The Billionaire's Masquerade (The Friendship Series) (17 page)

He chuckled at her derogatory description. “The smaller sailboat is fine for the harbor, but we’re going out to the ocean. We need the larger ship for this.”

Her mouth dropped open when he said that. “Ship?” she whispered.

He shrugged. “Well, it’s a bit bigger,” he explained.

“How much bigger?” Her eyes moved to a place behind him and she instantly shook her head. “No. Please tell me that’s not your boat,” she begged.

He caught the tears that sprang to her eyes and he felt horrible that she didn’t like it. He loved sailing and was out on the water as often as possible. And he definitely wanted to share this experience with her. “It’s sea-worthy,” he promised her. “And I think you’ll like it once you give it a try. It’s much more comfortable than the small sailboat.”

The size wasn’t really the issue. It was the same as his ginormous penthouse and those stuffy limousines along with all the staff that were representative of his wealth. “But it’s too big.” She tugged at her hand, trying to break free so she didn’t have to confront one more example of how wealthy he was. Not only did it intimidate her, it reminded her of all the lies and how humiliated she’d felt when she’d discovered who he was.

“It isn’t too big. Will you trust me?”

“No.” She was being petulant and couldn’t stop herself. Nor did she care. She was too tired anyway to have the energy to be fair about his sailboat.

He laughed outright this time. “You’re going to have to,” he countered. “You need to relax and there’s nothing better than enjoying the afternoon sunshine on the deck of a sailboat.”

“A hammock,” she argued. “I could just relax in a hammock.”

“I don’t have a hammock,” he told her, leading her gently but relentlessly down the gangway without letting her go.

She tried to pry her hands away but he wasn’t allowing it. “I’m not getting on that boat, Emerson.”

“Call me Jack. Everyone here calls me Jack.”

She shook her head, refusing to play that same game again. “But you’re Emerson to me now.”

By the time she’d said the words, they were at the deck of the sailboat. “How about a drink?” he asked her.

“I don’t want anything else to drink,” she said with irritation. There were people on the docks that were already casting off, throwing the ropes onto the boat and she gripped the railing behind her. “I want to go home.” She probably sounded peevish, but she was too tired and irritated to care.

He laughed and chucked her teasingly under the chin. “You’re cute when you’re at your wit’s end, love.” He pulled her into his arms and hugged her, kissing her neck and causing shivers to shoot out in every direction. “Why don’t you go relax while we cast off?”

“We?” she asked, worried as she looked around. There were about four staff members in white uniforms that were hurrying about, pulling in ropes and neatly tying them up before they were tucked away.

She had no idea what to do since the only other time she’d been on a sailboat was when she’d gone out with Emerson the first time. So while he walked away and started cranking different winches to hoist the sails. She stood back and stared at all of it, admiring the strength in his arms and shoulders and his skill at sailing. No one needed to tell anyone what to do. Everyone seemed to have a job and they seemed to just do it instinctively.

So instead of getting in the way, she stepped off of the main pathway and curled up on one of the huge cushions at the front, letting the wind whip her hair about, wrapping her arms around her legs to ward off the cooler temperatures of the open harbor.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t keep her eyes off of him. Emerson wasn’t beautiful in the traditional sense. But he had that hard physique that was almost musical as he moved about. Every step was efficient, calculated. His eyes knew where to look and his hands and feet carried him about the ship as if he were born here. She could tell that he loved sailing when they left the Portland harbor and he released the main sail which quickly billowed out with the wind. The smile on his face and the satisfaction that transformed the tension in his shoulders to relaxation proved that he was at home here on the water, on this boat.

He’d been very competent on the smaller sailboat too. Why had he done that? Why hadn’t he just taken her out on this boat? Why had he created such an elaborate ruse?

For better or worse, the heavy food, the potent beer plus the sunshine and the rhythmic swaying of the boat over the ocean currents caused her fatigue to quickly catch up with her. When the engines cut off, the sails took over and she swayed to the gentle rocking of the boat as it cut through the water, skimming the surface. The farther out to sea they went, the higher the waves. None were dangerous, but they definitely created a soothing, swaying sensation that lulled the tension out of her body. Before she knew what was happening, she was lying on the large, flat cushions, her eyes were closing and, a moment later, she was sound asleep.

