Jasmine The de ep night sky was only just beginning to grow pale when Isaac and I boarded the private yacht. I’d woken him up an hour ago, startling the heck out of him when I’d shaken his shoulder in what he’d thought was still the middle of the night. He’d sat bolt upright in bed, shirtless and with his hair all sle ep tousled, and I’d gotten a shock too. It turned out that Isaac Thayer was probably the only person in the whole world who woke up looking dangerously hot. He glanced around the yacht now, looking like he was half-convinced he was still dreaming, and a completely unnecessary shiver of desire snaked through me. Blowing out a frustrated breath, I stirred the coffee I was making with a bit too much enthusiasm. Little droplets splashed out of my mug. As I was wiping them up, Isaac came wandering into the kitchenette and I nearly knocked the whole damn thing over. Come on! Get it together, Jasmine. You work with the prettiest boys in the world and you’ve never let any of them get to you like this. Isaac gave me a lazy, wonderfully confused smile, and instantly, even my stubborn inner voice fell silent. “I’ll admit, I’ve woken up in worse places than a yacht on the Red Sea, but do you want to tell me what we’re doing yet? When you mentioned boats, I thought you wanted to go kayaking or something.” I shook my head, my mouth dry as I stared at him. “All you need to know is that you’re mine for the day.” “Yours, huh?” He took a few st eps closer and my heart stopped. It started again once I realized he wanted caffeine instead of me. He slid in beside me at the counter and started fixing himself a cup of coffee, and I mentally berated myself for expecting him to pounce on me. Idiot. He’s not yours. “Did you actually run this by your father or have I been kidnapped?” he asked. “Not that I’m complaining.” “You came willingly.” He shot me an amused look. “I’m pretty sure I was still fast asle ep when you dragged me out of the house. I don’t think I was capable of consenting.” I rolled my eyes at him, but a smile tugged at my lips. “You practically jumped out of bed when I told you that you wouldn’t want to miss this. But just so you can relax, I ran it by my father.” “And?” “And I expect a thank you for managing to convince him that you need a few days to just exist before you’re gone forever, toiling for him in the hot desert sun.”
He laughed. “It’s hardly forever, but thank you, Jasmine.” I smirked. “That’s better.” As the yacht eased away from the marina, I finally picked up my coffee and cocked a hip against the counter, wrapping my fingers around my mug. “We should go watch the sunrise. It’s spectacular out here.” “Aye aye, captain.” Isaac followed me out onto the deck with his own mug in hand. We leaned against the railing side by side, both of us watching the sun finally breaking over the horizon. Golden light spilled across the water in a dazzling display. A genuine burst of excitement shot through me. This was exactly what I loved to do, explore, see new things, and learn, but this was going to be even more fun because I knew today’s itinerary like the back of my hand and now Isaac was going to have a front-row seat. He looked out across the water at the city and shook his head. His voice was hushed when he spoke again. “The angles of those stone walls will never cease to amaze me, and do you see the way those carved facades light up when the first rays of sunshine hit them? It’s incredible. Magical. I ke ep waiting for a portal of some kind to open up.” I laughed. “That’s probably the only thing Sharm doesn’t have, a portal to another world. It’s mostly because we don’t need it, though. What more could you want in a place?” “You really do love it here, huh?” I felt his gaze on the side of my face, but I k ept my eyes on the water and the city in the distance. “I really do. I think this might even have been where my love for travel was born. I mean, how can a person be exposed to a place like this and not want to explore more? Learn more?” “I haven’t thought about it like that, but you’re not wrong. I don’t think it’s possible to visit here and not wonder what else is out there.” “Exactly.” I smiled. “Sharm as it exists today might not be that old, but the broader region and the traditions? Those date back to ancient times. The St. Catherine’s Monastery was built in the sixth century. How wild is that?” He shook his head. “I still can’t really fathom it, but I can’t wait to see it anyway.” “Well, it’s not on our list for today, but we’re definitely doing it sometime soon.” “You’re still not going to tell me what’s on our list for today?” “Nope.” We sipped our coffee in silence for a while after that, but by the time Ras Mohamed National Park came into view, I couldn’t ke ep it to myself any longer. “This is it. These are our plans for today.” He glanced around for a beat, then arched an eyebrow at me. “What is it?” “A nature reserve,” I explained. “It’s a part of Sharm few ever see. The ancient world is untouched underwater and some of the most magnificent coral reefs in the entire Red Sea are right here. There are some sights to explore on land too, but first, we’re going snorkeling.”
