After the horrendous beginning, this day had ended by producing some amazing photos.
The few shots at the ruins were mainly about Joe and his transformation to modern-day pirate. He’d rocked the black jeans and billowing white shirt. And the boots?
One photo she knew would go into her personal album was of Joe standing on the bluff overlooking the sea, one booted foot raised on an outcropping of rock, his forearm resting on the raised knee. He was looking out to sea, his jaw covered in several days’ growth of beard. The breezes ruffled his black hair and blew open the loose shirt. And there was just something about the look on his face. Women were going to swoon. Who was she trying to kid, she’d almost swooned.
After stopping at a local bar and grill for lunch, they’d directed the taxis to take them to Middle Caicos Island, and on the way, they drove past Flamingo Pond. Carly had never seen so many flamingos. The sight of so many bright pink birds flocked together in the blue water was breathtaking.
It seemed the only way to get to Middle Caicos, the least inhabited island, was driving across a rundown causeway. Carly dug her nails into her palms the whole way across. But the bridge held and they were soon at Mudjin Harbor, a deserted beach so pristine that the shots they’d taken suggested Piper and Joe had been marooned on an island somewhere in the South Pacific.
That’s when the distracting fantasy had begun. Of Joe and her, Carly, not Piper, alone together on an island paradise. No past. No future. No responsibilities. Only the here and now.
She pictured them feeding each other strawberries and lying in each other’s arms on a towel on the beach...
And...she was doing it again.
What was wrong with her?
The final shots had been taken inside the largest cavern of Conch Bar Cave. Eerie and mysterious, the light and shadows had set just the right tone for the dramatic new summer collections Modiste wanted to feature.
Carly could hear Piper corralling most of the crew and convincing them to join her back on the ship at the nightclub. Car doors slammed as they piled into the taxis. Even Joe had followed Piper out.
And Carly was left alone. What was new? With her father’s arrest, she’d become a pariah at seventeen. Girls she’d thought were her best friends had turned their backs on her. Her boyfriend had dropped her, and her prep school principal had gently suggested that her mother find a school “better suited to Carly’s needs.”
And nothing had changed since. She was still the daughter of Swindleton Pendleton. Ten years had passed, but the usual reaction to hearing her last name was, at best, distaste, at worst, overt hostility.
She raised her chin. So what? She didn’t have time anyway. She had hours of work ahead of her.
Setting her jaw, she turned and bent to gather up her Gucci handbag, and her favorite Vera Wang wedge sandals she’d finally taken off due to the uneven terrain. She straightened to find Joe in her path.
He was standing so close her bag touched his arm. Though he had his cargo shorts and T-shirt gripped in one hand, he wore only the pair of lime green Abercrombie & Fitch swim shorts and brown leather flip-flops from the last pose. It meant his long, ridiculously muscled torso was left completely bare.
She resisted the urge to lift her hands and run them over his taut pecs. And she was doing okay feigning indifference until the breeze from the sea carried the scent of him crashing into her senses. She had to close her eyes and maybe she let a little moan escape, and with her eyes closed maybe she swayed just a bit, because he caught her upper arms and pulled her into him.
“What are you doing?” She met his gaze, irritation her only defense.
His eyes burned into hers. He didn’t even bother to disguise what he wanted. He lowered his head but she averted her face.
“What’s the matter?” He honestly sounded confused.
Carly heard taxis pulling away. “They’re leaving.”
“Yeah.” He bent and pressed his lips to her neck. “I asked one of the drivers to come back for us in an hour.”
His hot breath behind her ear made her shiver. “But.” He trailed kisses up her neck. “We’ll miss.” More kisses and nibbles. “The plane.”
“I cashed in a few favors and made arrangements with the pilot to come back for us.” He captured her lips, wrapped an arm around her waist and cupped the back of her head with his other hand. Instinctively she dropped her bag and shoes and lifted her hands to his chest, sure that she meant to fight his hold, push him away. But, as his mouth plundered hers, she realized she was caressing him instead, from his collarbone to his ripped abs and back up to run her thumbs over his nipples.
