by Wood, Vivian
I smile, but I don’t feel happy. “I’m fine, as you can see.”
Malkia closes the door behind herself and comes over to where I’m sitting in my living room. She takes one look at the keepsakes box in front of me and sighs.
“Not the box again.” She scrunches up her face. “What triggered this? Huh? You have been letting Michelle go, I thought…”
I sit back, appraising my sister. “Today was supposed to be our wedding day.”
A wrinkle of concern appears in Mal’s brow. “Oh.” She tilts her head at me. “I am sorry, Gabriel.”
I shrug, not knowing what to say. Mal heaves a sigh, looking around the apartment. “It is not too early for a drink, right?”
I jerk my head toward the tiny kitchen. “Whiskey’s in the cabinet above the sink.”
She tosses her keys on the counter on her way to grab the whiskey and a couple of glasses. Then she returns with all of it and plunks down beside me on the couch.
Pouring two drams of whiskey, she hands me one of the tumblers and then takes a sip. She makes a small sound of satisfaction after she swallows it. Then she turns to me.
“So what’s going on inside that head of yours?”
I sigh, looking up at the ceiling. “The same things as usual. I’m angry at Michelle. I think about what happened and I just feel…” My fists clench. “Useless, I guess. Like I could have maybe stopped her from… from erasing our whole life together, if only she had confided in me…”
Mal looks at me, her expression carefully neutral. “You know that you were not responsible for her wanting to die. We have talked about this ad nauseam.”
I shoot her a glare. “You came here, asking what I’m feeling. That’s what I’m feeling.”
She nods. “You are right. It is just hard to watch you have the same thoughts and the same fears as you did when Michelle died. I thought—” She pauses, smirking down into her glass of whiskey. “I thought you were content. I thought you had found someone else to fill that void.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “What?”
Malkia rolls her eyes at me. “Luna. I thought you two were getting along pretty well. I mean… she slept in your cabin for almost the last ten days we were on the yacht.”
I shift, clearing my throat. My ears feel hot. “You knew about that, huh?”
“Mm. We were supposed to be sharing one set of bunk beds. So yeah, I knew.”
“Yeah, well. She’s been off the last couple of days too. I’m starting to think that we don’t work off the boat.”
Mal gives me a surprised look. “Why?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. Just a feeling.”
She is quiet for a moment, then she checks her phone.
“Don’t let me keep you here,” I say flatly. “Seriously, I’m in the worst mood.”
She shoots the last bit of whiskey in her glass, then looks at me. “I have a date. But let me give you a little advice, brother. Luna makes you happy. I have seen it. So why you do not just relax into that, I do not know.”
I roll my eyes at her. “Go on your date. I’ll be fine.”
“I am coming back tomorrow morning if you don’t turn your phone on,” she warns.
My gaze shifts to the phone, still slumped just where I threw it earlier. Mal doesn’t need to know about my temper tantrum, though. I shrug.
“Sure.”
She gives me a quick hug, then lets herself out of my apartment. I’m left with a glass of whiskey and a lot of inner turmoil… which somehow morphs into a lot of anger and five refills from the bottle.
When Luna shows up, I’m halfway to drunk. She knocks for a minute and then opens the unlocked door, frowning as she enters.
“Gabe?” She looks around and spots me, still sitting on the couch. “Oh. You’re okay. I got worried when I texted and you didn’t answer.”
I look at her, wrinkling my nose. “Well, here I am.”
She nods, sitting down beside me. Her gaze slides to the box of keepsakes on the coffee table. “What’s all this?”
I sit up, pouring myself more whiskey. “Don’t worry about it. It’s got nothing to do with you.’
Her eyes narrow. “Are you drunk?”
I shrug. “Maybe. Can’t a man have a few drinks in his own apartment?”
She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, okay…”
I take a big gulp from my tumbler, looking at her. “Where have you been?”
She flushes and ducks her head. “Cate asked me to hang out with her, so we had brunch.” She looks at me out of the corner of her eye. “Maybe you should take a shower or something, Gabe. You look pretty disheveled.”
I lean closer to her, pinning her with my gaze. “Don’t worry about me. What about you?”
She frowns and looks at her white pencil dress. “What? I just got dressed a couple of hours ago…”
I go in for the kill. “Why have you been weird the last couple of days?”
Her blue gaze jumps up to my face. Her face reddens. “I didn’t know that you had even picked up on that.”
Cocking my head to the side, I study her. “I did.”
She brushes back a strand of her blonde hair. “I’ve just been distracted by some med school stuff. It’s really no big deal.”
From her blush and the way she looks away just as she is about to speak, I can tell that there is something off about what she’s saying. But I can’t put my finger on it exactly.
She looks out the window, her throat working. My brow descends.
Luna changes the subject. “How do you feel about attending another gala with me this weekend? This time it would be raising money for childhood cancer…”
I squint at her. Was she telling the truth? It’s impossible to know. But the fact that I have to ask niggles around in my brain, bothering me. I sit back with a sigh, not trusting her but not really trusting myself either.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Luna
In the early morning, we have the steamiest sex we have ever had. Almost silent, full of unspoken anger, every moment brutally executed. When I come, it’s so swift and so overwhelming that I’m nearly in tears.
