Merely Lust

chapter 14

The yacht was jaw-dropping; no other way to describe it. It was pearly white

with black windows and a large sunning area. Iris stopped in her tracks when it

first came into view. She couldn't believe that this was what Nikolas had

planned; it was absolutely stunning.

"Like her?"

"Her?"

Nikolas smiled out at the vessel adoringly. It was obviously something he really

loved. His eyes shifted to her but the dreamy look remained.

"Her name's Tempestad, meaning Tempest. Named her myself. Actually,

I designed her myself as well." 

"When you told me you were an architect I thought you meant buildings,

houses, skyscrapers."

"I do that too," Nikolas chuckled, "I don't limit myself. Want me to show you

around?"

"Do you even need to ask?!"

Nikolas climbed onto the yacht and held his hand out for her. They used the

integral swim platform to board the yacht and the first thing she saw was the aft

deck. It had white booth-like seats to one side and a beautiful futuristic glass

bar with bar stools in black leather on the other. At the very center was a round

hot-tub with a faux stone rim. Just this small peek was enough to have her

gasping. 

"This... you own this?"

Nikolas went around the bar and came back with a bottle of wine. He filled two

glasses at once, expertly, and walked to where she stood. She took one and

downed half of it; all of a sudden she felt nervous. She had known that Nikolas

was well-off but she would never have guessed that he was this wealthy. It

explained his playboy attitude just a bit. A man that has everything probably

has women throwing themselves at him left and right. Add a sexy physique to a

Swiss bank account and it was only natural that he'd have hundreds of lovers,

maybe more.  

"Take it easy, I don't want you tipsy on a ship this fast. Don't want you to get

seasick."

She nodded at him but she hadn't really heard him. Her eye had caught on the

sliding glass doors. These were also black so she couldn't see inside but they

peaked her curiosity enough to ask Nikolas what was behind them. He led her

inside and what she saw was similar to a living room. 

"This is called the saloon port. It leads to the galley."

"What's a galley?"

Instead of answering, Nikolas motioned for her to follow him. The galley turned

out to be a small kitchen and right past it was a beautiful dining area with a

luxurious table and a huge window with a view of the crystal blue waters. Iris

couldn't help but admire the view. It was absolutely beautiful. Cuba had the

clearest waters she had ever seen-clear and blue. 

"This is only half of it."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well," Nikolas reached out for her hand and pulled her after him, "you haven't

seen below deck."

"There's more?"

Nikolas chuckled, pleased with her reaction. She had no idea what she had

gotten herself into.

****

There was a master suite. Iris couldn't believe it when she saw it- the king bed

with gorgeous silk sheets, the spacious glass shower, the walk-in closet. It was

the size of her living room back home. For a moment she felt like she was no

longer on a ship but the slight sway caused by the surf was unmistakable.

When Nikolas told her there was also a guest room, her jaw dropped. 

"You could live here!"

"I could, but I prefer a more stable home. Maybe when we leave I'll take you to

my manor house in England, I think you'd like it."

"Is that home?"

"No, home is the penthouse in Miami. I'll take you there too."

Iris knew she looked like an idiot staring at him with her mouth open in an "o"

but she couldn't help it. How could a man talk so casually about owning multiple

homes? Did he not realize that it wasn't the norm? Of course he knew it wasn't;

he wasn't oblivious after all. It was amazing how a man who owned property in

different countries was comfortable wearing regular jeans and t-shirts. You'd

think he'd dress himself in Armani and other designer clothes but no, he

dressed casually. She liked that about him; it showed he didn't let the money

get too his head. 

"What are you thinking," he asked, his hand suddenly caressing her cheek. 

Iris grabbed a handful of his shirt suddenly and used it to pull him closer. She

grinned against his lips, pausing a second to meet his eyes before kissing

him. Her head tilted to the side, her tongue meeting his in a sensual dance only

they knew the moves to. Her fingers were running through his hair and it

crossed her mind that it was getting long. She gave it a soft tug and moaned

her approval when his hand clamped down on her breast. This insatiable need

to have his hands on her was the sweetest insanity. When Iris started to back

up toward the bed, Nikolas pulled away. She had a moment of confusion

before her head cleared and then there was only a sense of disappointment.

By the look on his face, they weren't about to give that alluring bed a rumple. 

"I promised romance and this, though it pains me to say, it pure animal lust. We

should-"

"I want lust," she moaned, "Pure, hot, sweaty, wild lust- that's what I want."

"And maybe we'll get to that. Later."

"But Nik-"

"Come on, lets get this yacht out on the water."

Iris tried not to pout though she was horny as hell, thanks to him, and now he

wanted to wait. What kind of man had enough self-control to say no to sex? A

vampire obviously... damn him.