All Hands Below (8 page)

She looked up and caught him staring.

His cock pulsed with lust.

“Do you need some help?” he grouched at her.

“N-No,” she stammered just as the man Liam dubbed her Moonlight Cowboy joined her. The other man wheeled along a trolley stocked with a silver tea pot and plates of little pastries.

“Tea for two,” he announced.

“Ooh, nibbles! Thanks, Eli.”

Liam ducked behind the planter and went about finishing the task at hand.

“What happened to you, darlin’?”

“I went jogging.”

“Huh?”

“See.”

Liam couldn’t resist a glance around the hedgerow for a peek, watching as she loosened the brown elastic band of fabric holding her splint in place.

The way she bent and stretched her body to unwind the dressing from her knee looked so graceful, his cock stretched. Hardened. He forced himself to focus on the task at hand.

Hard to do with an erection raging in my pants.

She affected his body and bedazzled his eyes. Her voice and laughter drenched his thoughts and hammered him with a craving to taste her, to lick every inch of skin on her, over and over again.

He ached to breathe her perfume, from her neck to her pussy to her thighs. Even her cute tiny toes would smell good.

“What a mess. Sorry this happened to you, honey,” Moonlight Cowboy sympathized. “I did knock on your door earlier.”

“I was napping.”

“If you’d answered, I’d have joined you.”

“So, what do we have here?” She directed their chatting to the food, much to Liam’s relief.

“Cinnamon scones, coconut-pineapple muffins, mango sponge-cake torte with whipped cream. I might have to wrestle you for that.”

“How about this, instead?”

The male groan that followed indicated her desire for something clearly
not
on the fucking trolley, Liam fumed. Annoyed to be on the audible end of sexy banter that made his muscles tighten, his mind flashed with images of what the luscious widow was getting up, or down to, with
Eli
.

His jaw firmed. He shouldn’t care.
Put her out of your mind, man,
he ordered himself.

“Will you rub some of this lotion on my skin?”

Liam gnashed his teeth. He took a hammer and pounded a nail into the wood.

“What’s all that racket about?” Eli asked.

“Don’t mind the noise,” Evangeline dismissed. “It’s the maintenance crew making some repairs.”

How about this for a repair, sunshine?
Liam whacked another nail into the panel with brute force. More than was needed, especially in the solarium. With its retractable glass ceiling, magnificent waterfalls and climbing ivy, it was designed to offer serenity.

Feeling far from tranquil, Liam finished the job, ventured behind the maze of hedges, and exited the solarium in disgust. Mostly with himself, that he couldn’t control his savage reaction to Evie hooking up with another man.

It was only a matter of time. Maybe even a matter of minutes. What did he plan to do about it? Nothing. Not a goddamned thing. She didn’t belong to him. He didn’t belong to her.

Yet, the thought of doing nothing didn’t feel like the answer. At least, his cock didn’t think so.

The thought of doing nothing made him feel trapped. Trapped, helpless, and irritable. Irritable on a luxury cruise ship—the place he lived and worked. The place he thrived in.

He’d have to jump overboard. Swim his ass to shore because, God help him, if he had to put up with one more minute of watching yet another stranger drool over and paw at Evangeline’s goodies? He was going to fucking lose it.

Chapter Seven

The Tropical Midnight Feast

2400 hours

“
Calypso-o-o!
Step, step, left, right, bounce in your step, body
oscillation
…”

“Come on, Eli.” Evangeline tugged him over to the dance floor, putting some weight on her gimpy foot as she snapped her fingers and wiggled her hips.

As one of the ship’s bands, Crown Jewel, played island music, the energetic lead singer taught the writhing audience some moves. Poor Eli had no groove whatsoever, but what he lacked in rhythm he made up for in heart.

When the music stopped, he drew her into his arms. “Having fun watching me make a dork of myself?”

“Dancing to the music of a live band at midnight, on board a cruise ship in the middle of the sea? Magical!”

His lips brushed her cheek, then grazed the skin just under her ear. She closed her eyes and shivered.

“You like that?” he murmured against her skin. “Because there’s more where that came from.” Eli distanced himself from her long enough to help her to a table next to the crowded bar.

