I let out a soft laugh and motion for her to get on board with me. She lets me help her onto the boat and I follow behind her. “Yeah, most people do. I haven’t come up with a name for her yet.” I move around the boat, getting it ready to move away from the dock. “Maybe you can help me.”
A nervous laugh escapes her and she drops down onto one of the bench seats, crossing her leg over her knee as she watches me. I don’t miss the way the bottom of her dress shifts and reveals a few extra inches of her thigh.
“Let me think about it and I’ll get back to you,” she says softly, smiling at me as I move to the seat by the steering wheel. She directs her gaze out to the water and I start the engine before carefully moving the boat from the slip.
Ella looks peaceful and content with her arm against the side of the boat and her face turned to gaze at the horizon as we head across the water. The vessel bobs over the small waves and I watch the way her blonde hair drifts through the air. She’s absolutely breathtaking, it’s hard for me to look away.
It’s only a three minute boat ride to the restaurant we settled on for dinner tonight. We find a spot out back and dock the vessel. Ella watches me as I move around, ensuring everything iswhere it needs to be. After I finish, I walk over to her, dropping down onto the bench seat next to her.
“We have a few options for dinner,” I start while pulling my phone from my pocket. “We can go inside and eat, order take-out, or they will serve us here on the boat.”
Ella chews on the inside of her cheek for a moment. “Which would you prefer?”
“The choice is yours, El,” I say, the corners of my lips twitching in amusement. “I wanna do whichever you’d like.”
She gives herself a second to think before her eyes shine like the sun setting in the distance. “Can we get takeout, but eat it here on the boat?”
“Of course.”
“Are you sure?” A wave of uncertainty passes over her expression. “I thought if we got takeout, then we don’t have to stay here if we don’t want to. Or we won’t have anyone interrupt us.”
“It sounds like a perfect plan,” I assure her, nodding eagerly. I don’t want to make her feel any negative way about her seeking some kind of approval. Bad habits die hard, but it’s one I intend on erasing from her memory.
We go over the menu and place an order online. Ella asks about the restaurant as she admits she’s never been here before.
“Where else haven’t you been?” The question tumbles from my lips before I get the chance to review the sentence.
Ella’s eyebrows pull together, but she names a few of the restaurants and bars that she hasn’t been to. I make a mental note of every place, storing them in my brain for a later date.
“Why do you ask?” she asks as I notice someone in the distance carrying a bag of food in our direction.
I smile at her before rising to my feet to retrieve the food from the servers. “So I can make sure I take you to each place.”
My heart skips a beat in my chest as I turn back around and catch her staring at me. Her expression is unreadable, yet her eyes are filled with so many emotions, swirling within the flames burning in her irises.
“There are some cushions I can bring up so we can sit out here and eat.”
Ella’s lips part and a soft breath escapes her and I walk past her, heading down into the cabin. I reach the bottom of the steps and hear her light footsteps behind me. I walk over to the table, setting the bag down before turning around to face her.
“Ella.” My head tilts to the side, my eyebrows drawing together. “Is everything okay?”
Conflict sweeps across her expression, her slender throat bobbing as she swallows hard. My heart thrums inside my chest, anticipating humming in my veins as she moves away from the steps. She closes the distance between us, her tortured expression dissipating as it’s washed away by determination.
Want. Need. Desire.
The air leaves my lungs in a rush as she enters my space, her delicate hands slipping around the back of my neck. She lifts onto her toes, her eyes searching mine, as if she’s seeking assurance once again.
The corners of my lips lift and I lower my face to hers, stopping as my lips almost touch hers. She inhales sharply, her grip tightening on the nape of my neck. I don’t kiss her.
Instead, I wait.
I wait for her to take exactly what she wants.
And she does.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
ELLA
