Treating Mr. Billionaire

~ 62~

Maria tightened her hold against him as though to confirm that moment was really happening, that she was the cause of that sparkle in his eyes, that there was nothing else that would make him look so satisfied. "Try harder." Her tone was breathless and yet filled with excitement.

At her words, he leaned closer to whisper in her ears, and his breath tickled her delicate skin. "Are you afraid of water?" His voice sounded so close that she could almost taste his hot breath caressing her sensitive lobe.

His question caught her off guard, her blue eyes coming to meet his face with a readable confusion, all her playful attitude quickly evaporating as she looked up at him curiously, "If there are no sharks waiting to devour me, no."

Jayden couldn't resist a chuckle that escaped his lips, and a slight smile appeared on hers too. There was just something irresistible about the way his laugh transformed his eyes which always appeared so cold into a warm golden glow as if they held a flame dancing within them. "No sharks involved." he shook his head, withdrawing his lips and standing upright.

Her brows squeezed with a blank stare, "Why did you ask though?"

He took a step closer, his free hand driving up to tuck some stray hairs of hair behind her ears, before lifting her chin to stabilize their locked gazes. "Because I wish to watch the sea with you." He stated, simply, as though everything was just so obvious and natural in this whole situation.

The word 'Dumfounded' underestimated the extent of her feelings for him in the few seconds it took to absorb what he said. "The sea...?"

It seemed Jayden had other plans for that night, much more different from hers that were nothing more than gobbling down some steak in a cozy restaurant. Because who would have thought staring at the waves was a hobby of his? "Yes," and he seemed serious about the whole issue, all adding to her curiosity to discover more sides of him no one else knew about.

She finally nodded in agreement, not having any reasonable reason to decline in the first place, and let herself led by his hand to where the vehicle stood idling, awaiting them.

***

Time seemed to seize for her, the world suddenly shrinking away like a fairy tale as the car pulled up in front of the most gigantic yacht she had ever seen in all of her life. The sky was pitch black, but from the lights of the city shining in the distance, and in the middle of the gentle breeze blowing around majestically stood one magnificent vessel with its elegant architecture making it stand out amongst every other thing in sight; not only was she awed by it, and by the fact that this was what Jayden had in mind when he talked about sea sighting.

With her grip tightening against the hem of her dress and her chest that felt like someone had stepped upon it from a single glance at the intimidating piece of property, Maria directed her fluttering lashes at the pair of brown eyes held in repose, talking about a striking opposite to her demeanor.

"A yacht...?" she whispered-shouted, hoping her trembling voice carried enough volume to express her astonishment.

Jayden chuckled and there was a brief pause as she watched him lift open the door of the car, and after a few seconds, he stretched out a hand seeking hers. "Come, I have something to show you." He said calmly, and there was something in his mannerisms that hinted at an unusual level of enthusiasm for the occasion.

Something better than a freaking yacht? With slow movements that somehow seemed both hesitant and excited all at once, she placed her small hand into his larger ones, allowing him to pull her gently from the seat onto her feet.

It took him barely a minute to lead her to the bottom steps leading up onto the deck, the sounds of the ocean echoing through the open space as she followed him silently toward the grand balcony where several candles adorned the surroundings with a soft glow, bathing the interior area in a romantic warmth while creating the illusion of an intimate private space amid the busy city street.