“No, I haven’t, but she might be in her room.” Awkwardness settled over Jami. What if Sam had been able to hear everything she and Beck had shared? She supposed none of it would be a big surprise to her sister, but she didn’t like the idea that Sam would think she’d been friendly with Beck.
Sam’s door popped open, and Sam poked her head out. “There’s a lot of commotion going on. Have I missed anything?”
“We’ve got ten minutes to make it to the spa.” Elaine sipped on the icy, pink concoction in the glass in her hand. “Do you know how to get there? I’m hopelessly lost with the maze of walkways around here.” She laughed and sucked on her straw again.
“I know the way.” Sam threw a saucy look at Jami. Jami caught her breath. Did that mean Sam had overheard them?
“Join us, Beck?” Elaine asked archly. “I’m sure there’s room for one more in their appointment book.”
“I’m good. Golf trumps the spa any old day.” He checked his watch. “In fact, I’ve got twenty minutes to get my butt over to the first green. Teddy is hosting us to a round.” Beck nodded to Sam and Elaine and then winked at Jami. As he strolled off, she fixated on his curling cowlick. Her heart executed a tiny dip-dive. It was kind of charming.
“You sure you don’t want to join us?”
“I’m good. You two go have fun.” Jami waved the women off and stood for a moment at the foot of the stairs leading up to her room. Elaine and Sam’s voices drifted through the greenery and bougainvillea, and a cheery whistle carried to her ears but was fading quickly. Was that Beck?
She touched her lips as if his mouth was still on hers. He wasn’t quite the monster she’d made him out to be. He was stupidly good with her little twin sisters, and he’d been surprisingly understanding about her motives for clinching the property deal. He was so much more than Fiona’s arrogant son.
And she had a sinking feeling he was completely right about one thing. He had a better than outside chance of beating her. Then what? She’d have to face her father.
And Beck would be living in Barrett Ridge.
CHAPTER TWELVE
BECK LOLLED ON the deck of the charter boat as it rocked to the easy pitch of the waves. The sun baked the top of his head and his back. He vaguely worried about a sunburn since the sun was so intense this close to the equator, but his eyes just couldn’t seem to stay open. A seagull swooped past, and Beck cracked his eyelids at the passing shadow.
This island living was paradise in his humble opinion. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so relaxed. He never napped, and certainly not when he could be diving or windsurfing with the others, but with his belly full of lunch, it had sounded much more tempting to just watch the horizon and the endless blue waves.
He refused to feel lazy. He’d taken a spin parasailing and snorkeling with Ryan and Carl, who was completely recovered from his bout of sick stomach. Yes, he’d earned a snooze.
Jo and Mandy were stretched out on recliners at the ship’s stern, soaking in the sunshine. A burst of noise alerted him to the location of Teddy and Caitlynne. They were up on the second story sundeck. As usual, they were bickering over some kind of nonsensical, trumped-up need of hers. He was growing to dislike Jami’s stepmother about as much as Jami did.
Teddy growled something Beck couldn’t quite make out, but then Teddy clomped his way down the ladder to the enclosed bridge. The captain greeted the older man, who then settled into the spare reclining seat and promptly stuck his nose into his all-absorbing phone.
Beck shrugged and turned away. Who played on their cell phone in the middle of the Caribbean? With glorious sunshine and salty waves, what more could a man want? He supposed the yacht must have Wi-Fi since he guessed cell signals would be nonexistent out here, miles from the island.
Beck rolled his neck in a circle and stretched out his back with a pop. The distant shoreline and towering, green mountains of St. Lucia beckoned on one side, and the golden sand beaches of Santa Tarita glimmered to the south. In the distance near St. Lucia, a speed boat bounded along with a parasail high in the air behind it, and Beck wondered if Jami had taken her turn yet.
She had looked luscious in her coral-colored bathing suit, the mesh cut-out sides providing tempting peeks at her midriff. Beck shook off the memory.
To the port of the yacht, a sprinkling of dive and snorkel boats and ships were anchored, and he imagined he could make out the tiny wakes left by the snorkels as the paddlers drifted in the shifting current.
