“No, lie still, I'll come to you.”
He stretched full length on the narrow bed beside her and pulled her blanket-wrapped body into his arms, fitting her head in the curve of his shoulder. “Now, will you stop that damn crying?” he said hoarsely, his hands running soothingly over her back through the wool blanket.
She knew a dreamy contentment as he continued to stroke and caress her while she lay curled against him. She even imagined she felt a light kiss pressed against her temple when she snuggled to get even closer to him.
“I can come back later,” Benjamin said dryly from the door.
Jake muttered an imprecation and jerked away from Jane as if he'd been burned. “She's shaking,” he said, running his hand through his hair as he swung off the bed and onto his feet. “And she can't stop crying.”
“May I suggest that a heating pad and a large handkerchief might prove to be considerably safer for the girl?” Marc offered politely, coming forward with a glass of water and two tablets in his hands.
Jake shot him a quelling glance and took the water and tablets. He sat back down on the bed and cradled Jane's shoulders in one arm while he fed her the pills and water. She took them like an obedient child, and as he laid her carefully back on the pillow he observed with anxiety the dark circles beneath her eyes and the pale, pinched cheeks. “She's too damn docile,” he said thickly. “Where's the tea?”
“She won't need it,” Benjamin answered laconically. “She'll be out in a few minutes. That sedative is fairly strong.”
Already Jane could feel the fuzziness that dulled the edges of their voices above her head and lessened the nameless urgency that drove her to keep Jake within constant reach of her hand. She could see Marc Benjamin's speculative gray gaze as if from far away.
“You know, I would never have thought that she would fall apart like this,” she heard the captain say thoughtfully. “She's really a very strong personality.”
Jake turned on him savagely. “She was almost eaten alive by a shark!” he said explosively. “How the hell do you expect her to react?”
Benjamin shook his head. “Take it easy. I'm not impugning the courage of your little lamb,” he drawled. “We both know that she's got plenty of it. It was just a comment.” He moved forward to put a hand on Jake's shoulder. “You'd better come along and let me tend to that graze.”
“In a minute,” Jake said absently, putting the glass on the bedside table and brushing the red ringlets away from Jane's forehead. “I don't want to leave her like this.”
She could dimly see his concerned face hovering over her, before her lids closed unexpectedly and there was only the darkness.
Jane awoke several times that day, only to fall back into that cocoon of sleep. She was conscious of Jake's presence several times, and of the sound of voices reverberating as if from the bottom of a well, but she could make no sense of the words. Once Simon was there with a luncheon tray, a worried expression on his handsome young face, but she couldn't rouse herself from her lethargy enough to obey his plea to eat something. She only wanted to return to the healing darkness.
It was late afternoon when the sedative finally wore off. She was alone in the cabin when she opened her eyes and looked around sluggishly. Her mouth felt dry and sour, she had a dull, throbbing ache in her head. That sedative must have had the force of a blackjack, she thought blearily, as she struggled to her feet on legs made of rubber. She dropped the gold blanket on the bed and then snatched it up again as she remembered that she was naked and her tiny cabin had recently resembled a Cecil B. De Mille crowd scene.
She vaguely remembered Jake's removing her tiny bikini, but she felt no embarrassment at the thought. Holding the blanket around her, she stumbled to the chest of drawers and drew out the gauzy green polka-dot shorty pajamas. She put them on hurriedly and ducked into the bath to brush her teeth and wash her face.
She was feeling ridiculously weak as she tottered back to the bed and slipped between the sheets. On the bedside table she discovered a thermos of rich beef broth, but she had only a scant cup before she was overcome with the lethargy that she seemed unable to conquer. She barely managed to pull the cover up about her before she was asleep once again.
Probably because the principal effect of the drug had worn off, her sleep was much lighter and more restless. She was plagued by hideous nightmares in which she was being chased by a giant shark with horrible sharp teeth, and each time she was about to be savaged, Jake Dominic swam in front of the monster and was devoured in her place.
Over and over the dream replayed in her subconscious, until she awoke with a shrill scream of pure agony on her lips.
