Page 26 of Kai
When she’d kissed me last night, prickles of awareness had converged on a certain part of me that had no business being in my business. It was shocking. Never before had I experienced an erection during a mission. For an instant, her scent had prevailed over all others, enveloping me with a hint of plumerias. What were the odds that a woman, any woman, smelled like my favorite flower without wearing perfume?
As I hugged her to my chest and feasted on her lips, the notes of ameleplayed in my head. The way she clung to me and kept kissing me with such unexpected passion had me wondering if she’d been listening to the same Hawaiian love song in her head.
Holy shit. Could this be? Was there a natural attraction between us? Did it have anything to do with the connection Thena and Missy had talked about?
No way. I was an open-minded dude.But this fast?
I had to be making up shit in my head.
Maybe I’d been predisposed to like Cece. Perhaps my imagination was playing some kind of fucked-up game. Was the universe tossing me a bone at the worst possible time? An inkling of fear squeezed my gut. Was bitchy Life getting ready to fuck me and my mission over, big time?
I forced my jaw to unclench. With the fish cleaned and filleted, I set the meat on a clean cutting board, discarded my gloves, and, after stepping through the sliders, padded into the galley.Serenitywas only a year old. She still had that new boat smell. I could manage all her sails with the touch of a few buttons. She was sleek, fast, and loaded with the latest technology, a real beauty, and a dream to sail.
Dagger hadn’t been fully on board with me using my private boat. He knew the risks, but in the end, he understood.Serenityand I were partners, and this mission required an agile vessel that offered adequate protection and a measure ofcomfort to Cece.
My thoughts returned to her again. She looked exhausted last night, and not just from our ordeal. I had a feeling the last three years had taken a severe toll on her. The smudges beneath her eyes spoke of permanent exhaustion, the type of weariness that sifted into a person’s soul.
Still, she sure knew how to put up a tough façade and keep it on. When she got mad, the severity of her expression could make hell and the tropics freeze over. And when the little lines between her eyes deepened?
Watch out, world.
Thena and Missy had warned me that Cece used her attitude, sarcasm, and temper to keep people away. But Sorceress had also kicked ass and risked her life for mine. She had guts and heart, and she didn’t pretend to be anything other than who she was, a rare trait in a world full of Instagram fakes. Hell, her sisters had told me she’d never even owned a social media account.
I loved the honesty that shone in her diamond-bright eyes. I didn’t have to guess. She wore her emotions on her face. Sure, she was all insolence, arrogance, and disdain when she was on the defensive, but she was also brilliant and brave. When she smiled, the world around me lit up with color and felt like a much better place to me.
She was also gorgeous, and by that I meanteverywhere.
I knew this because she’d been too exhausted to take care of herself last night. I’d ended up standing in the shower with her sitting on the bench, rinsing the sand and salt off her. It’d been no hardship to pour the gel on the washcloth and work the soap over her naked body.
My fingers had twitched with the need to skate over her pale skin, but I kept it as professional as the situation allowed. Even so, I couldn’t help tracing the path of the suds with myeyes. The bubbles slid down the slopes of her plump, tear-shaped breasts, descended to her flat stomach, and pooled on her lap, where a burst of pubic hair afforded her a measure of modesty.
Even now, I wondered: what would Cece taste like?
I chided myself for salivating at the thought. Making a great effort, I got ahold of my horny, but barely. Standing at the galley, I lined up my ingredients on yet another cutting board, reminding myself that indulging in sexual fantasies was wrong when someone as wary as Cece Astor had put herself in my hands.
And yet I couldn’t deny that her body was fit and beautiful. Last night, I’d wanted nothing more than to toss the washcloth away and work the suds over the flesh of her breasts with my bare hands. The warm water ran down her pale skin and dribbled from her peaks, forming small fountains. All the while, I kept my cool even though my dick could’ve burned a hole in my wetsuit.
I’d been lucky she’d been too tired to witness me struggling with my boner. Even now, when I thought about her, I fought to keep it under control. It wasn’t smooth sailing. I craved to polish her pink nipples with my lips until they shone, to suck each one until she moaned with pleasure.
K-man, you’re fantasizing. Again. About a woman you just met.
She’s not just any woman.For some odd reason, I felt as if I’d known Cece all my life.What if I’m really her fate and she’s really my destiny?
Now you’ve gone off the deep end.
My grandmother’s words resonated in my head.A moon to my sun, a win to my losses, and a light in the darkness.All good news. No?
You’renotready.Here came the same old argument.Youmay never be ready again.
I blew out a long breath.While I chopped the dry coconut flesh into small pieces, I recalled how much I loved what I saw last night, the beautiful body I washed with gentle care. The intimacy of the moment felt like a torturous form of pleasure. My blood boiled at the memory of a naked Cece. She was on my catamaran, just a few steps down the stairs, naked and gorgeous, warm and safe in her bed.Oh, fuck. My dick throbbed, and so did my balls. Was I gonna walk around with a giant stiffy all day?
The other memories crashed down on my lust-fest with a punch of guilt and sorrow.
Not now. I set the chopped coconut aside and peeled the ripe mango before me.Remember: Opportunity. It’s time to open the doors. This could be a good start, Marine.
I’m ready,I reminded myself.I’ve worked hard to be ready, and I can choose to ride this wave or not. It’smychoice. If I decide to move forward, I could do this.
Maybe.
