Stormy Vows/Tempest at Sea (27 page)

She nodded shyly, not meeting his eyes.

“You should be,” he said teasingly. “My ass is no longer bare, and I assure you that I haven't been interested in kinky perversions for a number of years. That was quite unfair.”

Then, as the color once more flooded her face, his expression became serious. “Go over there and sit down,” he ordered quietly, gesturing to an easy chair covered in charcoal velvet that
was situated just a few feet from the graffiti-covered wall. “I have a few questions that I want answered.”

“Shouldn't we wait for the police?” she asked despondently, sinking obediently into the chair.

“I think you owe me an explanation,” he said. “After all, it's my wall you ruined.”

Dismayed, Jane's eyes swiftly flew to the paneling. “Is it really ruined?” she asked. “Isn't there anything we can do to save it? It's such a lovely wood.”

Jake Dominic gave an exasperated sigh. “No, you've done too good a job on it. The paneling will have to be replaced.”

“Who was the other one?” Jane asked suddenly, her golden eyes wide and inquiring.

“I beg your pardon?” Dominic said blankly as he sat down on a corner of the bed, facing her.

“You said that I was the second persistent woman tonight. Who was the other one?”

“It would hardly be gallant of me to reveal names,” Dominic said dryly. “Let's just say that when I arrived on the
Sea Breeze
this evening, I had an unpleasant surprise in the form of a lady whose ego was a good deal keener than her intelligence.” His lips twisted cynically. “She evidently thought that seduction could fan the dead embers back to life.”

Denise Patterson, the gorgeous blond talk-show hostess, Jane guessed shrewdly. Dominic had evidently grown bored with her and broken off their affair last night. For a moment she felt a fleeting sympathy for the woman who'd thought she could hold Jake Dominic after he had tired of her. According to the gossip columns, Dominic's affairs were becoming even more ephemeral of late, and seldom lasted more than two weeks. Looking into that cynical, restless face, she could well believe it. When a man had seen everything, done everything, and had only to reach out to receive anything he desired, it was no wonder that he had become jaded.

That mocking devil's face was now frowning impatiently. “I'm not here to satisfy your curiosity. I believe that I was about to ask you a few very pointed questions. What's your name, redhead?”

“Jane Smith,” she answered absently, thinking how the un-buttoned shirt stretched over the virile chest made him look more sensually naked than when he was totally nude.

Dominic's mouth twisted. “Not very original.”

Her eyes flew to his face. “No, it's true,” she protested. “Why would I lie? You'd find out anyway.”

He shrugged. “Now the important question. Why me?”

“Your new film,” Jane said simply. “It's got a pronuclear slant.”

Dominic shook his head in disgust. “For God's sake, it's a blasted suspense thriller,” he said harshly. “It's not a message film.”

Her eyes met his in crystalline honesty. “It was the publicity angle,” she said quietly. “We figured an incident with you would hit the front page.”

“It might at that.” He grimaced. “And who, may I ask, are ‘we’?”

Jane's eyes widened in alarm. “No one,” she said quickly. “This is all my idea; no one else was involved.”

“It will probably go easier on you if you tell the police who else was responsible,” he suggested coolly.

Jane shook her head at once. “I couldn't do that,” she insisted stubbornly. “There wasn't anyone else.”

For some curious reason, her answer seemed to please him. He regarded her with an enigmatic smile. “You know that you're in a great deal of trouble?” he asked as he studied the quivering of her soft pink lips and the raw fear in her golden eyes.

“I know,” she said huskily, biting her lip nervously. “But… but there wasn't anyone else.”

The cabin door was flung open, and three large, intimidating
men rushed into the cabin. Jane looked up, startled, as the trio came to a screeching halt just inside the cabin door while they bewilderedly absorbed the scene in the cabin. One uniformed man in his late fifties, with gray-streaked hair and a tough, weathered face, was obviously in command of the other two, younger men, who were dressed in jeans and crew-neck sweaters.

Jake Dominic looked up, his brows lifting in mock surprise. “Hello, Marc. You certainly took your time about it,” he said to the older man, lazily rising to his feet.

“I roused a few of the men—I thought we might need help,” Marc replied absently, his stunned eyes taking in the crude message on the wall and then wandering back to the fragile-looking girl in the gray armchair.

“I think we can handle her between us,” Dominic said, his lips twitching. “Captain Marcus Benjamin, may I present Jane Smith, girl terrorist.”

