Free Tempest Tossed: A Love Unexpected Novel by Alissa Adams

year. It’s excellent.”
    “If you ate anything from the grill, I cooked it.”
    “I figured. So, you just went back to the restaurant after our interview and quit, huh?”
    “I briefly considered not even going back. But, good as that would have felt, I decided not to lower myself. I finished out the dinner shift.”
    The sorry little tale of my last night didn’t take long to tell. Quitting had turned out to be a bit of a letdown. It was hard for me to accept being so expendable. Chef Asshole had warmly congratulated me. Once I was no longer his employee, the entire façade slipped away.
    He hadn’t seemed particularly hurt or even annoyed. Matter-of-fact as hell, he got one of the cooks on the phone right away to suss out his buddies. Then he surprised me by pouring a round of shots for the crew and toasting my new career with some top shelf Patron.
    “Then,” I concluded, “water, bridge and I was so outta there.”
    “And here you are.”
    I felt like I was boring him. Enough about me. I wanted to hear more about Dylan. "So, you've been the Captain on El Loco for how long?"
    "Five years, more or less. We've had a great time. But I think the Boss is getting restless. That's why he's itching to join daddy dear's business."
    "You don't like Dylan's father?"
    "Let's just say I don't have a lot of respect for him."
    "Why not?"
    "Because he's a spineless worm of the highest order. Let's just leave it at that."
    There was obviously quite a bit of history that Stephen seemed determined to keep to himself. As curious as I was, it seemed pushy to pry. "Five years is a long time. Do you just cruise around all the time?"
    "We've been all over the world. Fished in a lot of tournaments."
    "On this boat?" I didn't know a lot about the sport, but I was pretty certain I wasn't aboard a fishing boat.
    "Oh, hell, no. We either charter or we use the tender." I knitted my brow at the unfamiliar term. Stephen answered the unspoken question. "It's easier to show you." He picked up the radio and summoned the first mate to the bridge.
    "I promised you a tour. Come and let me properly introduce you to El Loco."

 
     
    Chapter 8—Dylan
     
    The poolside beauties were a sight to see. I knew I could have put a damper on their naughty plans, but I figured I would let them have their fun. Watching them flirt with each other was not a bad way to spend a sunny afternoon. After all, it was my boat, my pool, my game.
    Just then my eyes caught the faintest rustle of the porthole curtain. It was just a hint of movement but it was enough to bring me up short. If it was still Rodrigo in that room, I wouldn't have thought twice about the sweet little play unfolding in front of me. I might have even mustered up the enthusiasm to join them. But everything had changed when Stephen pulled the stunt of hiring Rene. In a ridiculous flash of time I went from carefree to concerned. Concerned about what that pretty little dove of a chef might think. 
    I propelled myself from the water. 
    "Girls," I said.  “How about moving to a shady spot? We need to protect that gorgeous skin of yours."
    I glanced back at the porthole again, but the curtain was closed and didn’t move. Apparently she was no longer watching.
    Shelby and Emery seemed happy enough to move to the chaise and resume petting one another. They progressed from the giggle phase and started making lusty noises. I watched for a few more minutes until I was fairly certain that the girls were oblivious to anything but each other. Then I slipped away as quietly as I could. If they questioned me about it later, I figured I could make some excuse. The truth—"Sorry ladies, my mind is fixated elsewhere."—was implausible to say the least. What man passes on watching two exquisite women? At that moment, much as I hated to admit it, the answer was me .
    Back in my stateroom, I fetched Lady Delaney from her confinement. The little devil had digs better than most people, but she still preferred to have