Page 79 of Forbidden Boss (Manhattan Billionaires)

“What? No!” I cupped his cheek and kissed him. “Not once. How could I be? It would make more sense for you to be embarrassed of me.”

His gaze flicked between my eyes for a long moment, then his shoulders softened. “Never, Nikki.”

I smiled and leaned my head against his shoulder. “Good.”

His soft touch returned to my hip and waist, and drowsiness overtook me. By the time we landed just under five hours later, my stomach was settled and my heart was happy. A few times during the flight, I caught Rome frowning as he stared off into the middle distance, but his expression always cleared when he caught me watching him. He kissed me gently as the cabin crew prepared the doors, leaning his forehead against mine in a tender touch.

Then bright light streamed in through the open hatch, and we both stood up to go meet the Caribbean sun. I breathed in the salt-scented air and descended the steps, a smile stretching over my lips. Winter in the city had been dreary and slushy, with intermittent bouts of snow. I was glad to see the sun, at least for a weekend.

From the airport, we were driven to a jetty where we boarded a sleek white yacht. The captain greeted us, dressed in a crisp uniform and a bright smile. He ushered us on board, where we were plied with more snacks and drinks. I stood near the bow of the boat as we left the jetty and cut through the turquoise water, the sounds of the engine drowning out the delicate rush of the sea.

“What do you think?” Rome asked, leaning against the railing beside me.

I smiled. “Not bad.”

His grin made my heart turn over. The wind ruffled his hair, and there were fewer lines around his eyes. His shoulders were relaxed as he gazed out at the horizon. I watched white sand pass us, palm trees waving in the wind. Sea birds circled overhead.

It was easy to forget that this was work. I tried to remind myself of it, but Rome caged me against the railing, nuzzling at my neck as we made a sweeping turn toward a little patch of land that was quickly growing in size. Curiosity burrowed into me as the island grew; I’d never been to a private island before.

Roseanne had called it small, but it looked big enough as the captain brought the yacht to bump gently against the dock. Staff members called out to each other and worked with an easy kind of confidence, most of them barefoot as they tied the yacht off to the dock. A walkway was set up, and Rome guided me onto solid land.

White sand stretched in both directions, with lush greenery lining it. Once on land, the dock met a paved road where two golf carts waited.

Wilbur and Roseanne exited from one of them, greeting us with wide smiles. I thanked the man who carried my bag to the other golf cart, then turned to our hosts with a smile. Roseanne greeted me warmly, with kisses on both cheeks and a squeeze of my shoulders. She wore a gauzy white outfit with loose white pants and a fabulous wide-brimmed hat. I felt like a sweaty, travel-weary mess next to her, even though I was wearing my favorite wrap dress and cute sandals.

Her voice was warm when she asked, “How was the trip? Not too choppy, I hope?”

“It was fantastic. I love your yacht.”

“One of Wil’s toys,” she replied with an indulgent smile.

Wilbur pumped my hand and smacked a kiss on my cheek. “Welcome! We’re so glad to have you. Do you trust your man to drive a cart, or do you want to take the wheel?”

I grinned. “I trust him.”

The older man winked at me, then waved us onto the golf carts and we were away. Birds flitted from tree to tree as we wound along the paved path. The air smelled fresh and clean, but it felt dense and humid on my skin. Rome kept one arm on the golf cart wheel and the other along the back of the seat behind me, his fingers stroking the back of my arm.

I’d entered another universe. I’d taken vacations before, including a week-long stay at an all-inclusive in Mexico in my twenties, but nothing compared to this. Everything was soeasy. There were no long lineups. No waiting. No inconvenience. Rome and I were whisked along to our destination with an army of people there to make every step of it as easy as possible.

“Relax,” Rome said quietly, cheeks creasing as he smiled at me. “Just enjoy yourself, Nikki. You’ve already won them over. The hard work is done.”

“Everything is so beautiful,” I said, which was a bit preemptive because I hadn’t even seen the house yet. And once it came into view, I was proven right.

“House” was probably the wrong word for it. The place was huge. The sprawling building revealed itself to us as we turned the final corner, its terracotta roof a beautiful contrast against the lush greenery. The walls were painted a buttery yellow, and it would have been cute if it’d been about a tenth of the size. Balconies lined both stories, with another building poking through the trees to the left. An infinity pool gurgled over its edge and cascaded into a water feature on the ground floor. We drove around the side, where more staff members were waiting to help us disembark. They wore pastel-blue uniforms and presented us with trays of refreshments.

“We’ll show you to your room, and then you can meet us on the balcony once you’ve freshened up,” Roseanne announced.

The interior was homier than I expected, with comfortable-looking furniture interspersed with antiques. It was welcoming while also giving off the impression of extreme wealth, with beautiful finishes and tasteful artwork. We were led along wide hallways to a gigantic suite. It was the Garcia house all over again, but with huge sliding glass doors that opened onto a private patio.

Roseanne left us with more words of welcome, and as soon as the door was closed, I threw myself on the bed and sank into the comforter with a satisfied groan. The bed dipped as Rome crawled over me, his lips curled into a smile.

“I see I should have taken you on vacation earlier.”

“I don’t know how I’ll ever go back to my regular life after all this,” I said.

“You won’t have to.” He planted a kiss on my forehead then got up and moved to the bathroom. I heard the shower turn on and busied myself unpacking the small bag I’d brought for our weekend. There was a little welcome tray with more chocolates and goodies on the nightstand, and I had one while I waited for Rome to finish. Once I’d showered and changed into a loose sundress, we went off in search of our hosts.

We found them on the balcony they’d pointed out before, relaxing on lounge chairs as they watched the sun dip closer to the horizon. Wilbur smiled at the two of us and offered us drinks, and Roseanne jumped up to uncover plates of chopped vegetables and other finger foods.

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