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He’s coming, Maeve whispered, almost like a breeze.
Grateful for the warning, Micki got to her feet and turned away from the water, waiting and watching the beach in the direction from which he’d come.
Josh stopped about three feet away and for a long moment they simply stared at each other.
“I fired Sydni,” he said.
“I heard.”
“Everything she said to you was a lie. I want to be sure you know the truth.” His voice was even.
“I should have known it that night. I should have talked to you instead of running away. I owed you that much,” Micki said.
“You trust me on the dance floor but not anywhere else?” he asked. “Why did you leave? Even if some arcane Guild rule had meant you had to be paid for the dance, it wouldn’t have changed the fact you were there as my guest, my date. I introduced you to my family, Micki. How do you not know what you mean to me?”
“Because you never said the words,” she answered sadly. “You never said I was your girlfriend or even your date. Ever since we started this whatever it is between us I’ve been so afraid of it ending and I tried to run from the pain.”
“Ending?” He took a step forward. “I have no intention of ever losing you. I love you, damn it. This hokey dance contest may have brought us together but I’m not about to walk away from the best thing that ever happened to me—I’ll never leave you.”
Micki was reeling in disbelief that Josh had said the all important ‘L’ word. “You—you love me? Truly?”
“Is the declaration so surprising? You’re a rare, wonderful person who makes me the happiest man in the galaxy. We’re so good together, not just on the dance floor or in the bedroom but everywhere, all the time. No other woman has ever captured my complete attention in all aspects of my life the way you do. I’ve been head over heels in love with you for weeks. Hoping you could find it possible to love me.”
She rushed to him, wiping away happy tears. “I do, oh I do.”
Josh caught her in his arms and hugged her tight before kissing her, taking possession of her lips with his, demanding entry, seeking union. Micki gladly parted her lips to allow him to do whatever he wanted and needed. Being locked in his embrace, held close and safe felt like coming home. They clung to each other, reconnecting at the most primal level possible.
He picked her up and carried her to one of the chairs, sitting with her on his knees. “So what you’re telling me is I need to do a better job of actually spelling out what I’m thinking and feeling.”
Choked with emotion, she could only nod.
He toyed with her hair, which was loose now. “See in my world words can be dangerous, with ramifications and consequences. I trained myself not to ever say too much to any of the women I was with, lest they reach incorrect conclusions or perceive promises I had no intention of making. Ironically the one woman I’m terrified of losing and want to make all those commitments to, couldn’t read my mind.” He rested his forehead against hers. “I’m sorry and I’ll do better, if you give me the chance.”
“I shouldn’t be so needy, I guess, but?—”
“Don’t apologize.” He placed a finger over her lips. “I want you to be yourself.”
Micki kissed his finger lightly. “But I need to do a better job of trusting you and asking you what’s going on if I’m not sure. Instead of assuming we’re breaking up.” She hung her head. “I don’t have the best track record when it comes to relationships.”
“This relationship only has room for you and me and who we are to each other,” he said, lifting her chin so he could gaze into to her eyes.
Forcing herself to voice one of her biggest concerns, Micki asked, “What about when the show ends and you leave the ship?”
“I’m going to ask you to come with me,” he said. “I can’t run my share of the Benfield business interests from a luxury cruise liner. It’s not possible.” Josh shook his head.
“You and your brothers certainly did talk a lot of business the other night at the ball,” she said softly. “I can’t contribute to those discussions. It’s not remotely my area of expertise. Most of what you were arguing about went right over my head.”
“We were probably pretty rude,” he said. “I apologize. We’re a tight team and it’s rare we’re actually in the same place at the same time, so we were taking advantage of the situation but I shouldn’t have ignored you to do it. I have a lot to learn about being in a committed relationship." He gave her a rueful smile. “It’s my first one in a lifetime of meaningless dates and liaisons. But I mean it to last forever.”
Micki was touched by his admission but her worries were huge. “But what would I do if I left the Comettes and the ship? I’m not an ornament or arm candy kind of girl. I need to make meaningful contributions, to be doing something worthwhile with my time.”
“I have ideas which aren’t ready to present to you yet but the sky is the limit with Benfield backing. If you want to make big budget trideos, fine. If you want to establish and run your own dance academy, also fine.”
She laughed at the idea of herself running either kind of enterprise. “I think I need to start with something smaller and work up.”
“My point is Benfield is involved in many areas of entertainment as well as business, not to mention our charity work. I’m sure you and I can pick out an opportunity for you to sink your teeth into, to make the meaningful contribution you were talking about and enjoy your life with me.” He kissed her again. “I’d never think of you as an ornament, beautiful as you are in the moonlight tonight.”
She looped her arms around his neck and contemplated the kind of life he was talking about. Josh was casually tossing around concepts she wouldn’t have been able to consider as a retired Comette, making a living teaching dance in a studio on a colony world. The idea of broader horizons was scary but exciting. “You’ll be there with me though? I’ll have a steep learning curve no matter what I decide to try.”
