Witness Pursuit (Bodyguards #1)

“Would you believe, swimwear?”


“I don’t call that swimwear. Those scraps of material barely cover you.” He crossed his arms with a slap. “I have three brothers and this ship has a full crew of men and your bottom is on gorgeous display.”

“I’ve worn bikinis since I was thirteen.”

“They should be outlawed.” He caught her chin in his hand. “You’re lucky it’s only us up top.”

“Oh, really?” She cupped one hip. “Why do you call that lucky?”

“Because no one sees you, but me.” His gaze shot to Nico, immersed in his play. “You’ll need a t-shirt or cover up. Go and get one.”

“I don’t think so.”

“I’ll watch him.”

“That’s my job.” She turned side-on, keeping one eye on Nico as he tossed the last ball into the container. “Great stuff. You collected them all.”

“Yep.” Nico jumped up and down, splashing around. “Can I tip them out again?”

“Go for it.”

Tyler gripped her shoulders. “I said I’ll watch him.”

“Tyler, really. It’s just a bikini.”

“I don’t want my brothers seeing you like this. Luke’s got a one-track mind, and Dylan’s a close second.” He dragged in a deep breath. “Yesterday you left me wanting more. Now it’s worse. We need to talk, but not with you wearing that.”

He pulled his towel free and wrapped it around her. “Right, that’s better.”

“Sure it is.” Men. Still, she tucked it securely to keep it from slipping off.

“We’ll be on board this ship together for weeks, and I’m not sure I can keep my hands off you. In fact, I’d say that’s a given. I want to take this further.”

So did she, but she couldn’t. Only her mind buzzed with Ben’s last words. You’re not a victim. You’re a survivor. You must live, even under confinement. Could she take Ben’s advice and live in this moment? Perhaps.

Tyler smoothed a hand over her hip. “Let’s talk, in a neutral, private place.”

She darted a look at his hand. “Okay, I agree we need to talk. You certainly like to touch, and I certainly like it when you do.”

“That’s a good start.” He leaned in and his warm breath touched her cheek. “Why don’t you go and change while I wait for Liam. No doubt he won’t be far away.” He turned her toward the stairs and gave her a gentle push. “The movie room. Just the two of us.”

She walked away without argument, because deep within her, she needed this conversation as much as he did.

In her cabin, she changed into a pair of yellow patterned shorts and a white tank top, left her feet bare and her hair loose. Then she hurried to the movie room, a darkened entertainment area painted midnight blue with a slim-line screen dominating one wall. Tiny star lights recessed into the ceiling set to low, gave it a nighttime feel.

She wrung her hands together. He might be a while. With a sigh, she crossed to the DVD selection housed within a cabinet near the screen.

“You want to watch a movie?”

She spun around. “You’re here already? Was Liam okay I left?”

“It wasn’t a problem.” He closed the door then strode in wearing a black muscle-tee which clung to his wide chest, and tan cargo shorts which looked criminal with how low they sat on his hips. “Find anything appealing?”

“What? Oh no.” She cleared her throat. “I mean, unless I count you.”

“Now, that’s sounds promising.” He prowled toward her. “You want to get to our discussion now?”

“If we don’t, I might chicken out, and I don’t want to.”

“Come and sit.” He motioned for her to go first.

“Thanks.” She settled on the couch of rich blue velvet, plucked the plump pillow at her back and shoved it into her lap. “You start since this was your idea.”

He sat and stretched his arm along the backrest and slid his fingers into her hair. “Having you here feels right. Don’t be nervous.”

“I can’t help it. This discussion feels like a long time in coming.”

“How’s that?” He set his other hand over hers.

Her heart heaved. Okay, she had to be careful. She couldn’t say that kind of thing and raise his suspicions. “Sorry, can we slow this down?”

“Sure, if that’ll help you relax. Why don’t you tell me more about you?”

Well, any talk about her was a touchy subject, although she could speak of her family. She hadn’t seen them in ages, but back when she’d been with Tyler, she’d told him of them. “Okay, my parents own a small rural property on the hills outside of Tauranga. My father’s in the business of architecture and construction. I have three older brothers, but I haven’t seen a lot of them lately. My sister, Saria, lives in Auckland with me.”

“Hey, slow down. Where in Auckland do you live? It’s a big city.”

Couldn’t he have asked a vague question? “Um, in the suburbs.”

“That’s hardly an answer.” He squeezed her hands.