Marooned with a Millionaire

by Kristi Gold

  Lizzie looked around and finding the immediate area deserted, said, “You betcha.” She worked her straps down her arms and slipped her bra from beneath her sleeveless blouse, then hurled it like a slingshot into the bay. “How’s that?”

  Jack crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes reflecting a heat she’d definitely seen before, several times in fact. “Don’t stop now. You’re doing great.”

  “You are so bad, Ahab.”

  “And you are so good, Dorothy.”

  Lizzie lifted her skirt, shimmied out of her panties then tossed them into the water to join her shoes and bra. “Anything else?”

  He slowly looked her up and down. “I’m thinking.”

  She sent a pointed look at his fly. “Well, shiver me timbers, Ahab—and my timbers are shivering, by the way—but I do believe J.J. has a few ideas of his own.”

  He grinned. “What am I going to do with you for the next fifty years?”

  “You’re going to have a great time. But right now I’m more concerned with what you plan to do with me once we get back inside. I could really use a good ravishing about now.”

  Jack raised an eyebrow. “Who said anything about waiting until we get back inside?”

  Lizzie pointed a finger at him. “Okay, who are you and what have you done with cautious Captain Jack?”

  “Let’s just say I’m throwing all caution to the wind.”

  “Oh, I like the way that sounds.”

  “Good. Now come here.”

  Like the obedient child she had never been, Lizzie answered Jack’s command and immediately discovered that her amenable behavior paid off. Jack whirled her around and backed her up against the door recessed between two shallow walls, their only protection from meddling eyes. He kissed her thoroughly while she worked the buttons open on his tailored white shirt, parting the fabric so she could run her hands over that luscious male terrain.

  He left her lips to whisper, “You have no idea how much I’ve thought about this over the past two months.”

  “Oh yes I do,” Lizzie said. “And after the baby’s born, I intend to get you on a balloon so we can make love in midair.”

  He slid one palm to the front of her thigh, just beneath the hem of her skirt. “I’m not so sure about that, Dorothy.”

  “You’ll love it once you’re airborne. It’s the closest to heaven you’ll ever be.”

  “I disagree.” He buried his face in her neck, calling up some mighty nice chills down Lizzie’s spine. “Making love to you anywhere qualifies.”

  No one had ever said anything so sweet to Lizzie before. But then she’d never met a man like Jack Dunlap. “Then what are we waiting for?”

  “Not a thing.”

  With that, Jack slipped his hand completely beneath her skirt and found just the right spot, almost bringing Lizzie to her knees.

  “You are definitely primed for action,” Jack said as he plied her with silken strokes.

  “Oh, yeah,” she said, the only thing she could manage in light of Jack’s wild and wicked foreplay, right there in the daylight where anyone who decided to pass by could see.

  Someone whistled and Jack took his hand away. “We better go inside. I’m not taking any chances that someone might call the harbor patrol and subsequently land us in jail.”

  The thought of spending one minute without Jack didn’t sit well with Lizzie. “You’re right. Inside it is.”

  “And inside I will soon be.” Again he swept her up into his strong arms where she could feel his heart beating in a rapid rhythm that matched her own.

  “Come to think of it, I’m not too thrilled to think that some sailor is going to have your underwear for his collection,” he said as he carried her into the salon.

  “It could be worse. We could wake up tomorrow morning to a headline that reads, ‘Dolphin Found Sporting Women’s Lingerie on Snout.’”

  Jack laughed, a musical sound that made Lizzie laugh, too. But she stopped laughing when Jack halted and slid her down the length of him, letting her know up-front what he intended. He kissed her deeply, deliberately, sending her pulse on a sprint and a fiery heat spiraling throughout her body.

  Once they parted, he said, “Could I show you to the rest of the accommodations now, Dorothy?”

  “’Bout time, Ahab.”

  They hurried down the steps to the deck below, pausing for more kisses while leaving a trail of clothing on the journey to the master cabin. Lizzie didn’t have the opportunity to really study the area since Jack had her stretched out on the bed before she had time to blink. But she did know that the sheets beneath her back were satin and the lights above her head, recessed into the ceiling.

  After turning onto his side, Jack smoothed a palm over her breasts before moving down to her rounded belly. But when he lingered there, with his hand and his gaze, Lizzie felt somewhat self-conscious. “I’ve gained a little weight since the last time we were together,” she said.

  He planted a kiss on her abdomen and murmured, “You’re beautiful just the way you are.”

  Funny, she really did feel beautiful. She also felt totally lost as Jack alternated between using his skilled mouth and his equally skilled hands in intimate places, sending her precariously close to the edge. Lizzie could barely draw a breath, barely think by the time Jack kissed his way back up her torso and settled his lips on her breasts. She focused on him then, reaching out to touch and explore with provocative, purposeful strokes just so she could see the desire burning bright in his eyes.

