Dive In Deep

by Parker, Ali

  “Stay?” I squeaked.

  “It’s a big house. The party is still going. Stay. Your friends can stay, too.” He leaned forward and stared into my eyes.

  “I need to ask them,” I replied, not looking away from him.

  He nodded. “Ask them. I’ll get us a couple of drinks.”

  I smiled. “Okay.”

  I got up, waving at Khloe. She was flushed from spending hours dancing. She grabbed Julia, and they made their way toward me.

  “What’s up?” Khloe asked, slightly out of breath.

  “Getting your cardio in?” I asked dryly.

  She laughed. “Cardio and flirting is a hell of a way to spend the night. How about you? You having fun? You ready to disappear with your sexy man?”

  “It’s time to go,” I said.

  “No way,” Julia protested. “The party is still going.”

  “Which is why you’re free to stay the night,” Trent said, coming up behind me.

  I spun around, realizing I was busted. “Yes, Trent has offered to let us stay for a while longer.”

  Trent handed me a glass of wine. “No,” he said with a grin. “Trent has offered to let you all stay the night in one of the guest rooms.”

  Julia reached out and slapped my shoulder. “You were going to try and make us leave.”

  I shrugged. “I was only asking what you wanted to do,” I mumbled.

  “We’re staying and partying,” Julia said with a laugh, pulling Khloe back out toward the dance floor. “You two go back to doing whatever it was you were doing.”

  I turned to look at Trent, who was staring at me with an amused look on his face.

  “Sorry,” I said. “I just—well, I didn’t want to take advantage of your hospitality.”

  “You’re not taking advantage of my hospitality,” he said. “Have you seen this house? There are eleven bedrooms. I don’t even know where they all are, to tell you the truth.”

  “Liar. What about that tour you promised me?”

  His eyes lit up. “Let’s go. I need to take Leia for a walk. I’ve had her locked up in her room.”

  “Her room?” I questioned.

  He laughed. “Like I said, it’s a big house. She deserves her own room.”

  I loved that he loved his dog enough to give her a room. “I’d love to take her for a walk. Do you take her onto the beach?”

  “Yes. She loves the water. She liked you. She’ll be happy to see you. I just hope she doesn’t lick you too much. She can be a bit of a heavy licker.”

  “I don’t mind a little dog slobber. I always wanted a dog, but with our lifestyle, it just wasn’t possible.”

  “I understand. Leia will be happy to love on you. Her room is this way.” He put his hand on the small of my back once again.

  I liked his touch. He made me feel small and dainty when he did that. I didn’t often feel like that—if ever. Trent was making me feel things I had never felt before.

  Chapter 9

  Trent

  I was sitting in the breakfast nook, the sun streaming through the window as I sipped strong coffee. Leia was laying on my feet, softly snoring.

  She was not a morning dog. I had kept her up and out much later than I ever had before. The poor dog was beat. I had a feeling she would sleep all day while I was at work.

  I looked around the area and was impressed to see it was impeccable. Mira had hired extra housecleaners to clean up after the party. They’d already been in and gone, leaving the house completely spotless.

  I was impressed by their efficiency. There was almost no hint there had been a party in the house at all. Except for the three lovely ladies passed out in one of my guest rooms.

  Everyone else had declined my offer to stay the night. Sade had only agreed because her friends encouraged her, and I had a feeling her friends went along with it because they were hoping something would happen between Sade and me.

  I couldn’t say I didn’t share their hopes, but it wasn’t meant to be. Not yet. She was the kind of girl I wanted to take my time with. I wanted to get to know her before we crossed into a sexual relationship. I could tell she was fairly innocent. She was the type that would take a physical relationship very seriously.

  I grabbed my phone and quickly sent a text to Richie, letting him know I’d be in late. I was letting the ladies sleep in. I had ordered breakfast and had it delivered to the house about thirty minutes ago. I could shirk a few work responsibilities for a day or two.

