Bachelor Unclaimed Read online

  “That’s some testimony,” she said, shaking her head.

  “Yes, it is and I knew then the importance of sea life for medicinal purposes, and vowed to make it my life’s mission to do research to find other uses, as well.”

  He leaned back in his chair. “For those who recall me having the illness growing up, it’s easier to say I outgrew it than to go into a lot of details on how I was cured. Those closest to me know and that’s all that matters.”

  Now she understood what drove him to do what he was doing. What had initially stirred his passion. At least his passion for his work. She glanced around. This was his world. The one he was most comfortable with. The one he chose to live in. She liked that. And as she was beginning to know him, unravel him layer by layer, she would even admit she was beginning to like him.

  “This is your passion,” she said softly.

  “Yes, everyone has one. And from our conversation last night, I assume going into politics is yours.”

  She shook her head. “Not politics per se, just to follow in my ancestor’s footsteps and become mayor of Claxton. But then I had my chance so that’s one dream lost I won’t worry about.”

  “There will be another opportunity some day when his term expires, Ainsley. And like I said, you’re not a quitter.”

  She glanced down into the tank with all the fish, studied several of them before looking back at him. “No, but I’d need the people’s support. Not sure I’ll get it since I didn’t this time.”

  “Fools, all of them,” he said. “You would have gotten my vote.”

  She believed him. “Thanks. My opponent won by a landslide, which leads me to believe that even those who started out supporting me stopped doing so once that lie came out about me.”

  “The one about you being a stripper and not a dancer.”

  He hadn’t asked but simply stated. There was no need to inquire as to how he’d known the specifics. “Yes.”

  He didn’t say anything for the longest time, just continued to look at her for a few moments before turning back around to finish what he’d been doing on the laptop.

  She glanced back into the tank. His questions had drummed up heartache that she wanted so much to forget. She still couldn’t understand how people who’d known her all her life could believe the worst about her from a stranger.

  “Come here a minute. I want to show you something.”

  She glanced to where he’d moved from the workstation to the tank that held the sea horses. “What?” she asked, coming to stand beside him and glancing over into the tank. She couldn’t stop her body from responding to his closeness no matter how much she tried.

  “The sea horses are in their last round of courtship. There will be a full moon tonight, which means they will probably mate,” he said.

  There was something in the way he said “mate” that started sensuous sensations rolling around in her belly. “Is it a gang bang or is it a one-female-for-one-male thing?” she asked.

  He chuckled and she could practically feel his breath on her neck which made her realize just how close they were standing. “Um, like in most species, male sea horses can get rather possessive. And if the female approaches another male, her lover-to-be actually snatches her head to get her back in line. What he does is rather painful and usually it reminds her who she belongs to.”

  “Sounds like caveman tactics.”

  “Whatever you want to call it, it works.”

  “For a sea horse. I wouldn’t try it if I were a real man.”

  “Probably not. Look.”

  He pointed out a group of sea horses and she watched as the female tried to swim away and a dominant male did exactly what Winston said he would do, snatch her head in a way that Ainsley knew had to be kind of painful. “Ouch.”

  He chuckled again. “You do what you have to do. And if you noticed, most of them are paired off now. Waiting.”

  “For what?”

  “Tonight and the full moon. They always mate during a full moon.”

  She swallowed the lump in her throat. “And you will be here?”

  “Yes. I have to document everything. The courtship, the mating, the pregnancy and delivery.”

  He took a step back. “Now I need to key information into the log. Then after feeding Lucy and Ricky, I’ll be free.”

  She glanced up at him. “Free?”

  “Yes, for the interview. I’ve gone over your list and the first five questions are doable today.”

  Just the first five? There were over thirty questions on that paper. Hopefully, he would allow time for more tomorrow. Otherwise, it would take forever to finish the interview. Although Bobby had told her to be thorough and take all the time she needed, she definitely saw spending too much time with Winston more of a liability than an asset. “Okay, we’ll do the first five,” she said, deciding not to push for more or he might retaliate by doing less. “And just so you’ll know, I won’t be here for dinner.”

  He lifted a brow. “You won’t?”

  “No. I need to go back to the resort and get some more things. I’ll probably grab something to eat while I’m over on the other island. And I probably won’t return until the morning. I don’t see myself driving across that bridge late at night.”

  Winston didn’t say anything, but for some reason the thought of her leaving Barrett Shores bothered him. It was only because he’d gotten used to her being here, he told himself. Moments later, he said, “Tell you what. I’ll take you over to the island to get your things.”

  He could tell she was surprised at his offer. “You don’t have to do that. Besides, I don’t want to take you from your work.”

  “No problem, and we can both grab something to eat. I’m not in the mood for cooking tonight anyway.”

  “Okay, thanks.”

  A smile touched his lips. “Then it’s settled. After the interview I’ll take you over to Hilton Head and while we’re on the island we’ll grab something to eat. And I know the perfect place.”

  Chapter 16

  Winston had patiently sat in the resort’s lobby and waited for Ainsley to return downstairs with her bags. He had convinced her that there was no reason to remain checked-in at the resort. It would take all the rest of her time in Hilton Head to go through all thirty of those questions. He was glad she had agreed.

