AS A RULE, MECHANICALS tended to be mistrustful of his kind. Jay wasn’t sure if it was merely self-preservation or something else. But the fact that the rusted ass airship was being kept afloat by fourteen mechanicals gave him reason to question his own intelligence.

And then he caught sight of Alice’s amused expression and raised a brow.

“No problem, here,” he ground out and hated when her eyes began to sparkle.

She knew that he was lying, and Jay wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He usually was reasonably good at prevacation. What was it about this curvy firecracker that consistently had the worst of him exposed.

Jay motioned to the cabins, “Which one is mine?”

Alice smiled, “Third from the right.”

Jay nodded and went to check out his new humble abode. The moment he walked into the tiny space knew it wouldn’t work for him. He was far too large for the single bed that was bolted to the wall. And although the room was tidy he couldn’t see himself getting any sleep with the ticking of the clockwork that was fastened to the wall.

Jay immediately went out and grabbed Alice by the arm, “I can’t sleep in there.”

She tried to shake him off, but he held fast.

“Why ever not?”

“It’s little more than a closet,” Jay groundout. “Both my head and feet will hang off of that bed, and the clockwork is too fucking loud.”

Alice tipped her head, “Sounds like a personal problem to me.”

Mary Ann, who happened to overhear, added, “The largest bed is in Ms. Alice’s room. But I don’t reckon she will be willing to share it, Jabberwocky.”

Jay pulled Alice over to the rooms, “Which one is yours?”

She loftily pointed to the one on the end. After opening the door, Jay saw that her room was a bit bigger and indeed had a more extended bed. But the thing he liked most was that it was silent inside the room.

“I will sleep here,” he said firmly.

Alice blanched, placing a firm hand against his rock-hard chest, “No you won’t! This is my room.”

“Look, Alice,” his patience was wearing thin. “I can’t sleep in that other room. So, you can trade with me, or I will share your bed.”

Alice sputtered, “I can’t sleep in there! It’s far too loud!”

Jay kicked the door to the stateroom closed and, in an instant, had Alice pressed up against the door.

His presence was both arousing and slightly dangerous.

“So, you are saying you want to be roommates?” his voice had deepened enough to send chills up her back.

“I never said that!” her reply was breathier than she would have liked. “And you are in my personal space.”

Jay grinned, the expression devastating on his handsome face. “Am I?” he shrugged, "What are you going to do about it?"

“Get the fuck away from me,” Alice demanded as she placed her hands on his chest and shoved.

Jay’s eyes began to dance, “I like a good fight, Sweetheart. Is that what you interested in?”

Alice’s cheeks flushed with color, “You better get rid of whatever picture you have of us naked mud wrestling running through your sicko brain!”

Jay’s dimple appeared on his left cheek, and Alice nearly swooned. That is until she remembered that she wasn’t the swooning type. She was the kick-ass type, and she intended on kicking this man’s ass.

A vision of Jay’s ass popped into her mind. It was firm and looked terrific in those low-slung jeans he always had on.

“What are you thinking about?” he whispered against the shell of her ear.

Alice blinked, embarrassment covering her face, “None of your damn business, must we be so close?”

His chuckle melted her panties as he pressed his erection into her belly.

“It is my business when you suddenly give me those fuck-me eyes, Sweetheart. Be careful who you aim those puppies at. You might get more than you bargained for.”

Alice was infuriated, “I do not have fuck-me eyes!”

Jay’s gaze narrowed as he grabbed the back of her neck, he was surprisingly gentle and yet she felt the power that he radiated.

“You have fuck-me everything.”

His mouth came down to capture hers, and she was helpless to fight against it. Who in the hell was she kidding?

Alice opened her mouth and moaned as his tongue stroked hers. All the fire and venom that had been coursing through her body turned to molten desire as her hands clutched at his waist.

Alice raised on her tiptoes. She wanted more of his touch. Jay’s kiss had sent her spinning, like a drug, and she wanted hit after hit of it.

His hands moved from her face to her hips, and then he was lifting her. Alice wrapped her legs around his waist, careless that her skirt was bunched up and that he had found her naked thighs.

Jay couldn’t believe the silky touch of her skin. His cock throbbed against his fly as he kneaded her silky thighs. He couldn’t get enough of her. He kissed her mouth, her eyes, her temple and came back to devourer her once again.

Alice was panting and didn’t offer any protest when Jay walked them over to the bed, lying her down and climbing on top of her.

Alice clutched at his t-shirt, trying to yank it over his head but not willing to release his mouth.

Jay’s laugh was stifled as he broke away to rip it off, coming right back to her.

The muscles on his chest quivered as her fingers explored every muscled ridge. She left no section unexplored, and he loved the feeling of her small hands on his naked skin.

She flicked his brown nipple and Jay hissed at the contact. Without thinking, he grabbed the front of her corset and ripped it clean down the middle.

Alice gasped, but the protest died on her lips when his mouth found one of her tight nipples. He rolled it around his mouth before sucking gently. Her back arched as she tried to feed him more of her breast.

Jay had never in his life seen such perfection. Her large breasts finally freed from that confounded corset seem to beckon him, and he answered the call.

“You are so fucking sensitive,” he muttered against her skin as he placed open mouth kisses across the mounds of her breasts.

“Jay,” her uttered plea had his cock begging to be released.

Her eyes were glazed, and her hands were fumbling with the button his jeans.

“I want you,” she whispered.

And it struck him at that moment that he had waited ten years to hear her say that. She had haunted his dreams both at night and in the waking hours. But the reality of her was so much better than any youthful fantasy.

He cupped her breasts, squeezing them and pinching the tips, loving the way she writhed beneath him.

“Are you wet for me, Sweetheart?” his gravelly voice had another surge of need rushing through her.

“Fucking soaked,” she replied, and Jay knew he had passed the point of no return.