The Ruthless Gentleman

“That’s a huge sacrifice,” I said.

“Absolutely.” He nodded. “I could never do anything like that. Landon’s special, built for duty and honor.”

Real adoration passed through his voice. In my experience, it was unusual for anyone rich to value anything but wealth, yet Hayden understood there were more important things.

“All I do is make money, but I try to . . .” He winced, and I sat forward, resting my chin on my hand, wanting to hear what he said next. “It sounds ludicrous, but I try to act honorably. Like a gentleman. In the City, business is generally full of snakes. People wanting to make money out of depriving other people, or getting one over on others.” He slid his long legs out in front of him. “I don’t believe it has to be like that. I think that if you look after people, your employees, you get much better results than if you treat them like shit. If you respect people, generally you get the same back.”

I smiled at him. What was he? Some kind of ethical corporate tycoon? Did such a person really exist?

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m no angel. I’m shrewd, I’m demanding and ruthless when I need to be. But I don’t break my promises. I reward loyalty and I don’t lie. And I never work with those who do.”

His jaw tightened, and I could tell his mind had shifted to something else. I couldn’t help but focus on the man in front of me. The guy I’d judged as being another spoiled millionaire but was anything but. He respected, even idolized, his brother who’d served his country. Hayden was someone who wanted to do the right thing and make money.

I’d thought he was just a hot piece of ass, when really, he was so much more.

He swept his thumb across my cheekbone. “For the record, you can objectify me any time you want.”

My pulse danced in my wrist. He was acting like this was a date, as if we were lovers. Was it? Would we be? Though today was my day off, Captain Moss wouldn’t draw such a clear distinction between on-duty and off-duty behavior, but the more time I spent with Hayden, the more the line between us blurred and faded.

“But what about your brother?” I smiled. “Can I objectify him too?”

He withdrew his hand and chuckled. “That I might object to. I’m not one to share.”

I tried to bite back my grin, enjoying the way he’d acknowledged the connection we had. “I noticed. Are you not planning to have any guests on the Athena at all?”

He picked up his coffee, his large hand dwarfing the delicate white cup. He took a sip, then shook his head. “I’m here to work—you know that.”

I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth, trying to hold myself back from leaning over and tasting the coffee on his lips. “I know. But you’re here. I thought maybe things had eased up or you had decided to take in more of the Med.”

He pulled his wallet from his pocket and left some notes under the saucer of his coffee cup, then stood and held out his hand for me. “You said you’d always wanted to see Taormina, so here we are.”

I stood and he scooped up my hand and we began walking back up the hill.

“Surely we didn’t stop here for me?” It had occurred to me it was a huge coincidence that the only time he’d come ashore was in the one place I’d told him I most wanted to come, but I hadn’t really thought that was why he’d stopped here.

“Partly. I wanted you to have the chance to see it.”

My heart clunked against my ribcage. This stop had been about me. This was the real Hayden Wolf, the Hayden Wolf who believed in treating his employees well and never breaking his promises.

“And given you’re not one to take a day off, I thought if I came ashore, you’d be forced to . . .”

There was absolutely no point in even pretending I could resist him for a moment longer.

I pulled at his hand, dragging us beneath a stone arch and into a tiny walkway between the houses. “Kiss me,” I said, leaning against the brick. I’d never had anyone do something so thoughtful, so selfless, for me, let alone a man who had no reason to think about me at all—I was just the hired help.

He didn’t need to be asked twice. He brought his hands to my face, and his gaze dipped to my lips then back to my eyes before he finally placed his lips to mine.

It wasn’t enough. I needed more. I slid my hands around his ass, and up and under his shirt to his hot, hard back and pulled him toward me. He groaned, his tongue slipping between my lips as he ground himself against me. One hand trailed down my neck, slipping my top from my shoulder, exposing my skin to the hot air. He pulled back and looked at me.