Sinful Ever After (Romance Collection)

by Vivian Wood

  “Gabe!” Malkia says, scowling. As I move backwards, she follows me. “Wait, Gabe… Gabe!”

  Shaking my head, I hit the stairs once more, going belowdecks. When I get back to my bedroom, I ease back into bed with Luna. Rage fills me still, but there is nothing to be done at the moment.

  It’s still an hour before I fall back to sleep though.

  “Hey.”

  I crack an eye open. Bright morning light streams down from the port hole. Luna takes the seat beside me, fully dressed and showered.

  “Hey,” I croak, sitting up a little. I eye the angle of the sunlight. It’s likely after nine in the morning.

  “Want to go get breakfast?” she suggests. “I figure we should enjoy being docked in a real port while we can…”

  Rubbing my hands over my face, I yawn. “Yeah. Just let me get dressed.”

  I’m still tired as we scoot into a booth at a packed diner. Casting an eye over the crowd, I realize that it’s a Sunday morning. There are a lot of people in their church clothes, laughing and talking and eating. It’s loud and warm in here.

  It reminds me a little bit of eating at my mom’s on Sundays. Feeling a physical twinge in my chest, I rub at my ribs absentmindedly.

  I notice that Luna watches everyone closely, a strange look on her face. There is a family sitting nearby with several kids running around. Luna seems strangely sad, her blue eyes extra expressive just now.

  “It’s busy here,” I say.

  She looks at me, smiling sadly. “Yeah. I am desperate for coffee.”

  Minutes later the waitress plunks down two coffees and water, promising to be back for our order. I pick up a mug and take a sip, looking at the plastic-laminated breakfast menu.

  “Mmm,” Luna says, tasting her coffee. She looks around the diner as she takes one of the menus. “Interesting vibe.”

  The waitress comes over and hustles our order out of us. I take a stack of pancakes with eggs and bacon. Luna orders a western omelet and hash browns.

  I catch her sneaking a peek at the people with kids again. I jerk my chin toward them.

  “Are you planning your future as we speak?” I tease her.

  She flushes and looks down at her coffee mug. “Not exactly.”

  “What, being stuck in Juneau with a boatload of kids isn’t your style?” I can’t help but smile. “Color me shocked, sweetheart.”

  She sticks out her tongue at me. “I’m just on a different track. It’s nothing to do with the town or anything.”

  That makes me curious. I shift, sitting back and surveying her. “What do you see for yourself in the future?”

  Luna pins me with that blue gaze of hers, the color almost electric. She thinks for a minute before answering. “On my current track, I’ll be done with my residency in six years.”

  My eyebrows go up. “That’s it? What about all the rest of your life?”

  Her mouth flattens. “I don’t know. I guess I’ve been laser focused on this one aspect.” She sighs. “What about you? What’s your grand plan?”

  I should’ve known that question was coming. And yet, it still hits me hard. I pull a face.

  “You can imagine that my plans have changed radically in the last year.” I sip my coffee, to give myself time to think. “I don’t know. There is a lot that hinges on whether we win this fucking regatta in a month. Either my company will be popular or… it will continue to struggle financially. From there, I kind of have a decision to make.”

  Concern shapes her brow. “What will happen if the company keeps struggling?”

  I shrug. “I think I start looking around for other ways to support myself. I don’t know any other life than a boat captain… but I’ll have to figure something out. You could say that this regatta is sort of a last ditch effort to save a company that hasn’t ever truly been very profitable.”

  She reaches across the table, placing her hand on top of mine. “That’s pretty heavy.”

  Nodding, I can only agree. “Mm.”

  The waitress arrives with our food. For a minute, the thread of the conversation is lost amongst the pancake syrup and crispy hash browns. It’s a little surprising when Luna comes back to it a couple of minutes later.

  “What about the other stuff?” she asks.

  “Hmm?”

  “In your life. You have the work stuff more or less figured out. But what about the other stuff? I know that you had a life in mind before… you know. But what do you imagine when you see yourself in five or ten years?”

