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He eased back, and I smiled to cover the emotion I was feeling. “Yeah, I get that. I don’t need his approval, or at least I shouldn’t.” It was something I struggled with because a part of me would always want it. Even if I thought it was a pipe dream.
Fourteen
SILAS
“When no one is cheering for you, you have to clap for yourself,” I said. A desire to be the one by her side made my chest tighten.
Her lips twisted. “That’s kind of sad.”
“You’re your biggest cheerleader,” I said, leaning against the counter and sipping my coffee.
“I suppose that’s always been the case. It’s not like my family supported my decision to open Happily Ever Afters. Harper’s always been by my side, encouraging me, but you’re right. I don’t need it.”
“You’re like me. You’re driven by an internal force, not an external one. That’s the best way to be.”
Gia smiled. “We’re a lot alike.”
I winked at her. “That’s why we didn’t get along.”
She gestured between us. “I think it’s because we both knew this would happen.”
“You mean on a subconscious level?” I was very much aware of my attraction to her and how bad of an idea acting on it would be.
“Yeah.”
I leaned on my elbows, and she raised her brow in surprise. This thing with her was a game. It was a balancing act of getting close one minute and giving her space the next. I wanted to draw her in, but not so much that she bolted. “You can tell yourself that.”
She blinked at me. “Are you saying you knew you were attracted to me?”
“That’s right. No point in pretending I wasn’t.” I straightened and checked on my omelet. Seeing it was almost done, I sprinkled shredded cheese on it.
“I had no idea.”
“You had this way of pushing me away whenever I was near. But that’s in the past. All that matters is what’s happening between us now.”
Then I tensed, waiting for her response. I busied myself sliding the omelet onto a plate and then turned to face her, eating while standing up.
She arched one delicate brow. “And what is going on?”
I could smirk and say something cocky, but I had a feeling that wouldn’t be a good move. She’d made herself vulnerable by asking. “Whatever it is, I like it. I want to keep enjoying it. No pressure. No labels. Can you do that?”
She sighed and finally nodded. “Yeah, okay.”
I wanted to pump my fist in the air, but I restrained myself. I was positive she wouldn’t appreciate it. “We’ll eat, get your stuff, and spend the day on the water.”
Gia smiled softly. “I’m actually looking forward to it.”
Her shoulders had relaxed a bit. I could tell she was worried about staying overnight and when she should make her escape. But I’d changed everything with my impromptu offer of a boat ride. I usually went with friends or on my own. I’d never taken a woman out on the boat. I’d never wanted to before, but Gia was breaking all my rules.
I wanted to do something for her, pull her out of her usual routine. Make her see there was something more out there for her than proving herself to her family. She was incredibly successful and should be proud of her hard work, but she needed to enjoy life too.
I was positive I was the man to show her.
We finished eating, and I cleaned up, and then we went to her suite, where I waited while she got dressed.
I looked up from my phone when she came out of the bathroom and almost swallowed my tongue. She wore a red string bikini and cutoff jeans, a throwback to the day I saw her when she was sixteen. There was no way she could know how much that outfit affected me. There was a lot of bare skin, and when she turned around, the cheeks of her ass were visible.
I cleared my throat.
