Pier Lights (7 page)

The light she’d noticed reflecting off his
sword wasn’t only from the moon or the pier. He had a small lantern
in the small boat.

“I’m Dio.”

“I know. Is that real or a stage name?”

“Is Lina real or a stage name?”

“Right. Guess it doesn’t matter and best to
leave it alone.”

He grinned. Damn, he had a beautiful
grin.

“Why did you put the mask on?”

“I never date coworkers.”

Date? And how did that answer her
question?

“Or do anything else with them, either.”

“Ah. Then why did you ask me to your
boat?”

“To talk. Why are you stripping when you’re
more trained than that?”

Caroline faltered. She had started asking
questions. It was her own fault. “How do you know I am?”

“It shows.”

“I’m glad.”

“I am in awe of you.” He held her gaze.
Still, he didn’t move.

“Why?”

“I have no idea.”

She laughed. “Well, I have to love the
honesty.”

“And you? Why are you here on the beach so
often at night?”

“You mean why am I watching you here on the
beach so often at night?”

“Yes.”

“I am in awe of you. Of your skill.”

“With the sword.”

“Yes.” She leaned forward. “And I enjoy
looking at your body.”

His chest expanded, his shoulders pulled
back. “Mind if I row farther out again? I won’t go farther than you
want. Tell me to stop.”

“Dio. I want you to go farther out. Away
from sight of anyone on the beach. And I want like all hell for you
to break your do nothing with coworkers rule. And no, I have no
idea why I want that.”

“Lina. This mask always stays on when I’m
with a woman. It’s part of the act. Don’t expect otherwise.”

She grinned and reached back to untie the
top of her bikini at her neck. “That’s not the part of you I’m
interested in.” She let it drop half way, holding it up just far
enough her nipples were still covered.

Dio reached down for the oars without
removing his gaze from her breasts and rowed them out into the
ocean.

When he slowed his urgent rowing, Lina
released the strings, let the material fall. When he stopped, she
untied the bottom of it and dropped the top half of her bikini to
the side.

“You never go that far at work.”

“No. Not yet.”

“Yet?”

“I’m only paid as a beginner so far. That’s
all they get until Hayes wants to pony up better.”

“Careful with him. Most of the girls only
get as far as they do because...”

“I know. Not me.”

“You haven’t...”

“With Hayes? Not a chance in hell. Or the
others, including patrons. It’s not going to happen. Not this
time.”

Dio scanned her slowly. “They said you were
new to performing. You’re not.”

“Never said I was. They can say what they
want. Doesn’t make it true.”

He pulled in the oars and lay them along the
sides of the small boat which wasn’t as small as it looked from the
outside. “One condition.”

“Okay.”

“No one at work finds out.”

“Of course not. I don’t want that any more
than you do.”

“Why?”

“Easy. When you give yourself that
reputation, you’re taken less seriously. I expect to be taken
seriously. And I don’t want the jerk wads who work there to expect
I’ll do it with them just because I did it with you.”

“Understood.”

“Why don’t you do it with coworkers?”

“I don’t want them to think I’m one of
them.”

“Aren’t you?”

“No. Did you think I was?”

“No. I’m not either. But then, they all
probably think the same thing about the rest of us. Don’t you
expect?”

“Maybe. Can you stand up in a boat without
throwing us overboard?”

“I’m a dancer, Dio. I’m good at
balance.”

“Right. Come here.” He stood. The boat
swayed.

Lina made him wait. She would obey the
order, but she would make him wait first. A show of power. When she
stood, she stood slowly and ran fingers up from his calf to his
thigh, over the thin small black shorts to his waist, stomach, up
to his smooth chest and to his shoulder. Dio stood still, very
still, and allowed it. His eyes followed her movement. The rest of
him remained statue still, statuesque, powerful, controlled.

She was at nearly an arm’s distance and
could barely see him under the moon’s glow assisted by the little
lantern. Still, he was beautiful. Powerful. She loved the power of
his body. She loved that she could stand in front of him almost
naked and play with his skin as he waited.

“Dio.”

“Hm.”

