| Treasure By Ladybug |
| Chapter 8 The sounds of the ocean and the boats motor finally served to calm Gabby. She shivered as the cool wind whipped her hair around her face and pulled the large thick jacket more firmly about her. Tanner had given her the jacket before they had left the marina and she looked over at him now as he quietly guided the 42 ft Bayliner 4085 Avanti boat towards the Caribbean Islands. She could smell his scent in the jacket as she buried her nose into the warmth of the material. She continued to watch him as he handled the boat with ease. The full moon cast a soft glow about him, easing the tenseness about him. She trusted Tanner completely. She shivered as she thought about being shot at. It had to be Frank Dunlap. She just never suspected that he would try and kill her to keep her from getting at what was on that plane. She wanted to kick herself. Of course he would try and kill her. Didn’t she suspect him of having a hand in her own father’s death? Gabby felt the tears trickle down her cheeks as she stared out at the Atlantic Ocean as it whipped by. She missed her dad. Turning her gaze back towards Tanner, she found him watching her. Quickly she wiped at the tears and gave him a brave smile. His face remained serious as he held a hand out to her in silent invitation. Standing up, Gabby reached for it and Tanner pulled her into the warmth of his embrace. She clung to him as she buried her face against his chest. “It will be all right, Gabby,” he whispered into her ear. She nodded and turned in his embrace, so that her back was to him. She leaned back against him and focused her gaze ahead of her. His left arm draped across her chest, his hand resting on her right shoulder. The top of her head fit snuggly underneath his chin and suddenly all was right in her world again. Gabby raised her hands up to clutch at Tanner’s arm, feeling safe and content. Tanner tried to concentrate on steering the boat, but the feel of Gabby in his arms was very distracting. He was afraid. Afraid that the attempt on their lives had been directed at him, afraid that he wouldn’t be able to protect Gabby as he’d promised Jake, but mostly he was afraid he was falling in love with her. That was a complication. A complication he didn’t need or want to deal with. Tanner sighed heavily. After Mariah, Tanner swore he’d never trust another woman with his heart. But Gabby isn’t Mariah, he reminded himself silently. He felt Gabby shiver against him and he tightened his arm around her, pulling her more firmly against him. Bending his head down till his lips were against her ear, he whispered, “Why don’t you go down to the stateroom and get some rest? It will be a while before we get where we are going.” Gabby didn’t really want to leave the comfort and security of his arms, but she was exhausted. She turned slightly to look up at him and nodded. Tanner kissed her tenderly on the mouth and then watched as she headed below. He felt the flutter of his heart as she disappeared and once again it reminded him that she was a complication he didn’t want or need. For it was just as he thought . . . he was falling in love with Gabrielle Krinard. Several hours later, Tanner located Gabby in the main stateroom, sound asleep. He had anchored the boat about ten miles offshore of New Providence Island and now he needed some sleep. He stripped his clothes off and eased into the bed. Gabby sighed softly in her sleep and automatically turned towards him, snuggling up to the warmth of his body. Tanner closed his eyes in contentment and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him. She was wearing one of his shirts and he felt the brush of her bare leg against his thigh as she draped it across his legs. Instantly he felt the stirring in his groin as he took in a deep breath and inhaled her sweet womanly scent. Gently, he eased her onto her back, his fingers deftly unbuttoning the shirt until her breasts were exposed to him. Without hesitating, he drew a rosy tipped nipple into his mouth and brought it to an immediate peak. He felt her hands rise up to tangle in his thick hair as she moaned softly. His tongue danced and twirled around the hard nipple, then he sucked hard, drawing it deep. Gabby gasped, her fingers clutching and holding him to her. He released the nipple and moved to the other and repeated the process. She writhed under his sensual attack, his hands stroked her soft skin as his mouth and tongue worked its magic on her breasts. “Tanner,” she groaned. The need to have him inside her was almost painful. He raised his head and moved up just enough to cover her mouth with his. His hands worked the shirt off her shoulders as his tongue danced with hers. Next came her panties then she felt the brush of his hard length against her leg as he moved over her and pressed his knee between her legs to open her thighs. She spread them wide to allow his hips to settle easily between them as his mouth left a wet trail to her throat. His teeth grazed against the