The Boss and Nurse Albright (14 page)

“Don’t I need to sign my life away?” Claire asked.

The seasoned nurse studied the discharge papers and raised a graying brow. “Everything’s been taken care of by Dr. Rogers.”

Claire paused. As she accompanied the nurses’ aide rolling her landlady out to the car, she thought about
Jason and how he’d paid the medical bills. The thought edged her one step closer to falling in love with him.

Charles had agreed to take Gina for the weekend, and, after dropping her daughter off Friday evening, Claire nervously finished packing her bags as Jason knocked at her door.

“We’ll eat and sleep on board tonight,” he said, “then tomorrow after dawn we’ll set sail.” He brushed her lips in greeting. “You taste great.” He kissed her again, and every spark imaginable jumped between them. “And you feel even better.”

Relieved that he hadn’t forgotten how great they were together, a laugh tumbled from her chest. “This has been the second longest week of my life.”

“And what would be the first?”

“My first week at the clinic, having to face the world’s biggest grump everyday.” She smiled playfully.

“Don’t have a clue who you’re talking about,” he said, and made a sweeping glance from her head to toes, as though conjuring up a great idea.

Before she knew it, they’d forgotten all about dinner and had landed back in her bed for a send-off session of lovemaking.

Could life get any sweeter?

Hours later, in the cabin below deck, Jason wrapped his arm around Claire as they snuggled together in the cozy bunk bed. The undulations of the harbor water gently rocked them toward sleep. Claire was the only other woman he’d ever brought here. He glanced out the cabin
porthole and into the clear night sky to catch a glimpse of the waxing gibbous moon. It glistened on the water, and Jason knew in his gut he’d done the right thing by asking her to come with him.

“I’ve missed this.” He hadn’t meant to say it aloud, but the words had popped out regardless.

Claire furrowed her brow, as if the phrase wasn’t what she’d hoped to hear.

Earlier he’d given her a tour of the narrow chambers he called home while at sea. He’d replaced the cabin sole with teak wood for added warmth the summer before the train wreck. The mahogany cabinets and brass fixtures were original and gave the cabin its authentic nautical feel. The galley, complete with stainless steel sinks and stove, was well planned without an inch of wasted space. Every item was secured in place. The leather upholstered booth with thickly varnished wood table could easily seat four for meals. He proudly kept his boat in shipshape by spending most weekends either cleaning or sailing, as an excuse to avoid the rest of his life.

It had made him smile when he saw the genuine awe and excitement on Claire’s face as she’d explored the smaller cabin and head. He’d always prided himself on being completely contained on
Hanna’s Haven
, even after his world had come to an end.

And yes, he’d missed sharing it with someone. He was glad it was Claire.

Jason studied her face by the moonlight. She had slipped off to sleep. Her lashes were long, and the tiny tension lines between her brows that always seemed to be there at work, had disappeared. He dipped his
head and gently kissed her forehead, then held her a little closer.

The next morning he gave Claire a short lesson on what she could do to help him and, being a quick study, she caught right on. They set sail on a glassy-smooth sea. She gave no sign of being seasick after sleeping on the boat, but he still suggested she take a pill to fight off any potential nausea from rough patches at sea.

The success of their trip would depend on an invisible and ever varying force—the wind. And the success of their relationship would depend on another invisible force—his desire to finally break free and move on in his life. Was he there yet? He had a feeling this weekend would give him the answer.

Claire wore loose white pants and a bright yellow zip-neck, long-sleeved crew shirt with one of his old sailing jackets as she re-emerged from the galley Saturday morning. She brought two seaworthy mugs of coffee with her. The crisp morning air bit through his windbreaker and had quickly woken him up. But not until Claire had delivered his coffee and slipped under his free arm, as he manned the tiller, did he feel alive. He smiled as her hair flapped beneath her baseball cap with the extra-wide brim. It hid her eyes, and he wanted to take it off so he could see them, but knew it protected her from the sun’s harmful rays.

She was beautiful, and tightened the sinews of his chest just by gazing into his eyes and dropping sweet, reassuring kisses on his lips. Each one made him eager for another. The day was bright and the sea ebbed and flowed beneath the boat. It was a fine day for sailing.

