Ultimate Alphas: Bad Boys and Good Lovers (The Naughty List Romance Bundles)

by Synthia St. Claire

  Ten

  The inside of the old steamboat was so rich and luxurious it almost made me feel guilty.

  Almost.

  Time-weathered rich hardwoods, long driftwood timbers of aged yellow and brown, had been coated with glossy lacquer and made up the floor. The hanging lights were almost like standing beneath hundreds of perfectly round stars, warm in their radiance, and the bottoms of each were encircled with crystal-clear glass domes. They dangled from thin chains of polished brass and swung a bit as the boat lilted very slowly in the water. A single, long maroon-colored carpet stretched out through the center of the room. Waiters and staff were using it as a kind of highway, pushing their carts or walking along it while carrying a drink order to guests. Square wooden tables covered by bleached white tablecloths were arranged in double rows on either side.

  I stepped through the entryway and was greeted by another man in a similar uniform as the ticket-taker outside. He led Shane and I through the rows of tables and chairs and other guests to a place of our own in a back corner. On the table was a tall white candle, embedded in a brass holder, which the man lit before walking away. Under the flickering orange flame of the candle and the dazzling overhead lights, I held my breath for a moment to take it all in.

  “This place is fantastic, isn’t it?” Shane offered. He seemed a bit struck by it himself.

  “It’s lovely. I always wondered what it would be like inside.”

  “I almost feel underdressed, with so many other guys wearing tuxedos.”

  “They’re probably here for a wedding or a special event. I think the boat splits parties up into the forward and aft decks after dinner.”

  “Oh,” Shane said and flipped open the menu that our host had left on the table. “Check out some of this stuff. Quite a far cry from a fast food place at a bus station and hamburgers loaded up with french fries.”

  There was a little bit of everything, and all of it sounded exquisite and wordy; a rustic vegetarian portabella and eggplant ravioli, aged seared kabob of Black Angus filet, a pecan-crusted duck confit on a bed of wilted spinach, and several others. Some of the words I couldn’t even pronounce. I thumbed the page and tried to decide. Most of my daily choices were nowhere near as complex. In the end, I settled on the grilled miso shrimp, which sounded far simpler than most of the other fare.

  A few minutes later, our waitress arrived to take our orders and left us with a bottle of white wine and a basket of still-steaming bread.

  “So, what do you think?” Shane asked. He examined the bottle the waitress had brought with a look of interest. “This isn’t too fancy or anything is it?”

  “I barely knew what to think, looking at the menu. Am I uncultured, deprived, or what?”

  Shane chuckled. “Hardly, Kat. You’re exactly how you’re supposed to be. I didn’t want to admit it, but I have no idea what the heck a confit is of anything.”

  “It’s French for something…I think,” I said, unsure, and bit my lower lip.

  “You’re probably right.”

  I looked around the room. Every table was booked, but somehow, the mingling voices of the others or clacking of dinnerware and glasses didn’t seem to reach us in our little corner. It was intimate in its own way, and I was glad for it.

  “Tasty,” Shane said, and took a sip of wine. “That’s pretty good stuff. Can’t remember the last time I had decent wine.”

  “Me neither. I’ve never been much of a drinker, though.”

  “That’s ok. I’m a lightweight too.” Shane turned in his chair when the delicate sound of piano music began echoing across the restaurant. “I can’t get over how authentic this boat is. It’s hard to imagine this is how so many people got around before automobiles and airplanes. Kind of luxurious, comparatively.”

  “Do you think it really runs on steam?” I asked, genuinely curious.

  “Oh, I don’t know. I’m fairly sure I read somewhere in the brochure I picked up that it used to be a bona fide steamboat back in the day. Someone came along and fixed her up. I’d bet they put in a new engine.”

  After the main course was delivered, I picked at the food on my plate for a while, mostly shoving noodles around. Everything was scrumptious, but I couldn’t help occasionally dwelling on the coincidence of being there, on that boat, with Shane. When it happened, I just sort of went to a moody place in my mind.

