Chapter 23
Harm leaned casually against the light bamboo structure that passed as a bar, sipping from his Coke. The sweating glass felt wonderfully cool against his fingers. He resisted the temptation to press the glass against his cheek. The midday sun had become downright brutal, and even the light breeze gusting across his face was hot. The striped umbrella shading the two men gave little relief.
Beside Harm, Jeb chatted with a couple of young women who worked on the ship, telling them about some college event with the naïve enthusiasm of youth. Harm kept his amusement to himself with an effort of will. The two girls were very patently hanging on his every word, but Jeb was too engrossed in his story to notice. He obviously had no idea what the girls were thinking about him, nor what he could do with the situation-- if he chose.
I don't think I was ever that innocent, Harm thought with a small pang of regret. His own nature and the months he'd spent in Southeast Asia had seen to that. Then Harm grinned into his drink as the memories surfaced. His "What I Did on my Summer Vacation" essay the next year had nearly given his English teacher a heart attack.
Raising his gaze, he swept the wide expanse of deck visible from his position, looking for Boothe. Mac had managed to talk all of the remaining married women into a few hours at the spa-- something about facials and manicures and whatever the heck a Vichy shower was-- in the hopes of getting some more information from Carmen. Harm was supposed to take the opportunity to do the same with Boothe, but so far he'd been unable to find him.
His survey was interrupted by a new presence at his elbow.
"Hi, Harm!" Nikki Upton grabbed his arm in a hug, her slender body momentarily pressed against his side. She let go before he could react, stepping back to look up at him. A playful smile lit her face.
"Guess what?"
Harm watched her warily from behind a polite smile. "What?"
She bounced on the balls of her feet, clearly excited. "I won the Singles' Challenge this morning, so that means we get to spend the day together tomorrow." The winner of the Singles' Challenge got to choose their companion for the next outing. She tapped him lightly on the chest. "And you're going to take me flying. I've already worked it out with Mr. Ariel."
Harm blinked, taken aback. "Sounds like fun," he managed after a moment. The idea of going flying sounded like a lot of fun, actually. Too bad the company wouldn't be more enjoyable.
Jeb turned at the mention of flying. He grinned at Harm. "Lucky dog." His gaze shifted to Nikki. "What kind of airplane is it?"
She shrugged dismissively. "Oh, I don't know. It has two wings, though."
Harm coughed lightly. "Would that be two wings stacked, or one on each side of the airplane?"
Jeb made a choking noise, which sounded suspiciously like smothered laughter. Harm slapped him charitably on the back until he'd regained control.
Nikki watched them with a frown. "Two wings on top of each other… like the Red Baron." She seemed to have figured out that the men were laughing at her.
Harm held on to his composure by a thread. "Ah. A biplane. That'll be fun."
Nikki rallied gamely. "Well, it's a two-seater. I do know that." She winked at him.
"Have you ever been flying in a small airplane?" Harm asked.
She shook her head, her smile reappearing as if by magic. "No, but it sounds like a trip. I'm sure I'll have a great time." There was a glint of challenge in her gaze.
Harm chuckled despite himself. "Don't be too sure about that. I'm a qualified aerobatic pilot."
Nikki gave him a diffident stare, one eyebrow cocked. "And?"
Out of his peripheral vision, Harm saw Jeb bite his lip, his blue eyes dancing.
Harm couldn't resist the opportunity. He gave Nikki a glimpse of his most dangerous smile. "And… unless you have an extraordinarily strong stomach, you're only going to have a 'great time' if I decide to be nice."
The well-manicured eyebrow hiked another notch. "Oh, really. Care to place a wager on that?" She leaned toward him.
Harm echoed her. In the back of his mind, he realized he was getting into dangerous territory. Still, he'd never been one to back down from a challenge.
"What did you have in mind?" he asked Nikki without breaking eye contact.
She grinned invitingly. "How 'bout the loser gives the winner a kiss."
Harm laughed outright. "No." He straightened, giving Nikki a congratulatory bow. "But nice try."
She just shrugged, utterly unrepentant. Harm nodded to Jeb as he turned away.
"See you tomorrow," Nikki called after him as he walked away.
#
"Oh, wow. I could get used to this." Mac exhaled blissfully. She'd been pretty doubtful when Carmen suggested the warm cucumber wrap, but now, with steaming towels wrapped around her body and her skin tingling from the smelly concoction the masseuse had smeared on her beforehand, she was glad she had.
Carmen chuckled, sounding smug. "Told ya."
None of the other women had been willing to join them, for which Mac was grateful. Of course, she wouldn't have done it either except for wanting to talk privately with Carmen. She might have to make a habit of it from now on, though. Mac smiled to herself. Harm would be thrilled she'd finally found a reason to like cucumbers.
