“You’re far sweeter than I expected, Katie. I was a jerk yesterday, and you let me make it up to you.” He winked at her, and her face heated. She hoped she hadn’t blushed, and glanced away.
They went to their room and retrieved their bag.
Daniel carried her stuff for her, but she insisted she’d handle the wheeled bag.
They returned back to the first floor to check out. The elevator dinged. Her gaze immediately spotted two men in suits in the lobby.
Her heart raced, and she stepped closer to Daniel. She took a deep breath, then stared for a second time to be sure. Her stomach rolled. Her father’s servants. They had to be the ones who’d sent that message with a dog.
She grabbed Daniel’s arm and held him close. He stopped. “Are you okay?”
She let his arm go. She wouldn’t depend on Daniel. She’d not tell him. She’d get the information from the Grand Cayman bank to the FBI to clear her name. Somehow, she’d have to lose those men. “Sorry. I felt lightheaded.”
He stared into her eyes, and a thrill raced in her heart. He checked her pulse to see if she was okay. She shook her head, “I’m fine now.”
He nodded then picked up the bags. “You ready, Katie?”
The men hadn’t recognized her. She turned around and stared at Daniel. He’d be a good cover. She nodded and took his arm. His dark eyes stared at her, and she winked back. She’d play the part of his girlfriend till they went outside. With luck, the men would ignore them. She hoped they read the news. No decent man would ever be seen with her anyhow. “Sweetheart, I’ll follow you anywhere.”
“Sweetheart?” He kept a fast pace to the front desk. “When did we get that close?”
“Please help me get out of here.” She leaned closer to him. “Pretend to be my date for the thirty seconds it takes to get out.”
Without a question, he nodded and then his hand went around her waist. “Thirty seconds.”
She smelled him. Her mouth savored the flavor of pine, almonds, and ocean. “Do you live near the ocean all the time?”
“I grew up on the Cape.”
His accent was New England, so he must have meant Cape Cod. He handed the cards to the front desk clerk. The clerk handed him papers, and Daniel read. She stood in his arms. Daniel then handed the papers back. “No. We should only have one bill. Her room was violated.”
“Yes, sir.” The clerk typed in his computer, and she held her breath. Her heart beat more erratically, but so far no one stared at her.
“Let’s go, sweetheart.” She kept her voice low, and reached for the cards. “My accountant will sort out the bills later.”
He nodded, but the clerk answered, “Here. I’m printing the correction now. No need to call later.”
Daniel nodded and stood there. Her heart raced. Did someone see her? She stayed on Daniel to avoid the men.
Her heart raced, but she peaked over his shoulder. The men moved to the other side of the lobby, closer to the elevators.
Her sister now stood near the door to the exit.
Not good. Daniel then turned and directed them out. She moved closer to him, and hoped to avoid Stephanie.
She licked her lips and gazed at her sister’s feet. They passed her sister and her fiancé in the lobby, and almost made it to the door. Kate’s spine tingled. She owed Daniel. She gazed up into his eyes, and whispered, “Save your cousin from my sister. Stop the wedding.”
“What, Kate?” Stephanie shouted, and everyone stared at her.
Kate swallowed as the two men turned toward them. She should have kept her mouth shut.
Stephanie’s rant continued. “Lying about me to your new boy-toy?”
Kate bit her lower lip. This was her fault. Then fire burst into her limbs, and she shook. She stepped away from Daniel, placed her hand on her hip, and shrugged. “It’s a fact. You are using Eric.”
Stephanie’s hand flew fast, but Kate had expected the attempt. She stepped back and blocked the slap. She took a loud breath then told her, “Stephanie, I can call the police now.”
She made a ‘shh’ sound. “For what?”
“Assault.” Kate leaned closer. “That would stop this farce.”
“Sweetheart.” Daniel came closer, and her temper dissipated. “I wasn’t expecting that one. Let’s get in the cab.”
She had to get to the Grand Cayman. Who her sister ruined shouldn’t matter. She rocked on her feet, took his offered hand, and followed. He led her to the door. “Okay. I’ll behave.”
Daniel held her bag and her until a taxi came. Kate stayed close, but her gaze stayed glued on her sister inside. Stephanie curtailed it back to Eric and moaned, “She goaded me.”
Kate read her lips and shook her head.
The press all snapped pictures.
Lights flashed at them too. Daniel covered Kate from the crowd, and directed them. Kate’s high heels clattered on the sidewalk, but he kept the pace fast toward the yellow taxis. She stumbled on a rock, and his hand helped steady her. “Let’s move, before we all do things we regret.”
More photographers snapped pictures, and she hid in his shoulder. Daniel smelled earthy mixed with the salt water. She licked her lips.
