Love Me Love Me Knot Page 8

  Grabbing a fresh plate from the pile, Ryan stacked all the right food groups: chocolate, sugar, cheesecake, and fruit—dipped in chocolate. He placed a piece of parsley on the outer edge of the plate so it had some inference of health.

  Ryan sat near one of the ginormous pools and indulged.

  As the first bite of cherry cheesecake passed the threshold of his lips he heard a piercing scream. A woman’s. Then, “No. No. No!”

  Ryan jumped up so quickly his chair knocked over, slamming against the deck floor.

  The high-pitched scream came to an unsettling halt just as a splash cut through the dead of night.

  He hurried around a spiral staircase. About twenty feet away another dark shadow jetted past the other pool, ducking behind one of the many poolside bars.

  His skin crawled as he raced toward the scream, and squinted through the dim light. Waves rippled at the far end of the pool even though it was covered by a tarp and netted rope. Whoever had fallen in had created a hole in the tarp. A woman’s arms broke through the rope, flapping like a distressed bird. She was caught.

  “Damn,” he mumbled. This side of the deck was a ghost town. Where was the staff? Not thinking twice, he shrugged out of his jacket and kicked off his shoes, then jumped into the tarp opening. He ripped the rope from the side nearest him and swam as close to the hole as he could.

  “Help,” she screamed, though it was more of a gurgle.

  The dark prevented him from seeing where the rope tangle ended and her limbs began. Stop struggling.

  She kicked at the water, and even though it wasn’t deep, she was disoriented. Her arms continued to flail.

  Ryan filled his lungs and dove under, grabbing her legs to pull her under. With strenuous effort, he tried dragging her toward the narrow opening he’d made on the other side of the pool, but he didn’t expect her to be so strong. She kicked him on the side of his head, momentarily impairing his vision.

  But her body started to relax and seconds later she stopped kicking. Ryan’s adrenaline kicked in to high gear. No, no, don’t you stop. This woman was not going to drown. He crushed her against his chest and pushed off the bottom of the pool. When he broke the surface of the water, he scooped his arms under hers and dragged her limp body to the deck floor. He rolled her to her side, revealing her face. “Sophie?” Beads of water glistened on her lashes against the dim lighting. Oh my God, Sophie. Anger and fear knotted in his gut.

  She choked and spit up water, sucking in huge gulps of air.

  He collapsed to his haunches, trying to catch his own breath.

  “You almost . . .” The rest of his sentence caught in his throat. The thought of her drowning threatened to unhinge a wrath he would unleash on whoever did this to her. “You okay?”

  She coughed up more water, then flipped over and balanced her weight between her hands and knees, dry heaving.

  “Hey!” Two crewmen ran over. “You guys okay?” one of them asked.

  Sophie wiped her mouth. “I’m fine,” she said, then coughed again.

  Ryan ignored the men and pressed one hand to her back. “You are not fine. You were just unconscious.”

  The soft light added a little color to Sophie’s otherwise pale face. He clenched his jaw as he offered his arm to help her up.

  She took it and stumbled to her feet. “Seriously, Ryan, I’m fine.”

  The two penguins circled them. “Do you need first aid? We radioed for help,” the taller penguin said.

  “No. Don’t.” Sophie coughed a few more times. “I’m perfectly fine.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked, holding his radio inches from his mouth.

  “Positive,” Sophie wheezed.

  The taller one stepped back and mumbled into his walkie-talkie, likely canceling the medical staff.

  Ryan picked up his coat, shook it out, and then draped it over Sophie’s shoulders. “What happened? Did someone push you in?”

  She wrapped the coat together in her fist and shook her head. “I think it was an accident.”

  She involuntarily shook and Ryan draped his arm around her, briskly rubbing.

  “We need to document the incident,” the other penguin said. He looked disturbingly identical to the redheaded kid on the Cracker Jacks box.

  Ryan gave Sophie a once-over. Her breathing steadied, and by the way she shrugged away from him, she clearly didn’t want this attention. “It’s fine, fellas. No harm, no foul.” Any incident reported on behalf of Up Front’s reckless behavior could lead to instant termination. Not that being thrown in a pool was her fault, probably one of those crazy scavenger hunt enthusiasts, but he didn’t want to chance it. And he didn’t believe for one second it was an accident. Not the way she screamed.

  “I fell, that’s all,” Sophie said, breathing softly. Thank God. She caught his eye and held his gaze. “This guy helped me out.” Her attention slowly returned to the employees. “I’m fine. Please don’t write anything down.”

  Ryan bit his lip. If his sister had been thrown into a covered pool, you can bet she’d declare World War III on that person. Sophie seemed to be okay, but it was a matter of seconds before shock kicked in. He needed to intervene to prevent that incident report and further investigation from the company.

  “Listen, guys.” Ryan stepped forward. “We don’t want it getting out that the pool wasn’t properly secured. I mean, how would it look on permanent record to see that the pool was an accident waiting to happen? What if a child fell through instead of one of my colleagues?” Ryan waited, allowing the reality to soak in.

