A Dangerous Leap

by Sharon Calvin

  “Don’t what?” she asked, surprised how husky her voice sounded. What would she do if he walked away again?

  He grabbed her arms and pulled her against his chest. The paper bag dropped from numb fingers, the hard planes of his chest driving away all other sensations. He mumbled something, then bent and kissed her hard and long, taking her under as surely as any breaking wave. She tried to match his rhythm, his hunger, but before she could, he stopped and leaned his forehead against hers. His ragged breathing was loud in the night air, echoing the wild beating of her heart.

  “Damn, honey, I don’t want it to be like this. I want to give you romance, and candlelight dinners, and—” He stopped and retrieved her dropped bag. And tried to turn away, but she held tight.

  “Kelly, come on. You’ve been through a lot today. Hell, we both have. I’ll stay with you, but we’re not going to do anything you might regret tomorrow.”

  Kelly fisted her hands in his shirt and hauled him down to eye level and kissed him back. Hard. “Ian, I’m not going to shatter. What I want is hot and sweaty and now.”

  He stared at her so long she feared he really would walk away—that his claim of interest had been some cruel game. She closed her eyes and released him. Okay Kel, just add gullible to that growing list of attributes.

  The sound of rustling paper had her eyes snapping open just in time to catch her newly purchased box of condoms fall out of its torn bag. Ian’s grab beat hers and he held the box up to the light. His slow, wicked grin made her mouth go dry.

  “You did say hot and sweaty and—”

  “Now,” she finished for him.

  Chapter Four

  Ian tried to slow Kelly down, but she seemed intent on getting into bed and naked. Not necessarily in that order, from what he could gather.

  A cat’s squall followed by the thump and clatter of things hitting the floor in the boat’s dark interior stopped Ian’s forward movement. His heart, however, sprinted out of control. “Kelly? Are you all right?”

  He searched the empty blackness in front of him with outstretched arms and splayed fingers. God knew his eyes weren’t any help. Had she fallen, was she hurt? Where in the hell had she—

  “I’m over here, and just dandy. Not sure I can say the same for my DVD collection. Or Mizzen. Hold on, I’ll get a light.”

  He heard a muffled curse then a soft glow illuminated the cabin, chasing dark shadows into the corners. Three steps down a carpeted stairway and he saw Kelly, her shirt off and jeans unbuttoned, erotically disheveled where she knelt on the floor. A black cat glared at him from a ledge over the sink, its tail whipping back and forth like an upside-down metronome, looking thoroughly pissed.

  “Uh, that’s Mizzen. She watched too many Three Stooges reruns growing up…um, and likes slapstick comedy.” Kelly gestured over her shoulder in the direction of the cat before she returned to collecting the DVDs scattered across the cream-colored carpet.

  Ian rested his shoulder against the doorway and waited a beat. “You mean she trips humans in the dark for fun?”

  Kelly’s impish grin teased a corresponding smile out of him. How in the hell could he protect his heart from someone so guileless? Should he even try, or should he just let it play out? Maybe they would both walk away with their hearts whole.

  Her smile became stilted. She stood and tossed jewel cases on the dinette table with a clatter. “The head’s behind that door, mid cabin’s there, this is the galley and…” She took a step back, then another and gestured to the partially curtained-off area behind her. “The forward stateroom. Welcome to my world,” she said with a jerky shrug.

  Her eyes looked uncertain. Was he being selfish? He took a step closer. If she wasn’t sure, if she hesitated, he’d figure a way to make it all right—for her at least. He took a deep breath, preparing for disappointment and a good dose of frustration. “Kelly, do you want me?”

  This time her smile traveled all the way to her eyes. “Yes. God, yes,” she said.

  As if an internal coil released her, she sprang into his arms, wrapping her limbs around him like a monkey on a tree. Ian staggered back a step before he grabbed her firmly around the bottom and hitched her up higher. She locked her legs around his waist and her lips found his. He groaned and she took advantage of his parted mouth. Her tongue darted in and about, a hummingbird seeking its fill. Dear Lord, he’d never last against her onslaught.

