by Kim Linwood
I kiss him again. We can be gross together. If that’s not love, what is?
His hands come around to clutch my ass. Something brushes against my thigh. He’s waking up in more ways than one, and the evidence is hardening fast.
Patting his cheek, I grin at his eagerness. “Afraid not, champ. It’s almost ten, and we’re docking soon.”
He groans in disappointment. “I’m sure they’ll hold the ship for us.”
I roll back off, grab a pillow and whack him with it. “Wakey wakey!”
He leaps into action, throwing the pillow across the room before rolling over me and pinning me to the bed. “I need my beauty sleep,” he growls. His hard naked body over me makes me reconsider what needs to get docked where, and when.
Before I say anything, he climbs off. “Alright, dibs on the shower.”
I pout but he’s not watching. “Why not shower together?” The thought of seeing him under the water as it caresses the contours of his body and drips off him already has me wet.
“Because if we do, we’re not getting out any faster than if we stay here and fuck.” He grins and closes the door behind him. He even locks it, the bastard.
I hate it when he’s right.
I almost jump him anyway when he comes out, but I’m a good girl. For now. I take my shower alone under protest. Soon after, we’re dressed and riding the elevator downstairs to the lobby. We’re packed in like sardines with everyone else getting ready to disembark. When we reach the main deck, we’re of course in the back corner since we got on first and have to wait until everyone else is out. It’s going to be a while.
“Time,” he says.
“What?” I look around for a clock.
“The thing I want the most that I can’t buy.”
Oh, that. “Time?”
“Yeah. I used to think it was time with Dad.” He shrugs.
“Why? I thought you guys couldn’t stand each other.”
He chuckles. “It’s not that bad. He doesn’t approve of most of the things I do, but I think he feels guilty too. He’s running a multi-billion dollar corporation.” With a sigh, he picks up his suitcase as the elevator clears. “That means not a lot of time for other things. Like your soon-to-be ex-wives. Or your somewhat unexpected son. So that’s what I always wished for.”
“That sucks.” It feels lame, but I don’t know what else to say.
“Yup,” he agrees, then steps out of the elevator.
“Wait.”
He turns, looking at me curiously.
“You said you used to think it was time with Dad. What is it now, then?”
That confident smirk that I used to hate spreads on his face. “Time with you, babe.”
Epilogue: Angie
“Mr. Caldwell. Dr. Wilson.” Four years later, Captain Chuck might be a little bit more gray and have a couple more wrinkles, but other than that he looks just the same, immaculate in his white dress uniform. He’d laughed hard when we explained why we wanted to him to marry us. Again, as far as he knew.
I smile gently. “Not a doctor yet, Chuck.”
“I’m sure it’s just a matter of formality,” he laughs.
“Sure. And four more years of med school. And years of internship.” The path to being a doctor is long, but I’ve survived pre-med. What’s ten more years, right?
I take a moment to glance out over the ocean. It’s a gorgeous day on the deck of the Golden Emperor of the Seas. When Gavin and I decided where we wanted to get married, there really wasn’t any question. It was just too perfect.
This time our parents are here, and weird as our situation is to some people, they are happy for us. We’ve all had four years to adjust, I guess. We mostly find it funny to freak people out by talking about “our parents”. Mom and Herb don’t think it’s nearly as amusing, but whatever. These days we’re just a normal family, or as normal as billionaire mother/daughter father/son families get.
We even pulled a few strings and found Joyce and Mabel so we could invite them. If Chuck was amused, Joyce found the whole thing hilarious. Of course, she got the story when we were here the first time, but it only made her appreciate the irony more.
The music starts, and I have a flash of deja vu. Barring a few central people, the crowd’s different, but it looks the same. The long red runner from the door to the ivy-covered arch at the end looks the same. Captain Chuck waiting for us at the end is the same. We start the same walk.
But it’s also different. We’re older, and we know what we’re doing this time. And this time we know we’re in love.
Oh, and I’m wearing a dress.
I look up at Gavin, who’s taking in the setting. It’s amazing how he changed once he started talking to his dad. More specifically, when he quit working for him. Things were tense for a while, but they worked through it. Herb never said anything, but I think he figured Gavin would come back crawling.
Instead, Gavin took everything he’d learned from his father and used it to start an investment firm of his own, and while he isn’t making billions, he’s well on his way. It made him take himself more seriously, and he’s got more respect from his father now than he ever did before. Suddenly they’re equals.
Fortunately our first pregnancy scare was just that, a scare, but maybe it’s time to change that? I’m in no hurry, but I can imagine Gavin with our own son or daughter. He says he’ll never be as rich as his dad, because he spends so much time with me. One day that will be us. But he also says that’s why he’s already more successful, so I can live with that. Quite happily.
For the rest of our days.
*** THE END ***
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About the Author
Kim Linwood is a sucker for bad boys, billionaires and alpha males. If they're all three at once, that's even better. When she's not writing about romantic conflicts and witty dialogue, she's herding two growing boys (who are of course not bad) with her husband.
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Table of Contents
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Declan
Claire
Claire
Claire
Claire
Claire
Declan
Declan
Claire
Claire
Claire
Declan
Declan
Claire
Declan
Claire
Claire
Claire
Claire
Declan
Claire
Declan
Claire
Declan
Claire
Declan
Claire
Claire
Claire
Declan
Claire
Claire
Declan
Declan
Claire
Declan
Declan
Claire
Declan
Declan
Claire
Claire
Declan
Claire
Claire
Claire
Claire
Epilogue
Chapter 1: Angie
Chapter 2: Angie
Chapter 3: Angie
Cha
pter 4: Angie
Chapter 5: Gavin
Chapter 6: Angie
Chapter 7: Angie
Chapter 8: Angie
Chapter 9: Angie
Chapter 10: Gavin
Chapter 11: Angie
Chapter 12: Gavin
Chapter 13: Angie
Chapter 14: Angie
Chapter 15: Angie
Chapter 16: Gavin
Chapter 17: Angie
Chapter 18: Angie
Chapter 19: Angie
Chapter 20: Gavin
Chapter 21: Angie
Chapter 22: Angie
Chapter 23: Gavin
Chapter 24: Angie
Chapter 25: Gavin
Chapter 26: Angie
Chapter 27: Gavin
Chapter 28: Angie
Chapter 29: Angie
Chapter 30: Angie
Chapter 31: Gavin
Chapter 32: Angie
Chapter 33: Gavin
Chapter 34: Angie
Chapter 35: Angie
Chapter 36: Angie
Chapter 37: Angie
Epilogue: Angie
About the Author