Blood of His Fathers (Sinners and Saints)

by Michelle Chambers

  Her fingers and toes were quite wrinkled by the time she decided to climb from the tub. She dried off, using one of the big, white fluffy towels on the bath counter. She chose a body lotion from an impressive selection and rubbed it over her skin, braided her hair in one single plait and returned to the stateroom. She crawled beneath the cool cotton sheets, relishing its feel against her naked skin. Her head touched the pillows and she closed her eyes, relaxing her body under the gentle sway of the yacht.

  She’d drifted to sleep with dazzling sunlight filling the cabin and awoke with the dusky aura of evening around her.

  She slipped quickly from the bed and donned a thin white cotton Tee shirt and a pair of loose-fitting pants. She left the room and retraced her steps through the private office to the outer main deck. She stared, frowning at the table set intimately for two with candles and a single rose. She raised her gaze to the quiet horizon while her fingers wistfully caressed the dusky flower.

  “I hope you’re hungry.”

  She spun around, facing Jason as he moved toward her carrying two large plates. She couldn’t conceal her surprise.

  “You cook?”

  “One of my many talents,” he said, setting the plates on the table.

  The delicious aroma tickled her taste buds and gnawed at her empty stomach.

  “Freshly caught grouper, my lady,” he added with a dramatic bow. “Seasoned to perfection with thyme, peppers and lemon juice, baked and covered with a sprinkling of onions, celery and tomatoes—lightly fried—and served on a bed of assorted vegetables. Won’t you join me?”

  She glanced at the appetizing meal then back to the distant sun casting its remaining light across the shimmering water. She watched the final, biting irony of this picture-perfect romantic setting disappear beyond the horizon aware of his presence behind her.

  “I know you don’t trust me right now,” he said. “But I swear you have nothing to fear from me. I didn’t start the fire at High Rock, Jessica, and until we know who did you’re safer here with me.”

  Was she? Here, alone, in the middle of nowhere? With a man she barely knew. She released a soft sigh. Time would tell.

  “You know, many people believe the Bahamas is a part of the Caribbean. It’s actually part of the North American plate, if you consider it geographically because it’s bordered to the east by the Atlantic Ocean and to the West by the Gulf Stream.”

  She was rambling, she knew it, but she needed to say something, anything, to distance herself from this man who knew without even trying how to inflame her senses. She knew she would be lost if she looked at him, so she didn’t.

  “Where exactly are we?”

  He stepped closer. His heat engulfed her, scorching her skin through her thin garments. She clenched her jaw, resisting the urge to fall back into his arms.

  “The Exumas. Nassau is about forty miles that way. North.” He pointed over her shoulder to the solitary star flickering bright in the night sky. “And about fifty miles from Florida. That way.”

  “And you have a house here?”

  “On Purple Cay. It’s too late to venture ashore now, but we’ll go in the morning.”

  Doubt crept into her heart. “And after?” Where were they suppose to go from here?

  He leaned into her, his breath tickling her cheek. “Jessica—”

  She pulled away from him, jerking around and moving to the table. She ignored his loud sigh of frustration.

  “Let’s eat, shall we?”

  Dinner was a tense and silent affair at the end of which Jess sat idly tracing a finger around the rim of her wineglass. She deliberately avoided Jason’s gaze and she really wasn’t in the mood for small talk or pretending this trip was anything other than what it was.

  * * * *

  Jason cocked his head slightly, admiring the way the candlelight danced across her tawny freckles. Through dinner she hadn’t looked at him once and he was unable to see past the dark lashes guarding her eyes. Eyes he very much wanted to see turned on him with the passion of a night that was all too long ago. But he knew it would only be fear and suspicion that he would find in their depths. He could thank Detective Inspector Drew Mahon for that. He relaxed his fingers about the stem of his glass lest he was tempted to break it.

  He’d left her that morning after spending a bewitching night in her arms. He’d confronted his father spurred by the knowledge she was the one woman who’d not only taken his heart, but had breathed life into his withered soul. But he’d returned to Madeley to find she’d gone. Her mother had been frantic, demanding to know what could’ve gone wrong between them so quickly. He’d no idea. Not then, anyway.

