Page 11 of Redemption

Nate deserved happiness, but he also needed someone like Emerson to put him in his place.

I laughed, giving him a hug. “Good workout?” I teased. He was sweaty and looked worn out, while Emerson was glowing and energized.

“You’d think I would’ve learned my lesson by now,” he grumbled.

“So, what do you have planned for this afternoon?” I asked.

“Some shopping?” Brooklyn bounced on her toes with a hopeful gleam in her eye as she glanced between Emerson and Nate.

“Of course,” Emerson said with a playful grin.

Nate shrugged, his expression full of love and affection as he watched Emerson and Brooklyn plot the stores they were going to visit. Though unlike with Nate’s ex, I didn’t worry that Emerson was only with Nate for the money or status. She was well-off and successful in her own right. And their love and mutual respect were clear to anyone who was in their presence. I would’ve been jealous if I weren’t so happy for them.

After lunch, Brooklyn and Emerson went shopping. I hung back with Nate to catch up and check in with operations at the Huxley Grand New York. I was supposed to meet my bodyguard today, and I wasn’t looking forward to it.

That said, having Disco shadow me in London hadn’t been as awful as I’d feared. But as great as Disco had been, it was still difficult to imagine spending two months with him—or anyone—on my boat. And while I knew my brothers were right about my needing protection, I was still pissed about the way they’d gone about it.

Nate and I had returned to the suite and were just starting to discuss my sailing trip over coffee when there was a knock at the door. Disco was stationed in the hall, so anyone knocking would’ve been vetted by him first.

“Come in,” Nate called.

The door swung open, and my eyes collided with a pair of familiar blue ones. The color of the ocean on a bright, sunny day. A full bottom lip I’d gotten drunk on many times. A jaw that had sharpened with age, the hard angles now lined with scruff.

All the air had been sucked out of the room, and my chest felt tight. My entire body was like a live wire, attuned to him. Wary of him.

The years had certainly been kind to Jackson Shaw. He was hotter than ever, his suit perfectly tailored to showcase his broad shoulders and narrow waist. He looked masculine and intimidating, and my body reacted to him like it always did. Leaning closer, desperate for a look, a touch. Anything he was willing to give.

Traitor.

I straightened. He was stoic. Restrained. It was a sobering reminder to rein it in.

But damn those smile lines and the gray at his temples. It was so unfair.

He stiffened, and my gut clenched with anxiety. Surely he…they…

“Jackson,” Nate said. “I believe you know my sister, Sloan Mackenzie.”

What? I stilled. What had Jackson told Nate about us?

“Yes, of course. You were my sister’s roommate in college,” was Jackson’s response. Smooth as ever. I nodded as if in a daze.

“Sloan,” Nate said with a pleased smile. “Jackson will be accompanying you on your sailing trip.”

The hell he would.

“No.” I stood, smoothing my hands down my skirt.

“No?” Nate furrowed his brow, glancing between the two of us.

To anyone else, nothing about Jackson’s expression would indicate displeasure. But I’d always been able to read his emotions. A muscle ticked in his jaw and his nostrils flared. Dead giveaway. He was just as unhappy about this as I was.

Jackson excused himself under the pretense of taking a call.

“Sloan.” Nate came over to me. “We talked about this.”

“I know.” I took a breath, trying to calm my racing heart. “I do. But… Are you okay with me spending two months alone on a boat with him? I mean, with a guy?” I stumbled over the words, flinging my hand toward the door Jackson had just exited.

The mere sight of Jackson set my heart fluttering, and I hated my body’s reaction to him. Why? Why him? And why had these feelings still not gone away?

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