Kit glared weakly, but obeyed, her breathing tortured and waiting.
His smile grew.
One long finger slid into her.
Her body arched slightly, invitingly, her thighs parting to give him greater access. He reached deep. Kit shuddered and closed her eyes.
His lips found hers in a long slow kiss as his fingers found her heat, stroking and teasing until she clung to him, fever raging in her veins, her body straining for release.
Then he laid her on the bed. He shed his clothes and joined her, his hands, his mouth, quickly, expertly, restoking the flames before, in a fire of need, he possessed her, riding her hard, her urgency driving him on. Kit raised her legs and wrapped th
em about his waist, tilting her hips to take all of him, drawing him in, reveling in the slickness that allowed him to drive so deeply into her.
The end was shattering, leaving them both gasping. As the fires about them died, they slipped into sleep, limbs entangled, sated and content.
Kit woke to the sensation of Jack kissing her, soft, nibbling kisses that stirred her body to life. Before she was fully awake, he possessed her, quickly, expertly, taking the edge from her need before she even realized it was there.
Lying wrapped in his arms in the warm afterglow, Kit smugly considered the benefits accrued through having a rake for a husband. Then she remembered their discussion, and the fact that she’d yet to have her say. She tried to sit up, but Jack’s arms held her firmly.
“Jack!”
At her protest, he shifted onto his elbow and kissed the frown from her brow. “I know, I know. Just keep quiet for a moment, you redheaded houri, and let me explain.”
Redheaded houri? Explain? Kit dutifully stayed silent.
“I apologize, all right?” He nuzzled one ear, then placed a trail of kisses along her jaw to the other ear.
Kit frowned. “Exactly what are you apologizing for?” Now she’d finally got him to the point, she wanted to be sure she got her due.
Jack drew back and considered her through narrowed silver eyes. “For not telling you about the damned spies.”
Kit smiled beatifically.
Jack humphed and kissed her long and hard. “Further-more,” he said, when he was finished, “I promise on my honor as a Hendon to try to remember to tell you the details of any of my endeavors which might conceivably cause you concern.”
Kit narrowed her eyes as she considered his wording.
Jack raised his brows, at first arrogantly, awaiting her acceptance, then more thoughtfully. “In fact,” he mused, considering the delightful picture she made, lying naked in his arms, her skin aglow in the aftermath of their loving, “I’ll make a bargain with you.”
“A bargain?” Kit wondered at the wisdom of making a deal with such a reprobate.
Jack nodded, inspecting her nipples, shifting over her so he could weigh her breasts in his hands. Then he raised his head and smiled, directly into her large purple-shaded eyes. “We share—I’ll tell you what I’m doing before you have to ask, and you’ll tell me what you’re doing before you do it.”
Kit bit her lip on her acceptance. “That’s not quite fair,” she said, weighing his words every bit as carefully as he was weighing her breasts.
“It’s the best you’ll do, so I’d advise you to accept.” The raspy reply jerked Kit’s mind to attention. Too late. He was already lying between her thighs, her long limbs wide-spread. Even as her mind dealt with that discovery, he lifted her hips. The sensation of warm steel pressing into her overrode all other interests.
Kit arched her back, pressing her head deep into the pillows behind her, her lids drooping over her darkened eyes.
“Oh, yes!” she breathed.
Above her, Jack smiled and wondered just what she was agreeing to. As he flexed his hips and thrust deep into her welcoming heat, he decided he’d assume she wanted to share her life in the same abandoned way she shared her body. Then he stopped thinking.
“Lisbon?” Kit turned to look at Jack in surprise. “Why Lisbon?”
Jack chuckled and turned on his side to look at her. The ocean swell had finally registered and she’d got up, draping the counterpane over her nakedness, and gone to the window. “Because it’s where the cargo is bound. This isn’t a pleasure craft.”
Kit’s frown took in the sumptuous cabin. “I did think it was a bit big for a yacht.” At Jack’s laugh, she climbed back on the bed. “So where do we go after that?”