“Okay, that’s as slow as we go. Let me take over.” “All right.” She kept her hands on the wheel and slid her butt out of the chair. As she stood, she lifted her eyes to the window. “David!” David swiveled to see the giant wave crest and slam over the starboard side of the boat. Water exploded into the wheelhouse. Duchess squawked and flapped her wings as the boat rocked violently back and forth. Bonnie lost her grip and went flying. David let go of the chair and grabbed for her, but she slammed shoulder first into the bulkhead. She hit the deck on all fours, but even as David reached for the wheel, he could see she was still moving. “Bonnie! You okay?” “Yes.” But her voice wasn’t nearly as loud as it had been before. “Stay there!” As he finally righted himself, he saw another wall of water heading right for them. He managed to grab and yank the wheel another thirty degrees east before he heard the deafening whumph. Then everything went black. —-------------- The world dropped i
“Bonnie, let the bird sing.” He said. She gasped and spun around on the captain's chair. “David! You’re awake!” “Work it. Work it.” Duchess said. “I take that back,” David growled. “Duchess, quiet.” “Thank goodness.” Bonnie abandoned the chair and dropped to her knees next to him, fingers prodding the very sore skin on his forehead. “I didn’t know how I was going to get you into the cabin if I had to. Does it hurt?” “Yes.” He caught her searching hands and brought them together. “What happened? How’s the boat?” “Boat’s okay. I think. You knocked yourself out trying to get to me. Your foot slipped and blam!” She tried to smack her hands together. “You conked your head on the railing.” “Yeah. That I got. You okay?” “I’m great!” She beamed at him. “We did it. We rode out the storm. Took a few hours and so Duchess and I covered about thirty years of musicals, but yeah.” She sighed and sank back onto her heels. “We’re okay. Me, Duchess, Blue Blood and now you.” She pulled her han
“Good times.” He made a stumbling effort to his room. It took longer than expected, longer than his ego approved of, to change into a pair of wonderfully clean and dry sweats. He was already lying down when she knocked on his door. “Yeah.” He answered. “Here you go. It’s chamomile, so it should help relax you.” David opened his eyes and found she’d changed, as well, and was wearing an over-sized T-shirt and what to him looked like skimpy boxer shorts. She sat on the edge of the bed, held out two pills and handed him the mug. “Awesome. Thanks.” He took the pills but nearly choked on the tea. “Gah! Tastes like Calliope’s herb garden.” David set the mug on the narrow shelf by his bed. Bonnie grinned, then poked a finger gently against his forehead and pushed his head back. “Go to sleep.” She stood up to go, but he caught her wrist. “Don’t go.” “But you need—” She began. He looked at her, and even though he knew it was a mistake, he couldn’t release her hand. “Don’t go. Stay.
"Yeah?" He gave her a crooked smile that almost hurt, he was so turned on. "I like that idea. That means I can see and touch all of you." Her eyes darkened. "Yes." She lifted up, guided his cock to her opening, and slowly began sinking onto him. David held her thighs. She braced her hands on his chest. It was incredible...seeing her face, watching her expressive eyes and the telling way her lips parted and her breasts rose with each deepened breath. "A little more," he urged, and her eyes closed as she wiggled, seating herself fully upon him. Neither of them moved. David gasped for air, Bonnie's body clenched and relaxed around him. "I can feel you throbbing." she said. He groaned and couldn't stop the lifting of his hips. Through his teeth, he growled, "I'm a nanosecond away from coming." "Really?" She smiled down at him, then lifted. "Really." She dropped and he said, "Bonnie..." "I like this. Do you?" Groaning again, he cupped her breasts, brushed her nipples with
“Could you maybe make that sound more analytical? I don’t think my therapist heard you.” She retorted. Safe to say? What was safe with this conversation? “I bet he or she would say you’re deflecting with humor.” She narrowed her eyes. Was he playing with her? “Look, I'm in no mood to talk about that right now," he said. “I—” She stared at him. What was happening here? What had happened to the affable, playful, fun-to-be-around David? What had happened to the guy who made love to her so passionately last night? Was he picking a fight to deflect from what he was feeling? “Why does it seem as if we’re having two separate conversations?” she asked. “Probably because we are. Okay…” He was speaking in very calm, determined syllables. “We need to look at this situation realistically. We are two very different people who come from two very different worlds. That can add a spark or ten to an intense situation.” She tilted her head to one side. “You’re saying that whatever we’re feeling has
“Stop It, duchess.” David batted away the latest blueberry Duchess sent soaring in his direction. “If you aren’t going to eat, leave it alone.” Duchess made a trilling sound in her throat. “Leave it alone. Leave it aloooooone!” “That’s not a song.”....That he knew of. In the past few hours, his head had finally stopped throbbing and his vision cleared. He was thinking clearly enough now to admit his conversation with Bonnie might have been triggered by his own curiosity about where they went from here. The closer they got to High Tide Harbor, the more he wondered if there was any way to fit her into his life. It was an impossible question to answer. He wasn’t good for her. He knew that… and with his kind of job, a relationship with her was definitely going to crash. He could want everything for her, want to be with her, to hold her, kiss her, spend endless days out on the rioting ocean with her, but none of that meant anything if she was simply moving from one life chosen for her
