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I finally selected the French vanilla with cookies and cream filling, closing my eyes in bliss as the flavors exploded on my tongue. Knowing I needed to pace myself, I savored two more – a zesty lemon and a decadent raspberry with chocolate filling.
"Finished?" Oliver asked, his voice laced with anticipation.
I nodded, pushing the platter away reluctantly. "I think so. If these stay here any longer, I'm going to eat myself sick."
Oliver's rich laughter filled the air as he signaled to the nearby blond waiter to clear the table. As soon as we were alone, he stood and offered me his hand, a gesture both gallant and intimate.
We walked hand in hand back towards the house, the cooling sand beneath our feet a stark contrast to the warmth of the evening. Before we reached the deck stairs, Oliver swept me into his arms once more, his expression suddenly serious.
"I sometimes wonder if this is real," he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper.
I couldn't help but smile. "Shouldn't that be my line?"
Oliver's eyes softened as he gazed at me. "Once I met you, you made me think about other things besides business. I thought I would be a bachelor forever."
"Plenty of women wanted you," I reminded him gently.
His grip on me tightened slightly. "But I didn't want them. I had to find you, Ryleigh." A shadow of uncertainty crossed his face. "I wonder what would've happened if I turned down the commencement speech. Would I have met you in the elevator when you went to that horrible job?"
The memory of our first encounter flashed through my mind. "Maybe," I mused. "You did that first week I was there."
As we stood there, wrapped in each other's arms with the sound of the ocean in the background, I marveled at the twists of fate that had brought us together. Whatever surprise Oliver had planned next, I knew that our greatest adventure was just beginning.
“Suppose it didn’t happen like that?” he asked.
I snuggled into his warmth. “I should ask you the same thing. Why didn’t you find me?”
He grinned. “Because I’m an arrogant asshole. It turned out that I didn’t have to find you. We found each other.”
“Why didn’t you look for me before then?”
Oliver pressed his nose into the column of my neck, peppering it with kisses. “I had a very tight business negotiation before I saw you again. I didn’t have a chance to hunt for you, but I would’ve had I not seen you that day.”
I raised my eyebrows. “You mean you would’ve stalked me?”
Oliver chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "No," he said, his voice warm with amusement. "I would've politely asked you to lunch, and if you said no, I would get down on my knees and beg."
I snorted, playfully nudging his shoulder. "The great Oliver Fox down on his knees? I doubt that."
His expression shifted, a hint of desire darkening his gaze. "You forget, Mrs. Fox," he murmured, pulling me closer, "I've been on my knees for you before."
Heat rushed to my cheeks as memories flooded back. "So, you have," I whispered, my voice husky.
Oliver cleared his throat, his hands sliding down to my waist. "Let's go upstairs to change," he suggested, a hint of urgency in his tone.
"Change for what?"
"You'll see."
As we made our way up the deck stairs, a thought occurred to me. "Where exactly is security? I haven't seen them all day."
Oliver's expression turned reassuring. "They're around. I've asked them to keep back, but they're still watching."
My eyes widened. "Us? I don't want them to watch us."
He shook his head, squeezing my hand. "They're watching the perimeter. Don't worry about them. We're safe, and they're doing their job."
A playful idea struck me. "They won't see us if we want to go skinny dipping?"
