Free Claimed: Gowns & Crowns, Book 3 by Jennifer Chance Page A

audibly, and she smacked her hand over her abs. “Sorry,” she said, but he shook his head.
    “You’ve more than earned a meal. While you were busy ensuring that we have done all that we need to shore up our bona fides, I’ve arranged to have dinner sent to my state room. There’s a private deck there with an excellent view.”
    She lifted her brows. “You’re inviting me back to your room? It’s only six o’clock.”
    He smiled back, more than willing to put her at ease. “We do things differently in the Mediterranean.”
    Dinner was served less than an hour later, accompanied by white wine in sturdy glasses. The yacht had cut its speed to bare cruising level, and the wind curled deliciously over the deck as they neared the lush green coastline of Turkey. “How close can we get?” Nicki asked. “Are there laws for that I assume?”
    “There are. The Turkish coast guard has been notified of our arrival and our guest manifest. We’ve provided links to your posts in the spirit of full cooperation. That and the fact that the online response has been positive has served us well.”
    “Yeah?” she brightened. “I haven’t really been paying attention to the traffic. It’s been good?”
    “It’s been good and it’s been expressive of the beauty of the Turkish seaside. The comments of surprise have been met with tourists speaking up, those who have visited before all the current unrest, sharing their travel stories about the country. Cyril has been in touch with the Turkish ministry of culture and tourism, and they’re taking note. It’s an excellent way to strengthen our cover.” He lifted his glass to her. “I was wrong to make light of your work,” he said. “You are good at it, and it has proven very valuable.”
    “Oh,” Nicki said. “Thanks.” She smoothed her fingers over her napkin for about the fifteenth time, creating a crease in the perfectly folded fabric.
    “What will you do next, when all this is done and you return home?” he asked, eyeing her. She seemed unreasonably nervous around him, more so than when they’d been on the mainland together.
    “Ah—well, I really don’t know. I am starting to see good money for my adventure articles. Not change-your-life money, but at least something that makes me think it will be worthwhile to pursue for a little bit. My parents want me to come back to Indianapolis—” Her lip curled. “But that doesn’t interest me at all. There’s too much of the world out there left to see, you know?” As soon as she said the words, she looked like she wanted to take them back. “Well, of course you know. You may be living in the middle of a fairy tale kingdom, but I bet you travel all over the place.”
    Stefan nodded. “I frequently travel with the royal family, or serve as an envoy if they’re not able to attend certain functions,” he said. “There is a certain luxury in having a place to call home, though.”
    “Yeah, maybe,” Nicki shrugged, playing with the glass of wine. “I guess if I travel around for a few more years, maybe I’ll get tired of it. Then I’ll think about settling down.” She made a face. “As long as it’s not Indianapolis. My mom’s bad enough with asking me every other week if I’ve found someone nice. If I lived across the city from her, she’d be on my doorstep.”
    He considered her statement, and the opportunity it provided him. Had she deliberately opened that door? He couldn’t help walking through it. “And you haven’t found someone nice, I take it.”
    “Yeah, no. I don’t really attract nice,” Nicki said with a quick smile. She took another drink of her wine. “The men I tend to attract are hunting for a climbing buddy, not a girlfriend. And I can climb plenty of mountains with other people. Those who do say they want to settle down mean mainly that they want someone else to be the adult while they go off and still play.” She shrugged. “And I’m every bit as bad. This job of travel