“What is?” He looked around. Two decks below, a mariachi band played by the pool bar, and a few people had already started dancing. According to the day’s schedule, singles’ events and parties were happening in bars and clubs and casinos around the ship. But this deck was quiet, which was part of the reason he’d suggested it after dinner. No one else had ventured up yet.
“Everything,” she answered. “This ship, the cruise - I mean, did you see all the food at the buffet? There must have been twenty desserts alone.”
“Oh. Yeah, I guess it is.” He’d only been cruising twice before, both times courtesy of Bryce, but he’d forgotten the first impression, the decadence of unlimited everything, that came with a cruise fare.
She took his hand as they walked, and a burst of something electric went off inside his chest. “Thank you for asking me.”
He stopped and tugged her close, wrapping one arm around her. “Thank you for agreeing to come.”
She pursed her lips and looked up at him. “I was pretty apprehensive, I’ll give you that.” Her gaze shifted to the clear night sky. “But Dolly was right; I needed this vacation, and I didn’t even realize it. I would never have done anything like this for myself.”
He dropped a kiss onto her forehead. He loved being close to her, feeling her heart beat against his chest. Funny, the things she stirred inside him. He wasn’t sure he’d ever felt anything like them before.
Damn.
The last thing he needed was a relationship, entanglement, just when Marshall was trusting him with the biggest deal of his career.
Pearl snuggled herself closer, and his thoughts went haywire. He wanted her. He wanted to see where everything went, if it had a chance, the way he was starting to think it might. Yet how could he pursue anything with her in full conscience, right now?
“You’re quiet,” Pearl said. She lifted her head, lips parted in a clear invitation.
Everything in him wanted to taste her, to kiss her until she quivered in his arms. And if it were almost anyone else, Jace realized, he would have done just that. He’d bedded enough women to know how to touch them until they begged for more. Hell, they were on a cruise ship, far from the realities of shore. Whatever happened in the next four days could be chalked up to sun and fun and a little hedonism before they both got back to work.
But this was Pearl DeVane, the girl he’d known since high school. He respected her. He didn’t want to hurt her. And that meant he couldn’t let anything go too far until things were settled with the diner, whatever that ended up meaning. At this point, he almost didn’t care. Hell, if Dolly refused to sell, that was her decision. She was a strong woman, and she’d raised her niece to be the same way.
So rather than kiss Pearl, the way every inch of him wanted to, Jace pulled her into an embrace instead. “I’m glad you’re here,” he whispered into the top of her head and hoped she’d hear all the words he didn’t - and couldn’t - say.
Chapter Ten
The next three days flew by. One stop at Key West and two days at sea, and the cruise neared its end before Pearl realized it.
How is it? Dolly texted her the second afternoon. Are you having a good time?
Yes! It’s amazing. So relaxing.
It was, from the ship to the port to the way Jace took care of her every want. Lunch by the pool? No problem. A blackjack lesson so she didn’t look like a fool in the casino? He met her there ten minutes early. He carried her bags when she shopped on Duval Street, he danced with her at the ’80s Night Party, he knocked on her door at five minutes to midnight so she wouldn’t miss the Full Moon Fiesta, and he walked her to her cabin every night before retiring to his own.
And it was driving her crazy.
What the hell is wrong with him? she wondered at least ten times a day. Or what’s wrong with me? A healthy, heterosexual, red-blooded male didn’t ask a woman to go on a cruise only to act like her best girlfriend the entire time, did he? Had she completely misread his signs? True, she hadn’t planned on jumping into bed with Jace, and part of her was glad he hadn’t tried too hard, but a little trying would have made her feel a lot better than the totally platonic approach he seemed to be taking.
More than once she opened her mouth to ask, but something always interrupted them. Finally, their final night on board, she screwed up her courage as the five of them finished dinner in the ship’s steakhouse restaurant.
“So what’s on the agenda?” Bryce asked after they’d devoured their entrees and desserts. He ordered a round of Courvoisier for the table. “Final show?”
“Ugh, no.” Brittany frowned.
