Page 174 of Broken
“I’ll stay down here with Loki,” she replied.
“We’ll watch him,” Renée said. “It’s a lot of fun.” With a kind smile, she said, “You should go.”
“Thank you, Renée,” Jacqueline said handing over Loki’s leash.
“After you,” Prescott said at the base of the ladder, then he dropped a light kiss on her lips. With a smile, she started climbing. He wasn’t holding back around his mom and dad, and she liked that.
She liked that a lot.
With Ethan in his arms, Prescott said, “You ready, bud? We’re climbing up there.”
Ethan giggled. “This is soooo much fun!”
From the flybridge, she took in the sights. Two small captain’s chairs sat beneath a white canopy. After she eased down, Prescott said, “Can you hang on to him?”
She patted her lap. “Absolutely. You ready for a boat ride, Ethan?”
His squeal of delight made her smile.
“Go fast,” Ethan said.
“At first, we have to go very slowly,” Prescott explained as he pulled out of the slip and motored toward open water. “That sign—” Prescott pointed— “says, ‘No Wake Zone’, which means we can’t make big waves behind us.”
A smile filled Ethan’s face… and her heart. His wonderment made their outing that much more special.
She wrapped her arms around him.
“I’m not scared,” he said.
“I know that, but I feel better holding onto you, in case we hit a big wave.”
“I hope we go so fast we fly!”
Once out in the Potomac River, Prescott pushed the throttles forward and the yacht picked up speed, the vessel gliding effortlessly through the water.
“This is awesome.” She glanced over at Prescott.
He stood at the helm, his hair blowing in the breeze, his white shirt unbuttoned, his tanned chest catching her eye. He was the epitome of style and grace. He was fearless and ruthless. A killer and a protector. He commanded the fifty-foot yacht like he commanded everything in his life. With total control and complete confidence.
He’d kicked off his shoes when he’d climbed aboard and, as her gaze floated past his strong hips and thighs, down past his muscular calves to his feet, she appreciated every magnificent inch of him.
He regarded her and his gaze softened. Then, he dipped down and kissed Ethan on the top of his head, then dropped a soft kiss on her mouth. “Love you guys.”
Ohmygod.
Her heart was his.
“Ethan, are you having fun?” he asked.
“So fun! Can we go faster, pleeeeease?”
“Hold on.” Prescott gave the throttles another thrust. The yacht lurched forward, then gradually got on plane, sending it skipping across the oncoming waves.
“Yaaaaaaay!!!” Ethan clapped.
She inhaled the fresh air, appreciated the sun’s warmth on her skin. Then, the guilt crept in, as it always did. She was having fun. She was having an adventure with someone she’d fallen crazy in love with. Despite the mayhem, she was living her best life.
But Janey?