Gabe is uninterested in comforting me afterward, though. He gets dressed as soon as we are through, mumbling about how he has to get down to the docks.
I squint at him from underneath the blankets. “The regatta is today, isn’t it?”
He shoots me a look. “Yes. Your presence wouldn’t be unwelcome.”
He pulls on his shoes, still seeming to brood. I don’t quite know what to say to him, but I know that something is wrong.
“Gabe,” I say softly.
He looks up at me, his face lined. He looks like he hasn’t slept in weeks. He releases a silent sigh. “What?”
“Is everything okay with you? I know I’ve been wrapped up in my own stuff, but…”
“It’s fine,” he says, cutting me off.
“It doesn’t seem fine.” I cross my arms. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to be fixing, though.”
A cruel smile appears on his lips. “Isn’t that always the problem?”
“I don’t understand,” I say, shaking my head. “The sex we just had has literally never been hotter but things between us seem to be disintegrating.”
Gabe frowns at that. “Maybe it’s just the natural way of things. Maybe we have run our course together.”
I sit up, my eyes widening. “What? What do you mean?”
He just shrugs. “I don’t know. It’s just… when this thing between us started, I never intended for it to last even as long as it has. I mean, we still have to go out on the boat together two more times… Maybe it would be better if we just stopped sleeping together now, before…”
He trails off, looking away. His expression is unreadable and that makes a flare of anger rise in my chest.
Rising from the bed, I wrap the sheet around myself. I’m shaking a little as I confront him. “Gabe, please don’t say things you don’t mean.”
He scowls at the floor. “Who says I don’t mean them?”
He won’t look at me. But I’m determined. I get right up in his face. “You’re telling me that you don’t feel anything for me?”
He shakes his head. “No. I’m not. But…” He glances up at me, guilt written plainly across his face. “Is it enough?”
I can feel myself growing agitated. “Enough for what?”
Gabe shoots me a glare. “You know exactly what I mean, Luna. Are the things we feel enough for more than just a hookup?”
“We have carried on this long,” I say, flailing my hand out. “It depends on what you mean. Are we going to get married tomorrow? Or maybe we start smaller, hmm? Maybe we start with you admitting that I’m more than just your… your employee!”
He pins me with his gaze. “As opposed to what? My girlfriend?”
“Would that really be so bad?”
His jaw tenses. “You don’t understand.”
“Please, Gabe. I’m right here. Explain it to me.”
He’s quiet for almost a full minute, glancing at me. His expression is so dark and his brow so lowered that he looks absolutely primal.
In fact, if this wasn’t probably our last fight ever, I would drop my sheet and get on my knees for him.
“All women are liars,” he says at last. “You don’t know what you want. And when you do, you can’t be honest about it.”
“What? What are you talking about?” My voice rises.
“Women lie. Michelle lied to me. Malkia does it too, but we’re family. And you… I don’t even know what you’re lying about, but if I mention your issues you’ve been having with med school…”
In an instant, I’m the color of a beet.
“See!” he says, scowling at me. “What is it? Do you owe someone money? Do you have another guy that you’re stringing along now that we’re back on land?”
I shake my head. “It’s nothing like that. I swear.”
“But there is something, isn’t there?” He huffs out a laugh. “Yeah, of course there is. And that’s just one reason why we could never work.”
“And just what are the other reasons?” I cock my hip.
“I’m poor, you’re rich. I’m level headed, you’re flighty. I’m worried about how I’m going to push my family company through the next few months. You’re worried about whatever fanciful thing pops into your head.”
I scowl at him. “So what? You’ve never heard that opposites attract?”
He looks sorrowful for a split second. “Not people who are as different as we are.”
I shake my head slowly. “I dare you to kiss me, then say that what you feel isn’t enough.”
The hollows in his face become more pronounced. “Luna…”
I step up to him, cupping his face in one hand. “Do it,” I whisper. “Kiss me. Then tell me you don’t want to see me anymore.”
Emotions run riot across his handsome face. His eyes rake over my expression, perhaps probing for signs of deception.
Then he lowers his face to mine and places a single, searingly hot kiss on my lips. It brands me, marks me as his.
More than that, it makes my heart swell and rise. I kiss him back with every ounce of passion I’ve ever felt in his arms. He groans, his hand coming to cradle the back of my head.
When I pull back, Gabe makes a frustrated sound.
“What if I don’t want to let you go?” he whispers, his gaze locked to mine. “What if that’s what I feel?”
I push up on my tiptoes, kissing him again. Then I whisper my answer against his lips. “You don’t have to. This thing between us… it’s real. It’s solid.” I swallow, my eyes misting over as I gaze into his blue green depths. “It’s going to keep growing, if we’ll just make space for it.”
He leans his forehead against mine. “How do you know?”
“I just do. It just… it feels infinite, doesn’t it?”
He nods slowly, not breaking eye contact. “Yes. But I’ve been fooled by this feeling before.”
I feel around for his hand, then squeeze it tightly. “You’re going to have to make a leap. Call it faith, if you want. But to get something so rewarding, you have to take a risk.” I bite my lip. “You have to trust me. Do you think you can do that?”
