The Billionaire's Masquerade Page 0,55

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