by KB Winters
“Okay.” She nodded. Another half a minute passed as she listened intently. “Okay. I understand. Thank you Matt. You have no idea how much I appreciate this.”
“Bye.” Melissa hung up and handed the phone back to me.
As soon as the phone was back in my hands, she doubled over, folding in half in her chair and seconds later her back shook with a silent sob. A cold chill went down my back and I balled my fists, wanting to demolish the asshole who was responsible for her pain.
I drew in a breath and sank down into a squat in front of her, gently resting my hand on her back as it shook and trembled. Eventually her sob broke loose, a strangled sound of pure anguish that rocked me to the core. There was nothing I could say to make her feel better. All I could offer was a warm hand and a calm presence.
Melissa looked up at me after her sobs quieted, her tear-soaked eyes glistening under the moonlight, and in that moment, I was overwhelmed with the urge to kiss her full lips. It was the wrong time. The wrong place. The wrong situation.
Everything about it was wrong. But I wanted it all the same.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice raw and stripped.
I shook my head. “Don’t be, Melissa, please. You’ve done nothing wrong.”
With the pad of my thumb, I stroked her cheeks to wipe away the remnants of her heartbreak. It was the least I could do. She smiled sadly at my effort before wiping with the back of her hand to clear the rest. “Matt had Henry served today. With the divorce papers. It’s all really happening.”
“I’m sorry, Melissa.” I stayed hunkered down before her even once she sat up straight in her chair again.
Her eyes drifted over the side of the boat at the calm, cool waves, as though drawing some peace from the gentle lapping sounds as they washed up against the boat. “God, I’ve never felt so out of control before in my life.”
“I wish I had some advice for you,” I replied. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
She glanced down at me and smiled. “You’re already helping me. You’re keeping me and my son safe. What more could I ask for?”
I shrugged and gave her a smile. “I don’t know. A glass of wine?” Her lips made a little O and I smiled. I’d found her trigger. “Matt’s a major wine snob and usually has three or four bottles of the good stuff stashed away on this thing.”
Her eyes went wide and an entrancing smile crossed her lips. “I would love a glass of wine.”
“Coming right up!” I popped up to standing in one fluid motion and caught Melissa’s eyes raking up my body as I stood. Her dark glance left trails of heat over my skin wherever her eyes had traveled and I hustled below deck before I let myself get too carried away.
When I returned a few minutes later, an unopened bottle in one hand and the stems of two glasses in the other, I stopped short when I saw Melissa leaned over the table, as though she had just laid her head down to rest her eyes for a moment, but she’d fallen fast asleep.
“Another time,” I whispered to myself. I set the bottle and glasses aside and went to Melissa. I scooped her into my arms and she nestled her head against my chest. She stirred slightly as I took her down below, but once I set her on the bed beside her son, she snuggled against his rounded back and didn’t stir again.
I smiled down at the two of them and pulled the coverlet at the bottom of the bed to cover Melissa up to her shoulders. “Night.”
With the two of them safe and snug, I went back topside and scanned the dark marina. At some point, I’d need to get some shut eye too, but I wouldn’t be able to rest until I knew that Melissa and Jackson were going to be all right. Matt’s warning about Henry’s men showing up at his office with weapons and threats had me unsettled. The job was getting darker and more dangerous with every passing hour, not only for Melissa and her son, but for me and my brother as well.
Chapter Six
Melissa
I didn’t remember falling asleep and had no idea how I’d made it downstairs to the bed I’d tucked Jackson into earlier in the night, but when my eyes fluttered open, taking in the morning light streaming through the window, I shuffled through the memories of last night and figured I must’ve fallen asleep up on the deck when I was talking to Chase. And that unless I’d sleepwalked down a flight of stairs, he’d carried me to bed and covered me with the thin blanket from the foot of the bed.
