Inner Harbor
Page 23

"I'll see you in the morning."
"Yes--good night." She recovered quickly and sent him a smile before turning. But she pressed an unsteady hand to her jittery stomach as she slipped into the lobby.
She'd miscalculated that one, she admitted, fighting to take slow, even breaths as she walked to the elevator. He wasn't as smooth, polished, and harmless as he appeared on the surface.
There was something much more primitive and much more dangerous inside that attractive package than she'd realized.
And whatever it was, she found it entirely too compelling for her own good.
Chapter Six
it was like riding a bike. Or sex, Phillip mused as he tacked, threading through the light traffic on the Bay toward an available slip on the waterfront. It had been a while since he'd done any solo sailing, but he hadn't forgotten how. If anything, he'd forgotten how much he enjoyed being out on the water on a breezy Sunday morning, with the sun warm and the water blue and the wicked screams of gulls echoing on the air.
He was going to have to start finding time for simple pleasures again. Since this was the first full day he'd taken off in more than two months, he intended to make the most of it.
He certainly intended to make the most of a few golden hours on the Bay with the intriguing Dr. Griffin.
He looked over at the hotel, idly trying to calculate which window might be hers. From what she'd told him, he knew it faced the water, giving her a view of the life that pulsed there and enough distance for her research.
Then he saw her, standing on a tiny balcony, her glossy, mink-colored hair sleeked back and haloed in the sunlight, her face aloof and unreadable from so far away.
Not so aloof close up, he thought, replaying their last sizzle of a kiss in his mind. No, there'd been nothing aloof in that long, throaty moan, nothing distant in that quick, hard tremble her body had made against his. That instinctive, involuntary signal of blood calling to blood.
Her eyes, that water-clear blue, hadn't been cool; nor had they been intriguingly remote when he'd lifted his mouth from hers and looked into them. Instead, they'd been just a little clouded, just a little confused. And all the more intriguing.
He hadn't quite been able to get her taste out of his system, not on the drive home, not through the night, not now, seeing her again. And knowing she stood and watched him.
What, he wondered, do you observe, Dr. Griffin? And what do you intend to do about it?
Phillip flashed her a quick smile, snapped her a salute to let her know he'd seen her. Then he shifted his attention away from her and maneuvered into dock.
His brows lifted in surprise as he saw Seth standing on dock waiting to secure the lines. "What're you doing here?"
Expertly, Seth looped the bow line over the post. "Playing errand boy again." There was a hint of disgust in the tone, but Seth had to work to put it there. "They sent me down from the boatyard. Donuts."
"Yeah?" Phillip stepped nimbly onto the dock. "Artery doggers."
"Real people don't eat tree bark for breakfast," Seth sneered. "Just you."
"And I'll still be strong and good-looking when you're a wheezing old man."
"Maybe, but I'll have more fun."
Phillip tugged Seth's ball cap off, batted him lightly with it.
"Depends, pal, on your definition of fun."
"I guess yours is poking at city girls."
"That's one of them. Another is hounding you over your homework. You finish Johnny Tremaine for your book report?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Seth rolled his eyes. "Man, don't you ever take a day off?"
"What, when my life is devoted to you?" He grinned at Seth's snort. "So, what'd you think of it?"
"It was okay." Then he jerked a shoulder, a purely Quinn movement. "It was pretty good."
"We'll put together some notes for your oral report later tonight."
"Sunday night's my favorite night of the week," Seth said. "It means you'll be gone for four days."
"Come on, you know you miss me."
"Shit."
"You count the hours until I come home."
Seth barely suppressed a giggle. "Like hell." Then he did giggle as Phillip snagged him around the waist for a tussle.
Sybill heard the bright, happy sound as she walked toward them. She saw the wide grin on Seth's face. Her heart did a long, slow roll in her chest. What was she doing here? she asked herself. What did she hope to accomplish?
And how could she walk away until she found out?
"Good morning."
Distracted by her voice, Phillip glanced over, dropping his guard just long enough for Seth's elbow to slip through and into his gut. He grunted, wrapped an arm around Seth's neck, and leaned down. "I'll have to beat you up later," he said in a stage whisper. "When there aren't any witnesses."
"You wish." Flushed with pleasure, Seth settled his cap securely on his head and feigned disinterest. "Some of us gotta work today."
"And some of us don't."
"I thought you were going with us," Sybill said to Seth. "Would you like to?"
"I'm just a slave around here." Seth looked longingly at the boat, then shrugged. "We got a hull to build. Besides, Pretty Boy here will probably capsize her."
"Smart-ass." Phillip made a grab, but Seth danced laughingly out of reach.
"Hope she can swim!" he called out, then raced away. When Phillip looked back at Sybill, she was gnawing her bottom lip. "I'm not going to capsize her."
"Well…" Sybill glanced toward the boat. It seemed awfully small and fragile. "I can swim, so I suppose it's all right."
"Christ, kid comes along and completely smears my rep. I've been sailing longer than the brat's been alive."
"Don't be angry with him."
"Huh?"
"Please, don't be angry with him. I'm sure he was just joking with you. He didn't mean to be disrespectful."
Phillip just stared at her. She'd actually gone pale, and her hand was nervously twisting the thin gold chain she wore around her neck. There was active and acute distress in her voice. "Sybill, I'm not mad at him. We were just fooling around. Relax." Baffled, he rubbed his knuckles lightly over her jaw. "Razzing each other is just our clever male way of showing affection."