Page 51 of Ship Wrecked

“Um... no.” A small, happy smile creased his tanned cheeks. “Nava and I intend to stay for another two weeks after everyone else is gone. Then her daughter’s coming to visit us here, and the three of us will knock around Ireland for a while.”

Maria’s mouth dropped open.

Fy fan. How in the world had she missedthat?

Shaking her head in delighted shock, she hauled her director into a congratulatory hug. “You sly thing. I had no idea. None.”

His smile widened into a grin. “Good. That was the goal.”

Across the small dining room, Darrell traced a finger down Jeanine’s exposed arm as the longtime couple sipped wine and chatted with Conor. Who, even as she watched, found himself wrapped in Fionn’s embrace when the chef emerged from his kitchen and leaned against his husband from behind. And at the half-cleared table, their camera op and cinematographer were sitting remarkably close together, the two women whispering quietly and playing with each other’s fingers.

Carefully, she kept Peter and Delia in her peripheral vision. No need to look directly at them again. Not even to confirm her newfound theory.

“Ramón.” Perhaps it was a tad indelicate, but the question had to be asked. “Is literally everyone in this room fucking except for me?”

He barked out a startled laugh, expression lit by more open joy than she’d ever seen from him before. “We are a particularly incestuous bunch, now that I think about it.”

Even as Ramón spoke, Darrell coaxed Jeanine into a shadowy corner, no doubt to do something Maria had not experienced in many, many endlessly horny months.

“You’re not kidding,” Maria muttered.

“I thought you and Peter...?” Ramón trailed off, raising a meaningful brow.

She shook her head, and the director blinked at her in seeming shock.

“I heard you laughing, even from inside the suite.” Nava appeared at his side, cuddling close as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “What’s so funny, babe?”

“Your timing is impeccable,mi cielo, as always.” His gaze tender, he ran a caressing hand over her short, spiky hair. “Maria and I were marveling at the number of relationships created among such a small crew. There’s us, of course, but also—”

“Hold on.” Peter’s voice suddenly rumbled in Maria’s ear, and the warmth of his big body behind hers nearly melted her spine. “You two are a couple? How did I not know this?”

“Ramón and Nava are masters of intrigue, evidently.” When she turned her head, his mouth was so close to hers, a simple sway of her body would have them kissing. Which would, she reminded herself, be somewhat awkward, given his hookup-in-progress with Delia. “If it’s any consolation, I had no idea either.”

Any moment now, he’d back away from her. Any... moment... now.

He didn’t, though. Not even a millimeter. And when his eyes dropped to meet hers, they were dark and hot.

Her throat was so dry, it hurt to swallow. “Where’s Delia? Are you two about to head off for the night?”

“Uh, no.” His frown crinkled the skin between his eyebrows.“She went back to her inn a couple of minutes ago. Didn’t she say goodbye to you before she left?”

When she shook her head, he edged even closer to her. So close, his belly brushed against her back, and her breath hitched. Just a little. Not enough for him to notice, hopefully.

“It’s a shame she had to cut her night short.” According to the English idiom, she believed her pants should currently be afire. “Will you see her again before her flight home?”

The crinkles deepened. “No. Why would I?”

Wow, her stomach felt better.Remarkablybetter.

“Well.” Ramón cleared his throat loudly and waited until they turned toward him. “Now that you’ve confirmed Delia’s whereabouts, Nava and I wanted to thank both of you for making our set such a warm, supportive place all these years.”

Peter’s scoffing noise vibrated deliciously near her earlobe. “You two were the ones in charge. Thank yourselves.”

She twisted to face him again, grinning. “That’s what I was going to say.”

“And if the two of us agree on something, it must be right.” His fond smile made her stomach swoop, but that was still preferable to nausea. By far.

“Exactly,” she said with a decisive nod.

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