All Hands Below (9 page)

She smiled and picked up her drink.

The thought of snatching her drink from her and dumping its icy contents down his pants flared through his brain. His breath steamed up inside his lungs.

As his cheeks darkened with envy at the rose’s placement, a tingling spread across his back, rode up along his ears, and dove down into his balls.

“Enjoying yourself?” he gurgled.

Her lips pouted over the straw speared in her drink. “Mmmhmm.”

He wished she’d take those damned sunglasses off so he could see the laughter in her eyes and not just feel it ransack through him. Mocking him. Mocking the bulge that threatened the clean line of his pants.

That mouth of hers summoned memories of what it felt like to kiss her. He longed to bury his nose between her breasts, to smell his rose on her and, most desperately, to smell the blossom between her legs.

He cleared the knot lodged in his throat. “There’s been a rash of stolen purses as far back as Miami. I need you to be careful.”

“Oh?”

“Keep your cash and valuables locked up in your room’s safe, and no wandering off to dark corners with strange men.”

“Buzz killer.”

“How’s your leg?”

“It feels a little better. Just a bit tricky, you know? If I bend my knee, I reopen the scrape that’s healing. Makes it hard to get in and out of the shower at night and not get it wet, too.”

“Hmm.” She wouldn’t be telling him this if her Moonlight Cowboy was helping her in and out of the shower, now would she?

With three nights left of the cruise, his curiosity got the better of him. “And, are you having much luck in other areas?”

Evangeline stared at the hunk of a guy being nosy about her business.

Earlier, she’d longed for a cooling dip in the pool, but that was off limits because of her knee. Now, here sat Liam, looking like a tall glass of fresh and sexy, and he was off limits, too. Off limits but snacking on her body in her micro-bikini with greedy eyes, while inquiring if she’d made her dreams happen yet.

More worrisome were her thrusting nipples. With his hungry gaze stuck to the rose she’d babied for two days in her stateroom, no way could he miss those ill-behaved discs popping him a dual salute.

Aarghh!
This stunning man and his well-versed tongue might’ve been up close and personal between her legs once, but that didn’t make him entitled to know her business. “Have I given up my search, you mean?”

“I wouldn’t put it like that exactly, Evie. People have come aboard cruise ships and found what you’re looking for…organically.”

Ooh, he was annoying. “Hmm, as opposed to my calculating methods? Well, here’s the dealio, Liam. I don’t have time to play
organic
. My baby-mama clock’s a-ticking.”

Liam’s irises flared. “Ahh. I see a little more of your urgency.”

“I’m glad. You sure are above decks a lot.”

He shrugged, his gaze intent on her lips. “Yes, it seems I keep forgetting my place.”

“I don’t mean it like that. I’ve got nothing against your profession,” she assured him.

“That’s good to know,” he said, but looked a bit skeptical. “And where is your friend? Ah, Maisy…
Clauss
, is it?”

“
That
was the name on her sea pass, yup. Comes in handy, I’m sure, especially at Christmas. Maisy’s gone off with a gentleman friend for ballroom dancing classes.”

Liam smiled. “It’s very kind of you to keep her company, but… How much do you know about her?”

She laughed and wondered if he was worried for her or for Maisy. “Not much, other than she’s got a mouth like a sailor and seems to like me. Maisy is a cutie, and…I suspect she’s lonely, too. Who would send their elderly parent on a cruise without company, Liam? At Christmas, too.”

“You’d be surprised. There are people who offload loved ones on cruises who really should be supervised. When we notice these individuals, we do our best to keep them happy, safe, and entertained.”

Evangeline sighed and hoped that Marshall Capshaw, Maisy’s new friend, would save the day. The widower, a retired restaurateur, had been spending a lot of time with Maisy, and they seemed to enjoy being with each other.

Liam glanced at his watch. “We arrive at Grand Cayman tomorrow. There’s no docking berth, so prepare to be tendered ashore. I’ll make sure that you and your friend get all the assistance you might need.”

“I’m not going ashore with Maisy.” Evangeline licked her lips. “Eli Buckelew and I—oh, never mind. Eli and I will bring her along with us tomorrow if she doesn’t have other plans. That way she’s not alone on Christmas Eve.”

