“No shit,” Leah says.
“Yes. And of course the guy was totally intimidating and I was a total mess.”
“Was he hot?” she asks.
I lean back. “Excuse me?”
“He was hot,” she concludes, nodding her head and pointing her finger at me. “You have your I-just-saw-a-hot-guy face on right now. How hot was he?”
I push her away from me and she falls back on the bed. “Shut it. He was not hot.”
“Liar.” She says with a laugh.
I look down at my slipper. “Fine. He was . . . cute.”
Leah shoots up from her spot on the bed. “I knew it!”
With both hands, I run my fingers through my hair, pushing it away from my face. “Not the point. Devon is totally mad right now and probably isn’t going to help us.”
Leah calms down and takes in the gravity of what I’m saying. “God, that sucks. But the guy was super hot, right?”
“You have a one-track mind.”
She gives me a full-teeth, wicked smile and I push her back onto the bed. She continues to prod me with uncomfortable questions about what the guy looked like and I answer them, grateful she doesn’t want to discuss how I was playing the piano.
Her current fit of giggles is interrupted by a knock at the door. We both sit up straight and look over at the source of the knocking. We play one quick and silent round of rock, paper, scissors to decide who should get it. I lose.
I open the door and am taken back by the large figure standing in the doorway holding our folded, dried clothes. Devon.
“Your clothes are dry,” he says, handing the garments to me. They’re still warm and have that fresh dryer smell. “Your passports will be ready for you tomorrow. I’ll have one of the crew pick them up for you. Were you planning on leaving before then?”
I swallow back my surprise that he is still helping us. “Um, no. We’ll be here through the end of the week.”
Devon nods and hands the garments to me. I take them.
He pauses for a second in the doorway, seeming unsure as what to do next. My free hand is on the door, anxious to close it and get back to getting the hell out of here.
Devon’s hand hovers over his pocket for a moment before reaching in and pulling out an envelope.
“This is for you.”
Confused, I release my hand from the door and reach out to take the envelope. “For me? I can’t imagine what . . .”
Christ on crutches.
My thumb pushes open the top fold of the paper as my eyes skim through the inside of the envelope. There has to be a hundred different bills in here, all of various amounts. Off the top of my head I would say Devon just handed me an envelope filled with five thousand euro.
No sooner is the money in my hand than I am forcing it back into Devon’s.
“Absolutely not. I can not accept money from you.” Sure, he has tons of it, but to just throw it at me like a two-bit hooker? Well, maybe that’s a little of an exaggeration. I didn’t sleep with him. Unless he thinks . . . “You must have the wrong idea. Thank you for the help with the passports”—I hold up the clothes in my arm—“thank you for your dryer, but my sister and I would like to head back to shore, please.”
I hope my words aren’t rude. He seems like a nice guy—but shoving money at us? Something doesn’t seem right.
Devon nods to both Leah and me from the threshold. “Mateo, our deck hand will escort you back to shore. My presence is needed elsewhere. Good luck, ladies.” We thank him again for his hospitality, which he accepts, and then close the door as he leaves us so we can change.
With my back to the door, I lean against it and throw Leah her clothes. “Get dressed quick. We are getting off this boat as soon as possible.”
Waking up in our hotel bed this morning was pure bliss. Leah let me sleep in and didn’t try to throw me out in search of our next adventure.
It’s probably because we have no money.
Gah.
Yesterday wasn’t a dream.
You know that moment, the morning after a horrible event, when you wake up and for a split second you wonder if everything that happened the day before was all just a horrible dream? Well, that was me ten seconds ago.
Now, I’m slamming my face into the pillow at the realization that I dropped my purse into the Mediterranean.
I roll over and let my arms splay out on the bed, taking in our current predicament. Our passports will be delivered sometime today, so Leah and I will be able to return home from our honeymoon, or sisters sabbatical, or whatever you want to call this. Leah was able to FaceTime with Adam using her iPad so her knight in shining armor is taking care of wiring us cash. How that is getting to us, I have no idea.
Last night wasn’t a complete bust. Since our hotel room is hooked up to a credit card, we ordered room service and a bottle of wine. The crazy thing was, while I was expecting Leah to ream into me for losing our things, she didn’t. It’s like she’s afraid I’m going to break. Instead, she went on and on about how we fell in the water and she filled me in on all the details I missed.
Apparently, when I let go of Leah’s hand, I fell backward into the water and smacked my head on the small wooden boat we were supposed to board. My falling caused Leah, who was already leaning over to try and catch me, to fall over too. She said she was back on our boat rather quickly, and when she turned around to help me out, I wasn’t there.
Her face went so pale as she told the story I had to reach over and grab her hand. She said she started screaming that her sister was drowning and no one did anything. She was just about to jump in the water herself when a man, Devon, came up for air, with me in tow, tugging me back to a boat that was away from her.
Leah didn’t even see Devon dive into the water. She said he must have done it as soon as I fell in. That also means he was under the water for a long time looking for me.
I remember hitting my head. Or shall I say, I remember the pain. First, the pain was in my hand from when I grabbed on to Leah. Then I felt like I was kicked in the cranium.