My cheeks warmed at the idea of being wrapped in his arms and I squirmed at the flood of heat throughout the rest of my body as one thought led to another. Chase carrying me downstairs to bed. But instead of settling me next to my son, he was kissing my neck and tracing his fingers over my curves until he found the gap between my top and the waist of my jeans. Then his hands would disappear underneath the cotton and do all kinds of things to me…
“Mama?”
The small, sleepy voice nearly made me jump out of my skin. I flushed as I stared down at my small son, humiliated that I’d been having such…vivid thoughts…all while inches away from my five-year-old. That mother of the year trophy is gonna be all mine. Skipping school, running away with a stranger, and now fantasizing about said stranger. Yeah…excellent parenting.
“Yes, sweetheart?” I brushed away the lock of hair across his forehead.
“Am I going to school now?” Jackson asked, his voice unsure.
I shook my head. “Not today, baby.”
To my surprise, a huge smile brightened his face. “We’re staying here? On the boat? All day?”
I laughed softly and nodded. “I think so. We’ll ask Chase.”
“Yay!”
“Shh!” I put my fingers to my lips. “Chase might be sleeping. Let’s be respectful.”
Even as I said it, I wondered if he’d even gone to bed last night. In my quick search of the boat the evening before, I’d found two small bedroom quarters, a bathroom, and a small kitchen that included a small table like you’d find in an RV. Again, Matt’s taste for the simpler things in life shown through. His boat was immaculate and looked just like it probably had the day he’d selected it from a showroom, but nothing was over the top and in comparison to Henry’s yacht that had a pool, Jacuzzi, and seven bedrooms and a gourmet kitchen, it was a little on the plain side.
Oddly enough, even in the one afternoon we’d spent aboard, it felt homier to me than the yacht ever had.
I had a sneaking suspicion that had more to do with my company than the physical place. There was something about Chase that relaxed me, and his quiet, but strong presence was exactly what I needed to keep me from completely losing my grip on my emotions and sanity in the middle of the chaos that swirled around me.
“Tell you what, I’m going to go make some breakfast. Do you want to help? I’ll let you put the blueberries in the pancakes before I flip them.”
Jackson bolted out of bed. “Can I flip one? Please, please!”
I nodded. “Sure, baby. But remember, quietly, okay?”
We freshened up and rotated through the bathroom before going to the kitchen. I noticed the door to the second bedroom was closed and assumed Chase was sleeping inside. The kitchen was in the main room, not too far from the bedrooms, so I made sure to work as quietly as possible as Jackson and I got everything ready.
“Mmm, what smells so good?”
I jumped—experiencing my second miniature heart attack of the morning—at the sound of Chase’s voice from the stairs that dropped down from the top deck. He finished his descent and smiled at Jackson and me from the bottom of the stairs. He was wearing a different shirt, but what looked to be the same pair of jeans from the day before. His jaw was freshly shaved and his hair looked damp from a shower. I didn’t know how I hadn’t heard the shower turn on as it was right next to the bedroom Jackson and I shared.
Apparently Chase was some kind of shower ninja. I added that to the list of things I knew about him.
“We’re making pancakes!” Jackson bellowed, hoisting up a tin of frozen blueberries I’d spotted in the freezer the
day before. “With these!” The hint of wonder in his small voice made it seem as though the tin contained flecks of gold, or some other type of treasure.
Chase smiled. “Sounds good to me. You think you can load one up for me?”
Jackson nodded and I smiled at the easy camaraderie that had cropped up between them. As the house staff was so distant, Jackson usually took a little bit of time to open up to strangers. He loved to play with other kids, but around adults he was shy. However, with Chase, he was bright and vibrant as though they’d known each other all their lives.
“How did you sleep?” Chase asked, coming around to the other side of the counter.
I glanced at him as he started putting a pot of coffee on. “I should be asking you that question.”
“How you slept? Can’t say I’d know…” he smirked.
Was he flirting with me? His smile—and the twinkle in his eye—said yes.
“I meant you, silly goose,” I said.