“Doing anything special?”

“Sightseeing. And some shopping.”
And why,
fretted Evangeline,
am I dancing around the truth with this man?

“Looking for anything in particular? I can make some recommendations.”

She gave him a thoughtful look. Since it wouldn’t matter to Liam either way, why not share her good news? It wasn’t as if he’d care. He’d even wished her luck on her husband hunt.

“As a matter of fact, Eli and I plan to look at engagement rings. He’s
considering
marrying me. And, if things go smoothly, I’ll
consider
accepting.”

His eyes flared, then narrowed. “Well, well. So, there’s a possibility you found your roses and forever. Congratulations.”

She didn’t understand why her stomach tensed, or how he could make her good news seem…empty. Shallow, even.

Neither of them had set expectations for the other. The terms they’d laid out had been shrugged off by both sides, so why did so much furious color belt the slope of his cheekbones?

Her heart squirmed in her chest. “It’s not a done deal yet.”

Why did her voice sound so small? So…guilty?
Because my heart and my body wants you, Liam. You know it, and you don’t care.

Admitting the truth to herself, she couldn’t hold the uncompromising look he gave her. He made her feel impaled. Caught. A fish squirming at the end of a spear. She looked down at her pineapple rinds, worried he might see what was in her eyes…and in her heart.

When he finally spoke, his voice remained level, casual, and cool. “Don’t be late coming back this time, hmm? The ship’s captain waits for no man. Or woman.”

Chapter Nine

Day 6

0915 hours, Christmas Eve

Evangeline glanced at the clock on the wall with anxious eyes. Eli was twenty minutes late.

If he didn’t show up soon, they weren’t going to make their tender into George Town.

She was still tapping her foot fifteen minutes later, still no Eli in sight. Not wanting to miss their tender, she hurried to his cabin.

Had he changed his mind about going ashore? About
everything
? After all, the glow of a midnight moon and the heady buzz from a cocktail made people say and do things they regretted in the morning.

“Eli?” She knocked on his door.

Her stomach twisted at the lack of response and the absence of noise behind the door. Somewhere down the passageway, a door opened. A woman laughed. A man swore.

“Don’t forget your shoes, Eli,” the female voice teased.

Evangeline turned. How surreal it felt to watch the man who’d just offered to consider marrying her, backing his way out of someone else’s cabin with a woman’s arms draped around his neck.

Not just any woman, either. Evangeline recognized Liam’s ex.

“I have to go, Kerri,” Eli was saying. “It’s been nice, but—”

“More than nice. And you don’t have to go, do you? I mean, you could stay,” the other woman appealed. “You know you want to.”

Evangeline groped at the wall for support. Her thoughts spun as her dreams and hopes spiraled out of reach. She swallowed past the lump in her throat, took a breath, and stepped forward on the wrong foot. Pain shot up her leg, but it didn’t hurt enough to stop her.

“Eli.” Her voice filled the passageway.

Eli turned. The sleepy pleasure on his face shifted to a round-eyed look of alarm. “Evangeline! Oh, shit.”

“It’s okay. Please stay. I’ll be going in to Grand Cayman with someone else.”

While Eli untangled himself from the other woman’s embrace, Evangeline turned and limped away. But her bad dream was far from over. She turned a corner and found her escape blocked by a broad-shouldered body standing in her way.

No point in looking up to identify him, either. Only one man smelled like that. Like big country cedar and leather, with smoky notes of sex appeal and…

“Evangeline.”

The way Liam said her name made her cringe. He’d seen. He’d heard. And while he and Kerri were finished, she and Eli had barely begun.

“Excuse me, Liam. I’m late for my tender.” She hurried around him, limping down flights of stairs instead of taking the elevator to avoid being in any closed-in space with him.

Liam followed her. “Let’s go someplace we can talk. I know the perfect spot.”

“No thanks. The last thing I want to do right now is talk—”

“Evangeline, hoy! Thank goodness. I haven’t made us miss the tender, have I?”

Evangeline grabbed Maisy’s hand. “No. You’re just in time. Let’s go.”

“Where is your young man? I thought we were all going into George Town together?”

“Not today,” Evangeline said briskly. “Liam, meet Maisy. Maisy—Liam. Good seeing you. We have to go now.” She ushered Maisy ahead, and didn’t waste any time scuttling past him.

