There's obviously something going on with her and the fact that she doesn't want to see me about it hurts. I thought I had been clear the other night when I said I wanted to know her, but maybe we aren't on the same page.
Once the dishes are finished, I do a quick walk-through of the boat, expecting the crew to be the only people awake, but I'm wrong. Keith is settled in the hot tub, beer in hand. He holds his drink up to me in greeting. "Oh, hey captain! Didn't expect to see you this evening."
I'm sure he didn't.
"Keith," I offer a polite nod as I pass by but he stops me.
"What's it like being a captain? I always thought of it as a waste, but I don't know." He gestures to the open sea around him, "This is pretty fucking awesome."
Gritting my teeth, I suck in a calming breath. "It’s an adventure. Nothing but the waves and blue sky. Not a bad way to live in my opinion."
Keith scoffs. "Who fucking cares about adventure? It's the finer things in life I'm talking about. Hot tubs, servants who wait on me hand and foot, private chefs who do what I tell them to." He leans back further into the bubbling water, sighing. "I might have to convince my grandparents to let me stay."
Servants? Who the hell does he think he is? He just told me everything I needed to know about him. Now I understand why Hannah reacted the way she did.
"Well, you have a good night," I tell him tightly, before heading to the bridge. I don’t want anyone to have to wait on this prick by themselves.
Robbie sits in one of the chairs on anchor watch, filling out the log on his lap. "Hey, Captain."
“Who’s on lates tonight?” Each night the deck crew takes turns for anchor watch with the late shift starting around two in the morning. They monitor the anchor position, log hourly wind speeds, and scrub down the deck. Robbie finishes jotting down the anchor position before looking over at me.
“Um, I’m pretty sure it’s Keeran.” He slides his phone out of his pocket and shows it to me. Garrett sends them the schedule for the week, and sure enough, Keeran’s name is slotted for tonight.
Crossing my arms I think, my hand sliding over my graying stubble. There’s no telling how late Keith is going to be up, and I don’t want either of my female crew members around him. “Keep an eye on the grandson. If he’s still awake by the time Keeran’s on deck, wake me up.” His brown eyes widen a bit before he nods. “And help Hannah. She seems stressed,” I add, doing my best to sound detached.
“Sure thing.” My only answer is to slap a hand on his shoulder in thanks before trying to get some sleep.
***
Hannah still hasn’t left my mind by the time two o'clock rolls around. I can’t stand the thought of Hannah being awake and having to take care of Keith by herself. The nagging thought has me crawling out of my bed, the need to see her overwhelming. If Keith is still around the boat I have to see for myself.
In case I get caught, I slide on mySirent-shirt and shorts before leaving my cabin. I’ll use the excuse of checking the boat if someone is awake and spots me. Quietly opening my door, I peek around the bridge with no one in sight.
Like a thief in the night, I sneak around the boat, going unnoticed. I make it into the galley before I hear voices and freeze.
Keeran and Robbie are in the main salon and from the sounds of it, they’recomfortablewith one another. Keeran laughs at something Robbie says, both of their voices too low for me to make out their conversation. All I need is one moment to slip into the hallway and down the stairs to the crew quarters.
It doesn’t take long before I find my opening. The whoosh of the aft deck doors opening and the gusts of wind signal that they have stepped outside. It takes me less than a second to clear the hallway and go down to the crew area.
Hannah’s room which she shares with Keeran is the first room on the left. Down the hall, someone snores loudly which is easily heard through the closed door. Not bothering to knock, I slide quietly into Hannah’s room.
Feeling confident that Keeran is otherwise occupied, I slide off my shirt and shorts adding to the piles of clothing littering the floor before crawling into bed behind Hannah. I know she said she didn’t want to see me tonight, but I can’t shake the feeling that she needs me.
Hannah stiffens, her breathing no longer smooth and even. “It’s me,” I whisper, pulling her comforter over my exposed skin.
“Anson?” Her voice is thick with sleep and utterly adorable. “Why are you in my bed?” Even as she asks the question, her body scootches back against mine.
Do I tell her the truth?
“Well,” I admit, “I thought you could use someone to talk to.”
“And sneaking into my bed was your plan?”
“Was it a bad plan?” I ask. “You didn’t want to come to my room, so I came to you. Do you want me to go?” She sighs as she settles her head back on her pillow.
“No, I don’t want you to go.”Thank God for that.
My arm slides against her stomach, pulling her closer to me. I wouldn’t say that I’ve been much of a cuddler in the past, but with Hannah, there’s this unshakeable need to be near her.
