Jack was true to his word, and had everyone up at the break of dawn. Tito woke up at the sound of someone rapping briskly on his door, followed by Jack's voice as he rapped on the door of the next stateroom.

"Let's go - if you want to eat before we set sail, get moving!"

Caylee sighed and pressed her naked body closer to his.

"I think Jack's trying to get us up," Tito pointed out. Tempting as it was to linger in the berth with her, he needed to set a good example for the teens.

Caylee slid her hand under the covers and stroked him, a mischievous look in her eyes. "I think you're up already, sailor."

"Is that a fact," Tito said, and felt a slow smile spread across his face in answer to hers.

After all, how long could it take? He watched her eyes widen as he slid her under him and was inside her in one smooth stroke. Her gasp turned into a moan and he stifled it with his mouth, swallowing her quiet gasp of pleasure even as her hips began to move against him.

"That's it, baby," he said softly, feeling her nipples peak against his chest in sharp points as he slid his hands up her arms, pulling them over her head, then bracketing her wrists with one hand so the other was free to slide back down her body and put pressure directly on her clit while he increased the pace of his thrusts. He knew from last night that she liked it when he captured her wrists, kept her from using her hands while he took her higher, using his mouth to tease and arouse. A hot stab of desire shot through him at the thought of what they might do with the silk scarves he'd brought with him once they got to the little cottage in Bimini, and he pictured using them to fasten her wrists to the headboard leaving both his own hands free to explore.

Then he looked into her eyes and everything shifted. Suddenly he was drowning in their amber depths. It was like staring directly into her soul, her expression completely unguarded. His grip went lax and her hands slipped free to slide over his shoulders, slip around his back and pull him closer. Soft little caresses than undid him as he moved slowly, purposefully inside her, their bodies rocking in a gentle rhythm that mimicked the swaying of the vessel.

When she murmured his name against his lips the sweetness of it all undid him and waves of pleasure as gentle yet powerful as the tides swept over them, through them, pulled them under until nothing else existed but their two hearts, beating as one. When the pleasure finally receded, taking their breath with it, he rolled over on the small berth, pulling her on top of him. She laid her head on his chest.

And he realized in that moment that he had fallen helplessly, heedlessly, and stupidly in love.

* * *

It was a good thing sailing was in her blood, Caylee thought, as she relied on muscle memory to adjust the lines. Because her mind was definitely not on her duties as crew.

What the hell had happened this morning? It had never been like that before. Never.

Sex was fun, and certainly pleasurable. Exciting sometimes, and even edgy. Done right, it would leave you satisfied and relaxed. Which is exactly how she'd felt last night, after seducing Tito into nighttime play. He'd been an excellent lover just as she'd known he would, even exceeding her expectations in the way he'd taken charge, capturing her wrists in his hand then taking her exactly the way he wanted, all the while using his mouth to silence her cries of pleasure.

She'd come hard, not once but twice, leaving her sated, and, at the same time, full of anticipation for the nights she'd spend with him in the little cottage in Bimini, when there'd be no need to keep quiet behind a locked cabin door.

But this morning? It was like not just their bodies but their very souls had merged together for those intense moments when there was no time, no space, only feeling. And that sounded corny to even think it in her own mind. Caylee shook her head and refocused on the present, calling Diego over for a quick sailing lesson and watching his face light up at the attention. He followed her instructions carefully, and it made her feel a surge of pride when he caught on so quickly.

This was what the sailing trip was about. Helping these kids. She needed to put aside her confusion about her feelings for Tito and the sudden intimacy of this morning. She had no idea if it had had the same impact on him, and she couldn't assume that the shift in their relationship had been mutual.

She needed to pull herself back, think things through. She was an experienced sophisticated woman and she'd gone into this thing with Tito with her eyes open. They had intense chemistry, and she genuinely liked him. But that was no reason to start fancying herself in love with him. In the world she came from, marriages were business relationships and even then they often ended in divorce. Caylee had no intention of weaving little fantasies about spending her life with Tito, and then getting her heart broken.

Especially by a guy who might think he was falling in love with her, but hadn't had much experience in relationships. How could he have, since he'd spent the last of his teen years and a good portion of his 20's in prison?

And there she was, thinking about him again, when just a few moments ago she'd resolved to do exactly the opposite.

Diego grinned up at her. "I got it, right?"

Caylee took a closer look.

"You're really turning into a capable sailor," she told him, and was awarded again by that quick and tentative smile. She looked up. "Come on, let's go find Jack and see if we can get him to let you take over the wheel for awhile."

He gaped at her. "You mean steer the boat?"

"Yeah." She ran her hand over the top of his head. "Why not?"

