"Olivia's fine. My parents are taking good care of her."

"Still, we should go. I'm sure we can beat the front."

"That's what everyone will be thinking. The last thing we want is to lose visibility in the inlets with a bunch of morons racing for sh.o.r.e. Sit down for a minute." Jack circled the boat, catching a large swell of seawater, and they lurched forward. He drove a good two hundred yards farther away from the island and dropped anchor again. "This storm might get a little hairy before it's over, but it's moving fairly quickly. I checked the radar on my phone." Lightning flashed in the distance, and thunder followed. "Let's get below deck." He took her hand, and they gripped the railings as they maneuvered forward.

Jack closed the hatch, and the howl of wind ceased. The boat soared up on a wave and dipped low, sending them both hurtling toward the small bed. "s.h.i.t," he said as he grabbed her and turned, taking the brunt of their fall forward.

The boat creaked and popped, and Alexa clutched at Jack's arm as her heart pounded. "Is this thing going to break in half?"

"Nah. We're just gonna get tossed around a bit. I think the worst we'll have to worry about is a bruise or two and seasickness. Do you want some pressure bands for your wrists? Mom keeps them handy." The boat lurched again, and he snagged her around the waist before her hip connected with the table.

"No, I'm good."

"Come here. Let's lie down until this pa.s.ses. We can watch from the windows."

She stared at him, searching his eyes. He didn't seem overly concerned.

"Relax, Alex. Dad and I were in a h.e.l.l of a storm a couple years back that had us both on our knees praying when we weren't puking our guts out. This will be over before you know it. It's a pop-up that'll cool things off a few degrees." He crawled on the small bed and rested his head on a pillow. "Come watch with me."

The boat rocked violently. With few alternatives, Alexa gripped Jack's leg like a lifeline and started toward him.

"Don't even think about pulling my hair again."

She smiled. "You're safe for now."

He outstretched his arm, inviting her to lay with him.

She rested her head on his solid shoulder as her heart thundered along with the deafening booms beyond. A huge bolt of lightning splintered across the sky, and rain pelted against the circles of gla.s.s as the boat continued to sway. The purple hue tinting the portholes lent a magical feel to the violence just on the other side.

"Not so bad after all, huh?"

"No, not so bad." She glanced up at him. "But I hope Livy's okay. She's terrified of thunder. Maybe I should grab my phone-" She looked toward the small table, realizing her phone no longer rested on the wooden top. "Where's my cellphone?" She shot up to sitting, trying to scramble away to go in search of her lifeline to her little girl. "Livy might need me. Or Abby."

Jack pulled on her arm, bringing her back to him. "Alex, it's in here somewhere. If they need you, the phone will still ring. We'll find it then. Relax."

He made perfect sense. The phone would be easier to locate among the shambles of plastic dishes and odds and ends littering the floor if it was ringing. She took a settling breath and leaned back against him. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize for thinking of our daughter and your sister."

That settled her further. She looked to the storm-darkened trees billowing wildly in the wind on the small island as she breathed in Jack. "Thanks for bringing me to our place."

"This wasn't exactly what I had in mind." A deafening blast of thunder shook the cabin.

"Severe weather and shark bites-"

"Shark bites?" He interrupted. "It was a fish, Alex. Probably a minnow." He chuckled and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

She sat up on her elbow. "Are you making light of my brush with death?"

"You're brush with..." He laughed. "h.e.l.l, yes. I'm definitely making light of your brush with death."

She loved the sound of his deep-in-the-gut laugh. "The years have made you hard and insensitive." She grinned as she squeezed his chin, looming close to his face.

Another rumble of thunder echoed through the cabin. A huge bolt of lightning spider-webbed across the sky.

"I think it's safe to say the years have embellished your imagination." He grabbed her chin much the way she still held his and pulled her closer. "The next thing you know-"

The boat dipped dangerously low, sending Alexa into a half-roll over Jack, and something fell to the floor with a crash. They stared at each other, wide-eyed, while Jack held her firm on top of him. Their hearts slammed in the same rapid rhythm. "Whoa," they said in unison.

"Are you sure we aren't going to break in half or capsize?"

"Yup. The storm's dying down already. The thunder isn't as close."

"Then why do I feel like I'm still on a rollercoaster?"

"The water will take some time to settle yet." He slid his fingers through her long hair. "We just have to wait it out."

Her heart rate started to pound even faster, but it was no longer from fear. She licked her lips, suddenly nervous as she recognized the hungry look in Jack's eyes. "I should probably see what broke."

He tightened his grip around her, and her b.r.e.a.s.t.s pressed more firmly to his chest. "I think you should stay right here. The mess isn't going anywhere."

