Page 40 of It Had to be You

The crewman and his counterpart already had their tips from when he organized the delivery, and a moment after he was settled back in his chair, his phone lit up.

Alexander chuckled.

His phone rang and he answered the call while he looked across the way. “How is it?”

He heard the soft tap of metal against porcelain. "As much as I loved our conversation, you sent me dessert, I’m going to eat."

"I wouldn’t dream of stopping you. I know how much you like your dessert."

"Well, I’m beginning to like you almost as much."

"High praise from you, Tatum."

They shared a laugh and he watched as she cut a piece of the pie with her fork and then lifted it into the air like a toast.

"You look like you’re having fun."

She scooped some of the whipped cream off the pie and licked it off the fork. He heard her moan softly after a bite of the pie.

"You have no idea," she sighed in almost a comical fashion. "You’re not eating," she lifted her chin as she looked over at his table, "don’t tell me you’re going to waste that sugary perfection."

He shook his head. "The chef insisted that I have dessert too. I was going to save it and send it over to you later."

Across the way, Tatum tilted her head to the chair in the corner of the balcony. "I have another chair over here. You can bring it over now if you like. Save the batteries on our phones."

Alexander was on his feet a moment later, holding the phone near to his cheek. "You’re very persuasive."

"One of my many and varied talents."

He watched her reach over and turn off the phone on her table. She moved back inside through the still open sliding door and he tucked his phone into his back pocket so he could hold both plates. Shaking his head, he felt his whole world shift again, reminding him of the sensation of momentum. Once he’d made the choice to ask Martina to help him, everything was moving along, faster and faster.

If this kept up, he wasn’t going to fight it.

No, he was going to enjoy every moment.

The door to her suite opened before he knocked and he took a step closer to her as she lifted her face up to look at him, smiling.

“That didn’t take you long to get here.”

He smiled and touched his hand to her cheek, brushing his thumb across her cheekbone. “I was inspired.”

Her smile was achingly beautiful. “Inspired? To do… what?”

His heart thundered in his chest as he smiled, melting toward her.

“This.”

He felt her soft sigh against his lips as he kissed her.

CHAPTER 10

Halfway through the cruise, they spent the day in St. Lucia. Alexander had been even more secretive than he had at their other stops and she was eagerly awaiting whatever adventure he’d planned for them.

Tatum was happy to go along. Every step of the way, Alexander had proven himself not only attentive to her, but so romantic. While it went without saying that his wealth made it possible for them to travel outside of the usual tourist areas, the same connection that they shared on their first excursion in Puerto Rico continued to grow at their other stops in ports and on the ship.

When they were together, she never felt like he would rather be checking his phone or thinking about business. Yes, he paid for these amazing experiences, but he also gave her his time and attention, making her feel amazing at every turn.

Alex wasn't sure if he'd picked the right spa to take Tatum to.

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