Page 104 of The Nanny and the Nerd
“We go on three!” he cried.
With her toes lined up with the edge of the pool, Penelope nodded.
“One!” he called as a thrilling chill worked its way down his spine.
He could do this. He could be the person Phoebe and Penelope deserved.
“Two!” he continued as if he were counting down to his own metamorphous.
He inhaled a deep breath.
“Three!”
Like a man breaking free, he charged to the edge of the pool and cannonballed into the water. The cool rush sent a shock to his system. And for a split second, the mention of the work emails nearly had him reverting back to his old operating system. But when he opened his eyes underwater, the first thing he saw was Phoebe and Penelope, making silly faces at him like two jovial mermaids. He stuck out his tongue, joining in the fun as all thoughts of work disappeared.
Twenty-One
Penny
“Can’tyou give me one tiny little hint about this surprise! Come on, Rowen! Where are we going?” she pleaded over the roar of the luxury speedboat’s engine as they cut a trail through the deep blue sea.
“No way! I don’t want to ruin it,” he replied, flashing her a grin that said two things.
The first, Penelope Fennimore, you are one hell of an amazing woman.
And the second…when I get you alone, I plan on ripping off your panties and taking you over the edge, again and again, until you can’t see straight.
That might be her writer’s brain embellishing a bit. But there was no denying what had happened over the last five days.
Before they left Denver, something inside of her whispered that this trip would be a make-or-break experience for them. And with delightful days spent laughing and lounging with Phoebe and their friends in the sun and steamy nights spent tangled in this Rowen Gale’s embrace, it was safe to report this trip was making it…big-time. Big-time like she literally thought her eyeballs were going to pop out of her head the last time he’d made her body shudder with pleasure. The only thing that had broken, so far, was a chair—a chair that couldn’t take the back-and-forth rocking of her riding her super-hot nerd like the dirty cowgirl she was. No, not a dirty cowgirl! Naughty bikini-clad, yacht girl was more like it!
Seriously! Between the gentle rise and fall of the ship and the delicious rhythm of Rowen’s hard, muscled body working her into a frenzy, boat sex rose to the top of her great-places-to-do-it-with-Rowen list. Had she compiled an actual physical list? And if so, was said list currently hidden in a sea of sticky notes somewhere inside her tote?
Hell to the yes! She couldn’t help it! How many women could say they did the deed on the starboard deck…twice?
And, as crazy as it sounds, Rowen might have been onto something when he’d suggested buying a bikini factory. The tiny garment did make it awfully easy to slip in a quickie. However, after their close call with some hide-and-seek hanky-panky, they’d need to be more careful about where and when they got it on.
Still, she couldn’t wipe the grin from her face as she wrapped her arms around Rowen’s waist. She couldn’t remember a time when she’d been so completely happy. She closed her eyes and pictured the moment when she, Rowen, and Phoebe plunged into the pool. With their hair floating around their faces like a trio of mermaids, they let loose, and everything clicked. They clicked. And she knew it, right then and there. There was no question. These were her people, and they’d live in her heart until her last breath.
It was the surprise she’d never expected when Madelyn Malone had approached her. This was the twist she’d never seen coming. She’d fallen in love with two people—two people she couldn’t imagine ever losing.
And the surprises kept coming.
Less than an hour ago, they’d been finishing up an early dinner on the top deck when Rowen dropped a whopper.
They were going on an outing alone—just the two of them.
When she pressed him for clues, all he’d say was that they’d been invited to have drinks and were expected on St. Barts.
The man had spent years perfecting his muted countenance, and despite a good amount of cajoling, he hadn’t given her any other information. When she’d turned to Jerome and David, the men simply shrugged. Even Phoebe had no idea what her uncle had planned. She did, however, request they bring her back a seashell. A request Rowen had agreed was quite feasible. Unfortunately, it didn’t help her decipher what he had up his sleeve.
The setting sun glittered off the sapphire blue water, and she rested her head against Rowen’s chest as the speedboat cascaded over the gentle waves. Her new white maxi dress billowed around her legs in the salty breeze. It was the first time she’d gotten to wear one of the beautiful outfits the stylists had put together. It had to be a dream. It was too much. A little more than a handful of weeks ago, she was waiting tables and hoarding every dollar to make ends meet. Now she drove a Lamborghini, vacationed on superyachts, and divided her time between caring for her darling Phoebe, and writing video game narratives with the man she adored. She took a step back, breaking free of Rowen’s embrace, and pinched her arm.
“What are you doing, Penelope?” he asked, eyeing her closely.
She held his gaze, mesmerized by his sea glass green eyes. “I’m making sure this is real.”
He kept one hand on the steering wheel and reached for her with the other. “It’s real, Penelope. It’s as real as it gets,” he answered as she returned to his warm embrace.