He groaned into her mouth, tightened his hold. After last night she knew how sensitive his nipples were and reveled in his reaction. He angled his head to deepen the kiss, his lips moving over hers with a sense of desperation. Then abruptly he released her and scooped his clothes off the cave floor. “Come with me.” His voice was rough and low. He took her hand and headed deeper into the cave.
Wait. Where was he going? She yanked her hand out of his and halted. “No. Call the taxi back.”
His head whipped around, his expression incredulous. “Why?”
Let’s see. How to put this?
She knew last night had been a huge mistake the minute he’d walked out of her room this morning. But rather than wallow in regret she’d told herself if he hadn’t accidentally ended up in her cabin last night, it never would’ve happened. One night of incredible sex? Okay, she could deal. But more than that? Didn’t that constitute an affair?
And affairs got messy.
Carly had tried a relationship once. She’d lived with Reese for almost a year. What a disaster that had turned into. Reese had started wanting more than just sex and splitting the rent. And Carly had discovered that she didn’t have anything more to give.
One-night stands were more her thing. Satisfying. Fun. Uncomplicated.
Besides, even if she was able to make a man understand that she wanted nothing more than someone to escort her to the opera once or twice a year, Joe wasn’t that guy. She had a feeling that, like Reese, he’d want more. Seeing the hurt in Reese’s eyes had been bad enough. With Joe, the guilt would haunt her.
“I need to get back and work.” She grabbed her shoes and bag.
He flashed that grin. “You’ll have time to work later.” He reached for her hand and tugged her, but she dug in her heels.
“I’m practically your employer. It’s not ethical.”
He raised his brows and gave her a skeptical look. “I promise I won’t sue for harassment. Now, are you coming with me or should I throw you over my shoulder?”
She narrowed her eyes. “You wouldn’t dare.”
He grinned again. “You’re right. I would never force anyone. But—” he stepped close and took her hand again “—I want to show you something I saw earlier during a break. Just come see this and then we’ll go back.”
She heard the words he’d left unspoken: If you still want to. Still, her curiosity was piqued. “All right.”
* * *
JOE’S PULSE SPED UP as he touched the flashlight feature on his phone, shone it ahead of them and tugged Carly down the path that led farther into the cave system. Alone at last.
Maybe not the most romantic spot he’d ever taken a lady. The limestone columns that touched floor to ceiling were eerily alien at best, and stalagmites rising from the ground looked like people who’d been frozen into stone pillars. But the spot he’d found would make up for this part. And there was the adventure aspect of it all. He grinned, wondering how Carly would react to what he had in mind.
The path grew narrower, the ceiling lower, so he had to stoop to keep going. No way the camera and lighting equipment could’ve come through here safely.
“Joe, I don’t like this. I’m not into surprises.” Her hand gripped his like a lifeline.
“You don’t need to be afraid. I wouldn’t take you somewhere dangerous.”
“I
am not afraid.”
If her icy tone could freeze humans, he’d be a cryogenics project right now. “Geez, okay. You’re Ms. Fearless. Just a few more steps, around this corner...”
She gasped.
Bingo. He had her now. He stayed quiet, letting her take it all in. The beams of sunlight streaming in from the half dozen round holes carved through the cave wall sparkled on a little pond so perfect it could’ve been man-made. A waterfall splashed into the pond from a rock formation made of some iridescent stone that changed colors with every movement of water and sunlight.
“Oh, Joe.” Her voice had gone all soft and breathy. “It’s beautiful.”
When he’d first gone exploring and found this place, he’d immediately pictured Carly in the water stripping down to only her bra and panties, floating in his arms and making love against the limestone. He’d been semierect the rest of the day thinking about this moment. “I asked the tour guide. It’s safe to swim.” Kicking off his sandals, he dimmed his cell phone’s flashlight feature, set his clothes and cell down on a rock ledge and walked into the pond.
