Page 119 of Accomplice to the Villain

Affection, perhaps.

Mortifyingly, Evie felt tears prick at her eyes as she returned the gesture, released just in time for her to wipe a drop that slid down her face, but when she looked up, Trystan was watching her sharply.

She looked away.

“And Trystan!” Another large hug was initiated, and Trystan froze under it. “My boy, look at all you’ve accomplished! A business owner!”

The boss sent a warning glance over Jones’s shoulder that said,Bring this up ever again and I will make you regret it.

She lifted her brow as if to say,You know I will anyway.

His lip twitched—a flash of a dimple, a beat of her heart.

“All aboard!” Jones said, nudging the two of them up the platform, and when she stepped foot aboard, it felt like entering a new world. One completely constructed to Tatianna’s tastes.

“It’s so…”

“Pink,” Trystan finished with a rare spark of amusement.

“It’s Tatianna’s favorite color,” Jones explained. “When I have to travel to different ports for work, it helps me think of her, and then I don’t miss her so very much.” He threw an arm around Tatianna, and she smiled, leaning into his side with begrudging affection.

“You could’ve just painted the steering wheel, Dad. This was over the top,” Tatianna pointed out with playful teasing.

Captain Jones had painted his entire ship pink to avoid even the slightest twinge of missing his daughter.

This is it.This is the love of a father, Evie thought painfully, putting a hand to her stomach to stop the churning. “That’s so sweet.” It was.

“Lift the anchor!” Captain Jones yelled, jumping from doting father to professional seaman in seconds.

The ship lurched into movement as it treaded out into open water. The lighter purple hues of the sea turned darker the deeper they moved, and, despite the heat, Evie shivered.

“Captain Jones,” Trystan said after a few minutes of sailing, “Sage and I would like use of the restroom. It is still in the same place, I take it?”

Captain Jones waved a hand, nearly dragging Tatianna to steer. Clare followed dutifully behind them, and Kingsley hopped onto Captain Jones’s shoulder, holding up a sign.

Missed

“Oh, I missed you, too, Alexander,” Jones said, fondly patting the top of the frog’s head.

So much love. Unconditional and unfettered. It was so beautiful and—

So far out of reach.

“The restroom, Sage? I have to go very badly.” Trystan’s words sounded clipped and strange, even by Evie’s standards.

“You can’t wait until we’re farther out into the water?” she asked. “And why do I need to escort you?”

Some of the crew, who up until then had been busy with other tasks, watched The Villain now with shrewd curiosity. “No…I ate some bad…turnips.”

Evie felt with an intense confidence that The Villain had never touched a turnip.

She followed him anyway.

The laughter from the crew was clearly at Trystan’s expense. He didn’t seem to care. Just strutted like he hadn’t insinuated that his bowels were on the verge of exploding as he climbed down the narrow stairs, holding his hand out for Evie’s, the skin-to-skin contact sending shock waves up her arm.

His fingers tightened on hers as he pulled her down the narrow hallway, walking with the confidence of someone who knew the space well.

“Sir, you know I’m a proponent of oversharing, but your restroom habits are taking it a little far even for meee—” She squealed as he tugged her into a little room filled with empty hanging bunks in neat rows.