"I'm sorry, Nate." She was chewing her lip. "It's not flat, is it?"
"We'll find out in a minute."
Her stricken expression wrenched his heart, and he reached out to pull her close. "Hey," he said gently. "It's okay." He kissed the tip of her nose, but her mouth was set and he could tell she was beating herself up.
When she spoke, her voice was flat. "Try the engine and see if it goes."
He kissed her first, long and deep, feeling the stiffness go out of her as she melted against him. He gave her a last squeeze, went to the cockpit and put his hand on the key. If the engine started he could run his tests, but he'd also have to drop Suzie at Port Denarau. Now his hand was on the key, he was almost hoping it didn't go.
What the hell?
His tests were more important than spending the night with Suzie. Besides, he was getting too close to her as it was.
He turned the ignition key.
The light next to it didn't come on. The battery was flat. He knew the engine wouldn't start, but he turned the key all the way around anyway. No engine roar filled the silence. Nothing but a blank click as he turned the key back to its starting position.
He looked over his shoulder at Suzie. Her expression was bleak.
"It doesn't matter," he said. "The Coast Guard will check on us eventually. Or another boat will come this way."
"It does matter." Her tone was still flat. "I forgot to turn the water off and now we have to sit here waiting to be rescued, and I'll probably miss my flight."
"So you made a mistake. It could have happened to anyone."
"I'll bet you'd never have forgotten something so important. Why is it always me who messes up?"
Nate wanted to kiss her and tell her not to be so hard on herself, but that wasn't what she needed right now. Instead, he sat on the cockpit seat, arms folded.
"You're right," he said coolly.
Her mouth parted and a hurt expression shadowed her features for a moment. It just about killed him.
"I wouldn't have forgotten," he continued. "I have an exceptional memory and I rarely forget anything."
"Good for you. Jerk." Ah, there it was. A small spark in her eyes, but it was a start.
"But it just so happens there are a few things I can't do," he said.
"Oh yeah? Like what?"
"I've never gutted and cleaned a squid, and I wouldn't know where to start. Even if I managed to clean it properly, I couldn't have cooked it the way you did. And I sure as hell couldn't have done it on an unfamiliar boat without power."
She tried to cut in, but he held up one hand. "I haven't finished yet. I also wouldn't have had any breakfast, because I wouldn't have imagined that orange juice poured over cereal would taste good. I mean, who knew?"
"It's a well-kept secret. Only known to the few million Europeans who eat it that way every morning."
He suppressed a smile at her acid tone. That was more like it. "You had your own travel consultancy. That shows that you're organized, capable, and determined."
"Until I went out of business."
He ignored her interruption. "You said your clients loved you, and I don't doubt it. Despite having Troy as a boyfriend, you were one of the most popular girls in school."
"Troy was bad enough to cancel out my niceness."
"Not quite. Everyone liked you anyway, and that says a lot."
She grimaced, but at least she was throwing off her dark mood. He only wished he knew why one small mistake had thrown her into a tailspin.
"And another thing," he added. "Can anyone else cut me down with just a few snarky words? Does anyone have a glare like yours? Or a famous, patented, withering look that can shrivel my balls from a distance of fifty paces?"
That earned him a smile. Success.
He stood and pulled her close, brushed her wet hair away from her forehead, and kissed her. "And does any woman in the world taste or feel as good as you do?" he murmured.
"Okay, I feel better." She managed a laugh. "You can stop now."
"Mmm. But I don't want to stop." He proved it by kissing her again, slowly and lingeringly. He wasn't exaggerating. Her kisses were addictive, and she felt so good against him that he never wanted to let her go.
And the strange thing was that he'd been so worried about making her feel better, he hadn't felt bad about not being able to do his test.
Why was that? He only had until Wednesday to prove to Tristan they could do things his way, and the clock was ticking. His entire future was riding on the next couple of days, but right now, all that mattered was her.
Shit.
That proved how dangerous Suzie was. He was an addict and she was the drug that could kill him. He knew better than this. He needed to back away. Now.
With her arms around his neck, she put her mouth against his ear.
"I want you." Her warm breath and low invitation made his body react instantly. And when she drew back to look at him, the way her eyes were sparkling made him draw in his breath. That look was pure Suzie. It reached right into his chest to twist his heart.
She turned so her back was toward him, then leaned forward over the bench seat that ran along the length of the cockpit. Her short sundress rode up her thighs as she smiled invitingly over her shoulder at him.
Nate clenched his hands into fists. At least, he tried to. Suddenly his hands weren't obeying his brain's commands. Instead, they were reaching for her.
Traitors.
13
Cockpit was a good name. Whoever had decided to call it that must have read Suzie's mind.
She wanted to get naked out here, shaded from the hot sun by the canvas cockpit cover, but with the warm, tropical breeze tickling her bare skin.
Putting her hands on the canvas cushion that covered the cockpit seat, she felt hot, urgent need pooling in the pit of her stomach. Especially when Nate lifted her dress and tugged down her already-wet panties.
He caressed her bare butt cheeks and gave a low groan.
"You're killing me, Suz."
"Got to fill in the time somehow." She gave him an innocent look over her shoulder. "If you prefer, I can look for a deck of cards-" She groaned, unable to finish the thought with his fingers between her legs.
"I need a condom." He started to move off her and she couldn't bear for him to stop touching her. She didn't normally take risks, but this was Nate, not one of her bad boys. Surely he'd be safe.
"It's okay," she gasped. "I'm on the pill."
He hesitated, his hand caressing her bare ass. Driving her crazy because his hand was almost-but-not-quite where she needed it to be. "I'm clean. But are you sure you want to take my word for it?"
"I'm sure." And if he didn't stroke between her thighs again, she was going to tackle him and force him to do it.
Nate leaned over her and pulled her long wet hair back from her face, gathering its length behind her head so he could kiss behind her ear.
His body weight pushed her down lower, so she was lying over the seat cushion. Then she felt his hardness press against her. His leg went over her thigh, pushing her legs closed over his length. It made her entrance so tight, she was afraid he might not fit. He braced, his hand holding her hip. She cried out as his length slid into her and pushed in deep.
She grabbed the edge of the seat and clung to it. He let go of her hair and it fell in wet strands over her face as she pushed back against him, helping him thrust inside her. "Nate," she groaned. "Oh God."
He paused. "Too intense?"
She wanted to laugh. Was he kidding? One more thrust like that and she was going to either orgasm or die, she wasn't sure which. "I'm okay," she gasped. Two words were all she could manage. His hand slid underneath her, around to her front, and his leg lifted off her thigh. She lifted her hips and parted her thighs so he could caress her. Oh yes. Yes. Maybe she'd orgasm, then die. As long as it happened in that order, she was beyond caring.
He lifted her hips further and his fingers stroked her as he thrust into her again, hard and fast. She smashed her butt against his pelvis, matching his rhythm and relishing the sensation of his length filling her to capacity. It felt like she was the perfect size for him, and if he was just a fraction of an inch bigger he wouldn't have fit.
Sweet mother of ecstasy, he must have discovered a few hundred new g-spots and he's hitting them all.
Her orgasm swept over her faster than she'd expected, so strong it took her by surprise. Could he make her come like this every freaking time? He seemed to know exactly what she needed, and how she needed it.
He pumped her hard, bringing on wave after wave of pleasure as she surrendered herself to the sensation. Finally, as her own orgasm was starting to recede, she felt - and heard - his release.
Afterward, he lay over her for a few minutes. They were both breathing hard and in spite of his weight on her she felt as light as air. As though if he got off her, she'd go floating off into the upper atmosphere, never to be seen again.