NautiCal (Forever Wilde 8)

Maybe it was because of the inauspicious beginnings of our relationship, but I really didn’t know which parts of his story were real and which were fake.

Did I think he was using me to fund the purchase of a business? Not at all. But did I think he was the kind of focused, mature partner I’d always envisioned myself with? Also not at all.

He was young and carefree, unsure of his future and seemingly not all that bothered by it. I didn’t usually have much time for people without ambition, and he seemed to be floating around without purpose right now.

But Prescott was wrong about one thing. I didn’t need to protect myself from Cal because I didn’t have any intention of pursing anything more than what we’d already agreed to. A week in the sun and sheets.

It was all I needed right now which was good, since it was all Cal seemed capable of giving anyway.

17

Cal

I snorkeled with the ladies for over an hour before finally heading back to the ship for something cold to drink. Once we were all back on board, Freya and Vin unmoored us and pointed us in the direction of Peter Island.

It was strange not being the one in charge of the boat. I didn’t prefer being a passive passenger, but I knew if I bothered them too much, the crew would soon get annoyed with me. They had jobs to do, and they didn’t need someone always jumping in to do it for them.

As we got underway, I climbed up to the top deck in search of Worth. Nat and Lucas were teaching him how to play Liar’s Dice, and the three of them were laughing after calling Lucas’s bluff.

“Hey,” Worth said, holding out his arms to me. “Come join us. You can be my competitive advantage.”

I sat next to him and leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek. He smelled like coconut sunscreen and rum. “God, you smell delicious,” I murmured against his warm skin.

He turned to kiss me full on the mouth, sliding his fingers into my hair to hold the back of my head so I couldn’t pull away. After a deep, exploring kiss, he pulled back and met my eyes. “Missed you while you were gone.”

My heart did one of those crazy-ass backflips that cheerleaders do. Fuck, fuck. I wanted him so badly, and not just for this week. And not just for sex. I wanted him to be my Lior.

This was going to end terribly.

“Oh,” I said stupidly.

Nat chuckled. “C’mon. Stop the make-out sesh and join us.”

I swallowed and faked a smile. “Yeah. Hell yeah. Let’s do this.”

We lost three games in a row because I couldn’t stop feeling every single degree of heat coming off Worth’s body. I couldn’t stop hearing every indrawn breath and smelling the sea air on his skin. But most of all, I couldn’t stop wondering what if and then quickly following it up with the worst kind of self-talk I’d ever experienced.

He doesn’t want you that way.

His friends would laugh at him for dating someone like you.

He thinks you’re a child.

He deserves better.

He lives in Chicago.

He’s a workaholic.

He’s never for one minute implied he’d be interested in more.

I kept my chin up through all of it and kept lying. It was one thing I was good at.

Thankfully, we ended up going straight to Deadman’s Bay where we were able to rent a Hobie Cat. I wished they’d had one with a spinnaker kit so we could really have some fun, but since Lucas was new to small-boat sailing, we’d stick to the basics. When I recognized one of the guys who handled the rentals, we were able to get permission to take it farther out than the tourists could.

Worth, Lucas, and I were the first group to take it out, and I let Worth sail us slowly out of the busy bay while I explained everything to Lucas. By the time we passed the farthest mooring ball, Lucas had gotten the basics and was pretty well-versed on the “ready about” and “hard alee” warnings. All it would take was a good knock to the head with the boom to be reminded of them if he forgot.

The little lapping sounds of the water on the hull were as familiar to me as the cicadas on the ranch, and I leaned back and ran my hands through it.

“Ready to have some fun?” I asked Worth with a wink. There’d be plenty of wind once we got out from the protected area of the cove, and I wanted to show off what this little play boat could do.

Worth’s eyes lit up, and he gestured for me to switch places with him so I could take the tiller and main sheet.

“Hold on to something,” I warned them before finding the wind and tightening the sheet. The thwacking sound of the wind suddenly filling the tight sail lit me up inside, and I closed my eyes for a second to settle.