Page 47 of Deadly Waves

“You’re just jealous,” Sophie countered. “You would like him fine if he wasn’t so handsome.”

“He’s not handsome,” Grady countered. “I’m handsome. Heck, I’m the handsomest man in all the land. I don’t like him because he obviously has a thing for you.”

“I beg to differ on the ‘handsomest man in all the land’ crap, but how do you know he has a thing for Sophie?” James asked. “He’s been hanging around all of them. He could have a crush on Mandy or Ally, for all we know.”

“Will Davenport has a crush on Mandy and Ally,” Grady countered. “Don’t bother denying it. I saw your face the day we hit the ship and he wouldn’t stop staring at Mandy’s legs.”

“I told you I wasn’t imagining that,” James said, puffing his chest out as Mandy rolled her eyes. “I was right and you’re going to owe me something special tonight.”

“She lets you touch her when she’s naked,” Ally said dryly. “How much more special do you want?”

James ignored her. “Davenport is definitely more interested in Mandy and Ally than anyone else,” he said. “I’m curious how you’ve come to the conclusion that Peterson is interested in Sophie, though.”

“It’s true,” Mandy said, reaching for her glass of water. She’d soaked up so much sun over the day she begged off from alcohol for the dinner hour and instead opted to rehydrate the old fashioned way. “I noticed it last night, too. To be fair, I noticed it the first time we met as well. I convinced myself I must have been imagining it that night, though.”

“Why do you think that is?” James asked, legitimately curious.

“Because she’s smoking hot,” Grady shot back, annoyed. “I like how you think Mandy is hotter than everyone else combined and seem surprised when anyone but her gets attention.”

“That is not what I meant,” James said, tugging on his waning patience to keep from exploding. The last thing he needed was a big scene. “I simply meant that it was obvious why Davenport was more interested in Ally and Mandy. They’re the friendliest.

“I love Emma and Sophie, but Emma is naturally shy and Sophie doesn’t like conversing with strangers unless she feels she can get information out of them,” he continued. “She’s naturally standoffish. That’s on purpose because she likes to watch people before interacting with them. She prefers having the upper hand.”

“That is true,” Sophie said.

“Of course people find Sophie attractive,” James said. “I’m not blind or an idiot. She’s not welcoming to strangers, though, so she doesn’t have nearly as many problems with annoying fans as Mandy and Ally do.”

“Ally is worse than me,” Mandy offered. “People love her no matter where she goes.”

“It’s my boobs,” Ally said, grabbing her ample bosom and giving it a good squeeze. “They’re like magical balloons that hypnotize people.”

The women snorted as the men grimaced.

“Angel, I love you more than life itself, but I would appreciate it if you didn’t call attention to your balloons when we’re around other men,” Jake said.

“I don’t call attention to them,” Ally countered. “That’s the magical part. They do it themselves.”

“Ah.”

James smirked as he risked a glance at Grady. He had no idea why his brother was so agitated, but if he had to guess, it revolved around the proposal. It weighed heavily on him. The cruise would only last a few days longer and James knew his brother was determined to pop the question before they docked in Florida and the moment was lost … again.

“I’m sorry,” Grady said, licking his lips as he met James’ steady gaze. “That was uncalled for.”

“It’s okay,” James said, waving off the apology. “We all got a lot of sun today. I think everyone is just tired.”

“I don’t like that guy,” Mandy said, her gaze still trained on Peterson. “I got a lecherous vibe off him on the deck last night. He made me … uncomfortable.”

“Uncomfortable like he was going to touch your … shark tooth?” Grady asked, snickering when Mandy scorched him with a murderous glare. “What? That was totally funny.”

“It was not funny,” James countered. “What did you mean by that, though, baby?”

“I don’t know,” Mandy replied. “He just made me feel queasy. I can’t explain it.”

The group went back to staring at the bar where Peterson sat, everyone’s mind going in a different direction until another familiar figure joined him on the adjacent stool. The new visitor’s presence was enough to cause the four men to exchange wary glances.

“What do you think of that?” Jake asked, working overtime not to appear obvious as he watched Jon Peterson and Will Davenport enthusiastically converse. “I mean, I know they work together and everything, but I’ve never seen them talking like that before.”

“Whatever they’re saying, it looks intense,” Sophie pointed out. “They’re gesturing like crazy.”

“That’s a fact,” James said, shaking his head. “I don’t know what to think. On one hand, there’s nothing suspicious about having a drink with an employee. On the other, for some reason I cannot quite explain, the two of these guys being close and secretive gives me a really bad feeling.”

“Join the club,” Grady intoned.

“When we get back to the boat, I’m going to message Maverick,” James said. “I want background checks on those two, too. I want very extensive background checks, in fact. Something here isn’t adding up.”

“It couldn’t hurt,” Jake said.

“Definitely,” Grady intoned, slipping his arm around Sophie’s shoulders. “Let’s figure out if they’re up to something.”