It Had to be You

Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

O ff tempo.

That was one thing Tatum didn’t want to be… off tempo.

Timing was everything for a dancer.

Knowing the rhythm and keeping it was as important as breathing.

Something was off.

She just couldn’t put her finger on it.

And stopping everything to ask Alexander about it wasn’t going to happen. So, except for the looks off and on between teaching the steps to the group, she had no idea how she was going to find out the problem.

Well, without asking him outright.

And that seemed odd, even to her.

Thank goodness that Ben and Pearl kept her spirits up with their affable natures. It was easier for her to ignore the curious stares from the others in the class. If there was one downside to making a connection on this cruise, it was having the other people on board know it too. Before she could just enjoy the magic happening around her, now she got a chance to see first- hand what kind of bumps and ruts were in the road to… well, she’d see soon enough.

The group was practicing turns and having a great time. She was too, except when she caught

sight of Alexander standing in her line of sight, working on his phone.

It shouldn’t bother her really. She was trying to keep her mind on what was in front of her.

Her job.

And whether or not things worked out with Alexander, she still had her reputation and her

pride. She was going to keep hold of those, no matter what.

The music ended and the whole group applauded each other and Tatum was the loudest of them all.

"You’re all making me look like a really good teacher!"

The group turned their applause to her, and she felt a familiar warmth building in her chest.

This was different from being on stage or in competition, this was real. Person to person.

People appreciating each other.

"All right, all right," she laughed and waved them off, "I’m glad to see some of you decided to come in this morning before venturing out into San Juan for our second day. I’ll see you folks again tomorrow."

Instead of heading back to the stereo and the dance mirror where she’d left her things, she followed the group to the door and waved as they walked away. It was good to see the sunshine in the open area of the ship. It made her look forward to the rest of the day.

If Alexander wanted to spend it with her, then great.

If not. Great too. She’d traveled by herself before.

She’d likely do it again.

"I’m getting the feeling that you’re mad at me."

She held onto her tongue for a moment, shaking her head. Turning until her back was flat against the door, she met his gaze with her own, searching for some kind of answer in his eyes. Trouble is she hadn’t really asked him the question. And that wasn’t fair.

She never liked it when someone expected her to read their minds.

"Have you changed your mind?"

Once the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them.

"Never mind," she looked down at the ground, at the long slant of sunshine across the floor, "you

don’t have to answer that."

"No," he replied.

She heard the silence stretching out and lifted her chin so she could see him.

And when she did, she saw him smile.

"No," he repeated, "I haven’t changed my mind. And yes, I had to answer that."

She couldn’t help but laugh. She needed the release. "Okay. Thank you."

"And I think I know what I did."

Tatum felt a slight pinch between her brows and tilted her head toward him.

"I was trying to surprise you with something, but I know I was on my phone and I wasn’t really ‘here’ during the class." He lifted his hand and touched the side of her face. "I am sorry for that."

Mirroring his gesture, she reached up and traced along his hairline at his temple. "I’m just not very good at this," she might as well come clean with him, "I’ve spent so many years traveling. Dating, or whatever this is, isn’t my forte." She chuckled. "It isn’t my anything."

"And I didn’t help things by being distant."

"I was beginning to wonder," Tatum bit into her bottom lip and rubbed her teeth against the

swell, "if maybe you took one look at my Cracker Jack box of a room and realized I was so far out of your league you started to think twice."

She could see that she’d startled him with her question.

"You think I changed my mind because you have a small room on the ship?"

When he put it that way…

"I haven’t seen the rooms on the upper decks, but I’m pretty sure it’s a far cry from what you’re used to. It had to be a shock at least." She lowered her hand to his shoulder, letting it slide down until her palm was resting on his chest. The fabric of his shirt was warmed by his skin and felt like a little bit of heaven. Lifting her gaze back to his she couldn’t help but feel a little silly for saying the words, but in for a penny…

"I thought you were going to kiss me last night."