Jake's face was above her, his face drawn with anxiety. He was shaking her roughly. “Damn it, wake up,” he said harshly. “For God's sake, it's only a dream. Come out of it, baby!”
She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around him convulsively while the silent tears flowed down her face. “You're alive!” she whispered achingly, her ear pressed to his chest. She could feel the steady throbbing of his heart through the fine material of his shirt, and it was gloriously reassuring. “I thought you were dead. I thought he'd eaten you!”
“I'm fine. It's you we've been worried about.” He pushed her away to look at her face. His hand brushed at her tear-stained cheek with a gesture of exasperation. “If you don't stop that crying, you'll drown us both.”
Jane chuckled huskily and wiped her eyes childishly with the back of her hand. “I'm sorry. I can't seem to stop. Stupid, isn't it?”
“Very,” he said succinctly, as he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her. “Just the sort of thing that I would expect from an annoying brat like you.”
She smiled, thinking how handsome he looked in his navy-blue slacks and white sport coat.
“I'm all right now,” she assured him, wiping her eyes thoroughly. “I expect it was only the nightmare. Please go on to dinner.”
“My dear girl, dinner was three hours ago. I was just stopping by to check on you before I called it a night.” A startled glance at the bedside clock verified that it was after eleven. She had slept all day and half the evening! “Ahmet sends his regards and hopes that you'll be well enough to receive a call from him tomorrow.”
“Oh, I'll be back to work tomorrow,” Jane said, surprised. “I'm fine now.”
“So fine that you wake up screaming,” Jake said grimly, his eyes fixed on the delicacy of her heart-shaped face. “We'll see how you are in the morning.”
“It was only the nightmares,” she insisted, her eyes darkening with strain. “I keep having the same dream over and over.” She shivered uncontrollably.
“I can guess what about,” he said slowly. “An experience like that may give you nightmares for some time to come.”
Jane swallowed anxiously at the thought of facing that horror every time she fell asleep. “I suppose so,” she replied nervously, moistening her lips. “Well, I'll just have to contend with them, won't I?” She smiled shakily.
“The hell you will!” Jake said abruptly, his dark eyes flaming. “I'm not about to let you shake yourself to pieces in this clothes closet of a cabin.”
“It's quite a nice cabin,” she said defensively, looking up at him in bewilderment.
“Jane, for God's sake, don't argue with me. I do not intend to spend the rest of the night in this cracker box holding your hand, after already spending the best part of the day here. There's just not enough room!” He stooped and picked her up in his arms, blanket and all, and strode swiftly from the cabin.
She looked up into his grim face and asked quietly. “I hate to be overly curious, but may I ask where you're taking me?”
“Why, to my bed, of course.” She stiffened in surprise, and he mistook her response for resistance. “Don't fight me, Jane. I'm not leaving you alone tonight. You can battle your own dragons some other night, when you're more fit.” His mouth twisted cynically. “You can't claim that one night in my bed wi
ll ruin your reputation, when everyone on the ship assumes you're already very familiar with it.”
When she merely continued to look at him with wide eyes, he went on aggressively. “Damn it, I'm not about to rape you, redhead, I just want to take care of you.” His mouth twisted wryly, as he added, “In a bed where I won't develop a displaced sacroiliac.”
She didn't answer, but her arms tightened around him nervously as he opened the door to his cabin and marched across the room to the king-sized bed and deposited her on the black velvet spread. He stepped back to look down at her still figure with wary dark eyes.
“What, no arguments?” he asked, arching an eyebrow inquiringly. “I expected you to fight me tooth and nail. You must be in worse shape than I thought.”
She looked up at him serenely, her hair a brilliant flame on the black spread. “Why should I fight you?” she asked quietly. “You're quite right. I don't have any reputation to lose and I don't want to be alone tonight.”
The wariness was still in his eyes. “That's very sensible of you,” he said skeptically. “Not at all what one would expect from a frightened virgin.”
“Really?” Jane sat up and threw off the gold blanket. “I'll try to act more in character next time.”
