Page 36 of Under the Radar

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Mo disconnected the call and returned the phone to Emily. She needed to talk to Mac. Not telling him about Baltimore meant she’d deliberately hidden the facts. Furthermore, she’d promised her father that she’d inform Mac immediately of her situation. She didn’t want to come across like a drama queen because she wasn’t in any danger here. But the longer she waited to say anything, the less honest she would look in his eyes.

And that mattered.

Maybe she’d grab a quick shower and then go see him. No. It had to be now while the whole safety issue was front and center. In less than a week, they’d be back in Baltimore and he’d understand why her father was going to outfit her with round-the-clock bodyguards.

Mo took a series of escalators and stairs down to Mac’s floor, dodging between passengers with purposeful strides and figuring out ahead of time how to start the conversation. You need to know why I decided to take a cruise at the last minute…maybe. A funny thing happened on the way home from school Friday…no. I’m wanted for questioning by the police…definitely not.

His door swung open. He wore only a towel on his hips, his hair still tousled from the beach. “Hey cupcake—I was just thinking about you.” He leaned out, peered both ways down the hall. His eyes blazed with heat.

Mo went mute. The sight of him sucked all the air out of her lungs. He was sporting a full erection. Not to mention taut abs, powerful thighs, and the naked chest and biceps she adored. He was a living, breathing centerfold.

“I’m glad to see you haven’t had a shower yet. I was just about to climb in and wash off the sand. You can join me.” He tugged her into his arms and captured her mouth with his. The door clicked shut as he crowded her against the wall inside the suite.

Sensation overwhelmed Mo’s senses. “Mac, I need to tell you something.” She gasped as his hands roamed the back of her thighs and nudged them wider. Her lover had morphed into an alpha of epic proportions.

“You better say it quick. In a minute or two, you won’t be able to think,” he rasped as he reached inside the bathroom and flipped on the shower. “Have you ever done it in the shower, Mo? It’s paradise.” He turned sideways to fit them through the narrow doorway and stepped up and under the steaming shower. There was nothing like the compact efficiency of a cruise ship bathroom.

She pulled her lips from his and tenderly placed her hands on either side of his face. “Mac, please stop. You might not want me after I tell you what I need to say.”

He stilled for a few seconds and braced against the shower wall. His chest heaved with each breath. “I can’t imagine anything you’d say that could deter me from wanting to ravish you often and thoroughly.” He kissed her lower lip, bracing both hands on the wall, surrounding her. “Just give me a minute.” He kissed the top of her head.

Mo massaged his shoulders with shaky hands. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting this.”

“Don’t apologize. I should’ve asked permission. We ought to be on the same page.” He lifted the washcloth and body wash, turned her around, and began washing her back. “What’s going on? Go ahead—talk to me.”

Had she actually swapped hot shower sex with the man of her dreams for talk time?

She stepped out of the shower and peeled out of her suit, heaving a deep breath. “I’m wanted for questioning back in Baltimore. The cops found a large shipment of heroin in my car last Friday. When I returned home after the police interview later that evening, my apartment had been broken into and trashed.” Mo stepped back into the shower. “I stayed at a hotel that night and booked this cruise to get the hell out of Baltimore the next day.”

“Is that how you came by that bruise on your cheek?” His voice remained deadly calm as he washed her arms.

She’d almost forgotten about the bruise, except when she glanced in a mirror. “Yeah. The burglars left the freezer door open, and my kitchen floor was wet. I slipped and fell.” Of course, her obsession for returning items to the correct drawer initiated the fall in the first place, but he didn’t need to know she was a total neat freak just yet.

“Why didn’t you tell me this last night when I told you about Lily and the post-traumatic stress I’m dealing with?” He draped the washcloth across her shoulder and massaged her neck and back.

His erotic touch was more than stimulating. “I was so happy to see you, and when you mentioned the stress you’ve been under, I didn’t want to add to it.” That part was true, and oversharing was off limits until she knew if their relationship was on again. Duh. If standing naked together in a shower was any indication, he was as happy as she was to resume whatever they’d started weeks ago.

Mac’s fingers circled and tugged her nipples as he spoke right into her ear. “Why would you think I wouldn’t want to be with you after finding out about this?” Concern laced his voice as his hands moved lower and traced the curves from her waist to her hips.

Mo shivered as every nerve ending yearned for more. She laid her hands over his to still their roaming. “Mac, I’m in a peck of trouble. My life might be more complicated than you’d care to handle. You’ve got a lot on your plate and don’t need me adding to the pile. I can handle this on my own.”

“What if I don’t want you to handle it on your own?” His hands resumed their exploration, washing and squeezing her butt cheeks. A finger stroked in between them every now and then. Her belly curled into a ball of simmering desire. She’d forget the conversation for now and just feel.

“There’s more going on here than what you’ve told me, Mo.” He gave the shampoo a squeeze and began massaging it through her hair. “Here—you do your hair.” He poured body wash into his palm. “Do you really think I’d walk away because you’re encountering a few challenges?” His hands lazily explored her thighs and slid into the valley between her legs.

She moaned. Did he really expect her to scrub her hair? It was quite possible she’d drown in shampoo suds as he stroked the sensitive nub craving his touch.

“Do you think I’d leave when you need help?” He nibbled a path along her shoulder as his fingers continued their mission.

Lust was damn distracting. Mo swiped at the bubbles covering her mouth. “In my experience, men can be very fickle.” She slid her hand to his hair and tugged him closer.

He gently turned her and lifted. Wrapping herself around him, their lips collided in a heated fusion. He pulled back for a second. “Let me make it very clear that I’m not going anywhere, Maureen. You got that?”

“Got it.”

“May I?” He hoisted her to just the right spot.

She whispered against his lips. “Permission granted.”

They both groaned. The endless rain shower of hot water trickled down their joined bodies. With a shout and a whimper, they held onto each other as he drove home his promise to take her to paradise.

Mo made a mental note to always discuss their problems in the shower.