“We’re going to spend two weeks away from everyone and everything else in the world. We’re going to discover and rediscover everything about each other all over again. We’re going to remember why we’re together, why we first got together, why we’ve stayed together, and why we’ll always be together. After the next two weeks, if you still want me to leave, I’ll stay away and you’ll never see me again. I guarantee it.”
“Remembering how much I love you and why I do isn’t the problem, Devon. But you have two weeks.”You have two weeks to convince me you love me.
“We have two weeks.” He bent his knees to put them both at eye level. “I can’t wait to steal you away.”
“You picked the perfect time. Filming starts soon on the movie with Matt Lane. When that starts, I won’t be able to get away for several months.”
His eyebrows twitched ever so slightly, but she caught the movement nonetheless. That small gesture gave his thoughts away completely.
“That’s why you’re here. You believed all the rumors about Matt and me being a couple. Unbelievable.” She twisted out of his grip and stepped away. “This is about you claiming what you think belongs to you, isn’t it?”
“No. It’s really very simple. I don’t want to lose you. This isn’t what I want at all—I don’t want us to be apart. And I sure as hell don’t want you to be with another man. But if you’re with me, I want it to be because that’s what you want, too.”
She exhaled sharply, releasing her exasperation as she gripped the suitcase. Her thoughts vacillated between telling him to leave and giving him the two weeks, for no other reason than she’d never have to wonder “what if.” She dropped her chin to her chest and shook her head. “Okay, Devon. Two weeks it is. When do we leave?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
“Not wasting any time, are you?”
“Not one minute.”
The following morning came both too soon and not fast enough. Devon kept his arm draped over Elle all night, his front to her back. Though, he didn’t sleep much, with his desire for her trying to take control of his willpower. But the last idea he wanted to reinforce in her mind was the assumption he only wanted to claim his property. Much more was at stake than his ego or pride. Their two weeks in a private island retreat would provide ample time to show her how he felt about her.
Before the sun rose, Devon was up and showered, ready to depart on their early-morning flight. Elle soon joined him in the living room, the tension between them still thick with uncertainty for the future.
“You still haven’t told me exactly where we’re going.” Elle broke the heavy silence between them by focusing on the positive aspect of the situation.
“It’s a secret. I can’t tell you until we get there.” He winked at her and smiled broadly, clearly pleased with himself.
Elle fought to tamp down the mistrust and stabbing pain in her heart from having one more secret between them. Even one she should appreciate—like a two-week exotic vacation.
“There are people who need to know where I am and when I’ll return, Devon. There are contract clauses I’m required to honor, last-minute engagements that may come up, and someone will need to provide a statement for my absence. Even if I wanted to escape from everyone and everything, I wouldn’t shirk my responsibilities and just disappear off the face of the earth. Other people depend on me to uphold my commitments.”
The more she talked, the angrier she became that she even had to explain those simple facts to him. Facts that anyone else who had spent time in her life would already know about her. Yet the very man she’d devoted years to loving didn’t give a second thought to the career she’d worked hard to build.
“We’re going to St. Lucia. We’re staying at Jade Mountain. Do you need to leave the number to the hotel with anyone? Beth, or your parents?” He gave her a card he retrieved from his shirt pocket. It contained all the information anyone would need to know about their location. Flight numbers, times, phone numbers, and the dates they’d be away.
“You knew I’d ask for this.”
“Of course. You don’t think I’d need to leave the same information with others, too?”
“I’m sorry. I obviously wasn’t thinking straight. This is all happening so fast, and I still don’t know what to make of it.”
“We’ll slow down to island time when we get there. Can we call a truce for now? When we land and you see it for yourself, you can decide if you want to be trapped in a tropical paradise with me for two weeks.”
“Truce.”
Island time sounded perfect to Elle. She slowed her racing thoughts long enough to study Devon intentionally for the first time in many months. She memorized every feature and expression that crossed his face. She began to realize his outward actions didn’t always reflect what his eyes revealed to her. An odd thought popped into her mind from nowhere.
He is actually a very skilled actor. The only people he can’t fool are those who know him best.
She suspected those people were few and far between, and she questioned if even she fell into that category.
I suppose I’ll know for sure two weeks from today.
She rose and left a note for Beth on the kitchen counter, instructing her to share Elle’s whereabouts with her assistant and her agent. Devon waited at the door until she’d finished, then carried their bags down to the waiting taxi.
Once they were in the air, she expressed her delight over flying first class. “You keep spoiling me like this, I’ll start to expect it all the time.”
