Page 4 of Deadly Waves

2

Two

“Doyou think it’s too risqué?”

Mandy held up the black bikini next to her body as Ally Hardy studied it from the middle of her best friend’s living room floor. Their shopping excursion took five hours – less than they initially expected – and they stopped at Mandy’s house to compare their booty once finished.

James, who returned to the office after Mandy’s excited exit, was walking through the front door when he caught sight of the mess on the floor. “What the … ?”

“You’re home early,” Mandy said, snatching away the bikini. “I wasn’t expecting you for another hour.”

“Obviously,” James said dryly, balancing the pizza in one hand and a stack of papers in the other as he used his foot to close the door. He shook his head as he got a full gander at the mountain of bags. “What did you buy?”

“I … stuff.” Mandy looked caught.

“What kind of stuff?” James didn’t care how much money his wife spent. He was dumbfounded that she managed to purchase as much as she did in such a limited amount of time, though. “We’re going to be on a cruise ship, baby. That means you need one bathing suit, some toiletries, and a few other things. I just … what did you buy?”

“You’re a man so you don’t understand these things,” Ally countered. “We’re women. We grasp the serious nature of going to a cruise ship and standing by our men as they work to impress a new client.”

James narrowed his eyes. As the oldest member of the Hardy family, it was his job to protect his siblings while growing up. As the youngest member of the Hardy family, it was Ally’s job to annoy him whenever possible. She was good at her job. “I don’t need you to impress anyone. We’ve already got the job.”

Mandy licked her lips as she turned her attention to the new items. In hindsight, she realized she had gone a bit overboard. “I can take it back.”

James instantly regretted making fun of her. She hadn’t been shopping in weeks thanks to his overzealous need to keep her close. He hated shopping, so she picked outings he would enjoy to placate him. She’d gone above and beyond in her attempts to make him feel comfortable since her kidnapping. “No, baby,” James said, dropping the pizza and files on the console table by the front door before wading into the mess. “That’s not what I meant. I was teasing you.”

Mandy didn’t look convinced. “Are you sure?”

“I’m absolutely sure,” James said, running his hand over the back of her head and locking gazes with her. “I want you to have whatever you want.”

“See,” Ally said, puffing out her chest. “I told you. I’m always right. You should never doubt me.”

“No one is talking to you,” James said as he grabbed the two scraps of material from Mandy’s hand. “Is this dental floss?”

“It’s a bathing suit,” Mandy said, jutting out her lower lip. “Do you think it’s too small? I got a blue one that covers more, too.”

“Well, you know I prefer my women nude, but I don’t think this is too bad,” James said, lifting it up. “As long as it covers all of your important bits so no one else besides me can see them, I’m fine with it.”

“It does,” Ally confirmed. “I got the same bikini in pink.”

“Yes, but you have more on top than I do,” Mandy said, gesturing toward her breasts. “Mine covers more than yours.”

“You say that like it’s a good thing,” Ally said. “Show him the dress you got. I love it. I wish you hadn’t found the last one.”

“He doesn’t care about that,” Mandy scoffed.

“On the contrary,” James said, settling in the overstuffed chair at the edge of the room. “Show me what you got, baby.”

Mandy was only too happy to oblige, and even though James couldn’t care less about clothing and bathing suits, the smile on her face was more than enough to entertain him for the rest of the night if she wanted to put on a fashion show.

“I’M STILL not sure.”

Emma Pritchard stared at the open suitcase on the bed as her fiancé Finn Hardy shoved various items of clothing into it. She was excited when he climbed the stairs that led to their apartment – which just happened to be located above the Hardy Brothers Security main office – a few hours before and informed her they were going on a family cruise. No, excited wasn’t the right word. She was giddy.

Then reality set in. She couldn’t take a baby on a cruise. Finn explained that his parents would be taking Avery for the length of their trip – and they’d promised to Skype every night so she could see her only son as often as she wished – and that placated her for a bit. Now her heart rolled at the thought of leaving the baby. She hadn’t been away from him for more than a few hours since his birth.

“Emma, he’s going to be fine,” Finn said, resting his hands on her shoulders and forcing her to meet his steady gaze. He understood that she was nervous about leaving the infant, but he couldn’t help but be excited by the prospect of having her all to himself for almost a week. He loved his son beyond reason, but he’d barely had any alone time with Emma since the birth. “My mother and father raised four children. They know how to take care of a baby.”

“That’s not what I’m saying,” Emma said, sliding a strand of her auburn hair behind her ear as she fixed him with a dark look. “Don’t ever tell them I said anything like that because I’ll be angry if you do.”