thoroughly enjoyed it. There’s no confusion here,” I growl.
“Then why—”
“It isn’t obvious?” I cup her face and devour her lips again, but I don’t dare linger. “The Winthropes could barge in any time. It’s their boat and we’re about to dock.” I pick up a strand of her hair, threading it through my fingers. “It’s gonna happen and it’ll be every bit as fuck-hot as you imagine—just not here. Not yet. Tonight,” I growl.
Her blush deepens, and I chuckle.
“Oh, right. Because I’m not the kind of girl who’d want to—er—because I’m not hot enough to—”
Because you’re the kind of girl I’ll need more than one time with, I think instantly.
I hush her with a finger pressed to her lips.
No way am I saying that last thought out loud, but I also can’t let this beautiful woman think she’s somehow not enough.
“I’ve never left any project unfinished. I just make sure I have time to complete them thoroughly, with all the details and attention they deserve,” I whisper.
Paige relaxes into me, tightens her hold on my arm, and giggles softly.
Fuck.
“You have a cute laugh.” I close my arms around her.
The boat comes to a stop.
“I think we’ve docked. We should say our goodbyes to the Winthropes. Reese is probably here.” I stand and hold out my hand.
She nods and uses my grip to pull herself up. “Oof. My legs are jello.”
“Because we kissed?”
“Because of how we kissed.”
Yeah. We’re saying our goodbyes and getting the hell off this ship. We walk down the staircase hand in hand.
Winthrope leans against the rail of the deck with a fresh cigar, blowing out a contrail of smoke. It’s a miracle he’s lived this long.
His wife sits in a lounge chair, working at her cross stitch.
“Did you enjoy the view up there?” Winthrope winks at me.
“Absolutely. It’s a fine ship made for sunset cruises. Thank you for inviting us.”
“Care to come back to the hotel for a drink?” he asks.
Any other time, I’d love to. I could get the contract signed before I leave, even, but I have plans. I look at Paige and then Winthrope. “It’s getting late. I need to get her home. Early bedtime.”
Paige tenses and shoots me a wicked look.
Ross Winthrope nods firmly, the joke clearly lost on him. Supposedly, he and his wife sleep in sensory deprivation tanks several times a week...or else the Roland Ospreys of the world always pull rumors out of their asses, which is more than possible.
Mrs. Winthrope stands and hands Paige the cross stitch she’s been working on. “Here, why don’t you take this. You caught on right away. A lot of girls your age don’t. You can finish it for me. It’s a ring-billed gull, just like the kind we saw at sunset.”
“Thanks!” Paige says sincerely. “I’ll give it back to you the next time we meet.”
“No, sweetheart. Put it up in the first house you live in as a married couple. You need all the luck you can get when you’re first starting out.” She winks at her husband and throws her arms around him.
Whatever sort of weird they are, they’re madly in love after all these years, and that’s worth a smile.
The sun disappears when we disembark a few minutes later, but the deck remains just well enough lit for me to make out the words in the stitching.
“Home Is Where The Heart Is,” I whisper to myself.
Those words are a punch to the gut.
“Thank you again,” Paige says with a wave.
Her warm smile makes it impossible to dwell on the beatdown by embroidery.
“Thanks again for inviting us,” I say over my shoulder.
“After what a pompous ass I was, it’s the least I could do. I hope we’ll do it again,” Winthrope says.
“We’d love to,” I say.
I take Paige’s hand and lead her off the boat to dry land. The car waits, but Paige stops me before we get to it. The smile she wears disappears and she sobers up.
“So if Winthrope’s ready to sign...what does that mean for us?”
I draw in a fortifying breath.
“Victory. Plus, we hate each other a little less now. No complaints if it makes finishing our job easier.” I scoop her up and carry her to the car, opening the door with one hand.
Reese turns to glance in the back seat as I’m setting Paige down. “Looks like you two had fun tonight! And it’s nice to see you smile, bossman. You should do it more often.”