wave broke over the stern, and he was just… gone.”
Isis’s arm tightened around his chest. “I’m so sorry. It must’ve been hideous at the time, and unbearable to have to go home and tell your parents.”
Hideous was an understatement. “They never forgave me. And I don’t blame them.”
She didn’t say, as some of his peers had done, that it hadn’t been his fault. He hadn’t forced his brother to go out with him. He’d attempted, numerous times, to tether him securely. It didn’t matter what the hell he’d done to ensure his brother’s safety. He’d failed. And failed monumentally.
“Why would anyone in their right mind keep taking off a safety harness?” she asked softly, bringing her fingers up to touch his face.
“Who knows?” Thorne shrugged, chest tight.
“You know,” Isis whispered in an achingly soft voice, her breath warm on his throat. “Did your parents?”
She’d gotten it after one conversation when others, who’d known them well, had seen no further than the nose on their faces. “No. Only me.”
He felt her tears against his skin. “Oh, Connor…”
Pressing his lips to her forehead, Thorne’s fingers tightened in her silky hair as his heart swelled with an unnamed emotion. “Thank you.” It took him several seconds before he could speak normally. “Now close your eyes. The wind doesn’t appear to be stopping. Sleep for a couple of hours.”
“I can’t sleep,” she whispered, shifting restlessly against his side. “It’s been an insane day.” She slid her hand from his chest. Thorne’s belly contracted as she glided her hand beneath his belt and found his hard length unerringly. Cool fingers curled around his dick.
Lifting her mouth to meet his she murmured, “Make love to me, Connor.”
THORNE LIFTED UP ON his elbow. God, she was pretty. Without her glasses on she looked younger, innocent, and achingly sweet. Not his type. Not his type by a long shot. But feeling the brush of her fingers on his chest, having those heated Bambi eyes directed at him, almost made him a believer.
Or maybe having someone else share his secret burden made him feel—lighter.
Primitive firelight danced on the walls, bathing her skin, turning her creamy complexion to a warm caramel and her dark hair to flame. With a little hum of appreciation that vibrated in his groin, she slid her palm up his chest, then curled her hand around his neck, her fingers cool and smooth as she tugged his mouth down to hers.
“One day,” she said wistfully, “I’d like to make love in a big bed with crisp sheets, and while we’re at it, twenty-four-hour room service.”
“I’ll book us into the presidential suite the minute we get out of here.”
“Promise?”
Thorne stroked his thumb over her plump lower lip. “Jacuzzi, hot shower, big bed. Champagne.” Baby oil.
“I’ll hold you to that.”
He kissed the smile curving her mouth. A promise, not so much to find that hotel, but to get her out of there, safe and sound. A promise he refused to even contemplate breaking.
“You’re like catnip to me.” Devilish humor danced in her eyes. “I can’t get enough of you.” Snaking her other arm from his back, she started to tug at his belt buckle with impatient fingers. “A little assistance, please?”
“Getting naked, here and now, is the height of folly,” he murmured, pushing her hand away so he could glide all the T-shirts she was layered in up over her breasts. He was a man who appreciated sexy underwear. Lace and silk. Satin was one of his favorite fabrics to see hugging a woman’s assets. But Isis’s unadorned nude cotton bra was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. Her nipples, poking beneath the thin fabric, begged to be tasted. He lowered his head, brushing his lips down the plump valley between her breasts. The familiar scent of her skin, a bite of cinnamon, a touch of salt, the heated spice of her arousal, made him so hard he could use his dick to break out of there.
Isis combed her fingers up his nape, then cupped the back of his head in her palm as he suckled one hard tip into his mouth. Her back arched and she made a low hum in the back of her throat.
“So sensitive.”
“Skip the chitchat, Thorne.” She pressed his head more firmly against her breast. “That’s too gentle. Harder.”
He bit down lightly through the material, then sucked deeply, pulling the extended tip deep into his mouth as his lips curved in a wry smile. Even here, she wanted to be boss.