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9
WELCOME BACK
Theo stood at the bow,just in front of the first mast that held a giant, white, billowing sail, his hands resting on the railing.
The captain was behind me as I appeared from below deck, and he paid attention long enough to offer a flat smile before getting back to navigation.
No need to mention that hisoriginalclient just popped out in front of him. Theo probably paid him triple my offer, therefore I was nothing but plankton to him now.
The stars were so bright as to be pinholes in a huge, black velvet blanket, offering a peek to the world on the other side. Living in the city, it was easy to forget what a true night sky looked like, a gorgeous, glittering, all-encompassing distraction.
“Sax,” I said upon approach, and he lifted, highlighting his profile.
People weren’t supposed to be beautiful in the dark. Forms were only outlines, blurs of shadow, indistinct. Yet I saw every detail of Theo. The crevices below his cheekbones, the slash of his jawline. How his bold blue eyes shaded when his emotions consumed him. The straight carving of his nose, the stubble against the pads of my fingers. The dip of his lower lip when I slid my finger down, opening his mouth, waiting for the fire of him to meet mine.
I remembered him completely.
“Your decision?” he asked once I stood beside him. The metal rail was freezing, inching its ice into my fingers the instant I took hold of it.
I looked out instead of at him, soothed by the city sparkle spread like scattered glitter along the horizon. “Game on.”
He pushed off and motioned something undecipherable to the captain. He said to me, “As soon as we hit land.”
“Fine by me,” I said.
The boat sliced through the rolling waves. The night started out calm, but the wind was picking up, giving white peaks to the ripples, appearing as skeleton hands clawing up from the depths.
Shivering, I spun away from the view. Theo stripped off his blazer and draped it over my shoulders.
Every rational fiber I possessed demanded I rip off the coat and throw it at his chest, but it was still warm from his body. My icicle fingers latched onto it, pulling it tighter, before my brain could slap some sense into my skull.
And it smelled like him. The intense vintage scent of earthy oak. On Theo’s body, he could make it timeless. I resisted burying my nose deep in the lapel and staying there.
When he reached out a hand, I stiffened.
“I need to…” Theo gestured to his jacket. “My phone.”
He pulled one side away from my décolletage with care. My eyes wouldn’t leave his as he reached in, his knuckles scraping across the thin skin just above my breasts, sending electricity to my nipples, already piqued from the cold.
I kept my stare and frozen expression, despite the urge to tremble, masking that his touch had such a bold effect.
Theo’s attention moved to my lips, spotting the tremor before I could control it. In response, his mouth parted, but I forced mine shut and hardened my gaze. I hoped it shined like the sharp edges of diamonds.
He found his cell and pulled it out. Did he linger, just slightly? I thought so.
Theo tapped on the display before putting it to his ear. With the hum of the boat and the slap of the waves against the hull, I couldn’t understand the muttering, but he kept my attention, the way his jaw moved and how he shoved his free hand into his slacks pocket. His white button-down stretched across his pecs and showcased that yes, indeed, while Theo had been gone he’d still found the time to work out.
His gaze slid to the right and I blinked, pretended something was in my eye.
A sharp sound to my left drew my attention. We’d reached the docks, land being deceptively closer than it appeared on the horizon. A crew waited to catch the ropes thrown by the captain’s staff, who suddenly appeared from the cracks and crannies of this vessel.
Theo offered his hand, but I shook my head. I couldn’t keepsensinghim like this, and besides, I was barefoot and could navigate over the decks and docks just fine.
I hoped Kai had the foresight to grab my Louboutins on his way off this ship.
The men anchoring the boat paid little attention to us as we stepped onto the dock and kept striding. I hid my sea-legs pretty well as I kept up with Theo, the cartilage in my knees squishing like jelly.
Theo paused, and I nearly bobbled into his back. At his half-turn, I peered over his shoulder and noticed, in the midst of ships, yachts, sailboats, and speedboats lined on each side of the pier, was a table.
