Cash grabbed a copy of the Belfast Telegraph and a juice and wandered up on deck. It was already quite warm. He found a shady spot and settled down to read the paper.

He flicked to the sports pages, delighted to see Harlequins had beaten Armagh 32-10 the previous day. He quickly scanned the football results. As he turned to the financial section, Rupe appeared on deck with bleary eyes and dishevelled hair.

“What the fuck happened to you last night?” he said with an exaggerated yawn.

Cash shrugged. “Decided I’d had enough.”

“You could have told us. We spent about half an hour looking for you before we realised you’d fucked off.”

“Sorry, darling,” Cash replied. “Didn’t realise I had to report in.”

Rupe flipped him the bird and took a swig of Cash’s juice before Cash swiped it back. “Get your own.”

“It is my own.”

Cash laughed. “Fair point.”

“Where’s Tally?”

“I left her sleeping. She’s knackered.”

Rupe rolled his eyes. “I’m not surprised with you fawning over her every five minutes.”

“Fawning?” Cash raised an eyebrow. “Have you been reading the Times again?”

“There’s nothing wrong with expanding your vocabulary.”

Cash snorted loudly. “Since when?”

Rupe ignored his sarcasm. He added a healthy amount of cream to the coffee he’d been brought by one of the deck hands and sank into a nearby chair. “What time are you off today?”

“Have you ever thought about low-fat milk?” Cash said, nodding at Rupe’s cup.

“Tastes like shit.”

“Better for your ever-expanding waistline, though.”

“Screw you, oh holier-than-thou wise one. Please tell me you’re off to practice soon.”

Cash grinned and glanced at his watch. “A couple of hours.” He snagged an apple from the fruit bowl. He’d need to eat something soon but wanted to wait for Natalia. He wouldn’t see her all day as it was. He’d told her not to come to practice––he didn’t need her to witness his humiliation––so she was going shopping with Emmalee instead.

After half an hour, when she still hadn’t appeared, he wondered if there was something in Rupe’s earlier dig. He’d always had a voracious sexual appetite, but it had significantly increased since he’d met Natalia. Maybe he needed to back off a bit.

Hmm, no. That won’t work. He could barely keep his hands off her as it was, let alone touch her less.

“Where’s Emmalee?” he said to Rupe, who was throwing fish food over the side of the boat. “I thought she’d be up by now.”

Rupe brushed the remains of fish food off his hands. “Already up and out. Went for a run.”

“She’s keen,” Cash muttered. He’d kept a close eye on Emmalee, expecting her to have another dig at him about why Natalia had chosen to forgive him. He couldn’t stop the nagging doubt that Emmalee would put Natalia under so much pressure she’d buckle and tell Em about his past, although Natalia hadn’t mentioned any probing.

Cash went back to reading the paper, but it didn’t last long. He sensed Natalia before he saw her, and he slowly raised his head. She hadn’t bothered getting dressed, instead deciding to cover up in a floor-length satin dressing gown. If she was naked underneath, he definitely approved.

“There you are,” he said, patting the seat next to him. She sat down and rested her head on his shoulder.

“You should have woken me. I didn’t mean to sleep this late.”

“You needed it.”

“Yeah, but I won’t see you all day.” Her bottom lip stuck out in a pout.

Cash laughed and bent his head, sucking her lip into his mouth. “Plenty of time later, sweetness.”

“For real?” Rupe said, holding his hands out to the sides, palms up.

“Where’s Em?” Natalia asked.

“She’s gone for a run,” Rupe said.

“A run?” Natalia laughed. “Em doesn’t run. I bet she spotted a guy she fancied on the quayside and decided to stalk him.”

“Poor bastard,” Cash said, earning a dig in the ribs from Natalia. “You hungry?”

“Yeah.”

“What do you want?” he said, beckoning to Rob, one of the deck hands.

“Porridge and fruit.”

“Ham and cheese omelette for me, please, Rob. And a protein shake. Rupe?”

Rupe shook his head. “Still recovering from last night.”

Rob disappeared below deck as Emmalee arrived back on the boat. There wasn’t a bead of sweat on her, although she’d dressed for running.

“You just missed the breakfast order,” Cash said. “If you run, you’ll catch Rob.”

“Unless you think you’ve already done enough running for the day,” Natalia said with a giggle.

Emmalee raised an eyebrow. “What are you trying to say, Tal?”

“Did you catch him?”

Emmalee laughed. “You know me too bloody well. It’s rather annoying.”

“Well, did you?”

“As a matter of fact, I have a date tonight. You need to help me find something fabulous and a little bit slutty when we go shopping later.”

She spun around and headed below deck, presumably after Rob.

Cash leaned towards Natalia. “Here,” he said, passing her his credit card. “Feel free to buy something fabulous and a little bit slutty for yourself too.”

She shook her head. “I can’t take your money, Cash.”

Cash held back from rolling his eyes. “It’s not my money.”

“Yes, it is.” She sighed, and her head flopped against the chair.

“What’s the problem?” He couldn’t keep the hard edge out of his voice. He did not understand her stubbornness on this issue.

“If you two are about to have a domestic, I’m going.” Rupe wandered off in the same direction as Emmalee. He had never been subtle but had always been able to read Cash.

“You agreed to move in.”

“Yes. But I didn’t agree to being a kept woman.”

Cash let out an exasperated sigh. “Oh, come on, Natalia. Don’t make a big deal out of this. Just take the fucking card.”

“Cash,” she said, her tone low but firm, as if she was talking to an errant child who’d chucked his crayons on the floor in a fit of pique. “I value my independence, and you pushing your money on me makes me feel as though that freedom is being taken away. Pete’s already put a couple of freelance jobs my way, so I’ll be getting back to work soon, and that means I’m perfectly capable of contributing.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “And I’m supportive of you getting back to work. It was my idea that you freelance, remember? But no matter how hard you work, you’ll never make enough to live the kind of life I want for you. I’ve never had anyone to lavish my money on except myself. And believe me, that becomes fucking boring after a while.” He uncrossed his arms and picked up her hand. “I want you to have the world, Natalia, and I want to be the one to give it to you.”

Her mouth creased in thought. “You’re not going to fight me on the work thing?”

He frowned. “Why on earth would I do that? I’ll always support your career. I know how much being a journalist means to you, and freelancing is the best of both worlds. I get to have you travel with me, and you get to do what you love.”

Her face broke out into a huge grin. “I do love you, Cash Gallagher.”

He waved the credit card in the air. “Then take this. Please, babe. It’ll make me happy. This is Monte Carlo, and everything costs a fucking fortune. Go with Emmalee, have a good time, and you can tell me all about it later.”

He watched the conflict play out on her face, showing her caught between pleasing him and still feeling in control of her independence. He knew he’d won when she whipped the card from between his fingers.

“Okay. But I’ll still be hunting for the bargains.”

He grinned and kissed her cheek. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”