I Just Need You - J. Nathan Page 0,70
Kres. We both know you would’ve turned me down.”
He was right. Any guy forward enough to ask for my number from the get-go didn’t seem serious. They seemed like players who asked for every girl’s number. “I like that you know me.”
He smiled and when he smiled like that—like he could really see me, I wanted to melt into a big puddle of useless goo.
“I like when you let down your guard,” I said.
“Yeah, well, that could get us both into a lot of trouble,” he explained.
“Is that why we’re out here? Less chance of trouble if you let down your guard?”
“I told you why we’re out here. You love the ocean. Not to mention, you’re safe.”
I pulled back and assessed his face, trying to figure out what I was missing. “Am I still waiting for the second thing?”
“It’s not obvious?” he asked.
I shook my head.
He took that as his opportunity, capturing my lips and kissing me slow and purposeful. I never imagined kissing Tristan would have the ability to conjure up so many emotions inside of me. But it did. And I couldn’t imagine ever getting sick of doing it.
He pulled back with a smile. “I really like you.”
I smiled, incapable of not in that moment. I met him halfway, kissing him and taking the lead, showing him how much his words meant to me. Since we met, he shared very few personal thoughts, so anything he shared just helped me to understand who the real Tristan Stone was.
“Anyone need a drink?” Captain shouted down to us.
We pulled apart, both grinning like fools.
“You want anything?” Tristan asked me.
I shook my head.
“We’re all good,” he shouted up to him.
“I could see that,” Captain called down.
I settled back into Tristan’s side, taking in the ocean on all sides of us. The blue water always took my breath away regardless of the number of times I sailed. Having Tristan by my side made it extra special this time. The smell of the ocean mixed with the heat of the sun beating down, the mist from the water shooting up, and Tristan’s strong arm around me made it all feel like home. “Are we dropping anchor out here?” I asked.
Tristan smirked. “You’ll see.”
And I did see a short time later. A small island appeared in the distance. It didn’t look like it housed a resort, but a small beach bordered one side while the rest of the small isle was filled with lush green vegetation. My mouth formed an O. He didn’t? My head whipped around to see Tristan’s smiling face.
“It’s ours for the day,” he explained.
“You rented an island?”
“I told you my parents were wealthy. I have more money than I know what to do with in the bank. They would want me to use it for a good reason.”
“Tristan.” I didn’t want to make him feel bad for giving me something I wanted, but it was way too much.
“Kresley,” he mimicked.
I stared out at the island as we neared it. “This is…”
“Just say you love it and let’s be done with this conversation.”
“I love it. It’s beyond thoughtful.” I looked back to him. “But after today, I don’t want you spending money on me. I’m very low maintenance.”
He smirked. “I seem to recall that same word getting us to where we are right now.”
I tipped my head to the side. “So, you wouldn’t take it back?”
“It made you hate me, didn’t it?”
“You wanted me to hate you?” I asked
“I needed you to hate me. This is a lot more complicated. Hate is concrete. This…” He motioned between us with his hand. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“Do you regret it?”
“I regret a lot of things, but falling for you is not one of them.”
I lifted my hand to his cheek, cupping it gently. “You’ve fallen for me?”
He stared into my eyes. “Hard.”
Ripples rolled through my belly as the boat hit a few choppy waves, jerking us forward and back. I didn’t mind. Tristan just tightened his arm around me. Being alone out there on the ocean with Tristan was all I needed. And all I wanted. It was my fairy tale come to life.
As we came upon the dock jutting out of the island, Captain slowed the boat and pulled us to a stop next to it.
Tristan stood, taking my hand and pulling me up and into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and stared down into my eyes. “Just you, me, and the birds out here. Even Captain Roger