  “Is everything alright?” he asked.

  I lifted my eyes to his. “Yeah. Sorry. The food is really good.”

  “You seem distracted.”

  “I didn’t want to say anything at first, Shane, but this boat…“ I struggled, “My recent ex was supposed to take me on a date here a long time ago. It didn’t work out that way, though.”

  “Your ex, huh? Let me guess - the same person that left you hanging at a bus station in Watauga County?” Shane divined, slid forward and raised one brow. I nodded slowly. “Sounds like it was a serious long-term thing you guys had going.”

  “Long term. Long distance. The relationship didn’t work out either, obviously.”

  “High school sweethearts?” Shane asked and took another sip of wine.

  “Something like that. You know how it is.” The waitress walked by and I looked up at her, but she was going for another table. I fingered the cool rounded rim of my glass, peered inside at the pale, yellowish liquid, and took a drink. It was a bit strong, with a sweet flavor behind it, and left a dry taste in my mouth after I swallowed.

  “It’s funny,” I started, feeling the alcohol burn down my throat and into my nearly-empty stomach, “This dress – he bought it for me, so I could wear it on that date. It feels kinda funny to have held onto it so long, and now…here we are.”

  “You look unbelievable in it.”

  “It was the only thing I had to wear that looked nice.”

  “More than nice,” Shane said, and sensing my distraught, reached across the table and took my hand in his. “That’s nothing to feel bad about, Kat. I’m willing to bet it wasn’t your fault none of that worked out. Now this - this here, is for us. Right now we’re just two people treating ourselves to a nice dinner. It doesn’t matter what we wear, or who gave it to us, or what place we go. All that matters is now.”

  I looked into Shane’s eyes and saw the sincerity in them. His fingertips played over my hand, making little sensitive trails in their wake. I took a deep, cleansing breath and all felt right with the world again.

  And that’s when I knew, I think. He was the man for me.

  “And later, there’s dancing,” he added slyly.

  “Can’t remember the last time I danced. I’m going to be rusty.”

  “You’re not the only one, Kat. We’ll be rusty together.” Shane drained the last of his wine and filled the glass again. “We can go up top after we’re done if you want. After the dancing, that is. Maybe we’ll see those wild island horses I read about.”

  The waitress came by again, this time with dessert. Shane’s hand disappeared and she set down her tray on a little stand and placed several dishes in front of us. There were miniature candy treats, vanilla bean ice cream drizzled with caramel, and many small slices of different kinds of cake which ranged from the ordinary to the exotic. We ate nearly all of it, stuffing ourselves full. Shane and I laughed and joked the entire time, and traded forkfuls of food because everything looked too interesting to keep to ourselves. When the food was gone, and a loose, comfortable tingle settled into my stomach from the wine, we departed to the next deck.

  Most of the other guests finished before us and had already moved on from the dining room. Shane and I walked together up the carpeted stairs without interruption until we reached the entrance to a darkened, stately sort of ballroom when a young couple came breezing by. I watched them go; hand in hand and made up like they were going to prom, as they gleefully bounded past.

  Inside, the guests that weren’t part of the wedding reception that was taking place on the other end of the boat were sitting at tables alon
g the windowed sides of the room and drinking or dancing together in the center. Spotlights shone down, swirling regularly in place as they illuminated the dancing couples for brief instants, and fixed, red and gold-colored lamps set the mood.

  “Well, I hope you like oldies,” Shane said and held out one hand. “Shall we dance?”

  The first few songs were lively classics, and both of us tried our best to look like we knew what we were doing. I’m sure we failed spectacularly. Still, it was great fun, and I don’t think I stopped smiling the entire time while watching Shane try to do the Twist.

  After a while, the lights dimmed and a slow, melodic love song began to play. Shane pulled me close, so that his arm wrapped around me with his hand on my back, and we drifted like that, like I’d dreamed, while the sweet chords of song echoed around us. The whole room seemed to disappear until we were the only two people on the floor.

