“I don’t think it has anything to do with the ring.”
“How do you know?” The ache inside her grew more intense as he shrugged off his soaked shirt, letting it fall heavily to the floor. He stood in front of her, bare from the waist up. She wanted Patrick McKay. She’d never wanted anyone or anything so badly in her entire life.
“I just—” he grimaced as a condom from the basket flew across the room and hit him in the forehead “—know.”
Maybe he was right.
The flying condom kind of gave it away. Carrie couldn’t hide her desire for the sexy man standing before her. Why was she even bothering?
“We need to get out of here,” she said. “Can we call Will? Can he send the other boat to come pick us up?”
“With weather like that?” Patrick asked, nodding at the window. “I don’t think so.”
“How long will we be stuck here?”
“No idea.” He blinked. “You’re dripping wet.”
She looked down at herself to see that a puddle had formed at her feet.
He sighed, then went to the phone that would have been next to the bed if it was still in its regular spot against the wall. He picked up the receiver and held it to his ear. “No dial tone.” He flicked the switch that would have been for the bedside lamp. “The power’s out.”
“Not good.”
Patrick scanned her from drippy hair to drippy shoes. “Are you bothered by the thought of spending time alone with me?”
She met his gaze. “No. But I would have thought that you’d feel that way. You’re the one who’s been avoiding me so I don’t find out your deep dark secrets. And you’re the one who wants to trade me off to a new partner the moment we get back.”
His amused expression finally deflated a fraction. “I don’t want you to take that personally.”
“Who said I did? I’m just stating a fact. It’s what I do. State facts. Uncover facts. Figure things out.”
He stared at her steadily for a long minute until she began to feel uncomfortable.
“What?” she prompted. “Do you have something to say?”
“I do.”
“What’s that? That I need to be more professional? That I should mind my own business and stay out of yours? That I should be thankful that PARA would even consider me for the job, considering how unpracticed my abilities are and how much trouble they’ve gotten us into?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“I’m wondering when you’re going to put that ring on again.” He glanced in the direction she’d thrown the small piece of jewelry before looking back at her.
She studied him carefully. “Why do you want me to put it on?”
“Because I can’t touch you when you’re not wearing it.”
A breath caught in her throat.
“If you’re not wearing the ring,” he continued, “I can’t make love to you. Right here. Right now.”
Carrie’s mouth fell open. “You want to make love to me?”
“So much that I can barely control myself.”
Her face felt flushed. “Patrick—”
“When I thought I lost you out there in the water…you don’t know what was going through my mind. I knew I couldn’t lose you, Carrie. I feel like I’ve only just found you.”
Her mind swirled with thoughts and arguments but she was speechless. She’d felt the heat between them, but she hadn’t expected this.
“I want you, Carrie,” he said, and his thickly spoken words slid over her like warm butter, making her insides twist with desire. “I’ve wanted you since the first moment I saw you. That’s two damn years now. When you called me after all that time… You have no idea what the thought of seeing you again did to me. You affected me like—like no one else.” He rubbed his forehead, frowning hard. “I’ve tried to ignore how I feel, since I knew I couldn’t touch you. But now…”
“Now what?”
“Now I can touch you.” His eyes were like liquid emeralds. She could see the need reflected there. He was telling the truth and she could barely believe her ears. He wanted her as much as she wanted him.
Another condom rocketed toward them and it hit Patrick in the shoulder this time. She grimaced.
He looked down at it, before returning his gaze to her. “Is that a yes?”
If she put the ring on right now it would be as much as telling Patrick that she wanted his hands on her, his mouth, his tongue—
She would be laying bare her emotions with the chance of getting hurt.
But, no. It didn’t have to be like that at all. She’d been in control of her life before, and she could be in control again. The decision was entirely hers.
What happened in a honeymoon villa in the Bahamas in the middle of a violent tropical storm could stay in a honeymoon villa in the Bahamas in the middle of a violent tropical storm.
Maybe she could get Patrick out of her system, out of her thoughts and away from the telekinesis that seemed triggered by her hunger for him. She could go back to PARA and have a new partner and everything would be okay. Being with Patrick would be the bridge between her two lives—her controlled past and her uncontrollable future.
Without another word, she leaned over, fished the ring from under the bed, and slid it onto her finger.
“I WANT YOU, PATRICK.”
If he hadn’t already been as hard as a rock, he’d be that way now.
He’d always made decisions easily, certain that he was doing the right thing. Not when he was with Carrie, though. She put him off balance with only a look from those sexy cinnamon eyes. He ached for her like no other woman, but there had been a barrier between them.
The goddess of love and sex wanted them to be together. She’d taken measures to ensure that would happen, and here they were. Stranded. Together.
Erzulie had done this on purpose—whether it was a trick or a game or the legitimate fulfillment of a wish on both their parts. She’d sensed their attraction and had put them in a position where they could do something about it. She’d temporarily warped Carrie’s telekinesis so it would summon the storm that would strand them here and allow them to explore what they felt for each other.
