by Jen Talty
“Don’t worry. I will. As a matter of fact, when this is all over, I’m going to enjoy having Jim fired.” Darcie arched a brow. “Can I trust you not to leave this room if I step away from the door?”
“I’ll only make that promise if I get a kiss.”
She rose on tiptoe and brushed her lips over his, but she didn’t let them linger. “I should sneak out before I get caught. That would be bad.”
He rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger. “I’m struggling to understand why you’re important to this picture. Why Preston brought Jim into all of this. I mean, how does he even know Jim? It’s not like we introduced them. This is an elaborate plan to push me out. Too elaborate. There are easier ways. Nothing makes any sense.”
“I don’t have the answers to those questions. But I do have an idea.”
“What’s that?”
“Callie.”
Reid tilted his head. “That’s not an idea. That’s your sister-in-law.”
“Aren’t you cute?” She patted his cheek. “Jagar said it’s perfectly legal for Sally to do what she’s doing because you own the company. The contract you have with your employees states anything on those servers becomes the company’s property, and you and Preston have legal access.”
“I love listening to you talk, but get to the point.”
“Hire Callie.”
“I’m one step ahead of you. She’s already got her nose in all of this. It was Jagar’s idea. I forgot to tell you.”
She smacked his chest. “Don’t forget shit like that. It pisses me off.”
“I know.” He chuckled.
“I don’t find that funny.” Wrapping her arms around his strong frame, she went in for one more kiss. All she wanted to do was get off this yacht and take him out on her sailboat and disappear for a week. If they got through this and he decided to stick around, she’d ask him to do it.
What did she have to lose?
“Go get some sleep,” he whispered. “And be careful.”
“You, too. And act normal. Even around Jim.”
“That’s going to be impossible when I want to string him up by his balls.”
“When this is over, you’ll have to wait in line.” She snuck out of the guest room, and as quickly as possible, made her way down to the crew cabins. Just as she rounded the corner in the mess hall, she ran into Craig.
“Hey, what are you doing up?” he asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
“Couldn’t sleep. Are you headed up to anchor watch?”
“Shift starts at four, and we know how cranky Bradley gets if you’re not there like five minutes early.” He waved his coffee and headed back up the stairs.
Darcie snagged a bottle of water from the fridge and scurried down the hall. She pushed open the door and pulled it closed, gently.
It clicked.
Milia sighed and rolled. “What time is it?”
“Late.” Darcie plugged in her cell and got between the sheets on the bottom bunk.
Four hours of sleep. That’s all she needed.
“I tried waiting up for you,” Milia said.
“Sorry. I got pre-occupied.” Oh God. The last thing she needed was girl-bonding time.
“That’s okay. But I want to talk to you about something,” Milia said. “How would Jim know Preston?”
She blinked her eyes open. “He wouldn’t. Not that I know of, why?”
“I saw them in an intense discussion right before I went to bed. I wouldn’t have thought it strange, but everything about this charter feels wrong.” Milia leaned over the side of the top bunk. “Kim said the captain is acting very weird, and not in a good way considering they just got engaged. I know you probably don’t want to hear about that or talk about it, but you’ve known Jim a long time, and Kim is not only worried about him, she’s also concerned that something is wrong.”
Right. Kim is just realizing that her fiancé has a wandering eye. “If she’s worried about me, tell her she’s got nothing to be jealous of. But I still stand by what I said about Jim. He’s a slime, and I should have known. He’s done it to every woman I’ve ever known him to date.”
“Then why did you go out with him?”
“I got horny. I was bored. He said all the right things when I was vulnerable. And the worst part about that is he knew it.”
“Knew what?”
“My history with Reid. He was there when Reid and I broke up, and Jim used it to get me into bed.”
“Did you know Jim was engaged once before?”
“Jim was engaged? To who? When?” Darcie asked.
“Last year. And it was to some girl that worked with Anastasia.”
“I thought this was the first time Anastasia worked with Jim,” Darcie said.
Malia yawned. “It is. Anastasia didn’t put it all together until she got a random text from her friend, who said Jim called off the wedding three weeks after they got engaged because he just wasn’t marriage material. Kim’s afraid he’s going to do the same thing to her.”
“I hate to say it, but she’s probably right.”
Her phone buzzed.
Reid: Make it to your room ok?
“I need to get a few hours of sleep. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”
“Thanks, Darcie.”
“For what?”
“For always being so understanding. You come off intimidating at first, but you’re really a nice person.”
“So are you.” She reached up and patted Malia’s hand before snuggling back down in her bunk.
Darcie: I did, thanks for asking.
Reid: I’m sorry I dragged you into all of this.
Darcie: You didn’t.
Reid: I want you to know if something bad happens to me that I never stopped loving you.
Darcie: Nothing bad is going to happen. And I never stopped either.
Reid: I should have said that before you left.
Darcie: You were never very good at doing that.
Reid: I’m hoping to get better at it if you’ll give me a second chance.
She inhaled sharply, clutching the phone to her chest. She wanted that more than anything.
