It was too dark to see, but she knew it must be working when the boat slowed and seemed to steady.
“Now what?” she asked.
He drew a strand of hair from her lashes and pressed a salty kiss on her mouth. His lips were warm and strong, giving her a much-needed blast of comfort.
“Now we wait and let the current carry us through the storm.” He pulled her down to the bottom of the hull so that she was lying in front of him, tucked into the hard curve of his body, and covered them with blankets.
They were completely at the mercy of the storm. The rain pelted down, and the small skiff tossed and turned with the perilous roll of the giant waves. But snug and warm in the circle of his solid embrace, with the constant steady beat of his heart at her back, Ellie felt a moment of calm.
Until the next wave hit, and the terror caused her pulse to jump, jolting her heart to a sudden stop. She was clutching at him, her fingers digging into his arms with every surge and crash of the waves, with every blood-chilling creak of the boat as it slammed over the waves. But she felt his solid strength behind her like an anchor. How he could remain so calm was maddening—it was almost inhuman.
A huge wave picked them up and nearly turned them sideways before slamming the skiff down with enough force to make her teeth and bones rattle. “Aren’t you scared?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“Nay,” he replied automatically, then paused, hugging her a little closer. “Maybe a little.”
His fear was for her. The admission filled her with a swell of happiness. Perhaps he wasn’t completely immune to human frailties—even if they weren’t for himself. Perhaps he did care for her.
Before she could reply, he teased, “But don’t think about repeating that to anyone. I’ve an image to uphold.”
Her smile turned into a cry when another harrowing wave took them on a perilous ride up its steep face and crashed over the top to the flat below. The constant pull between moments of panic and relief was straining. She felt it in her chest. In her lungs. She didn’t know how much longer she could take it.
Shivering, she gripped the leather of hiscotunin her fists until her knuckles turned white. “I can’t stand this.”
He soothed her with low murmurs whispered in her ear and the soft caress of his hand on her arm. Her waist. Her hip. And then her bottom.
Heat pooled between her legs. Her limbs loosened. The frantic unevenness of her breath slowed.
He stroked her some more, sliding his hand over her body possessively. Insistently. And she melted against him. Her body responding to every touch.
Yes. This was what she needed.
He was trying to distract her—and it was working. She barely noticed the slam of the next wave when he cupped her breast, plying her nipple between his fingers as it beaded and hardened at his touch. When the gentle caress wasn’t enough, she arched, pressing herself deeper into his hand, aching for pressure.
Her hips swayed back, and she could feel him big and hard against her. Her nerves—already set on edge—flared. The primal instinct for fear turned instantly to something else: lust.
She wanted him inside her. Wanted him with a desperateness that rivaled her fear only moments before.
She rubbed her bottom against him, her body using a language all its own to tell him what she craved.
The low murmurs in her ear turned to a growl and ravaging kisses as his mouth plundered a trail down her neck.
The storm roared around them, tossing the small boat to-and-fro like a child’s toy.
This was crazy.
But she didn’t care. Under the cocoon of blankets, the maelstrom swirling around them seemed to disappear. If they were going to die, she wanted to live one more time. And if they made it through the storm, she knew she might never have another chance to find passion with the man she loved.
She turned around, their gazes catching in the darkness. Heat blazed in his eyes. “Make it go away,” she whispered. Not just the storm, but the restlessness he’d roused inside her.
He answered her plea with a kiss that took her breath away. A kiss as fierce and frenzied as the storm that railed around them.
It should have been difficult with the constant motion of the boat, but he anticipated the movements and used the strength of his body to brace them against the sea. But truth be told, he was kissing her so passionately and her body was so crazed for his touch that she didn’t know how it happened.
She was under him, her skirts were up at her waist, the ties of his braies had been loosened enough to release the hard column of his erection, and then, blissfully, with one hard thrust he was inside her.
She cried out in pleasure as the abrupt invasion, as the thick, heavy fullness beat inside her. It felt incredible. No pain this time, only pleasure. She wanted to hold on to this feeling, to this connection, forever.
She gasped when the boat lurched, and he sank even deeper.
