4. Nate
Nate
I planted both hands against his barrel chest, shoving him hard.
“How dare you come here?” I seethed.
“The fuck did you just say?” He shoved me back. He had at least fifty pounds of muscle on me. I stumbled, caught myself, and it just made me even more mad. I launched my whole body back at him.
“You heard me!” I yelled. “Get off my ship! I got your fucking note and I’m not interested!”
“Oh, you’ve got some nerve.” He grasped me by my shoulders and hauled me off my feet. “You think I’m here for you?”
If he was going to throw me over the rail, I was at least going to get a good hit. I swung my arm and punched him in the face with all I had.
“Nate!” Captain Birch’s voice boomed.
“Hey, hey!” A bunch of people materialized between us.
“What the hell is going on?”
“Break it up!”
I strained against the people holding me. “Let me GO!”
“You!” Landry roared over their shoulders. A thin trickle of blood ran down his split lip. Ha! I had gotten him good. “A man like you who cheats—”
I saw red instantly. “Who’re you calling a cheater?” I was trembling with anger. “You fucking lost! And you can’t even admit it.”
I lunged again but I was physically dragged away while I kept yelling and fighting but there were too many hands on me.
“ENOUGH!” Captain Birch’s voice cracked across the deck like a whip.
The captain got into my face. His face was red. “What,” he said, each word clipped, “the hell was that?”
“He—”
“That was not an invitation to open your mouth.”
I shut my mouth.
“You are one of my senior scientists.” He jabbed a finger toward my chest. “You just assaulted a man. An honorary guest aboard my ship. A favor from my old friend.”
Huh? What favor? The only favor would be throwing Landry’s arse into the ocean.
Captain Birch stared at me for a long moment. “Do you understand?”
I looked away.
“Don’t sulk like a petulant child. Look at me.”
I reluctantly raised my eyes.
“I don’t care what history the two of you have. While you are aboard this vessel, you will behave like professionals. Is that understood?”
I stared at him sullenly.
“Nate, I swear, I’ll call your Dad—”
“…Yes, Captain.”
“What have you been teaching him?” The captain looked at Keith, who was holding me with both hands wrapped around me as if I was a loose cannon. Which I guess…fair.
“Me? Sir, I—”
“I expect better from a former Navy SEAL.”
Keith sputtered. “Ah… Yes, Captain.”
The captain watched me for a long moment. Keith’s arms tightened around me. I got the hint. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
That seemed to have worked because the captain let out a slow breath and rubbed a hand over his face. “Now, perhaps I can finally tell you why Garrett Landry is standing on my helipad.”
I said nothing.
“He isn’t here because of you.”
I snorted.
Captain Birch ignored me. “He’s here because I asked for him.”
That finally got my attention. “What?”
“The whale skeleton.”
I frowned. “What about it?”
“The recovery platform.”
I blinked. “I thought that was impossible. We decided to leave it because there was nothing to be done?”
“So we thought.” The captain poked me in the chest again. “But I didn’t like the look of defeat on your face and wanted to surprise you. If only I’d known you’d thank me by starting a fistfight on my helipad!”
“I’m sorry… how is my skeleton related to that scumbag?”
“Because your scumbag is the answer!”
I blanched.
“I called every station and then Waypoint’s chief, an old pal of mine, told me he had someone with just such a talent. So, I brought you outside help.” He nodded over his shoulder where the asshole was being held by a second group of men.
The captain continued, “Did you know Mr. Landry is the only fabrication specialist of his caliber in all of Antarctica? He’s going to design and build the lifting system.”
For a second I genuinely thought the captain was joking.
“…You’re kidding.”
“I am not.”
“You flew him all the way out here?”
“Yes.”
“He can’t stay.”
“He most certainly can. And it is my ship, not yours, Nate.”
I blinked at him.
Across the deck, I noticed Landry’s split lip was still bleeding.
It made me feel better. Reed had wrapped one thick arm across Landry’s chest while another crewman held his other shoulder.
Landry wasn’t struggling anymore, but he was glaring at me like he’d happily finish the job if everyone stepped aside.
“Hmph.” I glowered right back.
