The Billionaire Playboy(54)

Reaching for his drink he realized this would be their first weekend alone. Every time they'd been together either her family or his were close by. The thought made him smile. No one else around meant no distractions or interruptions.

A few minutes later the small plane touched down. Eager to see Charlie, Jake came to his feet. If everything went as planned the car he'd sent to pick her up at the Victorian Rose would arrive soon.

A warm breeze washed over him as he stood outside the airport. A group of girl scouts passed him on their way inside for a tour of the airport, but Jake didn't notice them. His mind was planning the next few days. He already scheduled reservations for dinner. But after that he had nothing planned. As far as he cared they could spend the entire weekend locked up in their room, coming out just for food. Still it wouldn't hurt to have a few other ideas just in case Charlie wanted to see some of the island. After all, it was her first time on Martha's Vineyard. Perhaps a short excursion for some sightseeing or shopping was needed. Many talented artists and jewelry makers called the island home.

The sound of several car doors slamming grabbed Jake's attention. From behind his dark glasses his eyes scanned the people heading his way. The minute his eyes locked on Charlie walking toward him a calmness he hadn't realized was missing settled over him. Until the moment he saw her, he hadn't realized how restless he'd been. With her suddenly in reach he felt grounded, as if he was just where he was meant to be.

He couldn't help but smile when she saw him and waved. Today her vibrant red hair hung free and the breeze was blowing it in every direction. She wore a pair of denim shorts and a plain black t-shirt. Although the outfit didn't scream “look at me”, he couldn't tear his eyes from her.

“You're late,” he said in his best no-nonsense tone. She'd told him before how much she hated being late so he couldn't help but give her a bit of a hard time now.

Charlie stopped in front of him, her hands on her slim hips. “Not all of us have a private plane, Mr. Sherbrooke.”

She kept any hint of laughter out of her voice, but he noticed her lips curved ever so slightly as she fought back a smile.

“Some of us had to deal with traffic on the highway.”

He stopped a grin from spreading across his face. She never held anything back. She seemed to tell him exactly what was on her mind. “I'll forgive you this time. Just don't let it happen again.” Jake took two steps forward and pulled her possessively toward him. When his arms went around her it almost felt as if a switch flicked inside his head. The minute he felt her pressed up against him all of his worries faded away. That fact unnerved him. How could someone he'd known such a short time have such an effect on him? And what should he do about it?

Now isn't the time to think about it. This weekend is all about relaxing and having fun.

“The plane is waiting for us.” Jake took a step back and picked up her bag. “Ready to go?”

Charlie took hold of his free hand and fell into step next to him. “All set.”

Jake led her inside the airport and through a restricted area, then back outside to the private air strip where their plane sat ready to go. “I think you'll love the house we're staying in. It belongs to a good friend of mine. He bought it a few years ago, but only gets there maybe once a year.” Jake put her bag in a storage compartment, then pulled her down into one of the seats and prepared to make this his most enjoyable plane ride ever.



***



Charlie walked along the uppermost deck with a mug of coffee in hand and took in the view. She couldn't imagine owning a piece of property like this and only getting here once a year. She didn't know where the homeowner spent most of his time, but it couldn't possibly compare to this. Setting her mug down on a table, she glanced over the railing at the secluded beach below. Maybe today she would check it out. Since it was part of the property no one else could use the beach, and it remained pristine thanks to the home's maintenance staff. She doubted even a single piece of drift wood could be found on the sand.

Through the open screen door she heard Jake moving around inside. When she woke up he'd looked so peaceful she didn't want to disturb him, so she'd made a pot of coffee and come outside. That had been more than an hour ago.

As she leaned against the railing she wondered what he had planned for the day. The previous afternoon they'd walked through the center of town checking out some of the local businesses before having a dinner at The Blue Herring, the most exclusive restaurant on the island.

He knows how to spoil a girl, Charlie thought as visions of their dinner replayed in her mind.