“You don’t need the dress, jewelry, the makeup, or any of it,” he says in a deep, sincere tone. “You could walk in wearing a T-shirt and still ruin me. But don’t say you don’t deserve it, Maya. You deserve the whole world. What you do for those kids. Trying to make the world a better place for them. You deserve everything and more. Let me make the world a better place for you. At least for this week.”
I step on my toes and kiss his cheek. Our eyes meet and there’s so much burning between them. So much fire. “Thank you for the donation,” I say. “You have no idea what that means to me.”
“Donation?” he says, playing coy. “What donation is this?”
I shake my head and smile as I stare at this one-of-a-kind man. “Theanonymousdonation.”
“Anonymous?” he says, waving the waitress over. “Well, that could be anyone.”
I just stare at him in wonder as the waitress arrives with champagne. Who gives a ten million dollar donation and doesn’t want any credit for it? This guy does.
He takes the champagne flutes off the tray and hands one to me.
“Cheers,” he says, holding up his glass. “To a night that changes everything.”
I’ll cheers to that.
I clink my glass to his and then he does the funniest, cutest thing ever. He pinches my nose closed as I take a sip so I don’t sneeze from the bubbles.
“Thank you,” I say, both of us laughing as the waitress looks at us like we’re insane. That just makes us laugh even harder.
It’s one thing to find a man who will spoil you and shower you with gifts… But finding a man who will pinch your nose closed for you so you don’t sneeze…
Now, that’s a man worth keeping.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Adrian
Iwatch Maya walking along my yacht in that ravishing red dress and I almost feel guilty for keep all this beauty to myself.Almost.
A woman this beautiful should be admired by millions. She should be on display on a red carpet or strutting down a runway while hundreds of cameras click away, capturing the enchanting moment. Instead, she’s here with me. Just the two of us with a few waitstaff who are hiding in the back, giving us some privacy.
The ocean breeze catches the loose strand of amber hair that tumbled out when she nearly fell into the ocean. I breathe in her intoxicating perfume as I get in close and tuck the loose strand behind her ear. She smiles up at me, shy and beautiful and it feels like someone is squeezing my heart.
“I can’t believe you did all of this for me,” she says when she looks at the table for two set up on the upper deck. It’s arranged beautifully with white linens, tropical flowers, and fine silverware all tucked under strings of golden lights thatare swaying in the breeze. The sea stretches out endlessly below and as we glide further into the ocean, the stars begin to emerge.
“I would do anything for you, Maya,” I say as I trace the edge of her jaw with the back of my hand.
“I can see that,” she says with a laugh. “The dresses and jewelry…”
“Too much?” I ask, afraid that I went overboard. I would have bought her more jewelry if I had time. There’s one piece in particular that I’d like to give her. An engagement ring with a diamond big enough to sink this boat.
“Maybe a little,” she says, “but I think it’s sweet. I’m just not used to being spoiled like this.”
“Well, get used to it,” I say as I lean in and kiss her. “This is just the beginning.”
We’re barely able to keep our eyes off each other as we head over to the table. I pull the chair out for her and drag my heated gaze along her bare shoulders as she sits down.
She checks me out just as hard as I sit across from her. I’ve sat across from heads of state from all around the world, powerful CEOs, celebrities, and billionaires who could buy yachts that make this one seem like a bath toy, but none of them have ever made my pulse jump like this woman can with only a smile.
The waitress appears with a bottle of wine I selected from the cellar when I was getting everything ready earlier. I chose it while Maya was getting ready with the stylist at The Aurelia.
“Domaine de la Romanée-Conti,” she says as she holds out the bottle. “From Burgundy, France. Nineteen thirty-six.”
“Sounds delicious,” I say as I straighten up in my seat.
The waitress opens the bottle and pours a little into my glass for the testing. I love it, but I hope it’s okay for Maya. At sixty-two thousand dollars a bottle, I hope she likes it.
