of the crew. Warren said they were trained to give whoever was on board as much privacy as possible, but still, with fifteen other people on board, she couldn’t imagine how they kept themselves apart so well. Because she was extremely curious about them, she stayed a moment to listen.
“They’re very private, aren’t they? Not much PDA,” a girl’s voice said.
“Not surprising since it’s Mr. Drake. Think they’re happy?” a guy asked.
“Who knows with rich people. But, oh, the way he looks at her makes me sweat. If one of them is on the cold side, it’s her.”
“I bet they can’t keep their hands off each other at night. Well, I’d better get back on watch. See you later.”
&nb
sp; Kara kept very still until she was sure they must be gone, though with their bare feet, they made no sound. Why was she blushing? The crew just assumed they were like every other married couple on their honeymoon. No doubt they were imagining the way he looked at her, just as they made perfectly natural assumptions about their…bedroom activities. But for some reason, it bothered her that they were questioning her feelings for him. The last thing she wanted was for there to be gossip about Warren among his staff.
Maybe she could work on being more convincing.
Warren came out of the main cabin then, wearing nothing but swim trunks that hung low over his hips, showing off his well-toned abs and chest. “Ready to join me in the hot tub?”
She’d taken to pretty much always having a swimsuit on with a light sundress over the top. “Is Aiden okay?”
“Yeah, he’s in his play chair thingy—under supervision of course. I even changed him, so he’ll be good for a while.”
“You hope, anyway,” she said, laughing as she went toward him.
He reached his hand out for hers, and as naturally as if he’d done it a dozen times. He laced her fingers with his and smiled down at her. “I do. He’s a cute little stinker, but I have to admit to wanting some alone time with his mom.”
Kara’s heart raced, both with pleasure at his words and anticipation. Should she be brave and test this new connection forming between them? Everything was signaling to her that she was no longer the only one with feelings in this strange arrangement. Then again, maybe it wasn’t love on his part. It made more sense that it was just the result of two people spending time together in such close quarters—merely a physical attraction with layers of trust and friendship to confuse things. But maybe, just maybe, it could turn into something more.
When they got to the hot tub on the sundeck at the stern of the ship, she realized that the crew had actually turned the ship so that they had a direct, unimpeded view of the sunset. Exotic flowers were spaced around the deck, their heady fragrance wafting around on the breeze. Candles in shaded lanterns were set out across the deck too. Just as they got to the edge of the hot tub, the lights in the ship turned off, including the light inside the hot tub.
“Was that supposed to happen?” she asked, looking around.
“Yes. I thought that with the lights turned off, we would be able to watch the stars come out.”
Her heart almost stalled. It was the most romantic thing she’d ever heard. Any lingering doubt that she had about Warren’s intentions flew away. In seconds, she’d slipped the straps of her sundress off her shoulders and let it fall to the deck. Warren stepped into the hot tub, turning around with his hand held out to help her in. The hot water against her skin was much less potent than the thrum of her pulse when he sat down and guided her down next to him.
Kara took a deep breath, bit her lip, and slid over on the seat until she was so close their legs brushed beneath the water. No doubt the sunset was incredible. Everything she’d seen from this deck had been incredible, but she didn’t even notice it tonight. Was she really going to do this?
Here went nothing.
“Warren?”
He turned down to look at her. “Yeah?”
“I hope you don’t mind too much, but…”
“But what?”
She shifted around to face him and put her hands behind his neck, pulling him down to face her. “I overheard some of the staff wondering about our relationship. It makes me think we need to put on a better show of being newlyweds.”
His jaw flexed, and the muscles beneath her fingers tensed, but he didn’t argue with her. In fact, the air around her was so charged that she felt tingles racing up and down her skin.
The water rippled as she moved closer. When she was inches away, Warren let out a long breath and inhaled deeply. Then it was no longer her initiating the kiss. His lips landed on hers as if he’d reached the end of his patience, as if he’d been holding back a torrent of emotion for too long behind a dam that had just burst open. His hands, wet and hot from the water, slid up over the bare skin of her back, pressing her against him.
His kiss was raw and unsettled. His lips at times caressed hers in sinuous, lingering sweeps across her mouth, at other times driving hard and almost savagely, deepening the kiss into so much more than the tenuous kiss she had planned. Her bones felt as if they were melting, and she leaned into him, draping herself against his strength, responding to every shift in mood as his emotions raged through the kiss—welcoming the rugged, forceful caress.
