Sea Haven 01 - Water Bound

how to do your job,” he said, and his voice went soft and scary.
    She glanced at his face. His jaw was set. Not stubborn. Implacable. “I knew you were going to be like this. I knew it” She slapped the palm of her hand hard against the steering wheel. “I told you there would be no taking over.”
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    He shrugged broad shoulders in a fluid, casual way that only made him appear bigger and stronger and more dominant. She considered trying to push him out of the truck while she was driving. Maybe he’d topple down the steep hillside and roll right into the river.
    “I’m sharing your thoughts,” he informed her.
    She sent him her blackest scowl. “Then you know I’m not in a mood to be messed with. No one takes over my boat. Not even if they’re the best lover in the world. Especially not the best lover in the world. He’s already thinking he’s all that.”
    Lev found himself laughing. She meant it, that was the thing that amazed him about her. She wasn’t even thinking she was complimenting him. She was too annoyed with him to be pandering to his ego. She simply thought he was the best lover in the world, but to her, she was the captain and he wasn’t taking over her boat. Little did she know, he cared nothing for taking over the boat—just the captain.
    He leaned over and kissed her vulnerable neck. Once started, it was a little hard to resist kissing her soft skin over and over. And since he was there, a small nip was in order so he could use his tongue to ease the sting.
    “I’m going to crash if you keep that up. You’re sort of distracting.”
    He laughed again at her matter-of-fact observation. “I’m sort of distracting? Obviously I need to try harder.”
    She elbowed him and gave him a look from under long lashes. “Are you going to be this way the entire day? Because I’m likely to throw you in the ocean.”
    He flexed his muscles. “I’m willing for you to try. Might be fun.” Even as he teased her, he was already in survival mode, his gaze sweeping the entire Albion Harbor. There was a single recreational vehicle on the grounds, although no one was in sight. She drove through the parking lot to the dock. They were the first ones there, as they’d hoped.
    Before she could exit the vehicle he caught her wrist, all teasing gone.
    “He could have been here, Rikki. It’s just as easy to rig a boat to catch fire as it is to burn your house down. This is where I’d choose to hit you, if I was looking to kill you. You’ll need to check your engine and your air compressor before you touch anything. And when I tell you to get off the boat, you move. Captain or not, your life is more important than anything else.”
    She sat very still, her expression unreadable. Her lashes veiled her eyes so it was impossible to see into their dark depths, but he felt a small tremor run through her.
    “Don’t be afraid, Rikki. I’m not going to let anything happen.”
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    Her lashes lifted and the full impact of her black eyes hit him. There was no fear, only a deep anger smoldering there. “I want him to come after me. All these years I believed I might have killed my parents and Daniel. He made me and everyone else believe that there was some monster lurking in me that slipped out while I was asleep. Four homes were destroyed, people’s lives, everything they owned, and my parents ...” She shook her head and her eyes flashed a dark promise. “I’m not running from him.”
    He slid his arm along the back of the seat, his fingers curling around the nape of her neck. “No, but we’re going to be smart about it. We’ll be prepared and careful. Right?”
    She was silent a moment, tense, sitting upright and not relaxing back into him. He waited patiently. It took a few minutes before she allowed herself to relax into his massaging fingers. He remained quiet, simply waiting her out—he’d learned patience a long time ago. He wanted Rikki to trust in him and he knew she wouldn’t give that up so easily. She’d taken charge of her own life and found a way to live within a world that was alien to her. She didn’t trust or like authority, which was the only reason she hadn’t turned him over to the police. There was no pushing her. She had to come to her own decisions and he wanted her to choose him every single time.
    Rikki sighed softly and leaned her head back, turning to look at him again. “I can take care of myself. You know that, don’t you? I’ve made a good life here, Lev. I