The Hero She Craves

Chapter 7

Ren carried Halle into his cabin. He kicked the door closed behind him with his foot.

She was shivering, and her face was pale.

She could’ve drowned. The thought drummed through his head.

He could have lost her.

His throat and chest were so damn tight. He knew the world would be a worse place without Halle’s light in it.

“We’ll get you warm, baby.” He set her down on the bed, then ducked into the bathroom and started the shower. He turned the water to hot.

Back in his cabin, he saw her dragging in a deep breath, open hand pressed to her chest.

“Ren…I need my inhaler.”

His pulse spiked. “Are you having an asthma attack?” He knew she’d had asthma as a kid. Her worst attacks had freaked Tom out.

She shook her head. “It’s mild. I don’t get attacks much anymore. My inhaler will help.”

“I’ll be right back.” He hurried to her cabin and used his master key to get in. In her bathroom, he rifled through the cabinet and nabbed her inhaler.

She was still sitting on his bed when he returned. He handed her the inhaler, and she shook it and inhaled. Her shoulders relaxed, but a huge shiver wracked her.

“Let’s get you warm, Ariel.” He pulled her to her feet and started tugging off her wetsuit. Underneath, she was clad only in that maddening bikini. That, he was leaving on. He forced himself to ignore her sweet curves and bare legs, and focused on the goose pimples covering her skin.

“Come on.” He urged her into the shower stall and under the water.

As he stepped back, her arm snapped out and she grabbed his wrist.

“Please don’t leave me,” she whispered.

Her wet hair was bedraggled, and she continued to shiver. Her cheeks were still paler than he would have liked.

Ren hesitated for a second, then without saying a word, he stepped under the spray. She needed him and he couldn’t walk away. It was a tight fit in the stall, but he wound his arms around her.

She pressed her face to his chest.

God. He hugged her tightly. He held her until the shaking stopped.

“I was so scared,” she murmured. “I thought no one would notice. I thought…”

“Shh. It’s okay now. You’re safe.” He rubbed his chin on the top of her head.

Lifting a hand, he worked his fingers through her tangled hair. He reached out and grabbed some of his shampoo, squeezing some onto his palm. He massaged it into the strands of her hair.

It smelled like eucalyptus and mint, and he knew that she’d smell like him. He liked that more than he should.

He worked the dark strands of her hair through his fingers. She made a sound and tipped her head back. He tried not to notice the damp bikini clinging to her breasts, but it was hard. It left little to the imagination.

He tipped his gaze up to the tiles. She nearly died, you asshole.

“Warm now?” he asked.

“Yes.”

He urged her back under the spray to wash the shampoo out. Happy now that she was warm, he turned off the shower. She stepped out onto the mat, and he grabbed a towel, drying her off. His heart was still pounding. His gut was tight, his jaw was tight.

He’d almost lost her.

He wrapped the towel around her, then quickly shed his wet cargo shorts and slung a towel around his waist.

He’d almost lost her. He dragged in a harsh breath.

“Ren.”

He looked down into luminous blue eyes.

“I’m all right,” she said. “You saved me.”

He cupped her cheeks. “If I hadn’t noticed you go under. If I’d been a few minutes later…”

“But you noticed, and you weren’t later. I’m alive.” She let her towel drop to the floor, and touched his jaw, her fingers running along it. “But I’m cold.”

“Let’s get you in the bed, under the covers. That—”

“No,” she said. “I…I need you to touch me. I need to feel warm again.” She gripped his arms. “Make me forget the scary moments.”

“Halle—”

She shuddered. “Please, Ren. Make me feel alive.”

A part of him told him he should walk away. He shouldn’t lay a finger on her.

But Halle needed him and that was all that mattered.

He stopped thinking. All he could do was feel, and make her feel better. He nudged her out of the bathroom, and across the cabin until she sat on the bed.

The wet fabric of her bikini clung to her curves. It made it hard for him to breathe. He reached back and untied the bikini top tied around her neck. Damn, his hand was shaking.

The fabric fell away, and he groaned. She was perfect. Every bit of her, from the dark-pink nipples, to the gentle curves of her breasts. Then she reached out and pulled his hand to her breast.

His fingers closed on her softness. Her nipple was hard, and her lips parted. He flicked a finger over that nipple.

She made a soft sound and pushed against his hand.

Each stroke, every hitch in her breath, reassured him that she was all right. “You’re so beautiful, Halle. So perfect.”

“I’m not perfect.”

She was to him. He pushed her back on the bed, then slid his palm over the curve of her belly. When he reached the tie side of the bikini, he toyed with it.

“Ren.” Her gaze was pleading.

And his control was gone. Like a rope ripped from his hands. He couldn’t stop touching her. Hell, he didn’t want to.

He untied the fabric and dragged it away.

Shit. Fuck.

