Stormy Vows - Iris Johansen [131]
She shook her head again, and suddenly two tears brimmed over and ran silently down her cheeks.
“Oh God, not again!” he groaned, and pulled her into his arms, rocking her as if she were a child and pushing her face into the soft velour of his robe. He stroked her hair gently for a long peaceful moment before he pleaded huskily, “Won't you please go away, redhead? I don't want to hurt you.”
Jane nestled closer to his strong, warm body, her hand tangled intimately in the wiry dark patch of hair on his chest. She pressed her lips lovingly to his shoulder. “I have a chance,” she whispered. “You like me.” She kissed him again. “You want me. That's quite a bit to start with.”
His chuckle reverberated under her ear. “You're so blasted determined,” he said softly, his fingers gently rubbing the sensitive cord behind her ear. “I'm going to get rid of you, you know. I won't stand by and watch you mess up your life for an infatuation.”
“You can try to discourage me tomorrow,” she whispered teasingly. “But will you hold me tonight?”
He laughed again and shook his head ruefully. “Not on your life, redhead,” he told her firmly. “I'm not about to let you consolidate your position in that particular fashion. We both know that you'd be my mistress by morning.”
“Exactly,” she said, grinning.
He slapped her lightly on her bottom and then pushed her firmly away. Pulling back the covers, he motioned sternly. “Get in, brat, and stay on your own side from now on.”
She scrambled happily under the covers and scooted obediently to the far side of the bed. Without removing his robe, he also slipped beneath the covers, and flipped out the lamp. Jane sighed with contentment as she curled up on her side and prepared to go to sleep, which she did in only a few minutes.
On the other side of the broad expanse of mattress, Jake Dominic listened to the girl's even breathing with a grim smile on his face and eyes that were alert and wide awake. It was several hours later before he too fell asleep.
eight
SIMON WAS WAITING FOR HER ON DECK A few mornings later, and, as he turned to watch her hurrying toward him, Jane felt a thrill of uneasiness as she noticed the troubled expression on his usually sunny face.
“What is it, Simon?” she asked, puzzled.
“Look, Jane, it's none of my business,” he burst out abruptly, running a hand through his blond hair. “But I thought someone should tell you.”
Jane felt a cold finger of fear run down her spine at Simon's words. Her mind jumped immediately to the subject that dominated her life these days. She turned away to stare sightlessly at the sparkling sapphire sea. If Jake insisted, how could she prevent him from physically ejecting her from the Sea Breeze? Was this why Simon was so embarrassed and hesitant this morning?
Simon drew a deep breath. “Jane, I don't know how deeply you're involved with Jake Dominic, and I won't ask you to confide in me,” he said awkwardly. “But I think you should know that he sent a radio message yesterday morning.”
She turned to look at him, her body tense. “Yes, Simon?” she whispered.
He frowned unhappily, his blue eyes warmly sympathetic. “Oh, damn!” he said desperately. “The message was to Lola Torres. He invited her to join the cruise. He's sending a launch this afternoon to pick her up at Cozumel.”
Lola Torres. For a moment Jane couldn't place the name, and then it clicked depressingly. Lola Torres was a very well known personality—though in some circles she was considered more notorious than famous. The gorgeous Spanish-American woman had clawed her way up from the barrios of Los Angeles to become one of the highest-priced call girls in the world, but this hadn't satisfied her. She had wanted to be her own woman, and at twenty-six had written an autobiographical novel entitled, Kiss and Tell, wherein she had not only revealed the bedroom secrets of her famous lovers but had had the gall to rate their sexual techniques from one to ten. The book had become a best-seller, and made Lola Torres not only rich but famous. Her warm beauty and razor-sharp wit had made her