Priceless Treasure(55)

“Please don’t …”

They were interrupted as the waitress came to take their drink orders. And the two of them later took a tour of the upstairs museum, with all its antiques from the Gold Rush period.

When they left the Red Onion, Ashton dragged her over to the Old Timey Photo Shop. He dressed as a lawman, and she played a lady of the night. It was a picture she would treasure forever — when this all ended, as it inevitably would.

By the time the two of them made it back to the cruise ship, Savvy was exhausted, but the day had been more than she could have imagined. She’d been able to see a side to Ashton she’d never seen before — a playful side. A side that told her how easily she could fall in love with the man if she weren’t incredibly careful.

If it wasn’t too late.





Chapter Twenty-Six


Sitting at her favorite place on the cruise ship — the back, where passengers rarely ventured — Savvy allowed herself the indulgence of a worried sigh.

She wasn’t about to deny that the cruise and all its stops at ports had been magnificent so far. Perfect, in fact.

But she and Ashton were living off caffeine and heightened hormones. They made love nightly, sometimes more than once, and though it seemed impossible, the lovemaking continued to grow better and better each and every time.

The ship was now cruising past a huge glacier with giant chunks of ice splashing off into the water below. It was a little frightening even for a fan of the ocean and of shipwrecks. She’d watched the film Titanic a few too many times not to be scared.

Come to think of it, that story hadn’t had a happy ending. Was that going to be how her story turned out? Yes, it seemed perfect right now, but what happened when the boat made it home? When they returned to the real world? What if Ashton turned out to be as cold as Jack when he drifted down to the ocean floor.

She’d told herself she wouldn’t let her fears overtake her, wouldn’t let worries cast shadows on her decisions. Ah, but she was in an epic romance, and with all good romances, there were bumps in the road, or on the sea. The passion ran high — and the letdown sometimes was too much to handle.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself. It was just that her nerves were beginning to spike again as she realized their voyage would soon be over. What was it going to be like when they returned to Seattle? Were they going to go back to being just boss and employee? Was the sex going to be over? As depressing a thought as that was, what was worse was thinking she wouldn’t get to laugh with the man anymore.

She’d gotten to see a side of him that he had hidden from her before, and it was a side she really liked.

“What are you so deep in thought about?”

This time, when Ashton found her as she watched the sun go down, she wasn’t startled. She sighed as his arms circled gently around her waist and rested on her stomach. Heat rushed through her, even in the coolness of the Alaskan water.

“I was just thinking that our adventure is almost over,” she told him with a sigh.

“Maybe this one is over, but it doesn’t mean that we are,” he told her as he kissed the side of her neck.

She shuddered at his gentle caress. But she had to say, “We haven’t talked about what it will be like when we get back.”#p#分页标题#e#

He was silent for a little while, though he didn’t stop paying homage to her charms. And she suddenly didn’t care about the future. Her core went molten and she began squirming against him.

“It will be just the way it is now, but instead of exploring Alaska and Canada, I’ll take you to some of my favorite places around Seattle and the San Juan Islands.” He was now rubbing his hands tantalizingly along her thighs.

“But I start school in a little over a month, Ashton.”

“Your university is in Seattle, Savvy. It’s not like we’re going to be on different continents.” And his lips almost made her forget what they were speaking about.

“I know,” she said as she leaned back into him. “But I told you that when I’m in school, it’s a different world for me. I’m so busy and so focused on improving myself, on succeeding.”

She was beginning to think, though, that maybe she’d been wrong about him. Maybe this wasn’t just a fling for him if he truly wanted to work through these obstacles and keep on seeing her. She was afraid to hope for that, but she was starting to.

“We’ll figure out a way to be together, my sweet Savvy. I love spending time with you. And if it’s important to both of us, we’ll make it happen.”

“This trip and our romance have happened so quickly, and we’ve spent so much time together naked that we haven’t done a lot of talking.” Why was she putting this all out there? Was she trying to push him away?