by Amy Gamet
And he’d just turned her down.
He gestured toward the pool, where the royals were swimming together. “Anything interesting with these two while I was gone?”
“Not really. There was a guy here earlier who was watching them rather intently, but he might've recognized them.”
Cowboy nodded. “I'm surprised how little that’s happened, considering their wedding was just all over the tabloids in every grocery store in America.”
“Does anyone read those things?”
“Somebody must. Has the captain been by to talk? He’s supposed to check in with us at some point.” Abby reached into her bag and withdrew sunscreen. “Not yet. What about you? Did you get ahold of the security team?”
“Yeah. They showed me all the security feeds and gave me an updated copy of the passenger manifest. I haven't had a chance to go through it yet.” Charlotte's name was probably on there this time. If he'd known she was going to be here, he would've done his damnedest to talk her out of it and prevent the scene he’d just been a part of.
He couldn’t believe she’d sought him out like this. Talk about spontaneity. He grinned. You had to admire her for that. And he liked the way she talked back to him, verbally pushing him around.
Hell.
Why couldn’t she be anyone other than Logan’s sister?
“You mind?” Abby held the sunscreen out toward him.
“Sure.” He squirted some onto his hand and began to rub it on her shoulders.
She moaned softly. “God, I need a woman. This feels way too good.”
“You seeing anybody?” he asked.
“Not since my ex moved out a few months ago. She took a job in San Diego.”
“I’m sorry.”
She shrugged. “Wasn’t meant to be. She asked me to go with her.”
“Do you miss her?”
Abby laughed. “Only when I need someone to put sunscreen on my back. What about you? You seeing anyone?”
He instantly thought of Charlotte, remembering how she felt in his arms, her whole body pressing against his. “Nope.”
Abby put sunglasses on and leaned back in her chair. “I hate people.”
Cowboy stared at the royals splashing each other in the pool and laughing. They were a good-looking couple—him tall and lanky, her smaller with graceful proportions. They could’ve been anyone and they still would’ve caught his eye, their happiness drawing his attention like a striking sunset that made him look twice and smile.
It wasn’t every day you saw a couple who looked that happy.
From the corner of his eye he saw a red bikini, and he turned to watch a woman with a killer figure and a big sun hat walking toward him. He hummed appreciatively in the split second before he realized who it was.
Charlotte.
Charlotte noticed him in the same moment. He could tell by the pause in her purposeful stride.
“Nice,” said Abby.
He laughed. “Sorry, she’s on my team.”
“How can you tell?”
“Because I know her.” Cowboy pushed his glasses to the top of his head as Charlotte approached. “Howdy.”
Charlotte stopped at his chair. “Hi.”
Abby sat up and extended a hand. “Abby Granger.”
“Charlotte O’Malley. It’s nice to meet you.”
Abby looked from Cowboy to Charlotte. “Did you two just meet on the ship?”
“My brother works for HERO Force with Cowboy,” said Charlotte.
Cowboy cringed.
“Oh,” said Abby. She turned to Cowboy. “Are you two together?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Not exactly,” said Charlotte, grinning at Cowboy.
Abby tilted her head. “Oh.”
“It’s complicated,” said Cowboy. “I’d appreciate it if you kept it to yourself.”
“You know what they say. What happens in the middle of the ocean stays in the middle of the ocean.”
“It was nice to meet you, Abby,” said Charlotte. She winked at Cowboy before walking off.
Time would tell if that was true and Abby could be trusted to keep a secret. Jax wanted to grow the team. Hire a few women. Abby’s role on this cruise made her a potential candidate and he didn’t need her to know more about Charlotte than she already did.
Cowboy’s cell phone rang. It was Jim Harrison, the security director for the ship. He was cooperating with HERO Force on their mission to protect the royals. “Hey, Harrison.”
“There’s been an incident. I don’t think it has anything to do with your assignment, but I wanted to make you aware of it nonetheless.”
“What’s going on?”
“There’s been a murder.”
Cowboy’s eyes opened wide. “Who?”
“I don’t know. There’s no body, but from the amount of blood and the lack of any mortally wounded passengers in the infirmary, it’s pretty clear someone has been killed. It happened in an area that’s only accessible to crew members.”
That was some relief. “What now? Do we turn around?” Cowboy asked.
Abby sat up and took her sunglasses off, her eyes questioning.
“The cruise line has spoken to the Coast Guard,” said Harrison. “The decision has been made to continue with the voyage.”
“Let me know if I can be of any help. Thanks for letting me know.” Cowboy hung up and turned to Abby. “It looks like someone was murdered on the ship. They didn’t find a body but there’s a lot of blood.”
“Holy shit. Any concerns for the royals?”
He shook his head. “No. It happened in an area of the ship that’s not open to guests. Probably one crew member killed another.”
Abby leaned back and put her sunglasses back on. “Well, that doesn’t bode well for the rest of this trip.”
“It has nothing to do with us.”
“Everything has something to do with everything else. It’s the way of the universe. And somebody getting offed on this ship does not bode well for any of us.”
