Heart's Passage Part 35

"I'll lock her down, Skipper," Paul said obligingly.

"He means the boat, Cadie," Jenny rea.s.sured, noting the suddenly startled look on the blonde's face.

They all laughed.

"Thanks, Jen, I was beginning to worry," Cadie giggled.

"Hey, Jo-Jo. Who's the suit?" Paul asked, gesturing with his head to the man standing on the pontoon looking at them.

Aw geez, now what? Jo wondered, recognizing him. "It's Ron's lawyer," she said. "Come aboard, John," she called out.

He waved back and stepped out along the gangway as Jo jumped down into the c.o.c.kpit to join the others. She reached out to shake his hand. "John Jacobs, meet Paul Burton, Jenny Gulliver, and Cadie Jones," she said quickly, hoping the man would get through his business in good time. "What can we do for you?"

The lawyer remained standing, holding his briefcase nervously in front of him. "Well, I was rather hoping I could have a private chat with you, Miss Madison," he said diffidently.

Jo looked at him in puzzlement. "No need," she replied shortly. "We're all friends here."

"Very well, then," the thin little man said. "May I, uh..." He indicated the c.o.c.kpit bench.

"Yes, yes, please," she invited him quickly. "Have a seat."

He did so, placing his briefcase beside him and flipping it open. He took out a sheaf of papers. "Basically I need to talk to you about certain aspects of Mr. Cheswick's will, of which I am the executor," he said quickly. "As you know, he died without any children and he specifically did not wish his ex-wife to receive anything."

Paul snorted.

"No surprise there," Jo murmured. She looked over at Cadie who was listening quietly. "It wasn't a friendly divorce," she explained. The blonde nodded in understanding, wondering just how ugly her own break-up was going to become.

"Yes, well," the lawyer continued. "Mr. Cheswick specified that all his a.s.sets, other than those attached to Cheswick Marine-the house, his car, furniture etc-be sold and the proceeds poured into the business' coffers."

Makes sense, thought Jo. Then whoever buys the business will have a fair shot at a new start. She looked at Jacobs expectantly. "So when will the business get sold off?" she asked, hoping whoever took it on would keep things running for a while at least.

The lawyer looked at her strangely. "Well, that rather depends on the new owner," he said, handing her the sheaf of papers.

"Obviously," she said impatiently. "What are these?"

"The deeds to the business," he replied matter of factly. "Including the registration and ownership papers to the Seawolf and the Beowulf." He leaned forward at her baffled expression. "In other words, you are the new owner of Cheswick Marine, Miss Madison."

A stunned silence settled over them. Jo's eyes widened as the words started to sink in.

"You have got to be kidding me," she finally blurted out. She looked over at Cadie to find the blonde's hands covering her mouth and her eyes twinkling with delight. "He's kidding me, right?" Jo asked desperately.

"Er, no, Miss Madison. I am most certainly not, er, kidding you," the lawyer rea.s.sured, tucking some errant papers back into his briefcase and closing it again. He stood and looked down at the woman who held the doc.u.ments close to her chest in astonishment. "Please take a couple of days to look through those," he said. "And give me a call if you have any questions. Then we can talk about a business plan." With that he headed back across the gangway and along the pontoon.

"He's kidding me, right?" Jo asked eventually, triggering an explosion of merriment from the other three.

Paul whooped and Jen squealed, while Cadie just applauded, her eyes br.i.m.m.i.n.g with tears as she watched sudden understanding, and then slow delight creep into Jo's wide blue eyes.

"Congratulations, darling," Cadie said, beaming as the two others went below decks to find some champagne. The blonde stood and moved to Jo's side, sliding a hand into the crook of the skipper's arm and kissing her cheek softly. "You're a boat owner."

"Holy s.h.i.t," Jo said, slightly dazed. "I'm a two-boat owner."

Several hours later, Cadie finally managed to persuade Jo to relax. As the realities of Ron's generosity began to sink in, the tall skipper had become increasingly excited by the prospect of running her own yacht charter business. Talk of the possibilities had carried them through the short drive up to Jo's house and a light supper. Now, halfway down a bottle of very good red wine, Cadie could feel Jo's energy levels returning to somewhere near normal.

They were snuggling in the soft leather of the couch. The blonde leaned back against Jo's left shoulder, the taller woman's arm wrapped around her shoulders. They both rested their feet on the coffee table, where the papers Ron's lawyer had given Jo were strewn.

Jo sighed deeply, closing her eyes as she felt Cadie gently kiss the palm of her left hand, triggering a delicious tingling. "Mmm," she purred in pure reaction. "I'm sorry, darling. We've done nothing but talk about the business." She ducked her head and buried her face in the blonde's hair, planting her own tender kiss there.

