silver ball in a roulette wheel (old gambling problemdon't ask). I staggered to the bench seat that looked surprisingly slime free and sank down, pulling the blanket over my shoulders.
A few minutes later the night sky lit up and sounds like gunshots made me drop to the deck and cover my head. Ray shut off the engine and we coasted across the water.
"What?" I figured I looked little better than Aggie as I swiped strings of wet hair out of my eyes. Hey, bullets couldn't kill me, but I'd had a rough night, okay?
"Relax, Glory. Fireworks. It's midnight." Ray helped me up to the seat again. He used the corner of the blanket to wipe my cheeks. "You all right?"
"Not really. God, I think there's something crawling in my bra." I stretched out my sweater and tried to see.
"Want me to check?" Ray grinned when I pulled a string of some kind of plant from my cleavage and tossed it overboard.
"Just get me back to dry land. What's the holdup?"
Ray glanced at the sky, then at the Rolex on his wrist. "In a minute. Like I said, it's midnight. Happy New Year."
"Tell me you're not expecting a kiss." I stared at his lips, which were firm, sexy and, I knew firsthand, extremely talented. "Did you have to kiss Aggie?"
Ray grinned. "I never kiss and tell. Come on, it's tradition." He leaned toward me, eyes closing. I put my hand in the middle of his chest. I'm strong, vamp strong. I could hold him off all night if I really wanted to. "Ray, I'm not kidding here. Swamp thing kissed you? Then it's going to take some serious dental hygiene before" He was obviously pretty strong himself because his mouth was suddenly on mine and his lips didn't taste a bit nasty. His tongue was clever and not slimy at all.
He pulled back and smiled at me. "Happy New Year, Glory."
"Happy New Year, Ray." How can you stay mad at a man who is so damned gorgeous?
He reached for the bottom of my sweater. "There might be all kinds of things hiding under here. You've got to get out of this." With the moves of a man who's had way too much practice, he ripped it off over my head and tossed it aside. It landed on the deck with a noisy splat.
"That's as far as this goes, Ray. I'm pretty sure I got rid of anything that doesn't belong." I grinned, glad I'd worn my new black cami with the slimming control midriff and the built-in underwire bra. It had a cute bit of red lace trim at the plunging vee. My hair might be wet, my makeup history, but clinging lace made up for a lot. Hmm. Ray was looking really interested in that clinging and the effect of cold water
"You sure? I always try to start my New Year with a"he traced the edge of the lace bra with a fingertip"bang."
"And I thought I was the ancient one here." I grinned and lifted his finger off my chest just as it headed for a nipple. "You really need a new line, Ray. Now start the boat's engine and get us back to the house. If these wet jeans shrink on me, we may have to cut them off." They hadn't been that easy to get on in the first place. I have the fantasy that tight makes me look smaller. Yeah, right. What I'm afraid they actually do is give me a muffin top. Which is why the camisole has industrial strength spandex. Now the jeans were going from tight to vise. My thong would probably have to be surgically removed.
"Be a shame to cut off jeans that look that good on you. Maybe we can work them off together. With our vamp strength and all." Ray dropped a kiss on the swell of each breast, then pulled the blanket closed. He got up and headed for the steering wheel then stopped with his hand on the key. He turned and looked at me.
"Oh, Glory."
"Hmm?" I was heavily involved in a blow-by-blow mental replay of that kiss, comparing it to one of Jerry's. Not better, no way. Just different.
"I did have to kiss Aggie. Teeth, tongues, slime and all."
My stomach heaved and Jerry's kisses won, no contest.
* * *
"Where the hell have you been? I've been freakin' out here." Valdez paced the dock. "And you're soaked. He's
A few minutes later the night sky lit up and sounds like gunshots made me drop to the deck and cover my head. Ray shut off the engine and we coasted across the water.
"What?" I figured I looked little better than Aggie as I swiped strings of wet hair out of my eyes. Hey, bullets couldn't kill me, but I'd had a rough night, okay?
"Relax, Glory. Fireworks. It's midnight." Ray helped me up to the seat again. He used the corner of the blanket to wipe my cheeks. "You all right?"
"Not really. God, I think there's something crawling in my bra." I stretched out my sweater and tried to see.
"Want me to check?" Ray grinned when I pulled a string of some kind of plant from my cleavage and tossed it overboard.
"Just get me back to dry land. What's the holdup?"
Ray glanced at the sky, then at the Rolex on his wrist. "In a minute. Like I said, it's midnight. Happy New Year."
"Tell me you're not expecting a kiss." I stared at his lips, which were firm, sexy and, I knew firsthand, extremely talented. "Did you have to kiss Aggie?"
Ray grinned. "I never kiss and tell. Come on, it's tradition." He leaned toward me, eyes closing. I put my hand in the middle of his chest. I'm strong, vamp strong. I could hold him off all night if I really wanted to. "Ray, I'm not kidding here. Swamp thing kissed you? Then it's going to take some serious dental hygiene before" He was obviously pretty strong himself because his mouth was suddenly on mine and his lips didn't taste a bit nasty. His tongue was clever and not slimy at all.
He pulled back and smiled at me. "Happy New Year, Glory."
"Happy New Year, Ray." How can you stay mad at a man who is so damned gorgeous?
He reached for the bottom of my sweater. "There might be all kinds of things hiding under here. You've got to get out of this." With the moves of a man who's had way too much practice, he ripped it off over my head and tossed it aside. It landed on the deck with a noisy splat.
"That's as far as this goes, Ray. I'm pretty sure I got rid of anything that doesn't belong." I grinned, glad I'd worn my new black cami with the slimming control midriff and the built-in underwire bra. It had a cute bit of red lace trim at the plunging vee. My hair might be wet, my makeup history, but clinging lace made up for a lot. Hmm. Ray was looking really interested in that clinging and the effect of cold water
"You sure? I always try to start my New Year with a"he traced the edge of the lace bra with a fingertip"bang."
"And I thought I was the ancient one here." I grinned and lifted his finger off my chest just as it headed for a nipple. "You really need a new line, Ray. Now start the boat's engine and get us back to the house. If these wet jeans shrink on me, we may have to cut them off." They hadn't been that easy to get on in the first place. I have the fantasy that tight makes me look smaller. Yeah, right. What I'm afraid they actually do is give me a muffin top. Which is why the camisole has industrial strength spandex. Now the jeans were going from tight to vise. My thong would probably have to be surgically removed.
"Be a shame to cut off jeans that look that good on you. Maybe we can work them off together. With our vamp strength and all." Ray dropped a kiss on the swell of each breast, then pulled the blanket closed. He got up and headed for the steering wheel then stopped with his hand on the key. He turned and looked at me.
"Oh, Glory."
"Hmm?" I was heavily involved in a blow-by-blow mental replay of that kiss, comparing it to one of Jerry's. Not better, no way. Just different.
"I did have to kiss Aggie. Teeth, tongues, slime and all."
My stomach heaved and Jerry's kisses won, no contest.
* * *
"Where the hell have you been? I've been freakin' out here." Valdez paced the dock. "And you're soaked. He's
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