Parting her legs, he licked the joint of her thigh and groin, where her skin was ultrasmooth and delicate. "David please..." Regardless of what she said, she couldn't be ready yet. His mouth open and his kisses deliberately damp, David made his way back up her body. She grabbed him, kissing him hard, while his hands covered both her breasts. Her nipples were tight now, her breasts swollen. He caught her nipples and rolled, squeezed, tugged. She pulled her mouth away. "David…" "Shh." He kissed her again, silencing her protests while continuing to torment her nipples. The more aroused she got, the more she'd enjoy his caresses. Her legs shifted restlessly, moving alongside his until he stilled them with one of his own. Caught under him, Bonnie could barely move, and that suited David just fine. Keeping her legs trapped, he leaned up to look at her face. "I want you as ready as I am, Bon." "I am," she all but wailed. "No." Smiling, he dragged his callused fingertips ov

“Okay, that’s as slow as we go. Let me take over.” “All right.” She kept her hands on the wheel and slid her butt out of the chair. As she stood, she lifted her eyes to the window. “David!” David swiveled to see the giant wave crest and slam over the starboard side of the boat. Water exploded into the wheelhouse. Duchess squawked and flapped her wings as the boat rocked violently back and forth. Bonnie lost her grip and went flying. David let go of the chair and grabbed for her, but she slammed shoulder first into the bulkhead. She hit the deck on all fours, but even as David reached for the wheel, he could see she was still moving. “Bonnie! You okay?” “Yes.” But her voice wasn’t nearly as loud as it had been before. “Stay there!” As he finally righted himself, he saw another wall of water heading right for them. He managed to grab and yank the wheel another thirty degrees east before he heard the deafening whumph. Then everything went black. —-------------- The world dropped i

“Good times.” He made a stumbling effort to his room. It took longer than expected, longer than his ego approved of, to change into a pair of wonderfully clean and dry sweats. He was already lying down when she knocked on his door. “Yeah.” He answered. “Here you go. It’s chamomile, so it should help relax you.” David opened his eyes and found she’d changed, as well, and was wearing an over-sized T-shirt and what to him looked like skimpy boxer shorts. She sat on the edge of the bed, held out two pills and handed him the mug. “Awesome. Thanks.” He took the pills but nearly choked on the tea. “Gah! Tastes like Calliope’s herb garden.” David set the mug on the narrow shelf by his bed. Bonnie grinned, then poked a finger gently against his forehead and pushed his head back. “Go to sleep.” She stood up to go, but he caught her wrist. “Don’t go.” “But you need—” She began. He looked at her, and even though he knew it was a mistake, he couldn’t release her hand. “Don’t go. Stay.

“Could you maybe make that sound more analytical? I don’t think my therapist heard you.” She retorted. Safe to say? What was safe with this conversation? “I bet he or she would say you’re deflecting with humor.” She narrowed her eyes. Was he playing with her? “Look, I'm in no mood to talk about that right now," he said. “I—” She stared at him. What was happening here? What had happened to the affable, playful, fun-to-be-around David? What had happened to the guy who made love to her so passionately last night? Was he picking a fight to deflect from what he was feeling? “Why does it seem as if we’re having two separate conversations?” she asked. “Probably because we are. Okay…” He was speaking in very calm, determined syllables. “We need to look at this situation realistically. We are two very different people who come from two very different worlds. That can add a spark or ten to an intense situation.” She tilted her head to one side. “You’re saying that whatever we’re feeling has

“Nice reels.” he said “I found this box of tackle, too. They look handmade.” She handed him the metal box, then shielded her eyes and looked up. “This is good timing. Dusk is setting in.” Even though it was late in the day, they may still have a chance of catching something. “They’ll work, yeah?” “They’ll work.” He examined the rod she handed to him. “So will this. Want me to check—?” “I’ve got it.” She didn’t snap, just made the simple declaration. She chose her own tackle from the box and tied it on. A few minutes later she was casting off and taking a seat in the chair beside him. “You’ve definitely done this before.” He repeated her actions, got a bit more distance than she had and set the pole down in the receptacle on the arm of his chair. “I was thinking about grabbing a beer. You want one?” “No, thanks. But I’ll take some wine.” She replied. “Good idea. I’ll join you.” Forced politeness, Bonnie thought as he disappeared below deck, had its advantages. He’d set new gr