Gabe takes a breath, then squeezes my hand back. “Okay, Luna. I will. I’ll trust you.”
Dropping his hand, I wrap both my arms around his neck and kiss him passionately.
He’s stubborn and distrustful, hard-headed and skeptical of even the most loyal people in his life.
But now, today?
He’s mine.
Gabe scoops me up and walks back to the bed, falling onto it with me still in his arms. We make love for what I think might be the first time…
He takes his time, kisses every inch of my body, sips from my sultry moans, drives his body into mine until we both shatter, so high on each other that we might never come down.
Chapter Thirty
Gabe
It’s tough to think about the regatta, even as I stand on the yacht slip, double checking everything. I stand on my tiptoes and try to count the tie downs on this side of the boat.
But my mind is with Luna. I turn and look for her for the hundredth time this morning. In the regatta crowd, she blends in seamlessly. But I see her at the last moment before I turn my head.
Wearing an airy white dress, with her hair braided in a delicate twist, she looks every inch the goddess that she is. My stomach lurches a little when I see her.
I spin back around. It’s no wonder I’m fucking distracted today. I just… I’ve worked so hard to get this moment, this chance.
If I can just focus for a few hours it will all be worth it.
Fletcher Montgomery comes strolling up the dock toward me, hands stuck in his pockets, a stupid shit eating grin on his face. His hair is slicked back, his white polo still bearing iron marks. Instantly, I want to knock those expensive sunglasses off his stupid smirking face.
He barks a laugh when he looks up at my yacht. “This is what you’re competing with today? Pathetic.”
“Get the fuck away from here, Fletcher. Shouldn’t you be worried about your own yacht?”
He gives me a pitying look. “Are you serious? I have the best equipment that money can buy. I don’t have to worry about anything, frankly.”
I grit my teeth, moving away. “And yet… you’re down here. Why is that, Fletch? Is it because you can guess that Malkia has the race course route in the pilothouse at this very moment?”
His eyes tighten, his smile slips a bit. “No.”
Shaking my head, I head toward the gangplank. “May the best yacht win, you fucking piece of shit.”
He starts walking backward. “That language really just serves to remind me and everyone else of how we’re all leagues ahead of you. See you at the finish line!”
I glare at him, hoping the heel of his boat shoe will catch the rough wood of the dock and he’ll trip. But he just turns and runs off down the dock, leaving me alone to mutter to myself.
“Gabriel!” Mal shouts from the pilothouse door. “Oh my god. Gabriel!”
Climbing about, I make it up to the pilothouse in record time. “What?”
Mal looks distinctly green around the gills. “I feel horrible. I think I had some bad sushi last night.”
I wrinkle my nose. “You’re not going to be sick, are you?”
She wipes sweat from her brow. “I don’t think I can race, Gabe. I should definitely…” She pauses, holding up a finger. I cut her off.
“Get off the friggin boat, Mal. Get some fluids too.” As she catapults herself down the steps, I follow her out. What am I going to do without a co-pilot? I can steer all right, but Mal plays an essential part in navigating.
Plus, is a one person team even allowed?
“Call Luna!” Mal shouts as she exits the boat. Two seconds later, I hear Mal gag before she hauls her ass up the docks.
Fuck. I guess Luna i
s my best shot. I text her explaining what just happened and hope for the best. Three minutes later, I watch her running down the docks toward my yacht at a breakneck pace.
She climbs on board, a little breathless. She lifts her doctor’s bag. “I’m here! Where’s Mal?”
I shake my head. “Gone. I need you to navigate the race.”
She looks confused. “What now?”
“Come on. I need you to plug numbers into the digital GPS system.” I hold out my hand, waiting. Luna looks at me with wide eyes, fitting her smaller hand into mine.
“Okay,” she says, smiling tentatively.
“Alright. It’s almost race time. So here is the map…” I hand her the big piece of paper. Then I tap the GPS screen and the joystick beneath it. “And this is the place where you plug in the coordinates. Does that make sense?”
Her brow furrows as she bends down to jiggle the joystick. “Ah. Okay.” She studies the map briefly. Thank god that Malkia annotated her map with all kinds of information.
I clear my throat after a minute. “Do you have the first set of coordinates plugged in?”
She turns to me with a sly smile. “Aye aye, captain.”
“I’m trusting you, Luna. You navigate, I sail the fucking boat.”
She gives me the biggest, most hopeful smile. “Sounds like a plan.”
I start the engine and raise the anchor. “Ready?”
Luna nods, hanging out to my right. “Whenever you are.”
I blow out a breath. “I’m ready.”
Pulling the yacht out of the slip, I join twelve other boats who are heading out to the starting line. I don’t recognize the people who are crewing the yacht to my left, but Fletcher is on my right. He gives me that same shit eating grin, the one that makes me wish I was just a little less civilized. I would gladly trounce him.
When I see the look on Luna’s face as she sees Fletcher though… I scowl.
“How do you know Fletcher?” I ask.
“Who, him?” she asks, her gaze flitting back to me. She still looks like she’s just seen a ghost. “Dr. Montgomery teaches at my school.”