She didn’t know where this had come from, this powerful response of his, or where it would take them, but she knew he was not putting on a show for anyone. How far would he take this? How far would she let him?
His hands ran restlessly over her back, down to her hips, and around to the side of her waist. With a sound that was very nearly a growl, he shifted his lips from hers to run them up and down her neck and then to her ear. His breath came in pants against her skin. “Kara. Kara. We have to stop.”
“Why?” she asked, her voice rough.
He pulled back and gripped her shoulders. His expression was fierce as he stared down at her. “Because I can’t do this until it’s real.”
Before she could say another word, try to convince him that he had things all wrong, he stepped out of the hot tub and out on a ledge. In one quick, graceful move, he dove into the dark water below.
Gasping with fright, she ran to the edge and looked down, straining her eyes to see in the dark. After a long moment, she saw him break the surface and then swim down the length of the boat with steady white splashes to mark his path away from her.
Feeling bereft and shattered and uncertain, she reached for a towel and wrapped it around her shoulders. She needed to get back to Aiden, but she wasn’t leaving the deck until she knew he was safely back on board.
Somehow, she had to find the courage to convince him she hadn’t been acting.
Chapter Sixteen
Once his body was chilled and his brain cleared, Warren swam to the water-level deck and pulled himself up out of the water. With the water sluicing off him and the night air chilling his skin, he moved up to the deck above where he knew he would find towels waiting by the pool. As he dried off, he tried to figure out what to do with himself for the rest of the night. Clearly, he needed to stay as far away from Kara as he could. Never before had the one hundred and forty-five feet of this yacht felt so confining.
He knew with certainty that if he were to go back to the master stateroom and she reached for him in the dark, he would not be able to resist her any longer. And if that happened, he knew that he would give her every part of his heart and soul, holding nothing back. But while his feelings for her were real and deep and lasting, there was no way to know about hers. Had any of that been sincere on her part? It had felt sincere. Surely he wasn’t so dense that he couldn’t tell the difference. But when it came to her, he wondered if he could think logically about anything.
And even if she was attracted to him, he knew that such new emotions could not have matured into anything that they could build a future on. And no doubt this was all complicated by gratitude toward him and a very natural need for her to feel wanted and safe and connected to someone after almost a year of being completely alone and afraid. Maybe he was no more than a convenient and willing body.
The thought lanced through him, gutting him.
Somewhere down the road, when everything with Derrick was resolved and Aiden was safe and she’d had a chance to heal—then, then he could let down all these defenses he had built up to protect them from this dangerous path.
What had he been thinking anyway? Candlelight and starry skies and very little clothing between the two of them. He sighed, still feeling the scorch of her hands running over his bare chest and shoulders. His careful attempt to slowly romance her had burned to a crisp once she’d initiated a kiss.
“Warren?” Her voice came to him from above.
He close
d his eyes and dredged up the tatters of his willpower. “Yes?”
“I…I just wanted to make sure you were safe on board again.” She was silent for a moment, and then she said, “I’m sorry.” And that was all she said. He didn’t hear anything else, but knew that she was gone.
Hopefully, she’d gone inside. Gone to take care of Aiden and go to bed.
To his bed. Where he could join her—was expected to join her.
He sat on the deck for a long time, staring up at the stars. The wind eventually dried his swim trunks, but he was still cold. He couldn’t spend the night outside like this. Especially not with clouds gathering overhead, creeping over the sky and obscuring the stars. Lying still as he was, he could even feel the faintest rocking motion to the ship, as if the swell was getting higher. No doubt a storm was rolling in.
A sound below alerted him to the fact that someone was walking along the length of the ship. Standing up, he went and looked over the rail and saw one of the deckhands below, on watch, reminding him that there was more in play here than just their relationship. This close to the Los Cabos Marina, there was a higher risk than he liked. The crew had plans to take the dingy in for supplies in the morning, but he should have had them anchor farther out to sea.
With these thoughts in mind, there was only one place he could pass the night—and that was with his little family, which is what they were whether Kara knew it or not.
Moving as quietly as he could, he went inside and slipped soundlessly into the master stateroom. He changed into a pair of pajama pants in the closet and chanced having the light on in the bathroom to brush his teeth. When he turned the light off and came back into the bedroom, she hadn’t stirred.
Relieved that at least he wouldn’t have to risk talking to her again tonight, he laid down and turned towards her. She was on her side as well, facing toward him, her left arm stretched out across the mattress as if she was reaching for him. He carefully rested his hand over hers and, when she didn’t stir, drifted off to sleep.
Saved by the Billionaire Page 9