sensitive skin just below her ear causing her to inhale sharply. He soothed it with the velvety softness of his tongue, then moved higher to nip at her earlobe. He probed the wet entrance between her thighs with the tip of his sex and then without warning, he thrust in, burying himself to the hilt. Gabby cried out at the suddenness of his intrusion as her hands clutched at his shoulders. Tanner held perfectly still on the pretense of allowing Gabby time to adjust to his sudden invasion, but it had more to do with the fact that if he moved, it would be over. He had less control right now than he did when he was sixteen and he wasn’t sure if he liked admitting that fact. “Are you alright? Did I hurt you?” he whispered against her ear. “No, I’m fine.” Tanner decided to test his control by moving ever so slowly and found that he wasn’t going to embarrass himself. Gabby hooked her legs around the backs of his calves as he slowly eased out of her only to sink back again. She felt herself spinning out of control as the friction he created by the long strokes of his velvety hardness against her sensitive nub nearly drove her beyond madness. “Oh God, Tanner!” She bucked beneath him as a spasm caught her off guard and only Tanner’s weight kept her anchored to the bed. His deep growl turned into a sharp hiss when the tiny muscles that surrounded his sex clamped down tight causing him to lose what precious control he had left. His hands moved down to cup around her ass as he lifted her hips to meet his hard thrusts. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, her fingers digging into his back as her release nearly shattered her. Her cry was nearly a scream as his name echoed throughout the room. Tanner collapsed on top of her, his own climax releasing him from its powerful grip. A light sheen of sweat covered their bodies as he dipped his head to kiss her mouth. Slowly he eased out of her and rolled over onto his back. Gabby turned on her side and snuggled up to him as his arm wrapped around her, pulling her close. She laid her head on his chest, his heart a steady beat beneath her ear. “I love you, Tanner.” Gabby felt his hand still against her arm at her words. She hadn’t meant to let them slip out; she didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable because of how she felt about him, but at the same time, she wanted him to be aware of how she felt so that there would be no misunderstandings later. “Gabby-” “I didn’t say that to get a response from you, Tanner,” she interrupted him. “I know you don’t love me back. Not in that way, anyways, but being shot at today, well, it just showed me that life is too short for uncertainties and misunderstandings.” Gabby rose up on her elbow and looked down into Tanner’s handsome face. He was watching her with an intensity that sent shivers down her spine. “No matter what happens between us, I just want you to know that I love you, as a woman loves a man. I want you to know that, so that there can never be any doubts about how I feel. Do you understand? Does that make sense?” Tanner reached up and caressed her cheek with his fingers. It was a moment before he could answer her, his own emotions in torment over his recent discovery that he too was madly in love with her. But he wasn’t ready to admit that yet. Even knowing how much he loved her, he still wasn’t sure if he could give her what she needed . . . a commitment. “Gabby,” his voice came out harsh with emotion. He had no clue what to say to her without sounding like a fool. “No doubts,” he finally whispered. Gabby nodded, knowing he understood. “No doubts,” she repeated softly and laid her head back down against his chest and was soon asleep. However, it was nearly dawn before Tanner finally closed his eyes and fell into a restless sleep. It was after nine the next morning before Gabby stirred from her deep sleep. Even before she opened her eyes, she knew that Tanner was not beside her. She peeked at the clock and sighed. Stretching, she flipped the covers back away from her nude body and found the shirt she’d been wearing when she’d first gone to bed crammed down at the foot of the bed. Putting it on, she buttoned only the middle button, then stood. Just then Tanner walked out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his slender waist. His hair was wet and slicked back away from his face, hanging down nearly to the middle of his back. Gabby knew that once it began to dry, the curl would draw it up till it was just past his shoulders. “Good morning.” She drank in the sight of his beautiful body. She had never known anyone who was so utterly ‘male’ as Tanner. Masculinity oozed from him. The towel rode low on his hips and she found herself mesmerized by the line of dark hair that started just below his belly button and disappeared beneath the towel. She swallowed hard. Tanner was equally mesmerized. Seeing her wearing nothing but his shirt with her incredibly long legs was making it difficult for him to form a coherent thought, let