She ran her fingers down to circle his
nipple. And to the other, in an infinity symbol across his chest.
“You haven’t touched me yet.” Her voice came out a whisper. She
hadn’t meant it to.

“You’re not ready for me to touch you
yet.”

She paused, met his eyes. “How do you
know?”

He grinned. Stayed silent.

He was right. She wasn’t. She wanted to
explore him first. She wanted him fully naked before he touched
her. Lina had tried it before. It never worked. They were never
willing to wait that long.

She decided to push it further, see how far
she would get before he released his control and took her. Slowly.
She wanted to make him wait.

Continuing the infinity circle, she made it
smaller each time around, closer to touching his nipples. His body
stirred. Barely. She took it all the way in and fingered the right
nipple. She always started on the right in whatever she did. His
chin raised slightly. His chest expanded and contracted faster,
deeper. She moved her finger to the left nipple, teased, circled.
Pinched. His stomach pulled in. Yet he remained still.

“You’re still not touching me.” She looked
into his eyes this time. Daring him. It was too dark to tell the
color.

“You’re still not ready.”

“Hm. How do you know?”

“I’ll know.”

Lina wondered if he would as she moved in,
kissed his bulky strong magnificent shoulder. She raised her other
hand so she could caress both nipples and continued her kisses,
more licks than kisses, nibbles on the softer areas where her teeth
could catch hold, down his chest. She let her hands fall to his
stomach, let her tongue continue the caress where her fingers had
been. His chest expanded and contracted. She kissed the concave
spot between his breasts, and moved her tongue to the other side.
She liked balance. They had to have equal treatment.

“Dio.”

“You’re still not ready.”

“Hm. Are you?”

“Yes.”

“You’re not going to ask for what?”

“I know for what. Yes.”

She grinned and let her hands slide down
from his stomach to explore what she couldn’t see under his black
thin silky shorts. He hardened at her touch. His body pulled in.
His head dropped back.

“Oh Dio. You are magnificent, aren’t you?
All the way head to toe.”

“Lina.” His voice was breathy,
constrained.

“Yes?”

“You realize you’re torturing me.”

Lina slid her palms over his thighs, brushed
up under the shorts. “Yes. And you’re holding still for me because
you like it. You like to be pushed to the edge.”

“Yes.”

“Mm.” She moved a hand back to cup him, to
grip him firmly. “You shouldn’t have admitted it.”

“I will stand right here not touching you
until you tell me you want it.” His voice was nearly a growl, a
soft sexy sweet growl.

She met his eyes. “Yes?”

“Yes.”

Her stomach twinged, a good twinge, a
wonderful unbelievable tight twinge. It had been so long. And she
ached to tell him she wanted it. Now. But this first time would be
their only first time, maybe their only time, and she wanted to let
herself enjoy it just as long as she could make herself hold
off.

She liked the torture of it, as well, the
exquisite, beautiful, maddening torture of it, of wanting him, of
not allowing it. But she could allow more.

Lina released him, let her left hand drift
behind to his curve, not much of a curve, but at least he had a
curve. She hated men with flat butts. She seriously hated men with
flat butts. Dio’s soft curve was much more sensual.

She slipped her right hand underneath the
black loose silky shorts, let her fingers meet his soft hard
delicate skin. He groaned when she rubbed him, slowly, back and
forth. She kissed his chest as it flailed in and out, in and out.
Her tongue found his nipple. His right. She nipped it, and bit
harder. His body clenched. She tongued his left the same way, bit
harder.

He kissed her head.

“You moved.” She looked up to see the very
little bit of his face that showed under his mask.

“I’m sorry.”

“You want me to release you now, to free you
to touch me.”

“Yes.”

“No.” She moved her face very close to his.
“Not yet, Dio.” There was a sparkle in his eyes. A slight grin on
his face. He was adorable. On top of sexy. And talented. And
controlled. He was adorable.

Lina had to have him naked.

She grasped the waistband of his shorts on
each side and pulled slowly, letting the fabric rub over his
personal sword, slid them all the way to his ankles. On her knees,
Lina stroked him with both hands, caressed the softest tip of him
with her thumbs, and replaced her thumbs with her lips.

