SAFEHOUSE (A BWWM BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE) by Mia Caldwell

something?"

 
    Julien chuckled, patting me on the knee. "As much as I would love
to keep this a surprise from you, Gardien
De La Mer is my yacht. I wanted to take a short cruise on the Mediterranean,
and I was hoping you would accompany me..."

 
    My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. "Seriously? The
Mediterranean, Julien? Is this even real life? "I practically shrieked.
    "Yes, I had hoped you would be excited about it. The Mediterranean is
absolutely beautiful, and is one my favorite places to relax and step away from
work for a little while. I know we've been doing a lot of that recently, but
one of the perks of being me is that I can relax whenever I'd like… And right
now I'm wanting to relax with you. Just one long and amazing weekend. What do
you think of that?"

I sat there, stunned. Something like this was overwhelming. I took in a deep
breath, trying to sort it all out my head. What could this mean? I knew he had
feelings for me… but these were feelings on top of feelings!

 
    “I think that sounds amazing…”

 

 
 
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    Chapter 24

 
 
 
 
    I had the chance to go on a boat for a New Years Eve party once, but I
had bowed out. I made up a silly excuse because I couldn’t let my friends know
I was scared. I was a city girl who never learned to swim, and the idea of
being out on the ocean filled me with apprehension…

As we stepped onto the gangplank, I gripped the bar tightly in my hand, the
skin on my knuckles paling. The forced smile on my face wasn’t fooling anyone.

Julien was right behind me, his hand on my waist as he tried to guide me up the
steep slope. I was so focused on the water that I hadn’t really taken in just
how big his boat really was. I guess it was to be expected that Julien wouldn’t
settle for less…

The yacht was like a white iceberg against the creamy blue of the horizon.
Hulking, strong, yet the lines and planes of it were soft and regal. If someone
had asked me what I thought about boats in general, I would've been pretty much
indifferent. But now, standing in front of this masterpiece masquerading as a
boat, I had to admit they were pretty cool.

Once we were inside, I paused for a moment. There had been plenty of instances
within the past few weeks where I’d been completely overwhelmed by what I was
seeing. This was turning into another one of those moments. When you think of a
boat, you think up something very simple, something that gets you from one point
on the water to the other.

 
    This wasn’t that kind of boat… This was a mansion on the water.

 
    Instead of the antiquated look that the château possessed, the yacht
had a more modern feel. It was more Julien .

 
    He squeezed me from behind, his hands circling me tightly. "So,
what do you think?’" I could hear the smile in his voice.
    "I've never seen anything like it. It’s beautiful, Julien."

 
    Julien dropped his hands, walking over to one of the many counter
spaces along a long wall. "This boat is something quite special to me. My
great-grandparents were fishermen, and they used to fish right on the coast of France.
They came from nothing and made a way for themselves… And for the rest of my
family… They were good people, and this boat is my small tribute to them."

 
    I nodded, raising my brow for effect. "This is one hell of a
tribute…"

 
    He narrowed his eyes at me, playing along. "Are you trying to
suggest that my intentions here are not completely humble in thought?"

 
    I laughed, rolling my eyes at him. "You said it, not me."

 
    “What can I say… I enjoy the greatest pleasures in life…”

 
    He grabbed my wrist and spun me toward him, his eyes blazing. I bit my
lip as he embraced me up against the wall. His mouth came down on mine hard,
pressing deeply against me, more so than ever before. His hands traveled at my
sides, gripping my waist tightly again.

Suddenly I was completely aware that someone was watching