“You can go if you want to.” Crystal’s voice, inches away, made Sierra jump.
“What?” She couldn’t think straight as the couple closest to the bar joined in on the fun.
The only blond man aboard laid Kiki or Bambi or whatever his girlfriend’s name was, across a coffee table. The woman was a tall blonde with huge breasts, and her moans told Sierra that she was thoroughly enjoying her man sucking her nipples into peaks before he pounded into her hard and fast.
“Your shift is less than a couple minutes from over. I don’t think anyone here is going to notice.” Crystal went to work washing the glasses she’d brought back behind the bar, not seeming to care a bit about the action taking place in front of her.
She was right. No one was going to notice if Sierra left now, but a part of her wanted to stay and watch. It was pretty sad that the most excitement her woman parts had gotten in a long time was
this
.
“Good luck with the rest of the night shift,” Sierra said and stayed close to the wall as she walked toward the stairs and then down into the dark hallway below.
This is not what she expected when she signed up for this job, and she sure as hell shouldn’t be enjoying watching other people have sex as much as she was. Every part of her body hummed with need.
Something solid interrupted her thoughts and stopped Sierra in her tracks.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said when she realized who she’d run into. One deliciously sexy man—captain of the boat, Jack Hamilton.
“Don’t be.” He grinned down at her and another gush of wetness rushed to her sex.
God, she was pathetic…and horny.
“Aren’t you supposed to be driving this thing?” She listened, but the engines were still cranked up and the boat was moving. Did it have some kind of autopilot? It didn’t seem safe.
“The deck hand took over the wheel for me for a few minutes so I could, well, pee.”
“Oh. I suppose you are allowed to do that.” She was rambling, but the way he looked at her made her nipples press even harder against the thin fabric of her bikini.
He glanced down, noticing, and the air sucked right out of her chest.
Damn, the man was gorgeous. A little rugged-looking with a five o’clock shadow, and tattoos accentuating the muscles rippling beneath the rolled-up sleeves of his starched white shirt. Hell, he was one fine specimen of man.
“Is everything okay?” he asked.
Did he mean other than the fact that she just witnessed a sex show and he was about to get mounted if he didn’t get out of the way real fast? Sierra let out a quick breath and did her best to calm every nerve ending in her body that was on fire. Which was pretty much all of them. “Yes, everything is fine.”
“Well, I better get back up there.” Jack didn’t move. What was he waiting for? Didn’t he know he was in grave danger of attack by a hormonally charged woman?
“Yeah. You better get up there.” Sierra hoped like hell the lust wasn’t obvious in her voice. She had no right to be lusting after him or hope this man she barely knew was thinking the same things she was.
He moved to the stairs, a safe distance from her. Sierra let out a long breath, turned and walked to the little room she shared with Crystal. Twin beds sat on either side of the room with not much space for anything else. For the next few hours Sierra would be alone, and she needed to find release before she did anything stupid, like throw herself at the captain of the boat.
She peeled her bikini off and slipped an oversized t-shirt on, then climbed into bed, pulling the soft comforter all the way up to her neck. It was silly to lust after Jack. She couldn’t have him, but the way the man looked at her made her juices flow. It wasn’t the first time she’d caught him looking, but he seemed to be trying to avoid her for some reason. Probably because romances between employees on the boat were strictly prohibited and he didn’t have any interest in losing his job. She didn’t either.
There was only one way to take care of this problem, to quench the tingling need in her core and forget about the sexy captain.
Sierra rubbed her palm against her swollen sex and then slipped a finger into her wetness. She didn’t need a man to find relief right now, in fact a man would only bring complications to her life. She wasn’t going to be on this yacht long, just until she made enough money to pay for her last classes and apartment rent while she finished her Master’s program this fall. One more semester and she was done, ready to move on to the next phase in life.
A man who spent most of his time at sea would not fit into her future, but that didn’t stop his face from flooding her mind as her fingers worked circles around her clit, bringing orgasm closer and closer with every circle. What would his fingers feel like against her skin? Probably rough. And the cocky smile he gave her earlier made Sierra guess he was probably very talented at making a woman scream his name.
