The Billionaire Playboy (22 page)

What are we up to today?
Charlie sat in
a leather recliner watching television while she waited for Jake. The slowpoke
was still in the bedroom getting dressed. Whoever said women took forever to
get ready obviously hadn't met a twenty-first century man.

She pressed the
up arrow prepared to scroll through the TV stations a third time when Jake
entered the media room. Water still clung to his hair making it appear a much
darker shade of blond than usual. He wore shorts and a t-shirt indicating that
his plans were casual.

“Let’s go,” he
announced as he leaned one shoulder against the door frame. “Unless you'd
rather stay inside.”

Charlie switched
off the television and stood. “I'm the one who's been waiting.” She crossed to
the door and stopped.

“I promise you
won't be disappointed. But you do need to wear this.” Jake told her pulling a
black bandana from his pocket and moving toward her.

Charlie pulled
the bandana from his hand and held it over her breasts. “Well, if I'm going to
wear this then you're definitely overdressed.”

“Not a bad idea,
but not what I had in mind,” Jake said grabbing the bandana back and covering
her eyes. Once secured, he took her hand.

Warmth spread up
her arm and through her body at his touch as they walked down a set of stairs. He
remained silent as he led her, and Charlie wondered just where he was taking
her.

She could tell
they were walking through the house though she had no idea in what direction. Soon
she felt the ocean breeze on her face and she knew they were outside, most
likely on the lower deck. In the distance she heard the roar of the waves, and
the warm sun above beat down on her as Jake continued to lead her toward his
surprise.

“Just one last
step,” Jake told her as he helped her down a staircase.

Charlie felt the
surface beneath her sandals change from something solid to sandy and she knew
they'd stepped onto the beach. The walked a short distance before Jake again
stopped. “Okay, you can sit now.”

A visit to the
beach didn't seem like all that much of a surprise considering where they were,
yet she didn't complain. After all it was a flawless day and she was on a
private beach with possibly the most gorgeous man alive. Really what was there
to complain about?

Sinking to her
knees Charlie waited. Behind her she felt Jake loosen the knot in the bandana. When
the cloth dropped she blinked a few times as her eyes grew accustomed to the
bright sunshine. Then she really looked around. Spread out in front of her was
a red and white checkered table cloth with a huge wicker basket in the middle. Two
champagne flutes stood in front of the basket with a bottle of champagne on ice
right next to them.

“Surprise!” he
said dropping down to his knees next to her.

A picnic, she
thought, unable to say anything around the lump in her throat. He'd brought her
on an old-fashioned picnic. “You remembered,” she whispered, her voice almost
impossible to hear over the waves. “I can't believe you remembered.”

Jake popped open
the champagne bottle and poured her a glass. “Playboys have terrific memories. Didn't
you know that?” he asked as he handed her a glass.

Charlie took a
sip from her glass. The bubbles tickled her throat and she savored the taste. She
generally preferred beer when she drank, but this champagne was the smoothest
she'd ever tasted. “I didn't know that, but I'll keep it in mind for the
future.”

“If you ever
have any other questions about us, don't hesitate to ask.” Jake smiled at her
as he began to pull food from the picnic basket.

Oh, she had
questions all right. She just chose not to ask them. Some questions were better
off not asked. “I'll remember that too,” she promised accepting the dinner
plate he held out.

All the food
spread out in front of her looked good but she still held back. “It all looks
great. I'm not sure what to try first.”

Jake reached for
a cherry tomato stuffed with what looked like fresh mozzarella cheese and basil.
“I suggest you start with one of these. I stole one earlier and they're
delicious.” After placing it on her plate he reached for another. “I tried some
of the focaccia too.”

“Why am I not
surprised?” Charlie popped the tomato in her mouth and chewed. Jake was right,
it was delicious.

A better picnic
never existed, at least Charlie believed so. Everything about their beach
picnic, from the food to the location, was perfect. And the company wasn't half
bad either, she thought looking over at Jake. Though she felt ready to burst
from all the food she'd eaten, he sat munching on yet another brownie. Not that
she blamed him. If she had any more room left she'd indulge in one more herself.
Perhaps if any remained later she'd have one, although watching Jake eat, that
possibility seemed unlikely.

Straightening
her legs out, she leaned back and rested on her elbows. The hot beach sand
warmed her bare legs and Charlie wiggled her toes underneath it. She almost
never made it to the beach, but whenever she did she was reminded how much she
liked it. Today even more so thanks to the company. Just being on the beach
seemed to help wash away the stress of everyday life.

“You look deep
in thought over there. How many pennies will it cost for them?” Jake's question
signaled that he'd finished his most recent brownie.

“I'll consider
this one on the house since you went to all this work,” Charlie answered
pointing to the remnants of their picnic. “I was thinking about how much I like
the beach. I always seem to forget that till I get back to one.”

“Then I'm glad I
picked it for our picnic.” Jake leaned over and dropped a kiss on her cheek. “I
hope you enjoyed it.”

Words didn't
normally fail her. Actually she couldn't think of a time when she hadn't been
able to express her opinion with ease. Right now, however, the right words
escaped her. In silence Charlie watched the waves hit the beach and recede
again. “I'll never forget it.” The huge knot in her throat almost chocked off
the last part of her sentence much to her frustration. She considered herself a
calm cool woman, not someone ruled by emotions. This afternoon though she felt
like just the opposite.

“Just want I
wanted to hear.”

She knew by his
tone that he was smiling and turned to confirm her belief. Even though she
expected it, the hundred-watt smile spreading across his face set her pulse
racing. Damn, she should be used to that smile by now. What was wrong with her?

