“Emma, pleasure to see you again.” His full lips are curved up on the side.
Leah looks at me, and then Asher, before giving me a nudge on my lower back. “After you, sis.”
My body jerks slightly forward. Asher holds out a hand and I take it as I cautiously move my feet from the stone dock to the boat. I do not want any sort of mishap like I had yesterday.
His large hand holds onto mine, steady, as I climb on board. Sensing my unease, Asher pulls me toward him until I am flush to his front and wraps a hand around my waist. My body reacts in a non-lady like way to the hardness of his chest. I back away quickly and take a seat on the white cushion of the seating area of the boat.
When I am safely in place, Asher turns back to the stern and offers a hand to Leah. She puts out her hand and then quickly retrieves it before grabbing her stomach.
“Oh no.” She grumbles, bending over slightly.
I swivel my body around in my seat. “What’s the matter?”
“I feel sick. I can’t go.” Her hand rubs her tummy and her cheeks sallow in.
“Let’s go back to the hotel.” I rise from my seat, but Leah puts her hand up in the air.
“No!” She exclaims, then retrieves her sickly composure. “No, please. You enjoy the ride. Devon went through a lot of trouble and I’d hate to waste it.” She turns to Asher, “Please, take care of my sister.”
If the sun weren’t glaring in my direction, I could swear she winked at him.
Asher smiles at Leah, and I think my heart just leapt out of my chest. Damn, the man has a great smile.
Before I have a chance to catch my thoughts and become a rational human being, Asher has the boat started and we are driving away from the dock. I turn to face Leah—she’s waving a bon voyage from the dock and grinning from ear to ear.
I stare back at her as the denim devil gets smaller and smaller.
There is no way she knew Asher was going to be here. One look at him and she goes from needing to be on her next adventure to throwing me to the wolves.
Or in this case a golden god.
What is up with that? I mean, seriously, what is wrong with her? For three days she guilt trips me into doing whatever she wants. I have to get out of bed because I’m ruining her honeymoon. I have to go on Devon’s yacht because I lost our passports. Today, I’m on this boat ride because we have no money and it’s all my fault.
For someone who is so worried about me, she certainly has no respect for what I want to do.
Sitting here is definitely not where I want to be. Leah wanted to be here. But why isn’t she? Because of the supernatural being driving the boat. She thinks it’s what I need. Like meeting a guy and getting some action on vacation is going to change the course of my year.
Well, it’s not. Nothing is going to change what’s been done.
Not even the gorgeousness of his taut physique staring me in the face.
Like I’d even. I was with the same guy for four years. I can count on my hand the amount of boyfriends I’ve had and I’d still have room for more. I don’t do random hookups and certainly not with men in foreign countries.
“You can sit up here if you’d like,” Asher calls out over the sound of the engine. The boat isn’t going very fast, since we’re close to the marina, but it’s loud enough he has to speak up and out over it.
An uneasy feeling settles over my stomach. I am not ready to be charming and conversational. With my sister, it’s easy. She knows everything about me. But with a stranger, it’s uncomfortable.
The last time I had a conversation with Asher I was a blubbering mess. Not because of his hotness—that sort of thing doesn’t make me all wobbly like it does some girls. No, I hated being caught in my most vulnerable state.
I stand up and carefully move over to the first mate seat on Asher’s left. I am relieved when I make it the short distance without going overboard.
There is a large space between us as the door to the cabin below is in the middle. I slide up the seat and settle in for the ride. There is less wind in this position, as the black glass surrounding the area blocks the breeze, yet I know when we really start to move I’m going to be very happy I wore my hair up today.
I look over at Asher. His face is set sternly. There is no glimpse of the smile he gave Leah. I bet he’s pissed he has to spend the afternoon with me. I know he’s only here because his boss told him to take us out.
With his eyes on the water and not on me, I get a good look at him. For someone with a masculine face, his profile makes him look kind. Soft skin over a square jaw that could chisel granite. High, wide cheekbones are offset by a tiny bit of stubble that makes them a touch rugged. Sensual lips are slightly pursed, but there’s no denying their volume.
He bites his lip, not in a sexy way. Actually, I’ve never found lip biting to be sexy. I straighten my back and look ahead at the water.
