A stab of unfamiliar jealousy hit him square in the gut. He swallowed his questions about this instructor and nodded instead. Saferthatway.
“Do you know your way around the lines?” she asked as she stepped on boardwithease.
“I know enough to be ofservice.”
She glanced back at him over her shoulder, a bright smile spilling across her face. “Oh, those are my favoritewords.”
He followed her onto the deck. He wanted to haul her into his arms, but he settled for taking both the basket and his backpack down below. But she would be in his arms tonight, there was no doubt about that. Her not-so-casual touches increased after she started the motor and instructed him to untie the dock lines. When he stepped back onto the boat with the last dock line, she slid her hand down the length of his forearm before steering them deftly into the open water. As they raised the sails together, she brushed against him here and there, until he was a breath away from tugging her onto the deck with him and demanding to know what he needed to do to getevenmore.
Maybe with his mouth. Or his teeth. His cock. She could have every last inch of his eager,hungrybody.
* * *
Leah had totally givenin to her desire to touch Quinn. Only their shared task of getting the sailboat out to sea kept her from doing more. From the second he’d stopped in front of her and said she looked good, something had started smolderinginsideher.
And she was pretty sure it would burst into flames as soon as they were well and truly alone, surrounded by nothing but the ocean and the warm rays ofthesun.
Following the maps she’d carefully perused that afternoon, they curled around the coral reef, heading for an uninhabited island a short sail away. Once they were in a good position to anchor, she turned them head-to-wind, and Quinn pushed the mainsail out, slowing them down, and once they were stopped, they brought the mainsail down and droppedanchor.
Quinn knew more than the basics. His rope work was deft, his moves sure as they tested theanchor’shold.
“Are you hungry?” she asked when he climbed around the side of the boat, the sailssecured.
He nodded slowly. “Whatchagot?”
“I really don’t know.” She licked her lips. Damn, that was true on more than one level. “The hotel packed the basket and I was in a rush to meetyou,so…”
He moved closer, joining her behind the wheel. Warmth radiated off his body, and she breathed in the scent of him, masculine and fresh. “I was wondering if my eagerness was one-sided.”
She tipped her head up toward his. “It’s not. Although I’m not sure exactly what we’redoinghere.”
“Having fun,Ihope.”
“Definitelythat.”
“No strings or expectations, if that’s yourworry.”
“I wouldn’t say worry. But I usually have more rules about…well,everything.”
“I’m not a bigruleguy.”
She laughed. “I got that loud and clear. Andthat’sokay.”
“How many rules do you have aboutkissing?”
At least a dozen. “None that matter,” she breathed, turning to face him. They were squeezed into the small cockpit, the wheel on one side and the captain’s chair on the other. Thank goodness she’d moved it back and out of the way. She kept one hand on the wheel, and pressed the other against his chest. Hard muscle flexed againstherpalm.
“I’m not sure I believe you,” he said, brushing a loose strand of hair behindherear.
She swayed against him. “I’m starting to think you re-write a lot of myrules.”
“In a good way?” He curved over her, his hand still on her neck. His thumb rubbed back and forth along the line ofherjaw.
“I think so.” Her pulse was fluttering out of control—and perfectly, improbably, blissfully cool with that fact. At least for tonight, her body wanted this man in a fierce,uncontrolledway.
“You let me know if that changes,” he breathed as he lowered his mouthtohers.
“Okay.” And that was the last word she said for a long, sweet stretch of time, because Quinn’s lips were on hers and talking paled in comparisontothat.
