He handed her a life belt. “Help yourself. I’ll call when it’s time to go to work.”
Thia had thoroughly investigated the lower cabin and was checking out the stern when Derek called. Still with the enthusiasm of a having a new adventure, she bounded to the upper deck.
“Go around and release that line.” He pointed to the rope at the bow of the boat.
She scurried onto the dock and tossed him the loose line. He secured it and then pointed to the stern. “One more.”
He walked that direction on board and she matched him on the dock. When she released the stern line, Derek helped her back on board before securing the lines.
Moments later he slowly moved the seventy foot cruiser out into the bay. Already, boats of all shapes and sizes criss-crossed the water. Soon most were left behind as Derek pushed his craft beyond the confines of the bay and into the open Pacific.
Fascinated by the underside of the Golden Gate Bridge, Thia’s excitement rose as they passed The Cliff House and then the west end of Golden Gate Park. She had often looked out over the ocean from there, but this was the first time she’d done the reverse.
“Shall we open the sun roof? It might feel good.”
She spoke over the purr of the engines. “I’ll have to get my sun block if we do. I burn really fast.”
Derek opened a compartment and handed her a plastic bottle, “This is the best stuff I’ve found to block the rays.”
Thia took the bottle and applied a generous portion of the oily SPF30 fluid on her hands and face.
Derek slid open the opaque outer cover of the sun roof, leaving the clear glass closed. Sunlight soon warmed the space.
He removed his wind breaker, and Thia slipped out of her jacket and pants, revealing her “patriotic” outfit. She didn’t miss the appraising look Derek gave her.
As she smoothed more of the sun block onto her newly exposed skin, she asked, “Does someone have to sit here and steer the whole time?”
“Not really. A GPS system keeps us on course and proximity radar sounds an alert if something gets in the way. I like to stay close though.”
Derek pressed two or three keys on the control panel and turned loose of the wheel. “Now it’s hands-free until we get close. A warning buzzer will let us know we’re near the end of the plotted course and I’ll take us into Monterey.”
“So, you’re free to wander around?”
“I like to stay nearby in case there are problems—” he cast a glance down the length of her body, “—but I don’t have to concentrate on steering. Would you like something to drink? I generally don’t drink alcohol when I’m out, but if you’d prefer something I’ll get it.”
“No alcohol for me, thanks. It’s a little early. In fact, as you saw, any time is a little early.” She rolled her eyes. “Do you have a Diet Coke or Pepsi?”
“Sure. Stay up here and watch the scenery. I’ll only be a minute.”
A twinge of discomfort ran through Thia, sitting there letting the boat control itself, and she switched her gaze from the scenery to the controls frequently.
“Here’s your Coke,” Derek said, handing her a frosted glass full of the bubbly drink. “I’ll put some music on. Do you like oldies from the sixties and seventies?”
“Sure.” She took a sip of the soda and watched the shoreline, enjoying the scenery. So far, Derek had been nothing but a gentleman.
She relaxed and enjoyed the vista as the San Francisco skyline changed to suburbs, and the suburbs faded into the communities of the peninsula. The scenery was beautiful, but a couple hours of it could get boring.
He settled beside her and stretched out his legs. “So, what do you do, Thia?”
“Oh, let’s not talk about work on a beautiful day like this.”
“Fair enough. What would you like to do?”
She thought about that, swirling the chips of ice with her straw. “Something more exciting than I do.” She sighed. “But I won’t.” Then she tipped him a smile. “Except for today. Since I met you my ‘excitement’ level has gone way up, frighteningly so.”
Derek grinned. “We haven’t done anything frightening, I hope.” She gave a one-shoulder shrug and he pressed, “If you want to do exciting things, why don’t you?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Because I shouldn’t do some things that thrill—” she gave him a knowing look over her sun glasses, “—and because it just isn’t in my nature. I’m conservative and quiet.”
