“I’m celebrating my new outlook. My new business. My—freedomto do what I want to do.”
“You’ll get sick.”
“I’ll keep my head out of the water,” she said like it was a compromise as she reached for the waistband of her leggings.
Despite the desire not to, he turned away to give her some privacy, and a peel of throaty laughter bubbled out of her.
“I’m not skinny-dipping, Elias, so look all you want. Or better yet, come join me. We’ll celebrate your new restaurant, too.”
“There’s nothing to celebrate yet.”
“Ahh, but therewillbe,” she said in a voice and tone that made it clear nothing would stop her. “We are deciding it today and celebrating its creation right here at this beautiful place.”
He turned when he heard movement and watched as she ran toward the water naked except for a sports bra and a pair of panties that covered her more than most bathing suits would. “Wait!”
She staggered to a stop and turned, grinning back at him. “You going to brave the future with me?”
He felt his pulse race at the challenge he heard in her voice, his blood pumping fast as he raked his gaze over her. He toed off his shoes and stripped down to his boxers.
“And that question’s answered,” he thought he heard her say.
She retraced her steps back to where he stood and held out her hand, a gleam in her gorgeous green eyes.
He laced his fingers with hers, liking the slide of her soft skin against his as they charged toward the water and splashed into the freezing cold.
“To the future!”
ChapterSixteen
The drive back to Carolina Cove Easter Sunday morning came at a cost. First it cost them the bubble and the protective safety of it. Then it cost them their privacy when Elias had to stop for gas, and people openly stared. And stared. Phones were raised. Comments made. Axel and a new guard, one Quinley hadn’t met before, were forced from their vehicle to hold the gawking crowd back as Elias quickly filled the tank and got back inside.
Her phone rang immediately after they’d gotten back on the road. Rhys called, but she refused to pick up, knowing he undoubtedly wanted her to ride back with Axel and separate from Elias.
It was probably wise. Smart. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it when their time together seemed so precious and would end too soon.
Hours. They had mere hours left until she’d go to Ana’s to stay until the rental was ready for her to move into tomorrow, and Elias would—go back to his life and distance himself from the drama that came from knowing her.
The last of their time at the cabin had flown by with strategy sessions. They were both business-minded individuals, and Quinley, the faster typist, had commandeered Elias’s computer to take notes on their various projects. They’d stayed up late that night after their waterfall declarations, too wound up and excited to sleep as they tried to pull together the starts of business plans she’d saved and sent to herself.
It was a great night. They’d laughed and talked and eaten. Elias made just as many suggestions for her company as she did his, and they were good suggestions, supportive and complimentary to her goals.
“I wasn’t expecting that. The reason I stopped there was because it looked like a quiet place to fuel up,” Elias said.
She nodded her understanding, afraid that was just a small sampling of what Elias would face once they returned to Carolina Cove. Well aware they’d had far, far too many cameras photographing them or recording them still together after a week.
She knew how it looked. What people would think. Not just her parents and Rhys but everyone. And even though she told herself she didn’t care about the gossip—to let them say whatever they liked—she still dreaded the fallout.
Quinley pulled the ball cap lower over her face and turned so that her back was wedged between the door and the seat, her face not visible to passersby.
It made for an uncomfortable trip, and the closer they got to home, the quieter the cab became. They hadn’t spoken in nearly three hours by the time Elias drove down Ana’s street and was waved in by the guards posted at the end of her driveway.
People shouted at them, but with her head tucked into her knees and arms doubled to hide her face, she wasn’t sure if the shouts were from reporters or regular people or what.
Elias muttered something and pulled off the driveway into the yard, angling the Jeep so that she could get out and onto Ana’s porch with the vehicle blocking her. The shouts rose in volume, and cameras flashed loudly when she opened her door.
It was the weekend. A Sunday. A holiday. Didn’t people have better things to do?
“I’m sorry,” she said to Elias, staring at him and wishing she’d broken her rule about not kissing him again before they’d left the cabin. A kiss of…thanks and apology and sorrow that his life might never be the same because of her. “Let me know when you get home safe. Please,” she added.
