Beginning with Forever (17 page)

Please meet me downs
tairs, not so patiently waiting

X Carson

Walking
over to my desk, I glance down at the message on my phone and smile at his
sad face
symbol. Geez, Carson is so adorable even when he’s impatient. I grab my backpack and excitedly rush to the elevator and press the down button several times. My eyes lock on the changing floor numbers as I stand and wait for the car to ascend. When the doors slide open, they reveal a handsome Carson standing with a pink lotus in his hand, looking more desirable than ever. He’s wearing khaki slacks with a button down collared shirt. My heart aches fiercely at the sight of his perfect smile. What an unexpected and pleasant surprise. He reaches his hand out and pulls me into his hard chest. “I couldn’t wait a second longer to see you,” he whispers against my lips and places the lotus in my hand. “I adore you the same way you adored this delicate flower the other day at the resort.” He looks deeply into my melting chocolate brown eyes.

“Thank you for
noticing,” I murmur into his ears and place a kiss on his smiling lips. Taking my backpack from me, he puts it over his shoulder, and offers me his free arm for the ride down. When we exit the building, I see a stretch limo, waiting for us instead of his SUV. “Why the change in transportation?” I curiously ask.

“
There’s no parking at my new place,” he explains and flaunts his irresistible, dimpled smile before helping me into the limo. I’m nuzzled into his chest for our drive to his new place. Grasping my hand with the lotus, he lifts it up to his lips and tells me, “This flower is symbolic of you in many ways. It has a rare beauty that’s linked to perfection, faithfulness and virtue in some religions. You’re all of that and so much more to me.”

“
How is it possible that you always know the perfect thing to say every time?” I ask sincerely because it boggles my brain that he’s so naturally eloquent while my tongue’s always tied when I’m around him.

“It’s not difficult when I’m with you. You bring out
only the best in me,” he replies with no reservation.

“You’re doing it again.” I grin and so does he.

The limo pulls up to a private dock with a metallic blue speedboat waiting for us. I give him a skeptical look and ask, “Okay, where are we really going Carson? I thought you’re taking me to your new place.”

“I am.
We have to take a boat to get there,” he evasively replies.

Wher
e could his place possibly be, on a private island? Nah, there’s no way.
He puts his arm around my shoulders and urges me towards the boat. I reluctantly follow him, dragging my feet. He tosses my backpack on the backseat, helps me into the boat, and quickly secures a lifejacket around me and then one around himself. “Sit back and enjoy the ride. It should only take us about fifteen minutes,” he assures me before starting the engine and taking off. The thrilled expression on his face clearly indicates his love for speed. The boat cuts easily through the turbulent waves as Carson accelerates with tremendous enthusiasm, tossing me up and down as I try to hang on tight.

After a fifteen minute ride
like Carson assured, I see a glorious glass building protruding from a body of clear blue water surrounded by white coral reefs. It appears to be partially in water and on land. As the boat comes closer, the house gets grander.

“
Honestly, I can’t believe you need all this space for yourself.” I struggle with the idea of such a wasteful indulgence.

“
It was too good of a bargain to pass up, according to Owen,” is his justification. I shake my head in disbelief and roll my eyes at him. He docks the boat underneath a section of the house, anchors it and turns the engine off. I’m freed from my jacket before he offers me a hand to step safely down from the boat. We walk up a flight of stairs to an impressive French door entrance. He enters a security code on a keypad, and the doors automatically slide open.

The interior is just as gla
morous as the exterior. Every room is completely and extravagantly furnished with dark, contemporary furniture while the overall color palette throughout the house is neutral like the color of pale sand frosting this island. There’s an added personal touch of beautiful glass vases, overflowing with lotus flowers on every table. Carson mentioned on the boat that this house has four enormous bedrooms, not including a lavish master bedroom with a clear glass floor over coral reef water. I can’t fathom the amount of wealth before my eyes. I’m completely stunned, maybe even paralyzed, as I meander through each immaculately decorated room. Patiently, he follows me as I explore this massive place while observing my astonished reactions. “Which room will I be sleeping in for the next three days?” I turn to him and teasingly ask.

