Chris nodded sagely. “Then he wasn’t only sorry, he was stupid, as well. I don’t know what you ever saw in him.”
That comment brought a laugh and suddenly the wariness lifted. “Me, neither.”
He pushed the box back to her. “Then open your present.”
Sliding off the red and white ribbon, Ally pulled the lid off carefully. Inside, nestled against black velvet, she found a circular gold disk attached to a delicate chain. Holding the disk to the light, she could see the design: two lions rampant, flanking a pillar.
“It’s beautiful.” From the twitch of his lips, she realized she was missing something. “Okay then, tell me what it means.”
“I thought you said you were a mythology geek. It’s the symbol of Rhea.”
Rhea, mother of the Titans, the goddess of female fertility and motherhood. Rather appropriate, considering. “Of course. Those are the lions that pull her chariot.” She ran her thumb over the design. “I’ve never seen anything like it before. It’s lovely. Thank you.”
Before she realized it, Chris was behind her, seemingly uncaring of the curious stares of the other patrons as he took the necklace from her fingers and placed it around her neck. The disk settled perfectly in the hollow between her breasts. His fingers brushed lightly against her nape as he fastened the clasp. The touch was gone as quickly as it had come, and Chris returned to his seat.
His eyes moved over her like a caress. “It suits you.”
The words and appreciative stare caused her face to heat, and she was very thankful for the dim lighting in the restaurant and the well-timed arrival of their server with their food.
As they ate, the conversation moved easily through current events, how she was feeling, and the book she was reading before Chris casually mentioned something about the Dagny that gave her the opening she needed.
She tried to keep her tone light. “It’s a really ambitious goal, but isn’t sailing around the world by yourself a bit dangerous?”
Chris set his drink down slowly and looked at her strangely. A moment later he nodded in understanding. “You’ve been doing some research. It was an accident. It’s not likely to happen again.”
“But that doesn’t change the fact…” She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.
“That my father died doing the same thing?” he provided for her.
“Exactly.” She pushed her plate away, suddenly not hungry any longer.
“Things have changed a lot in the last twenty years, Ally. We’ve come long way. GPS systems, automatic emergency beacons, satellite communication, improved ship design—it’s very unlikely anything catastrophic will happen.”
He sounded so calm and sure about it. She wanted to smack some sense into him. “But from what I’ve read, there’s at least a thousand easy ways to die out there.”
“Concerned, Ally? I’m flattered. Just yesterday you would’ve been pleased to hear of my possible imminent demise.”
“That’s not funny.” Maybe a little bit true, but still not funny.
Chris shrugged. “Don’t worry, though. Should I be lost at sea or eaten by sharks, you and the baby will still be well taken care of.”
For the first time that day, nausea rolled through her stomach. It must have shown on her face, because Chris leaned forward to take her hand, concern pulling down the corners of his mouth. “Hey, I’m just kidding about the eaten-by-sharks bit. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I don’t see how you can treat this so lightly.”
“I’m not. Trust me when I tell you the Dagny is the safest, most well-built ship on the planet, and I don’t plan to take unnecessary risks.” His thumb brushed over her knuckles, soothing her. “I need to do this—not only for me, but for my dad and the company, too. But you don’t need to worry about it. I fully intend to make it home in one piece.”
I’m sure your father had the same intention. She didn’t say the thought aloud. After all, she really didn’t have any business getting involved in his plans. She shouldn’t have brought it up in the first place.
The light brush of his thumb increased in pressure until he was practically massaging her fingers. The mood was getting too tense and his touch too familiar. To break it, she mimicked his earlier tone. “Then I’ll just cross my fingers you don’t end up as shark bait.”
“I appreciate that,” he said wryly.
At that tentative understanding, Chris signaled for the check. As he paid, Ally nibbled on her thumbnail and wondered why she cared so much all of a sudden.
Ally had to be the most incomprehensible woman he’d ever met. It could be downright frustrating at times to try to figure her out. The upside, of course, was that she was utterly fascinating. Her moods changed rapidly and without warning, like a squall rising from nowhere, but that unpredictability was part of her allure.
And that allure was becoming increasingly impossible to resist.
He wanted her. Intensely. It didn’t seem to matter whether she was spitting fire in his direction or trying to freeze him out, his body burned for her. From the moment he’d met her on Tortola, she’d been a craving he couldn’t seem to satisfy.
Wanting her had gotten him into this situation, and eventually—in spite of her objections—he and Ally would have to come to a workable solution, even if right now they were in complete disagreement as to what that solution would entail. The idea of marriage had grown on him, but Ally still seemed dead set against that. He’d have to convince her differently. Sex might work in his favor there—after all, he knew she wanted him, too, and it might be just the right angle to work. Logic argued he should take this slow, win her over the old-fashioned way, but logic wasn’t controlling him at the moment.
He wanted her. Pure and simple.
Now, preferably.
Ally kept a careful distance as she walked beside him to the parking lot. If she only knew what was running through his mind…
She seemed lost in thought on the short drive back to her place, occasionally biting a fingernail as she stared out of the window at the darkness. He was still easing the car into a space in front of her house when she had her seat belt unbuckled and her hand on the door.
“Thank you for dinner. And the lovely necklace. I’ll see you—”
Nice try. “I’ll walk you up.”
Ally seemed poised to argue, but she did wait for him to come around and assist her from the car. At the front door, she put her key in the lock and tried again.
“Good night.”
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Chris. Let’s just take this one step at a time. No need to rush things.”
He stepped closer, close enough to feel the heat radiating off her and see her eyes darken. “Who’s rushing?”
Ally stepped back a pace, the door blocking a further retreat. “I’m not stupid, Chris.”
Her hair had escaped its clip again, and he caught the lock that trailed over her shoulder, winding it around his finger. “I never claimed you were.”
Ally stammered as her breathing picked up pace. “We…we…we can’t just pick back up where we left off. Everything is diff-different now.” Even as she spoke, her hand slid gently over his forearm, belying her words. “There’re so many complications…”
“It’s