Chapter 15
GABE
Two months later
“You ready for this?” Alex asks, moving in next to me. Dressed head to toe in decadent linen, eyes hidden by a pair of sunglasses that make my stomach do a backflip, he’s the epitome of a wealthy, virile man.
“So ready. I thought this week would never end.” And my assistant damn near killed me with all the last-minute tasks I needed to take care of before our trip.
The Greek sun is incredibly hot, but the view and slight breeze make the heat worth it. The cobalt sea sparkles, beckoning us to come closer. Soon enough. We’ll be out there soon enough.
A gleaming silver helicopter swoops through the sky, blades slicing the air with a steady whop-whop-whop, then lands in the middle of the helipad a hundred feet away. The wind sends a tsunami of dust our way, and Katherine’s hair swirls and whips around her head.
She laughs at something King said and slaps her hands against her thighs to keep her berry-colored sundress from flying away. My chest fills for the two of them. Because I love them individually and I love them together.
Watching him rake a hand through his golden blond hair reminds me to never take this for granted. Not a single moment. Someday we’re going to be older, grayer and have some wrinkles. But we’re going to be together and have a ton of amazing memories.
I guess I’m feeling nostalgic because I know what’s coming up. What we have planned. And what a big step it is.
There’s a small whisper in the back of my mind that says it’s too soon. No way have we been in this situation long enough to be settled. To know it’ll work.
But I do. There’s a louder voice, a whole-body conversation that tells me everything I need to know.
I love Katherine.
I love Kingston.
I love Alex.
Deeply. Fully. Flaws and all.
I love this wildly complex relationship we’ve found ourselves in. It’s comfortable in a way I’ve never felt in my thirty-seven years. Hell, I’m not even sure I knew it was possible. I certainly never dreamed it.
A porter jogs over, picking King out of our foursome. “Welcome, Mr. Saint.”
A security team has already been dispatched, and two more guards flank us now. The driver hoists our bags out of the trunk. Katherine’s suitcase is decidedly small for the length of our vacation, which makes me supremely happy.
It’s good to see her smiling so much.
We follow the pilot to the chopper. King and I direct Katherine to the middle of the three seats, and we each take a seat flanking her. This bird is smaller than the one Alex has in New York, but it needs to be for where we’re going.
Katherine’s leg presses against mine, and I immediately slide a palm to the inside of her thigh. The soft cotton of her sundress is a scant barrier to her silky, soft skin. It wouldn’t take much at all to slide it out of the way… or rip it apart.
She shoots me a soft smile. So knowing, my Princess. It’s like she can read my mind.
She probably can. I’m full of naughty thoughts about her.
King takes her left hand, holding it between his, absently drawing patterns across her skin. They don’t even have to touch me to make me want them.
“You guys good?” Alex asks from the doorway.
Our protector. My heart stumbles but picks itself up, glancing over at my two lovers before returning my attention to him. “We’re good.”
He nods, ducks out again, and a moment later, climbs inside, taking the seat opposite me. The soft leather hugs his big body, and he looks every inch the successful CEO.
But for the next month, we’re successful CEOs on our first real vacation in years. This trip is about getting away to decompress. There are no work meetings scheduled. No beachfront networking to do. This is all about the four of us.
And I can’t wait.
It’s not long before the helicopter is swooping through the brilliant blue sky, then descending toward an even bluer sea.
“Is that—” Katherine leans across King’s lap, getting as close to the window as possible.
“What do you think?” he asks, his voice an interesting mixture of pride and hope.
He’d talked about buying a yacht all those months ago when we stood on my back porch, staring out at the ocean. And every day that passed made him want it more. He’s firmed up a lot of plans these past two months.
The gleaming white yacht below is perhaps the biggest of those plans. And a complete secret from Katherine.
And boy was that hard. Honestly, I was sure one of us was going to spill the news prematurely. Or that King would leave his sketches out where she’d see them.
“It’s incredible,” Katherine gushes, practically in his lap now.
Of course, he didn’t buy new. That’s too wasteful for Kingston Saint. But man-oh-man did he luck out when the ex-wife of a Silicon Valley darling got the superyacht in the divorce and decided to sell.
To say he had crews working double time to renovate is an understatement.
The helicopter lands on the bow and, for a brief moment, I’m tossed back in time. Quickly, I remind myself that that was a different day. A different continent. Katherine is safe. Lucinda is behind bars.
As soon as we land, he reaches for the clasp on her seatbelt. When the pilot opens the door, King takes her hand. “Let me show you around.”
“How do you know your way around?” she asks, a curious note in her voice.
Like the imp he is, he shoots her a golden boy smile that says Trust me.
With the pilot and crew handling our luggage, we follow King past sparkling windows, through a side door and down an opulent spiral staircase. The cool air smells fresh, clean, a bit like cucumber and sea salt.
“This is so pretty. You guys…” She glances over her shoulder at me, her eyes a little wide.
