by Cherry Adair
Still, she jerked back, out of Naveen’s reach. “Don’t. The only reason I haven’t made a scene about you grabbing me this morning is that Ry is already pissed that you’re here at all. I don’t want to precipitate any violence from him. Keep your hands to yourself, Naveen.”
He held up both hands in a stop gesture. “Good Lord, Addison. I would never hurt you. Never. That’s not who I am, and you know it. I was jealous when I heard the way you talked about Case this morning. I’m sorry if I scared you.”
She held up her wrist and pushed back the sparkling bracelets, so he could see the faint marks he made on her wrist.
“Did I do that? I’m so, so sorry. Please. Forgive me?”
“Don’t ever manhandle me again. I mean it.” He wouldn’t because she knew she’d never see him again after he left in the morning.
Since his forehead didn’t move, it was hard to tell if he frowned, but his eyes darkened, his pupils growing larger and darker like a predatory large cat, and his lips compressed. “The thought of you with Case—”
“That’s not an agreement never to grab me again, Naveen.”
“Of course,” he said stiffly. “I was taken by surprise. It won’t happen again.”
If she’d had doubts about him before Ry even came back on the scene, that brief flash of anger had shown her another side of Naveen. A side she’d never seen before, and certainly didn’t like.
He’d had time to change into white linen pants and shirt, his black hair slicked back. “You were with the police for a long time.”
He looked as though he’d just strolled off a GQ cover. Addison’s gaze flicked across the deck to Ry. He looked as though he’d just surfed up on the beach to get a cold one. No shirt, no shoes, hair too long, body ripped and tanned. Tall, dark, and compelling. It was hard to look away.
“I don’t like not being able to answer questions about my own employees,” Naveen told her, dragging her attention back to him and away from Ry. “I have people for that. I gave them the phone number of my people, but they insisted I answer all their questions to their satisfaction. Again. They found some video footage taken several days ago, and wanted to ask me more questions this morning. They interrogated me as if I were some sort of low-life criminal. I expected them to bring out the thumbscrews before long. I had to remind them of who I am.”
Addison raised a brow. “Come on, Naveen. Just because you have a title doesn’t mean they wouldn’t consider you a suspect—as they do everyone else on board. They appear very good at what they’re doing, and they haven’t been overly intrusive. They did capture Van Engen.”
Naveen liked the serfs to keep their distance. A bit tricky in the real world where there weren’t that many serfs around for him to ignore.
“He practically turned himself in,” Naveen corrected. “All they had to do was be present.”
Addison didn’t have to turn her head; out of the corner of her eye she could see Ry waving his hand as he told a story. Heard the pause for the punch line. Waited. Everyone laughed. Her chest constricted a bit. She wanted to be over there laughing with them, not standing here with Naveen with a backdrop of the romantic sunset.
“However it came about, they have him,” she said with a trace of sympathy.
“This is all very inconvenient, I must say. They’re going to take him back with them to Mangalore as soon as we dock. Which means I’m down two men servants, and must wait until we reach Sydney before I feel comfortable filling those positions. I sincerely hope Case finds whatever he’s trying to salvage, so we can continue our journey as soon as possible. The buyer is eagerly awaiting our arrival in Sydney. He expects us, Addison.”
The buyer was the least of her problems. Or, she thought, possibly the answer to Ry’s prayers. But to know that, they needed to talk about his financial situation. That minefield on top of the barely healed wound of their discussion about Sophia was going to be tricky. It needed time to resolve—somehow. Unfortunately Ry didn’t have time. The buyer was already in place. Naveen had brokered the deal.
If between them, she and Ry could come up with the money to buy back Case Enterprises, he could get his hands on a smaller, cheaper ship until he salvaged his next treasure. Addison had seen pictures of Zane Cutter’s ship the Decrepit. It lived up to its name. It was a junker, but it did the job and made the Cutters lots and lots of money. Millions.
Rydell could do the same.
