Page 3 of Quarterback Keeper

If the boat docked, I might be able to slip out unnoticed. New city. New me. I would start again, stay hidden, and keep moving where Dayton wouldn’t find me.

I pushed air out of my mouth, slowly and quietly, before dropping my forehead to my raised knees. It’d been so nice living on the boat. I’d felt safe. I couldn’t use credit cards, since those could be traced. So, I was left to run and struggle to find a place to sleep every night where I didn’t feel like I would be attacked. It was exhausting—which was why I’d lingered on the boat for longer than I should have.

I closed my eyes briefly, surrounded by the scents of laundry detergent and cedar, willing my heart rate to slow. It wasn’t the end of the world. I was free, safe, and undiscovered—for the time being.

I shifted then rested my head against the back of the tiny closet and prepared to wait. I couldn’t even check my prepaid burner phone to figure out how far we were from the Chicago coast, assuming we were sailing away from and not alongside it. I’d left my phone under the pillow—if it was still there after how the cabin had listed and I’d rolled.

I did some mental calculations and guessed about an hour had passed since I’d gotten back from my run then crashed.Could we have just left the dock?

Time passed while I planned how quickly I could grab my meager belongings, shove them into a backpack, and escape without being noticed. I hadn’t left things around the boat. They were all in the bedroom, within easy reach of where I’d been squatting.

I’d kept things mostly packed because I knew I might have to dash. But my running shoes and clothes were on the floor. And I’d left a wet towel in the bathroom. If I was lucky, no one would venture down. It would take a miracle for them not to notice my stuff if they did.

The cadence changed. It felt as if we slowed. The cabin seemed to level out, no longer at the angle it had been.Did we fall off the breeze?A whirling sound followed, and I imagined the sails automatically rolling down, stowed away as I’d routinely seen them. I jumped at what might be the clink of a chain. We’d dropped anchor. It was quiet except for the slap of water against the boat, which should have been relaxing. To me it wasn’t.

I barely breathed, gnawing my lower lip as we drifted within the tether’s confines. It would be so much better if whoever was above had only wanted to take the boat out for a short sail and was leaving again. My ears strained to hear the slightest movement. When I wanted to spring from the closet, I forced myself to wait some more. The thought of my ex standing in theprimary bedroom, just waiting for me, helped me remain where I was longer.

But it can’t be him.I knew it in my heart. Dayton was predictable in some ways.Letting me sleep in peace?That wouldn’t have happened—not even to get me alone in open water.

A sliver of relief came on the heels of that thought. And when no other sounds came, I wondered if I’d been wrong. Maybe what I’d thought was the anchor had been something else. Possibly the rope scraping against the dock’s metal as it was secured. I waited for what seemed like forever before cracking open the closet door. That could be my chance to escape and find a new place to live rent free and undetected.

I threw up a quick prayer to whatever deity was listening, opened the door wide, then tripped over my feet. I landed on my knees just as the bathroom door opened. A naked guy stepped into the bedroom, and I froze against the unmade bed.

The bathroom was in clear sight of where I crouched, pinching my eyes shut.How could this happen to me?As he cleared his throat, a deep, masculine rumble echoed through the too-quiet cabin. Slowly, I opened my eyes and followed the trail of naked man from his feet to—ahh!I sucked in air like a baby bird waiting for a worm. Um, not the right reference. That was no worm. And he wasnotDayton.

The dripping-wet man stood with a towel clutched in his hand, frozen as he’d been scrubbing the water from his short, dark hair. I had a bird’s-eye view of his impressive package. Or I guess it would be a snake’s-eye view.

“See something interesting?” His eyebrow rose.

My throat tightened. Not a sound left me.

“Care to share your thoughts?”

Nope, hard pass on that. He growled. My gaze traveled from his snake—not a worm—to his muscular chest then his bulgingbiceps. All the while, I worked hard to avoid another peek at his dangly parts. I got tangled in the view of his body. I wasn’t afraid of it. I could appreciate the view. What bothered me was being trapped in a small space with someone whose intentions I knew nothing about.

“No.” I cleared my throat to bring my voice down from its dog-whistle level to normal. “Nothing to share.” I stood on shaky legs, hoping he missed the way my hands trembled.How can I turn this horrifying situation to my favor?I scowled, sick of how pretty packages like him had the potential to hide pure ugliness. The fact was, I was trespassing. If I couldn’t bluff my way out of my presence there, I might not fare well with whatever he decided to do.

All muscle and a face that would make any girl’s head turn—except mine—only drove home how much trouble I was in. A guy with a similar physique and golden-blond good looks had duped me once. I was no fool—not anymore.

“But if I had some clothes, I would definitely offer you some.”

He stood there for another minute before grabbing a pair of joggers and pulling them up his long, muscular legs. Of fucking course, they were gray sweats that did nothing to hide the outline of what he was packing. God save me from beautiful men. They weren’t worth it—ever.

His face mirrored the scowl I wore. “Who are you, and what are you doing on my boat?”

I mimicked his earlier eyebrow raise and adapted a false bravado. “Your boat? I don’t think so. This is my friend’s boat. And aren’t you a little young to afford something like this?”

He was probably my age, but I tried a guise of confidence and took a chance. It was the sweatpants that made me think he could work for the owner. Lord knew Dayton had people at his beck and call. If the guy only worked on the boat, he could be doing something he wasn’t supposed to. Maybe we could cometo an arrangement because staying there had allowed me the first good night’s sleep since I’d put on my running shoes and gotten the hell out of dodge. I had nowhere to go, no money to get there, and no one to call for help. Dayton had made sure of that.

“What?” The guy’s head knocked back, confusion pulling at the corners of his mouth. “Stop fucking around.” A mean glint hardened his deep blue eyes. “Are you a reporter?”

“Ah, no.” Weird.Why would he think that?I was in a T-shirt, sans bra, and a pair of sleep shorts that barely covered my ass. My hair had to look like a squirrel was nesting in it, since I’d crashed after showering and hadn’t brushed it out. I gestured to all of me. “Do I look like a reporter?”

I felt how he looked me up and down, a flush spreading over my neck to settle in my cheeks.Asshole.I crossed my arms over my chest, hoping to hide the way my nipples saluted him.

“This is private property.”

Despite his growly voice, he didn’t physically move toward me, luckily, because I couldn’t take on his over six feet of height and shoulders like that. But I was so going to jail for trespassing.

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