“Nice reels.” he said “I found this box of tackle, too. They look handmade.” She handed him the metal box, then shielded her eyes and looked up. “This is good timing. Dusk is setting in.” Even though it was late in the day, they may still have a chance of catching something. “They’ll work, yeah?” “They’ll work.” He examined the rod she handed to him. “So will this. Want me to check—?” “I’ve got it.” She didn’t snap, just made the simple declaration. She chose her own tackle from the box and tied it on. A few minutes later she was casting off and taking a seat in the chair beside him. “You’ve definitely done this before.” He repeated her actions, got a bit more distance than she had and set the pole down in the receptacle on the arm of his chair. “I was thinking about grabbing a beer. You want one?” “No, thanks. But I’ll take some wine.” She replied. “Good idea. I’ll join you.” Forced politeness, Bonnie thought as he disappeared below deck, had its advantages. He’d set new gr
“She made the trip out instead of Bryan,” David’s muffled voice said from inside the hatch. “Oh, I know who you are. David mentioned you….a lot. There was an issue with one of the tour boats. Had to take precedence,” Mavis explained. She sat on the padded bench and scooted over to make room for Bonnie. “And seeing as I have the next forty-eight hours off, I thought I’d do a few favors and come help this pirate find his way. I grabbed a few hours of sleep, then took a boat. Sorry if we woke you up.” “Don’t be.” Bonnie felt a tinge of guilt at having neglected her morning duties. She’d begun to enjoy the schedule she and David had established together. “I’m not clear headed just yet. Give me a minute.” She quickly poured some coffee. Two sips later, she felt the day shift into focus. “Okay, that’s better.” She sighed in a way that had Mavis grinning. “Oh, yeah,” Mavis said. “You and I are going to get along fine.” Bonnie smiled. Any unease she might have felt at her melted away. “H
"You're awfully quiet" David said to Bonnie when they got into the taxi that was supposed to take them to High Tide Harbour. She had been that way during the flight and David was starting to get worried. "I'm not" Bonnie protested, but even she knew that she didn't sound convincing enough. "Yes you are. You barely spoke to me on the flight except for when I asked you a question. And you slept during most of it. Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong? You can tell me and I'll make it right." Bonnie gave him a small smile. She felt guilty for making him think that he'd hurt her. He'd been perfect the entire time even after they said goodbye to her parents. The truth was that she had a lot on her mind. Her fears had been confirmed. She was pregnant! The weird thing was that she was thrilled about it. She was happy in fact. She was having a child… David's child was growing inside of her and she knew she'd love the baby with all her heart, but she was worried too. Having a baby ch
"You shouldn't be the one to apologize." Robert replied, as he touched her chin gently so she would look at him. "I was selfish, and I guess I was a bit too focused on what I'd benefit from your marriage to Marcus. I'll admit that I was really angry at first when you left, but after a while I thought about it, especially after David Stewart confirmed that you were alright, then I realized that I pushed you away. For that I'm sorry… ""Oh, dad""I see how… different you are now" Robert continued. "You look more confident in yourself and you're so happy… am I wrong?" Bonnie blushed as she shook her head. Was it really that obvious? But he was right. She was happier than she'd ever been in a long time. "No you're not" she replied finally. There was a pause, before Robert added. "And am I wrong to assume that David Stewart has something to do with that happiness?" Bonnie averted her eyes. She knew the topic of David would come up sometime. His presence alone was going to bring it up an
"Do we really need to do this?" Bonnie asked David as they got into the car. Finally, she was going to visit her parents for the first time since she ran out on her wedding, and no matter how much she tried to stay positive about it, there was this nagging pit in her stomach. She also had this horrible headache that just wouldn't go away. David sent her a heart warming look. "Yes, we do," he replied, then he tried to make her feel better by saying, "I'm sure they would love to see you. When your father hired me to find you, all I could see was a man who was really worried about his daughter and her safety. Whatever you might be thinking, nothing is going to go wrong. You called and told them that you were coming, right?"Bonnie sighed." Yes, I did." "And what did they say?""They said they'd be thrilled to see me" David raised an eyebrow. "So what's the problem? I'm sorry, but I fail to see it." Bonnie shook her head at him. "You seem to have forgotten, but I ran out on my weddi