She slid one finger in and out of her wetness, her cunt squeezing around it. What she really wanted, really needed, was a cock—Jack’s cock—but her own finger would have to do. She slid it in and out again and again as the pleasure built quickly, ready to take her over the edge.
Images of the men upstairs, slamming their cocks into the women, and then images of Jack doing the same thing to her, flooded her mind. She circled her clit harder, faster, needing release. She was so damn close to finding it.
Pleasure surged through her body. Sierra thrust her finger into the heat and wetness as hard and deep as she could. Needing. Relief. Now.
She closed her eyes, let the world around her disappear, and the surges hit. A low moan escaped her lips, interrupting the silence of the room as her orgasm flooded through her. Sierra’s entire body jerked, tensed, and then did it all over again before she finally relaxed into the softness of her bed.
Sierra was either going to have to find a man soon or solo sex was going to become a common occurrence if people humping on deck happened even somewhat regularly. It was a huge turn-on, and more than likely their activity wasn’t a one-time thing. She studied human sexuality, but studying it and seeing it in action were two very different things with two very different impacts on a woman’s body.
Chapter Two
“Can you believe what happened last night?” Crystal shook her head as she grabbed a white ceramic coffee mug from behind the bar and filled it to the brim with the hot coffee and stifled back a yawn. Sierra hadn’t heard Crystal come in last night and wondered how long the party lasted.
The occupants of the boat had been served breakfast and were now disembarking. They wouldn’t be back until tomorrow morning. The crew would have the boat to themselves for a half-day and overnight. Not that Sierra planned on doing anything exciting, but it would be nice to not have to serve drinks in that damn bikini, and nice to know she wouldn’t be watching any sex shows soon.
Watching people getting some was too damn hard on a body that so desperately needed a man. Yeah, she could find pleasure by herself, but it wasn’t the same. Last night her dreams were filled with images of the captain coming up behind her and kissing her neck, his hard cock pressing against her ass. She’d woken up even more sexually frustrated than before.
“Yeah, it was pretty crazy.” Sierra wiped down the last chair with bleach. After what she’d seen happen on these chairs, she wasn’t going to take the chance of missing a spot.
“They went at it until after midnight. I couldn’t believe it. Thought for sure they would go downstairs and pass out earlier than that.”
“Hmmph.” The thought of them all out on the deck, getting it on for hours, made Sierra a little bit jealous. Not that she had any interest in sex with strange men in front of other people on the deck of a boat, but she did have an interest in sex. She had been concentrating so hard on her studies, on reaching her goal of becoming a school psychologist, that she hadn’t taken the time for dates or even much fun lately.
This summer wasn’t going to be much different. Sierra was going to work her butt off on this boat, make as much money as she could, and study in her free time. But it was all going to be worth the sacrifice very soon.
“Good morning, ladies.”
The deep voice came from behind Sierra and caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. She didn’t have to look back to know it was the captain but she turned in his direction anyway.
“Good morning,” Sierra replied with a grin and more enthusiasm than she should have to see the man.
“I was thinking about getting off the boat and exploring the island. Would you like to play tourist with me today, Sierra?” Jack stood in front of her, tall, brooding and damn sexy.
“Sure.” Like any hot-blooded woman could say no to that. Sierra threw the bleach rag into the bucket, slipped off her rubber gloves and probably looked way more eager than she should.
She should stay and study. The first test of the summer was in a few days and she a paper to finish up. But it could all be done later. Spending a few hours exploring this paradise with Jack Hamilton wasn’t going to keep her from doing well in the class. She could do her studying later tonight, or tomorrow, or both.
“Great.” Jack looked surprised. Did he expect her to say no?
North Caicos might be a once-in-a-lifetime trip for her. Sierra knew the career she was going into didn’t pay a whole lot, and traveling to a location like this was expensive. She hadn’t chosen her career for the money and wasn’t doing it expecting to ever be able to lounge around on the beach and have cabana boys bring her drinks. There were more important things in life. She wanted to spend every day helping people, living a life that made a difference. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate the finer things, appreciate traveling to a gorgeous location like this.
“Let me go get my bag. What should I bring?” Excitement buzzed through her.
