Barbara Faith - Kiss of the dragon (4 page)

"Bethany!"

"Let me go!"

"Wake up, Bethany. You're dreaming."

But still she fought, frantic with fear, her heart pounding a staccato rhythm against her ribs.

"It's only a dream," Tiger soothed her as he pulled her into his arms.

Bethany trembled against him and he put one hand behind her head and drew her closer. Her body was warm against him, her tear-streaked face damp against his throat. Suddenly an emotion he'd never known before swept through Tiger Malone. He whispered words that were a mixture of Chinese and English, trying to tell her that everything was all right, that he was with her now and that he would take care of her.

She sighed against him, and not even knowing that he was going to, he began to kiss the tears from her face. And finally from her lips.

Lips that quivered under his as her body tensed and she tried to move away. Tiger's arms tightened around her. He looked down into her face. Her eyes, shadowed by the moonlight, were wide with alarm.

"Bethany," he whispered. Then his lips found hers, again, tentatively at first as he sampled their ripe sweetness. He felt her hands curl into fists against his chest. Then the hands flattened. The warmth of them penetrated his skin and her lips softened beneath his.

Before Bethany could resist Tiger eased her back against the pillows and lay down beside her.

"No, no, please!" Frightened now, she broke away from him and tried to sit up.

"I only want to hold you," Tiger said as he took her into his arms. The golden cloud of her hair brushed his face as he lay back on the bed with her. He kissed her cheek and felt a rush of tenderness that he'd never known before. Taking her face in his hands he gently kissed her closed eyes. "Go to sleep," he whispered, then he drew her down beside him and did not speak again.

She knew he could feel the pounding of her heart and the trembling of her body against his. She tensed, waiting for him to move. But he didn't. He only smoothed her hair back from her face and held her until at last the trembling stopped.

A soft breeze stirred the curtains. Beneath them the boat rocked gently. Bethany closed her eyes. Just for a moment, she told herself, only seconds before she went to sleep.

Chapter 4

T
iger awoke when the first streak of dawn lightened the sky. Bethany lay close to him, her leg against his, her head against his shoulder. He gazed at her slightly parted lips and the shadowy fringe of her eyelashes against her cheeks. He saw the rise and fall of small rounded breasts beneath the thin material of her gown and felt a rush of passion.

Tense with desire
,
Tiger slipped from the bed. He stood for a moment looking down at Bethany. Someday soon we will be lovers, he silently promised her. Then, with a strength he had never known he possessed, Tiger left and quietly closed her door behind him.

He went out on deck. The harbor slept; there were no other boats close to the
Golden Dragon.
He dropped his black silk robe on the teak deck, climbed on the rail, poised, then plunged into the sea. The
shock of the water stunned him for a moment, then he began to swim, out toward the South China Sea. He swam hard and fast, trying to ease the throb of desire within him. And when at last it began to ebb he rolled onto his back and swam slowly back toward the boat.

He knew that he would take Bethany with him when he went to Kwantung; it wasn't safe for her in Hong Kong now. But that wasn't the only reason. He thought then of the days and nights that he and Bethany would be on board his boat together and he knew that before this trip was over
,
they would be lovers.

Bethany awoke slowly. Without opening her eyes she felt the breeze on her face and the scent of salt in the air. She felt the motion of the boat under her and her brows came together in a puzzled frown. She opened her eyes to look about her, disoriented until she remembered that she was on Tiger Malone's boat. Then came the other memory, the memory of the dream and the feel of Tiger's arms around her in the darkness of the night.

A flush crept into Bethany's cheeks. Tiger had lain here beside her, the whole length of his body against hers, all through the night. She'd felt the strength of his arms around her when she'd tried to pull away, and the strange mixture of emotions. Panic because she didn't know him, fear, an odd kind of excitement, then a quiet comfort as he gently soothed her.

Tiger Malone. Bethany knew that she would go to China with him. She had no idea how long the trip would take or the danger that might lay ahead. But somewhere deep within her she knew that, because of Hong Kong, her life would never be the same again.

The next few days passed in a flurry of activity. Tiger arranged for his manager to take over for him while he was away. He debated taking on an extra crew member but decided that he and Chang Lu could manage the helm and the navigation and Lee Tung could handle the cooking and other chores.

Fuel was taken on, water tanks were filled, a supply of food laid in. Five days after the attack on the dock the
Golden Dragon
was ready.

