“Bye!” Eleanor and Jess waved as I turned the rudder and left a nautical home for our island one.

* * * * *

That night, with Eleanor fast asleep beside me, Pika snoozing on the sheet between my legs, Skittles nestled in Eleanor’s gorgeous hair, a Komodo dragon sleeping by the open doors to the deck, and the resident sugar glider blinking with nocturnal happiness, I cyphered a fantasy.

I used the code I’d designed to script common animals beneath the sea, along with a few mythical ones. I conjured magic for my wife and seasoned it with debauchery.

Tomorrow night, as we sailed on Calypso and travelled on the open seas, I would load us into an illusion that would guarantee a visit to Euphoria we would never forget.

Chapter Eight

“OKAY, I HAVE TO admit...this is a pretty fabulous way to travel.” I spun on the deck where Sully, Cal, and Jess sat in the sunken lounge next to the pizza oven that was currently smoking with handmade vegetarian pizzas. “No people. No airports. No germs or crowds or problems. Heaven.”

Pika and Skittles sat on the towel rack beside the mosaic glittery pool, preening each other and looking perfectly at home even though we’d left Goddess Isles six hours ago and now had no land around us.

We’d made the choice to bring them with us. The rescues on Serigala were cared for by trusted staff and numerous vets on call. Specific animal lovers had been hired just to provide cuddles and companionship to those creatures who needed it.

But Pika and Skittles were family.

Without them, we always felt a piece of ourselves missing when we travelled and rushed back as quickly as we could. This way...we could take our time. We didn’t need to worry because we had everyone we loved onboard and could truly relax and enjoy the adventure.

“Yeah, it’s not bad.” Sully held up his beer bottle, the setting sun catching the glass.

“Not bad?” Jess threw an olive at him from the snacks that we’d been served by the inconspicuous and ever attentive crew that Elder Prest had provided along with his perfectly crafted yacht. “It’s insane. I’ve worked on cruise ships, Sullivan. I’ve seen giant vessels and cleaned the most expensive suites to rent. Believe me, nothing compares to this. It’s in a league of its own.”

Cal sipped his beer, his eyes covered with aviators. “I don’t even feel seasick, and normally, I’d be green as fuck by now.”

“He did say it had stabilisers for stopping sickness.” Sully glanced at Cal. His black board shorts and shirtless chest still twinkled with droplets from the dip he’d taken in the swimming pool. Pika had joined him, sitting on Sully’s finger and splashing his feathers, taking a bird bath while squawking in joy.

Padding toward the pizza oven in my sarong and dusky pink bikini, I pulled the board holding four pizzas from the charcoal to check nothing was burning.

“That smells so good,” Jess moaned. “I’m hungry.”

“How can you be hungry?” Cal chuckled. “You’ve been eating all day.”

Jess sighed and stretched, showing off her toned body in her teal bikini, no longer self-conscious about the wicked-looking scar across her lower belly courtesy of Drake’s bullet. Dr Campbell had worked miracles keeping both her and Cal alive, and I was glad that Sully and Jim had been able to bury the past. Dr Campbell was still our resident physician, and his family regularly visited, now that Goddess Isles wasn’t an illegal sex trade but just a tropical home for humans and rescues.

“I’m on vacation and plan on eating my way to Tahiti.”

“We live on a tropical island.” Cal rolled his eyes. “Every damn day is a vacation.”

Jess shrugged. “Won’t stop me from eating far more than normal while on this ship.” She blew him a kiss. “You’ll just have to provide me with extra exercise so I don’t get fat.”

“I’m sure I can come up with something to work off those calories.” Cal smirked, leaning toward her and kissing her hard on the mouth. “By the way, what were you and that Tasmin girl talking about when we said goodbye? I heard Q’s name. It’s not the same bastard who threatened Sinclair, is it?”

Sully sat bolt upright. “What the fuck? Why were you talking about that French prick?”

Jess waved her hand impatiently. “It’s not what you think. Q is helping Elder and Tasmin with something.”

“Helping with what exactly?” Cal asked.

Jess looked away, her face flitting with nervousness.

I helped her out by blurting, “With adopting children.”

Sully barked a feral laugh. “Q? The same vigilante who likes to email strangers and discuss their upcoming murder? What does he have to do with children?”

“He saves women who’ve been trafficked. Some are pregnant. Some die and leave orphans. Some aren’t capable of looking after the products of a forced relationship.” Jess rubbed her arms. “Elder and Tasmin are adopting a little girl through him. A mute. She mentioned that there might be more...umm...children who need supporting, loving homes.” She swallowed hard. “She might’ve mentioned she could potentially suggest us as one of those homes...”

“Wow.” Sully leaned back, his intelligent gaze racing and already latching onto the same conclusion I had. Cal and Jess might get their dream of a family after all.

Cal froze and watched Jess with the intensity of a man who didn’t trust what he’d just heard but wanted to with every fibre of his being.

Judging by his reaction, that family might arrive sooner rather than later.

Cal suddenly stood and grabbed Jess’s hand. Yanking her from the couch, he guided her away from us, their heads tilted together as their voices travelled back over the sound of purring engines.

“Guess we better get building another villa on a different island.” Sully put his beer down, coming to help me remove the pizzas and plate up. “Tikus is free and a decent size with a good beach and fresh water source. It’s not too far but not too close either.”

“Tikus?” I rolled the cutting blade over a decadent pizza, creating slices.

“Mouse in Indo.” He pressed a kiss to my cheek. “As much as I love Cal and Jess, I have no intention of sharing our island with screaming kids.”

“I’m sure they only scream occasionally.”

His eyebrow cocked. “You saying you want ten of the damn things running around wild on Batari?”

“No.” I laughed. “But I doubt they’ll get ten. That’s like an entire football team.”

“I have no idea how many it takes to make a team. I just know that they won’t stop at one, and one is too many for me.”

I looked over to the railing where Jess and Cal remained deep in conversation. “They do look pretty committed already, seeing as they haven’t even emailed Q yet to see if they’d be ideal candidates.”

“Of course they’d be ideal. Whatever kid they adopt will want for nothing.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist and looked up into his incredibly handsome face. “And they’ll have the best uncle around.”

“And the sexiest aunt.” His head came down and his lips pressed to mine. “I’ll call the building firm I used to design my previous villas. I’ll get them to begin work immediately.”