“Bet we can make you happier,” Thomas said, a smile tweaking at the corners of his lips.
She narrowed her eyes. “Yeah? You reckon?”
“Actually, I know.”
He probably did, but she couldn’t help goading him, “Go on…”
“Breakfast’s on board, ready to be cooked. Full English—the works.”
At that, Mia moved so fast that Elias and Alex stumbled a little as she dragged them along after her, still clutching their hands. She’d already been hungry, but the mere thought of a full English breakfast had her stomach rumbling and her mouth watering. It was hardly a healthy meal, but it was her birthday, and she was sure she’d find some way to burn off the extra calories. She paused at the end of the gangplank, let go of Elias and Alex, and turned around.
“Go on,” Elias urged, jerking a thumb at the craft, “ladies first.”
She frowned, hesitant, not sure of the etiquette. “I don’t have to… wait for the captain or anything?”
Elias shook his head. “No, you don’t have to wait for anyone, darling.”
Mia bounced on the spot, then said, “Okay,” before turning and boarding the yacht. It was only once she stood on deck that she realised the full scale of it. It really was huge, with three decks. She glanced over her shoulder to see the others following, then turned excitedly back to her exploration. There was everything one could possibly need from a yacht—sun deck, jacuzzi, dive deck, sun loungers, a fully kitted-out kitchen, two stunning bedrooms with en suites—which told her they wouldn’t be sleeping over. No way were five of them going to share two bedrooms, no matter how large and luxurious. Plus Thomas hadn’t told her to bring an overnight bag.
After she’d had a good look around, she went up to the top deck to check out the view. Their island paradise was postcard perfect, emphasised by the bright blue of the sky and the brilliant sunshine. The sea was calm, rolling rhythmically with only the occasional tiny flash of white foam at the crest of a wave—ideal sailing conditions, in other words. That was pure luck—even with all their skills, contacts and cash, her men couldn’t control the weather.
Thomas appeared at her side and slipped his arm around her waist, then pulled her flush against him. He pressed a lingering kiss to her head, then said into her hair, “Happy?”
She turned to him. “Are you seriously asking me that? I can’t put into words how amazing this is, I really can’t. I feel so…” unexpected tears sprang into her eyes and she hurriedly blinked them away, “spoilt. Thoroughly spoilt.”
“That was the idea,” came Arjun’s voice.
Mia spun to face him, as well as Elias and Alex, who were behind him.
“He’s right,” Alex said, a softness in his eyes. “It’s your birthday. We want to spoil you. Give you a wonderful day, lavish you with experiences and attention—all the good stuff you deserve.”
“And that,” Elias put in, “includes a delicious breakfast, courtesy of yours truly and my commis chef, who is…” He pointed the index finger of his right hand, then waved it in the air, between Alex and Thomas. “Eeny, meeny, miney, moe…”
Mia chuckled, then said, “You’re not including Arjun? How’s that fair?”
Elias paused, his dimples deepening. “Because, my beautiful wife, Arjun has a much more important task today, so he’s off the hook for cooking duty.”
She frowned. What could be more important than cooking right now? Her stomach rumbled again, as if in agreement. “He does?”
Arjun whipped something out from behind his back and put it on his head. A white hat with a black peak and yellow-gold detailing. Wiggling his eyebrows theatrically, he said, “You, young lady, can call me captain.”
Mia’s mouth dropped open. So we have the yacht to ourselves, then. Even better. Hurriedly getting a grip on her shock, she said, “Bloody hell! You lot really are full of surprises today. So, uh, I don’t mean to be rude, Arjun, but do you know how to drive her, then?”
“I do,” he said on a chuckle. “I have all the relevant qualifications, though it’s not a legal requirement here. Don’t worry—I’ll keep us safe.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” She smiled. “So when on earth did you have time for all the training and testing, or whatever it is you have to do?”
