"Time to get up,” I murmured, stroking her hair as she nuzzled closer into my chest with a soft whimper that had my cock hardening again. Caspian was on her other side, as usual, laying on his back, staring up at the ceiling while he twirled a piece of her hair. I was going to need to talk to him soon. I could see the panic every time he wasn't in the same room as Syn. I felt similarly, but I was afraid that she was going to feel like she needed space soon.
And space was the one thing I was never going to let her have.
Caspian needed to back off, at least a little bit, so we never got to that point.
I softly kissed her lips, thinking again how perfect they looked wrapped around my dick.
Focus, I chided myself.
Glancing out the window, I could see the sun was going to be setting soon, and I wanted to be out on the water as that happened. Just so we could get the full effect while I confessed my feelings for her. I don't know why I was so fucking nervous. It's not like I couldn't tell she loved me. It was in the way she moved, and the way she gazed at me…the way she touched me. The way her eyes tracked me across the room.
She was all in.
I just needed to make sure she knew that I was all in.
But even knowing the end result of this conversation, I was still freaking out.
"Come on, little wolf," I cajoled. "I've got your favorite dinner for tonight."
Caspian sighed in mock aggravation as I gave my best attempt to lure her out of bed. And evidently, I’d done well at the mention of steak, because she popped up like a damn Jack-in-the-Box, a gleam of excitement in her eyes.
A girl after my own heart.
She gave Caspian a lingering kiss, and slid out of bed, her movements graceful and sensual without her even trying.
“What should I wear?" she asked as she walked towards the closet we filled a little more each day, it seemed.
"Whatever you want," I answered, ignoring the pulse of longing I felt to follow her into the closet after she disappeared from sight. Caspian sat up, I'm sure to do that, and I gripped his arm.
"Time for you to go," I grinned, and he huffed and stuck his tongue out at me. I could see the debate in his eyes; he was wondering if he could convince Syn that he should come with us, but after I shot him the death glare, he came to his senses and got off the bed.
Just like I had done too many times, he walked into the closet and dragged her into the entrance before leveling her with a kiss she wouldn’t soon forget. For some reason, we all felt the need to imprint ourselves on her before she was with the other. I wasn't sure that territorial lust was going to fade with time. It hadn’t so far.
Caspian reluctantly left the room and I tried to get a hold of myself while waiting for Syn to emerge from the closet. What felt like forever, but was actually only a few minutes later, Syn came out dressed in a striking white dress that clung to her curves. I loved white on her, probably because it reminded me of the wedding dress she'd be wearing soon. A wedding was a distinctly human thing to do, but something inside me craved it almost as much as marking her with my bite. I liked the sentiment of it, a whole crowd of people seeing that she belonged to me.
But I was getting ahead of myself, once again.
"You look gorgeous, little wolf," I purred, loving how she flushed at my compliment. I needed to remember to give her more of those. When she grabbed her sandals, I grabbed her hand and led her out into the hallway, catching a glimpse of River creeping nearby. It would be nice if he could stop torturing himself and just give in like the rest of us had. A little wave of guilt crashed over me thinking of the fact that I was one of the reasons that River was so messed up. But I pushed it away. This wasn't like that. It was never going to be like that.
A golf cart was waiting for us since I didn't want to waste time walking as the sun was beginning to set. We took off, heading to the dock where one of our smaller yachts floated. Syn stared at it excitedly, yelping when I scooped her into my arms and walked her down the wood planks and up the steps into the boat where our small crew was waiting. They'd been given strict instructions to make themselves scarce besides serving our meal, and after they'd nodded a welcome to Syn, they quickly disappeared into the ship’s interior.
Syn squealed when she saw the elegant table waiting for us, two place settings with elaborate white and gold china, champagne flutes, and delicate silverware. There was an ice bucket next to the table with her favorite champagne.
"This is amazing," she gushed, almost bowling me over with the force of her hug.
My little wolf was easy to impress, evidently. She hadn't even tasted dinner yet.
The boat took off, keeping a steady pace until we were a couple miles from the shore with just the open sky as our landmark. I helped her to her seat after pouring her a glass of champagne, and we sat and watched as the colors lit up the sky and the staff brought out our meal. Crab cakes and grilled shrimp for the appetizer. Medium steak with purple carrots and her favorite mashed potatoes for the entrée. And then, of course, Caramel Brule for dessert topped with blackberries, since Syn had an orgasm every time the cook made it for dessert.
It was crazy how much I enjoyed being around her. We sat there throughout dinner, the silence never awkward, the conversation never boring. Out of anyone I'd ever met in this world, she was the only one who I could spend hours upon hours with without wanting to throw them off the boat, my brothers included.
I found everything about her fascinating, from the way that she moved her hands as she talked, to the sound of her laughter when she thought I’d said something ridiculous. Considering she hadn't had much life experience, she was remarkably learned, and she ate up everything I told her about places I'd traveled around the world. Her eyes teared up, like she was about to cry when I told her about my plans to take her to the Isles.
"That's where those little huts are out on the water, right?" she said excitedly, hope and surprise gleaming in her eyes.
"Yep. Part of the floor is glass-bottomed so that you can watch the fish underneath you even while you’re in your room.”
She swayed a little in place, and I was a bit afraid she was going to pass out with the news. I chuckled and shook my head.
When dessert was brought out, I had trouble following the conversation thanks to the little sexy noises she was making every time she took a bite. I made a note to ask the cook to make the Brule much bigger next time so I could listen to her even longer.
And then…dinner was over, and I was the one who probably looked like I was going to faint.
It was getting darker, the sun almost completely slipped from sight, and the clouds filled with a pink glow. This was my moment; I just needed to tell her…
"Hendrix, are you all right?" she asked as she came up beside me, where I was clenching the handrails on the side of the boat.
I opened my mouth, thinking I’d just blurt it out, but then I lost my nerve. This wasn't romantic enough. I needed to keep with the plan.
I signaled to one of the staff on the top deck and he nodded. Soon, the sound of Frank Sinatra’s crooning voice filled the air.