Now #2
After a somewhat short overnight journey, we anchored off Saint-Tropez for a day.
It’s a tradition for billionaires cruising the French Riviera to show off their yachts while the ladies disappear into luxury boutiques.
Evie wasn’t very interested in that, especially not the designer brands Eliza and her friend sought, so we strolled around the beautiful town and lost ourselves in the narrow streets filled with rich history.
She tried and loved the tarte tropézienne, a staple of this town, and we visited the citadel and its museum.
Then, after a night at sea, we anchored near Gruissan and spent the day inland, in Narbonne, which is the halfway point.
This wasn’t about shopping but rather culture—and Wesley’s obsession with the Roman Empire.
We couldn’t shake off our hosts and their friends, who took us on a curated tour through the city and its hidden wonders.
We visited a museum with them, shared a massive tray of seafood served on ice, and then returned to the coastline after an afternoon of exploration.
Although it wasn’t my intention when I shared the information with them during breakfast this morning, Wesley and his wife had tasked the crew to prepare a surprise for Evie’s birthday.
It was all set up by the time we returned to the yacht, including a quartet that played mellow music to fill the space.
We had a lengthy dinner, she received a few gifts, and we all drank a little too much. The chef had prepared a six-course dinner for us, which kept us seated until well into the evening.
Although Evie did her best to hide it, I could tell she wasn’t comfortable with any of it. She only met these people two days ago, after all, so I can understand why all this would feel like too much.
Still, when the evening comes to an end, she graciously tells Eliza and Wes, “Thank you again for the lovely surprise.”
“Of course, darling,” Eliza replies with a dismissive hand motion. “You should have told us it was your birthday sooner. We would have organized something bigger. Entering your thirties is a big milestone. We would have invited people and—”
“Oh no, that was plenty.” I hold back a grin at Evie’s apparent horror that this could have been even more.
“Well, I hope you liked the gift. I couldn’t for the life of me pick just one, which is why you got so many.”
“Thank you, yes. A Hermès scarf is one of those things to have, isn’t it? Like a Rolex or a … boat. And now I have ten.”
There’s a little bite of irony to her tone, which they probably won’t notice since we’ve all drank a lot. But I know her well enough to catch it, so I lay a hand on her hip and say, “I should go put her to bed. It’s been a long few days. Thank you for everything.”
“Of course, Jackson. I’m so happy you two could join us.” She leans closer and whispers, “We love the Hendricksons, but they’re a little boring, if you know what I mean.”
Now, it’s Wesley’s turn to decide his wife needs to head to bed. While they head toward the front of the boat to their suite, Evie and I go below deck to our respective cabins.
Desperate to keep our rekindled intimacy private, she insisted we weren’t back together, contrary to what appearances might suggest. Although no one was fooled, they graciously gave us separate bedrooms for the journey.
Of course, she’s been sneaking into mine as soon as everyone was off for the night and then leaving me alone in bed at dawn.
And I’m pretty confident the same thing will happen tonight. Unless I sneak into hers first.
Leaning against the doorframe of her room with my arms crossed, I watch her get ready for the night. “Did you enjoy your birthday, princess?” I ask, already guessing the answer.
“Yes, Narbonne was lovely.” She offers me a smile with the statement, but it doesn’t ring quite true.
“Come on, you can tell the truth, Evie.”
She lets her silky little nightgown fall on the bed and walks up to me. “It was weird, right? Very kind of them, but weird.”
I shrug, more familiar with these people than she is. “Eliza’s whole life revolves around being a perfect hostess. She would have done that for anyone.”
“I know, but … I don’t know those people. And they gave exorbitant gifts. Two Mont Blanc pens? I’m not some fancy architect. I’m a regular architect. And I’m not even going to google how much a Hermès scarf is, because that’ll give me a heart attack.”
I adjust myself against the frame, a little nervous. If she’s freaking out over receiving about fifteen thousand dollars’ worth of gifts, she’ll definitely have a crash out when I give her mine.
She must notice my uneasiness, because she lays her hands over my chest and adds, “Sorry, I know they’re your friends. I just … I wish today could have been just you and me. This whole trip, actually. I was looking forward to that cute bed-and-breakfast you mentioned.”
“I asked you if you wanted to do this, and you said yes.”
“I didn’t think I had much of a choice, Jax. He’s your boss. Refusing would have been rude.”