He groaned. Light. Deep. Sensual.

She played only to the point he was finding
it hard to stand. Lina raised to her feet, kissing him on the way
up. The hair on his stomach tickled her nose. She kissed his
nipples. Right. And left.

“Lina.”

“Mm.”

“Get naked.”

She grinned. “No.”

“Please.”

“No.” She kissed his neck. Rubbed her face
along his and wished the mask wasn’t in her way. “Dio.”

“Now?”

“No. Tell me something.”

“Not now, Lina.”

“Yes.” She stroked a hand through his dark,
thick, shiny hair. “Before I release you.” She teased his lips.
“Tell me ... you want me to come back again. Before...”

“Yes.”

“Yes? I’m still your coworker.”

“I don’t care. Lina, yes. I will be here on
my nights off. Come when you wish.”

She kissed him. She never kissed them, her
conquests. Never. She also never asked them for more than the one
night. Often they came back, sometimes they came back often. She
never asked.

He kissed extraordinary. Her knees
buckled.

“Dio.”

“You’re ready for me.”

“Yes.”

He wrapped his arms around her and locked
her in a deep kiss, pressed his body hard against hers, teased with
his sword. His hard, long, soft sword.

“Are you just as talented with that
one?”

“Guess you’ll have to judge for yourself.”
He took over. Fully. Slowly. Demanding. His skillful tongue found
her nipples and his fingers found her softest spot, her weakest and
strongest spot.

She groaned. He lowered her to the bench as
he pulled the bikini away and slid it to her ankles, dropped it
aside. She gripped the sides of the boat as she leaned back to
allow him all the access he demanded.

He bit her stomach. It pulled in. He bit
harder, sucked, and bit. Leaving a mark. He was leaving a mark on
her stomach. It would show.

“Dio.”

“Sh.”

“Work. It’ll show.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t.”

He released her, stopped biting, raised her
to bring her face to his. “I want it to show. Don’t cover it. I
want to look at it, to know others are wishing it was their teeth,
their tongue, able to mark you as I have.”

“Oh...”

“Lina. Don’t come to me again unless you
want to be marked. I will. Every time. Remember that.” He pulled
her against him, kneeled on the bench beside her, straddling her,
propped with his strong arms on the sides of the boat.

She grasped him around the back, held him as
he pushed inside, gripped his skin tighter. Shoved her feet into
the bottom of the boat. For leverage. Stability. He was
magnificent. Controlled. And uncontrolled.

And he was insatiable. She found her own
release twice and still he continued.

“Dio.”

“Not yet.” He kissed her neck. “I don’t work
tomorrow.”

“I know.”

“Will you come?”

She groaned, felt her body answer for her,
answer his demanding call, his need.

“Will you come?” His voice was strained.
“Lina. Answer me. Now.”

“Dio, yes. Yes, I’ll come.”

He let out a roar with his release and she
felt her own. His body quaked. Trembled.

“Dio.” Her voice was a whisper.

He met her lips. And her eyes.

“Take off your mask for me.”

“No.”

“Dio...”

“Not until you take off yours.”

“What?”

“You know.” He kissed her again, harder,
deeper, softer. “You’ll be here tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“Let me take you home tonight. To your
door.”

“No. I...”

“Lina, I won’t come to you. I’ll wait for
you to come to me. But I don’t want you to walk home now, as late
as it is. As ... relaxed as you are. Let me take you to your
door.”

She nodded.

Dio wished he had something better than his
old truck to drive her home. She didn’t comment. She let him hold
her door and slid over to the middle beside him, her head on his
shoulder as he drove her a few blocks from where he kept his boat
tied.

They arrived too soon. He turned it off. She
didn’t move to get out.

“Lina?”

“I’m not ready.”

He tilted her face up, met her lips. She
shifted closer, held him tight. “Walk me in.”

Walk her in? And if he ran into someone in
her building in his mask and the black shorts and T-shirt with Lina
in nothing but her sarong? She hadn’t put the bikini back on. She
wrapped the sarong over her, barely covering herself, and climbed
in his truck that way.