“I tried, I guess, but look where that got me.” Cate chuckled darkly into his chest. He had to laugh, too, a little. Sometimes, things looked so bleak that the only viable options were laughing or crying. On deployment, gallows humor was nearly the only kind of humor. “You really think you can talk to him? Rick?”
“Believe me, the last thing I want to do is negotiate with that scumbag. But I don’t want him to keep hurting you, and that’s what he’ll be doing if you keep running. He’ll keep on hurting you forever.”
Cate pulled away, blinking, and in the moonlight she looked deliciously kissable. All Tack wanted to do was make her his in every possible way.
“Let’s try it my way, okay? Let me see what I can do. It might be a long shot, but at least it will be a chance that you can live your life free of him.”
“I’m scared.” Cate flinched a little as she said that, as if she were ashamed.
“I know,” he said. “You’ve got every reason to be. But you are brave. And strong, and I know you can do this. You’ve already been through so much worse. This is a piece of cake.”
Cate took a deep breath, her chest rising, then exhaled slowly.
“There’s no other way?”
“I think it’s our only shot. Unless you’re secretly hiding millions and plan to disappear to Bora Bora.”
Cate laughed ruefully. “I wish.”
“Then we’ve got to try.”
Cate studied him. She was so close all he wanted to do was kiss her once more, kiss her and feel her body cave to his, the want in her mouth like a fire that burned him from the inside out. He moved closer and she didn’t back away, so he bent his head and kissed her. Passion suddenly took control. He’d never felt so drawn to a woman before, so captivated. He wanted her more than he’d wanted any woman in his life. The want scared him, but it also drove him. He wanted to make her his.
She melted into his body like she belonged there, and he wrapped his hands in her long hair and gave it a little tug. She drew back, breathless, her pupils dark circles in her eyes. Blood pooled in her cheeks, and all he wanted to do was bite her full bottom lip.
“I want you,” he growled, a guttural sound of need.
She ran her slight hands up the front of his shirt, and he nearly lost it right then. He was holding himself together by the tautest piano string, and he knew any little thing would be his undoing. If she kept touching him like that, he’d have her on the deck of this boat.
“I want you, too,” she murmured softly, looking down at her feet. Was she suddenly shy? Now, when she had him in the palm of her hand? When he was little more than putty in her fingers?
He ran kisses down the side of her neck, and she moaned, a sound that nearly undid him as he moved down the soft skin of her throat. They stumbled backward together, and suddenly he had her pressed against the main mast. She wrapped her hands around his neck, but the touch of her fingernails against his skin made him wild with desire, and he wanted to drive this boat. He whipped her hands together above her head and held them there as he laid a trail of kisses along the neckline of her sundress. Her skin tasted so sweet, with just a hint of sea salt. He glanced up and saw her head thrown back against the mast, her blond hair almost silver in the moonlight.
She raised a leg and wrapped it around him, and he pressed into her. He ran his leg up the side of her leg, pushing up her hem, kneading the firm muscle there. God, this woman was a pure high. He couldn’t get enough of her. He doubted he ever would. She kissed him with a ferocity that made him mad with desire. He needed this woman. Now.
He swept her up in his arms, and she clung to him, wrapping her legs around his waist. She kissed him, her hair falling across his cheek as he held her up. With no bed to take her to, he settled on the next best thing: the trampoline across the stern of the boat, stretched taut and strong enough to hold them. Or so he hoped. He laid her down on the steely fabric, and she went willingly. He whipped off his shirt, and she glided her fingers down the front of his chest appreciatively. Her light touch drove him crazy with want.
He pushed the skirt of her sundress aside as he ran his hand between the fabric and her skin, touching the softest part of her. He found her ready for him, more than ready, as she moaned and leaned into his touch. He tugged down the silky thong she wore, and suddenly she was bare and wanting. He wanted to make her come again, like he had in his room, but this time, he wanted to come with her. Tack hesitated, wondering whether this was the right thing to do, here on this boat. Did she even want him? But she was already fumbling with the front of his shorts, freeing him.
