Chapter 18
CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN
ALYONA
I arrive on the main deck of the yacht to find crew members bustling about, preparing for something. I’m not sure what it is yet, but I’m going to guess it has something to do with the surprise Leo has in store for me. Whatever that is.
It’s another ridiculously perfect day. The sun is shining down with relentless enthusiasm, but it only makes my head pound harder. I didn’t manage to sleep much last night, my anxieties on overdrive.
And the thought that’s screaming the loudest—should I sleep with my ex? Not just any ex, the one that broke me.
It could either be the best or the most disastrous idea I’ve ever had, but I don’t know if I have it in me to resist him any longer.
The pull I feel towards him is like a living, breathing entity that pulses and thrums in my veins.
So hot that I had to use Bob multiple times last night, hoping to work out all my pent-up sexual energy.
With my eyes squeezed shut, I allowed myself to imagine what it might be like to finally give in to the overwhelming temptation to spread my legs for Leo again.
It was good—really good. But I know for a fact the real thing is so much better.
I steal a croissant off the breakfast buffet and make my way towards the lounge area. It’s there that Jack catches up with me, his hair messily flopped to one side, a sheepish smile on his face. “Aly, do you have a minute?” he asks, falling into step with me.
“Uh, sure.” I’m uneasy around him but seeing as we’re stuck on this yacht together for god knows how long, I might as well hear him out.
Jack runs his hands through his hair, nervously shifting his weight from one foot to another. “I want to apologize for yesterday. I’m a friendly guy, but I don’t mean anything by it. I hope I didn’t cause any friction with your fiancé.”
I sigh and take off my sunglasses. He needs to hear what I’m about to say. “Jack, you seem nice enough, and I’m sure plenty of the ladies who are guests on this boat appreciate your attention. But I am not one of them.”
He dips his head, a contrite gesture. “Understood, and I hope we can still be friends.”
We were never friends, but I don’t want to make more of this issue than necessary, so I smile and say, “Sure.”
“Good, I’m glad.” He’s still staring at me, though, that flirty little smile ever-present on his lips. “Are you ready for today?”
“I don’t even know what’s happening today,” I admit. I take a step back, crashing into a big hard body. Might as well be backing up into a brick wall.
“That’s because it’s a surprise,” Leo says in my ear as one big arm wraps around my front, pulling me into him.
Warmth floods my veins at his familiar touch.
“Jack.” Leo nods in acknowledgment. I’m grateful he’s put the alphahole bullshit behind him.
Maybe we could all just be civil to each other. “Everything ready?”
“’Course it is, Mr. Walker.” Jack smiles a little too brightly.
“Good, we’d like to get going soon.”
Jack takes the hint, backing away to do whatever the hell a first mate does.
Leo spins me around in his arms. His eyes travel over my lips and over my face, like he’s trying to get a read on me. My eyelids flutter in the wake of his hot breath caressing my skin. In the brilliant sunshine, he looks like a sea warrior come to life. Maybe Sex God of the Seas is fitting.
I break the silence. “Are you going to tell me where we are going?”
His smile is mischievous. “Somewhere special.”
I squint, looking past Leo at the horizon, but we’re literally surrounded by water. “So mysterious. I wonder if we’re going to be looking for treasure?”
Leo’s lips twist to the side. “Something like that. You always loved a good adventure. I think you’ll love this, too.”
One of the deckhands approaches us with a smile. “Good morning. We’re all ready for you,” he says, leading us to the tender deck at the back of the yacht. He helps us step from the stern onto a small motorboat, but when he makes a move to join us, Leo stops him.
“I got it covered.”
Concern creases the young man’s features. “But do you know how to drive one of these—”
Leo’s already fired up the small engine, and we’re on our way before the poor guy can get his words out. A laugh peels from my throat. “Ah, there’s that Kozlov charm, after all. And stupid confidence.”
“How hard can it be to drive one of these things?” Leo is clearly in his element, wind whipping through his hair, handsome face turned up towards the endless sky.
He’s wearing nothing but tiny swim shorts and stylish shades, it’s all I can do not to stare at his bronze skin.
In his early twenties, he was hot, but as a grown-ass man, he’s devastating.
He points to a rocky outcrop in the distance. “That’s where we’re headed.”
“And what is that exactly?”
“A deserted island—basically a big cave with a sandy beach.”
I arch an eyebrow, skeptical. “How do you know? Have you been here before?”