  I take a bite of my bacon, considering that. “I don’t know. I like to think I’ll own my own place by then… right now I basically rent a glorified studio apartment that I am never at. Somewhere outside of Seattle. Maybe west of there, on the coast.” I chew for another moment. “Michelle always talked about how she wanted this big family. So that kind of became assumed, between us. But now, I think… I don’t know. I still want a wife, someday. I want a family eventually.”

  I shrug, losing my train of thought. Luna smiles tightly at me.

  “That sounds super reasonable to me. What about other goals, though? Do you want to travel? Do you have some kind of hobby that you want to delve into?”

  “Mm… I know they say that travel makes a man’s viewpoint that much wider, but I can’t say that I’ve ever wanted to. I didn’t grow up traveling so starting now seems hard. And I actually don’t really have any hobbies other than hitting the gym and the regatta.”

  Her lips twist. “I see.”

  I look at her, pausing before another big bite. “What about you? Surely you have a bunch of rich people hobbies. What do rich ladies like?”

  She barks out a laugh. “Rich ladies? They like champagne and dressing up for galas to benefit their charities. Ugh, and they love gossip…”

  Her lips tip up. The smile is infectious because soon I’m grinning too.

  “What are your charities of choice?” I ask, smirking just a little.

  She rolls her eyes. “Planned Parenthood. St. Jude’s Cancer research Center. And I’m on the board of a group that is trying to bring a free clinic to the hospital I work at. My charities are all wellness based, obviously.”

  Putting my fork down, I take a sip of my lukewarm coffee. “Planned Parenthood? That sounds political.”

  Luna narrows her eyes at me, pointing at me with her fork. “Planned Parenthood helps a lot of women that are from challenging circumstances obtain healthcare. They do cancer screenings, multiple vaccines, birth control, STD testing, prenatal care… and they do it at rates that are steeply discounted for those who need it. If you have something to say about Planned Parenthood, you had better keep it to yourself.”

  I raise my eyebrows. “Whoa, whoa. I didn’t mean to say anything negative. To be honest, I’ve never really thought that much about them. Their services are centered around women.”

  She points at me again. “You say that your family barely subsisted for most of your childhood. I would ask your mother her opinion. I bet she has plenty to say about Planned Parenthood and most of it would be good.”

  “Hey now.” I raise my hands. “My mom is very liberal and very pro-women. I think you guys would get along, actually.”

  She looks me dead in the eye. “Parents love me. I’m a very well spoken, thoughtful, well mannered young woman.”

  I smirk. “You make yourself sound so high and mighty. It’s funny, because I seem to remember you on your knees last night, begging to suck my dick— “

  “Gabe!” she protests, slapping my arm. She looks around, her cheeks flushing. “Keep your voice down! There are so many people here that do not need to know the details, okay?”

  Grinning, I shrug. “I’m just saying. It’s worth remembering…”

  “Shut it,” she mumbles, shaking her head. “Or remembering that scenario will be all you’re doing from now on. You get me?”

  I throw back my head and laugh. “You wouldn’t even go two days without jumping me, Luna. This thing between us
? It definitely goes both ways…”

  She just rolls her eyes again, but she doesn’t disagree. Instead she looks over her shoulder. “Come on. Let’s blow this joint.”

  I get up, watching her slender body as she rises. Snagging her hand, I pull her close for a kiss. Then I turn her around and smack her on the butt. “Let’s go.”

  She flashes me a red-faced smile and starts to walk to the front of the restaurant.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Luna

  Bright and early a few days later, I squint at Gabe. With Anchorage and more majestic mountains as the backdrop, I look around the deserted little cove.

  “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

  Gabe looks up from where he’s standing by his kayak and gives me a funny look. “Of course. We take these kayaks out practically every time we come up to Alaska. Trust me, you’ll be fine when we get in the water.”

  I puff out my cheeks, looking at the slim shape of my bright red kayak. “I’m not sure…”

  He picks up his dark blue kayak, jerking his head toward the water. “Just come on. We are in Anchorage for one day, Luna. You can’t come all the way up here and just stand on the shore.”

