Page 34 of Degrees of Innocence
“A few reasons perhaps,” he says thoughtfully. “Mikael makes the best coffee in the world,” he says, as we enter the kitchen and the smell of hazelnut permeates my senses.
“Let’s take our coffee and go up on deck. Did you bring your suit?” he asks.
“Yes, it’s here in my bag. I’ll get changed and meet you upstairs,” I say, taking it into the bathroom with me.
I find the suit Jenny picked out on our girls’ shopping trip. It’s a little risqué but I’m secretly hoping he likes it. I pull on my cover up and find him on the deck, already lounging on one of the double cabanas.
“Why are you smiling?” I ask.
“I’m happy that you’re out with me today,” he says, patting the lounge chair beside him.
I feel the warmth spread through my body at the compliment and slowly pull the cover up over my head and place it on the lounge chair, watching his eyes scan the exposed areas of my body.
Did you remember to put sunblock on?” he asks huskily.
“I think you worry way too much,” I say, slipping into the lounger hoping to distract from my almost nude attire.
“The glare from the sea can act like a magnifying glass out here and in combination with a bright sunny day could quickly burn and blister your skin.” He tilts my head up and his eyes soften as they find mine. “I’ve come to realize that listening is not your most adept skill, is it?” he asks.
I manage a slight shake of my head and realize how attracted I am to this overbearing but thoughtful man. “I’ll put some sunscreen on if it makes you feel better,” I concede, pulling it from my bag.
“Yes, it will make me feel better and it will prevent me from spanking that beautiful ass of yours for not listening. Actually, you should put it on quickly before I decide it would be exceptionally more pleasurable than to enjoy coffee with you on deck.”
I turn away before he can see my blush and wonder if he would really do that to me.The thought is pretty hot and leaves me wondering if that may be one of the experiences he wants to show me…hmm, God he is so fun and sexy.
“Chase, why did you take me on a rented catamaran with Mikael the other day and not your yacht?” I ask again, spritzing on sunblock to the exposed areas of my skin that I can reach.
He appears thoughtful and for a moment, I’m not sure if he intends to answer me. “I realized you had not recognized me from the tabloids and newspapers, and I wasn’t in a hurry for you to know who I was. The prospect of having a normal relationship was exciting to me, so I took you out on one of Mikael’s catamarans. I’m sorry if it felt deceitful to you. I just wanted to experience being with someone who appreciates the simple beauty of the island and enjoyed spending time with me, and didn’t give a shit about my money,” he says, watching me warily.
“Well, I have to admit you somehow looked familiar, but I never really gave it too much thought. It’s probably a good thing I didn’t know who you were, otherwise I doubt if I would have ever given myself a chance to get to know you.”
“Why do you say that, because I employ the company you work for?”
“Yes, because I technically work for you and if I had known who you were I would have put as much distance as possible between us,” I say.
“And now?”
“I’m working through that, but I have to tell you, the fact that you employ the company I work for, own an entire resort and have this yacht is absolutely overwhelming to me,” I say.
“How so?”
“I can’t even imagine how much things like this would cost. Probably more than I will make in a lifetime. If it’s any indication of your lifestyle it’s more than a little intimidating if I'm honest.”
“Katarina, it's only money, don’t let it bother you,” he says.
Chase jumps up when he hears Mikael call for him and grabs my hand. “Mikael has spotted dolphins,” he says, guiding me to the rail so we can get a better look. We can see the tail of a dolphin, then two … and then three of them. They are following our wake and one flips into the air, then… as if not to be outdone, another follows suit, flipping even higher out of the water. We watch until they tire of playing and slowly move out to sea.
“They’re so beautiful… and I didn’t realize they were that big,” I exclaim.
“I love the way your eyes light up when you are excited, Katarina,” he says, bending to kiss my lips gently.
“Chase, get Katarina down below,” Jay calls, dashing across the deck with Matt and Sheldon close behind him. Before I have time to react Chase has me securely in the stairwell and we are headed downstairs. Two men that I have not met before are right behind us and as we get into the living room, they push some buttons and like magic, all the blinds in the room come down.
“Chase, we’ve got a large ship less than a mile out and it wasn’t registered anywhere earlier. We’ve got a sniper team up on deck and another group in the helicopter heading this way. Jay wants you to stay below with Kate until we understand their intent,” he says.
“Thanks, Keith. Greatly appreciate the update. Please keep me apprised. I’ll have my phone with me,” Chase says.
“No, I’m sorry, sir, but my orders are to stay with you and Katarina, as we may need to move you further below,” he says.
