I scramble toward the bow to tie off our lines. All the while, my heart pounds inside my chest like a cavalry charge. By the time I return to the cockpit, where Jo is perched on one of the cushioned seats, I think I might be having arrhythmias.
I take a cautious step toward her. During my crazy stunt, when I stole her away from the prom, when I pulled her close and kissed her… I was running on pure adrenaline. Now, in the quiet aftermath, nerves skitter down my spine as she lifts her large blue eyes to mine.
What is she going to say?
Will she tell me to fuck off?
“I think I must be dreaming,” she murmurs. “There’s no way this can be real.”
“It is real, Jo,” I murmur back. “I promise.”
“Maybe you should pinch me. Just to make sure.”
Swallowing hard, I reach out and brush my knuckles lightly against her neck. I can’t bring myself to pinch her. I never want to hurt her again, as long as I live.
She shivers beneath my touch.
“How’s this feel?” I whisper as I stroke my fingertips slowly down toward her clavicle. “Still like a dream?”
She nods slightly, her throat muscles contracting. “Yes. But if it is… I don’t want to wake up, Archer. Not ever.”
That’s all the encouragement I need.
My hands slide around her waist as I pull her up against me. My mouth is desperate as it seeks hers. She’s just as desperate as she returns my kiss, her lips pressing hard against mine. Her hands wind around my shoulders, sliding under my shirt collar to stroke the hair at the nape of my neck. She moans as my hands slide down her body, cupping her ass through the fabric of her dress.
God, she feels amazing.
Mouths fused together, we stumble backward into the small v-shaped berth in the cabin. My hands find the lapels of the oversized suit jacket she’s wearing. I push it off her shoulders; it drops to the floor with a soft whoosh.
For a moment, I can only stare. Even in shadow, she’s so stunning, it almost hurts to look at her.
“This dress…” I murmur, toying with one of the thin straps. “Is driving me crazy.”
“Then… maybe you should take it off.”
Fuck.
My cock twitches against the zipper of my dress pants. I’m hard as a rock. Her teasing me isn’t helping matters.
“Jo… if you’re not serious about this… we should stop.”
“I don’t want to stop.”
Reaching up, she guides my hand to the straps of her dress. Together, we tug them off her shoulders. I groan as the silk slides down her skin like water, revealing her naked body.
She’s not wearing a scrap of underwear.
“Jesus Christ, Jo. You’re going to kill me.”
She stands there, fully nude, staring at me without a hint of self-consciousness. Her breasts are small and perfectly round. Her rosy pink nipples are hard with desire. I can’t resist reaching out to touch them. They fit perfectly in the palms of my hands.
I lean down to kiss her, but she puts a finger against my lips, stopping me with a whisper.
“Now you.”
My hands shake as I loosen my tie and slide it up, over my head. She undoes the buttons of my dress shirt. Her fingers are just as shaky as she reaches for my belt buckle. I’m barely breathing as her hands skim over my zipper. She doesn’t touch me — not yet — but her eyes track my every move as I push my pants to the floor, followed by my underwear.
My cock springs free, hard and ready.