❦ Kate ❦

The cruise liner was docked at St. Martin and as soon as we stepped on to the pier, a man dressed in a black suit approached us.

"Good evening, Mr. Perez." He greeted Jason before giving me the same polite look. "Ma'am."

"Evening, Ben." Jason introduced the man to me as Benjamin Watts, his driver and bodyguard.

Ben looked to be in his early thirties. He had a buzz cut and the perfectly tailored suit he was wearing hinted at the bulging muscles underneath. A tiny black earpiece was lodged in his ear, which was connected to a curling wire that disappeared beneath the collar of his white crisp shirt. At first glance, I would have thought he was a Secret Service Agent.

"I'll drive. Take the night off." Jason said taking the car keys from him.

"Very well. Have a good evening, Mr. Perez." He gave me a polite nod again. "Miss Lewis."

Jason took my elbow as he guided me towards a metallic black car parked a few feet away. "Wow. Hennessey Venom GTI." I exclaimed in awe as I recognized the car brand. "How fast is this?"

"270.49 mph."

"That's 2.63 mph higher than the Bugatti Veyron. And I thought that was the fastest car in the world now."

He looked at me in surprise. "You know cars?"

"Why is it so surprising? Cars are not only for men you know."

"Whoa, easy." He grinned taking in my offended look. "I'm not being sexist. It's just that I've never met a woman who knows car specifics."

"Now you have." I said absentmindedly, still admiring the beauty of the car. "So is this yours?"

When he nodded, I stared at him in surprise. "Don't tell me you keep a car in every country, ready for you."

He gave me an amused look. "I actually brought the car with me on the ship."

"From LA? That must cost a fortune." I exclaimed and then flushed in embarrassment. Of course, he could afford that. He was a freaking billionaire.

"I'm sure Nathan would give me a discount." He replied with a straight face but his eyes held amusement in them.

Great, now he was laughing at me.

He was about to open the passenger side door for me but paused. "Want to drive?"

I gaped at him. "Really?"

"Yeah. Why not?"

I could feel my face flush with excitement but I tried to squash it. "It's such an expensive car. I don't want to risk scratching it."

"You won't."

His faith in me took me by surprise. "You don't know that."

"Let me put it this way then. Even if you do end up scratching it, it's fine with me. It will be worth it." He grinned, took my elbow and walked me to the driver's side.

"Worth what?"

Instead of answering, he held the door open.

"What about license?" I knew I had to have a special license to be able to drive in the island.

"You're with me." He said simply. "So don't worry about that."

The excitement took over me and I climbed inside. As expected, the interior of the car was simply stunning with Alcantra seats and carbon-fiber surfaces. Instead of the traditional steering wheel, it boasted a racing wheel equipped with a range of buttons and switches.

Jason got in the passenger seat and spent about five minutes explaining to me the different buttons and how it worked. Once I got everything, he turned on the voice controlled GPS system in the car and asked for the directions for the restaurant.

"Don't say I didn't warn you about scratches." I said gripping the wheel tightly. I couldn't remember feeling so excited before. The low purr of the powerful engine was like music to my ears.

That secretive smile again appeared on his lips. "Like I said, it will be worth it."

I frowned and repeated my earlier question. "Worth what?"

And again, he chose not to answer. But I was feeling too exhilarated, to give it much thought. I couldn't help a little happy laugh as I pulled off the pier and on to the almost empty main street. There weren't any vehicles, only just a few tourists scattered here and there.

"I can't believe I'm driving this." I flashed a quick smile at Jason. "How am I doing?"

"You're doing great. Although, at this speed, I think we'll be reaching the restaurant by tomorrow morning." He teased me with smirk.

"Good thing breakfast is your favorite meal then." I shot back with a smile but then stilled as I realized what I had said. I didn't want him to know that I still remembered those small things about him.

He let it pass without making a comment and I was glad for that. The streets started getting narrower, and I was suddenly nervous but he kept giving me instructions on how to maneuver the car through the tricky streets. It brought back memories of another time when he had done that.

He used to drive a Porsche in high school and one day after school, he had let me drive it. He had been so patient even that day, encouraging me. I quickly banished those memories. No use thinking of the past. I doubted he even remembered any of it.

Ten minutes later, we reached a long narrow main street lined with typical sea side shops and Jason gestured to the promenade. "Let's park here."

I maneuvered the car on to the promenade so smoothly that I even impressed myself. If I had been alone, I was sure I would have done a little cheer and fisted the air or something. I had always liked cars but after I attended a roadshow in college, I turned into what Hal called a car fanatic. And getting to drive one of the most luxurious cars in the world was like a dream come true for me.

"You did incredible."

"I swear I have an adrenaline rush. Thank you for letting me drive." I killed the engine and glanced at Jason, a huge grin on my face. "I don't think there are many men who would let an inexperienced woman take the wheels of such an expensive car. But seriously, weren't you the least bit worried I might scratch this?"

"I told you, even if you did, I wouldn't have cared. That smile on your face is worth much more than the car."