At the closest cab, he tore open the door, and helped her inside. He closed her door and the flashes stopped. Kate rubbed the temples on her forehead. He’d go around.
She saw his shoulders in the window. Sexy and protective. She glanced at her shoes and decided to get the stone out. He’d be here any second. She tugged off her heel and found the tiny rock. Then the taxi took off without him inside. She fell forward. Her gaze flew to the other door. His hand had been on the door handle. Then she stared at the driver. “Stop. You forgot my friend.”
“No Ingles.”
Liar. Kate held her tongue.
“Wait. Halt.” Kate knew she should have taken Spanish in school, not French. She crossed her arms and lied. “No mucho dinero.”
The man slammed on the brakes. She tumbled forward.
The door opened, and Daniel jumped inside. She then told the driver, “Mucho Dinero.”
The man sped back up. She almost bumped her head on the plastic wall between the backseat and the front. Kate suspected the man worked for her father or her sister to stop her from getting to the wedding, until now. How much was a lot to pay the man?
Kate turned around and gazed back at her father’s men.
They hopped into the cab behind her. Her heartbeat became erratic. Were they on the cruise?
She held her hard-as-a-rock stomach.
Daniel asked, “Katie, are you okay?”
She nodded. Daniel was a good guy, but he deserved to stay out of her troubles. In a few days, she’d have the bank statements. She’d turn them into her contacts at the port. Until then, she had no right to involve any innocent guy in her life. “Don’t worry.”
“Let me see your head.” He stared down at her.
She lowered her gaze. She hadn’t met a caring man in years. She smiled to the ground. “I’m fine. Looking forward to the cruise.”
She gazed back up, and he sat back. “You’re fine.”
She laughed. “Is that your medical opinion?”
“Yeah.”
She sighed. “You’re right. Everything will be fine.”
He tilted his chin. “Why? Do you and your sister make up in the end of all this?”
“No.” She shook her head then stared with a blank expression. “Stephanie is using your cousin. Our father is in jail for embezzlement. She needs a meal ticket, and Eric is the prized fool.”
“Not our business, Kate.” Daniel shrugged. Her neck heated a bit. “They are legally adults.”
“He hadn’t met Steph.” She sighed and shook her head. “You’re right. It’s not my business. I just wanted to help your family.”
“Katie, I believe you.” Daniel lowered his arms to his sides. “There is nothing we can do but watch. It’s their choice, and Eric knows about your father.”
He was right. Stephanie annoyed her, but Kate came on this trip for the bank. “I won’t say another word.”
“Was that all you were trying to say last night at the bar?”
She nodded.
He shrugged. “It’s better to let someone have their say, then let it end. You’d have made friends with my brothers.”
“Spoken like a man and not my sister.” Kate shivered, and he massaged her shoulder. She never made friends. She swallowed. His protection would go away when she left. The taxi turned into the port, and she spotted lines of ships. She smiled as she recognized the name of their ship. “That must be ours, the third one in on the right.”
Both of them stared at the white luxury cruise ship.
The only purpose of the trip was to bring her closer to clearing her name. So why did Daniel’s smile make her weak at the knees?
But she had no time to appreciate any assets on a man.
The cab jerked to a stop at the door, and she lunged forward. Daniel reached out and held her in place.
The brush of his skin on hers left her skin all tingling.
She brushed her hair behind her face. Daniel scooted out then offered his hand to help her. She shook her head, and opened her own door, steeling her legs not to be weak.
Daniel went to the back and gathered their luggage with the driver.
She snapped her hands on the side and tried to wait in patience. The sun beat down on her, and the heat wasn’t the only thing that was hot.
Daniel carried her bags and his. She followed him to the door, then rolled her arms. She took her wheeled bag from his grip, and he let go. A moment later, he held open the door for her.
The line to get through check-in was endless. She stared at the crowd, but saw no recognizable faces. She stayed close to Daniel.
Their turn came and they went to the counter.
Daniel joked, “Can’t get rid of me on this big ship.”
“I think we’ll manage.” She smiled and signed a paper.
Then she glanced down at his room number. It matched hers. She stared at the numbers on both the plastic keys. No. Impossible.
Her mouth fell open. Was this a set-up? She scratched her chin. “There is a mistake. I booked my own cabin.”
“Ms. Sparrow,” the woman behind the counter said.
Daniel stared wide-eyed at his registration.
The attendant typed in her computer then continued, “Initially, yes, you booked your own cabin, but we have it here that you called and cancelled your room. As you arrived with Mr. Collins, I added you as his guest. He booked his own cabin. Was I not right?”
