Andy moved closer to her. “Breathe,” he said quietly, because she wasn’t, and appeared perilously close to passing out.
“Why don’t we have a gale sail?” Dorie dared to ask.
“Actually, we did.” Christian sent Bobby a scathing look. “But it didn’t get inspected as it should have, and has been abused by the elements. It was no good.”
“Ohmigod.” Dorie pushed down her rising panic.
Brandy covered her mouth. “I didn’t drink enough for this.”
“All you need to do,” Christian said, “is stay belowdecks until this blows over.”
“I need an escort.” Brandy sounded incredibly subdued. “I think my pill worked after all…”
She weaved and Christian grabbed her arm, pulling her over to Bobby. “Take her to her room, get a life vest on her now. There’re life vests under each of your beds,” he said to everyone else. “If the captain rings the emergency bell, you need to put them on. Immediately.”
Bobby gestured for Brandy to walk ahead of him, but she slid her arm in his. “Dizzy,” she said, and set her head on his shoulder.
His Adam’s apple bounced hard. “Okay, then.” After a hesitation, he put his arm around her and led her to her door. “Here you go.”
“Need more help than that.” And she tugged him in after her.
The door slammed shut.
Christian turned to Dorie. “Now you. Andy, get Cadence.”
Andy was looking at Dorie, too, making her feel… was it wrong to say… elated? Never in her life had she had two men looking at her. And now here were these two, these gorgeous sexy men, definitely looking right at her-God.
“Andy,” Christian repeated. “Cadence.”
Andy looked as if maybe he wanted to argue with this. His brows slammed together, his mouth tightened. He was eyeing Dorie with a hint of possessive intent that she could admit gave her a sort of thrill, if not a definite twitch to her tongue. “I’ll be right back.”
He’d be right back. She glanced at Cadence, who gave her a “you go girl” look.
Christian did not look amused.
And the keep-the-peace woman in her reared her head. “I’ll be okay.”
“I want to make sure you get to your room okay.”
“I’ll get her there.”
This, of course, from Christian, who reached for her. It was unbelievable, it was like a dream, one of those really great ones, where she got to be the popular girl.
A definite first.
Andy opened Cadence’s door and nudged her inside.
Christian reached for Dorie. He took her light, then slid an arm around her waist. A warm, strong arm.
She looked up at him, torn between her body’s undeniable reaction to him and horror. But before she could say a word, Christian silently pulled her toward her room.
While she couldn’t help but wonder what they’d do when they got there.
EIGHT
The boat pitched and rolled as Dorie stepped into her room, but before she could go flying face-first into her bed, a hard arm hauled her back against an even harder chest.
“Careful,” Christian murmured in her ear. “You don’t have your summer fling here to protect you.”
She had to repeat the words to herself because the feel of his long, sinewy body so close to hers kept them from penetrating into her brain. “Summer fling?”
“Andy.”
His arm still held her tightly to his chest, and although the sensation was the furthest thing from amusing she’d ever felt, even bordering on shockingly erotic, she laughed.
He dipped his head slightly, his jaw grazing hers.
The oddest thing happened.
Her knees actually buckled. Good thing he hadn’t let go of her. “Um.”
Again his jaw brushed against hers.
In happy reaction, her nipples hardened. Her thighs tightened. And most baffling yet given that she was apparently getting turned on… her tongue still didn’t swell.
What did that mean? She turned to face him. “I’m not having a fling.”
“No? It’s what he’s looking for. It’s what you’re looking for. Man-made orgasms.”
“I didn’t say that,” she said, ears flaming. “Brandy said that.”
He laughed softly, and the sound scraped low in her belly. Bad body. “Really? So you didn’t divide up the men on this cruise, thinking we could give you those man-made orgasms?”
No. Okay, yes. But she wouldn’t ask if he knew how to give her one, not when the answer was all over his face. It always was, all damn day long as he moved with an ease and confidence that baffled her because she’d never had either. “You’re not exactly in a position to make fun of summer flings.”
His brow arched in silent question as the boat lurched.
“Brandy?” She clutched at him for balance, not too busy in conversation to notice how good his hands felt on her hips or how hard his chest felt beneath her fingers. “I saw you kissing her yesterday.”
“Did you?”
“Yes, in your office…” She trailed off when he just looked at her. “Okay, I didn’t actually see a kiss. Not exactly.”
“If you want to know what you did see, why don’t you ask me?”
She opened her mouth to do just that, while he waited with a smug expression that made her shake her head. “Never mind.”
That little smile still curving his lips, he shrugged. Fine with him.
Good. Great. Fine by him. God, he smelled amazing. Why was she still holding on to him? And why did she not want to let go? She closed her eyes but that just made the sensations stronger, and the situation even more intimate. “How about me? Do you want to know anything about me?”
“None of my business. I’m going to leave now.”
“Right.”
But neither of them moved. Christian let out a slow exhale near her ear and her entire body shuddered. In response, a sound escaped him, a low, rough one that seemed to awaken every single erogenous zone she owned.
Get it together, Dorie. Let go of him.
Instead, her body seemed to disconnect from her brain without permission, allowing her hands to slide up his chest. Beneath her fingers, he was corded with muscle, muscle that quivered at her touch. “You should know,” she said a little shakily. “I’m not looking to be anyone’s fling.”
Liar, liar, pants on fire.
Catching her wandering hands in his, he arched a brow. “You sure about that?”
She snatched her hands free. “Yes.”
“Might want to inform Andy.”
“I don’t need to explain anything to him.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t think you’re quite as insightful as you think, not when it comes to men.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying”-again he exhaled-“be careful.”
Concern? Was that concern from the man she wasn’t yet entirely convinced was even human?
Another wave rolled beneath them, making the boat shudder and groan and creak, and she again clutched at him.
“Helluva storm. Denny’s navigating the waves at an angle to prevent slamming into the back side of the next wave, but he’s missing a few.”
His hands were back on her, his head bent low to hers. She pressed her jaw to his, taking comfort in his nearness. “Are we going to be okay?”
“Time will tell.”
Brutal honesty. She had a feeling he’d always be that way, no matter what, which might be refreshing-if they were on land.
As if fate wanted to drive home the point, the boat tipped hard to the left, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed.
“Need to breathe here.”
“I could use some bedside manners right about now.”
When he didn’t respond to that, she tipped her head back and looked into his eyes, which were tense, even for him.