Page 34 of Redemption

I can do this. I can do this. I turned away from the mirror, smiling and keeping my attention on Greer.

Jackson greeted the other bridesmaids by name, giving some of them a hug. And then he came to me, and my body froze. As if I was waiting to see what he’d do first. Like he was a predator and I was his prey, and I didn’t know if I’d make it out of this alive.

“Sloan,” he rasped. My heart thundered in my ears, and I couldn’t get a read on his tone.

I inclined my head, unable to say more than, “Jackson.”

The click of a camera shutter reminded me just how many people were watching. And damn it, I was not going to ruin the day for Greer. So I smiled and tried to focus—as always—on my best friend and not her brother.

CHAPTER EIGHT

The door to Sloan’s room opened, and I pushed off the wall. Her gaze flicked to me, her expression guarded. She looked like she’d slept about as well as I had, which was to say—not well at all. She had dark circles beneath her eyes. And yet something was different from yesterday, though I couldn’t put my finger on it.

She walked past me without saying a word. She didn’t want me here, and I couldn’t bring myself to leave. Not when she was in danger.

I rubbed a hand over my jaw. This was going to be interesting.

Levi drove us over to the marina so we could set out for the Bahamas. The sun was barely over the horizon, and the weather looked promising for the first day of our trip. We ran through a series of checks, preparing the boat to cast off. It was easy to fall into a rhythm, to get lost in the final preparations for the trip. And I was grateful to have a distraction.

We didn’t speak much, but we didn’t need to.

“Ready?” she finally asked, emerging from her cabin.

Sloan had changed into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt that stretched deliciously over her breasts before nipping in at the waist. Her shorts ended mid-thigh, and I had to clench my fists to keep from reaching out to touch her.

She wasn’t mine, and she hadn’t been for a long time.

“Whenever you are. The desalinization tank is full, and the solar panels are fully charged.”

“Good,” she said, then added, “Thanks.”

I followed her up on deck, where she fired up the engines. Her sunglasses shielded her eyes from my view, and I couldn’t get a read on her. I supposed that wasn’t my job, though. My job was to keep her safe.

She guided us out of the marina and toward the opening to the ocean. The wind played with her braid, tendrils of hair fluttering about her face as the boat bobbed gently through the water. She looked fucking spectacular.

I hated myself for the way I’d ended things. Regretted it almost every day since, even if I’d thought I’d been doing what was best for her. Best for everyone.

I didn’t know whether to address it or leave it be.

I got the feeling she’d just as soon push me overboard as talk to me about anything that didn’t pertain to sailing or safety. And I could only hope this trip would be a chance for redemption. To make up for how I’d treated her in the past.

“Why Athena?” I asked, finally coming up with a question I thought she might actually answer.

She kept her attention on the water, even as she spoke. “She’s the Greek goddess of wisdom.”

“What happened to Escape?”

Her jaw was set. “I decided wisdom and strength were more important.”

Well, shit.

What was I supposed to say? I was trying here, and I knew things would go more smoothly if we could build some sort of rapport. Weather reports had indicated no incoming northwesterlies, but crossing the Gulf Stream could still be hazardous. It would be better if we were on the same page. If we were a team. Sure, we’d discussed the tasks each of us would perform on board, but there was still a gaping chasm between us.

“Do you remember the first time we went sailing together?” I asked, wanting to see her smile. Laugh. Something other than the sad, serious air that seemed to hover around her shoulders like a dense fog.

“Look,” she sighed. “This trip is the one thing that I do for me. And now…” She glanced out at the water then back at me. “I only agreed to have a bodyguard on board to appease my family and the Huxley board. I don’t want to revisit the past. This isn’t the time for a trip down memory lane.”

“Okay.” I held up my hands. I was merely trying to make conversation. “If you don’t want to talk about the past, then tell me something about the present.”

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