Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 68247 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68247 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“Isolating. Uncomfortable. I know. I get it, okay?”
She blinked and looked up at him, surprised at the words he’d chosen. “I thought you loved fame. You left here seeking it and—”
“I left here for a lot of reasons, and I hope one day we’ll talk about all of them. But as for fame, yeah, I wanted it, and I know how damned lucky I am to have made it to the level I have. That’s why I don’t turn away from the people who put me there.”
“And I’m not asking you to. I wouldn’t.” But the whole scene made her panicky and even, in some ways, feel less than. A feeling she’d had more than enough of in her lifetime, thanks to her father. And also due in part to Grey’s sudden departure from her life.
“I need us to go somewhere quiet. Just the two of us,” he said, brushing her cheek with his hand.
She wanted to. Oh, how she wanted to, and she tipped her head into his strong touch. “What did you have in mind?”
He pulled out his phone and began to text while she waited. A few seconds passed, then he obviously received a reply. “Lola said we can go to her boat. It’s at the marina.”
Avery blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected that. “A boat?”
“Yacht,” he amended. “She and Rep own one . . . full crew, captain, and everything. She’ll clear it with them, and we can head over there now. We’ll just sit on the deck and talk.”
Avery glanced up at the cloudy sky. Even in the darkness that had finally surrounded them, she knew the covering didn’t bode well for good weather. “It’s going to rain.”
“So we can go below deck. Trust me, it’s comfortable.”
She had no doubt that it was. These people lived life in a world completely alien to her . . . and that was saying something, given how she thought she’d grown up privileged. But this wasn’t just money. It was flashier. Attention getting. Funny how everything came back to that one word. Attention.
“I think it’s better to call it a night,” she said.
He frowned, disappointment, then determination edging his expression. “So you can build up some more walls? Some more misconceptions about who I am now?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it again. He was right. She wanted to be with him, and she didn’t like the idea of running away. So their lives were very different, and she couldn’t live in his fishbowl world, but they could still catch up. Have this time together.
“Okay,” she said before she could change her mind.
Clear approval flashed in his eyes, and his smile broke down the last of her defenses. “Good. Then let’s go.”
They climbed into his car and drove to the marina, where security in a guardhouse checked them in. Grey parked his car in a private lot. They climbed out, and he led her to the dock, where huge yachts bobbed in the water, gorgeous in look, intimidating in size. A rumble of thunder sounded in the distance, a reminder that a storm was imminent. Or not. In Florida you could never be certain what the weather would be one minute to the next.
With his hand on the small of her back and tremors of awareness rippling through her body, they walked to the end of the dock.
He stopped in front of a white yacht with red trim, The Lola written along the side. “This is it.”
“Wow,” she said, taking in the gorgeous boat. Yacht. Whatever she called it, it was a beauty.
“Yeah. You’re going to love the inside of Lola and Rep’s baby. I’m not up on terminology, so I’ll just say welcome aboard,” Grey said as he pulled off his shoes.
She did the same, and soon she found herself on a deck, with beautiful wood furniture topped by cushions with a red-and-white chevron pattern. Lola clearly loved red, she mused.
She glanced around, her gaze coming to rest on a bucket of champagne in ice waiting for them. “They set this up so quickly?”
“Told you. Full-service crew, who you’ll never see unless you want to.” Grey gestured to a love seat, where they could sit side by side.
She lowered herself into the soft cushion. He joined her, his hard thigh touching hers, and an electrical shock jolted her system. Her body flushed with heat, her nipples tightened, and she bit back a sigh of pleasure. Not quite fast enough, because his eyes darkened at the sound that escaped.
He tore his gaze away, and with expertise, he opened the champagne and poured them each a glass.
“Thanks.” She accepted hers, grateful for something to do with her hands.
“To new beginnings.” He touched his glass to hers.
“To old friends,” she said.
He narrowed his gaze, clearly aware of her attempt to put distance between them. Still watching her, he took a long sip.