Four Nights at Sea

by Demi Alex

  The proof in his giving up was that once the ship had sailed again, he’d stopped calling. It hurt.

  “What?” Kat’s gaze narrowed in disbelief. “Why won’t you tell me?”

  “Because my personal activities don’t relate to the article. I’m not writing about what I did, but the opportunity to find love on a cruise.” Taking hold of Kat’s arm, she started walking. She danced around the subject, managing to remain vague and not lie. Even if it was the logical conclusion, losing Ford was painful. And while she’d decided to remember the good parts, the fact that he hadn’t tried to contact her again hurt.

  “Is it possible to find love on a cruise ship or not?” Kat asked.

  “It definitely is,” Charlie confirmed, thinking of how beautifully her friends had paired off. Grace was relocating to be with Tyler and his son; Grayson and Emma were in negotiations on the path their relationship would take; and Quinn and Luis were more in love and lust than when they’d set sail. “Did you find love in Paris, my friend?”

  “I did,” Kat breathed, searching for a cab. “It’s obvious why Paris is always listed as one of the most romantic cities in the world. The history, the flavor, and the zest for romance are everywhere.”

  They hailed a taxi and settled into the back seat. Kat told Charlie about the architecture of the buildings, the beautiful streets, the unique life of the river, the delicious food, and especially the allure of the café life.

  “And where did you find love?” Charlie asked.

  “At the airport.” Kat smiled as she spoke. “Marko was waiting for me when I landed.”

  “Marko? School Marko?” Charlie smacked the seat. “Did Paul have anything to do with that?”

  “Of course,” Kat said, laughing like a woman in love. “But it’s okay. I still love him. They had the whole thing planned before you or I knew about the assignment. Everything. When Marko learned about what had happened with the jackass and the company’s expense account, he and Paul brainstormed the premise of the feature. Marko paid for everything. Both of our trips. You were right, such expensive research wasn’t in City Wings’ budget.”

  “I knew it. There was no way Paul would have paid for my cabin. No fucking way.” So many details to absorb. So many to share. Absorb first. “Why didn’t you tell me Marko was loaded?”

  “It’s not about the money. Marko is more than a damn bank account.”

  “You’re preaching to the choir, Kat. I get it,” Charlie said, pointing a finger to her chest. “I really do.” Charlie knew that money didn’t make people, but she also knew that money often controlled their fate. But in this case, her friend’s unease had nothing to do with socioeconomic standards. Kat had found love in Paris. She also worried she’d lost it there.

  “Tell me everything,” Charlie said. “Start from the beginning. The good and the bad. Don’t leave anything out.”

  They were in their apartment when Kat shared details of her rendezvous with sexy Marko Renard. He’d met her at the airport and romanced her like mad in Paris, all hot and steamy, very intense, and extremely determined, then he’d put her on a plane and sent her back to New York.

  “I think he ‘sent’ me away on purpose. He’s a bit of a lovable tyrant, but he’s also arrogant enough to think he always knows best. I’m afraid that something bad has happened. He thinks he can protect me if I’m away from it.”

  “Like all that talk about going to Provence and eating his mom’s Sunday dinner meant nothing,” Charlie added. “Not.”

  “Exactly.” Kat placed her glass on the coffee table and stood. “I have to get back to Paris. He needs me.”

  “What time is the flight?” Charlie hopped up and carried their glasses to the sink.

  Kat checked her phone. “I’m waiting for Paul to call. I need to ask if he’ll purchase the ticket with his credit card for me. I maxed out my card and I have twenty bucks until payday.”

  “You’re shitting me,” Charlie said, reaching for her bag and pulling out her computer. “Why didn’t you ask the minute I got off the train?”

  Outraged that her friend would think that not accessing her money was more important to her than Kat’s happiness, she told her as much while she booked Kat’s ticket back to Paris . . . back to Marko.

  * * *

  Charlie watched Paul and Kat pull away from the curb, wishing her friend would find all she wanted in Paris. She entered the building lobby as her phone vibrated. Pulling it from her back pocket, she read Ford’s text.

  Hold the door, chère.

  She turned and walked out to the sidewalk, searching to her left and then her right. She didn’t see him until he’d crossed the street and approached her straight on. Dark and brooding in a navy wool blazer, he didn’t smile or call out a greeting. Instead he reached her in a few long steps, closed his hands on her arms, and pulled her up on her toes.

  “You were supposed to wait for me.”

  “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be on the ship,” she breathed.

  “If you would have waited as we’d agreed, you’d know that I left the cabin and went to turn in my resignation.”

  “You said you needed the bonus for your coffee empire,” she said, trying but failing to keep her feet flat on the ground. She wrapped her arms around his neck for support.

  “I did, but I need you more.”

  Before she could formulate her next question, Ford lowered his head and sealed his mouth to hers in a branding kiss. Her arms tingled beneath the sure hold of his fingers, her chest heated as he pressed her into him, and her heart danced with joy when he didn’t allow her to pull away. Charlie stayed and melted into him as his kiss seared through her, stealing her breath and releasing her apprehension.

