Two if by Sea by Marie Carnay Page A

back…would they be naked and wrapped up in each others’ arms?
    Part of her wanted that more than anything. But then she thought of Tony. Would he be mad? Jealous? Or was this just a game? She still didn’t know.
    Daphne shook her head and stood up. She shouldn’t be wondering about them at all. It was late afternoon and she needed to get back to her room and check on work.
    Before she could walk to the door, it swung open. Tony stood in the open frame, a scowl on his face.
    “What are you doing here?” It sounded like an accusation.
    Daphne stepped back. “Hello to you, too.”
    “Where’s Damon?”
    “I don’t know. He said he’d be right back.”
    Tony shut the door behind him with a wham. “Figures.” He stalked the length of the room, his hands clenching and unclenching with each foot fall.
    “Tony, what’s going on? Is everything all right?” She’d never seen this side of him.
    “Yeah, everything’s just peachy.” He ran a hand through his hair.
    “Do you want to talk about it?”
    Tony snorted. “What’s there to talk about?”
    “I don’t know if you won’t tell me what the problem is.” Daphne reached out, but Tony brushed her off.
    “I need to get out of here.” He stepped toward the door, but Daphne grabbed his arm. His muscles flexed beneath her hand.
    “Stay and talk to me. I can help. I’m good at crisis management.”
    Tony shook his arm free. “You don’t get it, do you?”
    “Try me.” Whatever was bothering him, Daphne could handle it. She’d stood with a straight face while her clients told her things that would make a hardened criminal blush. Nothing Tony had to say would come close.
    He turned away and focused on the window. The lights had dimmed and most of the club was in darkness. The bar, the couple from before, and a bartender were the only people around. Tony’s shoulders rose and fell with his breath, his shirt straining as he flexed.
    Daphne touched his shoulder. He didn’t budge. “Talk to me, Tony. Please.”
    He exhaled. “When this cruise ends, what are you going to do?”
    Daphne’s brows furrowed. “I’m going back to LA and my job, of course. Why?”
    “That’s my problem.”
    What? He was angry with her? “I don’t understand.”
    “All this time, Damon’s been telling me we should settle down. That we should find a woman who wants more than a week of sin and sun and grow up.”
    “That makes a lot of sense.” Daphne wished for the same thing. A steady boyfriend, a good job. A comfortable life.
    “I’ve been fighting him. I never thought we could find someone like that. I didn’t think they existed.”
    “You shouldn’t give up. There’s someone out there for everyone.”
    Tony turned around. “That’s the thing. I think that someone is you.”
    Daphne’s mouth fell open. She couldn’t have heard him right. “I’m sorry, I swore you just…”
    He closed the distance between them and wrapped his hands around her back. “You’re the first woman I’ve ever been able to see a future with.” He ran his hand up her back and over her shoulder before tracing the edge of her jaw with his thumb. “But you’ll never want what we can give.”
    “What’s that?”
    “Both of us.” His thumb stroked across her lower lip and Daphne shivered.
    She should agree with him and move on, but her lips moved unbidden. Words emerged from some secret place she’d denied, even to herself. “Don’t say never.”
    Tony dropped his hand. “You don’t know what we’re like. You don’t know what we do.”
    “I know you own and run this ship.”
    “But you haven’t seen all of it.”
    She thought about the club and the sex on the other side of the window. “I’ve seen enough.”
    “No, you haven’t.”
    “Then show me.”
----
TONY
    Fuck . This woman would be the death of him.
    She’d spent every minute not wrapped up in his arms pushing him away. Now, when he laid it all out there… she didn’t run.
    Daphne’s green eyes looked