The Dragon Billionaire's Secret Mate(15)

On Tuesday, they went on an after-hours tour of the Shedd Aquarium, just the two of them in the big empty building. He'd been a major donor for long enough that they didn't mind letting him in after all the tourists had left.

He'd been to the aquarium many times before, but seeing the wonder in Theresa's eyes made it new all over again.

"This is one of my favorites," Samuel said, pointing at a display in front of them. Theresa squinted at the big algae plant swaying gently in what seemed like an otherwise empty glass case.

"So what you're saying is, you just really like slimy algae?" she asked with a grin.

"Look closer," Samuel said. He crouched down to show her what looked like the plant's big, leafy roots swaying gently in the currents.

"Oh! They're not roots! They're seahorses!" Theresa said, startled.

"Leafy sea dragons," Samuel said with a smile. One of the little creatures turned its head, looking at them with dark button eyes over its long snout. Then it twirled its tail and swum away, its fins floating in the water exactly like the seaweed they were meant to mimic.

"They're amazing!" Theresa said.

They shared a grin. Samuel felt warmed through by Theresa's enthusiasm. "Okay, now I have to show you the moray eels," he said, holding out a hand to pull her to his feet.

"Are they as pretty as the sea dragons?" Theresa asked. She was still holding his hand. Samuel reluctantly made himself let go.

"Nope. They're the creepiest fish you'll ever see in your life."

"Okay, now this I have to see." She hooked her arm into his and let him drag her on, laughing.



***



On Thursday, Theresa stopped him just as he picked up the phone to make a lunch reservation for them.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I need a break from the gourmet restaurants," she said with a smile. "Can't we just have a picnic by the beach or something?"

"Absolutely," Samuel said immediately, although mentally he was floundering a little. He'd never had a picnic before in his life. How did you even go about organizing something like that? Baskets and blankets were involved somehow, that was about all he knew. Well, if she wanted it, he'd make it happen somehow.

It turned out he needn't have worried. Theresa immediately took over organizing their outing. She found a blanket somewhere in the back of the guest room closet, picked out some mismatched cutlery in the back of the cutlery drawer ("You can't take your good forks on a picnic, are you crazy? What if we lose one!"), begged a basket off the housekeeper, and then dragged him on a whirlwind tour through the supermarket.

Samuel couldn't even remember the last time he'd done his own shopping. In the wake of Theresa's contagious enthusiasm, it turned out to be a lot more fun that he'd have thought it would be.

They ended up on the lakeshore, lounging comfortably on their blanket, watching the ships go by in the distance and eating a variety of cold cuts and cheeses with a loaf of crusty bread so fresh it was still a little warm on the inside.

Samuel laid back on the blanket, feeling the warmth of the sunlight on his face. "This was a great idea," he said. He reached out blindly for Theresa's hand, giving it a quick squeeze. Theresa squeezed back.

"I'm glad," she said. She laid down next to him, her hand still in his. Samuel looked at her through half-closed eyes. Her dark curls shone with a reddish glow in the sunlight, and the corner of her mouth was quirked up in a smile. God, she was beautiful.

They dozed in the sun, warm and content. It took Samuel almost an hour to realize she was still holding his hand. It had felt so natural. He never wanted to let go again.



***



On Friday, they took the jet to New York. They spent the day wandering around Manhattan.

"Do you mind if we have pizza for lunch?" Samuel asked. "I just, okay, don't ever tell anyone I said this, but the pizza's so much better over here."

"So you don't like Chicago style pizza? That's what you're saying?" Theresa clarified with a grin.

Samuel groaned. "It's terrible. I'm sorry. I feel like I'm betraying my city."

Theresa laughed. "Well come on then. Little Italy's walking distance from here. Let's have lunch, traitor."

Samuel winced, covering his face with his hands, laughing through his fingers.

They ended up splitting an enormous pepperoni and cheese.

"You're spoiling me way too much. I must have gained three pounds this week," Theresa said, eyeing the last slice of pizza on the plate with guilty longing.

Samuel nudged it over to her. "So what if you did? You look fantastic. We've been walking all over town for hours, and you're not even breathing hard. Who cares about a few pounds more or less as long as you're healthy and happy?"