Kiss the Tiger (8 page)

Chapter Fourteen

The night was hot and sticky. I
slept fitfully. For the first few hours, I awoke intermittently to ensure
Nessie was still breathing. She stirred in the early hours, and I lost count of
the number of bathroom trips she made. I plied her with water—which probably
didn’t help the bathroom trips—and managed to get some of the tablets down her
throat. By sunrise, she’d settled down, and I finally caught a couple of hours
sleep.

It was after ten by the time felt
ready to leave my bed. Breakfast was only served until ten-thirty, and my
stomach would never have forgiven me if it didn’t at least get a shot of
caffeine.

With Nessie still sleeping, I
hurriedly took a shower, cleaned my teeth, changed my briefs, threw my yellow
and white spotted sundress over my head, and stood in front of the mirror to
run a comb through my hair. In the chaos of last night, I’d totally forgotten
to remove my make-up, and as a result, mascara was so far down my face it was
in danger of becoming a new shade of rouge, so I grabbed a wet-wipe, along with
my bag, and ran for the lift, rubbing my skin furiously.

Four floors down, the lift
opened, and after a final check of my handiwork in the shiny aluminium door, I
stuffed the wipe into a nearby vase and entered the restaurant, just as Mum and
Diane stood to leave.

“There you are,” Mum said in one
of her tones of displeasure. “Another late night was it?”

“Yes. It was awful. Nessie…”

“Well you only have yourself to
blame. Where
is
Vanessa? I’m disappointed that she’s allowed you to lead
her astray. One wild daughter is more than enough to handle.”

“That’s a little harsh, Cora,”
Diane said. “Amy’s not a bad girl.”

“I can fight my own battles,
thanks.” I motioned for the waiter to bring another pot of coffee. “Sit down,
Mum.”

“I’m not a child,” she said, her
voice a decibel higher than normal. I was grateful for the late hour and the
fact that other diners were few and far between. If what I was about to say
were going to bring about one of Mum’s outbursts, I didn’t want too many
witnesses.

“Neither am I.” I poured us all a
fresh dose of instant fuel. “There’s something you need to know about Nessie,”
I said, adding milk and sugar to my cup. “
She
dragged
me
out last
night, not the other way around.
She
was the one drinking too much, and
she
was the one who got sick. I’ve spent all night nursing her, being the dutiful
big sister because I didn’t want to disturb and worry you, but it’s your turn
today. The doctor said she had to rest in bed, and I’m not staying inside all
day.”

Panic flashed across mum’s face. “What
doctor?”

“The one she saw last night,
after she fainted.”

“She fainted? You really should
have woken me, Amy. What happened?”

“He said she had a reaction to a
spa treatment.”

“I hardly think that’s a possibility.
We all had the same ones.”

“I’m only telling you what he
said. Anyway, I’m sure she’ll be better soon. She just needs checking in on
while I’m not there.”

“Where are you going?”

“Down to the harbour to have a
look around, and then maybe to the market for a bit of shopping, or wherever
the mood takes me.”

“I’d offer to keep you company
while your mother plays nurse, but I have a date this afternoon,” Diane said in
an excited voice.

“Let me guess. The dishy barman?”

“How did you know?” Her brows
raised and a naughty smile stretched across her face. “Between you and me, I’m
hoping to give his olives a good pressing.” She winked.

“Well have fun,” I said, draining
the lasts drops from my cup, and turning to Mum. “You’ll need this.” I handed
her our door card. “There’re some tablets on her nightstand and make sure she
drinks plenty of water. I’ll see you in a few hours.”

***

The harbour was at the other side
of town. By the time I reached it, my stomach was grumbling over its lack of
breakfast, and my mouth full of dust from the walk. I couldn’t see Josh
anywhere. A sign, flapping in the breeze in front of a small stand, caught my
eye. I handed over my euros, and then walked along the sea front, licking at my
ice cream. The concrete walkway curled around the water and jutted out over the
rocks into the waves. Down each side, rows of excursion boats bobbed up and
down on the clear expanse of turquoise. I slipped off my sandals and sat down
on the edge to cool my feet in the depths. Tiny shoals of fish congregated
around my toes, unafraid. Every scooter engine, passing by, turned my head in
anticipation, but it was never Josh. I wasn’t worried. We’d arranged to meet at
twelve, and in my hurry to leave the hotel, I was early again.

