Read Online On 4/19 (On 4/19 and Beyond 4/20) by Lisa Heaton - Free Book Online Page B

this was strictly a business arrangement. For just a moment, it had somehow slipped her mind. He was so incredibly sweet toward her, it was easy to overlook the fact that she was being paid to be with him.
    For a minute, he studied her. She was freshly showered and her cheeks were pink from the sunshine. In her robe and with wet hair, she seemed comfortable and relaxed. He reached out and touched the fabric of her robe. “Comfy?”
    Chelsea rolled her eyes. “This is the most comfy ever. I may wear it the entire time we’re here. Will that embarrass you at dinner tonight?”
    Un-phased, he said, “Not at all. I’ll wear mine too. Think we’ll turn a few heads?”
    She assured him, “I think that’s inevitable.”
    He was sure she was referring to their ages. “Does it bother you?”
    “Absolutely not. It kind of makes me smile.”
    “Yeah, me too.” She was so beautiful; she turned heads in every room they entered. He’d noticed. That was the main reason he’d agreed to the security detail when the hotel offered it. She would often be alone, and John didn’t like the idea of anyone approaching her.
    Touching the robe again, he offered, “Take it home.”
    “I can’t do that.” Though she wanted to.
    “Sure you can. I’ll have them put it on my bill.”
    “Can you do that?”
    Reaching up, he touched her wet hair; it was naturally wavy. Up until that point, he’d only seen it straight. There were many things about Chelsea that he didn’t know, and he had a feeling finding out would be quite the adventure. He chuckled softly, mostly because she underestimated what was ahead of her. “I can do most anything. Now, you can too.”
    She didn’t know how to respond to that, so she simply looked at him, wondering exactly what he meant.
    Little did Chelsea know, John had things planned for her beyond her imagination. Life with him would be different than anything she’d ever known. He would make sure of it.
    As John dressed for dinner, he could hardly get the fact that Chelsea skipped lunch off his mind. It was a silly thing certainly, but he couldn’t let it go. Several times he wondered why she simply didn’t order room service. He decided it was because she didn’t want to be presumptuous with his money. Going forward, he would always make sure to give her what she needed, even if she didn’t ask. Discovering her hesitance to ask for what she needed was one thing he would never underestimate again.
    Meeting her in the living room, John was struck speechless. The dress she wore was stunning. It was a long black dress with a slit up the side. The neck was scooped, but not too low. It was when she giggled and turned around that he saw there was no back to the dress. Instead, he could see her tan line. Finally he stammered, “You look spectacular.”
    Chelsea felt as much like a princess as when she first arrived. Earlier, after sharing a sandwich with John, something to tide them over until dinner, someone arrived from a store in the hotel carrying an armload of dresses and several pairs of shoes. He told her to pick out anything she liked, and this dress was by far her favorite. For the first time, she felt almost sophisticated and hoped he thought so too. This jaw dropping reaction was exactly what she was hoping for.
    On the way to dinner, as they passed through the hotel, he led her through a doorway. It was not until after they entered that she realized they were in small jewelry store. The cases were brightly lit and hundreds of gems sparkled beneath the glass.
    John felt her hesitation. Dragging her over to one of the cases, he insisted, “You can at least look.” As soon as he saw her in the dress, he knew she would have to have a necklace to accompany it. She wore small diamond stud earrings that her grandfather gave her. Wisely, he decided he would only fight one battle that evening and it would be for the necklace.
    When he slid a diamond necklace around her neck and spun her around to close