"I was." His lips pressed into a thin line for a moment and she felt the weight of his gaze on

her face. "But you’re right that I changed my mind, but not for the reason you think. That," he smoothed his hands down from her shoulders to just above her elbows, his thumbs sweeping softly against her skin, "is the reason I was on the phone. I should have waited for a better time."

Sighing, she leaned into the warmth of his hands and his smile. "You don’t have to apologize."

"Yes," he nodded, "I do. You should have at least that and more."

"And speaking of more," she widened her eyes, full of curiosity, "do you have any plans?"

"Actually, I do."

"Do tell," she grinned.

"Do you want me to tell you? Or just show you?"

That was music to her ears. "So, I’m part of this plan?"

"Tatum." He held her arms gently as he stepped in, close enough for her to feel the warm rush of

his breath on her face. "It’s all about you."

This time, she knew it was coming.

And it was even sweeter for that reason.

At first, it was just a brush of his lips against hers. A tender touch.

When he kissed her again, she could only call it a taste of what she’d been missing. She could easily be starved for more of the same. His hands trailed back up her arms and the feather soft touch against the backs of her arms gave her shivers.

Alexander ended the kiss with a tender kiss against her temple, bringing back memories of the

night before.

"We should get going."

Her shoulders raised in a languid shrug and she sighed. "Do we have to?"

"You’ll thank me later, I promise."

Tatum laughed. "I’m sure I will."

Together they walked out of the room, arm in arm, and as they crossed the deck of the ship

together, Alexander gave her a curious look. "Have you ever been on a helicopter?"

"What?"

A waiter brought their drinks and set them on the table beside his beach chair. It was a strange

thing for him. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been to a pool, let alone a beach. And up until two hours ago, the only times that he’d been on a helicopter had been for business. Quiet, almost silent, he’d sit there from point A to point B reviewing his notes, but the ride with Tatum had been anything but quiet.

Her laughter still rang in his ears. Soft gasps and murmured words about the beauty surrounding them.

And when they arrived at the helipad everything had moved along like the plans had been in place for weeks instead of a few hours. A luxury car had spirited them down to Esperanza and continued along to this secluded black sand beach. And whoever Martina had tasked with shopping for Tatum deserved a raise. And a big tip.

One that he was personally going to see to, because the moment Tatum emerged from the changing tent someone had so thoughtfully set up amongst the trees, he lost the ability

to breathe.

Tatum spent a lot of time indoors with her dancing, but she still had a bit of a tan. And the

dark red bikini that graced her body made his heart pound in his chest. With the backdrop of the black sand beach, she was a vision.

And that vision was walking toward him.

"Alex! Did you arrange all this?" She laughed out loud before he could answer. "Stupid

question, of course you did!"

Setting her hands on the arms of her beach chair, she sat down and reached out to cover his hand with hers on the table. "This is incredible! Who would know there was a black sand beach right here?"

Tipping her head back she stared up into the sky and he couldn’t tear his gaze away from her.

The beauty of her face, the elegant length of her neck and the rest of her amazing body soaked up the sun beside him.

How had he been so lucky?

Picking up the glass on her side of the table, Tatum took a sip of the drink and licked her lips. "This is amazing." Tucking her legs under her, she turned on the beach chair and looked at their waiter. "Did you make this?"

The man nodded.

"You," she gestured to him and then to the glass in her hand, "are wonderful."

The waiter looked away and Alex swore he saw the older gentleman blush.

Alex leaned on the arm of his beach chair and caught her gaze with his own. "Should I be

jealous?"

"Jealous?" She filled his world with laughter. "Hardly! He may know how to make the best pina colada that I’ve ever had in my life, but when we get back to the ship, the only one I want holding me on the dance floor… is you."

The smile on her face was like sunshine and gave him a tantalizing look into the future.

This was the first time and the first woman he had ever known that could do that for him.

He had always looked back on his parents’ marriage as the epitome of marriage and family.

