Cassie smiled to herself. Culture shock again. Well, he was the one who invited himself along on this adventure. "You're welcome to change anywhere you like, and I promise not to look. However, personally I think it's a waste of a moonless night to bother with a swimsuit, and I wasn't expecting company, so I didn't bring one." Before she lost her nerve, she stripped off her T-shirt with what she hoped was a casual air. Her shorts and underclothes quickly followed, and she walked to the water's edge before casting an impish glance over her shoulder at the still fully-clad man behind her.
Calder made no effort to disguise that he was watching her. No, if Cassie Boulton was going to voluntarily take off her clothing in front of him, he was damned if he wasn't going to enjoy the view. After all, she hadn't said anything about not looking at her.
If she were any other woman, he would have interpreted her playful smile as an invitation, but he had the strong suspicion that if Cassie wanted something from him, she wouldn't bother with subtlety. That look was a dare. He watched her gently swaying body as she walked out into the water, his eyes lingering on her graceful curves, appreciating even her pronounced shiver when the water level reached her breasts. She didn't look back at him again, but instead seemed to become fascinated with the movements of her hands, running them through the dark water surrounding her.
Regardless of what his intellect said, his body insisted on responding to a situation it clearly felt should be acted upon. He fiercely damned the fact that she was precisely the sort of woman he shouldn't become involved with. He hated the thought that in two weeks he would leave and never again see that look of challenge flashing in her eyes. Why did the one woman he wanted in his life and in his bed have to be one his family would never accept?
If he couldn't have her, at least he could go out to her and look his fill. Stripping off his clothes with no more caution than she, he waded out into the water, grateful it would hide his arousal by the time he reached her.
Once the water was deep enough, he could see the bioluminescence. It wasn't the bright glow he'd expected, but rather sparks of light that appeared where the water contacted his body. Normally he would have watched it with interest, but now his thoughts were fixed on Cassie, who wore a look of enchanting happiness. She twirled around in front of him, her arms outstretched, tiny sparkles of light outlining her limbs as she moved. "It's magical, isn't it?"
He smiled slightly. "I thought it was science."
She laughed and deliberately splashed water at him. It flickered as it left her fingers and again as it ran down his chest, and he began to understand her delight in it. "It's dinoflagellates. I can explain it step by step, but it's more fun if you think it's magic."
"Ah, so it's science and magic," he replied loftily, just to see her smile.
"Here." She took his wrist in her hand. "Move your arm back and forth like this, and wiggle your fingers, and you'll get a light show. It's nice in long hair, too." She dunked her head underwater and swirled it around, creating a glittering net of tiny diamonds in her hair. She reemerged, smiling and looking like a naiad as the glittering water drained off her.
He was entranced by the visual spectacle of the lights outlining the curves of her body as she spun around once more. Stopping, she looked up at him and splashed him again. "Didn't anyone ever teach you how to play?" she asked with amused exasperation.
No, he thought, no one ever did. "I like watching you play."
His deep voice made Cassie suddenly aware of his physical presence. She looked out to sea, newly conscious of the sensuousness of the water moving along her bare skin and the mildly arousing sensation of it caressing her breasts, so different from when she wore a swimsuit. She hoped he couldn't tell what she was feeling. "Well, you're going to have to amuse yourself somehow, because I'm going to swim out to deeper water."
She began to swim, glad to be putting a little distance between them, but had only gone a few strokes when a hand on her arm brought her to an abrupt halt. Startled, she stopped and looked up into Calder's face. "Don't, Cassie." He held her arm tightly. "It's not safe."
She was about to tell him she could do whatever she pleased when she saw the genuine anxiety in his face. More gently, she said, "I'm a very good swimmer. You don't need to worry about me. Honestly." With his greater height he was still able to stand, but she now needed to tread water to stay afloat. Fortunately, that wasn't hard in Buzzard Bay's buoyant water.
"It's dark, and you could get disoriented." He didn't loosen his grip on her.
Perplexed by his uncharacteristic doggedness, she paused. Her awareness that their unclothed bodies were only inches apart was increasing by the second, and she found herself admiring the breadth of his shoulders. To her chagrin, her body was beginning to ache to be touched. No doubt just a normal reaction to the proximity of an attractive male body. It didn't mean anything, except perhaps that she'd been celibate too long.
"Please, Cassie," he said, his voice surprisingly entreating.
She recalled suddenly that his uncle, the family patriarch, had died in a well-publicized boating accident. Had it been at night, too? Perhaps it had. She didn't remember the story well, since it happened when she was a girl. Although reluctant to give in, she understood his feelings. "All right, I won't."
"Thank you." His fingers tucked a stray lock of her wet hair behind her ear.
