She felt her patience snap. He was just being friendly and polite. Why did he irritate her so much? She took a deep breath and reminded herself she was probably just letting her own stress and confusion rub off on Wilson. “Why are you here?” she asked, more bluntly than she meant.
He didn’t notice, simply put down his plate and stretched with a satisfied groan. When he relaxed back into his chair, he gave her a bright grin. “Just graduated school. Wanted to have some fun before settling down to more serious things.”
Well, that she could understand. He was more like her than she would have thought. But that was why Sebastien intrigued her more than Wilson. He was the opposite of her, but that was interesting. Fully intent on duty, yet his reason for not being with her was his own reason and preference, whereas for her, it was out of her hands.
In the end, the real one bound by duty was her.
* * *
Kim enjoyed the stingray swim with that little tingle of anticipation that comes from having someone around that you are unbearably attracted to and who is unbearably attracted to you.
Sebastien stayed up on deck while they were down, but she couldn’t help thinking of him, even as she fed the smooth, graceful gray creatures swimming around them. They liked to swim overhead and bump her or come around the front and move their soft bellies over her hands.
Most were snorkeling, but Kim was diving, which allowed her to stay on the sandy bottom twelve feet beneath the others. She’d insisted on getting her scuba dive certification before the trip and now was sure it was worth it.
The Caribbean water was so beautiful and blue and clear, and she felt so weightless here, almost as if she could be one of the animals gracefully swirling around her.
She let out a long breath into her reg and the animals swam over the bubbles, as if they liked the ticklish feeling of them.
She wished Sebastien could be down in the water with her, but as usual, he was up taking care of his “duties.” She supposed that was something she was coming to respect about him, but she also wished he was near at all times.
That was normal. He was her mate after all. She wondered how long it would take for the ache to go away once she went back to New York. A part of her said not to go. But she knew they were only half animals. They had their human side to listen to as well. They had to live in the human world much of the time, with logic and reasoning and careful marriages to those who were a good match based on social standing and location.
And then there was the shifter side that meant duty to family in extending the bloodlines. That too would be solved by her marriage. Her suitor was already chosen, in fact. Her father had offered to show her a picture, but she’d said no. She hadn’t wanted anything to interfere with her last vacation before she was a married woman.
She knew it was sort of old-fashioned, the way her family expected her to just agree to an arranged marriage. But bears were dying out. Powerful clans had decided that perhaps the best way to deal with this was to pair suitable alpha females and alpha males. The wolf shifters had been doing this for some time to deal with a scarcity of alpha females, and they seemed to be having some success.
Bears weren’t as social or organized as wolves due to scarcity of resources in their wild forms, but they were coming along. As were other, rarer species of shifters.
She held out fish from between straight, extended fingers so the stingrays could glide easily over her hand and take them. It tickled, and she giggled into her reg, expelling a long stream of bubbles. She almost turned to share the moment with anyone around her, since half the fun of anything for Kim was sharing it with another person.
But the others weren’t with her, and the dive master leading the tour at this location was up near the surface, helping the snorkelers.
That was fine. She’d just enjoy the peace underwater and fantasies of Sebastien.
In only a few more hours, they’d be back on land, and then he’d have to keep his promise and give her what she wanted.
* * *
Sebastien resisted the urge to strap on a diving tank and go check on Kim. Even though every fiber of his being seemed bent on checking on her or being close to her, he knew he had to restrain himself. They weren’t a couple that could just fall into a mating. They both had complications and needed to be careful in exploring what lay between them.
So he focused on packing things up and getting ready so when they did dock, it wouldn’t be too long before he could go to Kim’s room and rock her world. He wondered how many times he’d be able to do that before he said good-bye to her.
His heart thudded at the thought, like a sea bed with an anchor dropped heavily on it.
When the swim was over and all the other swimmers were getting onto the boat and taking off their gear, he felt his heart speed up. He’d never felt sexual anticipation like this.
When she finally climbed up the back ladder and stood in the sun in a gorgeous blue bikini, hair sparkling as she shook it, dark skin glowing from the relaxation, smile flashing at him, curves working as she took steps toward him, he felt his body freeze completely.
The urge to take her, to claim her and make her his own, was nearly unbearable. He almost forgave his father for getting carried away and making a poor choice that devastated all of them.
The mating urge was nothing to mess with.
She took a towel from Bart with a polite smile and wrapped it around her waist as she approached Sebastien, wide curvaceous hips swaying slightly, her beautiful ample breasts pushed up in the middle to glow in the sun.
His mouth watered. Was this beautiful woman really to be his? Even temporarily?
Then she opened her mouth and proved there was more to her than her stunning looks. She also had a knack for irritating him.
“Ahoy, captain!” she called out. She sat on a bench next to the captain’s chair. The wind whipped around them, and she folded one leg sexily over the other. Sebastien tried to keep his eyes focused ahead, though they weren’t driving anywhere yet. Not until the guests were dressed and safe.
She leaned in with a wicked gleam in her eye that said she’d been anticipating what would happen when they got to shore as much as he had. “So, captain, you gonna let me hoist your mainsail later?”
