Authors: A.S. Fenichel
Alaskan Exposure (18 page)
“Will you wait for me?” She hated the frightened shake she
heard in her voice.
The smile that lit his face made it worth the embarrassment.
“I’ve waited this long, what’s another few minutes?”
The woman who looked back at her from the mirror in the
bathroom was a complete stranger to her. She looked thoroughly ravaged and of
course, she was. Her pupils were dilated, her cheeks shone bright pink and her
mascara had run. It took her a few minutes to make herself look presentable.
Thirty minutes later, the wealthy buyer had asked and been
granted a private showing before her next collection went public. The collector
really loved her work. It was heady to have someone gush over her art that way.
It was past one in the morning by the time she and Mr.
Manard walked out the front door of the gallery.
“Can I drop you home?” Manard asked.
Kyle pushed away from the front of the building where he’d
been leaning and waiting. “The lady has a ride.”
“Thank you. I’m fine,” she said.
The gallery owner looked from Kyle to her and back again.
“Are you sure?”
She smiled. “Yes.”
“I’ll call you with the final numbers tomorrow.”
“That would be great.”
He looked once more at Kyle and then walked to the sports
car parked a hundred feet down the street.
“Where are Drew and Jules?”
“They left a long time ago. I told them I’d get you home.”
He walked to the door of a silver rental car and opened the passenger side for
her.
She got in and watched as he walked around the front of the
car. He moved gracefully and purposely. His body was still a fascination for
her.
He got in. “Congratulations, Charley. You’re a big success.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you were here.”
His warm smile had her wishing she lived even closer to the
gallery.
“I am too,” he said.
Fifteen minutes later, they were pulling into the parking
lot of her condo building. He walked quietly beside her to the elevator. They
hadn’t talked in the car, though he had taken her hand in his and gently rubbed
the knuckles as if they were an old couple who had been doing that for decades.
As soon as she let them inside her home, she asked, “What
arrangements did you make before you came here?”
He smiled and looked around the living room touching things
as he went. The small kitchen and dining room both opened up to the larger
space. Everything was modern but airy in a Floridian way.
“When are you taking your next trip?”
She leaned against the back of the leather couch. “I don’t
know. The cruise line has offered me another contract, but I haven’t decided if
I’m going to take it or not.”
“Why wouldn’t you?” He faced her and leaned against the
island countertop.
Her heart was pounding. A few hours ago, she thought she’d
never see him again and now she was confronted with telling him her fears. “I
didn’t think I could stand going on another cruise.”
“Why? Didn’t you enjoy cruising?” He pushed off the white
counter and walked across to stand directly in front of her.
“You know why.” She had to swallow hard to keep from crying.
“Say it, Charley.” His eyes were completely magnetic.
She couldn’t look away. “Because of you. Because if I took
another trip, you wouldn’t be on it, and that would break my heart.”
He crushed her against his chest, wrapping his arms around
her, while she wept into his jacket.
It took her a few minutes to stop her tears enough to push
him away and look him in the face. “Now you.”
He smiled. “Captain Cristou recommended me for a captaincy.
It’s a smaller ship that mostly cruises the Caribbean and Mexico.”
“That’s great. Congratulations. When do you leave?” She was
at once excited for him and depressed that he was leaving again.
“I haven’t accepted the contract yet.”
“Why on earth not?”
“I’ve waited this long to get my own ship, I can wait a few
years longer if it means I have a chance to be with you.”
“I don’t understand. How can you…”
“When are you planning your next trip, Charley?”
Then it hit her. He was going to postpone his career to be
with her. He was giving up his dreams of being the captain of a cruise ship so
that he could follow her around taking pictures. Was that even possible?
“What are you asking me, Kyle?”
He took both of her hands in his. “I love you. I want you
with me. The only question is, do you love me?”
Her entire body shook. She thought she might be going into
some kind of shock. “I can take pictures of the Caribbean and Mexico.”
He smiled. “Do you love me, Charlene Ballantine?”
Fresh tears streamed down her face. “I do love you, Kyle
Macintyre. I love you so much it hurts.”
He looked as if he’d spent his entire life waiting to hear
her say those words. His face lit up with a smile that made her heart pound
harder.
A moment later, he was kneeling in front of her. “I know
this is sudden. I know you’re going to freak out and probably say no, but
don’t.”
“What are you doing?” Her eyes must have been huge looking
down at him. He was almost a blur. Breathing became difficult. What was she
supposed to do? Kyle was on his knees in front of her in her condo in Florida.
Was she dreaming? Had she fallen into a coma and all of this was some strange
illusion?
“Breathe,” he commanded.
She gasped for a breath. “What are you doing?”
“My ship, if I take it, leaves in three weeks. In order to
take you with me, we have to be married. I love you so much, Charley. I can’t
stand the idea of being apart from you for six months. Marry me.”
“Marry you?” It came out a bit more screechy than she’d
intended.
He stood up and put his fingers over her mouth. She was one
breath away from telling him all the reasons it was a terrible idea for them to
get married. She had a list of reasons why she would never marry again.
He kept his fingers on her lips and stared down into her
eyes. He spoke slowly and his voice was earnest. “Okay. I know you. You’re
about to say, no. Don’t. Think about it. You love me. You can work as a
photographer and come back here for shows. If the cruise line wants to send you
on a special trip, we can handle being apart for a week or two and then you can
rejoin me on our ship. It’s the perfect scenario for a photographer. It’s the
perfect solution to our problem, if you truly love me.”
She took hold of his hand and moved it away from her mouth.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes.” His deep-blue eyes showed all the desperation of
his plea.
“Yes.”
He didn’t move. “Yes?”
She couldn’t help it, she started laughing. All the emotion
that had been poured into her tears for the past three months changed
direction. Joy welled up in her and she became hysterical with laughter. “I’ll
marry you.”
Wrapping his arms around her, he lifted her off the floor
and spun around. “You’re not going to change your mind in five minutes are
you?”
“No. In five minutes, I’m going to have every stitch of
clothing off of that hot body of yours and we are going to be in my bedroom
making love.” Her entire body hummed with joy and desire. She pointed in the
general direction of her bedroom.
He burst out laughing. She could feel his cock stiffen
between them, and he immediately started moving toward the bedroom. “Are you
ever going to say what I expect, Charley?”
“I certainly hope not.”
A.S. Fenichel adores writing stories filled with love,
passion, desire, magic and maybe a little mayhem tossed in for good measure.
Books have always been her perfect escape and she still relishes diving into
one and staying up all night to finish a good story. Originally from New York,
she grew up in New Jersey. She now lives in the southwest with her real-life
hero, her wonderful husband. When she’s not reading or writing, she enjoys
cooking, travel, history and puttering in her garden.
A.S. welcomes comments from readers. You can find her
website and email addresses on her
author bio page
at
www.ellorascave.com
.
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Alaskan Exposure
ISBN 9781419947742
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Alaskan Exposure Copyright © 2013 A.S. Fenichel
Edited by Whitney Mae
Cover design by Caitlyn Fry
Cover photography by MJTH, Volodymyr Goinyk, Wuttichok
Painichiwarapun, L. Watcharapol/shutterstock.cm
Electronic book publication November 2013
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