  He’d followed her to the Bahamas, suspecting her next move, hired private investigators and spent days without sleep looking for her. He’d been mad with worry that something had happened to her. It had, and he hadn’t been there. She’d almost been killed and he hadn’t been the one to save her.

  “I should’ve told you about Tom,” he acknowledged softly.

  It should’ve been his face she saw when she opened her eyes. His arms where she found comfort.

  Finally, she looked at him. “My life has never b-been my own, has it?”

  “I’m sorry, Jessica. I wanted to spare you this pain.”

  “Really?” This time she sounded bitter. “You were very convincing about wanting to help me, for Sean’s sake, right? And when Tom died you swore then, too, you had nothing to do with his death. You want to know something? I’m not sure anymore. I don’t know where the lies end and the truth begins. Perhaps it’s because they’re one and the same. I don’t even know if you intend to let me live after tonight. I was so gullible, believing you, sleeping with you. I’ve been such a fool. Men like you don’t love women like me—”

  “Is that Drew Mahon talking?” Fear made him angry—his fear of losing her.

  He leaned forward and reached beneath the back of his shirt to retrieve the gun from its holster.

  “This is a nine millimeter PT-111Taurus Millennium. Fully loaded, easy to use. Slip off the safety, like this, aim and fire. If you ever feel the need to use this on me, then do it. You won’t miss.”

  He slammed the gun down on the table in front of her and then stalked away to stare out across the darkened sea. The sound of her chair scraping across the deck had him spinning around. Jessica was gone and to his dismay, she’d taken his gun.

  Chapter Twelve

  Eva Ricci took a deep draw from her cigarette. Everything had gone as planned. The captain and crew, save one, were tied up below deck and Jason’s wife would soon be gone.

  She took a final drag and flicked the cigarette over the railing into the sea. She’d been content, her ego appeased, that Jason hadn’t remarried since their divorce, although their split had been less than amicable. Still, she’d been convinced no other woman could come close to replacing her in Jason’s heart until she saw them together in the lobby of the Baja Mar Hotel.

  She’d watched the start of their harsh exchange with amused curiosity. There’d been anger and hurt between them, but then she’d seen the tenderness in his gaze when he’d looked down into his wife’s eyes. He’d shown a softness and vulnerability that’d startled her. And then it’d hit her. Jason was in love with his wife. Her heart clenched and Eva balled her hands into fists.

  She’d had plenty of opportunity to kill Jessica McCormack—in the lift, at the marina—but Alexander hadn’t wanted to risk leaving a trail or have the authorities ask too many questions. This way everybody got what they wanted. And she wanted Jason.

  With familiar steps, she made her way below deck to the guestroom where Jason slept, discarding her clothes as she went. The door stood ajar and she inched it further open. Her eyes widened in her hunger and her lips parted in a lustful eagerness to taste him. It’d been too long.

  The sheet that covered him lay disheveled on the floor leaving his fully naked body exposed to the shadowy sea night. She padded softly across the room and crawl
ed slowly onto the bed. Jason tossed restlessly onto his back and flung an arm casually above his head. She gasped—remembering, coveting, needing him. He stirred some more, but didn’t wake.

  She placed the gun in her hand on the small table beside the bed and slid her body between his thighs. Her fingers curled about the impressive length of his penis and her breath caught in her throat. Even in the dimness, she was astutely aware of his muscular physique.

  She massaged the swollen head in her hand. She’d missed this, the velvet feel of him in her hands and in her mouth, thrusting wildly deep inside her. Her skin prickled at the thought. Her body hadn’t forgotten the feel of his.

  She breathed him in, relishing the intoxicating smell of him on her senses. Her hand moved lower between his thighs. She shifted her weight onto her knees and closed her lips about his erection, taking him slow and deeply into her mouth. One hand closed around the shaft and stroked up and down while the other squeezed the heavy sacs beneath. Jason instinctively parted his legs, allowing her full access to her prize.