“Silly goose!” Jackson echoed.
Chase chuckled and scooped a few berries off the top of Jackson’s pile when he was busy plopping them in a perfect circle on the pancake batter I’d spread on the griddle. “I slept just fine. Thank you, ma’am.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Ma’am?”
“Would you prefer silly goose?” he asked, smirking. Jackson laughed and Chase joined in.
I scoffed sarcastically. “Great. I’m surrounded.”
The drip of the coffee starting caught my eye and Chase reached over my head for a mug, his face coming dangerously close to mine. Maybe the boat was too small after all…
“Here,” he said, pouring me the first bit that had pooled in the carafe.
“Thank you.” I breathed in the rich, deep smell of the brew before taking my first sip. “Mmm. Perfect.”
Chase smiled at me and waited for the next bit to percolate before pouring a mug for himself.
“So, what’s the plan for today?” I asked, glancing at Jackson as a reminder not to say too much.
Chase nodded his understanding of my silent cue. “We’re going to head south. Stop in San Diego, or thereabouts, we’ll get some more supplies, groceries, that kind of thing, and then head down the Baja coast to Cabo. Lay low until things get figured out.”
“Oh!” My heart pounded. “I don’t have our passports…”
“You don’t need them,” Chase said, his eyes mysterious but sure.
I narrowed my gaze. “We don’t?”
He shook his head, apparently not willing to elaborate.
I sighed and let it go. What choice did I have? Matt trusted him. I trusted him. Maybe I didn’t need to know all of the little details. In fact, it might be better if I didn’t know all the details.
“Looks like that one’s ready to go,” Chase said, taking the spatula from my hand. He leaned over Jackson at the stove. “You wanna give it a go?”
Jackson tipped his head back to look up at Chase, his eyes wide. “Can I?”
“Sure. Let me show you.” He flipped the first and then helped Jackson do the second.
I took a step back, nursed my coffee and watched the two of them together until there was a short stack on the plate beside the stove. Jackson rambled on endlessly about one of his shows and Chase asked all the right questions, spurring Jackson into an even more excited and rapid-fire tizzy.
They were best friends by the time we all sat down to eat.
* * * *
“Okay, I think it would be best if you and Jackson stayed here. I’ll run ashore and go to the store. If you make me a list with any particulars, I’ll make sure to grab everything you need.”
I nodded at Chase’s instructions and took the pad of paper he offered me. We were on the top deck, gliding over the calm water towards a harbor in San Diego. We’d been sailing all day and I’d been looking forward to getting back on solid ground and doing a little walking around, but I wasn’t going to argue with Chase’s decision. So, instead, I sat back down at the table I was at most of the day and started making a list of meals, groceries, and personal items that we might need over the next couple of days until we could get back to a proper store again.
It was all very Swiss Family Robinson.
Jackson was below deck, stretched out in bed watching a show on Chase’s tablet. He was getting restless and I’d finally caved into giving him some TV time to get him to relax and unwind. He’d been a trooper about everything, and to my surprise, hadn’t even asked about Henry yet, but being cooped up on a boat had lost its appeal for him after six hours with nothing to do after breakfast.
I did everything I could think of to keep my mind busy because if left unattended, it wandered off in one of two directions—thinking about Henry and wondering what he was plotting—or thinking about Chase and wondering what he’d look like naked.
Thankfully, Chase had given me a paperback to read and that had done the trick of keeping from unchecked mental wanderings.
“This should be everything we need…hopefully you like the meal ideas,” I said, tearing out a sheet of paper and handing it to Chase.
He glanced at the list and smiled. “Looks good to me. If it’s anything like breakfast and lunch, I’ll be going home five pounds heavier than I was when we left.”
I laughed softly. After the blueberry pancake feast for breakfast, I’d rummaged through the supplies in the pantry and the fresh goods Chase had picked up from his friend’s house on the way to the marina, and I’d managed to whip up one of Jackson’s favorites, grilled PB&J on fresh multigrain bread, topped with banana slices and drizzled in honey.