Seen how they loved and supported each other through the years. Raised a family together.

His heart was pounding, but rather then make him nervous, he felt invigorated.

Getting up from the chair, he held out his hand. "I think I want to see what the water is like.

Care to join me?"

She was up and holding his hand a moment later. "Absolutely. Lead the way."

Together they ran toward the surf and when he stumbled, she was there to give him a hand. Until another wave tumbled them back into the water together.

There was laughter enough for both of them and when he had her in his arms, there was hope as well.

L ater that night, after dinner and dancing, Tatum found out that there was one more surprise in store for her.

Myra came to their table and whispered into her ear. "Follow me."

Tatum had brushed a kiss on Alex’s cheek. "I’ll be right back, okay?"

He nodded and smiled at her, giving her a wave as she walked away.

It wasn’t until they got to the elevators that she’d questioned where they were going.

"You’ll see," was Myra’s cryptic response.

And see she did.

At the door, Myra had given her a key to the room and all Tatum could do was stare at it as if it was going to start talking. And tell her what she was missing.

Explain what she didn’t understand.

"Go ahead," Myra nudged her with her shoulder, "go in. There’s a note and a box on the bed. Go in and see. It’ll explain everything."

It’ll explain everything , she said.

What was going to explain how furiously her heart was beating in her chest?

The box was exactly where Myra said it was going to be, on the foot of the bed, tied with a red ribbon. It was almost a shame to untie the ribbon, but her curiosity got the better of her.

She picked up the note.

She read the note a second time and then set it aside. Reaching into the box she pulled out a set of pink pajamas with butterflies printed on it. Lifting the top to her cheek, she rubbed it against her cheek. Silk. Perfection.

How could she do anything other than what he asked? If she still believed in fairy tales, he would be her prince and fairy godmother.

Laughing to herself, she headed into the bathroom and had to stop short at the sight before her.

A whirlpool tub.

She’d only ever seen them in advertisements. And maybe on her Pinterest wall.

Okay, definitely on her Pinterest albums of "Someday" and "Wishful Thinking."

He wasn’t joking about the products from the spa either. There was a wicker basket brimming with them. It took her a good amount of time to sort through and pick what she wanted to use first. The Lokelani Spa had a whole line of products that were elegance personified. Lifting the shower scrub tube, she turned it over in her hands to read the ingredients and was beyond pleased to see that not a single one looked like it was composed of random Scrabble tiles. All natural. Popping open the top, she brought it to her nose to sample the scent.

They weren’t kidding when they called the spa ‘Heavenly Rose.’ The scent was light but fresh and floral and when she squeezed a little pearl of the product onto the tip of her finger and rubbed it into her skin it felt like silk.

Reaching into the shower she turned on the water and was thrilled when it heated almost

immediately. Setting the tube on the shelf inside the shower, she made quick work of her clothes because she wasn’t going to turn down what promised to be the best shower she’d ever had.

A lexander paced along the balcony windows, waiting for Tatum to appear. Looking down at his phone he made sure that the text he was waiting to send was ready to go.

It hadn’t been hard at all to convince the chef to help him out. It wasn’t a matter of money or influence… at least not ‘his’ influence.

Once he told the chef what he had planned for Tatum, it was all he could do to limit the man to two types of desserts.

After all, he wanted to romance her, not put her into a sugar-coma.

The chef was also sending him the same desserts and when Alexander had tried to beg off, the man insisted, saying that dessert was only romantic when served for two. And who was he to argue with a Michelin Star chef?

Alexander knew that he’d be perfectly content to watch her sample every bite all on her own.

Looking across the open expanse, he saw the soft light behind the curtain in the opposite cabin. It flickered off and he was left to wait.

Anticipation was both a torture and a fascinating feeling, knowing that at any moment, he was going to see her again.

The curtain shifted and then slid to the right. The sliding door opened just a few feet and Tatum stepped outside. Bathed in the soft moonlight, the silken fabric of her pajamas gave off a faint glow.

