Prologue
PROLOGUE
CHARLIE
FOUR MONTHS AGO, THE PORT OF BANGKOK
“ C harlie, Jana, can one of you please report on deck immediately? Aiden Barstock and his bodyguard Kiernan Doyle will be arriving shortly. Over.”
I tapped on my earpiece. “Copy that, boss. I’m heading up.”
My colleague Jana and I were sitting in the crew mess, scarfing down a late dinner. I glanced at my phone. It was after ten p.m.
Placing the half-eaten bowl of pasta aside, I stood up.
“I got this,” I said to her. “They probably don’t need anything at this time of night. Derrick told me they dropped off their luggage earlier and then went to visit Jared on set. You finish up and grab some sleep. It’s been a long day.”
“Thanks, Charlie,” Jana replied with a tired smile. “See you in the morning.”
I nodded and headed upstairs.
Working as a first officer on board the superyacht Now, Voyager was my dream job, but that didn’t mean it was perfect.
You rarely got a full night’s sleep. Or a proper break.
There was always something to be fixed, moved, steered, cleaned, sorted, attended to.
And that was the ship, never mind the guests.
But if you loved people and travel, like I did, it was all worth it.
Yachting was ideal for a twenty-nine-year-old like me with high energy and wanderlust.
This charter trip, we were in Thailand for two months.
The owner of the vessel, Rowan Carter, had loaned out the ship to a friend of his, director Jared Elwood.
Jared was filming a movie here. Apparently, the hotels were deemed a security risk for the famous actor turned director, so the ship was now his home.
He’d arrived a few days ago with his security staff in tow, and there was always one bodyguard walking around keeping an eye on things.
When you deal with high-profile guests, security is a given.
And now Jared’s attorney, Aiden, was here for a few weeks.
Something was going down and it had nothing to do with the movie they were filming.
Whatever it was, my boss, Captain George Bernard, felt we were as secure as possible. We were docked in the commercial section of the port, and you had to pass a checkpoint to get into our zone. Plus, we’d be leaving for the nearby islands soon.
I continued walking up the spiral staircase until I reached the main level and ventured out on deck, turning on the lights.
Then I ensured the plank was in place for our guests’ arrival.
I heard footsteps behind me and turned to nod at Cahill, one of Jared’s security staff, who was doing his rounds.
The rumble of a nearby engine had me turning starboard, and I spotted a taxi pulling up to the dock. My gaze locked on the first person who got out of the vehicle, which, in this case, was the bodyguard.
So, this was Kiernan Doyle.
The man stood up to his full height and holy fuck, the guy was easily six-four, maybe taller.
Aiden got out next and said something to the driver. I recognized the booming snap of his British accent and his brisk walk as they headed in my direction.
But it was Kiernan that had all my attention.
The name was familiar to me, the face was not.
A while back, George had an issue with an ex-boyfriend, a stalker.
My boss had told me all about Kiernan shadowing him until the situation had resolved.
It took a lot to rattle the calm and quiet captain, but apparently Kiernan’s grumpy demeanor had managed to do just that.
And ever since I’d heard about the Irish bodyguard, I’d been curious to see how intimidating this guy was in real life.
Not that he would intimidate me. I got along with pretty much everyone I met, grumpy or not.
As he drew closer, I took in his blond hair, tied up in a messy bun and most of all, the fierce expression on his face. He was looking around, surveying his surroundings, not paying attention to me.
“Welcome aboard,” I greeted them with my usual smile and sunny attitude as they stepped onto the deck.
Aiden nodded. “Thanks Charlie, I’m knackered. I’m going to grab a drink and collapse on my bed.”
“Use the intercom if you need anything,” I reminded him, and pushed the lever to release the plank.
Aiden waved at me and disappeared inside.
“I could use something to eat,” Kiernan muttered as he stepped forward.
The sheer size of him was enough to make anyone take a step back, including five-ten me, but I held my ground.
I prided myself on my people skills. It was important when you worked in the service industry. Making others at ease was a large part of my job and I was damn good at it. And grumpy or not, I was going to treat him the same way I treated everyone. With courtesy, kindness, and respect.
When I finally looked up (way up), our gazes locked.
His eyes immediately recalled my favorite whiskey—rich amber mixed with dark honey.
But it was the look in his eyes, not the color, that hit me like an unexpected punch to the gut.
Everything about his tense posture and severe scowl told me to back the fuck off .
But his eyes, fuck me, those eyes.
They told a different story. I didn’t know how or what or who, but it was obvious to me in that moment that this man was struggling.
Kiernan wasn’t scary at all. He was the one running scared…
“I’ve had nothing since the plane ride and I’m right famished,” he growled as he slapped his stomach.
The sharp sound as he made contact startled me out of my strange headspace.
Kiernan’s left eyebrow raised, and I finally found my voice.
“Of course. I can make you a sandwich and bring it to you in bed. I mean, to your room,” I fumbled over my words, mortified, and motioned to the patio doors. “Not your bed. Sorry. Uh, after you.”
Kiernan nodded, a glare still in place, and stepped ahead of me. I finally released the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.
My smooth, effortless service had finally hit a road bump.
And his name was Kiernan Doyle.
The next week…
Kiernan
“Kier, can you give me a hand?”
I was standing on the upper deck of Now, Voyager , my gaze mesmerized by the reflection of the full moon in the still waters around us.
Lost in my head as usual.