His gentle touch sent a surge of electricity through her. He paused as if deliberating, his hand in her hair, and drew his fingers along her cheek until they reached her mouth. As he lightly caressed her lips, a rush of desire filled her. Her entire body was awakening to his, her breasts tingling, and an insistent need began to grow deep inside her.
Their eyes met and held. Her breathing was growing irregular, and she suspected he could tell, just as his excitement was becoming clear to her. The sensuous feeling of the water flowing between her legs only made her long for a more intimate touch.
His expression was silently questioning her, his eyes intent even in the darkness. She couldn't fight herself any longer. The process of desire had already gone so far within her that she couldn't walk away and pretend she didn't want him to make love to her, that it wasn't the natural consequence of the intimacy of their setting and the history between them. She nodded almost imperceptibly.
His eyes flared. Unhurriedly he let his hand trail downwards against her, past her cheek, down her neck, and finally submerging in the water, exploring down her arm and then catching her waist. The tiny sparkles of light in the water followed his movement, echoing the excitement he was creating in her. His look of desire was unmistakable.
His touch was almost meditative, though far from calming. His focused concentration on her, combined with the deliberation with which he was touching her, lent an excitement that went far past the stimulation he was giving her. Wanting to feel him as well, she slid her hands up to his neck.
She could see his body stiffen in response to her light touch, but it was as if they were both waiting for something. It came when his hand finally contacted the aching need of her breast. She gasped with pleasure as Calder, with a look of satisfaction, began to toy with it, watching her face intently.
It was impossible to keep her body still as his touch shot pleasure through her. She wanted desperately to kiss him, but if she did, it would bring their entire bodies into contact, and she had some sense of the conflagration that could set off. She could only gaze helplessly into his eyes as he read the increasing desire in her expression. His enjoyment of her low moans was obvious as his fingers sent currents of pleasure running through her.
She could hardly bear it when his hand abandoned her breast and moved downward to her hips, causing a new shock of sensation to race through her. How could she already be craving him deep within her, when he had barely begun to touch her? Her tension spiraled as he drew her closer, moving painfully slowly to prolong the moment until finally, at last, their bodies met. Then Calder drew in a sharp breath and crushed her to him, his
leisurely pace abandoned, his mouth seeking hers with a desperate hunger.
Their lips met and his tongue teased her lips apart and thrust inside her mouth on a voyage of discovery. She slipped her hand into his hair as her tongue danced with his, each contact sending a wave of heat through her. There was nothing unhurried about his approach any longer. He moved with the urgency of a man who needed to claim every inch of her body.
His lips traveled down to taste her neck as his hand returned to her breast, this time eagerly seeking out her nipple for stimulation. As Cassie succumbed to the sensation he was creating in her, it became difficult to focus on remaining afloat, and she found herself limited by the need to hang on to his neck. "The water's too deep. I can't stand up here," she whispered.
He reached down and grasped her thighs, parting them and lifting her legs until she had little choice but to cling to him with her legs as well as her arms. In sudden intimacy, her center pressed firmly against him, creating an overwhelming pulse of deep pleasure. She pulled his head down to hers once again to demand her satisfaction of his lips.
She moved her body against him, making him groan with desire, until his arousal lay directly beneath her. Intense bursts of pleasure raced through her as she made her hips undulate, using his hardness to excite them both. Sensation built within her until she could hardly bear it, and she felt him insinuate his fingers between them so he could control more directly the surges of pleasure he gave her. He caressed her there, the pressure of need inside her growing and growing until finally she was overtaken by deep waves of satisfaction.
Her climax had barely ceased to rock her when he slid himself deep within her. She met him eagerly, riding the currents of pleasure he created in her until his body stiffened as he found his own release. He remained immobile for a minute and then reached down to touch her intimately until he brought her over the edge once more.
Overcome by the pleasure he had given her and the lassitude that followed it, she laid her head against his as their breathing began to return to normal, their bodies still connected. Still wrapped in a world of sensation, she luxuriated in his closeness and the comforting feeling of being held. It had been so long since she had felt a man's body against hers, and the sense of release and relief persisted for some minutes as neither spoke.
As a greater consciousness returned to her, a realization of the awkwardness of the situation began to permeate her. She had never been inclined toward casual sexual encounters. How, then, could she explain finding herself in the arms of a man she couldn't even say she liked? She could hardly claim he had seduced her; she had been as active a participant as he. She had always found him attractive, but she hadn't ever considered the possibility of anything happening between them. He belonged to a different world than she did.
Yet was there anything wrong with accepting this comfort for a little longer, given how far she had gone already? Perhaps it was an excuse, but would it not be simpler, less awkward, to let it follow its course, at least until she was safely at home? He was no doubt used to women who were far more sophisticated about these matters than she, and she didn't want to appear gauche. There was no need to worry, after all, about word spreading of what had happened. He had more to lose than she did in that regard. And in truth, she didn't want to let go of him so quickly, completely apart from the embarrassment that would be involved in trying to establish that this had been a mistake. She let herself relax in his arms, accepting the pleasantly soothing movements of his hands upon her back.
