Free Caribbean Christmas by Jenna Bayley-Burke Page B

heard Joe’s voice, rough with need telling her she was beautiful. Perfect. Amazing. Beautiful. And then he reverted to the guttural language of his native tongue. He said the same things, just with more passion, more honesty.
    Her body shook, lurching as an orgasm broke within her. Every muscle went tight before releasing in a pulse of blinding pleasure.

Chapter Twelve
    With only the sails for power, the boat cut silently through the water. Saskia laughed as the sloop they’d been racing eased off. Joe didn’t slow, but continued to speed down the eastern shore of the island. She was as skilled a sailor as she claimed, and having someone else aboard with good instincts had him pushing Lola faster than she’d ever gone under his hand.
    Saskia moved next to him at the helm, smoothing her hand over his forearm. “She’s fast for sitting so low in the water.”
    “She does not sit low,” he retorted on instinct. “She’s fast because she’s happy. A well-cared-for boat sails better.”
    She shifted away from him. “Sometimes you sound so much like my father, it’s spooky.”
    “There’s a lot to be learned from Dutch.” He thought of the older man, his life in a constant holding pattern because of a woman he hadn’t seen in years, but whom he was still married to. Saskia’s parents had each drawn a line in the sand and were too stubborn to admit ultimatums never worked.
    His gut twisted as his mind moved to his own situation, captivated by a woman set to leave in a few days. His heart was already making plans for when she came home next, but he knew better than to expect her to return. After all, she hadn’t been back in eight years.
    He could see Blowing Point Harbor in the distance. “Do you want to keep sailing or head in?”
    She wrinkled her nose as she smiled up at him. “I’m hungry.”
    “You’re kidding.” Though, come to think of it, he could eat. He placed a hand on the muscles of his stomach, realizing they’d had more of a workout than he’d expected.
    “I’m starving. Had a long swim and then this guy told me he was going to give me a ride on his boat, but he didn’t mean a boat, if you know what I’m saying.” She waggled her brows and then bubbled up with laughter.
    “You have to watch out for those sailors. They are always looking for a place to dock.” He grinned, but her amusement faded.
    “But only until the wind shifts.”
    He turned his head to face her, though she stared at the sea. “That’s not fair. I’d love for you to stay. And so would Dutch.”
    She shook her head. “I have to finish my portfolio for next year’s designs. And there will be so many meetings in New York, Holly thinks we should move there.”
    “I did prep school in New York.” He waited a beat, hoping she’d encourage him to visit, but her words never came. She was as content to leave him behind as her mother had been to leave Dutch all those years ago.
    Maybe he’d been alone in what he felt in the stateroom. Making love to Sass had been just that, making love. At first he’d been completely ruled by his cock, but as their bodies joined, a fit so perfect he’d never thought to dream it, something had shifted. Like a vase that fell from a shelf and shattered in a million pieces, he knew he’d never be the same again.
    He’d known there was something different about her, instinct warning him that she could upend his life. And she just might, because as he gripped the wheel, he realized why he’d struggled to keep his distance. It had little to do with her being Dutch’s daughter and everything to do with the way he could lose himself in her.
    Where he was hard and invasive, she was soft and accommodating. What she wanted to do, he wanted to join in with. Where she wanted to go, he wanted to follow. Even to New York. He kept his mouth shut on that front, choosing to hold on to what little self-preservation he had left.
    “How long do you think we have until we arrive?” She lifted her