"But it was gla.s.s."

"Mmhm." He cupped her face. "We don't want to add st.i.tches to your list of today's traumatic events. We're safer staying put."

Why was she unsure about that? Her fingers clutched against the smooth, firm skin of his shoulders as desire churned in her belly. Here they were, out in the depths of the bay, alone, in a storm. The man she loved lay under her, gorgeous and waiting for her to decide how the next few minutes were going to play out. She wouldn't make the same mistake she did earlier when she denied them both what they wanted. Alexa traced his lips with her fingertip. "What should we do while we wait?" Her voice thickened with desire. "There must be a game around here somewhere."

"I think we could come up with something."

"Like what? Uno? Cribbage?" She nipped his bottom lip and skimmed her tongue across his tensed jaw.

He trailed his palms along her waist. "This works." He lifted his head from the pillow and captured her mouth. What started off playful turned desperate in an instant.

Alexa moved her legs, straddling him and he cupped her a.s.s, bringing her against him. He was already hard. Whimpering, she sat up and ground them heat to heat, making him moan.

His fingers clutched her hips as she continued to move in her teasing rhythm, torturing them both. It had been so long since she'd felt the heady power of taking Jack to the brink. The last time they were together, he had been in charge.

Jack reached for the ties of her bikini and she took his hands in hers. If he touched her, she would lose her advantage. She leaned forward and pressed his hands above his head. "Stay." She followed her demand with a deep kiss. Within seconds, Jack's fingers were in her hair.

She tore her mouth from his and went to work on his ear, his neck, his muscled shoulder. Jack started a teasing journey of his own and she stopped on a ragged breath, taking his hands and putting them back where she'd pressed them before.

"Stay," she repeated as her eyes burned into his. "It's my turn."

"Bossy."

She smiled. "That's right. Make sure you listen."

He smiled back. "You have my full attention."

"I noticed." She wiggled her hips, and he hissed out a breath. Grinning her triumph, she went back to his shoulder where she'd left off and wandered to his pecs, savoring the flavor of salt mixed with Jack. She nipped at mounds of muscle and left open-mouthed kisses in their wake, reveling in Jack's deep breaths and sharp exhales.

She glanced up and met his eyes as she continued her work. Her tongue left a damp trail, stopping at his chiseled abs. She let the antic.i.p.ation build for both of them as she traced blocks of taut muscle and smooth skin to the waistband of his swim trunks, watching his stomach jump with her caressing touch. Then she pressed her palm against him through his shorts and rubbed teasingly until he moaned and his thighs flexed.

"Alex."

She tugged his trunks down and off before her fingers skimmed him-just barely.

Jack clutched at the pillows, and his head tipped back as he expelled each unsteady breath. It had been a long time since she'd pleasured a man. She clearly hadn't lost her touch.

"Alex, come on."

She continued her feathered caresses and leaned in to tease him further with the heat of her breath.

Jack let loose another grumble in his throat as he looked down at her and twisted his fingers in her hair. "Come on, Alex."

She increased the pressure of her grip and started a rhythm, only drawing out her torturous teasing further. "How's that?" she asked, full well knowing this wasn't what he wanted.

"Alex." His hips jerked, rocking on their own accord.

Her tongue flicked out, and his head fell back.

"G.o.d."

She finally gave in, going deep, giving him what he needed. His fingers tensed and flexed in her hair with her movements as they had a hundred times before. The years had pa.s.sed, but so much stayed the same. She continued to work him, remembering the little things she knew made him crazy-lips here, fingers there. She wrapped her hand tighter, and he gasped as his toes curled and his leg muscles tensed. "Enough," he said as he tried to sit up.

"But I'm not finished."

"You are for now." Tugging her up, he brought them face to face. He took her mouth almost violently as he yanked at the tie on her bikini top. He grabbed the red fabric and tossed it away, pressing his palms to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, moving in gentle, teasing circles until her whimpers turned into one long moan. His hungry mouth and tender hands were a lethal combination that left her reeling.

He jerked her up to her knees and suckled her sensitive nipples. "G.o.d, Jack," she groaned as his tongue lapped until the light throb in her center grew to a heavy pulsing. She clenched his shoulders, and he wrapped an arm around her waist as the boat dipped low again and thunder rumbled in the distance. The boat steadied from its dip, rocking more gently as the rain continued to pound.

Jack snagged her bikini bottom with his thumbs and tugged. Her bathing suit fell to her knees and he ran his hands up her waist, bringing her chest colliding against the hot, damp skin of his. She was ready. She wanted him now. "Lay back, Jack. Let me have you." She pushed at his shoulder.

"There's no rush." He trailed his knuckles down her spine, and she shivered.