“Bring a swimsuit, towel and maybe some sunscreen.” He looked like he was sorting the plan out in his mind as he spoke. “I’ll go downstairs and make us a couple sandwiches.”
Jack disappeared below deck and Sierra felt guilty going off without Crystal. She was the one who got her this job. It wouldn’t be right to ditch her friend on the first day just because a sexy man asked her out. In fact, it would probably be better if she had a chaperone along. Not that she didn’t trust herself but Jack was definitely tempting.
Sierra walked over to where Crystal leaned up against the bar. “Would you like to come with us?”
“No way.” Crystal set her coffee cup on the counter and grinned. “He is sexy and you should go after that. There is no way I’m going to go along and be a third wheel.” Crystal wrapped her fingers around the coffee cup again and took a slow sip. “I have plans anyway. You go. Have fun. I’ll see you tonight.”
Sierra didn’t know if Crystal really had plans but she seemed pretty set in the fact that she wasn’t going to go along, and a part of Sierra was glad to get to spend the time alone with Jack. “Okay, if you’re sure.”
“Yes. I’m sure.” Crystal flicked her hand, motioning for Sierra to go. “Go get your stuff. Get out of here.”
Sierra didn’t need any more encouragement and bounced down the stairs to pack her bag.
Everyone was off the boat and Jack was restless. Had to be why he came up with the brilliant fucking idea of inviting Sierra to explore the island with him.
He didn’t want to sit here all day like some lost puppy with nothing better to do, waiting for the owners to return. Again.
They wouldn’t be back tonight, so he had an entire day and night to do whatever he wanted. What he wanted was Sierra. His cock sure as hell wanted her. Jack knew he couldn’t keep the tempting woman, but exploring the island with her wasn’t going to kill him.
North Caicos had white sandy beaches that stretched on for miles and rivers that wound through thick jungle growth. It also had some really good snorkeling. It was one of the more beautiful spots on the planet. Jack had traveled to all corners of the earth, always for work and always on dangerous missions, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate the beauty of nature when he wasn’t getting shot at.
He grabbed a bag of rolls from the pantry and cheese and meat from the refrigerator and started slapping together a couple sandwiches.
It wouldn’t hurt anything for him to be a good host and show the new girl around the island. Now if he just could convince himself that showing her around was his only motive.
Jack dug around the kitchen to find some crackers, apples and a couple water bottles. A picnic was some sappy cliché romantic thing that a guy did to impress a girl. He shouldn’t be trying to impress Sierra, but the idea of a picnic was in his head and came out his mouth before he had the chance to see that it was a bad idea.
Just because his cock came to attention every time he saw her didn’t mean romance was appropriate. Hell, none of it was appropriate. He couldn’t date her. The rules of employment directly stated that. And he couldn’t lose this job over a girl. His buddy Blake was counting on him to do the reconnaissance work and hell, he needed the money.
“Do you need any help?” Sierra’s voice jolted him from his thoughts. She stood in the doorway after changing into jean shorts not much longer than the uniform ones and a light-pink tank top that wasn’t going to help at all to curb his attraction to the woman.
“Nah, I got it.” He threw the lunch into a white cloth bag that already had his pistol buried under a couple of towels. “Are you ready?”
“I am.” She smiled up at him and damn if he didn’t want to kiss her.
Jack blew off that stupid thought and grabbed the bag off the counter. He could behave himself while spending time with this woman. He could show her the treasures of North Caicos. There was no need to worry about the future as long as he kept under control the goddamn junior high hormones that had suddenly reappeared as soon as she started working on the yacht.
“Let’s do this then.” He led her out the door and up the steps to the blindingly bright sunlight on the deck of the yacht. This was going to be fine, going to be fun.
Carpe momenti
, live for the moment because you never knew when it would be your last. That’s how he’d lived most of his life and had a damn good time doing so. Just because he didn’t have to jump into risky situations regularly didn’t mean that living for the moment had to end.
But it had. That way of life ended the day he was shot in the back three times and barely escaped death. When you couldn’t move for days, didn’t know if you would ever walk again, things couldn’t help but change.
Jack brushed away those depressing thoughts and offered his hand to Sierra as they climbed off the boat. She took it and the simple touch shot need hard and fast to his core. He didn’t
need
anyone, but he sure as hell wanted Sierra. Damn the power of a beautiful woman.
