Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 37270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 186(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 186(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
“Tonight…” I whisper back, feeling what it must be like to have someone who wants to make me happy more than anything else.
“Just for today, it’s about us, Melissa,” he says, starting his car and driving us toward the city again as if nothing’s happened.
A true fantasy comes to life, but better than I could’ve dreamed because every time something changes between Mark and me, it’s for the better. I want to tell him how much I appreciate everything he’s done so far. I wanna tell him more than that, too, but I keep it to myself, promising myself to show him how grateful I am and how much I love him.
Tonight…
“Funny how they’re the same the world over,” I comment while watching some kids in the distance tossing food to seagulls that have gathered around them on a pier.
Mark’s picks a restaurant to have lunch at before he takes me shopping. It’s a homey kinda place with very few chairs and tables. We’re on a deck under shade sails with a light breeze cooling the summer heat that I’m still getting used to. Or is it being so close to Mark that has me constantly flushed? Maybe a bit of both?
“What’s the same?” Mark asks, handing the menus back to our waiter. More of a list of what we’re eating than a menu, plus I didn’t see any prices. Maybe it’s an Australian thing.
“Seagulls,” I chirp, shifting my focus back to Mark’s face, inhaling deeply as I look at him. His eyes shine with the sunlight, and he smiles automatically, shaking his head a little.
“I guess…”
He shrugs and studies me in the same way I’m looking at him. I feel a flutter in my belly as I watch every detail of his handsome features. He’s just so mature, so balanced, and in control. He’s safe, and I remind myself that I can trust Mark with my life if necessary.
Any man his size could have had their way with me, especially last night, but he wanted to wait… wanted to make this special. I can’t help feeling stupid about how I acted earlier, but Mark doesn’t seem to be thinking about it at all. He looks like he has way better things on his mind, and my body is definitely receiving the signals he’s transmitting.
Both of us sit silently for ages without the need to say anything as we wait for our food. The sounds of the harbour not far away mix with the low murmurs and tinkling of restaurant tables. Through it all, I almost swear I hear my heart beating. I almost convince myself I can hear Mark’s, too, but it’s more like a feeling than a sound.
I feel the same growing intensity between us from last night, but he’s somehow keeping it at a respectable simmer since we’re out in public.
He explained his business proposal involving dad on the way down once I got a grip on myself and decided to hear reason instead of wanting to shoot my dad down in flames. Turns out it’s a profitable development deal, with Mark letting my dad in on it because that’s the kind of man he is. He’s kind and generous, always thinking about what someone might need instead of just growing his own pile.
What’s a small amount for Mark is the world for my dad and me. I’m still angry that Dad couldn’t talk to me about it if he wanted to sell the house. Maybe he didn’t because he already knows I never could, and I won’t.
Mark didn’t want me to think about it, let alone talk about it. “Not for today, at least,” he’d ordered me in a firm but smiling way. “Make any decision you want about your share of the house, but can you do it tomorrow? Just give me one day, just you and me.”
His look wasn’t a pleading one, nor was it him bossing me around. Every time he looks at me, right into me, it feels like a truth I’ve never known, and here we are. I could almost forget about it… the house… my dad… but reality is looming large on the horizon for me.
It’s easy for Mark to have his self-made, “no worries” Aussie attitude. He can afford not to worry about anything. I know this place he’s picked for us to eat must cost a fortune. Any place with a half dozen tables and no prices is beyond expensive. I know that, but to Mark, it’s just grabbing something to eat. This is the life he’s accustomed to, and I’d love for it to last forever, but I know once my dad gets here, it’s gonna be a different story.
“I thought I told you not to think about it,” Mark says with mock seriousness, nudging my legs open under the table with his large knee, making me shiver as I realize I’m not just flushed in the face.