Darcie: You live in Texas. I live on a sailboat.
Reid: Details to be worked out.
Darcie: Good night, Reid.
Reid: Sleep well.
Darcie closed her eyes. Her heart tightened. Her mind whirled with a million possibilities, and for the first time in her life, she didn’t look at each path with fear and trepidation. She didn’t want to run and hide from what overwhelmed her anymore, she wanted to embrace the challenge.
She smiled, feeling she might actually understand what it meant to be a thrill seeker.
Chapter 10
About the only way to appease Reid’s rage was to find an outlet for it, and that required getting an adrenaline rush moving through his body.
Or getting drunk.
The latter wasn’t a good idea at seven in the morning.
He stood on the aft deck where they kept all the toys.
Kids’ toys.
The problem with extreme sports was that it wasn’t worth it unless he was traveling at ridiculously high speeds.
Those fucking jet skis weren’t worth it.
However, sticking his fist through Jim’s face might do the trick.
Who the fuck tracked down a woman, wooed her into his bed, and then cheated on her, all because Preston Jenner asked him to? No. Preston had to have something on Jim. Something big and juicy.
Or Jim was just a dick.
Which was a possibility.
“You are up bright and early,” Craig said. “Though I’m not surprised the rest of your group is still sleeping. They sure know how to tie one on.”
“They will be up by nine. Preston will make sure of it. But I can’t sleep that late, and I thought this morning was too beautiful to waste.”
“I totally agree. And the water won’t stay like glass for long. This is the perfect ti
me to go skiing. Darcie’s bringing the tender around. We’ve got three wakeboards for you to choose from.”
“I picked that one.” He pointed to one he’d pulled from the pile. “I’ll go without a wetsuit. And yes, I know I have to wear a life vest.”
The sound of a motor cutting through the water caught his attention. Darcie sat in the middle of the center console wearing a tight, V-neck sun shirt and tiny black shorts that barely covered her adorable little ass.
That moved some blood around in his system.
He watched with a smile tugging at his lips as she maneuvered the small motorboat with ease. He climbed on the back, wishing he could pull her in for an embrace. Or maybe find a small nook offshore for a little morning hanky-panky.
But Craig, the spotter, put a damper on that. Yachting and all their rules.
“You’re going to regret not wearing a wetsuit.” She tossed him the handle as she idled away from the yacht.
“I like my water refreshing,” Reid said as he pulled the straps on his lifejacket tight.
“I’m not a guy, but correct me if I’m wrong, Craig, it’s the kind of cold that causes massive shrinkage, right?”
“She’s not lying.” Craig took a seat next to Darcie, facing backward. “It’s totally embarrassing, dude.”
Reid stuck his hand over the side, feeling the water. It was a bit on the chilly side, but he wasn’t backing out now.
“You can hop in whenever you’re ready.” She pointed toward the shore. “We’ll go up and down in that little cove right there.”
It had been a good two years since he’d been wakeboarding, but it had to be like bike riding.
He hoped. It would suck to wipe out in front of Darcie during a leisurely morning ski run.
He climbed on the back platform, greased the boots, and slipped his feet in. “Here goes nothing.” His body hit the water, and within a second, it felt like an elephant sat on his chest. He popped his head out and gasped for air. “Holy motherfucker. You can put it in gear.”
“Is it cold?” She tossed her arm over the back of the bench and rested her chin in her hand.
“Can you please hit it?” he said with his teeth chattering.
“Put the man out of his misery,” Craig said.
She pushed the throttle down, and as soon as the rope pulled taut, she took the boat up to speed.
He popped out of the water quickly, but it took a little while for the sun to warm him up, and he took it easy on the tricks because he didn’t want to fall back into what felt like a damned ice cube tray. He stuck with basic flips and things he knew he could do in his sleep. Wasn’t very thrilling, but he got that when his balls hit his throat and when he nearly froze to death.
It also woke him up and gave him a chance to clear his head from everything he’d learned, which wasn’t nearly enough. It posed more questions than it gave answers.
The sound of a couple of jet skis approaching caught his attention.
He hit a wave funky and wiped out when he realized it was Preston and one of the team members. At least this time the water didn’t feel so frigid. He swam to the wakeboard and rested his arms over the top. “He is not going to splash me,” Reid muttered.
“I believe that is his intention.” Darcie stood, turning the steering wheel and tapping the throttle, maneuvering the boat between him and the approaching jet ski.
Craig waved his hands up in the air.
“Y’all are very rule-oriented.” Reid handed Craig the wakeboard and climbed up onto the boat. “Not that I wanted to get sprayed.” The reality of what was going down crawled back into his brain, and he didn’t even know the half of it yet. “Or get knocked in the head.”
“That was some of the lamest, most boring tricks I’ve ever seen,” Preston said. He pulled up alongside the motorboat and cut the engine. “You looked like an old man out there.”
“I’m not getting any younger,” Reid said.
“Well, this youngster wants to give it a whirl, and I’d like to have a few words with you over an Irish coffee.”
