The crowd lets out a collective awww, but there’s a playfulness to it, because they know we’re off for a month of sun and fun.
“We’ll be setting sail in the morning to enjoy an extended honeymoon,” Jude tells everyone, “and some of you we may not see for quite some time.”
He takes a moment to nod at a few of our more recent friends. Desmond tips his head in return, as do several other members of my former security team.
“But some of you,” he continues, “will be graced with seeing our faces as early as next week in our first video conference call from our new floating office.”
“We’re already taking bets on the degree of sunburns you’ll have,” Jude’s secretary informs us, which prompts a round of giggles.
“A hundred bucks says Gunner shows up naked to at least one conference call,” one of the department heads yells out, and the gathered crowd bursts into laughter.
Jude spots Agent Roth entering the tent with his girl on his arm, and he motions to the group to settle down before addressing them once more, this time with a proud grin.
“Ladies and gentleman,” Jude bellows. “I’ve heard that congratulations are in order for my former sergeant and his new bride-to-be.”
The tent erupts into applause as the couple makes their way through the crowd, a few of Roth’s FBI acquaintances slapping him on the shoulder. Callie and Cora immediately jump from their seats and rush to his fiancée’s side to inspect the ring.
Roth beams with pride, and his lady is glowing with joy from head to toe. I’m sure they’ll put the bridal suite to good use tonight.
Jude wraps up his speech with a few more comments and a lovely sentimental goodbye. My heart swells with happiness at how well he’s learned to express himself since I first met him.
He still keeps a lot to himself, but he’s no longer so closed off. And he’s become great at public speaking, even when it involves sentimental topics.
I sit down between Trigg and Daniel, crossing my legs and leaning wearily into the seat. “It’s been a long day. I hope you two don’t have much planned for tonight,” I tease.
Daniel feigns disappointment. “Well, if our lady is exhausted, I guess we’ll have to cancel the foot rubs and hot oil treatment.”
“Too bad,” Trigg agrees. “I’ve been watching all sorts of videos on this new deep-tissue massage technique.”
I laugh and give them a sweet smile. I don’t put it beyond them to not be lying about their plans at all. It sounds exactly like the kind of evening they’d arrange — and they knew I’d eat it up.
“Well, don’t let me be too hasty, boys,” I tell them. “I might not be that tired.”
Trigg winks at me. “I thought so.”
“Let’s see how you feel when we get back to the boat,” Daniel says non-committally as he stands up, but that confident glimmer in his eyes tells me he knows he’s got me hooked already.
“I guess we will,” I tell him with a coy grin.
Daniel heads over to congratulate Agent Roth, while Trigg and I turn our attention back to our guests.
I look over the crowd with a sense of blissful satisfaction. I could never have imagined a wedding like this. The guys’ families, and my parents sitting with them, chattering like they’re old friends at a high school reunion. Our closest employees. The men and women who aided in protecting me and taking down BHC. My best friends.
Craning my neck, I get a good look at Zoey — the best of my friends — and more particularly, at the man sitting next to her.
Desmond has been a bit of a surprise.
I’m so used to his no-nonsense, professional demeanor, but he’s really embraced the island atmosphere with a laid-back attitude. As the head of my security detail, he barely smiled once, always in command and stoic. But now, his smile is lighting his features, and those features are most certainly fixed on Zoey right now.
I nudge Trigg, tipping my chin toward Desmond. Trigg looks in his direction and takes in the scene for a moment.
“Well, somebody seems to be enjoying Zoey’s company a lot the last few days,” he says. “What do you think?”
I think he’d be a perfect strong, spiced rum to Zoey’s sweet and spunky attitude, that’s what I think, but instead I say, “Maybe, but Zoey’s leaving. She took a position with the Pegasus Fleet, remember?”
“Yeah, that’s right.” Trigg nods. “Well, maybe that’s just as well. Sounds like Desmond will be out of country for the foreseeable future, too. He was pretty hush-hush about the details, but sounds like he’s doing private detail for a celebrity of some sort.”
“Oooh, like a movie star?” I ask, eager for more info.
