I woke up to sunlight and the scent of ocean mist from an open window in the cabin. My head was foggy from the medicine I’d taken the night before as well as the time change, but I didn’t detect any sea sickness.
Sitting up, I nestled myself against the pillows at my back and dragged the covers up to my chest. Hadrian had put me to bed naked, and I’d woken up that way. His side of the bed was empty, and I wondered how long he’d been awake.
Embarrassment washed through my cheeks when I remembered the previous evening. Our dinner had been a series of questions that was clearly the beginning of something intimate. Hadrian’s assessment of me, and the fact that he was so in tune with me, made me wary. He’d used our time in the shower to remain close while he continued his attempts to battle through my armor.
The more I endeavored to dance out of his verbal embrace, the more he was determined to twirl me back into his arms.
Was I just a challenge to him? Though I’d admitted easily our physical attraction and he appreciated that level of honesty, he still demanded more.
How was I supposed to keep my wits about me when the man had taken care of me after I’d gotten seasick?
I brought a pillow to my face and moaned into it, thinking about Hadrian seeing me when I hadn’t been at my best.
Some courtesan I turned out to be.
His words came back to plague me; he’d said numerous times that I didn’t have what it took to be a Rex girl.
I wasn’t sure he was wrong.
What would my life look like in six months when my contract with Hadrian was over? I would be a million dollars richer, but I’d have to go back to work at The Rex for at least a year to fulfill my end of the bargain for a new identity. Would Gen count my time with Hadrian? Or was this all off the books and something entirely different?
Not wanting to drown in thoughts of the future, I turned my attention to the present.
There wasn’t a clock in the bedroom, and I wondered about the time. Though the sun was aloft, I had no idea the true hour. All I knew was that I hadn’t gotten to fully enjoy my lobster from the previous evening, and I was hungry.
I flung off the covers and climbed out of bed, shivering in the cool air. A pair of blue silk pajamas had been left on the chair by the bed and I grabbed them and threw them on. Slippers lined with soft fleecy wool were at the foot of the bed.
I’d gone to sleep with a wet head and when I looked in the bathroom mirror, I nearly gasped. I was a hot mess. I brushed my teeth and tried to get my appearance under control and then went in search of food and Hadrian.
I went back upstairs to the salon and found the table laden with fresh fruit, chocolate croissants, and yogurt. Three glass canisters full of different fruit juices rested on a bar at the center of the room toward the bow.
I grabbed a chocolate croissant and wondered about coffee when one of the crew members, dressed in khaki trousers and a white button down, entered the dining room from below. His face was angular; he was young and muscular, and his dark hair was combed off his forehead.
“Good morning, Ms. Smith,” he greeted, his Scottish accent thick. He set a tray of lox down on the table.
“Er, good morning,” I greeted, feeling awkward that I was still in my pajamas.
“Can I get you something to drink?” he asked. “American coffee? Espresso? Something else you may enjoy?”
“I’d love a cappuccino,” I said. “Please.”
He bowed slightly which had me frowning in confusion.
“Mr. Rhys is on deck. You’re welcome to join him if you like. I’ll bring you your cappuccino.”
“Thank you, ah…”
“Angus, ma’am,” he supplied.
“Thank you, Angus.”
I saw Hadrian through the large sliding glass door, sitting at a table on deck, his head bent over his plate as he took a bite. He was dressed in a thick wool charcoal gray sweater and a pair of dark trousers.
Before venturing out to meet him, I took a moment to study the view of the ocean. Waves crashed against the beach with craggy mountains in the distance.
When I opened the door to the deck, Hadrian turned his head and