Page 47 of If Tomorrow Never Comes

He turns to me and leans against the deck railing that overlooks a gorgeous seashell mosaic tiled infinity pool. “I do. Feel free to use it. In fact, feel free to let me train you.”

We stand in silence, finishing our drinks and admiring the views before I speak.

“I may take you up on that,Bone Breaker,” I laugh lightheartedly. “I don’t ever want to be weak again. I should have been able to defend myself the day your men scooped me up and at least fought back against your uncle. Speaking of that lovely, not so memorable night—“ I scowl at him, “—who did you trust enough to kidnap me and Selena?”

Diego pushes off the railing and cages me against his body, dredging up memories of that night. He cups a hand over my mouth and his lips hover close to my neck before his teeth graze over the skin and he nips me.

“After learning all about you, courtesy of my sister, I didn’t trust anyone else to retrieve you. If anyone was going to be stupid enough to cage a butterfly, it was going to be me.”

I buck my hips and try to squirm out of his hold but his grip on me only tightens. “My cousin Antonio is the only other person I trusted enough to disclose parts of my plan and handle my sister. His mother, my mamá’s sister, died when we were kids. His dad was a deadbeat. My mamá practically raised him as her own. I view him as a brother. We can trust him.”

“You fucking drugged me, Diego,” I grit through my teeth and try to kick my foot into his balls. He just laughs at my attempts and then releases me.

“I wasn’t sure how trained you were or how much of a scene you would cause in public.” He rolls his eyes. “Selena had mentioned you were gym buddies—but,fuck. Liam and Killianreallydropped the ball on training you for situations like that. Rule number one of being part of this life…the kind of ‘life’ I don’t think you should be involved in…regardless, is learning self-defense. Your man and I can swear up and down we’ll protect you, but surprises always happen. The worst thing would be for you to be vulnerable. I want to teach you,Mariposita. Let me teach you.”

Diego extends his arm out for me, his eyes more gentle and less intense than they were before. I back away from him, needing some air that isn’t saturated with his signature scent.

“Show me the rest of your superyacht,Ocean Eyes.” Not caring if he follows, I walk back toward the kitchen area and get another drink, this time the blood orange one, because that shit is delicious and citrusy and full oftequila. I need to cleanse myself of Diego and bring back some comforting memories of Liam.

Tequila will always remind me of him.

Without stopping for another drink, Diego passes me, heading upstairs.

We endedup touring the ship rather quickly. Diego's mood instantly soured after our earlier interaction. The uppermost level hosts the Captain’s quarters, which was where I met the majority of the staff. Diego quietly let me know anything we discuss in front of them is fine. All of them understand the risks involved in working for the De La Cruz family and are paid handsomely for it.

Other areas of the upper levels accommodate a gym, sauna, small spa and the helipad. One of the decks has a jacuzzi with a perfect birdseye view of the pool below. It seems like an ideal place to relax at night, read a book, or even do some stargazing.

We took the elevator down to the lower level in silence. This is where all the staterooms and suites are. The staff sleep in some private cabins and community rooms on the main floor off of the kitchen. There are four staterooms down here along withMr. Bone Breaker’smaster suite.

It’s incredible the amount of detail that went into designing these rooms. Each one has a similar vibe, with small differences in aesthetics.

I’m walking around Diego’s suite admiring all the accents of gold, black, and teakwood. His bed frame has me at a loss for words. It’s nearly impossible to describe its beauty. A custom-made, cast iron Kraken sits in the center of the room. The damn mythical creature even has blue Swarovski crystal eyes likehis. Black satin sheets embroidered in gold add to the dramatic effect. Topaz blue, blown glass pendant lights give the room a feeling as if it’s underwater.

The HGTV lover in me is squealing.

Don’t even get me started on the en suite. The space is almost as big as his bedroom, equipped with a shower spacious enough to accommodate at least four people.Maybe that’s its purpose.How many women he has had in there at one time?

“Honestly, none.” The deep timbre of his voice startles me. Diego leans against the door frame right behind me. And apparently I just said that out loud.

“I find that hard to believe,” I scoff, leaning my hip against the vanity.

“And why is that?” His eyes narrow as he steps across the threshold of the door, towering over me. The veins and tendons in hisarms pop out as he grips the marble counter, always caging me in. We are practically nose to nose now, those ocean eyes swirling like a crystal ball. They have me captivated and peering into his fucking soul in search of my future.Or where my brain went, for starters.

“Judging by your littleperformancewith the flight attendant, I wouldn’t put it past you to host an orgy in your ridiculous shower.”

Twirling a piece of my hair around his index finger he says, “I did that for you, to make you jealous, and to serve as a punishment for that sassy mouth.”

I glare up at him before smacking his hand away. “I amengaged. Remember? And I was not jealous, I was disgusted.”

A chuckle leaves his lips as they inch closer to my ear. “Keep telling yourself that,princess.”

The nickname causes me to retreat, simmering down whatever was just crackling between us.

Noticing my shift, he backs away and calmly walks to the door before looking back over his shoulder. “For the record, you are notengaged. Your idiot boyfriend did that out of desperation and fear of losing you. He took what should have been a special moment and tarnished it for you. You know it’s true,Mariposita.”

“You’re wrong. What Liam and I share isnoneof your concern. We’ve already been through so much. Everything that man does for me is out of love.And for the record—I was more than happy to say yes.”

“I’m not saying he doesn’t love you. He does. The problem is you’ve changed and he’s terrified of what that means for the both of you. Hell,you’reterrified of what that means.”

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