“Cate...” If they kept on, he wouldn’t be able to stop. He knew that. “Cate, I...”
“I want you to,” she said, voice deep. Then she was on top of him, showing him exactly how much she wanted him.
For a second, Tack couldn’t speak. He couldn’t even breathe. It was all too good.
“God, you feel...amazing, Cate. Simply...amazing.” It was true. No one had ever felt like her before. A distant part of his brain told him this was insanity. Doing this—without protection!
But then she ground her hips against his. In no time at all, she’d climaxed, tightening and flexing around him. He told himself he’d need to hold it, but he couldn’t. She had him in a viselike grip, and she wasn’t letting go. He couldn’t fight her. He didn’t want to fight her. It was just too good.
“Cate...I...” It was coming now. “Cate, I...I love you.”
And then, he came.
* * *
CATE FELL ON top of Tack’s chest, a sweaty mess, wondering if she’d just heard him right. Did he say he loved her? That couldn’t possibly be right. The man who’d worked for her ex-husband...loved her? Part of her thought it was just another con, another lie, yet the way he said it, how he said it, his dark eyes brimming with beautiful truth, told her the words weren’t faked.
Tack Reeves loved her.
Part of her felt giddy.
The other part felt nauseous. How could she be with him if doing so asked him to give up the life of his best friend?
Plus, she was likely going to go to jail the second they landed in Aruba, because Rick Allen would have the entire island on lockdown probably, so what did it even matter daydreaming about being with anyone? Her future probably included a cell mate named Ironfist.
Well, you did just have sex with him. Unprotected, extremely irresponsible sex, a nagging little voice in her head told her. Clearly, you feel something for him, too.
Cate wasn’t sure how that had happened. One second, she was her rational self, and the next, Tack was kissing her and she was taking off all her clothes and mounting the man. Good Lord. Then again, I haven’t had actual, biblical sex in years. Apparently, she was a woman with needs, and those needs had finally completely taken over her life.
We just had sex. On the boat. With... Oh, God. With Avery sleeping below!
She glanced at the locked door of the cabin and breathed a sigh of relief. At least she’d locked the door. But still. What on earth had she been thinking? She hadn’t, that’s what. Sure, she could try to tell herself she was happily playing Tack, trying to distract him, or win him over, or whatever it was that poised seductresses did to undercover agents, but she wasn’t that kind of girl. Never had been. Frankly, she’d just been hot for this man and hadn’t been able to put the brakes on in time. That was the sad, honest truth of the matter.
All of this ran through her mind as she lay on Tack’s chest. His ample, muscular, bare chest, and even as she told herself all the reasons this had been a terrible mistake, part of her wondered if she could somehow manage to repeat this mistake again. Maybe right now.
“You’re amazing, Cate,” he murmured in her hair. His chest rose and fell softly in the moonlight, the sea breeze ruffling the small hairs on his muscled forearms as he hugged her tight
ly to him. “I’ve never met a woman like you.”
“I’ve never met a man like you.” That was the God’s honest truth. He was built like an action hero, but had the heart of a romance-novel hero. He just told you he loves you. But Cate wasn’t ready to say that back. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever be ready. How could she trust this was real? Everything in her history told her to never ever believe in happy endings.
Thoughts swirled in her mind as the boat glided beneath the stars. Would she really try to let Tack negotiate with Rick? Would that even work? Or would the best course of action be to try to lose Tack the second they docked and hope for the best? Or...should she turn herself in? Maybe Rick would give the visa to Adeeb if he thought Tack was still working for him. If he thought Tack had been the one to bring her in. But what about Avery?
God, she didn’t know what to do.
“I want to spend my life with you, Cate.”
“You don’t even know me,” she murmured, tracing the line of his abdomen. “How can you say that?”