  “You’re incredible,” she murmured as she skimmed a fingertip up and down the length of him.

  “It’s all for you, babe.” He moved above her and slid inside her with a slow, tempered glide. “Only for you.”

  And he gave her his all, drawing her into paradise little by little with every stroke, every rhythmic motion of his powerful body.

  Don’t be over, Lizzie mentally chanted as the pleasant pressure continued to build. Not now, not yet….

  But her silent pleas went unheeded as the climax overpowered her, claimed her with a heavenly assault. Jack’s body went rigid in her arms, all tensile muscle and taut, masculine flesh as his own release took hold, filtering out in a hiss of breath and the sound of her name.

  With the exception of their ragged respiration, the cabin was cloaked in silence—a comfortable, calming silence that Lizzie cherished with every rapid beat of her heart. But not as much as she cherished the man in her arms.

  Jack lifted his head and smiled. “I love you, Liz.”

  “How much?”

  “More than I ever expected to love anyone.”

  “Good, because I have a request.”

  He frowned. “If you’re thinking that I’m going to become a vegetarian after we get married—”

  “That’s not it.” She kissed his chin. “But it is about our marriage. The wedding, actually.”

  “What about it?”

  “I happen to know the perfect place…”

  Jack couldn’t believe he’d agreed to this, but Lizzie had a way of talking him into things he’d never imagined doing. He hadn’t intended to fall in love with her, sure as hell hadn’t intended to settle down and never in his wildest daredevil fantasies had he ever considered getting married while suspended above the earth.

  But here they were—Lizzie, a fellow pilot named Grady, a rotund minister who also happened to be a balloonist, and Jack—all crowded into a wicker basket for the official ceremony.

  Lizzie had never looked more beautiful to Jack even though she had worried over her wardrobe because her pregnancy had become more apparent with each passing day. But the white lace dress she had chosen—after dragging Jack to at least twenty bridal boutiques—only enhanced her finer features, including her breasts that had become much fuller over the past month, much to Lizzie’s delight. Jack certainly hadn’t complained although he loved everything about her. And he personally couldn’t wait to take the dress off of her tonight—as soon as they were back on s
olid ground, or solid ocean, as the case might be since they were setting out on the Lizzie later tonight for their honeymoon. No ringing phones, no business to attend to, only time to be together—and a whole lot of lovemaking.

  A mild breeze ruffled Lizzie’s golden hair and the sun reflected in her blue-green eyes. She sent him a smile as the balloon ascended into the cloudless sky, only the sound of the burner disturbing the serenity.

  Jack focused on Lizzie’s eyes, not the disappearing ground. He held her hand although he had the urge to grab the side of the damn basket. But amazingly enough, the movement was barely discernible, as if they were almost standing still.

  Lizzie leaned over and whispered, “You look nervous. Are you having second thoughts?”

  He brushed a kiss across her cheek. “Not hardly. I thought today would never get here.”

  She studied him a long moment. “You aren’t afraid of heights, are you?”

  “Let’s just say I’m not that fond of traveling thousands of feet from the ground in a flimsy basket.”

  “Jack, it’s only a hundred feet up, we’re tethered to the ground and if you recall, my basket gave your boat a run for its money, so I think it will hold us for the next fifteen minutes or so.”

  “You’re right. But a nice wedding chapel would have worked.”

  “I personally think this is a perfect place for a wedding. I mean, if you did change your mind, you couldn’t go anywhere.”

  “Believe me, Liz, I’m not going anywhere.”

  Once they reached the end of the line, the minister said, “Are we ready to begin?”

  Lizzie faced Jack. “Are you ready?”

  “Definitely.”

  Jack and Lizzie exchanged traditional vows and their rings, but when it was time to kiss the bride to seal the deal—the part Jack had looked forward to most—Lizzie pressed a finger to his lips and regarded the minister. “Excuse me, Reverend Michaels. I have a few more things to ask my husband.”

  The minister smiled. “Be my guest.”

  She met Jack’s gaze. “Do you promise to try tofu at least once?”

  “If I must.”

  “And do you promise to discuss any major purchases with me from this point forward? Not that I minded the new boat. I mean, who would mind that?”

  She was absolutely priceless, Jack thought. “I promise. Anything else?”

  “Yes. Do you promise to take Hank, for better or for worse, through midnight feedings and dirty diapers?”

  “You bet.”

  “Okay, now you may kiss the bride.”

  “Thank God.”

  Jack leaned over and kissed Lizzie with all the love for her that lived deep within his healing soul. Lizzie wrapped her arms around his waist and Jack suddenly forgot where they were when the world seemed to fall away, just as Lizzie had said it would.