Jax passes by, gesturing for Trigg and Daniel to follow him as he heads for the side exit of the tent.
“Not sure,” he tells me, standing up, unbuttoning his shirt as he does. “Desmond wouldn’t say, which is why he’s one of the best. He never spills secrets. But from what I gathered, it sounds like whoever it is will be traveling incognito, and they want to keep it that way.”
I furl my eyebrows. “Why are you getting undressed?”
Trigg winks. “Just getting a head start.”
In fact, all five of my men are exiting the tent, stage left. A bubble of anticipation grows inside me, because those guys have been full of surprises this week, and I get the feeling they’re not done yet.
Zoey, Callie, and Cora saunter towards me, looking smug and coy all at once. They take up station beside me, sitting down in the chairs the guys had been in.
“What are you three up to?” I ask suspiciously.
Callie waves a hand at her sister. “Cora’s debating on whether to try to get her bartender to bring his friend to bed with them tonight.”
Cora’s mouth falls open, and she slaps her sister’s arm. “Am not!”
“Oh, don’t even,” Callie counters with an eye roll. “I’ve been watching you ogling both of them all night.”
Zoey nods with a laugh. “I have to agree with Callie on this one. And they’ve both been staring you down pretty hard, too.”
“I think you two have had too much to drink,” Cora scoffs dismissively.
Callie purses her lips. “Deny it all you want, dear sister. But you can let me know tomorrow just how right I am. You only live once, so you might as well go for it.”
Before their squabble can continue, steel drum music begins playing loudly over a speaker from somewhere in the tent. An excited murmur and several delighted gasps come from the crowd. I turn to see what they’re looking at.
Lo-and-behold, it’s my men, reentering the tent one by one.
Gunner’s the first, grabbing everyone’s attention, as always. He’s sashaying through the crowd with a grass-skirt adorning his hips and huge thighs, and a coconut bra across his chest.
Everyone begins clapping and cheering, which — bless his heart — just makes Gunner flaunt his goods all the more.
Trigg and Daniel are next, deliciously yummy with nothing but suspenders on their otherwise bare chests, attached to loose fitting linen trousers rolled up their calves. Trigg is carrying a colorful beverage, and Daniel has a platter of steamed shrimp.
I’m laughing and shaking my head at the antics, wondering, like the rest of the crowd, what the hell is going on.
Jax enters behind them, wearing an outfit from days gone by — it looks like a pajama set, but I’ve seen them worn as men’s beachwear in the classic summer-themed movies.
The miles of dark ink on his arms and chest are set off by the stripes on his unbuttoned shirt, and the shorts are hugging his ass. Mmm, I like this vintage look on him.
Jude enters last, and I cover my mouth to keep in my astonished laugh. I never in a million years...
It isn’t his gruff, surly demeanor, nor the toned muscles running down his abdomen. No, it’s the short sarong around his waist that makes my eyes go wide.
There’s a large paper fan in his hand, and an expression of amused regret on his lips. Th
e fringe bounces against his thighs as he follows the other guys through the crowd, people hooting and cat-calling all five of them.
That sarong had to have been Gunner’s idea, I just know it, but how he convinced him to actually wear it is beyond me.
I can tell Jude’s struggling to keep from bristling, especially when Gunner slides up to him and starts doing a hula version of a bump-and-grind against his backside, the crowd cheering even louder.
Jude pushes him away with a good-natured grunt, and the five of them approach the table I’m stationed at.
Trigg and Daniel do little bows and offer up their trays. I take the drink from Trigg and grab a shrimp from Daniel’s platter, plopping it into my mouth. As I chew and swallow it down, Jude stations himself next to me and proceeds to fan me like an Egyptian queen.
I can’t stop staring at them and grinning, the smile on my face so bright that the muscles in my face are beginning to twitch.
Our guests might not understand, but I do.
Because, after all the unexpected twists and turns of the crazy journey my life took, in the end, I finally got my cabana boys.
9
OUR PRIVATE YACHT IS like nothing else.
