She arched an eyebrow.
His dimples flashed. “Dirty, dirty girl.”
Oh, he had no idea. With the way he was looking at her right now, she’d probably let him take her right there on the dock.
She took a deep breath. No looking back now.
“I’m all yours, sir.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Wyatt spoke in low tones to the young guy he’d commandeered to take them over to the island. He didn’t want Kelsey hearing his instructions. He was enjoying that curious look she was giving him from her perch on the large cushions on the back deck of the small yacht.
“You sure you know how to handle this thing?” Wyatt asked. The kid couldn’t have been more than twenty-two or twenty-three.
“No problem, sir.” Johan slid his sunglasses to the top of his head. “I’ve been helping my father captain the boats since I was sixteen. You’re in good hands.”
“Excellent.” The boat rocked beneath them with the wake from the large luxury liner the other guests had boarded. Wyatt reached out for a railing, watching with satisfaction as the other ship pulled away without them. “You see that boat, my friend. Stay a good distance from that one. I’m paying you for privacy.”
“Yes, sir. I understand completely,” Johan said, a shy but sly smile breaking through all that suntanned skin, his cheeks coloring a bit. His gaze strayed to Kelsey for a moment, and there was no missing the flare of appreciation.
Wyatt couldn’t blame the kid. Hell, he probably shouldn’t even think of him as a kid, as he was no doubt closer to Kelsey’s age than Wyatt was. He laid a hand on Johan’s shoulder. “You can look all you want, but touch her and I’ll throw you off the side of the boat.”
Johan gave an uneasy laugh. “May be worth it, sir. I’m a good swimmer. But I promise to keep my hands on the wheel.”
Wyatt smiled and headed back down toward Kelsey. She held her hand over her eyes, shielding the sunlight and watching him walk toward her. Lord, she was beautiful, all sun-kissed and windblown. Her grin was a bright ray of light even amongst all the tropical beauty surrounding them. To think she’d been through so much darkness in her life, so much hurt . . . The knowledge was like a lead weight pressing against his chest. It didn’t seem fair that he’d been gifted with so much in his life when someone like Kelsey had been given so little.
Yet, here she was, a survivor, a fighter. And even though he knew she had mixed feelings about him giving her money, and would probably lose her shit when she actually opened the envelope and saw how much, the move had been pure selfishness on his part. He couldn’t give her what she deserved—love, a relationship, a soft place to fall. But he could make sure she never had to ask anyone for anything again.
It wasn’t money for her time here. But it was a thank you. Because even though this was going to be brief, he knew already that this week was going to be one of the best of his life. The old fears would still rumble in the back of his brain, but he wasn’t going to waste another minute ruminating. Not when he had something so precious waiting for him.
“Does Abercrombie know what he’s doing?” Kelsey asked as Wyatt lowered himself to the deck cushions.
“Abercrombie?”
She smirked. “Never mind. I’m guessing you don’t get that catalog.”
He glanced over at Johan. “You’re telling me you think our young captain looks like a catalog model. Should I be jealous? He is closer to your age, after all.”
She shoved his thigh with her bare foot. “First off, why go for cute, when I have six feet of gorgeous man right in front of me? And, second of all, that kid wouldn’t know what to do with me.”Author: Roni Loren
“Mmm,” he said, sliding his fingers around her ankle and gripping, enjoying the little catch of her breath it caused. “Too much for him, huh?”
She leaned back on her elbows, her gaze leaving heat trails over his skin in its wake. “Yes, sir.”
The simple reply pushed that button inside of him, had everything he’d kept banked all morning leaking through. “Tell me, Kelsey. Is he the type of guy you’d pick to be under your boot heel at The Ranch? Grant told me you prefer the more innocent ones.”
Her focus slid away from his face and to the horizon, a curtain falling. “Do you really want to know about that part of me, Wyatt?”
His hand slid up her calf, but he continued to watch her. The thought of her having to dominate someone for cash pissed him off. But the idea that she had that side to her was more than a little intriguing. Submitting held no appeal for him personally, but he couldn’t pretend that the image of her making other men grovel at her feet didn’t turn him on just a little—as long as those men never touched her. In those fantasies he’d weaved since finding out about her dominance, she was his. Her submissives could be lashed by her, made to beg, touch themselves, but only he had the privilege of bringing her pleasure. Maybe right in front of those very men, showing them what they could never give her.
Yes, he knew it was a caveman urge, but fuck it. His fantasies. His rules.
“I want to know about all sides of you, love,” he said evenly as the ship’s engine rumbled to life beneath them.
She continued to stare toward the open sea but relented. “I do like the gentler souls, the ones who come to me because they crave the experience and are appreciative of it. Those who aren’t just saying the right things and playing some game because they want to see a chick in thigh-high boots and a corset. Or worse, the ones who think I’m going to break my rules and let them fuck me.”
“You’ve never slept with any of your subs?” he asked, honestly curious.