Love Overboard - By Janet Evanovich Page 0,27
mysterious and a little spooky. He stood in front of her with his thumbs stuck in his jeans pockets. “Can’t sleep?”
“Didn’t want to.”
“Making the most of your last night on board?”
“Something like that.” The truth was, she was restless. She’d wanted to have a shipboard romance and had only succeeded in making a spectacle of herself. So she’d come topside to sit in the rain and lick her wounds and feel sorry for herself. In the process she was thinking a few nasty thoughts about Ivan Rasmussen.
“I had a call from Lucy this evening. She said she’ll be sailing with me on Monday.”
Stephanie looked at him. There was laughter behind his gray eyes—and something else. He was holding something back. “And?”
“And she didn’t get married.”
“What?” Stephanie jumped to her feet. “What do you mean, she didn’t get married? She’s still engaged? What happened?”
“I guess they had a big fight, and Lucy told him what he could do with his plumbing.”
“Oh, man. How could she do this to me? Is he going to fix my toilet?”
Ivan’s mouth curved. “I don’t know. Didn’t sound to me as though they parted friends.”
“I did this for nothing! I suffered through this whole dumb week for nothing!”
The smile faded from Ivan’s lips, he grabbed her by the arms, and he pulled her to him. “I wouldn’t say you did it for nothing.”
Oh, great. Now he was going to deliver some little speech about ships passing in the night, she thought bitterly. He was going to give her one of those kisses that left her babbling nonsense, then he was going to say it was swell. Maybe she should introduce him to Steve. “Hmmm,” she said. It was all she could manage, and even to her ears it sounded grim.
“Are you mad about something?” Of course she’s mad, he thought. In her eyes, he’d rejected her, insulted her, and embarrassed her. And for the past three days he’d kept his distance, waiting for her to calm down, but it seemed as if she’d grown more furious with each passing day.
“No. Jeez, what would I be mad about? I propositioned you and was immediately rejected. But, hey, who’s holding a grudge? All that talk about pirates ravishing pretty girls, then nothing. Nothing!” She spun away from him and stomped over to the rail. “I can’t imagine why you think I’m mad.”
“Maybe it’s the way you’re shouting and waving your arms.”
“I’m not shouting.”
Stephanie felt the shove of hands at her back and then she was flying through space and plunging feetfirst into the ocean. She bobbed to the surface sputtering expletives.
Ivan dropped a life preserver beside her. “Are you okay?”
“Do I look okay? I’m in the water. I’m drowning.”
He dropped a rope ladder over the side and plunged into the water beside her. “Grab hold of the ladder and pull yourself up before you get dragged under by the weight of your clothes.”
“Get away from me, you maniac. You tried to kill me.”
“Listen, lady, I’m in freezing cold water, fully clothed, and I’m trying to rescue you. Now get up the stupid ladder.”
Stephanie labored up the ladder and staggered onto the deck. “You pushed me! I should have you arrested for attempted manslaughter.”
“I didn’t push you. What’s this thing you have about being pushed anyway? Someone pushed you down the hill and someone pushed you into the water. You know what I think? I think you’re a fruitcake.”
“You take one step closer, and I’m going to scream,” she said to Ivan.
Ivan kicked off his shoes and wrung out his woolen shirt. “Now you’re resorting to screaming? Don’t you want to kick me in the groin? Maybe break a few bones?”
“Now that you mention it, maybe I do.”
“Okay, come on.”
Stephanie rolled her eyes.
Ivan grinned at her. “I’m waiting.”
“This is ridiculous.”
He stalked her around the forward deck-house. He curled his finger at her. “Come here, Stephanie.”
“Forget it. I’m not going to wrestle with you.” More games, she thought. They’d roll around together until she was all bothered, then he’d probably pitch her back into the ocean to cool off. No thanks.
She turned on her heel and squished down the ladder to the galley. A single lantern cast a soft circle of light over the cabin. The fire in the stove was almost out. Stephanie stoked it to life and added several logs.
Ivan followed her down the stairs, looking over at Ace’s bunk. “Doesn’t he ever sleep in his own bed?”
“I think he’s made up with Melody.”
“They deserve each other.”
Stephanie stepped