“Why not?” Pearl asked. Brittany had pooh-poohed just about every suggestion since they’d been on board.
“I don’t know.” Brittany wiped her mouth and tossed her napkin on the table. “It’s like they’re trying to be Broadway stars, when they so clearly are not.” She looked at Toby for approval. “Right? I mean, there’s a reason they’re on this cruise ship and not in New York City or Hollywood.”
“Watch it, toots,” Bryce said. He laughed, but his smile carried danger. “This is my family’s business, remember. I can only take so much bad-mouthing of it.”
“Oh, Bryce.” She waved a hand, as if flipping away his concerns. “You know what I mean.”
But Pearl didn’t think Bryce did know, or if he did, he wasn’t too pleased with what Brittany meant. “I’d love to go to the show,” Pearl said. “What else is going on?”
“Magic act in the casino,” Bryce said. A waitress who’d been eyeing him all night slowed down as she passed their table. “And quite possibly, a special reservation for Yours Truly up in one of the private hot tubs, if the next five minutes of conversation goes the way I think it will.” With a wink, he leapt up and followed the waitress to the beverage station.
Brittany drew in a sharp, critical breath. “That man is a walking penis.” She shuddered. “I’m so glad you’re not anything like him,” she added as she patted Toby’s arm.
Pearl didn’t say a word, though she wondered from the look on Toby’s face whether once in a while, he’d rather be exactly like Bryce, instead of the quiet, obedient boyfriend Brittany assumed he was. “Private hot tubs?” she whispered to Jace.
He turned a few shades of red as they all got up from the table. “Uh, yeah. Up on the Sun Deck. There are a few that guests can reserve. They usually go pretty fast, though.”
Pearl linked her arm through his as they separated from Toby and Brittany at the elevators. “If there’s one still available, want to meet me there later?” She raised one brow at Jace. If he turned down this invitation, she had nothing left.
His jaw twitched. He dropped his gaze to his toes, then to hers, then let it crawl slowly up her legs, heating her with every inch until it returned to her face. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
*****
Miracle of miracles, when Pearl stopped at the Concierge Desk, one hot tub reservation had just been cancelled.
“Looks as though it’s your lucky night,” the buxom woman behind the desk said with a wink. “It’s number five, the last one on the right when you go up.” She handed Pearl a key on a silver ring. “Here you go. Total privacy. If you want a drink from the bar or need extra towels, there’s a bell you can ring. Otherwise, enjoy.”
Pearl felt herself flush as she tucked the key into her pocket. She’d discovered over the last four days that Cocktail Cruise Lines specialized in hooking up singles. Looking around her, though, it seemed by the last night she was about the only one who hadn’t hooked up.
Not like I’m looking to get laid, she argued inside her head.
No, but you wouldn’t mind getting your hands on Jace’s body, she argued back. Or his on yours.
She made her way back to her cabin and fell onto the single bed. It’s now or never. This was supposed to be a vacation. A getaway. Yes, the man who had invited her was messily linked to a business deal involving her aunt, but did that mean she couldn’t enjo
y his company in the meantime?
Before she lost her nerve, she texted Jace. Hot tub #5. 10:00.
Then she waited. One minute. Two. Was he ignoring her message? Had he met up with Bryce and another cute waitress from the steakhouse? She went to the closet of her tiny interior cabin and selected a bikini to wear. She used the bathroom. Still no return text. Seriously? He was blowing her off? Just as five minutes passed and Pearl had convinced herself Jace wasn’t answering, her phone buzzed with a text.
Sounds good. See you then.
*****
She arrived deliberately late, a careful five minutes. Over her black bikini she wore a thin red and black robe, one Jace hadn’t seen by the pool or anywhere else the last three days. She took the elevator to the Sun Deck, then found the lattice marked with a large gold 5. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.
“Thought you might have changed your mind.”
He was already in the hot tub, his chest glistening with water. In the dim light, she couldn’t make out what he wore below the waist. She shook her hair over her shoulders. “Just taking my time.”
