“I can’t believe you were bitten. Shit, man, it had to hurt,” Mateo says.
“It was going for Sofía,” Jett says, his lips ticking up in a shit-eating grin. “I sacrificed myself to save her.”
I guffaw. “¡Mentiroso! It took you by surprise. I tried to warn you about those vile creatures.”
“Vile isn’t a strong enough word,” Charlie mutters.
Jett laughs, a deep, throaty sound, and his infectious energy ripples through the group until everyone is laughing and the conversation shifts again. While Mateo shares his “fun facts” about microbes, I lean into Jett and whisper, “Meet me by the big light on the top deck later?”
“Why?”
I blink at him. Is he serious?
“I wanted toshow you the fish.”
“Oh, can I come, too?” Amy asks. “Are they the quick silver ones that come out at night?”
“No,” I shriek.
Heads turn at my outburst. “No,” I try again, softer, less insane. “There’s not a lot of space, and you might scare them away before he can get good footage. Let’s remember why we’re here,” I chide.
Amy’s mouth pops open in surprise. Hell, I’m shocked by myself, too.
Molly examines me in a way I dislike, her head moving between Jett and me, my paranoia growing that everyone here knows I’m going to agree to Jett’s insane proposition and that I’ve lotioned and oiled every inch of my body in anticipation for tonight’s hopeful events.
Oh, god, can they tell I’m glistening?
“We should go before it gets too chilly with the wind,” I say, shoving the last of my meal into my mouth before taking his plate, too.
I haul him out of his seat and to the cabins so it appears like we’re grabbing his camera gear. But the second we’re past their odd glances and confused looks, I shove him outside and up the steps to the top deck.
“Sofía, what is going—” He stops speaking when I invade his space, the desperation to touch him overriding my senses.
My fingers itch to tangle between the loose strands of his hair, but I clench my fists at my sides. Only a few inches separate us. A mere shuffle of my feet, and I would fall into him. A strong gust of wind, and the heat of his skin would sear into mine.
“Fire me,” I breathe.
“What? No.” He shakes his head. “Why would I do that? You brought me up here to fire you?”
I track his tongue as it darts out, dragging along the seam. “It would be unprofessional if you kissed your employee.”
Jett releases an exasperated sigh. “Why does everything need to be so profess—Oh.”
“Do it,” I demand, my skin alight with the idea of kissing him again.
I’ve never been selfish like this, taking what I want even when I know the consequences are steep. But damnit, I want him in a way I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anyone before, and I can’t wrap my head around that level of desire.
I do know that if I think about it for too long, I overwhelm myself.
If he fires me—for the remainder of the trip—then what happens in Australia, stays here. We can pretend for the cameras, convince his followers we’re madly in love and build buzz for the episode premiere. And I can kiss him again.
Time stretches between us, and I almost give up hope that he will whisper those two little words, but with the stars as my witness, Jett mutters, almost too low to hear above the waves, “You’re fired.”
He’s still forming the last syllable when I crash into him, and his arm curls around my waist to demolish the space between us. This kiss is nothing like I could have ever imagined—far greater than the drunken peck I offered him last night. My heartbeat bangs against my chest, adding to the flurry in my lower stomach.
I don’t do things like this—kiss my boss not once but ask for him to fire me for the opportunity to kiss him again. That’s a unique type of insane, to give a man that kind of power. But with Jett, I don’t think he realizes he has any power at all. It doesn’t matter to him, and fuck, is that refreshing.
His hand cups my jaw, deepening the connection, and my knees buckle. The railing behind me is cool against my thighs as I lean on it for support.Who knew he could kiss likethis?From slow and probing to something deeper, more sensual, he guides our movements in a way I didn’t expect. It’s not overt,the control he takes, but when he pulls away, I’m left breathless, desperate for more.