He looked away, then, and directed his gaze at the deck. “Um, well… let’s just say when I first started making big money, it went to my head somewhat and I began splashing out. As well as expensive cars, I bought a yacht. Then I decided it wasn’t enough to own one—I wanted to pilot it, too, so I did some training, and I’ve kept it up to date. I don’t have the yacht anymore as I’ve grown up a bit since then and come to my senses, but my skills are still applicable. I hope.”
“You hope?” Mia squeaked.
Arjun laughed, shaking his head. “I’m teasing you, Mia. I promise you, I know what I’m doing. Now, shall we go and get some breakfast, and then we can get this show on the road. Or should I say on the sea?” He took off the hat and held on to it.
“Come on,” Thomas said, taking her hand. “Let’s not waste any more time. The sooner we eat, the sooner we can start our ocean adventure.” He led her below deck and into the kitchen-diner area, with the others close behind.
The breakfast bar, which was big enough to seat them all, already had five places set. Clearly some of the guys had been on board already this morning, sorting things out. Thomas pulled out a stool and gestured to it. “Would you like to take a seat, my lady?” he said in a mock-posh accent.
She spluttered out a laugh. “Why, thank you, kind sir. I would love to.” She carefully climbed up on to the seat, then took in her surroundings and the activity. The men buzzed around, pulling items from the fridge, removing plates, glasses and bowls from cupboards, pouring drinks… It was frenetic, and should have been chaotic, but somehow they worked smoothly together, each of them taking a task and getting on with it, and not allowing her to lift a finger to help. It was almost like it had been choreographed. Soon the air was filled with the scent of frying food, thanks to Elias, and Alex, who had apparently been chosen to assist him.
Mia sat silently, incredulous at what was going on around her. A cup of tea and glass of juice were placed in front of her, followed by a stack of colourful envelopes. “May as well make a start on those,” Alex said, nudging her lightly with his elbow, “Little Miss Popular.” With that, he kissed her cheek and hurried back to his commis chef position.
Too late, she gave him a dazed smile and a murmur of thanks, then turned her attention to the cards. She did seem to have a lot, but then, when you had a husband and three boyfriends, you were always going to get more birthday cards than someone with just one significant other. After taking a drink of the delicious fresh orange juice she’d been given, she started on the envelopes. They were from the usual suspects; her friends, Betty and James, the tenants on the estate, some of her more frequent business contacts, a handful of relatives from her mother’s side of the family, her father’s friends, and, of course, Thomas—who, much to her amusement, had also included Harry’s name and a skilfully-drawn pawprint—Elias, Alex, and Arjun. Nothing from any of her father’s relatives, but she wasn’t at all surprised by that. They’d probably forgotten all about her existence after leaving her house after the funeral, and that was perfectly fine by her—she hadn’t sent them Christmas or birthday cards, either. She had more than enough people in her life whom she loved and loved her back, so there was simply no need to keep in contact with toxic people or waste any time or thought on them.
Something pierced her chest, sending a shard of agony into her heart as she realised that, although she didn’t care about receiving anything from her living blood relatives on that side of the family, it was the first birthday she’d ever had without a card from her father. Swallowing hard and again blinking rapidly in an attempt to hold back the tears which threatened, she tidied all the cards into a neat stack so they could be taken to her bungalow later and put on display.
As if he’d sensed the way she was feeling, Thomas appeared at her side. Tucking his arm around her shoulders, he leaned down and kissed the top of her head, then murmured into her hair, “First one’s always the worst, remember? You going to be all right, or do you want to go somewhere and talk?”
She sniffed, then shook her head, swallowed again. Thomas’s proximity was dulling the pain, or possibly helping her be strong enough to deal with it. “No, I’ll be fine. You know the drill—keep me busy, keep me distracted, and I’ll keep my shit together.”
“I do know the drill, sweetheart. That’s my girl.” He kissed her head again, then took a step back and looked into her face. “And between us we can definitely keep you busy and distracted today. Make sure you eat plenty—you’re going to need your energy. Not for that!” he added when he took in her raised eyebrows. “Dirty girl. For other… stuff. I can’t say any more, it’ll ruin the surprise and then I’ll be in big trouble with the others.” He held up his hands.
