‘Want to come out on the water with me?’ He glanced about, avoiding taking in how lush she looked with flushed cheeks and a smear of paint on her cheek.
She’d made the room hers so quickly. Occupied it only a few hours yet it was infused with vitality and creativity. Okay, mess. But he liked the colour and chaos.
‘Now?’ She cleared her throat. ‘Okay, let me just clean up.’
She didn’t ask where they were going, not even when they stepped onto the boat and he started the engine. She just ran her hand through her hair and turned her face to the breeze. He knew her love of the water came from those hours with her father. That she felt at home on the waves. He did too, thanks to his mother. Those carefree times had been so special.
It was half an hour before he rounded the coastline andArtemiscame into view. The stunning yacht was anchored in a cove, one of the jewels in the luxury yacht arm of the Vasiliadis empire.
‘Are we going onboardthat?’ Bethan asked as they pulled alongside her.
Ares pulled her bag from the stow and tossed it up to a waiting deckhand, chuckling at her astonished gaze. ‘Don’t worry, I remembered your knitting.’
‘How long are we staying?’
‘Just a couple of nights. We’ll make our way back to Athens this way, okay?’
‘Oh. Great.’ But something flickered in her eyes before she looked away.
She nimbly stepped from the small boat to what his crew joked was the ‘mother ship’. The crew lined up to greet them, then the bosun and one of the deckhands returned the small motorboat to its mooring and used a jet ski to get back. Ares followed Bethan as Carina, the trainee steward, took her on a tour of the boat. He saw Bethan’s eyes widen at the large jacuzzi and suppressed his damned thoughts. Then Carina took them below and showed them the rooms. Bethan’s adjoined his. But, he reminded himself, the doors did lock.
Bethan was nothing but effusive. ‘This is stunning,’ she said to the steward. ‘I’m too scared to touch anything, it’s so perfectly polished.’
‘I’ll leave you to settle in.’ The steward smiled shyly. ‘We’ll have drinks on deck for whenever you’re ready.’
‘Thank you, Carina,’ Ares said.
He closed the door after Carina, crossed his arms and smirked, knowing that look in Bethan’s eyes. ‘What do you think?’
‘I think a crew oftwentyto serve only two is somewhat extravagant,’ she said, fidgeting with her bangle and studiously not looking at the large bed just beside her. ‘And some of them seem pretty young.’
Right.
‘It’s a big boat, takes a few to keep it running.’ He cocked his head and chuckled. ‘Would you prefer a smaller boat so we can stay in even closer quarters?’
‘Actually, about that, perhaps I might move to another—’
‘Sorry, not possible.’ He’d already inquired. ‘The crew are in the other cabins.’
Her eyebrows arched. ‘You let crew use the guest cabins?’
‘Those young ones you spotted are trainees. That’s why there are so many. They need to understand the complete guest experience in order to be able to provide it. To know what luxury service feels like.’
‘You lettraineesloose on a boat like this?’
He nodded, curious to see her reaction. ‘Young people ought to be able to thrive in the industry. Kids from disadvantaged backgrounds deserve good training and experience to develop their talent. They should know their rights and have the support to rise through the ranks as well as anyone.’
It was a main goal of the Melina Foundation. After that health scare he wanted a legacy he could feel good about and this was a way of bringing his mother’s name into the light. The smallest of reparations he could make to her.
‘I had no idea you did this.’ Her gaze warmed.
Of course she hadn’t. And he shouldn’t have started this conversation in such an intimate room. ‘Come on, let’s go get that drink and find out where they’re going to take us on the way to Athens.’
‘You’ve not instructed them on the route?’
‘I’m testing their creativity.’ He chuckled. ‘As I said, it’s a training trip.’
Bethan clearly took the fact they were trainees to heart. She offered nothing but enthusiastic support to the two stewards on deck—effusive in her appreciation of the welcome cocktail they’d prepared. Then she paced to the bow of the boat, her eyes sparkling as she explored it alone. He watched her lean over the railing to stare into the water. The breeze restored colour to her cheeks and a sparkle to her eye. She looked like a curvaceous mermaid. Water—swimming, diving, sailing—had always been her happy place. And this had been a good idea.
