Isle of Sensuality (12 page)

The back door clicked closed and then flip-flops slapped against the tiled kitchen floor. A jolt of happiness pierced through the irritation. Jake made his way to the kitchen.

He swung the door open and his gaze fixed on her instantly, knocking the breath from his lungs. The white sundress Caitlyn wore highlighted the creamy color of her skin. The hem skimmed supple thighs, and the top showed a hint of cleavage. Arousal darted straight to his groin.

Jake cleared his throat. “Sneaking in the back door now?”

Caitlyn’s smile lit up her whole face, stealing even more of his breath. “Thought I’d mix it up a little.”

Jake leaned against the door frame. “Come here.”

“Yes, sir.”

She ran across the small area separating them and jumped into his arms. He caught her and wrapped those delicious legs around his waist.

“Feels like someone’s pleased to see me.” The glazing over of her eyes belied her casual tone. “I guess that means you’re not mad at me anymore?”

Jake frowned down at her. “This stunt’s dangerous, you could—”

Caitlyn pressed a finger to his lips. “Not tonight. Please, Jake.”

Caitlyn’s lips replaced her finger on his mouth in a heated kiss which made him forget his irritation.

“Tomorrow,” he whispered against her lips.

Caitlyn dug her fingers into his hair and pulled him closer. He explored her sweetness with hungry sweeps of his tongue. Just the taste of her made him want to lose himself in her. She always gave him everything she had, held nothing back.

Usually, after a few weeks with a woman, the attraction would burn out. It was the opposite with Caitlyn. The more he had her, the more he wanted her. He should have been worrying about that, but had kept talking himself out of it all day. After all, they still had over a month left together to put the sizzling lust to bed.

With Caitlyn still wrapped around him, he spun around and made his way to the bedroom. Once there, he coaxed her legs from his waist and lowered her to the ground. Tonight he wanted to savor every inch of her, something she’d never allowed before. Maybe then his burning need for her would die down. The fact it hadn’t so far unnerved him, as did the jolts coursing through his battered heart whenever he laid eyes on her.

“I want to taste all of you,” he whispered into the silky skin at her throat.

Caitlyn’s hands froze on the buttons of his shirt. “Why?”

He pulled his head back and saw the worry creasing her brow. “Because you will enjoy it.”

Her frown deepened. “But you won’t. Why bother?”

Jake chuckled. “Trust me. I’ll enjoy it just as much.”

He could see the uncertainty in her eyes. She always gave so much of herself with him, but he could never cross that line. Her arms folded under her breasts in a self-conscious gesture. He couldn’t believe she couldn’t see how utterly sexy she was. Jake turned her around to face the patio doors. The light in his bedroom coupled with the darkness outside transformed the glass into a reflective surface.

“I want you to see yourself like I see you.” Jake pulled the wild, fire-red curls away from her neck and nibbled the silky flesh. The smell of kiwi and berries shouldn’t have affected his libido like a punch to the stomach, but it did. Just like Caitlyn did.

His fingers slid beneath the hem of her dress and caressed the tops of her thighs. She shivered at the touch. “Jake.”

“Watch us, Caitlyn. See what I see when I look at you.” He met her gaze in their reflection. Although it was wary, he could see the hunger there, as clear as he could see the hunger in his own.

Jake slid the dress over her head and threw it onto the floor. Caitlyn hardly ever wore a bra, and for that he’d be eternally grateful. Her hands came up to cover her chest. Jake snared her wrists with his hands and pulled them down to her sides.

“Don’t cover yourself up, not with me.”

The muscles in her shoulders loosened. Jake released her wrists and began sweeping his hands over her. First they trailed along her collarbone, then down the valley between her breasts. He slid one hand down her stomach, tracing his fingers along the curves of her hips, then down to the silky white panties.

Caitlyn gasped as his other hand tweaked one of her rosy nipples before he circled the areola with his forefinger. He kept his eyes on her reflection, and saw the flush of arousal creep up her neck and cheeks.

“You’re beautiful, Caitlyn. So very beautiful.”

Her gaze snared his and he thought he saw something other than lust flicker there. Something that looked too much like what he’d avoided most of his life. He couldn’t even bear to put a name to that emotion so he slid a finger beneath the material of her panties and stroked the hard nub. Anything to bring back the lust, the hunger. Those things, Jake could deal with.

