Sinful Ever After (Romance Collection)

by Vivian Wood

  I nod emphatically. “Yep!”

  Stepping around me, she disappears out into the corridor. I lean against the bunk bed briefly, thanking my lucky stars for birth control pills. With the pills controlling my hormones, I’ll only menstruate for a few days.

  It’ll just be painful, especially without the hot water bottle and handful of painkillers I usually take. Resigning myself to taking a shitload of acetaminophen, I push my backpack toward the first open locker I find.

  Rummaging around in my backpack, I take a couple of Tylenol and then lock everything up. As I head out into the hallway, I take a deep breath.

  I jog up the stairs and hit the main deck. Malkia and most of the crew are already there, standing and listening to Gabe talk. I wasn’t really ready for Gabe in uniform, but looking at him now, my eyes drink him in.

  He wears all white, from a short sleeve shirt down to crisp white pants. His belt buckle is gold, his tie is solid black. And at each of his shoulders are two black and gold patches.

  With his dark hair and his height, he looks utterly delectable at this exact moment. When his blue green eyes land on me, he pauses for the merest second in whatever speech he’s giving.

  Then he looks away and clears his throat.

  A slow heat slithers through my lower stomach. It’s not just me that feels the pull of attraction, then.

  “As I was saying,” Gabe says. “We will have a couple of hours to finish getting settled. Malkia will hand out uniforms to everybody…”

  I stand by the railing, my fingers curling around it. My stomach cramps rear their ugly little head. I lift my chin, determined to set off on this trip.

  “In two hours, you had better be dressed and ready to sail,” Gabe continues. “Because the clients will board the ship… and then once they are on board, please please consider every single thing you say and do. From the second that they step on board this ship, it becomes a working ship, with you as its crew.”

  “Yes sir!” Malkia says, looking at her brother with something like admiration on her face. “Everyone line up here now to receive your uniforms…”

  I head to the back of the line, my mind traveling back to my cramps. Damn, I really wish that I’d had them yesterday. Or even tomorrow when we are far enough away from shore that I don’t have to worry about getting kicked off the boat.

  My eyes go instinctively to Gabe, who is clapping Malkia on the shoulder. He wouldn’t kick me off for something so minor at this point, right?

  As he turns and heads to the upper deck, I repress a sigh. I really should have taken some more pain killers. At home, by now I would’ve usually just taken something heavier, like a sedative.

  But that’s not possible here, I think. Somehow the idea of a narcotic and the sea don’t really seem to mix very well.

  The line moves along slowly. I stare at a coil of rope that lays on the deck, my lower body really starting to ache. My back is in on it too now.

  “Luna?” Malkia asks.

  I look up, realizing that I’m the last one. I’m about five feet away from her too. I flash her a smile, shaking my head, and walk forward.

  “Sorry. I’m a little out of it today,” I explain.

  She frowns. “Stay away from the sides of the boat then. We cannot have one of the new recruits falling overboard during the first hour that we are all on the boat, okay?”

  She passes me my uniform, which consists of a white polo shirt, a long black skirt, and a black tie. Behind that is a heavy black parka with a large red cross splash over the back.

  “Whoa.” I look up at Malkia. “A skirt? I would’ve thought that they would be banned on the High Hope.”

  Malkia gives me a secretive smile. “I hope you like it, because Captain Gabriel put the order in to the uniform company all by himself. I had nothing to do with it.”

  I raise my brows. “Really? Well, you won’t hear any complaints from me…”

  She makes a long mmmmmm sound. “Go change, Luna. We have a lot of work to do today to get this yacht out to sea.”

  I bow my head. “Of course.”

  I hurry downstairs and change. Malkia isn’t down in our room, but the other two women are. I say hi to them and we all squeeze into our uniforms.

  The next few hours are a whirlwind. I sort of wondered what my tasks would be when I am not providing medical aid; today is a good example of the fact that I’m a floater.

  Malkia directed that I should help turn down the guest beds. When I am done with that, Sam needs help in the kitchen, peeling potatoes and preparing garnishes.

