Free Island Promises by Joy Connell Page A

smell was more powerful, more enticing. “I forbid you to do that story.”
    “Forbid me?” Riley rose and stood inches from him, grabbing some rigging herself as a slight swell moved across the harbor. “Maybe you haven’t noticed, but I’m a big girl. Nobody forbids me anything. Especially not when it comes to my work.”
    The motor from a yacht passing by reached them across the quiet anchorage. The wake came a moment later, rocking them back and forth. Without warning, she found herself in Joe’s arms. They were strong and safe and he held her as the water tossed Reprieve . With one arm hooked through the rigging, he touched her face gently, the calluses on his hands rough against her skin made ultra-sensitive from the sun and the salt.
    Half of her wanted him to kiss her, wanted to feel the power behind it, the confidence, and the security. Half of her wanted to melt into him, to let go and not worry about pirates and missing sources and documentation for the boat. It would be so nice for a change to let someone else carry the burden. With RK, it had never been that way. He had his life, she had hers, and they came together on that basis. But they never took on the other’s problems, never let the other be weak and needy. In fact, they laughed about couples who did that, who leaned on each other and seemed to not be able to survive without the other.
    Joe did kiss her then. Not a sweet, slow, exploring kiss. But a take-charge, all-encompassing, this-is-my-woman kiss that nearly rocked her off her feet. The half of her that was the strong, independent reporter from Chicago, who overanalyzed everything, gave way and let herself melt against him, let him hold her up as the boat tilted with the waves, gave over her being and her equilibrium to him.
    All too soon it was over. Her lips felt cold and empty, even though he’d only edged back a few inches.
    “Come below.” His voice was deep and throaty as he took her hand and led her to the companionway.
    “The watch. I’m standing watch.” It was her turn to reject him.
    “ Reprieve will be fine. It was just to keep you busy. Normally we don’t stand watch inside the harbor.”
    She waited for the indignation to come, for the anger. He had made her stand watch when it was unnecessary. Everyone knew that but her. There was no rage, though. All she felt was an overwhelming need to be with him, to feel him on top of her, to watch his face light up by the starlight through the porthole. She was mad at herself for allowing that feeling in. She needed to be angry at him, to get even.
    “The kids,” she whispered as they went below. “Mitchell and Anthony. They’ll hear us.”
    He stopped in the companionway and his breath tickled her ear. His body shook and he held her a little too tightly. “I know,” he said. “Yeah, I know.” He kissed her again, deeply, intently, then abruptly broke away. “We’ll have to save this for another time.”
    Loneliness came over Riley. She hadn’t planned on sleeping with Joe, although the images of his body against hers sometimes kept her tossing and turning in her bunk. Things had gotten out of hand here really fast. She had been faithful to RK, even when she suspected he was anything but faithful. Did she want this? Her body had been doing all the talking tonight. Maybe she was letting it because she knew with a literal boat load of people tonight was going nowhere but to frustration city.
    “You can go below, get some sleep.” Joe had turned away from her.
    “What about you?” she asked. “You just got done telling me there doesn’t need to be a watch in harbor.”
    “I have some work to do on deck.”
    She thought about a million things to say but in the end decided to clamp her mouth shut, take his advice, and try to sleep. She allowed herself a little smirk, a slight sense of satisfaction that she was leaving him as frustrated and lonely as he had left her.
    Reprieve seemed relieved to be left alone. The boat