Kira Sinclair – Under the Surface (страница 9)

Jackson was stalking around the small space. Tension radiated off his tight body. His hands were threaded together at the base of his neck, his back and shoulder muscles rippled against a T-shirt that looked well-worn and soft enough to wrap a newborn baby in.

Jesus. No man should look like that. Loralei’s heart slammed into her throat before dropping to her toes. Her stomach rolled, not from fear or the rocking ship, but from a burst of lust that nearly knocked her on her ass.

And that was before he turned around and raked her with those summer-blue eyes. Oh, shit. The intensity in his gaze had her swaying on her feet. Her body tingled, jumped to life. Beneath the thin layer of cotton, her nipples tightened into aching points, reminding her just how naked and vulnerable she was.

Before she could attempt to get a grip on her runaway libido, he was standing beside her. How had he moved so quickly?

The heat of his huge hand settled on her arm, steadying her.

“Easy,” he murmured. His voice, deep and rough, scraped across her senses.

“I was about to bust in there. You were taking a long time.”

Loralei stared up at him, surprised to see genuine concern swirling together with guilt. And lust. Dammit, that wasn’t helping her runaway hormones. Especially when the vision of him slipping into that tiny shower with her ghosted across her thoughts.

Shaking away temptation, Loralei licked her lips and said, “I’m fine.”

Was that really her voice? All scratchy and fragile?

His gorgeous mouth pulled down at the edges in a frown. Why did she suddenly have the urge to reach out and run the pad of her finger across his lips? Would they be as hard as the rest of him, or soft and yielding?

“Why don’t I believe you?”

“Seriously.” She had to get a grip...on something other than him. Stepping away, Loralei watched his hand drop to his side. Already, she missed the comforting warmth that had spread through her from where he’d touched. “Hand me some clothes so I can head back to my hotel room.”

Jackson twisted and grabbed a pile from the small table beside the bed. Instead of holding them out to her, he pressed them against his chest and folded his arms over them. The veins running along his biceps pulsed.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

His words were the catalyst she needed to drag her gaze back to his stony expression.

“Of course I am. I need to get back to my crew.”

“What you need to do is rest.”

“Exactly. And the sooner you give me those the sooner I can get out of your hair.” Loralei held out her hand hoping he’d plop the clothes against her palm. He didn’t, but she kept her arm out anyway.

His expression turned harsh, those amazing eyes going as sharp as cut glass. She could see the argument coming and felt her own body respond, adrenaline surging into her already spinning system.

But before she could say anything, his entire body changed. All the tension bled out of him. His mouth softened. Tiny lines crinkled the edges of his eyes, which had melted into pools of heat.

Tossing the clothes back onto the bed behind him, he took a single step forward and filled her personal space. But he didn’t touch her. Was it wrong that she wished he had?

Instead, he laced his fingers behind his neck again.

“Loralei, you nearly drowned.”

Just those few simple words had the ghost of her panic welling inside her again.

“I know,” she whispered.

“I have to keep an eye on you. Make sure you don’t have any complications. There are plenty of reports of people dying hours after a near drowning.”

Loralei swallowed. That wasn’t exactly what she wanted to hear right now, but she’d deal with that unpleasant thought later. Right now she had to convince this man to step back and let her go.

Or she wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep herself from reaching out and running her hands over his wide chest and shoulders.

“My crew can keep an eye on me. Tell me what to look for.”

She barely got out the words before he was shaking his head. “I threw you in. Even after you told me you couldn’t swim. You’re my responsibility.”

One thing made her hesitate. If she went back to her room she’d have to explain to Brian what had happened and why he had to keep an eye on her to make sure she was okay. He’d find out her secret.

It was bad enough Jackson knew she couldn’t swim. She really didn’t need any of her crew finding out. She was already the outsider, with little knowledge about how a diving ship operated.

Loralei pulled her lower lip into her mouth and worried it with her teeth as indecision twisted through her gut. She hated not knowing what to do.

Using his thumb, Jackson eased her lip away from the self-inflicted torture.

“You’re safe here, Loralei. I promise you.”

Maybe she was safe from him. Her mouth was tingling where he’d touched her. Waves of sensation radiated from the single, innocuous spot.

But who was going to protect her from herself?

* * *

HE REALLY HAD to get some clothes on the woman. He’d never noticed that his towel was particularly small, but the knot she’d twisted it into between her breasts was unraveling centimeter by centimeter, giving him a bigger glimpse of her smooth, tanned skin.

Her black hair curled damply around her shoulders in a riot of tangles that made him want to bury his hands in it and use it to pull her face closer so he could taste her lips again.

What the hell?

He seriously needed to get a grip.

Turning away, he snatched up the shorts and shirt he’d tossed onto the bed for her. He whipped back around and collided with her.

Her hands landed on his chest. Her body crashed against him. Pressed tight between them, he felt the towel’s knot finally give way. Just as his control was doing. In a desperate attempt to save them both, Jackson grabbed for the towel as it slid down her back. The instinctive move backfired. Big time.

His fingers brushed across her naked skin. She gasped and arched into him. The soft curve of her breasts flattened against the hard plane of his body even as the towel was caught between them.

God, he wanted more.

They both stilled, locked in the precarious position and certain one wrong move could bring disaster crashing down on them both.

Unfortunately, Jackson wasn’t sure which would be the disaster: letting her go or not letting her go. The waters definitely had been muddied.

Slowly, Loralei tipped her head back and dragged her gaze up to meet his.

Damn, her eyes were deep. Deep enough he could dive inside and get lost. And the way she was staring at him made his stomach knot and his cock throb.

She licked her lips, parted them as if she was going to say something, but nothing came out. She inhaled deeply, her chest rising and falling against the edge of the towel that flirted with the sharp peaks of her nipples.

Jackson had to close his eyes at the sensation of her body moving against his. He was only human.

“Loralei,” he murmured, keeping his eyes shut tight. “Step back. Now.”

If he was strong enough, he’d be the one to turn away. But he had only a slippery hold on his control right now, and if he moved Jackson was seriously afraid it would be in the wrong direction. This was his last-ditch effort at doing the right thing, because in about five seconds he wasn’t going to be able to curb his response to her anymore.

But she didn’t move.

“Seriously,” he growled.

Every muscle in his body was tight with the effort to hold himself in check. He felt...brittle. On the edge of exploding.

And he wasn’t particularly enamored with the sensation.

Jackson prided himself on his self-control. He’d fought hard for the ability to withstand the harshest conditions without cracking.

But sixty seconds with this woman pressed tight against him and every hard-won victory had disappeared like so much smoke.

“What if I don’t want to move?” she finally whispered.

Jackson groaned. His eyes popped open as his fingers, which were pressed against her back, flexed in preparation for digging in and taking more.

He stared at her, searching her expression for some sign that she meant what she’d just said.

Rising onto the tips of her toes, she wrapped her hands around his neck and urged him toward her. Just before her lips touched his she whispered, “Remind me that I’m alive.”