Not that she’d breathe the name Cutter to him. Ever. The hatred he felt for that family was deep and bitter. She’d never been able to figure out why, when the ocean was so vast, they ever needed to run into each other. They sued him. Ry sued them back. It was a lose–lose situation.
But if he lost this war, it would be over. Done.
He’d be back to starting from scratch.
Addison had every faith that he could rebuild his fortune. In time. But it would be humiliating and dispiriting. Yes. Maybe a quick sale of Tesoro Mio was the answer. “Didn’t you let the buyer know the trip was postponed?”
Withdrawing a black silk handkerchief from his pant pocket, the prince mopped perspiration from his forehead, then dabbed it over his upper lip. It wasn’t that hot. Addy looked at him with concern. Crap, she didn’t want to be unsympathetic, but the last thing she needed right now was Naveen getting sick. Things were complicated enough without her playing nurse to him. Because if he was sick, she’d feel like a monster insisting he leave the ship tomorrow.
He stuffed the scrap of silk back into his pocket. “I’d hoped that we could still make it in a reasonable amount of time.”
“Rydell says it will take a minimum of two weeks for this dive, Naveen. I told you that. Not to mention that the terms of our divorce stipulate that he gets first refusal if I decide to sell.” Something she’d told him when he’d brought her the offer several months ago. “Honestly, since Sea Dragon was hijacked, I can’t see Rydell agreeing to sell Tesoro Mio. It’s his livelihood.” More so now than ever.
“I made a gentleman’s agreement, Addison. I can’t—won’t go back on that.”
“That wasn’t your call to make, Nav.” He had no right to make any kind of agreement, handshake or legal. The ship wasn’t his. “Legally that agreement isn’t binding. I didn’t agree to anything. I don’t think I could’ve been any plainer when I told you that. And Rydell would’ve had a fit if he’d known. I agreed only that I’d bring Tesoro Mio to Sydney for him to look at.”
His black eyes looked cold and hard. “As your fiancé, I believed I did have the right to act on your behalf.”
“First, even if that was true, you being my fiancé—that still doesn’t give you any legal rights to make business decisions on my behalf, and certainly not for a hundred-and-fifty-million-dollar sale. Second, you aren’t my fiancé. That’s something we were going to address once we got to Sydney.” Now was as good a time as any to tell him the bad news. “And since you bring that up—let me clarify my position. I can’t marry you, Naveen.” There. Band-Aid ripped off. “Not now. Not ever.”
He reared back as though she’d slapped him. His olive complexion paled, and oily sweat sheened his skin. He took out the silk again, wiping his face. This time she noticed that his fingers shook. “You don’t mean that. We love each other, we always have. Case is just confusing you now. But once we reach Sydney—”
“No. Things have never been more clear.” And she’d go to hell for lying through her teeth. Things were about as clear as London fog, but that was her personal issue and had zip to do with him. “We cared for each other, but that isn’t love.” He tried to pull her into his arms, but Addison held him off with both hands on his chest.
“It is love,” he said sincerely, looking into her eyes. Unfortunately, all she saw reflected there was her own pale face, and her expression of growing annoyance. He ran his hand over her hair, then brushed her cheek with the tips of his fingers. “Let me show you how hot my passion burns for you, my darling.”
Addison gave him a suspicious look, then h
alf laughed. “Did you rehearse that line, Naveen?” Passion was the last emotion she expected from him. Where Ry held everything to his chest, he was the strong silent type and rarely showed emotion. Naveen was the cold, impersonal type. Addison wasn’t sure he was capable of showing any depth of emotion at all. Scanning his features, she saw that he appeared to be shaken. Distressed. Then angry.
His expression tightened. “I don’t think it should be amusing when I’m declaring my feelings for you.”
Her smile slipped. “Do you really love me, Naveen? I don’t think you do. You’ve been a good friend—which is why I didn’t throw your ass overboard this morning when you grabbed me. But friends is all we can be.”
“Case seduced you away from me. Again.” He rubbed an elegant hand across his smooth jaw. “I could kill that man for stealing you from me twice.”
