Free RidingtheWaves by Jennifer LaRose Page A

forehead and shook her head.
“Not at all.”
    “I don’t ever want to hurt you. Christ, if I get to that
point—”
    “Don’t worry, I won’t break.”
    He stared long and hard into her eyes. “You don’t
understand.”
    She placed her hands on his face, tracing his cheekbones
with her thumbs. “Yes, I believe I do.” It wasn’t impossible to figure out he
had strong sexual desires.
    For a few minutes longer she examined his rugged features.
The clean-cut Brent Delaney who’d pounded numbers for a living was now a brawny,
rough-looking man who rescued ships at sea. The shadow of a beard, his long
hair and taut jawline sent chills down her spine. And the way he made her feel?
Her insides stirred again.
    While he sat up and freed her ankles from the restraints,
she tucked a pillow beneath her head and closed her eyes. A moment later, after
pulling her legs together, his body heat cocooned her in a wave of contentment.
She opened her eyes to find his gaze hovering above her face. “Brent, how long
will you be in town?”
    Lightly he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. “My
flight to Miami leaves Thursday night.”
    “Are you staying here all week?”
    “I’ve already booked the room.”
    She placed an arm above her head on the bed. The other she
laid across her tummy. “Why don’t you stay with me?”
    “Thanks, baby, but I’m not one to impose.”
    “You won’t be imposing. I’d love to have you. Brody can come
too.”
    “Isn’t that a bit much to take on?”
    For her food bill, absolutely. “Not at all. Come on. Let me
spoil you guys over the next five days. Friends take care of friends, right?”
    “I guess they do.”
    “Well, this friend,” she winked, “comes with benefits.”
    “Benefits, huh?”
    “And a little pampering.”
    “I appreciate it, but—”
    “Even if you refuse, I’m still asking Brody.” She smiled
when Brent’s features hardened. Then suddenly a huge good guy leaned
over the top half of her body.
    “The benefits won’t be shared beyond me, especially with my
brother, so I’ll do the asking.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “No spoiling.
And no pampering.”
    “Is that a yes?” She waited for a response while he removed
strands of hair from her face and tucked them behind her ear.
    “I guess it is.”
    “I’ll make it worth your while, I promise.”
    “I don’t doubt you will.” He planted a lingering kiss on her
lips, lighting up her insides.
    “I should warn you about my cooking though. Sometimes the
edibility is questionable,” she said, reaching up to caress his cheeks. His
soft whiskers prickled her fingers. “Do you guys spend much time at home?”
    “Unless we’re escorting cargo through the China Sea, where
piracy is a huge problem, we’re home quite a bit actually.”
    “What’s quite a bit?”
    “A week or two a month.”
    That’s it? That certainly wasn’t much time, especially for
any man who wanted to raise a family. Unbelievable. “I disagree. I don’t think
it’s enough.”
    He smiled. “When you’ve spent an entire thirty days or
longer on the water, believe me, that week or two is a lot. Sometimes it’s too
much.”
    “I take it you prefer marine life?”
    “I live and breathe the sea.”
    “How can you live such an unstructured life?”
    “It’s not unstructured to us, baby. Brody and I wake up the
same time every morning and bust ass from dusk to dawn.”
    He had a point. She smiled. “We’ve got a lot of catching up
to do.”
    “Yes, we do,” he said, stretching over her to turn off the
light. “Now would be a good time, but we need sleep if we’re going to get an
early start on the morning.” He kissed the top of her head, tucked an arm
around her waist and pulled her closer.
    “Brent?”
    “Yes?”
    “Whiltby’s doesn’t have any ships scheduled to leave port
until Monday. So why are you flying to Florida?”
     
    He feared that subject would eventually surface, but having
just finished