"It's okay, love," Cadie replied, patting the taller woman's thigh. "It's been quite a week for us both. I was just glad to see you looking happier."

"Tell me what happened with Naomi," Jo said quietly. Cadie leaned forward, placing her winegla.s.s back on the coffee table before turning and snuggling back into the skipper's arms. This time she nuzzled Jo's neck, throwing her left leg over the other woman's long limbs.

"Basically, she told the world's press that not only was I going to give up my business, but that we were going to have a baby just as soon as I could arrange to get myself pregnant," she said simply.

There was a short silence as the impact of her words sunk in.

"I'll say this for her," Jo said eventually. "The woman's got elephant b.a.l.l.s." Cadie laughed against her neck and Jo wrapped her arms protectively around the smaller woman, squeezing her gently. "What happened then?"

"You know, I'm not really sure," Cadie replied pensively. "Everyone was kind of stunned for a few seconds, including me. And then it was like a switch flicked over in my head and I decided I wasn't going to let her win this round." She felt Jo's arms tighten around her. "So I took a deep breath and told them all that if I was going to have a big year making babies then I was going to stay in beautiful, restful Australia for another couple of weeks." She grinned as Jo chuckled under her ear.

"Just like that, huh?"

"Yup." Cadie laughed out loud. "It suddenly occurred to me that I could use the media just as well as Naomi could. And there wasn't a thing she could say that wouldn't make her look like a fool."

"So you just waved goodbye and walked away?"

"I kissed her on the cheek first," Cadie said.

That provoked a loud guffaw from the skipper. "Oh that's perfect," Jo said happily once she'd recovered. "How did you get out of there?"

"Jason helped me," Cadie replied. "He got me on to one of those people-mover things and told the guy to get me the h.e.l.l out."

"Good for him," Jo said. She'd always had the feeling Toby and Jason weren't the yes-men Naomi seemed to think they were. "I bet Naomi was unimpressed."

Cadie snorted. "I almost feel sorry for them all being stuck on that plane with her. I thought she was going to stroke out."

Jo smiled quietly. Couldn't happen to a bigger b.i.t.c.h.

"I know what you're thinking," Cadie said softly. "And you're right. But I still feel bad about it."

"Don't," Jo said firmly. "Cadie, I'm incredibly proud of you. Even if you had decided not to come back here, I would still be proud of you."

"Why?" came a small, suddenly uncertain voice. Jo cuddled her even closer.

"Because you were brave enough to take responsibility for your own happiness and to let Naomi worry about her own stuff, for once."

"I guess so."

"Honey, I know so. You did the right thing for you, and that's a big part of the battle." There was a comfortable silence while they both just enjoyed the other's presence. Then Jo spoke up again. "So what did you do after you left her?"

"Went to a hotel and waited for my luggage to catch up with me. I tried calling you but you had your cell phone switched off." She lifted her head and looked at Jo. "Actually I tried to call you for three days with the same result."

"M'sorry, angel," Jo replied. "I a.s.sumed you were in transit or in Chicago, and I didn't much feel like talking with anybody else. The whole world and his dog were trying to contact me once the news about Ron filtered through. And then I was kept all kinds of busy trying to arrange things."

Cadie reached up and kissed her softly, nibbling gently along Jo's bottom lip. "It's okay," she said finally, trying to think through the haze of low-burning desire. "I was just worried about you."

A lazy, s.e.xy smile was her answer and Cadie felt a subtle shift in the mood of the tall woman wrapped around her. Jo moved carefully, sliding herself around and cradling the blonde, lowering them both back onto the sofa.

"No need to worry about me, sweetheart," Jo burred in her ear, sending chills down Cadie's spine. The blonde slid one hand around Jo's waist, using the other to brush dark bangs away from the skipper's face, stroking her cheek slowly with a thumb.

"It was a good kind of worry," Cadie whispered, her mouth just millimeters from Jo's. "It was a 'knowing I'd soon be in your arms' kind of worry."

"Oh, really?" Jo rumbled, kissing her way slowly along the line of Cadie's jaw, forcing a low groan from the smaller woman. Her right hand slid down the blonde's left thigh, teasing and tantalizing the soft skin she found along the way. "You're very sure of yourself, aren't you, Miss Jones?"

Cadie gasped, arching under Jo's touch. She found herself moving, her hips undulating of their own accord against the taller woman's. She finally found her voice.

"The one thing I've been sure of over the last few days," she said huskily, "is that with you, I was safe." She kissed the corner of Jo's mouth softly, moaning as the dark woman deepened the contact quickly with the tip of a warm, insistent tongue.

