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“Maybe you’re dating the wrong women.”
“I must be.” The timbre of his voice gave her ideas she shouldn’t have.
“How far are we going?”
“Far enough to be alone.” He hesitated, and she glanced up at him. “Would you consider riding the jet ski? I can take you on mine, and you can hold me as tight as you need to.”
Her eyes widened. “You only have one?”
He burst out laughing. There it was, that happiness she’d wanted to see. Was it really because of her?
“One each then,” he promised. “Go get changed.”
The day flew by, Alyssa loving every moment on the water with Nathan. Her hair sat in a tangled wet mess on her head, and her skin darkened even more than its normal cocoa brown to a rich chocolate. None of that mattered with the spray in her face and the wind exhilarating as she zoomed over the water’s surface. Nathan stayed just ahead, but kept an eye on her.
“You’re a natural,” he shouted.
She threw an arm in the air and whooped. He laughed and circled around. Back and forth, they raced and then chased each other. When she grew tired, Nathan pointed, and she shaded her eyes to follow where he indicated. A small island lay directly ahead. The place looked deserted, but had a natural beauty in white sand, palm trees, and green foliage. Lighting the sky in hues of orange, the sun lay heavy on the horizon.
Nathan directed her to drive slowly toward the shore, but they turned off the motors when the water appeared about two feet deep. He hopped off and helped her. Tingles raced up and down her back at his touch, and Nathan drew her in close to kiss her lips. She luxuriated against his chest and shut her eyes.
“Hungry?” he murmured.
She nodded. “A little, but I can wait so we can explore a little.”
A noise to her left caught her attention, and she realized one of his staff was collecting the jet skis. Nathan took her hand and led her up to the beach. “I’ve arranged for everything. You don’t have to wait.”
“What do you mean?”
Two more staff rowed a small boat to shore and began unloading picnic items, a table, chairs, a blanket, and even a basket with food and wine. Alyssa blinked at the elaborate setup. “Nothing’s simple with you, is it?”
He shrugged. “You don’t like it?”
“Don’t be crazy.” She approached the table, her stomach rumbling from all the exercise. A bite of pepper jack cheese calmed the beast a little. “Why did you do all this, though? Your family isn’t here to see.”
“My way of saying thank you—for yesterday.”
“Oh.”
She turned away, but he pulled her back. “Is that okay?”
“Sure, of course. Why wouldn’t it be?” She dismissed the silly thoughts running through her head, and they sat down to eat. When Alyssa had had her fill, Nathan stood up and held out his hand.
“Let me straighten this a bit and throw out the trash.” She started to pick up one of the plates, but a servant leaped forward to relieve her of it.
“Your job is to look beautiful,” Nathan told her and led her over to the blanket. They stretched out in the evening sun.
Alyssa turned toward him and watched as Nathan put his hands above his head and shut his eyes. Even though he looked content, she sensed the tension. So much weighed on his shoulders. She might not command hundreds, maybe thousands, of employees, but she knew how he felt. She and stress were no strangers. His words echoed in her head, and she thought of Lydia.
“Do you think women shouldn’t work?”
His eyes popped open. “Where did you get that?”
“I don’t know. Just asking.”
“Women can do whatever men can do.”
She smirked. “The answer designed to keep a man out of the doghouse.”
