Page 14 of A Marriage of Anything But Convenience

“Come on, now. We aren’t anarchists.”

Nara’s grin widened, and she waved a hand at him. “Shut up and eat your clams.”

Chapter 7

Nara grabbed Derek’s hand, tugging him along the beach. They’d made it back to their resort and she’d convinced him to take a night stroll along the water’s edge. The full moon lit the way.

A wave washed over her feet, and Nara reveled in the feeling of the soft, wet sand beneath her. Ahead of them a small group of people were night fishing. A man struggled with the rod. As they neared, Nara called out to him. “Did you catch something?”

The man nodded. “Yeah. It’s big, too. I just can’t tell if it’s a shark or a stingray.”

“Mind if we watch you bring it in?”

“That’s fine.”

Nara stood beside Derek, watching the men trying to bring in whatever it was hooked on the end of the line. Derek stood, his hands in his pockets. He looked serious. So much like the Emperor she knew, even with his loud shirt on. She supposed no matter what he was wearing, he would still be the stoic man he’d grown up to be. It kind of made her sad.

They stood for a few minutes as the men tried to reel in the large whatever they had caught. Nara breathed in the salty air. “I hope you had a good day, even if you don’t love the beach.”

Derek peered down at her. He looked like he was contemplating something. “It was good.”

“I’m glad.”

One of the men shouted. “I see a fin. I think you caught a shark.” There was a commotion as the men tried to reel in the large fish without breaking the line. And then a wave receded and Nara could see the shark. It had to be about five feet long.

“Wow, that’s huge,” she said.

The man with the fishing rood hooted. “This is the largest one I’ve caught.”

Nara pulled out her phone. “Mind if I get a picture?”

“Go ahead,” the man said.

“You might not get a good one with your phone,” Derek said. “Not in the dark.”

“It’s fine.” Nara took a couple of photos and then turned. “Thank you,” she called as they started to head back.

The night air turned a bit chilly as they walked toward their resort. She involuntarily shivered as a breeze blew. Derek touched her arm. “You cold?”

“Just a little.”

He slid his arm around her shoulders. Warmth spread over her skin, and that crazy sensation of an electric current ran through her. It was pleasant. A little too pleasant, if she had to admit it to herself. But he was just being nice. He didn’t mean anything by it. She shouldn’t get all goofy over him. “Thanks,” she muttered.

It was almost a relief when they got back to their suite. She needed him to stop touching her. She quickly grabbed her pajamas and entered the bathroom. Her fingers shook as she tried to get into her nightclothes. Why was she so affected by Derek’s arm around her? It was stupid. Derek, of all people, shouldn’t be making her insides quiver. She shook her head and washed her face. After her heartbeat returned to a normal level, she exited the bathroom.

Derek was sitting in the chair at the desk typing on his laptop. He turned to glance at her. “Are you wanting to turn the light off and go to sleep?”

Nara shook her head. She had too much pent-up energy to be able to sleep right now. She rummaged through her art bag. Seeing her journal reminded her she still needed to write down her father’s newest insanity. She shoved it aside and pulled out her sketchbook. “I need some down time first. I think I’ll draw for a few minutes.”

“Perfect. I’m finishing up a few things for your father.”

Nara froze. He was what? Doing work for her father? Now? She couldn’t believe it. Her father had insisted on this marriage. And now, this honeymoon. Why would he give Derek stuff to do while he wanted them to bond, or whatever his insane plan was for this trip? It didn’t make sense.

“He’s making you work on your honeymoon?”

Derek’s cheeks reddened. “Well, no. But I had a few things I wanted to get done…” His voice trailed off, and Nara tossed him a skeptical look.

Now, that made more sense. The work-a-holic, unable to get off his computer, even at the beach. How was she going to teach him to let go of work, if he was bringing it along? She sighed. “Get them done quickly because tomorrow there’s no work. Just fun.”

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