Zapata was waiting for Jane when she arrived on deck the next morning. "Hey. Have you had a chance to talk with Weller yet?" she demanded.

"Good morning, Tasha," Jane said evenly. "Nice to see you today." Zapata returned the greeting, but arched a brow, clearly determined to stick to the original subject. "No. I haven't talked to him. We were a little busy last night, obviously, and Sarah Weller asked Rich to let me go shopping with her today, so . . ."

"That woman," Zapata hissed. "I'm going to have a serious talk with Rich today. She's deliberately trying to keep you and Kurt apart."

Oh, she was going to be having a serious talk with Rich today, all right. But she and Kurt wouldn't be the main topic of conversation. Jane hid her smile as Sarah approached. "Morning, Ms. Weller. Ready to go?"

"Yes," Sarah said in the frostiest tone she could muster. God, she would be glad when they could end this charade. She nodded stiffly to Zapata, pretending not to hear the other woman's loudly muttered "Bitch" as she swept past her.

It wasn't until they were halfway to the island that she allowed herself to relax. She glanced over at Jane, saw the amusement on her face, and dissolved into giggles. "Zapata's face," she gasped. "If she only knew what we were really up to today . . ."

"Thank god she didn't." Jane winced at the thought. There would have been no restraining Tasha from coming with them—and no dealing with her when she did. Fortunately, by now she should be . . . otherwise occupied. Or soon would be.

Rich waited only until he saw the boat with Jane and Sarah depart before making his move. "Ms. Zapata," he greeted as he rounded the corner and came face-to-face with her. "We need to talk. Come with me?"

"We sure do," Zapata spat as she fell into step beside him. "Sarah Weller is becoming a serious problem. We'll never get Jane and Weller together if she keeps interfering. She—Where are we going?" she asked as he pushed the button for the floor with the staterooms rather than the main deck. "I have to be at work in an hour, and—"

"Don't worry about that," Rich assured her. "I have it on good authority that your boss won't fire you if you're a few minutes late." Or in this case, a complete no-show. "I need to stop by Fletcher's cabin. I asked Cade to oversee the boxing up of the poor man's belongings, and I want to make sure that everything is going . . . smoothly." He watched her closely as he mentioned Cade's name. She hid her emotions well, but there had definitely been a brief flicker of interest. Jane had been right on the money with her observation.

Zapata returned to her diatribe against Sarah Weller. Rich tuned her out, but allowed her to vent her frustration as they walked, nodding at what seemed like appropriate times. "After you," he said as he opened the cabin door for her. She stepped inside and he quickly made his move, slamming it shut behind her and applying the special device that would keep the door locked. He smiled to himself as he heard the outraged yell as Zapata realized what he had done.

What the hell? Zapata wondered as she began banging on the door, but she froze when she heard a deep groan behind her. She took several more steps into the room and was confronted by a very familiar form sprawled on the bed. "Cade?"

Cade groaned again as he reluctantly cracked open one eye. How much had he had to drink last night? The last thing he remembered was Rich coming by their cabin for a drink early this morning and then . . . "That son of a bitch," he swore as he realized Rich must have drugged him. He could drink both him and Markos under the table any day.

"What the hell is going on?" Zapata demanded. "Why would Rich lock us in here?"

"We're locked in here?" Cade propped himself up on one elbow and gave a short bark of laughter at her nod. "Pretty sure he didn't do that on my account, sweetheart. One of your friends must have convinced him to turn his matchmaking efforts on you. So . . . who'd you tell about us?"

"Just Jane," Zapata told him. "But she wouldn't have . . ." Her voice trailed off.

"Right," Cade said sarcastically. "The friend who's been the focus of Rich's undivided attention on this cruise wouldn't try to distract his matchmaking efforts by getting him to concentrate on someone else. Of course not."

Zapata frowned as she conceded the validity of his words. When she got her hands on Jane . . . "So how long do you think he'll keep us here?"

"Judging from the supply of food on the table over there, and the number of bottles of water . . . I'd say we're here for the duration of the cruise, sweetheart." Cade patted the bed beside him. "Come on over here. You may as well make yourself comfortable while we wait."

