He laughed as he stepped on board and began untying them from the dock.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I might be an international jewel thief, but I’d never steal another man’s boat. A man’s boat is a precious thing.”
“Hardy har har. So full of jokes.”
“Yet you’re still here,” he said with a grin. “Let me give you the grand tour while the waves slowly carry us out of the marina.”
He took her hand and began showing her around. The two of them ventured down the stairs into the bedroom located on the lower deck. Ash escorted her into the kitchen and began opening the refrigerator and wine chiller, telling her she could help herself to anything while she was on board. It was packed to get them through more than the weekend, so she could eat all she wanted. He led her to the back of the yacht and showed her all the good places to sit, watching her eyes light up as she looked out in the endless stretch of the ocean.
Then, he guided her to the helm so he could kick-start the yacht and get it out to sea.
“And this is where I’ll be stationed until we can get out into the ocean,” Ash said.
“Ah, the steering wheel.”
“Yep. This is where I drive. I’ll be taking us out into the channel between the islands. Not out into the endless expanse of the ocean. I’m good, but I’m not that good.”
“Wow. And you can admit a fault. How humble of you,” she said.
“There’s a coral reef out there that’s wonderful for snorkeling,” he said with a chuckle. “There’s gear we can use in one of the closets below the main deck. I figured it would be a nice thing for us to do while we relaxed on the open waters.”
“I’ve never been snorkeling before. It sounds like fun.”
“Then get ready for the time of your life.”
Ash cranked up the yacht, and Kallie grabbed onto his waist. He felt her press her cheek against his back as she clung to him tightly. He pulled them away from the marina and headed for the channel in front of him, but his mind was unfocused.
Kallie’s arms felt spectacular around him, and he wanted to keep cruising so she wouldn’t stop.
He diverted at the last second and decided to take the long way around. The rode in silence, and he took in the way she pressed deeper into his back. Her hands pressed into his tightened abs to keep himself upright and her lips slid along the fabric of his shirt. It felt good to him. Too good.
And he wondered what kind of water he was getting himself into.
Ash had never spent this long of a time with one of his holiday hookups. The women he indulged in always moved on. Flew back home. Went back to their lives. And the ones that did linger? That jaded one percent? They never held any interest in him. Only his family. His money. What he owned and what he would take control of once his father finally died. Some women were stuffy and traditional, like his family. Some were gold diggers the instant they figured out who he was. Most were looking for a good time and only wanted to ride his cock before they left for home, and he didn’t mind those.
But Kallie was nothing like any of those other women.
“Look over
there. Kallie, look.”
“Hmm?” she asked.
“There’s a pod of dolphins cresting the water.”
Ash heard her gasp as she turned her head to look out. But her arms never untangled from him and her cheek never left his back. He pointed out whale spouts and schools of jumping fish. The dolphins that were brave enough to come and swim alongside the boat. Ash kept the wheel as sturdy as he could as Kallie finally untangled from him, venturing toward the side of the boat and reaching for the dolphins.
She laughed heartily as her hand skimmed their skin, and he loved the way the sunlight looked upon her face.
She smiled, and it lit him up inside. She laughed, and it clenched his gut. She said his name, and everything around him stopped moving. When she was around, nothing else mattered.
And even if he didn’t want to admit it, he was falling for her.
Falling for his holiday fuck.
Chapter 20
Kallie