---

We’d reached some sort of unspoken truce over dinner. Mostly, I had learned that while she was every bit the spoiled and pampered princess I imagined her to be, there was also more to her, especially a desire to prove herself. I thought about that as we sailed back to the marina.

The running lights were on, providing just enough light for me to watch her while I steered. Isla was staring out over the water, her chin propped on her arms. The wind was making some stray wisps of hair dance around her face. I wanted to reach out and smooth them back. I wanted her in my arms. Doing so wouldn’t be the smartest move I’d ever made. It also wouldn’t be the stupidest. I was a Marine; we laughed at danger.

“Wanna teach me?” Isla asked quietly. No doubt she expected me to decline, to keep her at a distance. I should. I really, really should.

“Come here.” I gestured to the wheel.

Her eyes widened. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. It’s a quiet night. I’ll teach you.” I stared at her evenly.

“How do you know I need teaching?” One perfectly shaped brow arched.

I chuckled. “The look of fascination on your face.”

“Oh, and what if it had been a look of pure longing?” She batted her eyelashes at me.

“Then I’d say you’re about to be sorely disappointed.” I snickered.

“You have an answer for everything.” She sighed. “Okay, so I’m a little nervous. No lie.”

When she stood in front of me, her hands hovering over the wheel, I leaned forward and whispered, “I thought you were fearless.” To my surprise, Isla backed into my arms.

“I would be with you behind me,” she murmured.

I tried to ignore her closeness and all the innuendo. “I bet. Everyone’s always more confident knowing a Marine has their six.” I held her hand on the wheel. “Feel it?”

She was silent a moment as she stood there with a death grip on the wheel.

“Relax,” I murmured. “You can do this. You don’t strike me as the kind of person who knows how to fail.”

Isla laughed. “You’re pretty good at reading people. I suppose that is part of Marine training too.”

I shrugged. “It helps. And not entirely. The thing about the Marines, it helped me develop skills I already had and trained me to move past stumbling blocks. I had a sense of purpose…” My voice trailed off. I hated talking about the past, especially my time in the Corps.

“So, you’re trying to tell me you were a natural born killer?” She peeked at me over her shoulder, her eyes wide.

“What makes you think I’m a killer?” I asked quietly.

Isla faced forward, her head tilted to the side, her neck exposed. I wanted to plant kisses there. I wanted to breathe in the scent of her and remember this moment always. “You walk like a man with nothing to prove, nothing to fear, and nothing to lose. It’s an intoxicating blend,” she murmured. “I mean…if you’re into that kind of thing.”

I leaned low and gave into my impulse. Pressing the side of my face against hers, I pretended I was instructing her. “You have to watch out for wildlife in the dark. A whale could easily sink us.”

She inhaled sharply. “Right.”

I tilted my head slightly, aware I was breathing on her bare skin, happy to hear her reaction as she released a tiny moan. Maybe one day, I’d have her under me, and I’d make her scream in bed. I laid my hands on hers. “Ease up on the grip. Every little movement up here, makes a bigger response from the boat. Watch.” I helped her jerk the wheel to the port side slightly and the boat turned. Then I did the same twisting it to starboard. We tilted the other direction.

“Now this is the most important part,” I whispered. “You have to find the wind. You always need to be aware of it and turn the boat so you capture it in the sails. Think you can do that?”

Isla closed her eyes slightly and I knew she was focusing on the way the air was hitting her face, the way the boat responded when it filled the main sheet. I watched as she moved us just right to keep us sailing along. My heart filled with pride.

“That’s pretty impressive,” I admitted.

“Not as impressive as the size of the erection you have pressed against my buttocks.” She groaned. “Is this some special kind of torture, or are you planning on bending me over? I’m happy to steer while you pleasure us.”

Somehow, hearing her use the word ‘us’ made my cock jerk even more, but I resisted. I stepped back. “Sorry,” I muttered. “You’d laugh if you knew how long it has been for me.”

“I seriously would be happy to change that right here, right now.” She turned in my arms and waggled her brows at me.

“It’s not safe out on the water,” I explained. Then I realized I’d be lying if I left it at that. “And it’s not smart in general.” I blew out a frustrated breath. “Your brothers would kill me. While money isn’t an issue to you, it’s pretty much all I worry about these days. I sank all my money into this boat. I needed it…” I cleared my throat and pretended that’s why I stopped talking.

“You needed it to get away,” Isla guessed quietly.

“I’m a proud man, but I’m out of options. I beg you, please don’t do anything to get me fired, Isla. I mean it.” I stared at her, my brow furrowed, my face no doubt the picture of worry.

“Say it again,” she urged.

“Please?” I guessed.

She shook her head. “No, my name. That was the first time you said my actual name.”

I laughed. “Isla,” I whispered. I looked up and realized how close we were to the marina. I had to pull down the sails and motor in or we’d hit the docks. I rushed about to throw the fenders in place.

Once I had everything finished and stood behind the wheel again, she wrapped her arms around me and kissed my cheek. “You have no idea how much tonight meant to me.”

“Oh, I think I do.” I smiled down at her as I carefully steered us into the slip. I’d worried about how long it would take my erection to deflate. Then I saw both her brothers leaning over the side of the yacht, watching us. Bodhi was rubbing his face. Max was straight up glaring. My dick completely wilted. Problem solved. And yet it seemed a whole lot of new problems were about to begin.