  After leaving the resort, they’d had dinner at Sharpie’s, a Gullah restaurant in Mitchelville that was owned by one of his cousins. The aroma of steamed crabs and shrimp had greeted them at the door. He’d seen the surprised look in his cousin’s eyes when he walked in. It was the first time he’d taken a woman to dinner there.

  All through their meal he had forced himself not to stare over at her. The dress she’d changed into at the resort had been torture for him since the moment she had returned to the lobby. It was nothing as provocative as she’d worn that first night. It fact it was a beautiful blue shirtdress whose hem stopped just above the knee, but it showed off those gorgeous legs he’d wanted to see.

  The moment she had stepped off the elevator at the resort, he had stood up and stared at her, flooded by memories of those same luscious legs wrapped around him while they’d made love. He had been grateful for the blazer he brought along due to the late evening chill. He’d clutched it in front of him to hide the way seeing her legs had made him hard.

  Now dinner was behind them and they had just crossed the bridge to return to Barrett Shores. Ainsley had been quiet over the last twenty minutes and for a while he’d thought she’d drifted off to sleep. But whenever he had come to a traffic light and glanced over at her, he saw she was wide awake.

  He had to admit their first interview session that day had gone well. Maybe because he’d known her questions beforehand. Or because the questions themselves had been easy, nonpersonal and about his work. They also covered the education to prepare him for the career he wanted and why he’d chosen to work under an alias. It would be news to everyone that Dr. R. J. Chambers was an alias but it wo
uldn’t shock the academia world, since a number of his colleagues did the same thing. Most, like him, weren’t seeking a name for themselves and preferred working without being pestered.

  “I can’t believe how easily you drove across that bridge,” she said, interrupting his thoughts. “I held my breath the entire time.”

  He couldn’t help but smile, imagining her doing that very thing. “I’ve lived here all my life and I can remember when my father and grandfather finished it.”

  “They built the bridge?”

  “Yes, the state of South Carolina offered to replace it a couple years ago, but only if we sold the island to this developer. As long as it remained a private island it would be up to us to make the link.”

  “Before the bridge you got to Hilton Head by boat?”

  “Yes, but Hilton Head isn’t the only island around here, just the largest and most progressive since developers have all but taken it over. In a way it’s sad because some of the people who’d lived here all their lives were forced to move away when property taxes became unaffordable.”

  She could hear the disappointment in his tone. “Your cousin seemed to be doing well with the restaurant.”

  “Yes, only because it’s in Mitchelville, which has been declared a historical site thanks to the Mitchelville Preservation Project. The group is determined to keep the history and heritage alive. I’m a member and I know my grandmother and great-grandmother would be proud to know the history will continue to live on.”

  “And I’m glad, too.”

  She would be, he thought, not because she had a history maker in her own family with the first Ainsley, but because she came across as someone who believed in giving credit where credit was due. He’d noticed during the interview how she would highlight something he’d done in his studies that he hadn’t thought twice about. But she had noted the importance of it.

  “I still can’t get over just how beautiful your home is,” she said as they turned into the driveway and the house sprawled majestically before them with the crystal-blue ocean as a backdrop.

  “Thank you.”

  He glanced up at the sky. Dusk would be rolling in soon and with it the full moon. He had a lot of work to do tonight. He parked the car beside the spot where he’d moved hers earlier that day. “I’ll carry in your things and then it’s back to work for me.”

  She looked up at the sky. “That’s right. It’s a full moon tonight. Mind if I observe, too?” she asked.

  He could hear the excitement flowing through her voice. “No, I don’t mind, as long as you’re quiet. Too much noise will interrupt the process.”

  “Okay, I’ll be quiet, I promise.”

  He wasn’t sure if he believed her, given her propensity for being chatty at times. But he figured he’d take a chance. “All right, but I’m holding you to that promise.”

  * * *

  “What’s happening now, Winston?” Ainsley whispered. For the past few hours she had stood at the tank and watched the sea horses while Winston snapped pictures and intermittently logged data on his iPad.

  “The male is offering his feeding bag to the female,” Winston whispered back in a low tone. “Usually it takes a few hours to accomplish this because he does it over and over again, to make sure it’s in place. The female will then dock part of her body over it. The male has the pouch.”

  Ainsley couldn’t help but smile. “That’s right. It’s the male who gets pregnant.”

  She studied the sea horses some more. “Why are they changing colors?”

  “The female is in the process of making eggs.” He glanced up from his iPad over at her. “Similar to a female in the human species, she’s at her hottest point during ovulation. Ripe and ready.”

  Why did his words cause heat to flush her face and blood to rush fast through her veins? “Is she?”

  “Yes.” He gestured to the tank. “Watch and see what happens next.”

  She broke eye contact with him and looked back over in the tank. The females were making eggs and then depositing them in the male pouch where he would fertilize them. “This is simply amazing,” she whispered, determined to keep her voice down.

  “Yes, but not as amazing as when a man and woman mate. Sea horses do a lot of docking where for us it’s a lot of thrusting.”