“All right, all right. Keep your secrets.” She gave him a fake glare.
Just then, Elias called out, “Time to eat, folks!”
“Oh, thank God, saved by the bell,” Thomas said, sagging with relief and scurrying off to help load the plates and bring them to the table.
Mia smiled to herself, hardly believing this bizarre scene of domestic—was a yacht’s galley classed as domestic?—bliss was her life now. Would it ever feel real?
She shrugged. Real or not, she was determined to sit back and enjoy herself. They’d worked their arses off to make her birthday special; the least she could do was show her appreciation. If the need to let out some of her grief became too much, she’d lock herself in the bathroom for five minutes and have a cry, and they’d be none the wiser.
Except for Thomas. He always seemed to know when she was upset, no matter how hard she tried to hide it—an uncanny knack that she found endearing and freaky in equal measure. But he’d keep her secret—she could be sure of that.
Chapter Seven
“So, captain,” Mia said, following eagerly as Arjun led her to the cockpit, his hat back on his head, “now we’re sufficiently fed and watered, where are you taking us?”
His full lips twisted into a grin. “To the open sea! Madagascar? Australia? Maybe even India—ooh, you could meet my parents—or Antarctica. Depends if we head north, east, south, or west.”
She gave him a playful smack on the arm, glad he was joking about meeting his parents. Then, as they reached the yacht’s control area and she took in the wheels, levers, buttons, switches and dials, she temporarily forgot what they’d been talking about. She widened her eyes. “Bloody hell. No wonder you thought it’d be a good idea to do a training course. It looks incredibly complicated. I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
Arjun shrugged. “It’s not that bad, really, once you get used to it. You don’t need all of it, all the time.”
“Well, that’s a relief! You’d need a hundred hands.”
“And fifty pairs of eyes.” He slid his sunglasses a little way down his nose and winked. “Forty-nine short, I’m afraid, but I’ll manage.”
“I’ve got every confidence in you, and your sexy eyes. So, are you going to tell me where we’re really going, or are you still keeping it under wraps?”
He smiled and pushed his shades back into place. “Not too far, really. We’re sticking fairly close to our island—maybe doing a loop of our cluster of islands. Basically a lazy, fun day out. We’ll stop somewhere nice for some swimming, have some lunch… whatever. As long as we have Pearl of the Ocean back here for eight p.m., the day is ours.”
“Great! This is amazing. But…” her enthusiasm dimmed as something occurred to her, “what about you? Won’t it be a bit of a chore, stuck here all day, driving the boat? I know she’s beautiful, but it’ll be hard work for you, and tiring. I’ll feel bad about you being here while the rest of us are all relaxing, having fun.”
“Are you serious? Sun on my skin, sea breeze in my hair, stunning views? This isn’t a chore, Mia. Besides,” he reached out and pulled her into his arms, “I’m hoping you’ll keep me company for a short while at least…”
She slipped her arms around his waist and gazed up into his handsome face. Or what little she could see of it beneath the hat and the sunglasses. “I’d be delighted to keep you company. Do you need me to do anything? Help hoist the anchor or whatever?”
Arjun chuckled. “No, you won’t need to do any hoisting—it’s all done mechanically. But thank you for the offer.”
“Oh.” Mia bit her lip as colour rushed to her face. You’re such an idiot. This is a modern luxury yacht, not a century-old schooner. “Sorry, I don’t know much about boats. I’m more of a landlubber.”
“That’s all right. Nobody knows everything about everything. Except Google. What Google doesn’t know isn’t worth knowing.”
They shared a smile. Then, overcome by how sweet he was being about her total cluelessness, Mia stretched up and kissed him. She’d only intended it to be a quick kiss, but found that, once she’d started, she was in absolutely no rush to stop. Arjun didn’t appear to be, either. His hard body and soft lips were intoxicating, and she allowed herself to get lost in their embrace, opening her mouth the moment Arjun’s tongue brushed her lip. Immediately, the heat level ratcheted up to eleven—and that was before taking the sun’s baking rays into consideration.
