Bring the Heat, Margot Radcliffe [best novels to read to improve english .TXT] 📗

“You’re right,” she said, grinning at him when they were nose to nose. “I’ll be more careful with my superlatives in the future.”

“Damn right.” He smiled back. He stood, pulling her up from the bed with him. “Let’s go, chief engineer, and get out of here. The sooner we set sail, the sooner we drop anchor, which means the sooner we can get back in here and do that again.”

“And again?” Molly teased.

“And again,” he confirmed, his hand giving her a last squeeze before heading to the bathroom for a shower.

When she stood there not coming in, he crooked a finger at her. “Don’t be shy, Molly,” he said. “I promise I won’t seduce you.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, covering her gorgeous breasts, which was a damn shame. “That’s what you said in the middle of the night, and we were up for another hour.”

He felt his lips curve before he even got the words out. “Sweetheart, I’ve been up since the moment you walked onto this boat.”

Molly’s eyes closed on a groan. “Oh my God,” she said, her voice high with disbelief. “You are out of your mind.”

“That’s accurate,” he agreed wryly. “Now, come on, shower with me so we can live up to the eco-conscious redesign of this boat and save some water.”

Hiding a grin, Molly followed him into the bathroom and climbed into the enormous shower with him. He’d envisioned being in here with Molly, watching the clear water sluice over her body, her wet hair slicked back. He’d also imagined what he did next, which was go down on her as the hot water pelted down on her back and into his mouth as he licked at her.

“Oliver,” she whispered when she was finished.

He met her mouth with a gentle kiss when he rose again. “Just a thank-you for you showering with me.”

They finished washing up after she gave him the most sensuous shampoo and conditioning treatment he’d ever experienced. No one had ever handled him like that before, taking care not to get soap in his eyes or ears, massaging his scalp. It was meticulous and thorough and so Molly Madix. It also warmed his heart in a way that he couldn’t even explain because he’d never felt that way before. But it finally felt like he was being cared for and he never wanted to let that go.

They eventually parted ways to get to work, her to the engine room and him to the cockpit at the side of the boat to take off. She’d untied the ropes harnessing them at the dock while he and the lone deck crew member communicated over the headset. Within minutes, they were in the wide-open Atlantic Ocean, pointed east toward Grand Bahama Island. It was only a two-hour sail and after about a half hour, Molly joined him back up in the bridge. Once the undocking was over, he’d come up to the main steering wheel and controls so he could see the ocean spread out in front of him.

Plus, it was much cooler in the bridge than outside, which was a plus. The sun was high in the sky already and hot. He monitored the controls as the boat glided over the water and he was so pleased by the work he’d done. No, he hadn’t carved the siding or built the engine, but this boat had been his labor of love and damn if that didn’t make it all the sweeter.

“What are you smiling at?” Molly asked, joining him at the wheel. She was holding a bottle of water and the tiny speck of grease on her thumb got his own engine roaring. Never had grease seemed so erotic to him.

“Just that we’re an hour in on open water and this baby is purring like a jungle cat.”

Molly’s shoulders shook and she grinned at him. “You don’t look like a silly man, but you are.”

“I know my pretty face is meant to be carved in marble, but a man’s got to laugh.”

She shot him an amused look. “You’re proud of yourself for this boat and you should be,” she said. “Everything downstairs is running well. I think we’re good.”

“We’re about an hour until we can drop anchor. I figure we’ll find a shady spot in the shadow of a hill or something.”

“I’m looking forward to doing not much.”

“I’m looking forward to doing you,” he said, already laughing at her eye roll.

“You just can’t stop, can you?”

He shook his head. “It’s true, though. I hope you’re prepared for just how much my hands are going to be on you during this trip.”

“I think I can handle it,” she said, eyebrow raised. “Pun intended.”

His grin was huge. “That’s the spirit, Molly.”

She just shook her head and directed her gaze to the blue ocean in front of them.

“Are we going to go ashore once we anchor?”

“If you want. Might be nice to have a dinner on land sometimes. Especially since we don’t have a chef aboard yet. I know I’m a culinary genius, but a night off might be nice.”

“You’re going to cook tonight?”

He shrugged. “Who else is going to do it?”

Molly looked at him thoughtfully. “I don’t know, I thought we’d just order pizza or something.”

Oliver couldn’t help it—he pulled her closer, into his arms. He couldn’t not touch her. “I’ll cook for you anytime.”

She sighed in his arms. “You’re just trying to make it impossible for me to ever leave this yacht, aren’t you?”

“You bet.” He smiled, but she had no idea just how true her statement was.

CHAPTER SIX

MOLLY WAS SITTING on the upper deck of Chance with an ice-cold margarita talking herself out of pinching herself as she gazed at the setting sun over the sandy white beach of Grand Bahama Island when she got the text that immediately put a crater-size dent in her euphoric mood.

Max, her ex, apparently wanted her to answer the phone calls from him that she’d been ignoring. Reading over the words