  Ian lifted his head, ignoring her whimper of protest. “Honey, if I don’t get you out of those clothes, and into that bed, it’ll all be over before I even get started.” He adjusted his hold on her butt and took the three steps to the foreword stateroom, shouldering the curtain aside.

  “You sure are heavy for such a little thing,” he said, setting her on the waist-high platform bed. She sank her teeth into his shoulder. “Ow!” He rubbed his deltoid and eyed her with one raised brow. “What the hell was that for?”

  “I’m not fat, I’m—”

  “Hell, you don’t have an ounce of fat on you, it’s all muscle,” he countered.

  “My shoulders are wide, my hips narrow—I’m built like a boy.”

  His gaze dropped to her simple white sport bra before making its way back to her not so confident eyes. He snorted. “Not even. You’re a swimmer. Know what that means?” he asked while rubbing his erection against her crotch. She shook her head, her eyes darkening, losing focus. He leaned in close, his mouth only a whisper away. “You’ll be able to hold on during rough seas.” He nipped her bottom lip. “Slide down the troughs and ride the wave back up to the crest,” he added before sending his tongue on a search mission to the dark, deep recesses of her mouth.

  She pulled him on top as she fell back onto the bed, her legs once again twining around him, her mouth avid against his. Ian slid his hand along her ribcage and cupped a small firm breast in his hand. Her hum of approval turned into a soft moan when he captured her nipple with his fingertips. Desperate to get rid of the material separating them, his hands went on another quest.

  He raised his head and frowned down at her. “Where the hell is the catch?” he growled.

  Kelly giggled and scooted out from under him. “There isn’t one, silly.” She hooked her fingers under the band and yanked it up and over her head. He reached for her, but she twisted away and slipped off the bed and out of his reach.

  Now what? Ian rolled over and sat up. She proceeded to shimmy out of her jeans and underpants. In typical Kelly fashion, she undressed with quick efficiency—no false modesty, no simpering looks, just her normal take-charge attitude. She made for one hell of a sight as she climbed back onto the bed.

  Tan lines emphasized her perfectly formed breasts, their pink tips standing ready for inspection. “Wait right there, don’t come any closer,” he commanded. He only had so much control left and she was pushing him into redline territory.

  Ian toed off his sneakers at the same time he pulled off his polo shirt. His jeans and skivvies followed in rapid succession. He reached for her, then stopped and swore. He didn’t have a clue what he’d done with the box of condoms she’d brought.

  “What?” Kelly sat back on her heels looking confused.

  To hell with it, he’d take care of himself later. Right now he had to taste her or go crazy.

  * * *

  Kelly held her breath as Ian’s eyes gleamed. He looked…almost…feral. A tremor scattered goose bumps down her arms and across her chest, tightening her nipples even more. His gaze caught the change immediately. Hunger for him flooded her body, heating her skin, wetting her shamelessly.

  Kelly allowed her gaze to freely explore Ian’s nicely muscled chest. A swirl of black hair arched across his pectorals and arrowed down to a thin line that disappeared from view. She leaned forward, trying to see—

  Suddenly Ian had her by the shoulders, pressing her back onto the bed
. “With all due respect to Caitlyn’s sisterhood, you’re not taking charge here.”

  Before she could reply, his mouth closed over hers and she couldn’t speak, much less form coherent thoughts. Had any other man ever affected her like this before? When his hot breath, and even hotter tongue, burned a trail between her breasts and down her belly, she knew the answer.

  Not in this lifetime.

  If not for Ian’s large hands anchoring her to the bed, his nibbling, sucking and licking would have levitated her off the damn boat. His callused hands stroked down her sides and grasped her hips firmly. Unsure of his intent, but willing to follow his lead, Kelly didn’t resist when he shifted her leg over his shoulder, or when he pushed her other knee wide and caressed and kneaded her sensitive inner thigh. But when he thrust his fingers into her with unerring precision, she broke like a wave over a rocky shore, exploding into the air and tumbling back to earth with a cry.