But there was. Her body craved to be fulfilled. She pressed on his shoulder again, but he lay her back instead and moved his mouth to her collarbone, nibbling and nipping his way to the valley of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, prolonging the delicious agony of her wait. He traveled further down her waist and hips, bathing her in open-mouthed kisses.

"Mmm," was her response as he spurned her churning desire and moved between her legs, caressing her knees, and then making his way up. His mouth heated her inner thighs with his breath, and she whimpered with the antic.i.p.ation of what came next. "Jack," she whispered as moist heat slid over delicate, tender flesh. "Jack." She arched, gasping as her fingers flexed and kneaded in his hair, urging him to continue as his tongue stroked again and again. "Keep going. Keep going," she begged as she pressed his face closer with a jerk of her hands. "My G.o.d, don't stop. Don't stop."

His rhythmic caresses turned to gentle suckles, changing the pace, the pressure, the intense sensations, sending her soaring. "Oh, my..." The rest was lost on a rush of breath when he added his fingers. Sparks of heat radiated through her core as he increased his sinful rhythm. She reached above her, clutching at the pillows as she gasped his name mindlessly.

When she was sure she couldn't take anymore, he journeyed up, met her lips, and crushed down with bruising heat.

She wrapped her arms around him and clung, utterly spent as they rolled and she lay on top of him. "The bag," he said against her skin. "Can you grab the bag?"

"Huh?"

"The bag. I bought rubbers." He snagged her ear, and she shuddered.

She looked over her shoulder at the bag still hanging and crawled forward on trembling legs as she grabbed the almost-empty canvas.

Jack yanked it from her hand and reached in. She watched him, struggling to stay on the bed as another tumultuous wave sent the boat in a deep dip. He pulled a wrapper free and sheathed himself before she had time to get her balance.

"Come here." He hooked her around the waist, lifting her until her back collided with his chest, and she straddled him. His lips heated her skin, and she locked her arms around the back of his neck, resting her head on his shoulder as he reached around and sent her flying with a rub of fingers. She bowed up and cried out as the pulsing sensations of Jack and her o.r.g.a.s.m overtook her. "Jack. Jack," she repeated as she sagged against his sweaty skin. Before she fully recovered from the first onslaught, Jack gripped her hips and eased her down, leaving her no choice but to take him deep. Stunned, frozen in ecstasy, her arms gripped him tightly as another round of heat engulfed her, bringing her to flashpoint. "Oh my G.o.d." Her loud moan filled the cabin as Jack tensed and sucked in a gasp. Her muscles uncoiled from their involuntary spasms, and she began to move, wanting more. Jack reached around, molding her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, playing as she set her rhythm. She moved slowly, teasing them both, enjoying the sounds of Jack's staggered breathing close to her ear.

"Turn around, Alex. I want to see you."

She stood on her knees and turned as Jack lay among the pillows scattered about the small bed. Straddling him once more, she sat back, and they both groaned. She rested her palms on his chest and began her easy pace once more. Leaning forward, she kissed him. The sweet, lazy moment spun out until the kiss grew urgent and his hands were everywhere, starting new fires. Alexa quickened her pace as the deep ache for fulfillment consumed her.

Jack clutched at her waist as his breath tore from his chest. His hips moved with her, pumping up, thrusting hard. She grabbed his powerful forearms and squeezed as she went soaring for the fourth time.

Jack's head tipped back, and he tensed, exploding along with her.

Gasping, spent, Alexa sagged against him. She listened to the violent pounding of his heart over the rain still pouring outside. He wrapped his arms around her and held on. She closed her eyes, safe, content while the boat rocked much less violently than it had minutes before.

"This was so much better than Uno," he said against the top of her head.

She smiled.

He wiggled his shoulder gently. "You pa.s.s out on me?"

She lifted her head. "No, just recovering."

He reversed their positions, and she lay on her back.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting comfortable. I can't have you recovering too soon. It's still raining too hard to head home."

She chuckled, and her heart kicked into high gear as his smile turned sly. "We just finished, Jack."

"If I can do it so can you." He pulled himself free of his condom and within seconds protected them both again before he pushed deep inside her. She whimpered, still sensitive from her last o.r.g.a.s.m.

"I don't think I'll ever get enough of you." He kissed her and looked in her eyes. "I used to dream about being with you like this. I would wake up and realize you were gone, had been gone for some time, and I wanted to die."

His words touched her. How many times had she woken the same way? She brushed at the damp hair along his temple. "I love you."

His fingers froze against her cheek. "What?"

She hadn't meant to tell him, but she'd been powerless to stop herself while they lay together in a place they'd made their own so long ago. "I love you, Handsome Jack."