He was gentle in pulling the fabric up, going so far as to be sure the neck of the garment didn't catch on her chin. He tossed it onto the same spot as his shirt so it wouldn't pick up any dirt from the bottom of the boat. It was then that he paused. She was pale in the darkness, the strip that covered her breasts the only thing left between them touching fully skin to skin from the waist up.

He ran his hands down her raised arms and brought his palms in closer to one another across the top of her chest. Light, gentle sweeps that ghosted the outline of her breasts beneath the fabric and slipped lower still. With his hands at her waist, he drew her flush against him. There was an instant shift from cool air to the warmth of body heat. His cheek slid against her jaw, and he kissed her ear again, a slow, wet tug of lips to her lobe.