“Do you have your sunscreen on?”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” she said.

Just before noon he navigated through an amazing section of ocean, the dolphin feeding grounds. Hundreds of the mammals leapt and frolicked around their boat. Pods had joined together in aggregates to fish and play, and several of them seemed to chase the sailboat. Their powerful flukes propelled them through the teal-blue water in a most entertaining way. Claire laughed and gasped at their antics, and exclaimed she’d never seen anything like it in her life, and Jason played along, challenging the dolphins to try to catch him. They shared a smile followed by a kiss, and Jason thought the day was close to perfect.

By early afternoon they’d reached Anacappa Island off the Ventura coast, and found a quiet cove in which to anchor. Claire quickly disappeared into the galley to make lunch while Jason tended the sails. When he’d just about finished, Claire called out his name.

“Jason? Lunch is ready!”

A minute later, he hustled downstairs to find her resplendent and waiting for him…wearing nothing but a huge grin.

“Coffee, tea or me?” she said.

Amazed by her radical surprise, he couldn’t get undressed fast enough.

Claire didn’t know where this crazy idea had come from. It seemed completely out of character for her, but with Jason it felt astoundingly right. Maybe it was the constant roll of the ocean, or Jason looking super-masculine manning the schooner. Or the fact that she wanted
to do something to blow his mind, so he’d never forget the day he’d taken Claire Albright to sea. Whatever the reason, she’d taken a deep breath and stripped down and had been rewarded by an ultra-appreciative stare when he’d entered the galley.

Jason disrobed fast as a squall, rushed to her and dove into her neck with kisses as one hand weaved into her hair and the other located her breast. They kissed eagerly and wantonly, and her hands roamed over every bit of his flesh she could find. She’d been ready for him before he’d even found her naked, and with little effort he’d already grown hard.

Before she realized it, he’d lifted her hips and sat her on a counter, the perfect height for him to press into her, which he did quickly and with vigor. The rush of hot sensations made her cry out.

“Did I hurt you?” He stopped abruptly.

“No,” she said breathlessly. She kissed him firmly as she wrapped her legs around his waist so he could deepen the penetration and soothe her edging desire.

He used the counter as leverage and dove into her time and time again. “I think I’m falling for you,” he whispered over her ear, taking her totally by surprise.

She wanted to say something back to him, searched for the words, but he’d taken control of her body and she couldn’t form a single thought, let alone a sentence. Both heat and chills fanned across her skin. Every hair seemed to stand on end. His unyielding thrusts found their mark, teasing and tightening her insides into frenzy as her mind whirled with his confession. He was falling for her.

Her nipples ached with pleasure that coiled through her belly. She came quickly with a consuming shudder and wave after wave of tingles under her skin.

She’d barely recovered when he thickened and pulsed inside her with several more lunges. The building wave started again, and she felt as if she were spiraling through the air until she came undone a second time, matching his powerful release.

They held on to each other as if they’d disappear once they let go. He may have stunned her silent with both his actions and words, but in her heart she’d already fallen for him. Could love be next?

After Jason made a makeshift canopy on deck for Claire, she snuggled beneath and watched him do a little fishing. If he got lucky, he might catch their main course for dinner. Or so he’d promised. The seasick pill she’d taken earlier in the day had made her drowsy, and she floated off to sleep without a care in the world.

Later, heat and a trickle of sweat woke her up. She checked her watch. It was four o’clock, the sun had shifted and was still bright and shining off the water, right into her eyes. She searched for Jason on deck, but he was nowhere around.

She shook her head to help wake up, and scooted out of the sun’s direct path.

Jason appeared with a large iced tea, and she greedily reached for it as the combination of sun and medicine had made her thirsty.

“On the other side of Santa Cruz Island—” he pointed to another island out further “—there’s a place called
Potato Bay. It’s well protected from the sea, and I thought we’d sail over there and anchor for the night. In the morning we can do some hiking before we head home.”

“That sounds wonderful. Count me in, Captain.”