  “Kel, honey, are you all right?” Ian’s anxious voice barely registered in her brain, but his warm arms gathering her to his chest did.

  She curled into him, and unless Mizzen had joined them on the bed, she was the one purring. “Wow, now I know why Heather looked so damn possessive.” Her head seemed to drop back of its own accord and she smiled into his still-worried eyes. “I think I’ll adopt our air station’s motto.”

  His brows arched. “Anytime, anywhere?”

  She nodded. “Have me, take me, do me, however you want to put it, I’m all yours.” She stretched, arching her back, deliberately placing her aching nipple in his line of sight. He emitted a growl. But instead of taking what she offered, he lowered her to the bed and slid off the platform with a muttered curse.

  Kelly struggled up on her elbows, her body still a mass of tremors from her first bone-melting orgasm. “You’re not leaving are you?” Had she done something wrong? God, maybe she shouldn’t have mentioned Heather. For all she knew, he could be living with her. She widened her eyes. Holy bat poop, that would make her the “other woman.”

  “Hell no, I’m not leaving,” he said in a muffled voice.

  Squinting in the dim light, Kelly hummed when she saw his nicely muscled rear as he searched for something on the floor. “Then what are you doing out there?” She forced her arms and legs to obey and crawled to the edge of the bed on all fours. “Are we going to do something kinky?” she asked, her fingers crossed.

  Before Ian, her limited experience with sex consisted of a selfish husband and a clueless seaman recruit. The most they’d been able to generate in her had been a warm, “that’s nice,” feeling. Obviously that wouldn’t be the case with Ian. What the heck would her reaction be after they made love? She could only hum in anticipation.

  Ian stilled, then slowly turned, the box of condoms clutched in his fist. “Kelly, are you trying to kill me?” His full male salute implied it would be a fine way to go.

  Kelly grinned. “Not until I’ve had my fill of you,” she said with as much innocence as she could feign. A bolt of lightning seemed to arc between them. With a squeal, she scampered to the head of the bed, Ian right behind her. He caught her and she shrieked out loud. Thank God, with Ian she’d never have to fake her responses.

  * * *

  The unfamiliar sound of water slapping against the boat’s hull woke Ian at dawn. Kelly, her arms and legs flung in all directions, slept with a childlike abandon. Their lovemaking, her lighthearted laugh, and the way she embraced life, touched something deep inside him. Dear Lord, if he weren’t careful, he’d fall hard for her.

  Hell, hadn’t he always taken his father’s advice to heart and only slept with women he was serious about? No matter the birth control method, his father had preached, outside of abstinence, a baby was always a possibility. And while a marriage might not last, for Ian, a child would be a lifetime commitment.

  The rustle of sheets announced Kelly’s wakening. How would she react—embarrassed, awkward, or happy and excited? He watched her face scrunch up. One brow lifted, followed by an eyelid. Her gaze traveled down his sheet-covered length, then stopped.

  He flexed his morning erection. Then, like an adolescent boy, he tented the sheet. Kelly’s eyes rounded and she lifted her head, grown-up anticipation colored with wonder. God, he had no protection from the likes of her.

  “Hey, is that for me?” she asked, her voice still husky with sleep.

  “Well, only if you’re willing to share.”

  Her smile slid into a frown and she sat up, her bare breasts distracting him.

  “That’s just it. I don’t think I can share,” she said. Her fingers picked at the rumpled sheets and her gaze skipped away from his.

  What? Had he missed something? “It was a joke.” He reached for her hand, capturing it before she burrowed it out of sight under the covers.

  Her eyes looked large and troubled in the golden morning light. Her mouth tilted up on one side, but there was a definite wobble to it. “It’s not that I don’t want you,” she said and gave a small humorless laugh. “Well, duh. Guess that was pretty obvious last night.”

  Red tinged her cheeks and Ian squeezed her hand. He wanted to haul her into his arms, but sensed whatever was bothering her, she needed to get it out first.

  She took a deep breath, as if preparing to jump into rough water. “You see, I don’t know Heather, but she deserves better than this. I mean, heck I don’t even know if you two are living together. And last night I really didn’t care. Guess that makes me pretty shallow.”

