Between a Jock and a Hard Place by Mona Ingram Read Free Book Online Page B

effect.
    She left the apartment before she could change her mind and walked slowly along the seawall, soaking up the May sunshine. On a day like today Hawaii seemed far away and totally unnecessary. The snow had almost all disappeared from the North Shore mountains; only pockets of gleaming white remained, mute reminders of the ski season long past.
    She looked ahead and saw him. He had his arms braced against the guardrail and was gazing out over the water. She’d forgotten how tall he was. As though sensing her arrival, he turned, smiled, and a fierce stab of desire left her light-headed and surprisingly breathless. How could he do this to her with a mere smile? She floated the last few feet.
    “Hello, Claire.” His voice drew her closer and she went, willingly.
    He leaned down and brushed his lips against her cheek. “How are you?”
    “Fine.” She wished he could kiss her again. Properly this time.
    “I can see that.” He smiled down into her eyes and then took her hand, threading his fingers between hers. Her hand disappeared into his. “Come with me.”
    He led her through the parking lot and opened the wire gate leading to the marina. The tide was high, making the ramp easy to navigate.
    She was dying to ask where they were going, but managed to bite back the question.
    “Just down here,” he said when they levelled out on the dock. “My boat’s in the second to last slip on the right.”
    He led her to the boat and stood aside.
    “It’s a sailboat!” she cried, standing back to admire it. “I don’t know much about sailboats, but it’s beautiful. How long is it?”
    He seemed pleased by her reaction. “It’s a thirty-two footer. I didn’t know much about sailboats, coming from Saskatchewan, but it has classic lines.”
    She looked at her boots. “I’m not really dressed for sailing.”
    “Oh, we’re not going out.” He offered her a hand. “Too much work. I thought we’d have lunch on board.” He gestured to a small table set up in the stern. “Not a lot of space, but the weather’s so nice I thought we’d try sitting outside.”
    “It’s perfect.” She stepped unsteadily on board and he caught her in his arms.
    “It’s good to see you again, Claire.”
    “You too, John.” She looked into those dark blue eyes and her heart turned over. A breeze skipped across the water and blew her hair into her face. He brushed it away but his fingers lingered in her hair and suddenly he was kissing her with an intensity that took her breath away. He teased her lips open with his tongue and plundered her mouth, buckling her knees with the force of their combined desire.
    “God, I’ve wanted to do that ever since I first laid eyes on you,” he said, pulling back. He brushed a thumb over her bottom lip. “It was every bit as good as I dreamed it would be.”
    She stood there in the sunshine, her body aching with need. “I wanted it too,” she said, stunned at the force of her reaction to him. “And more.”
    He looked at her for a long moment. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” The corner of his mouth hitched up in a grin. “Or is that just wishful thinking on my part?”
    She looked up at him. “No, John. It’s not.” She raised her lips for another kiss and he complied. It was unlike any kiss she’d ever experienced.
    “We could wait the requisite amount of time,” she said, wondering how she could possibly be so bold. The hatch above the companionway was open and she looked into the cabin of the boat. “Or we could go in there now and see if this attraction is as real as we both think it is.”
    He held out a hand, indicating that she should enter first. She went down a couple of stairs but scarcely noticed the luxuriously finished cabin.
    He closed up and turned to her. “You’re sure?” he asked, eyes hooded with desire.
    “Oh yes.”
    He picked her up effortlessly and carried her to a surprisingly large bed in the bow of the boat.
    She reached down to