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“Alexei—”
Amber seemed as shocked to see him as he was to see her.
“You got through security again?”
“I do seem to be making a habit of it,” she agreed.
“And just happened to find yourself outside my suite”
Mashing her lips together, she looked more as if she was trying to stop herself laughing than acting guilty. “I was wondering if your arm had healed.”
“Were you?” he commented skeptically. “As you can see. It’s healing nicely, thanks to your prompt attention.”
“The doctor’s prompt attention,” she countered crisply, taking none of the credit for his care.”
“They taught you some useful skills in the army,” he observed.
“You too,” she said.
She was barefoot in pajamas, with her shining hair cascading around her shoulders like a cloud. She looked young and innocent. He wouldn’t have been surprised to find her clutching a teddy bear. Knowing she was combat trained and far from naïve only added to her allure.
“Couldn’t you sleep?” she asked.
Her impertinence astounded him, but even in flannelette pajamas, partly concealed by one of the ship’s robes, she looked like the hottest thing on two slender legs. “How did you get past security and onto this deck?”
She gave him a reproving look. “Are you questioning my right to fresh air?”
“Not at all.” He rested back on the rail. “I’m just curious as to how you slipped past my guards yet again.”
“We were chatting, and they were relaxed. I guess they didn’t notice when I turned left instead of right. Don’t blame them,” she added quickly. “Everyone who comes on board is thoroughly checked out.”
“They told you this?”
“All I’m saying is, your guards have got no reason to suspect the worst of me.”
“Unlike me?” he suggested.
Her slender shoulders lifted in a shrug. “You suspect everyone.”
“With good reason, it seems.”
“So, what led you to this job?” she prompted. “Strictly off the record, of course.”
“Of course,” he agreed dryly. “Everything I say to a journalist is off the record.”
“Unless you give me permission to use what you tell me, then it is,” Amber insisted. “And I’m not solely a journalist, as you very well know, any more than you’re solely a…billionaire?”
“I didn’t just find a money tree. I have to work for everything I’ve got.”
“I don’t doubt it, but how did you get started?”
“Like everyone else, I put one foot in front of the other.”
“Yes, but you went halfway around the globe, while the rest of us are marking time. I’m fascinated by how you came so far so fast. What is your backstory, Alexei?”
“That’s none of your business,” he snapped, closing down that line of questioning.
“You can’t blame me for being curious,” she said. “It’s hard for me to forget how much I’ve told you, and how little, if anything, you’ve told me.”
