Kaamisha slid her palm against his, doing her best to ignore the electricity arcing between them as she allowed him to pull her up and onto the boat’s carpeted deck.
“Thank you.” She smiled, feeling awkward at the thought of spending the night under the same roof as a man she hardly knew.
They’d somehow gone from her putting a knife to his throat to him inviting her to stay with him on his boat. But since he’d had ample opportunities to kill her if he’d so desired, Kaamisha felt fairly secure in the fact that he no longer wished her dead.
For the moment, anyway.
“It’s not much, but it’ll give you a place to stay until we can figure out what to do next.”
“It’s beautiful,” she told him truthfully.
A deep grunt became lost in the evening sea air as he picked up the bags and stepped up to the door. She waited patiently as Van entered a code into an electronic keypad next to the door’s frame.
The small light switched from red to green, and Van opened the door, reached inside to flip on the lights, and then he stepped out of the way. “Ladies first.” He gave her enough room to pass by.
Kaamisha dipped her head in thanks before entering the unexpectedly gorgeous space.
Rich woods met with light and airy shades of light bluesand comforting creams. She stepped down into the living room space, surprised when she found a small, piped stove to her left
“Like I said”—Van followed her inside—“she’s not much, but it’s a roof and a bed.”
He was wrong. The space was far more than that. It truly was…a home.
Along with the tiny stove, there was a bookshelf filled with a variety of titles. Positioned perfectly between the shelf and the source of warmth was a cushioned chair that was clearly meant for comfort as well as style.
To her right was a long couch of sorts with several wooden drawers built in beneath it. Up ahead, through an arched entryway was a kitchen complete with all the modern-day appliances one would need.
Gas stovetop and oven. Small refrigerator and sink. And a microwave built into the cabinetry that appeared to be custom to that particular space.
Kaamisha smiled when she spotted a white hand towel hanging from the oven’s shiny metal handle. The embroidered words gave her a tiny glimpse of the man his one-word responses failed to convey.
I’d rather be fishing.
Across from the sink was a built-in table and booth big enough for four people to comfortably share a meal. And directly in front of her, taking up the back half of the “house” portion of the boat was the bedroom.
“You hungry?” Van’s rumbled voice pulled her attention back to him.
“I’m good,” she told him with a quick shake of her head. Her eyes refused to leave the queen-sized bed staring back at her from the room’s opened doorway.
“You can sleep in there. The bathroom’s just around thecorner.” He pointed toward a part of the room she couldn’t see.
“But where will you?—”
“I’ll take the couch.”
Kaamisha’s focus slid from the bed, to him, and then…beyond. Her brow furrowed as she took in the built-in couch he was referring to.
“I think I would be better suited for the couch,” she told him.
“I’ll be fine.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” She grinned, her gaze sliding back to his. “I can only imagine how difficult it must be having me here, in your home. There’s no reason to be even more uncomfortable by trying to cram yourself into that tiny space.”
He didn’t deny her claim that he didn’t want her there, and there wasn’t even a small part of her that blamed him. Between their tumultuous meeting in that alley, and him and his team being led to believe she was the reason their friend was dead…
It was a wonder he wasn’t driving them to the middle of the ocean so he could throw her overboard and leave her to die.
The night’s still young.
