known what it’s like to hold you in my arms and have
you give yourself completely to me when I needed you more than I’ve ever needed any woman in my life. Oh, yes,
Jessie Travers. You’re the right woman for me. Whether you realize it seems to be an issue at the moment, but I’ll make
sure you do before this cruise is over!“
„Your caveman tactics won’t work on board this ship, Lucas!“ But at the bottom of her defiance, Jessica could feel
the rush of fear. He had mastered her so easily less than a week ago!
„I don’t see why not. They worked once before!“ His annoyance flared briefly as he reacted to the rebellion in her.
„Oh, hell, Jessie,“ he went on disgustedly. „Don’t make me say things I don’t mean!“
Jessica found herself strangely gratified at the slip in his composure. Very slowly but steadily she was convincing
her senses of what her mind already knew to be true: She was safe on this ship. Quite out of his reach. It was good to
see the growing frustration in him, she realized. She wanted him to know that what had happened after the plane crash
had been an aberration in her behavior. She would never again play the weak, submissive role to his dominant,
aggressive one.
„I think you meant what you just said,“ she stated evenly. „Why not? It’s the truth. Your tactics did work in that
particular situation. What you’re going to have to learn, Lucas, is that such situations do not constitute a normal way
of life for me! It is highly unlikely that you and I will ever find ourselves in such circumstances again.“
He looked at her for a long moment. „You’re telling me that it takes such dramatic circumstances to release the
softer side of your nature?“ he finally asked silkily.
Jessica flushed. „I do not consider what happened an example of the softer side of my nature,“ she bit out. „I
consider it an example of the primitive, female animal side of my nature!“
„You’re ashamed of your behavior, aren’t you?“ he demanded gently. „Ashamed of not doing a better job of
standing up to me immediately after the crash and ashamed of the way you gave yourself to me that night Jessie, you’
ve got it all wrong in your head, you little idiot! Let me show you that everything is the same between us and always
will be regardless of the circumstances or the surroundings – “
She stepped back with the movement of a startled cat as he reached out, her aquamarine eyes widening with fear.
When his hands fell back to his sides, Jessica forced herself to relax. He wouldn’t dare try to force himself on her here,
she thought. He wouldn’t dare!
„I told you those tactics won’t work,“ she told him with a spirited rush of confidence. „You can’t just reach out and
take what you want this time, Lucas.“
He swore softly. „You make it sound as if you were some helpless, mindless creature I used for my own pleasure. Is
that the way it was, Jessie? Are you going to stand there and tell me you would have let any man make love to you in
those circumstances? Are you going to claim you would have let any male lead you off into the sand the way I did that
night? Would you really have given yourself so completely to just any man who asked it of you the way I did?“
When Jessica flinched he relentlessly pursued his advantage, subtly closing the small gap between them at the rail.
„What about it, Jessie? Going to say you were so browbeaten you would have let whichever male happened to be in
charge take advantage of you?“
It was too much. Jessica lost her temper and her self-control in a flash of sheer fury. Her palm lashed out, hitting
the side of his face with branding force.
For an instant stunned silence hung heavily between the two rigid figures on the deck. For her part Jessica knew
an instinctive urge to run as if her life depended on it. But pride made flight impossible. Instead she faced the
iron-eyed man who stood staring down at her
you give yourself completely to me when I needed you more than I’ve ever needed any woman in my life. Oh, yes,
Jessie Travers. You’re the right woman for me. Whether you realize it seems to be an issue at the moment, but I’ll make
sure you do before this cruise is over!“
„Your caveman tactics won’t work on board this ship, Lucas!“ But at the bottom of her defiance, Jessica could feel
the rush of fear. He had mastered her so easily less than a week ago!
„I don’t see why not. They worked once before!“ His annoyance flared briefly as he reacted to the rebellion in her.
„Oh, hell, Jessie,“ he went on disgustedly. „Don’t make me say things I don’t mean!“
Jessica found herself strangely gratified at the slip in his composure. Very slowly but steadily she was convincing
her senses of what her mind already knew to be true: She was safe on this ship. Quite out of his reach. It was good to
see the growing frustration in him, she realized. She wanted him to know that what had happened after the plane crash
had been an aberration in her behavior. She would never again play the weak, submissive role to his dominant,
aggressive one.
„I think you meant what you just said,“ she stated evenly. „Why not? It’s the truth. Your tactics did work in that
particular situation. What you’re going to have to learn, Lucas, is that such situations do not constitute a normal way
of life for me! It is highly unlikely that you and I will ever find ourselves in such circumstances again.“
He looked at her for a long moment. „You’re telling me that it takes such dramatic circumstances to release the
softer side of your nature?“ he finally asked silkily.
Jessica flushed. „I do not consider what happened an example of the softer side of my nature,“ she bit out. „I
consider it an example of the primitive, female animal side of my nature!“
„You’re ashamed of your behavior, aren’t you?“ he demanded gently. „Ashamed of not doing a better job of
standing up to me immediately after the crash and ashamed of the way you gave yourself to me that night Jessie, you’
ve got it all wrong in your head, you little idiot! Let me show you that everything is the same between us and always
will be regardless of the circumstances or the surroundings – “
She stepped back with the movement of a startled cat as he reached out, her aquamarine eyes widening with fear.
When his hands fell back to his sides, Jessica forced herself to relax. He wouldn’t dare try to force himself on her here,
she thought. He wouldn’t dare!
„I told you those tactics won’t work,“ she told him with a spirited rush of confidence. „You can’t just reach out and
take what you want this time, Lucas.“
He swore softly. „You make it sound as if you were some helpless, mindless creature I used for my own pleasure. Is
that the way it was, Jessie? Are you going to stand there and tell me you would have let any man make love to you in
those circumstances? Are you going to claim you would have let any male lead you off into the sand the way I did that
night? Would you really have given yourself so completely to just any man who asked it of you the way I did?“
When Jessica flinched he relentlessly pursued his advantage, subtly closing the small gap between them at the rail.
„What about it, Jessie? Going to say you were so browbeaten you would have let whichever male happened to be in
charge take advantage of you?“
It was too much. Jessica lost her temper and her self-control in a flash of sheer fury. Her palm lashed out, hitting
the side of his face with branding force.
For an instant stunned silence hung heavily between the two rigid figures on the deck. For her part Jessica knew
an instinctive urge to run as if her life depended on it. But pride made flight impossible. Instead she faced the
iron-eyed man who stood staring down at her
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