The Honeymoon Trap (12 page)

‘I am only slightly daunted by this notion.’

‘You’re not going out on the trawler, by the way.’

Her chin came up and she shot him what she hoped was an intimidating glare. ‘Oh, really?’

Eli’s lips twitched. ‘Caleb said.’

‘He doesn’t know me yet.’ Confidence was key. Confidence, sweet persuasion and honesty. ‘I’m in love with you,’ she said. ‘Completely gone. And that was
before
I saw your car.’

He had such a sweet smile.

‘Three days,’ she said.

‘Yeah.’

‘Doesn’t mean you have to put up with me if you think I’m nuts,’ she offered next. ‘I know there are a lot of drawbacks to being with me. The nuts, the clothes… fake hair.’

‘And a heart of gold.’

‘I wish.’

‘I’m in love with you too.’ He turned liquid grey eyes on her and made her melt. ‘Didn’t want to be, didn’t think I could ever open myself up to that kind of vulnerability again but for you I can. I’m all in. All the way to hell and back.’

‘We really need to work on your courting words.’

‘I’m rusty.’ He went to the bar fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer and a bottle of champagne. ‘What’s your philosophy when it comes to getting married?’

‘I’m a big fan. The clothing, the pageantry… Wait! Is this a proposal?’

‘Just wanting to know where you stand,’ he hedged.

‘Because I’d want a proper proposal. Moonlight, romantic atmosphere, the works.’

‘Would you want a ring?’

‘Of course there’s really only one ring,’ she told him teasingly. ‘And I’d want it.’

‘Greedy.’

‘This is true. Hey, Eli.’ He’d figure out eventually that the words
Hey Eli
were often accompanied by a really good idea. ‘If three orgasms a night is your limit, what do you think your limit might be during the day?’

She strode past him to the bathroom, shedding her coat and slipping her suspenders off her shoulder along the way. It was time to fill the tub and reach for the first tiny pearl button on her shirt. Zoey glanced over her shoulder and watched the man of her dreams smile just for her. ‘Hey, Eli. Want to roleplay?’

Eli’s smile turned decidedly wicked. ‘I might.’

‘Because I’m thinking here we are, two lonely strangers trapped in a luxurious honeymoon suite. And it’s hot…’

E
li’s online gaming
wife was getting her ass kicked. Eli sat at his desk in the little apartment above the boat house, light streaming in from the giant windows to the north and sunlight peeking in from the little porthole window features to the south. The portholes had come from a client’s yacht and Zoey had taken one look at them and said, ‘I know exactly what you could do with those’, and his brothers had
agreed
, the traitors, and one laughing Sunday later he had portholes in his southern wall and a party happening on his northern deck.

Today though, was Friday, and a filthy grey wind-ridden Friday at that. Caleb and Cutter were downstairs on the computers, Eli was upstairs and Zoey was three hours down the road in her studio.

‘Hey, Zoey. Want to come out with us on the trawler tonight?’ Cutter asked casually. ‘Eli’s been putting in a good word for you. It’s going to be wild.’

‘What?’ Eli clearly hadn’t heard his brother right. ‘No! Not tonight.
Hell
, no.’

Two days ago, Eli had outlined his plans regarding Zoey’s maiden voyage and what could potentially happen while they were out at sea.

Caleb had grinned.

Cutter had laughed.

Eli was glad they were on board with the notion but doing it tonight was insane. ‘They’re predicting gale force winds. Pick another night.’

‘Well we
could
pick another night,’ offered Cutter dubiously. ‘I just figured Zoey would really like this one.’

On the big screen in front of him, Cutter’s gaming character met a swift and satisfying demise. Healers weren’t really supposed to orchestrate the death of their fellow companions. Satisfying, though.

‘Can someone get this lizard off my tail?’ Zoey asked, and moments later a private message popped up on his screen. ‘Are you going?’

‘Yes.’

‘Want to see what you do. What you all do. Gale force winds and all.’

Zoey had been relentless in her efforts to prove herself worthy, and slowly, doggedly, because that was how he rolled, Eli had been coming to terms with what Zoey was capable of physically and the things to watch out for that might harm her. For Zoey, a stint on the trawler would be a huge win and a chance to show him what she was made of.