“Because I know you. I know what a big heart you have. What an amazing mother you are. I know you’re brave, and you keep on fighting even when there’s no fight left. You’re everything I want in a woman. Besides, I told you that I’d spend the rest of my life making you trust me again, and I plan to do just that.”
Cate felt overwhelmed and confused. Could this be real? Could he mean it?
“I’m not sure how I feel about that.” Cate pushed herself up on her elbow and glanced at Tack’s chiseled face, lit by the moon above them.
“Don’t you feel this between us? This...pull?”
Did she? It’s why she was half naked and nearly hanging off the edge of a catamaran right now.
“Of course. But...what if that’s just physical?” What if the second I give you my heart, you turn into a terrible person. Like Rick did.
“It’s not,” Tack said. “It’s more than that. The physical wouldn’t be so good without more there. You’re the one for me.”
How could he know that? How could he be so sure? Cate thought Rick had been the one, but look how that turned out. She felt gun-shy, and worse, like she wasn’t able to trust her own instincts. Tack had betrayed her—granted, for a reason she could understand—but still, could she trust him from here on out? Could she trust any man?
“Tack... I just...don’t know.”
“Sweetheart, you don’t have to know. You don’t have to believe in me. I believe in us, and I’ll be here when you do realize you love me, too.”
Uncertainty swirled in her mind.
“Tack...” She shook her head. The whole notion was crazy. How could someone fall in love so fast?
“I’m a patient man. I’ll wait.” He hugged her close. “How about this, for this one night, right now, because we’re stuck on this boat, how about you don’t worry about what happens tomorrow?” Tack murmured in her hair. “How about for just tonight, you trust me?”
“Okay,” she agreed, because what harm could it do?
He kissed her, and all thoughts about the future left her mind, and suddenly she was in the here and now, exactly where she wanted to be. She didn’t have to worry about what happened when the boat docked, or whether she could trust Tack. Right now, it was just her and him and the sea. Simple and uncomplicated.
* * *
CATE WOKE THE next morning belowdecks in the small bed she shared with Avery. She’d set the autopilot and had decided to trust Tack wouldn’t change it. Cate yawned as the night before came tumbling back to her—the fact that they’d stayed on deck for hours, not sneaking back downstairs until the wee hours of the morning. She’d only gotten maybe an hour or two of sleep, as the gray light of early morning filtered into the window.
A rustling at the foot of the bed caught her attention.
Avery was already awake and puttering about the small cabin, opening empty cabinets and peering in, entertaining himself. As she watched him, the boy so full of determination and curiosity, her heart filled with love. Tack had been right last night—every decision she ever made about Rick she’d do all over again if it meant that Avery was here by her side. She was so grateful for him, and she couldn’t imagine her life without her little boy.
Then she thought about going to jail and possibly never seeing him again, and a chill ran through her. Even if Rick was dying, Cate knew he’d somehow make sure she never got out of prison, or if she did, she’d never see Avery again. He’d probably poison the boy against her.
At least that’s one thing I never did, Cate thought. She could have, easily. She could’ve told the boy the unvarnished truth about what kind of man his father was, but she thought it was kinder if he thought him dead.
Tack, of course, thought differently, but now Cate wasn’t sure how to break the news to her boy that she’d lied to him. The last thing on earth she’d ever wanted to do was hurt Avery. All she’d done, she did to protect him.
Would she risk him just so Tack could try to talk to a man that Cate knew couldn’t be reasoned with? She already knew what kind of man Rick was. There was no way he’d let go of his vendetta. Tack might yet get Adeeb’s visa, but if Cate stood by and waited, she’d be in jail. Her boy in Rick’s care... And then, after he died, raised by some coldhearted nanny most likely, set up by Rick’s estate. Cate had relatives, yes, but would they have enough money to fight Rick in court? It would take tens of thousands of dollars to wage a custody battle, and she had a feeling they’d lose. That made her feel even worse.
Cate cared for Tack. She felt horrible about Adeeb, but when it came down to it, could she risk her boy’s happiness?
