Page 13 of Below Deck Billionaire
‘Should I play you the lute, my liege?’ she enquired with acid sweetness. ‘Or perhaps juggle?’ He laughed as he sat in the lounge beside her, but Tiffany was not amused. ‘You’re a grown-ass man, Theo,’ she said derisively. ‘Amuse yourself.’
She didn’t give a rat’s ass that he was the owner/captain or her boss. Just because she’d dropped her panties for him once didn’t mean she was put on this earth to entertain him. The man was clearly surrounded by too many yes women. As any cursory glance at a tabloid rag would attest.
‘Fine,’ he muttered as he pulled the side lever, reclining the back of the chair a little. ‘But fealty’s not what it used to be.’
He drew up his knees and, pissed off at him or not, Tiffany could no more have stopped herself from checking out his thighs than she could have driven this damn boat. Taut bronzed skin overlayed the thick muscular core of his quads, a dark dusting of hair only adding to the sheer masculinity.
Okay, she should definitely leave now. Because he was far too close. Even with a foot between their lounges, she could easily reach over and slide her hand onto one of those thighs.
‘So, what are you doing up on deck all alone after everyone’s asleep, drinking wine with only your laptop for company? Are you watchingSex and the Cityreruns?’
Tiffany almost rolled her eyes. She hadn’t seen a single episode ever ofSATC. Not because she thought herself above it but because she’d missed it between her cowgirl years and world travel. ‘No. But thanks for the stereotyping.’
He laughed into the warm air and it floated around her deliciously smooth feathering goosebumps up and down her arms. ‘Okay, so you’re what?’ He rolled his head to the side. ‘Scrolling social media? Online shopping? Watching make-up tutorials?’
Tiffany met his gaze with an arched eyebrow, annoyed anew. His eyes were sparkling and he was clearly enjoying a little light teasing. ‘You know, Theo, you really need to get to know different women.’
He laughed, a hand falling to his stomach. ‘Ouch,’ he said around the lip of the bottle, his head returning to the midline as he tipped the beer up and drained the contents.
‘Maybe,’ she continued, even though she was pretty sure he’d been deliberately trying to goad her, ‘I’m watching a tutorial on how to make a jet propulsion engine for my NASA project. Or maybe… I’m writing my thesis.’
He returned his attention to her, their gazes locking. ‘Are you writing your thesis?’
No. But it sure as hell felt like it. ‘Something like that,’ she murmured, pulling her gaze from his to inspect the stars.
He laughed. ‘That is surely a yes or no answer?’
Tiffany mentally squirmed at his reply and contemplated leaving again. He might be her boss and her one-time lover, but she didn’t owe him any explanations. So why, conversely, did it feel good to be here with him, where the rustle and whispers of her restlessness hushed?
Where her doubts over whether she could actually do this thing fell silent.
‘I’m… writing a book if you must know.’
A beat passed before he slowly turned on his side to face her properly. ‘Really?’
Shrugging, Tiffany clarified. ‘I’m trying, anyway.’ She shook her head, not quite able to believe what she’d revealed to this man who was irritating and exasperating and who already knew too much about her. ‘You’re the first person I’ve ever told,’ she admitted on a huff of released air.
Normally it was something she’d tell Mikey, her younger brother, who, as an artist, would have fully understood the self-doubt of a creative. But this was something she’d suppressed for so long it actually felt easier to tell a stranger.
Well… strangerish, anyway.
She knew Mikey would be annoyed by her omitting to tell him first because they’d always been close, and he had a flair for the melodramatic, which meant he’d sulk first before coming around. But that wasn’t what she needed the first time she spoke it out loud to someone else.
‘Well, in that case,’ Theo said, his voice rich with a slight husk that brought out more of his accent, ‘I’m honoured.’
Okay, yeah. Tiffany swallowed. That was what she needed.
‘What kind of book?’ he asked. ‘Fiction?’
Tiffany nodded, relieved and grateful that Theo hadn’t raised an eyebrow over her announcement, just plunged straight into her fanciful author pipedream. He hadn’t questioned if she knew what she was doing or even asked if she was worthy; he’d just accepted.
Now, all she needed was that faith in herself.
‘It’s a fantasy, I guess. Maybe romantasy? It’s about mermaids and an ancient curse but it’s set in contemporary times.’
Two eyebrows lifted. ‘You knowNeridameans mermaid in Greek, right?’
What? ‘No.’ Tiffany rolled on her side. ‘Really?’
