Read Online A Dolphin's Gift by Patricia Watters - Free Book Online Page A

worries,
until all that mattered to her was the pleasure his hands, and his mouth, and
that part of him primed to join with her would give her, and the rush of
sensations that would follow.
    A dangerous
thought. Comforting Nellie Reid could take on a whole different meaning once he
started down that perilous road. No way. He'd stay out of her bed, and out of
her life. What Nellie Reid needed—a commitment of marriage for her, and a
step-father for her son—he could never give her. But before he'd cleared that
thought from his mind, she stood, opened her arms to him, and said, "I
could really use a goodnight hug."
    Unwisely, he
took her in his arms and held her, all the while reminding himself that this
perilous road could only lead to a dead end. But for the moment he didn’t want
to think about it. All he wanted was to hold Nellie in his arms and feel her
breasts against his chest, and her heart beating beneath his, and soak up the
warmth of her body, for just a little while.

CHAPTER 4

 
    Two days later,
when Nellie stepped into the galley, she stared in disbelief at the small,
dog-eared book resting on the table. The cover displayed the image of a mouse
wearing a dress. "He's not for real," she said to Katy, who looked up
from her fleece-lined bed on the floor and cocked an ear. Will couldn't really
expect Mike to read The Tale of Mrs.
Tittlemouse ?
    Nellie opened
the cover. Inside, she found a note scrawled in blue ballpoint. "To Willie
from Mrs. Miller." She smiled as she pictured a dark-haired boy with brown
eyes and a crocked smile responding to the name, Willie. She slowly thumbed
through the pages. It was like Will said: a tidy house in a hole in the ground,
a little lady mouse dusting and cleaning, and everything nice and cozy and
secure. But to expect Mike to go for this…
    She glanced through
the porthole. On deck, Will was showing Mike a piece of equipment she assumed
was for his orca study. From the perturbed expression on Mike's face, he wanted
no part of whatever Will was saying to him. It wasn't like Mike to be rude, so
she suspected he was jealous. After all, Mike had been the man of the house for
well over a year, and he undoubtedly believed Will was trying to take his
place.
    Nellie pondered
that thought. Will being head of the household. She had to admit it appealed to
her, maybe more than it should. But she'd also been puzzled by Will's hasty
departure, two nights before, when he'd sat with her in the salon talking about
Mike's bad dreams. When she'd told him he had the makings of a natural father,
something fleeting in Will's eyes told her differently. She'd noticed other
things about him that night as well. He had the kind of body that captured and
held a woman's attention. She'd fantasized about it after Will left, wondering
what he'd be like in bed. He excited her in a way she'd never felt with
Richard. But then, she'd known Richard for years before they married. With
Will, it was all new. And bizarrely alluring...
    And she sensed
Will was attracted to her as well. Over the past week he'd spent time helping
her scrape and sand when she knew he should have been working on the engine.
And the night before he’d found her sitting on deck after Mike had gone to bed,
and they'd talked past midnight, mostly about the memorable times she'd had
with Uncle Vern on the Isadora . It
hadn't occurred to her until after Will left that he'd revealed nothing about
himself. But there was time... a month at sea to get better acquainted. She let
out a little snicker. She could never have imagined, the night her car died and
she called Will from the garage, that two weeks later she'd be fantasizing
about the man. It still felt odd to find herself thinking romantically about any man but Richard.
    A few minutes
later, Will stepped through the door carrying a large box which, Nellie knew,
from the flex of his muscles, was very heavy. He set the box down. Focusing on The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse in her
hands, he