Read In Too Deep for Free Online Page B

connected with her still full coffee mug. Hot liquid spilled over the table and dripped onto the floor.
    "Easy."
    Right . Her cheeks felt hot. "Let me get a rag—"
    "Stay put."
    "Do you have any stain remover?"
    He glanced up and gave her a wry look. "You know, I meant to ask Martha Stewart for some the last time she dropped by, but—"
    "Fine. Liquid detergent should work. Shall I—"
    "It's only a carpet."
    "If you use regular soap, it'll make the stain permanent, or at lea—"
    "Relax, okay? What were you and your friend doing away from harbor just before a typhoon?"
    "We weren't aware there was going to be a typhoon. Trust me, if I had known, no one could've pried me from dry land."
    "At least this'll give you something to talk about when you get back home, right? What I did on my Tahitian vacation…"
    "Or, how to survive a yacht explosion and live to tell about it," Tally said dryly. "Same goes for you, I suppose. Where were you headed before the storm broke?"
    "Sailing around the world to see what I can see. I'd planned to stop at Paradise to replenish supplies and take on fresh water." He shrugged. "Hadn't considered staying any longer than a couple of hours, but now it looks like I'll need to make time to have some repairs done, and to order a new mast before continuing." He ran a finger lightly over her abraded knee, and Tally sucked in a sharp breath as a shot of pure lust traveled up her leg.
    "Paradise is about twenty miles from here," Michael said conversationally, holding her eyes. A surge of heat traveled along her nerve endings, and her mouth went dry. "Well, it was a hell of a lot closer before the storm hit. Still, we'll head back there—that's where you're staying, right?"
    Tally licked her parched lips and blinked, almost hypnotized by the intensity and heat of his gaze. Whew . "R-Right. It's pretty small, and private. But a beautiful place to stop off for a few days if you have the time."
    "I'll make the time." He gave her a slow smile, and her pulse rate went up. "Will you be spending all your time with your father? Or did you show up on Paradise with a lover? Boyfriend?" He frowned. "Husband?"
    Between his touch and the flattering assumption she'd traveled with a lover, she didn't know whether to moan or laugh. "None of the above. I'm alone, with about a hundred and fifty of my father's—of the inhabitants."
    "Your father?"
    "Trevor Church. He owns Paradise Island."
    "Impressive. The boat selling must be lucrative. You didn't answer my question."
    Tally wasn't sure what the question in his eye was; she wasn't adept at reading that kind of heat. "It seems I've arrived for our shared vacation ahead of my father. Apparently he's been delayed for another two or three days."
    "And they say no good deed goes unrewarded," Michael said, still smiling, although his eye seemed shadowed.
    "I thought it was 'No good deed goes unpunished'?"
    "Not in our case. My reward for being there when you needed rescuing is having you to myself for those days. This is perfect. You can show me the sights while my boat is being repaired, and you wait for your father."
    Be still my heart . "I'm not sure how many sights there are to see, although it's breathtakingly beautiful. It's barely six miles long and three miles wide," Tally said dryly. "And while I'd love to play tour guide, I wouldn't be much good. This is the first time I've been there myself."
    "Is that right? So this is a new acquisition for Daddy?"
    "I think he bought it ten years ago. The timing was just never quite right for a visit. But here I am, so I'm going to enjoy every moment. We can explore together, if you like."
    He paused what he was doing to look up at her, his large hand resting lightly on her thigh. "I like."
     
    Tally had left the small reading light on when she'd crawled into the V-shaped bunk in the forward cabin. Now the light was out. She toggled the switch. Nothing. She fumbled in the dark and felt for the tiny lightbulb. Twisted this way,