Mia found herself wondering if anyone would object to a delay in their departure if she and Arjun sneaked off to one of the bedrooms. Actually, why even bother with the bedroom—there was no one outside of their group around to see them if they got down and dirty right here and now. She moaned as sensual thoughts and images invaded her mind, causing Arjun to tighten his grip on her waist and possess her mouth even more roughly.
She’d just shifted her hands down to cup Arjun’s buttocks and pull him harder against her, making his stiff cock painfully apparent as it pressed into her belly, when Thomas called out, “Hey, Arjun—is everything all right, mate? Do you need some help? We’re almost finished with the clean-up in the kitchen and thought we’d be setting sail by no—oh shit, sorry! I didn’t realise you were… busy.”
Mia and Arjun disentangled and turned in the direction of Thomas’s voice. He’d clearly known they were in the cockpit but, not being able to see them from the lower level, had had no idea what they were doing.
Arjun removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair. “No worries. We got… distracted.” He shrugged, then jerked his head towards Mia. “I blame her. She’s a temptress and an enormously bad influence.”
The men chuckled even as Mia spluttered and started to protest her innocence. Then, determined not to rise to their bait any further since it was obvious they were trying to wind her up, she folded her arms and coolly said, “Everything’s fine. Please let the others know we’ll be leaving very soon.” As Thomas turned to go, she stuck her tongue out at him.
He did the same, then winked and left.
Mia rolled her eyes good-naturedly at his departing back, then turned to Arjun. “Well, since we were interrupted, I suppose we should be as good as our word and get a move on.”
Putting his hat back on, he flashed her a grin and said, “Nothing to stop us picking up where we left off later on. We’ve got all day…”
“Sounds good to me,” she replied, grinning back. “But for now, what do you need me to do to help?”
“If you don’t mind, if you could go and unhook the ropes from the moorings and toss them on board, that would be great. I think someone already pulled the gangplank. If you don’t want to do it, I can get one of the others…”
“No, no. I can manage that. I’ll be right back.”
Arjun turned to the control panel and began flipping switches, pulling levers and checking displays. “Can’t wait. See you shortly.” He glanced over his shoulder and fixed her with a serious look. “Be careful. Don’t fall in the water.”
“Aye, aye, captain,” she replied, then giggled. “I’ve always wanted to say that.”
***
It would be quite a bit later on before they got their chance to pick up where they’d left off. They’d enjoyed a leisurely few hours on the ocean before stopping for lunch—a delicious salmon salad, followed by Eton Mess and ice cream, washed down with a splash of crisp white wine—then had continued on. Still nobody would say precisely where they were going, but Mia didn’t believe for a moment that they were travelling completely at random. There was definitely a destination in mind, and for some reason, the men were determined to keep a lid on it.
Mia was lounging on the comfortable leather seating next to the yacht’s controls, staring absently out to sea, the breeze whipping through her hair, when a sudden change in engine tone made her snap her head in Arjun’s direction. “We’re stopping… here?” She took in their surroundings—sea, sea, and more sea, with a speck of land in the far distance. She squinted at it—she had no idea if it was their island or not. As long as Arjun knew, she figured, it didn’t really matter. A glance over the edge of the deck showed the others chilling out below, sunbathing, reading and listening to music.
Arjun gave her a wry look. “I realise I’m not the doctor on board, but could you please trust me?”
“Sorry,” she replied, suitably chastised. He’d been more than competent up until now, so she had no reason whatsoever to doubt him. “What’s… er… the plan, then?”
He turned his attention back to the control panel and responded, “A spot of swimming? Snorkelling, perhaps? Whatever everyone feels like doing.”
“Great.” Then a thought popped into her head. She frowned. “But we don’t have any snorkelling equipment.”
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