"Oh. Well, as long as you're okay."
Suzie bit her lip. "Guess who's driving the boat?"
"Who?"
"Nate Mason."
"Good. I hope you two sort things out."
Suzie grunted. "How come he was at your wedding? You guys keep in touch?"
"He lives in New York now, but we Skype sometimes. Last year, when I was doing that research project, he helped me figure out some of the more complex calculations."
Laura had asked for his help with numbers? She was genius-level smart, so what did that say about Nate?
"I didn't recognize him," she said. "He's changed a lot since school. Must have been working out as well as tapping a keyboard?"
"I suppose so." As smart as she was, Laura wasn't getting that Suzie was fishing for more information. She sounded distracted, like she was about to say goodbye.
"How come Nate and Harrison moved away before my last year of school?" asked Suzie quickly.
"Their mother died, so they went to live with their father in Florida."
"Oh." Suzie was silent a moment. She remembered Nate's mother, a slight woman who used to work hard in her store. "That's sad."
"It was a long time ago."
"Remember how I used to call him Milhouse?"
Laura clicked her tongue. "He didn't like it very much."
"It still seems to annoy him," admitted Suzie. "But he's not a scrawny kid with thick glasses anymore, so I don't get why he's still bothered."
"Go easy on him, Sue."
"What do you mean?"
"Just … be nice."
"I'm pretty sure he can handle himself," Suzie said, a little taken aback. She was the victim here, not Nate. "Anyway, I doubt he cares what I call him."
"Nate would be a big step up from the men you usually date. No prison record, for a start."
Great. As much as she loved Laura, her sister had a knack for making her feel an inch tall. "I'm not interested in him. Didn't you hear me last night?"
"He's the smartest man I know." Laura went on as though she hadn't objected. "Apart from Luke, of course. Has Nate told you about his new project?"
"Sorry, sis, but we don't exactly get on. In fact, I've never met a more arrogant pain in the ass." Besides, Suzie didn't need a second genius in her life to compare herself against. Her self-esteem couldn't take it.
"What about if you pretend he's one of those bad boys you like so much?"
Suzie had a sudden memory of Nate ripping her dress and shoving her bra aside to fondle her breasts. A thrill like an electric charge ran over her skin and she swallowed hard. "No chance of that," she lied. "Anyway, I've got to go. My phone's running low. I just called to say goodbye and tell you again how happy I am for you guys."
"Have a safe trip home," said Laura. "Call me when you get there."
After hanging up, Suzie went into the master bedroom's tiny ensuite bathroom to collect herself. Thinking about last night had made her nipples hard, and in her bikini that was something she couldn't hide. There wasn't much else to do but go back on deck to sunbathe while she waited for Nate to fix the engine, but if he saw her like this, he might get the wrong idea. And then he'd probably open his big mouth.
At least if he came out with one of his asshole comments, her nipple erection problem would be solved.
7
Suzie woke up outside, lying on hard boards. She moved slowly, wincing at the stiffness in her limbs when she sat up. She'd fallen asleep on the yacht's wooden deck, and the sky was growing dark. Splashes of red still glowed softly on the horizon from a sunset she'd just missed. Taking off her sunglasses, she shivered. Now the sun had gone down, it was getting chilly.
She hadn't gotten enough sleep last night, so no wonder she'd fallen asleep in the warm sunshine. Now she felt groggy and terribly thirsty. Her mouth was so dry she must have been sleeping with her mouth open. How embarrassing. The stickiness on her cheek told her she'd been drooling. She could only pray she hadn't been snoring as well.
The evening was quiet, with no sound of an engine. Nate must not have managed to get it working. Oh man, her flight. She was going to miss it for sure.
She scrambled to her feet and stretched, trying to clear her head of the cotton-wool feeling she'd gotten from sleeping in the sun. She pulled her dress back on over her bikini, then moved toward the cockpit.
Nate was still bent over the yacht's controls in almost the same position he'd been in when she'd lain down hours earlier. He hadn't bothered to put his t-shirt back on and still wore only a pair of swimming shorts that hung low around his waist.
She was used to men with tattoos, but Nate didn't have a single one. The lack of ink somehow made him look more naked and vulnerable than she would have expected. A blank canvas. The idea was strangely appealing. And the way his muscles flexed as he angled his body forward to use his screwdriver was more attractive than any amount of decoration.
She didn't trust herself to speak yet, because her voice would no doubt come out croaky. She needed a drink. But to get down to the yacht's kitchen - the galley - she'd have to push past him, keeping her face turned away so he wouldn't get a face-full of what was sure to be stinky breath.
Maybe she could sneak past him quickly, before he had time to notice?
But as she stepped into the cockpit, he turned. "Finally awake, sleepy head." The amused glint in his eye made her heart sink. She'd definitely been snoring.
She pushed past him, ignoring the feel of his bare flesh as it grazed her arm and holding her breath until she was safely inside the saloon. Then she grabbed a warm cola out of the basket Rosa had given them and gulped half the can before swishing the sweet liquid around her mouth. Better.
Climbing back up the stairs, she gave him her best irritated look. "What's going on?"
His mouth twisted. "I thought I'd found the blown circuit, but after overriding it, the engine still won't start. It's getting too dark to work, so I'm covering the dashboard so moisture won't get in overnight. I'll get it started in the morning."
"Can we call someone to get rescued? I have to get to the airport or I'll miss my flight."
"Catch a later one."
She let her breath out in an irritated hiss. "I have an important job coming up. I need to get home to prepare for it. And my neighbour's been looking after my dog for a week. If I don't get home and take Rusty off her hands, she might not want to dog-sit for me again."
"As soon as it's light, I'll get the engine going. We'll be rid of each other soon enough."
She gritted her teeth. "Just make the call."
"Already did. I spoke to Dalton and told him not to worry."
"Can't he come and get me?"
"In the dark?" Nate shook his head. "Too many reefs." He motioned to the master bedroom at the back of the boat. "Besides, we've got a perfectly good bed right there. And if I can't get the engine going in the morning, we can sail to the mainland easily enough."
One bed? No, there was another in the bow, and he'd have to sleep in it. If he thought she'd jump in the sack with him, he'd better think again.
"How long would it take us to sail to Denarau?" she asked.
"Depends how much wind there is." He pushed past her, heading down the steps into the galley. "And now, seeing as our lunch is long gone, I'm going to check the cupboards to see what else we've got to eat."
At the mention of food, her stomach rumbled. "Fine," she said reluctantly, following him down. "I'll call the airline and transfer onto a later flight. But I'm not sharing a bed with you."
Nate stopped on the stairs and she almost ran into his back. She could feel the warmth coming off his body. The cockpit must have been hot, because there was a bead of perspiration still on his neck, and she took a deep breath of his manly aroma. It was so unfair that even his sweat smelled good. Why couldn't he give off a disgusting stench, instead of a warm, musky scent that made her want to lick the salt off him?
"I didn't hear any complaints last night when you were ripping my shirt off." He turned to face her.
"You started it." Dammit, that had come out sounding like a petulant child. She softened her tone. "I'd had a little too much to drink. It should never have happened."
"At least we agree on that."
She realized she was staring at his bare chest and forced herself to look away. Couldn't he put on a shirt instead of standing around half-naked, posing like an underwear model with an arrogant smirk on his too-handsome face?
She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of letting him know how he made her knees go weak. The last thing she needed was to get intimate with a guy who'd make her feel stupid, when she needed all the confidence she could get.