Page 65 of Forty, Flirty & Framed

She steps onto the polished deck, her heels wobbling slightly.I reflexively grab her waist to steady her.

We both freeze at the contact.

"Sorry," I say, dropping my hands."Wouldn't want you overboard before the mission begins."

"That would be unfortunate.”She grins.“Though I'm sure you could execute a very efficient rescue.You seem like the type who'd insist on certification in water rescue just to be thorough."

"First aid, CPR, and advanced nautical rescue," I confirm."My instructor said I was pathologically prepared."

Her laugh ripples between us, easing some of the tension."Did you frame the certificate?"

"It's laminated in the emergency kit below deck."

Craig clears his throat from the bridge."We're ready when you are, sir."

I gesture toward the rear seating area."Shall we?It's about forty minutes to MacTavish's place."

"Perfect.Just enough time to review our strategy."She moves toward the back of the yacht, her dress catching the last golden rays of evening sun."And to discuss our other...situation."

My mouth goes dry."Other situation?"

She turns, brown eyes steady on mine."The fact that we nearly devoured each other Saturday night and have been awkwardly pretending it didn't happen for four days."

I'm grateful Craig chooses that moment to start the engines, the rumble masking whatever strangled sound just came out of my throat.

"That's...direct."

"Life's too short for circumlocution," she says, settling onto one of the cushioned benches."Especially when we're about to face Duncan MacTavish and whatever nefarious plan he's hatching."

I take the seat across from her rather than beside her.Safer that way.

"You're right," I concede."What happened was?—"

"A mistake.Obviously."

"Obviously," I echo, ignoring the inexplicable disappointment her quick agreement causes."I'm your boss."

"And I'm your brother's ex."

"And we're in the middle of a corporate crisis."

"And still haven't identified who's feeding information to MacTavish."

We stare at each other, a cascade of perfectly reasonable objections between us.

"So we agree," I say finally."It can't happen again."

"Absolutely not.”She crosses her tanned legs.The movement draws my eyes before I can stop myself."What?"

"Nothing," I mutter, looking away as the yacht pulls away from the dock."Alana sent over the guest list.Fifty of Seattle's tech elite and their plus-ones.Duncan always uses these summer gatherings to forge alliances and scout acquisition targets."

She leans forward, all business now."And what are we looking for exactly?"

"Any hint of who he's working with inside Abernathy.Anyone he speaks to with unusual familiarity.The IT team confirmed the security breaches came from someone with internal access using sophisticated relay techniques."

"Someone technically skilled," she muses."But not so obvious that we'd immediately suspect them."

"Exactly."