I was expecting a small interior, adorned with high-end furnishings. Not this floating palace. If it weren’t for the occasional feeling of vertigo that overcomes me, and the stunning view out the many windows, I would never know I’m on a boat.
There are massive leather recliners and matching couches, two big screen televisions on either end of the cabin, and a wet bar boasting all our favorite adult beverages. The lighting is bright and the carpet plush.
Pinot in hand, Emma reclines against the arm of a couch, her feet in Trigg’s lap as he rubs them, working wonders on her arches. I can tell by how her eyes are closed and her lips are upturned in the most content of smiles.
We’ve christened this yacht in every way possible over the past week, barely coming up for air. Our honeymoon is going by too quickly, if you ask me. I could live like this for another year straight.
“Beginning docking procedures,” the voice of our captain informs over the speakers.
Jax and I take that as our cue to begin gathering the day’s supplies into backpacks. We try to travel light, since shopping is on today’s agenda, but some water and other essentials will be needed.
Trigg squeezes Emma’s toes. “Can I finish tonight?”
She gives him a soft, lazy kiss. “I sure hope so.”
We all move to put on our shoes and grab our personal items.
“I’m not sure I’ll be able to last the whole day. My legs are like jelly,” Emma says as she stuffs sunscreen into her bag.
“Just the middle bit is going to be on foot,” I assure her. “It’ll be uphill, but the view is worth it, and we’re taking the zipline back down to the car.”
I was expecting the trip to Teotihuacan to take well over twelve hours, but I underestimated the power this yacht packs. Our captain cut my estimate nearly in half, and we were already pulling up to the shore of Mexico when we woke up this morning. By the time lunch rolls around, we should be done with our shopping and on our way to the most iconic Aztec ruins known to man.
The thought of an authentic Mexican lunch in a mountainside village already has my mouth watering. “I’m going to have Huarache with queso fresco — or maybe Cochinita pibil.”
“Cock what?” Gunner asks.
“Get your damn mind out of the gutter,” I say, bracing myself as the yacht pulls a tight turn to come up to the dock.
“Never,” he replies with a grin.
“Food and sex are all that man knows,” Jax says, shaking his head as he tightens the string on his rucksack.
“Cochinita pibil,” I repeat slowly. “It’s like roast pork. You can even have it on a taco.”
Gunner looks like he’s going to start drooling. “Pork taco? I’m sold.”
“For you, we’ll find a place that has Chile relleno,” I say.
“What’s that?” Trigg asks. “Sounds spicy.”
“Stuffed peppers,” I tell him. “Absolutely delicious. And yes, the spicier the better.”
“Fuck. Now I’m starving,” Gunner says. “Can we find a place that has both? I think I want to try one of everything.”
I laugh. “I’m sure we can.”
I look out the glass doors to the view outside, taking in how the sand of the beach contrasts with the city landscape and the jungle beyond. Anticipation courses through me as it sets in that I am about to step off this yacht into another country, another new adventure for us.
Emma appears just as happy as me. She’s been as awestruck as a kid in a candy shop every time we reach a new destination.
“Oh my God, I’m so excited. I’ve always wanted to come here,” she raves with a big smile, nearly vibrating with glee.
Jude stands and hefts a backpack across his shoulders. “You can’t tell us about stuff on your bucket list and then expect us not to whisk you right off to do it.”
He extends a hand to her, and she accepts, allowing him to pull her into his chest. There’s a smile on his lips and in his eyes, but I know his reason for arranging this trip wasn’t just a fanciful whim.
What this honeymoon comes down to is being with one another and fulfilling our desires — in and out of the bedroom. We’ll work all our lives to make sure she never wants for anything.
She yelps in surprise as Gunner pinches her ass as he walks by on his way to the fridge.
“Water for the road?” he asks.
“I’ll take another one,” Trigg says, emerging from the sunny deck, his arms stretched as he twists from side to side, working out the kinks and getting ready for the full day ahead.
Jax does a slow back bend to stretch his abdomen and chest. “I don’t know if I can handle sitting in a car for long. Gunner, tell me the limo has tons of leg room.”