Her steps faltered when she saw the chair and the table set up with a blanket and a bucket with a chilled bottle of wine. He wished that he could see her smile.

Earlier at dinner, she’d begged off having a glass, saying she’d have one later.

Alexander sent his text to the chef and then quickly sent another.

A rectangle of light lit up the phone in Tatum’s hand.

When she lifted it to type a message, he saw the bright smile on her face.

Sitting down in the chair, she pulled the blanket over her lap and typed another message.

Nodding to himself, he typed another message.

He saw her laugh as her phone illuminated her face.

He saw her sit back in the chair and relax a little even though she bit into her bottom lip.

Maybe it was just that she needed a moment. Or maybe it was something more.

Either way, he waited. Whatever time or consideration that she needed he would give it to her.

The three dots formed and disappeared a few times before the soft BLIP of sound turned his attention firmly on the screen.

He smiled and felt his heart swell in his chest.

He watched as she read the text and then she cradled the phone in her hands. It was a few inches closer to her face so he could see the soft smile on her face. And maybe it was only wishful feelings, but he thought he saw the subtle shimmer of light in her eyes, as if there were tears on her lashes.

He didn’t even have to type the word. His predictive text had it front and center.

They’d talked about her plans when they were on the beach near Esperanza. Holding her hand as the waves washed back and forth over their feet, he had quietly sent positive thoughts in her direction, hoping that she’d decided to go to New York to work.

It would give them a chance to get to know each other even more.

Alexander laughed to himself.

A knock sounded on his door and he could tell by the way that she’d jumped a little in her chair that she’d heard the same noise, but on her door.

She looked at the message and then turned to look across the expanse at him. He didn’t need perfect eyesight to see the questioning look on her face.

Standing up, he walked to the door and opened it. The crewman rolled the tray into the room and Alexander nodded his thanks.

"Thank you, sir."

The crewman and his counterpart already had their tips from when he organized the delivery, and a moment after he was settled back in his chair, his phone lit up.

Alexander chuckled.

His phone rang and he answered the call while he looked across the way. “How is it?”

He heard the soft tap of metal against porcelain. "As much as I loved our conversation, you sent me dessert, I’m going to eat."

"I wouldn’t dream of stopping you. I know how much you like your dessert."

"Well, I’m beginning to like you almost as much."

"High praise from you, Tatum."

They shared a laugh and he watched as she cut a piece of the pie with her fork and then lifted it into the air like a toast.

"You look like you’re having fun."

She scooped some of the whipped cream off the pie and licked it off the fork. He heard her moan softly after a bite of the pie.

"You have no idea," she sighed in almost a comical fashion. "You’re not eating," she lifted her chin as she looked over at his table, "don’t tell me you’re going to waste that sugary perfection."

He shook his head. "The chef insisted that I have dessert too. I was going to save it and send it over to you later."

Across the way, Tatum tilted her head to the chair in the corner of the balcony. "I have another chair over here. You can bring it over now if you like. Save the batteries on our phones."

Alexander was on his feet a moment later, holding the phone near to his cheek. "You’re very persuasive."

"One of my many and varied talents."

He watched her reach over and turn off the phone on her table. She moved back inside through the still open sliding door and he tucked his phone into his back pocket so he could hold both plates. Shaking his head, he felt his whole world shift again, reminding him of the sensation of momentum. Once he’d made the choice to ask Martina to help him, everything was moving along, faster and faster.

If this kept up, he wasn’t going to fight it.

No, he was going to enjoy every moment.

T he door to her suite opened before he knocked and he took a step closer to her as she lifted her face up to look at him, smiling.

“That didn’t take you long to get here.”

He smiled and touched his hand to her cheek, brushing his thumb across her cheekbone. “I was inspired.”

Her smile was achingly beautiful. “Inspired? To do… what?”

His heart thundered in his chest as he smiled, melting toward her.

“This.”

He felt her soft sigh against his lips as he kissed her.