Jane threw him an annoyed glance. “I wish you wouldn't keep calling me that,” she complained.

“Sorry, Jane,” Dominic said urbanely, his hands buttoning his cream shirt. “I'm still having problems with those semantics.”

Benjamin's mouth tightened in irritation as he turned to face the two younger men, who were grinning irrepressibly at their captain's discomfort. “You can go back to bed, men,” he said briskly. “Tell Jim to stay on duty on deck in case we need the launch.”

The smiles were immediately wiped from the faces of the seamen at Benjamin's whiplike tone. They sketched a respectful salute and exited hurriedly.

Banjamin turned back to Jake Dominic and Jane, his expression grim. Jane shivered at the stern, authoritative figure the large man presented in his dark-blue uniform. “Now, what is this all about?” Benjamin asked, frowning.

“I was trying to determine that, when you and your bully boys burst into the cabin,” Dominic said lazily. “It seems that
Miss Smith took umbrage at my latest directorial effort and decided to make her opinions known.”

“Very expensive umbrage,” Benjamin said gruffly. “You'll have to send to Sweden to replace that panel.” His gray eyes narrowed as Jane gasped in alarm. “What do you want done with her? I have a launch standing by to take her ashore. You'll have to go with her if you intend to press charges.”

“That's right, I will, won't I?” Dominic observed noncommittally, his eyes on Jane's face. “Are you ready to face the music, Jane?”

Jane moistened her lips nervously, but her chin was set determinedly as she said valiantly, “Yes, Mr. Dominic.” She slowly got to her feet. “It probably won't be as bad as all that,” she went on bravely. “I hear the police go easy on student protestors.”

“Then you've been misinformed,” Benjamin said bluntly. “They regard a crime exactly the same, no matter who commits it. You're in big trouble, young lady.”

Jake Dominic frowned and said impatiently, “You're frightening the child, Marc.”

Benjamin shrugged. “There's no use in her fooling herself, Jake. There's a good chance that she'll go to jail for this night's work.”

Jane could feel the last remaining color drain from her face at the captain's grim words. The situation was taking on all the nuances of a nightmare, and she knew a dizzying sense of panic.

“Will you stop intimidating the girl?” Dominic said roughly, “She's just a kid.”

“No, it's all right,” Jane said quickly, drawing a deep breath to steady the quivering in her stomach. Her hand was shaking as she nervously loosened the collar of her dark sweater. “I knew there would be some risk involved.”

“But not this much,” Dominic guessed shrewdly.

“I would have done it anyway,” she said simply.

“Then you're an idealistic young fool,” he said harshly.

Jane's eyes dropped before the scorching fire in his. “Perhaps,” she whispered huskily, “but I'd still do it.”

“Well, have you made a decision?” Benjamin asked impatiently. “Are you going to press charges, or are you going to let the girl get off scot-free?”

Dominic's eyes gleamed mockingly. “It's quite a difficult decision,” he drawled. “It would be a bit of a bother going in to press charges.” Jane looked up, her face lighting up with hope. “On the other hand, I wouldn't be a responsible citizen if I encouraged crime in our youth, would I, Marc?”

Benjamin made a sound that was half snort, half cough, and entirely derisive.

Dominic ignored the rude expression, and strolled casually over to Jane. He lifted her chin so that he could look into her eyes. “I rather favor a compromise,” he said easily. “I'll not report the incident if you'll agree to come along on the cruise and work to pay off the damage.”

Jane knew such a surge of relief that her knees felt as if they would not hold her. “Oh yes, please,” she said eagerly. “I'll do anything you say.”

“Anything?” Dominic goaded gently. “You're dangerously impulsive, Jane Smith.”

The color once again flooded her cheeks at the teasing note in the deep voice, but her eyes were steady. “I'll work very hard, Mr. Dominic,” she said earnestly. “It's very generous of you to give me the chance.”

“Oh, I can be very generous when it pleases me,” he answered coolly.

“And just what duties is Miss Smith to perform to earn that generosity?” Benjamin interrupted caustically.

Jake Dominic's hand released Jane's chin, and he turned away. “You'll find something for her to do, Marc,” he said. “I'll leave it up to you.”

“Will she be with us for the entire cruise?” Benjamin probed. “You planned to be gone almost two months.”

Dominic smiled. “Oh, yes, the entire cruise, I think,” he said gently, his black eyes gleaming. “After all, it was a very expensive panel.”

