Inner Harbor (Chesapeake Bay Saga #3)

  She laughed and started walking again. "I think a sail's enough for one day. I've got some work I want to finish up tonight. I enjoyed dinner."

  "So did I. I'll walk you to your hotel."

  "There's no need. It's just around the corner."

  "Nonetheless."

  She didn't argue. She had no intention of allowing him to walk her to her door, or to talk his way into her suite. All in all, she felt she was handling him, and a difficult, confusing situation, very well. An early night, she mused, would give her time to sort out her thoughts and feelings before she saw him again the next day.

  And since the boat was docked at his home, the odds were good that she would see Seth again, too.

  "I'll come down in the morning," she began as she stopped a few feet from the lobby entrance. "Ten or so?"

  "Fine."

  "Is there anything I should bring? Besides Dramamine?"

  He shot her a grin. "I'll take care of it. Sleep well."

  "You, too."

  She prepared herself for the easy and expected good-night kiss. His lips were soft, undemanding. Pleased with both of them, she relaxed, started to back away.

  Then his hand cupped the back of her neck firmly, his head changed angles, and for one staggering moment, the kiss went hot and wild and threatening. The hand she'd laid on his shoulder curled into a fist, gripping his jacket, hanging on for balance as her feet all but swept out from under her. Her mind went blank as her pulse leapt to roar in her spinning head.

  Someone moaned, low and deep and long.

  It lasted only seconds, but it was as shocking and burning as a brand. He saw the stunned arousal in her eyes when they opened and stared into his. And he felt that basic need claw to a new level inside him.

  Not a cool, controlled, and distant response this time, he decided. One layer down, he mused, and skimmed his thumb along her jawline.

  "I'll see you in the morning."

  "Yes—good night." She recovered quickly and sent him a smile before turning. But she pressed an unsteady hand to her jittery stomach as she slipped into the lobby.

  She'd miscalculated that one, she admitted, fighting to take slow, even breaths as she walked to the elevator. He wasn't as smooth, polished, and harmless as he appeared on the surface.

  There was something much more primitive and much more dangerous inside that attractive package than she'd realized.

  And whatever it was, she found it entirely too compelling for her own good.

  Chapter Six

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  it was like riding a bike. Or sex, Phillip mused as he tacked, threading through the light traffic on the Bay toward an available slip on the waterfront. It had been a while since he'd done any solo sailing, but he hadn't forgotten how. If anything, he'd forgotten how much he enjoyed being out on the water on a breezy Sunday morning, with the sun warm and the water blue and the wicked screams of gulls echoing on the air.

  He was going to have to start finding time for simple pleasures again. Since this was the first full day he'd taken off in more than two months, he intended to make the most of it.

  He certainly intended to make the most of a few golden hours on the Bay with the intriguing Dr. Griffin.

  He looked over at the hotel, idly trying to calculate which window might be hers. From what she'd told him, he knew it faced the water, giving her a view of the life that pulsed there and enough distance for her research.

  Then he saw her, standing on a tiny balcony, her glossy, mink-colored hair sleeked back and haloed in the sunlight, her face aloof and unreadable from so far away.

  Not so aloof close up, he thought, replaying their last sizzle of a kiss in his mind. No, there'd been nothing aloof in that long, throaty moan, nothing distant in that quick, hard tremble her body had made against his. That instinctive, involuntary signal of blood calling to blood.

  Her eyes, that water-clear blue, hadn't been cool; nor had they been intriguingly remote when he'd lifted his mouth from hers and looked into them. Instead, they'd been just a little clouded, just a little confused. And all the more intriguing.

  He hadn't quite been able to get her taste out of his system, not on the drive home, not through the night, not now, seeing her again. And knowing she stood and watched him.

  What, he wondered, do you observe, Dr. Griffin? And what do you intend to do about it?

  Phillip flashed her a quick smile, snapped her a salute to let her know he'd seen her. Then he shifted his attention away from her and maneuvered into dock.

