Page 110 of First in Line

“Come on, you can tell the truth, Evie.”

She lets her silky little nightgown fall on the bed and walks up to me. “It was weird, right? Very kind of them, but weird.”

I shrug, more familiar with these people than she is. “Eliza’s whole life revolves around being a perfect hostess. She would have done that for anyone.”

“I know, but… I don’t know those people. And they gave exorbitant gifts.TwoMont Blanc pens? I’m not some fancy architect. I’m a regular architect. And I’m not even going to google how much a Hermès scarf is, because that’ll give me a heart attack.”

I adjust myself against the frame, a little nervous. If she’s freaking out over receiving about fifteen thousand dollars’ worth of gifts, she’ll definitely have a crash out when I give her mine.

She must notice my uneasiness, because she lays her hands over my chest and adds, “Sorry, I know they’re your friends. I just… I wish today could have been just you and me. This whole trip, actually. I was looking forward to that cute bed-and-breakfast you mentioned.”

“I asked you if you wanted to do this, and you said yes.”

“I didn’t think I had much of a choice, Jax. He’s your boss. Refusing would have been rude.”

“There’s always a choice.” Reaching up, I tuck her loose hair behind her ear and graze the softness of her cheekbone with the pad of my thumb.

Guilt tugs at my insides, aware that I failed her. And on her birthday, of all days… There has to be a way for me to fix it. I alsowish today could have been just us two, free to do whatever we want—which probably would have involved a lot of sex.

“Give me half an hour,” I say softly.

“For what?”

“One last birthday surprise.”

“Oh?”

“I promise you’ll love this one.” I lean into her, pressing a soft kiss on her parted lips. “Wear a swimsuit. Maybe that white bikini that gets a little transparent when—”

“Gosh, don’t remind me,” she protests, pushing against my chest while her other hand covers her lips, but not the pretty blush that claims her cheeks.

Amused by her reaction, I give her one last kiss and then rip myself away, ready to begin my mission.

Right on time, I softly knock on Evie’s door. I don’t have time to worry that she might have fallen asleep, because it immediately opens.

Her hair is up in a sophisticated mess, like only she can pull off. And she’s now wearing a lavender sundress, which suits her complexion amazingly well, and I can’t help but notice the white straps of her indecently revealing bikini.My perfect woman…

“Are you ready?” I whisper. She nods, and when I offer her my hand, she takes it.

“Where are we going?” she wonders as I guide her through the dark hallway and up the spiral staircase. Thankfully, there are small night-lights embedded low in the walls, which allow us to navigate easily.

“Everyone’s off at this hour, so the yacht is ours.”

“That doesn’t answer my question, Jackson.”

Adamant to keep it a surprise, I don’t answer as I guide her to our destination. We arrive undetected at the front of the sundeck, where the Jacuzzi is, and she pauses in her tracks, staring with awe and surprise at what I’ve prepared.

Most of that half hour was spent waiting for everyone to go off to bed, but I still did a pretty good job, I think. I snatched candles here and there and arranged them around before lighting them. I also went down to the kitchen, where I took the half-eaten birthday cake as well as two spoons and a bottle of champagne. I even went the extra mile and plucked three white roses from the flower arrangement in the lounge and scattered their petals around and in the Jacuzzi.

“Jax…” she breathes out, definitely appreciative.

“Happy birthday, princess,” I murmur before kissing her temple.

“Did you do all that by yourself?”

“I didn’t dothatmuch. But yes, this is all me.”

“You even got the cake.”