He pulled out a chair and waved her into it. “What are you drinking?”

“Something cool and sweet.”

He returned with two pink and yellow concoctions of pineapple and cranberry juice, shot with coconut rum.

“So tell me, Evangeline,” he sat down and took her hand in his, “why
are
you traveling alone, really? There’s more to what you told me last night, other than being a twenty-nine-year-old executor for a charitable organization who’s always wanted to go on a holiday cruise. What are you looking for?”

She ran her finger around the condensation chilling on her glass. “The usual. Excitement. Fun. A man to father my children.”

“Huh?”

Evangeline laughed. “Relax. He has to be willing and up to the task.”

“No shit!”

She smiled at him and sipped her drink. “Did I tell you I’m a widow?”

“Yeah, you did.”

“
Twice
. Both my husbands died.”

“Oh.
That
I did not know.”

“Last night I told you I was married at twenty-four, and that my husband died in a car crash two years later. What I didn’t tell you is that when my father-in-law became ill, he asked me to marry him to keep his drug-addicted son from taking advantage of the family assets.”

Eli frowned. “Was that a love match, too?”

“No. He had a terminal illness. He was also a rich man who needed someone he felt he could trust. We were both still grieving for his son. Quinn was his only child with his second wife. His older boy, on the other hand, had been known to forge checks and steal family heirlooms to pawn for drug money. While Cam loved and provided for him, he needed to make sure his assets wouldn’t get squandered.”

“And your role was…what?” Eli asked, his dark eyes reserving judgment till he had all the facts.

“I made sure that he died with dignity. I worked as a certified nursing assistant while going to school for my business degree, so I was qualified to take care of him. Before he died, he appointed me to ensure that his wishes for his charities would always be carried through.” She paused, thoughtful. “Being twice married and twice widowed has flawed me, Eli. But I won’t sugarcoat who I am, either.”

“It’s being twice
widowed
that would make a prospective husband just a tad worried,” Eli admitted.

She replayed Liam’s elevator comment in her mind and felt a lash of pain over it. “I realize that two dead husbands will hurt my chances of finding husband number three, but I know he’s out there. I also believe in third time lucky. The man who takes a chance on me will live a happy life. Loved by me and the children we have together.”

Eli said nothing for several minutes. They both sat in thought-filled silence, sipping their drinks. When he finally spoke, he said, “So, other than being able-bodied and willing, what else would you require in your baby-daddy?”

“Friendship, kindness, respect. Mattress compatibility.”

His eyebrows rose. The corners of his mouth tipped up in amusement. “You’re willing to take him out for a test drive? Let’s go, darlin’!”

“Not so fast, cowboy.” Her smile teased him. “There’d have to be some romance and chemistry there. Boom, bang, pow, you know? Maybe shooting stars.”

“Got it. You want some romance behind your compatibility test-poke,” he pondered with a chuckle.

Evangeline took a pull of her drink and enjoyed the tangy bite of the cranberry and pineapple juices. That he was still listening and hadn’t yet run off in disgust boded well for him. If not as a potential baby-daddy, then as a nice guy with a sense of humor.

“What’s wrong with me wanting to make sure it’s good for you? I mean—him? I mean—well, you know what I mean. What he wants is important, too.”

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting sexual compatibility. It’s just weird to see a woman put all her cards on the table like you do, Evie. Did you ever think you might find that person by going about your everyday life? By doing things you love to do?”

“Yes, but so far?” She shrugged. “
Nada
. I needed to shake things up.”

“So you sailed away from a safe harbor. Well, you picked a good time to do it. Married men with families don’t go on Christmas cruises alone.”

A smile spread across her face. “Yup. And I know it’s a long shot, but my wish for this Christmas is to have one of my dreams come true. If not, what have I lost?”

“And what if your search could be over tonight?”

Evangeline swallowed back the hope that leaped inside her chest. “What do you mean?”