“I think that Liam fella wants to get into your panties.”

“Maisy, please. Not now.”

“He’s still staring after us. After
you
.”

“Maisy,
stop
.”

The older woman kept her chatter in check as they made their way below decks to the tender platform.

“Christopher Columbus named the Cayman Islands
Las Tortugas
.” Maisy changed the subject as the covered water taxi pulled away from the ship. “Named after all the turtles he saw swimming around the islands when he was blown off course during one of his voyages to the New World. You might find yourself a pirate of your own here, my dear.”

Somberly, Evangeline thought of a certain green-eyed male with a rogue’s smile. There’d been pity in Liam’s eyes today. Why, why,
why
did he have to see her humiliation?

The excited comments from passengers on board the tender as they reacted to the seaside charm of George Town dragged her from her anxiety long enough to offload safely at the wharf.

As she and Maisy strolled across the harbor drive, ocean breezes buoyed the scent of island blooms and market spices used in local cafés and restaurants.

Recent rains had coated the area with a moist sheen, revealing the tropical colors of George Town, from fire-engine red rooftops to electric blue storefronts with pink wooden beams. Nothing could be more removed from the orchestrated, jewel colors on board the Sea Sapphire.

Then again, the luxury ship was about escaping to exotic seas, surrounded by the spirit of hospitality and romance. Sipping champagne while flanked by the glow of honey-spiced woods, ebony laced marble, and hot men had catered to her hopes. Hopes that maybe the Sea Sapphire was her ship of dreams.

How foolish of me,
she thought glumly, and popped a painkiller in her mouth.

After a couple of hours of browsing and shopping, Maisy pointed to another storefront decked out with specialty coffees, Scotch bonnet pepper sauces, Caymanian birdhouses, honey, and jerk seasonings.

“We can’t leave Grand Cayman without some of their famous rum cakes, Evie.”

Evangeline stopped to take another dose of her pain meds. After sipping from the pint-sized water bottle she kept in her sling-back purse, she screwed the cap on and dropped it back inside. Then she limped after Maisy.

“Go have a look around, then,” Evangeline encouraged, her ankle throbbing as she waited for the painkiller to take effect. “I’ll wait here.”

“All right. Watch my things.” Maisy placed her purchases, a piggy bank frog and a couple of T-shirts, next to Evangeline, who’d found the perfect spot to relax on a storefront bench.

Forty minutes later, Maisy was still a no-show. The smell of fresh island fish grilling in a pepper-lime marinade at the café next door reminded her she hadn’t eaten all day.

After a meal of
wahoo
fish tacos, washed down with sweet, icy cold lime and mint juice, she headed back to the sidewalk bench to wait.

Half an hour later, a stressed-out Evangeline took to the streets, searching for Maisy. Exhausted, she finally collapsed against a shop wall, feeling like a stork with her ankle raised and hurting in its post-op boot.

Sweat glided from her brows. Her arms ached from carrying so many bags. She’d since stuck Maisy’s frog in one of them, and if it broke, oh freaking well!

She had no clue what time it was. No doubt, she should have been back at the tender terminal by now. The last tender back to the ship was at two-thirty, and the sun was far off-center in the Caribbean sky.

Evangeline hailed a cab back to the wharf and arrived just in time to see the Sea Sapphire chugging off in the distance, on its way to its next port of call—without her!

“Dammit!”

“Hello. Are you Miss Spencer?” asked an exotically beautiful female port staff member.

“Yes, yes I am! And that’s my ship sailing off without me. Please tell me what I need to do to get back on board?” she begged, dreading the worst-case scenario. She’d have to catch a flight to the next port of call and board the Sea Sapphire there, at her expense.

“Miss! Miss! Not to worry. Don’t cry! Your ship made contact with the port. There is a tug boat whose crew is willing to shuttle you out to meet the ship. Right over there, miss.”

A rusty tug boat bobbed next to the pier. Since beggars couldn’t be choosers, she took the life vest handed to her, climbed aboard and, as the craft charged after the Sea Sapphire, she remembered Liam’s warning:
Don’t be late. The ship’s captain waits for no man. Or woman.