Benjamin's eyes narrowed as he detected the restless flickering in the depths of Jake's ebony eyes. “I'll remind you of what you just told me,” he said warningly. “She's just a child.”

Swift anger darkened Dominic's face. “For heaven's sake, Marc, I'm not bringing her along to warm my bed,” he said harshly. “She'll work her way, just as I said.”

“And that's all?” Benjamin asked skeptically.

A reluctant smile touched Jake Dominic's lips. “Damn you, Marc,” he said in grudging admiration, “you never give up, do you?” He shrugged. “She amuses me,” he said simply. “Tonight is the first time in three bloody weeks that I haven't been bored out of my mind.”

“So you're going to keep her around as some kind of pet?” Benjamin asked bluntly.

“Not as a pet,” Dominic drawled, his brows arching mockingly. “Perhaps as a court jester.”

“Hadn't you better ask the young lady if she agrees to your terms?” Benjamin asked dryly. “Perhaps she would have some objection to donning a cap and bells.”

“I think she might prefer it to prison stripes,” Dominic suggested silkily. “But yes, why don't we ask her?” He turned and gazed down at Jane's bewildered face. “What about it, Jane? Part-time slavery, part-time court jester. Is it a deal?”

There was a nameless challenge in the dark face that struck an answering spark in Jane's own adventurous spirit. After all, what was the man asking of her? She couldn't believe that a man of his sophistication and brilliance would find her entertaining for very long, but she couldn't deny that Jake Dominic exerted a
powerful attraction. It shouldn't be an onerous task to spend time in his quicksilver presence. Besides, what choice did she have?

“It's a deal,” she said quietly.

“What about her parents?” Benjamin asked. “You can't just shanghai the girl. They'll have you up for kidnapping, not to mention possible charges of corrupting a minor.” He gave Jane's diminutive figure a disparaging glance. “She can't be over eighteen.”

Jane bristled indignantly. “I'll be twenty-one in six months. And both my parents are dead. I can do as I choose.”

“Good!” Dominic said briskly, his mouth quirking. “By the way, do you play chess?”

Jane's face was puzzled as she answered, “Why, yes, I used to play often with my grandfather.”

Jake Dominic shot a sly glance at Benjamin. “You see, Marc,” he said flippantly, “it's kismet.”

“So it would seem,” Benjamin said sarcastically. “Well, if you're set on keeping her, I'd better find her a place to sleep.”

“Yes, you do that, Marc,” Dominic said lightly, “Run along with Marc, Jane.”

Jane stood up and obediently moved toward the waiting captain.

“Just a moment,” he said, bending to pick up her backpack from the floor. “You forgot this.”

Jane turned and held out her hand as he moved toward her.

“It's heavier than it looks,” he said, weighing it casually.

“Oh, that's just the bomb,” she said absently. Then, as she perceived both men's stunned expressions, she giggled helplessly. “It's just a stink bomb,” she assured them, her face alight with amusement. She glanced at her watch. “There must be something wrong with the timer,” she commented. “It should have gone off ten minutes ago.”

“Let's not take any chances, shall we?” Jake Dominic asked testily, carrying the backpack over to the large porthole. He opened the porthole with one hand and drew back his arm to toss the bomb into the sea. “I have to sleep in here tonight.”

Jane grinned and turned to follow Benjamin from the room.

The explosion as the bomb hit the water was deafening, and a shock wave rocked the ship, causing Jane to stumble against Benjamin. The captain instinctively put out his arms to catch her, but she tore away from him to whirl and stare in horror at the fiery glare that still illuminated the darkness beyond the port-hole.

“Oh, my God!” she breathed, her eyes wide with shock. “Oh, God, I didn't know.” How could Les do such a thing, she thought incredulously? If the bomb had gone off while Jake Dominic lay sleeping, he would surely have been killed, and who knew how many more would have been hurt? The blast had been awesomely powerful. If anyone had been injured, then she, too, would have been responsible. She had brought the bomb aboard. She had even set the timer. “Please, believe me,” she pleaded brokenly, tears running silently down her cheeks. “I would never have done this; I didn't know.”

Jake Dominic had been thrown against the easy chair by the force of the blast. Now he slowly straightened and looked at her grimly. “Oh, I believe you,” he said tersely, his face a shade paler than it had been before. “You wouldn't have perched on top of a live bomb for almost an hour and then forgotten it existed, if you knew what your friends were up to.”