"PUT ME DOWN!"
"No."
Her fists beat against my back as I carry her down the ladder, across the deck to where I left the speedboat. Each impact sends heat through me. Then she goes limp, either giving up or too drunk to fight.
I deposit her in the boat. Untie. Gun the engine.
We're alone on black water now. City glittering in the distance. Engine loud, vibrating through the deck, but not enough to drown her fury.
She whips around, sequins catching the moonlight as she sways. "You TRACKED me? How?"
"Your phone." I keep one hand on the wheel, eyes scanning the dark water ahead. "My cousin Milo is good with that stuff."
"My phone?" Her voice climbs higher with each word, fingers clutching the edge of her seat until knuckles go white.
"Standard protocol," I say, jaw tight.
"That's SPYIN'!" She throws her arms up, nearly toppling backward. "You've been watchin' me this whole time?"
"Surveilling." The boat hits a wave, spray misting across my face. "There's a difference."
"There's NOT!" She struggles to stand, dress clinging to her thighs as she pitches sideways toward the black water. I lunge, catching her arm. Her skin burns hot against my palm. "Don't TOUCH me!"
I tighten my grip. "You'll drown."
Her eyes lock with mine, mascara-streaked and glittering with something dangerous. "Maybe I WANT to!"
The words hit hard. She doesn't mean them. She's drunk. But the echo of her mother, the ocean, the water, makes my chest tight. For a second, a dark thought flashes: let the ocean have her, have me too, end this torment for both of us. I kill it immediately, disgusted with myself.
"You were so CRUEL today!" She's crying now, mascara running black rivers down her cheeks. "I made you COFFEE. Asked 'bout your FAMILY…"
"That's not…"
"You couldn't even LOOK at me! Like I'm disgustin'…"
"You're not…"
"Then WHAT am I? You kissed me, Nico. Then acted like it was nothin'."
"It wasn't nothing."
"Then why did you LEAVE?"
She moves toward me, unsteady on the rocking boat. I catch her arms to keep her from falling. We're close. Too close. Her breath on my face, body swaying into mine.
"I know you felt somethin'," she whispers. "On that floor. I know you wanted…"
Her hand moves. Fast. Drunk-clumsy but accurate.
She grabs me through my pants.
I'm hard. Been hard since I saw her on that yacht with that man's hands on her. Since I threw her over my shoulder, her body warm against mine.
Her eyes go wide.
"You DO want me."
I don't move. Don't breathe. My hands tremble with the effort of not grabbing her, not showing her exactly how much I want.