  In between all this, I am running to the bathroom every half hour, praying to god that I don’t bleed on my freshly pressed uniform. I also max myself out on the over the counter pain meds, determined to just breathe through the pain.

  I help Sam make little sprigs of thyme, making faces when my cramps get especially bad. By the time I’m done with that, the guests are on board.

  Gabe pops his head in the kitchen, summoning me. He’s all business right now, his face lacking a single bit of playfulness. “Come say hello to our clients. Let them know that you are available for anything they need.”

  Raising my eyebrows at Sam, I follow Gabe out of the galley and upstairs.

  There I see people milling around with champagne flutes. For a second, I could easily believe that this was the gala I attended just yesterday.

  “Everyone, this is Luna, the doctor who will be servicing this trip,” Gabe announces. Everybody turns to look at me, nodding faintly. “Luna, these are our guests.”

  The oldest man looks me up and down, smiling a little. He offers his hand. “Alejandro Vera. This is my wife, Sofia.” He waves his hand to a very elegantly dressed blonde with literally the biggest fake lips I’ve ever seen in person. Actually, on second glance, I’m a hundred percent sure that she’s had her eyes, nose, breasts, and butt remodeled too. I nod my head.

  Alejandro continues. “These four are my daughters and sons…” He waves to several people that are about ten years my senior. “And then the grandchildren are mine as well, of course.”

  He looks extremely proud. I know just how to key into that, because he reminds me exactly of my own father.

  I smile widely. “How wonderful. It is a pleasure to meet your beautiful family, sir.”

  I curtsy, bobbing my head. When I look up again, Alejandro is grinning ear to ear. “Thank you, Luna. Or is it Dr. Luna?”

  Bowing my head, I keep the same smile on my face. “Whatever you would like, sir.”

  He just laughs, walking over to Gabe and clapping him on the arm. “Well done. I feel safer already, Captain Gabriel.”

  Gabe gives him a small smile and looks at his watch. “Speaking of which… we should go over some safety regulations very quickly. Then we can set sail before the sun starts on its downward trajectory.”

  “Whatever you say, Captain Gabriel!” Alejandro says. “Just promise me you’ll keep the vino flowing…”

  Gabe smiles stiffly. “Of course. Luna, will you just let Emma know when you get downstairs that they are ready for another round?”

  “Of course.” I bow again, making a hasty exit.

  I scurry downstairs to the bathroom again, almost running into Malkia on my way out. She gives me a look.

  “Are you doing okay?”

  My cheeks warm. “Totally. I just have to go tell Emma to refresh some drinks…”

  I slink away down the hall, feeling very watched. But since I’m not doing anything wrong, what can Malkia even really say?

  The pain in my lower body doesn’t stop, but neither does the stream of little tasks slow down. By the time that the guests are finally settled in bed, I’m about to drop where I stand.

  My head pounds, my back is killing me, and I’ve run through half the sanitary napkins that I brought for the entire trip. Malkia spots me leaning on the kitchen island, trying to breathe through another set of cramps.

  “I’m not even going to ask if you are okay,”
she says, startling me.

  I straighten, clearing my throat. “It’s just a particularly bad round of menstrual cramps,” I explain, my face going hot. “Nothing serious, I promise.”

  She looks at me for a long second, her dark eyes uncertain. Then she shrugs. “Go ahead and go to bed, then. If they are really just cramps you should feel better after some rest.”

  I almost sag with relief. “Thank you, Malkia.”

  Her lips lift. “See you early in the morning, Luna.”

  Hustling myself to my room, I visit the bathroom one more time, shoring up the dam. Then I change into my pajamas and crawl into my bunk.

  I’m already asleep by the time my head hits the pillow.

  Chapter Eleven

  Gabe

  The next morning, we set sail just as dawn breaks. The yacht is moored off the coast of Neah Bay, at the furthest tip of the United States. It’s only a couple of hours before we will be in waters that belong to Canada.