His dark eyes were fixed compulsively on the bodice of the shorty nightgown. Her high firm breasts were clearly outlined beneath the gauzy material, even to the shadowy pink of her nipples.
“Not on my account,” he drawled softly as he came toward her. His hand reached out to stroke her cheek with a gentle hand. “You look like a baby fresh from its bath,” he said lightly. His hand rubbed her cheekbone with the sensual pleasure of a man stroking his favorite kitten.
Her breath caught in her throat, and she looked up into his dark eyes and saw a flicker in the hidden depths that caused her heart to increase its tempo. Then the flicker was gone and he had turned and walked toward the bathroom.
The usual mockery was in his voice as he said over his shoulder. “If you want to spare me your girlish blushes, I'd turn out the light.” He disappeared into the bathroom.
Jane dove into the black velvet bed as if a nude Jake Dominic were going to appear the next instant. Then she had to jump out again to flick out the light by the door, and scrambled back under the covers again. It seemed an incredibly short time until the light in the bathroom was off and the door opened. She stiffened involuntarily as the bed sank under Dominic's weight when he slipped beneath the covers. She could feel the mattress shift while he stretched out like a cat, then turned over to rest on his back.
There was a moment of strained silence that stretched on interminably before he suddenly spoke. “For God's sake, relax!” he said with exasperation. “I'm not going to pounce on you. I can feel you trembling clear over here.”
“I'm sorry,” she whispered shakily, “I guess I'm nervous. I've never done anything like this before.”
“That makes two of us,” he said wryly, turning his shadowy face to where she lay. “I think I can safely say that I've never occupied a bed with a woman without intending to reap the full benefit.”
“It must be difficult for you,” she said huskily. “I never meant to be such a bother.”
“Be quiet,” he said impatiently. “And for pity's sake stop that trembling.”
There was a moment of tension that was as fine as a stretched violin string. “Jake.” Her voice was a hesitant whisper. “Will you hold me?”
She heard him inhale sharply and felt the sudden tension that tautened his body. “You can't be that innocent,” he said roughly. “Don't try to play games with me, Jane. I'm finding this situation difficult enough.”
She too was finding it difficult enough, she thought wildly. It had taken all her courage to voice that whispered plea, and she had only impressed him as being a tease. She took a deep breath, and before she could change her mind, she scooted over suddenly to press against the warmth of his naked body with trembling urgency.
“Please, Jake,” she said huskily, pressing her soft lips to the throbbing pulse in his throat. “I'm not playing any games.”
His body stiffened as if electrified, and his arms automatically went around her. “My God,” he said raggedly. His arms tightened ruthlessly. “Damn it, how much do you think I can take?”
His hands began a feverish sensual symphony over her shoulders and back while his lips touched hotly on her ears and throat. Then his lips found hers, and it was like no kiss she had ever known. It was as if he were famished for the taste and texture of her. His mouth rubbed and caressed her own with frantic hunger before parting her lips to probe intimately with his tongue, and his hands moved down to cup her bottom and lift her to his aroused loins with heated urgency. His lips ravished her with breathless need while he rubbed her softness against his muscular body with frenzied movements.
He buried his lips in her throat, his voice muffled as he said hoarsely, “God, I want you! I've been going insane for weeks. Open your mouth, love, I want every bit of you.” His lips covered hers again, and she felt as if she were writhing in a flame of need. She moaned deep in her throat, and he chuckled huskily. “What a lovely sound,” he groaned, his chest heaving. “I'm going to enjoy making you cry out for me, sweetheart.”
Her hands slipped around his neck to become entangled in the crisp darkness of his hair, while his hand slipped under the loose gauze top to cup her small breasts in his hands, his thumbs teasing the nipples while his tongue invaded her mouth in numerous maddening forays.
She arched against him helplessly and again made a sound more purr than moan. “Jake, please, I want…” She trailed off as he suddenly lifted the gauze top to bare her breasts to his ravaging lips and tongue.
