This definitely doesn’t have a rental vibe to it. My guess is that Kingsley’s family owns it.
My toes sink into the lawn as we move toward the sprawling house. The grass is plush beneath my feet as if it’s been watered and fertilized to an inch of its life. I stop and fish my sandals out of my bag before throwing on my coverup. Instead of heading inside the house, we detour around the property until arriving at a faded red brick driveway.
He pulls out a set of keys from the pocket of his boardshorts and clicks the locks on a sleek silver Range Rover. “Why don’t you hop in the car and I’ll run inside and grab my shoes.”
I nod as he trots up the wide porch steps and slips inside the glass front door. By the time I’m settled on the leather seat, he’s jogging toward the SUV. I glance at the house and realize it’s even more impressive than it looked from the rear.
Maybe Kingsley is an actual King.
The thought brings a smile to my face.
A moment later, he slides in next to me and the engine purrs to life. We pull out of the circular drive and head north. My gaze flits from the lush green landscape beyond the passenger side window that whizzes by to the handsome boy sitting to my left. It’s difficult to fathom that an hour ago, I was pretending not to look for him and now, we have plans to spend the day together on his boat.
“Exactly where are we headed?” That’s probably a question I should have asked before locking myself inside the vehicle with him.
He shoots me a quick glance before focusing on the ribbon of black pavement stretched out before him. “The boat is docked at the marina. It’s about a ten-minute drive from here.”
My guess is that he’s talking about the swanky country club where there are boat slips available to its members for an astronomical fee. Less than ten minutes later, we pull into the parking lot. Pristine yachts and speed boats are anchored at the slips. Seagulls float overhead, squawking in the cloudless sky as they search for food. It’s the perfect day to be out on the water.
We exit the Range Rover and Kingsley heads to the trunk before popping it open and grabbing an olive-green colored cooler from the back. Once he slams it shut, we walk through the gravel parking lot to the pier.
Kingsley points to a massive speed boat. “That’s mine.”
Holy crap…can you say ginormous?
“Oh, good. I was afraid it might be tiny.” I give him a bit of side eye before adding, “That would be really embarrassing for you.”
He snorts as his hand settles on the small of my back. The heat of his palm burns a hole through my coverup and singes my flesh. “I assure you, nothing about me is tiny.”
I burst out laughing. “Did you seriously just say that?”
His shoulders shake as he chuckles. “Guilty.”
“Well,” I say primly, squashing the humor from my voice, “I won’t be finding that out for myself. And if that’s a problem, you should take me home right now.”
“Hey,” he says with an easy shrug, “you’re the one who brought up size.”
“Of your boat,” I add as the gentle breeze off the water blows the loose hair away from my face.
“Noted.” Even though his eyes are shaded by a pair of aviators, I imagine they’re dancing with mischief. “Should we proceed?”
My feet slow as I arch a brow. “Can I trust you not to bring up the size of your vessel again? That was super uncomfortable.”
His lips twitch as he removes his hand from my back and lays it over his heart. “You have my promise. There will be no more talk about vessel size.”
“Then I’ll continue with our voyage,” I say in a magnanimous tone.
“Excellent.” He dips his head in acknowledgment. “You’ve made the crew very happy.”
We both grin before traversing the pier to where the glossy boat waits. The closer we get, the more impressed I become. I don’t know anything about boats, but even I can tell this one costs a shit ton of money. Probably as much as our house in Chicago, which is a crazy thought.
With athletic grace, he jumps onto the wooden platform at the back before reaching out his hand for me to take hold of. My heart skips a beat as I make the leap with his assistance.
I guess we can safely add gentleman to the growing list of attributes.
Kingsley shimmies past a seating arrangement to the steering console before setting down the Yeti cooler. I follow behind him, taking the boat in as I do. The interior is clean and sparkling as if it’s brand spanking new. There’s a hard-top canopy over the steering console with a window to take in the view and a small white pad in the front that has a railing wrapped around it. As Kingsley moves through the preparations of getting the craft in operating order, I settle on the curved seating arrangement at the back of the boat and observe him. I’m not going to lie, it’s seriously sexy watching him check fluids and flip switches. The process is obviously a familiar one, because his movements are precise and economical. He knows exactly what he’s doing.