Her long, dark lashes fluttered with a few quick blinks as she stuttered out a soft, “O-Okay.”
“I’ll go get your dress and boots.” Cassie rounded the group of women and started to leave the room. “Oh, and I also put a few other things in a bag for you to take. It’s nothing fancy, but I thought you might need a few extra changes of clothes and some other necessities. Just for the next few days.”
Kam’s smile was radiant as she glanced Cassie’s way, appreciation glowing behind her gorgeous eyes. “Thank you so much, Cassie,” she offered Archer’s wife softly. “And…if you don’t mind…you can just dispose of the dress. I…” She gave Van a quick glance. “I don’t think I’ll be wearing it again.”
No, he didn’t suppose she would, given that it had been stained with his blood.
As Cassie left the room to collect Kam’s things, the rest of the team and their women participated in a round of goodbye hugs.
Van wasn’t a hugger, so he kept to the side. After extending her own parting words of thanks to everyone there, she looked over at him with a guarded expression before inching her way closer to where he stood.
“Where will I be staying tonight?” She looked up at him and waited. “I’m assuming another hotel?”
“Hotels are a security nightmare,” he stated bluntly, not bothering to elaborate on the specifics as to why that statement was true. Hoping it wasn’t a mistake of massive proportions, Van glanced down into her eyes and said, “You’re going to be staying with me.”
CHAPTER 9
The endsof Kaamisha’s hair lifted and whirled with the passing breeze as she stood next to Van’s black truck. Looking out over the stunning view, she couldn’t help but be awestruck by its natural beauty.
For almost as far as her eyes could see, countless boats were nestled neatly within their assigned spaces. The vessels swayed in time to a slow and gentle rhythm composed by the soft laps of the waves.
“I thought you said you were bringing me to your home.” She couldn’t seem to take her eyes off the breathtaking scenery. Almost as if it were a painting brought to life, the entire marina was illuminated by several pole lamps and the light of the moon.
“I did.” Van shut his door and locked his truck before slinging a large duffle bag over one of his broad shoulders. Bending down, he picked up the smaller bag Cassie had loaned to Kam, offering nothing more as he turned and began walking toward the sidewalk up ahead.
A frown crinkled her brow as she gave their surroundings another glance before hurrying her steps to catch up to the confounding man.
“I don’t understand,” Kaamisha admitted as she followed him closely. “If you’re taking me to your home, then why are we?—”
She cut her words short when his dark eyes met hers in a sideways glance.
“Thisismy home,” he rumbled low with a slightly defensive tone.
Surprise flittered throughout her system as she looked back out to the glistening water. “You live…here?”
There wasn’t a single house that she could see.
“Just follow me and watch your step,” he grumbled. “The last thing I want is to have to pull you out of the water.”
Feeling out of sorts in a multitude of ways, Kaamisha did as she was told. She kept a careful eye as to where she was walking as they made their way down a steep ramp to a concrete platform below.
Endless rows of slips were filled with sailboats, yachts, and other types of boats she couldn’t name. Just as Kaamisha was about to ask how much further they had to go, Van slowed his movements, guiding them down a long walkway to their right.
“Mine’s the one at the end.” He motioned toward a modest-sized boat floating several yards away.
“You live on a boat?”
“It’s a houseboat.” His tone was almost defensive in nature.
She wanted to tell him there was no need. As surprising as the idea was, she found the idea of a boat as a permanent dwelling to be oddly fascinating.
They reached Van’s floating home a few short moments later. Thanks to moonlight shining brightly overhead, she was able to make out most of its exterior features.
A white, slightly curved roof covered what she assumed was the boat’s main living quarters. The wooden walls anddeck matched the roof’s stark white, while the portion touching the water had been painted a deep, dark green.
Van stepped up from the dock onto a small platform elevated several inches off the ground. After expertly boarding the place he called home, he dropped the bags down onto the table before turning and offering her one of his hands.
“Watch your step,” he instructed for the second time since their arrival.