The whirring noises of approaching watercraft filled the air and drowned out the strident squawking of a new pair of seagulls.
Austin, Emma, and Carl bounded through the aqua waters with a wild, snaking wake as Carl drove the personal watercraft in giant S-curves. Anna, Daphne, and Clara plunged along behind them. A third Jet Ski swooped close, threatening to launch a massive wave over him.
The watercraft abruptly swiveled, and the wave rushed away from the boat. Jami laughed, while Mae and Ryan, who rode behind her waggled their hands in greeting.
“Did you get wet?” Mae called out to Beck.
“You missed me by a mile.”
The trio put-putted in a circle around the boat. Jami’s grin was infectious.
“Why don’t you come with us, Uncle Beck?” Ryan tugged on Jami’s life vest. “Is there room for four people?’
“Only three, I’m afraid.”
Beck tried to gauge Jami’s tone. Did he hear regret in her voice, or was she simply being kind to Ryan?
“Jami? I have to pee,” Mae said.
“I guess we timed it just right then, didn’t we? Here we are at the boat.”
Jami goosed the engine and brought the watercraft to the side of the yacht while Beck waited to toss her a rope. Ryan gathered the rear rope and tossed it to Beck. With the craft secured, Mae held out her arms to Beck, and he pulled her up to the deck.
“Now you can join us.” Ryan smiled. “Is that okay, Mae?”
The little girl cocked her head. “I’m hungry. I want some cookies. It’s only fair that Beck gets a turn, too.”
Jami and Beck laughed in unison, and their gazes met in an instant of frisson. Beck’s mouth went dry, and all he could see was the breeze teasing a lock of Jami’s hair along her full, lush lips.
“Jami, I don’t remember where the bathroom is,” Mae complained.
Austin emerged from the below deck cabin.
“Can you make sure Mae gets her potty break and then a cookie?” Jami asked.
“Absolutely.” Austin smiled down at his smallest sister and pointed her toward the stairwell in the belly of the boat. “I’ll wait for you here.”
“Thanks—”
Teddy leaned out of the bridge and motioned Austin toward him. “Where have you been? I need you.”
Austin’s eyebrow shot up. “I’ll be there in a minute. I’m waiting for Mae.”
Teddy growled in irritation. “Fine. But I need your opinion. I’ve got another crisis going on.”
“You’ve got your own legal counsel. You don’t need me.” Austin’s shoulders stiffened.
“Dammit, another truck crashed last night, and we’ve got a surprise inspection happening right now.” Teddy flicked an angry glance at Beck, and he snapped his mouth shut into a thin line.
“Once Mae comes back up, I’ll join you.” Austin barely disguised the weariness in his voice, but Teddy must have been satisfied because he disappeared back into the bridge room.
Jami and Austin exchanged glances, and Jami shook her head. Beck turned and studied a cluster of boats in the distance. There was no point in making the situation any more awkward, but Jami and Austin had their hands full with Teddy. He kept trying to reel Austin back into his orbit, and there was Jami, yearning for his approval.
“Can I drive?” Ryan asked. Clearly the kid was oblivious to the tension weighing in the air. Austin leaned against the railing with a determinedly cheerful expression.
“Of course you can, it’s your turn
.” Jami smiled as she stepped onto the yacht to make room for Ryan. “Beck, do you want the middle or the back?”
Ryan scooched forward across the vinyl seats, and Beck decided on the back seat since his extra weight would slow the craft down and help keep Ryan out of trouble. And, he’d likely be the first one bounced off the water bike.
Jami positioned herself and looked up expectantly at Beck. He grinned back as he stepped onto the watercraft. He tried to leave as much space as possible between them, but it was snug. “Close quarters, isn’t it?”
“Hold on tight, or Ryan might bounce you right off.”
Beck secured his grip on both sides of his seat by his hips. “You’re not going to throw me off, are you, kiddo?”
“Only if you want me to.” Ryan started the engine and checked that Jami and Beck were secure. Then he idled away from the yacht.
Beck tugged lightly on Jami’s long, brown braid. “Do you mind if I tuck this in the back of your lifejacket.”
“Oh, you’re right.” Jami’s tone was sunny. “That will smack you in the face when we get moving.”
