I could get used to unashamed Weston.
Two sets of clothes appear in the armoire, one for each of us, and he pulls them out, tossing mine to me before pulling on his own. We dress quickly, and I run my fingers through my hair, trying to tame the wild waves, getting rid of any knots to not give away exactly what has been going on in here. Not that they don’t probably already know because of Jorn’s inability to stop talking.
Weston straps his belt around his waist, picking his sword up off the floor amid all the discarded desk trinkets, and slides it into the scabbard while I retrieve my dagger and settle it in the back of my waistband.
We do not know what the day will bring now that Dane is aware I double crossed him. We know the island will continue to protect us on the ship, but the danger for everyone off deck is heightened.
We can’t stop searching.
Weston sets his hand on the doorknob, ready to pull it open and face the rest of the crew, but before he does, he turns back to me, pinching my chin between two fingers and lifting my face, giving me a soft, warm kiss that makes my stomach tumble.
“Let me handle them,” he says as he backs away, then pulls open the door.
CHAPTER SIXTY
Chatter carries down the hallway as soon as the door opens, almost as if we were cocooned in our own world moments ago. With the deck locked down, the entire crew is below, and by the sounds of it, it’s late morning and they are getting antsy.
Weston bounds down the hallway ahead of me, his footsteps loud on the floor, the full captain authority back in place. Stopping just before the wooden steps, he crosses his arms and looks out over everyone filling the space. Bodies line the hallway, people sit on the steps, everyone waiting to hear what caused the sudden change in protocol.
“It’s about time,” Jorn calls out from somewhere down the hallway. My cheeks heat as I hover in the shadows behind Weston. I don’t know if Jorn is talking about what he walked in on, or how long it took us to leave Weston’s quarters, but either way, I have no doubt most, if not all the crew already know what we were up to.
“What took you so long, mister Weston?” Fin cries from somewhere in the group.
“Yeah, what took you so long?” Jorn echoes. The mischief ringing in his voice is met with a few low snickers, and I drop my chin to my chest, trying to hide my smile.
“Alright, alright, enough,” Weston huffs.
“Why are we locked down, Captain?” someone calls out from the second set of steps.
“There was an incident with the Voyagers last night, and I needed to make sure no one left the ship last night or this morning,” he calls out. “No one is to step foot on the island until I give the go ahead. Collection crew, meet me on the quarterdeck in fifteen minutes.”
A chorus of ayes sound from all over as Weston weaves through the crew to unlock the hatch. Light pours in from above as he flips the wooden doors out, and they land with a thud on the deck. The shadows disappear around me, and murmurs creep through the crew as they see me standing there. I guess my disappearance was noticed, and I’m worried what they will all think of me now that I’ve returned.
“Lennox! You’re back!” Fin yells, running toward me and flinging his body into my legs like he normally does.
“I’m back.” I bend and wrap my arms around him, squeezing him in a tight hug. I knew he was safe back on the ship, that Weston would never let anything happen to him, but after being with Roley for such a short time, I missed this chosen little brother.
“No one would tell me where you went, but I knew you’d be back!”
“You were right.” I laugh as Weston’s footsteps thud toward us. He steps up beside me, wrapping his arm around the small of my back, his hand settling possessively on my hip.
“Are you hungry?” he asks, and the mention of food makes my stomach rumble.
“I will feed her, Captain!” Stassia cuts through the group, stopping just in front of me and shooting Weston a dazzling smile. “We’ll meet you on deck.”
Weston’s fingers flex slightly against my hip before he reluctantly releases me. His hand brushes over the curve of my ass before dropping away, and I swallow hard. I hadn’t really thought about how things would change after last night, but one thing is clear. Weston wasn’t lying about fighting his desire to touch me, and I doubt he is going to hide it from the rest of the crew.
A shiver of anticipation runs through me.
“Race you to the deck, Fin,” Weston says, and Fin is gone before Weston can even take a step, his little feet pounding up the stairs and disappearing through the opening.
Stassia grabs my hand and drags me toward the second steps, ignoring everyone and dodging bodies as we walk against the current.
“Slow down, Stass, I’m not that hungry.” That is a lie. I am starving. The last thing I ate was dinner with Dane, and I don’t know how long ago that was.
She cuts through the remaining crew gathered near the lounge, and I try not to stumble as she drags me down the hallway toward the empty galley. Thankfully, everyone had enough time to get a meal in while they were waiting for lockdown to be lifted. Stass turns on her heel, completely forgetting that we are actually here to get food.
“First of all, are you alright? I wanted to check on you last night, but you disappeared once you were below deck.”