  He moaned his pleasure in his sleep.

  She brought a hand to her own aroused flesh, massaging the firm bud between her thighs in tempo with the motion of her mouth. She licked the smooth skin at the base of his penis and smiled in triumph as he submitted wholly to her ministrations. Lust burgeoned through her and him. He was unfulfilled. If his wife hadn’t been enough to satisfy him, then she would.

  She stroked the length and breadth of him, his body continuing to react with hers. She straddled his hips and his right hand lifted to fondle her breast. She stiffened from the memory of his caress. Her nipples hardened. His other hand slipped between her thighs and parted her soft lips. His fingers caressed her slick opening before sheathing deeply and slowly into her hungry body. She released a shuddering breath. God, she’d missed this. She’d missed—them.

  She let him pleasure her for a moment longer and then eased his fingers from her tight folds, again taking control. Jason stirred. She stared at his face and waited. The face that’d haunted her dreams and she’d searched for in others.

  His eyes fluttered open and his lips parted. She kissed him deeply and slowly, her tongue seductively circling his.

  * * * *

  Jason hovered between waking and dreaming.

  His brain registered the slender body draped across his own. His hands traced the contour of her hips and stroke the smooth length of her back. He hugged her tighter, pillowing her soft breasts against his chest. Her sounds filled his mouth and he kissed her back, tasting familiarity and yet it felt wrong.

  Her hands, her lips, her body scorched a hungry path down his chest to the flat expanse of his stomach. She caressed his hips. Her tongue traced the swollen contour of his penis to its very tip, eliciting an anguished groan from him. And when she took him deep into the warmth of her mouth her name rumbled from his chest. Hands, tongue, lips relentlessly explored him, savoring him and heightening the tension in his erection until he pulsed wildly against the back of her throat. He could scarce draw breath.

  “Eva.” He growled her name through gritted teeth, staving off his forceful climax.

  He curled his fingers about her upper arms, urging her mouth from his penis. He tugged her to him, her face but inches away from his own. His fingers wound tightly in her hair averting the kiss she craved.

  She smiled down into his eyes, their gazes bright with lust and memory. Her fingers guided him to her opening. She eased back drawing a sharp, controlled breath from him. It was too late to stop. His body needed relief from her torment. Her lips parted temptingly and his uncertainty abated. He lifted his mouth to hers and claimed her in a heated kiss.

  The pent up emotions of the last few hours channeled through them, adding to the urgency of their possession. Heat consumed her and frustration dictated him. Lust and ecstasy blended in perfect harmony, inflaming their bodies and obscuring their thoughts.

  In one quick move he rolled her onto her back and pushed deeply inside her. She cried out, digging her nails fiercely into his shoulders as he rode her body to a frenzied and ecstatic high. She exploded hard with a scream of delight. And he came seconds after with a low growl. He collapsed away from her, rolling on his back, and closed his eyes.

  Her breathless voice sounded in his ear, penetrating the fuzziness of his brain.

  “Fifteen years is a long time, Jason, but we were always good together, weren’t we?”

  He pulled back and gazed at the shadowed features of his ex-wife. A part of him had known it was Eva even before he’d looked into her eyes. He collapsed back against the bed and drew a shaky hand down his face.

  “This shouldn’t have happened.”

  “It’s too late for recriminations now, isn’t it? Besides you knew it was me—why didn’t you stop?” She gave a soft laugh and turned toward him, pressing her hip against his thigh. “We both wanted this.”

  Anger and jealousy had tormented his sleep. He’d been jealous of Drew Mahon. The Detective Inspector had turned Jess against him, had made her fear him, and had been the one to save her life when she was in danger. He closed his eyes again

  “My body betrayed me, Eva. Not my heart.”

  “That hardly matters. The fact is I have what I’ve always wanted. You.” He felt the pressure of cold steel against his temple. “Careful, Jason,” she said, her voice a silky smooth warning as his eyes opened into hers.

  “Where’s Jessica?”