  Sade wasn’t going to be around for more than a few days. I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could. There was a connection between us. I felt it. I wanted to explore it to find out if it was real, like my instincts were telling me.

  I rose from the table and opened the boxes delivered from a local eatery. I was greeted with the smell of bacon. It was too good to pass up. I reached for a piece and took a bite. I heard a soft moan and the sound of footsteps coming down the hall. The first of my guests had risen.

  I turned to see who it was. I was hoping it would be Sade, and we could steal a few moments alone, but it was Julia. Her blonde hair was tousled, sticking up in the back. She had one hand pressed against her head. She looked up at me, stopping in her tracks. She had on one of the old Army T-shirts I had put in the guest room for them to use if they chose.

  “Um, hello,” she said, looking at me and then looking around the bright kitchen area.

  “Hello.”

  She pulled her hand away from her head and blinked at me several times. “Are you real?”

  I raised my eyebrows, touching my chest. “Yes, I think so. I feel real. Do you often see unreal people?”

  “I drank a lot last night, so it’s hard to say.”

  “Coffee is ready,” I said, pointing to the tray of coffee that had been brought in.

  “Thank you,” she murmured, walking toward it with a hand out and looking very much like a zombie. She wrapped her hands around the cup, sipped it, and closed her eyes.

  “Bacon?” I offered.

  “You have bacon? And coffee?”

  I nodded. “I do. I have bagels and cream cheese, too, as well as donuts and fresh fruit. I wasn’t sure what you ladies preferred, but I figured a good carb load would be needed.”

  She snatched a piece of bacon and scarfed it down in a very un-ladylike fashion before grabbing another. “Thank you. Seriously, I love bacon.”

  I watched her eat the second piece, and an idea occurred to me. “Do you guys have any plans today?” I asked.

  She shrugged a shoulder. “Recuperate?”

  “How about a day out on the boat?” I offered.

  “Your boat?”

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  She grinned. “Now, what kind of question is that?”

  I immediately felt like a dick. I had overstepped. “I’m sorry—”

  “Hell no, don’t be sorry. Yes, we would love a day on the boat! Is it a yacht?”

  I chuckled. “It isn’t a yacht, but it isn’t a speedboat. It’s a boat.”

  She studied me. “It’s a yacht. It’s okay. You can say it.”

  I laughed again. “It’s not a yacht!”

  “I’ll go wake the girls. I’ll let them know we’re going for a ride on a yacht.” She laughed.

  “I’ll make the arrangements,” I said, grinning.

  She grabbed another piece of bacon and started out of the kitchen before stopping and turning back to look at me. “Trent, she doesn’t think she’s especially pretty. Just an FYI.”

  Then she turned and walked out.

  I had already assumed as much. It was part of the attraction. I wanted to make her feel good about herself. I wanted her to know I thought she was beautiful. I wanted to be the man that made her realize just how pretty she was.

  “You like her, huh, girl?” I asked Leia, who hadn’t budged from under the table.

  She cocked her ears up but didn’t answer me. Now, it was time to tell Richie I was going to take the whole day off. That
was probably going to be a little difficult for him to accept, but I was the boss. If I wanted to play hooky, I certainly could.

  It wasn’t long before I heard the soft murmur of the voices coming down the hall. I watched, waiting for the first glimpse of her. She appeared and looked at me, a hand going to her hair as she smoothed it down. She was beautiful.

  “Good morning, ladies,” I said in a cheery voice.

  “He’s perky,” Julia grumbled. “I forgot to mention that. He’s like a Khloe two point oh.”

  Khloe smiled. “Ignore them. They’re cranky first thing in the morning. Not me. I love the morning.”

  “And that’s why we hate you,” Sade mumbled.

  “I’ve got coffee,” I said. “Everyone have some coffee before you start clawing at each other.”

  They all laughed, telling me their squabbling was normal. Julia helped herself to more bacon, grabbing a maple bar and a banana as well. Khloe went after the fruit and a bagel. I noticed Sade only grabbed a banana and a few pieces of fruit and a small scoop of granola before taking a seat at the table.