alone speech. “Morning,” he finally managed, a bit breathless, to his horror. Gabby smiled as she walked towards him. His legs nearly gave out when he caught glimpses of her pubic hair when the shirt parted as she walked. By the time she reached him he had a hard-on that would have done any man proud. She stopped before him and leaned in to inhale the clean soapy scent from his body. Tanner reached out to place his hands on her shoulders. They were shaking so bad that he tried to convince himself that he was just cold, but he knew that was a bald face lie. He was shaking from the intensity of his need for her and it was scaring him to death. “Gabby,” he began. “We don’t have time for this.” Gabby ignored him and flicked her tongue across a flat nipple. It immediately beaded up into a hard pebble as his hands tightened their grip on her shoulders. “Are you sure about that?” she asked teasingly. Tanner groaned at the flash of devilment that danced in her eyes. His body screamed to haul her over his shoulder and carry her back to bed and spend the day making love to her, but his mind convinced him that they had too much to do and reminded him of just how much danger they were still in. Regretfully, he grasped her wandering hands between his own and nodded. “I’m sure, sweetheart. I’m sorry, but we can’t forget why we are here.” Gabby sobered up and nodded her understanding. There was work to be done and danger didn’t take a vacation just because she was horny. She stepped back away from him. “Well, I guess I’ll go jump in the shower then.” Tanner felt bad. He hadn’t meant it to sound like a rejection. “Gabby.” He reached for her hand to stop her. She turned back towards him. “That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t appreciate a good morning kiss.” He gave her a slow, lazy smile. Gabby smiled back and allowed him to pull her close. Her arms slid around his neck as he bent his head to hers. After a few long moments, he broke the kiss, leaving them both breathless and sexually frustrated. “I’d better go take that shower now,” Gabby breathed as he leaned his forehead against hers. “Yeah,” he answered. He didn’t release her though until she stepped away. He stood there and watched her until she closed the bathroom door behind her then he took a deep breath and released it slowly and moved to get some clean clothes. Half an hour later, Gabby went up on deck and found Tanner looking at a map. “What’s this?” Tanner leaned back and looked up at her. “I’ve calculated within a ten mile range where the airplane’s wreckage should be according to the coordinates Jake left. It should be right in this area,” he said, his finger circling the indicated area on the map. “It is about thirty miles southeast of Key West.” “Ten miles? That’s a lot of territory to cover, isn’t it?” “Yeah, but you have to remember, sweetheart, that the plane has been beneath the ocean for several years and the wreckage almost always moves with the current. We have to allow for that, and to be honest, I’m being quite modest with the ten miles. It’s probably more realistically twenty or more.” “Are you telling me that we could very well not find the plane at all?” Tanner sighed, rubbing his eyes. “It’s a very real possibility, Gabby.” “So what do we do then?” “Well, I’ve got some radar equipment that will help some, but it will still take time driving the boat around until we get a hit.” “So what is left for you to teach me?” “You basically know everything you need to know. You just need ocean experience.” Tanner began folding the map back up. “I’ve got us anchored about ten miles off the coast of New Providence Island. Nassau is just beyond that. We can go there, pick up a wet suit and whatever else you need and come back out here and spend a day or two getting you used to being in the ocean.” “Well, it can’t be that much different than the pool.” Tanner glanced up at her. “It’s very different, baby and we must be careful. We aren’t going to be in seven feet of pool water. We are going into depths beyond 130 feet, which no amateur diver has any business in doing.” He shook his head. “I can’t even believe I’m actually going to take you out there. I must be a lunatic!” Gabby placed her hand on his shoulder. “I swear to you, Tanner, I’ll do exactly what you say. It will be fine.” Tanner took her hand and brought it to his lips. “I hope you’re right, sweetheart. I hope to God you are right.” He stood and put the map away. “We’ll head on in to shore and get what we need. We will spend the day tomorrow doing practice dives at different depths.” “Alright.” Tanner looked back at her and smiled, releasing some of the tension that had built up. “There is some coffee down in the galley. You can probably find something to eat too if your hungry. Sorry, I wasn’t expecting this, so I didn’t have the boat stocked.” Gabby smiled. “That’s alright. If I can’t find anything, I’ll grab something when we get to land.” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Treasure - Chapter 9 |