  After waking and dressing in the dark, I slip down the hallway and make my way up to the main deck. I lean against the railing and shiver as I look out at the dark water. It’s cold this morning, almost cold enough for the jacket that I have slung over my shoulder. There is no moon to speak of, so the sky seems like an endless dark expanse. Water and sky blend together into a twilight morass.

  At this exact moment, I miss Michelle so badly that my teeth ache from it.

  “Gabe?” Malkia calls softly. She flips the switch that illuminates the stairway. The soft light radiates out into the darkness that surrounds me.

  I turn to look at her. My words are quiet against the early morning hush. “I’m here.”

  She comes up with a thermos, unscrewing the cap. Fragrant steam escapes the cap, smelling like fresh coffee. She pours a little into the cup formed by the cap, handing it over.

  I take it, more grateful than I’ve felt about anything in a good while. “Thanks.”

  She shrugs, shivering as the first rays of light turn the darkness a vague gray. “It is my job, Gabe.” She pulls the zipper of her parka up as far as it will go. Malkia is always cold.

  “Where is your beanie?” I ask.

  She offers me half a smile. “I will be wearing it today, that’s for sure. I do not have such luxurious locks on the top of my head to keep myself warm.”

  She nods to my hair. I smile as I sip my coffee. “No, I suppose not.”

  There is a noise from the deck below, several thuds and a yelp of pain. I sigh.

  “I am going to go check on that,” Malkia says, handing me the thermos. “I should be back up to help you cast off soon.”

  “Thank you.” As she heads downstairs, I head up to the pilothouse on the upper deck.

  I check my watch; it’s 4:48 in the morning right now. At five, I’ll pull up the anchor so that we can set sail. I stand behind the wheel and look out at the sea. It’s calm, as I would expect here in a bay. It has to get pretty crazy out there beyond the land for it to affect these sheltered waters.

  As I start going through my checklist in my head, I find the sweet spot. Too busy to worry about anything other than the task at hand, but not so busy that I’m frazzled. If I could just live in these moments… especially as the sun rises on the boat but almost everybody is downstairs getting ready…

  I would be satisfied, I think. Maybe I wouldn’t be a whole person, but at least I wouldn’t have to go through any more heartache.

  I’ve had enough of that for a lifetime.

  As the sun peeks over the horizon, officially making a showing of itself, I pull out of the bay. The clients aren’t up yet, nor would I expect them to be. But Malkia is up here, slouching against the wall of the pilothouse and looking somber.

  Standing at the wheel, I look at her askance. “Everything is running smoothly downstairs?”

  Her lips curve up. “It seems that way.”

  “Sorry, um…”

  I turn my head and see Luna in her yacht uniform. Her dark parka jacket and black skirt cling to her body just as I’d imagined when I ordered them for the voyage. Swallowing, I turn back to steering the yacht.

  “What is it?” Malkia asks, pushing off the wall.

  “Emma is asking for you, Malkia,” Luna answers. “She says that she can’t find the table linens.”

  “Ah,” Malkia says, heading down to the lower deck. “I will be back as soon as I straighten this out.”

  Glancing behind me, I see that Luna is still hovering in the doorway of the pilothouse. At the moment, she seems to be ignoring me in favor of staring out at the horizon. I look forward with a sigh.

  “Are any of the clients up yet?”

  She steps forward into my line of sight, shaking her head. “No.”

  “Hmm.” I frown. “I guess if I had the money to charter this yacht for almost a month, I wouldn’t worry about what time I got up either.”

  Her brow lowers. “They are on the first morning of their vacation. Can you fault them for wanting to sleep in a little?”

  I slide a skeptical gaze toward her. “I hate wealthy people. You wait and see. I bet they’ll treat you like they treat the rest of us sooner rather than later.”

  She scoffs. “You are painting with a broad brush, Gabe. Not everyone is like that.”

  Reaching toward the colorful instrument panels, I press a couple of buttons. “You’re rich, then?”

  Her cheeks flame scarlet. “My family is, yes. Not me personally.”

  I roll my eyes. “This is going to be a reality check for you. Just because you are a doctor doesn’t mean that rich clients won’t treat you like shit. You wait and see. I know what I’m talking about.”