“Look at you.” He reached out and stroked his fingers through the neat, brown curls at the juncture of her thighs. He parted her legs, sliding his thumb through the pretty pink folds.

“Oh.” She arched. “Ren.”

He wanted her warm, and shivering from pleasure, not cold and shock. He lowered his head, nuzzled her thigh.

“Anyone tasted you here before, Ariel?”

She shook her head.

“You going to let me put my mouth on you?”

She nodded.

“It’s all mine, isn’t it?” He slid his hand up her thigh.

She nodded again, pretty tits heaving. “Please put your mouth on me, Ren.”

He pulled her legs over his shoulders and licked.

Her sweet, musky flavor hit him. He groaned, lapping at her.

Panting, she slid her hands into his hair. He growled, and shoved her thighs apart. He licked again, exploring her with his tongue.

“You taste so good, baby.” He dragged his tongue through her slick folds, then up until he found her clit. He used his tongue to tease her.

She writhed, panting his name. She tugged on his hair.

Fuck, he wasn’t sure his cock had ever been this hard. He thrust his hips against the bed as he kept eating her. She was a feast he never, ever wanted to stop devouring.

“I’m…God…” Her words turned to a cry.

He looked up at her naked body and watched her come. He felt her pulsing against his mouth. She was pure beauty.

“Ren,” she said breathlessly, slumping back on the bed.

He turned his face against her thigh. “Warm now?”

“Yes.”

“Good.”

But as his gaze moved over her naked body, taking in her flushed skin, guilt bit at him. The things he wanted to do to her…

Yeah, the guilt felt like sharp blades. All the reasons he shouldn’t touch her ran through his head: Tom, her age, her innocence, his battered soul.

He rose. “I’ll leave you to rest.”

She pushed up on her elbows, frustration on her face. “Ren, don’t go. Let’s talk.”

His laugh was harsh. “If I stay, we won’t be talking.”

Her gaze dropped down to the tented towel wrapped around his waist. It didn’t do much to hide his raging erection.

“Don’t go,” she said again.

He turned and grabbed some dry clothes from his closet. He slid into the bathroom, quickly pulled them on, and then headed for the door.

“Ren.”

He glanced back at her. She sat in the center of his bed, naked, and looking impossibly young.

“I have to go.” He shoved out of the cabin.

As he strode down the corridor, he raked a hand though this wet hair. He should never have touched her. Should never have put his mouth on her.

He stepped outside, and dragged in a breath. It didn’t help that he could still taste her on his lips.

Proppedup on the narrow bunk in her cabin, Halle balanced the laptop on her knees, and finished the analysis on today’s data.

She was trying not to think about Ren.

Or about what had happened in his cabin today.

Halle made a frustrated sound and looked at the plain white ceiling. Okay, she hadn’t stopped thinking about what had happened. The memory of his mouth on her, between her legs, eating her hungrily.

She squirmed on her bed. She’d come so hard. It had never been like that before. She’d touched herself, enjoyed a pleasant orgasm, but what she’d felt today…

She shivered and grabbed her glass of water off the built-in nightstand, and quickly sipped.

“Focus on your work, Halle,” she muttered.

It had helped her not lose her mind this afternoon. One, from remembering the terrifying moments of being trapped in that net. And two, from remembering the way Ren had rushed out of that cabin. Away from her.

She sighed. God, the man confused her. Touching her like he couldn’t get enough of her. Like he needed to touch her more than anything else. Then the next moment, leaving like he couldn’t get away fast enough.

She rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand. Think about work. She was almost done with the test data. And she’d sent off an email to her friends Conrad and Isabel. They’d studied together at college, and the pair had gone on to work on new technologies to clean the oceans of plastics. Halle had promised to donate her time and help them with their work after what she’d been through today.

There was a knock at her cabin door. Setting the laptop down on the bed, she cautiously approached the door. “Who is it?”

“Ms. Bradshaw, it’s Kit from the mess.” The muffled voice came through the door. “I have some food for you.”

She recognized the voice of young man who cheerfully worked in the mess and galley. She unlocked the door, including the shiny new deadbolt Ren had installed, and opened the door.

Sandy-haired Kit stood with a covered plate, smiling widely at her.

“I was planning to head to the mess for dinner soon,” she said.

“Ren asked me to deliver this.” Kit whipped the cover off.

Halle gasped. “Oh, my gosh.”

It was a plate filled with pink cotton candy. Several paper straws poked out of the cloud-like sweets.

Kit handed her the plate and leaned in. “Ren bullied the chef into making this for you, and getting it just right.” The young man rolled his eyes. “Petrov was cursing in Russian, and Ren just stood there until he got it right.”

Halle swallowed and stared down at the pink candy. “Thanks, Kit.”

“You’re welcome. And glad you’re okay.”

Halle closed the door with her hip, then sat on the bed. She lifted one of the cotton candy treats and took a big mouthful. The sweet goodness hit her taste buds and she grinned.