  Wrinkling my nose, I lift my kayak and follow him down to the shoreline. It’s easy enough to maneuver, being that the whole kayak is basically one big piece of fiberglass. I hulk it down until the water is lapping at my toes. Gabe is holding a paddle for me, with each side narrowed so that it can be dipped in the water.

  I’m not sure why the idea of being so close to the water with such a small barrier unnerves me, but it does. I bite my lip.

  “Get in,” he urges me. “I’ll give you a push.”

  Taking a deep breath, I slip into the kayak’s narrow seat. Gabe hands me the paddle and then pushes the little boat out to sea. I clench at the paddle, expecting turbulence… but I stay surprisingly stable.

  With a small splash, Gabe hops into his kayak. He paddles toward me, dipping each side into the water with smooth strokes. He looks at my chokehold on the paddle and grins.

  “Relax,” he says. “Just get used to the sensation of being practically one with the water. See?”

  He paddles in a neat circle to show me how it’s done. Glaring at him, I try to mimic his paddle strokes. To my surprise, it’s actually a lot easier than it looks.

  “There you go,” he says, nodding. “You got it.”

  I look around us, beyond this little inlet of water. “Are you sure you want to go further out?”

  He chuckles. “Yes. If it makes it seem easier, we can start by sticking close to the shoreline.”

  I scrunch up my face. “That doesn’t make me feel safer, really.”

  He rolls his eyes, ignoring me.

  “Great.” He starts paddling away from the shore, heading directly out on the ocean. “Come on…”

  I paddle after him, trying not to think about what kind of creatures could be right underneath me, even now. If I just don’t look too hard, I can ignore it.

  At least I hope so.

  Gabe glances back to make sure I’m keeping up with him. The wind blows his dark hair all around; I’m sure that when we are done kayaking that we’ll both have crazy hair.

  We make it out of the cove, paddling out so far that the shoreline shrinks behind us.

  “Could you imagine being someone exploring these waters for the very first time?” he asks after a while. “There are a lot of native tribes in this area that have been here since the dawn of time.”

  “Mm. It is beautiful out here,” I admit. “Especially when you pull away from the marina and all the people on land. Remote, wild, untamed…”

  He nods. “It has a pretty deep history, too.” He glances at me, his gaze lingering.

  “What?” I ask, making a face at him.

  Gabe squints, looking at the horizon. “You’ve never talked about your own history.”

  “What?” I shake my head. “I so have. Remember? I told you about my family…”

  He slows down his strokes. “I mean like… who you’ve dated. I have been pretty up front that I come from a screwed up place, dating wise. But you…” He eyes me. “I don’t know that much about you in that specific regard.”

  I start to feel a blush creeping up from my neck. “Ah. There really hasn’t been anyone in a few years.”

  He’s quiet for a second. “What about the guy that you were so keen to avoid at the gala?”

  Inside, I start to squirm. “What about him?”

  He gives me an exasperated look. “You tell me. I’m asking you what the story was there.”

  I sigh. “You’re talking about Asher.”

  Asher, the love of my young life. Asher, the one who smashed by heart into a million tiny pieces and scattered them to the wind.

  “Yeah. Dark hair, kinda tall. Had a pretty brunette model hanging off his shoulder…”

  Gabe starts to paddle again, forcing me to keep pace. The movement required is kind of soothing to me.

  “I was one hundred percent sure that Asher and I were going to be married once.” I sigh. “We were high school sweethearts. Our parents ran with the same set of rich snobs. And I was completely, crazily, foolishly head over heels in love with Asher.”

  He cocks a brow. “That guy? Really? He’s not even that handsome.”

  I dip my paddle in the water, cocking a brow right. back at him. “He was everything to me back then.”

  Gabe nods, looking out at the horizon again. “So what happened?”

