Million-Dollar Amnesia Scandal by Rachel Bailey Page B

wanted more than anything to feel his touchagain, to be close enough to smell the scent of his skin, it would be far wiser to step on unaided.
    As she was deciding, his resonant, deep voice came from beside her. “Not long ago you were working with a physiotherapist to have the strength to walk again. For safety’s sake, let me help you board.”
    She bit down on her lip and reluctantly conceded his point. “Thank you,” she said as she took his outstretched hand, feeling the slide of his warm, roughened palm across the highly sensitized surface of hers. A shiver passed across her skin. He held tightly, keeping her secure, but the pressure felt like a tug on her soul. Not daring to meet his eyes, she stepped onto the yacht, then released his hand.
    It seemed to be about forty feet long, sleek and shiny, with soft lights on the mast. A staircase descended below, but on this level, there was a deck toward the front and a solid canopy housing the controls.
    The younger man who’d been checking on ropes earlier appeared. “The food is in a picnic basket downstairs, Mr. Kentrell. Champagne’s in the ice bucket, the other drinks are in the fridge. Everything’s ready for casting off.”
    â€œThank you, Jai,” Seth said, approval clear in his voice. The younger man acknowledged the thanks with a smile and left.
    As she watched Jai climb back to the dock and get ready to release the rope, her stomach dropped away. She circled her throat with a hand, as if she could fortify herself against reality. “We’ll be alone.”
    His eyes flicked to her. “Utterly.”
    â€œOh,” she said on a long breath.
    He didn’t appear concerned by the prospect, by the danger they courted. He merely raised an eyebrow. “Is that a problem for you?”
    â€œIt’s not for you?”
    His chest seemed to rise and fall a little too frequently, but his voice didn’t alter. “I didn’t want us to be overheard while we discussed my offer.” He glanced to where Jai was waiting to cast off and lowered his voice. “Our arrangements are of a sensitive nature.”
    She took a small step back. He was right—the only person who knew the situation was her mother. Even the hotel manager had only been given limited information. Since they’d just gone to elaborate lengths to avoid her mother, bringing a young employee along to witness their negotiations would be counterproductive. On a boat this size there would be no guarantee they wouldn’t be overheard.
    However, there may be another danger—beyond their obvious flammability—in letting young Jai leave. She folded her arms under her breasts. “Can you sail?”
    Seth’s features were transformed into mock affront. “Can fish swim?”
    â€œOkay then,” she said, relaxing a fraction and deciding to take this as it came, “show me what you’ve got.”
    Seth stilled—an arm that had been reaching toward the console hung in midair, his torso and limbs frozen. After several beats, he smoothly began to move again, as if he’d never stopped, and spoke over his shoulder. “Since we’ve acknowledged a certain chemistry between us, it would help if you avoided making double entendres.”
    Given that his back was to her, she didn’t need to hide the surprised parting of her lips. She hadn’t meant the phrase to have a double meaning, it’d just popped out. She’d pulled a tiger’s tail and she’d need to be more careful from now on. “Point taken.”
    Seth started the engine and busied himself with things that were totally unfamiliar to her. When she’d been playing the piano, ordering from room service or working thetelevision remote in her suite—things she must have done before she lost her memory—she’d instinctively known what to do. But the yacht was foreign, with its chrome rails, shiny white surfaces