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No one will serenade us, because althoughmynightmares include seeing my wife’s skin pale to the point of death,hernightmares are made up of some random musician watching us eat. Even if that’s his job, and he remains as discreet as he possibly can, there’s no way Minka Mayet will enjoy a meal while a stranger stares from ten feet away.
“Twelve bedrooms?” As though talking to herself, she mumbles and pulls me from the dining room and into the bar. Stools line the counter, and the back wall glitters with gleaming liquor bottles.
This bar is nothing like the one Tim runs.
This room isn’t dark and dingy, but rather, windows span an entire wall, and the marina outside slowly drifts into the distance as our captain navigates us away from the shore. The summer sun beats down on the glass panes, but insulation and tint keep the UV rays and glare out.
“There’s an entire bar on this boat.” Awed, Minka lowers her voice because, unlike the otherwise empty dining room, the bartender stands at his post, his hands neatly positioned behind his back and his chest puffed forward. He wears a stark-white hand towel draped over his shoulder and a smirk that welcomes us forward.
Or, well, it would welcome normal people forward.
But not Minka. She merely stares. “He’s going to be at sea for seven days too? These people just…” She glances back and meets my eyes. “Their lives stop existing for an entire week, purely to serve us?”
“That’s their job.” I tug her back and force her to snuggle in beneath my arm. “His name is Cade. He’ll switch off with another bartender, Calum, depending on the day and time. This bar will be staffed twenty-four hours from now until we’re back at shore, so we’ll always have someone to serve us.”
“Twenty-four hours?” She regards me with a look. “Purely for us?”
I dip my chin in acknowledgement. “Yes.”
“That’s dumb.” She breaks away from my side and steals her hand from mine. But instead of running away and pitching herself into the ocean, she strolls toward the guy and sets him on high alert. “Cade?” She stops at the bar and sets her elbows on top. “Your name is Cade?”
“Uh…” Terrified, his eyes swing to me before coming back to her. “Yes, Doctor Mayet. My name is Cade. But you can call me anything you want.”
She scoffs in the back of her throat. “You can call me Minka, if you want.”
“O-okay.”
“Detective Malone and I won’t ever need to be served beyond, what?” She looks to me, wrinkling her nose in thought. Then back to him. “Like, eight-thirty, I’d say. We’ll havedinner around seven each night. Then we’ll be in our room or whatever.”
“Ma’am?”
“So that means you and Calum never have to work the overnight shift. Figure out between yourselves what hours you wish to be on duty, but don’t worry about manning the bar after dinner. And I don’t intend to drink before, say, afternoon, at the latest. So you needn’t worry about being here before then, either.”
Horrified, his eyes swing to me. “Sir?”
Exhaling a deep sigh, I start closer to save him. “Doctor Mayet is incapable of relaxing, Cade. And she’s less inclined to have someone serve her outside of street tacos and coffee vendors. So she’s giving you her best estimate of when we’ll actually need your presence. The rest of the time…” I throw my arm over her shoulders and tug her back. “You can have to yourself. If we decide to drink outside of those hours?—”
“We can pour the drinks ourselves,” Minka finishes. “In fact,” she casts a look out the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. “Are you sure you want to be here? You still have time to jump off and swim back to shore.”
“He wants to be here.” I smile at the guy literally trying to work for his pay, then I squeeze her just enough to have her turn away. “Leave him alone, Mayet. This is the best gig any of them will get this year. And havingyouon board?” I kiss her temple. “They want this. So let them do their job.”
“I don’t…” She stumbles, attempting to turn one way while I lead her another. “Archer. I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to be the only people on this boat while everyone else waits on tenterhooks for the moment we might need something.”
“And yet, you’re gonna have to try your best.” I lead her out of the bar and completely bypass the fully functional gym. I don’tknow which I fear more: her freak out that there’s a gym on board, or her desire to use the damn thing to work through her feelings of frustration. “They’re being paid to be here.” I steer her toward a new doorway and onto the starboard deck, where a row of sun loungers await our asses to sit on them. “This is literally their job. So you need to calm the fuck down and enjoy it.”
“I’d prefer you just dismissed them.” She blows out a heavy breath as I steer her around a long lounger, then she sits with a huff when I push her down.
Finally, I lower into a crouch, squinting as the sun hits the side of my face and burns my skin. “They don’t want to be dismissed. Theywantto work this week. But during the times you don’t need them? Don’t worry.” I slide my hands along her arms and down to her lap. “You won’t see them. I can’t sail the boat on my own, Mayet, and I don’t particularly wanna spend my honeymoon making beds and cleaning dishes. Luckily for us, there are people whodowant to do those things in exchange for money.”
“You’re being a snob.” She lifts her chin in defiance. “There’s nothing wrong with making beds, Archer.”
“No shit.” I surge forward and take her lips with mine before she can get on a roll. “I make our bed at home. I cook the meals Tim doesn’t. I’m happy to take care of us. But this week, this one week where it’s just me and you?” I nibble on her bottom lip until she exhales in submission. “This week, I’d rather fuck you. Sleep with you. Swim in the ocean with you. Get drunk on champagne and orange juice with you.”
“Cheap drunk,” she teases. But she plays with my fingers, circling my wedding band until the sensation tingles all the way up my arm and into my chest. “It’s just taking me a second to adapt to change.”
“I know,” I breathe out. “I know you, Minka. I know you need time to adjust.”
“I appreciate that you’ve done this for me.” Swallowing, she flutters her eyes open and looks up to meet my gaze. “I can’t think of any other vacation I would have preferred. Honestly. You chose the exact right thing.”