Cowboy settled back in his chair. “Is there anything you want to do this week? Rock climbing? Skydiving simulator?”
“I want to go to the spa for a massage. You?”
He thought of Charlotte and the sexual gymnastics he wanted to put her through. “I’m just gonna sit in the sun and work on my tan.”
And my fucking self-restraint.
7
Charlotte pulled hard on the arm of the slot machine, watching the old-fashioned tumblers spin and sparkle. They stopped moving, but everything was out of focus. She didn’t know if she’d won or lost, and she didn’t give a shit either way.
She yanked down the arm again with satisfying force.
A cheer went up from deeper in the casino but she didn’t look up, her eyes fixed on the machine in front of her.
Stupid fucking Cowboy.
How could he do this to her? That man was practically famous for fucking anything with legs, but he wasn’t willing to fuck her. Like she was defective or something.
The machine beeped and whistled, lights flashing as it spit out coins. She pulled on the lever hard, sending the wheels spinning once more. The room was full of noise, the steady cacophony soothing her mind like a washing machine soothes a baby.
She had a choice now. She could be hurt and offended and appalled at what she had done, or she could be angry.
Charlotte chose angry.
So what if that bastard wouldn’t sleep with her? Just because she’d come all this way and gotten on this stupid goddamn cruise ship to be with him didn’t mean her whole world was falling apart. Screw him.
There were lots of fish in the sea, and she was on a freaking boat, for Christ’s sake.
This worthless feeling reminded her of Rick.
Fuck Rick.
Would that man have a hold on her forever? Couldn’t she rebuild and start fresh, without the shadow of that giant dick covering every inch of her world?
He wasn’t even here,
hadn’t been here in a long damn time. But having Cowboy turn her down today was a slap upside the face, and every slap upside the face reminded her of her ex.
Pull. Bells. Whistles. The sound of change falling. It was therapeutic. Every dollar she spent was one more Rick would never see. She pulled again.
A man’s arm came out of nowhere, resting on the side of her machine as a toxic dose of spicy cologne invaded her breathing space. She turned her head to the offender who flashed an overly white smile.
“Looks like your lucky day, sweetheart. And you’re winning at the slots, too.” He chuckled at his joke. “I’m Trent.” He held out his hand.
“I’m not in the mood for company, Trent. I’m sorry.”
“You just met me. How can you know if you’re in the mood for me or not? What do you say you and me—”
She put one hand on her hip and turned to face him fully. “You’re not listening. Go away.”
His stare hardened. “Bitch.”
She got in his face. “This is a couple’s cruise and you’re hitting on me. Fuck you, asshole.” He jerked back, then walked away.
Charlotte turned back to the slot machine, but the therapeutic spell had been broken. That loser ruined her mojo, and nothing about pulling this lever was going to make her feel better tonight. She collected her coins in a small bucket and made her way up a few steps to the casino bar.
“What can I get for you?” asked the bartender.
He was black and handsome, with a thick mustache. She looked at his name tag.
Isaac.
She narrowed her eyes. “Really?”
He held out a hand and shook hers. “I’m Malik. I get better tips with this name tag on.”
“I like it. I’ll take a scotch on the rocks, please.”
She felt like she’d been through a war. She could still see Cowboy’s bare chest, feel his arms around her holding her tightly. She’d been so close to getting everything she wanted, yet it slipped right out of her hands.
Malik brought her drink. “A lot of people ask me for advice on their love lives, too.”
“Do I look like I need it?”
“You’re pretty, but you don’t look very happy.”
She sipped her scotch, somehow sadder to know that it showed. “Thanks for the drink.”
She turned around, taking in all the people gambling, the laughter, the noise. She didn’t want to spend this week wallowing over Leo. She wanted to enjoy the cruise.
No sooner did she think it than she saw Cowboy across the way.
Dammit.
He was with that woman again from the Academy, who was just cute enough and hanging on to his arm just tightly enough that she wondered if he was sleeping with her.
Probably.
If that wasn’t salt for her wounds, she didn’t know what was. Was this how the whole freaking week was going to go? Seeing Cowboy every time she turned around? She took another sip of her drink as their eyes met across the room.
Her stomach clenched, and just as quickly her ire went up. She was not going to sit here and feel uncomfortable. She’d march right over there and make him uncomfortable, instead.
She swore she could see the panic in his eyes as she crossed the casino floor to reach him and her mouth pulled into a self-satisfied grin. “Hello, Leo. Abby. You two here for a little gambling?”
“I’m going to play blackjack and keep an eye on our friends,” said Abby. She looked from Cowboy to Charlotte and back again, a smile firmly fixed on her face. “Why don’t I go do that right now?” She walked away.
Charlotte stepped closer to Cowboy. “What about you?”
“I’m not much of a gambler.”
“Really? That surprises me. But then again, you’re just full of surprises today.”
“You’re upset.”
She took a sip of her scotch. “No. Disillusioned maybe.”
“How so?”
