Reel Trouble: Wild Women of Alaska (8 page)

Then he proceeded to drive her to distraction investigating the depths of her blondeness. She caught her breath as his tongue speared her softness, her hips bowing off the mattress. He pinned her down with his broad shoulders, his arms hooking around her thighs, while his tongue and mouth indulged.

She came hard and quick, and instead of leaving her sated for a moment, the climax amplified her craving to have him deep inside her.

“More,” she demanded. “Right now. More.” She reached for him and he backed off the bed.

“Don’t move,” he panted. His body tight, muscles bunched as though ready to attack, he stood, unfastened and dropped his jeans, kicking them free of his feet. “Shit.” He grabbed for his jeans and rooted around in the pockets until he came up with a condom. He bit the wrapper between his teeth as he crawled back onto the bed, his hands keeping her legs spread as he moved into position.

“No,” she said, sitting up and taking the condom wrapper. “Let me.”

He groaned at the look she gave him. “Don’t torture me. I won’t last.”

“Would I do that?” She raised a brow, and he groaned again, making her laugh. She tore open the foil package and slowly rolled the condom over the tip of Treat’s very impressive erection. “Next time I get to taste you,” she said, licking her lips.

He swore and his eyes rolled back in his head as she took control. He’d driven her crazy, now it was her turn. But as soon as the condom was in place, he grabbed her wrists, and laid her back onto the bed, securing her hands above her head with his much larger hand. He used his other hand to position his shaft at her opening. His eyes never left hers as he claimed her in one hard, unrelenting thrust.

Her head fell back on a gasp, her inner muscles clenching around his intrusion. She coiled her legs around his hips, curving her pelvis into his and took him deeper.

He began to drive mercilessly in and out of her. The pleasure was so sharp it bordered on pain, but she didn’t want him to stop. Veins corded in his neck and shoulders as he strained to hold himself back from pounding into her. She didn’t want him to restrain himself. She wanted him to lose control.

“More,” she demanded. “Harder.”

“Not yet,” he grounded out through clenched teeth.

Everything inside her tightened as sensations swept through her like a rogue wave. “Yes,
now!
” She tore her hands free from his hold and grasped his hips, urging him to thrust faster, harder. On a curse he capitulated, his hands digging into her hips as he hammered home again and again, until she screamed his name.

Her climax crashed into her, wave after wave of ecstasy heightened further as he shouted, and his orgasm pulsed deep within her. He held himself above her, his eyes squeezed shut, his body taut. Then he opened his eyes and stared right into hers. A slow satisfied smile spread over his lips. “I’m not giving you up.”

What the hell did he just say?
His words had Seana breaking the surface of the blissful sea of contentment she’d been floating on. “Come again?”

“Don’t mind if I do,” he murmured, collapsing on top of her and nuzzling against her neck. “Just give me twenty minutes.”

She slapped at his shoulder.

His shaft jerked inside her, and he chuckled. “Then again, might only take me ten minutes.”

“What did you mean about not giving me up?” Her heart pounded in her chest, and it wasn’t coming from the activities they’d just participated in.

Slowly he propped himself on his elbows and looked down at her. His teasing expression turned serious, and he brushed back the hair from her face. “I’m really good at catching and releasing when it comes to women. For the first time in my life, I don’t feel the need to cut the line and throw you back.”

“That was a lot of fishing analogies.”

“What can I say, it’s how I troll.” He smiled at her, and she had to fight not to smile back.

This was supposed to be fun. Just a diversion, a few nights maybe. She’d counted on Treat
not
wanting more. She didn’t have room in her life for more. At least not right now. Maybe not ever.

“Like I said,” he continued when she didn’t speak. “I’m always upfront about my intentions. I’m getting the impression that you aren’t caught up like I am.”

She pushed at his chest needing some distance. It was getting hard to breathe with him still inside her, on top of her, his arms bracketed around her. There was just so much of him. Treat rolled to her side. Propping himself up on an elbow, he looked down at her. She still couldn’t breathe. He was too close, smelled too good, and was too much of a temptation. She needed to get the space of the room between them, if not the length of Dutch Harbor. Instead, she forced herself to stay put so he didn’t catch on how much he intimidated her.

They’d just shared their bodies with each other, and
now
she was apprehensive?

“To tell you the truth,” she started, “I counted on you being the love ‘em and leave ‘em type.”