  “Now this I can dance to and not feel like a goof,” Shane admitted. “I think I was rustier than I let on earlier.”

  “It was fun. Like you said, we were rusty together.”

  “Have I told you how wonderful you look tonight?”

  I giggled and said, “Mmm...maybe. You should say it again though, so I can be sure.”

  “I don’t think any of the other guys here have taken their eyes off you since we walked in. I know I haven’t been able to.” Shane pulled me in, and our bodies touched. My pulse rose as I sensed myself being drawn in to the intimate contact, to the brilliant contrast of his firm chest compressing and moving slowly against my soft bosom.

  “I’m so glad I found you,” he whispered into my ear. “I don’t think I told you this, but I thought I might never get to see you again.”

  “I would have come looking for you if you hadn’t. My mind was already made up.”

  He squeezed me a little tighter and said, “Yeah? It was hard not knowing, just lying in that hospital bed and wondering what happened to you after the ambulance took you away. I don’t know why, exactly, but it was. It kind of hurt.”

  I swallowed hard.

  “You probably think I’m being silly,” he said, confronting my silence.

  “No. I felt the same thing, Shane.” I placed my head against his chest and breathed him in. “It’s not that silly at all.”

  The music swelled and he spun me around slowly, keeping me balanced in his sure grip. When the song faded and another started up, he didn’t miss a beat.

  “Jesus, I haven’t danced like this in years, Kat. I have to keep reminding myself to watch out for your feet.”

  “You’re doing fine. Perfect.”

  I took in the scent of his cologne again and lingered on the warmth of our hands together. We’d shared the same feelings, hundreds of miles apart. It hurt both of us to be away and wondering about each other. I felt like I’d fallen, hopeless, but when Shane found me again, my heart felt like it had been lifted up to a new height and the pain was gone. I’d never sensed that with Hale.

  What did it mean? Was this the true love people always talk about finding?

  We danced together for a few more songs while I forgot about all the other people around us. When the lights brightened again and a more modern rock n’ roll song began to play, we strolled to the edge of the dance floor.

  “Would you like a drink?” Shane asked, to which I shook my head. It was already buzzed from the few glasses of wine I’d had earlier. “Want to go up to the top deck then? See what there is to see? I think there’s a full moon tonight so it should be nice.”

  “I’d like that.”

  Shane guided me up the steep stairwell and to the door at the top. Outside air rushed in to meet me, filled with the salty traces of the coast. The wind was still warm, untouched by the coming autumn, and the cloudless sky was filled with stars. On the horizon, a full, pale moon stood out in the blackness of space like a giant glimmering button and behind us, the hazy lights of Wilmington shone out across the water to point the way back. The boat steamed along under me slowly, carefully, navigating the many large grass and bush-covered islands or the high banks on the edge of the water.

  I stepped over to one of the long brass railings and grabbed the cool metal. Shane stepped in beside me and did the same. We both looked out towards a nearby island as the boat passed it. My eyes adjusted to the night and I watched, just as carefully as the boat chugged along, until another guest exclaimed and a group of horses and ponies suddenly came racing out of a thicket like flittering shadows. They were playing and chasing each other, nuzzling necks and stamping around, and didn’t pay us a bit of mind. I watched them closely, wondering how it felt to be that free.

  “Aren’t they beautiful?” I asked Shane as we watched. “Just look at them.”

  “I’ve never seen anything like it, Kat. They have that whole island all to themselves. Can do whatever they want, anytime they want.”

  “Especially run around. I wonder if my horse Zip is any relation to them.”

  “That the one you had with you the other day? The black one?” I nodded, and twisted my hands on the rail. Shane asked, unsure, “Are they…are they easy to ride?”

  “Not those. You’d have a better chance taming a zebra, I’d say,” I answered.

  “Oh, no. Not the wild ones. The ones like you have at the farm.”

  “Shane Logan,” I said, perplexed. “You mean to tell me you never rode a horse?”

