Page 20

Chapter 20

Christening

Sam

Taking the steps two at a time, I’m in the main salon behind Haley a second after her. But now I take it in with her eyes. It’s a disaster. There’s stuff everywhere. Sure, I’ve picked up a bunch. Or I tried to, at least. But it’s not fit for guests. Not that that’s an issue.

“Whoa, this place is... wow. Guess the Rock Candy’s not a sailboat, huh?” Things really moved around during the listing.

“I’ve swept up all the glass. I didn’t want Penny to get hurt.”

She picks up a pillow and puts it back on the sofa.

I do the same; I’m not sure why. Fuck. I’ve got her alone.

“I’ve got it. I’ll have her looking good in no time. But the second you have something I can do that’s more vital, I’ll do it.” She’s hugging a pillow to her chest. Her blue eyes are dark in the dim light. It gets a lot brighter in here as soon as the sun pokes over the edge of the cliff.

I glance down the stairs. I need to get down there to talk to Calvin. But this might be my only chance to talk to Haley alone. They’re all over her. Even in the tender on the way in.

I step toward the main staircase but stop myself. “Haley, can we talk in the wheelhouse?” It’s a shit place to have the conversation. It’s where I have the power, even now. She’s been yachting long enough that I know she’ll feel it.

“Oh, uh. Yeah, I mean. I need to make an espresso martini for a guest, but I’ll be right there.” She drops the pillow on the sofa, giving it a chop to make a ‘v’ in it. She’s joking, but it still gives me pause for a second. “Lead the way.” She bobs her head. And I can’t read her. It’s weird because I can read anyone. It’s what makes me a great captain.

I make my way down the corridor. It’s so odd being here with people. Even odder is not having Penny at my heels. I can hear her in the galley. Or rather, I hear Dante talking to her. His words from yesterday circle in the back of my head. Don’t tell her. Damn, how am I not going to bring it up? So, remember when we talked about exploring our attraction before shit hit the fan? What happened to that, and how the hell are you letting four guys screw you?

“Take a seat.” I close the door behind her.

“Sam?”

“You’re not—” Then I see what she’s looking at.

“Were you sleeping on the floor?”

“Yeah, until I hit the reef. It made getting up in the middle of the night to take star positions a heck of a lot easier.”

Haley puts her hand on the wall behind the bench. “Your cabin is on the other side; it’s like three steps away from here. It’s not like you were down in the primary’s cabin.”

“Yeah, I would never. It was fine. Penny liked it.”

“I imagine she did.” Haley cocks her head to the side.

I glance at where I had her picture taped on the bottom of the console. It’s in my room now, taped to my lamp. “Listen...” I step closer to her. “I took your picture from your cabin. I taped it up there. I talked to you. You kept me alive.”

There’s a knock on the starboard door. Zane’s there.

“Come in,” I grunt.

“Hey Little Bird. What’s it like to be back? Weird, right?”

“So weird. But shockingly, other than not having a working engine, I think the yacht was in worse shape when I first came on board.”

“What do you need, Zane?” I try to keep my tone light, but I’m not sure I succeed.

“I’ve talked to Calvin. He thinks it’s okay to use a few gallons of fresh water to rinse the worst of the mildew off the port-side. It must stay in the shade most of the day. I’m going to pressurize the tank, if that’s okay with you?”

“Sounds good. There’s a foot pump down by the tank. When I run out of rainwater, I’ve been doing the same thing.”

Zane stands there looking at Haley and then me. “I’ll do that, then I’m going to go help Calvin. He said he wants a few quiet minutes to really study things.”

“Good.” I cross my arms over my chest. That gives me more time to talk to Haley too.

“All right, I’m going to go do the thing.” Zane nods and backs out of the room. His eyes are glued to Haley.

When the door clicks shut, she blinks at me. “I bet Penny likes sleeping in your cabin better.”

“Oh, yeah. I suppose. Would you like to sit? Easton seemed really excited about that hard chair.”

“Sure, thanks.” She slides onto the back bench and sucks in her lower lip.

“I... I wanted to make sure you feel safe.”

Her head slumps forward, and I’m afraid I’ve been too direct. “Safe? Yeah, weird to say it. We’ve only had a roof over our heads for a night, and I feel safer than I ever have. More than safe.”

“Okay, it’s just... Did anything happen on the island?”

“Anything? Well, I guess lots of things happened. Zane and I were chased by a boar that wanted to eat us. But we ate it. I sprained my ankle trying to... fix something I shouldn’t have. We built a shelter, found a cat... Oh, there’s this amazing waterfall...” A blush rises up her neck, and now I’m having visions of what might have happened at said waterfall. Fuck, all night, that’s all I could think about. Them touching her. At first, I was furious. But the more I thought about it, the more fucking hard I got, until I had to take myself in my hand. Tonight’s going to be so much worse. I’m not sure I’ll be able to handle it.