Jami reached back, and Beck’s fingers covered hers. He squeezed, and Jami held still.
“I’ve got it.” Beck folded a few inches of her braid between her back and the life jacket. Her skin was warm and soft, and he almost chuckled when a blush crept up the back of her neck. Yes, he was getting under her skin, too.
Ten minutes later after countless crazy eights and wave jumps, Beck’s hard-on was driving him to the edge. Every bounce, Beck inched forward with his groin pushed right up on Jami’s cheeks. He’d edge backward, and Ryan would jump a wave, and boom, Beck was nestled into Jami again.
It was divine torture. Jami fit perfectly against him, and he was tempted to place his hands on her hips to hold her closer.
Long tendrils of her hair whipped near his face while her braid had worked its way loose and was bobbing along near his nose.
Ryan turned sharply to chase a wave. Jami clutched her seat, and Beck wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her. She stiffened and sat straight. Within a few more bounces, Jami leaned back and melted into him. He snuck his other hand down the line of her thigh.
“Hold on, you guys,” Ryan shouted into the wind. He swung the craft into a tight spin and then whipped it the other direction, and repeated the move, counter-clockwise.
“Slow down, I think—” Jami’s arm flailed as she attempted to snag a handhold.
The next thing Beck knew, there was air under his backside. And then there was a lot of blue sky and wide sea. He flew high and had a brief moment to notice Jami soaring next to him. He splashed down first, and Jami cartwheeled into the waves. The Jet Ski zoomed off.
Beck sank under the waves and popped up side by side with Jami who was picking sodden stragglers of her hair out of her eyes.
“That was a ride.” Jami’s eyes blazed with exhilaration.
“Did you just do a round-off?”
“I think I did. Somehow I managed to land feet first instead of face plant.”
“You get an eight for sticking the landing, but your take-off was lacking.”
Jami stuck out her tongue. “It was the crazy arm flailing, right?”
“Not smooth.”
“You should have seen your face.” Jami chortled. “I don’t know if you looked more surprised or indignant.”
“Oh, like your face when you were cowering from that tiny lizard yesterday?”
Jami shuddered. “Totally different. That dinosaur was about to eat me. We’re a whole lot safer here.”
“Barring a shark.”
“I’m not worried. They always go for the guy first. It’s a known fact.”
“That’s reassuring.” Beck reached over, curled his hand under the buckle across her chest, and hauled Jami close. Their life jackets touched and their legs tangled.
“I’ve needed to do this all day.” Beck lowered his mouth to hers. Her lips were cool and salty, but her tongue was warm and eager. Heat spiraled through his veins. A wave shot them up in the air, but their mouths clung and kept them close. The world closed tight around him, and all he could hear was Jami’s small moan, and the brush of their life jackets rubbing.
A pair of waves surged between them, and they separated. Jami touched her mouth, but softness around her eyes betrayed her. She hadn’t minded. Beck pushed forward and snagged one more touch of her lips before he paddled backward.
He squinted at the distant Jet Ski. “When do you think he’ll notice we’ve gone for a swim?”
“Any minute now.” Jami gave an easy laugh and splashed water at Beck.
Sure enough, the watercraft slowed and then drifted in a slow circle as Ryan spied the horizon. After two rounds, he finally seemed to spot them and motored slowly toward them.
As they waited, Jami played footsie with him under the sapphire sea. If a swell pushed him close and he threatened to kiss her, she batted him away. She laughed and tossed him a flirtatious smile, but kept him at arm’s length.
Ryan stopped and switched off the ignition. “Are you guys okay? I’m sorry. I didn’t even know you’d jumped off.”
“Jump. Fall.” Beck shrugged and held on to the edge of the watercraft. “It’s all the same.”
“Can I drive some more?” Ryan swung his gaze from Beck to Jami and back as Jami choked on a laugh.
“How about we let Beck pilot our ship?” Jami said. “I think he deserves a turn.”
“Nah. Ryan needs more practice.” Beck winked. “I’ll sit in the back. I kind of like it there.”
