“Sean!”
“What?” He shook his head and glared at Rafe. “What’re you yelling at?”
“You zoned out. Care to tell me what you were thinking about?”
“No. Did you want to talk about Katie with us?”
“Good point. So, back to business then.” Rafe checked his notes, read them back to Sean and asked, “That everything?”
Sean almost said yes, then reconsidered. “There is one more thing.”
“Yeah?” Rafe listened as Sean talked, then smiled and said, “Consider it done.”
“Excellent.” Sean lifted his booted feet to the corner of his desk and crossed them at the ankles. “The cargo ship will leave tomorrow?”
“Should be in Tesoro by middle of next week.” Rafe smiled. “Your other package will be overnighted to you this afternoon.”
“’Preciate it.”
“Okay then. We’ll talk again in a couple of days. And Sean—” Rafe paused. “If you need anything, we’re just a quick flight away.”
“Thanks,” he said, meaning it. No matter how irritating his brothers could be sometimes, it was good to know that they always had his back. Even if Lucas was dumb enough to bet against him. “I’ll let you know.”
He ended the connection, closed his laptop and turned in his chair to stare out at the amazing view stretched out in front of him. The ocean beckoned. The sunlight, the fresh air. If he didn’t get out of this hotel soon, he was going to lose it.
But he could wait one more day.
As soon as his package arrived from home, he’d make his move.
Eight
It was a perfect day to be out on the water.
Melinda’s hair was in a thick braid to keep it out of her eyes. She wore a bright red tank top and a pair of white shorts and sneakers to help keep her footing on deck. She came up from the shadows below, stepped into brilliant sunshine, then took a second to look out at the wide expanse surrounding them. On the left was the island. Everywhere else, the ocean. In the distance, thunderheads gathered on the horizon and promised a storm later. But for now, the day was just right, with the heat of the sun pouring down on them and the cool sea breeze cooling them off.
Slowly, she turned to watch Sean at the bridge. He looked right at home there, his big hands steady on the teak wheel, his cool blue eyes focused on the sea, and she wondered if there was anywhere Sean King didn’t look as if he were in charge.
In this tropical setting though, his black jeans and black T-shirt made him look even more dangerous than he usually did. Which was really saying something. She took a deep breath and enjoyed the opportunity to really have a good, long look at him. With his back to her, he wouldn’t see her admiring gaze and that was a good thing. He really didn’t need to know that it was getting harder and harder for her to ignore the incredible rush of desire she felt for him.
Her stomach buzzed with the sensation of a million butterflies taking flight at once, and she realized she was almost used to that sensation by now. Melinda’s gaze dropped, taking in his broad back, narrow h*ps and long legs. Then she saw he was barefoot and somehow, that was so damn sexy, she found herself struggling just to breathe. Her heartbeat quickened, and she was forced to swallow hard against the sudden knot in her throat.
Sean King was temptation on two legs.
This last week had been…amazing, really. After that afternoon at the construction site, they’d spent every day together. He’d made her laugh, asked her opinion on the hotel design and in general made her feel more important than she ever had. More…essential.
He listened to her when she talked, entertained her with his stories about his family and filled her dreams with images that left her waking up aching.
Guilt tugged at her insides as she realized that she’d never experienced any of those feelings with Steven. Different from Sean, Steven had been a shallow kind of man. God, she couldn’t believe she was even thinking that, but if she had to be honest about it, that was the word for him. They’d never spoken about anything serious. Never talked about the future or what it held. It had all been in the moment.
Exciting and yet—
Sean turned his head, and his blue eyes locked on her. A slow half smile curved his mouth, and she swore she could feel the pull of him—as if he were simply drawing her into his orbit. There didn’t seem to be any way to avoid it—and since she was in honesty mode—Melinda could admit to herself that she didn’t want to. She enjoyed being with Sean. She relished the moments when he would reach out and touch her hand. Or smooth her hair back from her face. She’d gotten used to him being there. With her. At her side.
And suddenly the thought of this marriage ending in a few short weeks felt more like a death knell than a resounding bell of liberation.
“Serious thoughts?” he asked.
“No,” she lied, with a shake of her head.
“Good.” He nodded and gave her another of those smiles. “Too pretty a day to be wasted. Come on up here.”
She pushed her earlier thoughts aside, told herself to get a grip and climbed the short ladder to the bridge. The Corazon was as familiar to her as her bedroom at the hotel. She’d practically grown up on the yacht. Her grandfather loved this ship. He never had been one for sailing—had claimed that he preferred speed to lolling around waiting for Heaven to give him a green light to go anywhere.
So the engine was powerful, the hull was sleek and they sliced through the crystalline waters like a hot knife through butter.
“It’s a great boat,” Sean said, turning the wheel to follow the curve of the island.
“Grandfather used to take me out on it all the time when I was a little girl. I always loved it.”
“Not surprising,” he said, keeping his gaze fixed on the ocean. She liked that about him too. The careful regard he showed for whatever he was doing at the moment. She liked his focus. His concentration. Especially when that laserlike focus was on her.
“Most people don’t build boats like this anymore,” he said, smoothing one hand across the gleaming wood dashboard. “They go for fiberglass or some damn thing.” He flashed her a quick look and a grin. “Of course, my brother Decker has a company that builds, as he calls ’em, real boats. Luxury craft, like this. And man, Deck would love this beauty. It’s damn sexy.”
Oh, yes, she thought. Sexy was the word for it. Though she wasn’t thinking about the boat at the moment.