  He shrugged innocently. “Can’t say I have. Not much of a country boy, you know?”

  “Well, I can fix that.” I stepped a little closer, edging myself at an angle between him and the railing. He looked down at me and stared into my eyes when I asked, “You have to work tomorrow?”

  “I hate to say it, but yes. We’ve still got some things to work out for the case. Who knows when Patterson Reid’s lawyers will start throwing curveballs at us. I’m going to be stressed out all next week.”

  “Then you come back to our farm next weekend, when you get a break. I’ll teach you. Show you how I ride. Take away all that stress.”

  I immediately realized the words that had come out of my mouth, but I wasn’t about to take them back. Shane’s smiled extended and a pinkish blush rose on his cheeks. “Oh yeah?”

  “Mm-hmm.” I stepped even closer, until he was pressed right up against me and my back was pinned against the brass railing. Ooh, he felt so nice. The warmth from him seemed to cross over to me, and a delightful ache wound up from between my legs and settled delightfully into my belly.

  “I’d like that,” he said, and the words trailed away from him and escaped into the wind. One strong hand eclipsed my waist and he leaned forward, into me, and my eager lips met his. At first it was a light, testing peck, but then the flood came rushing in and I let it take me. Our mouths met again quickly, more fiercely, and the ache inside me started to burn.

  Eleven

  “Ohh. Oh my,” I murmured as our lips parted. Shane’s hand gently brushed down the side of my face as he stared into my eyes, transfixed.

  My heart was racing. I turned away from him, confused thoughts blazing in my mind. What was I doing? I hadn’t had that much to drink, had I? Our first date wasn’t even over yet!

  “Shane…I…”

  “I’m sorry, Kat. I don’t know what came over me,” he said, taking a step back. “I’m usually not like this.” He picked up my hand and held it between us, and then he turned my chin so that I was facing him again before he continued, “The truth is, you sort of make me crazy. I couldn’t stop myself.”

  “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like it, or I wasn’t hoping for the same thing.”

  “Really?” He asked.

  I nodded. “There’s still a lot going on, though. For both of us.”

  “I know.”

  “Maybe we should slow things down a little, Shane. Just…I don’t know.”

  He lowered his eyes and didn’t answer. Instead, we held hands under the stars and enjoyed the night in quiet, and I tried to forget abo
ut how impossibly wonderful his kiss felt. It was incredibly difficult to process everything and convince myself that waiting was the smart move, but the last time I rushed into a relationship it didn’t work out so well. It was right to slow things down before they flew out of our control…wasn’t it?

  The silence was shattered by the blast of a horn coming from somewhere up the deck on The Enchanting Queen. Shane and I turned suddenly in surprise and then I felt the slow force of the boat coming around in the water, back the way we’d come.

  Once the boat was safely docked, an announcement went out over the PA system that directed all passengers to the main exit. Side by side, Shane and I walked down the ramp and crossed the road back to his car. My thoughts were still tangled by what had happened – the suddenness of his kiss, the raw, tantalizing experience of it, and of his silence when I suggested we go slowly. We spoke only of the surface of our date during the ride; how badly we had danced or how lovely everything was, even though I was sure he was thinking the same things I was.

  He drove back up the winding dust trail of a driveway, and like the gentleman he was, escorted me to the porch. Mother had left the light on, and it was still early enough that dull, thumping music could be heard coming through the windows of Abby’s room upstairs.

  “Tonight was fantastic,” Shane said, standing close to me on the top step. “And I thought about what you said.”

  “That we should take our time?”

  “I don’t want to.” He flashed a smoldering look at me. “But I will, if that’s what you want, Kat.”

  I twirled a loose sequin on the belt of my dress. Did I?

  “I…I think...” I stammered, feeling myself being drawn in again. A quick glance at the door told me no one was watching us, then I turned back to him. Those eyes. Those lips. Who could resist? “We don’t want to rush things, Shane. Not too fast.”