don’t think he’d be here if it wasn’t okay, but I won’t betray his trust by sharing what I’ve heard while traveling with him.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to,” I said sincerely. “I’m just worried about him, and I know Dane is too. He wasn’t sure Jefferson was coming or that he was bringing you. I’m thrilled you’re here, obviously, but it does seem strange that you left only a day after we did and that he brought you and not one of his regular assistants or even a doctor.”
“I’ve worked for Mr. Killen before,” she explained, pausing to look around again. “When he was first diagnosed, I had to go to his house sometimes to take or fetch paperwork or type stuff up for him. Since I already know about his condition, I think he thought it would be easier to bring me than someone who doesn’t know.”
She raked her hands through her hair. “His main assistant is good at holding down the fort at the office. She needs the people directly underneath her to help, and the others don’t know about his health. Which leaves me. As for traveling with a doctor, I don’t think he’s quite there yet.”
“I understand why you won’t betray his confidence, but he’s okay, right?”
Katie smiled before lying down again. “He wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t. I think I’m going to close my eyes for a few minutes. Last night went quite late and Mr. Killen had me out of bed before dawn. You’ll wake me up if they need us, right?”
“Of course.” I reclined again, marveling at the color of the sea and the coastline now visible in the distance while trying to push my worries aside.
A little while later, Dane came to find me. He glanced at Katie, keeping his voice low when he realized she was asleep. “You look like you’re adjusting well to the billionaire lifestyle. Am I going to have to buy you a yacht after this?”
“Nah, I think I’ll buy my own,” I joked. “You can buy yourself one and we can have races. It’ll be fun.”
“You’re talking about bathtub-sized yachts, aren’t you?” He grinned, holding out a hand to me. Dane might’ve been kidding about me adjusting well to the billionaire lifestyle, but in his tan shorts and light blue shirt, he looked like he belonged on this deck.
I took his hand, letting him pull me up. “Even with the money from this gig, I think a bath toy is still the closest I’ll come to being able to afford a yacht. Where are we going?”
He lowered his sunglasses to the tip of his nose, making a show of checking me out in my bikini. “You look so damn sexy in your swimsuit, I figured it would be a waste not to get it wet.”
“You want to go swimming?” I asked, excitement taking hold of my heart and making it beat faster. “I didn’t know that would be an option today.”
“It’s an option if you want it to be one,” he said, nodding toward the back of the boat. “Jefferson’s gone to lie down and it looks like Katie’s out for the count. The captain’s going to stop in a couple of minutes so we can jump overboard.”
“I never thought I’d say this, but jumping overboard sounds like the best idea you’ve had all day.” I let go of his hand when we started walking away from the sun deck, but we were still so close together that our arms brushed occasionally.
Every touch of his skin on mine sent sparks through me. It was like every one of my nerve endings were supremely aware of him and what he could do to my body. He’d done a fair amount in the car on the way over here. Even so, I still hadn’t had nearly enough of him.
When we reached the deck we’d be going into the water from, my mouth dried up when he pulled off his sunglasses and his shirt. If I’d thought he was hot back in high school, I’d had no idea how much better he would get with age.
He grinned when he saw me checking him out, reaching for me and planting his big hands on my hips. “Have you ever fooled around in the water off the coast of France?”
“I can’t say I have.” I pushed myself up on my toes and brushed a soft kiss to the sensitive skin underneath his ear. “I’ve just added it as a must-do on