Jami bit her lower lip and seemed to blush, but she gripped the rear handle on the back of the watercraft and hoisted herself out of the water in one fluid motion. She settled herself in the middle, and Beck boosted himself onto the footwell and then straddled the seat behind Jami.
With a quick wiggle, Jami shifted and leaned forward, but her derriere pressed into his thighs. Beck hooked his thumbs through the strapping on the sides of Jami’s life vest and held her close. She glanced over her shoulder and shot him a saucy look with a raised eyebrow.
Beck inhaled. This was going to be a fun ride back to the yacht.
****
Beck stretched his legs out and knit his fingers behind his head. The water of his plunge pool glowed with the ever-changing lights beneath the rippling surface. The sky was darkening, and cheerful sounds of guitars and singing voices danced above the gentle rush of the surf. A tang of salt lingered in the heavy air.
Beck exhaled and rolled his neck from side to side. It was too gorgeous for him to be this on edge. He’d endured an hour-long hard-on with Jami bouncing against his crotch while Ryan went in endless loops and wave jumps. As soon as they’d reboarded the yacht, Jami had been pulled into a conference with her father in the sky lounge behind the bridge. After that, she’d been distant and avoided him.
A crew of two had served them a bountiful, early supper and they’d returned to the resort’s docks just as the sun sank near the horizon. Jami had escorted her nieces, Clara and Emma, off the boat with promises to see their bridesmaid dresses.
He’d headed off with Kyle and Dillon to share a drink, but he’d called it a night early, and now here he sat. Beck drummed his fingers on the tabletop. The Barretts were driving him crazy. He was sick of real estate deals. He was wound up with sexual frustration, and Jami was the source of both problems.
He sat straight in his chair and studied his laptop. Maybe he should freeze out his fiery thoughts of Jami with some cold, hard business facts. Beck blinked. Hard. That was a bad choice of words. Beck rolled his neck again. Focus, my man. Focus.
The troubles at Barrett Logistics could be the exact ammunition he needed to torpedo their bid for the Anderton property. He’d typed out half of an email to his attorney explaining the potential massive loss of business for the Barretts, but a knot of tension wound tight in his gut.
If he sent this off to his counsel, she’d jump on the information like a p
ack of hungry wolves. There’d be no telling where it all ended. He had no interest in bringing down Teddy Barrett’s business. And Teddy might be an overbearing pain in the ass, but that didn’t necessarily mean he was a bad businessman, or that he was at risk of going belly-up.
Beck closed his laptop and paced the length of the room twice before he opened the French doors to his patio. It was a bower of vines and flowers thriving on the warm, sandy-colored brick walls, and a riot of corals, pinks, and violet glistened in the pale light of the almost full moon. The scents were delicate and soothing, and the gentle rush of waves hitting the shore streamed over him. His breath settled and matched the rhythm of the ocean.
He’d been through too much with the nightmare of Oliver’s revolting behavior and the epic disaster of losing all the company’s investors. It still sickened him to think of the terrible details of Oliver’s sexual harassment case. That poor woman. No one should ever be subjected to those disgusting advances. He shuddered. How much worse would it have all been if the media had gotten hold of it? His company would have never survived. Hell, they would have deserved it. Oliver had been the CEO.
That was all behind him now. He had a good company. He’d routed out the bad, and he was ready to spring into the future.
He wanted to win the property deal, but he was going to win on his own merits, and not play some dirty, backhanded game that endangered Barrett Logistics. Hell, he didn’t even really know what a logbook violation was, so who knew if it was all that serious. Besides, it sounded like they were monitored by some regulatory body. It was so not his place to spread any gossip about them.
Beck inhaled the island air and sank onto the chaise lounge as he stared up at the luminous night sky. He had a code of ethics he lived by, and this was assuredly not the time to violate it.
Jami goaded him to new levels of competitiveness, but he wasn’t going to cross the line. He wanted to win the deal, but not at any cost. He’d have to rely on the presentation they’d made to the county and hope that the grant was enough to sway it all in his company’s favor. With a quick clap of his hands that emphasized his decision, Beck sprang from the lounge, found his laptop, and deleted the partial message. He powered down the computer and clicked it shut.
Two Reckless Hearts (Barrett Ridge Book 1) Page 8