“It’s got everything. You won’t want to leave,” he teases as he leads us through an oval-shaped dining room that could seat a board meeting. Then we make our way down a hallway to a lounge that’s surrounded on all sides with windows that show off the blue water beyond.
My brain can’t catalog all the gorgeous details fast enough. Polished floors. Sumptuous fabrics. Thoughtfully selected art.
He really outdid himself. Those designers earned the hefty bonus he gave them to put his project at the top of their priority list.
King glances at Alex, then me, with a question in his eyes. What now? What next?
We planned a little downtime for the afternoon, just in case there were travel delays. At the time, padding made sense. But now that we’re here, I’m eager to get the show on the road.
“Is there a pool?” I ask, giving him a lifeline to latch on to.
He juts his chin toward the sky. “Top deck. But there’s a hot tub back here.”
Taking her hand, he leads us to an expansive teak deck.
Another breeze bathes us in warm, salty air.
Katherine comes to an abrupt halt, surveying the low loungers and outdoor dining table, complete with a fresh flower arrangement.
Coming from New York, where everything exists in muted tones…
this place feels like a Technicolor dream.
“This is incredible,” Katherine says, voice full of awe. “What are we going to do with all this space?”
King worked hard to make sure every detail, from the linens to the chef to the flowers, was perfect for us. This yacht is a blend of modern and traditional, feminine and masculine, with plenty of space and comfort to take us wherever we may want to go.
He looks every bit the part in his deck shoes. Like he was born to own a floating villa.
I step next to them and lace my fingers with hers. “I’ve got a few ideas.”
She flashes a cheeky grin my way. “Christen every lounger?”
I dip my chin. “To start.”
“You’re so cheesy,” King murmurs.
A little thread of tension in my chest loosens and dissolves.
This place will give him the space he needs to breathe.
Something to run away to when New York gets too claustrophobic.
Not only is it big enough and airy enough with so many giant windows and glass doors, but it also comes with all the toys we could ever use.
Even with Alex’s amazing surprise of buying the townhouse out from under me, there was still a piece of me that worried if King could be happy there with us.
And I know that’s been keeping Katherine up at night as well.
Twice, I’ve found her rummaging through the refrigerator at midnight like a cute little trash panda.
It’s amazing the intimacies and secrets one will share over Destiny’s homemade ice cream.
I slide a hand over Katherine’s hip, around her middle, and tug her back against me. Is she having any anxiety about being on a yacht again? The last time she was aboard one had not been with her consent. Sometimes it feels like those weeks before Memorial Day were a dream.
Part fantasy, part nightmare. But now, everything is in focus, no pinching necessary.
“Which one should we start with, Princess?” I let my tone drip with seduction.
“Tour’s not over,” King corrects, crossing to the outdoor bar with extra spring in his step.
I smirk back at Alex, who watches everything with stoic interest. Ten grand says we’re too close to the shore and the sun is way too bright for him to allow any back deck shenanigans. Either way, I do love poking, prodding, and teasing him. And King, for that matter.
King makes a show of pouring us all a drink.
“Thank you,” she says as he hands over a glass of chilled chardonnay.
I don’t have to see her face to hear the smile in her voice. My girl is happy. I never really understood the whole ‘if she’s happy, then I’m happy’ thing.
But with Katherine, it’s a little different. It settles something inside me when I bring her pleasure. When she gives me a smile that’s just for me. When she laughs at my bullshit, or we share an inside joke.
And it’s basically the same with King. I love his goofy moments. Like now, when he acts like a bartender from a trendy club, throwing the shaker in the air. All those years drifting from town to town serving drinks have come in handy.
Alex and I accept a glass. Scotch for him, martini for me.
“You planned all this?” she asks, looking around as she sips her wine.
I know her; she’s absorbing every detail. The ruse is almost up.
But this is his show, so we’re happy to let him lead. Besides, the man makes a wicked martini.
“We did,” King says, giving me and Alex some of the credit, too. “You know as well as I do that we all weren’t going to fit on my sailboat.”
He gives her a sultry once-over, and the smirk gracing his lips says there are plenty of good memories in those tight quarters.
She gives a girlish grunt. “You and I barely fit on your sailboat.”
He circles the bar, all loose hips and loads of swagger. “You’re not wrong, babe.” Then he steals her glass and takes a little sip.
“I have something to show you,” he says as he hands her glass back.
“The bedroom?” she guesses.
Fuck. Her words, her voice, are a stroke to my ever-needy libido.
“Not yet. Come on…”
He takes her hand and tugs her out of my hold. I don’t even need to touch him to tell that he’s vibrating with happy energy. Happy, effervescent energy.
They stride across the deck, past the hot tub and all the lounge chairs, then he guides her down the stairs to the swim deck at the water level.
Alex and I follow at a bit of a distance because this is King’s treat. His vision. His project. He’s been a little bit nervous to show her, so we’re here for moral support. Which feels silly to me because women eat up sweet gestures like this. Hell. Men do too. Romance is a two-way street.
Her gasp floats on the breeze, and it’s a joyous sound.
“Called it,” I murmur over my shoulder as we descend the stairs.