  When the penguins’ still appeared unsure, he reached for his drenched wallet and handed one of the men a business card, enunciating his title as a journalist. “Have your supervisor contact me if you have any questions. Meanwhile, let’s just call it a night and I’ll see her to her room.”

  The Cracker Jack penguin shot the other one a knowing look. “All right then. I see your point.” He waved the business card and walked away, mumbling, “Have a good night.”

  Ryan filled his lungs and turned to Sophie. Her wet hair hung over her shoulder, framing her heart-shaped face. Though his coat more than covered her, he couldn’t but notice how her drenched shirt clung to her slender body. How much weight had she lost? All anger he felt moments before dissipated. He wrapped his coat tighter around her. “You okay?”

  She didn’t answer but he felt her shiver.

  Probably shock.

  “You should eat something. I have a table over there.” He kept one arm around her shoulder, distinctly aware just how perfectly she molded into him, like a custom-cut puzzle piece. He buried the thought deep. That was over.

  He guided her to the table and eased her into the seat directly across from him, pushing the dessert plate in front of her. “Eat.”

  She didn’t so much as bat an eye. She just stared, shivering. “I’m not hungry.”

  “Listen, I’d feel better if you ate something. Not to mention your adrenaline will slow down and you’ll stop shaking if you put some sugar in your system.”

  Her eyes narrowed at him. “But I’m not hungry.”

  “That’s not the point,” he said pointedly. “You’re in shock and if you don’t eat you could pass out.”

  She pushed the plate away from her. “I’m fine. I’ll order a sandwich from room service.”

  Ryan stood. “I’ll get you one now.”

  “But—”

  “Humor me. It’s the least you can do after I rescued you.”

  Sophie’s mouth fell open, but whatever she was about to say she thought better of and clamped her mouth shut. Crossing her arms, she said, “Fine.”

  At the buffet, Ryan made her a sandwich with turkey, unlike his veggie burger—and grabbed a bag of chips for good measure, then headed back to th
e table, determined to get to the bottom of what actually happened.

  He slid the plate in front of her and plopped down in his chair. “Okay. Someone pushed you in. Why?”

  Sophie froze with the sandwich at her lips. “I fell, I told you.”

  Ryan leaned back in his chair. He folded his arms across his chest and said, “I don’t believe you. The way you screamed . . . it sounded like a struggle. People don’t scream like that when they’re falling.”

  “It was a misunderstanding.”

  Damn. He was right. Which meant his next suspicion wasn’t as farfetched as he hoped. Especially with her desperate to make the café’s rent. He ran a hand through his hair, hating to make the accusation, but he was worried. Really worried. “Listen, Soph, promise me you’re not participating in this scavenger hunt. It’s against company policy.”

  Sophie flinched. “Not that you ever participate, but in the past, company trainings are a good mix of work and play.”

  Ryan scrubbed a hand over his jaw, scratching the stubble on his chin. She wasn’t denying it, but trying to make a case for it. This was bad. As her boss, if she admitted to participating he would be required to take disciplinary action. He leaned forward. “You should have fun, but drowning doesn’t count as fun. And for the record, no scavenger hunting, okay? There’s plenty of other games to play here. It’s a little different this year.”

  “So you’ve said,” she hissed, though he couldn’t figure out her sudden animosity. Was she angry with him? “And like I said, I’m not playing games. But I’m going to bed.”

  Ouch. That would be a yes with a side of screw you. Ryan set his lips in a hard line. “Okay. Why don’t I walk you to your room?”

  “I’m fine.” Sophie stood, shaking off his coat and handing it over.

  He slipped it on. It was damp and smelled of her shampoo. A delightful shiver ran down his back. “Are you sure? I don’t want to hear that you fell down or passed out later.”

  Sophie grabbed the sandwich off the plate and then picked up a fork, spearing a piece of cheesecake. She slowly bit down, scraping the fork between her teeth. The hairs on the back of Ryan’s neck rose.

  “Better?” she said around the cheesecake.

  “Much,” he said. “Have a good night. We have a lot to accomplish over the next few days.”

  A determined look crossed her face. “I know. And thanks for, you know, pulling me out. I’ll see you at tomorrow’s training.”

  She rubbed her arms as she walked briskly to the elevator. He watched until the elevator doors swallowed her up. Sitting back down, he looked at his dessert plate. She had him reeling and if she wasn’t careful, she’d get herself in too deep and there would be no way for him to save her from drowning professionally. He stuffed a huge chunk of chocolate cake into his mouth. The question was, why did he care?

  Chapter 10

  Sophie watched a bird peck at the railing next to her bistro table on the Lido Deck as she sipped on her coffee and picked at the scrambled eggs. She’d barely slept a wink. Last night’s events reeled through her mind nonstop, cycling a good dose of mortification with every rotation.

  The scavenger hunt’s unofficial kick-off did not go as she had planned. The first event had participants roaming the ship looking for a bonus item. One she did not find.

  She cringed at the memory of being pushed in the pool. When she couldn’t reach the surface, panic had set in. Everything happened so fast that her fear turned everything fuzzy.

  But the real fear didn’t set in until she saw Ryan leaning over her, asking her questions. She realized he could have gotten caught in the ropes too. Sophie squeezed her eyes. Death is scary. She’d learned that much when her parents died. But the thought of being responsible for someone else’s death was downright petrifying.

