Chapter 19

 

The words seem to bubble up the back of his throat and tumble out his mouth. Up until last week, he’d never spent a thought about being exclusive with one woman, let alone settling down with her – on his boat. His sanctuary.

But Pippa did strange things to him. The more time he spent with her, the more he was inclined to believe his brother Chuck’s words. You’re in love with this girl. That’s what I’m talking about.

And that scared the shit out of him. So many things could go wrong when one bared his heart to a woman. And she was his employee. The best assistant he’d ever had. He couldn’t afford to lose her just because their relationship crashed and burned. Running the other direction would be the wise thing to do.

But the attraction sizzled between them, taking away his rational sense. Since getting a taste of her on the sundeck, he had been in a constant state of arousal, wanting to feel her body beneath his, shower her with kisses and map her luscious curves with his hands and mouth.

When he surfaced from his lustful thoughts, he noticed that they had steered past the marina and down to a small, secluded beach that only the locals knew about. His body filled with painful desire, wanting to erupt. Explode. He led Pippa to the edge of the wet sand and pulled her down to sit beside him.

“Where are we?” She leaned against him, her long hair tickling his bare arms and he inhaled her unique citrusy aroma.

“This is my favorite place on Bonaire.”

“Do you have a favorite spot on every island?”

“Yes. I have buddies on most of them as well.”

“What about girls? Do you have those on every island too?” she asked teasingly.

“No.” He paused for a moment. He used to have at least one girl in every harbor, but now even the thought of kissing another woman who wasn’t Pippa, turned his stomach. “I mean, I’ve dated girls from most of the islands, but not anymore.”

“Why not?” Pippa asked with a soft voice. She wanted to make it sound casual, but he sensed the slight tension that took hold of her body.

Emboldened by her reaction he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, “Because I don’t want anyone but you.”

“Nothing but sweet-talk.” She shrugged out of his embrace. “How is that even possible?”

“I’ve been asking myself the same question.”

“River, I’m not the right woman for you. You need someone who enjoys living on a boat. I’m terrified of it.” Her voice had taken on an urgency that stabbed at his heart.

“I think you’re perfect. You’ve been at ease on the boat these last days and one day you’ll even want to go diving with me. I know it.” He turned his head to lock eyes with her, and he could see that she wanted to believe him, but something held her back.

“You’re wrong. There are more suitable women for you than me.”

“And I think you’re afraid I might be right.”

Pippa opened her mouth to mount another objection, but River stopped her with a finger over her lips. “I’m tired of talking,” he whispered, just before he covered her mouth with his own. Then he took her in a kiss that flared into pure carnal lust.

He used his thumb to pull her chin down and his tongue surged inside, exploring the inside of her mouth. Pippa gave herself over to his kiss, opening her lips for him. His hands pulled at her shoulders, and she responded by straddling him. At last, her body was pressed tightly against his, and he could feel every fiber in his body hardening. His cock pressed against her soft entrance and her luscious breasts pushed against his tight muscles.

River almost lost it, as the raw lust surged through him. Tasting her sweet mouth wasn’t enough. He needed more. But Pippa broke the kiss, and said, panting for air, “River, we have to stop.”

“Don’t want to,” he hissed, placing little kisses down her cheek, all the way to her ear. When he nibbled at her earlobe, she moaned and tipped her head to give him better access.

His hands found their way below her top, caressing her slim waist, gliding up her soft skin until they found the silky material of her bra. His thumbs rubbed her taut nibbles through the fine material and his erection painfully throbbed against her core as she let out another passionate moan.

“God, River,” she threw her head back, arching her breasts into his touch.

River was overwhelmed not only with raw lust, but also with the certainty that she was the perfect woman for him. Her nipples turned into hard peaks under the unforgiving rubbing of his thumbs. He moved one hand below her skirt and felt the moisture seep from her core, wetting her panties. River couldn’t wait to plunge into her and make her his – for good.

“Stop. Stop.” Pippa frantically pushed against his chest, jumping off his lap. “We can’t to this. We agreed to be friends.”

River felt like someone had emptied a bucket of ice water over his head. His hands returned to her shoulders, even as he contemplated how to convince her that they were never meant to be just friends. 

She turned her head when he tried to kiss her and he sighed, his erection refusing to stand down.

“I’m sorry,” she said after one glance into his miserable face. “I got carried away. I should never have let you kiss me.”

“We better get back to the boat.” River stood and held out a hand to help her up. As soon as she gained her footing, she dropped his hand and put a little distance between them.