Sean listened to her ramble on and wondered what was really going on inside that pretty head of hers. She seemed distant and distracted, and he could once again feel her pulling away from him.
“Okay,” he agreed, even though he had no intention of letting her go home, no intention of letting her out of his sight, partly because he planned to keep watch over her until they arrested the person responsible for the fire, and partly because he planned to show her what she meant to him before the night was over. “We have one more stop to make.”
She gave him a perplexed frown. “Not according to my itinerary.”
“It was a last-minute change in the schedule.”
“Oh,” she said, pulling a paper from her pocket to examine it. When he eased his car into a parking spot near the dock, she asked, “Where are we going?”
“To the boat.”
She nodded as if she understood then climbed from the car. He captured her hand in his and carefully guided her along the wobbly wharf. When they reached his uncle’s yacht, Sean spoke to the captain who was waiting for them, then turned to usher Madison on board.
When she reached the main deck, she furrowed her brow and glanced around. “Sean, there’s no one here.”
“Down there,” he said, and pushed open the door to the cabin below.
Madison stepped ahead of him and descended the three steps. At the bottom, she turned back to him. “There is no one here, either.”
Sean flicked the lamp on and gave her a smile full of sensual promise. “I know.”
Confusion lit her eyes. “What’s going on?”
“What’s going on is that I fucked everything up last night and tonight I plan on making it right.”
Madison swallowed and a pink flush colored her cheeks as equal mixtures of surprise and curiosity washed over her face. “Making it right? What are you talking about?”
“You see, sweetheart,” he began as he nudged her until she fell backward on the bed, making it perfectly clear what was going to happen between them tonight. “I want you. I want you so badly that I can barely think straight. But I never should have taken you on the rooftop like that. You deserve better from me.”
He could practically see the wheels spinning as a bevy of emotions passed over her eyes. Then, when she realized exactly what he was up to, she said, “Ohmygod.”
He cocked his head. “Praying again, Madison?”
When the engine started up, Sean began to undress, pulling off his T-shirt and unbuckling his belt. “It’s like this, Madison. Last night when we had sex, it was to prove to both of us that beneath that guarded exterior of yours, a warm and sensuous woman exists, one who gets to me in a way no woman ever has before. But tonight, well, tonight I’m going to prove something else to you.”
“Something else?” she whispered, intrigue clouding her expressive eyes.
He bent forward and brushed her hair back to expose her entire face. “Yeah, baby, I’m going to show you what I see.”
“What are you talking about?”
In a familiar move, she pulled her hair forward to hide her scar. Once she had herself covered, her glance raced to the bright lamp. Sean knew exactly what she was thinking, but he wasn’t about to let her hide from him—or herself. Not anymore.
Not ever again.
“The light stays on.” When she looked like she was about to protest, he pushed her hair back behind her ear a second time and pitched his voice low. “Cover your face again, and I’ll tie your hands to the bedposts.”
He felt a tremor move through her. “Sean, what are you doing?”
“Like I said, I’m going to show you what I see.”
Her chest rose and fell erratically, her full breasts quivering and beckoning his mouth in the most provocative way.
“What…what do you see?” she asked.
“What I see is a beautiful woman, on the inside and out.” He gestured toward the mirror above the bed and felt a rush of tenderness as she followed his gaze. Emotions choked him when he said, “And we’re not leaving here until you see it too.”
A strange noise sounded deep in her throat as confusion morphed to understanding, but when the boat scraped along the dock as the captain steered them out to sea, her eyes widened in alarm. “But. Sean. Water. Seasick.” Her breathless words came out broken, fractured.
Her concern for him warmed his insides. She really was sweet and compassionate, seeing him for the man he really was. An invisible fist squeezed his heart when he said, “Then you’d better start distracting me.” With that, he dropped down on top of her, crushing her beneath him.
Everything inside him reached out to her as her body softened against his. His cock ached to drive into her warmth, but Sean marshaled all his control, determined to go slow and make this good for her. He inched back and lightly brushed his lips over her eyes, her nose, her mouth and the scar on her cheek.
He settled his hands on either side of her head and hunger consumed him. He took a moment to look at her, loving the way her long hair splayed across the pillow. Her passionate eyes focused on the mirror above, and when he felt her quake, his cock thickened in his pants.
“Sean…” she said, her skin flushing as her tone caressed him all over. But he also heard something else in her voice, something that had panic invading his stomach. Was she going to push him away again? He wanted her, yes, in ways he’d never wanted another, but he wasn’t going to take her if she didn’t want him too.
“Yeah, baby. What is it?” He traced the edge of her cheek, his eyes searching her face for answers.
She shook her head and emotions passed over her eyes as she glanced around
