Say My Name (Stark International Trilogy 1)

I nod, feeling a bit guilty for my own secrets. I’d told him in the car that I hadn’t slept with any guy since him. And that’s technically true. But I have slept with Cass. One stupid, drunken time after I got back, and we both knew it was a mistake right away. And though I feel like I should tell him, I don’t want to put any sort of weird vibes between my best friend and my boyfriend, because no matter what else, right now, they are the two most important people in my life.

So I only nod. “It’s okay,” I say. “I understand mistakes.”

“She’s still a friend,” he continues. “She and Ronnie mean the world to me.”

“Ronnie?”

He strokes his finger over the little girl’s image. “Her daughter.”

“She’s pretty darling.”

“She’s a great kid.” He cocks his head and looks at me, just looks for so long that I start to feel a little bit antsy.

“What?”

“Nothing. I’m just glad you’re here.” He pulls me close and kisses me. “Someday I want you to meet both of them,” he adds, as he hangs the photograph back on the wall. “At any rate, you’re about Megan’s size. I think there are some clothes in the other bedroom you can wear on the island.”

He leads me back across the corridor into the closed bedroom. It’s similar to his, only smaller. “This is her room?”

“This is a guest room,” he says firmly. “She’s often a guest.”

“Right. Sorry. I’m still slightly green.”

He laughs. “I think I like that you’re jealous. Just not too much.”

“Fair enough,” I say as he pulls open a drawer and takes out a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt.

“There are some jeans, too, if you’d prefer.”

I check the size on pants and hold them up to myself. “No, I think these are okay. What about shoes?”

That turns out not to be a problem, either, as Megan has left both flip-flops and canvas skids in the closet. They’re a tiny bit too big, but not enough that it’ll be a problem. “I guess I’m all set,” I say.

“Good. Because all I want to do right now is get the boat out of the marina, put her on autopilot, and make love to you on the deck.”

“Well,” I say, delighted. “I really can’t argue with that.”

I follow him back onto the deck, then watch, feeling slightly useless, as he unties the ropes holding the boat in the slip, then carefully maneuvers her out of the marina.

When we’re in the open water, he offers the captain’s chair to me.

“Seriously?”

“It’s just like driving a car,” he says, and though that’s not entirely accurate, it’s close enough. For that matter, it’s a little bit easier, because I only have to go forward. Staying within the lines really isn’t an issue.

He stands behind me, his hands on my shoulders, his lips brushing my hair as I maneuver the yacht and try to focus on what I’m doing. “You know you’re distracting me, right?”

“And yet I’m unconcerned about collisions.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Why was Megan mad? At the screening, I mean.”

His hands halt. “Because I’d done a stupid thing.”

I tilt my head so that I can see him. “And have you fixed it?”

“Yes,” he says. “I think I have.”

He doesn’t elaborate, and I don’t press. Instead, I let him put the boat on autopilot, then take me to the other side of the top deck with the huge mattress and low tables for snacks and drinks.

“Sunset’s soon,” he says. “I’ll go get some wine.”

I watch him descend, feeling the sun beat down on me. The air is cool, but the way the boat is constructed puts this deck in a small depression so that I’m not chilled by the rush of the wind as the boat moves across the water.

Still, Jackson’s well prepared, because I find both blankets and pillows in a small wooden chest, and I pull them out and lay them over the mattress, making a small nest for us to snuggle down in.

And then, because I’m feeling just a bit wild and I want him to know it, I peel off the dress and slide under one of the blankets.

“Well, now. This is very interesting.” He’s returned with the wine, and is looking at me with the kind of heat that makes me very glad I’ve already abandoned my pesky clothes. His eyes flick up to where I’ve left the dress draped over a chair, and then back down to where I am propped up against some pillows, the blanket pulled just high enough to cover my breasts. “Very interesting indeed.”