“Limo?” Gunner cocks his head to the side.
Jude waves his hands impatiently, already moving on. “Let’s get down below. The crew is going to get everything stowed away so we can get rolling.”
But Jax narrows his gaze on Gunner. “You were supposed to hire a car service. Tell me you didn’t forget.”
“Of course not.” Gunner tosses water bottles to each of us. “But I didn’t get a fucking limo.”
“What the hell did you get us?” Trigg asks. “And please don’t say donkeys. Do not say donkeys.”
“Shit.” Gunner snaps his fingers. “That would have been awesome.”
Jude succeeds in herding us down the steps and to the deportation deck. It doesn’t take long before the crew has the docking unit extended so we can step from the yacht straight onto sovereign Mexican territory. A wonderful humid, hot breeze swirls across my skin as we head to the parking lot of the private boat yard.
Sure enough, our chariots await. If I didn’t already know who was in charge of getting our transportation lined out, there would be no doubt now.
Jude looks back at Gunner. “You got us go-karts?”
“They aren’t fucking go-karts.” He’s practically indignant. “Those are Ariel Atoms. One of the fastest accelerations of any production car in the world. Those things can go from zero to sixty in less than three seconds.”
Trigg steps beside Jude, studying the line-up of vehicles. They have visible frames instead of side panels, like an exoskeleton. And no windows, or top. Trigg shrugs. “They look like go-karts to me.”
“Call them go-karts one more time and y’all can walk to the fucking place,” Gunner declares, riled up into a proper frenzy. “Meanwhile, Emma and I will be enjoying these bad boys. They have open cockpits so we can take in all the scenery.”
“Alright, alright, calm down big guy,” Jude says, making his way toward the row of cars.
Emma and Jax join him, giving one of the cars a closer inspection, but Trigg isn’t done giving his best friend a hard time.
“So, let me get this straight,” he says, turn
ing to Gunner. “Your plan is to have all of us drive supersonic go-karts today so Emma can have dirt blasted into her face at the speed of light?”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Gunner growls. “You know what, funny guy, light travels over a hundred eighty-six miles per second. These only hit a hundred fifty-five miles per hour.”
Trigg and I both look at him in surprise.
“What?” he asks. “I read.”
“Yeah.” Trigg tilts his head. “But do you read space textbooks?”
Gunner shrugs. “Kinda. NASA’s Exploration Systems Architecture Study.”
Trigg blinks at him.
“What?” Gunner scoffs. “Seriously. It’s a hobby, you know that.”
Trigg works his fingers like he’s manipulating something miniscule. “I thought you just liked building those teeny, tiny toy spaceships.”
Gunner’s exasperated snarl is back. “They’re not toys, they’re exact replicas, asshat. And we’ll see how tiny you think they are when I shove one straight up your—”
“Boys!” They both turn to Emma, wide-eyed and caught in the middle of their bickering. “Do we have goggles? For the sand?”
Gunner switches gears instantly. “Do I ever!” he says excitedly, walking over to them. “I got us a bunch of those old school leather ones. You’re going to look so hot. Hey, you should wear them tonight, too. Oh yeah, that’d look real nice. Maybe we should find you a tight leather bodysuit to go with the goggles.”
“Hey,” Jude hollers at Trigg and I. “You two — get your asses moving. We need to get our lady a sangrita, or sangria, or whatever they’re called.”
“Oh my God, I’m stuffed.” Gunner takes up the rear of our line, his hand on his stomach.
Jax walks beside me in the narrow passageway of the mountainside town’s market. “Take that as your warning never to take Gunner to any restaurant boasting an all you can eat feature. He does that again, and we’ll get run out of town.”
Jude leans in from behind. “I slipped the owner plenty enough to compensate for it.”
Gunner, Trigg, and Jude have practically formed a tactical formation around Emma. They probably don’t even realize they’re doing it. It’s just their instincts kicking in, but I know it’s making her feel safe in such a crowded, foreign atmosphere.
Tempting Offer: A Reverse Harem Romance (The Code Book 6) Page 9
