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“Tickets are at will call.” Zane towed her past lines of tourists waiting for one of many boat tours that went around Manhattan Island and over to a small booth with a sign over the top that read Private Yacht Charters.
“Zane? What did you do?”
He flashed his trademark impish grin. “I wanted you all to myself. Sharing you with a bunch of tourists and screaming kids racing up and down the deck isn’t my idea of romance. I mean, there’s a captain who’ll do the actual sailing, so we’re not entirely alone. Which means you’ll have to behave yourself.” He swept his gaze over her behind. “Still got the best ass at St. Austell, Lori.”
She hid her delight at his old joke behind a roll of her eyes. “How did you arrange all this?”
“I know someone.”
“Someone?”
“The owner of the company. It cost me a case of gin. Cheap at double the price.” He slung an arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple. “Let me spoil you, Lori. I’ve waited a long time. I told you that one day that I’d shower you in diamonds. I’m not exactly in Dayton Somers’ league—yet—but I can afford to splurge now and then.”
How can I argue with that?
She smiled up at him, love blooming in her chest. Nothing had changed, yet everything had. But for today, she’d put all her fears aside and throw herself into having fun with the man she’d never stopped loving. “Okay, sailor, where we headed?”
“Thought we’d head north up past the Palisades, and then see where the mood takes us.”
She motioned with her hand. “Lead the way.”
White sails billowed in the breeze. Four of them, majestically rising above the calm waters of the Hudson River. The captain greeted them, helping them to climb aboard the eighty-foot schooner. A quick tour, and he and the crew left the two of them alone while they did whatever it was they had to, to reverse the boat out of its dock.
Did boats reverse? She wasn’t sure of the correct terminology. Not that it mattered.
“Warm enough?” Zane tugged her closer, and she snuggled into his side.
“I’m fine.”
“If you get cold, tell me. I’m sure the crew has blankets on board. Once we get sailing, the wind will pick up, and it’ll get much chillier.”
“Or you can warm me up.”
She blinked up at him. His pupils dilated, and his gaze lowered to her mouth.
“Lori.” He ran the back of his hand along her jaw. “I missed you.”
He kissed her before she could respond, his tongue skating over her bottom lip, tentatively at first. They were both still so raw, so unsure, the hesitancy a necessary evil until they rebuilt trust in one another. And that was all on her. She’d been the one to shatter their love into millions of pieces. It was her responsibility to find every single missing piece and stitch them back together.
Sooner or later, she’d have to tell Zane the truth of why she’d broken things off all those years ago, but not now. Not yet. Not when his lips were on hers, his arms encasing her body, his heart beating beneath her palm in a rhythm that mirrored her own. She didn’t want to think of sickness and potential shortened futures. Of hospital beds and needles. Of hoping and praying a stranger died so she could live.
But for now, her heart beat strong and true, and according to her doctors, it could continue to do so far into the future. There were no guarantees, and statistics weren’t on her side, but whenever she brought up that fact with her doctor, he’d tell her that statistics didn’t tell the whole story, and she was worrying about something that might not happen for years. It was all wait and see, keep taking her pills, keep attending her checkups. And pay attention to the warning signs if they occurred.
Zane broke off their kiss and drew back, a goofy grin on his face and joy in his eyes.
“Better prepare yourself, Lori.”
“What for?”
“I feel eighteen again. I can’t keep my hands off you.”
She rested her palm on his thigh, close to the visible evidence of his arousal. “Then don’t.”
CHAPTER 11
They disembarked as dusk fell, cheeks reddened by the wind, after a day filled with the kind of joy Lori had long forgotten existed. The last time she’d felt this kind of light-headed happiness was the day before her dad dropped the bombshell about moving to India. Zane had packed a picnic and taken her to Central Park. He’d found a quiet spot at the northern end, laid out a blanket and the most delicious food, and fed her until she couldn’t eat another bite. And then they’d lain down, side by side, and held hands as they dreamed about the future.
Life truly turned on a dime. Decisions were made, paths chosen, mistakes and failures molding a person as much as successes. Maybe more so. Lori’s decision to end her relationship with Zane had shaped both their lives. The scars were deep, both physical and emotional, yet even after one day together, Lori sensed them healing. The question was, did Zane feel the same thing?
