Page 4 (1/2)
Chapter One
Was this ridiculous ship ever going to dock?
Sterling Andrews crept to the lower level of the boat, bu into the walls of the narrow staircase Her stomach lurched—it’d been in a suspended state of aniht filht She needed a restroom Pronto
It wasn’t until she’d boarded the luxury yacht with the insane plan to find a , predictable—responsible—rut that she’d figured out she was prone to seasickness Were you supposed to feel such a large boat sway from side to side? Somehow, she didn’t think so
Reaching the end of the staircase, she rested her hand on the wall to catch her breath This was officially theon a boat full of strangers, and to top it all off, what seereat fashion choice when she left the house now left her feeling ridiculous
The strappy four-inch stilettos, coo fros were cold under the shitload of crinoline that only just covered her ass, and she could barely breathe froly around her torso
Her best friend, Penn Foster—the brains behind the swanky charity event on the yacht and consequently this insane plan—had chosen the outfit, which was totally inappropriate for a professional organizer Penn was in big trouble
Sterling gathered her bag close and took a deep breath before heading down to the most interior quarters Maybe down here the sway of the boat wouldn’t be so noticeable Just then her stomach decided to do the rumba and she lost her balance Luckily, the as courteous enough to break her fall A breeze whipped up the stairway, taking with it the hem of her skirt, and the cool air whooshed across her bare backside like a chilly, lecherous hand
Penn was so dead
Forcing herself to forge on, she wobbled down the hallith one hand on the wall for support, but she stopped short at the sound of male voices around a sharp corner
“It’s tiot back on the horse, brother” The sound was deep and coarse, like gravel against concrete “Treat this as your co-out party”
“You’re an ass” The second voice was lighter, but no less potent—a strong caress against her skin
The first man chuckled “You have your pick of the litter on this boat Don’t tell me you haven’t seen any prospects”
Sterling hugged the wall and wiped her broith the back of her hand If she didn’t get farther inside she was going to retch all over this deck
“Picking up wo a bike,” the first ht fall off the first tiet”
Sterling bent forward, trying to poke her head around the corner to catch a gli lessons Two men stood in the doorway, their profiles to her The first ht away—Neil Harrison, the oldest of the Madewood brothers, and Penn’s employer They’d met when she first stepped on the boat His white chef’s coat, crisp and clean, accentuated his tall, broad frame Black ink peeked out fro her wonder what kind of tattoo he had hidden beneath his clothes
The secondInstead of a white jacket, he wore a black dress shirt—untucked—and dark jeans with the perfect a He was definitely underdressed for the swanky event going on above deck If he earing a suit, she would have thought his shaggy black hair was in definite need of a haircut, but dressed as he was, the long strands jutting haphazardly froe
She recognized him from the pictures she’d seen in the newspapers—none other than bad boy Jack Vaughn, the youngest Madewood brother Even though they were all known to society as the Madewoods, their foster mother had insisted each son keep his own family name
The entire city of Toronto knew the Madewood fa the foster sons of a prominent socialite and business ownernews on the local circuit And the younger son had quite the reputation Not a ould go by without awith the super-elite around the world Well, at least until two o when their mother, Vivian Madewood, passed away
The charity event on the yacht was in support of Cooking for the Future, a program their mother had started when she realized how the culinary arts helped her own foster children Vivian wanted to continue that passion and help more than just four lucky boys She’d been an inspiration for the entire city, and Sterling was sad to hear she’d passed
“You’ve had it rough the last fewto help”