Caitlyn’s eyes fluttered closed and she lifted both arms up and knotted her fingers through his hair. Hell, just watching her in the glass made him feel like he was going to explode. He put a stranglehold on his body and whispered, “Open your eyes.”

She did and met his gaze in their reflection head on. He trailed his mouth along the creamy skin on her freckle brushed shoulder, flicking his tongue out when he reached the curve of her neck. Caitlyn shuddered.

With his thumb still gently sweeping over her core, he pushed her hair over her shoulder and rained feather-soft kisses along her shoulder blades. The soft sound which rumbled in Caitlyn’s throat sounded like a hushed plea and pushed him on.

Jake trailed his tongue down her spine, light as a whisper, to her silk covered bottom. With his free hand, he slid her panties all the way to the floor and lifted each of her dainty feet so he could remove them completely.

“Open your legs, Caitlyn,” he urged and kneeled on the rug.

After a brief hesitation, she obeyed. Jake slid his torso through her parted thighs and then turned to face her. She looked down at him, her eyes wild and her forehead creased. He skimmed his hands up the back of her legs to her bottom, then squeezed the tight flesh.

“Relax.” Jake winked up at her. “Watch your reflection.”

Caitlyn opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off by delving his tongue into her silky folds, seeking out the sensitive flesh. Hell, she tasted better than he’d imagined.

* * * *

The feel of Jake’s tongue caressing the most secret part of her felt entirely too intimate. The way he skimmed her sensitive flesh sent shivers of pleasure shimmying through her body. Still, it felt like she was giving something up. A chilly feeling skittered down her spine and she moved her hands to his head to push him back.

Before she could apply the necessary force, Jake’s skilled tongue found her pleasure center. The cold feeling vanished, replaced by fiery arousal throbbing from her core to every part of her. She dug her fingers into his hair, but not to push him away. Instead, Caitlyn pulled him closer.

The sensations his caress brought were so much more than his fingers had been. So. Much. More. Caitlyn couldn’t even remember why she’d tried to protest. How could someone not want this? Goodness, it was glorious.

All the warmth seemed to flash out of her and then return, hotter than ever before, making its way back to the heart of her. The jerky ripples which followed took her breath away and swiped her legs out from under her. Caitlyn felt like she was falling into a darkened pool and only barely caught sight of her stunned expression in the glass before Jake caught her in his arms.

She clung to him and buried her head in his neck, panting and inhaling the spicy scent of him. His warm hands ran up and down her back, and she realized she was trembling.

“Was that okay?” he asked, his voice rough.

Caitlyn didn’t think she could speak so she nodded against his throat. Jake pulled her head back and his night black eyes bored into hers. “I didn’t cross a line, did I?”

Without permission, her heart opened and a swell of emotion filled the organ as she saw the concern on his face. Yes, she’d been shy at first and wondered why he’d want to do something like that to her. Now she understood. He did it because he knew she’d like it. How could that be crossing a line?

“No. Jake, that was…amazing. I just didn’t know. I didn’t—”

Her explanation was cut off as Jake stole her lips in the sweetest kiss he’d ever given her. “I know,” he whispered and then grinned against her mouth. “And the best is yet to come.”

* * * *

“Now, when you hear the gunshot, activate the squib’s released in your palm and jump away from the boat. You don’t want to hit your head on the side.”

Caitlyn doubtfully eyed the small, lanky safety expert whose face was covered in scars. He looked like one of the guys on one of those crazy stunt shows, and she knew from watching a few of them with Amanda that they rarely ended well for the cast.

She was balancing on the edge of the speedboat, trying not to fall into the water at the harbor—never mind jump in. The blood pack aka squib was stitched into her white bikini top—why on earth was she chasing a criminal in a bikini anyway? And all she had to do when she heard the gunshot was press the skin colored pad on her hand with one finger and jump to the left. In theory, it shouldn’t be that hard.

But at the moment the boat wasn’t moving. During the scene she’d have to climb from the passenger seat, gun in hand, stand up on the side, and try to shoot at a spot out of range of the cameras and
then
worry about how to fall off the boat without cracking her skull on the side. Nerves swirled around in her stomach.