Only then did I notice a stranger standing a pace behind him. A much younger man but one remarkably similar to Landry. They had to be related.
Unlike Landry, this youngster was slim and had the air of an academic.
I studied his face. He was a kid. Perhaps a grad student?
He just stood there clutching a duffel bag, looking from Landry to me and back again with the expression of a deer caught in headlights.
Poor bastard looked like he’d wandered into entirely the wrong story. Something about him made me calm down.
“Nate?”
I looked back at the captain.
“Yes… sir?”
“Do I have your word?”
Shit. I had missed whatever he had said last, but I didn’t want to risk revealing that. I nodded. “Yes, Captain.”
That seemed to pacify him enough that he took one last look at me and stomped off the deck.
“What did I just promise?” I muttered to Keith while staring at Landry. “I kinda lost the last bit.”
Keith sighed. “You’re kidding.”
“No.”
“…You didn’t hear any of that?”
“Apparently not.”
“Do you have a death wish?”
“Only if I can take him down with me.”
“Jesus, Nate.” Keith blew a breath. “Can I let you go? Will you behave?”
“Yeah. Fine. But what did I promise the captain?”
“He asked you to be Landry’s point of contact for the duration of his stay, starting with showing him around the ship, and extending a cordial welcome. His words, not mine.”
I stared at Keith in new horror.
* * *
Fifteen minutes later, I found myself living proof that the universe possessed a vicious sense of humor. Captain Birch had not only ordered me to show Landry around the ship, he’d insisted Keith accompany us “to ensure civilization prevailed.”
I walked down a corridor. Keith was next to me.
Landry walked several paces behind us. And bringing up the rear was, as I had learnt, his brother, Dexter, a grad student who was here to use our moon pool for his icefish study.
“This,” I said flatly as we stepped through another watertight door, “is a corridor.”
“Nate,” Keith warned.
I ignored him. “It connects one room to another,” I announced loudly.
“I know what a corridor is, but you sure like hearing your own voice. Typical nerd.”
Keith pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Better than a typical asshole. At least my voice is pleasant.”
I pushed open the next door. “This is the data suite.”
Landry pushed past me, shoulder-checking me, and stepped inside. What a tool.
I actually really loved our data suite. It wasn’t every ship that had a huge room that felt like an expensive hotel lounge. Sunlight poured through a row of large circular portholes running the length of one wall, falling across a long floating desk lined with computer monitors and a desk phone.
Landry slowly turned in a circle. “Huh.”
I folded my arms.
“I figured scientists worked in little laboratories.”
I ignored him.
His brother, Dexter, though, looked like he was a kid at a mall. “Wow! This looks like NASA.”
“Thank you,” I replied sweetly.
“Whose fucking side are you on?” Landry immediately rounded on the kid.
“Uh, sorry! Right.” Dexter blinked. “This is uhh… shitty?” He peered at his older brother.
Keith started laughing.
“You don’t have to listen to your brother, Dexter. I’m sorry to say he is full of shit,” I said.
Dexter’s eyes went wide and then he shook his head vehemently. “No, my brother is the most wonderful man alive. He is brave, noble, and kind. You…” he pointed a trembling finger at me. “You… I know all about you.”
My eyebrows flew to my hairline. “Is that so? And what do you know about me?”
Dexter glanced at Landry, who had puffed out his chest like a rooster about to crow.
“You… cheated and refused to fight fairly with my brother during the fencing competition last year.”
I scoffed. “He wishes!”
Landry took a step towards me. I stood right where I was. As if he scared me.
“I won fairly and your oaf of a brother can’t accept that all his big, brawny muscles lost to a scientist like me,” I told Dexter while staring right at Landry.
“A man who cheats has no honor.” Landry spit out.
“A man who can’t accept defeat is no man at all!” I retaliated.
Both of us stood glaring without breaking eye contact.
I had no respect for men like him. They used their size to bully others.
When I was younger, I may have given in to my fear, but not anymore.
The gall of this arsehole to talk about honor.
And the extra gall to send me that note.
He wanted a rematch. Why? I won. In public.
Why should he get to have a rematch because he couldn’t deal with that?