Reid knew he couldn’t avoid Preston or the team all day, and even though he still had files to go through and try to make sense of, he wouldn’t be able to hole up in his room and do that all day either. “What if I wasn’t done yet?”
“You’re done,” Preston said. “Give him the keys to the jet ski.”
There was nothing worse than being spoken to like a child by your business partner in front of a team member, but Reid had no choice. He had to let it go.
For now.
He took the key and climbed on the watercraft. “Thanks for the morning ride.”
“Our pleasure,” Darcie said. “See you back at the yacht.”
Reid gunned the jet ski and took off, moving full speed ahead, which was only about sixty-five miles an hour. He went in a straight line, not doing even a single doughnut. It took him all of maybe eight minutes to get back to the vessel where Bradley helped him off the watercraft and took his life vest.
“Did you have fun out there?”
“I did, thank you,” Reid said.
“And you, sir?” Bradley asked.
“Not as fun as this one.” He smacked Reid on the back. “I think he has the hots for your boson.”
“I’ve got no comment on that.” Bradley tossed the life jackets to the corner. “There are some muffins out if you want to start on those before breakfast is served.”
“Thanks. We just might do that.” Preston put his arm around Reid. “Let’s go upstairs.”
Reid shrugged Preston’s hand away as soon as they were standing in the main aft deck where the interior had set up a nice continental buffet.
The sun shone brightly over the mountains, and the wind rippled across the water below. If Reid weren’t preparing for battle, this might have been a nice day.
“Let’s stop pretending we like each other when no one is around,” Reid said.
“You’re still mad at me for last night.” Preston poured two large mugs of coffee and snagged a chocolate muffin. He pointed to the lounge chairs by the hot tub where he must have been earlier since his computer and a few folders were on the table.
Reid’s mood had gone from mildly okay—but only because Darcie had been in close proximity—to completely foul in a matter of seconds, and he didn’t see it getting any better. “Of course, I am.”
“I was wasted. I’m sorry.”
“You lied to me. And that wasn’t when you were drunk.”
“I didn’t want to burst your bubble,” Preston said. “You were so excited about the fire department and a potential deal with them, I didn’t want to ruin it. I finally had my old partner back. I hadn’t seen that side of you in years. I didn’t want to let him go. But then Darcie showed up and it’s like you can’t think straight again.”
“Darcie isn’t the problem.”
Preston crossed his legs at the ankles as he broke off a small piece of muffin and placed it into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed as if he were eating a million-dollar meal.
Or maybe his last meal.
That would be nice.
“Maybe not. I have no idea. All I know is that I have been working my ass off for the last year trying to save our company, while you have been doing nothing but pining over a woman who isn’t worth it. And what’s worse, before that, you checked out while dating Darcie. And even before that.” Preston waved his hand dramatically in the air. “You had to go and have feelings for my sister. Well, Darcie isn’t half the girl my sister was.”
“Is that what this is about? You don’t like Darcie because you think she replaced Erin or something?”
“No. This is about you fucking up and me having to make decisions, and now you want to come back in and change things, and I’m not having it. We are moving in a new direction. My direction.”
“What does that mean, exactly?”
“It means we’re moving out of the safety-only business and moving into the money-making business.�
�
“Oh, please. We make a lot of fucking money at what we do. Or do I need to remind you of your salary?”
“Nope. But think about what we could do with Hans if we mass-marketed more of our extreme safety equipment like our line for snorkeling.”
“That was the dumbest thing we’ve ever done,” Reid said.
“Because we didn’t do it right. Reid can help tailor each of our products that are for the extremists or for stunt doubles and make them for everyday people. That’s where the real money is.”
“But we were never about the money. We were always about safety, and this flame-resistant suit for the firefighters could be a game-changer. It’s what we built this company on.”
“No. I was never on board with that direction, and it could also bankrupt us. It will never be a product line that even breaks even. I’ve been crunching the numbers. It’s not worth pursuing outside of the stunt business or the extreme sports world.”
“We have enough money to give back. We could do the deal with the fire departments if the suits are viable.”
“No. We can’t. The testing alone will kill us. Again. I’m the one who has been doing all the data accumulation and research while you’ve been dealing with a broken heart over a girl who didn’t give a shit about you.” Preston sipped his coffee and glanced around. “I heard she had an affair with the captain of this vessel not a month ago, and he’s engaged to someone else.”
“And where did you hear that?” Reid couldn’t believe he was having this conversation. It was as if they were two teenage girls in middle school.
Worse, he now had to accept the absolute worst about his business partner.
And friend.
Who had never truly been his friend to begin with.
“The crew on this boat likes to gossip.”
Now that was really fucking funny because the deckhands didn’t. Or at least they didn’t seem to since they appeared to have a lot of respect for Darcie. Reid couldn’t imagine any of them talking shit about her behind her back.
The interior, while he could see that they could be catty, he still didn’t buy it.
Of course, there was Jim. Fucking asshole.
And the fact that this entire trip was a damn setup.