I moistened my lips and walked to the painting hanging on the wall behind him. It was just a picture of his boat with large capital letters spelling THE ROCK beneath it.

“The Rock?” I read, grimacing. “Is that your boat’s name? I hope I’m not supposed to take it literally.”

He laughed, gorgeous dimples forming in his cheeks. “Yeah. But don’t worry. It’d take a lot to sink it. It’s as solid as a rock, which is why it got its name.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Aren’t ships usually named after former conquests?”

“You’re right.” He paused and nodded, faking deep thought. “What if I told you there were no former conquests? No one who ever mattered?”

My heart slammed against the confined space of my ribcage.

Hard to believe.

And yet something in the way he regarded me—calm and serious—made me want to believe every single word.

“I might actually rename her,” Jett continued. “I was thinking ‘Brooke.’ It has a much nicer ring to it than ‘The Rock.”

“Seriously?” I laughed nervously as I watched him move closer, stopping just a few inches away from me.

“Why would I joke about it?”

He was damn serious. I could tell from the way he stared me down with a determined glint in his eyes. My breath caught in my throat. Not because of the way he looked at me—with an intense magnetism that made me want to give him everything I had—nor because he was considering renaming his boat after me. I could barely breathe because I realized nothing had changed. He behaved as if we were still together, as if we never broke up.

As if he meant the last words he’d spoken to me the last time I saw him in New York: I care for you enough to let you go.

Technically, he did let me go —then followed me. So did he care for me? And if he did, was it a good thing? Should I welcome it, let my own feelings develop and see where that might take me?

“It might be a bit too early for renaming a boat after me,” I said slowly.

He turned away, hiding his expression. For a moment, I regretted my words—until I realized I was doing the right thing. Keeping each other at arm’s length. Not too involved.

“What happens when you’re not here? Who takes care of ‘The Rock’?” Acutely aware of the sudden tension emanating from him, I tried to steer the focus away from me.

Jett pointed at the door, ignoring my question and previous statement. “Look, can you wait here while I remove the anchor? I’ll be back in a minute.”

He was going to remove the anchor? Like in, sail away with me onboard?

Holy dang!

I was in big trouble.

Being alone with him on a luxury boat surrounded by sparkling blue water and no living soul in sight was the last thing I wanted, and yet I found myself smiling and saying, “Sure. Take your time.”

What the heck, Stewart?

“Great,” Jett said, his eyes betraying his amusement. “I’ll grab us a drink on the way back.”

He made it all sound so nonchalant, like he was going to get us coffee from the corner café. I knew that blasé tone of his and what it usually preceded. Don’t ever trust a guy with a Southern accent, a lazy smile, and a casual stance, because he’s about to sneak his way into your panties without even trying.

Pissed with myself that I didn’t even think about protesting, I began to look around as I waited for him. The doors were open, and from my seat on the sofa I could peer right into the master cabin. The first thing I noticed was the king-sized bed and the small round rug on the polished oak floor. The sheets were the color of creamy chocolate, smooth and shiny like silk. The picture of me sitting down on the soft bed entered my head. I could see myself surrounded by all those pillows and imagined Jett’s rough hands on my skin, his possessive tongue inside my mouth as we kissed and made love on the silk sheets, my hands tugging at his hair as he moved inside me. My stomach knotted deliciously as a pang of heat shot through me and gathered between my legs. Good thing I shaved my legs and put on my nicest lingerie.

I groaned with irritation.

Why was I even thinking of that? It wasn’t like I wanted to sleep with him. That wasn’t why I came here at all. I was so immersed in my thoughts that I didn’t hear Jett coming in.

“You said you’ve sworn off alcohol, so I brought us iced coffee instead.” He placed a long drink glass with a creamy brownish liquid and a straw in front of me as he held on to his.

I looked up, startled. My face caught fire, partly because I was ashamed of my thoughts, and partly because I knew he knew. It was pretty obvious from the amused glint in his eyes and the way he moistened his lips, flicking the tip of his tongue over them lazily, suggesting all sorts of naughty things. He was torturing me without so much as touching my body.

“I want to show you the lake,” Jett said, “since you might want to live here when you inherit the estate.” He held out his hand and I interlaced my fingers with his. His skin felt warm. Climbing up the stairs, I felt his gaze on my ass and couldn’t help but sway my hips just a little bit more than usual because I wanted to have the same effect on him as he had on me.

We walked up to the deck where we lingered for a few moments, enjoying the stunning view.

“This is where I spend most of my time when I’m here,” Jett said.

“It’s beautiful,” I whispered, realizing my words couldn’t do it justice. Decorated with brown wicker outdoor furniture consisting of one love seat with creamy white cushions and a long coffee table plus a side table, it held enough space to accommodate a whole family. There were three sunbathing areas forward, aft and alongside the steering console of the cockpit.