“I’d like to be that man, Evangeline. To be honest, I came on this cruise to relax and not try so hard to find The One. I’m thirty-nine, and burnt out on the dating scene. Did I mention that I’m here to throw a party with a bunch of divorced guys who married for love years ago, but are now cruising solo? I find you on the beach when all I’m looking for is a tan, and we just…click. This isn’t love, but I think it’s a good place to start.”

“And what is it that you do?”

“I’m a custom home builder.” He gave her his company’s website address and produced a business card. “Now, don’t take this the wrong way,” he hesitated, “but any woman I marry would have to sign a pre-nup.”

“Of course.” She nodded, and thought it best not to tell him her net worth until things progressed a bit. “What are you and your friends celebrating?”

“Tomorrow I’m throwing a bachelor party for a friend. Wife number two for him, by the way. Since I’m his best man, I’m in charge. But I can free up some time for us in the morning. We arrive in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, tomorrow. What are your plans?”

“I’m a bit overwhelmed with my bum ankle. Since my river-tubing Jamaican safari is postponed, I promised Maisy I’d accompany her to the art preview and auction in the morning.”

“Who’s Maisy?”

“She’s this cute, potty-mouthed lady that’s adopted me for the duration of the cruise. Or maybe I’m the one who adopted her.” She grinned and sipped her cocktail.

“All right, then. I’ll be thinking of you while I’m busy drinking and carousing,” he teased, and took her hand. “We’ll be in Grand Cayman the day after tomorrow, on Christmas Eve. We can tender in to George Town, spend the day shopping and looking at rings so that, if this works out, I have an idea what strikes your fancy.” He winked. “
If
your leg is up to it. Then later on we’ll talk about getting down to this baby making business.” He twirled an imaginary mustache for effect.

Evangeline laughed and liked what she was hearing more and more. She took the absence of warning bells as a good sign, too.

“Sounds like a plan.”

Eli leaned over and sealed the deal with a kiss. He drew back and gazed at her lips, amused. “Surely we can do better than that.”

Eli’s mouth didn’t taste minty. He tasted like cranberry juice. She liked cranberry juice. Eli tongued her. Their lips mashed. She made a few
“mm-mmm”
sounds and hoped for stars to flash before her eyes.

Nice. No shooting stars, but she felt a responsive tweak in her midriff. His mouth moved over hers with skill, and his tongue let her know he was schooled in laying down kisses.

As far as kisses went, Eli’s kiss felt pleasant. Comfortable. She and Eli weren’t drunk, so no heavy dose of alcohol was at play to warp her common sense.

Although a bit of awkwardness had tensed her stomach up when their mouths first met, it was expected. This was an audition of sorts, after all. While this kiss might not have blown her socks off, it didn’t rule out other items on her baby-daddy checklist.

“Mmm.” Eli shifted away and grinned, obviously aroused by their brief play.

Her small burst of laughter eased any tension that might have lingered between them after that kiss. “I see some promise, Eli. I see some real promise.”

Chapter Eight

Day 5

“Another purse has turned up missing, sir. Witnesses remember seeing this lady in the vicinity.”

Going over surveillance video with Captain Rudolph and the Chief Security Officer, Liam studied a cluster of images frozen on the monitor. His gaze narrowed at the blurred face of Evangeline in the background on one of the photos.

He excused himself and strode off in search of her, confident her ankle would have kept her confined to the ship while docked in Jamaica.

He found her reclining on a chaise in Neptune’s Grotto. “Got a minute?”

Freshly nibbled green-gold pineapple rinds lay on a plate perched across her thighs. Sunglasses shielded her eyes. She pushed them down her nose. Blue eyes peered at him above tortoise-shell rims, inlaid with the twinkle of rhinestones. “Sure.”

Liam pulled up a chair and sat. He clasped his hands together and gazed at a face scrubbed clean and free of make-up. When they’d dined at the captain’s table on formal night, he’d not been able to take his eyes off her. Now, in broad daylight, Evangeline’s beauty captivated.

His gaze skimmed down her swan-like neck and ground to a halt at his blue rose, fully bloomed, and tucked between her breasts. Before his very eyes, her nipples peaked and pushed against two wisps of fabric.

“And you got those gorgeous nipples behind those silly excuses for triangles
how
?” he growled at her.