Whatever this was—passion, desire, need. All Patrick knew was he wanted her. Badly.
He approached Carrie slowly, cautiously, as if expecting her to back away from him. She had to see the need in his eyes, the dark, overwhelming ache that desperately made him want to touch her. It had been so long for him.
But there was no fear in her eyes, no uncertainty. Not anymore. There had been a moment ago, but it was gone now. He stood only a foot away from her, close enough that he could feel the heat from her body. He was the one who felt afraid as he reached toward her. Afraid that it had only been a fluke before, that this time he’d feel the crushing pain when he touched her.
He slid his fingers along her cheek to her jaw and down the side of her throat. She inhaled sharply.
He waited for the pain but there was nothing but the warm, smooth feel of her damp skin. Thanks to whatever magic Erzulie had infused it with, the ring worked perfectly.
She inhaled sharply as his hand slid down to her breast, cupping her through the wet material of her shirt.
“I had a dream about you last night,” he said.
“About me?”
“Yes. I dreamed you came to me in my hotel room. That you tied my hands over my head and…”
“And? And what?”
He couldn’t help but smile a little at her interest. “And you had your way with me.”
“I had my way with you,” she repeated.
“Yes. Your mouth, it was so hot when you went down on me. You drove me crazy. I thought it was real for a second.”
“You thought I’d be so filled with desire for you that I’d visit you in the middle of the night, tie you up, and do what I wanted with you.”
“Consider it a personal fantasy. But then you disappeared.”
“I disappea
red.”
“It was extremely disappointing.” He slowly began to unbutton her blouse from the waist up, then slid it off her shoulders.
“Sounds like a good dream.”
“It was. For a while.” His jaw tightened. “I didn’t care for the part when you disappeared.”
“Well, mid-seduction, I can’t really blame you.”
He laughed out loud at that. “It was just a dream. But this is real.”
She let out a soft moan as his hands edged beneath her satin bra and skimmed her diamond-hard nipples. “Patrick…”
“I need you naked.” His breath was coming faster now. The feel of her smooth skin was beyond anything he’d imagined. She felt so good, so warm. He didn’t want to stop touching her for a moment.
He unhooked the bra from the back and it fell away. He didn’t waste any time, leaning over to slide his tongue over her nipples. Just as he’d fantasized about on the pool deck yesterday, he pressed her breasts together so he could lick both of them at once, pleased at the shuddery sigh it elicited from her, fueling his desire.
He felt famished, as if Carrie were a delicious feast laid bare for him and he hadn’t eaten for years. And he hadn’t. His body was starving for her. But not just for sex. He was starving for Carrie. Carrie, the woman who’d haunted him from the moment they’d met. Whose beautiful face had fueled his dreams.
She was with him. She was here with him, and the look in her eyes told him that she wanted him, too. This was more than physical. He knew that. This wasn’t a quick lay that would end a long period of celibacy. It was much deeper.
At this moment—this moment in particular—nothing else mattered but the feel of her. The smell of her. The taste of her.
Erzulie had given him a gift. She’d given him the chance to touch and to be with the woman he desired above all others.
He’d sensed from the very beginning that Carrie was special. She cared about him when he’d given her no reason to. She was curious and driven to find the truth about him when others had given up or never cared in the first place. Carrie was amazing, and he felt grateful that she’d even consider being with him.
His dream the other night had been hot and sexy, but unfinished. He hoped like hell he wasn’t going to wake up from this, alone in bed.
This wasn’t a dream. She was here, with him, and he’d never wanted another woman more in his entire life.
Patrick inhaled sharply as he felt her hands at the front of his pants. She undid his belt, then worked at the button, unzipping him quickly. And as her hand wrapped around his cock, he realized that dreams were nowhere near as good as reality.
11
“CARRIE…please…” HE tightened his grip on her shoulders as a shudder of pleasure coursed through him.
Her lips curved. “So polite.”
“I don’t want this over too soon.”
“Why?” she asked with a mixture of innocence and wickedness. “Has it been a while for you?”
“I think you know the answer to that.” He swore under his breath as the feel of her hands on him was almost too much to bear. “Carrie…touching me…like that…you’re going to reach the finish line in record time.”
“Like this?” She stroked him and he groaned darkly.
“Yes…exactly like that.”
Her breathing was coming quicker. “Were you able to get hard like this when you were injured?”
He looked at her with a sliver of amusement. “What is this, a—a medical examination?”
“Answer my question or I’ll finish this right here.” She stroked him again and he nearly climaxed like an anxious teenager.
“I don’t remember the last Q&A with you being so…challenging.”
“I’ve changed it up a bit. Do you like it?”
“Yes. You’re an amazing interviewer.” He tried to smile, but failed. “When I was in recovery I could get erections. I was only paralyzed for a couple of weeks. Then I partially began getting sensation back—shooting pain down my legs for starters—as my spinal cord slowly began to heal. It wasn’t pleasant, but it was just good to feel anything at all at that point. I still couldn’t walk, though, but I could get aroused.”