“You waiting for trip?”

I raised my head and looked
around, unsure as to whether the Mediterranean accent was speaking to me. It
was. A young guy, wearing nothing but a pair of sports shorts, was standing on
the boat next to me, hanging onto a canopy support, and staring straight at me.

“No. I’m meeting somebody.” I
looked away, not wishing to encourage further conversation.

“You sit there ten minutes,” he
said. “They no come. You come on trip instead. It very nice. You have good
time. Come. Come.”

I snapped off a section of ice
cream cone, tossed it at the fish, and watched as they fought over it. “No. No.
I’m fine, thank you.”

“Hitting on my girl, Yannis?”

“She your girl? Apologies.”

The new voice came from behind
me. I twisted to confirm my suspicion. Josh was standing on the deck of a small
yacht, wiping his hands on a towel. He threw it behind him and bounded onto the
jetty. I almost choked on the remnants of my cornet. How was it possible he
could look hotter every time I saw him? He had no right to be standing there,
half naked, with his cotton shorts hanging a little too low, exposing his
obliques and a smattering of dark hair below his belly button. It was a good
job I was sitting down. There was no way a girl could prevent going weak at the
knees when faced with such a sight.

I licked my fingers, wobbled to
my feet, brushed the back of my dress, and smiled. “What are you doing on
that?”

“Sorting lunch. I hope you’ve
left some room.”

After picking up my sandals, I
walked over to him. “God, yes. I’m starving,” I said, staring at the yacht. By
far the smartest vessel on the water, sleek and white, with metal rails and a
wooden deck, it wouldn’t have looked out of place amongst a millionaire’s row
in Saint Tropez.

“Good.” He beamed. “I didn’t know
you were here yet.”

“And I didn’t expect you to pop out
of a film set.”

He looped his arm around my
waist, pressing cut muscles into my side, and my temperature shot up a degree.
“Don’t get your hopes up; it’s only borrowed.” His eyes twinkled as he reached
up to wipe a thumb over the corner of my mouth and lick it clean. “Mmm…strawberry.
I’m a vanilla man myself.”

I couldn’t have disagreed more.
There was nothing vanilla about Josh.

With Josh’s assistance, I navigated
the small ramp onto the deck and sat on the cushioned seating. While he readied
to set sail, I took a moment to study him.

His long, lean, and beautifully
tanned legs were topped and tailed by the navy blue, knee-length shorts, and a
pair of rubber soled beach shoes. Clearly it wasn’t his first time aboard this
fabulous yacht. He knew exactly what to do, and I was impressed. He had skills.
But our town was nowhere near the sea, so when had he learned to sail, and why
didn’t I know about it?

Stupid question, Amy. You know
his name, his age, and where he went to college. That’s pretty much it, period.

Anything else I thought I knew
had been conjured up by my imagination. And I had a vivid one. Not that any of
my fantasies involving Josh had ever depicted him as a sailor, but I could
definitely imagine them doing so in the future. His biceps flexed and swelled
as he pulled back the ramp and coiled up yards of rope, and every so often, he
straightened up to wipe the sweat and moistened hair from his forehead. I was
starting to realise that shaving wasn’t one of his preferred morning rituals,
but the stubble on his chin, along with the tiger decorating his arm, gave him
the rough and ready exterior I’d come to love—and I was ready for a whole lot
of rough. I would have been happy to sit there all afternoon just watching him
work, but I didn’t want him to catch me staring at him like an awestruck child.

“A boat like this must cost a
fortune,” I said, taking in the luxurious fittings.

“Yep.”

“How much?”

“Don’t ask.”

“I am asking.”

