I looked at my mother standing side-by-side with Todd, his arm draped over her shoulder, her arm around his waist. My mother looked lovely in her off-the-shoulder navy blue dress that fell well below her knees. But what got me was the smile on her face. I’ve seen my mother’s proud smile, her excitement over a huge accomplishment or promotion at work smile, and her genuine ‘I’m happy to see you’ smile whenever she saw me, but this smile was…
“I think she’s in love.” Chanel summed it up. “I’d recognize that look anywhere. I see it most mornings when I look in the mirror. A feeling of being safe and in love.”
I peeled my eyes from my mother and lowered them to meet Chanel’s chocolate brown gaze. I cupped her face in my hands.
“I’m pretty sure we’re ready to go upstairs.”
“Whatever you say, Mr. Grant,” she purred and yup, my dick jumped in my pants when she slyly grazed her palm across the front of them.
“Shit, we might not make it to the elevator if you keep that up.”
Her response was an enticing giggle.
“Isaac,” I called over my shoulder.
“Yeah?”
“The owners have left. The staff is winding down. You okay overseeing the rest of the cleanup?”
Isaac looked between Chanel and me, and grinned. “Not a problem.”
“Cool.”
I gave him a few last parting words and exchanged goodbyes with Jay, Tori, my mother, Todd, Elliott and Marjorie before leading Chanel to the elevators that would carry us to our room. Her zipper was down, and my hands were releasing her bra strap before the elevator doors opened to our room.
Chapter Twenty-One
Chanel
“I thought you said this was a non-working vacation for you,” I said, snatching the phone out of Xavier’s hand. “We haven’t even been on the boat thirty minutes, and you’re already working.” I moved my hands behind my back as he tried to reach for the phone.
“How do you know I was working? I could’ve just been texting Jay to let him know we arrived safely.”
My lips turned downward. “Don’t give me that. I saw your facial expressions. You had the screwface on as if you were handling business.”
He remained mute, but I glared at him until he owned up to it.
“A’ight, damn. I wasjusttexting Bryce to let him know we arrived and that connection on the boat might be spotty. Then he responded with an issue he had with someone who’s been trying to have a meeting with me. I was telling him to put off the meeting until I had time to look into this person. That’s all. No more work for the next seven days, unless there’s an emergency.”
I eyed him suspiciously. He gave me that grin that always made my insides melt a little.
“Fine, but I’m hungry. Can we go eat now?”
He laughed and stood, towering over me. “Yeah, let’s go.”
Our cabin was on the fourth level of the ship because it had balcony, granting us the most spectacular view of the ocean. All the restaurants, however, were down on the second and third levels. We chose one of the seafood restaurants, and I ordered the crab cakes while Xavier got salmon.
“How’re your crab cakes?”
I frowned. “Not as good as the ones atGrant’s.”
He chuckled. “Nothing’s as good as the food atGrant’s.”
“Yeah, I hear the owner’s not too bad either,” I purred, stretching my leg out underneath the table to rub my foot up his leg. I jumped at how loudly his fork clanked on the plate when he dropped it. He leaned in closer, his eyes narrowing in on me.
“Cut it out. It’s too early, and the ship hasn’t even left the dock yet.”
“So?”