“You make yourself sound like an accountant, with the sleeve guards and green visor.” He chuckled and looked to the shore.
If only you knew. A slow song played on the CD. “This is a good song, can we dance?”
“Sure.” He placed their glasses in cup holders and stood. He removed his life belt and she did the same. Then, after a breathless moment, he took her in his arms.
Thia lost track of time as they danced. She rested her head on his shoulder and he tugged her closer. She took in his scent, woodsy, subtle, and all male. His body emitted heat but the warmth suddenly flooding her wasn’t all due to what his skin gave off. It came from the closeness of his neck and ears and mouth, all of which she wanted to kiss, not to mention the way his leg slid between hers with each step, the way their hips brushed and his soft breath feathered her hair. She glanced at the shore line with the houses perched on rocky cliff faces, looking out over isolated beaches and wished he would kiss her.
“I’m getting warm. Are you?”
Was she ever, but not from the sunlight.
He stopped dancing and stepped back enough to strip down to his swim trunks. Thia watched with some intrigue as Derek exposed his chest and legs. The bulge in his trunks showed his mind wasn’t entirely on knots per hour or how soon they’d reach Monterey.
He pressed Replay on the CD player, and the same slow song started again. She let him step up and pull her close. She couldn’t help running her hands up and down his back, feeling his muscles ripple and flex as they moved across the deck.
He leaned to nip at her neck where it joined her shoulder. Thia’s breathing quickened, and her nipples peaked. When he slowly moved his hand down her back to pull her closer yet, excitement built in her belly. Fire pooled in her center, accentuated by the pulsing of the engines as they crossed the waves.
When the music ended for the second time, Derek turned off the player then faced Thia with expectation in his eyes. She swept her T-shirt over her head and tossed it aside. Derek’s eyes dropped to her breasts, barely covered by the bikini top. Letting him drink in the view, she paused for several seconds while the uncertainty of anticipation consumed her.
As his eyes lowered, Thia removed her shorts. His gaze moved across her tight stomach pausing slightly at the small triangle of cloth and then down her legs, then back up to her eyes. Her heart pounded with anticipation as she stepped back into his powerful arms. When he held her this time, his large hands touched skin, generating a hot craving deep in her very being.
“I’m in trouble now,” she said in a low voice.
“Yes?” His tone was soft, seductive.
“If I stop us from going any farther you’ll think I’m a tease. And I have never been a tease. On the other hand, what will happen if I don’t prevent us from going farther? What can I do?”
“You could trust me.”
It was said with such sincerity, Thia had little choice. She lowered her head to his shoulder and surrendered to his embrace.
One of his hands pressed her hips to his while the other released the bows on the straps of her bikini top. Looking into his eyes, she simply leaned back, pulled the strip of material from between them and dropped it to the deck. Her naked breasts rubbed his chest, sending spears of desire through her.
Running his fingers through her hair, he caught a fistful in his hands and guided her mouth to his. When his tongue pressed her lips she hesitated, then welcomed him, sucking as he thrust in and drew out, teasing her lips. She slipped shaky hands under the waistband o
f his swimsuit. He broke the kiss then stepped back. She pushed down his trunks so he could step out of them.
His penis pulsed and bobbed in front of her. Amazed, she cradled him in the palm of her hand, and then caressed his length. She licked long strokes from the base to the crown, which she nuzzled with her lips. He moaned, pulling her to her feet.
With sure hands, he pushed her bikini bottom to the floor. Skimming his hands up her legs, he gently prodded her thighs apart and dipped his head between them. Using his tongue to probe her nether lips, he caressed her with his lips and tongue. She braced herself, and surrendered to sensation.
Her breathing grew ragged and her muscles tensed. The scent of her arousal overpowered even the salty tang of the ocean in which they were a tiny moving island. Her anticipation grew when he tucked a finger inside her, rubbing and thrusting. His tongue swirled around her clit and she whimpered. Tension wound tighter. Her fingers grasped the railing in preparation for the explosion she knew would strike at any moment.
