Priceless Treasure(44)

He moved to her chair and held it out. She eyed him warily for a moment, but eventually moved forward and sat down.

“Still, I can’t be out too long, Captain. I have an early morning.”

He grinned. “I could probably get you excused. I know the boss.”

“I’m not asking for special treatment, Ashton. I want to do my job and not tick off my co-workers.”

“All righty, then,” he said. “Why don’t we just enjoy a nice meal and save the fighting for another day?”

Her mouth dropped open at that comment. “You are the one who’s been in a bear of a mood for a while now.”

“You’re absolutely right,” he told her, taking satisfaction in the shock in her eyes. “You’ve turned me down so many times now that I can’t even count them anymore. You’ve done a damn good job of wounding my pride.”

“What?” she gasped.

Leaning toward her so she was sure to hear every word he was saying, and to have no doubt about what he wanted, he waited until he had her full attention. “I like you, Savvy. I like you a lot. I no longer have a fiancée — you saw that little melodrama play out. No one is coming between us, and we’re now on this ship for more than a week. I’m going to pursue you, and I’m not going to stop, because I firmly believe that you like me too.”

After delivering that little speech, he leaned back, feeling pretty good. It was much better to get that out right away. Flirting was great and all, but there was nothing quite like honesty. Up front, up close, and personal.

Before she was able to reply, one waiter came in and filled their wineglasses while another one set down bread and salad. Then both men disappeared.

“Why me?” she asked him.

That floored him. What could she mean by that? But as he looked at her, he started to glimpse the hint of insecurity in her eyes. Did she really not understand how fascinating she was? How incredibly beautiful?

There was no possible way, he thought. But as he continued to study her, he realized that she really must not know her own value. If he were a complete rogue, he would use that to his advantage. But the mere thought of hurting her in that way disgusted him.

“I can’t think of anyone or anything other than you, Savvy. Everything about you has my world spinning out of control. I feel that if I don’t spend time with you, I’m never going to be the same again.” Quite a rare admission for him, one that offered up to her a piece of his own well-hidden vulnerability.

“… Ashton —”

He interrupted her before she was able to finish that statement. “Are you thirsty?”

“Well … um … yeah,” she had to admit.

He stood up from the table and walked behind his bar. He pulled out a couple of different bottles of liquor and enjoyed her smile when he tossed two bottles in the air, caught them perfectly, and then poured a bit of vodka and a bit of tequila in her frosted glass. With a little spin, he then grabbed the gin, and added some of that before taking the glass and scooping ice into it, adding a splash of rum, and some Sprite. Putting a cherry on top, he moved over to her.#p#分页标题#e#

“What is this?” she asked with a frown.

He grinned as she took a sip and scowled. “It’s called the leg spreader,” he said with a chuckle.

“Ashton, I prefer wine,” she said, and she pushed the glass away.

He wasn’t offended at all. With a laugh, he removed her glass and got a nice bottle of wine. He then watched her as she downed an entire glass, and, gentleman that he was, he refilled it for her. Obviously, she needed some liquid courage to get through the evening. Didn’t everybody from time to time? He surely had.

“Now, let’s get back to talking about the two of us,” he said, feeling more relaxed than he thought he should considering the circumstances.

“I just really don’t think it would be a good idea for you and me to … well … you know.”

And right then Ashton decided to change tactics. He was more determined than ever to have this woman, but obviously his strong-arm tactics weren’t working with her. The wheels continued to spin in his head as he sat back and watched this intriguing woman play with her soup — letting the liquid drip from her spoon without taking a bite.

He was a businessman, and he had to remember that. If one method continued to fail, hit a brick wall — even out at sea, where brick walls weren’t heavy on the ground — it was time to try something new. And Ashton had never been one to give up on anything.

So he stopped talking about how he felt about her, and instead began quizzing her on how her day had gone. He couldn’t miss the turmoil raging inside her.