Chase had eaten three of them all by himself.
“Melissa?” I looked up from the list and found Chase’s eyes wide and serious. “Are you going to be okay?”
I nodded, swallowing the ball of doubt. “Yes.” I brushed my hair back. “Yeah, of course. You won’t be gone long, right?”
“I’ll be fast. I promise. I think it might be best if you stay below deck with Jackson. I haven’t heard from Matt today, but I’m going to call him on my way to the store and see if he has any more info. I doubt Henry’s men could find us here. We left behind anything that could lead them this far south but just to be sure…”
“Right,” I struggled to keep my voice casual. It will be fine, I chanted over and over in the back of my mind.
Chase offered a thin lipped smile. “Okay. Good.”
I wanted him to hold me, to wrap his strong arms around me and breathe into my ear that it was going to be all right. I needed him to drive out the shadows and ripples of anxiety from my tangled thoughts.
We stood facing each other, a foot of space between us, for another heartbeat and my breath hitched when he started to move. He brushed a hand down my arm. “I’ll be back soon.”
And then he was gone.
Leaving me alone and more conflicted than ever before.
Chapter Seven
Melissa
“Here we go!”
Jackson wasn’t the only one elated to be leaving the port in San Diego. I was breathing a sigh of relief as the shore got farther and farther away as Chase steered us back into open water. The entire hour and a half he was gone, getting supplies and groceries was both tense and terrifying. My mind went into overdrive coming up with new—and increasingly horrific—scenarios of men in black combat gear storming the boat and taking Jackson away.
Or worse…
I shook my head, forcing the images away. We were safe now. Chase was back with us and we were leaving San Diego behind us, heading to Mexico from what Chase had told me earlier that morning.
“You want to take a turn at the wheel, little man?” Chase called over to Jackson who was sitting beside me near the front of the boat. Jackson perked up and after I gave him a nod of permission, he bolted as fast as his legs could take him to Chase at the captain’s wheel.
I smiled at them, my hand cupped over my eyes to block out the harsh rays of the sun, and watched as Chase stood behind Jack
son, giving him directions and keeping a firm hand on the top of the wheel to help.
He was going to make an amazing father someday. Whoever he ended up was going to be one lucky woman.
I envied her.
Over the years, as my network had grown and expanded, I’d met a lot of different kinds of people from all walks of life, who’d somehow clawed their way into the top echelon of money and power in the circles Henry traveled. It was interesting to sit back and observe charity galas, award ceremonies, and fancy dinner parties as though they were a small slice of some anthropological study course. Most of the marriages were in some state of chaos, either mid-crisis or on the brink of unraveling completely. Then, there were the ones who somehow managed to stay together and even…gasp…stay happy. What a concept.
A long time ago, when Henry had first struck it rich enough to get invited into their inner circle, I thought we’d someday be one of those couples that everyone else secretly envied. Happy, wealthy, in love, with a beautiful family.
The thought was almost laughable in hindsight.
It was hard to remember being that naive.
Chase, on the other hand, was the kind of guy who’d probably end up with all of those things. He’d find some woman who could make him happy, a woman who would love and support him in his career and they’d make perfect babies together and live happily ever after. He was everything that Henry wasn’t. Kind, warm, hot as sin and approachable. He was also strong, confident, and I knew, deep in my gut, he was powerful when crossed, but his outer demeanor was calm. He garnered respect by who he was, which meant he didn’t have to demand it from anyone.
“Mom! Mom! Guess what?” Jackson came barreling over, arms flailing, stopping just short of crashing into me.
I laughed and steadied him. “What is it, sweetheart?”
“Chase said we’re gonna go fishin’!”
I smiled and glanced over his head at Chase who was grinning at Jackson’s enthusiasm. “That’s great! I bet you’ll catch us the best fish we’ve ever eaten!”