Juno

Now that I've been promoted to chief steward on the yacht Carpe Diem, I have to at least try to get along with our tempestuous chef. Yet, Maksim and I can't seem to play nice. Something about him makes my claws come out, and whenever we are together in the galley, it's more than his cooking that's aflame. My feelings might be hurt at the way we trade barbs, if he weren't such an egotistical hothead. Me? I'll just keep doing what I do best: say yes to the guests and never back down from a challenge. Even if that challenge is a glowering, towering man with eyes that seem to see right through me.

Maksim

I did not join this crew to get attached to a woman; I came here to start a new life. Even if my innermost feelings demand something more than a solitary existence. I'll just have to deal with it; anyone attached to me will only end up with a target on her back, same as me. Leaving behind my job as a hired assassin doesn't mean I deserve any kind of normal, homey type of life. And yet, Juno is in my head. The smart-mouthed chief stew can't seem to stay in her lane, stay out of my galley, or stay out of my dreams. When we try to work together, all we do is trade barbs. I wouldn't care about the banter, but I'm enjoying it too much. The more I push her away the more my body and soul find ways to be close to her. Maybe a yacht wasn't the best choice if I want to avoid connecting with other people. Maybe a hot kitchen, with a hotter chief stew constantly buzzing around me, is too much for my cold heart.

Naughty Yachties is a new series of short romance stories loosely inspired by Below Deck. If you love romance tropes, obsessed heroes, plucky heroines, high heat, and happily ever afters, then welcome aboard!