The door opens and Costi steps inside. “My apologies if I made you uncomfortable at dinner.”
I rise, marching over to where he stands in the center of the room, and slam a fist to his chest. “Will you stop with all the formalities? This isn’t you.”
He steps back, staring at the spot I just hit him. “Excuse me.”
“I know you, Costi. My apologies,” I mock him.
“Tonight, you’ll be sleeping in my bed with me. Get your things.”
“What?” I whisper.
But he’s already gone, and I can only stare at the slammed door.
Once the shock wears off, I gather a few things I’ll need and change out of my gown and into a t-shirt and sweats.
Sleep with him? Why now?
I’ve been on this boat for days and have always slept in this room. It must be another power move, and it’s one I don’t want to lose.
I leave my cabin and make my way to Costi’s quarters. To annoy him, I knock extra hard on his door. And I keep knocking until I’m banging.
“Yoo-hoo,” I call out. “Anybody home?”
He’s shirtless when he opens the door. I have a hard time focusing on anything else but the dips and grooves of the muscles before me.
Am I drooling?
I step back, trying to gain my bearings as the boat rocks slightly.
“Come in,” he says, stepping aside with a smirk on his face.
His skin is golden from the sun and his body looks like he spends hours in a gym. However, I know better. Each muscle is from commanding this ship. He’s probably never even stepped foot inside a gym.
It makes him much more appealing.
I can’t stop staring as Costi moves throughout the room, turning to put his rippling back muscles on display for me.
It’s inviting, and I wonder how on earth I’ll manage sleeping in the same bed with him.
“Why do I have to sleep here?” I ask.
“A few of my men are questionable. It’s best if you’re close to me, so I can keep my eye on you.”
At the mention of his men, I shiver. Does he think they might touch me, or worse, have their way with me?
I move closer to the king-sized bed with blue and gold sheets. “And I can trust you?” I’m not sure why I asked. There was a time in my life when Costi was the only person I trusted more than myself.
I slide under the golden comforter, even though I’m not tired at all. I think just knowing Costi will be in the same bed as me has my nerve endings on high alert. I can barely breathe as he lies down next to me.
“Do you remember the time we slept under the stars when we were twelve?”
As if I could forget. Late one night, Esmerelda went to check on her son and discovered he was missing. In a panic, she called Dad’s guards to search the grounds of her house. They found us sleeping beneath the stars, sharing a sleeping bag.
“Yes. I thought your mother was going to kill us when she found us in the middle of the night.”
Costi chuckles, turning his body to face me.
We lie, not touching, but our faces perfectly close to one another.
“I think the only reason I didn’t get into too much trouble was because you were there with me,” Costi says.
“You call getting grounded for a month not much trouble?”
He shifts his body an inch closer. “I thought for sure my mother would beat my ass.”
“I thought she was going to beat mine too.”
“I’d never let her touch you,” he breathes out.
“But you’ll kidnap me?”
Costi flops onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. “Yeah, well, things change.” He moves and turns off the light, leaving me in darkness.
With a tug, I shift to my side, taking the blanket with me as payback for my kidnapping. The soft comforter is not near enough compensation, so I huff and haul the sheet over too. Then, I stretch out, giving him an inch of space, because hello, kidnapped over here.
My display of childishness comes to an abrupt halt when he says in a husky voice, “Do you need help falling asleep? Because there are things I could do to relax you. Things you’d love so much, you’d beg me to do them every night.”
A fantasy of him sliding on top of me, naked and hard, immediately plays in my mind. If things were different, I’d watch it until the credits roll, but I hit the off button and ignore the ache in my core, because that’s exactly the reaction he expected, I’m sure. It’s all a game to him. But… I bet he doesn’t expect me to play the game back.
“Like what?” I coo. “Tea? Massage? I love massages.”
The second the last word comes out of my mouth, Costi springs into action, flipping me over. Goosebumps flare across my skin as he crawls over top of me, hovering over the small of my back while I lie on my stomach, pretending to be unaffected.