The water was murky so I didn’t know if I was blacking out or just having a hard time seeing through the haze in the water. When Devon put his arms around me, I was floating lifelessly. He made it seem so easy, the way he grabbed me and lifted me up and out of that water. That breath of air I took, breaking the surface, was long, deep and so desperately needed. I must have been on some adrenalin rush because, until then, I didn’t even know I couldn’t breathe.
Leah kept on telling me how I was the strongest person she ever met. In return, I kept on drinking.
Luckily, today’s hangover is nonexistent, thanks to Leah letting me sleep it off.
I lift myself up and look around the room. The curtains to the glass door are pushed open, which means Leah must have gone out for a walk. Looking at the space at the foot of the door I see Leah’s shoes she wore yesterday and the slippers I wore home. Shoeless Emma chose to wear them instead of hobbling on one Top-Sider.
Shame. I loved those shoes.
Leah is still not back when I exit the bathroom, freshly showered and wearing a pair of navy shorts and a red tank top. I pull my hair back in a ponytail and am sliding on a pair of flip flops when Leah comes back into the room.
“Good, you’re dressed!” she says, wearing a denim shirtdress, holding a newspaper and a coffee cup in her hands. “I went down for breakfast and picked this up for you.”
I take the coffee and paper from her and take a sip. “Thank you. At least we know we can have three squares here at the hotel if the money doesn’t come through in time.”
“It’s about five in the morning, Ohio time, so I don’t expect to hear from Adam until this evening.”
I pinch my mouth to the side of my face. “Looks like there’s not much we can do but walk around.”
“Oh, to the contrary my dear sister.” She says, walking over the mirror, “We’re finishing our boat tour today.”
“How?” I ask into m
y coffee cup.
“Devon sent a note to the hotel this morning. They gave it to me when I was in the lobby. We’re expected at the marina at noon.” Checking her makeup, she applies some fresh lip gloss.
I point the newspaper at her like it’s a sword. “Absolutely not.”
Her shoulders fall and she turns to me with her head tilted to the side. “And why is that?”
“Seriously? I made a huge fool out of myself. He was pissed yesterday and, if you ask me, we have taken way too much from the man already. Come to think of it, isn’t it a little creepy that he did all these things for us? I mean, what does he want in return? He wants something in return, Leah. I bet he’s expecting something and I, my friend, am not giving it to him.” I cross my arms in front of my body, careful not to drop my coffee cup.
Leah looks back at me; her body hasn’t moved since I started my little rant. Pale blue eyes narrow at me as she stands there, quiet which is, as you know, so not like Leah.
She waits a minute and then straightens her body and lays it into me in a calm and very controlled voice. “Do you want to talk serious, Emma? The man dove off a boat to dive down, God knows how far, to save you from drowning. He also went out of his way to use a personal contact to get us passports. Passports! He was an absolute gentleman to us on that boat. In fact, he wouldn’t even enter the room.”
She noticed that, too, huh?
Leah continues. “You say he was pissed at you in the music room but he was nothing but friendly to us when we left. It sounds more like that other guy you saw was pissed. Yet out of everyone, you know who has the right to really be pissed?”
I look at her, shaking my head.
Leah points to herself. “Me. I should. But I’m not. The reason I’m not is because the universe wants us to have a good time. It’s like someone somewhere knows exactly why we’re here and they want us to have the trip of the century. We have a guardian angel and he is making sure we’re okay.”
I really like the idea of our guardian angel.
“Ems, yesterday was awesome. We fell into the sea. We were on a crazy sick yacht. When we go home, we are going to have the best story to tell. And now this man, who has a big heart and a hell of a lot of money, has invited us to finish our tour. He didn’t even say he would be there. The note only said that a boat would be waiting for us at the marina. So put on a smile and grab that godforsaken fanny pack, because we are going on that boat!”
Damn—little sister knows how to prove a point.
Looks like we’re going on a boat ride.
Safe to say I’ll be leaving the fanny pack at home.
When I finish my coffee we walk down the stone steps to the marina. This time, we go into each of the shops and look around at the various items for sale. It’s for the best we don’t have any money because we would spend way too much buying tourist items for our family. Even though we aren’t buying anything, Leah thinks it will be fun to get silly and try on the various T-shirts, scarves, and fedoras that are on display.
It is a hot day, the sun beating down, warming the skin. Tourists are wearing big floppy hats and sunglasses. I kick myself for leaving mine in the room.
Leah and I make it the dock of the marina promptly at twelve o’clock and follow the instructions on the note as to where we should meet our boat.
Even if we didn’t have instructions we would have been able to figure out where we needed to go quickly. Amongst the older sailboats and motorboats is a very modern speedboat of black and silver, standing out like a supermodel in an old-age home. There is no ignoring the sleekness, newness, and absolute beauty of the boat. It looks like a bullet with its long, curved bow and is accented with see-through black glass and chrome.
The boat Devon drove yesterday was really nice but this piece of nautical transportation is down right sexy.
Sexy.
Sexy.
Sexy.
And I am no longer talking about the boat.