  Eva leaned forward, bringing her lips closer to his ear. “I had her in my sights today at the Yacht Club. I could’ve easily killed her.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “I have something special planned for your wife, Jason. Don’t worry,” Eva teased. “She’s going to love it. How many men do you think she can take at one time?”

  In an instant Jason grabbed Eva’s wrist and reached for his gun under his pillow, but Eva was ready for him when he rolled her beneath him. Besides, his gun wasn’t there. The flash of blue steel glinted menacingly at his chest.

  Eva arched a brow. “You gave it to your wife, remember? She has made you weak and careless, Jason.”

  Jason pulled back and eased from the bed. He wouldn’t be much good to Jessica if he was dead. Heavy footsteps halted outside the cabin door before it was roughly thrown open. He narrowed his eyes, recognizing the man as one of the crew.

  “Have you got her?” Eva demanded.

  The large man standing in the doorway nodded. “On deck.” He looked at Jason. “What are we going to do with him?”

  “He’s coming with me. You’re to take the woman. That was the deal.”

  Anger, helplessness and guilt all surged through Jason at that moment.

  “My father sent you,” he said with the incredulity of slow dawning realization and the calm acceptance of a fact that really wasn’t unexpected. “I thought you wanted out from beneath my father’s control,” he accused.

  Eva turned glittering eyes back to his. “I did once. For you,” she said. “But you threw me aside, anyway.”

  “Because,” he said coldly, “you were sleeping with my father.”

  “Yes. But it was you that I loved. All I wanted was a second chance to prove that.”

  “Is that why you’re doing this? To get back at me?”

  “Not to get back at you. To get you back. It’s that simple, Jason, but you never understood that, did you? Your father did. He knew I wouldn’t refuse this assignment. I even said I would do the job for free.”

  “And you’re nothing if not good at your job,” Jason scathed. “Do you really think I would want you if you killed my wife?”

  “You just proved you would. We’re the same you and I. You need a woman like me to stir your blood not that simpering mouse.”

  “Like I said. My body betrayed me.”

  “Your wife will undoubtedly be glad to hear that,” Eva mocked. “Who knows, Kestrel, this might make her a tad more willing in your arms tonight.”

  The man
in the doorway grunted out a laugh. “I look forward to that pleasure.”

  “If you so much as lay one finger on her—”

  “You’ll what?” Eva held the gun firmly at his chest and cocked it. “Get dressed,” she ordered.

  She turned back to Kestrel. “If he tries anything shoot him, but just wound him. I don’t want him dead…just yet.”

  Kestrel gave a fiendish chuckle and lowered the barrel of his gun to Jason’s leg.

  * * * *

  As soon as Jason emerged on the main deck Jess ran to him and grabbed his arm. Right now she’d rather take her chances with him than with these modern-day pirates.

  “What do they want?” she whispered.

  Jason opened his mouth to speak, but her eyes darted past him to the glittering gaze of the woman who’d emerged on deck. Jess’ eyes rounded in surprise as she recognized the blond woman from the elevator in the Baja Mar Hotel. Her hair spilled loosely down her back and she wore Jason’s shirt. Jess relaxed her hold on Jason’s arm and glanced at his face. He held her gaze, but she knew the truth.

  It took another woman to recognize that glow. One of a woman who’d had incredible, satiating sex. It’d been that way with her too after she’d spent the night in Jason’s arms. There’d been something inherently different about her. Her smile had been as brazen and her eyes as provocative as those on the face of the blond haired woman staring at her with unveiled hostility.

  “Your father’s very pleased, Jason,” the woman purred.

  She stepped closer, flicking a contemptuous gaze over Jess. “He wasn’t sure you could pull it off, considering you had to lower your standards and tastes for this nauseating tramp.”

  “Shut up, Eva,” Jason hissed.

  Eva’s smile was slow and triumphant, but Jess grasped the situation with stunned clarity. Tears sprung in her eyes at the thought of Jason making love to another woman—at what’d been insinuated. Her stomach roiled and she wrenched free of Jason as if his touch stung her.