  My lips twist. I feel acid stirring in my belly, leftover angst. “When I was a college sophomore, he got me pregnant.” I shake my head at the stunned look on Gabe’s face. “We only found out because I ended up having a miscarriage. It was pretty early…”

  I have to stop. My eyes are misting over, my voice is so tight when I continue that I’m sure it will break. “Sorry. It was early in the pregnancy. It happens all the time. But when the OBGYN checked me out in the emergency room, she saw signs of endometriosis…”

  Gabe stills, his brow furrowing. My heart flip flops. “What is that?”

  “It’s a problem that some women get. Basically your uterine lining grows outside your uterus. So like… on your ovaries or fallopian tubes, for instance. It’s not the biggest deal…” I take a breath. “Unless you are trying to get pregnant. Which, at the time, I wasn’t.”

  “Is it… severe?” he asks. It’s clear that he’s out of his depth and uncomfortable.

  I give him a tight little smile. “It can be. At any rate, I was clearly pretty upset. I called Asher there to comfort me. Instead, he dumped me right then and there.” My lips twist as I struggle to contain myself.

  Gabe’s blue green eyes study me. “Really? You called him and he came to see you… to break up with you?”

  My heart squeezes, thinking of being so cold and alone in the ER room. “And that is why I dragged you out of the room when I saw Asher and his perfect fiancée. I would just rather not relive the past if at all possible.”

  He’s quiet for several long moments. “That’s… that’s a really shitty way to treat somebody. I’m sorry that happened.”

  Nodding, I try to casually wipe at my eyes. “Yeah, thanks. Anyway, he’s the last guy I was serious with. Ever since then it’s just been easier to focus on my career.”

  I take a couple of deep breaths, trying to quell the agita within. It works, at least partially.

  “Yeah, no shit,” Gabe says. “If it helps at all, after you left Asher got plastered and made a huge scene. He was politely asked to leave the gala.”

  My eyes widen. “Really?”

  “Yep.” He balances his paddle across his kayak, stretching. “Thanks for answering my question. I don’t know if I would’ve, if I had been in your shoes.”

  I shrug. “It’s not exactly a secret. Besides, now that I’ve told you something, you owe me.”

  He gives me a funny look. “What do I owe you, exactly?”

&nb
sp; I shrug, one corner of my mouth rising. “I don’t know. What do you have to give me?”

  He huffs out a laugh. “You really are something else, Luna.”

  “I will choose to take that as a compliment.” I flash him a smile.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I see a silver flash deep in the water. My breath leaves me is a rush. My heart starts pounding. My hands grip the paddle.

  “What?” Gabe asks, looking down to where my eyes are riveted.

  “I saw… I saw something,” I whisper, the hairs on my arms standing straight up.

  He looks down with a frown, dipping his paddle into the water and maneuvering around for a second. “I think you saw a fish, Luna.”

  My eyes dart back and forth, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever I saw. “Mm… oh! There!”

  It’s a little further off this time, but I see a sleek form briefly in the dark water below. It’s no fish; it’s body is much larger.

  “It’s too big to be a fish!” I yell. “Gabe, it’s too big!”

  “Just breathe, Luna,” Gabe advises, shifting his gaze around where his kayak sits in the water.

  We are sitting ducks, both of us. How stupid was I, agreeing to follow Gabe out this far in such a flimsy little boat?

  Then the mysterious animal surfaces briefly on my other side, scaring the daylights out of me. I scream and it reacts, instantly ducking and plunging below the water.

  “It’s a dolphin,” Gabe announces.

  I look up at him. “What?”

  “It’s a dolphin. That or a porpoise, I can’t really make out which from here.”

  Sliding my gaze back downward, I look for the shape again. “Are you sure? How do you know?”

  “Hey.” He snaps his fingers a few times to get my attention. “Look at me. I’ve spent as much time out here among the waves as I have on land, okay? I’ve paddled way, way farther out in a kayak. Besides, dolphins are harmless. He probably just saw you floating on the surface and felt curious.”

  “You swear? You’re not just telling me that to keep me from panicking?”

  He rolls his eyes a little. “I wouldn’t do that.” After a moment’s thought, he shrugs. “Probably, anyway.”