“This is why you asked if I was afraid of water, isn’t it?” “Y ep.” I grinned. “Are you ready?” He blinked a couple times, clearly surprised, but then he downed what little had remained of his coffee and took a st ep back. “First time snorkeling in Egypt? Of course, I’m ready.” So many emotions burst through me at his obvious excitement that I barely had time to catalog them all before I was changing into my bikini inside. All my life, I’d done most of my adventuring alone. Sometimes, Deja or one of my brothers would accompany me, but while they enjoyed it, they didn’t share my same de ep love for new experiences. Neither did any of my friends. If I was being honest, most of them were too concerned about getting their hair wet to even think about things like diving or snorkeling. Isaac, on the other hand, had been positively beaming when he’d disappeared into the stateroom across from mine. After getting changed, I headed back out onto the deck, filled with joy to have found someone who got as excited about this kind of thing as I did. My footst eps slowed when I noticed the way he was suddenly staring at me. Standing on the dive platform in a pair of navy blue trunks, his sunglasses were off and he blinked rapidly, looking like he was doing a double take. I only realized then that this was the first time he was seeing me in a bikini and I swiped my tongue across my lips to hide a smile. I definitely didn’t hate the way his gaze raked over me, quick as a flash, but his lips parted, and unless I was very much imagining things, he’d sucked in a breath too. As our eyes met, however, he cleared his throat and glanced at the crystal clear water instead, a faint flush rising up the side of his neck. “Ready?” I asked, also not hating the sight of him without a shirt either. Isaac was no gym-bro, steroid-junkie kind of guy, but his frame was tall and strong, his shoulders broad but tapering down to well-defined abs and narrower hips. Those trunks hung off them in a way that made me have to resist the urge to give them a little tug just to see what would happen—and to see what those lines between them were pointing toward. Suddenly averting my own gaze, I acc epted a dive mask from a staff member and waited for Isaac to respond. He cleared his throat again, then nodded. “Yeah, I’m ready.” His voice cracked ever so slightly and a little thrill shot through me, but I managed to maintain my composure as I smiled at him. “Great, then let’s go.” Without any further ado, I jumped in and surfaced only briefly to fit my mask, the water just cool enough to soothe my suddenly slightly overheated body, but warm enough to be comfortable too. Once both of us had our masks on, we drifted together on our stomachs, watching schools of brightly colored fish dart between protected coral formations. Sunlight filtered through the clear water in shimmering ribbons and I finally felt desire give way to awe. I’d been here dozens of times, but it still felt like entering another world. Massive coral gardens stretched below us, with tiny caves formed
over centuries of erosion hidden among them. There were ancient rock outcrops and too many species of marine life to ke ep track of. The visibility was so amazing that it felt like I could see for miles. When I finally glanced over at Isaac again, he was already looking back at me, his eyes impossibly wide behind his mask. Satisfied that he was sufficiently awed, I smiled around my mouthpiece and turned my attention back to the reef, fascinated by the way the plants moved with the currents. About an hour later, we were back aboard the yacht, stretched out on thick towels and the morning sun warming our skin. Isaac’s hair was sticking up in at least six different directions, sandy brown now that it was wet, water still trailing from it down the strong column of his throat. He leaned back on the towel, closing his eyes as he let out a soft groan. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything even remotely like that. I feel like a broken record, but it was incredible. Un-fucking-believable, actually.” I chuckled. The boat rocked gently beneath us as I reached for a bottle of water standing on the deck beside me. “I don’t think you sound like a broken record, for what it’s worth. When something truly is incredible, then that is what it is, and around here, a lot of things are exactly that.” “I’m glad you understand.” He cracked open one blue eye only to wink at me, then closed it again. “Either way, that was totally worth waking up that early for, so thank you.” “You’re very welcome.” I meant it too. “Sharing this stuff with someone who actually appreciates it makes it worthwhile for me too. But here’s a serious question for you.” “Shoot.” “Are you interested in seeing any of the really touristy things?” Already know you want billionaires, werewolves, or vampires? “What, like the Pyramids? Yeah. Absolutely.” “Wow. Like, no hesitation whatsoever?” I chuckled. “Okay. Well, I promise I’ll take you to the Pyramids as soon as we get back to Cairo, but today, we’re hanging with the locals.” “I’d do that with absolutely no hesitation whatsoever too,” he murmured. “Another snorkel first, though?” “Definitely. Let’s just grab that breakfast we got out of the water for, and then I plan on staying in until every inch of my skin is completely wrinkled.” He cracked open an eye again, apparently surprised by something, but instead of explaining, he just laughed and shook his head. “Yeah. Totally. I’m in.” We baked in the sun for a few more minutes before hitting the breakfast spread the staff had laid out for us, and once we were finished eating, we dove back into the warm water and spent the next few hours exploring underwater valleys and gardens.
