Clayton nods again. "That's right. You both live with me now."
I cradle his jaw in my free hand, caressing my thumb along his cheek, my head spinning. But my heart? My heart is strangely settled.
"Yeah, I guess we do."
20
Clayton
"Come on, just dive in!" I call out to a petrified-looking Vaughn on the swim deck. It's a hot day, and the water is amazing. We've sailed out to the edge of the Great Barrier Reef. It's a whole other world down there, and I want him to experience it with me.
"What about sharks?" he replies, eyeing the water like it's a threat.
The only threat in his life has been neutralized by my father. Uncle Dean has Davi under control. How can I be so sure? Dad told Uncle Dean Vaughn and Mabel are my family, and for all his many, many,manypersonality faults, Uncle Dean would never let anyone hurt his family. Davi so much as shows his face in this state, Uncle Dean will not hesitate to end him.
Is it a bit too early to be thinking of Vaughn—and by logical extension, Mabel—as my family? Perhaps. But it wasn't a lie, more like…a premature foretelling of the truth.
"I thought you weren't afraid of sharks. Only sand, remember?"
"You're not helping," he calls back, peering over the railing apprehensively.
"There are no sharks. Smith and Marx cleared the area. Didn't you?" I ask Smith, one of the two stoic-faced guards always hovering nearby.
He lifts his sunnies. "Sir?"
Stoic-facedandno sense of humor, but he is one of the best bodyguards in the southern hemisphere, so I suppose I can't complain.
"Never mind." I float onto my back and wave for Vaughn to come in. "The water is amazing. It'll give you new life."
"What about Mabel?"
He's clutching at straws now. I've also hired a live-in nanny—vetted, of course. "Just come in forone minute. If you hate it, we'll get out. No pressure."
"Okay, fine. But I'm warning you, I will hate it."
I roll over to tread water, watching with eager eyes as Vaughn peels off his shirt, revealing a magnificent chest, contoured pecs, and a set of washboard abs. On second thought, maybe getting out after a minute isn't such a bad thing after all, especially if it gives me a chance to get my hands all over that body.
The last few days have been a little hectic around here with staff and supplies being helicoptered in. The marina is currently being transformed into Fort Knox—I insisted on paying for it despite Leo offering to chip in—with the installation of perimeter fencing, CCTV upgrades, and a small cabin by the main road entrance so personnel can be on security duty 24/7.
With all the activity, Vaughn and I haven't had a chance to be intimate…yet. I hope that once he's comfortable, once he believes he and Mabel truly are safe, that will change. In the meantime, I'll have to deal with my blue balls and perv on him any chance I get. Like the gentleman I am.
Vaughn eyes the water warily from the platform.
"Jump in!" I encourage.
"I won't be doing that."
Instead, he takes the ladder, backing down into the water, treating me to a spectacular view of his back, rippling with muscles.
I swim over to him. "You're in! And look, you're alive."
"Barely." He's treading water, white-faced, even though we've got the sun blazing down on us.
I take his hand underwater, and he shrieks, splashing about like crazy.
"Hey, hey, hey. Relax. That was just me. Trying to comfort you."
"Please, no more comforting," he says, his breathing gradually returning to normal. "There's a good chance it'll give me a heart attack."