Emerson watched her for a long time while the others worked around him. He enjoyed her peaceful expression, remembered watching her in her sleep over a month ago. He missed her. Painfully. But he knew he would do it all over again. She’d had to know that she wasn’t cut out for the life on Wall Street. And now he knew he could show her that there were ways to be just as successful off of Wall Street. That’s what the next week would be about, if he could keep her from running away from him. A big “if” in his mind.

Chapter 6

Rachel woke up and looked around, startled to find the sunshine warm on her cheek. It was an amazingly gorgeous day and she stretched, feeling better than she had in weeks. Her feet didn’t ache from long hours in painfully high heeled shoes, she wasn’t starving or hyped up on caffeine from multiple cups of coffee. But the best part, she didn’t feel like her eyes were filled with sandpaper from fatigue.

She rolled onto her side, staring out at the horizon. Maine had some pretty gorgeous weather, but it wasn’t always this bright and sunny. She could see for miles.

Her eyes looked down, hoping to see a harbor seal but what caught her eye simply wasn’t possible. She focused once again, thinking that her eyes were more tired than she’d thought. And when she blinked and looked again, she couldn’t help the scream that came out of her. She was already screaming before her mind told her to scream and she jumped up on the cushions, not sure what to do.

Emerson heard the scream and was instantly on his feet, racing towards the front of the boat where Rachel had fallen asleep. He and his crew had been at the back of the sailboat playing cards, joking around and generally just relaxing until she woke up. He’d wanted her to sleep for as long as possible, knowing that she needed the rest.

He was leaping over deck chairs and pulleys, determined to get to her as fast as possible. When he found her on top of the cushions, right where he’d left her, the blanket pooled around her feet, he jumped up and grabbed her into his arms. He heard the rest of the crew scrambling to catch up to him, but he didn’t pay any attention to them, needing to hold her and find out what was wrong.

“Rachel, I’m here. Just tell me what’s going on, honey. What’s wrong?”

Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck and held on for dear life, not sure she hadn’t been dreaming the monster on the side of the boat. “There’s something over there,” she said. “It’s huge. And it looks…” She shook her head, burying her face in his warm neck. “It’s just not right!” she hiccupped.

Emerson nodded to one of his crew members, indicating that he should investigate. But as soon as the guy came back with a smile on his face, Emerson relaxed, knowing that everything was okay.

“It’s a sunfish,” the guy explained. “A big one, and it looks like it’s been hurt a few times.” The guy shook his head, trying to hide his amusement. “I can understand why that would be a bit frightening.”

Emerson kept his arm around her back, holding her close to him while he too tried to contain his amusement. “Rachel, I’m sorry, honey. A sunfish is pretty big and it looks scary, but it won’t hurt you.”

She pulled back and looked up at him, still shaking as she tried to assimilate his words. “A sunfish?”

He nodded his head, his hand against her shoulder so she would still feel secure. “They’re big and not very pretty. What makes them look even funnier is they are so slow and like to sun themselves on the surface so boats hit them, scraping them up. Their normally terrifying profiles are made worse by the scrapes and deformities caused by unobservant boaters.”

She laid her forehead down on his shoulder, wishing she hadn’t been so crazy about her reaction. “So I made a fool of myself again,” she sighed, wishing she could just hide somewhere.

He laughed – a deep, husky sound that made her feel intensely better for some reason. “Not a fool, honey. Just a normal reaction to something unknown. The first time I saw one, I had almost the same reaction.”

She looked up at him, her eyes telling him that she didn’t believe him for a moment. “It’s true,” he asserted. “I might not have been as vocal, but they’re not the most handsome creatures found at sea.”

She still didn’t believe him, but it made her feel better that he was trying to soothe her pride. “I guess I overreacted a bit.”

dpgroup ;)

He hugged her close. “Not at all. And I’m glad you slept for so long.”

“What time is it?” she asked, feeling warm and comfortable in his arms, she didn’t want to pull away. She knew she should, but something wouldn’t let her.

