Page 23

Chapter 23

Dinner Bell

Zane

When I open the grill again, just to check it, damn, the pasta smells amazing. It’s done, and I take it out, setting it on the counter next to the grill. Back in the before time, when we’d brought the boat from the shipyard and moved to port where we picked up Easton, I’d been the one making a lot of the crew meals. But I certainly never made anything like this on a grill before. Cheese oozes out, bubbling around a golden crust. I’m worse than a dog—I’m absolutely salivating.

Sure, everything Dante has made us has been amazing, but I can’t wait to dig into this. It’s weird, though. We’ve been eating nothing but fish and fruit. You’d think I’d feel weak or off eating the same thing over and over, but I don’t at all. I’m spot on—I feel better than I ever have. Like, ever.

Dante said after I take it off, it would need to sit for a while. I fasten the aluminum foil back over the top of it. Penny’s around here somewhere. I push the dish to the back of the counter to keep it out of her temptation zone. I don’t know where Easton’s gone off to. And after barging in on Haley and Sam in the wheelhouse, I’m going to let them have their peace. I’m in a flap about what might happen. I’ve known the captain for a while now, and on an average day, I’d never think about competing with him. What would be the point? He’s like one of those fit models you see in those underwear adverts on billboards. I’m not minging, and since I started yachting, I’ve gotten proper fit, but I’m nothing to look at. But damn, I’m confident our Little Bird won’t hurt me and forget about me. I think.

I dash inside, pulling the doors closed behind me. I like Penny, but I don’t want her to get to lunch first. I’m through the salon down the main stairs. I weave around, looking for Easton. Damn, I miss radios. The Rock Candy’s massive. There’s no yelling from one side of her to the other. “Easton.” I project down the corridor, but there’s no answer. At least I know where Calvin is. I head to the engine room and knock on the open door. Bloody hell, it’s humid down here. Captain mentioned a patch he made to the hull.

That’s when I see Easton’s bum in the air. He’s mopping up the floor. “Hey.”

Easton stands up, smacking the top of his head on a pipe. The thud echoes through the room. “Fuck.”

“Shit, are you okay?” I grab his bicep to steady him.

Easton’s holding his head. “I think so.” He lifts his hand, holding it to his face. There’s no blood.

“You’re sure, man? Let me see.”

“Yeah.” He tips his head to the side—no blood.

“Right, well, lunch is ready on the back deck.”

He takes the rag and wrings it out into the bucket. “Great.” I’m not sure why, but I expect him to toss the rag into the bucket and leave them on the floor, but he doesn’t. He grabs both the towel and the bucket and heads out. “Green said to dump it into the slop sink, since the water might have oil in it. But I don’t know where that is.”

I nod. Every day, Rockwell shows me he’s not what I thought he was in the beginning. Although, I still can’t fathom having even a one-nighter with Brianna. I shiver internally. “That’s the way to do it,” I say about the sink. I’m always protecting the water, and even more so here. We can’t poison the land that’s feeding us. “Where is Green?”

“He went out back to check the crash patch.” I lead Rockwell to the laundry room, where he dumps the bucket and hangs the towel next to a couple other muddy-looking ones.

“Water’s pressurized if you want to wash your hands,” I tell him. “It’s cold but...”

“Thanks.”

I wait until he’s done washing, then I take him through the toy hauler room to the back swim deck.

“It’s like a secret passageway.” Easton waits while I check the tender floating next to the boat. It’s good. We’ve got a few more hours before we need to worry about it scraping on the reef.

We head up the swim stairs to the back deck. Haley’s laying out plates; Captain and Dante are following behind her with silverware and napkins. She’s even found some shells and stuff to put in the middle of the table. It’s proper pretty, like they do for guests.

“There you are,” Captain says as soon as our feet hit the top step.

“It looks nice, Haley.” I kiss her cheek and watch the dash of pink zip up her neck to her face.

“Force of habit. It looked so naked without anything in the middle of the table.”

Dante laughs. “But we like naked, Sassy.”

I give the captain a sideways glance to see his reaction. He shakes his head and sits at the table, the napkin on his lap taking up all his attention.

Haley smiles at Dante. “I’ll be right back. I want to get us some drinks.” She stops at the entryway to the main salon. “It’s Italian—do we want red wine? Or should we wait until tonight?”

I close my eyes. A glass of wine would be amazing, but then we’ve got a lot of work to do. “Tonight’s my vote.”

“Okay. I’ll grab some waters and some other things.” Haley moves into the main salon.

“I’ll help you.” I chase after her.

“Thanks, Zane. There’s a lot still in the stew pantry. I think Sam took most of the water and sodas from the bar area.” She pulls open the door to the pantry. There are boxes on the floor, and some of the cabinets are open.

“Captain said he searched most of the boat, looking for batteries and emergency supplies,” I add.