Leah must have the same reaction because she gasps out loud, and grabs my arm. We both halt as a man appears, climbing up from the inside cabin. He has on a black crew-neck shirt and light gray shorts. His blond hair is perfectly styled back, accenting the prominent cheekbones and square jaw of his face.
His arms flex out as he reaches around the captain’s chair and checks the instruments on the dashboard. His back muscles come into full view through the thin material of his shirt and I get an eyeful of something I hadn’t seen yesterday. A perfectly defined ass.
He turns around just in time to see Leah and I gawking at him. My only saving grace is he wearing dark sunglasses that cover those golden eyes.
Leah turns her back to the boat and stands so close to me her shoulder rubs against mine. Leaning into my ear she asks, “Is that the guy you met yesterday?”
I nod my head yes.
“The one who was mad you were in the music room?”
I nod my head yes, again.
“And yesterday was the first time you ever saw him?”
I nod my head yes, again, even though it’s a ridiculous question.
The bow of her mouth puckers out and she looks down as if trying to work something out. She opens her mouth and then closes it again before looking at me. It’s for the briefest of moments, yet it feels like she’s studying me for an eternity.
“Okay, then.” With a nod, Leah turns around and faces the boat, pulling my hand up to the stern. “Hello! I’m Leah.”
Asher steps forward and meets us by the back of the boat. He gives Leah a polite nod and then turns his face toward me. I can feel his gaze drilling me through those damned glasses.
“Emma, pleasure to see you again.” His full lips are curved up on the side.
Leah looks at me, and then Asher, before giving me a nudge on my lower back. “After you, sis.”
My body jerks slightly forward. Asher holds out a hand and I take it as I cautiously move my feet from the stone dock to the boat. I do not want any sort of mishap as I had yesterday.
His large hand holds onto mine, steady, as I climb on board. Sensing my unease, Asher pulls me toward him until I am flush to his front and wraps a hand around my waist. My body reacts in a non-lady like way to the hardness of his chest. I back away quickly and take a seat on the white cushion of the seating area of the boat.
When I am safely in place, Asher turns back to the stern and offers a hand to Leah. She puts out her hand and then quickly retrieves it before grabbing her stomach.
“Oh no.” She grumbles, bending over slightly.
I swivel my body around in my seat. “What’s the matter?”
“I feel sick. I can’t go.” Her hand rubs her tummy and her cheeks sallow in.
“Let’s go back to the hotel.” I rise from my seat but Leah puts her hand up in the air.
“No!” She exclaims, then retrieves her sickly composure. “No, please. You enjoy the ride. Devon went through a lot of trouble and I’d hate to waste it.” She turns to Asher, “Please, take care of my sister.”
If the sun weren’t glaring in my direction, I could swear she winked at him.
Asher smiles at Leah and I think my heart just leapt out of my chest. Damn, the man has a great smile.
Before I have a chance to catch my thoughts and become a rational human being, Asher has the boat started and we are driving away from the dock. I turn to face Leah—she’s waving a bon voyage from the dock and grinning from ear to ear.
I stare back at her as the denim devil gets smaller and smaller.
There is no way she knew Asher was going to be here. One look at him and she goes from needing to be on her next adventure to throwing me to the wolves.
Or in this case a golden god.
What is up with that? I mean, seriously, what is wrong with her? For three days she guilt trips me into doing whatever she wants. I have to get out of bed because I’m ruining her honeymoon. I have to go on Devon’s yacht because I lost our passports. Today, I’m on this boat ride because we have no m
oney and it’s all my fault.
For someone who is so worried about me, she certainly has no respect for what I want to do.
Sitting here is definitely not where I want to be. Leah wanted to be here. But why isn’t she here? Because of the supernatural being driving the boat. She thinks it’s what I need. Like meeting a guy and getting some action on vacation is going to change the course of my year.
Well, it’s not. Nothing is going to change what’s been done.
Not even the gorgeousness of his taut physique staring me in the face.
Like I’d even. I was with the same guy for four years. I can count on my hand the amount of boyfriends I’ve had and I’d still have room for more. I don’t do random hookups and certainly not with men in foreign countries.
“You can sit up here if you’d like,” Asher calls out over the sound of the engine. The boat isn’t going very fast, since we’re close to the marina, but it’s loud enough he has to speak up and out over it.
An uneasy feeling settles over my stomach. I am not ready to be charming and conversational. With my sister, it’s easy. She knows everything about me. But with a stranger, it’s uncomfortable.
The last time I had a conversation with Asher I was a blubbering mess. Not because of his hotness—that sort of thing doesn’t make me all wobbly like it does some girls. No, I hated being caught in my most vulnerable state.
I stand up and carefully move over to the first mate seat on Asher’s left. I am relieved when I make it the short distance without going overboard.
There is a large space between us as the door to the cabin below is in the middle. I slide up the seat and settle in for the ride. There is less wind in this seat, as the black glass surrounding the area blocks the breeze, yet I know when we really start to move I’m going to be very happy I wore my hair up today.
I look over at Asher. His face is set sternly. There is no glimpse of the smile he gave Leah. I bet he’s pissed he has to spend the afternoon with me. I know he’s only here because his boss told him to take us out.
Reckless Abandon Page 5
