He asked it in a way that reminded me of a little boy begging for a slice of cake. “Evan, you don’t have to prove anything to me. You are a capable, successful man. I see that. I’ve always known you would do great things.”
“Then be with me,” he said, putting a hand on my cheek and forcing me to look at him.
I blew out a breath. It terrified me to think of the two of us together, like a real couple. There was no denying what was between us. The chemistry was explosive. It went way beyond sex. It was us together, as a team. “I’m not like the other women you’ve dated,” I told him, giving him a chance to back out.
“I know, which is exactly why I know you’re who I’m supposed to be with. They weren’t right for me. I never felt alive when I was with them. You make me feel alive. Everything is brighter when you’re next to me. It’s like being given a pair of glasses that gives me enhanced vision. All my senses are enhanced. I don’t want to be without you.”
“Are you sure it isn’t just leftover feelings? We were each other’s first loves, first everything. There is a connection there, but is it real?”
He frowned at me. “Don’t try to minimize what this is. You can’t put it in a neat little box and pack it away like those memories and feelings weren’t real. They were. They are. If anything, what I felt for you then is nothing compared to what I feel right now. I need you in my life, Cherie. I can’t think of any other way to say it. I’m asking for a chance. If I fuck up and you decide you just can’t fathom being with me, I’ll leave you alone.”
His heartfelt words hit me hard. I grabbed his hand and held it tight. “I will try. We’ll try. But Evan, if there ever comes a time when you feel like you made a mistake, please tell me. Don’t wait. I don’t want you to try and want me. I’ll understand if you decide we aren’t right for each other. I won’t be mad.”
He grinned. “You’ll be furious.”
“I will not. We’re both mature adults and we’ve changed a lot, whether it seems like it or not right now. It’s fresh and new and yet still has the comfort of being familiar.”
He looked me straight in the eye. “You can call it whatever you want, but I know how I feel.”
“Okay,” I whispered. “Here goes nothing.”
“Stay the night?” he asked.
I smiled and gave a quick nod. “I’d like that.”
We sat in the hot tub a little longer until I feared my skin would melt away. He walked to the small closet area and grabbed two big, fluffy towels for us. He led me back inside and up the massive staircase. The artwork on the walls was beautiful. It was none of the abstracts I had expected to see in the home of a wealthy man. Instead, he filled his home with pictures of the swamps and the sea. It was like he was trying to bring his past with him. He couldn’t let it go.
As we climbed into his massive bed, I wondered if that was what I was to him. He was struggling to move on from his childhood and was keeping it all close. I was a part of his old life. Was he bringing me in to be a constant reminder? I wasn’t sure how I felt about that but pushed the thought to the back of my mind.
I told him I was going to give it a shot and I would. I was ready to see if we were truly meant to be together. Maybe he was right, and fate had pushed us back together because we were truly soulmates.
“I like having you in my bed,” he whispered, his arm around me as he pulled me in close.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “This bed is certainly better than your little twin bed.”
He laughed. “This bed is good for a lot more than just sleeping. You get a reprieve tonight, but you better be ready for me to show you all my manly ways in the coming days. I don’t want you to forget.”
A violent shudder raced down my spine. Just hearing him talk about what he could do to my body excited me. “Go to sleep, flyboy.”
Chapter 21
Evan
I had played it cool long enough. It was time to up my game and show her the kind of life I could give her. Cherie liked laid back and so did I, but I also liked the perks that came with my wealth. Tonight, I was taking advantage of our weekend off. She had told me her weekends tended to be busy with weddings, but this was one of those rare weekends off.
I was going to spoil her. I was going to whisk her away and enjoy the privacy my money afforded me. I needed a break from the tabloids as well. Amber’s attempt to take me down was only growing more intense instead of slowing. The woman was batshit crazy. I had dodged a bullet by cutting out of that relationship when I did.
The car stopped in front of Cherie’s house. I jumped out and headed up the walk. When she opened the door, she had a look on her face that said she was very confused. I had given her no details. I loved the element of surprise and wanted to keep it going for as long as I could. “Where are we going?” she asked.
I grinned. “Did you pack a bag like I told you to?”
She slowly nodded and pointed to the small suitcase near the door. “I did, but you didn’t give me a lot to go on. I packed casual and a bathing suit. That’s all you’re going to say? I didn’t pack anything for a night out.”
“You won’t need it where we’re going,” I said and grabbed the suitcase, discovering it was a lot heavier than it looked. “Let’s go.”
“Will you tell me where we are going?” she asked again.
“Nope,” I answered and kept walking.
She followed behind me and got into the car. The driver already had instructions to take us to the small private airstrip where I kept my plane. The car came to a stop next to the seaplane I owned. She looked at me, her brows raised. “Um, what’s this?”
“This is a plane,” I said with a grin.
“It’s a small plane.”
“Do you want a jetliner? I’m sure I could arrange it, but I don’t think it’s necessary.”