“So what do you have planned for us?” She grinned up at him and he had to swallow the thought foremost on his mind.
“I was thinking we could go kayaking into one of the mangrove forests.” Jack knew a family nearby with a two-person kayak he could borrow, and taking Sierra into the secluded river would be…romantic. Damn, he was pathetic.
“That sounds fabulous.” Her enthusiasm was obvious, and if he could just have a few thoughts that focused somewhere other than his cock and keeping it under control, he might be able to enjoy the day too.
“There’s a guy who lives down the beach a little way who has a kayak we can use, if you’re all right with a walk.”
“A walk along the beach? Sounds fantastic.” Sierra slipped off her sandals, held them in one hand and kept up with Jack’s speedy pace across the sand. She didn’t know what his hurry was but she wasn’t going to complain.
The ocean was an amazing turquoise, lapping softly against the powdery white sand. Just offshore were three tiny, rocky islands. A brilliant blue sky dotted with puffy clouds topped it all off to make a perfect postcard scene. North Caicos might just be heaven. And Sierra was lucky enough to have Jack for her tour guide. Adventures like this one might make this job worthwhile.
“We have to go in the water for a short way here.” Jack led her into the shallow, warm water. Sierra stared at the muscles of his legs, the solid outline of his body, narrow waist. The man was a prime specimen of masculinity. That had to be the reason she couldn’t stop staring.
Sierra forced her focus to something other than Jack. Small waves lapped at her knees as she followed him around a rocky cliff and then back onto another sandy beach. It was like they were suddenly in a remote wilderness. There were no yachts or mega resorts in sight, nothing but a pristine stretch of sand and behind that the lush growth of nature. At the very end of the beach, probably a quarter-mile down, there was what looked like a couple of paths that led into the trees.
As they got closer to the path, two little brown-skinned boys wearing only tighty-whitey underpants came running down the beach toward them. “Jack. Jack.”
The little guys were skinny, probably around four and six years old, and cute, with scruffy brown hair and big brown eyes.
Jack set the bag with their lunch down and squatted into a sumo wrestling position as the boys ran right into him. He played their game, fell over on the sand with a grunt on contact, and rolled around. They wrestled in the sand for a couple minutes before he said, “I give up. I give up.” He held his hands up in defeat.
The boys giggled and each pulled on one of his hands, helping him up.
“You guys are getting strong.” Jack rubbed his chest in mock pain.
“Look at these muscles,” the older one said and flexed his best bodybuilder pose.
The little guy imitated his brother in a lopsided version of the pose. “Yeah. I’m strong too.”
“You’re going to have to start taking it easy so you don’t hurt me next time.” Jack ruffled his hand through one of the little guys’ hair.
Both boys looked intently at the bag Jack had laid in the sand, looking at him, smiling, and then back at the bag, but neither said anything.
Were they hungry? She could definitely sacrifice her picnic lunch.
“You think there might be something in there for you?” Jack asked, and both boys nodded, watching with wide eyes as Jack dug to the bottom and pulled out two toy airplanes. He handed one to each of them.
“Wow! Thank you, Mr. Jack.” They ran around in circles making engine noises, grinning from ear to ear.
A woman carrying a basket in one hand and with a baby strapped to her chest in a long red cloth came down the beach toward them. Sierra assumed it was the boys’ mother.
“Jack, it’s so good to see you again.” She hugged Jack and kissed him on both cheeks.
“It’s great to see you too, Rosa.” He gave her a solid hug. “This is my friend Sierra.” Jack pulled a small stuffed tiger from the bag. “And this is for the little one.”
Jack put the tiger into the hands of the baby. She grabbed it, grinned and pressed it against her little face.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Sierra.” The woman smiled but didn’t hold out a hand to shake.
“It’s nice to meet you too.” Sierra didn’t know the customs here, didn’t know if it was appropriate for women to shake hands, so she just smiled back at the woman, following her lead.
“Thank you for the gifts, Jack. You know you don’t have to bring them things every time you come.” Rosa gave Jack the lecture in a loving voice. They obviously knew each other well, and Sierra wondered about the relationship.