"It's getting a little cold," he said at last. "Perhaps we should get out of the water."
Despite his words, he seemed reluctant to let her go when she tried to disentangle herself from him. Determined not to let her discomfort with the situation show, she smiled at him mischievously. "Race you," she challenged.
Catching her hand, he pulled her back to him and kissed her. "Trying to get away already?" He put an arm under her legs, holding her to him as if he planned to carry her off.
She linked her arms around his neck, amused at being caught in a position she associated with cheap romances. "You may like this now, but you'll find I'm not so easy to carry once I'm out of the water."
"I'll just have to enjoy it while I can," he said, his pleasure enhanced significantly by the sight of her naked body so close to him. He gave in to temptation and leaned over to pull her nipple into his mouth, tasting the saltiness of the water on her as he stimulated her gently.
He had meant it only as a quick tease, but as he felt the rapid increase in tension in her body, he couldn't resist continuing his actions until she moaned with pleasure. Taking advantage of the ease of supporting her in the buoyant water, he shifted his arm until he could slide his fingers deep inside her. She arched hard against his hand, encouraging him to thrust his fingers into her again and again.
"I thought you said you were getting cold," she teased, her voice trembling from the pleasure he was giving her.
He released her breast just long enough to say, "I changed my mind." He was deriving great satisfaction from the discovery of how free Cassie was with him, her apparently unabashed enjoyment of his body and what he did to her a refreshing change from the more jaded women to whom he was accustomed. That she could carry her playfulness into a situation like this was a challenge he couldn't resist. He waited until he brought her close to her peak before he said, "Not quite so much to say for yourself now?" As if in response, her body shuddered and then with a soft cry of fulfilled pleasure, she went limp in his arms.
He could definitely grow used to this. He took advantage of her slow recovery to prove himself perfectly capable of carrying her into shore. She laughed when he set her on her feet on the beach.
"This is a little clichéd, don't you think?" she asked him.
"Clichés are about the last thing on my mind at the moment." He reached down and handed her towel to her before walking off to find his own. Next time, he'd make sure the towels were together. He didn't like being even this far away from her. When he came back, she was toweling her hair dry unself-consciously, her body completely exposed to his appreciative eyes.
Cassie looked up to see Calder's eyes moving up and down her form. Her blush was hidden in the darkness, but she couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. He was no doubt accustomed to women with bodies toned and shaped by sessions with personal trainers, and while she had no great complaints about her body, she doubted it could be held to the same standards. She wondered why she even cared what he thought. After all, he obviously found her attractive enough for a temporary amusement, which was all there could ever be between them.
She threw her clothes on quickly, uncomfortable with the situation. She could no longer make out the other two, and she didn't want to spend any more time standing around with Calder than she had to.
"Do you think we should wait for Scott and Erin?" she asked.
He shook his head. "They can take care of themselves, and I doubt they want company at the moment."
They walked back through the marsh without speaking. Cassie grew more anxious as they went, wondering what kind of expectations he would have of her now. Obviously a real relationship wasn't a consideration under the circumstances. Would he expect her to be willing to sleep with him again? Would he expect her to make demands? Or was this never to be mentioned again? She wasn't looking forward to sorting it out. By the time they reached the car, Cassie was intensely nervous about what would happen next, and almost wishing she had a little more experience with the etiquette for casual sex.
She wrung her hair out again with her towel before entering the car. He was already in the driver's seat when she got in. "Sorry," she said with as much cheerfulness as she could muster. "I don't want to get salt water all over your nice car."
"Don't worry about it." He paused with his hand on the key. "Would you like to come back to the house?"
He wasn't going to just let it go, so it was up to her to extricate herself. "I have to be at the lab earl
y, so I really should go home."
He busied himself with starting the car and finding the way out to the road. "You'll have to show me the way," he said with a sidelong look at her.
"Of course." She directed him quietly to the cluster of cottages reserved for MBL researchers, reminding herself the whole time of all the reasons why any kind of continuing connection with Calder Westing was asking for trouble.
He pulled up in front of her cottage, but before she could say anything, he leaned over and kissed her slowly and lingeringly. As soon as she felt his lips on hers, her resolve began to weaken. Her mind might have been made up to have nothing further to do with him, but her body was still frighteningly ready to respond to his touch. She damned herself for being so susceptible to this brand of persuasion, even as desire began to flow through her once again. His hand came up to cup her breast.
Without planning it, she found herself saying, "Would you like to come in?"
He gave her a slow, devastating smile. "I thought you'd never ask."
Chapter 5