“Are you going to tell me where we’re going now?” she asked, intrigued.
“No.” Julian grinned.
She sighed and smacked him on the knee. “Why not?”
“It’s a surprise.” Julian reached for the champagne bottle resting in the bin of ice. He snagged two glasses hidden inside a nearby compartment, steadied them between the fingers of one hand and filled them with the bubbly. He returned the bottle back to the ice and handed her a glass.
Suspicion held her gaze on him a little longer than necessary. She laced her fingers around the flute’s stem, still looking at him. After a moment, she closed her eyes and sipped the champagne.
Julian took the opportunity to gaze at her while she wasn’t looking and tried to evaluate her unreadable features. Failing miserably, he was somehow comforted by her nearness.
Her eyes opened slowly and focused on him. “So, why won’t you tell me where we’re going?” she asked again, more persistent this time.
“Already told you.” He shook his head. “It’s a surprise.”
“Well, how long will we be gone?”
“About ten days.”
“Ten days?” she echoed. “Are we going on a honeymoon?”
“Such as it is.” He couldn’t sound too eager. Women never found eagerness from a man appealing. “We have an image to uphold, Chéri.”
“Yeah...” The single word trailed off into a long, low sigh and the smile on her face faded.
She was probably getting tired of all the drama. He couldn’t blame her after the day they’d had. With any luck, he’d change all that with a short trip to the marina.
If not, it was going to be a long, lonely ten days.
CHAPTER TWELVE
CAMILLE COULDN’T get a break. The rain had returned in another torrential downpour by the time the limo arrived at the marina. Curiosity over why they’d come here engulfed her, but she didn’t dwell on it. She tried to peer out the car’s windows, but sheets of rain distorted her view. All she could make out was blurred structures that she decided were luxury yachts.
“We’ll wait a few moments for the rain to subside,” Julian said, the car rolling up beside a massive ship.
“Then what?” Camille asked. She’d learned a long time ago not to make assumptions.
“Then we’re going to get on the boat.”
“Boat?” She tried to hide her enthusiasm behind a stoic expression, and wasn’t sure if she’d succeeded.
Julian leaned toward her. She wished he wouldn’t do that. Being this close to him was too tempting. Resisting his charms for the next six months might prove harder than she’d anticipated.
“Yes, the Naoma Louise,” he said in a broken whisper.
“Well, that sure clears it up.” She giggled, more at herself than anything else. She glanced out the window. The rain was still pouring. “Is it that one right there?” she asked, pointing to the blur they’d parked beside.
“Yes. That’s the Naoma Louise.”
“The Naoma Louise?” She stared unseeing at the distorted figure. “Does the name hold some significance?”
“My mother’s name.”
A faint flicker of sadness rattled through her, shaking her shoulders.
“Are you cold, Chéri?” he asked attentively.
“Not in the least,” Camille said, wagging her head.
She glanced at her dress. It’s not like it could get ruined anymore than it already had. And besides, the huge blur looked a lot bigger than the car she and Julian were caged in. She could get with putting some distance between them, and maybe a dry change of clothing.
“What the hell.” She shrugged and perched her hands in the air. “Let’s go for it.” She latched onto the door handle.
He looked at her with surprise and intrigue. “Now? In the rain?”
“Come on...where’s your sense of adventure?” They’d already gotten soaked once today. What could one more time hurt?
“All right.” He finally came around. “But wait here. I’ll open your door.”
What a gentleman. She chuckled inside, pleased.
Julian opened his door and slipped out into the rainy night. Seconds later, the car door opened and a blast of cool rain bulleted Camille and the inside of the limo. She shielded her face with one hand and took Julian’s with the other, climbing out onto the wet pavement and venturing into the storm. They ran, and she wished she’d taken off her shoes, afraid she’d slip on the slick surface.
Julian guided her aboard the ship and into the lounge on the main deck. He shut the door between them and the rain, and Camille released the breath she’d been holding.
They both dragged their soaked hair out of their faces and let their laughter fill the room.
“What do you say we get out of these wet clothes?” she asked, and immediately saw the desire to throw out some derisive comeback in his smile. “Into something warm and dry, I mean,” she added, not wanting it to sound like a desperate come-on.
Julian rested his hand on the small of her back. “Our stateroom is this way.”
Stateroom. As in single, just one. Camille’s body vibrated with new life.
Consumed with rivaling sensations of anticipation and alarm, she was easily led toward an inside corridor. At the end of the hall, Julian opened the door to the ship’s master suite. The room’s size equaled that of Camille’s L.A. apartment, but that was the only thing the two spaces had in common. The maple paneling was trimmed in beech and walnut veneers, and soft lighting gave the room a warm and pleasant atmosphere.
“You’ll find clothes in the dressing room attached to the bath.” Julian gestured toward a door on the other side of the room.
The sand-colored marble bathroom bathed her in warmth and tranquility. Mesmerized by the room’s sleek sheen, Camille shut the door between herself and Julian.
“Chéri...” his voice mingled with a soft tap at the door. “I’m going back out into the main lounge. Please join me when you’re ready.”
“All right,” she said, loud enough for her voice to filter through the walls. She hesitated and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was beyond help, having been drenched twice today. Her makeup had gone blotchy, some aspects withstanding the rain’s wrath better than others.
All her toiletries had been laid out on the counter and placed in the drawers for her convenience. Everything had been pre-arranged, down to the last detail. She’d bet her clothes had already been unpacked and put away in the huge walk-in closet. What she hadn’t expected to find was comfy sweats and oversized t-shirts. A smile spread from her heart to her face, Julian had remembered her chosen attire for relaxation.