Half an hour later she was in the galley, after leaving a thrilled Diego with Jack, when Tito caught up to her.

He stood in the doorway, his arms braced over his head like Sylvester Stallone in that classic shot from the first Rocky movie, and just looking at him gave her a little rush. What am I, she thought, in high school?

Maybe it was just being on a boat with all these teens and catching the secret glances between Joey and Lakin that she was sure were the beginnings of puppy love, that was leaving her reacting to Tito like he was her first crush.

"You've been avoiding me," Tito said, his voice low and sexy.

She looked back at the ice tea she'd been pouring from the pitcher in the fridge, not meeting his eyes. And definitely not looking at the way his position in the doorway showcased his muscled arms, and the tattoos that made up most of a sleeve.

"That's ridiculous."

"It's ridiculous that you're doing it."

"That's not what I-"

She looked over at him again and he was out of the doorway moving toward her. And she completely lost her train of thought, then shook her head. Pull yourself together Caylee.

She tried again. "I've just been busy with the kids and with my crew duties. That Diego really is a natural. I just-"

"I didn't come in here to talk about Diego."

When she turned to face him, he trapped her with her back against the counter, his arms on either side of her, and leaned closer.

He lowered his voice. "I know what you felt this morning. You're scared."

She felt herself bristling, her temper sparking.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Dammit, she felt herself tremble, which only made her more annoyed.

"Yeah, you do." His fact was close to hers now. Too close. He'd have his mouth on hers any second now, and she wouldn't be able to hide what she was feeling.

"Ew, get a room," came a voice from the doorway. Emma.

The teen girl was looking at them like the thought of anyone over, say age 18, actually kissing was something between tacky and mildly disgusting.

"Go away, Emma," Tito said, without turning around. "I'm kissing my girlfriend."

"Gross," she said, but she left.

"Tito," Caylee said, trying to get under the arm that was trapping her. "We're supposed to be setting a good example."

"We are," Tito said, but instead of letting her slide under his arm and escape, he lifted her up and set her butt on the counter, and closed the small distance that was left.

Then he kissed her, long and slow and it felt exactly like it had that morning and she thought, oh shit.

He released her, took a step back.

"This morning?" he said. "I felt it too."

* * *

"What is it?" Caylee asked, waking up when she felt Tito stir beside her. "Is something wrong?"

"Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. Stay here. I'll be right back."

I don't think so, Caylee thought, glancing at her watch. It was 3:00 in the morning.

She got out of bed, pulled on an oversize t-shirt and a pair of soft shorts and followed him.

Caylee caught up with him on the deck. The boat was anchored close to one of the many uninhabited islands in the Bahamas in an area frequented by sailors who were waiting for a weather window before moving on. Jack had selected it as a good spot to end their excursion teaching the kids the finer points of sailing. The next day they would be circling back to their actual destination, Bimini.

Tito must have sensed her behind him, because he turned, holding one finger up to his lips for her to be quiet.

What is it, she mouthed, without making a sound, her mind going immediately to pirates. Most of her sailing had been off Shelter Island in the Hamptons, where the fear of piracy was not an issue - at least not in this century. When she'd asked Jack if this was something they needed to be concerned about sailing to and around the Bahamas, he'd told her no. Sailboats were on the bottom of the food chain for pirate attacks, plus incidents around the Bahamas were extremely rare in any event. Although there were certainly areas in the Caribbean where people today would be foolish to take their yacht, for the most part, modern-day pirates targeted cargo ships.

Still, obviously Tito was concerned about something.

She moved silently behind him as he went on deck, going first toward the stern. Caylee squinted in the dim light from the moon, but saw nothing.

Tito shook his head and shrugged then led the way to the bow of the boat, where Jack met him. Jack had rigged two hammocks side by side attaching one end to the forestay at the bow of the boat, and the other end secured to the shroud. It was an awesome way, Caylee thought, to fall asleep, swaying gently and looking out of the water where the moonlight was reflected in shimmers.

It looked like Bailey was still asleep, so Jack motioned for them to follow him aft again.

"Were you guys moving around a lot? About ten minutes ago?" Tito asked. "Something woke me up, but I'm not sure what it was."

"I think one of the kids might have been on deck a little earlier," Jack said, "but I took a walk around and didn't see anyone."

"Maybe one of them just couldn't sleep," Caylee suggested. She imagined one of the teens might find it even more relaxing than she did to come out on the deck of a boat at night and just look at the stars. When she was that age, she'd done plenty of staring at the sky at night from the deck of a sailboat.

"Maybe," Tito said.

But he looked unnecessarily worried, and she wondered why.

Author's Notes: What do you think Tito is worried about?

And has his relationship with Caylee reached a new level, or will one or both of them pull back?