Page 10 of Captain's Orders
For once, the universe had shown Dani mercy.
The children had exhausted themselves all day, burning through enough energy that even Noah had been yawning by dessert. Sarah had retreated to her stateroom early with a headache—self-inflicted, Dani suspected, given the amount of rosé she'd consumed with dinner—and the grandparents had declared themselves ready for bed shortly after. By ten, every guest was in their cabin, the yacht was quiet, and Netty and Elsa were on clearing duty. Dani was suddenly blessed with something she almost never had during a charter: free time.
She knocked on Jordan's door—it felt wrong to just walk in, even though technically this was her room too now—and heard Jordan's voice from inside.
"Come in."
Jordan was propped up in her berth, a book open in her lap. She looked up when Dani entered.
"Hey. Guests all settled?"
"Yes. It's nice to finish early." Dani held up the half-empty bottle of champagne she'd brought. "We can't serve this tomorrow, so I'm having a nightcap. Want one?"
Jordan hesitated, then set her book aside and swung her legs off the bed.
Boy shorts. White tank top. So that's what Captain Jordan Hayes slept in.
Dani couldn't help but stare. Tanned legs that went on forever. The curve of her strong shoulders. The way the tank top lifted at her waist as she moved and left very little to the imagination. A perky ass, she noticed as Jordan stood up.
Jordan crossed to the small cabinet under her desk, produced a key from somewhere, and unlocked it. "I'll have a nightcap with you, but I prefer this," she said, pulling out a bottle of Macallan 18. She turned and caught Dani looking, then glanced down at herself. "Sorry. I'm not exactly decent. I don't have pajamas, I usually just wear?—"
"It's fine." Dani waved a hand, the words coming out too fast. "Don't worry about it. We're all girls here. One big family. Nothing I haven't seen before. In the general sense, I mean, I haven't been looking at you specifically. Obviously. That would be—anyway." She poured herself a flute and took a long sip of champagne, cringing at the verbal diarrhea that came out of her. This was a mistake. She should have had a drink in the mess by herself instead.
Jordan didn't reply, but her lips twitched as she poured herself two fingers.
"I didn't take you for a nightcap person," Dani said, desperate to fill the silence. "You rarely drink more than a glass except for tonight."
"I don't. This is purely for emergencies."
Dani swallowed hard. "And this is an emergency?"
"Yeah..." Jordan recapped the bottle and locked it away again. "I'm not very good at... talks."
Dani shook her head. "We don't need to talk. I can take this downstairs and leave you to it if you're uncomfortable."
"No, we actually do need to talk..." Jordan gestured vaguely with her glass. "About... things."
Dani poured herself more champagne. This was worrying. Had she talked in her sleep? Said something inappropriate? "Okay. What's on your mind?" she asked.
Jordan took a sip. Then another. Then she sat back down on her berth and pulled the covers over her. "I overheard something in the galley before dinner," she said. "Lindsay and Rei were talking about us."
Dani's eyes widened. She had an idea where this was going and it wasn't good. "What did they say?"
"That you've been finding excuses to bring me coffee. That you blush when you say my name." Jordan winced. "They think something's brewing between us."
The color drained from Dani's face. "That's absurd. I can't think of a single moment we could have given them any indication that we're..." her voice trailed off as she felt her cheeks glow. "Also, it's my job to bring you coffee."
"I know. They were also discussing which one of us would make the first move."
Dani's mouth opened but no sound came out.
"You look exactly like Lindsay did when I walked in on them," Jordan said dryly. "Would you like a scotch instead?"
Dani set down the champagne bottle and nodded. "Yeah, I think I might need something stronger." She waited while Jordan got up and poured her a glass, focusing on her lap while Jordan walked around barely dressed again. This was a disaster and she could kill Rei and Lindsay for running their mouths.
Jordan handed her the glass and Dani took a sip that was more of a gulp, the scotch burning a trail down her throat. She coughed. "Right. So. What did you say to them?"
"I told them the truth. That our relationship is strictly professional. Obviously." Jordan sat back down on her berth, pulling the covers up to her waist again. She swirled the scotch in her glass. "I'm not sure why they think we're..." She gestured between them. "I mean, I don't think I've?—"
