Page 19 of Eat Your Heart Out
However, I would be safe, and maybe seeing him every day would reveal some secret flaws. I knew that was a fleeting wish. Another reason to get off the ship—I wasn’t adventurous. I was a disaster.
However, I folded my hands in front of me and decided to tell him how I felt. “So, you warned him about not letting a woman use him for cash…”
“Yeah, and?”
I gazed at his Gucci boat shoes then decided to ignore the tension in my body. “I don’t have a dime except what you’re paying me.”
He relaxed. Zheng came and offered us both teas. Neither of us said a word.
Once we were alone, he said, “It’s different. You’re not trading kisses for diamonds.”
That was it. I raised my eyebrow. For all he’d given me already, it was usually a more intimate bargain. I wondered if he’d done anything like it before. “Only a kiss?”
He blushed, and I blinked in astonishment. I’d not expected that or his laugh that followed.
“Fair enough, probably more. What’s going on between us is not the same.”
I tapped the sides of my seat and wondered if maybe I was safe with him because I wasn’t his type and he only wanted friendship. My breathing became shallower as I asked, “You’re sure? We’re literally sailing off where all we have is each other.”
His lips curved higher. “We have a beach club to get gear for water sports, fitness center, spa with sauna, Jacuzzi, swimming pool, elevator, and two helipads with helicopter hatches at our disposal, as well as a study, small dining area, large formal room, movie theater, tender garage with my Porsche, a hot top, barbecue area, underwater lights for the aquarium, and a beauty salon.”
Helicopters were rich-people toys, though it was nice to know he had an escape plan besides the lifeboat—and if he hated me in a few days, he wouldn’t just throw me out to sea and have me fend for myself.
I lowered my feet. “How many bedrooms?”
“Twenty, but if I needed to convert a few amenities I added, I could squeeze in fifty.”
Okay. Staying made sense. It was a chance of a lifetime. Gerard had been raised well and was a total gentleman besides being deadly sexy. I put my shoes back on. “I’m in shock. I thought your mom’s mansion was the nicest thing I’d ever seen.”
“One day, I want a family, and they can enjoy what I have too.”
My skin fluttered. “Really?”
He nodded and stood with me. “Yeah. What about you? What do you want out of life?”
I wasn’t sure I could have a family after that accident. I’d barely survived. I tugged at my pants like they were armor. My scars were mostly at my hips and breasts. I tensed and realized he hadn’t offered anything to me anyhow. I waved for him to head up to the deck. “How about an ice cream sundae to watch the launch?”
“We can do that.”
Neither of us had touched our tea. However, we headed out, and there was Zheng with a tray of sundaes. I took my spoon and glass, and we headed to the back of the ship.
“I’ve never been on a cruise. This is a first.”
We started to pull away. My mind raced as I wondered if I could jump and escape.
Then he said, “I’m glad you’re experiencing this trip with me.”
I scooped out my dessert and gazed at the ocean. “Leaving makes me nervous.”
“We have plenty to do on the ship. We have almost two weeks till we get to the Azores.”
I squared my shoulders. I’d made my decision. I was staying. There was no running from Gerard or my life anymore. I ate a bite of my delicious ice cream. We definitely hadn’t sold anything so yummy in the store I’d worked at.
“I think I saw a movie set there, but I have no idea.”
He finished his bite. “They’re islands off the coast of Portugal.”
We both finished our sundaes, and I said, “This sounds like a long beginning for the trip.”
