In the August Heat

eighteen | castle of the seas

I SHOULD HAVE known that when August said boat, it would be an understatement.

But that didn't stop me from halting when he led me through the marina to a forty-some-foot yacht-looking thing. It was massive and shiny, sparkling as it sat in the water. And just by looking at the outside, I could tell the interior was likely more spacious than my NYC apartment.

"Jesus, Fletcher," I muttered as I kept walking, following August on the dock.

He grinned back at me over his shoulder. It was a natural, genuine grin that told me he liked this boat. This boat was important to him, and he was damn proud of it. But he'd never say that.

No, instead, he'd say other things that made my feet stop moving.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" he said. "Almost as much as you."

He kept walking, unfazed by that comment. Meanwhile, I had to try to master my expression before I continued after him. Something fluttered inside me, and the last thing I wanted was for him to be able to read me even more than he already could.

"Well, that's a new one," I said. "Never had my beauty compared to a boat before."

"I didn't compare you to the boat," August called over his shoulder with a wink. "I compared the boat to you. There's a difference."

To be honest, I'd never had my beauty compared to anything before. Not to a summer's day, not to a yacht, nothing.

"She still needs a name," August continued as we both stopped at the edge of the dock. The boat's silver railings shimmered as I ran my fingers over them. "I could name her after you, if that would help."

"You really don't have to do that," I laughed, taking his hand as he helped me onto the huge vessel. He released it as soon as I'd stepped on board, but then I felt his hand return, steadying me at my hip as he followed behind me.

When he spoke, a shiver worked down my spine, his breath brushing over my skin. "Castle of the Seas? Castle of Evergreen? Quinn's Castle?"

"That last one is an awfully misleading name," I said, breathless as August's hands slid down my hips before disappearing as he boarded the boat and moved beside me. His arm grazed mine, and I hoped he wouldn't notice the goosebumps that covered my skin. "It's not my boat. It's your boat."

"Mm," August said, giving little away with his expression. He turned to look at me, though, his eyes wandering my face. I could feel a flush working over my skin, adding to the heat blasting from the sky.

It was hot today. But the sun had nothing on the feeling I got from the way this man looked at me.

"August's Castle, then?" he suggested, his lips quirking at the suggestion.

A suggestion that sounded an awful lot like I was his.

"It's an improvement," I said, my voice hoarse.