tale, Hadley. This is real.”
I watch as tension dissipates from her body, causing the features on her face to somehow become softer. In this silent moment, I take the opportunity to study those turquoise eyes of hers, which are swimming with something unnamed . . . what? It’s some kind of emotion, but it’s hidden in the depths of them. Fear, maybe. Possibly, but of what, I’m unsure.
I lead her up a flight of exterior steps to the second deck where the crew waits for us. “Hadley, this is our crew for the evening. If you need anything, please feel free to ask them.”
“Thank you.”
“Mr. Brass, the captain is ready to depart, and your table on the upper deck is prepared.”
“Good,” I say before taking Hadley’s hand and leading her inside. She gasps when she sees the contemporary, yet warm and inviting design of the vessel. I chuckle at each of her reactions until I lead her up two more flights of stairs to the top deck.
“This is where we’re dining?” she asks as she looks around at the burning tiki torches placed on the deck and the tropical fruit spread out on the table.
“It is unless you’d prefer to go elsewhere.”
“This is . . . impeccable.”
The yacht starts to move, and she grabs hold of my forearm as I’m pulling out the chair for her at our table for two.
“Sorry, I—”
I cut her off before she can finish her sentence. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
She lets go of my arm once she takes a seat and her eyes scan the upper deck. There’s something so sexy and vulnerable about her. I decide to make it my mission to find out what causes her reckless behavior and what put that fear behind her eyes.
I take a seat just as a cheese plate is brought out by a male waiter who then proceeds to ogle my date. I make a mental note to remove him from my crew. Regardless if this is the only date I’ll get with her or if it’s the start of possibly more, I won’t let him desire something that is completely out of his reach. It’s this thought that makes me realize that I’ve already marked her as my own in my head, but I believe that she’s the furthest thing from being mine at this point in time.
I turn toward the waiter and wait patiently for him to remove his eyes from her long enough to look at me. When he does, he meets my glare and cowers underneath it. Bastard.
“Bring us two WhistlePig ryes, neat, when you return.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And one more thing. If you look at her once more this evening, I will have you removed from this vessel in the same second. Do you understand?”
His eyes stay planted on mine, but mine stray to Hadley whose cheeks are glowing with a soft pink blush before I look back up at him.
“Yes, sir,” he says before disappearing back into the yacht’s interior.
Hadley’s eyes haven’t left mine and she’s sporting a winning smile. “Jealous much?”
“More than ever. I don’t appreciate my staff enjoying a view that was made for me.”
She reaches for the cheese knife and cuts off a piece of one of the blocks. “You’re rather territorial and confident in yourself, Mr. Brass. I wouldn’t like to work directly with you. I mean, Lawson was bad enough.”
“You have worked beneath me, and I couldn’t give a shit what authority Lawson thinks he holds because he does not have it. Enough about someone who sleeps with his staff. This evening is about you.”
She blanches and I know at that moment that he’s had his way with her. A flash of envy warms my body, catching me off-guard. I’m territorial over something that’s not mine. My bitterness is an indication that she has gotten into my head in a few short days.
“I think that’s a good idea. So what is it that you do exactly?”
“I’m an entrepreneur of sorts. I’ve built my company from the ground up with the help of one of my C-levels, who is also a silent partner in the company. I own a number of properties across the globe, all of which fall under Brass
Eoin McNamee
Alex Carlsbad
Anne McCaffrey
Stacy McKitrick
Zoey Parker
Bryn Donovan
Kristi Jones
Ciaran Nagle
Saxon Andrew
Ian Hamilton