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Chapter One
Sawyer Sinclair was smitten. It was an old-fashioned word he’d heard his grandfather use more than once, usually referring to his latest secretary. Once upon a time, he’d reserved the word strictly for Sawyer’s grandmother, but she had passed away more than a decade ago, and a man continued to live even when his other half died. Or so Sawyer had heard. He had no interest in acquiring a permanent other half when there were so many temporary pieces one could fit together with in interesting ways.
For example, the devastatingly beautiful bombshell who had just stepped out of the swimming pool and stood drying her hair. He observed her from a distance, not wanting to disturb the brown-skinned beauty. As she tossed away the towel, he chuckled softly at the hair frizzing around her head.
It was oddly charming, and he was disconcerted to notice it. The women in his acquaintance were always perfectly groomed and put together, even after they spent the night in his bed. He suspected they often woke before him to repair their makeup and hair, but he wasn’t going to complain. So it was strange to find himself noticing and appreciating the natural beauty of her wild hair.
Not that her hair could compare to the rest of her hot body. She was tall and lithe, but curvaceous in all the right places. The woman across the deck from him was exactly the kind he went for.
Breathing, he could hear his sister Kiersten’s voice teasing in his head. He smiled slightly, imagining that would have been her exact response if she had stood there beside him. He couldn’t help if he appreciated women of all types, and they appreciated him just as much.
He thought about strolling across the deck to greet her and find out what she was doing aboard his yacht. Presumably, she was a new staff member, and he couldn’t wait to make her acquaintance.
That thought made him still, and he shook his head with an internal reminder it wasn’t a good idea to get involved with staff. They had lost two good stewards in the last three years after their brief flings had fallen apart. Unfortunately, both the women had wanted more than he was willing to provide, but they had known ahead of time it was just a fling.
How was it his responsibility if they had chosen to disregard that in the end? He hadn’t meant to break anyone’s heart or cause discord, but he couldn’t pretend to feel something he didn’t. His boundaries were clear, and he always made sure his partners knew that in advance. If they decided to change the rules, it was at the risk of their own heart, and he refused blame for that.
With a sigh of regret, he watched her cover that fabulous body with the plain white robe before padding barefoot across the deck to disappear below, where the crew quarters were, lending proof to his theory she was his employee or visiting staff. As soon as she had gone, he walked to the pool and slipped in, leaving his own robe on the same lounger she had used.
Unlike her, he didn’t bother with anything, not even a Speedo, as he sliced cleanly through the water. It was a rare occasion when he was up this early, but he’d had trouble sleeping all night, so he’d decided to wear himself out with a swim in hopes he could nap afterward.
There was no mystery why he hadn’t been able to sleep. As he swam, he mulled over his grandfather’s email. The hint of warning in the old man’s missive about him needing to buckle down and take a more active interest in the family business had left him ill-at-ease and unable to sleep. Since they were at sea, there hadn’t been a companion to distract him from his thoughts, and he hadn’t met anyone in recent weeks with whom he had wanted to spend more than a night.
Left alone with his thoughts, they had been heavy and annoyingly deep. Even two shots of the finest whiskey hadn’t settled them enough so he could sleep. Now, as he swam through the water and looked up at the sun in the sky, he conceded this time of morning was definitely gorgeous. There wasn’t really a bad time on the ocean, unless there was a storm, but he could see the appeal of early rising if every day was like this.
Of course, that would mean giving up his late nights and his partying. He was only twenty-nine, and he saw no reason to settle down. Life was too short to deny yourself of all the pleasures.
His grandfather was still in robust health, and everything was managed properly. Why did the old man insist he needed to show signs of stability? If there’d been a problem, Grandfather, Mom, or Kiersten would have told him. It was simply the old man trying to interfere with his life, not approving of the way Sawyer lived.
To Sawyer’s way of thinking, what was the point of having all that money if you spent all your time trapped in the office or stuck at home doing work you didn’t finish in the office? He was young enough to want to live and have fun, and he was damned well going to do so with his inheritance.
Unless the old man cut him off. The thought made him cringe, and he shook his head. Surely it wouldn’t come to that.
Harold could be a stubborn old bastard, but Sawyer knew he could be a stubborn young bastard too. Neither one of them would want to actively engage in battle with the other, so he’d weather this trip home, spend a week doing the family thing and tap-dancing around his grandfather’s demands that he change his life to be more what the other man envisioned, and he’d be back on the Quixote again in no time, living the life he wanted.
After finishing his swim, he dried off and tossed the towel in the bin before slipping on his robe. He took a shower after returning to his cabin, but before summoning his valet. He could see Benjamin was surprised at the early summons, and the other man’s eyebrow tried to creep up to his hairline before his face became neutral again when Sawyer requested breakfast at such an unaccustomed time.
Within thirty minutes, his valet had returned with a tray for him and set it up outside on the balcony. With the crisp sea breeze blowing through his brown-blonde locks and the slight sting of salt making his blue eyes blink from time to time, Sawyer dug into Eggs Benedict made just the way he liked it. Everything was perfect, just as it always was. How could Harold expect him to give up this life and trade it for one chained to a desk?
When Benjamin returned for the tray, Sawyer was still enjoying a cup of coffee. As the other man started to lift the tray, he held up his hand. “Wait a minute, Benji.” Sawyer had to bite back a grin at his valet’s curled lip. The man hated having his name abridged, but Sawyer couldn’t resist poking him on occasion by using the shortened form.
“Yes, Mr. Sinclair?”
That tone was chilly. Sawyer somehow managed not to laugh as he asked, “Do we have a new staff member aboard?”
“Not of which I am aware,” said Benjamin. “Do we have an opening, sir?”