“Not exactly. I hacked into the University of Rome’s computer system. The university uses it as a research center for geologists studying tectonic activity in the Mediterranean region. That’s how I discovered it.”
“Putting your hacking skills to good use, I see.”
His lips tip up in amusement. “Guess you could say that.”
Closer to the island, the clear blue waters shift to a darker hue, and he kills the motor, dropping a small anchor into the water below.
“We have to swim from here.” With that, he grabs a waterproof sack, slings it over his shoulders, and dives in, disappearing under the water.
When he emerges, he’s all slick, and his smile is bright.
It might be the most genuine smile I’ve seen on his face in years, and I swear it makes my heart stutter in my chest.
Standing, I slide the beach cover-up over my head, revealing a white string bikini that I chose for strategic reasons. Namely, to make Leo pant after me.
His eyes blaze over my skin before he says, “Hot damn, Aly. Remind me to send a thank you card to the owner of the yacht.”
With a loud whoop, I jump off the side of the boat, slipping into the aqua water. If there was such a place as heaven on earth, this might be it. Hot man bobbing in the water beside me included.
“Feels good, huh?” he purrs, and a shiver travels up my spine. His body gleams, and a particular bead of water catches my eye as it traces a path down the strong column of his neck.
We swim the rest of the way to the island, the waves gently rocking us, schools of tiny multicolor fish dart around my legs, which makes me giggle.
The shore is not so much a beach as a sandy, craggy entrance to a cave, surrounded by big chunks of gray rock.
From his trusty pack, Leo hands me a pair of water shoes which look like a cross between sandals and football cleats. It’s then that it hits me.
“There’re probably bats in there,” I say, my shoulders hiked up to my ears.
“Maybe,” Leo responds without batting an eye.
“Seriously!? This is not what I meant when I said to grovel.”
Leo throws his head back and laughs. “Still so easy to rile up, butterfly. I’m just messing with you.” He clears his throat. “Bats are nocturnal anyways.”
“That doesn’t make me feel any better. May I suggest a visit to Prada next time you’re looking for an apologetic gesture.”
“Why?” Having slipped on his own water shoes, he pulls a flashlight out of the sack. “You can buy your own clothes. Hell, you’re given a designer wardrobe every year. I’m giving you a life experience. Can’t put a dollar amount on that.”
“How do you know where I get my clothes from?” He’s right. Working as a fashion buyer, I do get a little inventory from the sample sizes or even gifted some beautiful pieces. But how Leo knows anything about the world of fashion is beyond me.
“I just assumed.” He shrugs. Leo is way too smart to just assume anything—my guess is Kira fills him in on my life. That girl loves to talk. “You ready for this?” he asks.
I bite my lower lip. “As ready as one ever is to go into a dark, enclosed space with no other human around for miles and miles.”
As soon as we enter the cave, darkness envelops us like a thick curtain, and the sound of the waves fades to a distant echo.
Being in a damp cave that smells of musty earth is creepy, but it’s also kind of cool to feel so far away from the world.
Like Leo and I exist in a timeless bubble, entirely our own.
I like that idea way more than I should.
Leo is ahead of me but turns and waits, holding out his hand for me to take, which I do. This is not PDA for the crew, this is … well, I’m not sure what it is, but I also know I like the comfort of his big hand wrapped around mine. Just for today, I won’t question why that is.
“Hey,” he says gently, “I promise once you see the crystals you won’t be thinking about anything else.”
“It’s okay, I kind of like it here,” I admit, my fingers brushing over the rough, rocky walls as we make our way through a winding tunnel. “Feels like we can hide out from real life for a bit.”
“Maybe we can,” he says, his voice a low rasp. “I can be Leonardo, and you can be Alison. Newly engaged lovers head over heels for each other.”
My brows shoot up to my hairline. I don’t know what game he’s playing here, but I am tempted to find out. I don’t back down. “Sure, we can pretend,” I answer. “So, honey, what’s your favorite part of the trip so far?”
“I’d say the food on the yacht is top-notch. And we’ve had perfect weather.”
“We have,” I agree, playing along. “The Mediterranean is beautiful this time of year.”
He stops suddenly, and I crash into his chest. He dips his mouth to my ear. “Want to know what I’ve enjoyed the most?” I don’t know if it’s the husky growl of his voice or the way I’m pressed up against him, but I swallow hard, before answering.
“What?”
“Listening to you fuck yourself with your vibrator last night.”