Closer, closer, and then—just when she couldn’t stand any more—he pulled back.
“No!” she gasped, not above begging. “Don’t stop! Please don’t stop.”
Ignoring her, he stood then turned her away from him. He massaged her breasts until they ached from the attention, while rubbing his shaft between her butt cheeks. She almost cried with need.
“Stand still.”
The heat that had engulfed her cooled with his absence, but the fire he’d generated within smoldered. When he stepped up and continued caressing her breasts, latex pressed insistently against her butt. Her mind was awash with excitement.
Thia was about to turn and climb on Derek when he forced her to bend over. He placed his penis at the opening of her channel, and then stopped. “Are you sure you want this?”
Was she sure? Was he crazy? She pushed against him, forcing the bulbous crown of his penis into her pussy.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said, sounding amused. He pulled out.
Her knuckles whitened where she grasped the chair. Blood roared in her ears and her heart hammered. She had to have him.
With each ram, Derek entered a little deeper. Thia was out of control. Each thrust forced her open a little farther, stretching her and making her ache for more. Her breath hung in her throat. She turned her head, trying to see the man driving her out of her mind, rocking in rhythm with each assault.
On the edge of oblivion, she became aware of a finger moving between her butt cheeks. It penetrated. He wouldn’t.
Even as her instinct was to pull away, the intensity of their lovemaking kept her pushing back, not escaping. She moaned through a particularly deep move, and at the same time something accessed her ass.
Ohgod. Ohgod!
Derek’s arm was wrapped around her stomach, a reminder she was safe and supported on this planet at the same time his body drove her to other wild, sensory places. Then he moved his hand down and placed a finger—one finger—on her clit. He pressed hard and she bucked back against him. Hard, satisfied grunts came from behind her.
He thrust harder, faster, until Thia’s mind blanked. Sensation overpowered everything and she let herself go, being pounded in her pussy, prodded in the ass, her clit held so tightly until she couldn’t think—
Lights flashed behind her eyelids. With her whole body in spasm, her breathing stopped, and she might have passed out. She wasn’t aware of anything except the explosion that started in that secret, inner place and followed the paths of nerves to overpower her senses.
Finally, when the fog began to clear, Derek drove her into the chair, taut and rigid against her. When he sucked in a breath they fell back onto the pilot’s bench seat, Thia on his lap where she sat until they both were in control again.
She collapsed on his chest, boneless and sated. No one had ever made her feel this good.
“Oh, baby. That was good. ” He nibbled her earlobe.
“If I had an ounce of energy, I’d say, do that again.”
“If I had an ounce of energy, you wouldn’t be able to stop me.”
Her gaze drifted to the shoreline dotted with homes. “Someone might have seen us if we hadn’t been in here.”
“Mm-hm. With binoculars they might have had quite a show.” He leaned forward to see her face, a hint of amusement shining in his eyes. “Why you little exhibitionist. You want that!” Heat brushed her face and he smiled. “We can do it outside or anywhere you like on the way back. If we come after dark and leave the lights on, we’d be even more visible.”
“When do we leave?” She stopped, thinking of what she’d said. “Wait, that’s not what I meant.”
“Liar!” he said with a laugh.
They sat quietly for a long time, her head on his shoulder, his hands lightly caressing her breasts. When they rose, Derek put on his bathing suit to run a check of the yacht, but when she picked up hers, he stopped her.
“You don’t need that yet.”
For the rest of the trip, she enjoyed the luxury of going naked. To her surprise, she was comfortable. For the first time since the end of her marriage, which had started long before Henry died, Thia was more than comfortable—she lost herself in warmth and safety.
* * * *
She had just started to doze when a loud buzzer startled her. “What’s that?”
“We’re getting close to Monterey.”
She laughed. “I’d almost forgotten we were going there.”
Gathering her clothes, she headed to her stateroom to freshen up. When she returned, Derek was also dressed and had taken control of the boat.
