“Or milady. I think I like that better.”
“As do I, milady.” Jayce stopped abruptly then, pulling me to a gentle stop beside him as we turned to look at the boat soaring in front of us. My chin dropped to my chest as I stared at it, mesmerized by the mere, classicbeautyof the vessel.
“They call herDenver Dreams,” Jayce said, squeezing my hand. “She’s one of the largest sailboats in the city, and she will take us privately tonight on a little cruise.”
“Jayce.” The word left my mouth in a whisper. “This is too much. We don’t have to do this. It was probably insanely expensive.”
I couldn’t even begin to fathom what a boat ride like this might cost him, and I wasn’t about to be the reason he was now broke. He was a college baseball player, for hell’s sake.
“The man who owns this boat is a good patient of my mothers. He says he owes her his life and us his gratitude. I got a pretty good deal. Besides,” Jayce wheeled me around to face him, reaching up to brush a strand from my cheek. “You deserve this and more. I want to take you on a boat ride.”
Tears pooled around the edges of my eyes and I tried to blink them away, but not before one escaped and flowed down my cheek. I tried to wipe it away before Jayce noticed, but it was too late.
“Oh baby don’t cry,” he looked horrified at this, like somehow, despite all he’d done, he’d hurt me somehow. “This was supposed to make you happy.”
“And it does,” I said with a sniffle. “Because everything youdomakes me happy, Jayce, and everything that youare.”
Jayce pulled me into him in a comforting hug, resting his chin on top of my head as he held me. “No more tears,” he whispered. “We’re here to have fun, yeah?”
“Did someone say fun?” someone said behind us, and a middle-aged man with a wide smile poked his head up from the keel. “I’m Jack,” he said, offering his hand to Jayce and me. “I’m your sailor. Welcome aboardDenver Dreams.”
Jayce took my hand and led me onto the boat, and we made our way towards the tiller to sit down. Waiting for us was a tray of chocolate dipped strawberries drizzled in caramel and a chilling bottle of champagne. I shook my head, too breathless to speak.
The captain, Jack, produced two blankets from the keel and Jayce wrapped me in one of them before wrapping himself in the other as we sat together at the front of the boat with flutes of champagne and dipped strawberries. They were delicious, and I was basically drooling all down my front before the boat had even pulled out of the bay.
“Save some of your appetite,” Jayce said, enjoying a strawberry himself. “We’re headed to dinner.”
“Where?”
“Uptown, of course.”
“Are you kidding me?”
Jayce smiled. Oh, that smile made me weak for him. Vulnerable. “I’m not kidding,” he said, scooting closer to me until the area between my thighs heated up. “I have just the place for you.”
Chapter 23
