Page 15 of Merry with a Captain

“Perfect, I'll be waiting." She didn't make a move to open the door and they stood there for a moment, staring at each other.

Fletch was going to kiss her. No way was he going to leave without holding her in his arms and kissing her. The problem might be not being able to let her go.

“Come here,” his voice was low and husky.

Fletch leaned over her, pushing her back to the wall, lifting her. She wrapped her legs around his hips, and her hands slid up his arms to clutch his shoulders.

Her response was what he’d hoped for. No hesitation. Their lips almost touched, and the heat of her set him on fire. Her fingers slid into his hair, holding his head, and their mouths found each other. It wasn't gentle, it wasn't tentative, it was wild with abandon. Furious with need. They fused together, she tightened her legs around him as his erection pressed against her. She flexed her hips, and it was almost his undoing.

Fletch groaned into her mouth and pushed his hips against her. He wanted so much more than this, the barrier of their clothes frustrating. It would've been so easy to carry her to the bed, especially when she moaned with her own desire.

If he didn't stop now, his brain would shut down and he wouldn't have the ability to. Reluctantly, he lightened the kiss, and even though she clutched at him, he lifted his head. Their breath mingled, both of them struggling for air.

"Oh, my God," Robyn whispered, resting her cheek on his shoulder.

Fletch slowly let her legs down, but she kept her arms around his neck. "I know," he said in a low and tight voice.

It took a few minutes before Fletch took a step toward the door and turned the handle. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

She nodded, and he was relieved she didn't suggest he stay, because if she had, he would’ve.

9

The next morning, Fletch had to make a phone call to the physiotherapy clinic. He’d forgotten he had an appointment so he changed it to the next available time. He was looking forward to spending the day with Robyn, and no way would he cancel on her.

It was a beautiful sunny day, and he left the motel to pick her up. The sea was glorious. Damn, how he missed spending time on the water. Every time he looked across the waves, it made him more determined to get himself cleared so he could go back aboardIntrepid.

It seemed like forever since he’d walked her decks. Both he and Beck needed to meet and organize the next year's cruising plan. They hadn't discussed how they were going to handle the captain issue. Mickihadbeen doing a great job, and he knew their relationship was growing more serious all the time. Fletch wanted his ship back, but he also didn't want to usurp Micki.

There were a number of weeks already blocked off for guests and others for leasingIntrepid.Although he wasn't exactly sure of the location of all of them, he knew a couple were in the Caribbean and one was in the Mediterranean. He pondered theidea of letting Micki captain during the leasing agreements. They were usually contracted for two to three weeks, so that wasn't a lot of time for him to be off ship.

He opened the window and lifted his face to the breeze blowing in. Yep, there was no doubt about it. He missed the roll of the waves under the hull of his baby. But there was nothing he could do about it right now, and it would all work out as it should in the end, so he chose to put it out of his mind. He had a great day planned, and nothing was going to interfere with that.

He pulled up to the valet at Robyn's hotel. She was sitting on a bench outside. The sun was shining off her hair, and he decided then and there he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. And perhaps get her out onIntrepidas well.

She hadn't seen him yet, so it gave him an opportunity to pull up and park. He jumped out and walked over to her.

"Hey," he said, and she startled.

"Oh! Sorry. I didn't see you." She stood and picked up a large, colorful striped canvas bag.

"Here let me take that." He reached for it and was surprised how heavy it was. "You planning on leaving home?"

She laughed. “Funny. I just packed up some snacks and bottles of water. I even got a couple of sandwiches from the coffee shop in case we got hungry later. No point in spending more money than we need to.”

“There was no need to worry about that. I'll take care of things." Fletch walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for her.

She climbed up, and he put her bag at her feet. When he got in she said, “You don't have to take care of everything. I'm good to pitch in.”

He glanced at her and smiled. “I’m kind of old-fashioned, I asked you so…” He raised his shoulder and grinned.

She did up her seatbelt and pointed out the windshield. "To the restaurant young man, this girl is hungry." Robyn crossed her jean clad legs and settled on the seat.

“Righto, off we go. It's not far, just around the corner.”

She laughed. "That's what my parents used to say when we went on a road trip and they were always wrong."

It had been a perfect day,and Robyn didn’t want it to end. The breakfast had been great, and the drive along the coast even better. They even found a secluded beach where they stopped for the sandwiches she had brought along.

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