She leaned in and lowered her voice. “You work so hard to sell this fun, playboy persona. I guess I just thought it was real.”
His eyes darkened and he put his hands in his pockets.
“Why me, Charlotte? Why did you come all this way just to share my bed for a few days?”
Because you’re the best man who ever looked twice at me.
She couldn’t tell him that, and her mind steadfastly refused to come up with a more appropriate answer.
“There must be a reason,” he said.
“I wanted some company.”
His stare took in her whole face, pausing on her lips before meeting her eyes again. “A gorgeous woman like you could find company closer to home.”
Her stomach flip-flopped. Did he really think she was gorgeous? His voice was gravelly — a bedroom voice — and she clenched her knees together.
She could feel the heat of him, and she dared to hope she might get her way after all. “I wanted you.”
He leaned toward her, just inches from her face. Her eyelids drooped heavily and she licked her lips. The moment stretched out between them, her heart leaping frantically as she willed him to kiss her.
He pulled back.
“I still want you,” she said. Her cheeks instantly heated. She took a sip of her drink and stared into it, swirling the ice in her glass. “But you’re going to keep right on turning me down, aren’t you?”
She felt so sorry for herself in that moment, so embarrassed to have put herself out there again only to be rejected.
“You’re not telling me the whole story,” he said.
“What do you want me to say? That I’m here because my divorce left me feeling like an old, dirty towel someone dropped on the floor and walked on? Because there it is. That’s the truth. And the truth isn’t always pretty. You strike me as the kind of guy who’s more interested in pretty.”
She searched his face for the pity she knew she would see there, but his expression was unreadable.
“Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think,” he said.
He was so good-looking, his presence so big and grounding and endearing and sexy, if she added sensitive and understanding to the list, she’d be on her knees begging him to reconsider.
She put her empty glass down on the tray of a passing waitress. She had to get the hell out of here before she made even more of a fool out of herself. “Enough talking. I’m going to go to the nightclub. This girl needs to dance.”
8
Cowboy spent the better part of the next hour watching Abby lose money playing blackjack at the table next to the prince and princess. He’d watched the royals all through dinner and the early evening so Abby could go to the spa, which meant he didn’t need to be here right now, and he kept thinking about Charlotte dancing.
“Hit me,” said Abby.
Cowboy frowned. “You have seventeen.”
“I’m trying to get twenty-one.”
“You suck at this game.”
The dealer flipped over the four of hearts and Abby gave a loud whoop. “I am great at this game.”
“You’re down more than four hundred bucks.”
“I’m going to get it all back, and more.”
He’d seen enough. “I’m going to head out. I’ll catch you in the morning.”
He left the casino telling himself he was headed back to his room, but that wasn’t where his feet were taking him. A walk, then. He’d just go for little walk around the deck before he turned in for the night.
He arrived at the nightclub, staring into the darkness and blue throbbing lights. Of course he was headed here. He’d been heading here the whole time. From the moment Charlotte walked out of the casino, all he could do was follow her. He needed to see her.
It wouldn’t go further than that.
Sure it won’t.
He entered the nightclub, picturing her body moving to the thump of the music and imagining he could take her up on her offer. Knowing how good it would feel to be with her.
She was larger-than-life in his mind, with her bold ma
keup and clothes that hugged her body, an odd mix of classy and trashy that drove him absolutely wild. The revealing plunge of her neckline and the tang of her perfume in the casino had nearly been his undoing.
He’d been about to kiss her when he pulled himself back. Now here he was following her, and he knew he’d left his better judgment at the door.
The music was loud, people standing at small tables and drinking out of glasses that glowed neon in the black lights.
Then he saw her.
She was on the dance floor, the wide stripes of her black and white dress fluorescing and disappearing in the darkness, making her knockout body look wrapped in strips of fabric. She had her eyes closed, seemingly oblivious to the world around her as she circled her hips and raised her arms above her head.
He was already half hard and the floodgates opened, blood rushing to his cock. He stepped onto the dance floor, walking around her, taking in the sight of her from every angle before getting close enough to touch her shoulder.
Her eyes flew open, her knowing look arresting his stare. It was too loud for talking. She rested her hands on his chest and began to move to the music once more. He moved with her, a slow, seductive dance that had more in common with making love than dancing. He squeezed her hips, his fingers slipping over the silky fabric of her dress and digging into the curves of her warm, womanly body.
His lips grazed her forehead. She lifted her head to kiss him, her full lips tantalizing his before she opened her mouth and teased him with her tongue.
He slipped his hands around her neck and into her hair, holding her against him. She tasted like scotch and something sweet, and he wanted his mouth on more of her, tasting her everywhere. She used the music to torture him with her body, rubbing and pressing and pulling him in tight.
The music slowed and he pulled her fully against him. “Is it too late to change my mind?” he asked in her ear. “I need to be with you.”
She shook her head and took his hand in hers, pulling him behind her out of the club and into the warm night air. He tugged her toward the ship’s railing, pressing her against it and kissing her over the roar of the water against the ship.