He touched her cheek with the back of his hand. “It would be wonderful to climb in with you, but I don’t think it’s a good idea. We’re getting too close to Grand Cayman, and either I get a decent layout of this boat or-”

“Or what?”

“Nothing. I’ll get it. But I need to stay alert.”

“I can do that, too.”

“You should get some sleep.”

“Because I lead such an active life? The only thing we do here that burns up calories is sex, and if you don’t want to do that-”

“Who said I don’t want to?”

She sighed. “I know. So what happens once we get there?”

“Ed’s going to take you off the boat. You’ll have to go with him to the bank.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be taking care of business here. You don’t have to worry about that.”

She sat up, then leaned across him to turn on the light. She had on a T-shirt, which she wore most nights, and he wondered whether if they hadn’t been afraid of Jazz barging in, she would have slept naked.

The thought of her long body next to his…Hell, they’d never get any rest.

Squinting against the light, she still managed to give him her “you’re-in-trouble-now-mister” look. “I’ll ask again. What about you?”

“There are things I can do once we’re docked, once they can’t use you as a shield.”

“Like killing people.”

“If necessary.”

“Including Charlie.”

“If necessary.”

“They have weapons.”

“I do, too.”

“Where?”

He shrugged, wanting to reassure her as well as instill her with confidence. He wasn’t sure he could do both. “I’ve been in a lot of situations where it looked as if I didn’t stand a chance.”

“But-”

He put his arm around her shoulder and situated them both more comfortably on the bed. “Let’s talk about you for a while, okay? There are some things I want you to practice here, while we’re alone, before you hit the bank.”

“Like breathing? Not passing out?”

He shook his head. “You’re going to be fine. You’ve been amazing, and there’s no reason that shouldn’t continue.”

“Except that I won’t be with you.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

She looked into his eyes. “Are you kidding? Of course it matters. You’re the only reason I’m not completely comatose. Or dead.”

“You may have gotten some confidence with me nearby, but you’ve done so much on your own. You don’t even break a sweat when they bring in the food.”

“I do so.”

“It doesn’t show.”

She sighed. “Not that much has changed, Michael. We’re living in a bubble here where it’s easy to pretend. But once I have to leave this room…If you’re counting on me, you’d better rethink things.”

“Don’t worry about it. The plan is only viable if you think it’ll work. There are too many unknowns to get too specific.”

“Well, let’s hear what it is. If I don’t pass out now, then maybe I won’t pass out in the bank.”

AT TWO-FORTY, MICHAEL came back to the room. There was enough light from the porthole for her to see the foray hadn’t been terrific.

“What happened?”

He came to the edge of the bed, stripping as he walked. His T-shirt hit the floor along with the jeans they’d bought him in Florida, leaving him in his skivvies. “Charlie lied again.”

“Oh, no.”

“Oh, yes. I thought I was home-free, everyone accounted for, and was just about to pick the lock where I’m sure the weapons are stored when that cabin boy he talked about-the one who was supposed to clean up-came walking out of the head. He’s monster-size. Thank God he flushed or I’d have been very damaged.”

“I’m very grateful you’re not damaged.” She threw the covers back and patted the bed. “But now you need to get some sleep.”

“Let me get washed up. Don’t move.”

By the time he’d finished brushing his teeth she’d worked herself into a small frenzy of worry. “You can’t do this anymore,” she said as he crawled in next to her. “It’s too dangerous.”

“I have to get to the weapons, Tate.”

“Find another way. I won’t be able to stand it if something happens to you.”

He pulled her close, putting his arm under her neck, positioning himself so he could look into her eyes. “I’ll be here,” he said. “I won’t leave you.”

She believed him as best she could. The closer they came to the island, the worse her fears were becoming. Michael tethered her to the earth, to sanity. If he were gone-

“Hush,” he said. “Stay with me. Don’t be anywhere else but right here.”

She nodded.

He kissed her. It was long and languid and she touched his skin wherever her hand landed. In the days and nights that had sailed by, she’d learned the heaven of familiarity, the comfort of knowing she couldn’t make a mistake.

She pleased him. She knew it, and it brought her an extraordinary confidence. If she could bring that feeling to her whole world…

“A little help?”

She looked at him, startled out of her reverie. “With what?”

“Panties.”

“I don’t think they would look that good on you, but, sure, give it a try.”

“Oh, you’re hilarious.”

“Come on, Michael,” she said, turning her head fetchingly to the side. “Haven’t you ever wanted to try a walk on the wild side?”

“The masculine wild side, sure. Panties? That’s a big no.”

“What a chicken. You’d probably look adorable.”

“The last thing in the world I want to look like is adorable.”

“Right. You’re a lumberjack and you’re-”

“Hold it right there. You want to see some wild-side action? How does a little spanking sound?”

“Hmm. Your bottom all red and rosy?”

“Not mine.”

“Oh, then no. It sounds terrible.”

His mouth opened, but no sound emerged. Finally he just shook his head.

“Don’t worry, Michael. You don’t have to understand. Just smile and say, ‘Yes, dear.’”

“Yes, dear,” he said as he dutifully smiled. “But just for the record, this isn’t over.”

“No?”

“It’s just going to take me a while to figure out my strategy. I’m thinking a surprise visit in the middle of the night. Something kinky but not too startling.”

“All for me?”

He nodded.

She pulled his head down so her mouth was an inch from his ear. “Add some leather to that mix, big guy, and I’m all in.”

“Oh, shit,” he said as he got to his knees and pulled her into a kiss that went on and on.

He didn’t have to remind her again about the whole panty situation. She got naked, fast, tossing her clothes somewhere away, and then she got him naked, too.

By that time he was hard for her, hard all over. She liked to run her hands over his chest and feel the hard buds of his nipples beneath her palms. He liked it when she tweaked him there, and she was happy to oblige.

He’d figured out a lot of her favorite things, too. Like now, when he used two fingers to get her ready for the main event. And how he nipped at the tender skin just below her ear until she shivered with pleasure.

Then oddly, his pace slowed until she pulled back to look at him. “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head, but the look he gave her was as pensive as she’d ever seen him.

“Michael?”

“I would never hurt you.”

“I know that.”

“Maybe. But I want to say it anyway. I miss a lot about my old life-the pace, the adrenaline. It was good for me and I was good at it. But meeting you…”

She swallowed and held her breath, afraid to speak or even breathe lest he stop.

“Meeting you has changed every damn thing. But I want you to understand something.”

He held her tighter, bruising her arm. She didn’t care, not at all.

“I’m going to get you out of this. And when you go back to your real life, you won’t be the same person. You’ll be stronger. Better.”

His eyes searched hers with amazing intensity, but he was starting to scare her now. This wasn’t the speech she’d hoped for. She didn’t know how she knew, but she knew.

“I’m going to miss you. But I want you to know I’ll be rooting for you to have the life you deserve. You will. You’ll be able to travel. It kills me to say it, but you’ll have your pick of men. The world will be yours. All you have to do is take it.”