  With his forehead against hers, she closed her eyes and let the knowledge of Ford not giving up on them soothe her soul. He’d come to her. He stood with her.

  “You missed a few items while packing,” he said, holding out a package with her dresses.

  “How did you know where to find me?” Charlie asked in a whisper.

  Ford looked at her, a simmering twinkle in his eyes. “Once I realized you’d pulled a disappearing act, I called Bruce to see if he had any forwarding information on you after the divorce. He didn’t, but he had insight on your relationship with William Norrington. He’d interviewed him and had placed him in the not-to-be-called, or hostile witness, group as far as the divorce went. Apparently, William’s loyalty lies with you.”

  It did. And she knew it. But Will’s strong views on his stepbrother’s behavior could have also skewed the judge. Will was never called to give his opinion on her marriage.

  “You scanned off the ship at the same time, so I assumed you left together,” Ford continued. “I contacted him and met him in Little Havana. After much conversation, he admitted to taking you to the train station and that you were on your way to New York City. Then, after he’d interrogated me on my intentions, he relented and gave me your address.”

  This wasn’t a conversation for the sidewalk. The night chill permeated her thin sweater. She took his hand and led him into the building’s foyer in silence. She didn’t speak until they were in the privacy of her apartment.

  “Will was satisfied with a great-sex-for-now answer?” she asked, but hoped he’d correct her. “A no-commitment, short-term-relationship man for me?”

  Ford shrugged off his jacket and threw it on a chair. He walked to her and cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to meet his gaze and hear his words. “Chère, that was before you. You’re a game changer. These last few days were a game changer.”

  Her belly tightened with hope. He’d come. He’d followed her.

  “I’m not going to lie. The sex is great, and it may have been the catalyst for us to connect, but we are not a temporary arrangement. I want you. I need you. In an insanely small amount of time, I’ve realized that I don’t want anything without you. Sleeping without you was torture. The only night I slept well was Sunday, when
I was able to hold you close. And truth be told, I knew you were troubled, knew you had doubts. But I was too selfish to risk being told to leave. I figured you’d understand how I felt and want to keep me around if I held you.”

  “I do want you,” she said, trying to step away. He held her still. Didn’t let her turn her face down or step back. “I’m a Stanton. You’re a Rutherford.”

  “That didn’t bother you on the ship,” he replied, his tone short and annoyed.

  “I didn’t know,” she admitted. “I was so wrapped up in getting the information for my article, that what you shared didn’t register. Will told me at dinner on Sunday. Didn’t know why I’d stand for being played by a Rutherford.”

  “Fuck everyone else,” Ford growled, his right hand lowering to her nape while he held her face up to his. “This is you and me. Only you and me. I won’t let anyone or what they may think keep us apart. We’ve both fought to be free of family expectations. And while I love my family, and believe you feel the same about yours, this is you and me.”

  Hope consumed her and she wrapped her hands around his neck, going up to touch her mouth to his. “You and me?”

  “You and me, chère. Give us a chance.”

  * * *

  Always quick to decide, Ford had known he’d wanted her from their very first kiss in the taxi. He hadn’t known to what extent until he’d let her sleep alone after Cozumel, but that sleepless night had proved she was his. Without her, he had been empty and lonely. Holding her on Sunday had only served to solidify how he felt. She completed him. Gave him purpose and faith for a future with love.

  Not once did her being a Stanton influence his feelings. It was all about Charlie and who she was on her own. Gorgeous, smart, capable, and full of energy, she filled him with desire. He wanted to stand by her, support her, and fucking benefit from her light.

  “It may sound crazy because you’ve known me less than a week, but I won’t sleep without you one more night. You belong in my bed, at my side, with me.” He tangled his hand in her hair and angled his mouth over hers. “Collect your things and come home with me.”

  Her throat worked as she swallowed, and a tiny groan escaped her lips.

  “Not Louisiana,” he clarified. “I’ve already been there.”

  “I don’t understand,” she admitted.

  “With the monetary benefits of the last cruise no longer an option, I swallowed my pride, tucked my tail between my legs, and asked my father for a loan equal to what the investment would have earned.”

  “You asked your father?” Charlie rubbed the heel of her palm over her forehead. “Why would you do that?”

  “Because being here with you is worth anything to me,” Ford replied. “I can eat a piece of humble pie to make that happen. But I can’t be at sea without you for a week.”

  Charlie took a deep breath and ran her fingers down his strong bicep. “You’re really here. You have the money for the coffee empire. You’re here. With me.”

  “Of course I am. Now come home with me, chère,” Ford repeated. “Home. Here. In New York. You said you have a roommate, and we need privacy to talk this out.”

  She smiled, her blue eyes alight with yearning, and she leaned into him. “My roommate is heading to Paris.”

  That was all he needed. He brought his mouth to hers, determined to show her how right they were together. Her lips parted, and he swept his tongue into her welcoming warmth, tasting sweetness and love in the woman who held his heart in the palm of her hand. “Damn, I love Paris.” Ford bent and hooked his arm beneath her knees. He lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. “Tell me you want this. Tell me you’ll keep me around, baby.”

