The Rules In Paradise (Playing By The Rules) (15 page)

             
A few minutes later I spotted Adrian and she rushed over to me.

             
"I feel like I'm going to pass out. I'm so nervous," she said. I handed her my glass of champagne and she finished it in one gulp.

             
"Why?"

             
"I don't know. It's never not been just us. I feel like this is an important night and I don't want to screw it up."

             
"You'll be fine. You're so outgoing, you can handle some stuck-up millionaire hotel tycoons."

             
"I hope so, I don't want to screw this up for him. Have you seen him yet?"

             
"Jason? yes."

             
"No, Cole. Or the better question is, has he seen you?" She nudged me in the ribs with her elbow.

             
"Yes, we've already spoken." I watched him across the deck, taking charge of everything. He was so in his element when he was giving directions and telling people what to do. It was kind of sexy to watch him bring to life whatever vision he saw in his head for tonight.

             
"You look like you're ready to tear into him like a piece of meat." Adrian commented.

             
I just smiled. Anything other than 'I do' would have been a lie and I wasn't going to start lying to her now.

             
Within the next half hour dozens of people arrived. Mostly older men and their wives, dressed beautifully and elegantly. The small string orchestra had already started playing and there were servers bringing around trays of expensive looking appetizers and flutes of champagne. Cole found me and smiled as he approached me.

             
"Is it bad I'm counting down the minutes until I can get these people off this boat and I can have uninterrupted time with you?" He stood near to me at my side, looking out over the part like I was.

             
"Just think about how much money you stand to make for each minute these people are here. They're here for you Cole. I'm amazed at you. I know you are successful and good at what you do. But when I see tangible proof of your skill, it amazes me. These people are all here, spending their time with you, because you have somehow convinced them all that there is nowhere else they would rather be. It's nothing short of spectacular."

             
"That's where you have caused a whole paradigm shift. I would gladly give up the money that these people represent to spend my final evening alone with you. Which you know, business has been my world. I enjoy what I do. I also am more addicted to you than I am to this whole formal bullshit."

             
"Well you're going to play nice and turn on your charm. They are here to see you, charm them. There are seventy two weekends in a year, that's a lot of flights." I whispered to him. He smiled broad and put his arm around me.

             
"I prefer to charm only you Olivia. But as I always do as I'm told, I will check on you later." He squeezed my hand as he walked away.

             
The rest of the night was uneventful. I smiled and nodded at a bunch of people I didn't know and would never meet again. The boat docked and I watched Cole and Jason schmooze the group as they left. I stood by the bar, drinking a glass of champagne I didn't necessarily need.

             
I heard footsteps before I saw Cole approaching. He walked slowly and smiled as he reached the bar.

             
"Well that is over." He looked slightly tired, but not a hair was out of place. He took my champagne glass from my hand and finished the liquid in it.

             
"I'd like you to be awake with me for awhile, I can't imagine you needed to finish that glass."

             
"Did you have fun?"

             
"A blast. Though it was so worth it to be here with you now." He set down the empty glass and his hands went around my waist and pulled me against him. "I can't get you, or that dress, or those shoes out of my head. You're simply stunning," he said as he leaned down and kissed me. It took only moments before my arms were around his neck and playing in his hair. I felt like I would explode if he didn't stop. I started to pull away. His face was a reflection of hurt and confusion.

             
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go too far." He looked genuinely upset.

             
"No, it's just on the boat deck where anyone can see is not exactly what I was thinking." Before the words were even out of my mouth he had my hand in his and was basically pulling me to the door he had disappeared into earlier. We went down a small flight of steps and were now inside the cabin of the boat. Cole dragged me down a long hallway before turning left into a beautiful bedroom. It was hard to believe all of this was inside of a boat.

             
His lips were on mine again in seconds, as he pushed the door closed. I felt the dress loosen as my zipper was slowly slid down and then we were both on the bed.

Chapter 11

             
My eyes were heavy as I laid under the soft sheet. Cole laid next to me, his head on my chest and his arm draped over my stomach. I reveled in the fact that he was laying right with me, so calm and quiet. As compared to his normal intense and formal demeanor. I felt utterly content and at ease. I realized that was one of the consequences of going through a dry spell such as I had, which Cole amazingly ended, but I was just plain happy. It felt good to have his skin on mine in a much more concentrated way. All of the flirting and the kisses had finally culminated into us, laying here in a bedroom, on the boat, naked. That was beyond ok by me. He still smelled like shampoo and cologne and I breathed it in. I didn't dare to move, scared to disrupt this first still and calm moment we've had. I felt like the past few days had been a whirlwind. One minute I wanted to slap him and the next his lips were on mine. In a small amount of time I felt like we had gone through many ups and downs. I guess that was part of what it meant spending time with him. I couldn't help but give a little laugh, thinking about how hot and cold he could be.