The silence stretched comfortably. Mac tried to stay focused on her objective, though it was hard in the sultry environment of the spa. Plus, she didn't know how to bring up the subject of Boothe's abuse without sounding like she was trying to undermine her fellow contestant's chances of winning.
Finally, Mac sighed. "Carmen, can I ask you something personal?" She directed the question toward the ceiling, unable to turn her head for fear of disturbing the hot towels that covered everything but her mouth and nose.
Carmen's response was wary. "Sure."
"Do you love Boothe?"
Carmen snorted. "Honey, there's no such thing."
Mac sighed. She'd expected something like that. "Well, I guess for most of my life I would've agreed with you."
"Yeah, right. Until your knight in shining armor came along."
Mac chuckled. The armor was gunmetal gray rather than shining, and the trusty steed a Tomcat, but it wasn't a bad description. "Yep. Pretty much," she agreed.
Carmen was silent for several moments. "I bet you know lots of nice men." Her voice was full of rancor.
Mac pursed her lips, considering her reply. She wished she knew what had happened to Carmen to make her so bitter. She would have a much better idea how to respond. Finally, she decided just to be honest and see what happened.
"I work with a few," she agreed cautiously, "but when it comes to relationships I seem to have really, really poor taste." She grinned, realizing what she'd said. "Not counting Harm, of course. He's definitely the exception to that rule."
She got another snort in reply. "I hate ta tell ya this, but nobody's that good." Carmen's tone turned sisterly. "Don't let him break your heart."
Mac sucked in her breath. It would be so easy to buy into Carmen's mindset.
"He won't."
Carmen laughed mockingly. "Yeah. You just keep tellin' yourself that. You'll see."
Mac closed her hands into fists, fighting for calm. "I'm a good attorney, Carmen. If you need representation against Boothe, I can help."
"What, like in a divorce?"
"Yes. You don't have to let him hurt you."
Carmen's voice quieted. "Well, now, there you're wrong." There was a reflective quality to her words that Mac hadn't heard before.
"About what?" she asked, just as quietly.
Carmen sighed. "I signed a prenup."
"A prenuptial agreement?"
"Yeah." The bitter tang returned to her words. "I came into the marriage with nothin' an' if I leave it'll be the same way. I don't plan on leavin', though."
Mac chewed on her lip. "Isn't there anyplace else you could go? Any family? Friends?"
"No." A pause. "What about you? Who'd you go to?"
Mac smiled sadly at the memory. "My uncle. He was the one who straightened me out in the first place. He was always there to get me back on the right track."
"He approve of your Prince Charming?"
Mac smiled again. "Yes. Harm impressed him, and he's not an easy man to impress." It had been Uncle Matt's high regard that had first prompted Mac to look beyond the arrogant, flyboy façade for the real man hidden within her new partner. Otherwise, she might never have taken him seriously.
"What about you, Carmen? Don't you have anybody?"
"Just Boothe."
Mac sighed, frustrated. She was getting nowhere. "Well, if you ever change your mind, you can call me. O.k.?"
Carmen's only response was a grunt.
#
"I heard a vicious rumor you're going flying with Nikki Upton tomorrow." Mac stood in front of the bathroom mirror, putting the finishing touches on her hair. Her voice floated out to Harm, who stopped dead at the harsh note underlying her words.
He paused, then went back to tying his bow tie. The evening's dinner was a formal event.
"Unfortunately, it's true as far as I know," he answered when he had his reaction under control.
"Unfortunately?" Mac stuck her head around the doorjamb, one eyebrow arched in disbelief.
Harm kept his tone light. "Well, not the flying part. Just the Nikki Upton part."
Mac's expression softened minutely. "She has a crush on you, you know." Straightening, she emerged from the bathroom and walked toward Harm. Her evening gown, a slinky affair of burnished gold, clung to every curve. Harm watched her appreciatively, enjoying the fact that he didn't have to hide his interest and could stare unabashedly at this gorgeous creature without the least bit of guilt.
"Harm?" Mac stopped in front of him, her voice filled with amusement.
"Hmmm?" He deliberately didn't raise his gaze to her face.
She chuckled, tilting her shoulders to give him a better view. "You're incorrigible." She reached up to finish tying his tie.
Harm caught her gaze and smiled one of his famous, melt-her-into-a-puddle smiles. "That's why you love me."
"Uh huh." Her tone said she knew exactly what he was doing. She finished with his tie, sliding her hands down the front of his shirt before hooking them in the waistband of his pants. "Don't avoid the subject."
"Of what? Nikki Upton?" Harm let his hands come to rest on Mac's hips. The thin material of her dress scrunched beneath his fingers. "It's not a subject worthy of much attention."
Mac's expression turned serious. "I just don't like the idea of you flying with her."