He already knew what she was made of.

‘I’ll be careful, so careful,’ she texted next.

But he was too busy texting Cutter to answer. ‘Are you insane? I need moonlight. Atmosphere. Calm.’

‘Moonlight and atmosphere guaranteed,’ came Cutter’s private reply. ‘And you were never going to be calm about this anyway. What’s a little squall?’

‘GALE FORCE WINDS.’ Damn right he was shouting. ‘What if she gets seasick?’

‘She hasn’t yet.’

True. In the three months they’d been together, Zoey had been on yachts, helped him put a couple of speedboats through their paces and had crewed for them on the dive boat. Zoey downright loved being out on the water. An essential quality for a future Jackson, his grandfather had told him with a twinkle in his eye, not two hours earlier. Come to think of it, his grandfather was down for crewing the boat tonight too. ‘Who else is on board tonight?’

‘The folks, Grandad, Caleb.’

‘What about Zoey’s sister? Her sister needs to be there too.’

‘Hey, Zoey. Bring Sophie. Eli’s going to need her there to keep an extra eye on you.’

‘I have worked for months to get this invite,’ said Zoey indignantly. ‘Months. And all of a sudden Sophie the landlubber gets one too?’

‘Well, yeah.’ No retreat and no explanation. Cutter at his charming, maniacal best.

‘It’s a two am start,’ Cutter said next.

‘I’m conferring with my lord and master,’ she said. ‘As for the game, my healer took his eyes off the prize and I’m dead. Eli, this is not a sign of things to come, do you hear me?’

‘I’d love to go fishing with you tonight. I’ll bring Soph,’ her private message read. ‘But only if you’re ready for this. Otherwise, we can do this another time. I can wait. I love to wait.’

Eli snorted. Zoey hated waiting.

He looked around the old apartment at the colorful scarves draped over a rail on the wall, at the dressmaker’s dummy and cutting table in the corner. She was making Cutter a pirate coat at the moment, and a hat. She’d dressed Eli’s bed,
their
bed more often than not, with enough textured blankets and pillows to set up an orphanage. All manly blues and greys, Zoey had assured him. Except for the ivory sheets.

He’d brought Zoey home with him from the convention and she’d stayed for a couple of days. Long enough to make his family wonder what had hit them. More than long enough to win them over.

Three months on, and Zoey had secured her place as Eli’s girl, with the full and enthusiastic backing of the entire Jackson clan, and she flitted in and out of his nights and days and together they laughed and played. She made him roar at times too, because he was all in, fully invested. Occasionally she roared back. She touched him, this woman, in all the right ways, and she
never
stopped celebrating each and every day.

‘Tell Cutter you’re on your way,’ he offered gruffly. ‘I’m ready.’

W
ind howled and
a wave, white-capped and snarling, tossed the bow of the trawler high into the air, before a cursing Cutter spun the wheel and skated the small vessel diagonally down into the next trough. There was moonlight of a sort, when the angry black clouds weren’t engulfing the moon whole. Rain was on its way and not the soft misty kind. Rain, fierce and pelting, to mix with the stinging ocean spray that whipped across the decks.

Zoey was out there on those decks, with his mother and father, grandfather and Caleb. Sophie was out there too, not having nearly as much fun as her sister, but stalwart nonetheless. It was absolutely reasonable for Soph and Zoey to be safety hooked to the center mast, this being their maiden voyage and the weather being as foul as it was. Caleb had hooked Sophie on. Eli had been the one to put the safety harness on Zoey. It had to be done.

Caleb said.

Eli tucked his hands beneath his armpits and stood beside his brother in the wheelhouse, his legs and feet braced for the roll, watchful and waiting as Cutter made maneuvering an empty fishing trawler through gale force winds look easy. His brother was good at this, but tonight Cutter was in his element, maybe because the entire family was aboard. Not one of them had wanted to miss this.

Even with the squall.

‘Is it time?’ he asked Cutter, his voice loud enough to cut through the din of throbbing, whining engines under load.

Cutter looked at the nav. ‘It’s time. We are officially at sea.’

Finally.

