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James leads me to a table, which is already set for a meal.
“I was going to order something,” he says, then moves the plates so we can eat out of the boxes instead.
Instead of talking right away, we sit in silence and eat. Every time he catches me staring, I look away toward the ocean. I expected the afternoon to be oppressively hot, but instead, the breeze from the water keeps us nice and cool here in the shade.
When we’re done, I’m the first to speak. “It’s beautiful up here. I’ve never seen the view from these suites before.” Truthfully, I’ve never been anywhere in the hotel other than the ground floor. This place is far above my pay grade. The fact that I slept in one of the executive suites is something I wouldn’t have believed a week ago.
He takes a sip of water out of a glass. He must have finished his paper cup full of soda while I wasn’t paying attention. I didn’t even notice the pitcher and glasses out here until now. “It is,” he says. “It reminds me of the Italian villa where I used to vacation with my parents.” He grimaces at that, although I’m not sure if his displeasure is embarrassment at mentioning his obvious wealth, or if the memory of his parents is just too painful to bear. I looked up the accident while I waited for our food to arrive, and it was absolutely horrific. Their bodies were never found, although debris from their plane was scattered all over the Atlantic ocean.
Without thinking, I put a hand over his. “You must miss them a lot.” He looks up at me, a sad smile coming across his face. I can’t imagine how he must feel. Since his parents weren’t found, there must be the tiniest spark of hope that they somehow survived, despite the absolute impossibility of it. There were no islands in the vicinity of the crash, and with how destroyed the plane was, they probably died on impact with the water. I don’t say any of that, though, and he wraps his fingers around mine. His hand is gentle, and electricity sparks in me at his touch.
“It gets easier,” he says. After a pause, he adds, “Most days.”
I nod, then pull my hand away. I can’t focus if we’re holding hands, and we really do need to talk about everything that’s happened.
“I’m so sorry for hiding the truth from you,” James says. “I told myself that I was working at the restaurant for business reasons, but I think, really, I was afraid that you would hate me when you found out who I was.”
I grimace. “I’m not mad about who you are,” I say. “I was upset that you lied, but even then, I understand why you did it.” My heart speeds up in my chest. How many people have gotten close to him just because of his money? How many times has he been hurt in an attempt to make a connection with someone?
He stands up and walks slowly over to the edge of the balcony, leaning his elbows on the edge. I get up to join him. All of the intimidation I was feeling when I walked in has disappeared. Even if he is a famous billionaire, he’s still James. That hasn’t changed. I’ve seen more of him than most people. The emotions he’s been revealing to me are real, even if he didn’t want to tell me who he is.
He turns to face me, and I reach up to rest a hand on his cheek. He leans into my palm, and the salty air sweeps my hair back. Slowly, he leans toward me, his eyes lowering to my lips and then back to my eyes.
“James,” I breathe, and he kisses me.
His lips are gentle, and his hands move to cup my face. He presses the smallest kisses against my lips, slow and steady. My heart flutters, almost like this is my first kiss ever, except this isn’t middle school and James doesn’t smell like Taco Bell.
“Alexis,” he whispers against my lips, and I wrap my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss.
When I finally pull away to breathe, he leans his forehead against mine. “You know that if we start something real, we can’t go back. Your life could change forever.”
My heart races, not with anxiety, but with excitement. What does my future hold if I let myself fall in love with him? Some good, some bad, and impossible to predict...
The possibilities are limitless.
“I know,” I say, then kiss him again.
Chapter Fifteen
James
I keep waiting for Alexis to change her mind, but she doesn’t. We eat in my suite together often throughout those two blissful weeks, our little haven from the rest of the world. Having her all to myself is the best thing I could have asked for. After the paparazzi finally get bored, she moves back into her tiny apartment despite my offer to keep her at the resort. She even resumes her job at the restaurant.
When we sit to go over the Non-Disclosure Agreement, I fold my hands together to keep them from shaking. Camilla is here, and so is Phillip, one of my lawyers. Alexis doesn’t hesitate to sign as she flips through the pages, her eyes skimming over the text rapidly before she scrawls her initials on every page.
“You don’t have to—“ I start as she gets to the last page, but she signs it. Legally, she can’t discuss our relationship with anyone. This technically includes friends and family, although that kind of thing is rarely an actual issue. The main thing is ensuring she doesn’t go to the press. I don’t think she’d do that, but it’s a risk my company won’t allow me to take.
She smiles at me from across the table, although the distance may as well be miles since I can’t hold her hand. Chéri isn’t open yet, but she’s here early in her server uniform for her first shift back. I’m half-tempted to go back to the dish bay, but now that my identity has been shared, I have to get back to running my parents’ multi-billion dollar company. Raises have gone into effect throughout the resort as of last week, my own wage cut just to appease the board’s potential rage at the idea. This will be enough to bring change across any resorts that need it, as well. I have more than enough to live off for the rest of my life without changing a thing, and now I’ll be secure in the knowledge that none of my employees have to starve. According to Camilla’s social media research, we’re already seeing a boost in employee satisfaction and productivity.
“See you when I’m off?” Alexis asks.
I smile back weakly. I’m still not totally sure that she understands what she’s getting herself into with this relationship, but I can’t let her see how I’m feeling. Not when she’s so certain about all this. “Your place, right?”
Her smile grows wider. “Yup!”
When Camilla and Phillip walk away, I take Alexis’s hand and lift it to my lips, kissing her knuckles. Her face turns a few shades more red, and this time, my smile is real. “I’ll see you later,” I breathe. I don’t kiss her, instead leaving her with some suspense for tonight’s date.
***
