Free She Shouldnt, But She Will by Francis Drake Page A

returned, Derek was also dressed and had taken control of the boat.
    “Are you ready to go ashore?” he asked, sweeping an approving look over her red, white, and blue patriotic look.
    Shielding her eyes, she judged the distance from the marina. “Yes, but I don’t want to swim. Aren’t we a long way from the dock?”
    “We’ll secure a line to a buoy and go the rest of the way in the dinghy. Do you want to crew again?”
    “Okay, what do you need me to do?”
    Directing her as they worked, they quickly tied off to the buoy. Derek’s dexterity and skill in handling the boat amazed her. His talent in handling other things—sensual things—sent a surge of heat to her pussy, and suddenly she wished they weren’t going ashore.
    “What are we going to do in town?” With his help, she climbed into the dinghy Derek had launched from the back of the yacht.
    “I don’t know. What do you want to do?”
    “Shopping at the Cannery.”
    He laughed. “I should have known. There’s a good restaurant there with a view of the bay, so it suits. Are you ready to eat?” Derek helped Thia onto the dock.
    “Quite ready.”
    “Good. I’ve made reservations at a restaurant I like when I’m here.”
    “Somehow, I didn’t expect to work up an appetite while lazily cruising south—” she cast him a look and quirked her brows, “—but someone gave me a real workout.”
    “You loved it as much as I did,” he said in a lowered voice.
    “I did, indeed.” But I shouldn’t have , she reminded herself with a mental finger shaking.
    “Now, while we’re here, I expect you to walk several steps ahead of me so I can watch your long legs moving your beautiful body. I’m glad you’re wearing just your shorts and top. It makes it easier to fantasize about what I’m going to do to you when we get back on board.”
    She looked at him with a smile. “You’re such a tease.” But she thrilled to his words.
    He maneuvered the smaller boat into the marina and found a berth. Tossing a line to the attendant on the dock, he climbed up and then helped Thia. As Derek spoke with the attendant, Thia walked away, knowing his eyes followed her every move.
    She stopped several yards away and waited for him. “Will that do?”
    Laughing, Derek hugged her. “It’ll do just fine.”
    After perusing the shops, they found a table in Tony’s Bar and Grill, a small, unassuming place that overlooked the bay, providing a breathtaking view.
    Later, satisfied and finishing a second cup of coffee, Derek stood up as a man approached, “Peter, how are you doing?”
    “Just fine, Derek, and you?” He spoke to Derek but looked at Thia with a glint in his eyes. “And who might you be?”
    She opened her mouth to introduce herself but Derek nudged her knee to stop her. Smiling he said, “This is a friend of mine. Thanks for coming into town to meet with me.”
    “No problem,” Peter murmured.
    Derek gestured to a vacant chair opposite him and Peter sat. “Peter is an interior decorator and the reason I came down today,” he told Thia. “He has a special job he might want to commission some work for. You want to do some shopping you talked about?”
    Peter looked at her with heat in his eyes. “A beautiful lady is always welcome to stay, of course.”
    The brazen lusty appraisal and smooth note in his voice made Thia uncomfortable rather than complimented. “I’ll look through some of the shops,” she told Derek.
    “I’ll find you when we’re finished.” Derek’s eyes held as much heat as Peter’s, but his warmed her instead of leaving her cold.
    “I won’t be far,” she promised. With a nod toward Peter, she left the men to their business.
     
    * * * *
     
    “She’s quite lovely,” Peter commented. His gaze followed Thia out of the restaurant.
    Though Derek hardly knew her, she was with him, and he didn’t appreciate another man being so open with his interest. “She is beautiful.”
    Peter opened the portfolio he carried.