and gently placed face down on the bunk.
„Tails it is,“ Raven said, smoothing his palm over the supple curve of Janna’s bottom. „Guess you lose. Unless you want to flip me for it, of course,“ he added innocently.
Janna pushed hair out of her eyes, saw Raven’s wicked smile and realized, „I’ve been had.“
„Several times,“ he agreed, laughing. He lifted Janna, pulled her slowly across his body and set her on her feet in the galley aisle. „And if you don’t start breakfast soon,“ he added in a raspy voice as he nibbled on her thigh, „it’s lunch we’ll be flipping over.“ His tongue flicked out and he smiled as he heard her breath catch. „Or maybe dinner.“
Janna’s fingers threaded into Raven’s black hair. When he caressed her again, she called his name in a husky voice that made him groan.
„What am I going to do with you?“ he whispered. „Each time I have you I want you more.“
She started to say something but all that came out was a tiny, wild sound as Raven’s caresses became hotter, more intimate. „No more oysters for you,“ she said, biting her lip against a broken sound of pleasure.
Raven’s breath washed over Janna’s sensitive skin as he shook his head and nuzzled her at the same time. „If that legend were true,“ he murmured against her, „men would have hunted oysters to extinction long ago.“
„Or women,“ retorted Janna.
He chuckled and nuzzled her soft flesh. „Are you saying that men would have hunted women to extinction, or women would have hunted oysters?“
„Precisely,“ Janna said. „I’m glad you understand. So many people are confused by a little straightforward ambiguity. What’s for breakfast?“
He gave her body a look that made her knees weak.
„Raven,“ she breathed.
He closed his eyes. „I think I’ll take a swim in the inlet while you cook tinned ham, potatoes and powdered eggs. After we eat you can take a shower while I clean up the galley. Then we’ll go for a walk in the village while we still can.“
„Still can?“
„Walk,“ Raven said succinctly. His eyes opened, and they glittered with sensual heat and laughter. „Didn’t you know, small warrior?“ he asked, his voice deep. „We’re going to kill each other in bed.“ His teeth flashed whitely beneath the black mustache as he pulled the torn remains of Janna’s nightshirt from the sheets. „Know something else?“ he asked, dangling the ripped cloth from his fingertip. „I can hardly wait.“
Janna bit her lower lip, caught between laughter and anticipation, self- consciousness and the breathtaking memory of the instant when Raven had first taken her. She knew that her expression must have revealed her thoughts, because Raven’s eyes became heavy lidded and intent as he watched. With a small sound she grabbed the shredded T-shirt and hid her flushed face in it. She wasn’t used to this kind of sensual teasing any more than she was used to making love – or being in love.
„I guess you’re going to insist on wearing another of my T-shirts,“ Raven said gravely.
She nodded without looking up.
He smiled gently. „On one condition.“
Warily, Janna lifted her head. „What’s that?“
„The only thing you wear in bed is me.“
Raven didn’t ask whether the strangled sound Janna made was agreement or disagreement. He simply stood up, kissed her thoroughly, grabbed a bar of soap and vanished over the
Somehow Janna had managed not to burn, spill or scatter the ingredients of breakfast when Raven emerged from the inlet after his saltwater bath. Naked, powerful, he looked perfectly at ease in the wild land. He also took Janna’s breath away, made her hands shake and her heart beat violently. She wished that the storm were still churning beyond the inlet, locking them in, locking the world out.
Unfortunately, by the time breakfast was eaten and Janna had taken a shower, it was obvious that the storm was definitely over. She dressed gloomily, wishing that she weren’t going to be kicked out of Eden quite so quickly. She wondered if Raven had business waiting for him, business that couldn’t wait, or if perhaps he wouldn’t mind staying in Eden for a few days longer, giving her a chance to steal just a little bit more of his love.
„Janna, I found it!“
She pulled another one of Raven’s dark, huge T-shirts over her head and called, „What?“
„A real sketchbook for you to use. I knew Angel had left it around here somewhere, but I couldn’t remember where.“
Janna zipped up her jeans and opened the door to the cubicle that was both shower stall and head.
„Sketchbook?“ Janna asked, pushing a curtain of cinnamon hair aside. The thick, silky strands ignored her fingers, falling forward again as soon as she lifted her head. She pushed at the softly curling hair again, trying to ignore the emptiness in the pit of her stomach that came every time Angel’s name was mentioned. „Is Angel an artist?“
„One of the best,“ Raven said, smiling as he remembered the stunning stained glass panel that Angel had done for his home on Vancouver Island. The panel showed the
„Oh.“ Janna would have said more, but the thought of competing for Raven with a woman who was not only courageous, beautiful and blond but an artist, as well, turned Janna’s normally quick mind to glue. „Life really isn’t fair, is it?“ she muttered under her breath.
„What?“
„Stained glass, huh?“ Janna said, rallying her thoughts with an effort, saying the first thing that came to her tongue. „I saw a really gorgeous piece in a Seattle gallery last year. I wanted that panel so much I used to stand in front of it and just ache.“ The memory made Janna smile slightly at her own longing. „The glass reminded me of the Inside Passage at twilight, that magical time when all legends are true. There was rank upon rank of mountains falling away to the horizon in every shade of blue imaginable, and the sea was luminous, alive as only a god could be alive, breathing light and life into everything it touched. I wish to hell I could have afforded even a corner of that panel.“
„Angel put a huge price on it because she couldn’t bear to sell it,“ Raven said, smiling slightly. „It was one of her favorites.“
„That was Angel’s work?“ Janna asked in disbelief.
Raven nodded. „She understands that the sea is the source of all life. She’s a remarkable woman,“ he added, holding out the sketchbook to Janna. „Like you.“
Janna didn’t know whether to laugh or cry or scream at the sheer unfairness of it all. Bad enough to envy Angel Raven’s love, but to admire her artistic skill as well was more than Janna’s uncertain emotions could handle. Wordlessly she took the sketchbook and flipped through it. Only, three of the pages had drawings on them, studies of driftwood on a wide, sandy beach. There was a balance of elements and a subtle elegance of line that tugged at Janna’s senses, telling her of the artist’s understanding of opposites and unity.
„I shouldn’t use this,“ she said. „Angel might – “
„She wouldn’t mind,“ Raven interrupted quickly. „These were just preliminary sketches. The finished piece was a gift to my grandfather.“
Janna closed the sketchbook and looked at Raven with doubt in her silver-green eyes.
„Use it,“ Raven urged. „That way you won’t have to go all the way to Masset and