He nodded. “I see that my reputation has preceded me.” He picked up a strand of her hair and twirled it between his fingers.

She couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t have this conversation with him so close and
naked
. While he didn’t seem to mind their nudity, it was messing with her head. “I need…the bathroom.”

His eyes lowered to half-mast as if he knew she was hiding something from him. “The head’s through there.” He pointed behind him to a small door built-in to the wardrobe wall.

She scooted down the mattress, since his big, gloriously chiseled body blocked the other way off the large captain’s bed. She wished she could grab her clothes, but they were strung all over the boat, and she needed his eyes off her as soon as possible. She felt stripped, and not just because she was naked. She shut herself inside the bathroom, and air whooshed out of her lungs with relief.

She stared at her reflection in the small oval mirror above the miniature sink. Not good. She looked scared to death, and yet glowing. Her cheeks were rosy, her eyes sparkling, like someone had flipped a switch inside her. Treat had done so much more to her than making love to her. He’d…made her care for him.

Oh good God, that was bad. Real bad.

Well, he’d botched that.

Treat scrubbed his hands over his face. He was falling in love and he’d just scared the shit out of her. He’d been in lust enough times in his life that he recognized love as soon as it started weaving its seductive fingers around his heart and not his cock. Yeah, there was plenty of that, but he’d made love to Seana. They hadn’t fucked each other. And since he’d done plenty of the other, what just happened between them left his chest swelling with emotion while his mind had taken a trip.

He’d opened up and said too much too fast, and now she was hiding in the head. How long would she stay in there?

He straightened up the room and had his jeans on when she opened the door. He held out his shirt for her to wear, as he didn’t want her buttoned behind her uniform just yet.

“Thanks.” She quickly covered herself with his shirt, and he mourned the loss of all that creamy skin under wraps. But she was still naked under his clothes, and that was a hell of a turn on.

“We need to talk,” she started.

He liked that about her. Any problem was handled head-on. Yeah, she needed some time to compose herself, but it didn’t take her long to gather herself and then take control.

The tone of her no-nonsense voice did worry him a little.

“How about some wine first?” he suggested, turning and walking back into the galley, giving her no choice but to follow him.

“No wine. Coffee would be better.”

He returned the bottle of wine to the small refrigerator, and added water to a kettle, setting the flame to heat. He’d have preferred the wine to keep her loose and open-minded, but he knew a few things about women. The more they felt in charge, the more he usually got what he wanted. He pulled the Kona blend of coffee out of the compact freezer.

“Did you buy me groceries?” she asked, watching him.

“A few things. Mostly for dinner.” He turned and arched a brow. “Problem?”

“No.” Though she didn’t look as comfortable with the idea as he’d like.

He pulled out the coffee grinder and added in the fresh beans.

“Where did you get that?”

“The grinder?”

“Yes, but no. The coffee beans.”

“I have my sources.” He cocked a smile. “You might have noticed the coffee selection in Unalaska is very limited. Supplies are expensive to bring in, so there are restricted choices on pretty much everything.” He ground the beans and transferred them into a French press.

“You know coffee.” Her voice held a note of awe and reverence.

So the way to her heart wasn’t through food or even sweets, but good coffee. He was golden then, as he made the best coffee this side of Anchorage. He poured the heated water over the coffee grounds and reached for two tin mugs, carrying everything to the table—a table still covered with the remains of their meal. Seana cleared a spot for him to set down the French press. She eyed the pot like an addict who hadn’t had a hit in days, maybe weeks. He left her to adore the coffee as it brewed. The dark, rich, nutty scent filled the cabin.

He had the table cleared and wiped down, and Seana still hadn’t moved except to hook her finger through the handle on the cup.

“Do you like anything in your coffee?” he asked as he slowly pushed down the filter in the French press. “Cream, sugar?”

“No. I like it strong and black.” Her mouth fell opened as he poured the rich, dark liquid into her cup.

He had to sit when her eyes shuttered closed, and she held the cup to her lips. She looked like she did earlier in his arms when he’d touched her with his rough hands. Then she took a sip and moaned. He went instantly hard, and his heart jumped with the realization that he’d just learned something very important about her that he should have picked up on earlier.

Deputy Chief Seana Brogan didn’t like coffee, she loved coffee.