“No, I don’t want a jetliner. But this plane is so small. Why are we here? Are we going to be in that plane?”
Her rapid-fire questions revealed her anxiousness. I gave her a quick kiss, hoping to ease the anxiety. “Because we’re getting away for the weekend.” I got out of the car and grabbed both our suitcases from the back. She made no move to get out of the car. I bent down and looked inside. “Are you coming?”
“I don’t know,” she said, chewing on her lower lip. “That plane doesn’t look very safe.”
I put my hand on the car and leaned down. “I have an island I want to take you to. The plane is as safe as they come.”
She burst into laughter. “Of course you have an island. Why am I not surprised?”
“Now that you know where we’re going, will you get out of the car?”
She slid out and stood staring at the plane. “Where’s the pilot?”
“You’re looking at him.”
“No.”
“What do you mean no?”
She slowly shook her head. “Don’t you have people that do this for you? Like a flight crew? A crew with a million hours of experience?”
“Baby, I’m a pilot. You know this. I fly. I love to fly. I’m an excellent pilot. I promise I will keep your beautiful body in one piece.”
She scowled. “You better because if you kill me, I swear I will kill you ten times over.”
“Baby, if I kill you, I kill me, and trust me, I don’t want to die. Not now. Not when things are just starting to get good. I plan on living forever. You and me.”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s ridiculous. No one wants to live forever.”
“I do if you’re with me.” I was laying it on thick and I didn’t care. I was going all in. In my mind, she was an investment. The best investment. I would put it all on the line to keep her in my life.
She shook her head. “The things you make me do.”
I slapped her ass. “And you love them all.”
She nervously laughed before climbing into the plane. I loaded the bags and climbed inside. Five minutes later, we were in the air. Cherie was holding on to the door with one hand
and the seat with her other. She was terrified. I wasn’t going to take it personally. I knew she didn’t like flying in general. It had been a joke between us when we were younger. I couldn’t wait to get in the air and she didn’t want anything to do with flying.
“Are we there yet?” she asked.
I grinned. “Ever seen the city from up here?”
“No! I’m always knocked out if I have to fly.”
“Baby, that’s going to change. I love to fly, and I want to take you all around the world.”
“Then you better invest in a lot of powerful drugs because that is about the only way I’m going to become a frequent flyer.”
I turned the plane, taking it slow and giving her a view of our city from high above. “Nice, huh?”
She seemed to relax a little. “It’s beautiful.”
“Yeah, it is.”
My focus was on the skyline, not the mess below. I loved the feel of flying. I loved the freedom. I buzzed around before taking the plane a little higher and heading for the private island.
“You love this, don’t you?” she asked, looking at me with a smile.
“I do,” I said with a great deal of reverence. “It’s the best feeling in the world. That and being inside you.”
She gasped. “How about you focus on flying, flyboy?”
I grinned. “You got it, but just know right now, I’m thinking about what it would be like to have you riding me while I fly this plane.”
“All your dirty talk is going to get us killed.”
I glanced over and noticed she had let go of the door. All my dirty talk had gotten her mind off the fear she had been feeling. She looked a little more relaxed than she had been at first. I remembered the first time I took her on a big rollercoaster. She had been terrified then too. I had held her hand and promised her we were going to be okay. She was crazy and carefree when her feet were solid on the ground or in the water. Flying and sailing through the air in general were not her thing.
“Where is this island?” she asked.
“Not too far out,” I answered.
“Is it accessible by bridge?”
“Nope. I got one of the ones out a little farther. I didn’t want to take any chances of being invaded.”
“I can’t believe you own an island,” she said with a laugh.
I grinned. “Remember when we used to swim out to that one little island?”
“It wasn’t an island. It was like a little dry spot surrounded by water.”
“That’s called an island, sweetheart.”
She laughed again. “You said you wanted to have your own island.”
“I did,” I said with a nod.
“And now you do.”
“Yep, but this one is a little bigger and it has a house. We won’t be sleeping in a shack.”
She was staring out the window. “Look! Down there!”
I peered out the window. “Where?”
“My side! It’s dolphins!”
I took the plane down a little lower and allowed her to get a better look. It was an amazing sight. I barely paid attention to the dolphins frolicking in the water. I was focused on her. Her face lit up. The smile on her face was contagious. I found myself smiling because she was.
“That was awesome,” she said, looking at me. Her eyes were shining with excitement. I couldn’t wait to see her face when she saw the island. I knew it was going to impress her. It had impressed the hell out of me when I first saw it. I had made some improvements and personalized it a bit more for me, but other than that, I had left it as it was.
“Over there,” I said, pointing at the island that was about ten acres total. It wasn’t overly large, but it was plenty big enough for me.
“That’s yours?” she asked.
I nodded, circling around to give her a full aerial view of the island. I did have some neighbors on other islands, but we weren’t exactly having block parties. The islands were private and exclusive, and no one talked to anyone. It was a safe haven for those who wanted to get away from the prying eyes of the media. Some of them used their islands for sordid affairs or parties that would not be considered socially acceptable.