“Dunno, exactly.” He laughed. “More
than I’ll ever see in my life.”

“Who does it belong to?”

“A friend of mine.”

“Is he single?”

“Hey.” His head shot round,
sporting a frown. “You thinking of blowing me off for a rich dude?”

Not likely
. I chuckled. “Never.”

With the engine on a slow chug,
we eased out of the mooring and gradually moved away from the harbour. Then when
we were safely clear of smaller vessels, and the more daring swimmers, Josh
turned up the revs and we picked up speed. The yacht tilted and sea foamed up
the sides, making me nervous. So far in my life, my only experience of boats
had been a rowing boat on the lake of our local park, where all the local
teenagers congregated on a rare sunny summer’s day. This experience couldn’t
have been any more different. I felt as if I were about to be tipped overboard.
So to prevent what would undoubtedly be the most embarrassing experience of my
life, I gripped onto any available surface and made my way over to Josh at the
helm.

I leaned against the dashboard. “You
can
operate this thing, can’t you?”

“So my licence says. Why? Are you
afraid of a little speed?”

“No. Not if you tell me where the
life jackets are.”

He grinned and shook his head,
before nudging my shoulder gently. “Want a go?”

“Oh, no. I can’t.”

“Sure you can. Here.” He scooped
me around the waist and manoeuvred my body in front of him, placing my hands on
the wheel. “Try it. We’re going starboard.”

“Which way’s that?”

Warm breath rustled my hair as he
laughed. “Right.”

I felt his presence leave me as
he stepped back.

“I’m not doing it on my own. Get
back here,” I shouted.

“You’re doing fine.”

“I don’t like it. I’m going to
crash.”

“Into what? We’re in the middle
of the ocean.”

I could feel tears forming at the
back of my eyes. I hated not being in control of any situation, and trying to
steer an expensive vessel, when I couldn’t even drive a car, scared the hell
out of me. “Please. I need you.”

“I like hearing you say that.” My
back warmed as he pressed back into it, and I relaxed. “I’m sorry. I was only
having fun.”

“Putting us in danger is not my
idea of fun.”

He moved my hair from my shoulder
and kissed it. “What is?”

My breath caught.
I could
think of a few things
. We’d travelled far enough along the coastline to be
free from prying eyes. I twisted my neck and held his gaze. “Kill the engine.”

One of his eyebrows angled up,
and he reached over to turn the ignition key.

I rotated in his hold. My hands
found the waistband of his shorts and my thumbs rubbed through the hair above.

“Amy, what are you doing?”

I smoothed my fingers across his
abs and up to his chest, letting my palms rest over the swell of his pecs. “Having
fun.”

“You’re touching me.”

“No shit.”

“That’s a green light to a guy
like me, and means I get to touch you back.”

Fuck yeah
. “Maybe a
little.”

“I don’t think a little is going
to cut it.” He inched closer until our hips were touching. His eyes drifted to
my lips then back to my eyes. My heartbeat quickened in anticipation of his
next move. I needed his lips on mine, his hands in places now reserved for him
alone. The devilish way he was looking at me was enough for me to know we were
on the same wavelength. My face tilted up under his hands cupping my cheeks,
and he guided my mouth closer. His lips parted and grazed over mine, tender at
first, then with greater pressure, easing in his tongue and curling it around my
own. Every nerve in my body sparked with sexual static. I’d had enough of the
waiting. Enough of the games. The timing was perfect. I wanted him. I ached to
have him inside me. I dropped a hand around to grip his ass and draw him to me,
rocking against him. It had the desired effect. I felt him harden, and a groan
vibrated at the back of his throat. My stomach groaned in unison. One long,
loud rumble.

Shit. Great way to spoil the
moment, Ames
.

Josh pulled back. “That’s enough
fun. I need to stop, and you need to eat.” The engine roared back to life.
“It’s not much further.”

Chapter Fifteen

Josh had everything planned out. When
we reached his intended destination, he secured the yacht and we took a small
dinghy to shore. The small cove nestled beneath insurmountable rock faces and
had a patch of sand no bigger than our kitchen back home. He laid out a blanket
and pulled food from a cool box.