There’s a thud on the starboard side, and Haley’s head swings to the opposite door. I should have chosen a room with fewer windows. There’s another knock, and this time it’s Easton.

“Hey, fuck, that was the most comfortable nap I’ve ever had.”

“Nap? It’s been like ten minutes,” Haley says.

“It was a great ten minutes, Firefly.”

The three of us stare at each other. “Right... well, I’m going to go down and rummage around in the cabins. Unless you have something else I can do that will help?” Easton cocks an eyebrow at me.

“I think we’re good until Calvin comes up with a plan.”

“Okay, then. I’ll be around if you need me.” He holds the door open like he’s going to stay and chat more. Then he gives a firm nod and pivots away.

I don’t even remember the carefully crafted talk I wanted to have with her. I was hoping to get her to bring it up without any assistance from?—

The door to the salon opens with no knock. “Hey Sassy, Cap, I’m going to make some lunch. Is there still propane on the back grill?”

“Tons.”

“Good. Noon sound good to you, Sassy?”

She slides off the bench. “Works for me, if that’s okay with you, Captain?”

Fuck me, I’m back to Captain. “That’s fine. Thanks for cooking, Dante.”

“No problem, Sam.” He taps the wall next to the door twice before he leaves.

There’s a nerve in the back of my eye that just about snaps with the effort it’s taking to not roll my eyes. When the door shuts, I’m gone. “Firefly, Little Bird, Chiefie, Sassy? Do they know you have a damn name?”

Her eyes fly wide open. “We’ve become close.”

“I can see that.” Fuck, not what I wanted to say, and certainly not at the volume I did. I grab my beard, a beard that wasn’t present before the wreck, and I pivot back to her. I let my chest rest. “You went through something... something that no one ever wants to think about. Of course you all have become close. I imagine there would be only two options: close or at each other’s throats.”

“Oh, Calvin and Easton definitely went through that stage.” She grabs her sides.

What Dante said flashes back at me. “It must have been hard.”

“Yes?” Her blue eyes gaze at me. “It was hard, but also not. It’s weird; somehow keeping ourselves alive is less pressure. Waking up and eating has become the goal for the day. It’s weirdly freeing. Your experience must have been a lot different. Being on the ship, just you and Penny. Trying to figure out what went wrong. That’s a lot of pressure.”

I nod and smile at her. She’s changing the subject to me. “More frustrating than anything else.” I lean against the console. “Did anything happen that you feel you need to talk about?”

Her eyes flick everywhere but my face. “Are you asking that as the captain of the Rock Candy or as Sam?”

I smile. There’s heat rising up the side of my neck. “Both, I suppose. First as the captain.”

“No, everything was good. Calvin really kept things on the raft going. We all collected rainwater, and then he caught a big fish. That was a real win.”

“Good.” I nod. “I’ll have to ask Calvin for fishing pointers. I haven’t caught much myself.” I give her the space to answer the other half of the question.

“I really like you. That hasn’t changed.” She sucks in her lips.

“Good, I really like you too.” I cock my head.

“Right, and we hadn’t said that we were...” Her cheeks are turning white.

“Haley, are you okay? Sit back down.” I take her elbow and guide her back to the seat. Touching her sends a zing through me. I’m an asshole—I can see how much stress this causes her, but damn, that simple touch has me hard. I should step back, but I can’t. Her knee brushes along my thigh.

“I’m okay. Sorry, Sam.”

Damn, it’s a small victory, but having her call me by my name fires more zaps around my body. “I’m glad you’re okay, but I want you to feel good.”

“I do... I do feel good. This is just...”

Again, I’m an asshole because I have no intention of telling her I know.

“I really was looking forward to us touring around together. And taking a step back was the right thing to do for work.”

“For work,” I repeat. “Right, for work. Well, I’ve thought long and hard about that decision. And I made it from fear.” I push a chunk of hair away from her face and tuck it behind her ear, and I leave my hand on her cheek.

“Fear? Oh, I... You were afraid?” Her eyes flutter to mine.

My thumb rests on the inside of her neck, and the thud of her pulse races into my hand. “Very much so. Things are different now. When I started yachting, you couldn’t date anyone on your crew. And those who did were usually doing it for not great reasons. My logic was stuck in the past. But I could have told Rocky—followed protocol. I’m sorry I didn’t. I’ve thought about you a lot, Haley. I’ve never met anyone like you. When this is all over— Fuck, no, before then... I want... I want something with you.”

Her eyes are dilated, and her pulse races faster. When I brush my pinky over her lips, she swallows hard.

Then she jumps backwards. “I need to tell you something.”