“Are you ready to go ashore?” he asked, sweeping an approving look over her red, white, and blue patriotic look.
Shielding her eyes, she judged the distance from the marina. “Yes, but I don’t want to swim. Aren’t we a long way from the dock?”
“We’ll secure a line to a buoy and go the rest of the way in the dinghy. Do you want to crew again?”
“Okay, what do you need me to do?”
Directing her as they worked, they quickly tied off to the buoy. Derek’s dexterity and skill in handling the boat amazed her. His talent in handling other things—sensual things—sent a surge of heat to her pussy, and suddenly she wished they weren’t going ashore.
“What are we going to do in town?” With his help, she climbed into the dinghy Derek had launched from the back of the yacht.
“I don’t know. What do you want to do?”
“Shopping at the Cannery.”
He laughed. “I should have known. There’s a good restaurant there with a view of the bay, so it suits. Are you ready to eat?” Derek helped Thia onto the dock.
“Quite ready.”
“Good. I’ve made reservations at a restaurant I like when I’m here.”
“Somehow, I didn’t expect to work up an appetite while lazily cruising south—” she cast him a look and quirked her brows, “—but someone gave me a real workout.”
“You loved it as much as I did,” he said in a lowered voice.
“I did, indeed.” But I shouldn’t have, she reminded herself with a mental finger shaking.
“Now, while we’re here, I expect you to walk several steps ahead of me so I can watch your long legs moving your beautiful body. I’m glad you’re wearing just your shorts and top. It makes it easier to fantasize about what I’m going to do to you when we get back on board.”
She looked at him with a smile. “You’re such a tease.” But she thrilled to his words.
He maneuvered the smaller boat into the marina and found a berth. Tossing a line to the attendant on the dock, he climbed up and then helped Thia. As Derek spoke with the attendant, Thia walked away, knowing his eyes followed her every move.
She stopped several yards away and waited for him. “Will that do?”
Laughing, Derek hugged her. “It’ll do just fine.”
After perusing the shops, they found a table in Tony’s Bar and Grill, a small, unassumin
g place that overlooked the bay, providing a breathtaking view.
Later, satisfied and finishing a second cup of coffee, Derek stood up as a man approached, “Peter, how are you doing?”
“Just fine, Derek, and you?” He spoke to Derek but looked at Thia with a glint in his eyes. “And who might you be?”
She opened her mouth to introduce herself but Derek nudged her knee to stop her. Smiling he said, “This is a friend of mine. Thanks for coming into town to meet with me.”
“No problem,” Peter murmured.
Derek gestured to a vacant chair opposite him and Peter sat. “Peter is an interior decorator and the reason I came down today,” he told Thia. “He has a special job he might want to commission some work for. You want to do some shopping you talked about?”
Peter looked at her with heat in his eyes. “A beautiful lady is always welcome to stay, of course.”
The brazen lusty appraisal and smooth note in his voice made Thia uncomfortable rather than complimented. “I’ll look through some of the shops,” she told Derek.
“I’ll find you when we’re finished.” Derek’s eyes held as much heat as Peter’s, but his warmed her instead of leaving her cold.
“I won’t be far,” she promised. With a nod toward Peter, she left the men to their business.
* * * *
“She’s quite lovely,” Peter commented. His gaze followed Thia out of the restaurant.
Though Derek hardly knew her, she was with him, and he didn’t appreciate another man being so open with his interest. “She is beautiful.”
Peter opened the portfolio he carried. “Is she yours?”
“She’s her own woman,” Derek said brusquely.
Peter quirked his brows then changed the subject. “I showed your work to my clients and they like what you do. In fact, your particular style and uh, shall we say, subject matter intrigues them. They’ve given me permission to reveal who they are and to invite you to visit their home for further discussion. In that regard, the invitation I mentioned will suit.”
She Shouldnt, But She Will Page 6