Eli watched as Caleb burst into the wheelhouse, not exactly a picture of calm in a bright orange padded rain jacket and soaking wet hair.

‘Is she all right?’ he asked quickly. ‘She’s not turning blue, is she?’

‘Jesus Christ, Eli. We’re all turning blue. What’s keeping you?’

‘We had to get our boy out of territorial waters, brother. We’ve only just arrived.’ Cutter’s eyes were bright and smiling as he turned his attention back to Eli. ‘Ready?’

Yes.

Eli stepped out on deck and hitched his collar up against the wind, his gaze heading skyward to see how much time they had before it rained.

‘I give it five minutes,’ offered Caleb.

Eli gave it less.

He approached Zoey and her sister, huddled together near the mast. His mother stood with them explaining something to them about the outriggers, at least, that was what she was pointing at. Zoey smiled brightly when she saw him, her eyes sparkling and her cheeks rosy. He’d put her in the thickest coat he could find – there was a slim possibility that she was sweltering in it but she didn’t seem to mind. Eli spared a glance for his father and grandfather. He watched them exchange almost identical grins.

‘Eli, your mother was just telling me about the time you went overboard,’ Zoey said.

‘Don’t give her ideas,’ he told his mother as he knelt down on one knee in front of the woman he loved. He pulled out the ring. Diamonds for eternity. Sapphires because they reminded him of her eyes. Platinum because it was resistant to heat and Zoey burned brighter than the sun.

‘I love you,’ he told her and to hell with their smirking audience. ‘I love your joy at the little things, your resilience and determination and the way you never give up. I love the way you wring the best out of each and every day and I love your generous, wide open heart. I want to cherish and honor you for as long as we both shall live. Zoey Daniels, will you marry me?’

Sophie had her hands to her mouth. Could’ve been shock. Could’ve been something else. Zoey’s eyes were filling with tears. And then she was down on the deck right there with him as she found her way into his arms.

‘Yes, Eli. Yes, I’ll marry you.’

‘How about now?’

Zoey pulled back. Eli took the opportunity to slip the engagement ring on her finger.

‘You mean as in right this minute?’ Zoey looked around at the faces present, at her sister first and then the rest of his family. ‘You mean no wedding gown?’

‘A wedding gown is just another costume and I know how much you hide behind them at times. We can get married again. We’ll invite your parents. I’ll wear whatever you want me to, but right here and now I want it to be just you and me. The real you and me. No costumes.’

He hoped this made sense to her.

It made sense to him.

She flung her arms around him again, burying her face in his neck. ‘Never going to let you go,’ she whispered. ‘Don’t need a dress. Don’t tell my clients.’

‘Are we ready?’ Cutter’s voice came through the loudspeaker loud, clear and highly amused. ‘’Cause I’m ready and there’s a rogue wave heading straight for us. Clip on, people.’

Eli stood, bringing his soon-to-be wife with him, and turned to give Cutter the thumbs up. For some reason Cutter had chosen to point the valiant trawler straight at the oncoming giant. A saner skipper might have taken a different tack.

‘
Cutter!
’ his father roared. ‘What the
hell
?’

‘What’s happening?’ Zoey murmured.

‘Cutter’s taking us for a wedding ride.’

‘Will we survive?’

‘Probably.’

‘I love this family,’ she said. ‘And you… I love you so much.’

Zoey was laughing and his father was cursing up a new storm as Cutter committed the little trawler to its reckless course. No turning back now. Eli grinned as he clipped a safety line to his harness and tugged his soon-to-be-drenched bride into his arms. ‘Ready?’

‘Ready.’

In the wheelhouse, Cutter Jackson watched the happy couple prepare for the oncoming onslaught. Marriage wasn’t for him but he could sure as hell celebrate this one. He had his brother back. He had a brand-new sister whom he adored. He had a black pirate hat with purple feathers and he put it on and preened. There was a solid wall of inky black water in front of him, three-meter swell my ass. This sucker had to be ten meters high from trough to crest. Any minute now it was going to start raining roses.

‘Dearly Beloved,’ he began in his best clergyman voice. ‘We are gathered here today for the blessed union of this precious, amazing woman and this valiant, steadfast and
very
lucky man. All rise…’

The End

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