Chapter 20
LONDON
“ H ere I thought I was used to the lifestyles of the rich and famous.” I could barely find my voice as Liam and I stared up at the yacht we were about to board. “That thing is insane.”
Beside me, he nodded and drank the champagne he’d been handed when we’d climbed out of his truck. “You took the words right out of my mouth. It looks like a cruise ship.”
He wasn’t wrong. Valets had been waiting for us upon our entrance to the marina.
An actual red carpet had been rolled out from the place where they were stationed, leading to the yacht, and there were servers everywhere carrying trays of super bougie food, cocktails, and more flutes of champagne than I could count.
The boat itself had at least eight levels, with decks and balconies overflowing with people dressed like royalty. Dozens more guests were waiting to check in while dock hands transported all the luggage onto the yacht. Even the staff was smartly dressed.
All the while, the sun was almost gone and lights were coming on in the marina as well as the city beyond. It was like a whole new world was waking up. I wrapped my fingers around Liam’s arm on instinct, reaching for him. He shifted into me.
A united front as always when we were at work, we made our way into the main hall and saw the Carringtons welcoming people aboard.
Both of them were there, shaking hands and handing out air kisses, Benjamin in a bespoke suit and Annabelle wearing a dress I recognized from a haute couture designer my mom liked.
“Thank you for the invitation,” Liam said as he shook Benjamin’s hand. “This is quite a yacht you have here. I thought it was one of your cruise ships.”
The older man chuckled. “It’s a lot, but I have a reputation to maintain out here on the water. And only the best for the turtles, am I right?”
“We’re so excited to take you on as clients,” I told Annabelle after greeting them. “Working together, we’re looking forward to helping you spread your reach even further.”
She squeezed my hand and smiled. “It makes me so happy to hear you say that, honey. We’ve been struggling with our branding for a long time.”
“Nathan offered to send someone out to help us when we first contacted your firm, but we didn’t want to work with anyone who wouldn’t be around when we needed them,” Benjamin said. “We’re eager to get started as soon as you’re ready.”
“We’ll reach out next week to set up a meeting,” I promised.
Annabelle glanced between the two of us, curiosity in her eyes before she nodded. “That’s perfect. Enjoy your evening, you two. Thank you for being here.”
“Of course.” Liam took my hand and led me through the crowd to a guy handing out champagne. We refreshed our drinks. Then we headed to the check-in area. “You know she was trying to figure out if we’re together, right?”
“Obviously.” I shot him an exasperated grin, but deep inside, I was starting to wonder if there was a reason why people kept making that assumption and wondering about us—and not just because we worked together so closely. “What do you want to bet they’ve got us sleeping together?”
“Oh, okay. You twisted my arm. I’ll sleep with you.”
I smacked him. “You wish.”
“I do, actually,” he muttered, winking when I looked up at him. I didn’t usually give him a pass, but I did this time because I actually wished we could sleep together again too. I just didn’t want to tell him.
As we walked to the check-in table, I distracted myself by taking a good look around at the opulent interior of the yacht.
I’d been on many of these all around the world, but none as big as this.
This boat was huge, the main hall stretching up several floors with catwalks wrapped around the upper levels.
When we reached the table, Liam flashed the woman handing out the room assignments a disarming smile. “Liam Jones and London Walker.”
“Oh.” Her cheeks flushed and her lashes fluttered.
She dropped her gaze and started shuffling through the cards on the counter, but her hands suddenly seemed a little shaky and it took her a minute to find our key.
“There you go. You’re in a balcony suite right at the top.
Please let us know if you need anything and enjoy your stay. ”
“Thank you.” He took the key from her and pouted at me. “So, we really are rooming together. Bummer.”
“Why? Did you want to take that girl up to your suite with you?” I asked, keeping my tone light, but knowing him…
He frowned and shook his head. “No. Why? I just don’t want to sleep next to you . You snore.”
“In that case, you can sleep with the fishes.”
He laughed. “Thanks, but I was kidding. Lighten up, Walker. What’s gotten into you?”
“Maybe I’m just hungry.” Or jealous, but I’ll die before I admit that.
There was no other explanation for the bitter feeling poisoning my veins right then, though. Or the fact that I wanted to throttle the woman behind the freaking table for absolutely no reason.
Liam groaned. “Shit, we’d better get you some food before you get even meaner. London smash!”
“You know I get hangry but you insist on teasing me.” I shook my head in fake disappointment. “You’re either brave or stupid.”
“Let’s go with brave, shall we?” He smiled at me. “Let me have a win.”
“Fine, just this once. I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely going to go check out our suite while everyone is still getting checked in. I’ll grab an appetizer on the way up.”
“Hold on.” Liam jogged over to a table covered in trays of food. In a flash, he was back with a plate loaded with things on skewers and things wrapped in bacon. “There you go.”
“Such a gentleman all of a sudden.” I tried to sound casual but it really had been a thoughtful gesture. A piece of sushi was calling my name and I popped it into my mouth, groaning in ecstasy.
Liam cleared his throat and glanced away. “Well, I don’t want to get thrown overboard tonight. For all I know, you’ll move my mattress to the balcony and heave ho.”
