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The cars spill into the marina, and I notice the family boat waiting. It’s the biggest boat in the dock and stands majestically, putting every other boat in the shade. The staff are dressed in white and are waiting to help us board. Everything will be as instructed, and I have no reason to doubt it will be anything other than perfect.
We stop by the navy-blue carpet leading up the steps to board and Purity says with excitement, “I really am living the dream. Who knew people lived like this?”
I catch the surprise on the face of the skipper, and he nods respectfully as she flashes him a brilliant smile, causing the beast within me to growl. “Come.”
I grab her hand and head inside the cabin, away from the stares of the crew and away from my men. Purity has the ability to make every person in the room want to be around her. She is natural and unaffected with a childlike enthusiasm for life. It’s adorable but angers me too. She is desirable in so many ways and I hate that one day she may wake up and realize I’m not so great after all.
Just imagining her looking at me with anything but adoration leaves a chill in my heart. The trouble is, I’m not sure what I must do to keep that expression in her eyes other than fucking her senseless and buying her expensive things.
Purity insists on a tour of the boat and ordinarily I would instruct one of the crew members to do the honors. But not with her. Never with her and I take my time and show her around myself. Her addictive exuberance for every inch of it lifts my spirit. It’s contagious and I find myself chuckling on the odd occasion as she makes an observation that causes me to laugh.
We finish up on the forward deck and as we speed through the waves, she turns to me and the delight in her eyes makes me swallow hard. “I love the ocean.” She says, turning her face to the breeze and closing her eyes.
There’s a dull ache in my heart as I watch her enjoying the simple pleasures when we are surrounded by wealth. She is interested in it but not bothered by it. I am fast realizing that Purity is a rare treasure. Unlike any other woman I have ever met and for a man who covets rare beauty, she is becoming more important to me than I thought possible.
I need to touch her. To hold her and to be around her. Every minute that passes reveals another part of her that I like, and discovering Purity is like seeing life for the first time. Through fresh eyes that see the wonder in it, not the pure evil that I am used to.
I reach out and pull the hair away from the nape of her neck and kiss her softly, inhaling the fresh scent of innocence that is fast becoming my favorite one. My arms wrap around her from behind as she stares out to sea, and she feels so good in them. As if she belongs there and she snuggles back against me with a soft, “I am so happy, Killian.”
I squeeze her a little tighter, loving this stolen moment where nothing else matters but holding her. A woman who walked into my life with her eyes open and with none of the preconceptions many others have. She knew nothing about me. She still doesn’t and I’m astonished to discover I hope it stays that way. If she realized what I was capable of. What the beast that lives inside me is capable of, she would regard me with a different expression on her face.
Perhaps it’s better she faces the ocean so she can’t see the evil holding her so tenderly in his arms. A man who doesn’t deserve to hold an angel like her. Who deserves for this happiness to be taken from him because he never earned the right to claim it.
I took it and made her mine and never gave her a choice. I manipulated her to my advantage, something I’ve always done with every business transaction I have ever made. The trouble is, I don’t view Purity as a business deal anymore. I see her as my world and that is a huge problem that I don’t know what the fuck to do about.
CHAPTER29
PURITY
My heart is full. Somehow, everything has aligned, and I am where I dreamed I would be. I will be getting married today to a man I chose. Not my parents.
A man who makes my heart skip a beat and intrigues me. A powerful man who will keep me safe and show me everything I ever dreamed of. He will make a good father for my children, and I will be the perfect wife. This is what I always wanted. Him.
* * *
We reachthe island and I stare in surprise at the size of it. I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t anything on this scale. I suppose I thought it would be small, but I can’t make out the end of this one.
As we stare at the approaching shore, a speedboat heads our way and as it pulls aside, I watch men dressed in black circle it before heading to the front to guide us in.
“Who are they?” I ask, as I stand wrapped in Killian’s arms, as I have done for the entire time we’ve been on this boat. We haven’t moved from our position, which suited me fine. I love it when he holds me. It makes me feel safe. As if he is looking out for me and I don’t question it at all. This is what he likes.
At first it surprised me because in my entire life I have never seen my father hold my mother. They never touch and yet now I’ve experienced it, I’m a little sad for them. This is an unexpected perk of a relationship I never considered, and I like it. In fact, I like everything about my relationship with Killian and hope I don’t do anything wrong. Perhaps I should have studied the contract a little closer. It must be written in there somewhere about what I’m expected to do. It’s playing on my mind, so I turn and whisper, “Did you bring a copy of the contract with you? I would like to check up on a few things.”
“What things?” He tenses and I say lightly.
“My role, I suppose. What you expect of me because I don’t want to disappoint you by missing out on doing something you expect.”
For some reason my words anger him, and he drops his arms and turns away with an abrupt, “You don’t need to be told what to do, Purity. There is no bullet point list to follow. You figure things out as you go along and just for the record, you are doing everything perfectly. Trust me and follow my lead, and you will be fine.”
“Thank God.” I exhale a sigh of relief and say with a smile. “I’d hate to do something wrong. I’m loving it so far.”
“It’s time to go.”
He turns away and my heart lurches because what did I say? He appears angry about something, and I think back on our conversation. I follow him, cursing the high shoes he insists on me wearing and I wonder if it’s that. The way I am so clumsy on them. I can’t think of anything else because I’ve done everything he asks.
If anything, I’m a little annoyed at his constant mood swings. What was wrong with asking to be better at my job? The man’s an enigma, that’s for sure.
With a sigh, I follow him, loving my experience of boating, or whatever they call it. I love the faint taste of salt on my lips, the wind in my hair and the sun on my face. I love the sense of freedom out here and the way the birds follow the boat. They are magnificent and their cries are like music accompanying us.