  Suddenly, an image flashed through her mind of all the thrusting he’d done inside her. She knew she needed to keep the topic of their conversation on the sea horses and not on men and women. “How long does it take for the male sea horse to become pregnant?”

  “Immediately. Then it’s a matter of the embryos growing to term, which takes three to six weeks.”

  He paused a moment and added, “It probably will make you happy to know scientific studies have concluded that the male actually experiences pain when giving birth.”

  A huge smile touched Ainsley’s lips. “That does make me happy. At least some male species will know how it feels.” She then thought about what else he said. “I hate I won’t be here when the babies are born.”

  “Not babies, but sea ponies.” And then he added, “You could always come back.”

  She glanced over at him, surprised. “Is that an invitation?”

  He nodded. “Yes, I guess it is.”

  “Thanks.”

  Winston chuckled. “Although you might regret returning when you see what the male does at birth. After the pain.”

  She lifted a brow. “What does he do?”

  “Nothing. Literally. As soon as the sea ponies are born, he leaves them, high and dry. To fend for themselves. The males don’t have a maternal instinct in their body.”

  She turned back to look inside the tank where the females were still depositing eggs inside the males’ pouches. “How sad.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  She was so engrossed in the process playing out before her that she didn’t hear Winston coming to stand beside her until he touched her, startling her.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  She glanced up at him. “I guess I was preoccupied.”

  He nodded. “I need to record this,” he said, holding up his iPad and videoing what was going on with the sea horses. Moments later, he said, “That does it for a while.” He placed his iPad aside. “The only pitfall in watching sea horses mate is what doing so can do to you.”

  Her chest felt tight when she drew in a deep breath. His arms had accidentally brushed hers when he’d placed the iPad on the table. “And just what can it do?” she asked, not sure she wanted to know.

  “I can only speak for myself, but it makes me want to mate as well under a full moon.”

  She felt her heartbeat quicken and the area between her legs throb. Meeting his gaze, she asked, “Does it?”

  “You watched. You saw. Did it do anything to you?”

  If he expected her to admit that it did, then he would be waiting a long time. She shrugged. “Not really.”

  “Liar.”

  She couldn’t help but chuckle. “Why do you think I’m lying?”

  “Because,” he said, moving a step closer, “I’ve made love to you, several times. And the one thing I do know about you is that you’re a passionate person. Just as passionate as I am. We don’t just mate when we come together, we burn up the sheets, detonate our bodies in one hell of an explosion.” He reached out and slipped a hand through her hair.

  “Do we?”

  “Yes.” He leaned down and began kissing the corners of her mouth. His lips felt warm and firm, causing sensations to run rampant through her.

  “I thought we agreed there wouldn’t be any more sex between us, Winston.”

  “I didn’t agree to anything and I definitely wouldn’t have agreed to that,” he whispered as he continued to kiss her jaw.

  When she made an attempt to turn, he tugged on her hair to hold her head in place. An act of possession...like a male sea horse conquering a female. “You’re not a sea horse, Winston,” she murmured softly. “That act of possession
won’t work.”

  “You’re right. I’m not a sea horse. I’m a man so I’m hoping that this act of possession will.”

  And then he captured her mouth in his.

  * * *

  A charge of adrenaline rushed through Winston’s bloodstream the moment Ainsley touched her tongue to his. This shouldn’t be happening again, but he was too far gone to do anything about it. Emotions he’d never had to deal with before were swelling up within him, making logical thought virtually impossible.

  His mouth still clinging to hers, he lifted her off her feet and she automatically wrapped her legs around his hips. He moved to one of the workstations, his heart kicking up a beat with every step he took. He wasn’t sure how long he could last. Her hardened nipples were pressing into his chest, making his breathing pattern irregular and his erection throb that much more.

  He broke off the kiss and whispered, “Let’s show those sea horses that when it comes to mating, they have nothing on us.”

  The moment he set her backside on the desk, they began going at each other’s clothes. She tugged his shirt over his head and reached down to unhook his belt and jerk it through the hoops.

  There seemed to be a hundred buttons to her shirtdress, and he couldn’t control his fingers to undo them properly. “Aw, hell,” he said, giving up and ripping the dress from her body. Staring into her shocked face, he covered her hands with his and murmured softly, “Don’t be mad. I’ll buy you a new one, I promise.”

  And then he leaned in to take her mouth again with a hunger that was driving him insane. He didn’t understand why he needed his tongue to tangle with hers, needed to feel his bare flesh against hers, or why he needed to get inside her and experience again the feel of her inner muscles gripping him, pulling everything out of him.

  He tightened his arms around her waist, drawing her closer to the fit of him. Breaking the kiss, he kicked off his shoes and removed his pants and briefs. He glanced over at her and watched her ease her panties down those gorgeous legs and toss them aside. She then took off her bra, leaving her as naked as he was.

  His breath caught as his gaze roamed over her. Her breasts were beautiful. He thought that the first time he’d seen them and thought that now. At that moment words could not fully express how he felt or what he felt. But he was certain it went beyond pure lust. It was something he couldn’t put a name to and at that moment didn’t want to think about. All he knew was each and every time they came together was more powerful than the last.