I turned to find Charlie Cates standing behind me, decked out in his evening uniform of navy shorts and a matching button down.
Charlie was a direct and outgoing guy, cheerful and friendly, greeting me with a genuine smile. For some reason, I warmed to him right away. And I didn’t warm to anyone. Unlike most people, Charlie didn’t waver at my grumpiness or my size.
“Sure, what’s up?” I asked.
“One of Jared’s guests is really drunk and I’m gonna need another pair of arms to help me get him up to his room.”
I knew exactly who he was talking about: Jared’s friend and actor, Reed Larkin. Jared had hosted a dinner tonight for the cast members in his latest movie and Reed had thrown back drink after drink after drink.
“Reed?”
“How did you know?”
“I was there during dinner. That guy was downing drinks like it was St. Paddy’s Day.”
“Well, he’s about to run out of luck and fall overboard if we don’t rescue him.”
Charlie walked past me, and I followed him down the stairs until we reached the bridge deck.
And there was Reed, sitting at the outdoor dining table, alone, with another glass of wine in hand. And two empty wine bottles beside him.
Drinking by himself. It was never a good sign.
“Okay, Reed,” Charlie announced in his professional voice. “Everyone’s gone to bed. We’re going to help you back to your room, okay?”
Reed turned his blinding Hollywood smile on Charlie. “You’re c-coming with me, Charlie? Perrrfect. You’re hot and I… I don’t want to be alone.”
The way Reed was eye-fucking Charlie made my blood boil.
Charlie’s job was difficult enough. He didn’t need this arsehole hitting on him and making things worse.
I walked over to Reed, snatched the glass out of his hand, dumped the contents in a vase, and slammed the glass back on the table. “Up. Now. And don’t harass Charlie.”
“I wasn’t r-rassing him,” Reed slurred and made to stand up. “I ask, he answers. It’s s-simple math.”
Nothing was simple when it came to dealing with inebriated people.
Reed wavered until I grabbed his right arm. The mix of wine and tequila fumes made me gag.
“Christ, you’re wasted,” I muttered and looked over to see Charlie stepping around to Reed’s other side.
He gently took Reed’s left arm and we both guided him inside.
Reed’s feet began to drag as we made our way down the carpeted hallway. He was going to have a hell of a hangover tomorrow, not to mention rug burn.
“Ohh… a t-threesome is even… b-better,” Reed hiccupped, then he looked up at me with glazed green eyes. “Didn’t realize you were gay, but I’m here for it, s-sexy. You’re so fucking big. Is your co?—”
“Here we are!” Charlie interrupted loudly as we stopped at the last door on the right. “Time for bed.”
I held onto Reed while Charlie opened the door and then we hauled the actor into the room.
“Let me… get n-naked and then…the g-good times can start,” Reed mumbled, then looked around. “Wait, where’s Tate?”
Tate Aduma was Reed’s co-star and former best friend. The two were at odds throughout the entire dinner tonight, bickering back and forth. Reed flirting with my boss, Alex, hadn’t helped matters either.
“Tate’s gone to bed. He’s upstairs,” Charlie replied.
“Why? I want him here. Taaaate!” Reed shouted.
“Shut it!” I growled.
Reed shook his head and kept yelling Tate’s name.
Charlie sighed. “Can you get him into bed? I’m going to grab the trash can and some ibuprofen.”
“I got him.”
Charlie headed off to the adjoining bathroom while I steered him to his bed. “Be quiet and lie down.”
“Ooh, I l-love a strong man who gives orders,” Reed snort-chuckled and I bit back a laugh, shaking my head.
Thankfully, Reed did as I told him and lay down on the bed like a starfish.
“Why are you running around in circles?” he asked.
“Your eyes are spinning, not me,” I bit back.
“Tate,” Reed whispered and closed his eyes. “Baby.”
Oh boy.
It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Tate was the reason Reed was shit-faced. The guy must be in love with his best friend. I couldn’t understand it myself. Sounded painful as feck, so, no thanks.
Charlie re-entered the room, placed the trash can on the floor beside the bed and slipped a glass of water on the nightstand. Then he pulled a bottle of meds out of his pocket and set it near the water.
“I think he’s good. Or, as good as he’s gonna get,” Charlie sighed and looked at Reed, who was now out cold and snoring. “Thank you.”
“No worries. Does that happen often?” I asked as we headed out of the room.
Charlie closed the door quietly behind us. “Drunk guests?”
We headed back down the hallway.
“No, I mean, y-you know, the guests coming on to you.”
I could feel my face flush as I stammered over my words.
“He was running his mouth.” Charlie rolled his eyes. “But I’ve worked on other ships where guests got handsy. I dealt with it.”
“You shouldn’t have to. If you want, I can teach you some moves that will incapacitate someone.”
Charlie smiled. “That sounds dangerous.”
“Nah. I was an MMA fighter until two years ago and I can tell you that a lot of my martial arts training was about learning how to disarm an attacker. You got a right to defend yourself.”
“MMA? Wow. You’re gonna teach me badass moves?”
My blush deepened. “I never thought of it that way. But yeah, happy to.”
“Cool. A former fighter and now a bodyguard. Do you like your job?”
I nodded, surprised, and pleased that he’d asked me. Most people didn’t bother. “It suits me for now. I’ve got a knack for sensing trouble.”
Charlie looked up at me with those big blue eyes and nudged me with his shoulder.
“Trouble, huh?”
Charlie’s dimpled grin told me I didn’t know the half of it.