He chuckled again. “I know what you want, little love,” he said mischievously, nibbling teasingly at a rosy nipple. “And I have every intention of giving it to you.” His tongue toyed with the other peak lazily. “In my own time. Damn, I knew you'd be this responsive!”
He rolled her over and with deft experienced hands pulled the gauze top over her head and threw it to the side. “How lovely you are,” he said thickly, as his hands cupped her breasts. “All strength and silk and fire.” His head bent slowly to take her lips in a long slow kiss. “I've got to have you, Jane,” he said hoarsely. “If you don't want it, for God's sake tell me to stop.” He nibbled at the lobe of her ear. “I'm going to take you if you don't tell me no.”
Her hands caressed the light stubble on his cheek with loving hands. “I'll never tell you no, Jake Dominic,” she said tenderly, “until the day that you tell me to leave you.”
His body stiffened above her, and he was suddenly still. His lips lingered for a moment on her earlobe, and then he breathed incredulously. “My God, what am I doing?”
In one swift movement he rolled away from her, leaving her bewildered, and chilled without the warmth of his arms. He reached over and fumbled with the lamp on the bedside table. Suddenly the cabin was illuminated by a pool of light.
Jane sat up dazedly, her golden eyes smoky and clouded with desire, her bare breasts still swollen and rosy from his lips. What had happened? she wondered in bewilderment as she watched Jake swing out of bed and march angrily to the wardrobe. When he returned, he was shrugging into a wine velour robe, and he tossed her a man's white shirt.
“Cover up!”
She looked up pleadingly into his dark eyes, but there was relentless purpose in their ebony depths. She slipped on the white shirt and began to button it despondently. “What did I do wrong?” she asked quietly.
“Not a damn thing,” he said harshly, his black eyes flashing. “It was as pretty a seduction as I've ever seen. You had me crazy for you.”
She brushed the flaming ringlets from her forehead, her puzzled eyes on his dark angry face. He fumbled in the drawer of the nightstand and drew out a pack of cigarettes and an ashtray, which he placed on the table.
“I didn't know you smoked,” she said, rolling up the sleeves of the
shirt.
“I don't. I gave it up years ago,” he answered harshly as he lit one and inhaled deeply. “I keep them around for moments of stress, and this, my dear Jane, is definitely a moment of stress!” He sat down on the bed and eyed her bare golden legs impatiently. She quickly straightened and tucked them under her tailor fashion.
His face was set and hard, and he spoke curtly. “I'm in no mood for evasion, Jane, so you'd be wise to be honest with me. You knew exactly what you were doing to me tonight. You also knew that I had no intention of taking you, before you staged your seduction scene.” His lips twisted sardonically. “May I ask why I was chosen to initiate you into the carnal arts? It couldn't be, by any chance, that you'd taken it into that tiny little mind that you owe me something?”
Her golden eyes widened. “Owe you something?” she asked, puzzled. It had never occurred to her that he would interpret her action as anything but what it was.
“It's remarkably coincidental that the day I'm instrumental in saving you from a shark, you feel called upon to present me with your nubile young body.”
“It's true I owe you my life,” she said quietly. “But that isn't the reason that I want to belong to you.”
“Then may I ask why I'm so honored?” he asked, looking down at his cigarette with narrowed eyes.
“I love you,” she said simply, her golden eyes serene.
His dark gaze flew to meet hers, and he smiled cynically. “I might be touched if I thought you knew what you were talking about. If such an emotion exists, it's not the hodgepodge of gratitude and sex that you're feeling right now.”
“You're wrong, gratitude has nothing to do with it,” she said softly, her eyes lingering on the bold planes of his face. “As for sex, if this sample was anything to go by, it promises to be pretty terrific, but I made the first move before I knew that, Jake.”
His gaze returned to the glowing end of his cigarette. “So when did you get this great revelation?” he asked mockingly. “I saw no sign of it before tonight.”
“I only knew today,” she said calmly. “I watched you sitting on that deck looking so blasted pleased with yourself that I wanted to murder you, and I knew that I'd love you forever.” Her lips twisted wryly. “It came as quite a shock to me.”