  Jack finally ended the kiss when he realized they were slowly descending.

  The minister cleared his throat. “I will now recite the balloonist’s prayer as you begin your life together. The winds have welcomed you with softness. The sun has blessed you with warm hands. You have flown so high and so well, that God has joined you in your laughter and has set you gently back into the loving arms of Mother Earth.”

  With that, the basket landed in the capable hands of Grady and was secured by Lizzie’s crew. They were greeted with applause and cheers from the onlookers surrounding the platform—a large group of Lizzie’s friends and Jack’s colleagues, all prepared for a grand reception to follow at the Key Largo resort.

  Jack didn’t mind throwing a party; in fact, he had been more than happy to do it. But he intended to leave early so he could get his wife alone and divested of her clothes.

  When the minister and pilot exited the basket, Jack pulled Lizzie close to his heart. “You know something?”

  “What?”

  “For the first time in a long time, I feel like a damn lucky man.”

  Lizzie toyed with the necklace resting between her breasts. “I’m pretty lucky, too. And so is my son, considering he’s going to have such a wonderful father.”

  Jack brushed her hair away and rested a palm on the place that sheltered their unborn child. “That’s our son, Lizzie. Our little boy.”

  Epilogue

  Jack studied the little girl in his arms, so fragile and innocent with her ocean-blue eyes and downy blond hair, a miniature version of her mother. He’d never paid much attention to babies before now, but he couldn’t seem to quit marveling over this one. But then she was his child, all his, regardless of her biological beginnings.

  Lizzie left the hospital bed where she’d been packing for their return home—a home they had bought together a week following their month-long honeymoon. A two-story house with a huge backyard and a dog named Lucky that Lizzie had rescued from the pound, just as she had rescued Jack from a life not worth living.

  Coming to Jack’s side, Lizzie laid a hand on the baby’s cheek. “I still can’t believe she’s a girl.”

  “I still can’t believe we don’t have a name.”

  Lizzie sighed. “I know, but I just can’t make Henrietta work. I do have a suggestion.”

  “Bessie?”

  “Hannah.”

  Jack couldn’t think of anything he would like more. “You’re right. Hannah it is. My mother would have loved that.”

  “And my mother’s name was Caroline, so I’d like that to be her middle name.”

  “Perfect.”

  Lizzie gave him a perfect smile. “You can put her down in the crib until they discharge me.”

  “I could, but I really don’t want to.”

  “Oh, heavens, you’re going to spoil her rotten just like you’ve spoiled me.”

  Jack kissed Lizzie’s cheek. “And what’s wrong with that?”

  “Well, nothing, I guess, but I want her to appreciate the value of life, not necessarily things.”

  “We’ll teach her that.”

  “Okay, we’ll do that. And while we’re talking about the future, I still have to get you up in a balloon for a real ride.”

  “Funny you should mention that.” Jack strolled toward the window with Hannah resting on his shoulder in peaceful slumber. “Come here for a minute.”

  “Why?”

  “I have something to show you.”

  She sighed. “Jack, you always have something to show me.”

  “True, and if I hadn’t shown you something the other night, Hannah might have been two weeks late instead of one.”

  Lizzie grinned. “And what a way to begin labor.”

  Jack handed the baby to Lizzie and opened the shade to reveal the hospital parking lot—and the gift he’d been waiting to give her for months. Waited until exactly the right time, and that would definitely be now from the astonished look on Lizzie’s face. She glowed from the inside out.

  “Oh my gosh, Jack! When did you do this?”

  He surveyed the bright purple-and-sun-yellow balloon inflated on the lot with Lizzie’s former chase crew standing nearby, giving them a thumbs-up. “I’ve been planning it for a while now. It took some time to have the envelope made since it’s a custom job.”

  Lizzie giggled. “I kind of figured that. I really doubt you’ll find another that says Dorothy and Ahab.”

  Jack moved behind his wife, his soul mate, his savior, and slipped his arms around her waist.

  Lizzie leaned back against him. “When Hannah’s a little older, I want to take her up for her first flight.”

  “I’ll teach her how to sail.”

  “And I’ll teach her how to fly. I intend to teach you, too.”

  “You already have, Liz, without the benefit of a balloon.” He kissed her neck and held her tighter. “And you know something else?”

  She looked back at him, love shining in her eyes. “You have another surprise?”

  “No, only something I need to say.” He kissed her gently, with gratitude, acknowledging that she had brought him that elusive peace. “N
o matter how this all turned out—and it’s turned out damn good— I would have loved you anyway.”

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-8624-9

  MAROONED WITH A MILLIONAIRE

  Copyright © 2003 by Kristi Goldberg

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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  *Marrying an M.D.