“Mmm.” He patted the side of the hot tub. “Water’s nice.” His gaze raked over her. “Coming in?”
Without answering, she dropped her robe. His mouth curved up in obvious pleasure. “Nice, DeVane. Very nice.”
Well, that was a positive sign, right? All the way up, she’d worried that he’d turn her down. Maybe he’d simply been waiting for her to make the first move. She walked to the hot tub and climbed in, one leg following the other. She took a minute to adjust to the temperature, crossing her arms over her chest as goose bumps broke out. Then she sat, finding the bench on her side of the tub before sliding over to his. Her fingers reached out and found his waistband, a smooth strip of blue beneath the clear water. Teasing, she stroked the fabric back and forth, eyes on his, waiting for his response. It didn’t take long to come. He turned hard beneath her palm in less than a minute.
“Pearl.” One hand dropped onto hers, stilling her motion.
She went cold. “You’re rejecting me? Really?”
“No. Absolutely not. I just - I gotta say something here.”
“About why you’ve been acting like my cousin the last three days instead of someone who’s remotely interested in kissing or touching or sleeping with me?”
One corner of his mouth tugged up. “Your cousin? Is that really what it seems like?”
“Sort of. I mean, no offense, but you couldn’t wait to get your hands on me every other time we were together. Then you ask me to go on this cruise, and suddenly it’s like I have the plague or something.”
He reached for her hand under the water. “I’m trying to be respectful.”
His thumb stroked the center of her palm, and suddenly words jumbled up in her head. “Respectful?”
“I didn’t want to do anything that would make you think I was using you. Trying to gain advantage.”
“Because of Dolly and the diner.”
He nodded.
She edged closer to him. The water lapped against the sides of the tub. “That’s incredibly honorable of you.” Her other hand went to his, so all ten fingers entwined. “Thank you.” Her hair floated on the water. Her lips skimmed his cheek.
“You’re welcome.” The words were a whisper against her temple, and for a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then he pulled her into him, releasing her hands so he could grip her backside. Slowly, he moved her against him. Away. Against him again.
The slow, gentle rocking started a humming heat inside her. “Tell me if you want me to stop,” he murmured. “I don’t want to -”
At that, she crushed her lips to his. Enough, her body wanted to cry out. I want this. Screw the diner and stupid business deals and everything else right now. Her tongue met his as her hands went to his shoulders, strong and rippling with muscle beneath her touch. God, this man could kiss like no one she’d ever been with.
Pearl pulled away an inch and locked her gaze on his. She moved to her knees, letting the water buoy her as she straddled him. She wanted everything beneath her, the muscle, the man, the rock-hard erection she could feel through his shorts. He reached up and brushed one hand across her breast, his fingers moving to the strap of her bikini. Beneath it. He pulled it down her shoulder until it rested on her elbow. He waited a breath, his eyes still on hers, then did the same with the other. That time, his fingers touched flesh, tight hot buds that wanted his mouth on them.
Slowly, she moved against him again, back and forth. Her eyes closed. His hands went to her hips, matching the motion. Pure pleasure sang through her, turning her wet. The ache in her rose, and she bit her lip as her breath sped up. Then the broad, strong flat of his palm slipped along one thigh.
Oh, dear God…
His hand moved over the ridge of her hipbone and settled for a moment to cup her ass, the heat leaving an imprint all the way up her skin. She kept moving. She couldn’t stop; she was already halfway to coming.
But he slowed her motion, those firm hands holding her back, keeping her in place until she opened her eyes to plead with him. He was smiling up at her, his expression genuine. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. “I want to watch you.” With that, his fingers moved beneath the edge of her bikini bottoms.
Jace stroked her, long and slow. One finger. Then two. Each time he parted her a little more, his fingers dipping deeper, until when he finally touched the tiny sensitive nub at the top, she almost leapt out of her skin. The water undulated around them, mirroring the movements. He did it again. And then again. The next time she rocked against him, his fingers slipped inside her. His thumb remained where it was, teasing, circling, until without warning her orgasm erupted, and all she could feel and taste and smell and cry out for was him.