The fact that he was still obsessed about a lost fencing match in a friendly tournament in Antarctica during the holidays told me all I needed to know about him.
Suddenly there was a gasp. We all turned towards the sound.
“Oh my God! Look at those screens!” Dexter had drifted to the display wall. Opposite us, an entire wall glowed with giant screens with endless scrolling numbers. It was really impressive and I remembered being in awe when I had first seen it too.
“Garrett! Look!” Dexter was gesticulating excitedly. “That’s live data! Look… this one is showing the view over the ship’s bow… and oh, look, this is sonar it says. Wow.”
Landry shot me a look as if he dared me to say something mean.
Well, I wasn’t going to. The kid was too excited and I couldn’t bring myself to spoil his happiness.
I glared back at Landry, but didn’t say anything.
I may want to strangle him, but I had no beef with his brother.
I remembered being a grad student. It was tough.
Landry waited for me to respond, and when I stayed silent, something passed over his face. Too fleeting for me to catch.
He turned to his brother. “Do you understand all this, Dex?” He spoke in a low voice.
Keith came up beside me. “The kid reminds me of you. Ten years ago,” he murmured.
I snorted. “I wasn’t that excitable… was I?”
“You were. I liked that about you,” Keith replied, voice low enough just for my ears. “Though I must say I’m enjoying this new side of you. Didn’t know when you said you hated him, you really meant it. I have seen hostage negotiations with a friendlier atmosphere.”
I laughed despite myself. Landry immediately noticed.
I schooled my expression and turned on my heel. “Come on.”
“Where now?” Dexter asked.
“The moon pool.”
“The what?”
I smiled without looking back. “We have a hole right in the middle of the ship. Straight down the hull. We can send science probes through it.”
“Holy shit!” Dexter was bouncing with excitement.
I had to fight not to let my smile be seen by his dickhead brother. To him, I said, “Don’t touch anything in the science hangar. It’s not meant for apes.”
Landry snorted. “I thought you needed me for your precious skeleton down there?”
I didn’t answer.
As we walked down the corridor, Dexter caught up to me.
“Uh… can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Have you had any issues with the tater tots on board?”
I glanced at him. “I’m sorry. What?”
“Tater tots.”
I shook my head. “No. The chef has plenty of tater tots every morning at breakfast.”
Dexter’s eyes went round, and he looked back at his brother and raised four fingers.
“Can I ask why this sudden interest?”
“Oh… I’m just… You see… Well—”
“He likes tater tots. You got a problem with that?” The older Landry spoke from behind us.
“Nope. Just got problems with you.”
* * *
Two hours later, in the sanctuary of my cabin, I fell face-first on my bed.
I was exhausted, and it had nothing to do with physical tiredness.
I had never been this emotional in my life.
Landry pushed my buttons like no one ever had.
The ship tour had gone without bloodshed thanks to Dexter and Keith.
But that wasn’t the worst thing. I groaned and flipped over.
The recessed lighting in my cabin was dim and soothing.
I stared at the ceiling, wondering how on earth I was going to survive having Landry on the same ship for the next few weeks.
The man infuriated me, but my dick? It was in some other dimension apparently.
I had been semi-hard since putting my hands on him on deck.
After spending so much time in the narrow confines of the ship, with him shoulder-checking me at every opportunity and the two of us trading barbs, I was some fucked kind of turned on.
He checked off every box on my list. He was tall, muscular, and had those veins running along his forearms that made me go weak in the knees. And he had these thick thighs. I had sneaked in a few glances between his legs. I groaned again. That bulge was seared into my brain.
I unbuttoned my trousers and snaked one hand into my briefs. God, I was so hard.
I had been attracted to him since I had first seen him last year during that continent-wide celebration.
There were hundreds of men and women, but he was the only one who had caught my eye.
But he wasn’t a scientist, our circles didn’t intersect, and I was content to just feast my eyes on him from a distance, until fate brought us together.
And ruined my impression of him forever. He didn’t deserve a single moment of my time, but tonight was a lost cause as I jerked myself off to the memory of that bulge.
Fucking Garrett Landry.