The day before they left Bethany phoned the States. When the nursing home answered she asked to speak to her mother. After a moment's hesitation the woman at the other end said, "I'm sorry, Miss Adams, but your mother can't speak. We'd hoped by this time she'd be responding, but I'm afraid there's been no change in her condition."

Bethany's hand tightened on the phone.

"I wish I had better news," the nurse said. There was a moment of hesitation. "I hate to trouble you, Miss Adams, but we're concerned about your moth
er
's bill, with you over there in Hong Kong, I mean."

"The bill is paid until the end of the month," Bethany said. "Today I'm sending you a check for the next three months."

Bethany didn't mention that she'd cashed in her return ticket and that she was sending almost all the money she had. She had no idea how long the trip into China would take, but she had to be sure her mother
was
taken care of. If the statue was as valuable as Tiger
said,
she'd never have to worry about money again.
If
they
found it. If they didn't
,
she'd have to borrow
mon
ey
from him to get home. Once home she'd sell
the house and her car to repay him and take care of her mother's bills.

With the money she had left, Bethany decided to go to Stanley Market to buy a few things for the trip. When she told Tiger that she wanted to go shopping he insisted on sending Chang Lu with her.

"But why?" Bethany protested. "I can take a bus to the market. There's no need to bother Chang."

"I don't want you out alone."

Bethany looked at him and felt a cold knot of fear forming somewhere in her midsection. "You don't think that incident on the dock was just a purse-snatching, do you? Or my room being ransacked. You think it had something to do with the dragon."

Tiger hesitated. He didn't want to frighten her, but on the other hand he wanted her to be aware of any possible danger.

"The statue has a history of violence, Bethany," he said at last. "Warlords have been fighting over it for centuries. The man who wanted it smuggled out was murdered before our fathers could deliver it. I'm not certain that the attack on the dock had anything to do with the dragon, but it might." Tiger paused. "I'm certain someone has been following me for the last two months. I thought at first it had something to do with the gambling club, a disgruntled player who held me responsible for his losses. Now I'm not so sure. Maybe someone wants the dragon just as much as we do."

Tiger's green eyes narrowed in thought. "Maybe someone has been waiting all these years, first for my father, then for me to go after the dragon. You came to Hong Kong and the connection between us was recognized; our fathers together took the dragon, a
priceless object of art, and hid it away. Suppose whoever it is who wants the dragon believes that you have come to reclaim it?" His face was serious. "I think that is why we were attacked the other night; and why your room was broken into."

A chill of fear ran down Bethany's spine. Before she could speak Tiger put his hands on her shoulders. In a quiet voice he said, "I only
think
this, Bethany. I have no proof. But that is why I have decided to take you with me."

"You're taking me with you?" She could scarcely believe his words.

"You will be safer with me than you would be here in Hong Kong. We could fly to Canton and go on to my mother's from there, but if someone is following us they will check the airport, that's why I choose to go by boat. When we reach Guantung you will stay with my mother. I know you will be safe there."

"But—"

"No buts." Tigers hands tightened. With a small smile to soften his words, he said, "I am the captain of this ship. From now until we return to Hong Kong I'm in charge. I want you to understand that, Bethany."

She looked up at him, ready to do battle. Tiger's expression was firm, but within the firmness she saw tenderness. He meant to rule for as long as they were aboard his yacht, but she knew his autocracy would be tempered by his innate decency, his almost old-world courtliness.

Tiger shook her gently. "Do you understand?" he asked.

A slight smile touched the corners of Bethany's lips as she brought her hand up in a salute and said, "Aye, aye, Captain Malone. For as long as we're at sea I'll be your humble..." Her eyebrows rose in question. "Deckhand?"

"I'd much prefer you be my First Mate." His eyes warmed with desire. But only for a moment. Then he let her go and stepping away from her said, "We sail at dawn. You'd better get some sleep."

But it was a long time that night before Bethany went to sleep, and when she did it was to dream of the statue of the golden dragon she'd first seen at Tiger's club in Macao. In her dream the dragon's eyes were as warm with desire as Tiger's had been when he'd looked at her.

Bethany awoke the next morning at the first sound of the motor. Quickly she pulled on her blue jeans and a red-and-white-striped shirt and barefoot ran up on deck. Standing at the rail she looked up to the hills, at the homes and the mountains beyond, watching them grow farther and farther away. When Bethany turned to look out to sea she saw Tiger at the helm, looking every inch a captain in navy-blue trousers and a white T-shirt.