Her pulse quickened even more and her lips parted as she struggled to breathe. She wanted that now—to be in bed with him. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.“What? It’s not your fault,” he said. “It's not your fault that I couldn't stay focused on my job. Honestly, I’m glad I didn’t and I don't regret any moment I spent with you. It was all worth it.”Bonnie smiled, then for some reason probably just to tease him, she used her hands on his knees to lever herself to her feet. Then she turned to walk away from him, but he stood and reached out. Catching her wrist, he whirled her around to face him. “Oh, hell,” he muttered before he lowered his mouth to hers.David kissed her hungrily—like he had earlier. His lips nipped and nibbled at hers, tugging until she parted them. Then he slid his tongue inside where it tangled with hers. She gasped and panted for breath as passion overwhelmed her."Were you really going to walk away from me?" he asked as he withdrew, breathing deeply. "Nah, I just wa
Bonnie unlocked her house and stepped in, carrying a big bag of groceries. Before she could finish locking the door behind her, David appeared beside her. He flashed her a smile that was difficult not to return. “Everything okay?” she asked him.He didn’t stop smiling. “Yeah. Why do you ask?”“Well, you were almost at the door waiting for me”“That’s because I missed you,” David replied.Bonnie simply blushed and looked away from him."Let me help you with that" he said, but Bonnie moved out of his reach and headed for the kitchen. He followed her. “You don’t have to. Besides, your shoulder hasn’t healed fully”"You know I'm not helpless, right?" he said behind her. "I'm just injured, and I have seen worse injuries." Bonnie dropped the bag and glared at him, "I’m sure you have. But like I said, your shoulder isn't completely healed yet," she said. "Don't put so much stress on it for now. I can handle the bag, and while you are here, you will do exactly what I say." "Yes, ma'am" Dav
George nodded his head. "Yeah, I already told the cops everything. They'll handle him." "Good" "He's alive too." "He is?" Both David and Bonnie stared in surprise. "Yeah. Apparently he's a tough old bastard, but he's going to spend a lot of time cooling off in prison." "I guess so" came David's reply. "I also checked on Michael," George added. "And?" "And he will be alright. The doctors say it might take a while, but the surgery was successful. If everything continues to go as planned, he will be alright" Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief at this information. Everything would be alright. Everyone was going to be okay. She watched as George tapped David on his leg and realized that they weren't just partners. They seemed very close and genuinely cared about one another. After he said goodbye to David, he turned to her. "It was really nice to meet you, Bonnie" George said, "although the circumstances and situation in which we met were… really wild, but I'm glad I met you. You h
Bonnie screamed as the shots went off, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw David and Jonathan crash to the floor. She thought he was dead. But he’d been fine. Not totally fine. Fortunately for him, Jonathan had missed hitting anything fatal, but David's shoulder had been hit. Jonathan, on the other hand, lay dead on the ground. She flinched as she remembered the image of Michael lying helpless on the floor, unable to do anything for him, then she snapped out of the shock and ran towards David. She shook him and watched as he slowly opened his eyes "Oh God, David," she cried. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Are you going to be okay? Can you hear me?…I'm so sorry, David" “It’s just a scratch,” David said to her and gave her a small smile to assure her and make her calm down. "Stop worrying. I'm fine… and so are you" "Thanks to you." said Bonnie, unable to stop the tears from falling. You saved my life. If you hadn’t come in when you had…” She shuddered as she realized that could
While the other two men stayed outside and watched the building, David and George went into the house. It was empty. That was something David already knew, but he signed George to look around the other rooms while he went straight to the room he suspected Bonnie would be in. He got to the room but it was locked from inside. But he was now one hundred percent sure that Bonnie was in there because as soon as he tried the door, he heard her muffled voice. She clearly wasn't alone because someone made her stop. David's chest ached from the pain that had struck his heart when he’d heard Bonnie cry out from within the apartment. He had to get inside—without that man hurting Bonnie any more. He hammered at the door again. “C’mon, I'm here. lemme in.”“No—” Bonnie began but then cried out again.He stepped back, so he had room to kick in the door. When he tried once and the door didn't budge, he put his gun in the waistband of his jeans and moved backwards to try again. But before he could
Bonnie sat quietly in the room where she was kept. Her face felt hot and she knew she had a cut on her lower lip from where she had been hit when she was grabbed. She had cried her eyes out until she didn't have the energy to cry anymore, so she just sat on the floor with her knees raised up to her chest and tried to think. Her life had changed so much since she ran out on her wedding…. It hadn't even been up to four months but so much had happened that it felt like years had passed. Her thoughts drifted to David. She was in this situation right now because she had gotten involved with him, but funny enough she still didn't regret it and didn't regret running out on her wedding. How stupid was she? She couldn't help but wonder because only a crazy person would think the way she was thinking right now. She sighed…. A person crazy in love. She winced when she thought about Michael. How was he? Was he dead? Did someone find him? The question bothered her and the assumption that he ha