“Well
Lily, I think
we
should test every bed in this house at least once or twice until
we
agree on the perfect match for
us
.” I’m delighted, hearing him stress the words ‘we’ and ‘us.’

“I like the way your mind works,
Carson.” Giving me a cunning grin, he pulls me towards him and tosses me over his shoulders. “Put me down, put me down!” I giggle and shriek at the same time. He ignores my cry and carries me into a gourmet kitchen instead of a bedroom.

“I want you
well-nourished before we test out any beds. Besides, you’ll need a lot of extra energy to keep up with this Senior, Jailbait.” His rare sense of humor further adds to his overwhelming charm. God, I think I’m starting to fall really hard for this man.

“I better eat plenty then.”
I wink at him after he sets me upright on my feet with my long layers tousled everywhere.

“
How may I appease your appetite, Mademoiselle? I’m a skilled chef from being a devoted fan of the Food Network,” he brags in a very authentic French accent.

“
You can cook? May I please have a grilled cheese on wheat, Monsieur?” I give him a doubtful look and keep my request simple, knowing that no one can screw up grilled cheese.

“Y
es I can cook, and you’re in luck. Grilled cheese is one of my spécialités. I make them all the time,” he brags.

Lunch
is nice and low key. It feels pleasantly normal and not snobbishly fancy like this enormous place. We eat his delicious sandwiches with tomato bisque soup on the terrace while absorbing the warm Caribbean sun into our systems. Carson has been elusive about our plans for today, keeping everything to himself. What can he possibly have up his sleeves? I’m so antsy when it comes to secrets.

After lunch,
Carson tells me to go directly to the master bedroom to find my outfit for today’s adventure on his bed. With his specific instructions, I march straight to the room. When I get there, my eyes are astonished at what they see. It’s like I just step into Hollywood’s most romantic movie set. The ceiling is sky high with abundant layers of white, sheer gossamer, flowing over the center of an ornate king-size canopy bed. The white bedding is decadent and virginal. I doubt that anyone has slept on them. The hand-carved spiral patterns on the bed’s four dark wood posts lure my eyes to admire them. I especially love the clear glass floor below my feet, offering me an amazing view of vibrant fish and corals. I can’t help, but have this false tickling sensation under my feet as I watch them swim below me.

Walking
over to the bed, I pull layers of gossamer aside to search for my clothes. Unexpectedly, I find an ivory box with an over-sized red silk ribbon and a sealed envelope instead. Running my index finger across the length of the envelope, I rip it open and pull out a handwritten note.

Lily,
when I saw your heart well up with tears caring for those innocent children at the hospital, I realized then what my life was missing. You’re the tenderness I need to soften my heart. X Carson

Is it possible for Carson to feel as deeply about me as I do of him
even though it’s just been days? I’ve never been a believer in love at first sight—never. It’s completely absurd and impossible in my book. God knows I only have my heart set on one thing, and it has nothing to do with falling in love.
Will he be the one to prove me wrong?
I ask myself as I hug his note to my chest and embrace his sweet words against my heart. Freeing the box from the ribbon, I find a Nikon D4 camera and a beautiful pearly white dress with a long red silky sash. There’s another little note attached to the camera.

Meet
me on the beach in this dress, with the camera. I’ll be waiting for you, Beautiful.

X Carson

My mind goes wild trying to guess what this incredible man is planning for me. I quickly slide into his gorgeous dress with its many layers of gossamer, similar to the ones flowing above the bed. Observing my reflection in the mirror, I see an innocent girl dressed in a white princess gown with a contrasting, seductive red silk ribbon around her waist staring back at me. Hmm…I wonder if his dress alludes to some hidden message or maybe I’m just over analyzing. I can never be too sure with him.

