Page 90 of Tiger's Voyage

“Huh … sounds like Randi.”

Dixon laughed out loud. “Ah, dis much is true. Jingwei argued and treatened de ocean but de ocean sent de laughing bubbles ta the shore. When she tired of listenin’, she sent de big wave ta drown Jingwei, but Jingwei is part magic and changed her body ta a seabird. Dat is why de seabirds screech so noisy at de shore. Dey are still yellin’ at de ocean. Dey drop rocks and sticks into de water ta fill it up so no other men will drown. But de sea? She’s still laughin’, eh? If you listen you can hear dem bubbles. Dis is de story of Jingwei and de boundin’ main.”

“What doesthe bounding mainrefer to?”

“De boundin’ main is de waters of de earth. De waters abound over de planet, and dey are de main resource. Much more abundan’ dan de lands.”

“There you are.” Kishan leaned against the doorjamb and smiled.

“Hi!” I stood and put my arm around his waist. “Just getting another story.”

“Good. You can share it with me later.” He looked up. “Mind if I steal Kelsey for the rest of the evening, Captain?”

Captain Dixon chuckled. “Sure ting. Jus’ make sure ya keep her away from de waters tonight. De sea, she listens. Lookin’ ta drown young lovers.”

I laughed. “Goodnight, Dix.”

“Ga’nite, Miss Kelsey.”

Kishan pulled me into a hug after we went down the stairs, and I tucked my head under his chin. “I missed you. Let’s go for a walk.”

It was a very romantic setting. The full moon had just risen, and the black water was as smooth as silk. It lapped softly against the ship and gently whispered secrets as the boat pressed on, slipping into her cold embrace. Thousands of glittering stars hung in the night sky which seemed to go on forever. I imagined they were lanterns left to guide handsome sea captains home to the women who loved them. Some grew dim over the years, but some burned fiercely, demanding to be seen.

There was no land in sight, just endless moonlit water as far as the eye could see. We stood at the railing, looking out. When I shivered, Kishan pulled me against his chest and wrapped his arms around me. Comfortable in his embrace, I found myself relaxing drowsily.

“This is nice,” I murmured.

He ducked his head near mine and said, “Mmm … it is.” He rubbed my bare arms until they warmed and then began lightly massaging my shoulders. I sighed in pleasure and stared vacantly at the moon as my thoughts drifted. In fact, I became so detached from my surroundings that I hadn’t even noticed when Kishan started kissing my neck.

One of his hands stroked my arm and the other was wrapped around the curve of my waist. He pressed soft kisses along my shoulder, then his lips traveled up the arch of my neck. He made slow progress, leaving a tingling trail behind. When he touched my hairline, he reached across my body, took my hand, and gently turned me to face him.

My heart started pounding. He ran his hands up my arms again, cupped my face, and slid his hands into my hair. He smiled, his golden eyes twinkling in the starlight.

“There. You see? Still plenty of hair for a man to bury his hands in.”

I smiled nervously as I fidgeted slightly. He tilted my head, stepped closer, and pressed silky, light kisses against my neck. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to touch you like this?” he murmured softly. I shook my head and felt him smile as his lips grazed my collarbone. “It seems like years. Mmm … it’s better than I imagined. You smellsogood. Youfeelso good.”

He trailed slow kisses from my neck to my forehead. I wrapped my arms around his waist and closed my eyes. His chest rumbled against mine. He kissed my eyelids, my nose, my cheeks with warm, soft lips. He made me feel cherished and treasured, and I enjoyed his touch.

My skin tingled where he grazed it with his fingertips. My heart beat faster when he whispered my name, and I responded to him, involuntarily moving closer. I waited for him to touch his lips to mine but he patiently, slowly kissed every other part of my face and trailed his fingertips over its planes, seeming to delight in each sweet caress. His kisses were tender and loving and gentle and …wrong.

Unbidden thoughts sprang up that I couldn’t push aside, no matter how I tried. Despite my best efforts to staunch my internal struggle— keep it hidden—it surfaced. Kishan paused and lifted his head. I saw his expression change from sweet adoration and happiness, to surprise, and ultimately to resignation and disappointment. Cupping my face, he wiped tears away from my cheeks with his thumbs and asked sadly, “Am I that hard to love, Kelsey?”

I lowered my head and closed my eyes.

He stepped away from me to lean over the railing again while I angrily dashed away the tears from my face. I was very annoyed with myself for ruining this sweet moment between us and especially for hurting him. Regret filled me. I turned to him, ran my hand up his back, and then slid my arm through his. I leaned my head on his shoulder. “I’msorry. And, no … you’re not hard to love at all.”

“No,I’msorry. I moved too fast.”

I shook my head. “No, it’s okay. I don’t know what I was crying about.”

He turned toward me, captured my hand, and played with my fingers. “Ido. And I don’t want our first kiss to make you cry.”

I smiled lopsidedly, trying to tease. “This wasn’t our first kiss. Remember?”

“I mean the first kiss I didn’t steal.”

“That’s true.” I laughed softly. “Youarethe world’s best kissing bandit.” I bumped him with my shoulder and squeezed his arm in apology, but sadness still showed on his face.