  She shakes her head. “I didn’t realize that you were classist, Gabe.”

  A scowl overtakes my face. “What? I am not.”

  “You are!” she declares. “Hating people just because they are wealthy is the definition of classist.”

  I feel a hot, dark center forming in my chest. “Look here, sweetheart. Just because you are a rich little daddy’s girl does not make me classist.”

  Her face contorts. “Don’t call me that!”

  I smirk. “Which part? A daddy’s girl? Or is it sweetheart that is getting your panties so tangled up?”

  She glares at me. “Both.”

  “I happen to like sweetheart.” Folding my arms across my chest, I enjoy toying with her. “It suits you, I think.”

  She makes an aggravated noise, looking like she wants to strangle me. “I swear, if you weren’t my boss…”

  I chuckle. “You’d do what, sweetheart? You’d make me pay?”

  “You… you’re…” She balls up her fists. “A dick, to start with. And a bully, too.”

  I shake my head. “I think rich people everywhere can take it. Besides, they’ve got you to stand up for them, apparently.”

  Luna wrinkles her face. “I wouldn’t go that far. I’m not pro-wealthy people. I’m just against saying any group of people are inherently evil. Within reason, of course. I’m not going to say like… that there are probably good people that identify as neo Nazis or anything. They suck, obviously.”

  I cast an eye over her. “Anybody ever tell you that you talk a lot?”

  Her cheeks go pink and she drops her gaze. “Only everyone I met for my entire life.”

  Her answer makes me snort. “I bet that hasn’t ever deterred you in any way though, has it? A lot of people probably find it quirky and charming.”

  She sneaks a look at me. “I’ve found a way to make it work for me, if that’s what you mean.”

  My lips curl upward. It’s hard to be upset with someone with such an upbeat personality. Shaking my head again, I look out the windows. “So exactly how rich are we talking? Did you grow up in a castle? Or were you more like a semi-wealthy big old McMansion kid?”

  Blushing, she looks away, refusing to meet my gaze. “My extended family does have castles, yes. But I spent most of my time here in Seattle, being raised by a team of nannie
s.”

  “Well, fuck me,” I say, looking at her with a little surprise. “I was mostly kidding about living in a castle.”

  She wrinkles her nose. “Again, they are owned by my extended family. The royal bloodline looks down on us, I’m pretty sure.”

  “Royal bloodline?” I echo, stunned. “Wait, seriously?”

  She gives her head a little shake. “I’m like… technically I think forty-sixth in line for the Norwegian crown. A lot of people have to die before I’m even an option.”

  “So what you’re saying is, I should be calling you princess instead of sweetheart?”

  Luna’s cheeks flush. “I will definitely strangle you if you start calling me that.”

  I have to admit, as shocking as it is to hear the news that the girl in front of me could be a royal with a lot of bad, bad luck… it is fun to tease her about it.

  “Hm.” It’s easy to sit back with a considering expression on my face, like I’m just now making up my mind about her.

  “Seriously,” she says, sending me a threatening look. “Can we please change the subject?”

  “Of course, your highness,” I say.

  She makes a face and leans over to smack me on the arm. “You are the worst, just so you know.”

  Grinning, I glance ahead again. She settles in right next to me, leaning against the instrument board. I can actually feel her body heat from this far away. It’s pretty distracting having her here, but I can get away with it for a little while.

  “What would you rather talk about?” I ask.

  As I speak, the sun nudges its way above the horizon, spreading warmth across an otherwise dark landscape. When I glance up at Luna, her eyes are fastened on that little bit of sunlight.

  “It’s beautiful,” she murmurs, her voice awed. “Don’t you think?”

  I take a moment to soak her in. Her eyes are turned forward, giving me an unusual glimpse of Luna in profile; her blonde hair tucked up in a chignon, her smooth brow and proud nose, her pink lips and stubborn chin. She’s tiny, all her features vaguely elfin.

  “Yes,” I find myself agreeing. “Very pretty…”