“It’s almost five o’clock,” he replied.

With a sigh of resignation, she pulled out of his arms, relieved that he allowed her the space. “Shouldn’t we be getting back? I need to find a hotel room if we’re staying here for very long.”

Emerson glared down at her, his arms crossed over his chest. “There’s no way you’re staying in a hotel, Rachel. Just get it out of your mind.”

She almost laughed out loud, feeling good that she’d finally gotten to him. All those soft, warm feelings she’d had a moment ago about him were now gone and she was firmly back in control of herself. “Emerson, there’s no way I’m staying at your place.”

“You’ve been living with me for the past four weeks. What’s different now?”

She threw her hands up in the air, exasperated. “Everything is different!” she said as if that were obvious. “We’re not going to be a couple,” she stated firmly. “I don’t trust you and I don’t even know who you are. So no, I’m not staying at your place. I don’t care if you have a bazillion guest rooms, I’m staying at a hotel.”

He bent down lower to emphasize his point. “You’re not staying in a hotel, Rachel. You’ll be staying at my place. Preferably in my bed but otherwise, in my house, in one of my other beds and I will take care of you.”

“I can take care of myself!” she snapped back at him.

“Really? Like you’ve been doing for the past month?”

“That was different!”

“There’s no difference!” He didn’t yell, but his voice was menacing, unequivocal.

She couldn’t believe what he was saying. “First of all, I stayed at your place in New York because I didn’t have the time to find any other place to live. And secondly, I still have no idea what we’re doing here except sleeping and making our way through all the local restaurants, eating whatever you think I need to try next. So this doesn’t seem like a business situation so therefore, I’m getting a hotel room.”

She thought he would come back with something else, but he was silent. She glared up at him, trying to anticipate his next move. But he just smiled enigmatically.

“Say something,” she growled, irritated beyond words now.

“We’ll see,” was all he said.

With that, he turned around and headed to the crew members who had all shifted to the back of the boat. Within moments, everyone was once again moving about the decks efficiently. The sails were hoisted, the anchor lifted and the boat was cutting through the water, back towards the shoreline.

Rachel grumbled as she sat there, trying to keep her eyes off of Emerson, but she had to remind herself several times not to watch him. In the end, she gave up trying and leaned back onto one of the cushions and allowed her eyes to drink in all of him while she mentally developed a way to slip out of his house tonight.

Back in the harbor, the crew speedily worked to get the boat packed and the sails stored, locking up the gear while Emerson took Rachel’s hand and led her back to the Jeep. “What would you like for dinner?” he asked.

She stood beside the Jeep, biting her lower lip. “I’m going to catch a cab and find a hotel. I’ll grab something for dinner on my own and I’ll meet you in the morning to work.” She even started to turn away, got several feet towards the exit before she felt his arm wrap around her. He lifted her into his arms and carried her right back to the Jeep. Pressing her back against the Jeep, he shifted so their bodies were plastered together.

Rachel gasped, her hips instantly remembering what it was like to be in this position, wanting more. “Let me go,” she whispered, trying to sound firm but knew that it was more of a whimper.

“I can’t,” he came right back and covered her mouth with his. He was relentless, possessing her mouth, demanding a response. And she was too weak to deny him. She couldn’t stop the throbbing that instantly started up in her body, low in her stomach. Nor could she stop her legs from wrapping around his waist, pressing her softness more firmly against him and moaning with the impact.

When she couldn’t resist him, when he felt her body soften against his, he lifted his head and looked down at her. “You’re mine,” he told her angrily.

She inhaled, trying to get oxygen to her starving lungs, but she didn’t have a response. So when he opened the Jeep’s door with his hand and plunked her down into the passenger seat, she couldn’t move for a long moment, still too stunned by how much she wanted him to continue.

By the time she’d gotten her mind into even partial working order, he was already driving down the street, crossing over the curving bridge from Portland to Cape Elizabeth. Again, the commuter traffic was so different from what she was used to, it took her several minutes to realize that the people in the vehicles surrounding them were people rushing home to their families from work.