"You need your space," Tasha said, reaching around me for the door handle.
"I need you," I said. The scent of her hair knocked me back against the cabin door.
Tasha was only inches away, and she didn't pull back or roll her eyes. Instead, she studied my face, staring deep into my eyes before her gaze dropped to my lips.
"All I know is you’re different, Tasha. And that doesn't have to mean anything. I just. . . I just like being near you." I held my breath and wished I hadn't said any of that.
Then she kissed me.
My breath never came back, and, for a moment, I thought maybe I'd passed out and it was all just a crazy dream. Then Tasha's sweet lips parted and the kiss deepened. I swung her around and pressed her against the cabin door, pouring more gasoline on our already blazing desire.
I pulled back. "Are you teasing me?" I croaked.
Tasha giggled and then pushed against the door, pressing every inch of her body against mine. "Maybe a little."
I brought one shaky hand up to her cheek and held our gaze until her teasing smile faded away. The heat was still there in her eyes, so I kissed her again.
I wasn't surprised when Tasha pushed against my chest and slipped away from the door. Then she went to the cabin's queen-sized bed and looked back at me. I couldn't move, maybe I was drowning. Every reasonable voice in my head was screaming to take it slow. Tasha was different, and I couldn't just go through my regular motions. There was more between us than I had ever felt before, and it was starting to feel like a powder-keg in my chest.
"I'm not teasing anymore," Tasha said.
I was across the room in two long strides, and I caught her waist tight in my arms. "No. I'm not going to screw this up. And I'm not going to let you do this," I said, letting go.
"Do what?" Tasha asked.
"Trick me into acting like any other playboy on a yacht. I want to take things slow," I said.
Tasha scowled. "First off, you keep telling me that I'm different, but you still assume that I have the same opinion of you as everyone else."
"Because you keep reminding me!" I couldn't keep my voice down, then cringed. "I'm sick of my reputation. I'm trying to change; it's time for me to change, grow up, whatever you want to call it."
"So, you've got a lot to prove," Tasha said. "I know what that's like."
"Then how do you do it?" I paced around the spacious cabin, passed the glowing lights of the Bay Bridge outside the windows.
"I figure out what I want, and then I go after it," Tasha said.
I turned just as she wrapped both arms around my neck. Her kiss wobbled my knees and I gasped for breath between her lips. "And what do you want?" I asked.
"You."
I shook my head though my hands wouldn't let go of Tasha. "No. No way. Someone will hear. We're on a yacht full of people just dying to find a scandal to talk about."
The chandelier above us rattled. A searing note reached us even in the private cabin and I wanted to shake a fist at my luck. Up on the main deck, the A-list performer grabbed the mic and shouted out a long list of compliments to his generous hosts. Then the drummer kicked off a heavy rhythm and the bass player was close behind. The door jam pulsed with the music, and I could barely hear myself think.
Tasha laughed. "What was that you were saying about someone hearing us?"
I struggled to tak
e a deep breath as she walked over to the cabin door and casually locked it. Tasha was right. There was no way anyone would hear us over the lively performance.
"Someone's going to notice we're gone," I said.
"All eyes are on stage. Guaranteed. That's what Berger paid for," Tasha pointed out.
I held up both hands as she approached me again. "Why? Why do you want me?"
Tasha's eyes narrowed and her head tipped as she assessed our conversation like a business negotiation. With a slight nod, she decided it was best to tell me her reasons because she believed they might be common ground. A good starting place: "I want to have sex with you again because I think it'll help us both get this out of our systems."