  “Do you want to go back to the hotel before we head out on the boat?” I asked them.

  They looked at each other. “We’ve got our bathing suits. I don’t think we need anything else.”

  “Perfect. I’ll make a call and be right back.” I excused myself from the room.

  I returned a few minutes later to find Leia had moved to rest her heavy head on Sade’s feet. It was a good sign. Leia wasn’t like that with anyone except me. I sat down, grabbed a helping of granola, and dined with the ladies.

  “This view,” Julia said, shaking her head. “I can’t imagine ever leaving. How do you go to work?”

  “The view from the hotel isn’t so bad either,” I replied easily.

  “But this is extraordinary,” Julia said. “I think this is what they use for those travel brochures.”

  “The view sold me,” I said. “That’s for sure. I certainly didn’t need this much house, but I wanted that view. I had to have it. I didn’t own a boat at the time and had no need for a dock, but I didn’t care.”

  Sade smiled. “It is very pretty.”

  “I’m going to pack up some of the leftovers from last night’s party and change,” I announced, getting up from the table.

  “Change?” Khloe asked. “You wear something other than suits?”

  “Ha. Ha. Yes.” I chuckled, heading for my bedroom.

  I changed into shorts that hung to my knees. They didn’t hide the scars, but they weren’t as obvious. When I returned to the kitchen, the women had put away the breakfast food and were outside on the patio. I looked out toward the lake and saw my boat come into view. I knew Julia was going to give me shit.

  “Our ride is here,” I announced, stepping outside.

  Julia turned to look at me with her hands on her hips. “I knew it.”

  I shrugged, putting up my hands. “It’s not a big yacht.”

  The smaller boat came up to the dock, waiting for us to make our way out to the end of it. I patted my leg, earning Leia’s attention. She jumped to her feet and raced toward me, anxious to follow me. She loved going on the boat.

  Sade held on to the dog as we were ferried out to the boat. Once we were delivered to the top deck, the man from the marina where I had it docked left us to our own devices, taking off in the speedboat.

  “Do you know how to drive this thing?” Julia asked skeptically.

  I winked. “How hard can it be?”

  She burst into laughter before moving to take a seat on the deck. I started the engine and slowly navigated us out to the deeper water.

  I watched them settle in. Julia and Khloe were in their bikinis, soaking up the sun, while Sade kept her shorts and shirt on. I hated that she was insecure with her body. I was going to make it my mission to make her feel good.

  “Seriously, Sade, look at this boat,” Khloe said, attempting to take her voice down. I wasn’t going to tell her I could still hear her.

  “It’s a yacht,” Julia argued, pulling a chuckle from me at her insistence.

  “Can you imagine spending your weekends out here?” Khloe asked. “I mean, it’s awesome. I’m so jealous.”

  Sade didn’t reply.

  “How big is this yacht?” Khloe shouted up, turning her head to look at me.

  “About forty-five feet,” I shouted back.

  “See, a yacht,” Julia said, nodding her head.

  “Does it have a bedroom?” Khloe asked.

  I laughed. “It does.”

  “Kitchen?” she shot back.

  “Galley, yes. If you’re hungry, the food is in there.”

  “No thanks,” Julia said. “Do you have alcohol on this thing?”

  I laughed again. “You know I do. There is a stocked bar downstairs.”

  The three ladies burst into laughter. Sade got up and walked to the bow. Her hands gripped the railing, and her hair blew out behind her. I was happy as hell there were no other boats on the water. I couldn’t look away from her. I would have surely run right over the top of another boat. She was a major distraction of the best kind.

  I heard a whisper and moved my eyes to the two women sunbathing on the deck. They were looking at me and smiling. They had seen me staring at her. I didn’t care. They all knew I had the hots for her. I knew they were rooting for me, which gave me confidence.