Chapter Eleven
The following afternoon, Pearl floated into the diner. Sure, her feet may have been on the ground, but every part of her was light, filled with the heady excitement of lust and possibility.
“I’ll take it from your expression you had a good time,” Dolly said from the counter.
Pearl looked around. The place seemed fuller than usual. Only two stools remained empty at the counter, and at least half the tables and booths had customers. She smiled and helped herself to a mug of coffee. “I had a wonderful time.” She rested her chin on her hand. The memory of Jace and the hot tub and his arms around her sent a flush through her every time she thought of it.
“Just what you needed?” Dolly asked.
“Just what I needed.” She wrapped both arms around her aunt and hugged. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Dolly patted her back and then handed her an apron. “Now, can you fill in for me this last hour?”
Pearl wheeled her suitcase behind the counter. She’d come straight there after disembarking earlier that morning, planning on lunch and a hello before heading home for a shower. Looked as though maybe the shower would have to wait.
“Of course,” she said. “Everything okay?”
Dolly nodded as she took off her own apron. For the first time, Pearl noticed the light-gray dress she wore underneath. Dolly slipped off her comfortable flat shoes and put on a pair of high heels instead.
“Wait a minute. Do you have a date?”
Dolly smoothed her hair in its twist and laughed. “Of course not. It’s just a meeting with the Planning Board.”
“‘Just’? Is it about the historic registry application?” Pearl had turned it in the day before leaving. “Did you hear something? Are they going to -”
“It’s not about that,” Dolly said. “It’s something else, a renovation grant I applied for a while ago. I didn’t think it would amount to anything, but…” Her cheeks colored. “It’s a good amount, sweetheart. A hundred thousand dollars.”
Pearl clapped her hands together. “Oh, my God! Seriously? That’s amazing!”
“I hope so. It isn’t final yet. They want to know how I’m going to use the
money, if they give it to me.”
“Do you have a plan? Something written up?” Pearl felt suddenly guilty. Here she’d been setting sail these past few days, shopping and sunning and flirting with Jace, while her aunt was at home dealing with business affairs. “You should have told me. I could have helped you put something together.”
“It’s fine.” Dolly patted her arm. “I had some help. We’ve been talking about putting on an addition out back. That will take most of the money, that and updating the kitchen.”
“Oh. No, you’re right, that sounds perfect.” Pearl tied her apron around her waist and checked the orders waiting behind the grill. “Who helped you?” Just then, two club sandwiches with fries came up, and she carried them to booth four. By the time she’d deposited ketchup and extra napkins, Dolly was on her way to the door.
“Don’t be mad, all right?” Dolly said. “I was up to my elbows in paperwork, and he stopped by. He offered to help, and I didn’t have anyone else to ask.”
“Be mad? Why would I…who helped you?” Pearl asked, baffled.
Dolly pressed her lips together, as if she knew the answer might hurt her niece. “It was Royal.”
*****
“Who’s Royal?” Jace asked later that night. They sat on a bench near the beach, a half-finished pizza between them. Pearl stared at the trees and the water beyond, turning sleek red with the approaching sunset. She’d been all out of sorts from the moment they met for takeout, but only then was he finally getting the whole story.
“My ex.”
At that, an unfamiliar pang zipped into Jace’s chest. Thoughts bounced inside his head. How long ago had they broken up? Had the guy hurt Pearl? Had he cheated on her? Was he gay? (Jace liked that thought best) Or was he trying to weasel his way back into Pearl’s good graces?
“We broke up a couple of months ago. At the beginning of the summer.”
He laced his hands behind his head. “How long were you with him?”
“A little over a year.”
The pang zipped in again, staying a little longer the second time. Jace couldn’t recall the last time he’d been jealous of anyone, except maybe Marshall Reagan’s success. He didn’t do relationships for the simple reason that emotions built up and got messy and made people weak.
Passionate Kisses 2 Boxed Set: Love in Bloom Page 53