Chapter 10 #2
They’d hated how the strained father-daughter relationship often blew up at the worst possible time and, in the end, it had been a relief for everyone – including her – when she’d walked away.
The faint sound of footsteps and low distant murmur of a voice somewhere in the marina drifted to her on the night air, and Tiffany tuned into it for a beat or two.
It grew closer and closer until she realised it was Theo on his phone, his low laughter carrying towards her like a hug on the warm air as he stepped onto the cast rail of the Nerida .
With zero shame, she eavesdropped on his conversation that was now coming from below on the main deck aft.
Not that she could understand a word given it was all in Greek.
Well, she got ‘mama’ and ‘baba’, which she knew to be mum and dad, and occasionally he mentioned Ari, once even Kelsey, but that was the extent of what she could translate.
As much as she could tell, he didn’t seem to be moving around, his voice coming from the one direction, and Tiffany pictured him lounging against the back rail as he chatted, his legs thrust out in front, his shorts riding up a little, the dark hair of his quads and calves emphasising the superb musculature of his legs.
He really did have the most amazing legs. And chest. And ass. Not to mention that lethal weapon between his legs which he’d used to thoroughly shock and awe. Thoughts of that made her squirm in her chair, yanking her out of the trip down memory lane.
Bloody hell, woman. Do not think about Theo’s junk!
Dragging her mind out of Theo’s underwear, she tuned back into the conversation just in time to hear him say, ‘ Kalinyhta ,’ which Tiffany knew was goodnight.
There was silence then and she supposed he’d be heading to bed. And so should she. She’d just wait for five to make sure the coast was clear. Which sounded like a great plan until ten seconds later she heard footsteps coming up the closest stairs and she knew he was heading for the sky deck.
For a panicked moment her eyes darted around, looking for somewhere to hide. Behind the bar? In the shadows down by the jacuzzi? Under her sun lounger? Which were all crazy and also moot as he stepped onto the deck before she had a chance to move a muscle.
In a suit.
‘Oh, hey.’ He pulled up short, clearly taken aback at her presence. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were up here.’
Tiffany blinked. ‘It’s fine.’ The man didn’t need to apologise for walking around his own damn boat.
If he needed to apologise for anything it was how sinfully well he wore a suit. He hadn’t been wearing that when he’d left this morning so she could only presume he’d come from a late meeting and hadn’t bothered with changing his clothes.
The trousers with a faint burgundy pin-stripe had been tailored to cling to quads and narrow hips and cup that bulge she’d been trying not to think about as if he was wearing Lycra bicycle shorts.
His shirt was white, sitting flat against his belly and open at the neck, the top two buttons undone like he’d removed a tie at some point.
The matching jacket encased his shoulders, not only emphasising their breadth but somehow managing to draw attention to his entire physique.
Like a gilt frame around a famous painting.
Rousing herself from her inappropriate – which seemed to be their thing – inspection, Tiffany cleared her throat and swung her legs over the edge of the lounge. ‘I’ll… go.’
‘No, no.’ He waved her back. ‘Please. I don’t want to chase you away. Ari and I just closed a big deal for two new ships and I’m a little wired.’ He laughed, clearly very happy at the outcome. ‘Also’ – his lips quirked conspiratorially – ‘I might have had one or two ouzos to celebrate.’
Tiffany’s breath hitched at how dashingly devilish he looked in the night, high on shots and his boardroom win, his hair falling haphazardly against his forehead, a grin tugging at his mouth.
This uninhibited version of Theo should send her scurrying to her cabin – immediately – but he reminded her too much of the Theo she’d first met at the wedding.
The charming, champagne-offering guy who had nothing more pressing in his life than seduction.
And that, for good or for ill, kept her ass planted on the lounge. ‘Congratulations,’ she said with a smile.
‘Thanks. Ari got an excellent deal and our fleet is now two ships stronger.’
Tiffany had thought their first serious interaction after their boundary pushing two weeks ago would be awkward AF, but it wasn’t. His triumph was infectious. She quirked an eyebrow. ‘World domination, huh?’
He threw back his head and laughed, drawing her gaze to the bronzed column of his throat.
This morning, as had been his routine since heading into Athens every day, his face had been cleanly shaven.
Just over twelve hours later, dark shadow had replaced the smooth contours of his jaw, and she shivered remembering how good his five o’clock shadow had felt on the inside of her thighs.
‘We’re expanding our offerings into the Caribbean market,’ he supplied when his laughter had eased.
‘Are the ships sea ready?’
‘No.’ He shook his head as he crossed to the side of the boat nearest her, leaning his ass against the solid edge. ‘Full refits in ōceanós branding first. They should both be ready for passengers this time next year.’
Tiffany whistled. ‘That sounds expensive.’
‘It is.’ He grinned, like hundreds of millions of dollars was nothing. Folding his arms, he tipped his chin at her laptop. ‘You’re writing?’
‘Yeah.’ She nodded. ‘I’ve been coming up here most nights since we’ve been moored. It’s peaceful, and being able to look up from my keyboard and see the ocean is really great for inspiration.’
‘Yeah.’ He turned, placing his hands on the curved moulding, and stared out at the shifting mass of calm water. ‘Even at night, there’s this force to it that just sort of wells up through your feet and lodges in your throat.’
Tiffany blinked at his almost poetic observation. ‘Maybe you should be the writer,’ she murmured.
Laughing, Theo turned. ‘Ouzo goggles. Although’ – he absently rubbed his jawline, and Tiffany swore she could feel the faint scrape of new stubble right between her legs – ‘my mother did just tell me on the phone that my father wrote to her every day for a year when they were first in love and she still has them, and it’s their thirtieth wedding anniversary today so maybe it runs in the family. ’
So he’d been speaking to his mother.
Tiffany had first met Theo’s parents not long after Kelsey and Ari had got together, and a couple of times after that.
Then at the wedding, of course. They were gracious and welcoming and both clearly still besotted with each other, laughing at each other’s jokes, finishing sentences, holding hands, their heads often bent together in private conversation.
Watching them together, she’d been envious of their closeness and longevity.
Tiffany supposed having money eased a lot of potential flash points in a relationship, but her parents had been well off – not Callisthenes rich but not wanting for much either – and that hadn’t made things easier for them.
‘They’re lucky,’ she said. ‘You’re lucky.’