“I wouldn’t use that word when we have the Coast Guard on board,” she said drily. “And I couldn’t be stolen if I wasn’t willing to go.”
“You … love him? After what he put you through when your child died? Do you forget that he never called you? Refused to even acknowledge that it had died? That he didn’t even bother to make an excuse for not going to the funeral?”
It? Dear God, was that how he thought of her beautiful little girl? It? “He and I have resolved all that. And it was because Hollis tampered with my phone.”
“So he says,” Naveen said tightly, looking less attractive by the minute. The breeze flipped his carefully combed hair, so she had a glimpse of his receding hairline. “Are you willing to take his word for this? Have you at least confirmed what he claims with Hollis?”
“I’d believe her considerably less than I believe Ry.” At that moment she glanced up, and her gaze collided with Ry’s. He cocked a brow. Are you okay? She gave a small nod, her heart filling at the familiar connection. God, she’d missed him. Missed their silent communications. Missed the invisible thread that had always bound them. Missed the way he would jump in to protect her against anything at a moment’s notice. “And yes.” She glanced back at Naveen. “I do believe him.”
“Then I have a few weeks to convince you that you’ve made the wrong choice, my dear. I’ll prove that Case still isn’t the man for you.”
Oh, no, no and freaking no. Not going to happen. “I’m sorry, Naveen. When we reach port tomorrow, I’d like you to leave the ship.”
He looked stunned. “You’re asking me to leave you alone with the man who abandoned you? Ignored you in your hours of need? I was the one who dried your tears and held you when you couldn’t go on. I’m the man who dealt with the legalities to keep your hands clean. I, may I remind you, my dear, am the man who has loved you from the beginning. Before you even met Case. Before, during, and after Case, as it happens.”
“And I will always be grateful to you for all you did. I’m sure I wouldn’t have made it if not for your care and affection. But Rydell has been thrust back in my life, and I still have some feelings for him. Or I might…”
“So you’re going to play spare-wheel ex-wife as Case spins his wheels looking for a treasure that may or may not be where he claims it is? You know damn well he’ll treat you like a casual hookup because you’re here and available, and then he’ll just abandon you again.”
She knew he was lashing out from a bruised ego, but that was damn insulting. “You say that as if I have no free will. And whether I do, or don’t, is none of your business.” He’d just crossed another line. “I’m asking you to leave because I don’t want to string you along thinking there’s any hope for us to have a romantic relationship. I’ve tried, but I don’t love you, Naveen. Not as deeply as a woman should love a man. I enjoyed our friendship, and I’ll always be grateful for the care and compassion you showed me after Sophie died. But that wasn’t romantic. After this morning, I question whether we even have a solid friendship.” That was as kind and compassionate as she was willing to be. Every word out of his mouth annoyed her more.
“One incident turned you against me? For God’s sake, Addison—”
“This isn’t because of what happened this morning. I’ve struggled with this decision for a long time.” Not to mention I’m annoyed at myself for not seeing this side of you before now. “I can’t spend the rest of my life with a man I don’t love with my whole heart.” And one I don’t even like anymore. Insidiously, Naveen had somehow become Jekyll and Hyde.
Dark eyes ate the light, and his features tightened with anger. The same expression he’d worn that morning. It dawned on her that Naveen’s anger ran just under the surface. He’d just been better at hiding it before. Or perhaps she’d never really looked deep enough before.
“And that man is Case?” he demanded, voice edged in ice.
Addison shrugged. “I don’t know. But that’s not your concern. It’s my choice. Please. Be a gentleman about this, and don’t make a scene. If you care for me at all, you’ll do as I ask.”
He picked up her hand from where it lay on the rail. She reflexively jerked it back, but he kept hold of it. His strength and quick move kept her hand imprisoned, yet in place of the anger in his eyes she saw only gentleness. For the first time that evening, she wondered whether she was wrong to be so harsh.
Bringing her fingers to his lips, he said quietly, “I’ll give you the space you need, my darling. But don’t mistake my reserve for lack of deep feelings for you. I’ve loved you for years, Addison. I lost you to Case once before, and you came back to me. I can be a patient man until you return to me once again.” He gave her a charming, very white flash of a smile. “Third time will be the charm.” He kissed her knuckles, then released her hand and stepped back.