The enjoyment and satisfaction she took from a cup of coffee brought him joy. He’d helped, in a small way, to bring her pleasure, and his heart swelled even more. Now he needed to figure out how to keep that look on her face for the rest of his days.

Seana set her cup down after savoring almost half of it and looked at him. “Thank you. That has to be the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Now where did you get the beans?” The sharpness and focus had returned to her eyes, gone was the lost and confused woman who’d run into the head a little earlier.

“Hawaii. I usually spend the time between kings and opies with a buddy who has a coffee plantation on Kona. He supplies me in coffee, and I keep him in crabs.”

“How do I get in on this?”

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her to continue sleeping with him. But he didn’t think she’d like prostituting herself for coffee. Though with what he’d just witnessed, maybe he was wrong.

“I’m sure we can work something out.”

She finished her cup and poured herself another.

“Keep that up and you’re not going to sleep tonight,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m up for staying awake all night with you.” He hardened further thinking about having her to himself all buzzed on caffeine. All that energy, focused on him.

“I’ll sleep. I haven’t slept a full night since I arrived in Unalaska.” Seana took another sip and then set her cup down. “About earlier.”

There was no other segue. She jumped right into the subject like they hadn’t taken a coffee break. He admired her for it, though he hadn’t known another woman who did that besides his mother.

“I very much enjoyed earlier.” He gave her a slow smile that widened as her cheeks heated.

“We aren’t going to talk about that now. It’s the other thing.”

“Me keeping you?”

“Yes. No. Don’t say things like that.” She huffed out a breath that ruffled her dark hair, hair he now knew to be blond at the roots. He saw it now. Her brows were lighter, her lashes too. She must darken them with cosmetics.

“Listen.” She attempted to wrangle the conversation back. “This won’t work.”

“Why not?”

“I’m a cop. I risk my life every day. I haven’t met a man who’s been okay with that.” She hit him with the big guns.

Treat hesitated as images of her injured or worse flashed in his mind.

“See.” She pointed at him. “This won’t work.”

“Wait just a minute. It’s not fair of you to ask me a question like that and expect me not to visualize you hurt or worse.” He rasped his palm over the stubble on his jaw and then linked his fingers together on top of the table. He didn’t miss her following his actions. She really had a thing for his hands. That was new for him. Most women went for other parts of him.

“Seana, answer me this. Are you willing to let me sail out of here with a squall on the horizon? I face an ocean that’s more contrary than most, and I know that if I get into trouble, help more than likely won’t arrive in time.”

She squirmed in his t-shirt and her lips tightened.

“You hesitated too. It’s not easy, the type of careers you and I have. We’re in the same boat, so to speak.”

“Of course I hesitated. I don’t want you hurt.”

“If anyone can survive a relationship between our chosen professions, it has to be us.”

“Okay, don’t say that word.”

“What word?”

“Relationship. I don’t do relationships.”

“You do now. That’s what’s happening here, Seana. You and I are in a relationship.”

“I said stop using that word.”

“Would another one work better for you?” Anger at her refusal to acknowledge there was something besides sex between them was starting to piss him off. “Dating. Courting. Exclusive. Because that is where I’m at.”

“Good God, you’ve got to shut up.”

“I’m not going to shut up. We’re more than just fuck buddies, Seana. I need you. Eureka moment, I want you to be my woman, and I want to be known as your man.”

“Oh no. Don’t even think that. The last thing I need is a man like you in my life.”

He sucked in a breath. It felt like she’d just knocked the air out of him.

“Treat—” Her phone rang from the bedroom. She seemed torn between smoothing out her harsh words and being saved by the bell.

“You’d better get that.” His voice was hoarse with emotion.

The phone rang again, and she stood and left to retrieve it. The sight of her long legs hurrying away from him broke his heart.

He hadn’t moved by the time she returned, buckling her belt with all its weapons over her fully tucked in and buttoned down uniform. Looking all restrained, like she hadn’t come apart in his arms a while ago.

“I have to go. Work.”

He stood. “I got the impression.”

“Treat…I don’t like how we’re leaving things. But I really have to go.”

“It’s okay. I’ll clean up dinner, and we’ll…talk later.”

She paused at the door. “Do you want me to return to the hotel?”

“What? No. The boat’s yours until you find another place you’d rather live. Living here doesn’t have anything to do with what’s happening between us.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive.” And the more they talked about it, the angrier it would make him. “You’d better go.”