Page 41 of Blue in the Deep Blue Sea

“You.” His brows drew together as he glanced down at the used condom clinging to his bare chest.

“You,” I said quietly, my body going rigid as I realized he was standing in front of me wearing nothing but his underwear.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, grabbing a towel from the cleaning cart and gripping it tightly.

“I think that’s obvious.” I gestured around the suite. “But I could ask you the same thing.”

“I own the yacht,” he said calmly.

Of course he does.

I swallowed hard and stepped closer.

My hand hovered awkwardly over his chest before I pinched the condom between my fingertips and carefully peeled it off his skin. The sound of sticky rubber coming loose made my stomach lurch.

Still, I couldn’t keep my mouth shut.

“I could’ve guessed this was yours,” I said, dropping it into the trash bag. “Only you have enough sperm to sow your seeds all over the Amalfi Coast.”

Isabella slapped a hand over her mouth, but a snort escaped her anyway.

“You sound jealous,” he said with a chuckle, using the towel to wipe his chest clean of what remained of his precious seed.

“I have nothing to be jealous of,” I shot back. “But I’ll give you ten points for using protection. Good to know your brain still works.”

While we argued, Isabella quietly tried to slip past him.

He noticed.

Without taking his eyes off me, he stepped aside just enough to usher her out into the corridor, then pulled the door shut behind her.

The lock clicked.

My heart sank.

He closed the distance between us in two long strides until he was standing right in front of me.

“Now,” he said, his voice losing every trace of amusement, “you can tell me what the fuck you’re doing here.”

“I’m working,” I sighed. “Some of us have to earn money for food.”

He laughed and rested his hands on my shoulders, turning me toward the window. It was wide open, facing nothing but the horizon. There wasn’t a trace of land in sight, and even the sea had lost its light blue color, fading into a deep, navy blue. The sight alone made my stomach twist. My heart hammered against my ribs, sweat prickled across my face, and my breaths came quick and shallow.

He noticed.

Chuckling, he leaned close, his breath brushing my ear as he held me in front of him.

“Aren’t you afraid of the deep blue sea?”

I swallowed down the panic and shoved his hands away. Spinning around, my hand shot through the air and cracked across his face, leaving a red mark on his cheek.

“Fuck you,” I said, heading for the door. “Do whatever you have to do, but leave so we can actually do the job you obviously hired us for.”

He laughed.

“Believe me,” he said, rubbing his jaw, “if I’d fucking known you were one of the first candidates, I’d rather drown than have you employed.”

His jaw tightened as he glared at me.