“Captain Sharma will take you to Malé in the morning.”
“You’re quite serious? You want to me to disembark and not accompany you to Sydney?”
“Yes. I do.” She didn’t bother sugarcoating it.
After a heavy silence, he said stiffly, “Very well. Will you at least agree to meet me in Sydney when this salvage is completed? Give me the opportunity to convince you that I’m the right choice.”
Not in a million years. “Sure.”
He nodded, his shoulders relaxing somewhat. “I find I’ve quite lost my appetite. If you’ll excuse me I’ll dine in my cabin while Bhat packs my bags.”
Relived that he hadn’t made a big scene, Addison smiled gently. Maybe he really was one of the good guys. “As ever you are a gentleman, Naveen. Thank you.”
“I’m not leaving the playing field, Addison. Merely stepping back temporarily to please you. We still have an interested buyer for Tesoro Mio.”
“I’ll discuss that with Rydell.”
“Yes. Do,” he said with a little dry irony. “I’ll see you in the morning, darling.” He gave her a flash of white teeth. Addy had never really noticed that his smile rarely reached his eyes. Maybe it was the Botox?
“I’ll have Bhat prepare something in the galley. I have some correspondence to deal with.”
Correspondence that couldn’t wait until morning when he was on land? “Okay, suit yourself.”
He leaned over to kiss her on the mouth, but she turned her face so that the dry kiss landed on her cheek. “Good night, darling.”
As he strolled away, Addison caught Jax touching his ear, as though he was in communication with someone. Ry?
Ry would be delighted Naveen wasn’t joining them for dinner, she was sure. In fact he’d be thrilled.
One problem down. It was a start.
She squared her shoulders, thought about how she might get Ry to confide in her, how she might persuade him she needed to be on his team, working with him, and drew a deep breath, realizing she’d opened the door without meaning to.
Last night’s lovemaking had given her the opportunity she needed. In the past, in the midst of a challenge, whether it was a hunt for salvage or strategizing a new way to get the best of the Cutters, Ry’s passions were stoked.
They’d had wonderful times in
bed when Ry was facing his biggest challenges. He’d always told her he needed her there, with him, because when the world was hurtling fireballs at him, without touching her he’d die.
He’d said she was his talisman, his muse, the light that guided him to the answers that he needed. He had said he needed her with him. To touch her. To see her. To share the sleepless nights with. To ride out the storms with him, to see in the sunrise.
All needs that she’d gladly fulfilled, because Ry was a man who was careful to give more than he took. She’d always been there for him, soothing him with her body, giving him free access to work through his physical frustration, and afterward, in the long nights when he faced challenges, they’d talk. As memories filtered back to her, her body tingled with anticipation.
* * *
“That was great, wasn’t it?” Ry asked Addy as they walked side by side down the quiet, dimly lit corridor to the cabins. Just like old times, they’d eaten a leisurely meal under the stars with their friends.
Three of the four Indian authorities had shared interesting and entertaining stories, and the Prince of fucking Darkness had adjourned early to wash his hair or floss his teeth for tomorrow’s departure. The wine flowed, and there’d been no curry involved, thank God. Which meant Addy wasn’t still pissed at him.
“It was.” She smiled at him, heartbreakingly beautiful in her white dress, which showed off her smooth golden skin and lightly muscled arms. “I’d forgotten how much I missed them.”
“Almost as much as we all missed you.” Sure, he’d included their friends, but really, when it came right down to it, he’d missed Addy more than all of them combined times a thousand.
When he’d found out she’d gone back to Darshi after the divorce, hell, he’d forgotten how to breathe. Now, after sharing a night with her, his chest was unlocked and his lungs filled with the warmth and freshness of a breeze he’d long forgotten existed.
Georgeo had given Ry a discreet nod, indicating they’d stay up top until a suitable interval passed for him to take Addy below in privacy.