“Well, you’re definitely a ho,” I joked, gathering my dress as we headed to the elevators. “But thank you for the food. You can stay.”
He laughed. “Thanks. I don’t think I can swim back to shore in this suit.”
“You’d have to take it off,” I said a little more loudly than I had intended. Feeling my cheeks hear, I immediately changed the subject. “I think we need to get to know their entire fleet inside out once we start working on the account.”
He nodded as he walked beside me. “True.”
“I think we should ask for a tour of every boat. We can arrange for a photographer to come with us and generate some content for their socials while we’re at it, but I’m dying to see the rest of them.”
He chuckled. “Look at you, all focused on what the client needs instead of simply indulging your own curiosity.”
I rolled my eyes at him as the elevator doors slid open in front of us. “Well, I suppose you could stay at the office while I go. Man the phones. Return emails.”
We stepped into the car. I grabbed something fried off the plate and tore into it. At least one of my appetites could be fed.
Liam frowned at me. “It still amazes me that you can eat the way you do and still look like that.” He swept an appreciative gaze over me and my heart skipped, my veins heating, but I refused to let on.
I chewed faster. “Right back at you, pardner.”
His eyes lit up when I looked at him again. “It’s nice to know you think I look good. I thought you weren’t missing my abs at all.”
“It’s not your abs I’m worried about.” It was what was below them and keeping my hands and body off that tonight.
Shit, why do I keep having these thoughts? It was a one-time thing. Stupid brain. I think I might be cock-drunk, feeling all woozy and unable to focus every time I’m around him now that I know what he can do with that body—with my body.
Liam chuckled. “What exactly are you worried about then?”
“The usual,” I lied. “World hunger. Disease. Pirates.”
“Liar.” He called me out without skipping a beat, but didn’t push it, simply letting a self-satisfied smirk spread on his lips that told me he knew exactly what was on my mind.
The doors slid open in front of us and we exited the elevator, deposited in a narrow but elegantly carpeted hallway with cabin doors on either side. I glanced at him. “What number am I looking for?”
“You’re actually looking for The Ocean’s Embrace .” He took off and I scrambled to keep up. “Our room has a name.”
Liam stopped abruptly in front of a door and I narrowed my eyes at the name emblazoned above the door. He hadn’t been kidding. “Is it just me, or does that sound ominously romantic to you?”
He shrugged a broad shoulder and unlocked the door, letting it swing open before he motioned me in. “We’re only going to be sleeping in it, so it doesn’t really matter what it looks like. We’re not going to be spending much time up here at all. We’re here to network.”
I was about to agree when I got a load of the suite and decided it did matter. I wouldn’t only be sleeping here. I was going to spend as much time in this stunning suite as I possibly could. “Wow.”
“Uh-huh.” I heard the door click shut behind him, but I was too busy soaking in the splendor that was our sleeping quarters for the evening.
Since we had a balcony room, we had sweeping views of the city outside and lights twinkling in it.
Later on, that would be all ocean and I was suddenly really excited for it.
A monstrous king-sized bed sat in the center of one wall, the bedding a crisp light blue and everything else in the room white and silver except for the walls, which had been paneled in a deep navy.
A narrow door near the bed led into an en-suite bathroom with a shower and a tub, and there was even a little circular window next to the tub which would also have a view over the ocean. Oh, god, yes!
“I’m having a bath after the gala,” I decided out loud.
Liam pressed in close behind me to check out the little bathroom, and the heat of him at my back radiated through me.
His lips were near my ear when he responded.
“I might just do the same. This is pretty cool, huh? You’re so not leaving me at the office when you go check out the rest of the boats. ”
“I knew it.” I spun to face him, ending up even closer to him than I’d realized I would. That mouth was only inches away from mine right then, but I stubbornly did not look at it. “You want to see the other boats as much as I do.”
He flashed me a coy smile. “Or maybe I just want to spend time with you.”
“You spend too much time with me as it is.”
“True.” He backed out of the bathroom and took another quick look around the room. “This really is nice though, huh? I can totally see why the company is doing so well even if their website is shitty and their socials are nonexistent.”
“I suspect a business like theirs thrives on word of mouth,” I said. “We could sell it as an experience, though. Maybe draw in some people who wouldn’t ordinarily do something like this, but who are willing to splurge for a special occasion.”
“That’s not a bad idea. Should we go back downstairs? I have a feeling there are a lot more people down there we could sign tonight.”
I offered him my arm. “Your gallant lady is ready.”
He chuckled but took my arm before sliding his hand into mine and wrapping it around his elbow instead. “Let’s go do this thing.”
As we arrived back in the main hall, the yacht started moving and the Carringtons invited everyone to the dining room. Liam and I were seated at a table with a few other couples, all of whom were really nice.
Throughout the evening, we met people from all over Miami and got a fair amount of business cards between the two of us, but we also just tried to enjoy the night and have fun with it. It wasn’t hard, considering that it was a full moon and a live jazz band was playing.
When the evening’s festivities drew to a close, Liam and I returned to our suite, and I found myself really not mad about having to share a bed with him. Now I just had to keep my hands to myself and it would be all good.
I already knew that was going to be easier said than done, but still. Maybe just a little sleepy cuddle would be okay and that was definitely better than nothing.