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She scoffs as she takes another bite, “I doubt that. Anyone that can make this, would be able to make something else, other than Italian. So how was Italy? I have always wanted to visit,” she inquires.
I take a sip of wine and tell her about my trips. “I love Italy. The people and the atmosphere are beautiful. Venice isgorgeous. I will have to take you sometime. I believe you will love the sight.” She looks at me with a huge smile on her face that lightens up the room, and a place in my heart constricts. I would do anything to keep that smile on her face. I want to be the one that makes her happy.
“I would love to go! It has always been a dream of mine. Ireland, as well. I guess I just want to travel in general. I feel like I haven’t been anywhere,” she says dreamily. I reach over and grab her hand in mine and look at her in her eyes, so she knows I’m being serious.
“I will take you anywhere you want to go. Just say the word and we will take off.”
She laughs. “Well, thank you. But I’m fairly sure such a busy CEO can’t just take off whenever he wants to. But thank you for saying that.” I squeeze her hand tighter, so she looks back up at me.
“I mean it, Lizzie, we can travel wherever you want to go. I can work from anywhere if I need to.” She nods, as a blush creeps up her cheeks.
“I guess I’m not used to this kind of treatment. You are so different than I thought you’d be. You’ve been most generous to me and kind. I guess what I am trying to say is that I’m glad I met you, Miles.”
I get up and walk around to her chair, then pull her up against me. Holding her close, I whisper against her ear, “You are so incredible. How did I get this lucky?” A shiver runs through her at my touch. I love the way she responds to my simple touch. I want to always have this effect on her. I kiss her forehead, and she gazes up at me with unshed tears in her eyes.
“I’m the lucky one,” I say, then cup her cheek and lean down so our eyes meet. “I know you have had it rough in the past with relationships, but I’m here now and I’m not goinganywhere. This is it, Lizzie, you and me. You don’t have to wait for the other shoe to drop because it won’t. I’m going to treat you the way you deserve. The way those other idiots should have.” A tear trickles down her cheek, and I wipe it away with the pad of my thumb. I kiss her moist cheek, and she sighs against my touch. She leans up on her tippy toes and kisses me. I pull her in closer and deepen the kiss, trying to show her exactly how I feel about her to give her reassurance about our relationship. I know that she has been put down in the past, but I am here to light her up. I want to be the man that she needs in her life, the man she deserves, the one she comes to when times are tough or when she needs someone to hold her up.
I love her.
Wait, I love her?I mean. I knew I had strong feelings for her, but I do love her. Damn, this woman has captured my heart and soul. I hold her tighter for a moment longer, then I grab her hand and lead her to the couch.
"Come sit with me, baby," I request.
Chapter 17
Elizabeth
Once we are seated on the couch, I look over at this devilishly handsome man that wants me. He wantsme,of all people. I can’t believe this is my life. For real, how did I get this lucky? It was just a chance meeting, and he happens to be the man of my dreams. I feel like I need to pinch myself and wake up from this fairytale. I know better than anyone that those don’t exist, but he sure makes me want to believe in them. Maybe I am turning into a believer. I believe him when he says that it’s us together. I feel the same connection to him. It’s like there is a magnet pulling us together, and my resolve to fight it is getting lesser and lesser. I want to jump in headfirst and experience everything Miles has to offer. What’s the worst that could happen?You could end up with a broken heart again, Lizzie.That’s what scares me the most. Miles has the ability to consume my entire heart, more than anyone I have ever been with, and I don’t know if I could come back from that if I were to lose him. But I can’t turn away now. I am already in too deep. I don’t want to turn away. Maybe I just had to kiss a bunch of frogs, aka my old boyfriends, in order to find my prince. Finally, I’ve found the right one. Miles is my Prince Charming.My Mr. Darcy. I smile as I cuddle up beside him.
“Dinner was perfect. Thank you for having me,” I say, looking up into those beautiful blue eyes. He smiles down at me and kisses my temple which is such a tender place to be kissed. I feel adored when he does that.
“I loved being able to cook for you, Lizzie. And I love having you here in my apartment. I feel more at home having you here. I guess I didn’t realize how lonely I was until I met you. So, thank you for giving me a chance,” he tells me as he holds my hand and begins drawing circles with his thumb over my wrist.
I love when this man touches me. I feel the electricity shoot through my whole body, and I get goosebumps everywhere. “Thank you for stealing my coffee that day,” I reply with a smirk.
He laughs aloud and it’s a wonderful sound. I love seeing him this relaxed. Things between us flow so easy. It just seems right.
“Do you have any plans this weekend?” he questions.Ugh, my birthday is this weekend.I wonder if he remembers my mentioning that it is. It’s the night of his gala that he was telling me about.
“I don’t really. Although, I’m sure Sarah will drag me somewhere. Your charity gala is this weekend, isn’t it?” I ask, even though I already know the answer. I, also, know Sarah will want to celebrate my birthday even if it’s the very last thing that I want to do.
“Yes, the gala is Saturday evening. Would you like to spend Sunday with me? We can do whatever you want,” he inquires.
“I would love to. I do have the weekend off. Did you have anything in mind?” I ask in return. He seems to ponder for a moment and a smile crosses his face.
“I have the perfect idea. Have you been on a cruise on the Hudson?” he queries with a twinkle in his eyes.
“No, I haven’t. That sounds fantastic. I love being on the water. I grew up around it; we were always out on boatsand such when I was younger. Can you arrange that with such short notice?” I ask.
“Oh, I have my way,” he remarks with a sexy wink. As he pulls me into his lap, I wrap my arms around his neck and run my hands through the back of his hair. He closes his eyes as I slide my hands over his shoulders. Miles wraps his arms around my back and pulls me flush against his chest. His cologne rushes through my senses, and I don’t think I will ever tire of it. He smells so good. How can he smell so wonderful?
“You fit perfectly in my arms, Lizzie,” he whispers in my ear, resting his head on my shoulder. I 'hmmm' my agreement. It feels wonderful being in his arms. I feel safe and loved. I mean, not saying that he loves me, but it feels like he could. He pulls his head back up and looks at me.
“So, what kind of water activities did you do as a kid?” he asks.
“Well, as far back as I remember, we would go to the beach whenever we could. I was a beach baby for sure. I could stay there all day. My dad taught me how to ride waves on a boogie board, and when I got to be about eight or so, he taught me how to water ski. I practiced and practiced that whole summer and finally got the hang of it. I’d get to invite Sarah with us sometimes, and she learned as well. He would also pull us in a giant tube behind the boat. He’d go fast, taking turns sharply to try and throw us off. It was a lot a fun, but we also had to hang on for dear life.” I laugh. “When I got a few years older, he taught me how to drop one ski, and I’d slide my foot behind the other and ski on one ski. That’s called slaloming. Now, that took some practice for sure. It requires perfect balance. You can even start out on one ski, but I never mastered that. But yes, those are the water sports that we did. Those were good times,” I say with a sad sigh. I didn’t think Miles would hear it, but he did.
“Why does that make you sad to remember that? It sounds like it was a blast. I have never water skied, only snow skied.”
