The Wrong Gentleman(15)

August slumped into one of the chairs across from me. “Okay, well, you’re both adults. Things should be fine.”

August was right. Things should be fine, but that same feeling that allowed me to surrender to him was telling me that Landon was trouble. For years I’d stayed clear of men. I didn’t want to waste time. I didn’t want to be distracted. It was easy to fall for a hard body and a pretty smile. But I knew how much misery such a decision could bring. And it was a decision.

So I was deciding that Landon James was no longer attractive to me.

“Right,” I agreed. “He’s a junior deckhand. I won’t have much to do with him.”

August’s silence told a different story. With just twelve crew members on a 162-foot yacht, it was impossible to completely avoid anyone. I’d just have to do my best.

“Like you said, on days off, you’ll be doing other things. Except . . .” August trailed off.

“What?” I asked.

“I don’t know. I mean, maybe there’s a reason why he’s here.” She concentrated on drawing circles on the glossy surface of the table rather than looking at me.

“A reason?”

She shrugged. “Yes, you ended up meeting Landon. And now he’s on board. That’s a pretty big coincidence.”

“An unfortunate one.” God, I hoped it didn’t get around that we’d slept together. I could trust August not to say anything, but I had little idea of who the hell Landon was. What if he told the whole crew? I had rank over most of the crew on board. I didn’t want to be disrespected because I’d slept with a junior deckhand.

“But maybe it’s fate.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. We all make our own fate. I just hope he doesn’t tell anyone. I don’t want Captain thinking I’m unprofessional.” Last night I’d been blown off course, but I wouldn’t let it happen again.

“He doesn’t strike me as a sharer. He didn’t even say which yacht he was on.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t tell him we were on the Sapphire, either.”

“True, but he’s older. More mature. You didn’t fuck a nineteen-year-old who can’t believe he just got laid. Landon doesn’t strike me as a man who needs to shout about who he’s slept with or show off about anything.”

I’d met Landon less than twenty-four hours ago, but August was right. He was cool, calm, and confident. He wasn’t just another junior deckhand. Perhaps I’d pull him aside and warn him how quickly gossip spread on a yacht, just to ensure he didn’t make a silly mistake.

“I’m sure he’ll continue to be discreet. My relationship with Harvey and his history with Landon during their time in the army provides the perfect cover if you two are a little familiar. No one would know that anything is going on with the two of you.”

“August, seriously. How many times do I have to tell you? It was a one-off thing. Whatever I’m looking for, Landon James isn’t it.”

“I know,” she said, slumping back on the chair. “I’d dropped it, but I just think it’s weird that he ended up on the same yacht as us.”

“It’s a coincidence. And that’s it.” This was a warning that even one-night stands were a bad idea. I needed to be stricter about my no-man rule. “Someone like Landon . . .” I’d only known him a night but underneath that hard body was a sea of complicated. “It’s never going to happen.”

Last night had just been a one-off. No more than that. There was no fate. Just coincidence. Just a one-night stand.





Eight





Landon


I hadn’t lingered in the crew mess, making my excuses and asking for directions to my bunk, and then I deliberately went the wrong way. I wasn’t interested in exploring the staff quarters. I wanted to know the guest areas inside out. I came across a staircase off the main saloon. The plush, plum-colored carpet told me it led to guest quarters, and I followed it down. Being early onto the yacht today should allow me to explore without anyone noticing. At the bottom of the staircase were six polished mahogany doors. I tried the brass handles and found them all locked. Crouching, I eyed up the mechanism. They would take under ten seconds to unlock. Dropping my bag on the floor beside me, I pulled out a kit from my back pocket. The black leather case looked like a wallet but was far from it. It contained everything I needed to pick a lock. With these locks, I wouldn’t need much.

Within ten seconds, I was in, and I quickly checked the back of the door to see if there were any other locks and then did a sweep of the room, checking for the safe, cameras, other security measures along with places to hide things—always easier to identify those when not under time pressure. There was nothing unexpected. I headed out and repeated the process for all six rooms.

As I closed and locked the last door, Skylar called out to August at the top of the stairs and I froze. If anyone caught me down here, I could just say I was lost, but there was no point drawing attention to myself. The voices passed and I made my way back upstairs without making a sound.

The last person I’d been expecting to see on the Sapphire was Skylar. It had been a shock, but I hoped I hadn’t worn it on my face as obviously as she had. I’d never experienced a woman so entirely uncomfortable in my presence. Maybe it was because she’d given up her criteria last night and she didn’t like being reminded of her weakness. Her being on board just brought complications. I was here to do a job. I wasn’t arrogant enough to think that Skylar wanted a round two—especially given she’d basically asked me to leave in the early hours of this morning—but I knew well enough that it meant that she’d probably notice more than usual. And I didn’t want anyone paying me unnecessary attention. I’d have to be even more cautious now.