  Ah shit, she thought he’d meant share him with another woman. “Honey, Heather and I broke up. The same day I took you out to dinner, like I promised. Man, you must think I’m some kind of dog if you believe I’d do something that low.” He tugged her hand, pulling her closer. “For your information we weren’t living together. And I never slept with her, either.”

  It was like Christmas—all excitement and wonder mirrored in her eyes. Then she was tunneling under the covers with laser-guided precision.

  “Hey! Watch those teeth,” he yelped and grabbed her sheet-covered head.

  She crowed with obvious delight and mumbled something about kissing it and making it better. Ian caught his breath as she did just that. God, she was going to kill him with her overnight conversion to sex-nymph.

  Kelly’s hesitant, almost shy response to their initial lovemaking screamed of inexperience. She wasn’t a virgin, but if her reactions were anything to go by, what few lovers she’d had certainly lacked imagination.

  Ian groaned again. She was a hell of a fast learner. He reached under the sheets and grabbed her shoulders and hauled her up his chest. “Enough,” he said and covered her wanton mouth with his own.

  Nothing about Kelly was simple, but hell, if he’d wanted simple, he’d have stuck with Heather. And right now, with Kelly’s giggles turning to soft moans, he realized just how fun complex could be.

  * * *

  Several hours later, her boat securely anchored in a protected cove, Kelly stretched with as much languor as Mizzen. The sun’s heat warmed without baking and a smile teased her lips.

  “What’s that smug look all about?” Ian asked, nudging her hip over as he sat on the aft bench seat where she lay in her simple one-piece swimsuit.

  She turned on her side so she could curl around him and took the cup of coffee he handed her. Touching a man had never seemed so potent, or so necessary before. Now she couldn’t get enough of him. She propped herself up on an elbow and sipped the hot coffee before answering.

  “Oh, nothing much, just feeling like a cat in the sun waiting to be petted,” she said. Obligingly, Ian ran his hand over her shoulder and down her back ending with a gentle squeeze and pat on her bottom. Silly, but she relished the swollen, achy throb that served as a reminder of their lovemaking.

  No, not lovemaking, she wouldn’t make the mistake of conf
using sex with love again. Afraid her expression would convey her thoughts, Kelly took a hasty gulp of coffee. The last thing she needed was for Ian to think she couldn’t tell the difference between fun sex and love. A man like Ian would never love someone like her—he had traditional etched in his DNA. She had tried to mold herself into that role when she’d married and failed miserably. She had no intention of repeating that lesson ever again.

  “Where do you keep all your stuff?” Ian asked, gesturing toward the cabin with his coffee mug.

  He hooked his other arm around the back of her knees, drawing her closer, and leaned against her. She’d never been around anyone who touched and cuddled as much as he did—hadn’t realized how nice it was either.

  “Stuff?” Kelly looked around, not sure of what he meant. “Whatever I own is on the boat, except for some extra scuba gear in the dock box at the marina.”

  Ian laughed. “Come on. You don’t own any furniture, or books, or just…stuff?” His tone implied that was impossible to imagine.

  “Hel-lo—you’re looking at a born and raised Navy brat. I’m really good at packing light and saying goodbye.” A tiny voice in her head muttered something about being exceptionally good at that goodbye part. Her stomach did an unexpected elevator drop that set her heart fluttering. No doubt about it, when he left it would hurt. Hadn’t she avoided attachments because she knew they never lasted? She’d only been a short-term convenience to her husband. Heck, even her own brother couldn’t be bothered to stay in touch.

  “You’re serious? I’ve never met anyone outside of college that hadn’t accumulated at least an apartment worth of stuff.”

  Kelly hitched her shoulder up and concentrated on finishing her coffee. Okay Kel, reality check time. The man will walk away. With his strong family roots, Ian would never settle for less than a hundred percent commitment from a woman in his life. Kelly, on the other hand, had to give her career a hundred percent commitment or risk her life and those survivors who counted on her for rescue.