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After a quick ten-minute ride in the speedboat later, the three of us step onto the ship anchored next to the oil rig, where the workers are housed and fed. I researched this place so I’d be prepared for what was to come.
“Come on, we’re supposed to meet with Titan in the conference room right now,” my father snaps at me. I hurry to follow him up a flight of stairs, my suitcase banging behind me as I struggle to carry the damn thing.
My dad walks ahead of me, leaving me huffing and puffing behind him. When I finally reach the door he disappeared through, I’m more than a little sweaty and out of breath.Perfect. What a great first impression this will be.
Taking a deep breath, I wipe the sweat from my brow and upper lip, square my shoulders, and paste on my best smile. I step inside, and the air drains from my lungs when I see the hulking beast sitting in the corner of the room. His massive frame is folded into the office chair, and it looks like it’s about to buckle under the weight of his muscles.
The man has his arms crossed over his expansive chest. What would it feel like to be curled up there, surrounded by his warmth and strength? My gaze wanders up, up, up, past his chiseled jawline and stubble, over his angled cheekbones and straight nose, until it lands on his gray, stormy eyes.
Holy crap.
The intensity emanating from his glare rattles me to my bones. He looks upset. No, he looks livid.Oh, God. I hope this isn’t—
“Titan, this is my daughter, Cora.”
Titan is the perfect name for the giant brooding in the corner. He clenches his teeth, staring right through me as his nostrils flare.What the heck is his problem?It’s not like I asked to be here. I’ll be as overjoyed as he is when my month here is up.
“Cora,” Titan grunts. He makes no move to stand, shake my hand, or greet me in any way other than saying my name like a curse word.
“And Cora, this is Titan. You’ll be assisting him with organizing, cleaning up, and filing.”
I nod, not sure what else to do. It’s clear that no one is happy with this arrangement, aside from possibly my dad.
After an awkward silence, my father claps his hands, breaking the tension in the room. “How about we discuss the sleeping arrangements? Would you like to show Cora to her room?”
Titan turns his attention to my dad, blinking a few times. “No rooms aboard the ship. Only barracks.”
I furrow my brow, and Titan looks back at me.
“Bunks,” he clarifies. “Sixteen bunks on the lower level, twenty-four on the next. The only private residence is mine.”
I dart my eyes from Titan to my dad, hoping against hope that this is a deal breaker. It certainly is for me. Sleeping with anywhere from sixteen to twenty-four men in the same room? I don’t think I’ll shut my eyes for my entire stay here.
“Oh. I suppose I didn’t check on that before arranging this. Well—” My father pauses to scratch his chin. He looks at me and shrugs, though he seems a little too pleased with himself. “I guess that will have to do.”
I gawk at my father, my mouth literally dropping open. At the same time, some sort of gravelly, harsh sound rumbles up from Titan’s chest. “No,” he barks out, startling my father and me. “It’s inappropriate for a young woman to stay in the barracks. It’s no place for someone like her.”
Is he trying to protect me? Stand up for me? Even when my father didn’t care?
Ouch. Never mind.
“I can handle myself just fine, Mr. Titan,” I inform him.
“Maybe, but you won’t be doing any handling on this rig. You’ll stay in my private cabin.”
My eyes nearly pop out of my head. Is he seriously suggesting—
“And I will stay in the barracks,” Titan finishes.
Oh. Right. That makes more sense.
“Great! Now that we have that settled, why don’t you take Cora on a tour? Show her the room, all that stuff. I have a meeting across town, so I won’t stick around for long.”
No sooner are the words out of his mouth than he’s standing from his chair and pushing his way out of the room. I’m left standing in the doorway, looking back at Titan, who is still cross-armed in the corner.
He sighs, taking a step forward and running a hand through his dark brown hair. “Come on,” he grunts, moving toward the exit. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Great!” I say in a too-chipper tone. I try smiling at him to lighten the mood, but he scowls at me. “Lead the way!” I try again, waving my arm in front of me.