  His brows lifted in surprise as he saw Seth standing on dock waiting to secure the lines. "What're you doing here?"

  Expertly, Seth looped the bow line over the post. "Playing errand boy again." There was a hint of disgust in the tone, but Seth had to work to put it there. "They sent me down from the boatyard. Donuts."

  "Yeah?" Phillip stepped nimbly onto the dock. "Artery doggers."

  "Real people don't eat tree bark for breakfast," Seth sneered. "Just you."

  "And I'll still be strong and good-looking when you're a wheezing old man."

  "Maybe, but I'll have more fun."

  Phillip tugged Seth's ball cap off, batted him lightly with it. "Depends, pal, on your definition of fun."

  "I guess yours is poking at city girls."

  "That's one of them. Another is hounding you over your homework. You finish Johnny Tremaine for your book report?"

  "Yeah, yeah, yeah." Seth rolled his eyes. "Man, don't you ever take a day off?"

  "What, when my life is devoted to you?" He grinned at Seth's snort. "So, what'd you think of it?"

  "It was okay." Then he jerked a shoulder, a purely Quinn movement. "It was pretty good."

  "We'll put together some notes for your oral report later tonight."

  "Sunday night's my favorite night of the week," Seth said. "It means you'll be gone for four days."

  "Come on, you know you miss me."

  "Shit."

  "You count the hours until I come home."

  Seth barely suppressed a giggle. "Like hell." Then he did giggle as Phillip snagged him around the waist for a tussle.

  Sybill heard the bright, happy sound as she walked toward them. She saw the wide grin on Seth's face. Her heart did a long, slow roll in her chest. What was she doing here? she asked herself. What did she hope to accomplish?

  And how could she walk away until she found out?

  "Good morning."

  Distracted by her voice, Phillip glanced over, dropping his guard just long enough for Seth's elbow to slip through and into his gut. He grunted, wrapped an arm around Seth's neck, and leaned down. "I'll have to beat you up later," he said in a stage whisper. "When there aren't any witnesses."

  "You wish." Flushed with pleasure, Seth settled his cap securely on his head and feigned disinterest. "Some of us gotta work today."

  "And some of us don't."

  "I thought you were going with us," Sybill said to Seth. "Would you like to?"

  "I'm just a slave around here." Seth looked longingly at the boat, then shrugged. "We got a hull to build. Besides, Pretty Boy here will probably capsize her."

  "Smart-ass." Phillip made a grab, but Seth danced laughingly out of reach.

  "Hope she can swim!" he called out, then raced away. When Phillip looked back at Sybill, she was gnawing her bottom lip. "I'm not going to capsize her."

  "Well…" Sybill glanced toward the boat. It seemed awfully small and fragile. "I can swim, so I suppose it's all right."

  "Christ, kid comes along and completely smears my rep. I've been sailing longer than the brat's been alive."

  "Don't be angry with him."

  "Huh?"

  "Please, don't be angry with him. I'm sure he was just joking with you. He didn't mean to be disrespectful."

  Phillip just stared at her. She'd actually gone pale, and her hand was nervously twisting the thin gold chain she wore around her neck. There was active and acute distress in her voice. "Sybill, I'm not

mad at him. We were just fooling around. Relax." Baffled, he rubbed his knuckles lightly over her jaw. "Razzing each other is just our clever male way of showing affection."

  "Oh." She wasn't certain whether to be embarrassed or relieved. "I guess that shows I didn't have any brothers."

  "It would have been their job to make your life a living hell." He leaned down, touched her lips lightly with his. "It's traditional."

  He stepped onto the boat, held out a hand. After the briefest of hesitations, she let him take hers. "Welcome aboard."

  The deck rocked under her feet. She did her best to ignore it. "Thank you. Do I have an assignment?"

  "For now, sit, relax, and enjoy."