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“And that smile. The one right there,”—he traced the air around my mouth—“is exactly why it’s worth it.”
An unfamiliar excitement swirled around my soul. He wanted to make me happy. I knew that, yet seeing this heart reef was undeniable proof. Something inside me let go a little bit more. Usually I could control a reaction like that, but I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted to anymore.
“You’ve never been to the Great Barrier Reef, have you?” he asked, settling back in his seat.
I stared down at the last glimpse of the heart. “No. It’s breathtaking.” A white yacht dotted the deep blue sea. “Is that where we’re going?”
He tugged on the brim of his ball cap. “I thought you might like the quiet.”
“Instead of isolating me in Texas, you’re doing it in the middle of the ocean.” There was no bite to my words, though the realization I was going to be stuck alone with him gave me a tiny jolt of unease.
Did he expect…I shook my head. Stone wasn’t just any man. He wouldn’t take advantage of me, of that I was sure.
I folded my hands in my lap and attempted to get my breathing under control as we descended. We were here, not out of obligation to a deal, but because I wanted to try. I could handle one night, maybe even have fun.Or you could freak out and ruin the whole thing.
He stared at me with ever-patient eyes as if he could read my thoughts. “Any time you’ve had enough, say the word.”
* * *
“Want to go for a swim?I think there’s a pool somewhere on this thing.” Stone handed me a pink drink with a white flower adorning it.
I took a sip of the frozen concoction. “I’m not sure if I have a swimsuit,” I said wryly.
“I’ve gotcha covered.” A beer bottled dangled from his fingers over the railing.
“It’s quiet out here.” The sound of the waves lapping against the boat and an occasional bird were the only noises I’d noticed since we’d come on board. Stone had requested minimal crew, aware of my aversion to strangers. They kept out of sight like shadows.
“You miss all that racket of the city?”
I leaned my forearms on the smooth railing. “I do. It’s peaceful in a different way.”
“I believe you’re the first and only person to describe New York City as peaceful.”
I canted my head toward him. “You really hate it there.”
“Hate’s a strong word, but you know where I’d choose to land.”
I fiddled with the bracelet dangling from my wrist. “So there won’t ever be the phrase ‘New York Resident’ behind your name?”
“Only one reason that would ever happen.” He took a swig of his beer.
I couldn’t even begin to imagine what that would be.
Ringing sounded from over near the outdoor bar.
“Sat phone.” Stone’s tone held a note of worry, and his brow creased when the person on the other end spoke. “Hey, Granddaddy.”
He set his beer down on the deck and began to pace in a circle. His knuckles were white where he gripped the phone. He yanked his hat off his head and then tugged it back on.
“Eminent domain? There’s land a mile down the road that nobody uses for anything,” he said, voice rising.
My mind whirred, attempting to make sense of one side of the conversation. Eminent domain and the ranch couldn’t be good.
“Why didn’t you tell me about the offer?”
He squeezed his eyes shut. “Thank God you checked the mail today. I want to see the letter,” he said after a beat. “This has Randall’s fingerprints all over it.”
He nodded a few times, and my apprehension built. “If you can’t reach me, keep trying. I’m in the middle of nowhere.”
