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“You're just going to have to wait and see,” Jake said as he headed in the direction of Boston Yacht Haven one of the city's most exclusive marinas.
I definitely owe Christopher one. Jake looked around as he followed Charlie through the yacht and onto the port side deck. His friend had made sure no detail was overlooked. The scent of several dozen flowers placed around the yacht filled the air. A romantic table for two stood prepared on the deck and a bottle of fine French wine sat on ice waiting for them. Since no other detail seemed overlooked he guessed his friend had also made sure the main sleeping cabin was prepared just in case Jake needed it.
Whatever favor Christopher called in later, it'd be worth it.
“When you said dinner I thought you meant at a restaurant downtown,” Charlie said, her hazel eyes wide with astonishment as she took in her surroundings.
Jake pulled out Charlie's chair. “You can do that anytime. How often do you get to cruise around Boston Harbor at night and watch the sunset?”
“You've got me there,” she admitted looking up at him, her lips turned up in a smile. “Is this your yacht?”
“No. It belongs to a friend of mine.”
“He must be some friend.”
“Christopher and I were roommates in college. We've been good friends ever since.”
He couldn't keep himself from bending down and pressing his mouth against hers for what he intended to be a brief kiss. Soon the kiss turned hotter as she wrapped her arms around his neck and their tongues met.
Behind him Jake heard someone clear their throat. Pulling back, Jake stared down at Charlie, her eyes were closed and her lips were rosy from their kiss. Turning he looked at the woman who had interrupted them.
“The chef wants to know when you would like dinner served.”
“Tell him we're ready whenever he is.” Once they were alone again, he turned his attention back to Charlie. “I hope you are hungry. Christopher's chef is amazing.” He let his hand linger on her shoulder. The skin beneath his hand was soft and he loathed the idea of losing the physical connection he had with her.
When her eyes fluttered open they locked onto his. The desire he saw in them matched his own. “I'm starved.” She sounded breathless, and the cave man in him surged with pride because he knew he'd caused her current state of arousal.
“Did you always want to join the Navy?” The dinner plates were gone and they sat watching the final rays of sunshine disappear. The more they talked the more Jake wanted to know about Charlie. He'd been physically attracted to her from the first moment he saw her, but the more time he spent with her the more emotionally drawn to her he became. He found being around her intoxicating and hoped they could see each other after they both left Massachusetts.
Charlie shook her head without any hesitation. “I always wanted to be a doctor. Never even considered the Navy till I realized how expensive college and medical school were. A Navy recruiter came to my high school junior year and I knew that was the only way it would happen,” she said, her voice a mixture of anger and sadness. “Even with scholarships I wouldn't have been able to swing it without a ridiculous amount of debt waiting for me at the end.”
Jake could understand her reason. Even though he'd never worried about it, he knew education was expensive. “Do you ever regret your decision?”
“Nope. I got what I wanted and I'm serving my country. But that doesn't mean I want to be in the Navy forever,” she said without pausing to consider her answer. “I keep going back and forth about staying. I finished filling out the paperwork, but it's still sitting in my room.
Must be nice not to have any regrets. He wouldn't mind trading places with her for a day or two. Although if he told her that, she’d probably fall off her chair laughing. Everyone thought he lived such a charmed life. No one ever stopped to think about how much a pain in the ass it could be with the media waiting for you to make a mistake.
“What about you? Did you always want to work for your family's company?”
“It wasn't anywhere on my radar.” Jake heard the bitterness in his voice but he couldn't keep it from creeping in. Although the foundation wasn't related to the hotel business, it was still tied to Sherbrooke Enterprises.
Charlie leaned forward, her interest obviously captured. “Really? What did you want to do?”
The last rays of sunshine danced across her hair and her astute gaze flickered over his face as if she could learn the answer on her own. And for some reason he sensed that perhaps she would truly understand; unlike anyone else he'd ever told.
“If you laugh I swear I'll toss you overboard,” he threatened.
“I'm in the Navy, remember? I can swim.”
Jake threw her a dirty look. “If that's the way you're going to be, forget it.”
“All right. No laughing. Promise.”
“I made up my mind when I was about twelve to go to the Naval Academy and be a SEAL. But it didn't happen.”
Charlie's jaw dropped open and her eyebrows shot up. “You didn't get in?” Her voice rang with astonishment.
At least she didn't laugh. The last person he'd told laughed his ass off. “I didn't apply. My parents had other plans for me, and eventually I realized people would always wonder if I'd gotten in thanks to the family name.”