With a half-smothered sigh Bethany looked beyond him at the sea. The sky lightened and the sun came up in a red-gold blaze of color. Bethany felt the teak deck under her bare feet, the roll of the waves, and the winds of the South China Sea blowing the hair back from her face. She took a deep breath of clear salt air. Ahead lay China, ancient and mysterious. And whatever the fates had in store for her.

It took Bethany two days to get her sea legs. For the first day she took pills to prevent seasickness but when there was no sign of queasiness she stopped taking them. Lee Tung was a fantastic cook and for the first time since her mother's illness and her father's death, Bethany really began to enjoy food. She had a glow of color in her face from the fresh sea air and the sun and felt better than she'd ever felt in her life.

Tiger and Chang Lu took turns at the helm. Although Tiger spent much of the day working on the cruiser, he always managed to be free to enjoy an evening cocktail and dinner with Bethany after the anchor was lowered and the boat moored for the night near one of the smaller islands that lay between Hong Kong and Lantao Island.

This was the loveliest part of day for Bethany, this quiet time alone with Tiger, sitting in lounge chairs watching the sunset, listening to music from the stereo in the salon. It was a time of intense awareness of the beauty that surrounded her and of this man, so different from any man she'd ever known. It seemed to Bethany that they were alone in the world, far from all of the trappings and responsibilities of civilization, two people afloat on the sea as the sun cast jeweled colors on the horizon and slowly disappeared. At that precise moment, when the last rays of the sun turned Tiger's skin a golden bronze, Bethany felt an almost overpowering desire to touch him. There were mystery and beauty in his face, and a sensuality that threatened to undo her.

At twenty-four Bethany was quite proper, although not totally innocent. But never in her life had she felt about a man what she was beginning to feel for Tiger

Malone. To compensate for her feelings she tried desperately to keep herself coolly remote. She was friendly, but not too friendly. Pleasant, but not too pleasant. Each night when she closed the door of her cabin she stood for a moment, alone in the dark, breathing a sigh of relief—and of regret—that another day had passed without Tiger making a move toward her.

It was late afternoon and Bethany lay prone on the aft deck, the straps of her bikini untied so that her back would tan evenly. Tiger was at the helm, waiting for Chang to take over, and Lee was in the galley preparing dinner. She was alone, feeling the hot rays of the sun beating down on her body, melting her bones, lost in a lovely haze between sleep and consciousness.

She didn't hear his footsteps, but suddenly she became aware of a shadow across her body, and looked up to see Tiger standing over her. Her gaze skimmed up long straight legs to his narrow hips and flat stomach. He wore nothing but a sleek black pair of bikini trunks.

Before Bethany could speak he dropped to the mat next to her, saying, "You're going to burn."

"I forgot to buy suntan lotion." She started to turn, then remembered she'd untied the straps that would keep her top in place. Quickly she lay down again and brought her arms close to her body.

"I have some jasmine oil. Let me rub it on your back."

"No, that's all right. I—"

But it was too late. She felt the warm oil trickle onto her skin, then his hands, strong and smooth on her legs, soothing, caressing.

"Close your eyes," Tiger said. "Relax."

Relax! Every muscle in Bethany's body tensed. She could feel his thigh pressing against her hip, and his hand seemed to burn right down through her bones.

One hand rested on her calf. "You have the most beautiful legs I have ever seen," he said. The hand moved down and she felt his fingers circle her ankle before it began to move up again. He paused, then shifted onto his knees so that he could rub both her legs at the same time. She wanted to stop him, but his hands were so warm as they kneaded and warmed their way up to her thighs. Bethany closed her eyes and sighed. This felt so good, so... A shock ran through Bethany's body as Tiger's thumb caressed the inside of her thighs, but before she could speak Tiger said, "Your skin is so tender here, so soft and pale. I must put the oil here or you'll burn."

Bethany buried her face in the mat. His touch was magic, arousing feelings she'd never even dreamed of. By the time he moved once more to put lotion on her back she felt as though her body was on fire. He slipped the blue bikini bottom an inch lower and said, "What lovely dimples."

Bethany struggled to sit up, and clasping the top of her suit close to her breasts said, "Tiger, please."

"I'm sorry. I was teasing." Gently Tiger pushed her down to the mat. He drizzled the oil of Jasmine onto her back and began to rub it into her skin.

His hands were warm, and again, in spite of herself, Bethany began to relax. She felt the gentle roll of
the boat beneath her body, the sun beating down, and Tiger's hands moving up and down her back, lulling her to a state of drifting somnolence.