Harm tried not to let his exasperation show. "Why? What do you think's going to happen?"
She dropped her gaze. "Well, you know how those pilots are." In contrast to her expression, her tone remained playful.
Harm tensed. "That's not fair, Mac."
She sighed and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "I know. It's not. But it's still how I feel." She turned away, crossing her arms in front of her.
Harm closed his eyes for a moment, fighting with himself. This was going to turn into a fight. He could feel it. "What is it about her that makes you feel so threatened?"
Mac shrugged. "Oh, I don't know." Sarcasm tainted her words. "She's young, pretty… blond." The look she flashed him over her shoulder was almost apologetic.
Harm stared to laugh. "You have got to be kidding."
Mac whirled. "Don't patronize me."
Harm sobered abruptly. "Patronize you?" He stared incredulously at her. "You're accusing me of wanting to sleep with this girl because of her hair color, and I'm patronizing you?"
Mac paused and heaved a huge, grating sigh. "I'm not accusing you of anything." Her gaze narrowed at his disbelieving look. "Really, I'm not. Look, this is Woman 101, or at least Mac 101, o.k.? Yes, I have irrational fears about you and other women. I have irrational fears about you dying every time you get in an airplane, too." She spread her hands helplessly. "I have lots of irrational fears, and even some legitimate ones. Fear is part of being a woman. Men just don't seem to understand that."
She drew a deep breath. "When I get scared all I really want is for you to hug me and say, 'Honey, I love you and I'm never going to leave you. You don't have to worry because everything is going to be all right.'."
Harm stared at her in silence as he tried to process what she'd said. Women didn't make any sense at all, particularly this one. This was Mac-- fiercely independent, Marine, aggressive, skilled at hand-to-hand combat and thoroughly weapons qualified. And she wanted a platitude?
"That's it?"
Mac gave him a crooked smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Most of the time."
"It seems… too simple." He said that last cautiously, uncertain how she might react.
She snorted. "It's just reassurance, Harm. It's not supposed to be all that difficult."
Harm stared at her. "I don't get it," he finally admitted.
Mac threw her arms up in the air. "What's to get?" She gave him a look filled with desperation. "I told you what I need. I don't know how to be any clearer."
"Just repeat those words verbatim, and everything will suddenly be o.k.?" His voice echoed his doubt.
Mac's hands clenched at her sides, her dark eyes snapping in frustration. "Geez! Any variation on the theme will do!"
"'Honey' and all?"
Mac rolled her eyes. "O.k. Maybe not 'Honey', per se. You know what I mean." She met his gaze. "Are you messing with me?"
Harm shrugged, smiling. "A little."
"Well, don't. It's not funny." He was shocked by how much hurt suddenly shone from her eyes.
Shaking himself into motion, Harm closed the distance between them and laid a hand on either of her shoulders. She said it was what she wanted…
Harm stared into her eyes. "Honey, I love you and I'm never going to leave you." He felt a little silly saying it. Shouldn't this be obvious? "You don't have to worry because everything's going to be all right."
In an instant, Mac's expression cleared. She slipped into his arms, burrowing against his chest and hugging him tightly. She sighed, sounding both happy and relieved. "Thank you."
Utterly mystified, Harm hugged her back. I do not understand women. "You're welcome."
He waited a few minutes before speaking again. "…uh, can we safely go back to the blond part now?"
Mac tensed, withdrawing a half step from his embrace. "Sure." Her mouth twisted in a sour smile. "I can sum that one up for you with one word."
"Renee?"
Her gaze darted to his, then away. "Yep."
"Why?"
Mac sighed. Looking down, she toyed with her skirt, smoothing imaginary wrinkles with her fingers. "I tried so hard to hate her. I really did. I wanted her to be the Evil Video Princess so I could justify wanting to rip her throat out."
Harm stared at her, fighting a smile. "The 'Evil Video Princess'?"
"Don't laugh."
He couldn't help it. He started to chuckle. Mac flashed him a genuine smile before growing serious again. "But, you know what? I couldn't. She's a pretty decent person and she tried very hard to be my friend despite all the… complications. And she was good for you. I think that's what I hated most about her."
Somewhat surprised by the assessment, Harm reached over to catch Mac's hand. "But not nearly as good for me as you are," he told her.
Mac smiled shyly, the expression lighting her entire face. "Well, yeah," she agreed.
Harm took that for an invitation and pulled her close. He brought her hand to his mouth, kissed the inside of her wrist. Mac gasped softly. Desire turned her eyes the color of melted chocolate. "How do you do that to me?"
Harm grinned. "C'mere and I'll show you."
Mac laughed deep in her throat. "We're already dressed for dinner." But her body was soft and pliant in his arms, the protest entirely rhetorical.
