Page 27 of Adrift

“I would never cross it.” She shakes her head.

“No, Haley. I find it hard to believe that no one has ever tried to make you.” Fuck, I find so much about her hard.

A nervous laugh bursts out of her. “Well, I’m not lying. I guess I don’t see it. We’ll have to agree to disagree.” Her smile is slight and shy.

But something simmers in her as a spark pulls me in. How? How can she not see it? “I really enjoyed talking to you last night. You’re witty, funny, and compassionate when it comes to your coworkers.” I’m drifting into rough waters without a motor. “And there are men who will take advantage of your age.”

“I’m not a child, Sam.” She smooths down her shorts. I feel the indecision in her step when she moves forward. “I liked getting to know you last night too.”

Her bare toes are inches away from me. There’s a bit of a game of chicken going down, and the music of my erratic beating heart isn’t letting me walk away from the damn challenge.

Penny wanders off. There’s nothing keeping Haley from saying goodbye. Even with the extra day, we both have a lot of work to do. Her big toe touches mine, and her coconut scent swirls around me, hardening my cock against the zipper of my pants.

“You have something on you, just there.” Her hand reaches for me.

Chapter 12

Skylarking

Haley

The touch of stubble on his square jaw is softer than I imagined. And a twitch of his neck muscle catches my attention.

Am I really going to do this?

Dante said he thinks Sam has a thing for me. But I felt it too. Last night, sitting on the bench, neither one of us was talking about the yacht. I thought after he’d told me how old he was and we laughed together, the feelings would pass. But they haven’t. I’ve always dated guys my age. Actually, Steven was younger than me at twenty-five. Which might explain why he has my dog and I have a smashed heart.

This has got to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I reach for Sam’s cheek. My thumb runs along his lower jaw.

Who am I? But I can’t stop myself. I don’t know what I expected. I’ve never touched someone like this. My heart is racing, and I can’t catch my breath. He’s still. Too still, like he’s trying to figure out what to do about this. Then he places his hand over mine. His eyes are wide.

“I’m your boss, Haley.” His tone is low and rumbles through me.

“I know. I’m the one initiating this. I read the handbook.” Actually, I lost a lot of sleep reading and rereading it in the handbook.

“I’m ten years older than you.”

“I don’t see a problem with that.” I push up onto my tippy toes.

“And you’re sure you know what you’re doing?”

“I always know what I’m doing. And I quote, Section eight, paragraph 2: ‘a crew member of lesser rank may establish a relationship with a high-ranking officer as long as it’s approved by the captain.’ End quote. So is it approved?”

His head lowers, and his lips hover near my ear. “I’m quite sure you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into, Miss Haley Brewster.”

His hand grabs the back of my head; his fingers thread through my hair. And when his mouth hits mine, my world explodes. It’s not butterflies, no—I’m not nervous at all to have his arm around me. It’s right. My feet don’t move.

A guy like Sam doesn’t come around often, not in yachting, where all the men are looking for someone to keep their bed warm. I want to do so much more than kiss this man. Our bodies are flush against each other, and my bare feet are alongside his. I find the edge of his crew shirt and inch my hand up. Touching his firm abs makes me wild, and as I scrape my fingers along their ridges, he groans my name.

I’ve never wanted a man as much as I want Sam. I widen my stance, bringing our bodies even closer. His cock hits me at my core. I’m the one who presses into him. When I do, he pulls my leg up, and I jump onto him. But I don’t stay there for long. He turns, lowering me to the bed. Sam stands between my knees. I know what I want. He’s unsure he’s doing the right thing.

“You are so beautiful.” His fingers trail down my body. Shock waves pulse through me. He lifts my shirt an inch, showing my stomach. I push that from my thoughts. He drops to his knees. He’s kissing my belly, his fingers teasing at my waistband. I lift my hips, and he eases my shorts off. He tugs them down.

I’m frozen in time. His smile takes my breath away. His hands grasp either side of my thighs, and his head nudges my legs wider. We lock eyes for a moment, and then his tongue swirls around my clit as he grasps my hips, pulling me closer to the edge of the bed, closer to his mouth. I whimper. At least, I hope it’s a whimper.

He lifts his head. “Shh, Haley. We can’t have anyone hearing you. Don’t make me get out a gag.”

His mouth is back and driving me crazy. The tension has my back lifting off the mattress. I’ve only had a few guys go down on me before, but never like this, never without me asking and never with such... Shit, he pushes a finger into me. It’s tight. It’s been a while since I’ve had sex. But nothing will ever compare to this. Sam’s in complete control, and each of his movements is perfectly timed. It’s making thinking hard.

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