  Sade turned around, looking at me. I didn’t look away. I let her see my desire for her. I got the sense she was warming up to me. She didn’t look away or blush. Instead, she stared back at me before finally moving to take a seat again. I smiled, knowing I was making some progress. It was one of those slow but sure missions. I could do that, as long as I could get it done within a week.

  Mission accepted.

  Chapter 10

  Sade

  I stretched out on the chair, my sunglasses on as I absorbed the sun’s rays. I would normally be working on my tan, but I was not about to parade around in my bathing suit with him watching.

  I had caught him looking at me—a lot. Julia and Khloe were convinced it was because he was into me. I was worried he wanted to eat me and was trying to figure out what part of me to chop off first. He had a very hungry look in his eyes.

  I had moved my chair under the guise of wanting better sun, but in reality, it was so I could watch him without being obvious. I had slightly better manners than he did obviously. He had no qualms about openly staring and ogling, but my parents had taught me better than that.

  “What do you think he’s thinking?” I asked Julia, keeping my voice low.

  She shrugged. “Well, he’s a man. I would guess sex, sex, food, and sex.”

  I groaned. “Thanks.”

  “Relax,” Khloe said. “I’m not getting any bad vibes from him. He seems like a good guy. Maybe he’s lonely. I’m sure it would be lonely and isolating to be as wealthy as he is. He doesn’t know who to trust. People, especially women, are probably more interested in his money than him.”

  I nodded, fully buying into that explanation. “I feel bad for him. It must be why he’s so close to his dog.” I reached down and rubbed Leia’s head. She’d been lying next to me since we’d gotten on the boat.

  “My mom used to always tell me you can tell if a man is good or bad based on dogs,” Julia said. “If a dog likes a man or if the man has a dog that he treats well, you know he’s good.”

  I rolled my eyes. “That seems faulty.”

  “That’s the scientist in you,” Julia said. “Sometimes, you just go with your gut. My gut says he’s good. Khloe, what do you say?”

  “I’m Team Trent,” she said with a grin.

  I looked up at Trent and saw him grinning. He had overheard the entire conversation. I wanted to melt into the chair. I offered him a smile and turned around.

  “We can drop anchor here and do a little swimming,” Trent said, cutting the engine.

  “I’ll go downstairs and grab the basket of goodies,”
Julia said, getting to her feet.

  “I’ll help,” Khloe said, winking at me as she followed Julia.

  Trent took the seat Julia had been sitting in. Leia got up and rested her head in his lap. He was watching me again. I pushed up my sunglasses and looked directly into his eyes. “I still can’t believe you were in the Army with my dad.”

  He grinned. “I was under him. I’m not as old as he is, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  I laughed. “That is not what I am thinking at all. I know you’re not his age.”

  “Does he have a farm?” he asked.

  “What?” I asked, wrinkling my nose.

  “On long nights out, we would all talk about what we were going to do when we got out,” he explained. “He said he was going to be a farmer.”

  I burst into laughter. “No, definitely not. My dad doesn’t know the first thing about farming. I’m not even sure he knows how to mow the lawn. My mom always did that stuff.”

  “No shit?” he asked. “Sorry.”

  I scoffed. “Please. I grew up with an Army dad. Shit was part of our daily language.”

  Julia and Khloe returned, carrying a basket with a variety of food. We all moved to one of the tables on the deck to enjoy the fresh fruit and vegetable tray that had been left over from the night before. Trent talked with us about the town and some of the things to do. I listened to him talk and found myself seriously attracted to him beyond just his good looks.

  I thought about calling my dad and telling him I had met one of his old Army buddies. I quickly dismissed the idea. My dad would not be thrilled. He would assume I was sleeping with the guy. Then he would freak out about the age difference. He’d lecture me about Trent being too old.

  He had forbidden me from dating any Army guys. My mom had told me the same thing, which was a little ridiculous in my opinion. She’d fallen for an Army guy.

  Trent was Army. Girls were supposed to look for their daddy’s likeness in the men they dated. I believed it was perfectly natural for me to be drawn to a man in uniform—any uniform.

  “You guys feel like swimming?” he asked.