“There’s always a choice.” Reaching up, I tuck her loose hair behind her ear and graze the softness of her cheekbone with the pad of my thumb.
Guilt tugs at my insides, aware that I failed her. And on her birthday, of all days … There has to be a way for me to fix it. I also wish today could have been just us two, free to do whatever we want—which probably would have involved a lot of sex.
“Give me half an hour,” I say softly.
“For what?”
“One last birthday surprise.”
“Oh?”
“I promise you’ll love this one.” I lean into her, pressing a soft kiss on her parted lips. “Wear a swimsuit. Maybe that white bikini that gets a little transparent when—”
“Gosh, don’t remind me,” she protests, pushing against my chest while her other hand covers her lips, but not the pretty blush that claims her cheeks.
Amused by her reaction, I give her one last kiss and then rip myself away, ready to begin my mission.
Right on time, I softly knock on Evie’s door. I don’t have time to worry that she might have fallen asleep, because it immediately opens.
Her hair is up in a sophisticated mess, like only she can pull off. And she’s now wearing a lavender sundress, which suits her complexion amazingly well, and I can’t help but notice the white straps of her indecently revealing bikini. My perfect woman …
“Are you ready?” I whisper. She nods, and when I offer her my hand, she takes it.
“Where are we going?” she wonders as I guide her through the dark hallway and up the spiral staircase. Thankfully, there are small night-lights embedded low in the walls, which allow us to navigate easily.
“Everyone’s off at this hour, so the yacht is ours.”
“That doesn’t answer my question, Jackson.”
Adamant to keep it a surprise, I don’t answer as I guide her to our destination. We arrive undetected at the front of the sundeck, where the Jacuzzi is, and she pauses in her tracks, staring with awe and surprise at what I’ve prepared.
Most of that half hour was spent waiting for everyone to go off to bed, but I still did a pretty good job, I think.
I snatched candles here and there and arranged them around before lighting them.
I also went down to the kitchen, where I took the half-eaten birthday cake as well as two spoons and a bottle of champagne.
I even went the extra mile and plucked three white roses from the flower arrangement in the lounge and scattered their petals around and in the Jacuzzi.
“Jax …” she breathes out, definitely appreciative.
“Happy birthday, princess,” I murmur before kissing her temple.
“Did you do all that by yourself?”
“I didn’t do that much. But yes, this is all me.”
“You even got the cake.”
“Yeah, I knew that tiny slice wasn’t enough for you.”
“Right?! It’s my birthday! Give me half the cake, at least.”
I chuckle, forever amused by her love of desserts. “Shall we?”
“We shall.”
Still holding hands, we walk to the Jacuzzi.
When she releases me, it’s to slip her dress over her head.
Her stunning body reveals itself to my eyes, the candlelight enhancing each perfect curve of it.
Aware that she has all my attention, she slowly walks up the steps and, after one glance back over her shoulder, lowers into the warm water.
Bewitched, I watch as she crosses the length of it and settles in, facing me, her siren eyes beckoning me to join her.
Eager to comply, I open my black button-down and throw it on the floor by her discarded dress.
As I busy myself with my slacks, I’m reminded that I didn’t think of everything, after all.
Fuck, I forgot to bring a swimsuit. And I’m not wearing anything underneath—one more birthday surprise I planned earlier as I was getting ready for dinner.
Fuck it. It’s just the two of us, anyway.
When I chuck it down and reveal my bareness, she lets out a small gasp that quickly turns into a giggle. “Jackson!” she gently scolds as I climb up and get in, buck naked.
“What? You’ve seen it before. Hell, it was in your mouth at some point this morning.”
“What if someone comes?”
“It’s dark. They won’t see anything.”
I sit opposite her, and we look at one another in silence for a moment. She makes a move first, crawling in the water all the way to me. When her lips are less than an inch from mine, she whispers, “Thank you for all this,” and then gives me a grateful kiss.
She barely pulls away, and something in the way she looks at me makes my chest ache.
I can’t fucking believe I lost this woman at some point. That was the greatest fumble of my life. Thankfully, it looks like I’ll be able to fix it after all.
“Anything for you, princess …”
She’s about to lay her lips on mine again when the lights suddenly turn on. Including the ones inside the Jacuzzi.
Startled, Evie lunges away, returning to her earlier spot while I look around with some amount of panic. What the—