“Wait, what are you doing?”
Wading out to the deepest end, the water only came to his midchest. “Join me.” He held out his hand.
She shook her head, crossed her arms over her chest, even took a step back. “I—I don’t have a suit. And I’m not going to ruin these clothes.”
He shrugged. “Take them off.” He kept his hand extended, crooked his fingers in a sign for her to come to him. “It’s okay. There won’t be any more tours coming through tonight.”
“No.” She shook her head even more vigorously. If he didn’t know better he’d say she was pouting.
“Come on, Carly. Where’s the confident, take-no-prisoners woman I made love with last night? She was fearless and vibrant, up for any adventure.” He squinted. “She’s in there somewhere.”
Her eyes flared in anger. “I’m the same person I always am.”
He scoffed. What was going on with her? “Okay, I guess I’ve misread your signals. It’s just that last night was...” He raised his hands out to his sides and let them fall back down. “Incomparable.”
He waited, but she didn’t say anything else. He wasn’t going to break through her ice this time. He’d definitely been wrong about the connection he’d felt last night. “Well, at least you didn’t deny the incomparable part.”
With a sigh he strode out of the pond, grabbed his cell. “We can leave. I’ll call a cab to come back for us.”
“Wait.” She covered his cell with her palm. Her hand was shaking. She was shaking.
Whoa. She really was uptight. “I just thought that if I’d told you ahead of time what I had in mind, I figured—”
“—that I’d turn you down.”
“Yeah, there is that.”
A rueful smile curved her beautiful lips. “If—If we do this, it can’t interfere with the photo shoot. And what happens on the cruise ship, stays on the cruise ship. You can’t let it affect—”
“Carly.”
“What?”
With his arms around her, he bent her back and planted a big kiss on her mouth. “Take your clothes off already, will ya?”
Her response was in the form of sighs and moans as he kissed down her jaw and unbuttoned her shirt. She dropped her bag and shoes and unzipped the capris, wiggled them down her thighs and kicked them off.
Her arms tangled in her shirt sleeves as he tried to drag it off her and keep kissing her at the same time. But finally she was down to her bra and panties and he lifted her up. She gave an approving little cry and wrapped her legs around his waist, cupping his face in her hands as she kissed him deep and deeper still.
Joe carried her into the pond, overwhelmed. Once she let go of her control, she lost her inhibitions. She ran her fingers through his hair and her sweet softness rubbed against his stiff length until he was silently begging for mercy. Hard to believe this was the same woman who’d been so reserved all day.
He set her down and stepped back to look at her, to slow down so things wouldn’t be over before they began. She was breathing heavily, her pale skin flushed everywhere. Her panties and bra were a matching set of lavender lace. Her nipples peaked through the thin material. The silk panties turned transparent in the water.
She made a soft sound, a tiny moan and he raised his gaze to her face. Her long brunette hair fanned around her shoulders. He reached out to run his fingers through the strands curving around her face. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you look right now?”
She reached behind her with both hands and unhooked her bra, tossed it up on the path with her bag. Joe didn’t bother holding back a strangled groan. Her breasts were like the rest of her: perfect. Round and full, with berry-colored nipples, beaded now into tight peaks. He had to touch them, feel her silky flesh, rub his thumbs over the tips.
She closed her eyes and let him play. He bent to lick, nibble, suckle. First one, then the other. With a whimper she cupped the back of his head. “Joe.”
He loved hearing her say his name in that quivery voice. How she caught her breath on a gasp. How her frosty demeanor went out the window when she lost control.
As she bent to pull off her panties, Joe reached for his shorts on the ledge and grabbed the foil packet from the pocket.
He looked away, amazed that he was so close to the brink already. Flattening her hands on his chest she walked him back, deeper into the water. Her hands slid around his neck and she kissed his throat, her hands massaging his shoulders.
He groaned. “Carly?”
“Hmm?” She trailed kisses down his collarbone.