“Mommy!” Avery called, seeing her watching him. He bounded toward the bed and launched himself on it, tackling her in the process. He was a ferocious little ball of energy from the time he woke up until he conked out at night. Cate wished, not for the first time, she could plug into his little always-on-the-go battery.
“Morning, sweetie,” she said, returning his tight hug. “Did you sleep well?”
“We’re still on the boat!” he cried, delighted, and it made Cate giggle, because where else would they be? But a little boy’s imagination probably included being beamed off the sailboat in the middle of the night.
“That’s right,” she said. “Just a few more hours, and we’ll be to a new island.”
“Are we going to live there?” Avery asked.
“No, sweetie,” she said, keeping her voice a low whisper as she motioned for him to come even closer. “Can you keep a secret?” she asked him.
He nodded solemnly.
“We’re going to get another boat and go sailing some more,” she murmured, so quietly that even if Tack had his ear pressed to the cabin door he wouldn’t be able to hear her. “Would you like that?”
“Yessss!” he cried, pumping a tiny fist in the air.
“Remember, it’s our secret,” she cautioned him, and he instantly grew somber.
“Secret!” he murmured, and nodded gravely.
Cate heard the creak of footsteps above their head, and padded to the small door and slid it open. She glanced down the hall and saw Tack’s bunk open and empty. He must be on deck.
“Avery, stay down here,” she cautioned the boy, and he nodded, happily banging another cabinet door shut. Cate climbed up the small steps barefoot, in the same sundress she’d worn to bed. Her hair was a holy mess, but she didn’t care. She had to make sure Tack wasn’t leading them off course. She’d made the decision to trust him, but now she was doubting herself again. Had it been the right choice?
The sun on the horizon hit her face, and she felt the warmth of the morning on her shoulders as she stepped onto the deck. Around her, glistening blue sea stretched for miles. She saw Tack right away, shirtless, leaning against the wheelhouse, one tanned hand shading his eyes from the sun
as he glanced at the horizon. She stopped in her tracks as she watched the curve of his back in the morning light. God, the man was a work of art—all perfectly cut edges. Her heart sped up, even as she tried to squash her inward girlie excitement at seeing him turn and meet her gaze. He grinned, and her stomach flipped. Lord, that man had an insane power over her. She could feel the tug to him from across the boat, as if she were a fish on a line being reeled in.
“You’re up,” he said and looked genuinely happy to see her, and not at all like a man who’d been sabotaging the steering, or putting the autopilot off course. She moved closer to him, and he gave her a warm hug in his big arms. She couldn’t help but feel safe there.
What am I doing? I can’t let my guard down. I’ve made my decision. I’ve got to stick with it.
She cleared her throat. “Everything okay up here?”
Cate tried to get a look to the side to see the autopilot controls, and saw the compass, which told her they were still on a straight course to Aruba. Why would she think he’d try to change them?
“Everything is fine now that you’re here,” he said, resting his chin on the top of her head. Cate might never get used to that. She was five-eight, and had never been with a man so tall to make her feel short. Yet she liked it, feeling small in his muscled arms. She closed her eyes and squeezed him a little tighter.
What’s one more hug? What’s a tiny little moment where she could let go of her suspicions and just be in this gorgeous man’s arms. She thought about the night before, how absolutely reckless she’d been. What was she thinking? Unprotected sex under the stars? She was not the kind of woman who ever threw caution to the wind like that. In fact, she’d have to get her hands on some plan B contraceptive the second the boat docked, she thought, her mind already ticking through all the worst-case scenarios. She’d become so distracted she forgot to enjoy the embrace, and when Tack stiffened and backed away, she was so deep in her own thoughts she almost missed the change in mood.
“We’ve got company,” Tack announced, a guttural growl that put every one of her senses on high alert. She whipped around to glance back the stern and saw a small dot of a sailboat in the distance.
Shelter in the Tropics Page 19