Yachts and boats on the water and the shapes of buildings and trees along the shore began to come into focus and everything filled with color as the sun crept out from behind the horizon. The whole coast seemed to yawn and stretch as it slowly came to life.
A flock of geese flew overhead, breaking the comfortable silence, and we tipped our heads back, trying to drink in every sight and sound.
“I’m normally at the gym by now,” he said as he settled his gaze back on the skyline. “I’m not sure I notice whether the sun has risen or not when I’m in London.”
“I know what you mean. Sometimes it’s easy to miss the beauty in the everyday.”
Hayden’s gaze dropped to my mouth and back up. “That’s my biggest fault. I don’t make enough of each moment.”
I felt the same. I was so focused on the job, on the tip, on taking care of my family, being in this beautiful place barely registered. It was almost as if I hadn’t let myself enjoy it. As if I were punishing myself. “I can’t remember the last time I watched the sunrise.”
Hayden shifted so he was facing me, still leaning on one elbow against the aluminum balustrade. “But surely that’s why you’re here? To take advantage of the setting?”
I shrugged, self-conscious under the full force of his attention. “The job can be a lot. Sometimes on my days off, I just sleep.”
“I assumed that people who worked on these yachts did it because they loved the traveling.”
“Some do.” I knew some people took the job to feed their wanderlust, but for me it had only ever been about the money.
“But not you. Do you get a lot of time to explore?” he asked as if he were trying to nail down my motivations, as if he were trying to get to know me.
“We get a day or so between charters.” I tried to concentrate on the view but all I was conscious of was Hayden Wolf and how close he was and how my skin set alight every time he touched me.
“How long do those usually last?” he asked as his eyes followed a strand of my hair, set free by the breeze.
“A few days to a couple of weeks.”
“So eight weeks is a long charter,” he said, almost to himself.
“Usually there’s a month’s break between the Med season and the Caribbean season. That’s when most people do their traveling.”
“Usually?”
“This charter was a little early, so I flew straight in from Miami, not that I had travelling planned. Unless you count Pavilions Mall in Sacramento.”
He laughed. “I don’t think you need a Lonely Planet guide for that. So you’re doing two seasons back to back. It doesn’t show.”
“I have good lighting,” I replied as I pointed at the sun. “And a good crew. And one unfussy guest.”
“I can be very demanding,” he said, pinning me with a stare. “You haven’t seen all of me yet.”
My pulse throbbed in my neck as his gravelly voice echoed through me. Heat rose up my body, and I snapped my head around to focus on the water.
Silence pulsed between us as I concentrated on keeping my breathing steady. I should go but I wanted to see what was next.
“Where would you take this boat if this was your charter?” he asked eventually, the heat between us having cooled to a simmer.
Was he interested or being polite? I wanted to tell him everything.
I smiled. “Italy is beautiful. Taormina in Sicily is as breathtaking as it gets. I’ve only ever been for an hour here or there but from what I’ve seen it’s desperately . . .” I stopped myself from finishing my sentence, from telling him how romantic I’d found Taormina the twice I’d managed to set a foot on dry land there.
He inhaled and stood, and I could only focus on how his chest expanded and his body seemed to take up all the space around me.
“Do you vacation a lot?” I asked, wanting to prolong our interaction, and still unclear why we hadn’t left the spot we’d started in two weeks ago.
He chuckled. “Hardly.” He leaned back on the railing, facing away from the view that had brought us here.
It was strange that he was my guest and yet here we were both working. I should be trying to lighten his load. “Have you thought about changing your surroundings a little? You could at least watch the sunrise light up a different coastline.” He’d enjoyed the sunrise and he might enjoy a different view. If I could do anything to make his experience on the Athena better, I would.
He frowned as if he hadn’t really contemplated the idea, but Captain Moss would have talked him through the options.
“Just a thought.” I sank my teeth into my bottom lip. “I know relaxation—the food, the wine, the ambience—isn’t your priority here, but in the nanoseconds that you allow yourself to relax, it could be nice to have a different view.”