PRINCE CHARMING: A Stepbrother Secret Baby Romance(111)

“Ready?” she heard a voice say on her left. When she looked, he dodged her and came up on her right.

“Chance, you can be such a kid,” she smiled to ease the sting of her words. “Have you already eaten breakfast?”

“We can do that elsewhere,” he told her and took her hand.

“Where are we going?” she asked him.

“You’ll see,” he told her with a wink.

He led her to a limo waiting for them and ushered her into the back. He followed after and told the driver to take them to the marina. Her eyes widened when she saw the boats and yachts lined up there, and she looked at Chance expectantly.

He helped her from the car. “Let’s go see St. Lucia in style.” Claire gripped his hand nervously as she followed him.

They got on a yacht named Rosie, and he whispered something to a man standing on the boardwalk. The man nodded and walked away, and Chance signaled for her to follow him. When Claire stepped onto the main deck of the yacht, she felt as if she had been transported to a different world. If she had been blindfolded before boarding, she would have mistaken the place for a five-star hotel.

“Wow,” she whispered as she looked around and followed him to the lower deck. “Where did you get this? And how much did you pay to rent this? Chance, this is too much,” she started, feeling guilty he might be spending that much money for her when they would separate in a matter of days.

“It’s not rented,” he explained as he walked to the bar in the corner and poured himself a drink.

Claire’s eyes widened at his announcement. “This…it’s…” she stammered as she struggled to find words.

Chance smiled at her. “This belonged to my mother. Dad gave it to her for her birthday some years ago. She willed it to me.” He turned to her with a smile and offered her a drink.

“What happened to your mom?” Claire asked.

“She died. Years ago.”

“I’m so sorry, Chance.”

“Thanks, it’s okay. But yeah, she wanted me to own the boat, so now it’s mine.”

“She must have been amazing.”

“Yes, she was. But Dad needs to move on and find happiness soon. He’s long overdue,” Chance said. “But come on, take off your shoes and kick back.”

Claire laughed. “So your mom got this for her birthday? Wow. The best gift I ever got was a trip to the spa.”

Chance laughed as well and sputtered in his drink. “Now you made me mess up my good shirt.”

“Yeah, I’m sure that is the best one you have,” she replied sarcastically.

“It was. I wore it especially for you.”

“I can imagine,” Claire said. Then the vessel shook as it moved onto open waters. She tried to hold on to a nearby railing.

“You okay?” Chance asked, moving close to her and holding her.

Claire felt her throat dry out as a sudden heat surged through her body and ended between her legs. This would never do! She hoped he didn’t notice her reaction to his touch. She tried to distract him by talking. “I hope I don’t get seasick.”

“You won’t; Chris is one of the best sailors I know. You want to go back up top?”

“Sure,” she said, wondering what he had in store for her up there.

Chance held her hands and led her up the one flight of stairs and onto the main deck again. There she found breakfast ready and waiting. She turned to him and smiled.

“This is nice,” she giggled. “Must be nice to own a boat.”

“Very nice, actually,” he smiled as he led her to the table and pulled a chair for her. Every kind of breakfast food was represented on the table, and she indulged in a few familiar goodies. “Are you watching your weight?” he asked as he stuffed just about everything in his mouth.

“I’m never on a diet; however, not everyone can eat like that and still look the way you do. As a matter of fact, women put on weight much easier than men.”

“That’s because we are more active. We don’t just stand around and stare at the mirror,” he teased.

“Oh, I don’t do that,” she defended. “It has to do with our makeup.”

Claire could hardly believe how easy it was to be around him. He made her feel simply good. It wasn’t just his beautiful face; he had a stubborn and persistent streak she loved. There was something special about him, and she wouldn’t mind getting to know him a little better. Suddenly she realized they had been quiet for some time, and he was staring at her.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked him.

“I just love the way you laugh,” he admitted. “It makes me want to make sure you always do.”

“I will be leaving here in four days. Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself?” she asked. “Who knows if I’ll see you again.”

“You will,” he told her. “You certainly will.”

There was a long and uncomfortable silence filled with thoughts floating around in the vacant space. Claire wasn’t quick to admit it, but there was no denying she wanted to be with him in that moment. She could see that he wanted her, too, but she wasn’t about to blow her cover. As far as he knew, she was hard-headed, so she would leave the work to him.

She could see it in his eyes that he was trying to read her thoughts because they showed visibly on her face, and she wasn’t surprised when he got up and kissed her. Claire’s lips parted, and she received him gladly. She closed her eyes and forgot about everything that made her sad and all the reasons she had come to this beautiful place. All she could think about was Chance and the way his lips moved over hers. Her hands involuntarily went up, locked at his nape, and pulled him closer.