He smacked her butt and she yipped.
“Come on, little girl, I’m taking you out of here.”
“What?” she asked, muffled by the pillow.
“Got a surprise for you.”
That perked her up, but she still had to play hard to get. Make her fake boyfriend work for it a little.
“Uh-huh. I’ve heard that before. Is the surprise in your pants?”
He laughed. “That surprise is for later.”
He winked, and good lord the man was sexy. No shirt, sweaty, and happy. He was tan and rugged, and she wanted to drag him into bed with her. But he seemed adamant about getting her up.
“You’re the one who kept me awake all last night,” she protested.
“And I’m not sorry,” he said, those dimples making an appearance. “Now get your beautiful ass up and let’s go.”
With another groan, she got out of bed, and Blake was like a fidgety jackrabbit hustling her along.
“My God, what is wrong with you?”
“Just excited to take you away,” he said.
And even though he didn’t give her any more details, Carrie trusted him.
“What?” Carrie screamed at Blake. Whatever he was saying to her, she couldn’t hear over the loud propellers of the helicopter.
He kissed her on the cheek and helped her into the chopper. She’d never been in one before and had no idea what to expect. Blake buckled her in and handed her a headset to put on. The big earmuffs encased her ears, drowning out the outside noise so she could hear through the speaker set. He put on his own headset and buckled himself in. He adjusted the little mic by his mouth.
“You excited?” he asked, his voice coming through the headphones even though he was sitting right next to her.
She smiled wide. They were in the middle of nowhere, on a landing pad, and she had no idea how Blake had pulled this off.
“Where’s the pilot?” she asked.
He grinned and flicked several switches above his head. “You’re looking at him.”
Her eyes went wide. “What?”
“Trust me,” he said, and kissed her cheek. “I’ve been flying a long time. I do this often, and I’d never put you in danger.”
Carrie did believe him. A calm sense of joy spread over her. She’d never been surprised before. Never felt safe in capable hands like this. Never felt seen.
Blake gave her all those things. And all those things were adding up and taking a very real toll on her heart.
He was made of prime boyfriend material. The real kind, not the fake.
He had all the qualities that made up a good man. The kind that could make up a good husband. Father. But Blake wanted none of those things. He wanted his freedom and his lodge. She knew this. And yet when he tugged on her seat belt one more time, she felt cared for.
Felt like he might care for her more than just the fake relationship. Because the last few nights had only gotten more and more intense. There was trust between them. She felt it like a second skin and believed in it.
The best relationships are built on trust.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked. Because like he’d said last night, no one was watching. This wasn’t for a show. Even if the relationship wasn’t real, their emotions were. So why? She had to know. Had to know if there was hope that he could want more with her. Feel more for her.
“I wanted to make you smile,” he said simply. “And I wanted to get you off of this island for a bit.”