“Let’s get this baby going,” Jett said. Through the glass partition, I watched him step into the cockpit and then behind the steering console. His long fingers wrapped around the helm as he expertly pushed a few buttons—and there were plenty of those. Everything looked so complicated, and yet Jett seemed as though he had done nothing else his whole life. Obviously he knew what he was doing, which relaxed me.

An instant later the boat came to life and we left the dock, slowly at first, then faster. I slumped onto a lounge chair and peered at the clear blue water around us as we moved farther from the shore and from the people walking up and down the promenade.

Being out here with the waves crashing around the boat and the wind blowing through my hair, I felt a sense of tranquility and happiness. For the first time in my life, I felt alive…and safe. As if the wind and the water could wash away the pain and the disappointments of the past ten years. As if I could leave my past behind and sail into a new future. And the fact that Jett was standing just a few feet away made the whole experience even more profound.

Boats passed as by periodically, and the shore became nothing but a narrow strip of brown in the distance. And then even that disappeared, and my mind drifted off to memories of his deep voice and sinfully sexy eyes.

***

‘The Rock’ slowed down—I could feel the gentle vibrations of the engine. Realizing I must have fallen asleep, I opened my eyes and squinted against the sunlight as I tried to adjust to the glaring brightness. We were far out on the lake, with no people in sight. Surrounded by mountain views, the spot looked quiet and secluded, far away from civilization. The engine whirred and then all became quiet and the boat was floating idly in the water.

Realizing it was just Jett and me now—on water, alone—I sat up and looked at the partition. He wasn’t there. A moment later, I felt his presence behind me. I turned and smiled and he rewarded me with a lazy grin.

“Had a good nap?”

“How do you know?”

He leaned forward and brushed a stray strand of hair out of my face. “Because I know what you look like when you wake up. You have a sexy, carefree look about you, like you’ve been to a different place.”

I felt my cheeks catch fire. “Sexy, huh? I like that. I always thought I looked grumpy. Sexy definitely sounds way better.”

“Even your grumpy looks are sexy.” He reached out to help me up and turned me around, wrapping his arms around me so my back was pressed against his front. I snuggled against his chest and craned my neck to accommodate his exploring lips on my earlobe. My skin felt warm—hot even—and not just from the sun.

“How long have you been driving a boat?” I asked to distract myself from the sudden tension in the air.

“I took my first course six years ago, but my father taught me the basics as a child.”

“That’s nice,” I said, leaning into him so he wouldn’t stop his nibbling. “You sure know what you’re doing.”

“You mean the boat, or this?” His teeth grazed my skin just a little bit harder than was necessary, sending a jolt of pleasure and pain through me. His caress made it hard for me to keep my composure, so I pulled away and stepped aside to put some much-needed distance between us.

“Come on. Let’s go inside.” He grinned and held out his hand. I eyed it carefully, not quite trusting that he wouldn’t just grab me in his arms and do whatever he had been about to do. “I won’t bite—unless you want me to,” Jett said.

“Why? What’s inside?”

“Iced Tea? Water? You must be dehydrated.” And I was. But I still didn’t trust the dangerous glint in his eyes. “Besides, it’s cooler inside.”

“No funny business.” I said.

“You know me.”

Hell yeah, I did. “Which is exactly why I don’t trust you when we’re alone.” He smiled that panty-dropping smile of his that always made me want to rip the clothes off his glorious body and wrap myself around him. Was there pride in his eyes? I groaned, irritated with myself for inflating his over-inflated ego some more. “I didn’t mean it like a compliment. It’s not like you’re a sex god or anything.”

“Why thanks, baby. I’d love to prove my worth.”

Oh gosh. Why couldn’t I just keep my big mouth shut?

A lazy grin lit up his face and my brain switched off for a second. Annoyed, I rolled my eyes and took off across the deck and down the stairs to the master saloon, confident that he’d follow behind.

I sat down on the couch and watched him pour us two glasses of bottled water from the fridge.

“Thanks,” I said as he passed me a glass and sat down opposite from me. I took a few sips and placed the glass in front of me on the table, all too aware of his intense gaze.

Through the windows I could see the sparkling water, and the soft movement eased my tension, but not enough to make me feel less nervous around him.

“I don’t know anyone who owns a boat, let alone can navigate one,” I admitted. “I think it’s pretty amazing. Is there anything else you’ve been keeping from me?”

He inclined his head. “I’m not particularly good at flying. My brother’s way better than me, which annoyed my father to no end. They’re both highly competitive, challenging me to beat them at whatever it was that caught their attention. But it was always the not particularly risky stuff. You know, flying, gambling, hunting, sky diving… you name it. I was more interested in other stuff.”