Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 86826 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86826 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
“I really did have fun tonight,” she says, her voice softer now. “Not just the game. All of it.”
“I’m glad,” I reply.
She hesitates for a fraction of a second, then as if it’s an afterthought, adds, “You know… the way you interact with those people, I know it’s you just being you, but I can tell it means a lot to them.”
“I enjoy it, I do.”
“I know how important it makes them feel,” she says.
“It was nothing,” I say.
She shakes her head. “No. It’s more than nothing. It’s special… and thoughtful.”
I step closer, my hand coming lightly to her waist as I lean in.
Her mouth meets mine.
The kiss is deeper than our prior ones. She leans into me, her hand finding my T-shirt, the cherry ChapStick on her beautiful lips, the way she responds. Everything else falls away.
When I pull back, it’s slow, but I don’t put distance between us.
“I’ve been thinking,” I say.
Her eyes search mine. “That’s dangerous.”
“Occasionally,” I reply, a faint smile touching my mouth before it fades. “About Christmas.”
She nods slightly.
“You’re going to be here. Alone.”
“It’s not that dramatic,” she says.
“But I’m not sure it makes sense to me,” I counter.
She tilts her head, studying me now. “Where is this going?”
“I’ve been meaning to get away,” I say. “My place in the Bahamas, an hour outside Nassau. Just for a few days before the new year.”
Her breath hitches and she looks startled.
“Come with me,” I add, holding her gaze. “It’s quiet there. Warm. The exact opposite of this, and Dylan’s going to be out of town.” I gesture lightly around us. “You could use it. So could I.”
There’s a pause, not long, but enough that I know she’s considering it, weighing the same things she always weighs.
She exhales slowly, her eyes flicking away for a second before coming back to me.
“This is a big ask,” she says.
“I know.”
“And you always go big,” she adds, teasing. I want to kiss her again, but first I want her to say yes.
“I like to think I’m efficient with my asks.”
That earns me a small laugh, and then she looks at me again. “Okay,” she says finally.
“Okay?”
“Yes, okay… I’d like that… I’d really, really like to join you.”
Yes, finally.
I close the space between us in one step, my hand sliding up the back of her neck, fingers threading into her hair as I tilt her face up to mine. My mouth meets hers hard, hungry. Her breath catches and her hands come up against my chest, gripping my coat, and I pull her tighter, close enough that there’s no air left between us, only the heat of her and the word yes still warm on her tongue, with that faint trace of cherry ChapStick giving me tingles.
Chapter 18
Harper
“Mr. Langley, we’ve begun our final descent into Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, Bahamas. Local time is…”
The pilot’s voice filters through the cabin of Julian’s private 757 that’s bigger than any commercial plane I’ve ever been aboard. He keeps speaking, but I don’t catch the rest of it because I’m too busy staring out the window.
I never knew flying could be this luxurious as I take in the incredible interior of the plane, my fingers brushing over the soft leather armrest. The cabin around me is quiet—no rattling or turbulence, just a smooth glide through the sky.
I glance around, taking it in for what has to be the hundredth time since we boarded. The handcrafted finishes and ornate details. I didn’t know people actually lived like this or that travel could be this remarkable.
A few hours ago, somewhere over the open water of the Atlantic Ocean, one of the attendants had set a plate in front of me of the most delicious chocolates, milk and dark, and fresh fruit, including strawberries.
It all tasted even better than it looked. And I hate—just a little—that I like it so much since I don’t want to be the kind of person who gets swept up in… this. The luxury. This way of life where everything appears before you even think to need it.
I turn my gaze toward the window.
The ocean stretches out below us now, that incredible shade of crystal-clear blue that doesn’t even look real, like someone turned the saturation up too high. Pockets of lighter turquoise break through where the water shallows, sandbars barely visible beneath the surface. It’s stunning.
I exhale slowly, pressing my forehead lightly against the glass for a second.
“Pretty nice, huh?” Julian’s voice drifts over.
I glance at him. “More than ‘pretty nice.’”
The corner of his mouth lifts.
I turn back toward the window. “I mean… yeah. This is… insane.”
“In a good way, I hope.”
“Yes,” I say with a smile. “Very much in a good way.”
The plane dips lower, the island coming into sharper focus. I spot clusters of buildings, winding roads, stretches of beach that look untouched.