Page 26 of Haze's Jewel

He hesitates for a moment as if he’s considering it but then shakes his head. “Where’s the fun in that. You’ll have to wait and see.”

I laugh at his shenanigans because I love surprises. In fact, I would have been disappointed if he’d just told me. Anticipation is half the fun in my humble opinion. We pull into his shop and instead of going in, he takes me over to his bike and pulls out a nice sleek black helmet with my name printed across the back in a beautiful script. He helps me put it on before sliding his own helmet into place.

“Reckon you’re up to holding on for an hour or two?” he says with a grin.

I wiggled my fingers and made a fist, “Doc’s signed me off for all activities, I’m good to go!”

***

Within moments we’re riding down the road that leads out of town. Being on the back of his bike with my arms around his waist and my cheek laying against the club emblem covering the back of his cut makes me feel both claimed and protected. I know that I’m not. Trix wears her husband’s cut, as do all the other old ladies. It’s a little reminder that I’m for fun and they’re for keeps. It leaves a little ache in my heart but there is nothing for it, since I can’t risk settling down in one place. I hate that, but it is what it is, and instead of feeling sorry for myself I just close my eyes and enjoy the ride.

After an hour on the road, I realize that we’re heading towards my old hometown and a sense of dread fills me as we get closer to my stepbrother and ex. I want to tell Haze to turn around, but he’s obviously planned a day for us, and I don’t want to spoil things. Oak Ridge is a big city, there’s no way that I’d run into those two, so I try and relax.

However, my fears are unfounded as he takes the next exit, and instead of heading towards the city we eventually end up at the port. He parks his bike and turns to me with a grin. “I have everything already set up. I think you’re going to love this, since you’re into thrill-seeking activities.”

“This is beginning to look like a water sports type of outing,” I tell him excitedly.

He lightly taps the tip of my nose and responds with a laugh. “You’re a smart lady. I can see that I’m going to have to stay on my toes if I want to surprise you again in the future.”

We walk towards the docks and stop in front of a boat. “It’s a yacht,” I say without thinking.

He nods and steps aboard, holding out his hand to help me onboard. “It’s actually a cabin cruiser. They’re smaller than yachts.”

“Are we going out on the ocean or staying docked?”

“We’re going to be crawling along the coastline today, instead of taking her out into deeper waters, so it should be a pretty smooth ride.”

“Still, skimming down the coast sounds amazing. I used to love being on my father’s yacht when I was a kid.”

“I remember you mentioning it,” he says happily.

I run my hands down my white jeans and sigh. “I wish I’d brought a swimsuit.”

He jerks his chin towards a shiny department store shopping bag with a large red crab on the front. “I ordered you some stuff to help you enjoy the day. Go check it out.”

I throw my arms around him and give him a hug before rushing over to my bag to peer inside. I feel like a little girl on Christmas morning opening a surprise gift. I stick my hand inside and pull out a red polka dot bikini top. It’s a really nice one as well, kind of retro looking with a halter neck. I take another look in the bag and see the high-waisted shorts. A quick check of the label tells me it’s my size and he’s gotten the top a size larger than the bottoms, so the bikini will fit perfectly. When my questioning eyes lift to his, Haze shrugs.

“Don’t shoot me but I looked at the tags in some of your clothing. I figured you might excuse the overstep because it’s a special occasion.”

“You thought right,” I tell him, still all smiles.

“That’s a big bag. Want to dump it out on the bed downstairs and look through everything when you change?”

Snatching the hefty bag up, I head in the direction he gestured towards. “Yes. I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time. I’m gonna get the boat into position and make us some blender drinks.”

I practically skip down below, happy as a clam. Haze really knows how to treat a woman to a special day. He makes it all seem so effortless, but no one in my entire life has gone to this kind of trouble for me. Not ever.

There are two cabins below deck, one has a desk and a smaller bed in it, the other has a larger bed and looks more lived in. I guess that this is the main cabin.

The décor is simple, mostly nautical with lots of wood. I see a little bookshelf in the corner with some well-thumbed classics. Taking in the room, I suddenly have a thought—is this Haze’s boat? I’d assumed he’d rented it for the day, but there’s something about how it’s decorated reminds me of his space at the back of the tattoo shop.

I walk over to the bed and empty out the bag. My eyes hardly know where to land with everything that spills out. In addition to the bikini, there’s a t-shirt, jean shorts and a large, flat box. When I open it, I realize it’s a gorgeous, champagne-colored, satin evening gown. In a small, red velvet box there’s a pair of diamante earrings. I run my hand over the fabric of the dress, trying to imagine where I would wear something like this.

I don’t dwell on it too long because I’m eager to get into the bikini and see if it fits. The minute I have it on, I stand in front of the mirrored door and turn back and forth. It fits me like a glove, the high-waisted shorts make me look like a fifties bombshell, and the halter-neck top is doing something spectacular with my breasts.

My pale skin and the red polka dots make my hair really pop. I’ve always considered my hair to be my least desirable feature, primarily because it got me bullied in grade school. Sometimes I think we spend our entire adult lives getting over shit that happened when we were young. However, taking in my reflection I’m happy with what I see. When I’m as presentable as possible, I grab the bottle of sunblock from the bed and head back to the upper deck.

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