“Caitlyn, it’s not too late to change your mind. Sean can get the expert back, and you won’t have to do a thing.” Jake’s voice sounded tense, and she turned back to him. He sat at the boat’s control panel, his jaw tight and his brow creased.

She sighed. They’d been over this a million times today. Caitlyn wanted to do it. All her life she’d been the quiet, well-behaved girl who was too terrified to put a foot wrong in case she’d be dealt a beating from her father. She’d lived like a nun. Now she had the chance to finally do something crazy and exciting. There was no way she was going to back out.

Although Jake didn’t understand her reasoning, he could tell she was serious so he hadn’t argued as much as he’d clearly wanted to. “I’m doing this, Jake. I
want
to do this.”

He frowned, then opened his mouth as if to protest further when another speedboat stopped right next to theirs. Sean stood up and rested both his arms on the visor. He wore electric green sunglasses today. “Are you ready, Caitlyn?”

She nodded. The safety expert dived into the cool, blue ocean and swam over to Sean’s boat where he pulled himself up with practiced ease. She only hoped she’d manage that when she had to jump out of the water.

“Right, then let’s get started. Jake, try and go far enough out where you can curve and not get anything else other than the sea in the shot. We’ll edit the other boat in later,” Sean commanded.

Caitlyn slid into the seat next to Jake. He turned and studied her face for a long moment before he spoke. “Be careful. Promise me.”

His warm hand grabbed her chin as his intense gaze burned into her. Her heart opened like a midnight flower responding to the moon. She forgot they were supposed to be just friends. Forgot where she was. “I promise.”

Jake gave a small nod then turned back to focus on the open sea ahead. He started the boat and sped out of the harbor. Once they were in clear sea, Jake slowed and started the curve.

Caitlyn heard Sean yell “Action” through the megaphone. She picked up the prop gun. The plastic vibrated in her trembling hands, and she climbed up onto the front of the boat, staring ahead as if she were aiming for something. She stood on shaky legs, but tried her best to hide it from the cameras. The sloshing of the boat’s belly over the waves caused her left foot to slip, but she soon regained balance and pointed her gun out across the sea.

A gunshot sounded and she pressed the small, invisible device in her left hand. Instantly, a warm, damp sensation spread across her breast. Remembering what the stunt guy said, she bent her knees slightly and jumped to the side. Her feet slid across the wet, shiny surface as she leaped into the air though and the last thing she saw was the rear of the boat rushing toward her face. Then everything went dark.

* * * *

Jake heard the thud over the sound of the speedboat’s engine and immediately he cut it off. For a second he froze, noting that the thick scars of his heart ripped into shreds, knocking the air out of him.

Caitlyn.

Adrenaline shot through him like a rocket. He propelled himself out the boat and dove into the sea. Heart pounding manically, he pulled his arms through the waves, eyes stinging from the salty water, searching for a flash of red hair. The sea before him was empty and the same crushing grief he’d felt when Sarah had killed his child settled like a boulder in his stomach.

No, he’d find her if it was the last thing he did.

Jake swam under the surface, his eyes burning now as he searched for a shape, anything. In the distance a shadowed outline came into view and he kicked his legs harder, pushing himself through the water with all his strength, until Caitlyn’s face down lifeless, floating body came into view. His heart skipped several beats.

Finally, he reached her and slid an arm around her waist. His heart stopped as he dragged her limp body against his.

He looked at Caitlyn, her skin was too pale and her lips a terrifying shade of blue. All around he heard voices yelling, but he ignored them. Jake knew he was running out of time. Thankfully, he could feel a pulse against the side of her neck but she wasn’t breathing. He sucked in a huge breath, opened her lifeless mouth, and blew air into her.

Herchest heaved against him and water poured from her mouth as the air rushed out of her. Jake tried again, all the while treading water to keep both their heads above the surface.
Come on, come on
, he thought with fervor as he breathed for her again.
Don’t you dare give up now.

On the third breath, Caitlyn began to cough violently. He rubbed her back hard and held her head above the surface. After all the water was out, she collapsed against him. The feel of her shallow breathing sent a jolt of euphoria swirling through him.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.