Page 92 of Ship Happens
Frankie waddles to the bathroom to clean up as I step into some boxers and flop on the bed. She throws on a baggy t-shirt and some joggers before joining me. Her body sidles up to mine, fitting like a missing puzzle piece against me as I drape an arm over her shoulder and kiss the top of her head.
“You were amazing,” I whisper against her soft hair.
“Our audience seemed to think we were both pretty amazing,” she says with a laugh. “I can’t believe I did that.”
She opens her mouth in the most adorable yawn, and I hug her a little tighter. I can’t help it. Even though she’s practically on top of me, it feels like we aren’t close enough. This is such a foreign feeling, but I want it to become familiar. I want more of these little moments of peace with a beautiful woman in my arms. Not just any beautiful woman, though.
It has to be her.
And it can’t be.
Chapter Forty-One
Maverick
Ilet her sleep for a few hours while I hold her, but I keep a close eye on the clock as she snores in my arms. Part of me wants to be selfish and keep her in the room, all to myself, but she really has her heart set on an afternoon with the girls, so I give her a little nudge. Her head rises, and a long string of drool connects my bare chest to her lips.
“Shit, did I fall asleep? What time is it?” She sits up and looks around, her hand clamped to her head.
I smile and stroke her shoulder. “You didn’t miss anything. I woke you up in time.”
“Thanks. I guess I needed that nap.” Raising her arms above her head, she stretches with a groan, then rises from the bed and strides to the closet, where she begins digging through her bag. “Are you coming with?”
She pulls a skimpy silver bikini from the shadows, and my mouth begins to water.
“Yep, I can definitely join you,” I say as I leap to my feet. I’m not missing a second of Frankie wearing those tiny scraps of fabric.
I throw on a pair of swim trunks and go to the bathroom sink. Right as I begin brushing my teeth, someone knocks on the door. I move to answer it, but Frankie waves me off.
“I’ll get it,” she says. “It’s probably one of the girls.”
With a nod, I go back to the sink. The door creaks open seconds later, but instead of a greeting, I hear Frankie gasp.
“King?” she shouts. “Why the fuck are you here?”
“Well, that’s no way to talk to your boss,” a male voice answers. ABritishmale voice.
I spit into the sink, then quickly rinse my mouth with water before leaning past the alcove’s edge and sneaking a peek at this visitor. He’s tall, with a thick shock of salt-and-pepper hair atop his head. A trimmed beard graces the manliest jawline I’ve ever seen, and he peers back at me with oddly hypnotic dark eyes.
“Many apologies. I didn’t know you’d have company.” He gives me a nod. “Still, this meeting can’t be helped. Your tracker went offline, and naturally, I became concerned.”
Frankie pushes out her lower lip in a faux pout. “Aw, so sorry I concerned you, but wasn’t the entire point of this trip to get rid of me?” She drops the act and rolls her eyes. “You came to make sure the job was done, nothing more.”
She goes to shove the door closed, but he stops it with his black dress shoe. After firming his grip on the door’s edge, he pushes it wide and steps into the cabin. Frankie begins to backpedal, and I dart between them.
“I don’t know what sort of agreement you have with Jim, but I vowed to protect her,” I say. Using my arms as a blockade against the narrow walls, I halt his forward movement. “I suggest you leave the room if you want to make it off this ship in one piece.”
King straightens to his full height and adjusts his tie with a smirk that holds no amusement. “Young man, I appreciate your tenacity where my little Ghost is concerned, but I have no plans to harm her, I assure you.”
“Then why was I sent on this mission?” Frankie ducks beneath my arm and approaches King. “Castle told me everything. We were sent here to die because you wanted to get rid of us. I can understand getting rid of him and Amber, but why me? What the fuck have I done that would warrant signing my life away?”
King rubs the thick stubble running along his jawline. “Is that what you think happened? You believed I orchestrated this to end your life?” He shakes his head and utters a single chuff.
“What was she supposed to assume?” I ask. “If everyone else was here to be eliminated, what was her purpose?”
“Unfortunately, it’s not my place to say.”
“Then whose place is it?” Frankie asks. “You’re my director. If not you, then who?”
