“I know, babe. Forgive me?” His eyes sparkled in the dim light.
“Yes, of course,” she answered immediately.
The embrace and passionate kisses ended when she found herself on top of him on the sun bed. He handed her the reins. Peeling off her dress, she unzipped his fly and released his erection. She undid the buttons of his shirt and ran her hands down his chest, over his sculptured muscles. She lowered herself onto him and leant back, making him penetrate her deeply to her core. He did nothing to aid her other than to hold her waist while she made love to him.
She knew her sexual strengths well, the pace of her undulating hips, the clenching of her internal muscles, and the angle of her body. They mutually stifled their cries with warm, open-mouthed kisses and, at the end, he held her tight against his chest. Breathless and satiated, they remained in place until the air was too cool for her to bear against her naked skin.
Gemma listened to his heartbeat. “You walk a fine tightrope with me, Jason. My mother contained me in my bedroom, my brother stalked me, and I’ve been held in captivity. Don’t let your control over me become irretrievably suffocating. I’m too fragile. I could have thrown myself off this deck into the sea if you hadn’t come to me this evening. I can’t breathe without you, and yet, sometimes, I struggle when you dominate me.”
“I will try not to suffocate you, Gemma. I know what you are saying. I came back tonight in the mind-set of work. Expecting you to submit meekly. I forgot you would welcome me back as a wife, too.” He stroked her hair out of her face. “Let’s find somewhere more comfortable to make love.”
They did so on the bed, on and off for most of the night. Between pauses for sleep and moments of sweet-natured pillow talk, they made love as equals. Each took it in turn for the other to direct and lead. Simple, romantic lovemaking and deeply satisfying to the both of them.
Gemma drew back the blinds in the morning. Her husband remained fast asleep. She found he became youthful in his sleep, almost boyish and innocent. Long eyelashes curved down, straight nose, and high cheekbones. She was glad he had been her husband that night, but now she acknowledged he was more to her. She had missed two men over the last few days. One had returned, an
d she wished the other to make his presence felt.
As he stirred from his slumber, she knelt by his side of the bed and patiently, with head bowed, waited for her Master to wake.
Chapter 22. Dancing for Him
Day Thirteen
“Tell me about Ted.” Jason reclined in his leather chair, wearing cut-off jeans and his “Dare Me” sweatshirt, reclaimed from his wife’s clutches. She had confessed to sleeping in it during his absence.
Captain McKenzie grimaced, running a hand through his greying hair. He sat on one of the suede couches near the desk while Lubinsky stood by the door. The man’s straight-backed military mode reminded him of his own bodyguard back home—the stance he adopted when he had something incendiary to tell Jason.
“Ted is nothing more than a laddie,” said the captain. “Likeable and experienced at what he does. Fancies himself a lady’s man. We all knew this…his harmless banter, trying to impress the rest of the crew. Your wife took offence to his stupid boasting on Tuesday and refused to go on a boat with him. I, foolishly, saw it purely as loose-tongued, inappropriate behaviour on Ted’s part. My Navy background to blame for that. I should have taken the matter more seriously.”
“Go on.” Jason had not seen the captain twitch so much before.
“Enrique came and found me,” pitched in Lubinsky. “Late yesterday afternoon, after I had returned from your wife’s sightseeing tour of the city, he insisted I find Ted and keep him in his cabin until Enrique had spoken to the captain. The young man was with his boats. Very excited, full of himself. I don’t think he had any idea how much trouble he was going to be in. It was only when he was summoned to Captain McKenzie’s room that he became withdrawn.”
The captain continued. “Enrique had informed me that while your wife slept on the sundeck, under the canopy, Ted had, well, to be blunt, had a wank. Masturbated while she slept. Enrique saw him standing over his mess.”
Jason threw back his seat. “Lubinsky, get the boy now!”
Lubinsky stood still, tucking his hands behind his back. “He’s no longer on the boat.”
“Maria said—”
“He was in his cabin,” clarified McKenzie, “but I had him taken off early this morning. Sacked and disgraced, he is currently sitting in a cheap hotel room, waiting for a flight back to the UK. I didn’t think it was appropriate to abandon him without passage home. Beyond that—”
It was Jason’s turn to interrupt. “Find Enrique.”
The security officer quickly exited.
“I’m very sorry, Mr Lucas.” McKenzie wrung his hands. “I had no idea he was capable of such an indecent act. Enrique, not wishing to wake or alarm your wife, waited for him to back off and leave the deck. He had to clean up the decking. Not a happy man.”
“She made no mention of this last night.” Jason stood hands on his hips. “She doesn’t know. I’m sure of it.”
The image of her waking to find a man masturbating in her presence would have terrified her. Too similar to a mental picture she would have recalled of another man who had once stood over her with a keen erection in his hand while she sank into unconsciousness.
The arrival of Enrique led to a repeat of the events, with Jason questioning in detail what had happened.
“I could have interrupted him before he had finished, but I feared to wake her, señor. After you said she suffered with the traumatic syndrome, and in your absence....”
“No, you did the right thing. Thankfully, she is generally a heavy sleeper. Are you absolutely sure he didn’t lay a finger on her?”