“Ready?” I asked.
“For?” Her eyes went wide, and she reached for the door again.
“We’re landing. Relax. I’ve got you.”
She blew out a breath. “Okay. Be gentle.”
I grinned. “First time I’ve heard you say that.”
She swatted at my arm. “Stop. This is not the time.”
“Baby, relax. If nothing else, we’re in a seaplane. Even if we go down, we’ll just float.”
“Evan!” she shrieked. “That is not funny!”
I laughed, carefully guiding the plane down and landing us in one piece. We climbed out, with me helping her.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
“I’m fine, but I think I’ll swim back.”
I reached my arm around her, pulling her close before dropping a kiss on top of her head. “You’re in one piece.”
“I do trust you. It’s the plane I don’t trust.”
“Let me show you around,” I told her.
“I’d love to see it.”
“This is the dock.”
She slapped at my chest. “Stop it. You said there was a house. Let’s see this place.”
“It’s not as big as the mansion,” I warned.
“Good, because I still need a map to find my way around there.”
“You know where the bedroom is and that’s pretty much all I care about,” I said with a wink.
“I swear you have exactly one thing on your mind at all times,” she joked.
I shrugged. “I do. I’m not going to deny it.”
We walked up the path that led to the manor house. She grabbed my hand and pulled me back. “This is your little house?”
“I didn’t say it was little, but it is smaller.”
She burst into laughter. “This is gorgeous. It reminds me of one of those French places. What are they called?”
“A chateau.”
“It’s stunning,” she said.
“Thank you.” I led her inside, leaving our bags in the foyer for the time being.
“Did you have this built?” she asked as we walked around the ground floor.
“No. I bought it off some French tycoon. He had it built and then went bankrupt. I got it for a steal. There are six bedrooms and six bathrooms. It has a pool, a gorgeous garden, and the view is amazing. Best of all, it’s private. We can do whatever we want, and no one is going to see.”
“It really is beautiful. I can’t believe you don’t spend all your time here.”
I laughed. “The commute is a bitch.”
“I suppose it would be.”
“Come on, I want to show you the gardens,” I said, anxious to show her the next surprise.
It was all part of my plan. I was going to sweep her off her feet. I wanted to show her how good our life could be together. The two of us together was meant to be. She made me a better man. With her by my side, I was convinced I could do anything. I knew there were some hurdles we were going to have get over, but when something was right, it was right.
And we were right.
Chapter 22
Cherie
Now that my feet were on solid ground, I could admit his flying had impressed me. It had been exciting to sit next to him as he did what he loved. I could see how much he loved to fly, even if it scared the living daylights out of me. Seeing his face and how confident he was relaxed me. I knew he would never do anything to hurt me. I was safe with him.
“This is a beautiful house,” I commented. “I love the architecture.”
“It is beautiful.”
“Do you come here very often?” I asked. What I was really asking was if Amber had visited a lot.
“No,” he answered. “Not as often as I would like. I never brought Amber here, if that’s what you’re wondering. I’ve never brought any
one here. Only a handful of people know I have this place. It’s my little secret. The property was bought under one of my company names that is relatively unknown.”
I nodded, feeling very special that he had chosen to bring me to his secret hideaway. The garden was really more of a natural part of the island, with lights and paths cut through the thick foliage. I could hear the sound of waves crashing against the shore and knew we were headed for the beach.
“I love the salty smell,” I commented after I took a deep breath.
“It does smell a lot cleaner out here than it does on one of the city beaches.” We broke through a line of foliage and emerged onto the beach with a picnic table set up with an umbrella providing shade.
“What’s this?” I asked with genuine surprise.
“I thought we could have a picnic on the beach. Our own private beach. No one will be kicking sand around or bothering us in any way. It’s just me and you.”
I looked at the table set for two with a six pack of Corona beer sitting in a bucket of ice. “Just me and you?” I questioned, realizing someone had been there to set the table for him.
“Now, it’s just me and you,” he said with a grin.
My eyes scanned the beach. There was a cabana set back from the beach, nearly impossible to see by passing boats. I imagine it would be the perfect hideaway for a man who wanted to be outside but without the glare of a camera pointed at him.
“This is lovely,” I told him, watching as he popped the top on one of the beers and handed it to me before doing the same for himself.
“I thought maybe we could enjoy an early dinner and watch the sunset.”
“It sounds absolutely perfect,” I answered.
I took a seat at the table while he rummaged in the cooler. He pulled out a tray of fresh fruit, hoagie sandwiches, and individually wrapped brownies. “It’s kind of basic, but I didn’t know for sure when we would get here and didn’t want a hot meal getting cold.”
“This is perfect,” I told him, remembering the many picnics on the beach we had enjoyed.
We ate our sandwiches and munched on the fruit while drinking our beers. It was absolutely the most relaxing evening of my life. I loved that there was no one around. It was just the two of us. We were in our own little world on the perfect island.
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