Page 43 of Below Deck Billionaire
Theo and Tiffany, still arm in arm, watched them as they followed and he almost sagged in relief when they were finally out of sight. ‘Thank you,’ he murmured as he slowly eased his arm from around her.
But she didn’t step away like he’d suspected she might; she just looked at him as she exhaled an exaggerated breath. ‘So far so good.’
He grinned. ‘We can do this.’
‘Yes but’ – she bugged her hazel eyes at him – ‘we’ll probably go to hell for it.’
Theo chuckled. That might have been a worry for someone more religious, but it didn’t hold a lot of sway with him. ‘Wouldn’t you rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints?’
Cocking an eyebrow, she said, ‘I let you utterly debauch me after knowing you for two hours, what do you think?’
Her statement was like a cattle prod to Theo’s cock as he remembered all too well how thoroughly she had also debauched him. She sure had a way with that mouth of hers – for talking and other things.
Grinning, he said, ‘See you in an hour or so.’
15
Theo joined them aft mid-deck almost two hours later. He’d just dropped anchor off Hydra a distance from the other boats bobbing in the Aegean closer to the island. Dimitri and Helena may want to go to the island in the morning, in which case Simon could tender them all to shore, but for now it was easier to not have to manoeuvre the huge superyacht into a crowded harbour for just one night.
The sound of voices greeted him as he stepped out, and Theo smiled to himself as Tiffany chatted away with Dimitri and Helena like she’d known them all her life. She was a natural at this fake fiancée charm offensive. He’d half expected Dimitri would join him on the bridge, but Tiffany had clearly charmed and waylaid him, and damn if that didn’t make him want to kiss her senseless.
But thinking about kissing her was really not helpful.
Kelly handed him a beer as he claimed the spot next to Tiffany on the lounge.
‘Theo,’ Helena exclaimed. ‘This is breathtaking.’
But he only had eyes for Tiffany, her cheeks flushed from a combination of champagne and the warmth of the late afternoon sunshine, strands of her loose hair being picked up by the light breeze. She seemed happy and relaxed – in her element, even – which grabbed at his gut.
Also, the urge to debauch her on this couch grabbed at his balls. And squeezed.
‘I know,’ he replied as he slid his hand onto Tiffany’s thigh. She didn’t startle this time, just smiled at him before returning her attention to their guests.
Helena laughed. ‘I meant the scenery.’
Still staring at Tiffany, Theo muttered, ‘So did I.’
Dragging his eyes off Tiffany, he glanced up in time to catch the couple exchanging a look. They were clearly buying the show and Theo didn’t even feel guilty because he wasn’t lying about how he was feeling right now.
He was enjoying Tiffany’s company and the addictive sizzle of chemistry this fake relationship had permitted to flourish. It zapped through every cell in his body until he buzzed with awareness of her.
‘Dinner is served,’ Kelly announced as she approached. ‘We have the most succulent, melt-in-your-mouth calamari tonight. Chef has truly outdone herself.’
Dimitri nodded approvingly at Theo, beaming as he stood and offered one arm to his wife, the other to Tiffany – greedy bastard – who took it graciously with a small wink in his direction and, irrationally, Theo’s fingers itched to snatch her away.
So he shoved them in his pocket and followed them to the beautifully laid table.
And Kelly was right, Maria had outdone herself with the calamari and the other three dishes they were served as the water shimmered with the colours of the sunset. Gold, pink, purple then silver as the sun slipped from sight and the lights of Hydra popped from the shore.
Conversation was lively and he didn’t have to worry about any contradictions as Tiffany mostly spoke about her life growing up on a massive cattle station in Australia. Dimitri and Helena listened, clearly rapt by the tales she wove. She was utterly charming and by the end of the night they were both enamoured.
He knew how they felt.
The chat did eventually swing around to their relationship, but the questions weren’t difficult. Just how they met, which morphed into Tiffany’s friendship with Kelsey and then how amazing she’d been for Ari. And then the baby, of course. Which led to the most sticky question – for Theo anyway.
‘And will you two be having your own babies soon?’ Dimitri asked.
It was a common enough question for newly engaged couples, so it wasn’t exactly out of leftfield. Theo just hadn’t had it on his horizon because kids had never been part of his picture.