Zapata cast him a withering look. "I am not having sex with you right now." Or ever again, her frosty tone implied, though that might be a difficult vow to keep. Cade had that bad-boy charm that she had always found irresistible, and as she'd told Jane, the sex had been fantastic.

"No problem, honey," Cade said as he sank back down into the pillows. In truth, he'd been thinking of little else since their last encounter, but he knew better than to admit that to a woman like Zapata. The harder he chased, the faster she would run. "Just don't expect me to give up the bed. You can share it with me, or you can sleep on the couch. Your choice."

"Such a gentleman," Zapata mocked, and Cade laughed.

"Never claimed to be, honey. And face it, that's why you like me so much. Now if you'll excuse me—" he pulled the covers over his head and wiggled until he was comfortable, "I'm going to sleep off the rest of this hangover."

Zapata couldn't help but admire his easy acceptance of their situation. It was all she could do not to pace like a caged wolf. With a sigh, she dropped down onto the couch. She wondered what Jane was doing right now . . .

xxx

Jane was having a fantastic day. Shopping had never been a favorite activity of hers, but in this case, she was making an exception. She had gotten the call to Bryant out of the way first thing, and now she and Sarah were strolling from shop to shop, admiring the local craftsmanship and buying more than their fair share of trinkets as they got to know one another.

They chatted and laughed over lunch as Sarah regaled Jane with stories of Kurt as a boy and shared the progress of Reade's fumbling attempts to win her back before they got down to the more serious purchases of the day, and by the time they caught the last boat back to the ship, they were more like long-lost sisters than women who had just met a couple days ago.

Kurt was lounging out on the balcony when she arrived, watching as Patterson guided the ship out of the busy harbor and back out to sea, and Jane grinned as she dropped her bags and went to join him. "Hey," he said when he saw her. "Did you guys have a good time?" He lowered his voice slightly even though there was no one around to hear them. "Get everything we need?"

"We did," Jane confirmed as she swung a leg over the chair and straddled him. She couldn't wait to show him, but first . . . "There was . . . one thing missing, though."

"Oh, yeah?" Kurt murmured, leaning up until his lips were mere inches from hers. "What's that?"

"You," Jane said as she closed the remaining distance between them and kissed him with abandon. "God, I love you," she said as she stood back up and yanked off her clothes, thankful they were now far enough out to sea that she could do this without fear of being seen. Kurt lifted his hips, and she divested him of his shorts as well before settling back on top of him.

"I love you too, Jane," Kurt returned as he cupped the back of her head to draw her down for another kiss, swallowing her moan as his other hand unerringly found the heart of her desire, and he inserted one finger, then two, pumping gently as his thumb circled her sensitive bud. In no time, he felt her breathing quicken, her muscles clenching around him, and he drew back to watch her as she crested the wave with a soft moan. God, he'd never seen anything more beautiful. He was never going to get tired of watching her as long as he lived.

Jane smiled down at him as she placed her hands on his shoulders and rose up to take him deep inside, impaling herself on him. She rocked her hips into his, and he rose to meet her, hitting just the right spot inside her. One stroke, two, three, and then . . . "Kurt," she cried out softly as she came again, her second orgasm as unexpected as it was intense.

He placed his hands on her hips to steady her as he thrust into her several more times before joining her, heart racing as he collapsed back against the chair, Jane draped bonelessly atop him.

Kurt smiled against her neck when he finally came back to earth. She hadn't moved a muscle, and he stroked a hand up and down her spine, feeling her practically purring with contentment. "Jane," he mentioned eventually. "We really should get up and get dressed for dinner."

"Don't wanna," Jane grumbled. "Can't we just stay here like this?"

"Sure," Kurt agreed, his smile widening when she lifted her head just enough to flash him a surprised look. He had never been one for cuddling, but with her he thought he loved it as much or more as the actual lovemaking. "I'm sure Rich will make our excuses to the guests. But what do you say we move this to our actual bed? This chair isn't all that comfortable." Although he was looking forward to a repeat performance in it in the future.

Jane considered that for a long moment before she nodded, pushing herself to her feet. Kurt followed suit and swept her up into his arms, laughing at her surprised shriek as he carried her inside. He leaned down so she could pull back the covers and slid them both underneath without relinquishing his hold on her.

Neither of them let go of the other the entire night.