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that.” Her warm brown eyes watched him as she listened, her expression showing clearly that she felt for his past pain. “But why weren’t you with anyone back then? If you could still…perform, that is?”
He shook his head. He wouldn’t answer these questions for anyone else, but with Carrie—somehow he felt safe opening up to her. “I didn’t like how weak I was. I didn’t want anyone to have to deal with that firsthand, not until I was back to normal.”
“That was kind of stupid of you,” she murmured, still not letting go of him.
He raised an eyebrow. “Thank you, Ms. Stanfield.”
“You were celibate even though you didn’t have to be.”
“Yeah, I was.” He remembered the pity and hint of disdain he’d seen in his ex-fiancée’s eyes when he’d pulled away from any romantic encounter after his release from the hospital. It seemed like a very long time ago.
Carrie’s lips brushed against his throat. “Did you feel the empathic pain back then, too? Is that why you didn’t want anyone to touch you like this?”
“No. That kind of pain came later.” He finally grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from him. “Enough questions.”
She suddenly looked uncertain, now that she wasn’t fully in control. She was about to cover her bared breasts when he shook his head.
“Please, Carrie. Don’t. Do you know how incredibly beautiful you are?”
She looked embarrassed. “I wouldn’t say that.”
“That’s why I’m saying it. You’re gorgeous and sexy and I want to worship every inch of you right now. The same storm that rages inside of you rages inside of me. I think you know that now.”
She locked gazes with him. “Some storms are more dangerous than others.”
“They are.” He took her face between his hands. “Please take off the rest of your clothes for me, Carrie. Let me see your beautiful body.”
He thought she might argue, resist, but she didn’t. Biting her bottom lip, her damp, dark hair falling over her face, she slipped off her wet shoes. Then she undid her jeans, slowly sliding them over her hips. She stepped out of them completely so she stood there only in her panties.
Patrick watched her hungrily, working his own pants off the rest of the way and discarding his sodden shoes. He sat down on the edge of the bed. “Come here.”
She tentatively drew closer and he devoured all of her with his eyes. He hadn’t lied. She was perfect. Gorgeous. Everything he’d ever dreamed or fantasized about. She challenged him. She frustrated him. And she made his cock harder than any other woman.
She came all the way to the bed and put a hand on either thigh, parting them so she could get closer. Then she leaned over and kissed him, soft and wet and deep. He groaned. To be able to touch her, to kiss her, and feel only pleasure was a gift he cherished above all others.
He smoothed his hand over the back of her thighs and pulled her forward so she had no choice but to press against him. He lowered them both down to the firm mattress.
“You taste so good,” he said softly against her lips.
“So do you.”
“Salt water tastes better on your lips than it does in the ocean.”
She grinned. “High sodium, not great for the diet. I’ll make an exception this one time.”
“Thank you.”
He eased his fingers beneath the silky fabric covering her sex. When he felt the proof of her desire for him, male pride exploded through his veins.
“You’re wet,” he said.
She moaned, her fingers digging into his shoulders. “The storm’s not entirely to blame for that.”
As he stroked her sex, her breathing became more erratic.
“Mmm, Patrick…please…” She squirmed on top of him, then gasped loudl
y as he slid his middle finger inside her tight, heated core.
He couldn’t help but smile at the very encouraging reaction. “Yes, Carrie? Do you have another question for me? Further investigation into my so-called secrets?”
“Don’t be a smart-ass. Stop teasing me. I can’t take it.” Her grip on his shoulders grew tighter, as if she had to hold on to something—an anchor—or else be swept away completely. He was happy to oblige.
Her hips began to move, guiding his finger in and out of her body. She felt so good, so wet and ready for him, that any thoughts of teasing her fell away. He’d waited so long to touch her. Now he desperately needed to be inside of her. He didn’t think he could control himself much longer.
“Do you want me, Carrie?”
“Yes,” she answered without hesitating.
“You want me inside of you?”
“Patrick…please…” She sounded more demanding this time.
He gently rolled her onto her back so he was on top. Her panties were now pushed to the side and he caught a tantalizing glimpse of her glistening sex as her legs parted for him.
He didn’t think it was possible for him to get harder. He was wrong.
“Tell me what you want,” he whispered, a rough edge to his voice.
He hooked his fingers into the sides of her panties and skimmed them slowly down her legs. He brushed his lips against her inner thigh and she groaned his name.
“Patrick…I want your cock…inside of me.”
He kissed her lips. “My cock.”
“Yes.” She grabbed his face and he saw the desperate, frantic look in her eyes. “Now, please. I’ve wanted you for so long. I need you.”
The feel of her naked body against his was both torture and bliss.
It had been so long, and the feel of Carrie, his desire for her, seemed too much to process. He didn’t want this over too soon, but he knew he wouldn’t last as long as he’d like to. The body could only take so much before it needed release.
He was close to the edge already.
“Carrie, you’re so damn hot,” he whispered fiercely. “You’re driving me crazy.”
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