don’t get it, do you? I don’t want anything from you. I have a phone, and believe it or not, I have access to money. I’ll walk myself out and take a cab.”
He just stared at me, his body so tight my own stiffened at the idea of what he might do. Insist I follow orders, most likely.
“Suit yourself. Goodbye, Angelina.”
He turned and stormed back into the cabin. The door crashed behind him. The vibration shuddered under my feet.
As quickly as they’d formed the ridiculous suspicions I’d had melted on the salty breeze.
He’d given up. Haithem had given up.
I’d have bet he was incapable of such a thing.
A shameful longing in the area of my rib cage mourned the fact that he wasn’t immune to defeat. I’d let myself fantasize that I was invaluable to him, that he’d fight to have me. That his macho bullshit was a facade. I just didn’t realize how much I’d believed in that fantasy until he walked away.
Now I felt the disappointment to my toes. The wind blew gusts, and air whipped around me, flapping my dress around my thighs and sinking a chill into my skin. I crossed my arms, then shuffled to the stairs and grasped the railing. I shot one last look over my shoulder. Light filled the cabin. He’d closed the curtains, but the silhouette of his shadow stalked back and forth.
I’d agitated him. Gotten under his skin. I let that brazen satisfaction take hold. Haithem was different —larger than life—and I affected him. He tempted me with things I didn’t dare dream of doing. He’d drawn a picture of a seductive fantasy where I did everything I’d never allow myself.
Wrong or right, I wanted to live that fantasy.
I closed my eyes briefly.A blast of wind hit me from behind like a giant hand. I tripped and grasped for the railing, but the yacht dipped suddenly, and I fell forward, propelled across the rails. My body hurtled over the edge. The wind stole the breathless scream from my lips as I plunged through a wave of lights.
Then fell into darkness.
SEVEN
P AIN .
Pain then heat. I twitched my fingers. My body ached, throbbed from my ankles all the way up to my cheeks. Not to mention the bitch of a headache murdering my temples with invisible ice picks.
Hangover—a hangover from the fiery pit of hell.
I tried to sit, but something smothered me. I rolled onto my back and fumbled with the covering. I broke free and—dear god, the light.
Blazing light almost took out my eyeballs. I covered my face, then shielded my eyes. A blue glare pierced my vision. I blinked. The blue divided into a pale sky above and glittering water below.
What the actual fuck?
The world slowed, and I dropped back onto my elbows. I didn’t remember getting home. All I remembered was realizing Haithem was the devil—and apparently I had an appetite for destruction—right before heading to the stairs.
I clutched my head. The freaking stairs... Wind... Dipping bloody boat.
I glanced around, my stomach dropping. The ocean spread on my left, and the white expanse of a superyacht towered over me on the right. I moved around a bit, my feet tangled under a tarp. A lifeboat. I’d fallen through a tarp and into a goddamn lifeboat on the lower deck.
My heart seized, and I looked all the way up to the railing on the narrower top deck. I patted myself down with trembling hands. Somehow I’d landed in one piece, in spite of my splitting headache and aching limbs.
Faaark .
My parents were going to kill me, or, at the very least, ensure I wished for death by the time they finished with me. It was daylight, and I wasn’t home, and I hadn’t called them. All hell would have broken loose, and I would soon be trussed up and ready to be roasted. I disentangled my legs and threw one over the side of the lifeboat, then shimmied onto the floor.
My heels touched the floor, but the world swayed. A shout boomed across the deck. I turned in time to see a figure rush toward me, yelling indecipherable words. The man came into focus,
He just stared at me, his body so tight my own stiffened at the idea of what he might do. Insist I follow orders, most likely.
“Suit yourself. Goodbye, Angelina.”
He turned and stormed back into the cabin. The door crashed behind him. The vibration shuddered under my feet.
As quickly as they’d formed the ridiculous suspicions I’d had melted on the salty breeze.
He’d given up. Haithem had given up.
I’d have bet he was incapable of such a thing.
A shameful longing in the area of my rib cage mourned the fact that he wasn’t immune to defeat. I’d let myself fantasize that I was invaluable to him, that he’d fight to have me. That his macho bullshit was a facade. I just didn’t realize how much I’d believed in that fantasy until he walked away.
Now I felt the disappointment to my toes. The wind blew gusts, and air whipped around me, flapping my dress around my thighs and sinking a chill into my skin. I crossed my arms, then shuffled to the stairs and grasped the railing. I shot one last look over my shoulder. Light filled the cabin. He’d closed the curtains, but the silhouette of his shadow stalked back and forth.
I’d agitated him. Gotten under his skin. I let that brazen satisfaction take hold. Haithem was different —larger than life—and I affected him. He tempted me with things I didn’t dare dream of doing. He’d drawn a picture of a seductive fantasy where I did everything I’d never allow myself.
Wrong or right, I wanted to live that fantasy.
I closed my eyes briefly.A blast of wind hit me from behind like a giant hand. I tripped and grasped for the railing, but the yacht dipped suddenly, and I fell forward, propelled across the rails. My body hurtled over the edge. The wind stole the breathless scream from my lips as I plunged through a wave of lights.
Then fell into darkness.
SEVEN
P AIN .
Pain then heat. I twitched my fingers. My body ached, throbbed from my ankles all the way up to my cheeks. Not to mention the bitch of a headache murdering my temples with invisible ice picks.
Hangover—a hangover from the fiery pit of hell.
I tried to sit, but something smothered me. I rolled onto my back and fumbled with the covering. I broke free and—dear god, the light.
Blazing light almost took out my eyeballs. I covered my face, then shielded my eyes. A blue glare pierced my vision. I blinked. The blue divided into a pale sky above and glittering water below.
What the actual fuck?
The world slowed, and I dropped back onto my elbows. I didn’t remember getting home. All I remembered was realizing Haithem was the devil—and apparently I had an appetite for destruction—right before heading to the stairs.
I clutched my head. The freaking stairs... Wind... Dipping bloody boat.
I glanced around, my stomach dropping. The ocean spread on my left, and the white expanse of a superyacht towered over me on the right. I moved around a bit, my feet tangled under a tarp. A lifeboat. I’d fallen through a tarp and into a goddamn lifeboat on the lower deck.
My heart seized, and I looked all the way up to the railing on the narrower top deck. I patted myself down with trembling hands. Somehow I’d landed in one piece, in spite of my splitting headache and aching limbs.
Faaark .
My parents were going to kill me, or, at the very least, ensure I wished for death by the time they finished with me. It was daylight, and I wasn’t home, and I hadn’t called them. All hell would have broken loose, and I would soon be trussed up and ready to be roasted. I disentangled my legs and threw one over the side of the lifeboat, then shimmied onto the floor.
My heels touched the floor, but the world swayed. A shout boomed across the deck. I turned in time to see a figure rush toward me, yelling indecipherable words. The man came into focus,
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