His eyes widened as he stared at her blankly. Hoist the what? There was no mainsail on the… Oh. He narrowed his eyes at her, sure he hadn’t had the last of her teasing.
She looked around them and then put a hand out to touch his leg as she looked up at him with a grin. “You know, plunder my booty? I’ll show you my chest. My treasure chest, that is,” she said.
He sighed in frustration, both because she was being ridiculous and because he was getting achingly turned on and couldn’t do anything about it.
“I’m not a pirate,” he muttered huskily.
“Still, you can plunder my booty any day,” she said with a laugh.
“I’ll keep it in mind,” he said with gritted teeth. She definitely had a booty that any man would want to plunder. The thought made him instantly angry, and he gritted his teeth again at the thought, wanting to lock her away where no one could see her and he could pleasure her all day long. Then again, she’d never agree to that.
She misinterpreted his angry expression, apparently thinking her teasing was getting to him so she should continue it. He stifled a grin and readied himself for the next awful joke.
“I know you want to dock in my harbor,” she said. “It’s nice and wet.”
He couldn’t help it. His mouth fell open. “Kim!”
Her grin widened and she shifted position slightly, flipping her hair over her shoulder to give him a better view of her magnificent breasts. Treasure chest indeed.
He swore at himself for buying in to her ridiculousness. When they got back to shore, he’d show her for making him look ridiculous. He’d make love to her until she couldn’t think of ludicrous puns or pirate idioms.
And he’d do it until she couldn’t walk anymore.
She seemed to guess the direction of his thoughts from the intent look in his eyes and her full lips opened slightly as she ran her tongue slowly along them.
Damn, he was hard nearly instantly. Everything she did tested his control, and he was a man very much used to being in control.
“Go downstairs and change. Then find somewhere safe to sit. It’s going to be a bumpy ride, and I can’t have you falling overboard again.”
“Isn’t it safest next to you, then?” she asked, stretching dangerously and showing off her breasts and her soft waist once again. “After all, you’re the one who knows the ship and the route best.”
He had to agree that was sound. But she was driving him out of his mind with her sexual innuendos and silly pirate metaphors. “Fine, you can stay if you stop the silly pirate stuff. I’m not a pirate.”
She folded her arms and huffed as she looked out over the rail at the water passing by them. “Fine. But I wish you were. Pirates are hot.”
He let out an exasperated groan. “I’m not even going to try to explain why that’s not true.”
“Fine. I’ll shut up for now, but stay here. That way, you know the bumpy parts and can tell me when to hold on.”
He’d tell her when to hold on all right. When he had her blindfolded and bound to his bedframe, screaming her pleasure as he drove her to oblivion.
Yeah, he’d plunder all right.
7
Kim didn’t realize how tired she felt until she walked into her empty suite. Sebastien had said he had some things to take care of before he could come join her and she should go take a nap.
Hopefully, because he intended to tire her out all over again. Her mouth watered and her legs clenched at the prospect of her hot pirate taking control all over again. She grabbed two sheets of paper off the counter and took them to a hammock on her deck that overlooked the ocean.
The air was sweet and clean with a hint of something icy and cool, and she rocked slightly with one foot as she read over Leah and Mara’s schedules to see if either one of them would be home today.
The last thing she wanted was to be caught having hot hammock sex with Sebastien when one of them walked in the room.
Then again, maybe he would take her to his room, wherever that was. She’d known his dad owned the hotel, from when she’d met his dad the first day here, and if he did have a suite, it had to be pretty nice.
The one they were in was unbelievable, with tropical colors all over the cushions on the furniture and in beautiful paintings on the walls. The hardwood floor felt smooth and comforting after a long day on sand, and the views couldn’t be beat. There were three bedrooms, one for each of the women, and they were all equipped with master baths.
She hadn’t been anywhere like this since she’d graduated law school and started working sixty-hour weeks at her father’s firm. She’d managed to take breaks here and there for adventures, but it wasn’t common. Her father understood her lust for adventure and had agreed to one last vacation, wherever she wanted to go. So here she was.
The problem was she’d discovered a lust even greater than her need for adventure.
It looked like both Leah and Mara would be out until night. That meant awesome evening sex, hopefully. She kind of missed the chance to talk to the other girls. She was the type that liked to talk things over, and it always helped her figure out her feelings, which she’d never been very in touch with.
She was very clear on her feelings for Sebastien, which made this all the harder. Not every shifter even had a fated mate, it seemed, so it was pretty unfair that someone like her should have hers, yet not have it be the one she was destined to be with.
She was a woman in her thirties; she should be able to decide. She set aside the schedules and let out a deep sigh as she folded her arms and relaxed into the hammock.
She’d been out late last night with Sebastien and had slept fitfully afterward. Surely a little nap wouldn’t be out of place. And then she’d have more energy for him to ravish her.
She thought of Sebastien in full pirate regalia, standing with folded arms and spread legs on the deck of a huge ship, with herself clasping his arm in a ridiculous dress like those on the covers of the bodice-ripper romance novels she’d read in her twenties.