Soon they were lost in the kiss, their bodies moving together in an unconscious, slow rhythm. Legs tangled and thighs pressed against heated centers. Jo felt sensation building low in her belly and forced herself to pull away from the kiss. "G.o.d, Cadie," she growled. "Let's go to bed and get comfortable."

"Yes," the blonde replied breathlessly. "I want you so much, Jo."

Quickly they disentangled themselves and Jo stood, offering Cadie a hand up. "Want to grab the wine?" she suggested. "I'll go kick Mephy out of the bed."

Cadie grinned and nodded her agreement. She watched as Jo quickly walked into her bedroom.

If ever get back use of my legs, I'll follow her. Wow. Cadie giggled nervously to herself as she bent down to pick up the wine bottle and two gla.s.ses. Did Naomi ever make me feel this way? A shiver of antic.i.p.ation wriggled down her spine as she made her way to the bedroom.

Jo was working her way around the edges of the room, lighting candles as she went. She had always loved candlelight and now, more than ever, she wanted the atmosphere to be just right. As she lit the last few Cadie wandered in and they smiled quietly at each other.

"You're nervous," Cadie stated softly. Jo nodded, biting her bottom lip uncertainly. "Don't be," the blonde whispered. "I've never felt so right about anything in my entire life." She placed the bottle and gla.s.ses down on the bedside table and watched as Jo walked around the bed to join her.

The tall woman slid her arms around Cadie's waist, pulling her close. "I just want this to be perfect," Jo whispered, ducking her head for another tender kiss.

"It already is," Cadie replied when they broke off. She slid her hands up Jo's stomach, curling her fingers around the smooth fabric of the skipper's silk shirt, and tugging it out of the waistband of her pants. Starting with the bottom b.u.t.ton, she began undoing the fastenings, working her way up until she could slide her hands across the velvet skin of Jo's stomach. Cadie slipped the shirt off Jo's shoulders, then leaned forward to kiss gently along the lacy edge of the taller woman's bra.

Jo groaned. The sight and feel of the gorgeous blonde's face nuzzling her cleavage made her weak at the knees. She reached around and tugged at Cadie's t-shirt, determined to have the American's skin against her. Cadie stopped kissing the swell of Jo's breast long enough to allow her to drag the shirt over her head, but then resumed her task. Her hands caressed up Jo's back until they encountered the bra's clip, which she promptly and deftly released.

Cadie backed off a little, watching the bra drop away slowly to reveal Jo's full, exquisite b.r.e.a.s.t.s. She couldn't help but groan at the sight, and she stepped forward again, gently cupping one before kissing the proud nipple and sucking it tenderly into her mouth.

Jo's knees buckled as the warm, wet softness curled around her breast, and she cried out even as Cadie's arms quickly wrapped around her in support. The blonde moved them so the bed was against the back of Jo's knees and they dropped together, Cadie still suckling. Jo pulled her down on top of her and wrapped her tighter. "Oh, G.o.d, Arcadia, what are you doing to me?" Jo murmured, overwhelmed by the aching tug as Cadie alternated between one breast and the other, teasing with kisses and nibbles.

"Loving you," the blonde mumbled.

Jo reached down and took the younger woman's face in her hands, gently pulling her up. "Come here, so I can kiss you," she urged and Cadie quickly complied, sliding herself up the long, supple body beneath her. They kissed deeply, Jo taking the opportunity to undo the front-fastening of the blonde's bra, slipping her hand quickly under the fabric till she found a hard nub pressing against her palm. She caught it between her thumb and forefinger and squeezed gently, but relentlessly.

Cadie tore her mouth away and cried out as she arched, pushing herself up on her hands. Jo smiled at the intensity of the blonde's reaction, adoring the expression on the American's face as she teased and tweaked and rolled her nipple. Soon they were kissing again. Cadie's hand frantically worked on Jo's belt buckle, flicked it aside and slid the zipper down. Urgently, almost roughly, she wiggled her hand under the layers of fabric, marveling at the strong bands of muscle twitching under her fingers. Soon she was stroking through soft curls, then strongly cupping Jo's heat.

"Ohhh." Jo arched upward into the pressure from Cadie's fingers. She wanted more, so much more, but the blonde withdrew. Jo's eyes flickered open. "No, don't stop," she beseeched, but Cadie was standing next to the bed, fumbling with the fastening of her own jeans.

"I can't stand it anymore, Jo," Cadie muttered. "I have to be naked with you." She pushed down her jeans and panties, stepping out of them as Jo hurried to remove the rest of her own clothes.

Soon-finally-nothing separated them and both women reveled in the feel of skin on skin. Urgency, tempered by weeks of curiosity and desire, made them explore, tease, and tantalize each other until there was nowhere to go but forward. They traveled the contours and folds of each other's bodies with hands and mouths.