“Yeah.” Her face drops. Haley likes order. I saw it all those months ago when she came on board, and then on the beach. The way she wove mats and has learned how to make baskets... Neat and tidy. “It’s nothing. I’ll have the boat looking great soon. I can fix it in between helping get the major systems up and running.”

“I know you can, Little Bird.”

She moves two boxes out of the way and pulls open the lower door. “Bingo.”

There are at least a dozen cases of water and boxes of American sodas. I pull out a tray and hold it down low for her while she makes a sampling, but there’s a lot to choose from. It looks like every type of soda ever invented. There’s so many there’s no way to take them all.

“What do you want?” Her neck twists, and she looks back at me.

“I don’t care. I’ve always been more of a water kind of guy, but then, it’s been a long time. A cola sounds good.”

“Got it.” She puts it on the tray, and I turn.

“Thank you, Zane.” I’m about to step out when she places her hand on my arm. “Are you okay?”

“Of course, right as rain, Little Bird.”

“Good. I...“ She looks away.

“This is a lot. It’s not something I ever thought I would be into. Like, ever. And I’m not going to lie to you and say that if I could have you all for myself that I wouldn’t. When we get back to the mainland, I’m in it with you. Whatever happens with the other guys, that’s... it doesn’t matter. I’m here.” I smile at her, and I lean over the tray and kiss her on the lips. I push the tray to the counter and pull her against me. I brush her hair out of her face and deepen the kiss. Another second, and I won’t be able to walk out of here. Her hand eases under my crew shirt. It’s clean, but I’ve been scrubbing in the sun for the last few hours. I want to tell her I love her. But in a closet isn’t the place; when our lunch is hot on the table isn’t the time.

“Zane.” She blinks up at me. “I’m glad... I think I was more worried about you than anyone else.”

“I’m not going to break, Little Bird. I’m tough.”

“I know you are.”

There’s a slap on the outside of the pantry door. Easton’s here, his arms resting on top of the doorway. “I thought it was taking a long time, Firefly.” He leans in around Haley and takes the tray. His chin scrapes along her neck as he does. “Carry on. I’ve got the service for you.” He flicks his eyes back to me, and then he’s gone.

“I’m not going to lie, that asshole is growing on me.”

Haley laughs. “Easton’s not an asshole. He’s just been pigeonholed by what he does...“

“And who he is, or I guess was.” I bend my neck and kiss her again. I don’t want to use my little alone time with her thinking about another guy. I pick her up and flip her so her bum is sitting on the counter. Her legs wrap around my waist, and I’m in my own version of heaven. I never played any of those games as a teen—spin the bottle or seven minutes of heaven in a dark closet. But then, I’ve never been as attracted to a girl as I am to Haley. She rubs herself against my hard cock, and I have to laugh because her stomach rumbles and vibrates against me. “All right, Haley, let’s get you properly fed.” I carry her out of the pantry, with her clinging to me like a koala.

She slides down my body, and it’s torture. “After lunch, if you can stand the heat, you and I should make sure there isn’t anything we need for camp in one of the guest cabins.” She winks at me and saunters away.

“That’s a date.” I pinch her bottom.

Out by the table, Dante glares. “Right, let’s get started.” He’s holding a big spoon at his side, and I’m not sure if he’s going to spank Haley with it or serve lunch. But when he scoops the pasta onto the first plate, we all gasp. The stringy cheese trails from the spoon to the first plate, and Haley jumps up, clapping. “Are you crying, Sassy?”

“Tears of joy.”

“No tears in the food. It’s perfectly salted.” He hands her the first plate. She tries to serve it to Calvin, who’s sitting closest. I hadn’t even noticed he’d appeared from somewhere. “No, Sassy, that’s your plate. It’s the best of the lot. The damn Viking probably won’t even chew before he swallows it down.” Dante laughs, and Haley reluctantly sits. “And don’t wait for us. Dig in.”

Haley takes the first bite as we all watch. Her lips are against the fork, her eyes closed. She makes a noise that’s as close to euphoria as possible. Damn, my cock hadn’t even calmed down and now it’s going hard again.

“Dante, it’s divine.” She smiles.

“Of course it is, just like you.” He hands me my plate. Fuck, he’s right. It’s so good. The table goes silent. We never eat in silence, but we don’t normally have a big sit-down meal for lunch. But this is a special occasion.

“They say it’s bad luck to have a toast with no alcohol, but an alcoholic wrote that proverb, so raise your cans.” Dante stands. “To a new chapter, to enjoying the moment and not overthinking, to enjoying the day, the hour and the minute.” He raises his energy drink to the sky. “Salud!”

“Cheers!” goes around the table.

Calvin chugs his drink. His eyes catch mine, and I swallow hard. He’s got that look that never ends in anything good. “I need to tell you about what I found,” he says.