Chapter 5
5
H ollyn waited in the bottom bunk, wondering where Kai could possibly be. She’d seen him go below deck an hour ago and had followed him after a few discreet minutes. Yet, when she’d opened the door to the cabin they were sharing, it was pitch dark, and he was nowhere to be found. She had discovered a shower in the cabin bathroom though and had been able to get wonderfully clean.
Yet, when she’d gotten out of the shower, Kai still wasn’t there.
Had he decided to find another place to sleep? She hadn’t gotten the vibe that he regretted what they’d done in Nikita and Alek’s downstairs bathroom, but maybe he hadn’t been as into her as she thought he was. How embarrassing was that? Had she been making up fantasies in her head all this time about the connection she’d felt between them?
She felt the tears lining her lashes, but she fought them, refusing to cry over someone who hadn’t made any promises to her. It just sucked that he was the only man she’d ever met who wasn’t instantly mesmerized by the sound of her siren’s voice. In her mind, that had to mean something.
But clearly it had meant nothing.
An ache Hollyn resented wholeheartedly set up in her chest. She rubbed a hand over the spot and decided she needed to come up with a new plan. Kai might still help her find the amulet, and he might even give it to her, but she needed to stop relying on others to save her.
First, her mother kept her father distracted so that she could run away with her aunt Jesse. Her aunt Jesse had sacrificed herself so that Hollyn could run again, and now, Kai felt some strange need to face her father with her. In reality, she needed to be the one to save herself. She just didn’t know how she was going to do that yet.
The door handle turned and Kai slipped inside, the light falling harshly on the tightened planes of his jaw. He looked like someone had just punched him hard in the gut.
She sat up slowly, avoiding hitting her head on the top bunk. The tight quarters were not easy to get used to.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
His sharp gaze landed on her as if he just noticed she was there. Something had him thoroughly pissed.
He took a deep breath, and his eyes softened as he sat down on the bed beside her. He rubbed a heavy hand over his face before meeting her gaze, heavy thoughts apparent in his look.
“I don’t trust the captain or crew.”
“Have they done something?”
He shook his head. “It’s just a feeling I get from them. I don’t know if they’re working for your father or it’s something else, but something in my gut tells me they have an agenda, and it doesn’t align with ours.”
“Where have you been for the last hour?”
A slight cheeky grin slipped onto his face as he asked, “Missed me, did you?”
She hadn’t thought she had been so transparent, but she tried to play it off with a shrug. “Just thought you’d beat me to the cabin.”
He stared at her, heat building in his gaze. “I rather liked having you waiting in my bed for me, but while the captain and crew were busy getting the boat moving, I wanted to explore a little.”
A shiver slid through her at the first part of his statement. Had he been looking forward to some alone time with her as much as she had with him? She wasn’t quite ready to explore that idea just yet.
Instead, she focused on the second part of his statement. “Did you find anything interesting?”
“I really don’t know what I found. The captain’s quarters look like they’ve never been slept in once. There’s nothing hanging in the closet, not even a change of clothes. I found a couple of boxes and went through each carefully, but everything inside seemed as if it had been stored there for hundreds of years.”
He shook his head back and forth as if he were trying to shake an answer loose.
“Did you search anywhere else?”
He nodded and explained, “And although the deckhand’s cabin looks a little more lived in, the walls were damp with droplets forming on the ceiling and running down the walls. There was a slight odor of day old fish, too. Nothing was obviously wrong, but somehow, everything was wrong. I don’t know what else to say.”
They sat in silence as they both seemed to be mulling over what he’d discovered. Hollyn didn’t know what to make of such strange findings either, but she wasn’t quite ready to believe people they’d just met would be connected to her father somehow. It would be a little too random for Kai to choose the exact boat of people who worked for her father. Yet, everything about the captain and his crew did seem strange.
“What do you plan to do?”
“Watch them. And I’ve asked Akamu to keep an eye on them when I can’t.” He paused and took her hand in his. “Can I count on you, too?”
“Of course.”
She knew she’d been doubting him just minutes ago, but now she couldn’t really remember what her concerns about him were. All she could think about now was how warm his callused hand felt in hers and how much she wanted to feel his touch all over her body once more.
Yet, she knew how dangerous these thoughts were. She needed to remind herself what the true mission was. They could enjoy the time they spent together, but in the end, she needed to get the last piece of the amulet, and she needed to free herself from her father forever. Nothing…no one…could get in the way of that.
But she couldn’t deny her overwhelming attraction. Maybe, just maybe, she could indulge in a little casual sex without getting too invested. How hard could it be to do more of what they’d done without falling for Kai?
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Kai’s gravelly voice had dropped an octave as his gaze tightened in on her lips.
“Like what?” She hadn’t known she could sound so sultry.
“Like you want to devour me whole.”
He wasn’t too far off. She was thinking about her mouth on him, so much so, that she leaned closer until there was mere inches between their lips.
“I am having some thoughts about you.”
“What kind of thoughts, Hollyn?” His soft breath brushed over her skin in tantalizing heat. How did he smell so good in every way? They hadn’t slowed down for days, and yet, she couldn’t get enough of his masculine scent mixed with warm sea spray. It was powerful and addictive. She slid her body next to his until not even an inch separated them.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about what we did at Alek and Nikita’s.”
His arms encircled her and pulled her chest toward his as he said, “It’s a constant loop in my mind, even when I shouldn’t be focused on those sexy sounds that you made. But, damn, you are unforgettable.”
With those words, he crushed his lips against hers and kissed her like he needed it, like he would die without her kiss. His hands rubbed slowly up and down her back until he raised one to the back of her head and held her nape as if he were afraid she’d pull away. His other hand moved to the side of her torso and traced up and down, skimming the side of her breast through her shirt, driving her crazy with the teasing touch.
She pulled back enough to speak against his mouth as she insisted, “I need you, Kai. All of you this time.”