  She pushed the fear from her mind; she had to concentrate. The ship had just arrived in Ensenada, and Sophie figured the day would be filled with tourists, making her job of finding her first items on the scavenger hunt list effortless once she jumped on a tour excursion. The one with ATVs looked the most promising, so she would sign up as soon as this morning’s training was over.

  “Good morning, toots,” Donovan said, slumping down in the seat across from her. With coffee in hand, he looked about a twelve on the fashion scale of one-to-ten.

  “Why do you look like you’re ready to walk the runway?”

  He winked, licking his finger to fix his eyebrow. “Why are you surprised? You never get to make a first impression twice, and I always dress to impress.”

  Sophie smiled. “Good point.”

  Donovan ripped a piece of Sophie’s toast from her plate and tossed it to the pigeon that landed near his feet. “You hungry, flying rat? Here’s some carbs.”

  A sign above them warned guests not to feed the birds. “Eh-hem.” Sophie cleared her throat, pointing.

  “So we’re choosing which rules to follow now?” he said with a devious smile. “Because I’m pretty sure we’re not supposed to be participating in certain cruising activities.”

  Sophie plunked a bite of eggs in her mouth. “I’m not saying nothing.”

  “Don’t talk with your mouth full. And don’t lie to me using double negatives. I’m not dumb.”

  Sophie rolled her eyes. “Then why do you pester me?”

  His eyes smiled. “Because it’s fun.”

  Sophie pushed her plate back and stood. “I have to grab my laptop so I can finish some work while we meet for training this morning. See you in a bit.”

  Donovan raised his mug. “Adios, mi amore.”

  Sophie took the stairs. Maybe a little exercise would clear her thoughts. Though grateful for Ryan saving her last night, she could not allow herself to think about him . . . or the way he held on to her, making sure she was okay. The way his jacket smelled like his cologne. The way he handled the staff so she wouldn’t get in trouble. But worse, the way he conjured old feelings, making it doubly impossible to sleep last night.

  Sophie shut her stateroom door and leaned against it. The reality of what could have happened shook her again. She could have gotten him killed. Guilt coiled in her chest. She wouldn’t have been able to live with herself had she caused him harm. He wasn’t even supposed to be there—or on this ship at all. Yet had he not been, she could have died.

  She swallowed the bile that rose up her esophagus. She would not purge. It wouldn’t solve anything except making her feel like a fraud to her girls.

  She forced her mind back to the scavenger hunt and considered what it would take to win. Ryan couldn’t know about it, so she needed to stay away from him. Her mind drifted to how he kept her warm against the coolness of the night. Against the shock. But that was him being nice. She squeezed her eyes shut. She especially needed to stay away from that. Far, far away.

  She would avoid him at all costs today. Scratch that, she would avoid him at all costs for the rest of her life. And she would locate today’s scavenger hunt items. She retrieved the flier she’d received earlier that morning outlining her mission, grabbed her laptop, and made it to the conference room with thirty seconds to spare.

  Ryan stood at the front of the room, leaning against the first table, all tall and sinewy and heroic. He made small talk with Tyler Scott, but his Caribbean eyes glanced her way. Somehow they seemed to say all the right things. Things she wished he had said ten years ago, instead of what he did say—or wrote, rather. Sophie bit her lip. Nope. Far, far away.

  Ryan ambled toward her and sat at the edge of her table. “You feeling better today?”

  She never knew it was possible to blush from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. Dear God, it was only eight in the morning and she’d already failed miserably at avoiding him. And the bigger problem was some rogue piece of her heart didn’t want to.

 
Chapter 11

  Ryan—freshly showered and feeling renewed after an intense run—exited the ship in hopes of exploring Ensenada. But when he saw Sophie flailing at a crewmember at the excursion podium near the ship’s debarkation ramp, he stopped. She looked as if she was about to go postal on the employee. Curiosity got the better of him and he headed her way.

  “I’m sorry,” the bubblegum-snapping twenty-something blond said, looking anything but apologetic. “That tour is sold out for the day. You should have booked yesterday. You can try for another tour on the main strip, which is a short bus ride from here, but here I can only check people in. Now please excuse me,” she said, motioning another couple forward.

  Ryan hung back, watching Sophie sift through different brochure options. This morning he’d attempted small talk, but she’d only offered him a slight smile and then sat in the back and spent the entire hour typing on her keyboard. Clearly, she was fine, except for acting distracted. After the training ended, she left in a hurry.

  Now here she was, her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, looking unbelievable in a red tank top and white shorts. The last decade had been good to her. She had lost weight. Not that she’d needed to. But whereas her clavicle was once hidden beneath her neckline, it now framed her neck and shoulders. Her arms were slimmer and her waistline smaller, but the most obvious change wasn’t in her appearance. Her confidence now dwarfed the shy girl he once knew back in college. The mental snapshot stored in the back of his mind was that of a young, timid girl.

  Even still, as confident as she was, he detected a fracture in that façade. Just like he did a decade ago when she abruptly cut him off.