  “Okay,” she breathed, as he stood her by the bed. Her warm hands fit beneath his shirt and pushed it up. “It’s you and me.”

  Pulling a condom from his pocket, he placed it on the nightstand and had her naked and beneath him in minutes. There was no delay, no time to waste; he needed her. And from the lovely moisture glistening between her thighs, she needed him, too.

  “You’re always ready for me, baby. Always beautifully ready.” He handed her the condom, freeing his hand to slip a finger deep inside her and feel the woman he couldn’t imagine being without. She moaned and rolled her hips, grinding against him as she tore at the foil.

  “I’m dying to get inside you,” he said, adding a second finger and stretching her tight heat. “Dying to show you that when I said you were mine, I meant you were mine. No outs. No turning back.”

  Her small hands worked to roll the condom over his erection, while his mouth found her neck and his fingers coaxed her to move faster.

  “And tomorrow, we see the doctor. We’re getting checkups and you’re going on the pill,” he said, his mind working out the details his body demanded. “I want nothing between us when I make love to you. Just you and me.”

  Her gaze went soft, unspoken love filling the space between them. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down to her mouth. “Just you and me.”

  She kissed him, hard, long, and strong, showing him that she was in as much as he was. Charlie took control and gave herself.

  “Take,” he encouraged. And his beautiful angel rolled onto his body and straddled him. Her body rose above him, and then lowered to take him. “You and me.”

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Lost in his thoughts, Ford sent up silent gratitude for the woman he loved. Charlie completed him and made every day a wonderful adventure. She’d kept him around, and he was determined to assure she always would.

  “I can’t believe I’m totally done and free for a whole week,” she said, folding a new dress into her case and handing him a pair of jeans for his.

  “That’s three stories in three months. City Wings is lucky to have you, chère.” Paul had offered her a position as a staff writer, with a cruise series as her first official assignment. She’d turned in the third piece last night.

  Ford stopped packing and gathered Charlie in his embrace. “I went through hell waiting on you to decide to move in here. It took you another month to get you to agree to sublet the apartment and accept that you’re stuck with me.”

  She shrugged and touched her lips to his jaw. Mr. Wiles sold to Ford, and with some creative financing, Luis had bought in to the location. With Kat in France, Charlie had packed up her personal belongings, and Luis and Quinn had moved into the old apartment. “How could I refuse when the operating-owner of your second location, which just happened to be down the block from the apartment, needed a place to stay? I sacrificed the apartment for your success.”

  “Right, chère. Finish packing so we can talk,” he said, tapping her butt. “We have a four-month anniversary to get underway and a wedding to attend.”

  “You’re proving to be very sentimental for such a successful businessman.”

  “Four months ago, you fell into my arms and turned my world upside down.”

  “You mean right side up,” she corrected.

  “It’s never been righter,” Ford teased. He lifted her off her feet and fit her legs around his waist, tapping her naked bottom. “Why are you torturing me by not wearing panties?”

  “I’m not wearing panties because we have a flight to catch, and you’ve agreed to distract me with repeated orgasms en route.” She smiled wickedly and moved her hips, shamelessly rubbing herself on his jeans. “Plus, we have an opportunity to scratch number seven off your places-to-make-love list.”

  Mile high. On a plane. En route. The little nymph had come out to play. And while his body reacted to her arrival, he couldn’t wait any longer. He placed her on her feet and studied the naughty invitation on her angelic face. He wanted to have that every day of his life.

  “Strip, baby. It’s only you and me,” Ford said, waiting for her to pull the dress over her head.

  Once she stood naked before him, he unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it to the floor. Then kicking off his shoes and socks, he dropped his pants and st
epped out of them. The two of them, alone with each other, meant everything in the world to him. Not money, not work, not surnames. Nothing they’d been given by their families entered their private sanctuary. It was only what they had of themselves that mattered.

  He ran his hands down the side of her body, bringing them to rest on her hips. Kneeling before her, he touched his mouth to the valley between her breasts, which housed her generous and beautiful heart.

  “Charlie, I love you. I treasure every moment you give me, and I want many, many more.”

  “I love you, too. I want more, too,” she said, tracing his face with gentle fingers.

  “I didn’t know what was missing from my life until the day you ran me over in South Beach. That’s when I learned I was missing my other half. You, chère.”

  “Stop, Ford. You’re going to make me cry.” She wrapped her arms around him. “Stop speaking and make love to me.”

  “While I will never pass up the chance to make love to you, not now on our bed, nor on the plane in three hours, I want to do so with my ring on your finger.” He reached into the pocket of the pooled pants and pulled out a little blue box.

  Charlie gasped and her mouth dropped open. Her blue eyes went as dark as the deep sea, a sight that thrilled him each time he saw it, and she stared at him bewildered.

  “Marry me, chère.”

  She caressed his jaw and leaned into him. “Yes.” She brought her lips to his. “With pleasure.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. “Just you and me.”

  “You and me,” he said, sealing the proposal with another kiss.

  * * *

  “I hate airplanes,” Charlie groaned, burying her face into his shoulder and tightening her thighs around his waist. “Why does Kat’s wedding need to be in France?”