Total pages in book: 61
Estimated words: 59119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
A sudden knock on the door caused Adrien and me to take a step back from each other and shift our focus. Fucking Bucko. Worst timing ever.
“Sir?”
Adrien motioned for me to be quiet, and I nodded and got behind the door.
He opened it a foot or two. “Yes, Fred?”
“When did you want me to head back to Cádiz?”
Ha!
Oh God, this was priceless.
Adrien hung his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Oh man, I loved this so hard. Cádiz—closest city to Rota, the naval base. Excellent. Check, check, check.
Adrien took a deep breath and faced Fred again. “Whenever you’re ready.”
“Understood. Is everything all right, sir?”
Adrien smiled stiffly. “Peachy. You go grab your things. I’ll meet you at the bottom deck in a bit.”
“Yes, sir.” Bucko left again, and Adrien closed the door.
I thought nothing could kill my grin, until I saw the look on his face. A thunderstorm brewed in his eyes, and he was so visibly fed up. He’d reached his limit. He was angry.
Before I knew it, he was in my face. He grabbed my jaw tightly and shoved me up against the wall. Shock ripped through me, followed by lust and adrenaline, and I didn’t have the time to fight or push back—or fucking melt—before he whispered against my cheek.
“You drive me fucking crazy, boy.”
Then he was gone again. An explosive rush of liquid heat solidified into something ice-cold as he stormed out of the room.
All air left my lungs, and I sagged against the wall.
“Holy fuck,” I breathed.
I shuddered violently.
I stumbled out of my cabin a few hours later, on the brink of a mental collapse.
Adrien had avoided me like the plague right after Bucko had left, stating he’d had work to do, so I had snatched up a pen and notepad and retreated to my room to put all my thoughts on paper. Too much had happened for me to keep track of it all, and I was sure I’d forgotten some of it.
My head was pounding.
I went up to the next deck and stopped outside the pilothouse. That was where Adrien had gone earlier. I leaned closer to the door and listened.
Yup, still in there.
He was talking to someone. In…German?
For fuck’s sake, I didn’t have the energy to speculate anymore. Who spoke German? Was he talking to a criminal or some sort of international extension to the FBI? I mean, not extension, but like…someone they cooperated with. We teamed up with international agencies all the time. Though, the US and Germany seemed to be an unlikely joint op for a cartel case in Colombia.
He couldn’t be changing his itinerary for what base he flew out of. The Marines’ presence in Germany was still too far away—and he’d have no reason to speak German there either. His contact would obviously be American.
I let him be. I couldn’t think any longer.
I trailed along the side of the yacht. I passed the stairs at the middle of the boat and slowed down before the pool. Huh, that wasn’t a section divider at all. It was a bar. I went behind it and pulled at the cupboards. Fully stocked bar. Nice. I opened a fridge and grabbed a Coke for now. Then I walked by the pool and set the Coke on the table. Adrien had cleared it after breakfast. Not a crumb visible.
After stripping down to boxer briefs and pulling back the awning above us, just so that the pool was in the sun, I brought my soda to the water—because of course the pool had fucking cupholders—and I walked in.
The water was perfect. It was a slice of heaven, approximately six feet wide and maybe twelve feet long. And I had no intention of leaving anytime soon.
“Come eat, Crew.”
I cracked an eye open.
Adrien passed the pool with two plates.
My stomach snarled with approval. I’d just been thinking about food. Excellent timing.
I sank into the water once more and soaked my hair, then rose to my feet. It wasn’t particularly deep, about waist-high, and both ends had seats.
Adrien walked over to the bar and filled two glasses with ice. He also grabbed a towel for me.
I couldn’t quite gauge his mood, other than he was definitely tired.
On the way back to the table, he dropped the towel for me on the floor by the stairs.
I climbed out of the water and thought, fuck it, and took off my underwear. They landed on the floor with a splat before I wrapped the towel around my hips.
Hot damn, he’d made burgers.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
“Spoiled and useless,” I replied honestly. “I’m on a grand vacation, while my boss’s niece is scared and alone somewhere.”
I sat down across from him.
He didn’t answer. He just picked up his burger and started eating. But I could tell his mind was spinning. He was avoiding eye contact and fixating on a spot between us.