AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Just try not to go over the top,” I murmur, resigned to the fact that he’ll probably do something incredibly romantic, and incredibly expensive.
“C’mon,” he says, grabbing my hand. “Let’s go find Brenda before she thinks we fell overboard.” He moves forward and pulls me with him, but I tug on his arm, a little suspicious. He spins around and I furrow my brows before asking, “Whose idea was this? Yours or hers?”
“Whatever do you mean?” he says, a mischievous smile creeping across his face. Ugh.
Hand in hand, we walk back to where Brenda is seated as the boat comes to a dead stop. Looking over the calm water, Chase turns to the captain. “Quite calm for the middle of the ocean, no?”
“Hit a dead spot. No wind.” He shrugs. “It will pick back up in a bit.” Brenda turns to me as Chase chats with the captain.
“So?” she whispers, looking up at me with inquiring eyes.
“We’re working through my issues,” I mutter so only she can hear me.
A grin spreads across her face. “That could take a while,” she teases. Furrowing my brow, she chuckles softly. Regaining her composure, she mouths, “Good,” and pats the cushion next to her, motioning for me to sit.
It’s almost 8:00 p.m. before the wind finally picks back up and we’ve just opened our second bottle of Clicquot. Sitting on the bench next to Chase, his arm wrapped around my shoulder, his fingers ghosting along my upper arm, I watch the sun as it sets. As the boat sways back and forth, I witness the fiery red orb of light slowly sinking beneath the horizon, threads of light lingering in the sky, mingling with the rolling clouds, dyeing the heavens first orange, then red, then dark blue, until all that’s left of the sunset is a chalky mauve.
“How much longer are you staying?” Chase asks, drawing my attention back to him.
“Brenda needs to be back to work on Tuesday, so we changed our flight to tomorrow.” Chase tries to mask his disappointment with a smile, but I can see right through him.
“I have my plane on standby. Stay another day,” he whispers in my ear, before placing a kiss right below on my neck.
“Isn’t that misappropriation of company funds?” I tease, shivering at the sensation of his touch.
“Yes, but I’m part owner.” He cocks his head to the side and smiles.
“I’ll fly home tomorrow, why don’t you stay?” Brenda interjects, giving me a sly smile.
“I don’t know. I need to get back to work,” I mutter. Though a part of me wants to stay, another part is hesitant. Chase and I agreed to work this thing between us out, to see where it takes us, but now I feel like it’s moving so fast all over again. I still have reservations. The last thing I need is to get wrapped up in all that is Chase before really experiencing a normal relationship with him. My heart can’t take any more shots.
“It’s just one more day.”His persistence starts to win me over, although I won’t tell him that.
“Maybe. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow,” I say, leaning my head against Chase’s shoulder while watching sequin-silver stars reflect off the water.
“Olivia. Olivia, wake
up.” Regaining my senses, I open my eyes to find Chase kneeling next to me. “You need to get up now,” he says, stroking my hair. I turn my head to see we’re back at the dock.
“How long was I asleep?” I ask, stretching my limbs.
“About an hour. You looked so content, I didn’t have the heart to wake you.” I swing my legs to sit up and he stands, offering his hand. As my fingers touch his, a current runs through me and I’m reminded of the electricity that I feel when I’m near him.
“Are you hungry?” he asks as he tugs me vertical.
“No, not really.”
We exit the boat, and walk down the dock toward dry land. As we approach the end, Chase breaks the silence and asks, “Did you want to go anywhere?”
“I think I just want to go back to the hotel,” I murmur, still exhausted.
“Yeah, me, too. The champagne is making me sleepy,” Brenda, who is waiting by the car, emphatically agrees.
“Okay,” Chase concedes. “I’ll take you back.”
The drive back to the hotel is quiet. When we arrive, Chase opens the door and helps me out while Brenda exits from the other side of the car. “I’ll see you in the morning before my flight out,” she calls to me as she practically sprints to the hotel doors, leaving me alone with Chase.
“Olivia,” Chase says, bringing my attention back to him. Running his hand through his hair, he gazes at me intently. He grazes my cheek with the back of his hand before cupping my chin, and saying, “Please, let me stay the night.”