             
He must have felt my laugh and looked up at me, a slight smile on his face.

             
"Given the situation that has just come to pass my self-esteem could probably take a nosedive from the fact that you're laughing." His eyes were clear blue and they had a slight crease at the outsides of each from the smile he was fighting. That made me laugh more."

             
"No, I am not laughing over that. I'm laughing at the fact that just a few days ago you were as in control and infuriating and here we are, like this." I didn't really know how to sum up how we were this moment without sounding cheesy.

             
"Naked?" He said, lifting an eyebrow.

             
"Yes, that, but happy. Calm even," I said. He kissed my throat and laid his head back down.

             
"You think I'm joking when I say that you have completely turned my world upside down. If I'm being honest I've imagined this moment many times since the time I had to kiss you. It is almost dream like to be here now. I cannot disguise how attracted to you I am."

             
"Good, I don't want you to," I said.

             
"Be careful what you wish for Olivia. Because you have subdued me for now does not mean that I am tamed. I like to be in control, and I am still passionate about many things. I do not just go along with what you say now that we have crossed another line. I will always try to match wits with you, and I will continue to infuriate you. Whatever this is, or turns out to be, I don't believe you and I will ever cease to bump heads."

             
"Just as long as you stop brooding every time we get close to one another." This caused his head to raise and he looked at me. His hair was messy in a very sexy way, his eyes were light and sparkling, I could see his skin from his head to his waist where the sheet began. It was an amazing sight.

             
"I have not done so this whole evening. I hope I don't need to remind you that this was slightly more than a kiss."

             
"I guess I have to give you the credit you deserve. I have not had to run after you and smooth things over yet."

             
Cole pulled his arm from under the blanket and looked at his watch.

             
"It's almost midnight," he said.

             
"What time are you leaving?" I asked.

             
"We have to leave for the airport at six. Come on, I want to go to the beach." He got out from beneath the sheet and slid on his suit pants from the previous night.

             
"I don't have anything to wear. I don't know if I really want to try to squeeze back into that dress." He smiled at me.

             
"That dress is a sin Olivia. Here, put these on." He opened a drawer in the armoire that was against the wall and threw me a T-Shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. I scolded myself for not wearing a bra under my dress even though I knew that would have been impossible. I pulled the shirt over my head and inhaled deeply, it smelled like him. I slid on the shorts and got out of bed. Cole slid his white shirt on as he opened the door.

             
It was pitch black out except for the light of the stars. We walked down the ramp to the dock and turned toward the beach. Cole held my hand the entire way. He finally stopped walking and sat down. He took me by the waist and pulled me down to sit on his lap. He wrapped his arms around me and rested his head on my shoulder.

             
"I never imagined this trip to end this way. I am usually overjoyed to return home, to a sense of normalcy. Here I am wishing I had longer because of you," he said quietly.

             
"Whats the first thing you're going to do when you get home?" I asked him.

             
"I have some things I need to take care of. Things that I need to set straight. Most of them things that you have had a profound effect on. I also have to go to work and prepare for our meeting. Though Jason and I will spend the time on the plane working."

             
"Since I'm supposedly responsible, am I ever going to know what these things you have to take care of? Jason said the same thing, that you were changing things because of me."

             
"What did Jason say to you?" His voice was tense now, almost frightened.

             
"Nothing really. He just said that you were taking on a lot for me and in not so many words, that I better be worth it." I felt the muscles in his body stay tense. "I don't think he approves of me." I finished.

             
"He does. He approves of you as a person. He does not approve of what he thinks you have caused. He feels like you have changed me and are making me change things in my life. He doesn't understand that I have kept you in the dark on purpose because I don't want you involved in certain aspects of my life. He thinks that I am being hasty in my decision making which he is not accustomed to. You see, we have worked together for many years. We know each other better than anybody. He believes I'm being foolish in making some decisions I have made because of a woman I have only just met. He doesn't understand how I feel about you, though he should as he is quite smitten with your friend."

             
"I wish you'd just come out with it. Just tell me what's wrong. You beat around the bush and that makes me nervous, like I'm doing something bad, stealing someone's husband. I'm not am I? Please tell me you're not married." I got extremely nervous, thinking that was it.

             
"No Olivia, I am not married. I need you to stop concerning yourself with problems that are my own that I am willing to fix so that I can have you in my life."

             
"Kids?" I asked.