Absolute Trust - Jeana E. Mann Page 0,73

scan the shore. All I see are the tall, jagged cliffs of the Santorini coastline, blazing white stucco buildings with blue roofs, and an endless stretch of Aegean Sea. Beneath my feet, the yacht rocks gently. After a year of sailing, I’ve finally gotten my sea legs. And a killer tan, I might add.

Cash is sitting in a deck chair, his bare legs stretched out in front of him, an iPad in his hands. He glances up at me and smiles indulgently. “Will you sit down? You’re getting on my nerves.”

“They should be here by now.” I ignore his request and continue staring toward the horizon. Emeline and Gage are coming to visit. I haven’t seen them in almost a month. Although I enjoy Cash’s company, I’m dying for new blood.

He lowers his sunglasses and cocks an eyebrow. The wind ruffles his hair, a little longer than before, curling slightly on the ends. He rubs a hand over his bare chest. Daily swims and hikes around the islands have kept his body fit. For an instant, I forget about everything but him. One corner of his mouth curls into a cocky smirk. “I know that look.”

A blush heats my face. “No, you don’t.” We’ve been together on this boat, sailing around the world, and I want him as much today as I wanted him the first time. In fact, the longer we’re together, the more I crave of him.

He dumps Lucy out of his lap, stands, and joins me at the railing. The warm wind whips my hair across my face. He brushes it back behind my ears. “I bet we’ve got time for a quickie.”

“We just had sex an hour ago. Don’t you ever get tired?”

“I’ll never get enough of this body.” To prove his point, he grabs my bottom with both hands and presses my hips into his erection.

“Cash.”

“Jagger.” His brown eyes sparkle with wicked intent.

I cup his face in my palms, drinking in the sight of him. After all that we’ve been through, I’ll never take him for granted. “Do you miss it? Your old life, I mean?”

We seldom talk about the old days. Our lives center around this yacht, exploring the world, and each other. Sometimes I catch him staring toward the horizon, his gaze dreamy and soft, and I wonder if he’s missing the things he gave up. As far as the world is concerned, Cash Delacorte died in an FBI raid gone bad. The two teeth found in the rubble of the explosion were enough to have him declared dead and the charges against him were dropped. The feds never found one shred of evidence to tie him to any of the crimes. Their failure to bring an indictment is documented in history as an embarrassment to law enforcement.

Cash’s teeth are the only human remains found at the warehouse. Chances are good that Athena survived the explosion, and she’s out there—somewhere. I don’t think she’ll bother us, though. Cash will make sure of it.

And me? Along with Gage, I inherited half of Cash’s estate. The legitimate businesses, the houses, the cars, the money, and the diamonds. In fact, I own this yacht. Emeline is our accountant. She lives with Gage at the Geist Lake mansion. Life is pretty much perfect.

“Nah. I don’t miss nothing.” Cash traces the line of my nose and taps the tip.

I lift on my toes for a kiss. His tongue dives into my mouth. My heart races, the same way it did the first time he kissed me at Mercer’s gallery. The way it races every time he touches me. In the distance, I hear the drone of a speed boat engine and pull away. “That’s them. They’re coming.”

In unison, we turn to face the approaching boat. I raise a hand and wave. Em waves back. Her hair is flying in the wind. Gage has an arm around her waist and his opposite hand on the steering wheel. They’re smiling and happy. My heart skips a beat. I don’t think I’ve ever been this excited. Tomorrow, Callie and Nicky are sailing here to join us. Mr. Mercer is asleep in his cabin below. I need to go wake him up so he can join the fun.

“Happy?” Cash pulls me into his side for one last kiss.

“Like crazy,” I reply, and take a breath to prepare myself for what comes next.

Epilogue

JAGGER

Cash’s voice speaks into the earpiece in my ear. “Up the stairs. Second door on your right. It should be unlocked.”

“Got