Stormy Love (Wet & Wild 1)

But Kallie was no longer amused.

“What’s going on?” she asked. “Who are these men?”

“Repair engineers. They were sent to help us with our systems, so we can get ourselves back to shore,” Ash said.

“So, this isn’t the Coast Guard or something like that?”

“No,” he said. “It isn’t.”

Confusion wafted over Kallie’s mind. Ash hadn’t been calling out to the Coast Guard? Or whatever the St. Barts equivalent was? That didn’t make any sense. Kallie watched as the three men got to work, checking out the electrical system and heading down below deck. She sat on the cushioned bench that lined the yacht, ignoring the soaking of water that permeated her dress. So many questions were running through her mind. But one of them stood out as the most important.

“How do they know your name?” she asked. “You’re Ashly Worthington, right?”

“I am,” he said.

“Then how did they know your name all of a sudden?”

Kallie expected him to answer with something basic. Like he’d called out and used his own name. Or the yacht was named Ashly Worthington. Or the friend of his who owned the boat had contacted someone on the island for us using his name once they saw the storm rolling in. Anything to explain how a team of nine boats and a bunch of repair engineers knew what to call him and knew he was the one on the yacht in the first place.

Ash turned his eyes to her and merely shrugged before drawing in a deep breath. She could see something dawn on his face. Something akin to apathy but swirling with something else that she couldn't quite place. There was hesitancy in his eyes. A bit of questioning. Kallie felt her stomach lurch again like it had all throughout the storm.

But nothing could have prepared her for Ash’s actual answer.

“Ash, how did they know your name?”

“Probably because my father owns half the island and several of the others,” he said.

Chapter 25

Ash

Ash jumped off the deep end and took a leap of faith. Admitting to Kallie that he was rich meant running the risk that the tide of their budding romance would change. But he liked her. More than any woman he’d enjoyed in ages. He felt like Kallie had integrity. Like he could trust her. And all of those reasons caused him to blurt out the real reason why they were surrounded by so many people concerned for his well-being. Ash held his breath, looking into her eyes after he admitted his wealth.

But instead of dollar signs, he saw a wave of disappointment crash over her face.

“What are you talking about?” Kallie asked.

“Mr. Worthington. Can we go down below and check things out?”

Ash turned his head toward the engineer and nodded his head.

“Mr. Worthington. I’m going to take a look at the steering wheel to make sure everything is working properly to get you guys back to the island.”

“That’s fine,” Ash said.

“Mr. Worthington, your fuse box looks fine, but I’m going to check your motor for any storm damage.”

“Do what you have to do,” he said.

Ash decided to turn his attention to all the engineer’s questions in order to avoid the conversation. He knew it was a lot to process, but the disappointment was a new thing for him. Why would Kallie be disappointed? He expected shock. Possibly a bit of anger at lying to her about his job. But disappointment?

He wasn’t expecting that.

Soon, the yacht was up and running. The motor worked fantastically and the yacht had power surging through its veins. Ash helped the engineers off the side of the boat so they could get back to their dinghies, then he proceeded to the helm to turn the ship around. He looked over to find Kallie, trying to see where she went.

And he found her sitting in one of the chairs. Staring off into the horizon.

But the sound of his radio buzzing him pulled him from his confused trance.