Page 119 of Arranged To Be Mine

I pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Never. You’re stuck with me now, Corwin. For better or worse.”

“That sounds suspiciously like wedding vows.”

“Does it?” I grinned. “Interesting.”

She stared at me like she was trying to see if I was joking. I wasn’t. Not really. I could see her fighting the smile. Fighting and losing.

“You’re insane,” she said.

“Probably. But you love me anyway.”

“Apparently I do.” She shook her head, but she was smiling. “God help me, I really do. I’m hungry.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll feed you under one condition.”

“That sounds dangerous.”

“Naked. You have to stay naked.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Depending on what you order. Bacon grease on my bits would be bad.”

I couldn’t stop the laugh that erupted from my chest. I got up and pulled a clean t-shirt from my drawer. “Fine, wear this. Only this.”

“Deal.”

38

DARCY

The sand was warm beneath my back, heated by the afternoon sun that had been beating down on us for hours. It was late October and yet it was still a very pleasant day. Not hot, but one of those perfect Southern California days that made the traffic, smog, and occasional earthquake worth it.

I lay on the oversized beach towel with my eyes closed, listening to the rhythm of the waves and feeling utterly, completely at peace. My sunglasses shielded my eyes and the sunblock protected my porcelain skin.

Three days. Three days of nothing but this. Sun and sand and the man beside me, whose fingers were currently tracing lazy patterns on my bare stomach.

“You’re going to burn,” Beau said.

“I put on sunscreen.”

“That was two hours ago.”

“Then put more on me.”

I heard him chuckle. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

A moment later, cool lotion was being smoothed across my body. His hands were thorough. Methodical. Taking their time in a way that felt more like we were in the privacy of his bedroom instead of the beach.

“You’re getting good at that,” I murmured.

“Practice makes perfect.”

I smiled without opening my eyes. I was starting to understand what Beau had been trying to tell me about the benefits of beach days. There was something healing about the ocean. The endless horizon. The salt air that filled your lungs and cleared your head.

My phone sat in my bag, untouched since morning. My father had called once yesterday, not to pressure me about the CEO decision, but just to check in. He wanted to see how I was doing. It was strange, this new dynamic between us. Like we were both learning how to be father and daughter without the company as the defining factor.

I liked it.

“What are you thinking about?” Beau asked, his hands still moving across my skin.