We docked back in the city by mid-afternoon. Isaac stretched as we climbed off the yacht. “What’s next? You said something about hanging with locals?” “Yeah, there are some people I want to introduce you to, so it’s back to my favorite place.” “The Old Market?” he guessed out loud. I smiled. “Don’t you know it.” We strolled from the marina to the market, drifting down its winding streets while I introduced him to the shopke epers who knew me by name. Today, I’d brought him to the part of it where Nanna was a regular—and practically a rockstar. Everyone here knew her and, by extension, knew me too. As we wandered de eper into the maze of narrow streets, however, we had to stop every few seconds because Isaac simply couldn’t help himself. He k ept running his fingers lightly across hand-carved stone walls or pausing to study archways. He patted the brickwork and squinted thoughtfully at balconies. I’d noticed the same thing last night, how he just couldn’t seem to get enough of the architecture around here. While I didn’t mind it since I was pretty fascinated myself, I’d never gotten quite as touchy-feely with it as he did. “You pet buildings,” I finally said when he stopped again, this time to curl his fingers around the rounded corner of a wall. He glanced at me, those blue eyes covered by dark sunglasses, but the amused curve of his lips betrayed him. “I do not pet them. I appreciate their design.” “With your hands.” “It’s tactile observation,” he said like it should’ve been obvious. “It’s a real thing. I promise. You can look it up. It provides immediate, direct feedback on characteristics visuals might miss.” “Oh, baby,” I joked, bringing both hands to my chest and pretending to be wooed. “I love it when you talk like that.” He laughed, pushing his sunglasses into his hair to waggle his eyebrows at me. “If you like it that much, I can ke ep going.” “Please don’t.” He sighed, doing a pretty good job of pretending to be disappointed as he shook his head. “Fine, but now you’ll never learn how to assess the physical properties of—” “Oh, my God.” I reached out and grabbed his hand, holding it as I tugged him forward with me. “Here. At least now I know you won’t get lost while you’re getting distracted by all these buildings.” He chuckled. “I wasn’t wandering off intentionally.” “I know, but that doesn’t mean you’d have gotten any less lost in here. I think you have architectural ADHD.” “Somehow, I doubt that’s a medically recognized thing.” “And yet, every few seconds, I had to double back for you. Ten minutes ago, I found you halfway inside the door to somebody’s
house.” “It was a very interesting door.” “It was great, but since they didn’t invite you into their home, it was also a great way to get arrested for trespassing. Or breaking and entering.” He laughed and continued to hold my hand. We walked through the market that way, with me feeling when he stopped to admire another balcony, walls, or a carved facade. The interesting thing about it was that he pointed out so many details I’d never seen before that pretty soon I was slowing down too. Even though I’d walked here with Nanna just yesterday, it was different being with Isaac. The world was a pretty interesting place through his eyes and seeing this city that way made me fall in love with it all over again. I loved the way his mind worked. Eventually, we weren’t holding hands out of necessity anymore. Somewhere along the line, both of us had shifted our grip and it had become more of an intentional weaving of our fingers. His fingers slid naturally between mine and I wasn’t tugging him along so much anymore as just touching him. While I’d held plenty of hands in my lifetime, it had never felt quite so intimate before. Somehow, this felt intimate, with him gently pulling me closer while he nerded out over architecture, sharing his passion in a way that made it truly addictive. “Look at that mashrabiya balcony,” he murmured at one point, drawing me close to his side and pointing up with his free hand. “They’re not just elaborately carved window coverings? They’re actually designed to let air move through while ke eping direct sunlight out. It’s for privacy and ventilation. Genius, right?” I leaned into him a little, unable to help myself. “The lattice work is gorgeous. I love the aesthetic they add, but I love it even more that you know they’re not just there to look pretty.” “Are you kidding me? Of course, I know that. Does anyone not?” When he looked at me again, it was like I could see the inspiration welling inside, almost like the atmosphere here was intoxicating him. My grip on his fingers tightened and he smiled, holding my gaze for just a beat before he seemed to remember himself. “Shit, I’m sorry. Are you hungry? It must be way past lunchtime.” “It is, but I’m fine. Let’s ke ep going. I’m starting to understand why you k ept almost getting lost earlier.” He laughed and pointed at an archway next, explaining how complicated it must’ve been to bring the design to life back in the eighties. We spent the whole afternoon in the end just wandering around like that, walking hand in hand through the market while he pointed out things that interested him and I introduced him to the locals. When we finally got back to the house, we were both sun-kissed with our hair windsw ept. Personally, I felt like I was sweating like a pig after spending that long in the market. Isaac,
however, was a little worse off than me. I hadn’t noticed it before, but when I turned to face him as we walked in the door, I realized his cheeks and neck were definitely pink. “Oh no. Isaac, we had sunscreen with us the entire time. Why are you so burned?” “I’m not,” he argued immediately. “I might be lightly caramelized, but I’m not burned, and even if I am, it was worth it.” I laughed. “You’re going to feel so bad in about three hours.” “Hey, at least that still gives me three hours,” he joked as we reached the hallway to the courtyard. As we walked out toward the shaded veranda together, however, I stopped so abruptly that Isaac bumped lightly into me. My smile disappeared, and as soon as he realized why, all traces of amusement faded from his face as well. David stood beside my father in the courtyard, presenting him with an ornate wooden box I recognized as containing expensive cigars. Gift or bribe? Probably a bribe to get into Dad’s good graces. When David looked up and saw me, a wide, confident grin appeared on his face and I suddenly felt like someone had shoved a big bag of ice into my stomach. Isaac’s hand left mine and he brought it to rest in the small of my back. It was just a small gesture, protective and a little possessive. Even so, it melted most of that ice immediately and I drew in a slow breath, lifting my chin. I would not be intimidated in my own home. Especially by a man I didn’t even respect, and with Isaac backing me up, I felt powerful. Capable of facing absolutely anything. I just didn’t know yet exactly what we were facing.