“You’re killing me.”
“I am?” She continued kissing his chest, then raised her gaze to his with a mischievous grin.
The smile undid him. Softened her face, changed her eyes from cold icy-blue to clear Caribbean-blue.
In one swift move, he cupped her bottom and waded across the water to set her on a smooth ledge. He hesitated, looked into her eyes. There was passion sparking in them, excitement, even delight. But as he held her gaze, it almost felt as if something more was happening between them. Emotion surged to the surface and he bent to place a soft kiss on her lips. She stilled, frowned, then lifted her calves around his hips to let him slide in.
Together they found a rhythm, moving as one.
With her head thrown back, he splayed a hand across her spine, the other kneading her soft breast. Nothing equaled the feeling of being inside a woman. It was pure, primal pleasure. And with the right woman? Ecstasy. She matched him thrust for thrust, making those sounds that told him she was close.
So was he. “Carly?”
“Yes.” She leaned toward him and rested her forehead on his shoulder. “Now.”
Joe thrust one last time, tensing as pleasure coursed through him, expanding from his stomach, to his chest, out to the ends of his fingertips. He couldn’t breathe and shivered from the aftershock. He wrapped his arms around her waist, lifted her against him, and turned in the water. She clung to him, breathing heavily, her head tucked under his chin.
A sense of tenderness swept over him, filled him, made him want to keep this woman safe in his arms.
Whoa.
That didn’t sound like a “what happens on the cruise stays on the cruise” kind of thought.
7
CARLY WOKE SLOWLY, her cheek pressed to hot, firm skin. She breathed in the scent of masculine sweat and the remains of whatever cologne she still hadn’t identified. She opened her eyes. She was practically lying on top of Joe.
He was sleeping soundly. She carefully disentangled herself from his arms, climbed out of the warm bed and tiptoed to the restroom. Scrubbing a hand through her hair, she gripped the edges of the sink and studied her reflection in the mirror.
The face looking back at her was barely recognizable. Were those her lips, so swollen from kissing? She turned her head and lifted her chin. Her cheeks and neck were chafed from Joe�
�s rough stubble. Her hair was a rat’s nest, and her eyes were puffy.
What were you thinking, girl?
She hadn’t thought.
Her brain had taken a vacation. And it had been marvelous. The shipboard fantasy had been a much needed break from the hectic schedule she’d been keeping.
Carly couldn’t remember the last time she’d taken even a weekend off. Not since college. Maybe not even then....
After her father’s scandal, her mother had pretty much been MIA. In less than a month Carly had changed to a public school, taken a job in the exciting field of fast food and started looking at state universities. Even then it’d taken her six years to earn her degree while she worked full-time.
The past couple of days had been like...like playing hooky. A guilty pleasure. For just a short while she’d allowed herself to be carefree. To fantasize that she could have a real relationship with a guy. Every morning since the caves at Caicos Island, she’d told herself this had to stop. They couldn’t continue to sneak away after each photo shoot and spend the rest of the night making love like a couple of insatiable teens. She’d tell herself she had photos to look over, to decide which ones she’d submit to Modiste for the magazine spread, and which ones she’d use in her blog. This was her one chance to make the big leagues. The opportunity she’d been working so hard for.
And then the day’s photo shoot would end, and Joe would somehow manage to talk her into going off with him. They’d ridden horses down the beach at Half Moon Cay, and then made love in a deserted cove. And after getting some fabulous shots in The Retreat National Park in Nassau, with its lush palms and exotic flowers, Joe had whisked her off to more unoccupied parts of the eleven-acre woodland. They’d made love inside a dilapidated arbor hidden among the flourishing overgrown foliage.
Both nights, once they’d made it back to the ship, they’d spent the rest of the evening in her cabin wrapped in each other’s arms. It wasn’t like her to act so impulsively. But then, Joe wasn’t like any guy she’d ever met. He tempted her. He distracted her from her goals.
Cabin Fever Page 5