Page 8 of Impossible Thrills

Darcy sank onto the bed in the gorgeous suite that was to be her private space for the next four days. The yacht cruised through the open ocean. It was both thrilling and terrifying to be surrounded by water. Maybe if she was a better swimmer, she wouldn’t be so scared. Falling off the dock and nearly drowning during the safest moments of this adventure didn’t help. Thankfully, Nick had been there for her.

Her head hurt from all the stress, anticipation, and longing.

Stress from associating with these superhero type people, anticipation of how she’d get through extreme sports events she had no clue how to do, especially the first one in the ocean, and longing to grow closer to Nick.

Argh! She buried her head into the pillow. Even her thoughts were messed up. She should be longing for her babies, not for some guy she hardly knew. Nick had saved her and been both a thrilling distraction and a steady rock since their dramatic meeting, but he showed all indicators of being a charming schmoozer just like her ex.

She lay there for a while. When had she ever languished on a bed in the middle of the afternoon? Never in the four years since her divorce. She needed to shower and get ready. Ready for what? She didn’t like the unknown. Dinner wouldn’t be for a few hours. Would anything else be expected of her before then? Her clothes and hair were stiff from the saltwater dunking she’d taken. She could at least get presentable in case someone came for her. Someone like Nick.

A rap on her door pulled her head off the pillow. Her stomach pitched. Was it Nick? Hays? One of the nearly invisible staff on the large yacht? She doubted it was Captain Jagger Lemuel. That guy was intimidating. He would probably get a bonus if he kept her from winning the million dollars. She could tell he didn’t want to be friendly to the competition—her and Nick. The lieutenant, on the other hand, was very nice. Hays. She was glad he was her co-conspirator and not Jagger.

Straightening off the bed, she ran her hand through her hair. It was a snarly mess. She probably had black makeup rings under her eyes as well. She never had time to worry about what she looked like, but she liked to at least have her hair combed. Everything was out of whack today, and knowing cameras were everywhere except the bedrooms and bathrooms made her stomach squirm. As soon as she opened that door, she’d be on camera.

Opening the door, she swayed slightly. It was easy to get lost in the deep-brown gaze of Will Turner, aka Nick Jacobs. He was freshly showered and his dark hair was still damp. He kept his beard nicely trimmed, and that short hair highlighted his appealing lips and white, even teeth. In a fitted T-shirt and gray shorts, the smooth bulges of muscle in his arms and calves were on fine display. He was the epitome of ‘dangerously’ handsome and she had the unnerving feeling he was hiding something from her. She’d had that feeling most of her marriage and obviously had reason for it. Yet somehow Nick’s eyes made her want to trust him.

“Hey.” He grinned and looked her over. “Do you want to explore the yacht with me before dinner?”

Darcy’s heart raced from a simple look. She put a hand to her matted hair. “I look a mess. I should shower first.”

“You look beautiful,” he said softly.

Darcy’s eyes widened. Did he mean that, or was he one of those men who had a silver tongue like she’d already feared? She definitely wasn’t a model-gorgeous type of woman like she assumed a man like Nick dated every weekend. Johnny had told her she had a ‘wholesome’ beauty. She wasn’t the type of woman her husband had dated before her or cheated on her with. Beauty didn’t matter a whole lot in her busy, baby-caring world.

“I can wait.” He walked to the other side of the hallway, leaned against the wall, folded his arms across his chest, and crossed one ankle over the other. He looked like a cross between a male model and a general from the Roman empire.

“What are you doing?” She shook her head. “You can’t just … wait. I can meet you somewhere.”

He smiled, his gaze warm on her. “As a top security op, I’ve learned very well the art of patience. No need to rush. I’ll be here for you all week.”

Darcy couldn’t help but laugh at that. She studied him. Had Johnny ever looked at her like that, or told her not to hurry and he’d wait? What kind of man did that? She wanted to gush about how appealing and sweet Nick was, but she couldn’t. Then she realized he’d said he’d be here for her all week. Their time together had an end date. Four and a half days, truly. Nick would tease and flirt with her, maybe even kiss and hold her. She was the only available woman on the ship, after all. But he’d be gone by week’s end. Gone just like every other man in her life.

She slammed the door in his face and leaned against it, hoping to regain her strength. She’d dated Johnny their last semester at Oklahoma City University where she’d been on scholarship and working afternoons at the university’s preschool and nights as a janitor to make ends meet. He’d been the top dog of the school—wealthy, charismatic, smart, handsome, everybody’s friend, the object of every sorority girl’s attention. She should’ve been more cautious as he had a reputation as a player, but coming from no connections, no means, and no family, it had been easy for him to charm her. She’d fallen in love with his large Italian family and they had gotten married that summer.

Look where that had ended. At first she thought she’d won the lottery, but soon realized Johnny had bored quickly of her and he was far too busy for a wife. Work, golf, dinners with clients, the list went on. Very few included invites for her. Johnny didn’t want her to work, so she’d volunteered at a nearby church’s preschool. She’d thought things would change when they had their baby girl. Then Avalyn had died, and things had changed. Just not the way she’d expected. Johnny’s very public affair happened a week after Avalyn’s death, and they had been divorced within the month, leaving her alone once again.

She’d stayed away from relationships, men, and dating the past four years, too focused on her little ones. She couldn’t let Nick into her heart. He’d sweep in faster than a tornado, then sweep out just as fast, and she’d be left devastated and more alone than ever. Just like the devastation she’d seen sweep through Oklahoma City far too often.

There was a soft rap on the door. “Darcy?”

“Yes?” she squeaked out.

“Does gently closing the door in my face mean yes you’ll get ready and I should wait, or no please give you some space?”

‘Gently?’ Darcy smiled. She should say no. She really, really should. Space was definitely what she needed right now.

“Yes,” she yelled much too loudly.

His chuckle was a reward all its own.

Darcy ran for the bathroom and attached closet. She lifted her locket over her head and set it on the counter, opening it and looking at the beloved bundle in her arms, the delicate features of baby Avalyn barely visible.

The locket looked fine from her dip in the ocean, but she rinsed the salt water off and then dried it carefully and left it open. She’d have to remember not to wear it tomorrow when they did their free dive.

Stripping out of her clothes, she threw them in the shower so she could wash them out by hand, hang them to dry, and wear them later. They had a washing machine but not a dryer at her Tecate House. She constantly had clothes in various states of drying hung in closets or over railings. Johnny would’ve been appalled at how she lived now, but it was no big deal to her. She hadn’t grown up poor, but her step-grandmother hadn’t given her more than a roof over her head and food. She had to work for everything extra.

Showering was delightful with coconut smelling shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. She found herself hurrying rather than savoring the smells and the warm water. She wanted to spend time with Nick. Maybe it was short-sighted, but this entire week was off the spectrum for her. She wouldn’t enjoy the extreme sports, but she could at least enjoy the time with him.

She slipped out of the shower, wrapped in a comfy robe, and brushed out her hair. There were all kinds of makeup, beauty, and hair products on the counter. She used some serum to make her hair smooth, tinted moisturizer for her face, a bit of mascara, eyeliner, lip gloss, and the delicious coconut lotion.

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