“I didn’t know what you’d like so
I brought a selection,” he said.

I scanned the assortment of
containers. It seemed like he’d gone to a lot of trouble. “You did all this for
me?”

“Technically, no. The restaurant
next door does great takeout.”

“And here’s me thinking I’d found
a man who can cook.”

“I packed it in the cooler. Does
that count? It was a bit of a feat to fit the drinks in too. I should at least
get points for that,” he said, handing over a bottle of Fanta. “Tuck in.”

After lunch, I laid back on the
blanket feeling fat but satisfied, and happy, very happy. The sun was high in
the sky, and my eyes followed the birds fluttering overhead, as I listened to
the waves crash onto the shore. “It’s like heaven here,” I said. “Your brother
has the right idea. Given a choice, I don’t think I’d ever leave.”

Josh was lying on his side,
drawing finger circles on my arm. His touch was light and playful, yet
desperately arousing. “You could stay longer. Jacko’s always in need of more
help.”

I smiled. He clearly didn’t know
me that well yet. “I’d make a lousy waitress, and besides, I’ve got stuff to
prepare for uni.”

“Uni, huh? Tried that last year.
Didn’t work out. What are you taking?”

“Psychology.”

“Yeah? You figured me out yet?” As
he talked, the finger circles turned into a trail, tracing up to my shoulder
and across my collarbone, stopping briefly at the opposite side. He held my
gaze, gauging my reaction, as the finger crept down over the swell of my breast
and traced a line under the yellow material. My stomach swirled, but it wasn’t
from the food.

I ignored the temptation to look
at him. “I’m working on it. What about you? What did you study?”

“Business. Boring as fuck.
Couldn’t stand another two years of that shit. I got out.”

“So what now?”

His finger moved disappointingly
away, and he scratched the side of his nose. “I’ve got a job lined up, back home.”

“Oh really? Where?”

He leaned into my neck. “Let’s
not talk about boring shit,” he said, playfully nibbling at my earlobe, before
shifting to look down at me. “You know, if you’re planning on spending your
life dealing with other people’s problems,” his eyes shone, as he grabbed my
wrist and placed my hand over his shorts, “I’ve got a problem you could sort.”

I swallowed nervously.
Holy
hump day
. What was I supposed to do now, move my hand away or grab hold and
show him that, yes, I could sort that out, no problem at all. Josh made my
decision for me, placing my hand back at my side.

Flustered from the contact, my
breath came in short sharp gasps. “Actually, I plan on going more along the workplace
behaviour line. Motivation…”

“Shh…” He placed a finger on my
lips, before letting it travel down over my chin, past the dip in my neck,
until his palm lingered over the curve of my breast again. “Let’s not talk
about boring stuff,” he said, his tongue following the outline of my earlobe,
up past my piercings, and down again to dip inside.

Good God, he knew how to push my
buttons. I laced my fingers through his hair and guided his head around,
seeking his mouth. It pressed against mine, soft and full, and I sucked his lip
into my mouth, savouring the citrus residue of the Fanta. His hand smoothed
from my breast to my hip, and gripped it hard, grinding into it with his own.
Letting my fingers move down to dent his shoulders, I pressed harder against
him. His kisses grew hungrier, exploring every crevice of my mouth with his
warm tongue. My chest heaved and cried out for his hand to touch me again, but
it didn’t.

Josh pulled back. “You know what
I need?” he said.

Me, I hoped. “No. What?”

“A swim.”

What the fuck?
I shook my
head, dumbfounded. “I haven’t brought my costume.”

“What happened to the good girl
scout?”

“A good-looking boy came along
and addled her brain so much she couldn’t think straight anymore.”

“He did?”

“Yeah.”

Aqua eyes twinkled with mischief.
“There ought to be a law against that.”

