Sterling’s strong arms came to the railing as the warmth of his body radiated behind me, heating my sundress-covered back. Sighing against my neck, his prickly chin nuzzled against my shoulder while the aroma of sunscreen mixed with cologne replaced the fresh scent of water. Before us was the never-ending blue of Lake Michigan, the surface sparkling like diamonds in the sun as the yacht cruised through the waves, taking us back south to Chicago.
I leaned back against his solid chest, taking in the beauty as the wind blew my hair and the light fabric of the sundress covering my bikini.
“You’re quiet. What are you thinking?” he asked, his words tickling my neck.
Instead of answering, I shrugged.
“I’ll tell you what I’m thinking,” he offered.
Spinning within the cage of his arms, I wrapped mine around his bare, toned torso. Looking up, I replaced my view of the blue waters with the darkest brown eyes. “What are you thinking?”
“That next time we have a yacht, it has fewer crew members.”
My sun-kissed cheeks rose as my head shook. “I’m very disappointed in my tan lines. I was promised there’d be none.”
Leaning away, he reached behind my neck to where my bikini top was tied and tugged at the knot. “Me too.”
I didn’t protest as the knot came loose, knowing that Sterling wouldn’t expose me if others were around. That was the whole reason our nakedness had not included the multiple decks of this giant yacht; instead, it was limited to our private cabin, more specifically the master suite. My smile turned sultry as under the sundress, the top of my bikini fell, now only secured around by a string behind my back.
“Make that no crew,” he said.
“I like that. Can it be a sailboat?”
“If you want a sailboat, we’ll have a sailboat.”
“Do you know how to sail?”
He ran his finger over my cheek. “Have you found anything I can’t do?”
“Not yet. I’ll keep trying.” I looked up at his chiseled features as he stared beyond me to the water. “That sailboat...” I said, “...something small for just the two of us.”
This yacht was bigger than I imagined, like everything with Sterling Sparrow—his plane, his cabin, his apartment, and now a chartered yacht. At nearly a hundred feet in length, the main level of the cabin was larger than my apartment in Boulder—two of my apartments. At times it was easy to forget that we’d cruised from Chicago to Mackinac. While the captain said it could be done quicker, Sterling chose to let us enjoy the solitude that comes with each other and a staff of twelve.
Yes, twelve.
Sterling’s expression darkened. “You know it can’t be only us.”
I nodded. Even on this boat, we had members of his security—part of those twelve—people watching our backs, making sure that we were protected. “I hate that we get a vacation, but others have to work.”
“It’s the way the world works.”
“Do you ever get tired of the constant surveillance?” I asked, not for a friend.
“I don’t think about it, other than to know it’s there, and then there are places where they’re less obtrusive.”
“Like home.”
He nodded. “I love hearing you call it that.” He lifted my chin. “Have you enjoyed yourself and our getaway?”
“Have I enjoyed five uninterrupted days of sun and sex?”
“Have you?” he asked, his grin growing as his dark eyes gleamed.
I lifted my arms to his broad shoulders. “Yes, Mr. Sparrow.”
“You know that every time you say that, I get hard?”
“I think the answer to that would be the same.” Yes, Mr. Sparrow. I turned back toward the water. “And Mackinac Island.” I laid my hand over his on the rail. “It was fun to be regular people.”
“Sunshine, there was security.”
“Don’t tell me that. Let me think that for one day we were free.”
His chest rumbled with laughter. “Let’s just say that your change in our plans wasn’t as enjoyable for some.”
Smiling, I shook my head and thought back to the day. I hadn’t even suspected that we were being watched. I’d thought it was the only time we’d been alone, alone in a crowd. The yacht had stopped just beyond the unique island where we were met by a smaller vessel that after cruising around the island, docked at a private marina.
Three days earlier~
Mackinac Island was like stepping back in time. With no cars or motorized vehicles—other than fire engines—it was truly a memorable experience. The only choices for transportation were horses or bicycles. I’d heard of this island, but seeing it was unexpected and exciting.
With my hand in Sterling’s, we walked the sidewalks around the historic town, stopped in shops, and ate amazing fudge. We toured Fort Mackinac. In a horse-drawn carriage we rode up a hill to the massive front porch of the Grand Hotel where a table was waiting inside for our dinner. The green-striped chairs and elegantly dressed waitstaff were like nothing I’d ever seen—classic, not the glitz and glamour of Chicago or New York.
After dinner, as we were headed back to the marina, I tugged on Sterling’s hand. “Are we on a schedule?” I asked.
“No, next on the agenda is getting you back to the cabin of the yacht and making love to you under the lights of Mackinac Bridge.”
It did something to me when Sterling used the words make love—a warm, fuzzy feeling that buzzed through my circulation, tingling my skin and twisting my core. It wasn’t the same adrenaline rush as when he said he wanted to fuck. That was intense, an electric charge to my lady parts, such as the highest setting on the vibrator Sterling had described prior to our first date, the one that so far we’d only played with in the privacy of our bedroom.
Both descriptors brought a smile to my face. That was who Sterling Sparrow was—a man who could make me want whichever side of sex he offered and apparently a decadent toy or two.
For the record, the vibrating butt plug was still a solid no.
Warmth filled my cheeks as I contemplated his plans: the gentle sway of the yacht, the lights of the famous suspension bridge out the window, and Sterling monopolizing my every thought as he brought pleasure to my body. “I like the sound of that,” I said.