Oh yeah, that was the stuff, she thought as she drifted off to sleep. She was still muttering naughty things about pirates when Sebastien woke her several hours later.
She almost thought she was still dreaming when she looked up into his intense, angelic face with the golden halo of his hair streaming around it, and saw that intense, concerned expression he wore. But when she reached up and felt his firm chest and heard the quick exhale of his breath, she realized, no, he was real. All flesh and blood, all hers. She ran her hands lower, over his abs, and then noted his frown.
She looked out where he was looking, at the setting sun behind them. “It’s getting late,” she said. “I didn’t mean to sleep so long.”
“I know,” he said. “Judging by the schedules on the floor next to you, your roommates will be getting back soon. Should we reschedule?”
She shook her head. “Hell no! I was promised this all day! Why can’t we go to your room?”
He thought about it with narrowed eyes. She loved how the icy blue-green color intensified when he did that. “I suppose. I haven’t taken a woman there.”
She put a hand up to stroke his hair. It was surprisingly coarse, but she supposed that happened when you spent a lot of time in the sun and wind. “You don’t allow yourself to have a lot of fun, do you?”
“I’m conscientious of how my actions impact others,” he said, and she didn’t miss the gentle censure in his voice. “I’ve always had responsibilities.”
“Yes, well, your dad doesn’t seem to agree with your philosophy, does he? Why would he have set up all this matchmaking?” she asked.
Sebastien shook his head with a dark expression on his beautiful face. “My father and I disagree on many things. Some of them crucial.” He reached for her braids. “Can I?” he asked.
“Asking permission isn’t sexy,” she muttered.
“No,” he agreed. “But it’s right.”
“I wanted you from the moment I saw you,” she said, watching him gently roll one of her braids between his fingers. Just having him close was heating her body.
“I know,” he said, giving her a slight grin to let her know he was teasing.
She swatted him and pulled her hair back from his grasp. He pouted and caught another braid, slowly winding it around his finger, guiding her closer. She pursed her lips as she came close enough to feel his hot breath. How many times had she kissed him? Too many. Not nearly enough. She didn’t know. All she knew was, as his lips lowered over hers, they made the perfect fit together, like two sides of a puzzle coming together.
She moaned softly and opened to meet his tongue, swirling against it with hers.
He groaned in response and wound his hand around her waist, holding her close, digging slightly into her softness. She knew she was a curvy woman, not some model, but she’d never felt anything but beautiful. And now, in Sebastien’s arms, she felt something even more important than beautiful.
She felt treasured.
He continued the warm, soft, but intense kiss, and she felt something coiling inside her. So hot. So good it was nearly painful. Would she have to go without this for the rest of her life? She couldn’t imagine. She couldn’t even imagine not having him right now, so she pulled back to run a finger over his soft, gently curved lips. So perfect and velvety under her touch, as she was sure his member would be.
“So which is it, pirate?” she asked. She pressed her finger against his lips in a shushing motion when she saw he meant to correct her. “Are we going to have to reschedule for tomorrow, or are you going to take me to your place? That is, unless you want to have spectators. I’ve never thought I’d particularly enjoy people watching, but if it’s my only option at this moment, I don’t thi
nk I could say no.”
“Hell no,” he growled, sounding nearly feral. “Hell no would I let anyone watch.”
“Embarrassed by your technique?” she teased as he slipped his hands under her legs and caught her easily up in his arms to walk toward the door.
“Hell no,” he said, carrying her down the hall toward the elevator. “I’m just not going to let anyone but me see your body. Even if they are women.” She laughed as they entered the elevator with an older couple who gaped openly at them.
Sebastien gave them an icy look. “What are you looking at?”
She almost felt bad for the couple as they gave her a snobbish look and scuttled away. But she honestly couldn’t summon the strength to do so, not when she had so much to look forward to with the man of her dreams.
She held on to him as the elevator rose, treasuring this moment where she felt light as air and like everything in the world was right and wonderful. It wouldn’t last forever, but it would last a little while.
That had to be better than nothing.
* * *
She was curvaceous and strong and tall, this beautiful woman in his arms. Yet she somehow seemed to weigh nothing as he walked into his suite.
He waited for her reaction to his obvious nautical obsession. From old nautical paintings he’d bid for on eBay to the small ships in a bottle he’d assembled to the spartan decorations around the huge suite, he wasn’t sure how she’d take it.
But he needn’t have wondered. She grinned and tapped his shoulder for him to let her down and then wandered around the apartment, looking here and there and touching this and that. She walked into his bedroom, and he held his breath while he waited for her to come out.
When she did, she tilted her head and gave him an appraising look. He waited for her judgment.
She grinned. “It’s so you.”
He smiled. That was the perfect comment. She seemed to get who he was and be perfectly fine with that. She might be the first person in his life to do so. Everyone else would tell him to calm down, to be less restless, to stop doing everything at work and nothing outside of it, and to think of something other than the ocean.
Some Bear to Love: BBW Bear Shifter (BWWM) Romance Standalone Page 6