A law against men like him,
perhaps. I’d have to work faster if I were ever going to figure him out. He
seemed to relish in getting me all hot and bothered and leaving me wanting. He
was playing me at my own game, and I was tired of it. I wanted to call a truce.
Just fuck me, already.
“And there ought to be a law against getting a
girl all worked up and then crushing her hopes. Don’t you want me?”

“Oh, I want you. I want you so
bad I’m about to cream my shorts, but I made you a promise, and I’m going to
keep that promise even if my balls turn blue. I didn’t ask you here to nail you
and run.” He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear and stared deep into my eyes.
“When the time is right, I’m gonna rock your world until you beg me to stop.”

At that moment, I was certain I
let out a whimper. I already felt like begging; begging for him to start, not
stop. My pulse was pounding in my chest and all I wanted was for him to quit
talking and continue his seduction. Apart from the running bit, I’d have let
him do whatever he wanted. “What’s wrong with now?”

“Still too soon. Two days ago,
you wouldn’t let me near you.”

“I had trust issues.”

“And you trust me now?”

“Yes.”

“Enough for me to do this?” His
hand smoothed down my side until it found the part of my leg unconcealed by
yellow and white polka dots. Studying my face, he reached under the hem of my
dress and slowly slid it up my thighs.

“Ah-huh,” I answered, lifting my
bottom as surreptitiously as possible to allow the dress to bunch around my
waist.

His weight shifted, and he knelt
between my thighs, bowing his head to lay gentle kisses on my neck. “And this?”
With his hands on my waist, he kissed down into the V of my dress, taking his
time to run his tongue along the curve of flesh above the edge of fabric,
before continuing down past the bunch of material and onto the exposed skin
between my belly button and my panties. My head spun, high with desire, and I
prayed for the feeling to continue. Touching his lips to my skin, his tongue
dipped into my belly button, circling and playing with it. I tensed as a shock
of sensation shot a line down between my legs, and my intimate muscles
tightened in response.

“Relax,” he said. “No one’s
looking.”

Relaxing wasn’t really an option.
Not one of the guys I’d slept with before had cared enough to offer me this
kind of treatment. I was lucky to get a quick under the bra fumble before my
knickers were off and my back slamming into whatever surface was readily available
at the time.

I was jolted from my
reminiscence
, when his fingers hooked under the
side of my panties. I had no inclination to stop them. It was too late to play
the innocent card, anyway. That train had already left the station.

His fingers slipped out just as
quickly as they’d snuck in, and he looked up. “You’re trembling. Guess that
means you’re ready?”

What for?
Wasn’t it
supposed to be
too soon
? Had he changed his mind? “I am?”

“Yeah. It’s treat time.”

“What’s that?”

“It isn’t about me; it’s about
you. I want to make you feel good.”

You already are
. “Oh. Okay.”
I breathed the words out.

His hands, slid up the soft skin
of my inner thighs. It felt so good; I was wet before they reached the top. Then
with the lightest of touches, Josh peeled down the lacy underwear edge and
followed its progress with his mouth, until he arrived at a place where my head
whirled. When my panties reached mid-thigh, he pushed my legs apart and buried
his head deep inside the opening to stroke his tongue softly over my sweet
spot.

Holy Hell, take me now,
because heaven can’t be any better than this
.

I arched and pushed against his
mouth. A deep moan sounded in the back of his throat. His left hand gripped
possessively on my ass, pressing me firmly to his mouth, while his right hand curled
a finger inside me, twisting, and probing with expert skill. It was too much. I
knew these moments existed, but I never thought one would happen to me outside
of my fantasies. Any minute now, I’d be shooting for the stars.

His name slipped out on a sigh.
“Josh.”

His head lifted. “You want me to
stop?”

Fuck, no!
I frowned and
shook my head.

“I will if you want,” he teased,
revelling in my predicament, as if he knew I was almost there, and was using it
to his advantage, “but that’s not what you want is it?” His eyes sizzled into
mine, waiting for an answer. “Say it.”

“Asshole.”

“Not what I expected to hear.”

“Don’t stop.”

“Okay! You don’t have to beg.”