Carson
is patiently standing with his back to me, facing the mesmerizing tidal waves, surging back and forth. He’s wearing a pair of crisp, white linen pants and a matching button-down shirt with the top one already undone. Light wind tousles his hair and shirt, exposing his neck. My lips yearn to trace the length of it, inhaling his heavenly scent as I admire his beauty from my view. I want the distance between us to be lessened, so I pace over to him and eagerly hug my arms around his firm, narrow waist from behind. Placing his hands over mine, he gently leans his head against my cheek, acknowledging our tender connection. The camera is freed from my hand as he turns his body around. We’re now embracing each other intimately, eye to eye. The pensive expression on his face concerns me, bothers me terribly. I want to make it disappear.

“T
ell me, what’s troubling you? I want you to share everything with me.” I press my hand against his chest, encouraging him to open up to me.

“Lily,
I know we’ve only known each other for a short time, but I can’t imagine a life without you in it. I don’t want to. Since we’ve met, you’re all that occupies my mind—day and night.” Sincerely pouring out his sentiments and insecurities, he serves his emotions on a platter to me.

“Carson, you’
ll never have to worry about losing me as long as I have your heart. When I give you mine, it’s yours forever unless you break it,” I assert.

“I
’ll never break your heart,” he vows and wraps my body tightly in his arms, kissing me incessantly, and savoring our heartfelt moment. Nothing could come between us except for Carson’s need to snap a few pictures of me looking surprised and shy.

“Please stop,
I don’t like my picture to be taken,” I object while blocking the camera lens with my hands.

“
But I need to capture this day on camera, the day I promise you that your heart will never be broken by me.” How can I possibly refuse such a sweet plea? I make several silly faces, and the camera snaps repeatedly. Carson must be satisfied with the hundreds or so pictures of me because the camera finally stops clicking. “Come with me. I have a special surprise for you.” He grabs my hand and urges me to keep up with his pace. We walk and run for at least ten minutes before he stops tugging my hand to follow him. “We’re here,” he excitedly announces, sweeping his hand in front of us.

Carson was right; this is a very special surprise.
The view is absolutely breathtaking. There’s a picturesque pond of perfect pink and white lotus blossoms floating in calm water. My first thought is of Claude Monet’s famous Impressionist painting, ‘Water Lilies.’ He was probably inspired by a view just as magnificent as this one. I can picture him standing here next to me with his canvas and paints, creating his masterpiece. Carson points to a row boat, helps me step in and rows us out to the center of the pond. My eyes lock on both his toned arms and broad shoulders rowing back and forth, admiring his sexy physique. His deep voice interrupts my ogling. “You told me you enjoy photography as a hobby. Here’s your chance to show me what you can do with your new camera.”

“
Are you crazy? This camera is way too expensive for a hobby gift. I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but I can’t accept it.” What was he thinking when he bought it? I would never agree to keep it.

“Do you have a thing against my ego,
Lily? I just want to put a little investment into your raw talent.” He tries his best to justify his overly generous gift purchase.

“No, I
have nothing against your ego. I just have issues accepting ridiculously expensive gifts from you. It’s difficult for me to explain.”

“We
have all the time in the world, and I’m a great listener,” he encourages.

“
How about another time? I hate to ruin this wonderful moment with you.”

Carson gives me an
Oh really?
look after my response. He just has no idea how far my stubbornness can extend.

“Okay, another ti
me then,” he backs off, and the subject is immediately changed with me snapping pictures of him instead. His posture is effortlessly confident, working the camera with his no-woman-can-resist dimpled smile. “Alright Lily, I think you’ve taken enough pictures of me.” He rolls his eyes, and my photo-shoot of Carson comes to an end. I see his fingers through my viewfinder and then the camera is in his possession. “We need one of us.” He lifts the heavy camera into the air, pulls me into arms and snaps a selfie of us.