I gaped at him. Did I hear him right? His eyes were too intense on my face, and my heart started racing because of it. So that was what he meant when he said it would be all worth it.

I abruptly became aware of the tension in the car, and recognized it for what it was. Fierce and raw sexual energy. The tug of forbidden desire that coursed through me shocked me into letting out a soft gasp.

His jaw tightened instantly. With a quick move, he unclasped his seatbelt and stepped out of the car as if he didn't want to be near me. I remained frozen in my seat, trying to come to terms with what just happened.

There was no denying the intense need that had seemed to pulsate between us. It forced me to face the reality that I had been lying to myself by pretending I wasn't attracted to him.

Panic started bubbling inside me. Agreeing to dinner was definitely a mistake. I shouldn't have come. I had thought I could handle being around him, act like we were friends and share a pleasant meal just like I would have with Nathan.

I was broken out of my thoughts when Jason opened the driver's door. "Are you planning on staying inside the car all night?" He had that sexy grin on his face, and no trace of the tension from seconds ago. It looked as if he had discarded the moment we shared from his mind.

And the last thing I wanted was to give him was the impression that I was affected by it. It was too late to change my mind about dinner anyway. I couldn't just tell him to take me back to the ship. So, I forced a smile and climbed out of the car.

We walked to the waterfront restaurant across the street and a maître D' greeted us at the entrance. Jason gave his name and she led us to the terrace. We were shown to a table that offered the view of the marina below.

"This is beautiful." I murmured taking a look around. The interior had a rustic charm about it, with polished woodworks, vintage artifacts and flickering lanterns. The sound of waves crashing below added to the outdoorsy vibe.

"I figured you'd like this place that's why I chose it."

Jason's comment confused me. "Hang on. I thought Nathan chose the restaurant. I mean, he was the one who asked me out to dinner. You stepped in the last minute because he couldn't make it so..." My voice trailed off when I finally understood. "No freaking way."

He was trying not to smirk I was so sure of it. "You both planned this, didn't you?" I asked shaking my head. "You knew if you had asked me to dinner I wouldn't have agreed so you sent him."

Finally, the smirk he had been trying to hide appeared. "Well, it worked, didn't it?"

Ignoring his cocky tone, I frowned. "Why?" When he simply raised one eyebrow, I clarified. "Why go to all the trouble to get me to have dinner with you?"

"I already told you. To catch up."

I got the feeling there was more he wasn't telling me but his guarded expression gave nothing away. And part of me told me it was better not knowing what his reasons were. Just like it was better not thinking about the comment he made earlier about my smile being worth more than his car. Even though I knew he didn't mean it, I couldn't help feeling flattered and that made me angry at myself.

A waiter approached us to take our drinks order and Jason ordered a bottle of vintage Krug Champagne. After he left with our order, a young waitress appeared and with a friendly smile, handed us the food menus.

I couldn't help noticing the way her eyes drank in Jason. And when he thanked her with a smile, she blushed crimson and honestly, I couldn't blame her. He had a killer smile that should be made illegal.

I flipped through the menu, unable to decide on what to eat. Jason noticed. "Would you like me to order for you?"

"Please. I don't know what to choose."

"Let's see. How about warm goat cheese salad for starters?" When I nodded, he continued," lobster served with steamed vegetables and rice with lemon garlic sauce for the main course and strawberry cheesecake for dessert. Is that okay?"

"Sounds delicious." I suddenly realized I was starving. When the waitress left after taking the order, I glanced at Jason. He was leaning back lazily in his seat and studying me.

"Have you been here before?" I asked ignoring the sudden rush of awareness that engulfed me.

"No."

Was he not going to say anything else? His intense gaze was too unsettling and I felt like squirming in the seat.

I knew I had to keep talking to distract myself from the way his gaze was affecting me. "I wonder why none of the diners are choosing to eat out here on the terrace." I said gesturing to the empty tables around us. When I entered the restaurant, I had noticed that the main floor was packed so it was definitely not a slow night.

Amusement danced in his eyes. "Aren't you glad we have the privacy?"

Something in his tone, the way he said it, made everything clear suddenly. "Don't tell me you booked the entire terrace for us." When he simply smirked, I knew I was spot on. "Why?"

"Maybe I just wanted to keep you all to myself."

My breath caught in my throat and my treacherous heart sped up. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Say things like that. You said you'd behave."

The innocent look he gave me was wasted because of the wicked glint in his eyes. "I'm not touching you."

I narrowed my eyes in exasperation. "But you're flirting. That's out of line too."

"You're right. I'm sorry." He didn't look the least bit sorry. In fact, he was enjoying seeing me so flustered.

The waiter appeared at that moment with the champagne. As we sipped on the drink, Jason leaned back in his seat, once again his gaze intent on my face. "So tell me what's going on in your life."

"I'm afraid it's quite boring compared to yours."

"I'm sure that's not true."

I smiled. "Let's see. What do you want to know?"