He stopped walking and looked down at me. “I’m hearing some hesitation.”
“Not about your plan. It’s that...I don’t know if you’ll want to do what I want to do first.”
“Sunshine, you’ll never know if you don’t ask.”
I leaned my head toward a bicycle rental shop.
Sterling’s eyes grew wide. “Bikes? You want to ride bikes?”
“One bike,” I corrected, dropping his hand and pointing at a bicycle with two seats, one behind the other. When I looked back to him, I saw the wheels turning in his head. “You can say no.”
His chest inflated as he took a deep breath. “I’m just a little worried you won’t keep up your end of the bargain and I’ll end up pedaling us both—”
“All the way around the island,” I interrupted with a smile. “I heard that family next to us in the restaurant talking about it.”
A young man from the shop came out. “Can I help you folks?”
Not waiting for Sterling, I asked, “How long does it take to ride all the way around the island on a bike for two?”
The young man shrugged and scanned Sterling. “It’s 8.2 miles. With him pedaling, he can probably do it in under an hour, but if you stop, it takes longer.”
Well, that seemed like an obvious caveat.
I turned to Sterling and tilted my head, silently making my plea.
With a sigh, he reached for his wallet. “How much for the tandem?”
Yes, that was what the bicycle-built-for-two was called—a tandem.
For the next two hours we rode around the island on the paved M-185—the only state highway in the country that bans cars. While the island was beautiful, my view of Sterling was sometimes hard to resist. We weren’t as close as we’d been on the ATV, yet with his broad shoulders and ass right in front of me, more than once my thoughts slipped to the next item on our agenda.
As we biked, we were sometimes alone while other times we were surrounded by people—couples and families. We did as the young man had said and stopped to see some of the sights we otherwise would have missed, including bluffs overlooking the water and natural formations like Arch Rock. As the ride progressed, I was very thankful for the enlarged seat, and I did pedal but not quite as much as Sterling.
Back to present~
“So because of me, some poor bodyguard had to ride a bike.”
Sterling scoffed. “Two actually. I told Patrick about it, and he said he was glad to still be in Chicago.”
I shook my head. “I liked not knowing that they were there.” I turned back to him, my back against the rail. “You asked what I was thinking earlier. I have a strange feeling. I think I’m afraid to go back to Chicago.”
Lifting my chin again, Sterling brought my gaze to his. “No.”
“No?”
“That is something I can control and do. You’re safe. You’re as safe there as you are here.” His lips quirked. “As you were on that bike ride.”
I exhaled. “That’s not what I mean. I know you and Patrick...” I peered over his shoulder. “...and any of these other people will keep me safe. It’s just...I don’t know. Maybe afraid wasn’t the right word. I’m trying to decide why I feel...anxious. I think it’s because I need to talk to my...mother. I’ve been thinking about it the entire trip and well, it’s time to face it. Face her.”
“I’ll be with you, if you want.”
I nibbled my own lip as I thought about it. I didn’t know if that was the right answer; then again, if I learned something, Sterling had promised to be with me. Avoiding an answer, I asked, “Should I go to her or should she come to me?” My eyes widened. “Maybe we should meet at a neutral point. A cafe or something?”
Sterling’s head shook. “No neutral place.” His finger caressed my cheek. “I want to trust her, for you. However, under no circumstances do I trust McFadden. Wherever you meet, I need to know it’s secure.”
I turned back around, facing the railing. “How long until we’re back to Chicago?”
“Right now, we’re moving at approximately twenty knots.”
“Is that supposed to mean something?” I pointed out to the water. “If I could see land, where are we?”
“Since you can’t see land, we’re in Lake Michigan. We have been the whole time, except when we were in the Straits of Mackinac.”
“You’re being an asshole.”
He pointed to where I’d pointed. “Wisconsin is over there. If we went to the other side, it would be Michigan.”
I shook my head. “Seriously, Sterling, the sun is moving that way. I know west. I also know geography. Give me a city.”
He spun me back to face him. “I have, Araneae. Chicago is yours.”
A smile came to my lips. “You’re lucky you’re handsome.”
“Approximately, south of Milwaukee to the west,” he said, “and south of Holland or Grand Rapids to the east.”
“Thank you.”
“In nautical miles we’re seventy-five away from Chicago.”
“And at twenty knots, we should be back to the yacht club in...” I left the sentence unfinished.
His broad shoulders shrugged. “Three hours.”
I reached up on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Well, I’m going into the cabin to retie my swimsuit.”
Sterling’s gaze darkened as he slowly shook his head. “No, sunshine. When I get you in the cabin, I’m going to untie the rest of those cute little knots until I have your sexy curves and every inch of your tantalizing body at my disposal.”
With my heart beating faster, I eyed the man before me up and down, taking time to visualize what was under his swim trunks. “I believe my deal was that I’d agree only if you were dressed accordingly.”
He reached for my hand, tugging me toward the cabin door.
As he was opening the door, a gentleman dressed all in white named Willis came around the deck. He’d been very attentive the entire cruise. “Mr. Sterling.”
Something resembling a growl came from Sterling’s throat, bringing a smile to my face.
“Willis, I mentioned that we’re not to be disturbed.”
“Sir, I understand. It’s that—”
Sterling lifted his hand in a way that would stop most people.
Nodding, Willis backed away. “Sir, I thought that you’d want to know that Mr. Murray is on the secure network. He said it’s important.”