His arms tighten around me. “That I’m crazy about you, Beaumont. That you’re the most genuine thing to crash into my world in way too long, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you go.”
The words seep into my skin, his confession burrowing bone-deep. And suddenly, we’re staring at each other, and I can feel the weight of what he's offering, what he's risking.
Real. He wants this to be real.
And to be honest, so do I.
Even though I'm lying to him. Even though I'm going to break his heart. Even though I know how this ends.
"Okay," I whisper.
"Okay?"
"Yes. I'll be your girlfriend."
His smile is devastating. "Yeah?"
"Yeah. But I have conditions."
"Of course you do."
"One: You tell your doorman to stop and James to stop calling me Mrs. Kade.”
"Absolutely not. That's non-negotiable."
"Victor—"
"What else?"
"Two: You have to actually talk to me. About real things. Not just business strategy and acquisition timelines."
"I can do that."
"And three—" I pause. "You have to promise that when I tell you the truth about something—about everything—you'll at least hear me out before you hate me."
Something flickers across his face. “You’ve got a flair for the dramatic, Beaumont.”
“I wish this were only that.” I look away. "But not tonight. Tonight can we just?—"
"Be here?" He tilts my chin back up. "Yes. We can do that."
He kisses me again, and I let myself fall into it, let myself pretend that this moment can last forever.
That tomorrow won't come.
That the truth won't destroy us.
"So," I say when we finally break apart. "Where's this guest cabin?"
His eyes darken. "Below deck. Why?"
"Because I'm tired. And I'm in heels. And I'd like to get out of this dress."
He opens his mouth, and I stop him.
“Ah, ah, Kade,” I warn. “Don't get excited. I meant separately. You on one side of the boat. Me on the other."
"That seems unnecessarily complicated."
