Page 76 of Yours to Keep

She didn’t move at first, just sat there blinking at the aircraft like it might vanish if she stared hard enough. Finally, she looked back up at me and slid her hand into mine. “It’s official. You really are crazy. We can’t go to the freaking Bahamas for a weekend.”

“Why not?” I asked as we walked toward the boarding stairs. “Google the flight time. We’ll be there before their dinner service even ends.”

She stopped halfway, already pulling out her phone. Her thumbs moved quickly, her eyes scanning the screen.

“Three hours?” she said, incredulous. “It only takes three hours?”

“Give or take.”

“That’s also insane. Just like you.”

“Do you still want to haunt me?”

She looked up at me then, something bright and reckless sparking behind her caution. “No. I think I’d rather just accept that you’re crazy and enjoy the ride you’re taking me on.”

“That’s all I ask.” I gestured toward the stairs. “After you.”

She climbed them first, pausing at the doorway and running her hand along the polished interior like she was testing whether the plane was real. I followed, and the door sealed behind us with a solid, final click. Minutes later, we were strapped in as the engines spooled up, the cabin vibrating with raw power.

She gripped the armrests as the plane began to taxi, her eyes flicking to mine. She let out a half-laugh, half-breathless sigh. “I can’t believe this is really happening.”

“Believe it, Bree.” As the jet surged forward, city lights blurring beneath us before dropping away entirely, she turned toward the window, watching New York shrink into scattered constellations below. Then she reached across the space between us and took my hand.

It turned out that she was exceptionally good at adjusting. No matter how shocked she’d been about the plane or the Bahamas, or how apprehensive she’d been about this weekend to begin with, she relaxed almost instantly after the driver dropped us off at the resort we would be staying at.

We were shown to the beachfront bungalow I’d rented for the weekend, and she marveled at everything, from the lush greenery, to the lit-up trees along the path and warm glow of the lanterns dotting the shore. We freshened up before going out for our first ever public dinner together.

The restaurant was right on the beach and she kicked her shoes off in the sand like she’d been holding back tension for years and finally remembered she was allowed to let it go. “This is obscene.”

She looked out at the turquoise water, illuminated near the resort by lights on a pier, but stretching endlessly into the dark. Meanwhile, I couldn’t stop staring at her. “You look happy.”

Radiant, actually, but let’s ease into it.

Her dark brown hair was loose, cascading around her shoulders, and those eyes were brighter than I’d ever seen them before. When she finally brought her gaze back to mine, she smiled. “Thank you, Sullivan. This is amazing. Really.”

“You’re welcome,” I said. “Thank you for showing up today. I really wasn’t sure you would.”

“Neither was I,” she admitted quietly, then reached for my hand across the table. When her fingers slipped around mine, she glanced at our joined hands for a beat, then looked back up at me. “This was an awesome idea, though. I just hate that it took having to fly all the way out here for us to be able to do this.”

“We’ll figure it out.”

She nodded, looking unsure. The waiter brought over a platter of fresh seafood I’d ordered in advance along with fruity cocktails, and she let out a disbelieving laugh, but even as we ate, she never stopped touching me. To my surprise, it was something that kept happening for the rest of the night.

Holding my hand. Sliding her arm around my shoulders when we took a walk on the beach. Cuddling into my side when we got into our bed.

It almost made me think she’d been as starved for this kind of contact as I had, and when I rolled over and kissed her, she finally just admitted it. “God, I love this. I love being able to touch you whenever and wherever I want.”

She smiled against my lips, her fingers stroking through my hair. I took her in, the genuine, relaxed smile and the joy shining in her eyes, and instantly decided we’d be taking a lot more trips from now on.

“Yeah, I know what you mean. Do you think I could buy this island and we’ll just… move here?”

She laughed. “Shut up and kiss me, Sullivan Crowne.”

I obeyed the order without arguing, spending the next few hours trying and failing to get my fill of her. We only fell asleep sometime in the early morning hours, but she still woke me up at the crack of dawn, brushing kisses to my chest, my throat, and my shoulders, pausing every so often to look up at me.

“Are you awake yet? We have to go, baby. They said breakfast starts at six.”

“That doesn’t mean we have to be there then,” I murmured lazily, reaching for her. “It carries on until ten or something.”