“Oh, perfect! It’s just a little snuggle. We’re both tired,” Gisella said. “Turn out the lights, yeah?”
I gave her a thumbs up and grabbed the one long cardigan I’d brought with me, sliding it over one arm and then the next before wrapping it tight. I was only in a white spaghetti strap sleep top and my light pink sleep shorts, and I knew it’d be a bit chilly on deck this time of night.
“I won’t stay long.”
I stilled at the deep sound of his voice, at the apology I swore I heard laced within it.
But I didn’t dare look at him as I flicked off the lights and left them alone.
Bernard must have finished up and headed to bed already, because the boat was quiet as I made my way up. I did a quick run through the main salon — becauseperfectionist— and smiled at his work. Everything was spotless.
It made my next breath come a bit easier knowing he and Leah would be a good team to work with. At least, that’s how it seemed so far. I knew that could change at any moment. I didn’t know them well enough yet, but my first impression of both of them was that they were hard workers and competent in their respective roles.
I could work with that.
I stopped by the galley long enough to fill a glass with cold water, and then I climbed the rest of the way to the sundeck. It was chilly as I suspected, so I held my cardigan tight around me as I padded to aft.
The aft deck stretched behind the yacht like a private balcony over the sea, quiet and tucked away from the noise of the boat. The teak wood was cool beneath my bare feet, the salty breeze soft and noninvasive as it wrapped around me. I pulled my cardigan tighter, breathing in the crisp, briny scent of the water as it rolled in steady waves beneath us. Somewhere in the distance, a buoy clanged softly, and the yacht creaked with its own groans, like an old man settling into a long night’s rest.
Overhead, the stars glittered in full view, untouched by city lights, a canvas so clear it made the whole world feel like it had shrunk to just this deck, this night, this breath. The wind toyed with the loose strands of my hair, the hum of the engines faint, just a distant vibration through the bones of the boat. The only other sound was the soft slap of the sea against the hull.
When I found Eli sitting in my destination smoking a cigarette and scrolling on his phone, I smiled.
“Hope you don’t mind a bit of company,” I said, announcing myself.
He looked up from his phone, long blond hair covering his face a bit as he grinned at me. “Not at all. Would love it, actually.”
Eli set his phone aside on the teak, patting the other side of him for me to take a seat. We were protected from the wind in this little alcove of the boat, and I sighed when I finally sat down, my entire body aching and begging for me to carry my ass to bed.
Ten minutes, I told myself. If I could just make it ten minutes, hopefully Finn would be gone. Or if not, I could ask him to leave without Gisella thinking I was a bitch of a roommate.
“I’m on night watch,” Eli said, taking a pull from his cigarette. “But why areyoustill awake?”
“Just need a bit to unwind, I guess.”
Eli arched a brow at me like he didn’t quite believe that lie, but to his credit, he didn’t push. Instead, he offered me his cigarette.
“No, thank you,” I said with a smile. “Although, I don’t think I’ve ever wished I smoked more than I do right now.”
“Ag, shame.” He took another hit, his eyes assessing me. “Rough day, wasn’t it?”
“Not the smoothest, that’s for sure.”
“For what it’s worth, I think you did a great job. The guests were happy, loving the drinks, commenting on all the little things you and interior did to go above and beyond. Theodora was over the moon that you had a portable ring light for her to use to get the best lighting no matter where she was on the boat.”
“Sadly, I don’t think a ring light will make up for the train wreck dinner.”
“Ag, you’ve got tomorrow night. It’s the last meal that sticks in their heads, anyway.”
I smiled. “Hope you’re right.”
“I usually am.”
His next drag was long, and he watched me with that same intense, curious gaze. I knew this kid was a flirt, but in just five minutes alone with him, I could see he was also a predator.Anyone attracted to a man wouldn’t last long with those eyes of his devouring them the way they were currently feasting on me.
My cheeks flushed under the gaze, and I bit my lip against a smile, looking down at where my hands were wrapped around the glass of water. I hadn’t seriously dated anyone since Finn, but I’d kissed a few boys on past boats and tried my hand at a few app dates — just for fun, just to remember what it felt like to be wanted. I could see myself doing the same with Eli.
A big part of me knew Ishoulddo just that — because if I was kissing Eli, then maybe I wouldn’t be so hung up on what it used to be like kissing Finn.