“You do know
that no beach picnic is complete without a walk along the water?” Jake replaced
the empty containers into the basket.

“Oh, really? So
there are written rules for these types of things?”

Jake's eyebrow
went up. “Of course. There's a whole rule book.” His tone contained just the
right amount of arrogance and playfulness. “And after a walk the couple must
retreat to the nearest bedroom. It's all spelled out in the book.”

She couldn't
help but shake her head. Jake Sherbrooke made her laugh more than anyone else
she knew. “Let's go then. I don't want to get caught breaking the rules.”

Charlie let Jake
help her to her feet and together they started down the beach along the
shoreline. For a little while they walked in silence, but she didn't mind. In
some ways she actually liked it. The lack of conversation let her focus on the
sound of the crashing waves and the way the cool ocean breeze felt against her
skin.

“Are you going
to apply for that position at the hospital in Williamsburg?” Jake asked
breaking the comfortable silence between them.

The week before,
a former colleague who knew Charlie was considering retiring from the Navy had
given her a heads-up about an opening at Memorial Hospital in Williamsburg,
Virginia.

“I sent in all
the paperwork yesterday. I don't know how long it will take to hear something.”

Jake stopped
walking and put his arm around her waist. “Does that mean you've decided to
leave the Navy?”

The waves washed
up over Charlie's feet as she stood staring out at the ocean. This was the
first time he'd asked her if she'd made up her mind. Charlie wished she could
say yes. But she couldn't. Actually she was no closer now to making a decision
than she had been when she left Virginia. “Honestly I don't know yet. One
minute leaving seems like the right decision and then the next I am telling
myself it would be a huge mistake.”

Charlie watched
a boat off in the distance bob on the water and it reminded her of how she felt
about her future. One minute she was optimistic about a change and then the
next her enthusiasm plummeted. “Do you have any thoughts?”

When Jake didn't
answer immediately, she turned to look at him and was surprised by the
seriousness of his expression. His grin was gone and his eyebrows drew downward
as if deep in thought.

“Unless you're
sure you want to make the Navy your life, I think you should retire. This
position in Williamsburg sounds like the perfect opportunity to move forward
with your life without having to completely start over somewhere else. “

Charlie opened
her mouth to respond but then closed it. Knowing how he felt about the
military, she'd expected an entirely different answer from him. “I never
thought of it that way,” she said unable to come up with anything better.

***

Jake felt the
wheels of the plane touch down but ignored it; content to sit kissing Charlie
who sat on his lap with her arms wrapped around his neck.

Slowly he felt
her pull her mouth away from his. “We landed,” Charlie said, her voice echoing
his own disappointment.

“So? We have a
few more minutes.” He settled his lips on top of hers again. A few more minutes
weren’t enough. What he wanted was another day with her. If he didn't have a
meeting in Virginia tomorrow morning he'd ask her to stay in Boston with him
for the night. Their two days together had flown by. In fact, she hadn't left
yet and already he was thinking about when he'd be able to see her again.

Could he somehow
reschedule his meeting for tomorrow? Jake ran through all that rescheduling
would entail. The meeting was set for eight in the morning, so he knew it
wouldn't give the other parties involved enough lead time.

“Next time we do
this it has to be for more than two days,” Jake said as they exited the plane. “And
maybe to some place more exotic. Any thoughts?”

He wrapped his
arm around her shoulders and entered the airport. As they walked he got the
sense that they were being watched. Jake let his eyes wander in search of
anyone unusual. At first glance he didn't detect anyone, but when he was about
to shrug off the feeling of unease, he saw the photographer. He was trying to
blend in with the other tourists, but he didn't quite fit in. He had no visible
luggage and the camera hung around his neck was too high-end for an everyday
vacationer.

“I hope you're
ready for your magazine debut.”

Charlie looked
over at him, her forehead wrinkled in confusion.

“That guy in the
black shirt and baseball hat is a photographer. I don't know for who, but I am
positive of it.” Jake knew it was only a matter of time before the media picked
up on his most recent relationship, he just hoped Charlie was as ready as she
thought.

“It might be a
coincidence,” Charlie offered.

Jake was glad to
hear that she sounded calm about the whole thing.

“Maybe, but he
saw us. He probably got a picture too.” Any other woman he knew would be hoping
the photographer had snapped a picture or two, not Charlie.

Charlie
continued walking and didn't stop until they were standing by the car he'd
arranged to take her home.

“He'll probably
think about it later and decide it couldn't be you. Even if he did take a
picture he'll think it must have been a look-alike. After all, why would
you
show up at the airport with some
unknown redhead?” Charlie's tone told him she believed every word she spoke.

For the first
time since meeting her, Jake associated her with the word naive. If she thought
the fact that she wasn't a celebrity would stop the media, she was in for a
rude awakening. Perhaps if he'd shown up with an eighty-year-old man the
photographer would second guess himself, but Charlie was a young beautiful
woman, more beautiful than she seemed to realize.

“Don't count on
it Charlie,” he warned, dropping her bag to the ground and taking a step
closer.

Charlie wrapped
her arms around his shoulders and he felt her fingers dig into his hair. “I'm
not worried about it.”

Jake shook his
head but didn't press the issue. “I'll call you tomorrow.” Jake pulled Charlie
tight against him relishing the way her body felt against his.

“Sounds good. Have
a safe trip back.”

He felt her
fingers trailing up and down his neck. Once again Jake found himself
contemplating if there was any way he could reschedule his morning meeting. “You
too,” he replied before lowering his head so he could kiss her. Though it took
all of his self-control he kept the kiss short. “You’d better go now.”