"Jossandra," Cadie murmured.

"Yes, my love," Jo replied, her mouth close to Cadie's ear, her low growl pulling an invisible chain attached to the blonde's center.

"Mmm," she responded. "Touch me, please, Jo-Jo. I need you to touch me."

Jo pulled back a little, looking deep into green eyes darkened by desire. She smiled slowly, trying to contain the nervous b.u.t.terflies jangling in her stomach. She slid her hand under Cadie's shoulders, cradling the blonde close. Her right hand began a meandering journey down Cadie's midline, teasing her belly b.u.t.ton, circling the points of her hipbones. Finally her fingertips came to rest at the edge of the blonde's curls.

By now Cadie's hips were moving of their own accord, and it was all Jo could do to stop herself plunging ahead. Instead she ducked her head and captured the blonde's nipple between her teeth, biting down gently. Cadie keened her response, arching again under her. Jo felt the blonde's hand on her wrist, pushing and urging her further. This time the dark-haired woman didn't resist, sliding her fingers through damp curls until she felt herself dipping into warm, moist folds, an exquisite sensation that threatened to tip her over the edge.

"Mmm, you are so wet, sweetheart," she whispered against Cadie's mouth. Her fingers found and teased the blonde's swollen nub, each flicker causing Cadie's hips to jerk.

"G.o.d, Jo, don't stop, please, don't stop," Cadie panted, riding the growing tide of sensation welling up between her legs. She slid an arm around Jo's waist and pulled her closer.

"Oh, I'm not going to stop, baby," Jo promised. She let her fingers dance over the sensitive bundle of nerves, then teased Cadie's entrance before returning, knowing instinctively what would drive the blonde to the brink. Cadie rocked against her, eyes closed, her breath coming fast and shallow between moans. Jo's own desire raged and she fought to keep control, wanting instead to concentrate on giving her partner pleasure. I want this to be perfect for you, my angel.

"Yes, Jo, please," Cadie almost yelped as she felt Jo's fingertips dip a little further inside her. "Please, baby, I want you inside me."

Jo groaned and slid her thigh between Cadie's, pressing her hand tighter against the blonde's wetness. She waited, reading Cadie's movements and then took her chance, plunging deep inside her with two long, strong fingers, her thumb resuming its teasing motions against her c.l.i.toris.

"Ohhh, Jo," Cadie sighed, pressing herself hard against the dark-haired woman's fingers.

"Yes, darling," Jo crooned, her own climax threatening as Cadie's frantic movements under her pushed her wetness rhythmically against the blonde's thigh. "Yes, sweetheart, come for me."

Cadie's consciousness was focused solely on the feel of the woman above her, around her and inside her. She suckled and nuzzled Jo's neck, no longer aware of her own body's movements, instead entranced by the building ache that seemed to flow like fire from Jo's fingertips. Just... got... to... let... it... go, her mind insisted.

She realized with a jolt that Jo was just as close as she was, the taller woman sliding wetly against her thigh even as her fingers continued to thrust inside Cadie. Jo voiced her pa.s.sion in low moans close to Cadie's ear and suddenly the blonde was right on the brink.

"Jo-Jo, baby, come with me. Come with me, darling."

Jo answered with a groan that coursed through Cadie, tripping her over the edge. The dam broke and she was awash with pure sensation that blossomed deep in her guts and spread in waves that opened her wide.

Jo waited until she felt Cadie's climax rip through her and then, a half-second later, she plummeted over the edge after her. They rocked and slid and convulsed together, their cries mingling and spurring each other on until, finally, inexorably, their movements slowed. They were nose-to-nose, breathless, sweaty, and wide-eyed at their mutual experience.

"Wow," Jo whispered, searching the hooded green eyes below her. "Have you ever..."

Cadie shook her head weakly, bathing in the glow of the dazed blue orbs gazing into hers. "Never," she said, trying to catch her breath, still feeling the throbbing deep inside her. Oh no, Naomi never made me feel like this. "Have you?"

"No." Jo collapsed onto her and the blonde carefully wrapped her arms around the skipper, pulling her close and cuddling softly against her.

"Wow," she whispered.

Jo felt a month's worth of tension rush to the surface on the heels of her physical release. Safe in Cadie's arms, she was powerless to stop the sudden, silent sobs from wracking her body. She buried her face against Cadie's neck and held on for dear life.

"It's okay, sweetheart," Cadie soothed, stroking the older woman's silky hair as she held her close. "Let it out, baby, just let it out." She felt Jo take a long, ragged breath and then, finally, she let loose, giving voice to her tears. "That's it, angel," Cadie crooned.