Except she hadn’t, apparently, because she was burning up with need and desire and her brain refused to listen. Raul came back to her, and so did her certainty, her need, pushing everything else away, so when he separated her legs with his knee she felt only excitement. Then he was pushing into her and she was crying out with a surge of something she’d never known before, as all the life-affirming feelings of relief, adrenalin, need and power thrilled in her veins. He kissed her as he moved and she wrapped her legs around his waist, the sublime perfection of this moment somehow totally appropriate after the strange detour her day had already taken. Later, she’d probably wonder what had come over her, but for now, all Libby could do was lie there and enjoy the best pleasure she’d ever known...
‘Well,’ he drawled, moving away from her with true regret but knowing he needed to put some distance between them if he were to have any hope of regaining his sanity. ‘That was unexpected.’
To his relief, Libby smiled. A slow, sensual smile. ‘Which part? The boat being stolen, or the sex?’
Amusement flickered in the pit of his belly. ‘Both.’
‘Agreed.’ She looked around the control room, her lips turning down as the wild tangle of their clothes became evident.
‘I think in the heat of the moment—’
‘The relief of having survived,’ she agreed, nodding.
He was glad she was being so sensible, that she saw things as he did, so why was there also a hint of frustration that she was so quick to dismiss this?
Raul was flying out of the country the next day, it wasn’t as though he could offer her anything more, not like he would want to, anyway.
‘It was all...surreal,’ she said with a lift of her brows.
‘But wonderful,’ he murmured, pulling on his shorts and crouching down. ‘The second part, anyway.’
Heat flushed her cheeks, a sweet innocence that made him wonder how often she did this sort of thing. She hadn’t been a virgin, but there was something about her totally unguarded responses that made him wonder...
He shut down the thoughts.
He didn’t wonder about the women he slept with. He didn’t postulate on their private lives. He had sex, and he moved on.
‘Are you okay?’
She nodded, expelling a soft sigh.
‘I mean after the whole boat hijacking incident. No injuries?’
She shook her head.
‘Sometimes, these things can build as a trauma inside of you. If you should find you experience this, and need help, I want you to let me know.’
Her eyes widened. ‘I’m sure I’ll be fine,’ she mumbled.
‘I am too. Nonetheless...’ He moved to his wallet, ignoring the other condom in there with great willpower. ‘Here’s my card.’
She took it without looking down. ‘Thanks.’
He nodded once, feeling that at least he’d done his duty there. ‘Suffice it to say, I’ll cover any expenses. Therapy, whatever you need.’
She laughed then. ‘Raul, it’s fine. I’m fine.’ She stood, retrieving her underwear, dressing with a litheness of movement that made his mouth dry. She was so effortlessly graceful, she was beautiful to watch.
He frowned. ‘Would you care to have dinner with me?’
Her eyes widened as though it was the last thing she’d been expecting him to say. And wasn’t that true for him too? Dinner? After sex?
He could only put the uncharacteristic offer down to the bizarre day he’d had.
‘It’s too early for dinner,’ she pointed out, waving a hand towards the sky. She was right. It probably wasn’t even six yet. ‘And I’m not hungry.’ She finished dressing. ‘I’ll just get my things and go.’
After the storm came the calm, and in that calm she had space to freak out, just a little, at what had happened. While sleeping with Raul had been incredible, it had also been totally unlike Libby, and she found herself jangling with nerves and needing some space to be alone.
The idea of sharing dinner with him made something ache in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t say why, only that she felt his gravitational pull and saw danger in it, a danger that surprised her with its intensity, because a moment ago she’d been thinking that he was safety and trust personified.