Page 53 of Ship Wrecked

Her heart...

Well, that remained to be seen, didn’t it?

Maybe he could offer her what she needed in a relationship, and maybe he couldn’t. Maybe he didn’t evenwanta romantic relationship with her.

But she would give him the chance to show her, starting tonight. Right now.

“Maria.” His mouth was a line of fire down her neck, and she lit like tinder. Her chin tipped back as she sagged against the wall, against his hold, her head swimming with each swirl of his tongue. “Say yes. Tell me I can have you.”

There was only one possible answer, but—

“I still have to pack, and the ferry leaves before dawn.” Embarrassingly, she was breathless, almost panting. “We won’t have much time.”

His sudden laugh tickled her collarbone. “It won’t take much time. Not for me, anyway.”

“Is that...” Gods above, she couldn’t think with his mouth on her. Gently, she pushed him a few millimeters away and blinked up at him. “Is that supposed to convince me to say yes? Because if so, I have unfortunate news for you.”

“Maria. Sweetheart.” His eyes on her were heavy-lidded. Intent. Determined. “Do you really think I’d leave you wanting?”

His hand slipped beneath the hem of her dress, and a trail of bone-melting heat followed his fingers as he slowly stroked up her thigh. Her lips parted as he cupped her pussy and squeezed lightly.

“I’ll make you come a dozen times before I slide inside you the first time.” It was a murmur, filthy and low. “Our second round, you’ll come on my cock.”

She believed him. What Peter promised, Peter delivered. Pleasure would be no exception.

And unless he planned to deliver that first orgasm in the hallway, they needed to move.

“Our colleagues are just around the corner,” she whispered, eyes closing as he pressed the heel of his hand against her clitoris and rubbed slowly. “I don’t care, but...”

He lightly scraped his teeth along the ridge of her shoulder, and she arched and squirmed closer to that relentless, careful hand. “Ask me if I give a fuck.”

She had to laugh. “I’m certainly hoping you’ll givemea—”

But before she could even finish her sentence, an earsplitting shriek erupted from the dining room—was that Jeanine?—andPeter jumped violently and raised his head so quickly, it rammed into Maria’s chin.

“Skit!” Instinctively, she jerked away from him and clapped a protective hand over the now-throbbing bottom of her face as she gingerly checked for a chipped tooth or other damage.

A bit of blood from a nipped tongue. Nothing serious.

But the moment was gone. Hopefully not for good, but...

Fy fan!

13

“What? What did you say?” Jeanine shrieked again, before Maria’s ears had even stopped ringing from the first screech.

“Fuck, sweetheart, I’m so sorry.” Peter cupped Maria’s face tenderly, eyes roving her features to check for damage. “Are you okay?”

Not entirely, no. She was still pretty damned turned on, and her chin and tongue hurt. But those were minor issues, especially compared to whatever had caused their hair and makeup artist to screech like a banshee getting waxed for the first time.

Maria might not know how that felt from personal experience, but she’d seenThe 40-Year-Old Virgin. She could extrapolate.

“I’m fine, but I don’t know if Jeanine is,” she said, tugging Peter away from the wall.

When they rounded the corner and reentered the dining room to find out what had happened, Jeanine was still standing beside Darrell, eyes wild, jaw agape.

She was also still shrieking, hands flung wide as she stared at him. “You’reforty-fucking-nine? How the fuck is thatpossible?You don’t even usemoisturizer, for fuck’s sake!”

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