She wrapped her legs around him, and he pressed her back against the cool wood. His tongue wrestled with hers, hungry to get even closer, to explore every inch of her. His erection pulsed between them, making him ache to tear off their wet clothes.
Her hands fisted in the back of his wet hair, pulling at his braids, a delicious ache, distracting him from the fire in his sore shoulders. She tilted her head, deepening the kiss as she rocked her hips against him, tempting him to lose control.
Would it be so bad? Maybe if they had sex, it would defuse this tension between them. He could get this hunger for her out of his system and stop caring what she thought of him. They’d steal the Tyrfing and go their separate ways.
He broke the kiss with a breathless growl. “I need you. Closer.”
The fire in her eyes intoxicated him.
She slid her hands between them, her fingers opening the button on his wet jeans. He pressed her tighter against the hull and opened her pants as he kissed her again. She tasted like cinnamon and salt water. He couldn’t get enough.
She brought her legs down from his waist and lowered his zipper, rolling his wet pants down over his ass. His erection burst free, and he tugged her pants down, moving closer. He gripped his shaft, guiding the tip to her opening, when one thought pierced through the haze of desire like a beam from a lighthouse on a foggy night.
“Condom.” He groaned. “Fuck. I don’t know if we have one on the ship.”
She caught his lower lip in her teeth, eyes on his. “I’m on birth control.” Her eyes searched his. It took a second for his brain to make the connection.
“I’m clean.” The Grail made contracting an STD impossible, but he hadn’t been with a woman in more years than he wanted to count anyway.
No longer. He kissed his way down her neck as he teased her wet opening with the tip of his erection before thrusting into her.
“Yes!” She gasped as he pulled her leg up to his hip so he could reach deeper inside her. He couldn’t get close enough.
She brought her other leg up, clasping her legs around his waist. He pounded into her, drinking in the build, the yearning, the ache for release. He rested his forehead on hers, tracing her lips with his index finger.
“Show me what you like,” he whispered.
She nibbled at his chin. “I like this.”
He shook his head, grinding his hips into her as he took her hand and placed it around his wrist. He slid his hand between them, his index finger exploring her folds as he nuzzled her lips.
“Guide me.”
She slid her hand along his, her fingers leading his until he found the spot that made her gasp.
“There it is,” he growled, working his finger faster.
Her fingernails dug into his wrist as she moaned. “Right there. Don’t stop.”
“No chance,” he growled into her mouth as he claimed her lips again.
Their bodies crashed together as the ship rolled beneath them. She broke the kiss, calling out his name as her inner muscles clenched around him, milking him until he exploded deep inside her and left him trembling against her.
She released his wrist and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. He drank in the scent of her wet hair, closing his eyes and wishing for the first time that he could stop time and stay in this moment, half-naked in the bilge, with this amazing woman in his arms.
This was a yearning he’d never had before. He should let her go and relive the memory to carry him through the next few years. This was supposed to get her out of his system. His fingers twitched.
He couldn’t move.
“Greyson,” she whispered against this neck. “Should we go up and…” She caught her breath and added, “…see if the ship is still sinking?”
He chuckled and finally lifted his head. He tucked her wet hair behind her ear, losing himself in the beauty of her flushed cheeks and swollen lips. “We’re not sinking.”
“How do you know?” she asked with a sexy smile.
He glanced at the standing water. “The tide isn’t rising in here. Drake must’ve plugged the leaks.”
She stared into his eyes, making him wish he could read her mind. This had been her idea. Did she have regrets now? She kneaded his sore shoulders. “We should probably get our asses covered before someone comes down here looking for us.”
He nodded as she lowered her legs from his waist, and he slid free from the warmth of her body. They got their pants up and fastened, and he caught her hand. “I kept my word. I waited for you to ask.”
She laughed. The sound was a gift, better than any treasure he’d ever plundered. “I guess I have to rescind my earlier judgment not to trust pirates.”
He leaned in to steal one more kiss. “Maybe just one of us.”
She hummed as she backed away. “I think there might be a knight in shining armor hiding in there someplace after all.”
She headed for the stairs, leaving him behind in a puddle of water, pondering the ache in his chest. Her approval meant more to him than he wanted to admit. So, he wouldn’t.
He jogged to catch up with her, more certain with every splash of his feet that he was snared in a trap he might never want to escape. And by then it would be too late.
Maybe it already was.
Chapter Eleven
Aura woke to her phone buzzing. Three days had passed since the storm. Today they’d be going ashore in Glasgow, Scotland. She accepted the call. “Agent Henderson.”
“Your meeting is confirmed for today.” Agent Bale’s voice came through clear, the strong cell signal proving they must be close to their destination. “Are you ready?”
“Yes, sir.” She got up and peered out her tiny window. No land in sight yet. “We have a space cleared in the weapons room for storage of the Tyrfing, and I have a cam on the door. Everything is in place.”
“And your partner is solid in his backstory?”
“Yes.” She was glad Agent Bale couldn’t see her face, because the flush of heat in her cheeks would’ve given her away. Since the night of the storm, neither of them had mentioned the sex in the bilge. She shouldn’t be disappointed. It had been a moment of surrender, that’s all. If she was going down with the ship, she’d wanted to make those last minutes as amazing as possible.
And Greyson had delivered. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it since.
“Good. I want to hear the moment you have the sword in your possession.”
“Will do,” she replied.
He paused before adding, “You’ve done great work on this one. Thanks for your professionalism. I know you didn’t want this mission.”