He shrugged, blowing a little on my nails to dry the polish. “Thought you’d like it.”
My eyebrows climbed. “Kade,” I said carefully, a suspicion forming in my mind, “how long have you owned this yacht?”
He didn’t answer right away. Testing the dryness of my nails, he seemed satisfied, resting my feet in his lap as he leaned back on the couch.
“Since Christmas.”
I was speechless for a moment, the implications of that statement sinking in. When I spoke, my voice was quiet. “You’ve known for that long?”
“I knew the moment I first laid eyes on you,” Kade said, matter-of-fact.
I remembered that day in the courthouse. Me, still reeling from being attacked and held as a hostage. Kade, stopping to make sure I was all right. Now looking back on it, I realized it had been out of character for him to do so. Kade wasn’t known for his compassion toward strangers.
“You were like a princess out of a fairy tale,” Kade said, his hands caressing my legs as he spoke. “I still remember my first glimpse of you, standing in line at security. Your hair was the color of the sunset.”
I couldn’t help my smile. “I didn’t know you’d noticed me,” I said, “at least, not before that guy held me hostage.”
“You saved his life that day,” Kade said, surprising me again. “If you hadn’t done what you did, I was about two seconds from blowing his brains out.”
“How did you have a gun inside the courthouse?” I asked, bewildered. Kade just smirked and I rolled my eyes. Of course he would have found a way around that.
“Though it did give me a chance to talk to you,” Kade continued. “But you weren’t real talkative.”
“I was in shock,” I defended myself, though my cheeks heated. The real reason I hadn’t said much was because I’d been blown away that a man who looked like Kade did had stopped to talk to me.
“And here I thought it was my stunning good looks that had your tongue all tied up,” he teased.
Even though Kade’s ego needed no stroking, I ’fessed up. “Yeah, that too.”
Kade’s laugh was a soft rasp that made my face even warmer, but I was still smiling. It was good to see him so happy and relaxed.
“So why didn’t you ask me out?”
Kade’s smile faded and he cocked an eyebrow at me. “What would I have said to you? Hey, I kill people for a living, but I’m really great in bed.” He shook his head. “There was nothing about me that was worthy of you. You were innocent, sweet. It would’ve been a fucking crime for me to ask you out.”
There were so many things wrong with that statement, it was hard to know where to start. “I was not innocent, or sweet,” I argued. “And you know I hate it when you say stuff like that about yourself.”
“Yeah, well, it doesn’t matter anyway,” Kade dismissed. “I’m not exactly known for my self-restraint, which is how we find ourselves sitting here.” He indicated the yacht.
I thought for a moment. “Kade,” I began carefully, “would you have ever said anything to me if Blane hadn’t made you play bodyguard when he was working that case?”
Kade didn’t answer for a moment. “I wanted to stay away, not come back to Indy. Being around you while you were with Blane was torture.”
“Is that why you were so mean to me?”
His smile was bitter. “It was easier if I could make you hate me. But then you had to go and almost get yourself killed . . . and I couldn’t make myself be cruel to you. Not after that.”
I pulled my feet away, crawling over to settle on my knees next to him. I looped my arms around his neck and smiled. “I’m glad,” I said, pressing my lips to his.
“Mmm,” Kade murmured. “You smell like coconut.”
He still wore the white shirt, only now no buttons were fastened. His chest was warm from the sun, our bodies touching and sliding from my suntan oil.
I abruptly sat back. “Coconut,” I said. “That sounds good. Do you think Andrew has any?”
Kade slid his sunglasses down to peer at me over the top. “You want coconut? Just coconut?”
I nodded. “Yeah.” My stomach growled.
Kade grinned. “I’m on it.”
He returned shortly with a bowl of shredded coconut and insisted on feeding it to me. I didn’t mind. My head in Kade’s lap while he teased me and fed me coconut was the stuff dreams are made of—my dreams at least.
A few hours later, I was standing in our bedroom, surveying myself in the mirror, dressed in what would become my wedding gown.
I’d never gotten to wear the dress I’d bought in Vegas, instead stashing it in the back of my closet when I’d gotten home. It happened to be made of a floaty white chiffon, with little straps that went over my shoulders, then crossed and tied behind my back. The sweetheart neckline dipped low between my breasts, meeting an empire waistband of rhinestones and crystals that wrapped around me to another deep V in the back. The chiffon skirt fell all the way to the floor. The dress wouldn’t have worked for a regular wedding, but for this setting, it was perfect. And it seemed fitting that Kade had unknowingly ended up buying my wedding gown.
My peacock-blue stilettos winked at me from my suitcase. I slipped them on. That took care of my “something blue.” I added the diamond bracelet Kade had given me in Vegas. It was a few months old, I supposed. As for “borrowed”—well, I guess I’d just have to go without.
There was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” I said.
Jennifer stepped inside. “I hope you don’t mind my intruding,” she said with a smile, “but Mr. Dennon had mentioned you might want to borrow these.” She held out her hand. Two diamond stud earrings lay in her palm.
“That’s perfect!” I exclaimed in delight. “Thank you so much! I was just thinking how I didn’t have the ‘something borrowed.’”
“Glad to help,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “This is for you, too.” This time she gave me a small bouquet of deep purple flowers, then she left, closing the door softly behind her.
It seemed Kade had thought of everything.
I put in the earrings and studied my reflection. My hair was in waves down my back, the way Kade liked it. We’d docked on the far westward side of Oahu, and it was a lot less windy there than on the open sea, so I thought my hairstyle would be okay. My tan had deepened today and the white dress was a really nice contrast against my bronzed skin.
My wedding dress. Tears stung my eyes and I had to hurriedly blink them back, not wanting my mascara to run. I held the bouquet in front of me, the diamonds at my wrist, ears, and finger sparkling in the mirror.
I was getting married.
There was a deep pang inside. I was sad that my parents weren’t here, to see me happy and marrying the man I loved. But it seemed like I could feel them, looking down on me. I closed my eyes.
“I miss you so much,” I whispered. “But I’m happy, and loved, and I know that’s all you wanted for me.” A sense of peace came over me, soothing the lingering melancholy, and my heart lifted.
It was time.
When I appeared on the deck, I gasped in surprise and delight. It appeared the crew had been hard at work while I was getting ready. Flowers that matched my bouquet were everywhere, wrapped around lines that stretched overhead, covering the rails at the edge of the deck. Everything was lit by strings of lights, their soft glow intermixed with the flowers twined among them. I caught sight of Taylor adding a final few blooms to a railing.
Music floated softly through the air. Someone must have found the yacht’s sound system. It was lovely, but I couldn’t place the tune.
Then my gaze landed on Kade.
He stood at the far end of the bow, the setting sun a blazing shimmer of red and orange behind him, making him a stark figure limned in gold. He was speaking to Captain Hugh and laughed at something Hugh said. Glancing up, he caught sight of me, and his whole body went still.