He kissed her, then put her to work on the jib while he lifted anchor and manned the mainsail. He sailed into the constant wind and made good time. They found the bright blue horseshoe-shaped bay surrounded by high jagged cliffs, and she saw hikers along the edges waving down at them and she waved back. Two other boats had moored across the way. Jason anchored the boat and prepared dinner before sunset.

Opting to eat outside, they sat on the smooth varnished wood of the deck and had a picnic. Jason poured a rich burgundy wine and, because he hadn’t been successful fishing, they broke off pieces of baguette and ate assorted cold cuts and cheeses along with grapes, nuts and orange wedges.

With a light breeze lifting her hair, Claire couldn’t remember when she’d felt more alive. Jason had shown her a whole new world at sea and she liked it, thought she could grow to love it. And him. She knew about his haunting battle with his lost family, and the thought of being treated differently because of it, or forever held at a distance, worried her. Would she have enough patience to give him time to heal? It had already been four years.

Earlier Jason had said, “I think I’m falling for you.” The kind of phrase a woman longed to hear from the right guy. A stepping stone toward the promise of love. Yet his comment felt more like a general statement that
had slipped out of his mouth in the heat of passion, and she’d just happened to be in on it. He’d taken her by total surprise.

He’d invited her into his world, but he’d never discussed anything personal with her, other than telling her about the train wreck. And he’d never mentioned it since.

She had no idea how he felt about getting involved with a woman with a chronic illness. Would he get bored with her need to rest more than the average woman, as Charles had? Could he understand that relapses would happen, no matter how diligent she was with her medicine and holistic remedies? Charles never had. Would he hold her responsible for any setbacks, as her ex-husband had?

Each step closer to Jason forced so many more questions.

Claire came out of her thoughts and scratched her neck in answer to a blossoming itch. It dawned on her that her face felt warm and tight. She’d slipped up by falling asleep and getting exposed to the sun; now she feared she’d set off a Lupus rash.

“What’s the matter?” Jason asked.

She touched her face. His eyes widened. He put down his wine and came close enough to examine her.

“You’re pink, looks like sunburn across your nose and cheeks.”

“I’d better double up on my NSAIDS. I don’t want to wind up on steroids unless I have to.”

Jason jumped up. “I’ve got some ibuprofen in the cabin. Let me get them for you.”

“Could you bring up my purse? I’ve got some wild yam and licorice extract I should probably take, too.”

Despite doing her best to avoid the sun on the sailboat, she’d still gotten a sun rash. Would she have to paint her face in zinc oxide and look like a ghost in order to sail with him? Sailing was Jason’s true passion in life, and she’d already flunked the test at being a part of it. What did that say for the odds of them being together?

He brought her some water and a couple of anti-inflammatories and she hoped to keep at bay any further reaction. He gazed cautiously at her, and she used her best fake smile to reassure him that she was fine. She’d rehearsed and used that smile plenty of times for Charles, especially when he’d grown impatient with her illness if it interfered with his plans.

“Have you ever used anti-malarial drugs in place of cortico steroids?”

“I’ve tried every combination of treatment except chemotherapy.”

Worry etched two lines between Jason’s brows, and in order to distract him she offered him a cluster of grapes, while she ate more cheese and bread, then took the extra pills. He sat next to her and patted her knee, nibbling on the grapes. At least he hadn’t moved as far away as he could and acted as if she was a burden and spoiler of all things fun, as Charles often had.

“We’ll take care of this,” he said.

His earnest reassurance gave her hope he was a better man than her ex-husband.

As the clear sky darkened and the moon rose high and round above, Claire noticed mild aching in her muscles and joints, and hung her head in defeat. She
feared this flare was beyond adding herbal remedies to her usual medicine, but she refused to give up and took more wild yam.

Jason watched her when she changed into her nightgown, and couldn’t disguise his surprise at how quickly the rash had spread across her body, turning her bright pink.

“Oh, honey, what can I do for you?”

“I’ll be OK, Jason. I’m just going to go to bed now and rest.” It was only eight o’clock. She coughed as she turned back the covers.