AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My throat bobs on a thick swallow as my eyes lock on the defined V-shaped muscles disappearing under the towel, the smallest bit of his absurd tattoo poking out. I quickly jerk my head back toward the window, the clouds now a glowing pink. Lochlan acts like I’m not even here. With his back to me, he pulls down his suitcase and, to my shock, drops his towel.
I find myself stealing discreet glances while bringing my lukewarm coffee to my mouth. The mug sits on my lips without me taking a sip as my eyes roam down his back to his toned ass.
Without an ounce of modesty, he slowly dresses, shoulders rolled back and standing tall, like he has nothing to hide. I watch him shrug on his final item, a tight white tee. When he finally turns around, his eyes are on the floor. He slowly drags them to meet mine, still fixed on him. When our gazes lock, I’m struck by the wicked heat that darkens them.
I instantly know that no matter how much he acted like I wasn’t here, he never forgot I was.
I mimic his earlier nonchalance. “You look good naked. We get it. You don’t need to put on a show.”
He bites back a proud smirk. “Calling me hot, réalta?”
I laugh dryly. “I was merely stating an objective fact.”
Smugness plays his smile as Meredith comes to offer him a fresh glass of Champagne. “What do you think, Mer,” he asks her but doesn’t break eye contact with me. “Do you find me objectively hot?” She only giggles in response.
“Oh my god.” I scoff with an eye roll and swivel back to look out the window.
Lochlan
The small port town of Ashaway reminds me of the historic districts of Savannah, old and just slightly too muggy to be considered comfortable. Which makes me especially appreciative of this coffee shop’s AC while we kill time before our ferry.
“Here, take this,” Stella says, holding out a small white pill in the palm of her hand as she pops a similar one into her mouth, washing it down with her latte.
I take it, swallowing it dry. “What is it?”
“Are you asking me that after you’ve taken it?” She laughs, and I can’t help but lean forward, drawn toward her brightness.
“Well . . .” I rest my elbows on the table, my chin on my fists. “Are you trying to kill me, Stella Mae?”
“Guess you’ll find out in twenty minutes.” She lifts the wide latte cup with both hands and smirks over the rim, the crinkles at the corners of her warm brown eyes making my heart pound. Everything she does mesmerizes me.
Her cup tinks as she sets it back in the saucer. “It’s Dramamine. For the ferry.”
“Ah.” I wave her off. “I would have been fine.”
“You get sick driving down the block, Loch. You most certainly would not have been ‘fine.’” She rolls her eyes.
By the time we’ve finished our coffee, it’s time to meet at the marina. An ostentatious, elegant yacht waits in the water. Two men in cream-colored linen suits stand on the dock in front of it. The shorter of the two wears a fedora, and I half expect the other to pull out a Cuban cigar. They look straight out of a retirement community in south Florida, their white skin now an unnatural, leathery tan.
“Are they twins?” I ask under my breath to Stella as we walk down the dock.
“No, Jeffery—in the fedora—is older by a few years,” she whispers back while keeping a friendly smile on her face as we approach. She’d been brushing up and researching all about Summerland and the Mauldins before we left. I’d expect nothing less.
“Mr. Fox and Miss Wright, welcome,” Jeffery says jubilantly, holding out his hand. Stella shakes it and my teeth grind when he clasps her palm tightly with both hands. “Cash didn’t mention how drop-dead gorgeous you are.”
Her lips purse slightly and she tugs her hand away with a terse smile. “I’m not surprised. It has nothing to do with my job.”
I snort a laugh at his indignant expression and her refusal to tolerate his casual misogyny disguised as a compliment. He shoots me an offended glare, and I shrug back with a loose smile.
I can see him reel himself back in, hardness settling in his gaze before he barks a fake laugh. “Right, well, anchors up!” He waves toward the ship and guides us aboard.
The deck is made of fine Burmese teak and is full of modern benches and booths. We settle into a covered seating area.
Jeffery leans back and crosses his legs at the knee while Clark signals a steward. The young, clean-shaven man nods in acknowledgment and disappears into the cabin, returning with two silver trays.
“May I please invite you to sample our Osetra caviar selection?”
“Thank you.” Stella plucks a bite from one tray and a wine glass from the other. I watch the smooth column of her neck tip back as she takes a sip. Her skin looks like velvet with the sun shining down on the deck. Her head swivels my direction, and I meet her gaze with a rapid beat of my heart.