Ren. Her heart squeezed tight.

After gorging on too much cotton candy, Halle pulled a lightweight gray Scripps hoodie over her T-shirt and shorts. Then she headed for the mess.

Her team wasn’t there yet, but several crew members were already eating. There was no sign of Ren. Halle filled her plate, trying to peer into the adjoining galley to catch a glimpse of Chef Petrov. She heard plenty of banging, crashing, and some cursing. Maybe she’d thank the chef later.

She sat at one of the tables and poked at her dinner.

“God, I’m so glad you’re okay.” Sammy dropped a tray of food onto the table beside Halle.

“Me too,” Halle said quietly.

The team all sat around her. Only Ryan was missing.

“You feeling all right, Halle?” Fitz asked, a worried look in his eyes.

“I’m fine now, thanks.” Fitz looked much healthier tonight. “How are you feeling?”

“Great. I’m starving.” He forked a mouthful of mashed potato into his mouth.

Thankfully, it seemed his seasickness had eased.

Fitz chewed and swallowed. “Ren told me it would pass. He had me drinking some juice he’d made. Apple and carrot. Apparently, the sailors all swear by it.”

How the man could think he wasn’t a good guy was beyond her.

“Close call today.” The professor gripped her shoulder and squeezed. “I’m glad you’re all right, Halle.”

“Thanks, Professor. After some rest, I’m feeling fine.”

As her team all talked, Halle picked at her food. There was still no sign of Ren in the mess.

She sighed. She hadn’t seen him at all since this morning. He was avoiding her. Again.

Sammy leaned closer. “The way your man dived in and rescued you.” The other woman shivered. “Hot. I prefer girls, but I’d make an exception for him.”

Halle flushed. “Keep your hands to yourself, Brooklyn.”

Sammy laughed and held her hands up. “In all truthfulness, Halle, the man only has eyes for you. Remember, just be yourself.”

“Well, I’m not sure that’s working. He always takes off and avoids me.”

In that moment, Fitz leaned over to ask Sammy about the day’s test results.

Halle tuned them out, too lost in her head. So far, just being herself had sent Ren running. She rubbed her temple. The way he’d looked at her… Her stomach twisted into tiny knots, and she pushed her plate away. There was no way she could choke down more dinner.

“Halle,” Sammy said. “I forgot to tell you. We recovered your camera, and I uploaded all the photos to the lab computer.”

Halle smiled. Finally, some good news. She rose. “Thanks. I think I’ll go and take a look at them. I’m behind because of today’s drama.”

“Don’t overdo it, California,” Sammy said.

Halle lifted her tray and headed over to the cleanup area, where she scraped off the plates and stacked them.

Then she walked out on the deck, down the stairs, and toward the lab. The night air was cool, and it washed over her flushed skin, making the ends of her hair dance.

She turned a corner on the stairs and ran into Ryan.

“Hey, Halle, you all right?” He gripped her shoulders.

“I’m doing fine. Thanks.”

“Today was scary as hell for me, so I’m guessing it was worse for you.” He squeezed her shoulder. “If you need company tonight—”

She stepped away. “Thanks, Ryan. I appreciate the concern, but I’m okay. I’m going to do some work.”

He reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. “Look Halle, I like you.”

She sighed. “I know. I like you too, but only as friends and coworkers.”

His face tightened. “Okay, message received.”

She hoped he was being truthful, but something told her Ryan didn’t like hearing no for an answer. She nodded. “Night.”

As she walked to the lab, the back of her neck prickled. Slowing, she turned and scanned the main deck. It was empty.

But night had fallen and there were plenty of dark shadows.

She was sure someone was watching her.

It’s just nerves, Halle. You’ve had an interesting day. She opened the door and headed into the lab. She flicked all the lights on.

She opened a laptop, and quickly got to work finding the photos. She hoped she’d gotten some good ones. She copied them over to a flash drive. She’d take them back to her cabin and work on them there.

Once she had the information, she closed the laptop and slipped the flash drive into her pocket. She cautiously stepped out of the lab.

She paused for a second. This time, there was no creepy sensation of being watched. She blew out a breath. She’d been imagining things.

“See, all good.” She strode down the deck. While she’d been in the lab, the temperature had dropped. Goosebumps prickled on her bare legs. “You’re fine, Halle. You just had a rough day.”

Magnificent orgasm aside, of course.

No, she wasn’t thinking about orgasms or Ren right now.

She found herself wandering toward the back of the ship. The night sky was amazing. She paused and looked up at the stars overhead. A sense of wonder filled her, and she savored the moment. They were beautiful. She hoped her mom was up there, enjoying the glittering light.

She turned to head for the stairs. Movement. She frowned and squinted toward the ship’s stern. A shadow was moving near the submersibles.

Right near where the UUV was stored.