Page 66 of Away With You
“Wow,” he breathes, his eyes all over me.
I giggle. “You stole my line.”
His lips tip, but his expression stays intense. Almost fierce. “You look incredible.”
“Thanks.” I tighten my ponytail, turning to pull two hair ties around my wrist (just in case). “You should get ready. The yacht waits for no one.”
He brushes by me on his way to the bathroom, his still shirtless chest a whisper from mine. “Perhaps we should just stay in. I’m not sure I want to share you, looking like that.”
My heartbeat thunders in my ears, and though all I want to do is pull him in closer and kiss his face off, I push him away instead. We’re here to fool his family into thinking he’s moved on; we can’t do that hiding out in here.
“Go. Get ready. It’s time to go show those people what winning in life looks like.”
His eyes flicker over me one more time, lighting every inch of my skin on fire. “With you by my side, no one will doubt just how much I’ve won.”
His softly spoken words linger in the air after he disappears into the bathroom.Phew, this pretending business is feeling more and more real by the second.
In desperate need of a distraction—and cooling down—I step outside, picking up the fancy itinerary as I go. My brows furrowas I scan down the list. It seems Victoria and George have every inch of our week planned, leaving little time to do what I most desire. That being lounging like a lizard in that above-water hammock with my loaded Kindle and room service on speed dial.
“Are you sure you don’t want to stay here?” Nathan’s breath tickles the back of my neck, and I startle. I hadn’t heard him walk up behind me.
I spare the hammock one last lingering glance and then nudge him back inside. Like a woman on a mission, I fill my Gucci tote bag with my sunglasses, a tube of 50+ sunscreen, my wide-brim hat and my Kindle.Just in case the whole yachting thing gets boring.(There’s a sentence I never thought I’d be thinking).
“Let’s go.” I push Nathan towards the door, my eyes hungrily running over his beach-ready form. The man looks good in everything, including a pair of blue shorts (coincidentally the same colour as my bikini) and a white linen shirt. His hair is messy, like he’s been running his hands through it, and his hands are reaching out for mine.
“You ready for this?”
I gulp, staring into his perfect face.Am I ready for this? I guess there’s only one way to find out.
“Yes, let’s go.”
His hand closes over mine, squeezing once as we walk along the jetty, away from the safety of our little bungalow.
“Hey, you two!” Rosie’s voice carries over the wind along with a humorous toot-toot. She’s driving a golf buggy, steering with one hand, the other holding on to her oversized hat. “Get in!”
We follow her instructions, hopping into the back and hanging on for dear life as she speeds off around the corner likeshe’sthe Formula 1 driver.
“Rosie, slow down.”
“No can do, big bro,” she calls back, her grin clear in her voice. Rosie, it appears, is a little speed demon. “We have to hurry or we’ll miss the boat.”
Nathan shifts closers to me, his arm curling around my shoulders as if to shelter me from harm. I love it.
“Wouldn’t be the worst thing.”
Rosie slings the buggy into park and whips around to face us, her face flushed from the wind, the sun and the anticipation of whatever she has cooked up in that devious head of hers. “Oh, but it would be, dear brother. If we’d missed the boat, we’d have missed seeing that.”
We follow her triumphant gaze to where Victoria is standing on the top deck of the magnificent yacht in front of us, looking down at us with an expression of utter disdain on her face. Like the mere sight of us annoys her. Or perhaps that’s what she always looks like; hard to tell.
“Rosie,” Nathan chides his sister as we all walk the plank up to the yacht. An apt metaphor for how it feels to be heading into a gathering of these people. “We’re here because it’s easier than the alternative. We aren’t here to make trouble.”
I stare hard at Nathan, trying to gauge what he’s feeling and thinking.Is he saying this because he wants to keep the peace, to avoid confrontation? Or is it because of the lingering feelings I just know he has for his ex-girlfriend? Feelings he’s trying desperately to hide.
“That may be your motto this week, Nate,” Rosie says with an evil grin. “But I’m here for petty revenge. And I happen to know Miss Victoria is very displeased with the fact that you have a girlfriend, who is not only curing cancer but also looks like that.”
They both stare at me, and I hurriedly place my tote in front of my un-tanned ankles and feet. “Me?” I ask, distracted by my extremities. “She’s displeased by how I look?”
Nathan pulls me closer, cuddling me in under his arm in the most delightful way. “Yes, my oblivious girlfriend. She is much displeased by how utterly gorgeous you are.”