“What?” Daniel’s voice rose a bit, and she had goose bumps on her arms.
Kate shook her head. “There is a mistake.”
Daniel leaned closer to the counter. “Please fix this.”
Kate dropped her bag in between them. “I never cancelled my room. I paid.”
The attendant shrugged. “The money was refunded to an account with the last four digits 7925.”
Her account. She crossed her arms. “Please, I need my own room.”
“Unfortunately, we have no more cabins available at this time,” the clerk said. “We have sold out. Do you wish for me to rebook you for a later cruise?”
“Her sister’s getting married on this one.” Daniel rocked on his feet. She elbowed him and raised her eyebrows. He ran his hand through his hair. “Kate, do you want to room together again?”
“How . . .?” Kate took a breath. At least she knew he was respectful. If she rebooked, she’d have no cover story for her trip. “Yeah, okay. I’ll room with Daniel again if he’s okay with it.”
He nodded and the attendant took their pictures.
A minute later, she glanced at the screen in front of her. She looked like a she-devil in that picture, but she didn’t care. Let the press go and steal that picture too. Right now, she’d follow through.
They walked away from the station and toward the stairs that led upstairs to the gangway.
Kate spotted her sister in the line. Great. Kate cracked her knuckles. Her sister sounded like her on the phone.
She took a step closer. Daniel took her clutched hand and dragged her away. She shook him off. “She probably called and cancelled my room.”
He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. Let it go.”
“I need a few minutes to cool down.”
She stomped through the metal detectors and stormed down the hall.
Daniel stayed on her heels but never said a word.
She stopped short at the photographer. Daniel caught up. She stared at the cameras ready to snap photos off happy vacationers.
She covered her face and tried to run and avoid the cameras.
The crewmember jumped up and stood in the hallway. “You and your husband, please smile in the camera.”
Her husband? Right? Kate bit her tongue to not lash out in public. The press would have yet another field day. She pasted a smile on her face, stood next to Daniel, and heard his steady heart beat.
“Say cheese.”
At the last moment, Kate turned into him for the picture. She’d give him and anyone else who saw the picture something exciting. She hopped into his arms and kissed him.
Firework exploded inside her.
Her lips met his, and then her body melted into his. She held on to him longer than the second for the picture.
His mouth on hers gave her a sense of belonging. She lost all control for a precious moment.
“Please. I need to move onto the next couple.”
Kate became hyper aware of everything. The photographer tapped Daniel on the shoulder to get him to move. She stepped back and covered her mouth.
He carried her bag still. She walked next to him. “What was that for?”
She straightened her shoulders then told him, “I have a reputation to keep for the week.”
She pushed ahead. Her face was heated. The second she stepped foot on the ship, she refused to go to her room. She’d face him later, when she could breathe.
Chapter 8
Kate’s heart plummeted. She had run too far. Her heels clamoring on the metal boat and her heels swelled. She needed to soak her feet and change into sneakers. Dressing up had been stupid. Why had she done it?
She ran her hands through her hair. Daniel was no longer with her, but she held their room key. Had she been pretty for him?
She walked slower now. On the promenade nothing was open yet. The ship hadn’t left port. She found a seat at the unopened bar and rested her head on the wall behind her. What had happened to her? She hadn’t been attracted to a man in a while.
Her sister would call to cancel the reservation, but she hadn’t counted on his kindness. The Sparrow sisters never offered pleasantries with others and never expected it in return. She swallowed, and tried to stop her racing thoughts.
Her mother had once been sweet.
She brushed her arms, and stood. Steph had done this, but Kate stayed anyhow. Steph had sabotaged her friendships in the past, and she’d try soon with Daniel.
Kate sighed. She’d apologize to him later. Or did she warn him?
At peace with herself, she walked upstairs to the open-for-lunch café and found a soft-serve ice-cream machine. She found the bowl and served herself.
Ice cream was always a cure.
The savory coldness mixed with her warm body, and the solid turned to liquid in her mouth. She licked her lips and tasted vanilla. Good.
She took another bite. She’d have to eat fast, before it melted away in the heat. Kate’s gaze ran through the room, and she searched for a table. She followed her instincts and continued to spoon down her ice cream. She scrolled further down. Most seats had families in them already, but she spotted a couple leaving and ran to get the table.
Success.
Yet the bitterness in her mouth only dissipated with the ice cream. In a few days, she’d find freedom again. She lowered her gaze, took a bite, and let the ice c
ream melt on her tongue. The coldness created new, more pleasant shivers inside her. She dug for another bite, then gazed at the room. Families, couples, and groups of senior citizens sat near each other and they seemed happy.
Borrowing the Doctor (The Collins Brothers Book 2) Page 5
