Page 28 of Reaper Flame

“Hey!” Rocky grumbled, trudging after me. “Why didn’t I get that kind of reaction when you saw me? I was supposed to be dead...”

“That reaction is something I’d have paid to see.” Q chuckled, then his expression turned somber as he checked his watch. “We need to go before the wind picks up.”

“Since when can you steer a boat?” I demanded, planting my hands on my hips. “I thought it was only money you could move offshore.”

“How do you think I stayed off Hiram’s radar for so long?” Q raised his eyebrows. Damn, now it made sense why Hiram had no luck tracking him down. At sea, he was virtually untraceable. Q turned to Rocky. “I’ll leave you to show Candy around.”

Rocky saluted. “Aye, aye, Captain!”

Q disappeared into the nearby cabin which had the word ‘Crystal’ painted across the side. A lump formed in my throat at the realization this had been Q’s plan for him and Crystal. This is where he’d wanted them to spend their lives together. She’d have loved it. The top deck was gorgeous. It had a private bar, sun loungers, a small pool; everything you need to try and forget about any drama happening on land.

“What do you think?” Rocky asked, spinning around. “Is this enough of an adventure for you? Pretty epic, huh?”

“I mean…” I struggled to find the words. “I don’t know how you pulled it off. Are you—”

“Shh.” He pressed a finger to my lips. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow. For now, can we just enjoy it? Everything isalmostperfect.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Almost?”

Rocky didn’t answer. Instead, he stepped forward and kissed me, making me forget about all the questions I wanted him to answer. It was the kiss of a lifetime. A kiss you’d never forget. A kiss that penetrated your soul and rocked your fucking core so hard it left you trembling. Rocky cupped my face in his hands, pulling me close as his tongue danced against mine. His lips erased my tiredness, replacing it with burning lust, desperation, and something else...

He pulled away, leaving me breathless and my body screaming for more.

“I’ve been waiting weeks to kiss you,” he murmured, stroking my cheek. He traced a finger over the outline of my tingling lips. “I’m sorry, C. So fucking sorry that I couldn’t have done more to stop you from going back there.”

“You said we’d talk about it in the morning,” I reminded him. My voice came out low and sultry, thick with lust. “Right now, the only thing I care about is that you’re here.”

My logical thoughts still hadn’t caught up. I didn’t need any of this to make sense yet. Hell, I didn’t even want to try and figure out how we’d got here! All I wanted was to feelhimagain. Totastehim. To get lost in his scent. I fucking needed him more than anything.

My hands slid under his shirt, over his taut muscles, then up to his chest. My palm glided over his new raised scar, then rested on his steady heartbeat, confirming none of this was a dream.

“But—”

I locked eyes with him as a fierce, primal desire took over. “I’m done talking.”

It wasn’t a request. It was an order.

Rocky was here.Thiswas real. We were together again, and my body responded to his presence like an addict seeking a fix. My all-consuming need blinded me to reason. Words were not enough. I needed to havehim. Needed to feel him. Every perfect fucking inch of him. I wanted him to bury himself inside me and never let me go again. This is a moment I never thought I’d get again, and I wanted to devour it. Devourhim.

Rocky growled, taking the hint. He wove his hands through my hair, and our lips met again. We kissed like these were the last minutes of our lives, and the entire world was crumbling around us. The yacht pulled away from the harbor with a jolt, pushing Rocky into me and the hard bulge in his pants against the ache between my legs.

The salty breeze was cool, but the heat of his body felt like the glow of a hot fire. It drew me closer, making me want to bask in it. Rocky’s hands trailed down, stroking the curve of my lower back, then traveling further down to my ass.

“You’re alive,” I murmured as his fingers slipped down my upper thighs and underneath the fabric of my dress, leaving a burning trail behind.

I wanted more.

He yanked my dress up, and I let out a strangled moan.

More!

The noise of the yacht cutting through the waves masked the sound. The further we got from shore, the more it felt like we were suspended in a place where nothing else mattered but how good his touch felt.

“And I’m yours,” Rocky groaned. “All fucking yours.”

He grabbed my ass to hoist me into his arms, and I wrapped my legs around him. Damn, he was hard. So fucking hard. Rocky carried me over to a deck chair and laid me down. Goddammit, why had I worn a curve-hugging dress? There was no time to wrestle out of it! Rocky didn’t care. His pupils dilated as his gaze swept appreciatively down my body and lingered on my black lace panties. This is not the kind of action I expected to be getting when I put them on this morning. Black was the color I wore whenever I planned to kill. Everyone knows sexy underwear makes a girl feel invincible.

“Fuck, C,” Rocky breathed. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed hard. “You’re so beautiful.”

---