“You know, when I was a young sailor, I thought I had the world by the balls. Full of charm and my own importance.” He chuckles, a rough sound that speaks of too many cigarettes. “I thought I had it all figured out. Thought I didn’t need a woman tying me down. I was married to the sea.”
I frown, not seeing what this has to do with my current situation.
“But then I met Maggie. And she knocked me on my ass from the first moment I laid eyes on her. Fierce, funny, clever as hell. Didn’t take any of my shit, and I loved her all the more for it.”
A small, almost wistful smile tugs at his weathered lips. “I fell hard and fast. But I was a stubborn bastard, too proud to admit that I needed her.”
He pauses, rubbing a hand over his face. “We had a falling out, me and Mags. A bad one right before I was leaving for six months. I said some things, did some things I’m not proud of. And she . . . well, she said she wouldn’t wait for me. Said she couldn’t be with a man who wouldn’t put her first.”
He pauses to cough. “That was the worst six months of my life. Thought I’d go mad out there on the water, knowing she was back on land, living her life without me. And then I came home and found out she’d moved on. Shacked up with some gobshite dentist named Trevor.”
Christ, where is this going? Edward shoots me a look, one of those warning glances, but I can see the flicker of a smirk at the corner of his mouth.
“I couldn’t stand the thought of her with someone else,” Skipper continues. “So I swallowed my pride, tucked my tail between my legs, and went after her. Begged her to forgive me, to give me another chance. Told her I’d spend the rest of my days making it up to her if she’d just let me.”
“And she did?” I ask.
Skipper shakes his head slowly, a rueful grin spreading across his face, but there’s no joy in it. “No, she didn’t. Stayed with that gobshite Trevor.”
I stare at him, at a loss for words. “Sorry, Skipper. That’s rough.”
He shrugs, trying to play it off, but I can see the regret in his eyes, the kind that never really fades. The kind of regret that haunts you.
Gemma’s question echoes in my mind, taunting me.When you’re old and gray, who do you see yourself as?
I’d chosen the skipper. But now, as I look at him—really look at him—and see the loneliness carved into every line on his weathered face, I wonder if I made the right call.
My Aston growls to a halt outside the Athenæum. I tell James to wait and head inside.
“Sir, you’re back,” Margo greets me, her smirk tinged with that knowing look, as if she’d been expecting this inevitable return.
“Just tonight,” I say curtly, taking the mask from her. “I’ll pay a flat fee for tonight only.”
She inclines her head, but I can see the gleam of curiosity in her eyes. I ignore it, pushing through the velvet curtain with a sense of resigned inevitability.
For a split second, that old familiar rush hits me—the heady blend of anonymity and pure, unadulterated desire. But now it all feels hollow.
My eyes sweep the room, locking on the only reason I’m here tonight.
“Have the Alexandria suite ready,” I order the waitress as she offers me a drink.
I watch the blond across the room then nod curtly for her to follow me.
I stride down the hall and hear the door click shut behind me moments later.
“Liam,” she breathes, her voice laced with anticipation, those big blue eyes sparkling behind her mask like she’s just hit the jackpot.
Victoria Harrington. The woman who, only months ago, I would have given my left nut for a chance to bed. Now, the sight of her leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
“Why did you do it, Vicky?” I ask. “Why let Alastair believe we were screwing around behind his back?”
She slinks closer, her hand finding its way to my chest, her fingers toying with the lapel of my jacket. “Come on, Liam. We’ve always wanted this. It was only a matter of time before we stopped pretending otherwise.”
“But we didn’t,” I growl, capturing her wrist, halting her wandering fingers before they can dip below my belt. “So why spin that particular lie?”
“Now we can. Alastair and I haven’t been together in months. It’s all an act until we announce our separation.”
“Then why involve me? Why drag me into your fucked-up mind games?”
