Read Online Silk on the Skin: A Loveswept Classic Romance by Linda Cajio - Free Book Online
Authors: Linda Cajio
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gnawing his kneecap. He’d seen
Jaws
twice. Water sprayed all over him from his efforts.
“Drat, don’t move!” Cass whacked him on the backside with something hard, then sat straddled on his back to hold him still. His lungs in a sudden vise, he gasped for air. “Hold … hold …”
He’d hold, he thought in a red haze of fury at the pain and her weight on his back. He’d hold his hands around her throat when she finally got off him!
“I’ve got him!” she screamed, bouncing up and down on his back. The breath whooshed out of him, and the vise was replaced by a vacuum. He struggled frantically against it.
Suddenly she was off him, and pure air was rushing back into his lungs. Relief washed through him, and in one mighty effort he yanked the rest of his body into the boat. He slumped onto the bottom, grateful for the feel of the tackle box and other sundries jabbing into his sides.
“My foot,” he whispered weakly as he remembered the terrible pain. He slowly opened his eyes. “The shark got it, didn’t he?”
“What shark?” Cass asked, leaning over him.
“Jaws,” he said, gazing at her. Her face was upside down and absolutely beautiful.
She had a fit of giggles. “There was no shark, Dallas. Just the granddaddy of all crabs. I knewthere was a big one around here. For weeks something smart was taking big chunks out of my bait, but avoiding the traps. And you caught it!”
A damn crab, he thought, closing his eyes again as the vision of a huge shark was replaced by a scuttling shellfish. A damn crab. Then he remembered the power in the claws, and he said, “My foot. How bad is it?”
He felt her stretch out next to him. She cradled his foot with one hand, her fingers gently probing. “I hate to tell you this, Dallas …”
He braced himself for the worst. “Yes?”
“You’ve got a cut about the size of a dime, and some scraped skin.”
Opening his eyes, he struggled to sit up. “That’s it?” he asked in disbelief. “Just a small cut?”
“Look for yourself.”
He did. Except for a small cut, his foot was fine. Feeling the heat rise to his face, he glanced up at Cass, who was grinning at him.
“The Attack of the Giant Crab!” she exclaimed. “If the folks at M & L could have seen you …”
She collapsed into hysterical laughter.
He glared at her. Privately he admitted his pleasure to see that the frightened, almost hunted look she’d had earlier was now gone. Still, he would have been much more pleased if it hadn’t been at the expense of his dignity.
Her laughter suddenly redoubled.
Dallas narrowed his eyes at her. He’d get her back for this, he vowed. Somehow.
Half an hour later, Cass was still laughing.
She had tried her best to smother it. She really had, she thought, as she kept her gaze from straying to Dallas’s angrily set jaw. The inlet currents were sluggish about carrying away sea-life refuse, and his now-dried clothes had taken on the aroma of a fish too long out of the water. His face was becoming redder, although Cass wasn’t sure if it was the heat or his anger. Jaws had certainly demolished Dallas’s sophisticated executive image.
He’d kill her if she giggled, she thought. Instantly the vision of him flopping around with a crab hanging off his foot popped into her head again.
“Oh, Lord,” she muttered under her breath while ruthlessly suppressing renewed amusement.
She glanced toward the stern, and immediately spotted Dallas’s “catch” scrabbling around in the wooden bushel basket. A burst of giggles escaped her.
“That’s it!” Dallas exclaimed, standing up.
He yanked his knit shirt off, revealing in the process a firmly muscled chest. She nearly gasped as her gaze helplessly traversed the virile picture he made. A flow of sensual lethargy radiated through her thighs.
His hands went to his belt buckle, and he began to undo it.
“What the hell are you doing?” Cass exclaimed, common sense returning at his provocative
Jaws
twice. Water sprayed all over him from his efforts.
“Drat, don’t move!” Cass whacked him on the backside with something hard, then sat straddled on his back to hold him still. His lungs in a sudden vise, he gasped for air. “Hold … hold …”
He’d hold, he thought in a red haze of fury at the pain and her weight on his back. He’d hold his hands around her throat when she finally got off him!
“I’ve got him!” she screamed, bouncing up and down on his back. The breath whooshed out of him, and the vise was replaced by a vacuum. He struggled frantically against it.
Suddenly she was off him, and pure air was rushing back into his lungs. Relief washed through him, and in one mighty effort he yanked the rest of his body into the boat. He slumped onto the bottom, grateful for the feel of the tackle box and other sundries jabbing into his sides.
“My foot,” he whispered weakly as he remembered the terrible pain. He slowly opened his eyes. “The shark got it, didn’t he?”
“What shark?” Cass asked, leaning over him.
“Jaws,” he said, gazing at her. Her face was upside down and absolutely beautiful.
She had a fit of giggles. “There was no shark, Dallas. Just the granddaddy of all crabs. I knewthere was a big one around here. For weeks something smart was taking big chunks out of my bait, but avoiding the traps. And you caught it!”
A damn crab, he thought, closing his eyes again as the vision of a huge shark was replaced by a scuttling shellfish. A damn crab. Then he remembered the power in the claws, and he said, “My foot. How bad is it?”
He felt her stretch out next to him. She cradled his foot with one hand, her fingers gently probing. “I hate to tell you this, Dallas …”
He braced himself for the worst. “Yes?”
“You’ve got a cut about the size of a dime, and some scraped skin.”
Opening his eyes, he struggled to sit up. “That’s it?” he asked in disbelief. “Just a small cut?”
“Look for yourself.”
He did. Except for a small cut, his foot was fine. Feeling the heat rise to his face, he glanced up at Cass, who was grinning at him.
“The Attack of the Giant Crab!” she exclaimed. “If the folks at M & L could have seen you …”
She collapsed into hysterical laughter.
He glared at her. Privately he admitted his pleasure to see that the frightened, almost hunted look she’d had earlier was now gone. Still, he would have been much more pleased if it hadn’t been at the expense of his dignity.
Her laughter suddenly redoubled.
Dallas narrowed his eyes at her. He’d get her back for this, he vowed. Somehow.
Half an hour later, Cass was still laughing.
She had tried her best to smother it. She really had, she thought, as she kept her gaze from straying to Dallas’s angrily set jaw. The inlet currents were sluggish about carrying away sea-life refuse, and his now-dried clothes had taken on the aroma of a fish too long out of the water. His face was becoming redder, although Cass wasn’t sure if it was the heat or his anger. Jaws had certainly demolished Dallas’s sophisticated executive image.
He’d kill her if she giggled, she thought. Instantly the vision of him flopping around with a crab hanging off his foot popped into her head again.
“Oh, Lord,” she muttered under her breath while ruthlessly suppressing renewed amusement.
She glanced toward the stern, and immediately spotted Dallas’s “catch” scrabbling around in the wooden bushel basket. A burst of giggles escaped her.
“That’s it!” Dallas exclaimed, standing up.
He yanked his knit shirt off, revealing in the process a firmly muscled chest. She nearly gasped as her gaze helplessly traversed the virile picture he made. A flow of sensual lethargy radiated through her thighs.
His hands went to his belt buckle, and he began to undo it.
“What the hell are you doing?” Cass exclaimed, common sense returning at his provocative
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