Tempest - Kris Michaels Page 0,47

and stood. She was eye level with the evidence of his desire for her pressing against the thin nylon of his board shorts. Oh, dear merciful heavens, he was impressive. His hand appeared in front of her face, breaking her rapt attention. "Dinner then I think an early night." His deep rumble filled her as he helped her to stand.

She swayed against him and closed her eyes as his arms wrapped around her. Warmth and a sense of rightness permeated the moment. "I'm suddenly not very hungry."

He tucked a finger under her chin and tilted her head up. "You should eat. I haven't been with a woman in a long, long, time, and I think you'll need the energy for what I have planned for you tonight."

At his words, a flux of liquified desire flowed through her veins. Oh yes, she wanted whatever he had planned. Now. This instant. Food be damned. "Don't make me wait. Three years is long enough."

He bent down and swept her up into his arms and devoured her mouth in a kiss which spun her world and stole her breath.

Sage headed to the bridge with Dan's dinner. He'd made a tray for the two love birds, put it in the refrigerator, and tidied the galley, securing everything in case they hit rough water.

"Hey, you're early."

"The l-love b-b-irds are nesting." He'd talk around Dan. The man had never judged him and had helped him sort through a fuck-ton of baggage. He had a job with Guardian based on Dan's recommendation.

"Tempest doesn't know how far he's fallen for the woman."

"He's d-doing b-better." When Sage had first seen Tempest at the Rose, he'd been a shell of the man he was now.

"Yeah." Dan stared through the bridge window.

"What?"

"I see storm clouds on the horizon."

Sage glanced to the horizon. Crystal clear sailing as far as he could see, so his partner was talking about Tempest. "H-he'll b-be okay. He's s-strong."

Dan gave him a quick glance and a sad smile. "He'll need to be if he plans to move on his vendetta."

"Sanctioned?"

"Oh yeah, but it's the worst idea of the century."

"And i-it's n-ot yours?" Sage ducked the quick swipe Dan sent his way.

"Get out of here. Relieve me about two?"

"Yep." He headed back to his room with a smile on his face. What would he ever do without his partner? Lord, please don't make me find out.

Chapter 14

Mysteries like how he managed to get Pilar to his quarters without stopping to ravage her perfect body were best left unanswered. He didn't care, but the knowledge he managed to do so was an emboldening observation.

He laid her gently on the bed and grabbed a pillow from the vacant side to prop up her foot. She moved onto her elbows and watched him. Those vivid blue eyes darkened with a hunger which he knew only too well. The last time he'd lain with a woman was before his capture. Years. He pulled his t-shirt over his head and watched her eyes dance across his chest. There were scars darkened by the Arizona sun, but there was nothing he could do to cover them. She sat up and wiggled out of her gauzy yellow wrap. The one-piece bathing suit hugged her curves and accentuated her legs.

He lowered and carefully crawled on top of her, moving her to her back and into the pillows as he stalked his way to her succulent mouth. Ravenous. God, he couldn't get enough of her smell, her taste. He was an instant glutton for the soft little sounds she made against him. The sensations of her skin and the shiny fabric of her suit as it slid across his skin fed his voracious cravings. His hands traveled the length of her waist as he tenderly bit her bottom lip only to kiss the swollen flesh before consuming her again.

Her soft fingertips explored his skin as boldly as his fingers feasted on her flesh. She found his waistband and tugged at the material. In frustration she moved away from their kiss. "Off. Now."

He was only too glad to oblige. He hopped off her and the bed in point zero seconds to strip his board shorts, ready to... Oh, fuck. The little yellow slips of material which constituted the swimsuit peeled from her shoulders. Slowly the fabric fell from one perfectly taut rose-colored nipple and then the other.

He gripped the base of his cock and squeezed, trying to stave off the rapidly approaching end to his sexual abstinence. Half-starved and